Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]
<h1 id="title">Elliquiy Role Playing Forums</h1>
		<h2 id="linktree">Play-By-Post: Light =&gt; Light: Human Small Groups =&gt; Topic started by: Caeli on 15-01-2012, 07:43:06</h2>
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				Title: <strong>Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 07:43:06</strong>
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				Took me about three days to think of a title. &gt;_&gt;<br><br>Commence discussion!
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 08:06:59</strong>
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				<div class="spoiler_container"><div onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button" class="spoiler_header">Vague Description and Premise of the Roleplay</div><div class="spoiler_body">The genre is contemporary fantasy. The setting, and where the story starts off, is a small visual and performing arts university (still unnamed) that is well known for gathering gifted rising stars of those in artistic fields - singers, dancers, artists, filmmakers and actors, musicians. Our main characters will be an assorted collection of students, professors, or other individuals who might plausibly work full-time or frequently at the university. They may know of each other or know each other peripherally, but none of them are especially close to any of the others, though they may have mutual connections, have taken classes together, or simply have seen each other around.<br><br>Recently, strange things have happened around our main characters - things disappearing, noises in the night. They get the feeling that they're being stalked or watched, and even though it seems paranoid to think so, they feel like someone is trying to scare them or even hurt them. They've also been experiencing strange moments - when they get angry or emotional, things happen. <br><br>All five of them are somewhere as yet undetermined - maybe an elevator, maybe a conference room - when something happens that almost kills them. Fortunately for them, a Mysterious Being who will be introduced during the roleplay saves them, taking them somewhere that's definitely not the real world. It's a very "We're definitely not in Kansas anymore" moment.<br><br>The Mysterious Being explains that they are all descendants of powerful deities, with the blood of gods running through their veins. What this means is that in life, they are something special - on stage, they have that extra spark; their work has a special something. It separates them from the crowd, and it's the difference between being merely 'good' and puts them in the category of talented. In magical terms, their magical heritage means that they are all possessors of a Gift - magical or supernatural talents that have, until now, remained dormant.<br><br>Their Gifts have become active now because a great Evil (to be determined by further discussion) has, in the past few centuries, slowly become very powerful in an alternate realm that exists parallel to the real world. It is the world As It Was Created - forests, lakes, grottos... and most fascinating of all to our characters, magical creatures such as the fae. Even worse, the Evil has recently undergone a period of quiet activity, which the forces of Good have taken to mean that they are up to something. The recent attacks are the result of a future foreseen by an oracle who prophesies that evil will fall at the hands of five who wield the power of the old gods - their attackers decided to preemptively strike before their problem could become a problem.<br><br>Our five characters need to learn how to use their Gifts and then embark on a journey through this parallel realm to save this secret and magical world, for if this realm falls to evil, so too will their own world enter a dark age when all that is good and beautiful will be snuffed out.<br><br>Some additional notes: I was throwing around the idea that our characters might be descended from gods of different cultures - for example, Greek gods, Egyptian gods, Indian gods - but that's not an idea or aspect of the roleplay that is set in stone, because I'm worried that having this multi-cultural gods thing might be more chaotic than simply choosing one pantheon and sticking with that. Other things that need to be worked out include what exactly this magical parallel realm really is, some different characteristics of the school and its local community. It is undetermined how travel between the parallel realm and the real world will take place, and I have also not yet decided if there is any kind of time disparity between the two - that is, time in the parallel realm running faster than in the real world.</div></div><br><hr><br><span class="bbc_u"><strong>List Of Questions to Answer</strong></span><br><br><strong>♦ What is the name of the college our characters will be attending or working at?</strong><br>&nbsp; &nbsp;I have chosen to use Bryn Mawr (http://www.brynmawr.edu/campus/) for our campus environment. However, I would like to rename the college for our purposes.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;It is not important for us to know the names of any of the buildings at this time, so no need to memorize any campus maps. :)<br><br><strong>♦ One pantheon, many pantheons, or none?</strong><br>&nbsp; &nbsp;I've mentioned to all of you, I think, of the possibility of introducing characters who are descended from deities from different cultures, and then basing their powers/gifts (for the purposes of the roleplay, they will be referred to be NPCs as gifts; obviously, your characters can think of them in whatever terms they prefer) on elements of that particular belief system, religion, culture, and so on. However, I've gotten some feedback (and I came across the same possibility) that this might be more chaotic than it really needs to be.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;We can choose to use a single pantheon, of course; that would simplify things immensely. If we choose to do this, we would need to agree on a single one.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;Another possibility is that we will throw together a pantheon (example, each person creates 6 gods or goddesses, we throw them together, and then pick a "leader") and our characters' powers will stem from whatever is available; everyone would pretty much be equal unless noted otherwise, none of the gods or goddesses would be "evil" or "good", they simply <em>are</em> - I hope that makes sense. This will more than likely involve the greatest amount of work (though I would absolutely be willing to bear the brunt of it), as the pantheon <em>will</em> play a role if we choose to include one in the roleplay. However, I do feel that this might give us the most freedom in terms of what the world will be.<br>&nbsp; &nbsp;Lastly, another possibility is no pantheon, and just have random powers (within limits).<br><br><strong>♦ Let's give a name to our parallel realm. Mostly because I want to stop calling it "the parallel realm to the real world."</strong><br><br><strong>♦ As a general note, your characters can be anybody who attends, works at, or for any other reason might frequently/regularly go to the school.</strong><br>&nbsp; &nbsp;That means guest lecturers, professors, industry professionals, students, among others. I'm not going to say you can't be this or that, but the college is meant to be a common gathering place for our characters, so it would be important for the campus to be a common destination in your character's weekly and/or daily routine.<br><br><hr><br>That's it for now, If you have anything you'd like to bring up to be included here, please post and I will modify this post accordingly!
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 08:09:06</strong>
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				It's very intriguing. And mysterious. <br><br>I have nothing else to contribute this night.&nbsp; I'm lucky my brain is still functioning.&nbsp; Just tagging the thread to watch for updates- I will endeavor to contribute in a more meaningful fashion commencing tomorrow!<br><br>And, <em>hello there</em> everyone else! 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 08:16:11</strong>
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				Welcome :D I can't wait until we get more details hammered out and have a blast oohing and aahing over the roleplay!
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 08:30:49</strong>
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				Ok, clarify one thing for me please- when you chose Bryn Mawr as the environment, did you plan on keeping it as a single-gender (women only) school, or is that going to be tossed out along with the name?<br><br>Total aside- that campus is just <em>to die for</em> beautiful...
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 08:54:25</strong>
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				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=129367.msg5728238#msg5728238">Quote from: Martee on 15-01-2012, 08:30:49</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Ok, clarify one thing for me please- when you chose Bryn Mawr as the environment, did you plan on keeping it as a single-gender (women only) school, or is that going to be tossed out along with the name?<br><br>Total aside- that campus is just <em>to die for</em> beautiful...<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>That's getting tossed out. I want the campus and the buildings and the location, but that's it. This will be a co-ed school, very prestigious and known for having rising talent, etc.<br><br><span style="font-size: 8pt;" class="bbc_size">(I <em>know</em>, right? I actually wanted to attend Bryn Mawr when I was applying to colleges as a senior in high school. I should have applied, if only to see if I would get in!)</span>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 17:19:24</strong>
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				Hello there everyone! <br><br>I am looking forward to being a part of this group game and hammering out the details of the story and the characters involved.&nbsp; The campus is a beautiful choice and I think it will be the perfect backdrop for our story.<br><br>As far as the pantheon goes, perhaps creating a single pantheon or choosing one would be our best approach to the situation.&nbsp; It would limit us to a few choices rather than tossing it all up in the air and getting a little chaotic about it.&nbsp; I like the idea of it being based off the four classical elements of fire, earth, air and wind and tossing in the notions of "life" and "death" as well.&nbsp; Or perhaps entropy and atrophy, or something in the whole positive and negative forces side of the coin.&nbsp; Thoughts? <br><br>A name for the parallel realm... hm, I will need to think on that! 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 18:37:17</strong>
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				I admit to thinking a mix of pantheons would be wicked clever, but fully agree that we are looking at a bit of chaos in that respect unless it was handled very carefully.&nbsp; <br><br>Creating our own pantheon?&nbsp; Also very cool- and I do love the idea of incorporating entropy &amp; atrophy, or life &amp; death as elements... in fact I'd go so far as to say that alone is probably a strong enough idea to support a full system of belief.&nbsp; It has a natural balance, and life &amp; death are not black and white in my mind.&nbsp; There are shades of grey- a range of aspects of both that could be exploited, perhaps?<br><br>That's one possibility.&nbsp; I had mentioned to Caeli earlier that choosing an existing pantheon could also basically hand us the parallel realm, as several 'mythologies' have alternate realms built right in- Celt, Norse, etc.&nbsp; I think once we get the basis of the divinity set, determining a name for the alternate reality might be somewhat easier.<br><br>Is everyone planning on playing a student?&nbsp; I had the notion of playing an adjunct member of the faculty, a former 'child star' who is now sharing the wisdom she culled from over a decade of acting through her adolescence and teens, while also considering whether or not to try and revamp a flagging career. <em>Maybe</em>...
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 19:04:35</strong>
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				I have no particular preference between choosing a pre-existing pantheon and creating our own. :) Thing is that I'm not especially familiar with <em>any</em> pantheons except the Greek/Roman one, and that only on a surface level. I'm not as familiar with some of the common stories/myths as I would like to be.<br><br>If we choose to go with creating our own pantheon, I'd probably go with the suggestion of Silverfyre's of choosing a dualistic leadership (atrophy/entropy, light/dark, moon/sun come to mind), adding life and/or death (or similarly associated topics, like Spirit, Souls, and so on), and then coming up with a list of say 10-12 more gods and goddesses. Once we have a list, each person creates two or three gods and goddesses and a brief description of who they are, what they're like, what their power is over. It wouldn't be a lot of work, I don't think, since I'm not going to be asking everyone to develop full on backgrounds on the gods - just enough to get us started and further develop the parallel realm.<br><br>I plan on playing a grad student, somewhere between the ages of 24 to 28 years old. The idea isn't set in stone yet, but I'm thinking that she's had a successful career thus far as a classical pianist (playing with symphony orchestras; accompaniment to any number of talented musicians and vocalists; has performed for various movie and video game soundtracks, etc.), and wants to tackle the prospect of becoming a singer/songwriter. She can already play a number of instruments including the guitar, but has little to no background in lyrical composition or music composition, so she intends to study it formally. In the meantime, she is one of the musical instructors who has been licensed to teach private lessons on campus to undergraduate students.<br><br>Some other possibilities I had in mind for characters were: a student studying animation and motion design, and a dancer/choreographer who teaches dance lessons on the campus but does not formally teach at the school.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 20:45:56</strong>
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				Hello everyone :)<br><br>Mostly just posting to get this to be flagged and such but I do want to comment that I would rather steer away from the Greek/Roman pantheons simply because...used a lot. If we were to choose from a pre existing one I sort of think the Norse mythos would be fascinating but it seems like we are leaning toward creating one which is always fun. <br><br>I have no idea what I'm going to play yet...
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 21:22:30</strong>
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				I echo Wisti's thoughts on moving away from the traditional Greek/Roman pantheons.&nbsp; I am for the ideas of using our own vague pantheon of the elements but that's just one suggestion I like.&nbsp; I'm open to others.<br><br>As far as characters go, I am leaning towards a musician or artistic student or maybe a professor but I am still juggling ideas. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 21:34:39</strong>
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				I can very much agree with Wisti on that. I do find Norse mythology fascinating, and just as frighteningly messed up as the Greeks/Romans if not more so. There's certainly a bit of diversity amongst the gods &amp; goddesses.<br><br>For giggles, though, I might toss out the &nbsp;Egyptian (http://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ancient_Egyptian_religion&amp;mobileaction=view_normal_site) pantheon for consideration, if we decide to go with established mythos. I've always found that to be wildly exotic, what with the jackal-headed gods and all that. <br><br>I'm really flexible, however- so if anyone has strong feelings one way or the other that's fine with me.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 21:52:30</strong>
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				I will agree that Greek/Roman myth is just a bit overplayed presently.&nbsp; It's good but I would prefer to tackle something different.<br><br>As far as another existing culture, I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the Norse mythology and could certainly get behind using it.&nbsp; Egyptian myth is also interesting though and I'm sure with a bit of research it would serve us.<br><br>I do also find making our own interesting.&nbsp; A bit more work but world-building is always fun.&nbsp; I do kinda like something tied to the four classic elements (Though I confess, I did catch myself thinking that someone was going to get stuck with heart... *winks*).&nbsp; We could also consider a more eastern five elements, which would match up to our number of players.&nbsp; <br><br>I honestly have no idea what I want to play yet and this is mainly just me hopping in to mark this thread and toss out my initial thoughts.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 23:07:47</strong>
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				I'd considered the Chinese five phases, but wasn't sure if there would be interest. The Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wu_Xing) has a very basic outline of what it has been applied to in the past.<br><br>Interestingly, the five phases are associated with a great number of things outlined in an awesome chart about 1/3 to 1/2 down the page, including five heavenly creatures: the Azure Dragon 青龍, Vermilion Bird 朱雀, Yellow Dragon 黃龍, Qilin ("Unicorn") 麒麟, White Tiger 白虎, Black Tortoise 玄武. That would really be interesting; I've studied a bit of the constellation and mythos about the Five Phases, and a couple of popular anime/manga have included them extensively in the story to a degree.<br><br>Pretty fascinating, something I'd love to study more. I'd also vote for the Norse mythology, but I want to see what's more popular. ^__^
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 23:13:46</strong>
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				Oh that sounds pretty interesting there, and a fun way to weave in powers perhaps? Part of the reason I suggested Norse is the different 'worlds' or planes of existence. We could of course borrow some from the Chinese with the five phases and such, and a little from Norse, a little from this, and that sort of thing if we made our own. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>15-01-2012, 23:59:17</strong>
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				Oh gosh, there's a tough call. I'll be honest, I kind of love the Five Elements... I really <em>adore</em> how the cycles flow around, with each element generating the next, or overcoming the opposite. There's a lovely harmony to it- not to mention all of the other aspects that are already determined.<br><br>But I really love Norse mythology too. So hard to decide!<br><br>I am not being especially helpful, I know.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>16-01-2012, 01:48:29</strong>
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				I vote we stick to one system and not make this more complicated than it has to be.&nbsp; If we start incorporating Norse mythology into the Chinese phases, I think it would muddle the waters to the point that it would just get cumbersome creatively.&nbsp; I am all for keeping things to one system or the other and I really adore the idea of using Chinese mythology and the five phases.&nbsp; They are very fascinating and I would enjoy the opportunity to explore some non-Western mythology for once.<br><br>Norse has been done to death for me sadly and hence my vote on using the Chinese phases.&nbsp; 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 05:58:36</strong>
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				Yes, I would like to keep it strictly to one cultural belief/pantheon, rather than trying to mix something that already has a strong foundation to work off of. With the wide applications that can be used from the East Asian belief of the five phases, we really shouldn't try to complicate it by throwing in bits and pieces of other cultures. <br><br>Since it doesn't seem like we've really reached a solid consensus about which pantheon to use, please vote for one of the following:<br>1) Norse mythology<br>2) East Asian philosophy (five phases)<br>3) Original (we would create this)<br><br>Once we choose a pantheon, that should make choosing a name for The Parallel Realm that much easier. Also, any suggestions for names for the school/university?
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 06:40:15</strong>
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				I vote for the East Asian philosophy.&nbsp; It is new, fascinating and a nice difference from all of the other fantasy games I have been a part of recently.&nbsp; Thank you for mentioning and bringing it up, Caeli.<br><br>The name of the university.. hmm.&nbsp; A few suggestions off the top of my head:<br><br>D'Ayers School of the Arts<br>Gardens of the Arts<br>Eastern State University (to work in the whole word play on the Eastern philosophy if we use it).
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 06:44:23</strong>
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				I'm going to vote for the five phases as well.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 15:55:09</strong>
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				I like the choice too. It is something new and different, at least for me.<br><br>I would <em>totally</em> pick the unicorn!&nbsp; But, it mucks up the nice color-coded animal conventions, doesn't it?&nbsp; I think a yellow dragon is fiercer- sounding anyway.<br><br>As far as names I have no good suggestions, although I do like the general anonymity of Eastern State University, as well as the subtle eastern tie-in. I imagine the full name could read along the lines of 'Eastern State University School of Performing Arts and Sciences'. A bit of a mouthful, easily distilled down to 'ESU'.<br><br>Being entirely ignorant as to how things work in a group writing effort, is it generally by consensus/majority rules, GM decision, something else? I personally don't have a preference, I'm just curious. Ooh, another question: what's the anticipated speed of this group? I'd just like to get a feel for how frequently I'll need to be making my own contributions.<br><br>Thanks!
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 16:44:56</strong>
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				Sorry for the double post, it’s really hard to edit existing posts on a mobile device.<br><br>In looking a bit deeper into those charts in the Wikipedia page, it seems that each of the five phases is associated with a different eastern religion/philosophy.&nbsp; I don’t know how deep we are going to delve into that, but it could be an interesting way to play with a blend of pantheons while also maintaining a cohesive set-up.&nbsp; Caeli, you’re probably the most knowledgeable person in that regard -&nbsp; is it feasible that we each follow the deities/major influences of our respective ‘phase’, or was there one philosophy/religion you think would make the most sense to follow?<br><br><em>My preference</em> would be to follow the religion of our respective phase, but I will admit that’s <em>entirely</em> because the more I read, the more I am developing a heavy bias towards Shintoism, and I think the Wood element/phase would fit the character I had in mind best. &nbsp;However, I do remain, as always, flexible enough to accommodate whatever the group would prefer.<br><br>
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 16:59:34</strong>
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				Seems like the five phases is the way to go :) It is certainly something fascinating to read, particularly since they are each tied to a different philosophy. I would sort of love if we kept that because Metal/White Tiger is tied to Hindu and that really got thoughts rolling for me reading through stuff. I agree with pretty much everything Martee said in her last post, including the part about being flexible and this merely being my preference. 
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 17:13:00</strong>
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				Flexibility is a good asset to any sort of creative writing but I do believe that we should still have some "guidelines" in place to follow so that we have a foundation in which to build our characters and their beliefs as well as their place and powers in the parallel world upon.&nbsp; I do like the idea of tying it to the specific religions but I would like it to be a voluntary measure as I do not think my character is going to be very religious at first and really buy into the whole "powers" and "gods" part of the setting.<br><br>If we are claiming elements, I think I want to turn away from my instinctual grab of claiming "Fire" and instead look at "Water"/Black Tortoise.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>19-01-2012, 18:19:31</strong>
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				I wasn't planning on having her be an adherent or follower of Shintoism or anything like that either. I was thinking more in terms of where her 'power' would come from.&nbsp; I'd have to dig deeper to see if we might be able to pull mythologies or antagonists from the belief systems as well- I haven't bothered to dig quite so deep yet. No point really, until a consensus is reached.
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				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>20-01-2012, 05:31:45</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Okay, Five Phases/Elements it is.<br><br>I'm going to make an executive decision as GM and say that we're going to use the Chinese five elements as a foundation, but I'm going to keep it general - that is, we'll be using the mythologies and philosophy of the Chinese five elements, but in the roleplay, they won't necessarily be "Chinese". Hopefully, when I mock up the details and information for the story, it'll make more sense.<br><br>As far as how decisions will be made - I will be looking at group preference, <em>but</em> if you don't agree with someone else in the group, that is completely fine. Any decisions that aren't reached by consensus, will be decided by me (GM). Also, I want to iterate that I don't want you to feel pressured into a decision just because everyone else feels a certain way - please speak your mind. I will always take your reasonings and explanations under consideration.<br><br>Speed won't be terribly fast - I don't imagine being able to post more than once every 1-2 days. How does everyone feel about a posting rotation? I'm considering it, but I don't want to lock down posting order too tightly, especially if you have an idea that requires you post next for whatever reason.<br><br>Also, I want to make it clear that the five phases/five elements are an East Asian philosophy, but that each East Asian culture might have different specific beliefs. I am going to be adamant about not trying to include elements of different cultures, even from different related cultures, so the specific mythos/philosophies we'll be using will be from the Chinese five elements. I'm not sure where you all are getting the idea that the animals all correspond to different cultures, but that's not exactly true - the celestial animals all correspond to constellations, and I'd imagine that India, China, Japan, and Korea all saw the same constellations. Since I do want to limit the scope of our cultural inspiration, we'll be drawing only from the Chinese philosophies.<br><br>I think I would actually like to concentrate our ideas off of the astrology aspect of the five elements. This page explains things pretty well, and I've had exposure to this usage before, so I'll be better equipped to draw out something for our story from this.<br>http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ssu-ling.shtml (http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/ssu-ling.shtml)<br><br>This website is specific to Chinese beliefs about the five elements, so use this rather than the wiki page: http://lieske.com/5e-intro.htm (http://lieske.com/5e-intro.htm)<br><br>I'll see if I can find other sites, but from what I gleaned, these two were more of what I had in mind.<br><br>Really apologize for not saying something earlier, I only managed to get online to post when I dashed off to a Starbucks tonight. &gt;___&gt;!<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Eastern State University School of Performing Arts and Sciences</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>AWESOME. Thanks, Silver &amp; Martee. ♥<br><br>Hope I didn't miss anyone, if I did please highlight it for me and I will do my best to respond.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>20-01-2012, 21:26:39</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That all sounds wonderful.&nbsp; I personally like the idea of a writing rotation as it keeps things orderly and we don't get other players lost in the shuffle when two or more of them start lightning posting responses and end up derailing the story.&nbsp; We can have other areas perhaps, like dormitories and what not where posting rotation doesn't matter but I'd like to see the main thread with a posting rotation. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>23-01-2012, 23:51:25</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Since there weren't any other comments about posting rotation (and I'm assuming, no objections?), I'll probably write one up for when things get started.<br><br>Just wanted to check in and see how you all were doing. Are there any questions or concerns that you want smoothed over, that you would like to discuss?<br><br>As far as character creation, I would like for the initial gifts of our characters to be limited to their particular elemental energies - wood, metal, fire, water, earth. There will be opportunities for growth, in areas that are related to beliefs about those energies. For example:<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote">Quote</div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Fire is related to the heart, which is the seat of human emotions and the organ whose constant warmth and pulse keeps blood and energy moving.</blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>It would make sense, if you had the character who was aligned with fire, to have your character possess a dominant power of empathy, which would be passive until a later point in the roleplay. <br><br>As another example, I looked through the chart on this webpage (http://lieske.com/5e-intro.htm) and read that wood has mental qualities of emotion and sensitivity, and demands free expression and space for open expansion. If my character was a musician, her power might be expressed through her music - hum or play a tune that can create a protective circle, as an example.<br><br>More general abilities like making flame spontaneously, controlling the flow of water, and so on will also be allowed. As I said, powers will be based on the elements until the story progresses further.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 00:02:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*nods*&nbsp; That all sounds good.&nbsp; I'm not sure which element I am most interested in yet, I need to read over those webpages more thoroughly.<br><br>I am good with a posting rotation in the main thread at least, to keep from leaving anyone behind. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 00:30:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Also wanted to add that if you want to incorporate Hindu, Buddhist, or other non-Chinese or religious elements into your characters or the roleplay's philosophical systems, that is doable, since lots of things were adopted or carried over between India, China, Japan, Korea, Buddhism, Taoism, and so on. I'm not going to be very choosy about where your characters gets his or her powers from, so long as they're loosely related to and connected with the five elements. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 05:00:19</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Posting order- <em>check</em>.<br><br>Expressing powers through our character's talents?&nbsp; Hmm.&nbsp; I'm suddenly thinking 'actress' wasn't all that clever an idea. Activate power- <em>Soliloquiy!</em><br><br>Sorry.&nbsp; It's been a long... geez, I don't even know.&nbsp; Over a week, at least.&nbsp; I'm a little punchy. And silly&nbsp; ;D<br><br>In all seriousness, I'll think of something... Not entirely sure yet how I would work 'wood' into it, but that's likely due to brain burn out.&nbsp; I just need to let things gel for a day or two; Inspiration will come to me.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 05:07:08</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				That was only one example. :) But she's an actress, right? How about... the power of illusion? Or something more specific that I read in a Velgarth-verse short story, where a man has a certain mind-magic that, when put into use, makes the listener believe whatever it is he's saying.<br><br>Their powers don't have to be tied only to their talents, so don't worry too much about connecting all of the dots together. ;) Their gifts could even be completely random - after all, who knows where their magic comes from?
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 05:39:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				So, having spent a bit looking into it, I think I am leaning to Fire or Metal<br><br>For concept, I am thinking of a filmmaker or photographer who in his youth did some daring perhaps even dangerous political activism which garnered him recognition both in his cause and for the quality of his art.&nbsp; But it's been a while since then and now he's quietly teaching at ESU, an aging gentleman that is unrecognizable as the daredevil firebrand he used to be.<br><br>It's a rough idea but I kinda like the idea of him having to rekindle/reawaken his passion and break out of his defeated and jaded present.&nbsp; I would lean it a bit depending on the element.&nbsp; If he's Fire he's out of touch/blocked from his element and would return to the passionate soul he was before.&nbsp; If he's metal he'd remain an older and wiser tempered soul but with the integrity and sense of justice motivating him to act, just not as brashly as he did in his early days.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 05:54:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Since people are talking about their concepts...<br><br>I'm pretty settled on making her a Metal, or White Tiger. Though one with Hindu roots, probably at least 1/4th Indian, maybe as much as 1/2 or 3/4's and a eclectic mix of modern and old. She loves old things, vintage to ancient and is a history nut, a undergrad student [since most people seem to be leaning toward older], mixed media artist. She dabbles in a little of everything, though her real focus and major is in Decorative Arts a la the Arts and Crafts Movement in England, like Morris and Co. Which means she understands how to make furniture, how to shape clay and pottery, craft stained glass, paint, photograph, sew, create pattern and jewelry. A very hands on artist. And very much about balance, passion with logic and forethought to bring harmony. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 05:59:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Man, I hate losing a post! &gt;:(<br><br>Just briefly- I had considered something along those lines, Caeli. Actually, what I'd imagined was being able to completely become another person- look &amp; sound exactly like them for a time.&nbsp; I think it'd be a fun ability to have- although practically speaking, maybe not the most useful in a group setting.&nbsp; The idea of having the power of persuasion is cool... I just wonder how you'd keep it from being overpowering?&nbsp; I like the idea of casting illusions, too.&nbsp; <em>Hmm.</em><br><br>I know we don't have to make it tied to their talents, but in my mind, that's what makes it so unique.&nbsp; They each have this amazing talent, so why not have their abilities work in conjunction- if possible.&nbsp; I recognize it might not work out precisely that way, and I fully accept that.&nbsp; From the outset, though, I'm going to work to make it all fit in a related fashion if I can.&nbsp; And if it is just not working out, I'll expand my parameters a bit.<br><br>That sounds like an interesting character, Amberghylles.&nbsp; The broken down, jaded professors are always the <em>most fun</em> on campus.&nbsp; ;)<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:00:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=129367.msg5769001#msg5769001">Quote from: Wistful Dream on 24-01-2012, 05:54:59</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Since people are talking about their concepts...<br><br>I'm pretty settled on making her a Metal, or White Tiger. Though one with Hindu roots, probably at least 1/4th Indian, maybe as much as 1/2 or 3/4's and a eclectic mix of modern and old. She loves old things, vintage to ancient and is a history nut, a undergrad student [since most people seem to be leaning toward older], mixed media artist. She dabbles in a little of everything, though her real focus and major is in Decorative Arts a la the Arts and Crafts Movement in England, like Morris and Co. Which means she understands how to make furniture, how to shape clay and pottery, craft stained glass, paint, photograph, sew, create pattern and jewelry. A very hands on artist. And very much about balance, passion with logic and forethought to bring harmony.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Ooh, that sounds really interesting.&nbsp; You could do a lot with a character like that.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:02:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=129367.msg5769055#msg5769055">Quote from: Martee on 24-01-2012, 06:00:20</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">Ooh, that sounds really interesting.&nbsp; You could do a lot with a character like that.<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Clicking on the Hindu link on the Five Phases page lead me to more about the culture and it got me to thinking about decorative arts and art history nut that I am I loooove the Arts and Crafts movement, or the Arts Nouveau movement and a way to tie them in was too awesome to pass up. &gt;.&gt; <br><br>Forgive the art nerding. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:10:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No forgiveness necessary&nbsp; ;D&nbsp; I think having that sort of mental connection with your character will make her a lot more vivid, you know- breathe a bit more life into her.&nbsp; Plus it's an outlet for your obsession!
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:10:43</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well, with Wisti looking at metal I'll go with the Fire spin on my concept, which I rather like.<br><br>In his case, the connection between his power and talent is in how there was so much passion in his early work and that was what made it powerful and great.&nbsp; Going with Fire, his talent lies in that wellspring of energy to keep going and not back down as well as a strong empathy (developing into a true power as we go into the other realm) that he could capture the emotion of his subjects so well.&nbsp; &nbsp;<br><br>So he's a bit burned out from having done so much and yet had so little actually change beyond the names of the tyrants and places where bad things happened.&nbsp; He's out of touch with his nature at the beginning and thus a bit angry and bitter.&nbsp; Also, it gives him a bit of a path for development early on.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:21:04</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I haven't really settled on a specific element, but I know Silverfyre mentioned wanting to look into Water/Tortoise, and since I put it up as an example, I think my character (the musician/singer-to-be) having something like music-turned-into-a-physical-form as an ability would be an interesting way to connect her talent and her magic.<br><br>But if anyone is really invested in Wood, I'm totally okay with doing creative spins with the remaining element (not sure what that is, if there is one). I'm not picky, and since I have a base character somewhat drawn up without much of a personality, I could really shift her around as necessary to reflect the element.<br><br><div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=129367.msg5769044#msg5769044">Quote from: Martee on 24-01-2012, 05:59:10</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">The idea of having the power of persuasion is cool... I just wonder how you'd keep it from being overpowering?&nbsp; I like the idea of casting illusions, too.&nbsp; <em>Hmm.</em></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>The power of persuasion basically stopped working once the caster was "out of range".<br><br>In the story, the guy pickpockets some poor woman at a city fair by saying "Allow me to hold that for you, Missus," and pretending to be her servant. Being affected by that, she merely handed him the money, and he slipped away; once he was gone, and she reached for her purse to pay for her stuff, she raised a hue and cry about how someone had stolen her money. She didn't remember that she'd given the purse away.<br><br>Later, when he's caught by a mercenary, he tells her that she has him confused for someone else, and that she's mistaken - and she lets him go. After she confers with the story's main characters, of course, she figures it out that she's been duped - but in that moment of confrontation, she was susceptible to his suggestion.<br><br>In the end, it's revealed that someone else with similar mind-magic is susceptible to his suggestion, though it's not explained how or why.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 06:23:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="quoteheader"><div class="topslice_quote"><a href="https://elliquiy.com/forums/index.php?topic=129367.msg5769118#msg5769118">Quote from: Martee on 24-01-2012, 06:10:09</a></div></div><blockquote class="bbc_standard_quote">No forgiveness necessary&nbsp; ;D&nbsp; I think having that sort of mental connection with your character will make her a lot more vivid, you know- breathe a bit more life into her.&nbsp; Plus it's an outlet for your obsession!<br></blockquote><div class="quotefooter"><div class="botslice_quote"></div></div><br>Hehe true. <br><br>As far as where her power shows up...I figured latently it just gives her an edge. There's metal in paints, in the lead and coloring for the stain glass, in jewelry, etc, so that would express itself. I'm not quiet sure how it would show up otherwise yet...thinking about that. <br><br><br><br>Also Caeli that sounds wicked cool :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Silverfyre</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 07:34:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well, it seems that life is conspiring against me yet again but in a decent way at least.&nbsp; I have gained some more solid work for the time being and for a few months to come so I will be more scarce than I already am on Elliquiy.&nbsp; I have to unfortunately drop out of this group game due to that and really hope you all enjoy yourselves.&nbsp; Caeli and the players involved are nothing short of brilliant and I am sure it will be a wonderful game.&nbsp; Thanks for having me while I could be here and I wish you all the best.&nbsp; &nbsp;Have fun! 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>24-01-2012, 08:29:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Thanks for letting us know, Silverfyre, and all the best to you. :)<br><br><hr><br>In the meantime... I don't suppose any of you know someone who might be interested in filling in the last slot for this roleplay? I'm not against doing a four-player grouping, of course, but we did originally pick the <em>wuxing</em> because we had five people.<br><br>I'll be doing a bit of hunting of my own, but I've been out of touch with roleplaying in general and don't know a whole lot of people socially (which is how I used to find new partners), so if you know of anyone who'd be game for a group roleplay, please tell them to PM me. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 02:40:27</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hey, everyone! ;D I've been in contact with Caeli, and I'm really excited for this game!<br><br>I'm looking forward to writing with all of you. :) I've been looking over the website a little in regards to the elements, and I think I'd like to take up the Water/Black Tortoise element. My character (I haven't decided whether I'll be playing a male or female yet) will likely be a musician, and will be a cellist. I'm already mulling over the idea to have my character be the new roommate of Wisti's character, with the possibility of the two of them not liking each other much.<br><br>I haven't been able to think up any appropriate ability for them yet, so any suggestions would help. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 02:54:31</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				~tacklehugs midnight and adores on~ Welcome! &lt;3
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 03:12:48</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*Eeps and topples with a grin* Thank you, darling &lt;3
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Amberghylles</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 03:14:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				*offers a slightly less Tigger-like greeting*&nbsp; Welcome to the fun.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 03:20:07</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				:) Thanks, Amberg. I'm looking forward to it.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 04:08:20</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Kitten like! Not Tigger xp ~wrinkles nose and snuggles midnight~ I think the cellist is a great idea :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 04:47:05</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hi there Midnight. Welcome aboard.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 05:14:47</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hi, Martee. :) Thanks.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 19:44:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I'm open to swapping to a male character to balance things, if Midnight Diamond is going to take up a female role. I am assuming that solely based upon the idea of Wisti's and Midnight's characters being roommates. I would change up my character's background just a little, in that case, but would stick with actor definitely, as well as the element (Wood, I think- or was that spoken for?).<br><br>It honestly would not make a big difference for me, so, just let me know.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>26-01-2012, 20:32:10</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I haven't actually decided if my character will be male or female yet. I'm having a hard time choosing. I asked Carlo if she had a preference and she said it didn't matter, so...switch or don't switch, it's completely up to you. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>27-01-2012, 01:09:29</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				(Carlo?)<br><br>No, I don't mind if the group is all female, all male, or somewhere in between. I'll also be playing an NPC who might or might not make regular appearances, so we'll see how things go.<br><br>Sorry that things have been moving so slowly. I absolutely had meant to have at least a finalized (or semi-finalized) description of the conflict and the world done by now, but my plotbunnies have run rampant and I'm having the most difficult time trying to corral them. &gt;_&gt;<br><br>@Martee, I had originally considered aligning my character with the Wood element, but I'm not picky and I'm willing to take whatever it is that's left (because I know Water, Fire, and Metal have been spoken for... I think), since I wasn't leaning one way or another. Having a dragon as my heavenly beast would actually make (some) sense, given their powerful cultural symbolism in China.<br><br>Either way, I don't have a specific preference. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>27-01-2012, 01:27:28</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Gah! Sorry...*Caeli. Stupid phone. &gt;.&gt;
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>27-01-2012, 23:10:37</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Alright then.&nbsp; I'll stick with what I'd originally decided upon in that case.<br><br>As far as the element, Caeli, it really doesn't matter to me.&nbsp; I can make do with either Wood or Earth.&nbsp; It looks like they both use dragons as their heavenly creature.<br><br>Wood: Azure Dragon: Expansive and exterior<br>Earth: Yellow Dragon: Stabilizing, representing harmony<br><br>Whichever one strikes your fancy the most is all yours.&nbsp; Like I said, I can come up with something to fit either element.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>28-01-2012, 01:23:03</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Okay. If you really have no preference either way, then I'm going to work on Wood, since I already had a few ideas for that. *nods*<br><br>Going to map out a character sheet template for you all by later tonight, hopefully.<br><br>(Also, didn't realize that both elements used dragons... how cool is that? ♥ )
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>28-01-2012, 01:48:46</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Awesome then- it's decided. Of course, you're all in for it if my actress is the harmonizing, stabilizing force of the group.&nbsp; ;D<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>28-01-2012, 15:04:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				So, my template isn't worked out completely yet, but this is a rough list of things that you'll need to have:<br><br><strong>Identification</strong><br>Name<br>Age<br>Height<br>Weight<br>Hair/Eye Color<br>Ethnicity<br>Profession/University Program<br><br><strong>The Story</strong><br>Background<br>Personality<br>Miscellaneous Information<br><br><strong>Heaven's Gift</strong><br>Element<br>Heavenly Creature<br>Gift (Magic/Powers) - how one's magic manifests / "maniuplating wood", "controlling the growth of plants/plant magic", "ability to create physical manifestations of will with music"<br><br><hr><br>Questions here if you have them, as always. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 06:53:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hello friends,<br><br>I just wanted to check in again and see how y'all were doing in terms of your characters. :)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 07:49:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I honestly have nothing at the moment due to some real life stress and general busy. Just trying to stay caught up with my current threads. Hopefully after next week I might come up with something. Sorry for the delay. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 08:21:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No, no worries. I haven't come through on my end to give you all actual finalized descriptions of anything yet. ^__^; Please take your time; I know you're going through another big change in your life.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 08:25:55</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I do feel bad and worried I would be letting you down. The character concept is there things have just been so busy and I was very behind on my one on ons. I'm almost caught up now which lets me feel like I can breathe some so I might brainstorm during the drive on the 12th/13th. Nine + hours of being in a car leads to run away Muse fairly often so I'll have a notebook with my notes on her so far. <br><br>Is the character template you posted above your final one? I wasn't sure. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 08:30:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				I've got a better idea of my character, now, I think. All I know about her at the moment is that her name is Sonata, she's a cellist, and she is going to be Wisti's character's new roommate. I still haven't been able to think of what her gift is going to be, though. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 09:37:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				No! *laughs* If anything, <em>I'm</em> the one letting you four down. &gt;__&gt; Irresponsible procrastinator of a GM that I am.<br><br>The character template I posted up there is not the "finalized version", but anything that changes will be purely for format / aesthetics / suitable to please my BBCode dragon monster. Thus, all the categories above are things that you'll need to know, have written down, or noted (to me privately) to be something that you don't want to reveal in the public character sheet.<br><br><br>Cellist! *sighs and swoons* I love the sound of the cello. I was a violin player myself, but the cello is a different kind of beautiful.<br><br>Also, if you ever want to brainstorm with me, I'm game. ;D Martee and I did that a week or so ago, and I fleshed out a bunch of stuff about my own character. She was super inspirational and helpful with her commentary and feedback. ♥
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>04-02-2012, 17:40:02</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Okay then :) 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>05-02-2012, 22:14:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Well here's what I have so far....<br><br><br><br><br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/089/b/9/Indian_Beauty___Neha_Ahuja_3_by_indianartsupporter.jpg)</div><span class="bbc_u"><strong>Identification</strong></span><br><br><em>Name</em>: Avinashini Carr; Ava for short. <br>&nbsp; &nbsp; <em> Pronunciation &amp; Meaning</em>: [uh vih nah shih nee], ''<em>Indestructible</em>''.<br><em>Age</em>: 20.<br><em>Height</em>: 5'6''<br><em>Weight</em>: ....<br><em>Hair/Eye Color</em>: Sable black // Dark brown with flecks of amber.<br><em>Ethnicity</em>: Indian - Hindu &amp; British.<br><em>Profession/University Program</em>: Undergraduate - Decorative Arts Major, focus on mixed media and interior decorating. Minor in Fashion. <br><br><br><hr><hr><br><br><strong><span class="bbc_u">The Story</span></strong><br><em>Background</em>:<br><br>Born to world traveling parents Avinashini Carr had a very interesting childhood , spending a few months in one place before they moved on to another location. James Carr was a British travel writer who had met and fallen in love with Nalini Basumk, a Hindu woman who had made a name for herself as a chef through her family's restaurant. And so travel and food became large parts of Ava's life, her passport having over forty stamps in it before she graduated from homeschool high school under the direction of her father. <br><br>She has a extremely close relationship with her mother and often went back to visit the family in New Delhi, drawn to her Hindu roots though not their more traditional Hindu - Shaivism religion. Rather, since being exposed to religions all over the world and debating them with her father she developed a belief in a higher power and the importance of balance, dharma in ones life. She fell in love with the rich folklore and myths of her mother's homeland, along with their spices and carries part of that with her still. From her father she learned to weigh things for herself, and both her parents encouraged her to make up her own mind and to read deeply of history, her mother advocating for that being the best way to find one's path for the future. It was in the history of England's art that Ava found her passion, the Arts and Craft's movement at the turn of the 20th century, lead by William Morris and Co. <br><br>Her education was supplemented by attending lectures at major universities across the world and sitting in on classes in multiple countries, gathering a sense of how different places viewed life. Her parents would often seek to have her reflect on every such experience and at times frustrated her but when she went to take the tests to prove she deserved her degree it was surprisingly easy. For all her unusual education and whirlwind lifestyle Ava wanted to settle down somewhere for longer then a few months and had begun researching universities when she was sixteen, settling on ESU due to the visual beauty of the the campus as well as the fact that they had a Decorative Arts major program that focused on many of the things from the Arts and Crafts and Arts Nouveau movements. That it was settled in a tame, very earthy setting also appealed. She was thrilled to be accepted and her parents gave their consent though extracted a promise that she visit and travel with them during the summers at least to two countries.&nbsp; <br><br>Two years later she's been happily settled at ESU, trying to have a normal college experience while still keeping in close contact with her large extended family and the values and traditions that shaped her. For the first year she was in the dorms and grew to hate them for the lack of privacy and with a friend applied to live in the apartment building ran by the university just off campus for a bit more privacy and the ability to have a kitchen to cook in herself. When Mary, her friend, got accepted to an exchange program to spend a year in France Ava hunted around for a new roommate...<br><br><hr><br><em>Personality</em><br><br><div class="floatright">(http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs45/f/2009/089/d/1/Indian_Beauty___Neha_Ahuja_2_by_indianartsupporter.jpg)</div>Ava is a interesting mix of a bright happy worldly young woman and a passionate but serene balance seeker. She puts it down to her blend of heritages and the way that her mother's people are a mix of vivid vibrant life and yet always looking for balance. Constantly on the move through her childhood and teenage years she's very happy to be living in the same place for a few years in a row now though part of her is uncomfortable, struggling with adjusting still and she'll often throw herself into something new just to liven up her life. Which means at times she takes on way too much till something has to give and so she can be seen as a bit flighty sometimes. She simply sees it as part of Shivia's cycle in her life, though she does seek balance more then destruction and change. <br><br>The young woman is highly inquisitive, hardly ever simply accepting something at face value; even people. Which can at times lead to difficulty being close to those around her, she has a few close friends on campus but naturally draws people to her with her easy disposition and zest for life. Daily she meditates before anything else but then after that morning ritual anything at all could happen, very go with the flow sort of person. She has a eye for detail though and doesn't often forget things. <br><br>A small level of OCD presents itself if she feels something is out of place or jarrs the eye, something that drives her past the point of perfectionism in her own work quiet often and has her being a slightly feared critic within her own major, though she is honest to a fault and does try to be diplomatic about things. <br><br><hr><br><em>Miscellaneous Information</em><br><br>*To be added. <br><br><br><hr><hr><br><br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs43/f/2009/089/f/2/Indian_Beauty___Neha_Ahuja_5_by_indianartsupporter.jpg)</div><strong><span class="bbc_u">Heaven's Gift</span></strong><br><em>Element</em> : Metal <br><em>Heavenly Creature</em> : White Tiger. 白虎.<br><em>Gift (Magic/Powers)</em> - .....still pondering. <br><br><br><span style="font-size: 7pt;" class="bbc_size">&amp;&amp; <em>Credits</em><br>Model - Neha Ahuja<br>Photographer - Rahul Dutta (http://www.rahuldutta.net/)<br>Source for photos - Indian Art Supporter @ DA (http://indianartsupporter.deviantart.com/)</span>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>05-02-2012, 22:59:14</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				How lovely! I suppose I should get cracking with mine... And a million other things!<br><br>She's adorable.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>05-02-2012, 23:14:11</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Thanks :) Still ironing out a few kinks in her personality I think, I tried to work in both positive and negative aspects of her element. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>06-02-2012, 03:58:59</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<div class="floatleft">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/c/cc/Sonata.jpg)</div><strong>Identification</strong><br><br>Name: Sonata 'Sonny' Aurora<br>Age: 22<br>Height: 5'5"<br>Weight: 125lbs<br>Hair/Eye Color: blue-black (dyed)/blue<br>Ethnicity: American/British<br>Profession/University Program: Undergraduate - Classical Strings Major with a focus on the cello<br><br><strong>The Story</strong><br><br><em>Background:</em> <br><br>The middle child of Richard Anthony Harrison II and Helena Joy Carter-Harrison, Sonata grew up in a wealthy, New York City society household. It was not, however, always a happy one. Constantly feeling as though she came in second when held up to the seemingly perfect image of her older sister Margaret, Sonata soon grew to despise New York society and everything that came with it. She fought against the mold her parents tried to force her into any way she could. She dyed her hair, pierced her nose, and developed her own fashion sense that was a constant embarrassment to her mother and sister. Sure enough, Sonata found herself exempt from society invitations, and prided herself on becoming the family's "black sheep" by the time she was fourteen years old. <br><br>It did not exempt her from the music lessons her grandmother insisted she take, but Sonata did not mind that in the least. She took up the cello and immediately fell in love with its haunting sounds and the nuances she was able to draw out of the instrument. Her music instructor recognized her talent and reported it to her parents and grandmother, after which that talent was cultivated in every way, in the hopes that the dark "phase" she was going through would fade in light of the prestige her parents saw in her future. <br><br>When she was seventeen, Sonny was pushed into auditioning for a spot at Julliard, her parents' only acceptable choice for furthering her musical education. She was offered a place, but decided against it, taking the money that would have been used for tuition and putting it towards a trip to Europe instead. The day she turned eighteen, Sonata changed her last name to Aurora, packed her things, and ran off to Europe, where she spent the better part of a year backpacking and busking with her cello in various European cities. She returned shortly after her nineteenth birthday, and despite the cold reception she received from her mother and grandmother, her father was pleased she had returned, and gave her enough money to set up in a New York apartment of her own. She then returned to busking, not because she needed the money, but because she had discovered a great love of playing to an audience while she'd been in Europe.<br><br>One day, while she was busking in one of the subway stations, an older man approached and stood there listening for quite some time. When she took a break, he introduced himself as a professor from Eastern State University and suggested she look into applying there. He left a substantial tip in her cello case, enough to buy dinner that night, and breakfast the next morning, winked, and disappeared into the crowd. Sonata packed up and went home, hopped on her computer, and a few days later submitted an application to ESU.<br><br>She was accepted shortly thereafter, choosing to live in the dorms for the first year of her program. However, after living on her own and being used to privacy, Sonata vacated the dormitory in favour of an off-campus apartment, which she would share with another ESU student named Ava.<br><br><em>Personality:</em> <br><br>Sonny prefers solitude, for the most part, except when she is performing. After a childhood spent trying to live up to her mother's ridiculous and impossible expectations and having to deal with being compared to her 'perfect' older sister, as well as being seen as a failure in the face of her younger brother Alex being set on a pre-determined path into medicine and Margaret's engagement to a high society man of good family and breeding, Sonata developed a defensive, aloof demeanour to protect herself. Her temper is often likened to a "flash flood"--a quick, sudden, intense outburst that is over in a matter of minutes, and leaves a great deal of destruction in its wake. However, she also has a strong determination that can often cross the line into stubbornness. When she makes up her mind to do something or obtain something she really wants, she will do whatever she can to get it, and refuses to take 'no' for an answer. When she is playing her cello she is calm and relaxed; she does her best thinking when she is practicing, and as she is never seen without her cello, she practices several hours a day, often between classes.<br><br><strong>Miscellaneous Information:</strong><br><br>Sonny has a betta fish (http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_JlZXHTks8-4/Sg77hgB2JFI/AAAAAAAAAHU/-lb5EKealwE/s400/black_gold_demon_betta_fish2.jpg) named Demon; she likes peanut butter and potato chip sandwiches, coffee, night time, anything leopard-print, oranges, silk sheets, fuzzy slippers, macaroni and cheese from the box, and cheap beer; she dislikes liars, stupidity, elitists, cheery morning people, materialists, judgmental people, and dogs.<br><div class="floatright">(http://elliquiy.com/elluiki/images/4/41/Sonata_banner.jpg)</div><br><strong>Heaven's Gift</strong><br><br>Element: Water<br>Heavenly Creature: Black Tortoise 玄武<br>Gift (Magic/Powers): The ability to purify water through touch (with growth, will be able to do this without touching it), ability to sense bodies of water in nearby terrain (the distance she can sense up to will grow with the strength of her powers), when looking into calm, still water, will demonstrate a certain seer-type ability (just flashes at first, with the potential for increased clarity over time/with practice), can make people think their worst fears are coming true, and amplify their insecurities and self-doubts; in battle, she will (eventually) have the power to give her enemies waking nightmares and hallucinations.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>06-02-2012, 04:38:21</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				....ahaha this is going to be fun. 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>07-02-2012, 23:22:33</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				<span class="bbc_u">Identification</span><div class="floatright">(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h363/Ladymartee/4e151b61565cf.jpg)</div><br>Name: <strong>Melissa 'Missy Gold' Goldhirsch</strong><br>Age: <strong>24</strong><br>Height: <strong>5' 9"</strong><br>Weight: <strong>148 lbs</strong><br>Hair/Eye Color: <strong>Honey brown/ amber eyes</strong><br>Ethnicity: <strong>Caucasian</strong><br>Profession/University Program: <strong>Actress &amp; Guest professor/Theatre arts</strong><br><br><span class="bbc_u">The Story</span><br>Background: Missy Gold grew to fame as a child actress, starring in a series of blockbuster movies based around the fictional children’s character, <em>'Jane of the Jungle'</em>. All told she starred in six <em>’Jane’</em> movies, the first when she was only eight. The last was released when she was sixteen, after which the studio deemed her 'too old' to continue with the franchise. An attempt was made to develop a new franchise following the character as she made her way through the intricacies of a modern American high school, but the idea was shelved after a number of minor controversies surrounding the teenage starlet. <br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h363/Ladymartee/4df9b02940d14.jpg)</div>A wild L.A. party ended with several dozen photos being published in the tabloids, showing Missy engaging in public displays of affection with several much-older, married actors. It was rumored that Missy had indulged in both alcohol and recreational drugs, an allegation that was fervently denied by her people but nonetheless marred her up-‘til-then sterling reputation.<br><br>A year later an ex-boyfriend made a name for himself on the tabloid circuit by 'accidently' circulating various personal photos and explicit home videos of the two of them together, some of which she allegedly had no knowledge of. Again her reputation suffered and attempts by a public relations firm to salvage her image failed when Missy was secretly recorded, complaining about having to apologize for having a normal relationship and claiming the public <em>‘eats up celebrity apologies as if they actually mean something’</em>. In the wake of her brutally honest but poorly-received commentary, several planned movie role offers were rescinded or scrapped, and Missy entered a very dark chapter of her career.<br><br>In addition to the public fallout, Missy Gold was hit with a slew of legal issues when she turned 18. A series of accounting errors led to her owing millions of dollars in back-taxes from her earnings as a child. Her bodyguard backed into a public bus in New York City while trying to avoid paparazzi; 73 separate personal injury lawsuits were filed against Missy Gold and her employee in response. At the height of a very public breakdown Missy disappeared for eighteen months, leading to extensive speculation that she had entered a private lock-down facility for the treatment of severe substance abuse. <div class="floatright">(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h363/Ladymartee/4b8fac4c4a4fc-1.jpg)</div><br>At the age of 22 Missy once again appeared in the public spotlight: eschewing the silver screen in favor of the Great White Way. With a mind towards getting back to her acting roots and really connecting with the audience, she attempted to jump-start her career in the time-honored tradition of true thespians: on the live stage.&nbsp; Unfortunately, the skills that served her so well before cameras did little to prepare her for the rigors of regular, daily live performances.&nbsp; Audition after audition ended in rejection, until one well-regarded Casting Director pulled her aside and offered some advice: <em>acting lessons</em>.<br><br>It was brutal criticism for America’s former darling of the big screen, but after a long period of consideration and significant research into various possibilities, Missy decided to audit some stage acting courses at ESU. In order to make her true reason for being at the school less obvious, she agreed to serve as a special guest professor for the semester, offering short elective workshops on applied skills working in the Hollywood film industry.<br><br><span class="bbc_u">Personality</span><br><br>Despite a boisterous onscreen image as Jane of the Jungle, Missy Gold is normally quiet and insecure in social settings; this is often misinterpreted as being aloof and haughty. As a result of her disastrous forays into the LA party scene, Missy now shuns the spotlight and avoids busy metropolitan areas in favor of quiet, relatively remote locales. She is most at ease camping out in the middle of the forest and sleeping under the stars, or backpacking alone through a national park where she is least likely to be recognized. As a child she was considered to be quick to anger, an assumption that has carried through her extended absence from the public spotlight. In reality, the trials of her teen years and her current issues have mellowed the former starlet, leaving her much slower to anger and far more contemplative.<br><br>Missy is very slow to trust due to the constant fear of her private life being leaked to the press, as well as concerns of being preyed upon for her money. While she is comfortable on her own, being by herself while around others makes her feel extremely lonely, sometimes to the extent that she will make poor decisions on whose company she keeps. Once she <em>has</em> grown to trust someone, however, she is fiercely devoted to them – again, sometimes to her detriment.<br><br><span class="bbc_u"> Miscellaneous Information</span><br><br>&nbsp;Has a serious addiction to coffee and will occasionally smoke when stressed, a habit she has been unable to completely kick. She keeps long hours but is surprisingly cheerful in the morning, even without much sleep. Her tolerance for physical pain is very low, and she has been known to faint at the sight of blood. Missy is deathly allergic to shellfish and as a result is a picky eater when out; she much prefers to stay in and cook instead. Her personal aesthetic is very spare: she prefers wide open spaces with little in the way of clutter or furniture. Country music makes her cry and when she laughs hard she nearly always ends up with hiccups. Missy is also terribly ticklish.<br><br>She collects rocks from the locations she visits; owing to her early film career her collection contains rocks from every continent, including Antarctica.<br><br>She has never watched any of her movies from start to finish, and hates the name 'Jane'.<br><br>Heaven's Gift: <strong>Harmony and Balance</strong><br>Element:<strong> Earth</strong><br>Heavenly Creature: <strong>Yellow dragon</strong><br>Gift (Magic/Powers) - Missy's gifts are closely tied to the raw earth. Indoors or on pavement where she cannot touch the natural ground, her abilities are limited in scope and power. It is only when her bare skin can come in contact with living earth that Missy's full abilities are given free reign.<br><br><div class="floatleft">(http://i1106.photobucket.com/albums/h363/Ladymartee/4b90d2b022228-1.jpg)</div> As a physical manifestation of balance and harmony, Missy's abilities are generally passive in nature. At the lowest levels, her presence can ease general anxiety in a group, or soothe and calm someone with a word or touch, to the extent that an individual may feel comfortable enough to reveal information they might not otherwise mean to. She can generate a shield to protect herself and one or two others so long as they maintain contact.<br><br>Once in contact with earth her abilities increase. Rather than simply soothing someone, Missy can perform more direct coercion. She is capable of shielding multiple people within a small radius without direct contact, and can maintain the shield for a longer period of time. As her powers develop, she'll be able to sense things through the ground up to elemental boundaries (like bodies of water)- in particular, she will be able to detect <em>unnatural</em> things that do not belong to the earth, and eventually will have the potential to manipulate earth itself.<br><br>
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Wistful Dream</strong> on <strong>08-02-2012, 02:32:44</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Love her :) 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>08-02-2012, 02:52:38</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Thanks beautiful! 
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>08-02-2012, 07:54:09</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Wonderful characters, ladies. ♥ Now your GM just needs to get off her butt to do her own character!<br><br>Sadly, I don't even have a name for her yet. &gt;_&gt; I do have some images, though, but I'm minded to keep them hidden until I can flesh out her background. ;)
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>midnight diamond</strong> on <strong>08-02-2012, 08:33:30</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Oh, Martee, I love your character! Can't wait to see her in action!<br><br>Caeli, I'm sure she'll be just lovely. &lt;3
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Caeli</strong> on <strong>18-02-2012, 10:11:50</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Hello everyone.<br><br>Just wanted to give you all an update on what I'm doing right now:<br>- just wrote up a couple of drafts of informatory-type stuff, including ESU description and five phases<br>- have some preliminary (very preliminary) stuff up for my character. i have her face claim, just working on her background now :)<br>- right now, things are plugging along very slowly because i picked up a temp full-time job that ends on the 24th. also, have slooooowly started reconnecting with some folks up here from college + hs, as well as tentatively dipping my toes into some meetups with some folks<br>- attending a conference all day saturday, won't be able to do anything &gt;____&gt;<br><br>Many apologies for not following through as promptly as i said i would with this roleplay and getting it started. I swear this is not an indication of my usual pace. :/<br><br>also, i have mentioned that my character is a singer, right? ♥ i decided to use [noembed]ayaka's (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AwF9YT5h1EQ)[/noembed] voice for my character.
			</dd>
			<dt class="postheader">
				Title: <strong>Re: Fleeting Words to Carry Us Home [OOC]</strong><br>
				Post by: <strong>Martee</strong> on <strong>19-02-2012, 01:59:13</strong>
			</dt>
			<dd class="postbody">
				Such a gorgeous voice, I love that slight smokiness to it. Big fan of the violin too.&nbsp; &nbsp;:D
			</dd>
		</dl>
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