Shiva is calling...


Shiva is the new collaborative screenwriting game/exercise that puts your character into survival mode.  


A virulent airborne form of rabies decimates the human  population and leaves the animals mad. People band together into small groups or tribes to  try to survive in this strange new world.


But they are plagued by visions and  dreams of a creature both frightening and comforting at the same  time, a creature that is reminiscent of the Hindu god Shiva.  It's calling them to Niagara Falls and they have no choice but to obey the  call -- no matter how dangerous the journey may be.


Some want to kill the creature, some want to worship it.  Whoever  survives the dangers of the journey will write the ending.


This game will start on Dec 7th. and will run for at least two weeks - possibly a bit longer.


Based on what we learned from the Killer game there will be a number of new rules designed around the collaboration aspect in order to get a more logical and story oriented script from this exercise.


The first step is to provide a character background.


Post your character background in this thread in order to join the game.


People are encouraged to provide comments on your background and you may adjust any aspect of your character until the close date. Please use the modify button on your character post to make these changes.


The upper limit on the number of characters is 21. The minimum number to play is 7. Entry will close on Nov 30th.

Reminder: If you have any questions about this game either post them in this thread, PM me, or email me.  



Character backgrounds:


Character backgrounds should be a paragraph or two about  your character. They should provide enough  information about your character to assist anyone introducing them or writing  for them.

Your character should have strengths but it should also have a weakness or fear that they will  overcome during the course of the story. Otherwise your character should have some  other kind of arc. Your character's arc should be  apparent in its background. You don't  have to say exactly what the arc is just hinting at it should be sufficient.

Your character will also need to take a stance on the  creature, either kill or worship, even if they are unsure at the start. You should mention the character's stance in your  background no matter what it is.

You are welcome to work with other authors to develop  relationships with other characters and you can mention these relationships in  your background but please leave room for some reveals. However, since most  people would not have known each other before they banded into tribes it is not  likely that you want that much of a  relationship with other characters. Also you won't be certain who is in  your character's tribe until the start of the game.

Your character does not have to look like you or be  connected with you in any way.  Try to pick characters that complement the other characters.

For this game you should think: Stephen King.

It will be very similar to Killer but more serious.


Brief rules:

Create a character to play.  

Write two scenes when instructed based on the instructions given and hope your character is compelling enough to survive until the end.

Each player will have one kill available, they can take the kill on either scene.  Unlike Killer - I'm not going to choose when the kills happen.  

A player cannot be killed before their first turn so you will always have one turn available with your character.

The first two characters killed will get a second chance, "reincarnated" as another character.

When there are two players left the winner will be determined by vote and will write the ending.

Colin O'Riely (40s) was a science reporter for a major newspaper when the madness started.  Before he was quite sociable, but now he mostly spends his time talking into his hand-held recorder as if he were trying to find the magic words to make it all go away. But it won't, ever, this new world is here to stay and Colin's wide-staring eyes won't even let him shut it out.


Most of his tribe are wary of him. He's tense and on the verge of a breakdown. If only he could sleep, then he would feel so much better.  But those damn dreams keep him awake.  If he could just get rid of those dreams he could feel human again.

Bobby Hunt (Mid 20s) was attending film school in Canada when he was forced into a new life by the fall of mankind. In his life he was a class clown and always trying to make his friends laugh. He still puts on a comedic front to hide his true feelings and his secret.

Before Bobby left school and in the panic of it all he had filled a backpack with a camcorder, batteries and film. The video would serve as his way of becoming famous. Filming his own history for the new world to see years down the line.

Hugh Jarse, late 20's, Australian. Just arrived in the US for the first time to join up with his girlfriend Lara, a cocktail waitress from Vegas that he met online. He is on route to Las Vegas not only to meet her for the first time but to get married.



Please  change the name of this character for this game and don't change it to Hugh Jorgan .  You can use this character name for the next Killer game if you want. Cheers Michael.

Michael B. Webster (17), a high school honor roll student, one year away from becoming a Harvard student and soon realizing his dream of becoming a scientist, is now a absolute nobody. But that's nothing new to him, having sacrificed his social life for work.  

What no one knows is that Michael cheated to get where he is now. He received visions that helped him in the past either by supplying him answers to an exam or informing of surprise quizzes. He has grown to trust his visions. Quite recently his visions have surrounded one animal...a dangerous animal. Now, his new journey is to find this creature and destroy it.

      

I'll be able to participate this time around...

My character is Heidi Winslow. Mid 30's and beautiful (she was married to a rock star in the early 90's), she's a profiteer, plain and simple. If there is a way to make money from people, she will do it- regardless of the human cost. She worked on Wall Street and enjoyed the good life. Heidi feels like she earned her position in life, regardless of the fact that the rules all changed. She wants Shiva killed so that she may go about rebuilding the world to her liking-She hates the new world and wants to take revenge upon it personally. Her challenge (among several) is to learn to value people and friendship over money and material wealth.

Leona Carter, 20, was a student, studying theology at a private university. She kept her heart sealed away and her head buried deep into books. When IT happened, the entire campus was wiped clean in one day and she found herself even more alone. They found her a week later, hiding up in the bell tower of the school’s church ; rosary beads in one hand and a copy of Dante’s Inferno in the other.

Connection with other people in these crazy times have brought out feelings she forgot she had. Now she prays to the owner of her dreams, the ones that keep her awake at night, convinced that a pilgrimage is all she needs to rid her mind of the scourge she calls temptation. And she’ll do anything to get there, even venture out by herself into this new cold and desolate world armed only with her rosary's, a shotgun and an orange backpack filled with ammo.

Alex J. Miller is a hunter. He is obsessed in collecting the heads of the animals he kills and he has seen all of them. Another obsession of him is his cowboy hat which he never takes off.

For some time, Alex has some weird dreams where he is alone in a forest running like a crazy, haunted by some unexplainable creatures.
Even the heads of the animals in his house start moving and pronouncing a name which he cannot clearly understand. Alex decides to find out more about this...

Seven characters already.  Wow!  

A reminder to everyone this isn't Killer, it's a different game, a more serious one, so your characters should be appropriate for such an environment.

Secondly remember to read what's written.  

I notice a couple of people forgot to include how their character felt about the Shiva dreams.  This is very important because you don't want other authors putting words in your character's mouth about the main through line.  It could very easily be the determining factor on whether your character survives or not.

I rather single out someone who followed the directions for a character description than single out someone who didn't.  So look at Orange's character and see if yours measures up.  If it doesn't, change it.

If you still don't have a clue what I'm talking about or think you need some help with your character description then PM me.  

Looking forward to seeing who else is going to play.

Cheers.  

Samantha Visione (Vis-e-oh-nee), 37, is a natural beauty of French and Italian descent. Growing up, she had a strong connection to her grandmother, the owner of a vineyard in northern Italy.  She spent many of her summers learning about farming and horticulture.

Her mesmerizing eyes are sparking blue (A sharp contrast to her long dark hair) and seem to lock into the deep recesses of your soul.  She has traveled the world as a famous and respected clairvoyant, sought after for her insight into the world beyond our natural sight.  Six months ago her reoccurring dreams led her to the high desert town of Sedona to seek the power of the vortex in order to locate the "Book of Mysteries" and a key that will open the words.

Samantha's dreams started 2 years ago, showing her a world so desolate and lost she could barely comprehend it.  After finding the book, much of it is still a mystery...but the message of her dreams is becoming stronger and clearer.  She is committed to journey to the center of her fear in order to warn those that are left and reveal the truth and deception of the one that calls them all...to the Falls.  

Eddy Steiner arrived in the States with a dream of being a movie star but ending up working as waiter. He lost his job after countless warnings about his drug and alcohol binges. His days are now spent smoking his special cigarettes, which he calls 'johnny big smokes'.

He started having strange dreams about large animals taking over the world, but he put them down to his drug taking. Now the dreams have become reality he believes he has a special bond with them and will be safe in any situation...but is he just a wasted fool?

A couple of more characters, cool - I like them!

I thought I'd let you in a bit on how the dreams will work for this game.  

Announcement:

We have our very own Dream Master.  

Sandra will be in charge of dreams for this journey.  What she will do is write a dream, post it, and then you will follow with your scene.   The dreams will pose a special challenge to you for your next scene - only the challenge will be hidden in dream language so it will be up to you to decipher it and act upon it.

I'm not sure everyone will end up with a dream to decipher but I am certain it should provide the story with interesting twists.

In order to better explain this Sandra is going to post the first dream in this thread.  Then when the game starts and I post the first scene you will understand how I interpreted it.

Cheers.

Shiva

Bells of the Rainbow Tower (Colin's dream)

Colin's eyes close briefly, eyelids flutter. Three blinks only; then in two shakes of a lamb's tale he sees

A lamb, pure white with blood painting its neck upon a black stone altar of death.

Three more blinks, and the lamb turns to a great black dog; the black stone altar rises up into a gelatinous window which Colin tries to lift, but to pull at this substance has only the effect of drawing back like a rubber band.

Three blinks again and that's nine. Nine rainbows over a bridge rising across the water, and on the bridge is where the great black dog grows fierce, ugly growls aimed at a little girl. Whose little girl?

Ribbons and bows in her hair. Sugar and spice and everything nice in the basket she carries like Little Red Riding Hood. Save her Colin!

He pulls at the gelatin window. It draws back. He bears his weight into it. It stretches like putty, some of it globs into his airways. He chokes and backs off helplessly as:

The child is attacked.

Into Colin's OPEN EYES: only his wide eyed stare, while the sound of the kill rises then falls above the sound of rushing waters.

Flashes of rushing waters, then back atop the bridge again where we see it finished:

The ribbons and bows and pretty fabric lie shredded and nothing else exists. Neither a ringlet of hair nor a piece of flesh and bone. Gone too, is the dog. But the bridge stands empty, cold steel against a sudden fog.

Bits of light shoot towards us like tiny arrows.

A sinuous cloud of bluish arms silhouette under the mist.
It's hard to see what it is.

A great head crowned with living creatures bows before us.

Three more blinks and that's twelve. Twelve hours around the clock as big as the screen. "Twelve around twice", Colin hears a skipping rhyme song. The little girl's voice?

Twelve around once,
Twelve around twice,
Round at the place where the maple leaf falls,
This is good advice.

Carillon bells chime from the Rainbow Tower on Canada's side of the bridge. Collin awakes. He rubs his eyes. They turn blackened. Some kind of ash.

CORDELIA (13)

Cordelia is a young girl originating from a small town in Texas. She is smart  and soft-spoken; but occassionally shows an impulsive side. Her entire family was slaughtered by anarchists shortly after the virus hit. She is now holed up in the ruins of a house with a few other people.

Before the virus hit, she suffered from depression because of her neglectful mother. This was followed by dreams in which a terrifying, but beautiful entity repeadetly offered her absolute power over others and a severe punishment for her mother. Cordie denied the offer, stating that happiness was what she desired most, not power or vengeance.  The virus hit the next morning, right after she refused the entity's offer. She is now a shell of the girl she once was, mentally-unbalanced after her family's death. She is now deceptive and uses her soft-spoken and intelligent demeanor to hide her rage and anger. Now the entity is calling to her again, and she will do anything to silence it.

...is this okay?

--Julio

Quoted from ReaperCreeper CORDELIA (13) Cordelia is a young girl originating from a small town in Texas. She is smart  and soft-spoken; but occassionally shows an impulsive side. Her entire family was slaughtered by anarchists shortly after the virus hit. She is now holed up in the ruins of a house with a few other people. Before the virus hit, she suffered from depression because of her neglectful mother. This was followed by dreams in which a terrifying, but beautiful entity repeadetly offered her absolute power over others and a severe punishment for her mother. Cordie denied the offer, stating that happiness was what she desired most, not power or vengeance.  The virus hit the next morning, right after she refused the entity's offer. She is now a shell of the girl she once was, mentally-unbalanced after her family's death. She is now deceptive and uses her soft-spoken and intelligent demeanor to hide her rage and anger, ...is this okay? --Julio

Julio, I love the idea of someone hiding how they really feel by a mask they put over their feelings.

I think we all do this to some extent. To watch it on the big screen-- amplified and larger than life-- I think it helps us understand ourselves and deal with our own struggles.

Thanks for this.

Sandra

Sandra...the dream maker   Excellent disconnects and then extreme connections...
exactly a dream.......   (Great job!)

"Julio, I love the idea of someone hiding how they really feel by a mask they put over their feelings.

I think we all do this to some extent. To watch it on the big screen-- amplified and larger than life-- I think it helps us understand ourselves and deal with our own struggles.

Thanks for this.

Sandra"

It is a character mold that I've been playing around with for some time now. I have created bios for three similar characters, including Cordie, already--one of them will be included in my (hopefully) first feature-legth script, Cordie will be used in this game, and the last one will hopefully be used in the future, possibly in my series (Gharan). I love these kinds of characters.  

Yep Julio. It's a excellent character indeed.  And Sandra I'm looking forward to interpreting that dream.

I did notice that some people mentioned starting locations for their characters.  This isn't exactly a problem and I'm sure we can work out a way to handle this but there are only three starting places in the story.  I didn't include them because I wasn't sure what the size of the cast would be and how many starting places we use depend on the cast.

The possible starting places are New York, New York,  Ottawa, Canada and Detroit, Michigan.   Right now we will be using two of those locations at the start   If we go above 14 players we will use three.  Your best bet with your characters is not to mention where they are at the moment, but mention where they have been.

Cheers.

Sandra writing the dreams? where did that idea come from lol. Should be fun, can't wait...get thinking up some good ones Sandra, I know you will.

Quoted from mcornetto I did notice that some people mentioned starting locations for their characters.  This isn't exactly a problem and I'm sure we can work out a way to handle this but there are only three starting places in the story.  I didn't include them because I wasn't sure what the size of the cast would be and how many starting places we use depend on the cast. The possible starting places are New York, New York,  Ottawa, Canada and Detroit, Michigan.   Right now we will be using two of those locations at the start   If we go above 14 players we will use three.  Your best bet with your characters is not to mention where they are at the moment, but mention where they have been. Cheers.

In light of this...can I modify my character?  I thought we were going to use Las Vegas for one of the start places...and that's sort of why I stayed down south   Chicago and New York or sort of north (midwest/east) similar...but maybe that is the point.

On another note.  Sandra is the extreme dream master...or should we say mistress!  I loved the dream for Cornetto's character and I can hardly wait to see how he uses it to advance his character and move the story forward.

Modify away.  You can modify your character post until Dec 1. by using the modify button.

Cheers.

Quoted from MBCgirl In light of this...can I modify my character?  I thought we were going to use Las Vegas for one of the start places...and that's sort of why I stayed down south   Chicago and New York or sort of north (midwest/east) similar...but maybe that is the point.

Sorry, may have been my fault. My character is en route to Las Vegas, but I was unsure as to where he was supposed to be, I left it open so he could be anywhere. Probably New York.

It's okay GM...I said my character had gone to Sedona to get the book of mysteries...and to check out the vortex   That could have taken place and then Samantha could be anywhere she needs to be to start the game    You were not alone

While we can play the game with the characters posted, I just want to make sure we have appropriate characters for this game.  I think your character will play a very important part in whether you survive or not -- or for whether or not people include you in their scenes.  Plus the better the characters the more interesting the writing and the reading.

You should all be commenting on each others characters, collaborating to improve them.

I know i need some work on mine, I will a better description up by the weekend. Of course any suggestions will be given consideration.

Quoted from Murphy Hugh Jarse, late 20's, Australian. Just arrived in the US for the first time to join up with his girlfriend Lara, a cocktail waitress from Vegas that he met online. He is on route to Las Vegas not only to meet her for the first time but to get married.

I think this character could use a little more juice...like did he meet her...is she dead from the world situation...is he on a tanget to get answers....another paragraph about his mission or his life would round things out.  I do like the first part...taking a chance on love.

You also need to include whether or not you are for or against the thing called Shiva   

Quoted from Orange Leona Carter, 20, was a student, studying theology at a private university. She kept her heart sealed away and her head buried deep into books. When IT happened, the entire campus was wiped clean in one day and she found herself even more alone. They found her a week later, hiding up in the bell tower of the school’s church ; rosary beads in one hand and a copy of Dante’s Inferno in the other. Connection with other people in these crazy times have brought out feelings she forgot she had. Now she prays to the owner of her dreams, the ones that keep her awake at night, convinced that a pilgrimage is all she needs to rid her mind of the scourge she calls temptation. And she’ll do anything to get there, even venture out by herself into this new cold and desolate world armed only with her rosary's, a shotgun and an orange backpack filled with ammo.

I really like this character Orange!  (Orange backpack and all)   I find her a bit oxymoron-ish as she has rosary beads and carries a shotgun!  Great job!

Quoted from NiK Alex J. Miller is a hunter. He is obsessed in collecting the heads of the animals he kills and he has seen all of them. Another obsession of him is his cowboy hat which he never takes off. For some time, Alex has some weird dreams where he is alone in a forest running like a crazy, haunted by some unexplainable creatures. Even the heads of the animals in his house start moving and pronouncing a name which he cannot clearly understand. Alex decides to find out more about this...

This character is much better with the modifications you made   He's a lot more interesting!  He could be very quick to pull the trigger

Quoted from ReaperCreeper CORDELIA (13) Cordelia is a young girl originating from a small town in Texas. She is smart  and soft-spoken; but occassionally shows an impulsive side. Her entire family was slaughtered by anarchists shortly after the virus hit. She is now holed up in the ruins of a house with a few other people. Before the virus hit, she suffered from depression because of her neglectful mother. This was followed by dreams in which a terrifying, but beautiful entity repeadetly offered her absolute power over others and a severe punishment for her mother. Cordie denied the offer, stating that happiness was what she desired most, not power or vengeance.  The virus hit the next morning, right after she refused the entity's offer. She is now a shell of the girl she once was, mentally-unbalanced after her family's death. She is now deceptive and uses her soft-spoken and intelligent demeanor to hide her rage and anger. Now the entity is calling to her again, and she will do anything to silence it. ...is this okay? --Julio

Cordelia will be very interesting to write about...I like her character and her "troubled" soul will ultimately benefit her in this piece in the end...I think she will be a part of  the new world and will rise to the occasion and the challenge!   

I'm really digging some of these characters. Alex, the hunter, should be fun. I get the feeling he might be creepier than the crazed animals!

Quoted from MBCgirl I really like this character Orange!  (Orange backpack and all)   I find her a bit oxymoron-ish as she has rosary beads and carries a shotgun!  Great job!

Thanks!

FATHER ROBERT HOLMES (mid 40s) has spent most of his life travelling through Third World countries, spreading the word of God. His faith has stood strong despite the horrors of humanity he's seen. Once the virus hit, Bobby - as he likes to be called - was convinced the apocalypse was upon us.

The dreams started soon after. The dreams that have made him question his faith. This animal that haunts him -- mocks him, must be stopped. For Bobby believes it to be Satan himself, ready to claim his bounty.

Ooooh! I'm going to put him and Orange together.  Things are really shaping up. How exciting!

That's 11 characters so far...

James Fleming (30's) is the consummate stoic. So little emotion passes from him that he not only approaches everything from an angle of perfect logic, but decided to go into psychology since he would be unaffected by people's continual streams of sob stories. He has a doctorate in clinical psychology as well as the medical degree that he only got to further his career rather than prescribe any medication, a practice he deplores since logic and counseling is cure for all the world's troubles. He is a doctor, but doesn't care if he is addressed as such.

This strength of responding to every situation with cool logic is also his greatest weakness. He doesn't really understand why people act the way they do despite his psychological background. He does enjoy a good laugh and has a very dry but solid wit, but that's about the extent of it. Reaching his heart and forcing a decision based purely on emotion as opposed to logic would be the greatest growth he could experience. The most unlikely things he would see happening would be a young girl getting through that exterior to love, finding the creature and it bringing him happiness/fear, or a combination of both events...

He finds the dreams both intriguing and troubling since such things go against his better judgment. All the same, he is immensely curious (as an intense curiosity practically replaces his emotion) and travels to see about this creature plaguing his sleep. He has no desire to kill anything, and in his mind, he doubts its existence, despite the growing coincidences of other people dreaming of the same thing.

Besides, he's never been to Niagra Falls.

Ok, I bet that's more than enough.

Hmmmmm...could James Flemming go for the older woman? lol  Nice job Geo

I like the deep portions of this aloof character

He might. After all, he goes in for intellect that comes with age, but at the same time, logic would dictate that if he were to have a serious relationship with a future, he would need to ensure that she would have sufficient child-bearing years so that once this crisis is over (if he should survive), he could do his part is continuing the human species.

But would he tolerate a potential intellectual decline in favor of the children that may never come? Hm...

INNOCENCE, late 20s, a refugee from Nigeria, she came to the US with her young daughter to escape hardships in her homeland.  In the US she fell into the company of men who filled her head with false promises, and as such wound up trapped in a life no better than the one she left behind.  She was used and abused, trapped in a murky world of despair with no other means to provide for her daughter.

On one fateful day, she murdered one of her abusers in self-defence, to protect her daughter.  As a result, she was jailed, and her daughter taken into care.  Innocence had already spent 3 years in a state prison on the day the virus swept across the land.  In the midst of the chaos, she escaped.  Her immediate concern was to find her daughter, but the virus had found her first.

Innocence had all but given up on life, dead inside from the loss of her daughter, but then the dreams started – visions of a creature not of this world, and at its side, her daughter.  Innocence now travels the land with the sole purpose of finding this creature; what will happen when she does, is unknown to her.

Hey George and Yohn,

Another two excellent characters!    

Innocence kind of gave me the shivers.

I'm not dissing this or anything... I just know I probably won't have the time to participate. I'll read it all though....

Maybe this post belongs somewhere else... feel free to move or remove me.  

This is a really cool idea. I'll try my hand to get me back into the swing of things here.

RYAN PARKER- 18, was a high school football quarterback. He is a softy at heart. He's very mature for is age and liked by almost everyone for his always positive attitude. He's afraid of letting his father down and not making it as a football player. He also fears for his fathers life, who has cancer.

Ryan starts to have dreams of the creature. In the dreams the creature always killing Ryans father, and Ryan is always helpless to save him. With every dream that passes, his father grows more ill. He hates his dreams because he hates to see his father suffer. Whatever this creature is, Ryan has to stop it.

Did I do that right?

~Zack~

Quoted from Zack This is a really cool idea. I'll try my hand to get me back into the swing of things here. RYAN PARKER- 18, a high school football quarterback who is a softy at heart. He's very mature for is age and liked by almost everyone for his always positive attitude. He's afraid of letting his father down and not making it as a football player. Did I do that right? ~Zack~

You have to refer to the dreams.

Hey Zack - welcome.  


You did good.  There isn't a right and wrong way to do these characters and it depends on who you ask but if you are asking me then I think you need to include how your character reacts to the dreams.  You don't have to say anything about the dreams they have but we need to know how your character feels about them - even if your character doesn't care either way.  

The reason for this is that it is almost guaranteed to come up as a subject for your character to react to or discuss and since you aren't always in charge of your character, you don't want other authors making this decision for you.  

At the end one for and one against character will remain standing.  That means as soon as your character is the only for or against character left in the game then they will be safe until the end of the game.

Okay. Thanks. I think I got it now.

~Zack~

Quoted from George Willson James Fleming (30's) is the consummate stoic. So little emotion passes from him that he not only approaches everything from an angle of perfect logic, but decided to go into psychology since he would be unaffected by people's continual streams of sob stories. He has a doctorate in clinical psychology as well as the medical degree that he only got to further his career rather than prescribe any medication, a practice he deplores since logic and counseling is cure for all the world's troubles. He is a doctor, but doesn't care if he is addressed as such. This strength of responding to every situation with cool logic is also his greatest weakness. He doesn't really understand why people act the way they do despite his psychological background. He does enjoy a good laugh and has a very dry but solid wit, but that's about the extent of it. Reaching his heart and forcing a decision based purely on emotion as opposed to logic would be the greatest growth he could experience. The most unlikely things he would see happening would be a young girl getting through that exterior to love, finding the creature and it bringing him happiness/fear, or a combination of both events... He finds the dreams both intriguing and troubling since such things go against his better judgment. All the same, he is immensely curious (as an intense curiosity practically replaces his emotion) and travels to see about this creature plaguing his sleep. He has no desire to kill anything, and in his mind, he doubts its existence, despite the growing coincidences of other people dreaming of the same thing. Besides, he's never been to Niagra Falls. Ok, I bet that's more than enough.

I've got a lot of questions about this character. My mind is swirling in questions.

Sandra

Quoted from mcornetto Innocence kind of gave me the shivers.

Nice to hear she had that kind of effect on you.

I envision her as a broken-hearted woman, who has lost everything that meant anything to her.  Her daughter was her purpose, and when she died, so did everything that was good in the world.  

She's had a hard life, and has become hardened as a result.  Her time in prison turned her into a tough and resourceful person.  Her only comfort comes from the handful of letters written to her by her daughter, whist Innocence was in jail.

Quoted from mcornetto Hey George and Yohn, Another two excellent characters!     Innocence kind of gave me the shivers.

The name holds a beautiful paradox inside it. Maybe we can learn how she was given this name?

Sandra

While we are creating characters, I think it might be a good time to also come up with the tribe names.   The tribe name will be used for tracking and you will not be referred to in your scene.  There will be three tribes.  Any suggestions.

A bit more on how tribes will be used.

The first three characters will each start at one of the three locations - they will also pick the starting members of their tribe.   When it is your turn, you will only be able to write about your tribe (unless otherwise specified).   This means you only have to focus on storyline of a few characters.   When you take your kill you will take it from your tribe (again unless otherwise specified).  This should isolate the game into manageable stories.

Not to be a downer, but I think the tribe names should be simple such as naming the tribes after the three cities that Michael mentioned before.  For example, I think one location Michael brought up was New York. Maybe that three person group can be called the New Yorkers.

I'm still down in giving a different name but simplicity is key.

This leads me to another part of the problem: where are the three locations that Michael mentioned? lol. I looked in this thread and at the collaborative/ suggestive idea thread and I can't find it.

The possible starting places are New York, New York,  Ottawa, Canada and Detroit, Michigan.

And I don't think you are being a downer at all - Using the starting places as tribe names is an excellent suggestion and I think we'll go with it.  Problem solved.


Cheers.

A reminder that there is only five days left to enter a character to play.

Or change your existing character.

Cheers.

Some bad news I am afraid...

Quoted Text New York Times - Wednesday 26th Nov 2008 Australian tourist found mauled to death in lion cage at Central Park Zoo The body of Hugh Jarse, a 29 year old Australian national was removed from the lion cage at Central Park Zoo this morning and taken to the city morgue where it is believed his brother, Bruce Jarse, 31, is on his way from Australia to identify the remains and take the body home. It is not yet clear how or why Mr Jarse happened to be in the lion cage last night, but friends he was staying with said he has seemed depressed since arriving in the City from Las Vegas four days ago and may have been trying to take his own life. Sheila Barnes, an Aussie living and working in New York told the Times that Mr Jarse had gone to Las Vegas to marry a girl he had met online. It turned out however that the girl he had met was actually a 57 year old stripper with a drug problem. Since his arrival in New York he seemed to be suffering from depression and according to Barnes had been plauged by nightmares, often waking his housemates up with screams in the middle of the night. His brother Bruce, a nightclub bouncer from Sydney, is expected to arrive in the city within the next day or two.

Guys I'm afraid i won't be able to partecipate this time. Sorry. I know i posted my character but i have a hard time dealing with things here so I'm afraid i won't be able to be on time or think for something.

Michael sorry for this.

If anyone would like to use my character, can do it. Or I can just delete it.

Again i'm sorry guys.

No worries Nik, hope you get things sorted out.

Quoted from NiK Guys I'm afraid i won't be able to partecipate this time. Sorry. I know i posted my character but i have a hard time dealing with things here so I'm afraid i won't be able to be on time or think for something. Michael sorry for this. If anyone would like to use my character, can do it. Or I can just delete it. Again i'm sorry guys.

I'm sorry Nik. I really enjoyed your work in the Killer game. I hope everything gets worked out for you and you are up and running again soon.

Sandra

Hey Nik,

Sorry you won't be able to play this round.  Hope things are going ok for you and that you are just busy with school.  


Cheers,

Michael

There's always going to be another writing exercise in the future, Nik. Hope everything gets settled.

I was thinking of dropping out too as work is busy for me this time of year but I gather there aren't that many of us playing right, so I guess I should stick with it lol. Will we get a few days again to write our turn Michael?

Yes Alffy, This game will concentrate a bit more on quality rather than speed.  Also, you won't be dealing with that many characters at one time so you only really have to pay attention to what is going on with your tribe.

I should be able to cope with that then lol.

Reminder:

Nov 30th is the last day to enter your character or to make changes to your existing character!

Never fear, I'll be in.  Sorry for not posting sooner.  I'll get mine up tomorrow...or maybe even tonight.

Looking forward to it.

Bruce Jarse, early 30's. A nightclub bouncer from Sydney, Australia. Growing up Bruce had only one dream, to be an actor. Having left school and landing a reoccurring role on popular Aussie soap opera "Home and Away" Bruce came very close to achieving his dream. He was starting to get noticed and there was even talk of him being the next Mel Gibson. Unfortunately an episode involving a high speed car chase and a bag of cocaine put paid to that and Bruce saw out his next 2 years from a prison cell.

Bruce arrived in New York last week under tragic circumstances. His younger brother, Hugh, who had been staying in New York was found dead in the lions cage of Central Park zoo. What he was doing there is still a mystery, although housemates say that in the days preceding his death he had been plagued by nightmares of lions.

Bruce's own nightmares began while on the flight to New York, becoming clearer and more defined with every mile. His dreams plagued with visions of destruction and death. Something was urging him to stay in New York, even with his brothers remains loaded on the flight home he could not escape the overwhelming feeling that he was supposed to stay and fight.

Hey GM, like the new characters.   And Jeff, you have under 24hrs (not like I'm rushing you or anything )

Everybody else, get ready for the journey.  It should be quite a trip.  

Albert (71), who's an animal researcher for the Natural History Museum London, UK.  He's travelled to the USA & Canada to document the wildlife from Lake Eerie to Bird Island.  He loves to discover new wildlife and will do anything to protect and preserve mother nature.

For Albert, he's still living his dream and doesn't ever want to retire.  He's met many wonderful and scary tribes from across the globe.  His latest trip to Lake Eerie, Albert wants to take it easy.  His last expedition wasn't so fruitful after encountering a very protective tribe.

I hope this character isn't too boring.  Michael I can't put my character's name in bold, can you do it?

I haven't been here for the past week...it's been a busy time (seems to be universal). We're getting close now!!! How exciting!   I can hardly wait for this journey to begin!

Hey...Dreamscale!  Fellow Arizonian!!  Get your butt in gear and get your character posted! lol  

I just got through reading through our character lineup again and Sandra our Dream Maker has a lot of good pieces for her dream weaving specialty!!!  

Looking forward to it!

That was a good character Javier.  Very different from the rest and the oldest character by far.  

Jack Stone (35) is a motivational speaker, and real estate mogul.  He graduated from Cornell with a 4.0 GPA, while starting at QB all 4 years.  He is extremely intelligent, a natural leader, and has a way of influencing those around him.

Jack’s wife and 2 young children were killed in a freak car accident in early 2006.  Shortly after, the dreams began…dreams of an impending evil, of utter hopelessness, and something far from human.

Since then, he has travelled the world, searching for the answers to the evil that haunts his very soul.  Jack also continued his speaking engagements, and had quite a following leading up to the day it all went so terribly wrong…the day that “It” finally made its presence known.

Jack’s not about to give up now.

OK, I'm in!  Cornetto, as always, I can't for the life of me get anything "Bolded".  Can you fix it up for me?  Thanks.

Looking froward to this.  Lots of great characters here.  Should be fun...

Welcome on the journey Jeff.  


That's 15 characters I count.


Anyone care to make it a round even 16?  Five more hours to go.

I have to drop out. Sorry for the late notice.

~Zack~

No worries Zack.  

So we have 14 characters.  That's pretty even.  Any more?

I just wanna let you guys know that I'll be going on a tight schedule these next few days. I still wanna participate, but I don't wanna be overwhelmed. How often will we be required to write scenes?

Quoted from Dreamscale Jack Stone (35) is a motivational speaker, and real estate mogul.  He graduated from Cornell with a 4.0 GPA, while starting at QB all 4 years.  He is extremely intelligent, a natural leader, and has a way of influencing those around him. Jack’s wife and 2 young children were killed in a freak car accident in early 2006.  Shortly after, the dreams began…dreams of an impending evil, of utter hopelessness, and something far from human. Since then, he has travelled the world, searching for the answers to the evil that haunts his very soul.  Jack also continued his speaking engagements, and had quite a following leading up to the day it all went so terribly wrong…the day that “It” finally made its presence known. Jack’s not about to give up now.

I'm getting this "Once Around" with Richard Dreyfuss vibe happening in my head with Jack Stone being someone who's really smooth, but terribly troubled. How does someone like Jack balance his slick demeanor with the pain and questions that haunt him?

I like the character and the name. I believe a whole lot in names denoting a lot of influence even before we write a single other attribution to the character. Jack Stone is memorable.

Sandra

Entry is now closed.

We have 14 characters to journey with.

Which one will survive?

Watch for the Shiva - Discussion thread for more information.