Tapestry of Dreams, Part 2 Discussion - The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum

littlemanpoet · 12-20-2006, 09:46 AM

Just thought of this today (or was it in the middle of the night?).

(1) Find out which writers are going to be available each month for the next three months.
(2) Make a list of (A) all of our characters and (B) their writers.
(3) Have the writers who cannot be around for one or more of the coming months choose alternate writers who are authorized by the primary writers to handle their characters.

The primary writers could work out with the alternates what degree of complexity would work. For example, some alternate writers may be familiar enough with a character that they could "get in the head" of the character they are sub-writing, while others would feel comfortable at only providing action.

I intend to be around for the next three months, but if I wasn't, I could, for example, divide my characters thusly between alternates who would be around:

Jorje: Firefoot
Æedegard: Nurumaiel
Raefindan: Helen
Tharonwë: Formendacil
Marigold: Alak

These are just meant to be examples based on reasonaable familiarity with a type of character; the weakest choice being Formy for Tharonwe, no fault of Formy's.

Formendacil · 12-20-2006, 12:10 PM

For myself... I'm both lazy and a student, so quick response from me is not to be expected whenever my turn comes up for posting (waiting on Fea's save right now, but that doesn't appear to be coming... so....). However, I'm a fast enough writer and this RPG is slow-paced enough that I should never have too much of a problem getting to posting within a week or so of it being my turn- assuming I get nudged if I don't seem to be around (it's started to happen, now and again...).

That said, I can carry Indil for the moment. Insofar as anybody "knows" her, I guess I do. (The posts with her thus far were penned primarily by my hand.)

So I'm around, and able to help, if need be.

littlemanpoet · 12-20-2006, 02:23 PM

Thanks, Formy. One caution though: posting speed can suddenly ramp up and you may find yourself with a dozen or more to catch up on before you know it. It has happened here.

Firefoot · 12-20-2006, 02:55 PM

I don't have any conflicts in the next three months to cause significant changes in my posting schedule - there might be a weekend or two that is bad, but nothing more than that.

I've sort of been waiting around with Rugh, but I think I'll try to come up with another post soon.

littlemanpoet · 12-20-2006, 07:21 PM

I was just thinking about all this in terms of who might be able to take the slack on various characters, and came up with this list. This list includes a lot of interpretation on my part, in terms of how primary, or not, a given character is. Feel free to differ with me and correct me if you feel the character you write should be placed elsewhere than where I did.

There are 23 characters here, all of which will be, and have been, written for. That's a lot of characters! They represent 11 writers, also a huge number for an rpg. How unwieldy is that?

My main point is that we have got to do this kind of delineation so that we have a sense of what's going on, because if all these characters are equal in our minds, we're carrying much more weight than we ought to be. The next questions to be asked are (1) what is the character's motivation for doing what s/he is doing in the broad sweep of the story? & (2) what is the character's purpose within the story? & (3) Which characters could leave the story with no harm to the story?

Main Characters

Primary

Mellondu/Amroth ~ Helen
Mellonin ~ Helen
Raefindan/Imrazor ~ Elempi
Aeron ~ Imladris
Ravion ~ Orual

Secondary

Liornung ~ Nurumaiel
Argaleafa ~ Nurumaiel
Bellyn ~ Aylwen Dreamsong
Ædegard ~ Elempi
Gwyllian ~ Imladris
Erebemlin ~ Alaklondewen
Nethwador ~ Helen

Minor Characters

Primary

Tharonwë/Maegeleb ~ Elempi
Jorje/Tirril ~ Elempi
Taitheneb ~ Alaklondewen

Secondary

Marigold ~ Elempi
Erundil ~ Orual
Mithrellas ~ Elempi

Not sure yet

Bergil ~ Formendacil
Indil/Angela ~ Feanor
Sæthryd ~ Celuien
Rugh ~ Firefoot
Avarien ~ Helen

littlemanpoet · 01-02-2007, 11:00 AM

Now that the holidays are over, perhaps more of us are around to have this discussion.

One more alternative is that those writers who are active can simply be the main characters, and those who are not around, are carried along as minor characters by those who are actually writing.

I would venture to say that posting once per week would be construed as "active".

Celuien · 01-02-2007, 09:11 PM

Despite the insanity of the coming month (sample schedule: driving to Providence Thursday, driving back Friday, most likely working on Saturday, driving to Pittsburgh Sunday and coming back Monday, repeat for the next three weeks), I will definitely keep an eye out to keep Sæthryd active as she may be needed. But if things move for her before February, posting any more frequently than once a week will probably be difficult for me.

I must be crazy.

12-20-2006, 09:46 AM	#1
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Option 4 Just thought of this today (or was it in the middle of the night?). (1) Find out which writers are going to be available each month for the next three months. (2) Make a list of (A) all of our characters and (B) their writers. (3) Have the writers who cannot be around for one or more of the coming months choose alternate writers who are authorized by the primary writers to handle their characters. The primary writers could work out with the alternates what degree of complexity would work. For example, some alternate writers may be familiar enough with a character that they could "get in the head" of the character they are sub-writing, while others would feel comfortable at only providing action. I intend to be around for the next three months, but if I wasn't, I could, for example, divide my characters thusly between alternates who would be around: Jorje: Firefoot Æedegard: Nurumaiel Raefindan: Helen Tharonwë: Formendacil Marigold: Alak These are just meant to be examples based on reasonaable familiarity with a type of character; the weakest choice being Formy for Tharonwe, no fault of Formy's.

12-20-2006, 12:10 PM	#2
Formendacil Dead Serious Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Perched on Thangorodrim's towers. Posts: 3,328	For myself... I'm both lazy and a student, so quick response from me is not to be expected whenever my turn comes up for posting (waiting on Fea's save right now, but that doesn't appear to be coming... so....). However, I'm a fast enough writer and this RPG is slow-paced enough that I should never have too much of a problem getting to posting within a week or so of it being my turn- assuming I get nudged if I don't seem to be around (it's started to happen, now and again...). That said, I can carry Indil for the moment. Insofar as anybody "knows" her, I guess I do. (The posts with her thus far were penned primarily by my hand.) So I'm around, and able to help, if need be. __________________ I prefer history, true or feigned.

01-02-2007, 11:00 AM	#6
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Double post Now that the holidays are over, perhaps more of us are around to have this discussion. One more alternative is that those writers who are active can simply be the main characters, and those who are not around, are carried along as minor characters by those who are actually writing. I would venture to say that posting once per week would be construed as "active".

01-02-2007, 09:11 PM	#7
Celuien Riveting Ribbiter Join Date: May 2005 Location: Assigned to Mordor Posts: 1,767	Despite the insanity of the coming month (sample schedule: driving to Providence Thursday, driving back Friday, most likely working on Saturday, driving to Pittsburgh Sunday and coming back Monday, repeat for the next three weeks), I will definitely keep an eye out to keep Sæthryd active as she may be needed. But if things move for her before February, posting any more frequently than once a week will probably be difficult for me. I must be crazy. __________________ People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect. But actually, from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly, timey-wimey... stuff.

12-20-2006, 02:23 PM	#3
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	Thanks, Formy. One caution though: posting speed can suddenly ramp up and you may find yourself with a dozen or more to catch up on before you know it. It has happened here.

12-20-2006, 02:55 PM	#4
Firefoot Illusionary Holbytla Join Date: Dec 2003 Posts: 7,547	I don't have any conflicts in the next three months to cause significant changes in my posting schedule - there might be a weekend or two that is bad, but nothing more than that. I've sort of been waiting around with Rugh, but I think I'll try to come up with another post soon.

12-20-2006, 07:21 PM	#5
littlemanpoet Itinerant Songster Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: The Edge of Faerie Posts: 7,066	I was just thinking about all this in terms of who might be able to take the slack on various characters, and came up with this list. This list includes a lot of interpretation on my part, in terms of how primary, or not, a given character is. Feel free to differ with me and correct me if you feel the character you write should be placed elsewhere than where I did. There are 23 characters here, all of which will be, and have been, written for. That's a lot of characters! They represent 11 writers, also a huge number for an rpg. How unwieldy is that? My main point is that we have got to do this kind of delineation so that we have a sense of what's going on, because if all these characters are equal in our minds, we're carrying much more weight than we ought to be. The next questions to be asked are (1) what is the character's motivation for doing what s/he is doing in the broad sweep of the story? & (2) what is the character's purpose within the story? & (3) Which characters could leave the story with no harm to the story? Main Characters Primary Mellondu/Amroth ~ Helen Mellonin ~ Helen Raefindan/Imrazor ~ Elempi Aeron ~ Imladris Ravion ~ Orual Secondary Liornung ~ Nurumaiel Argaleafa ~ Nurumaiel Bellyn ~ Aylwen Dreamsong Ædegard ~ Elempi Gwyllian ~ Imladris Erebemlin ~ Alaklondewen Nethwador ~ Helen Minor Characters Primary Tharonwë/Maegeleb ~ Elempi Jorje/Tirril ~ Elempi Taitheneb ~ Alaklondewen Secondary Marigold ~ Elempi Erundil ~ Orual Mithrellas ~ Elempi Not sure yet Bergil ~ Formendacil Indil/Angela ~ Feanor Sæthryd ~ Celuien Rugh ~ Firefoot Avarien ~ Helen