Mirandae

The Spirits Within

There are three options Six: (1) You assume control of Thael as your own secondary character and you make a new character sheet for him; (2) you do what Ex said, play off of the fact that Roy is alone now, as it could be a great character arc; (3) you pack things up as you've already hinted at. I'd hate to lose another player, but if you feel that you can't continue then that's fine.

The Spirits Within

@Ten, what JJ said, but killed by a whale! Just to say something different.

@Rockette, incredible as always! These personalized themes and colors adds a lot to the mix of things!

@Ex, if everyone are willing to write short summaries for their regular posts, we can certainly pick that up! Especially when the posts begin to creep beyond 2000 words.

The Spirits Within

Mmk.
We're going to complete any and all interactions that are currently going on and finish up the current battle before I advance the story to the farmers' outpost. In between those two things, we're also going to take a breather.

Also, stop saying when you're going to post. I can't say that I'm particularly happy with how people say "I will post then and then" and don't do it, so just leave it.

The Spirits Within

Ex said
But it's Prisk's call.

Haha, my bad sense of humor. Anyway, it's not like we'll never use them again, and there can indeed be more than two people in a collaboration, but then it's equally prudent to just collaborate through the actual thread when there is more than two people. A group roleplay is a collaborative effort, you write together through posts in the thread, so... just do that, when the situation does not specifically call for a 1x1.

The Spirits Within

That looks about right, JJ. There's no need for pinpoint accuracy, though.

Collaborations are okay, but in the right set of circumstances, not all the time. That's what I want to get across here. They obviously serve a great purpose as long as you keep them within that purpose. This is supposed to be group roleplay after all.

I also get that thing where you have to click the previous page to see the latest post.

The Spirits Within

I want there to be a bit more continuity. Think of it as a primary, overarching timeline and within it there can be secondary timelines. For example, the farmers’ outpost is going to be the next primary timeline and depending on what the characters do, there will be secondary timelines. It’s more or less the same as we’ve been doing already, but it will help me with a few things ‘behind the scenes’ to structure it this way.

The only reason for there to be a separate combat-timeline is when it belongs to the story, but it would be too extensive to function as the primary timeline — doing random combat encounters for ten pages without advancing the story would surely kill this roleplay off. Keep in mind that these are quite low key combat encounters and shouldn’t affect the story in any significant way. So, we will have The Anatolian Mountains-timeline for combat and the farmers’ outpost-timeline for story progression.

@Ex, the farmers’ outpost will have a Shaman, or a Witch Doctor, or some such nonsense. Surely, that person can examine Emily, if she has the guts to show it to him or her! Actually, this person might be more so qualified than a physician. Or what JJ said, let Kim fix it. Perhaps with the aid of whatever people there are at the outpost.

@JJ, they’ve traversed a small mountain pass, but it’s not too extensive. So, I’d say that they’ve been walking and fighting for two days or so, which to a normal person would equal half a day of the same effort.

@Rockette, exciting indeed!

Edit, important
Also, I’d like you to refrain from collaborations when all the characters are together. Let’s say that I introduce some story element and you guys start to plan collaborations. What happens is that everyone post their collaborations with little regard for everyone else’s efforts, as you either don’t know what they are or don’t account for them as they appear in the in-character. This leads to no character acknowledgements and nobody knows which collaboration that is the ‘present’ in the story.

So, limit collaborations to situations in which there, without doubt, are primarily only the characters whom are involved in said situation. Flashbacks are collaboration galore. When I split up the team for some side-quests at the farmers’ outpost, it will also be ideal for joint posting. However, when all the characters are doing something together, I’d prefer if you post regularly and leave the interactions open to everyone. Because right now, it’s mostly a collection of random 1x1s that happens to be in the same thread, and I don’t want that.

The Spirits Within

That was an epic post, Rockette and Archangel, right in the feels! Well done.

I've decided to do a 'time skip' in my next post that removes Sonder's character. The post will begin when the friends arrive at an Anatolian farmers' outpost, very laid-back and secluded. Also, I've been aching to try that 'mission'-based GMing that some people are into, so we might try some of that at the outpost... like, side-quests or whatever, where we split the team up in smaller parts and do stuff for the farmers, because reasons.

Also, I'm thinking that a change in the timeline-thingy is needed, starting with my next 'time skip'-post. All the little timelines can get confusing, and they sort of allow you to ignore character acknowledgements. So, we'll have a primary, traditional 'action and reaction'-timeline that advances when everyone has said and done what they need and want to; we'll have a combat-timeline running parallel to the story-timeline; and then you can freely create flashbacks that work in the same way. Sound good? Good, then we'll do that.

Concerns as a potential GM - could use some advice.

I would recommend that you read this. It's a 'guide' that highlights the differences between roleplaying and writing (or reading a book). They are not the same thing, not even in the same ballpark. It also talks about pacing and basic story structure, which if you follow, will make things easier for you. I've been thinking about writing my own article that highlights thinking and writing techniques for people who don't have the time or whose muse won't cooperate.

Need suggestions for dragons

Gravity and time! Not sure where I'd place them, though.

The Spirits Within

No, only you stalk me, Ex. Rockette just happened to check that thread, that’s all. But, then gain, how could she not when she knew that I had posted there? She loves me, just as you do. You all do, and that’s okay. I forgive your stalking needs!

On another note, I agree that writing is not about speed. However, it is about consistency. Just like any other artistic discipline. You become good at it by doing it regularly. It is also by doing it regularly that you increase the chances for ‘inspiration’ to strike. Inspiration does not come around by not doing the thing that you desire inspiration for. But, then again, one could argue that writing and posting in an online forum is not the same thing. This is how you post more frequently while maintaining quality, though, by realizing these things.