The Character RP Yet Again, year 4

Four and a half years? Has it really been that long since our madcap adventure began?

It started out with purple trees and an orange sky, some powerful magic users, a few assassins, the legions of the undead and more demons than we knew what to do with, and it ended with a story that lasted for months before its glorious conclusion.

Bound by ties forged in the fires of RPG, we return again, to encourage and inspire our writing buddies.

Here we go again.

I can hardly believe it's been four years since I met all of you. So much has happened and yet, it doesn't feel like four years has passed. Time is weird that way.

I've seen hints of what you're plotting for this year, Em. Want to share the specifics?

For this year, I'm planning a story called "Out Wit." It features Micah and Irene, now 19 and 18. We've also got Shaun, a sorcerer who kidnaps Irene in order to blackmail her family (including her brothers-in-law that lead the army). There's Doanvan, another young knight who thinks Irene is cute. And last but not least, Randy -- a spy who's caught in the middle of this mess.

I'm writing it in first-person, since otherwise it would get too confusing. Randy goes by several names. Randy is also a cross-dresser. So, yeah, too confusing in third-person.

(I think some of you, my dear writing buddies, might know who this Randy spy really is.)

I do have some good guess. ;)

I've got ideas to write a group of interconnected short stories where my two main characters work to solve mysteries of the supernatural or just plain strange variety. One main character is an eccentric earl who is secretly a wizard. The other one is an apothecary who has faerie blood. He looks like a vampire (in that he has fangs), but he's not a vampire - no blood drinking, not dead, can come out in the daytime, etc. I think I'm going to have some fun with him, actually because one of my planned cases does involve a vampire.

Ooh, fun. I'm not that crazy about vampires, but you should do well with that.

I realized one thing last night. My sorcerers have an innate warning system, a tingling in their back of their minds when they're in danger. However, it's impossible to tell the source of the danger. So, if you're going to stab an evil sorcerer without him stopping you, you have to direct his attention to other possible threats. *nod nod*

I can't wait to get started on this.

I'm going to keep my vampire as traditional as possible. She died (I still have to decide how) and soon after she's buried, her sister claims to have seen her. Meanwhile, the sister is slowly becoming weaker and weaker. The vampire returns to her grave each night and doesn't emerge during the day, sleeping instead. She's not going to have super strength or burst into flame with sunlight. She won't necessarily be repulsed by holy symbols, but great faith will repel her. I'll also play with the ideas that they can't cross water and are compulsive about counting things. By the end of that story, the two Mains will have found a way to take the evil spirit out of her, so that she can rest in peace.

Good news -- I have yet another niece. This is my sister's fourth girl, bringing the total up to eleven. Rejoice with me.

Sounds like an interesting case with the vampire/evil spirit thingy -- it should be good.

I wonder if any of our other buddies are going to do NaNo this year. I know Tasha has a lot to do in school, but what about the others?

I don't know. I really hope some of them at least give it a try.

Congrats on the niece! That's terrific news for you!

I keep crossing your path in the fantasy forum and I wish I could do here what I do on the Ravelry forums. Over there, you can click buttons under other posts to say how you feel about them. (Educational, Interesting, Funny, Agree, Disagree, Love). There are so many times when I stop and look for the Agree, Funny or Love buttons...

Hi guys!

Wow, I've changed so much in four years... I feel like a completely different person. In many ways I am.

Tasha! *flying tackle hug*

Emily!

*grins*

Yes, I'm back. And I've convinced my roommate to do this with me. So good times will ensue.

Ah, it's so fun having a close friend do it with you. Although Rebecca got so desperate, she would stick her homework assignments in the middle of her novel. Me -- I ended up with the main characters throwing food at each other. At the end of November, we had a party with the two of us -- and a thirteen-scoop, thirteen-topping ice cream sundae.

Oh man, yes.

Rage and I are making a collaborative world and writing short stories and worldbuilding things about it for her Nano. I have my two other projects as well.

I think I've seen this one show up on your FB comments now and then.

So, do you have a plot figured out, Tasha?

I'm working on an idea I came up with three years ago, but which is undergoing a big overhaul, or at least getting everything down. Micah and Irene are back, along with all the rest of the Wit family.

I have two plots figured out, and the third part of my Nano project is a collaboration with her. That one we just started building yesterday. It's a lot of fun, though.

Collaborating can be a lot of fun! My sister and I collaborate on stories and worlds all the time. I'm so glad you'll be joining the fun this year!

We might be coming here frequently to bounce ideas off of you, just a warning. The Seven Cities don't build themselves. :P

Bounce away, Tasha.

I'm still wrestling with a plot hole right in the middle of "Elfmarked." It's frustrating. But my characters don't want to do this scene.

I need Lon to confront Robart. Lon would rather just runaway, seeing as how he's completely alone at this point, and Robart's got four or six guards with him. And Robart just wants his guards to kill Lon on sight. They're heading up the coastal road, Lon finds Robart has just about caught up, there's a bit of a chase, and then . . . then the story falls straight into a gaping hole.

I don't know why Lon would stop running without something preventing him from doing that. That's the first hole. What prevents him from escaping? Second, why would the guards not kill him? Lon will probably have to kill them. Second hole; I don't know how he's going to pull it off. It's not like he has a long-range weapon. He hasn't had one before this point. And the spears would have a longer reach than Lon's sword. I can't find a thing on mounted combat with one-on-one.

The fact that I haven't figured it out now is really getting irritating.

Hello, group! Looks like I found my way into the new thread, after all, and the website is looking snazzier than ever!

Four years, huh? Go figure. Now I'm nearly done university, and working full-time for an internship! How things change.

And, unfortunately, I haven't the slightest idea what I'm going to do for this year's NaNo. The past three years saw the writing of a refreshing trilogy, much different from my usual stuff with Aaron and Threeblade. Nowadays, I still have a work-in-progress that's hovering somewhere just before Act III. I'd feel guilty finishing that off during NaNoWriMo, though. And besides, it's been put on hold while I put more time and effort into Aaron's opening novel, since I'm gearing up to seriously bring that one to market.

A November project, though...I'm not prepared at all! Kane's trilogy is written -- what now? Perhaps I will dive head-first into the seventh and final installment in the Aaron/Richard saga. I only have the vaguest idea of how that story is supposed to go, but charging through the story, blindfolded and swinging my keyboard around like some kind of battle-axe...well, that can't be all bad, right?

Gradius! *hugs* Wonderful to see you on board. Nice choice of picture, too.

I hope you come up with something. If not, well, you're pretty good at spontaneous improvising writing where you had only the faintest idea of where it might end up. Rick and Aaron are strong enough characters that you could give them a goal, a few enemies, and let them have it.

Good luck.

By the way, I did have a thought about Lon's dilemma. I think I'll have him join a group of bandits. Then the bandits can kill the guards for him. And the guards will slaughter the bandits. What's another dozen or so casualties?