STATUS:
Technology: can't live with it; can't live without it. Trying to make a Powerpoint presentation for Volcanology tomorrow morning, and Office 365 Powerpoint keeps crashing. RIP
4 yrs ago
Current
Technology: can't live with it; can't live without it. Trying to make a Powerpoint presentation for Volcanology tomorrow morning, and Office 365 Powerpoint keeps crashing. RIP
2
likes
6 yrs ago
Leaving for a 9 day Geology Field Camp. I will be offline until I get back on the 28th, but I may not get to catching up with stuff I missed until the 29th. See y'all in a few days.
6 yrs ago
Going camping in the middle of nowhere to do geology stuff. I'll be back Sunday evening.
1
like
7 yrs ago
Out of school for the summer! Woot!
1
like
7 yrs ago
Going dark for a few days. I have a major project for Paleontology due Tuesday morning, and I'm nowhere near done with it, so I'll be away until I get that done. See y'all in a few days.
Elric gazed in awe at the garishly opulent mansion that Estallir led them to. Clearly the man was accustomed to wealth and wanted other people to know it. The estate's impressive size in comparison to everything else in the town, the rich decorations, and even more lavish interior furnishings seemed almost as if Estallir was bragging about how wealthy he was.
Finally they came to Estallir's library where his guards left them before Estallir, without preamble, began to tell them the story of the Dragon Stone. As soon as Estallir began talking about all the wonders the wizard performed with the stone, Elric guessed that this stone was, in fact, a shard of the Orb of Ardor. Therefore, it was no surprise to him when Estallir confirmed his suspicion at the conclusion of the tale. The account of the corruption of the wizard's young apprentice due to the power of the stone, and the conclusion of that matter, were also quite predictable, and Elric was again not surprised when Estallir explained that they would have to find the temple where the apprentice was sealed and do battle with the fell creations of the apprentice, and perhaps even the still living (or reanimated?) apprentice himself. This was certainly going to be a dangerous undertaking, but he and his companions had known this from the start. There was no turning back now. He nodded at Roland and Kace, then looked back to Estallir. "Well, then. Shall we be off?"
@MsMorningstar Thanks for the offer, but I really think it's good enough as it is. I don't really go in for all the bells and whistles and fancy formatting (partly because I don't know how to do all that). I'm more of a "beauty in simplicity" type of person.
Appearance-Edward is a tall man, measuring about 6 feet tall, give or take about half an inch, with a fairly lean build, though he is by no means skinny. He has fair skin that some would say borders on pale, due to his less than outdoorsy lifestyle. His eyes are nearly steel gray in color. His nose is longer than normal and slightly hooked. He keeps his pitch black hair, both on top of his head, as well as his beard and mustache, short and neatly trimmed, though it still remains very thick and often unruly, resulting in a few cowlicks and tangles somewhere that he just can't get out.
Powers-Elemental Manipulation Edward is able to control/manipulate the four primal elements of nature (fire, water, earth, wind) Weaknesses-use of power requires the element to actually be present (though he can summon fire with enough ambient heat), earth power localized to within a radius of a few feet
Personality-VERY introverted, kind, loyal, strong sense of right and wrong, determined to see things through, severely lacking in social skills
Experience-a week-ish
Day Job-Runs a comic book/trading card/novelty shop part-time while pursuing a Business Management degree online
How did Arrowcaster find you?-Edward was heading home from work one day, manipulating the wind to speed him on his way. The way the wind was clearly moving differently around Edward clued Arrowcaster into the fact that Edward had powers.
BRIEF Bio-Edward was, and still is, a comic book nerd. From an early age he was fascinated by the stories of superheroes with amazing powers having fantastic adventures. He often dreamed of one day becoming like the superheroes he read about in his comic books. As a child he never had many friends, preferring to live vicariously through the droves of superheroes in his comic books to actually interacting with real people. At school, he hung out with the other comic book nerds during recess and lunch, but he never got close enough to any of them to truly consider them friends. His introverted personality left him severely lacking in social skills, though he often performed well on any tasks where he was allowed to work alone.
At the age of 16, Edward took a part-time job at a local comic book/trading card/novelty shop, which helped him to earn some money and allowed him to indulge in his nerdy habits at a special employee discount that was even better than his existing extreme loyalty discount. He kept at this job through graduation, taking longer hours and more responsibilities as he took business classes at a local community college. He eventually transferred to a four year university, but was able to pursue his Business Management degree through an online program, allowing him to continue to work at the comic book/trading card/novelty shop. He now basically runs the store on his own, but the owner still owns and runs the business officially and will continue to do so until Edward has completed his degree, at which point he will retire and hand the business over to Edward officially.
Edward's powers manifested slowly around his early to mid teen years. At first it was just making enough of a breeze to flip the page of his comic book or other things so small that he hardly even noticed them at first. As the years went by, he began to notice things like falling raindrops bending to fall past him rather than on him (though he was still rarely able to stay completely dry); or the wind turning away from him, particularly at times when it would otherwise be blowing dust directly into his eyes; and one time there was an earthquake, but the ground he was standing on miraculously stayed mostly still. As he realized that he was responsible for these things, he began to practice with them. He wasn't particularly interested in becoming a hero at the time, especially since he didn't understand the potential of this power for much beyond parlor tricks at the time. It wasn't until he was recruited by Arrowcaster that he began to consider the possibility of becoming a real superhero. Now he needs to figure out a cool superhero name and costume.
How will your character be different one year later?-More experience with his power will mean that Edward will be a more effective superhero, though he will retain the same limitations to his power. He will also have a staff that will allow him to better channel, control, and focus his power. He will also have decided on his superhero name and costume, but that may come fairly early.
Sample Post-(Arrowcaster recruiting your character) It was the end of the business day, and Edward had just finished locking up. He put his key into his pocket and turned toward home. The evening wind was stronger than normal, and blowing right into Edward's face. With a growl of irritation, Edward closed his eyes against the dust that was flying into his face and concentrated, turning the wind around him in the opposite direction, creating a tailwind for him that helped speed him on his way. He had only gone a few blocks when a voice came up behind him.
"That's a neat trick," the voice said, causing Edward to release his hold on the wind and turn to see the owner of the voice. "Is there anything else you can do?" the voice asked the bewildered and dumbfounded young man.
"Uhhh..." was all Edward managed to say. He recognized Arrowcaster from years ago, and had even seen some comics that had ripped off Arrowcaster and now used him in the famous "Defenders of Earth" series along with other heroes, most of whom had likewise been ripped off from local heroes (some people just had no imagination). He held his hand out and caused the moisture in the air to condense until he and Arrowcaster were enveloped in a thin fog. With a bit more concentration, the fog thickened until the moisture had condensed into a ball of water that now rested in Edward's outstretched hand. He dropped the ball of water and it hit the sidewalk with a splash. "I can do other things too, like make the earth move a bit, and sometimes I can burn stuff, but it's too cold to do that now," he said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Arrowcaster. He was unsure what this hero wanted with him, and his lack of social skills was not making matters any easier for him.
"Interesting," Arrowcaster replied. He then explained the initiative he was undertaking and invited Edward to join him.
Secret Identity-Edward Storm Codename-Magus Age-22 Appearance-Edward is a tall man, measuring about 6 feet tall, give or take about half an inch, with a fairly lean build, though he is by no means skinny. He has fair skin that some would say borders on pale, due to his less than outdoorsy lifestyle. His eyes are nearly steel gray in color. His nose is longer than normal and slightly hooked. He keeps his pitch black hair, both on top of his head, as well as his beard and mustache, short and neatly trimmed, though it still remains very thick and often unruly, resulting in a few cowlicks and tangles somewhere that he just can't get out. Powers-Elemental Manipulation Edward is able to control/manipulate the four primal elements of nature (fire, water, earth, wind) Weaknesses-use of power requires the element to actually be present (though he can summon fire with enough ambient heat), earth power localized to within a radius of a few feet Personality-VERY introverted, kind, loyal, strong sense of right and wrong, determined to see things through, severely lacking in social skills Experience-a week-ish Day Job-Runs a comic book/trading card/novelty shop part-time while pursuing a Business Management degree online How did Arrowcaster find you?-Edward was heading home from work one day, manipulating the wind to speed him on his way. The way the wind was clearly moving differently around Edward clued Arrowcaster into the fact that Edward had powers. BRIEF Bio-Edward was, and still is, a comic book nerd. From an early age he was fascinated by the stories of superheroes with amazing powers having fantastic adventures. He often dreamed of one day becoming like the superheroes he read about in his comic books. As a child he never had many friends, preferring to live vicariously through the droves of superheroes in his comic books to actually interacting with real people. At school, he hung out with the other comic book nerds during recess and lunch, but he never got close enough to any of them to truly consider them friends. His introverted personality left him severely lacking in social skills, though he often performed well on any tasks where he was allowed to work alone. At the age of 16, Edward took a part-time job at a local comic book/trading card/novelty shop, which helped him to earn some money and allowed him to indulge in his nerdy habits at a special employee discount that was even better than his existing extreme loyalty discount. He kept at this job through graduation, taking longer hours and more responsibilities as he took business classes at a local community college. He eventually transferred to a four year university, but was able to pursue his Business Management degree through an online program, allowing him to continue to work at the comic book/trading card/novelty shop. He now basically runs the store on his own, but the owner still owns and runs the business officially and will continue to do so until Edward has completed his degree, at which point he will retire and hand the business over to Edward officially. Edward's powers manifested slowly around his early to mid teen years. At first it was just making enough of a breeze to flip the page of his comic book or other things so small that he hardly even noticed them at first. As the years went by, he began to notice things like falling raindrops bending to fall past him rather than on him (though he was still rarely able to stay completely dry); or the wind turning away from him, particularly at times when it would otherwise be blowing dust directly into his eyes; and one time there was an earthquake, but the ground he was standing on miraculously stayed mostly still. As he realized that he was responsible for these things, he began to practice with them. He wasn't particularly interested in becoming a hero at the time, especially since he didn't understand the potential of this power for much beyond parlor tricks at the time. It wasn't until he was recruited by Arrowcaster that he began to consider the possibility of becoming a real superhero. Now he needs to figure out a cool superhero name and costume. How will your character be different one year later?-More experience with his power will mean that Edward will be a more effective superhero, though he will retain the same limitations to his power. He will also have a staff that will allow him to better channel, control, and focus his power. He will also have decided on his superhero name and costume, but that may come fairly early. Sample Post-(Arrowcaster recruiting your character) It was the end of the business day, and Edward had just finished locking up. He put his key into his pocket and turned toward home. The evening wind was stronger than normal, and blowing right into Edward's face. With a growl of irritation, Edward closed his eyes against the dust that was flying into his face and concentrated, turning the wind around him in the opposite direction, creating a tailwind for him that helped speed him on his way. He had only gone a few blocks when a voice came up behind him. "That's a neat trick," the voice said, causing Edward to release his hold on the wind and turn to see the owner of the voice. "Is there anything else you can do?" the voice asked the bewildered and dumbfounded young man. "Uhhh..." was all Edward managed to say. He recognized Arrowcaster from years ago, and had even seen some comics that had ripped off Arrowcaster and now used him in the famous "Defenders of Earth" series along with other heroes, most of whom had likewise been ripped off from local heroes (some people just had no imagination). He held his hand out and caused the moisture in the air to condense until he and Arrowcaster were enveloped in a thin fog. With a bit more concentration, the fog thickened until the moisture had condensed into a ball of water that now rested in Edward's outstretched hand. He dropped the ball of water and it hit the sidewalk with a splash. "I can do other things too, like make the earth move a bit, and sometimes I can burn stuff, but it's too cold to do that now," he said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Arrowcaster. He was unsure what this hero wanted with him, and his lack of social skills was not making matters any easier for him. "Interesting," Arrowcaster replied. He then explained the initiative he was undertaking and invited Edward to join him. "Um, I guess so?" Edward responded.
Still not sure how he gets/discovers his powers, but I think I got everything else. I'll work on that tomorrow. Let me know if anything else needs to be added/changed/whatever.
Secret Identity-Edward Storm Codename-Magus Age-22 Powers-Elemental Manipulation Edward is able to control/manipulate the four primal elements of nature (fire, water, earth, wind) Weaknesses-use of power requires the element to actually be present (though he can summon fire with enough ambient heat), earth power localized to within a radius of a few feet Personality-VERY introverted, kind, loyal, strong sense of right and wrong, determined to see things through, severely lacking in social skills Experience-a week-ish Day Job-Runs a comic book/trading card/novelty shop part-time while pursuing a Business Management degree online How did Arrowcaster find you?-Edward was heading home from work one day, manipulating the wind to speed him on his way. The way the wind was clearly moving differently around Edward clued Arrowcaster into the fact that Edward had powers. BRIEF Bio-Edward was, and still is, a comic book nerd. From an early age he was fascinated by the stories of superheroes with amazing powers having fantastic adventures. He often dreamed of one day becoming like the superheroes he read about in his comic books. As a child he never had many friends, preferring to live vicariously through the droves of superheroes in his comic books to actually interacting with real people. At school, he hung out with the other comic book nerds during recess and lunch, but he never got close enough to any of them to truly consider them friends. His introverted personality left him severely lacking in social skills, though he often performed well on any tasks where he was allowed to work alone. At the age of 16, Edward took a part-time job at a local comic book/trading card/novelty shop, which helped him to earn some money and allowed him to indulge in his nerdy habits at a special employee discount that was even better than his existing extreme loyalty discount. He kept at this job through graduation, taking longer hours and more responsibilities as he took business classes at a local community college. He eventually transferred to a four year university, but was able to pursue his Business Management degree through an online program, allowing him to continue to work at the comic book/trading card/novelty shop. He now basically runs the store on his own, but the owner still owns and runs the business officially and will continue to do so until Edward has completed his degree, at which point he will retire and hand the business over to Edward officially.
How will your character be different one year later?-More experience with his power will mean that Edward will be a more effective superhero, though he will retain the same limitations to his power Sample Post-(Arrowcaster recruiting your character) It was the end of the business day, and Edward had just finished locking up. He put his key into his pocket and turned toward home. The evening wind was stronger than normal, and blowing right into Edward's face. With a growl of irritation, Edward closed his eyes against the dust that was flying into his face and concentrated, turning the wind around him in the opposite direction, creating a tailwind for him that helped speed him on his way. He had only gone a few blocks when a voice came up behind him. "That's a neat trick," the voice said, causing Edward to release his hold on the wind and turn to see the owner of the voice. "Is there anything else you can do?" the voice asked the bewildered and dumbfounded young man. "Uhhh..." was all Edward managed to say. He recognized Arrowcaster from years ago, and had even seen some comics that had ripped off Arrowcaster and now used him in the famous "Defenders of Earth" series along with other heroes, most of whom had likewise been ripped off from local heroes (some people just had no imagination). He held his hand out and caused the moisture in the air to condense until he and Arrowcaster were enveloped in a thin fog. With a bit more concentration, the fog thickened until the moisture had condensed into a ball of water that now rested in Edward's outstretched hand. He dropped the ball of water and it hit the sidewalk with a splash. "I can do other things too, like make the earth move a bit, and sometimes I can burn stuff, but it's too cold to do that now," he said quietly, avoiding eye contact with Arrowcaster. He was unsure what this hero wanted with him, and his lack of social skills was not making matters any easier for him. "Interesting," Arrowcaster replied. He then explained the initiative he was undertaking and invited Edward to join him. "Um, I guess so?" Edward responded.
Okay, I like what you have going here, and I understand that this is your first RP, but there's still some things that could be improved on.
First off, if you're going to allow magic, there needs to be a defined system of how magic works with rules and limitations attached to it. Where does this power come from? How does someone gain the ability to perform magic? Just how much can you do with magic? What can't you do with it?
Secondly, what are the differences between the races of men, orcs, elves, etc.? What advantages do the different races have over one another? Do they all live amongst one another, or are there separate communities of different races? What are the cultures and beliefs/religions of the different races? Do they all have the same beliefs and customs, or does each race adhere to it's own beliefs and customs?
Thirdly, a more fleshed out history of the world up to this point might be in order (though it may not be absolutely necessary), and it would certainly help people feel more interested and engaged in the world as it would make this world more real.
Finally, make sure you have a definite idea of where you want to take this story. What are some major plot points that you want to cover? Most importantly, what is your ultimate goal for this? Obviously, these things are probably things the other players don't need to know, but they are definitely things you should have in mind as you progress this RP in order to keep things on track.
Like I said, I like what you have going so far, and I think it shows promise, but there's a lot of things that need work. What I would suggest is put this on hold for a while to work on some of these things (and others) and do some more RPing here to get sort of a feel for what is expected, and then, once you have that down and have more of these things ironed out, you can try launching it again. Also, there are other forums here that have some great advice about RPing and GMing that you might consider browsing through to get a better idea of what all needs to go into making an RP. Also, consider finding a veteran RPer and GMer to co-GM your first RP. I think that would be very helpful.
Please note, I am trying to be helpful here, and I apologize if any of this sounds overly critical. This is a good idea; it just needs more work.
As the night wore on and the crew members of the Monroe became increasingly inebriated from the strong liquor they were consuming, Valanx was the only one who remained sober, never taking part in drinking due to his inability to handle alcohol in any capacity. He had found this out some years ago, before he had joined the Marauders. He and a few other friends from the IEF decided to go out for drinks one night. Valanx had no memory of what happened that night, but he did remember having the worst hangover the next morning, and his friends had mentioned that he had passed out after two shots of whiskey. For this reason, he refused to take part in any sort of drinking ever again. As a result, Valanx was the only crew member of the Monroe to be completely sober. This also meant that his luck had improved dramatically as the rest of the crew became too drunk to properly understand what they were doing. As a result, Valanx was also the only crew member that was still wearing all his own clothes, having enough money to not need to resort to throwing his clothes into the pot. He listened as the other members of the crew talked about what they would do if they had one day with no rules. It was times like this that Valanx remembered that all of his crew mates were criminals. Out of everyone on the ship, Valanx was the only one who was truly free - the only one who had joined the IEF willingly, despite the dangers galactic exploration held. From what he could gather, even the girl, Rendyl, wasn't free. She seemed to be tangled up in some sort of black market dealings that the Committee were in on, though whether she was involved in this by choice or not, Valanx was not sure. All the same, it was sobering to remember that all the members of his crew were here to pay for crimes they had committed in the past. He chose not to answer Ray's question. It would seem unwise to possibly remind the others that he wasn't here to serve time like the others were. Instead, he continued to play the game, betting a bit more confidently now that everyone else was totally plastered.
Elric stepped off from the ship with his spear in one hand and his quiver with bow and arrows over his shoulder. He was ready to fight if the need arose, but made no outwardly aggressive moves. His people got along well with the elves. He had a second cousin who was a wealthy trader, and he had visited Miracia with him once a few years ago, even doing some business in Fornond, so he was somewhat familiar with the place. He gave a respectful nod to Estallir as the elf greeted them and prepared to follow the noble elf and his retinue.