Fox of Spades

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

During their next free time in a group, I'll have Harper and Riley get to know the others more too ^^

Since this chapter is coming to an end and not everyone has read the revamped rules yet, we won't put the warning system into effect until we begin chapter 4. From there on out, it'll be three strikes and you're out. I'm just repeating this because I really like the cast and don't want anyone else to end up having to leave or get booted out.

Also, the guild has been a bit wonky as of late so I edited the weebly.

Information Site

We now have a page titled 'in case of RPG death' and if the site ever falls again (I sure hope it doesn't xD) I'll update that page with info and stuff and we can go move somewhere or regroup and plan things out.

I hope you're all having a wonderful mornight :D! Have an adorable fluffball.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

RPG is finally up, yay! Hopefully it stays up.

Rex, you're probably done with finals now, but good luck! //shot

Have an adorable video, gah the cuteness, it melts my heart ;A;



Anddddd speaking of melting, have some ice cream pictures >8D

Glorious foood

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Kimchi, thank you for being honest about the IC. I agree with you, the past few weeks haven't been the best. We slowed down, barely anyone stuck to the three day rule, and Kathi, Kei, and I had to haul a few of you guys around. We hit a rough patch, but I'm glad that it didn't knock us down. We're communicating about it and we're getting over it :D! If we talk about the things that demotivate us and try to overcome these obstacles then I believe we'll be just fine.

If the IC ever starts to slow down again or we hit another rough patch, I'd appreciate it if you guys talked about it on the OOC. Feel like we've been lacking interaction? Feel like we need to move on sooner rather than later? Tell me here and we'll talk it out :D! Kathi, Kei, and I are here to help you guys out and we want to do our best to make this as enjoyable for everyone. Remember, communication keeps a RP alive and discussion helps solve problems.

During the past few weeks the OOC quieted down quite a bit and it eventually led to this. Also, we've never really had a serious discussion before, in fact, I believe this is the first one. While they might not always be the most pleasant, they'll help us fix problems before they get too big and they'll help us avoid something like this in the future. Guys, thank you for your honest opinions :)! Seeing everyone communicate and discuss definitely lifts the weight off our shoulders.

It lets us know you're interested in contributing and shows us that you guys are still here and rearing to go xD! We'll be ending this chapter soon and once again a new chapter will begin :D! So let's put this behind us and get this done. Let's send the lost souls home <3

As for the OOC games since Oblivion is away and Phones has left, the first pair will be Brandy and Ace followed by Songbird and Inadi. I'll just pair Leon with one of the rabbit sisters when Oblivion gets back. Aki, Kathi ^w^ you may now start your round of questions.

{ it's gonna | be better }

The site's been really wonky lately :/ hopefully things get better.

Best of luck with your job hunts, Genkai! And ugh, it's really warm here too so I understand how you feel >__< I've been doing alright, not a lot of things on my plate. Have some food pictures!

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Phones, it's sad to see you leave, but we respect your decision and there are no hard feelings.

You've been with us ever since the beginning and I'd like to thank you for travelling with us. There have been ups and downs but RPing with you has been fun, hopefully our paths will cross again. Good luck with your future RP endeavors!

It's always sad to see players go, but once again, we'll keep chugging on.

Big group or small group, it doesn't matter. Kei-chan, Kathi-chan, and I plan to see this through to the end and we'll keep posting as long as people remain interested. We have the endings and future chapters planned out and I have an outline done for most of the RP but we'll need you guys and all the help we can get. So the question is, which of you guys want to see this thing to the end with us? Because if we all post consistently, I'm confident that we can give these Lost souls an ending they deserve.

MUG, Anon, don't worry about it. As of late, the site has been wonky. I understand that getting up a post when it crashes every few minutes can be hard and frustrating. Hopefully, it's alright now.

Now that we've said all we've needed to. What do you guys think of the new rules?

These are the remaining Lost Souls

+Harper
+Jasper
+Leila
+Ace
+Leon
+Lesley
+Inadi

Oblivion will be gone until the 16th so she's currently excused, but I will be expecting her to follow the same rules when she get backs.

So everyone else, are you with us? ^^ I hope you all are because despite the unpleasant discussion we had to open up I love you all to bits and pieces and want to thank each of you for sticking with us for this long. This wouldn't be the train without you guys and I'm really thankful.

Oh and an extra note, Haku will now be controlled by Orpheus, Crescendo and I. He'll be sticking around for now.

Pirate Age

The Coral Pearl

"Captain you shouldn't exert yourself!" Nolan stared with wide eyes as Runa stomped into the kitchen. If she was hungry he'd happily go and make them a meal, why was she so eager to charge in? There was crash followed by a yell but before he could race towards the loud banging and groans, the captain emerged, dragging an unconscious pirate behind her. The cook stared at it all, dumbfounded. He didn't really know how to react.

There was the sound of wood splintering followed by the ship setting out to sea.

Nolan stared at broken port then at the unconscious pirate by his feet. A few moments later, Luro appeared and tossed a small dagger at him. He stared at the knife then made a sour face. "We have a medical kit below deck and a pair of tweezers. I'll go boil some water and sterilize it. Captain, I'll be back in a flash." He gave her a reassuring smile then winced when Luro began to roughen up their captured foe. The cook made his way below deck but not before he heard a scream and a loud splash. He felt a little sorry for the poor fellow, but at least he was simply thrown out instead of shot or killed.

Nolan returned not long after with the tweezers in a glass of hot water and medical kit. He made Runa sit down then listened as Luro blabbered on cheerfully. It was hard to believe he was travelling with a group of pirates now. Not to mention, they were all nice folks despite their experience in fighting and other questionable acts.

"Captain, this might hurt a little, okay?" He dabbed at her wound with a wet piece of cloth then began to examine it. Thankfully, the bullet wasn't stuck inside. Nolan let out a relieved sigh. "The bullet went through, so we won't have to use the tweezers." He gave her the piece of cloth. "Here, hold down on this, it'll steady the flow of blood. You should be better in time for dinner, Captain." The cook gave her a releaved smile then ruffled her hair the same way one would a younger sister.

Nolan was the oldest in sibling in a family of seven and was used to looking after his kid siblings, so a part of that shone through and he ended up treating the captain as if she were one of his younger sisters.

The captain was alright and she requested a song as Luro began to clean his rifle.

"Coming right up, it was a long day and I'm sure you're all hungry!" Nolan disappeared below deck only to appear awhile later with plates of stuffed chicken and mashed potatoes.

Pirate Age

Finally, the site is back to normal ^^

I'll go get a post up ASAP. Pirates at the Caribbean, aye? No wonder you're here xD and cool pics Captain.

Edit: Posted ^^

So far I don't have any concerns. It's been really smooth sailing, you guys are all swell! I look forward to what the future will bring xD

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

Read up, we'd like to tell you a few things. This has been bothering us for sometime and we're going to address the problems.

Okay, for the last few weeks things have been frustrating and slow. We've had to haul around characters and work extra hard to squeeze a reaction out of you guys. I'll be honest, I've been feeling demotivated and sometimes I just want to take a break from it all. Moving you guys along to see only two replies sucks- it really, really sucks.

And it sucks more when I get posts that are the size of the great wall of china but as weighty as air. I'm sorry if this sounds like a rant, but Kei-chan, Kathi-chan, and I have been discussing and we're going to address these problems now.

We constantly remind you guys about the three day rule but for some of you it goes in one ear and out the other. Phones, Four, I'll be honest, you guys have been with us from the beginning but if Haku or Leila were to die I don't think it'd cripple the group.

The problem is you guys lag behind and as a result miss opportunities to create interaction. Four, I love Leila to bits and pieces, I really do but she hasn't done much and is one of the characters who has failed to build relationships with the majority. I understand it's in her character and I'd be okay with that if more of your posts were proactive instead of just reacting.

The way you handled Leila during the mushroom fight was amazing. But that's the only time I can commend you actually taking the initiative to move things forward. Most of the time I HAVE TO usher Leila along and babysitting is tiresome.

I need to see more proactive posts from you. I need to see you build relationships.

Now onto Haku. Unlike Four, you move things along and I really do appreciate that Phones but we also have a problem with both Haku and you that we'd like to address. This has been a problem from the beginning and it's my fault for not addressing it. I thought things would get better and while they have, it isn't enough at the moment.

Hakuren can handle anything and his reactions to some things can be ridiculous. Nowhere is a fascinating world where whales fly and where dangers lurk at every corner, for him to just nonchalantly shrug everything off kind of breaks the tone.

I wanted the humans to be amazed, confused, terrified and LOST. They are the lost souls and I wanted them to FEEL. These emotions are important because I want to see the characters grow. Don't give me static characters who remain the same throughout a maddening ordeal I want dynamic characters.

Character development was supposed to be a huge part of this RP.

I have to give Kimchi a clap for this one. Jasper started out as a jumpy germaphobe who was scared of everyone but now she's become caring and much braver and the character development is just so obvious it's amazing. She's practically the one who kept them alive throughout the entirety of chapter three.

Hakuren has been the opposite of this. He's stayed the same and that's my main problem. How can he grow when he's already so brave and good at everything? Phones, like Four, I love you to bits and pieces, you've been with us since the beginning and you're my friend, but there are things we'll need to fix. I hope you guys don't take this the wrong way, there are simply things we need to address in order to improve the RP and make things better for everyone.

Some people find your posts heard to read and while there are times when I enjoy them, I have to agree. Walls of philosophical stuff do not contribute to the plot and who thinks about philosophy when they're about to die horrible deaths? I get it, Haku is a psych student but he doesn't feel human sometimes and seeing him be great at everything is frustrating because a part of Nowhere is the lost souls helping each other through tough times.

I wanted a world that would make people rely on each other. I do not want to see people solve problems singlehandedly. Everyone has had their "Nowhere scares me, this isn't normal moments." Haku hasn't and we've never seem him feel genuinely frightened.

Humans feel fear. If you fear nothing, you are a robot.

Phones, I want to see Haku grow. I want to feel for Haku. We're giving you a chance to show us you can do this in the next chapter. We have something planned, don't resist it, embrace it. Make us care and not want to gut him to get a reaction that isn't a gleeful smile.

Another thing, we'd appreciate is less retrospection and more action in a post. No one can hear Haku's thoughts and that won't make them care for him at all. What will make them care are his actions.

Character problems aside, we've been having problems with dedication and consistency. "Not feeling inspired." Is not an excuse to miss a cycle. We're only asking for a minumum of three paragraphs every three days, that's like a paragraph a day. It shouldn't be that hard and let's be honest, inspiration can be such a jerk. If I posted move along posts only when I felt inspired then this RP would be dead or perma stuck in chapter one. If you have a concrete excuse for not posting like exams and school (ugh right) please please post in the OOC so that we know! Saying it on Skype is fine too but it would be nice to have a reminder on OOC since we might forget or miss reading it and that would be trouble for us all.

Wise words from Pach: "The best way to get over a block is to write."

This next piece is for everyone.

We're revamping the rules. I told you guys about the three day rule before all of you joined and you guys agreed to the terms and conditions. Now, I have to post reminders all the time and it drains me and I bet it demotivates Kathi and Kei-chan too.

Having to think of routes and chapters and move you along every three days can be tiresome so when we get no replies or replies that are pretty much void reactions we wonder, are we doing something wrong? If we are, talk about your concerns on the OOC.

We're going to be stricter. Here are the news rules

- Post once every cycle [If I post on the 1st of July I will post again on the 4th and you better have a post up by then or you miss a cycle.]

-If you miss a cycle TELL US ON THE OOC. It'll take away like 5 minutes of your life and if you want to see this RP through to the end it shouldn't be hard.

-If you miss a cycle and do not tell us on the OOC I will give you a warning. This isn't just any warning, if you get three of these, I will boot you from the RP. It is unlikely that you will be able to join us again.

Of course, I understand real life is important so if you're busy. I'll repeat this for the nth time, tell us on the OOC or you get a warning and that's the end of the story.

Is this clear? Suggestions, complaints? Violent reactions? Toss them here and let's discuss things. Once again, this isn't meant to hurt feelings, we just want to improve the RP as best we can and sometimes that involves not so pleasant discussions. I hope you all understand and I hope this doesn't spark up any bad feelings.

That is all for now, please announce your presence.

The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

Academy of the Arts: Dallia’s Group

Xan had her eyes glued to a gloomy painting of a hanged woman. A girl dressed in black dangled beneath an Oak tree. The massive tree was bare and ravens were perched on the many skeleton-like branches. It was a sad painting and whoever made it clearly had an eye for detail.

Dallia began to talk about the academy's history and Xan peeled her eyes away from the artwork to focus on the priestess. The school's background sounded interesting and it was amazing to hear that 15 year-olds worked on things as complicated as this. Xan's eyes flitted from paining to painting, she always thought things of such detail were made by older men and women, but everything here proved her wrong.

Dylan mentioned that his sister was a teacher at the academy and not long after Dallia asked about their own tales.

"It must be an amazing thing, teaching such talented students. You get to see wonders everyday." Xan gave the siblings a smile. "You won't believe the adventures your brother has been going on. I haven't been travelling with them for long, but I've heard tales." Lucien had taken every opportunity to tell her all about Weir and Vandrell. He just couldn't stop idolizing the pride and how cool everyone was. It was a little annoying at first, but she witnessed it firsthand at Los Paraisos and Thaum.

She turned to look at Estelle with a grin. "I heard they battled a giant mutated bear and defeated a demon, it's amazing stuff, and I'm sure they've done a lot more." The girl turned her head only to be captivated by a vase filled with the most colorful of flowers.

---

Academy of the Arts: Keeva’s Group

The theater was just grand and Lucien bounced around the room with a silly grin.

He swiveled around taking it all in only to have Lute appear in front of him with a raised fist. The virtuoso began talking about the dangers of breaking things but Lucien was far too pumped to listen. So he placed an arm around Lute's shoulders and pulled the man close. "This is really grand, yeah? I wonder if they'll be playing stuff like Macbeth or Titus Andronicus!" The summoner snickered. "That part where king Titus turns Chiron and Demetrius into a pie was the just amazing." If not for the voices of the others Lucien would probably have babbled on and on about Ophelia's death and that time Hamlet stabbed his uncle through the curtain.

"Huh? Oh, sure, sure! Stage stuff sounds neat." Lute suggested a sound room and Lucien decided to throw in his own suggestion. "Could we see the students rehearse their lines too?" If they acted as well as they painted, he was pretty sure they were all going to be blown away.

The Midnight Train to Nowhere

It doesn't have to be a novel.

We just want proactive posts. Remember, we're only asking for at least three paragraphs. I don't need a wall of reactions, just something that adds to the plot. This chapter is coming to an end so I'd like to see at least one post from everyone before Wednesday night or Thursday morning. After that, we move on to chapter four. I hope you're all having a good day.