Sorry for missing the boat on this one!

Happy Sunday from the cargo bay!

Here's how it is: China Doll is hightailing it to Osiris, hell bent to drop Hafez's cargo and get their kidnapped deckhand back. Meanwhile, the Headhunters MC have a head start, and a mind to set up a reception. Their bargaining chip is our deckhand, Abby, and they're treating her none too kindly on the way. Besides the payout, what they really want is blood for blood, and a liberal spilling of Hook's. But Cal, Rex, and Sam are gonna figure something out...

You'll notice that we're pushing hard to complete this episode. In a perfect world we'd be wrapping by end of next week, but we're prepared to stretch one more if need be. After that, our next episode #4, "Harriet's Railroad," should be brief.

Why the sudden uptick in speed? We're pleased to let you know that there are two new writers waiting in the wings. They'll come aboard as soon as we're settled on Osiris. Added to that, Xandrya's been floating a second character idea that we've green lighted for Episode 4. Wolf will also be introducing one of his favorite characters to the game. At this point that leaves need of a pilot and any interesting passenger types, so we'll leave the "Apply" sign lit for a little while longer.

Another reason behind us tapping the gas is realtime scheduling for our members. @Gunther has got a vacation booked the week of 7/10, and @Xandrya will be in the home stretch for baby Alexander's arrival at about the same time. Our current plan is to run Episode 5 on Pelorum, a well known resort planet in the 'verse. We'll have a central plot to run, but the emphasis will be on individual character subplots at a pace that works best for you all during the rest of July.

Expect a couple JP invites in the next few days, and thanks for some pretty spectacular writing!

WWIF,

sail

Uh oh. I did not see your second post, which you apparently deleted after I made my post. @sail3695

No worries. That deletion was today's OOC post dropped in the wrong place. I'll take a look at what you posted!

.45 on the left and .44 on the right. 45 Colt has a muzzle energy of 321 ft-lbs and at 50 yards maintains 300 ft-lbs. The . 44 Rem Mag has a muzzle velocity of 742 ft-lbs and, after 50 yards, has an energy of 624 ft-lbs.

Edina: "Nope...nope...nope...okay."

I updated the playlist.

I didn't realize it, but Edina Wyman said, "Point and Shoot?" before Joe Hooker did. LOL

Thanks and no problem. When I read that, I took it as Hook giving her the same reaffirmation for the very different weapon she has to handle.

Happy Monday, folks. Once again, Wolf and I have exercised our godlike powers and moved time forward. It is now day 3 of China Doll's flight to Osiris. You'll find a story note, and the last Day 2 post, "Growing The Business."

Happy posting! WWIF.

sail

Happy Father's Day from the cargo bay!

We'll start by welcoming @Theyra and their character Yijun Xun to the game! Yijun's CS is posted.

We have a couple other prospects who're likely to join us after China Doll lands on Osiris. To Theyra and those prospects, sorry we're running a bit behind our estimates. FF2V is a game for adults who're frequently pulled away by all those RL responsibilities. We're eager to have you on board, and are making all speed to wrap the current episode.

Speaking of which, things are looking grim for the crew of China Doll. Cal's got her running flat out to make a delivery time in one of Osiris' infamous "blackout zones." Rex and S.A.M.A.N.T.H.A. have been poring over whatever data the AI can secure to even their odds during the confrontation to come. In the cargo bay, Hook offered weapons training to both Edina and Yuri. Alana made an important discovery about the true nature of their cargo. Meanwhile, Abby's survival is hanging by a thread in the hands of the outlaw bike gang Headhunters M.C.

You're all submitting excellent writing in the climax JP doc, which we hope to have finished in the coming week. Game time is Flight Day 3. There will be a Day 4, Landing Day, to set the climax. We're currently aware of a couple Day 3 posts in the offing, as well as some pre landing business for both China Doll and the Headhunters.

We've said it before, but it bears saying again. If you've got a character subplot that needs time or help to develop, by all means feel free to share your thoughts with Wolf and myself. We're glad to help.

But now, it's Sunday. Hope you all have a good day ahead. As it's Father's Day, I'm told that my offspring are hanging at the house this afternoon, the end result usually being grilled meat and strong drink.

Write When It's Fun,

sail

Happy father's day to all the fathers. My oldest is away at camp for the summer. The middle two are working at Mcdonald's. I'll need to go pick them up in four hours. The youngest is here with me. She is either reading or writing her own story about now.

Sorry to push, guys, but if anyone has a post to go up for in flight day 3, now's the time to get it in. Tonight (Friday, 6/24) at midnight EDT we'll skip time to Day 4 - Landing day on Osiris. We have a couple prelim posts and then will start posting the all hands finale.

Now for the real news. Welcome to 2 more writers, @PatientBean and @udonoodles! We're excited to have you, along with @Theyra, joining in the fun. While we're welcoming new folk and characters, say 'hi' to Imani Ozuka, a new char. from @Xandrya.

If you haven't already, please feel free to post your CS in the Characters tab.

We're feeling good about wrapping the current episode early next week. Thanks, new folks, for your patience!

sail

It is now Day 4 - Landing Day for China Doll.

The boat is scheduled to land at midnight, at coordinates within the Capital City Blackout Zone. (We first learn about Blackout Zones in the Firefly TV series, episode 5 - "Safe.")

Through hard running and round-the-clock effort by the boat and her crew, they're running two hours ahead of schedule, which is good. Cap'n has a plan.

CURRENT CREW are invited to add individual or JP/collab posting if you've got something in your character arc. If not, we'll continue to push ahead and begin dropping the climax/finale Monday evening.

NEW WRITERS: Again, welcome aboard! You are free to post your CS to the "Characters" tab, and we'll get this boat on the ground just as fast as we can to meet with you on Osiris.

Hey all!

Part one of our latest episode finale has been posted! Great job everyone in the doc. Thank you for your participation and story telling; we couldn't do it without you!

Part 2 of the finale just posted!

With Sail on vacation through the weekend, we're looking at getting everything posted by the end of the weekend and docking in Capital City proper for next week!

That means our new writers can soon begin their initial posts to sign on to the China Doll!

Crew!

Parts 3 and 4 of the episode 3 finale have been posted and we now find the China Doll moored in a proper port in Capital City, Osiris. Thank you all for contributing to this episode and farewell to Rex Black, a character created by Psychopomp. There are lots of fresh faces getting ready to board the China Doll, and I for one am excited to welcome @patientbean, @theyra, and @udonoodles to the party!

Keep flying.

Wolf

"Rex Black is a character created by @Psych0pomp."

You've seen that credit mentioned alot in our previous episode. Rex, our rakish, ribald, rogue of a First Mate, was one of the first characters to join the crew. Along with his parrot, Lucky, he cut a colorful swath through our posting in the first episode, with a written voice that was as hilarious as it was engaging. If there was sin to be had, you could count on Rex to be first in line.

We hadn't made it out of Episode 1 before learning that his author, @Psych0pomp, was wrestling with a number of difficult issues on his homefront. He tried to hang in there, but his posting activity dwindled through Ep. 2 until one day when we realized that Psych had stepped away from all of his RPG commitments unannounced. With no one to voice our First Mate, Wolf and I agreed to step in and write him when our plots required, until we could write the character off at the end of episode three.

And then came Headhunters M.C.

The bike gang was first envisioned to conduct a raid on China Doll once we'd broken atmo, followed by a landing on one of Greenleaf's moons. (Bryson's Rock, lol) From there we'd see the conflict over shipping rights play out. This was all well and good until a drunken Hook went spoiling for a fight in the Twirling Rabbit. That little surprise turned our planning on its' ear and opened up a significantly richer story for the bikers and their hapless hostage, not to mention what we've seen of Hook's growth and suffering for his actions.

But none benefited more than Rex. The new plot arc provided additional tension and some brilliant individual character growth (Hook's bout of the DT's forcing him to lower his rifle comes to mind). But Rex? Not only did he make his exit as a hero, he departed with a style and flare that are purely his own.

@Psych0pomp, if you read this, we wanted to express gratitude for the use of the character. As he grew to be universally admired by our writers and lurkers, we like to think that we kept him alive and vital within your guiding vision. Rex Black will be missed.

wolf and sail

Happy Sunday from the cargo bay!

Episode 4 - "Redemption Road," is under way. The mysterious Sister Lyen Giu has entered our lives, and looks to have Cap'n setting up for the next run. Now that Rex Black has departed with the Headhunters MC, Yuri's pulling double duty as First Mate and Mechanic 'til he can find a suitable wrench turner. Of course, sight of Quill Cassidy just about made him forget everything, including his name. Hook's keeping it on the DL right now, but there is a fresh pot of coffee. Edina Wyman's searching for a book shop, and Alana's got Abby in the medbay after her time with the bikers.

In RL, @Gunther is off with the fam for a week's vacation, so we may not see him while he's having serious fun. Yours Truly is headed for Dallas, and a week in the belly of the corporate beast. It may limit my availability to chat or JP, but I don't anticipate writing to be totally interrupted. If you've got a JP idea involving Yuri or Abby, don't hesitate to put it out there.

@PatientBean offered a strong introduction for Quill Cassidy, our new Companion. We're eagerly anticipating first efforts from @Theyra and @udonoodles as well. If you haven't done so, you're both welcome to add your CS to the "Characters" tab and get an introductory post into IC.

Wolf and I are planning "Redemption Road" to be brief, our purpose being the welcoming of new characters and setting some plot points that will affect the longterm arc. Some of our new folks are starting out as passengers who're likely to see things that'll offer them the choice of either avoiding the next caper, or leaping "in for a penny, in for a pound" with the crew. That decision will be theirs...and yours. We know it can sometimes be difficult to navigate a new character into the dealings of an established group (sorta like real life). Wolf and I are always ready to help you settle in, so please reach out.

Oh yeah! Happy Birthday, FF2V! We officially started 7/1/21. Everybody have a slice of cake and cup of that punch!

The fact we've got a year under our belts seems the opportune moment to discuss time in game. If we were sticklers about this, the recorded exploits of China Doll would seem to span just a few weeks. However, written RPG's tend to pack a great deal of action and development into this compressed time, with friendships, romances, and histories beginning and ending in impossibly short spans. At that pace, we might be celebrating FF2V's 2nd year before we break a month of elapsed game time.

Our solution lies in the episodic nature of our approach. The "Firefly" TV series did not run in linear time, which allowed gaps between episodes. We'll observe the calendar year. Ere go, today is July 10, 2522. Abigail Travis has a birthday in August, and it's rumored that Cal and Guy Fawkes might be sharing a day in November. Before your head explodes over all the "dead time" in between, those voids can be filled as either "time in the black" or "nothing much happened on the last couple runs." We hope that's not too off kilter.

Speaking of time, I'm officially out. Hope you all have a great week.

Write When it's Fun,

sail

Fishing was not so good this week. Each of my older two children caught a pumpkinseed. I caught nothing. I took my son and youngest daughter kayaking the past two days. I`ve never been. It was a blast. Probably go out again tomorrow. I finished the "USO Show" in my book and then read through the entire manuscript correcting errors and fixing inconsistencies. I need to read through the whole thing again and attend to some fixes in Chapter VII. 77,300+ words.

I read Quill Cassidy's introduction. Very well written, @patientbean. I need to read the most recent four posts.

@sail3695 this is the longest I`ve ever had an RP go. Prior to this, nine months was it. I had an archangel in that one: Raphael.

Hook is laying low. The coffee is hot. There is freshly baked coffee cake on the galley table. Hook has cleaned the head a few times, done several loads of laundry and spent time cleaning the galley and cargo bay.

He would like to see a Shephard. If it is possible, he wants to leave the ship for awhile. Long enough for Penelope to book passage during his absence, then return.

Glad you're having such a good time, Gunther. We figured during your vacay and Abby's medically induced imprisonment that Hook was taking care of business, both in the galley and on deck.

As far as his need for a Shepherd, Wolf and I had thoughts on that. We'll catch you either in PM or Hangouts with our notions to see if they'll fly.

In the meantime, enjoy!

sail