Imperfectionist

Let's B!tch. I feel it's a healthy release for our roleplay annoyances 2.0

SoleAccord said
People who make zero effort to try and write anything even after you've given them perfectly good ideas, then drop out due to 'getting bored' when they put no effort forward to begin with. I am sick and tired of having to hold hands with grown men because they lack any creativity whatsoever, and equally mad when people say they're busy but are posting freely elsewhere.

...It's possible that the "perfectly good" ideas weren't actually as good as you thought. Before you go wishing illness on people because you're frustrated, look at yourself, and see if you've given these people any reason to stay.

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

Onarax said
To be fair, so did a lot of the stories in the Arabian Nights. It's not really as middle eastern as people like to think, heck there are stories from Greece in there.

You're right... :P But a collection of tales and oral legends is a little different from "Gautama Buddha was born in Saudi Arabia." Lots of people from a wide swath of the world traveled through the area, it isn't hard to imagine that stories from India and Greece would be told and retold, given a muslim spin (or not), and eventually considered iconic tales of the classical Middle East.

EDIT: Nug Soth was saying that Islam wasn't the only religion to come out of "contemporary" Middle Eastern culture, but only the tiniest of the four examples came out of the Middle East at all. Those three religions originated in Indian culture, which was and remains entirely different.

Equestria Divided - The War for Harmony

Yeah, yeah, of course. :) We don't want too many, but if you have a good idea for a second character, I say go for it.

Equestria Divided - The War for Harmony

:) Fabulous.

So, I've updated the character compendium with a couple more links. IceHeart made a second character, Sunny Orchards, and BlazingxLynx, you need to post Swift Star to the character archive here.

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

Nug Soth said
You also have Sikhism, Buddhism, Hinduism

Just wanted to point out, these three all originated on the Indian Subcontinent, quite a bit further East than the Middle East.

:) But yeah, all of those ancient mesopotamians and Persians and the like had some very interesting culture, and I can definitely see how you could draw on that to devise something Lovecraftian! I'm sorry if I've seemed standoffish, it's not because people were suggesting non-traditional folklore, but because a very well-established piece of folklore (jinn) was being misinterpreted, and it bothered me.

Anyway, I love Lovecraft, and I greatly look forward to seeing your character, Nug Soth.

EDIT:

Assallya said
Perhaps one might consider a half-djinn sort of character. The character searching the land for his or her mortal parent. After all, he or she would never fit in among the djinni.

I was considering a D&D styled Sha'ir, one that uses the most minor of djinni as familiars, little one foot tall djinni that have very little power to speak of. They send the "gen" to fetch the spells they need.

A little thing, I know, but the plural is d/jinn, and the singular is d/jinni. The collective noun would be "the d/jinn", as in "she would never fit in among the d/jinn." It's an easy mistake to make, definitely. I catch myself doing it all the time.

:) My real point is a question. The idea of the Sha'ir (a sorcerer who uses a small familiar as an envoy to the Outer Planes) works fine in D&D, considering that jinn in that game are natives of the those Planes and all, but how would it work without the defined Planes to travel to? The best I could come up with was that the Sha'ir sends the gen to make arrangements with various higher jinn, who then travel to her location and assist her with their power. Would she trade favors with them, or perhaps wealth? It's an interesting thought: what does a jinni want?

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

Jannah said
Hah, alright. I was close then. I know more about Islam than the average person, but I'm not Muslim so I'd be lying if I said I was a complete expert. However, from my understanding there was also Pre-Islamic Jinn myths.

We are the same, Jannah. I know a little bit more than average for a not-muslim-raised American, at least. As for pre-Islamic myths, I'm sure you're correct, but the codification of the origins and nature of jinn comes (for me) from the scripture and teachings of Islam. Before the Prophet, there were stories of spirits (as most cultures have), but their identity was uncertain, compared to what he taught.

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

Jannah said
The understanding I have of Jinn is that they're kind of like spirits or ghosts, which as we know tend to vary in form.

More like spirits than ghosts, in that they exist separate from humans, have their own souls/free will, and aren't simply imprints of the dead. :) They're very interesting. Also, of course, in Islam some of them play the role of "demons". Seeing as they have free will, just like us, some powerful, arrogant jinn have chosen to scorn Allah and lead mortals away from salvation, to their doom...

EDIT: There's no way for angels to rebel, as angels by definition have no free will, so the Corrupter-of-humanity figure is the first Jinni (the "Adam/Lilith" of Jinn), who grew arrogant, and turned away from the Creator.

EDIT 2: Meaning, in case it wasn't clear, that the first jinni is the equivalent of the Christian Satan, and the evil jinn are the equivalent of Christian demons, except possibly more tragic, in that they have free will, and they chose to be the way they are...

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

I don't see why such a restriction would be necessary. Jinn are many many things. Some are powerful, some are weak, some are malicious and some benevolent. They're wildly varied, just like humans, with their own minds and lives and everything. The wiki article is quite good.

Obviously, I wouldn't play a shaytan/ifrit/maarid, or any kind of evil jinn, but a benevolent one, of the type who are infinitely fascinated with humans.

EDIT: Basically, a curious minor jinn who joins the guild on a lark, in order to better understand people.

Desert Fantasy (Prince of Persia meets Aladdin)

There really isn't ever enough Islamic fantasy on the Guild. Sign me up!

Is the faith itself going to be a thing, or is the focus mostly on the legends instead? Also, I definitely want to play a jinn, if that's at all possible (you say they're around, but playable hasn't been confirmed)...

Equestria Divided - The War for Harmony

Whatever kind you can give us. Don't worry about Vetzu filling or not filling any specific role!