Merry Christmas homies!

Alright, I'm not seeing that @Scrapula has made any posts for a very long time now, so I'll be continuing the scenario for that one tomorrow unless I hear back.

@McHaggis might not be getting my messages since I see they've made posts recently. I'll try PMing them....

Alright, well McHaggis has decided to quit. I'm afraid I still haven't heard from Scrapula. At this point, I feel like it's appropriate to look back to a certain paragraph that was highlighted in the first post of the OOC when the RP began and I was searching for people....

"Please keep in mind that with roleplays such as these it is crucial that I accrue a group of players who understand the concept of the word 'commitment'. I am flexible and can be very accommodating, but communication is key. Life happens sometimes, but there are few excuses for not being able to shoot me a quick message before you afk. I plan to keep this ball rolling once it gets started and I won't allow anyone to ruin everyone's hard work with made up excuses. If you are not a player who prefers to see roleplays through until the end or communicate to the group if you need to take an extended leave of absence, you are welcome highly encouraged to get the hell out of this thread. If you think you may not be able to commit shortly after making the cut or submitting an application, please let me know. I promise I won't be angry."

Now... it could be because I'm pregnant and my patience is at an all time low whilst my temper is nearing an all-time high these days, but I thought I was pretty clear. I do REALLY appreciate those of you who have been posting and communicating with me when you can't. It really means a lot to me. I've been working really hard on what I have planned for the story and was very excited to get into it with all of your amazing characters, but with all that has been happening, I myself am starting to lose my enthusiasm.

In light of all this, I need to take a short break and think about what to do. If Scrapula never gets back to me, then that's another two people I have to replace and I really really really hate doing that. Frankly, it's a huge pain in the ass. With the lull in posts that's been going on with the holidays, I know it already feels like we've been on a hiatus, but I need to take some time to recoup my energy as well as find replacement(s). Once my ducks are all in a row, I would like to pick up where we left off again. You guys deserve my best effort and a full cast and none of this is fair to those of you who have been actively participating and churning out fantastic posts at a pleasantly consistent pace.

I'm very sorry to do this, but it's a necessity for me and the continuation of the story at this point. I will try to have everything ready by January 11th. You may expect a message from me then. Until then, please feel free to message me if you have any suggestions or ideas for the story. I really don't say that lightly-- this is OUR story and I want it to be awesome for EVERYBODY.

Again, thanks for your patience and hard work, guys. I promise I'll be back.

You were clear. That's why I'm still here, despite it being slow lately - which is okay with me. At least I don't feel lost with my character. I know where she is, what she's doing, and it's obvious it's heading somewhere. Even if she's not a special elemental persons, hehe.

If I may, after running a good half dozen semi-long lived games, drop outs are inevitable. I think it would be best to carry on like the dropped player characters never existed and if replacements are found, introduce them whenever is possible. There's numerous reasons a person wouldn't arrive for the meeting, and it's a big world. Who says we don't meet these people well into the adventure?

Nothing kills a game faster than getting hung up on one or more people who aren't participating. Always cater to those who are active and be ready to drop characters at the drop of a hat. A few inconvenient narrative issues are insignifcant to waiting weeks between posts, because that's when people start to lose interest.

My own character's situation, for instance. Two players are active and trying to move forward but can't because the third probably dropped out. That's three players out of action because of one disinterested party.

Long story short, keep pressing forward. If people aren't checking in of their own will, put their characters in a purgatory bin if they miss the posting timeframe and post when they have to post by. If they miss it, cut them loose. No sense in a few dedicated players getting neglectrd because of an idea you have to have a full roster for the story to work.

Happy New Year, folks.

I'm around and I'm incredibly sorry I haven't been posting. College applications then Christmas then a dozen other things (including my own RPG, which I thought was dead) caught up with me. I'm still here, and I'll try to get something up tomorrow.

I'm so sorry to have done this.

@Baklava I think @Dervish is right. We can absolutely push forward like the merry party we are. I'd be willing to help puppet if that would take a load off of your plate.

Baklava has expressed that she has no intention of letting this roleplay drop, just to set the record straight. She just needs a break from the stress of trying to keep it afloat - she is recently married and pregnant, after all. We are glad to see people still around, though! Just another week, folks.

@Undine I thought I should mention, your signature always makes me grin like an idiot because I used to have a bird that looked very similar to that.

@Undine Aww shucklefish.

Yeah, I had a few Gouldarian finches... very colourful birds with some pretty hilarious personalities. One of the males always sung to the other male and did the mating dance, which I'm pretty sure made the other one dissonant every time. "Uh, not this shit again." kind of reaction.

But the first one never, ever gave up. He should have been his own motivational poster.

http://www.birdsville.net.au/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Gouldian-finch1.jpg < They looked like the two one the ends.

@Dervish@Undine

I hear what your saying and I totally agree. I don't want to discredit either of you or come off as rude, but again I really must apologize for my need for a short hiatus. Like I said before, I know it's not very fair to those who have been active and communicative. Ever since our first drop out in the very early days of the RP, I've been trying to get over this salty taste in my mouth. I'm usually much more organized both in the IC and OOC. With everything that's been going on, I've been seriously slacking. I'm honestly ashamed at how passive I've been as the GM of this roleplay. This week long hiatus is all I humbly request so I can regather my thoughts and get the ball rolling more smoothly than it has been. I'll most definitely be getting more strict with my posting time limit as I have in past roleplays.

I can't figure out why I was trying to be so lax about that rule this time around (I always usually a little more lenient in December, since that tends to be finals season for many people who are in school, but it got out of hand this time). While it is evident that stuff like that does affect interest, I still take it more personally than I should when I'm constantly messaging someone to post, they let a month slide by and ignore my messages while they respond to other roleplays... and then they say "Well, it's been a month now and I've lost interest." Especially when I've made it quite clear that if someone is ever feeling stumped on what to post, I'll do whatever I can to help fix it story-wise. But that is neither here nor there....

All I can say for now is I'm sorry. It will only be a week. I wouldn't do it if I didn't think it absolutely necessary and I would really appreciate a little bit of patience while I recoup. As it stands now, me and Jenno have been talking about moving forward without replacements for the time being. We'll puppet the characters. So there's no need to worry about the hiatus going on longer than I said it would. If anything, it will be shorter. Just give me a little time. It will be worth the wait.

@Kaithas No worries. I know how the holidays usually are. Your guys' characters are in individual scenarios for the time being, so there hasn't been a huge rush for you guys at the mansion to post. Just try to get it up as soon as you can so Jenno can put up a response. He was wanting to wait until everyone at the mansion posted, but I'll likely have him start responding individually.

@lydyn @NightFlight Thank you, I appreciate it.

@BaklavaHey, you take all the time you need. Considering this is my only RP, and you be my buddy friend, I am not going anywhere!

Besides, Fallout 4 and Gears of War aren't going to beat themselves. I have shiz to keep me occupied.

@Baklava A week long break to get your stuff together is absolutely fair. I'm excited for this story to continue! You've been a brilliant GM in the other RPs we've done together, and I have no doubt you'll be feeling more like yourself once you've had a break. :)

Posts will be up tonight, guys! Working on them now. Stand by for a another update once that's done.

Alright-- post is up for Branda, Audra, Petra, Raine, and Randall!

@lydyn, Jenno will be working on your post and told me it should be up by Tuesday.

@Captain Jenno, this next part is going to be a little bit of back and forth conversation. If you would like, you can PM me your response and we'll do a short collab post.

@Undine, I would suggest the same for Raine and the boy, but with Randall still observing what's going on, he may wish to get involved.

Me and Jenno have decided we will be puppeting Leon and Elspeth. As of now, we do not have any plans to seek out replacements for them. For those of you who have not yet met with Rowena, just know that the characters you are currently interacting with can and will lead you towards her and the others. We're getting close to the next part and things are going to get intense. For those in Jeorvo, you are not obligated to engage in deep conversation with the characters you've been presented, but do know that what you find out now may help your character further along in the story.

I've been working on a survey-like thing and it should be ready tomorrow. Don't worry- it's quite short and it'll help me get an idea of what kind of stuff you guys would like to see in the future of the roleplay.

@Baklava Gosh darn it, just make Elise one of the elemental peeps! xD Jk, that would totally not be fair... 'cause I'd not want to go back on the fact she's a master / grand master swordsman. o.o Though on another note, can you update the roster? Not sure who left and who didn't. =X