Eorling Mead Hall Planning/Discussion Thread

[JennyHallu]

I solemnly swear that everyone's heads are still attached to their bodies, and shall remain so.

I am frustrated, and angry, but I am trying to stifle the angry. It's difficult, I'm a short-tempered Scottish firebrand, with tendencies to anger in long slow simmers punctuated by violent eruptions. My family history has records of epic feuds on both sides. Trust me, it sounds way more romantic than it is.

I mean everything I say, however. I have been thinking this through and trying to come up with a solution for several days. I have also tried to be subtle in my concerns, and it doesn't work. This is a group effort, and I would really like to see our Innkeeper put more weight on group input.

I'll hush now, and see what plays out. But I will put more effort into remaining calm. We're all adults here, anyway (or nearly there, for some of us).

I'm rather pleased with my haiku though.

EDIT: Folwren, I respect your desire to avoid conflict here, but I think you should still say where you stand on the issue if you have any preference at all, even if you never mention it again. I know I am, and trust LMP is, mature enough not to take personal offense at disagreement, and I think it's important that everyone weighs in.

[Folwren]

Originally Posted by JennyHallu

I solemnly swear that everyone's heads are still attached to their bodies, and shall remain so.

Thank you. But for now, it's mostly Elempi's reaction to your post that I'm worried about. You've had your explosion, and being a girl myself, I realize that that's probably the worst that it will get from you, unless Elempi infuriates you in another way.

I am frustrated, and angry, but I am trying to stifle the angry. It's difficult, I'm a short-tempered Scottish firebrand, with tendencies to anger in long slow simmers punctuated by violent eruptions. My family history has records of epic feuds on both sides. Trust me, it sounds way more romantic than it is.

Eh, well, you'll be able to manage, especially since we don't get your real reaction, only that which you choose to type down. We won't see your flushed face, burning eyes, and rigid attitude, nor will we (hopefully) see your first draft of the post you write and then think better of and replace with another one, not quite so fiery.

I mean everything I say, however. I have been thinking this through and trying to come up with a solution for several days. I have also tried to be subtle in my concerns, and it doesn't work. This is a group effort, and I would really like to see our Innkeeper put more weight on group input.

Yes, yes, I believe you. I'm not asking anyone to hide their opinion on the matter if they don't want to, I'm asking them to not loose their heads.

EDIT: Folwren, I respect your desire to avoid conflict here, but I think you should still say where you stand on the issue if you have any preference at all, even if you never mention it again. I know I am, and trust LMP is, mature enough not to take personal offense at disagreement, and I think it's important that everyone weighs in.

No. I said earlier that I refuse. I will not put my weigh in. It's not so much fright of conflict - goodness knows I don't refuse an argument very often - it's just that I don't want to undermine Elempi. I'm not the leader or organizer of this entire thing. If I were, I'd up and say something, but I'm not. It is not to say that I don't think people should voice their opinions, but I think enough people have said something that I don't need to. I can work either way. I'm easy to make happy and I'm not going to add strife. I may quarrel often for real, but once in while I like being the peace maker, and this is going to be one of those times.

So, continue, but be nice.

-- Folwren

[littlemanpoet]

Wow. Three adversities in one morning and the least important is the most knotty and malign. Least important only because it's not about ultimate destiny nor a person's RL livelihood. Nevertheless important because, even though it's a game, it's real people. Knotty because it's a complex problem. Malign because there's more at work here than just the issues at hand, but that's my problem. The two other adversities I can do little if anything about; this one I can do a lot about, and so it is the most fraught with danger.

First of all, Jenny, I apologize for any insults or offenses that I have caused you. They were not intended. I sympathize with your frustration and forgive your unkindness.

Jenny, I am not the monster, nor enemy, that three days of stewing has probably conjured in your mind (believe me, I know personally what stewing can do to one's thoughts about someone). I'm not mad. Just sad and troubled.

The last time I capitulated to someone regarding a fundamental part of the creative process that I had set up, I lost heart (not meaning to), and my will to keep the thing energized became seriously curtailed. The resulting ennui caused the ultimate demise of the thing. I don't want that here.

The last time I laid down the law and said "deal with it", there was open revolt and voting with feet. I got disgusted and quit. I don't want that here either.

I wish that I had never thought of and suggested starting a sideline thread that runs concurrently with the first thread. It's causing way too many problems. What we're ending up doing with Anguirel's Manawyth situation seems to work better (you'll see soon what I mean). Nevertheless, we have to deal with it, and I don't for a minute envy the position Jenny is in, and would relieve her of it if I could. The only way to do that is to get the thing written and completed, and perhaps ----- perhaps(!) ----- we should halt the proceedings at the main site in order to accomplish that? Just a thought.

Originally Posted by Jenny

I don't necessarily mean that I want to play every day, dawn to dusk, no matter what. But while not every day is significant, more are than our rush through the year, game-time, reflects. I don't mind skipping a week here and there, but months are too much. And skipping months for no conceivable reason other than to keep up with some artificial real-time thing does bother me.

I'm quite agreeable with this middle ground approach.

Originally Posted by Jenny

And it is a MAJOR concern that we can't introduce our own storylines unless we are willing to own a game.

This isn't something that I insist on.

Originally Posted by Jenny

It still bugs me, though, that I ran the idea of the kidnapping by LMP before I did it, and no mention was made then that I would need to be willing to own a separate game in which to play it out.

I'm sorry you took this as some kind of law. You never had to run your own separate game. It was only a suggestion, and one that I thought of only after saying "go ahead if you want" to the kidnapping idea. I have to admit that I wasn't too keen on the idea, but I wasn't going to stop you.

Originally Posted by Jenny

If LMP does not feel any obligation to make time for our storylines, that makes it very difficult to write here.

I hope you don't really believe this. It's just not true, and is a rather hurtful thing to have said.

[Kath]

A suggestion:

If we are in April game time and June RL time, perhaps we could skip forward in two-weekly bursts.

So, we finish up the day at court and jump two weeks ahead. Then 'thinking back' scenes could perhaps be done to show people settling in to their new roles. Here only a few posts would be needed, and Leof could tell Eodwine about his secret (if Firefoot's plan works along those lines) and we could have the introduction of Nogrod and Lommy's characters.

After this we could skip ahead another two weeks and have Nogrod and Lommy's characters interacting with people, simply assuming that they have made their introductions already. Perhaps here Leof could make up with Adhel and Saeryn, Eodwine and Degas can have their conversation about Eodwine's intentions, now that things have calmed down a bit.

That should bring the timelines a little closer without damaging anyones storylines too much, though there would still have to be some compromise.

Jenny - I assume the basic storyline of AiE is that Linduial is freed (whether via rescue or escape I don't know as I've not seen the thread) and returns to the Mead Hall. Therefore for the first section of this time jumping she would presumably be recovering from her ordeal, so you could post her thoughts of being trapped in a comfy room rather than a cell but still trapped or something along those lines, and Marenil's thoughts on looking after her. By the second jump she would be up and about again, and you will be further on in the other thread and will have more of an idea of how she will be afterwards.

What does everyone think?

[JennyHallu]

If we can go to a more middle ground on time jumps (even if that means the real-time correlation is lost) I would be satisfied. I will certainly not ask that the MH be stopped for my own story; for better or for worse, it is semi-independent right now, and not everyone here is involved there. (Though all are welcome to make cameo posts, if they wish)

I have a couple ideas of how to work around my own personal frustration with defying physics (people in two places at once), and I actually think I'll be taking the easy way out.

I should be able to work with Marenil with no problem, as he's not really in a developing mood . Age is a great steadier.

Lin, however, will be recovering from her ordeal by returning home for a while, either with a guard on loan from Lothiriel, or with her brother. She wishes to rest, and has some matters to discuss with her father, but she shall certainly be returning (conveniently after the end of AiE) to a warm welcome, and perhaps with a more former role than anti-marriage visitor. She has matured and grown significantly, but this will allow me to delay revealing precisely how, and let Degas stew over what relationship the two young people might have.

Any questions/objections? If not, I will work out a post this evening for both of my characters.

EDIT: crossed with Kath:

I'd rather jumps be more flexible, but that's something to discuss. However, I think Lommy and Nogrod, since they're already here, shouldn't be delayed 2 weeks.

[Kath]

I'd rather jumps be more flexible, but that's something to discuss. However, I think Lommy and Nogrod, since they're already here, shouldn't be delayed 2 weeks.

But they won't, not in RL. We finish up the Court in a day or so RL, and then do the time jump. Lommy and Nogrod could then make the first posts on the new day with entering the Hall. Then they can be greeted etc.

As to your idea of sending Lin home and just having Marenil potter about a bit until AiE finishes, that would probably solve a few problems

Basically the idea is just to get the two timelines closer. If we could get court finished in a couple of days and then skip that takes up to halfway through April, right? Then say a week on introducing Lommy and Nogrod at the most and do the second jump, taking us to the beginning of June. That way in RL we would still only be halfway through June and the timelines would be almost equal.

[littlemanpoet]

I was going to suggest Linduial spending time in Gondor, but I - uh - didn't think it wise for that to come from me, considering the current 'air' in these here parts....

I'd like Lommy and Nogrod to appear in court day as they have planned. Sorry it's taking so long....

[Kath]

I'd like Lommy and Nogrod to appear in court day as they have planned. Sorry it's taking so long....

OK, so how about they appear and introduce themselves to Eodwine, and then we skip forward and we can have a few 'remembering' posts to start with?

If that's ok with Lommy and Nogrod that is.

[Thinlómien]

Originally Posted by Kath

OK, so how about they appear and introduce themselves to Eodwine, and then we skip forward and we can have a few 'remembering' posts to start with?

If that's ok with Lommy and Nogrod that is.

After the court is over we will introduce ourselves to Eodwine. After he's answered us we can jump in time.