You posted less than three days ago, so it's no problem MUG.

It's a little lengthy, but my post it up. I asked Aki for permission and used Ace a little bit, I also used Leon since Oblivion is busy. Hopefully, he isn't too out of character. Now, let's put an end to this guys.

You've made Ace one happy camper.

I'll write up my post after I finish eating this spoonful of choco spread.

After I post, there'll be a cycle to have everyone get back on their feet/react/fall back into formation. After that, this chapter falls into its conclusion so I think it's imperative that everyone be present.

That's all. Mwah.

And I'll follow up a post after Lulu /o/

Update: We're gonna do a collab.

Oh so the cycles are by day. Okay sorry about that. I'm so used to cycles being decided based solely on when a specific person (usually the GM) posts in them. Sorry bout that Fox. Misinterpreting the meaning there. XD

Update: We're almost done. This is a really long collab because we basically wrapped a whole lot of things up. You could see that it's basically two posts in one.

Yep, we have a three day rule so I expect everyone to post at least once every three days. When everyone is done I post again and end the cycle, but so far people haven't been following the three day rule so we're moving things along even though they haven't posted. I hope this clears things up a bit.

Edit: D'awww, Kathi-chan! Kei-chan! That was adorable, awesome posts you guys.

Well, I don't know if I can count myself as here or not here. I don't mean to sound like some upset little child, because I know the fault is all mine, but demotivation has conquered me to the point that I find it bothersome to even think -.- I'll see what I can do, but don't expect anything spectacular in my next post. Without the proper muse, my writing is as good as a piece of that advertisement paper they pass on on the streets.

Ugh, double post. The site is being wonky.

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.

C'mon people give us your "I'm so tired of this BS, plus my body hurts so I pretty much can't comprehend how dragons can do that" reactions! Let's end this chapter nice and quick, yes?

^^^ Haha, I would think at this point they stop wondering how things work and just go with it. "This is Nowhere, I guess it's normal."

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.

In support of Michi's post...
The overall interaction between everyone IC has been pretty dismal. Let's have a look at everyone's characters, okay?

Lesley and Inadi are newest, in fact they were only introduced this chapter, but it's plain to see that despite the two of them being neophytes they've developed and ushered way more development than the members of the old cast (most especially the former). In fact, if you see our most recent activity, it's Lesley who took the initiative to calm the dragon. Followed up by Ace, who is also quite new to the groups. Not to mention the relationships they've forged. Everyone already remembers the pink-haired dude/dudette and I'm sure if we killed Inadi at least two people are going to react.

So here's the lineup of arrival per group:
1: Hakuren, Jasper, (Harper), Leila
2. Leon, Ace
3. Inadi, Lesley, (Riley)

Summary of relationships between characters as compiled by the GMs: Everybody save Leon is "eh" towards Hakuren, especially when he did that jerk bit to Inadi (we find it extremely insensitive for him to put a wounded comrade on top of a pillar, no excuses for this one). Jasper's growing out of her shell and that's amazing and obvious. Leila and Leon are invisible. Lesley has blended into the group already, Inadi's on the way there. Ace already has the makings of her own private clique.

Now I know there are people who will simply gravitate towards each other and some will just repel, but try harder because up until now nobody even has the basest of details about each other's backstory.

One of our biggest issues is the reacting. For every post that you write make sure that someone else can add something to it and create a whole new thing for us GMs to draw on. Writing move-alongs with those bland reactions just takes the motivation out of us.

Michi took it upon herself to create TWO Lost Souls in order to usher everyone along. That speaks a lot for the lack of effort we have. To be honest we would really appreciate it if people warped the scene for their own. If we give you a dragon to fight with, we expect that when we return everyone had already defeated it with teamwork and imagination. So far all we're gotten are reactions.

Since I've been personally assigned to this sector...

From now on I will read everybody's posts and I will personally call out if I saw that your character did nothing in the scene. If you don't change your ways within two counts I will remove you from the event one way or another; you will find yourself flung off a mountain or a castle, only to be called into action when the scene is done and your character will probably be missing a few limbs.

After all, it is our job to think of reasons as to why your creation has remained unmoving despite the fact that a raging bull is rampaging towards his/her group. Don't expect us to keep playing the deux ex machina card.

If you don't like it, then post. Do a thing. Help a bud. Move out of the way.

That's all. Comments and suggestions?

Hello, everyone =3

Headphones reporting in. This message saddens me quite, yet it has come the time to say goodbye.

Ever since the new guild came out in January I have been finding it hard to post for the Train, mainly due to the fact that one month had to pass without writing a single word. It is something that couldn't be helped. When everything started running again, I no longer had enough motivation and my posts became slower and I completely vanished from the OOC at one point, barely making an appearance afterwards. Honestly speaking, I believed it was merely a phase that would pass by, but it is now June and I am still lacking the inspiration to create posts. I truly dislike writing something just for the sake of writing, since I want it to be worthy in quality for the story I am writing for and not simply a scrap of jumbled up words. With there being no signs of improvement and the three day rule being impossible to meet, I have decided it is time to take my leave.

It was bliss to be with all of you up until this very moment. Truly, this was happiness, because never up until now have I ever been part of a role-play that has run for so long. "The Midnight Train to Nowhere" will stay in my memory as a remarkable journey. The story world was amazing and its randomness was fun to observe.

I am sorry that some people found Hakuren and myself bothersome. However, I shall do no such thing as apologize for making my character as such, because he was no "perfect snowflake". He was simply not cut out for a role-play with such a fast pace, due to his planned character development being slower. I will apologize for irritating you, but not for being who I am and for him being who he is.

Blame should not be placed on anyone, because there is no reason for it to be placed in the first place (intended play). I have no hard feelings for Fox-chan, Kathi-cha, Kei-chan or anyone out there. There is no point in being angry, nor accusing.

I am thankful for you all to offer me such a wonderful experience and I hope The Train continues onwards into the uncertain future. May you reach the good end! =3

And one last thing:

Last Music Night with Headphones presents: This song, since the Lost Souls will one day lose all their memories =3

Phones I have to say that I am going to miss you and Haku deeply. Your posts were always fun to read and I consider you one of my first truly great RP partners going back to our days in The Promise We Made rp on the old guild. I wish you the best in future endeavors and hope that this is not a permanent retirement so that we can rp again sometime in the future. :)

In Train related news I will put up a post sometime soon here pending the guild doesn't freak out again.

Oh my lord. I can take this. Its 4am and I haven't slept, but I'm cooking up a plot tomorrow morning.

This is the first roleplay I've been in and this gives good insight on how to make a roleplay work. I will continue to do my best!

Phones, WHY YOU LEAVE? Les had a thing for Haku. But I guess we will miss you and to think you've been here for so long. You are on original. A yellow Lays potatoe chip bag. See you around... read you around?

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.

I have no excuse for not checking the forums guys... I'm so ashamed *waits to be whipped by Victoria*
BUT! You're out pours of exhaustion and feelings have definitely given me a much needed slap across the face. I need to be on top of this roleplay and I thank you for my recognition for blossoming Jasper. Couldn't have done it without you guys and a big factor would be Hakuren.

PHONESSSSS! I don't know why, but I felt the urge to cry while I read your good bye post. Probably since we've been together for so long and you were always there to pick on my baby. Haku were the best kiss she ever got between him and Harper(no offense Harper :D ) I remember reading your character submission when Fox was still waiting on interests and a limited number of characters for this roleplay last year, almost a year ago now actually. And I remember how amazed and intimidated I was by your length of writing and since it was my first time finally transitioning into the advanced forums, it really gave me a clue to how someone who was extremely in depth and skilled with their writing would..... write.I understand how the lay out of this rp would have never worked for Hakuren. You and Elsa *cough* the Ice Prince will be greatly missed. I hope you had stayed since tough times like this in an rp where you are lacking inspiration and motivation are what make you a better writer once you strive through it. I love you Phones like seriously. I hope we get together on a roleplay someday. Who knows, maybe Fox will be the GM again XD

(gonna break it to you guys but I was slowly starting to not looking forward to responding to the IC as my energy drained, BUT since your OOC confessions I have been given renewed strength that I know will stay and hopefully carry us to the end!)

This rp has helped me mature more than I could have ever imagined and let me know what its truly like to work with a lot more other people than I'm used to. Advanced requires detail, but also plot development which takes a whole lot longer than shorter posts(like in casual or free roleplay), especially with our time differences we are only ever on at the same time if one of use stays up late XD These experiences have really improved me for the better. I'm so happy! Jasper is probably one of the most developed characters I've ever created and without this rp, she would have never been made!

As we always say, the train must chug on!