Lord of the Rings Fanatics Plaza

Wamba_the_Fool wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 2:44 pm Draft things up in gmail as a message and it auto-saves for you! Although I'm still a chronic ctrl-A ctrl-C'er!

My word processor on the computer does this already.

@Amadhrill yes, you know me :D I was originally Berutiel, ages and ages ago. Then I changed my name to Firimar (or Firi) and spent a good number of years under that name. I spent years writing with Firi off plaza and was having a hard time reconciling those stories to NuPlaza, so I'm writing her young cousin (the exact relationship is untidy, so for ease of all concerned we've just decided to simplify it).

@Éolath I am a simple person all of this makes my head spin

By way of update for anyone who isn't following the Hall of Histories OOC thread or in contact with me on Discord.

I will shortly be opening a Meduseld Memoirs thread for people to post their characters' diary entries, as well as the previously promised Wæftfald and Månskens änger (Show Ring and Moonlight Meadows Stables) and a (hopefully enjoyable) special event thread too, I just ended up a little busier over the weekend than expected. Expect to see all three within the next few days

Shout out to @Wamba_the_Fool for your perfectly-timed page-two first-posts in not one, but two threads. I am impressed.

@Allafyrefleorhtlig - you've got a lot going on! I am happy to get Shadowfox and Lail wrapped up in LitM soon if you are. I feel like its coming to a natural close, but I have enjoyed developing their new friendship! (and as always - no rush.)

Lailorn wrote: ↑Mon Aug 17, 2020 12:42 am Shout out to @Wamba_the_Fool for your perfectly-timed page-two first-posts in not one, but two threads. I am impressed.

It's the little things.

@Lailorn Thanks as ever for your understanding. I’m actually enjoying the Shadowfox development but happy to bring the interaction in LITM to a close to keep the continuity straight; though I’ll be looking for ways to continue the character growth further down the timeline elsewhere. I think they may start writing letters and maybe even drop by the Riddermarket; not honestly sure where they will lead me next. They were an old PC I revived purely for M Meduseld and now they have taken on a life of their own, which is proving to be a LOT of fun!

@Wamba_the_Fool I just saw your signature, 2d line. Looking forward to watching the number grow.

@Lailorn I posted my reply in LITM, and as Shadowfox responded to Lail's comments it naturally developed into a musical and somewhat poetic conclusion; I hope you enjoy it *snuggles Lailyn and Shadowfox up closely with their adorableness)*

@Wamba_the_Fool - Isn't it just?

@Allafyrefleorhtlig - I am SO happy you said that! I was hoping Shadowfox would stick around! It is so much fun to see where things lead, isn't it? I'm very glad M Med made them friends when they were both feeling vulnerable about completely different things. *smooshes them together in a big hug*

@Wamba_the_Fool between you and @Aodh Hammerhelm I get misty.

@To Whom it May Concern Now that the grand reveal has been, well, revealed, I wanted to take a moment to explain the reasoning behind and history of the Edoras Burns Fire-Fighting RP thread, and credit everyone who has been involved behind the scenes.

Why is everything on fire?

During the Rohan Summer Festival a number of role players were engaged in developing storylines that might have (if badly managed) interrupted the main events. They wanted to continue their activities to their natural conclusion, but we’re attempting to do so in a respectful manner that did not interrupt the festival activities or tread on anyone’s toes/ruffle any feathers.

The first of these was the attempted sabotage/arson of the M Meduseld tent. A group of us agreed to hold off the culmination of this plotting until the very end of the After-Party thread, when activity in that thread was beginning to wane and the thread looked in a natural position to close. We did so to enable people to continue their festival fun and socialising but also honour the developing undercover plotline.

Second was the Allacan minion/Rohir dissociative identity disorder reveal, which @Aodh Hammerhelm kindly allowed us to play out in the Fields and Forest thread where it would not clash with other stories or both anyone not involved. We had the permission of Shiva as First Marshal to use the derelict cavalry pub Aethelmund as the meeting location, so that when it inevitably burned down it was a nod of parody to old Plaza events, but also enabling the cavalry to re-open a freshly rebuilt and refurbished version of that thread when they were ready to.

Third, and somewhat unrelated, Eldrith and Amadhrill were keen to re-open the Aeldsel Inn but the Horse and Rider Pub needed to be cleared away somehow to make space. Eldrith kindly conspired with me to arrange the fire there to coincide with the other two so we could keep everything streamlined. It also provided Eldrith with an opportunity to develop her slow-burning Black Hand plotline.

(Anyone who wants to read the background to all three incidents can click on the respective image in the Firefighting RPG first update to be taken back to the an earlier point in the story; the first two technically began as a slow burn at the beginning of the M Meduseld competition but I picked a later point for both to make a catch up more manageable, and the Horse and Rider Pub fire is intentionally mysterious, so there is very little backstory for that particular fire.)

So that’s how it happened, but why are they all taking place in one thread/one night?

Everyone involved wanted to be respectful to the kingdom of Rohan and it’s members by not taking over the whole of the forum with multiple fires, but also didn’t want to burn Edoras down without at least giving its citizens a chance to stop the fires and be involved; thus the fire-fighting thread was born.

The purpose of the Fire-fighting thread is threefold:-

- To honour and reward the co-operative roleplay between a number of members from multiple kingdoms, unfolding for nearly two months now;

- To consolidate all the inflammatory incidents into one single thread so that it minimises the disruption to other activities in the Kingdom, and so that anyone who does not wish to play that particular story is not forced to. This also enables me to keep close tabs on exactly where the fires are so that they don’t interrupt RP elsewhere.

- To open up the storyline for everyone to get involved who may wish to, allowing collaborative contributions to take place in an original co-operative RPG so that everyone who wants to can be part of the ‘rescue effort’ and feel proud of saving the city from the conflagration.

I want to also re-assure people that we are not burning all of Edoras to the ground!

All the fire locations have been carefully chosen to make sure that there is minimal risk of IC casualties and all the fires would spread only to locations where the buildings are empty or where we have the relevant thread-runner’s express permission.

The Fire-Fighting RP is on a strict IC time-limit; the winds that came in to fan the flames and currently threaten to spread the fire are also a storm front. When the summer storm arrives it will bring with it heavy rains that will dampen the worst of the fires before they get out of hand, before passing swiftly on. The question as to how much of Edoras is destroyed in the fire before the storm arrives will depend entirely on how many people engage in the thread.

How will Edoras recover and rebuild?

I have a plan for that also.

Once the fires are extinguished at the conclusion of the Firefighting RPG, I imagine that not many people will want to RP the intricate details of slowly rebuilding the city (kudos to those that do; you are more committed RPers than I). A lot of people will just want to get back to the normal everyday RPs and leave the fire in the past.

To enable the quick rebuilding of the city and enable everyone to move on, this sounds like a perfect opportunity for a good old fashioned movie montage (even Rocky had a montage!).

I am preparing an open RP Montage thread where anyone and everyone can post a fast-forward sequence of events that enables some quick character development or learning an additional skill, as well as quick-step Edoras through its rebuilding. I’m not yet sure exactly how it will run as there will have to be some limitations (so we don’t suddenly have everyone turn into a rohirric ironman-equivalent overnight), but it will likely be a 3-post requirement showing progress, with a limit of one developed story/skill per character/organisation. I am hoping people will enjoy the excuse to have their PCs pick up a new skill or develop themselves without having to hand-wave the RP entirely or engage in lengthy development posts; I for one am excited to see what different PCs spend their time on.

A montage thread will also enable the kingdom as a whole to fast-forward the city’s recovery from the fire so as to minimise the impact to our forum, while also effectively putting the whole kingdom back on a more uniform timeline.

You may already have spotted some threads or posts already alluding to the fires taking place in the past, and many of those who were involved in this developing storyline are already moving the kingdom forwards and into a new, bright (but not burning) future.

End Credits

I want to take this opportunity to thank my co-conspirators for inviting me into their roleplaying, co-operating with my attempts to honour everyone’s RP but also protect my beloved kingdom of Rohan, and who have taken this long, exciting and exhilarating ride with me; @Eldrith @Shivased @Taethowen @Gwai @Thalionwen Hunigfolm @merSILess @Tarawen @Moriel @Frostbite @Dimcairien Luiniel @Dwarrow Elf

If an admin could kindly see their way to tribbing this wonderful group of people, I would be very grateful.

NPF edit: Done! BURN!

To add something: In a way the destruction of the Horse and Rider Inn, as well as the Black Hand shenanigans are unrelated to the whole plot that set Edoras on fire. But.. since arson WAS in the plans for months.... it made perefct sense to time it for the same moment since otherwise 'burning stuff down' might become an annoying trope,+ it means there's a nice scapegoat on hand.
Black Hand remains a slow boil in the kingdoms of men.. it's the type of rp you can either engage with or ignore, because it's just little bits here and there. I had a lot of fun coordinating things, so that not too much would be happening at the same time.

Posted in OOME but thought I'd better mention it here too as this is where I'm most active. My health issues have flared up so I'm back on medication. First meds made things worse, second meds make me drowsy so I'm not with it for most of the day. Hopefully if these settle down I'll be fine, but that could take up to a month. If I should be posting anywhere, please tag me here or on Discord and I'll do my best to catch up

@Aethelu Thank you for letting us know, and sorry to hear you aren't feeling well. I was literally in the process of having one of my PCs drop by to Pen and Ink in Riddermarket for some writing lessons. I envisioned it being a very laid-back and relaxed RP and honestly don't mind waiting for replies if you don't feel up to them, but let me know if you would prefer me to wait until you are feeling better before initiating it as there is absolutely no rush.

@Aodh Hammerhelm Any thread that is a kingdom thread is for everyone <3

Damn.. I spoke to soon.. oh well dwarves are tough to chew anyways.. bah

@Aodh Hammerhelm Its an open RPG, so any character that could reasonably be in Edoras at the time of the fires is welcome.

So yes, your travelling Dwarf salesman is of course welcome. I have updated the OP to reflect this

@Allafyrefleorhtlig ~

@Allafyrefleorhtlig did a quick edit at the pub, hopefully now gender and pronoun is clear?!

Cnith is male, Getale female, btw

@Amadhrill Many thanks

So, apparently on re-reading the OP for the Månsken ängar (Moonlight Meadows Stables) it appears that the stables is not only established in the Eastfold, but is also the personal homestead for Leal Hraedhof, and now I am reluctant to re-use the location for the new Showring and Stables when it is clearly intended to be someone's personal abode.

So I'm looking for a Rohirric name and translation for the Kingdom's new stables; any suggestions?

"Hofhus" is hoof-house

@Wamba_the_Fool I love it - straight and simple.

The new Stables and Show Ring is up, as is a slightly expanded Meduseld Memoirs. Hopefully the OPs both make sense; enjoy!

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm

Thanks for the reminder ... I backburnered it and forgot all about it! Sorry - will get to it sometime! I am busy in RL atm, so plaza is taking a hit in some threads. It is good to know there is no time limit!!

@Allacan ob Burzum That sounds like a nice idea. As we can see by taking nearly a week to reply, things might move very slowly at the moment Medication is starting to settle, now instead of being drowsy all day I'm only drowsy for about half of the day. Small victories. As long as you don't mind delays and replies might not always make 100% sense, then I'm up for it

The Hofhus's air has borne many a cuss, mild and otherwise.

@Eléowyn, when Beda eventually gets to Thali's makeshift infirmary in the Firefighting thread, can you please assume Thali has covered her mother's body with a blanket? I didn't write it into the post where she passes, but I can't bear to think of Beda just...seeing her body with no warning. I'd much rather she come to Thali, who can then break the news to her gently and clean their mother up/dress her for funeral rites come morning, before the children see her.

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm Yes, absolutely. This has been a bit difficult to write and I am so grateful for your delicate and caring handling of it.

@Eléowyn I have 8 and 6 year old daughters, and I'm agonizingly invested in the fate of Beda and her family at this point, you're doing such a lovely job telling their story sensitively and gently. I'm not sure what your plans are for their fate post-fire, but Thali will absolutely offer to house them at her Infirmary for as long as they need, and then you can decide whether or not that's a good fit for them. No pressure if you know where the arc is headed already, but Thali would never cross paths with children in that situation and not at least extend the invitation <3 <3 <3

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm and @Eléowyn I have been following this family's tale on tenterhooks myself and had similar worries to Thali about how Beda would discover her mother's body. I just want to cuddle them all up and keep them safe; is their father still on the scene, or are they all now orphans?

@Aethelu I'm glad to hear the meds are starting to balance out and I hope it isn't too long before things settle down completely for you and you are back to your non-drowsy state. I recently received news that I will be returning to work in September so I am being a little more cautious about starting up new RP interactions for fear of overloading myself; fear not Shadowfox will be likely dropping by to your shop at some point, but I may hold out a couple of weeks until I know how much time I am going to have.

"Roleplay Practice Prompts" in the Cottage of Lost Play is a thread "where we practise our roleplaying by writing a short piece or vignette as a response to a set of prompts."

Continuing from the OP: "The giver of the prompt will nominate the writer of their favourite response to write the next prompt: but if you’d rather not don’t worry, tag someone else in (or Sil) to write the next prompt!

Sometimes there will be extra bonus challenges with the prompt.

This is an opportunity for us to practise our writing skills, so make the prompts varied, and explore all the details you want - whether you just describe the scenario, or go on to make a whole story out of it."

The current prompt is:

The year is 1429, a full ten years after the Scouring of the Shire, and your(?) little Hobbit-lad or -lass asks about what all the fuss was about back then, anyway.

How do you respond?

viewtopic.php?f=5&t=363

@Wamba_the_Fool,

Sounds an excellent idea. I'll try to make my way over to the thread in the week ahead, though it's hard to get into the heads of the holbytan.

@Wamba_the_Fool I saw your edited posts in the Fire-fighting thread. Just so you know, when you edit a post to add in a tag, unfortunately it doesn't actually send a notification to the people added in to the edit. People only receive notifications if they are tagged in the original post.

@Aodh Hammerhelm, @Bereth and @Calimir, Wamba flagged you in his post here as people who might notice him leading his 'troops' to Campian (although given Calimir was temporarily blinded by a clumsy Shadowfox he may therefore have been intentionally unaware where everyone had gone)
It looks like most of the Campian people have already noticed your arrival, except maybe @Lirimaer but even she has taken a break thanks to an increased number of people arriving to help which was possibly also a reference to the Fool's efforts.

Allacan ob Burzum wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 11:52 am @Wamba_the_Fool I saw your edited posts in the Fire-fighting thread. Just so you know, when you edit a post to add in a tag, unfortunately it doesn't actually send a notification to the people added in to the edit. People only receive notifications if they are tagged in the original post.

Boooo! Alright thanks for the skinny, I'll have to be more conscientious about including mentions. Or a separate OOC post... that's over 100 characters... for no reason.

She noticed. She reads others' posts, you know. ;)

I figured @Lirimaer, but wasn't certain; I think everyone involved in the Fire-fighting thread has been doing a really good job of engaging with everyone else and am really impressed with how everyone has owned the story. to be honest I've been a little blown away with the really creative ideas people have had, and as a TR I'm racing to keep up, and its great!

Well we can't let Rohan burn! You're impressing me with your TRing tbh - so you don't give the impression of racing to keep up at all! Like a swan!

(Also, yeah, I don't tend to name people or bold them in every post I write. I find it unrealistic, but I get that some folk might just skip it if they don't see a name mentioned. I'm okay with that.)

@Allacan ob Burzum --- Noted, I'll trot Malachite up to Campain when his legs have recovered..!

PS: Thanks for info on tagging people in initial post!

@Lirimaer Maybe more like a goose, graceful on the water and completely unpredictable when I'm off the water/out of my depth, lol. As a TR I like to name people just as a tip of the hat to acknowledge their contributions but I agree, as a player it isn't always necessary and sometimes its fun to let people realise for themselves that you are reacting to them when they read your posts, kind of like a return reward.

I also just realised that because I took a day off from plaza yesterday, I'm now supposed to be updating the Fire-fighting thread today as well so I guess I better figure out what is happening my PCs! Sometimes it is just too fun reading and watching things unfold.

Éolath wrote: ↑Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:06 pm @Amadhrill yes, you know me :D I was originally Berutiel, ages and ages ago. Then I changed my name to Firimar (or Firi) and spent a good number of years under that name.

Firimar who was Boromir, ruler in the Shadowed Lands region in 2010? Or were you always in Rohan?

Elarith wrote: ↑Wed Aug 26, 2020 10:12 pm Despite many incidents of being burnt to the ground in the past, this was The Pub That Refused to Die.

I just laughed so loud I woke the cat asleep in another room - I love it!

@Allacan ob Burzum You have done an amazing job planning and running the firefighting RPG. Obviously there has been a lot of interest, and it has brought the kingdom together in a common cause.

For those who have been following Beda's story in that thread, I wanted to provide a little context. I never expected there to be so much interest in it.

First, before I forget, I want to thank @Thalionwen Hunigfolm and @Bereth for your moving, rather poetic, handling of Gléonild's death. You have made the story both more difficult, and more rewarding, to write. (I mean "difficult" in the most complimentary way.)

The death of Beda's mother is actually something that had been stewing in my mind for some time now. The Edoras fire RPG presented the perfect opportunity for it to play out, so thank you, Allacan, for allowing me to use your thread for that purpose.

When I say "stewing in my mind," I actually mean the story was insisting on being told. I do not claim to be a writer, but those of you who are will probably understand what I mean by that. There are times when I feel less the author than the vessel through which the story presents itself.

Beda was a character I created on Old Plaza, to run the shop that Eléowyn no longer wanted to run. She was a bit of fluff, almost comic relief, with her chatty child-like manner, despite the burdens she had to bear all too young.

With the arrival of the Plaza reboot, Beda has steadily and more loudly been insisting on being heard ... and being given the opportunity to grow up. Unfortunately, her tale is a dark one, and I have actually tried to turn it in a different direction, but to no avail.

So all this is just a long-winded way of saying, to those of you hoping to find out about the little ones, their fate will not be discovered in the current thread. There are several reasons for this, one of them being respect for your thread rules, Allacan.

I do assure you though, that Beda will be fine.

@Eléowyn I'm very glad to hear Beda will be alright--I hope it's okay that I had Thali take Gleonild back to the Infirmary with her. Apologies for not checking in about that, as I realize, belatedly, that I should have! I'm very invested in that poor little family's fate--just so I know how things will play out, will Beda and the rest of the children make it to the Infirmary thread for Gleonild's burial, or will their fate lead elsewhere? In the latter case, I can have Thali proceed without them. If you're looking for a place to move their story outside the more forward-driven confines of the fire RPG though, please do feel free to use the Infirmary if it suits your needs--it's a very open-ended thread as far as roleplay and rules go. And thank you for creating this sad, lovely story for the rest of us to be a part of in a small way <3

@Thalionwen Hunigfolm It was perfectly fine to move Gléonild. Beda will be there shortly, in time for the burial. She definitely needs a moment with her mother before the burial takes place.

I echo @Thalionwen Hunigfolm’s gratitude for allowing us to share in your story, @Eléowyn. The warm, quiet afternoon I sat writing of that post (stunned at being given the honor!) won’t soon be forgotten.