[OOC] The Legend of Heroes: Tales of the World

[Pachamac]

Oh, haha, my bad XD But again, congratulations on that, and good luck with your math test today too :)

[Fox of Spades]

Have fun Kathi-chan :D! Hope the weather treats you well.

Have a grand mornight, guys. (^w^)/

I'll post tomorrow >-< for now I need to finish a paper and revise some poems.

[Dannyel]

Ah yes. Posting. I should do this.

EDIT: Hahahaha, I don't know why I just did that lol….

[Bunanigans]

IC

Aaaaaah I've got no plans whatsoever for where I'm going with my post lol, just letting Moira act naturally. I hope that doesn't come back to shoot me in the foot... c.c

Any way hope everyone's having a great day, and congrats about the tests and stuff!

I finally managed to get Bard to level 50 in FF14, so that's my second level 50 woo! I ended up getting it with a bang, fighting a final boss in a dungeon when the healer died. Second dps died too, and the tank went down to 7HP (out of around 6000HP) when I managed to activate my limit break. Tank's health was restored and between the two of us we managed to finish it off. I always scoffed at Bard getting a healer limit break when it's a dps class. NOT ANY MORE! Sorry I'm a bit excited about that hahahaha!

Anyway my bed calls, so seeya all later!

[Rexcalibur]

Hahah congrats on your level 50s, Buns! Tae congrats to you too with your test scores! Good luck with your revisions too, Fox!

I'll be writing a post in about an hour. I won't be able to post again until Saturday, unfortunately. (Most likely PM > AM) Will be spending the rest of tonight and tomorrow morning prepping for my Japanese speech/presentation (about how technology is turning our generation into zombies lol). Immediately after class I'm hitting a concert with some friends. Since, you know, studying for finals next week is overrated.

EDIT: Done posting yay

concert stuff woop

(Gigi kinda ruins it though)

What Trixie sang in Vandrell (ignore the actual video);


Also Pacman have you heard Fire Fire yet? You might like it, it's pretty dark lyrics-wise. I'm sitting directly in front of Rabbit next to the central video-taker, though you can't see me haha.

Hope everyone's doing all right!

[Taerinn]

Oooh, awesome Buns! I can't wait until FFXIV is out of its beta phase on the PS4, I'm looking forward to playing it again! They seriously need to fix some stuff by then though, the dialogue text is ridiculously tiny and unreadable, and overall the HUD and stuff just doesn't look compatible with large HDTVs. :/ I want a Bard though ;A;

Blargh, I got my test back from my other accounting class and I bombed it ;~; I get a chance to fix it by next week, but even then I don't think I can raise my score to higher than a C or a low B, ouch.

Haven't caught up on the IC yet so I can't comment on anything, but I'm starting a post now!

[Fox of Spades]

Guys, I'll post later than usual >-< or if I don't get a post up tonight you guys can shoot me and I'll defo have one up tomorrow.

Really, really, sorry but posting sched might be a bit wobbly T-T starting today till Thursday. I need to get as many papers and projects done as I can tonight cause I have to be at school during the weekend ;A; anddd exams start on Monday and end on Friday. I'm sorrry T__T

[Pachamac]

Hey everyone!

Congrats on your bard, Buns!

Enjoy your concert, Rex, you deserve it! The Diamond cover is awesomeeee. Good luck with your speech presentation!

Sorry to hear about your accounting exam, Tae. D: Good luck on your retry though!

Good luck with your finals and papers, Fox!

Hope you're having fun in L.A, Kathi!

Enjoy your 3 day weekend, Danni, you lucky arse. You totally owe me and Buns for that.

I haven't caught up on the ICs yet, but I wanted to ask you guys a question. Does anyone think we should take a little break for now considering how busy the majority of our group is, with tests and essays and finals etcetc? I've noticed that for the most part our group is getting hammered over this weekend and early next week, and just wondered if everyone here would prefer a small break in general. I don't think it's really preferrable or advantageous to keep pushing the IC forward atm if it's only going to get a few responses each day. Thoughts?

EDIT: Actually, scratch that, I'm going to take a few days off from the IC. If people want to continue posting, then by all means do so (I'd actually appreciate it) but I'm taking a short break. Have a good weekend everyone!

[Taerinn]

Wha, really? :| I mean I'm not gonna argue, but that break would have been so much more welcome during my Monday-Wednesday school days instead of the entire weekend, lolol. But yeah, it does seem like this is a particularly busy time for everyone. Hope you're all doing okay!

[Bunanigans]

Pachamac said If people want to continue posting, then by all means do so (I'd actually appreciate it) but I'm taking a short break. Have a good weekend everyone!

I'm all for keeping up the posting. Just posted now!

And yeah, it sucks that everyone's busy, but I guess this is a terrible time of year for that *shrugs*

[Fox of Spades]

It's been so long since I posted OTL. I'm gonna post later tonight so I can catch up and yay @ the short break <3

The timing is pretty good for me >w<! Good luck with everything guys and have an awesome mornight. Also, I'm just gonna drop my schedule here so you guys will know what's up if I go MIA for a little while.

Sched related stuff if anyone wants to know why I go missing

Monday - Final research paper presentation.

Tuesday - P.E exam (this would be fine if we're just running like last semester T__T but our P.E has been more like biology this sem.) and submission of Video project for Jap

Wednesday - American Lit final exam/Submission and workshop of final papers and Brit lit drama thing on The God of Small Things/Presentation of final paper.

Thursday - Jap Final exam and Humanities final exam

Friday - Submission of super important papers 8D

Anddd *drops interesting poem/video here*

[Pachamac]

Hello everyone.

I'll be posting later this day. Upon reflecting on things yesterday, I've figured out a couple of the rp's problems that I'd like to solve and me taking a break does nothing but compounds that. I don't really want to take a break at all since that adds to the issue although with how busy the majority is atm I don't think it's something that can be immediately fixed, but I digress. IC wise, I'd still like to push things forward and I'd also like to discuss the problems I think the rp is suffering from and hopefully solve them.

There are two problems which basically co-join together.

I don't know about anyone else, but I feel this chapter has gone on for far, far too long because the pacing has gone downhill and dropped to a snail's pace, and I'd like to get this resolved. I haven't been keeping count but it feels to me like this chapter is closing in on two months long, and for a chapter like this that's way too long. We should be nearing the end of this chapter already but we're still a long distance away from it. Things are moving very, very slow. I'll explain the reason why I think this is, which is also another problem in its own right but is affecting this one also.

I don't think there's enough proactive posting occuring- instead people are focusing more on regurgitating the contents of prior posts and reacting to that without offering much to extend it, bar a line. This is not always the case of course, but it feels like it's happening a fair bit as of late.

I won't lie, this last week has been a tremendous effort for me to stay motivated to post, as it's felt like I'm the only one who's been pushing things forward. For example, in the last few rounds I had 1) Don suggest everyone move to the elevator so they can get going and search for everyone, with the exception of Selan everyone seemed rooted to the spot. I was hoping for people to actually post with characters getting on the elevator, have it move, have them encounter the paparazzi or whatever people liked and not much actually happened, neccessitating me to do so. After that, 2) I had the elevator stop on the first floor after seeing the paparazzi. People didn't really do... well, anything bar react to what they saw. There was no forward movement or progression of anything, which again made me have to move things on again with 3) Paparazzi swarm that led to not much reaction but everyone's characters starting to run (with the exception of Moira and Syed who were standing still) and it's just... it's difficult for me to respond. I've got little inspiration there to work from. I'm not sure why people couldn't have described a chase, hiding, being found, escaping, or whatever you guys want. Lately it feels like I'm pushing everything forward constantly with little forward input from anyone else and it's hard to stay motivated like this, when it's extremely difficult to build off little. It feels at times like it's basically me writing a novel? (I haven't read Buns' latest post yet, but I do know it was posted after I was chatting to her about this yesterday, so yeah.)

I'm not sure what the reasons are. I know people have been extremely busy of late, and maybe they're too tired/don't have time/don't care enough to think of how to move scenes forwards? Maybe people are timid/scared of doing so in case I negatively react? Or people just feel that it's okay to be passive because I'll push things on regardless? I don't know. I feel like some of the best scenes and examples of people pushing scenes forwards are those where I've not been present, such as the beachball scene or scenes where characters are alone and I have no guiding prescence? Do I actually, ironically enough, constrain peoples' creativity?

I'd like thoughts and opinions, agreements and disagreements on this please. Ideally I'd like people to regurgitate less of what's happened in a prior post, since I don't see the need to read the same thing happening multiple times, although I do do it as well I'd like to see it lessened, and to have more forward progression of something, anything happening, whereas lately it often feels like one line of new content which is where the pacing issues come into play.

At the end of next week I'd also like to start seeing consistent posting from everyone. I know how busy everyone is next week and so I don't expect it right now when people are overwhelmed and innundated with exams etc, (good luck Fox, Rex, Tae, Kathi) but the only way for something like this to work is through consistent activity.

Other then that:

What about you guys? Any thoughts, opinions, problems about anything else? How do you guys feel about the rp and this chapter? Are people still interested or starting to lose interest, and why? Any problems you're facing that you'd like to try and get solved? I love this rp too much for it to die (which I don't think we're in any danger of, but at this current rate we'll be experiencing more problems then not), and if I can improve things I will. Be honest, guys. How's everyone feeling?

Hope you all have a tremendous weekend! Sorry for drama llamas.

[Pachamac]

Fox said Hi, Pach. Sorry for the inactivity lately >-< I'll get started on a post, unless you've started ^^ then I can type after you do. I'll definitely be more consistent after everything is done, once again, sorry. I'll definitely do my best to make my posts more pro-active then >-< I just worry that if I go a certain direction, it might interfere ^^ with pre made plans. Also to answer your question, this chapter has been grand

Danni said I don't have time to respond to your OOC post right now - about to head out shopping - but I feel you. Just wanted to let you know. I'll try to be more proactive in posting - but honestly I'm afraid of messing things up.

Had both Fox and Danni tell me over FB (although I'm sure they will here too) that their biggest worry is 'making a mistake with pre-made plans', which is a valid concern, and I apologise. I should be more communicative about when and where pre-planned stuff is occuring, so I'll explain that as well.

Atm, the rp is free game for people to do whatever they want with their characters in exploring what happened to them the previous night, up until I have Spoilers~ involve what happened to Estelle and Josette. Now this is something for everyone to discuss whether or not people want to or not, but the only ideas I had for that, with is expandable for everyone depending on what you guys want to do and what direction you want to take it in, is the church where Amy and Syed got married, and the strip club where Trixie awoke. Or... not, it's all up to you and whatever you guys want to do. I'm honestly winging everything right now. I had an idea of Selan and Don becoming famous that I ran by Tae a while back, but everything actually occuring with them is all on the fly right now and up for everyone to push in whatever way they'd like.

Just for the time being, things can happen however people want (which is where people need to be pro-active with their posting). Do people want to explore what happened last night (which, the events of what happened is totally up to you guys. Afterall, they're your characters :) ) or progress further with a timeskip towards chapter endgame with Estelle/Josette etc? Up to you guys.

Saying all that though, I still think more action (and not the explodey action boom boom type thing alone) occuring in everyone's posts is handy and useful, as it gives everyone else more to respond with and work from in their posts. There's not a lot of ways in which people can mess up any plans I make because that's the nature of rping, I need to work around that kind of thing, and I'd rather be inspired in new ways by you guys being creative then me leading everyone down one path with people only posting reactions, cus that's boring for everyone I think? If there's ever a time where I need the rp to go down a certain one way route, I would definitely mention it. Anyway, please still let me know how everyone thinks.

[Rexcalibur]

Sorry about that Pach, I had Amy hammered into that non-responsive position from the getgo, so that's adding onto the lack of proactivity. I've planned on having Trixie pop up in my next post and having something happen to get the group out of its stalemate, though I still don't know what that something is.

I've called in sick for work today so I'll be able to post sometime after lunch. I haven't looked at the ICs yet, but hopefully I'll have my creative side rattled by then and can help bring something new/exciting to the table haha.

I haven't been feeling well at all lately so that's probably coming into play with my writing too. I don't really want to comment on anything else since I might take things the wrong way or say something that could be taken the wrong way. :/

EDIT: Nvm, not posting today, sorry guys.

[Pachamac]

Rex, feel better!!! ;A;

[Dannyel]

Hello, time for responses.

Like Pach posted here, I'm aware of this. Perhaps this makes me a poor RPer, but I feel like I'm more proactive when I have some sense of where I'm supposed to be going. Like in this second half of the arc I didn't really know what I should be moving towards (though that's because this is not exactly a genre I'm super comfortable with). Like I would have never thought of the paparazzi and the sudden fame of Selan and Don. I was honestly surprised when it was revealed that's why the crowd was there. I was assuming it was the fire at Hell's Kitchen.

Perhaps, Pach, you can be a little more communicative about what some of the major developments were going to be. (Like I didn't expect there to be a baby lol). That way we have some…plot beats that we know we're working towards. Let me know if that's too spoilery of a suggestion.

Edit: Forgot to say this, but I'm cool with the idea of exploring what happened the night before, but since this chappie has been dragging so much if you want to skip then I get it.

[Pachamac]

I can do that, but then it becomes a question of whether or not people wanted to be spoiled about stuff that's going to happen, or whether people don't want to be.

But so far, though:

Atm, anything's game. Seriously. XD You all have freedom to do whatever you want. How people wanted to treat the night before with their character and others is up to you guys (I'm not deciding what's happened to peoples' characters). What happened to them is ultimately up to you all, after all, and if you guys want to explore that, then that's also down to you guys. The baby and paparazzi aren't so much major developments as things I threw in for fun for people to react to and build of (like I'd hope everyone else would have done). The paparazzi is something I suggested to Tae with regards to Don and Selan hitting celebritydom after some kind of performance the night before. The baby is something I decided to add in the moment the baby appeared and wasn't preplanned at all, I had the idea for it after reading Tae's post with Selan waking in the same room as Don (and the same with Crimson Justice). Spur of the moment stuff like that is what's fun afterall, and I figured Don and Selan finding a baby would be neat considering their chemistry and how Selan is supposed to be motherly. The two of them looking after a kid is just lols~ I have ideas for what the baby's identity is and who its parents are, but just that, ideas. It could go any way people want it to, really. I know someone has an idea of how and why (and who)the restaurant burnt down, but the specifics of that isn't neccessarily down to me, or I think even that person is bothered by, again its details for everyone to build and flesh upon. Something went down there and Crimson Justice stopped it. That's all that's really known and all that I have planned. I've not preplanned any of this far in advance because I want to build off it with you guys.

At the moment, things can go however people want. How people want to explore what happened to their characters is entirely up to you all. The obvious scenes are the church, stripclub, or whatever else people fancy to have happened to their characters, I'll be there to react and build off it with npcs or whatever else. Sky's the limit. It's up to you all if you want to explore that or not. XD

The plot itself will move on when I have one of Don's bros encounter members of the group with information about Estelle and Josette, where we'll then proceed to the last part of the arc. How long it takes before then is again up to everyone else and how much time they want to explore whatever happened, something I think we need to decide upon. A week? Two weeks?

[Taerinn]

I'm in mostly agreement with you Pach, but I also agree with Danni a fair bit too. I would say that I've done a lot of "movement" this chapter (Selan and Lisette being among the first to finish with their hotel rooms, Selan directly initiating the volleyball game, finding Trixie and taking her away from the machine, etc. etc.) But there have been a lot of times when I felt kind of "whatever" about posting because a few of my attempts at interacting with others have been moot, so I'll admit I've kept Lisette more stationary than not. And of course, it's been a difficult/busy semester for me, I had my own little drama meltdown and everything. ._.

Basically, it's impossible to know what to do in some cases, like with Josette appearing (I had Lisette follow Don and Dylan before that but nothing came of it at all), the card game Marcus was participating in (I actually wanted Kapi to help Marcus cheat but it's a good thing I didn't go ahead and do that), Rex saying "Don't do anything with this character, I have plans for him" and Buns coming to me saying "Hey, can you have Lisette not do anything until this scene's done". I'm totally not pointing fingers btw, just saying that there have been multiple instances during this chapter where it feels like we couldn't take the reins because something pre-planned was about to happen. I don't really think it's justified at this point in time to say "Come on guys, sky's the limit, do whatever you want!" like we were supposed to know that when just days ago I was specifically told not to do anything, you know? And the same goes for everyone else, it's not clear what we were/weren't allowed to do.

I think more communication about it in the IC would have been nice, you've done that in the past. Just a quick "Okay, everyone's free to interact how they want right now", something like that.

Edit: Also about IC stuff, just wanted to say that having a means of getting Don to cut out his superhero act and focus on the baby would be nice, because I already thought it'd be a funny idea to explore (him and Selan taking care of a baby). And that'd leave them more free to figure out what had happened the night before, and at this point I can't really reiterate Selan being annoyed about it without becoming repetitive. And I'd be a very happy camper if someone wanted to involve Lisette in their investigation, because I've been sort of bothered by how invisible-ish she's kinda been despite my attempts this chapter. But if the majority wants to cut out the "investigative phase" entirely I guess I'd be alright with that, we could just reconvene and summarize all of the absurd things that happened (but that's not quite as fun, is it?).

[Bunanigans]

Yeah I take all of the blame for not telling anyone about the plans for the bedroom scene. I should have just left a quick note in the OOC saying "nobody interrupt this plz" but hey I've learnt my mistake there. That one was totally my fault, and I do apologise for it. I did try my best to make up for it after though with Moira interactions! *bows multiple times*

Anyway yeah, I've definately felt that I've been slipping lately, idk. I don't think it's anything people have individuals have done (except for the previously mentioned fuck-up of mine), but yeah as a whole we've been a bit... idk the word. Wary? Something. It's something I'm definately going to try and improve on. The communication thing too, I definately need to improve on that one.

Edit times.

We got too reliant on Pach, basically. One way or the other. We were treating him as the GM but not a player. Taking him for granted. Kinda makes me sick to think that I was treating him like that. He's my friend. Urgh.

I'm gonna try my fucking hardest to fix things. I'm kicking it up a gear. I adore this RP like nothing else, and I really want it to succeed. But tbh, I want everyone to be happy even more than that. I need to kick up my communication by about ten gears. I need to be braver with my characters - they both have very strong personalities in their own ways, and I'm not utilising them properly. My latest post was that much more fun because I actually was, why have I been so fucking hesitant?! I need to take the initiative to move things on more. I need to trust that I won't piss people off with my choices. It'll be hard for me, I'm self-critical as fuck. But I need to.

Idk if this is the word for it, but we need to make it more... organic?

I think a week should hopefully be long enough for the investigation times? I'm not very good at judging timeframes. But I'd still like to do it, even if we're brief about it *shrug*

[Taerinn]

I'm in Rex's boat about being afraid to say something that might be misconstrued, but I'm just gonna say that for me personally, I don't think I was doing that to Pach, or anyone else.

Tae saying stupid shit nevermind okay