Hi everyone. Sorry for not being around much. I have had nearly no internet access recently but that will change in a few days. Then I'll be able to post again.

Woohoo! Can't wait, Eomer :p

Well, I'm back. ;)

I've been on holiday, that's why I couldn't post. I would have explained but the days before I left were somewhat traumatic and rushed. It's all better now, though. I have millions of tasks to do today but I promise to post this weekend and I should be a steady poster again from then on.

Ditto I'm afraid. I can't believe I've not been on the 'Downs for a week! Seriously, I'm starting to get the shakes.

But I shall be a regular poster from now on, my friends! Sorry!

Accessing links.....
 

With the shift over to the new version of the website, there have been some minor glitches, espcially in terms of clicking on links and making them work. The admins are still ironing the bugs out. Meanwhile, BW suggested this. If you click on a link like rep or try to search a thread and can't get it to work, just right click on the link and open it in a new window.

I found this worked for me.

- Child

Sorry to say, but I will be very busy 'til mid-August, but I'll try to come up with something from time to time.

Good summer for everyone!

*Runs and runs to the Downs. Crashes through door with a bang and falls back* OWWW!! Who closed the damn door on me!?

Well, I'm back. And it's good to be back....I've missed you all sooooo much!!

I read what happened to Cordelia. So if Crystal or Cordelia get this, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your boyfriend.

Haven't had a chance to go read the RPG thread itself so I'll be making my way over there.

But first, I feel I owe all of you an explanation for my extended absence which should never have been this long.

First off, as you all know, my parents have broken up. In the past few months, I've been attempting to deal with emotional feelings with it and being caught in the middle not to mention I've had the end of school to deal with so the usual study like mad for exams, finish projects, so and so forth. So in other words, life has been crazy and I haven't had much time or energy to put forth into the Downs or anything else really other than school. Now that summer is upon me, I shall be back and hopefully full force!!

So, nice to be back, and I'm off to go read how far you guys have come since my departure.

What's this!? I come back and there's less activity!? I'm quite confuse!!! Come on guys!! Post!!

I'm kind of stuck here, as I don't want to post a 'nothing' post but can't ask another question to Eomer as he is already answering Glirdy's (Darin being on the same horse and all...)

And now is the perfect time to put your two cents in Sixth!! So I shall wait for you to post before I post, so post away!!

C'mon people. :rolleyes:

I wonder where everyone is. I've been keeping my eye on this but posting hasn't been a meaningful option for me since my last post. I wanted to know where the RPG was going; and now I'd like to know if it will be going at all.

To put this bluntly
 

Indeed. I've already played in one RPG (NBRB) that died away and was never properly finished, and I'd hate to lose this RPG the same way.

I'm quite confused if I'm the co-mod of this game anymore or not since even though Glirdy has returned, Crystal has vanished. If I did have that kind of authority, I'd be tempted just to write one post that would take the adventurers to Arnor.

However I don't think that would be good: that would quite efficiently discourage character & relationship development, both of which are very important in RGPs, if you ask me. Secondly, I don't think I'd like to make that big a decision alone, nor to execute it alone. Thirdly, I'm afraid it would lead this RPG to a lame ending.

I so much wish that Valesse and Sixth and especially Glirdy turned up. There's only five of us left and if three are absent, it makes things quite impossible. RPGs need commitment.

I understand people have real lives too and that makes it sometimes difficult to actively take part in an RPG. That was what was with me this summer. Anyway, I think it would be fair to inform your fellow players of your RL hindrances, not just to pop up weeks later and apologise that you've been in a hurry. Just how long does it take to write a post and say you'll be in a big hurry for time x and won't be able to post? Two minutes?

To be honest, I'm wondering why pio is being this lenient with us - she surely needn't to be. To refer again to the NBRB RPG, it was finished when the participation radically slowed down. As pio is granting us this mercy and seemingly believes we're able to finish this RPG, let's not fail her trust, but reward it, and show that we can make it.

And to but this bluntly, I'm less and less interested in writing to this RPG because of this all-devouring inactivity. It's hardly motivating to write posts - long or short - when you don't know if someone replies at all, and if they reply, how long does it take - a week or a month?

Sorry for ranting. And sorry for pointing fingers at people even though I too was definitely very passive during the summer. I'm just annoyed, I'm afraid you just must bear with me...

Anyway, I suggest that everyone in this RPG posts just a few lines on this thread next time they check in and tell if they have some hindrances or time restrictions or not, so that we could form a clear picture how is able to post and who's not and when are people able to post.

Let me start. Since the summer holiday's over and I'm back home, I should have no long-time problems with participating. I might be in hurry for short periods (like from now to next Monday), but in general, I should be able to write quite actively. Is some longer period hurry/hindrance overcomes me, I'll let you know.

How about you guys?

All players please check your PM's.

Thanks in advance!

~*~ Pio

I know Lommy and I both check in frequently still, but I haven't seen any of the others for an age.

Yes, but that isn't going to help us much, now is it? :p Two players can't finish an RPG... I think the situation looks quite bad, but I wouldn't like to "lose" this RPG: this is my second RPG ever (apart from the Inns) and my first one was freezed because people didn't participate and the owner was away... Are these inactive RPGs a curse that follows me? :(

Crystal and Cordelia have resigned from this game because of pressing RL issues.

Glirdy, Sixth and Valesse have simply disappeared. They haven't been around in ages. I don't know anything about Glirdy and Val, but I might be able to say something about Sixth.

Some time ago (a month? or maybe even two?) he complained in LiveJournal about having mental problems with coming back to BD or LJ itself. He said he gets easily ethusiastic about things, but when the first enthusiasm fades and he takes a pause, he doesn't feel comfortable to return to the place. He said something like he'd actually like to check the 'downs, but he can't bring himself to do it.
I happened to be online in MSN the same time with him maybe a week after that LJ-rant and reminded him that there was still this RPG , if nothing else, that should drag him back to BD just to post in this RPG, if not anything else. However, I did not say this very sternly, it was more like a suggestion that he could check this thread and as that was about the final thing I said to him before he had to go, I'm not sure how seriously he took it or how well he remembers it.

We could have the other characters killed or vanished. Then we could carry on as a humorous odd couple. :p

I'd read that.

My friends, a real apology. My teenage mentality must mess around with me despite my determination to be level-headed and rational. Sure, I can 'get over' things, but it was downright selfish of me to not contact you. You have every reason to be resentful or angry towards me. I think I will write something more substantial on this matter in the afore-mentioned LiveJournal.

Real life issues aside; I think I personally have expended most of my possible creative brainpower upon this game. I'm not so sure anymore that chasing players - mainly the biggest slacker of all, ME - and demanding with differing numbers of exclamation marks for us to post is worth the effort. If some others still wish to continue, that's fine and I'll participate much more actively ... but ... is anyone else in the mind for a fresh start? I'm not sure there's much we can gain by continuing here.

That's just my opinion.

Sixth - I'm not resentful or angry with you, but to be honest I am/was annoyed. :) Personally I disagree with you, but that's because I hate giving up in general and I haven't lost all my enthusiasm about this game yet. I believe this could still be great fun if everybody was active and somewhat enthusiastic. In this current state, I'm not so sure.

First of all, AH! No! I live!

*hugs* Sixth, its alright to be human. Blogs are -incredibly- tempting places for that inner teenager to take control. If you've seen my lj, it'll tell you just that. Yikes. None of us have been saintly to this RP, but the fact that we keep coming back, apologizing for not posting should say something about how we feel about the game itself.

I don't want to start over again, like Thino (and, erm... my shot-in-the-dark fresh post I just made) said. Though it doesn't seem like much has happened, I don't believe the remaining players might not have as much of a connection. Eomer suggested the other players are lost in some manner or another-- (I'm not so sure about the killing bit, though it is dramatic and therefore strangely tantilizing)-- and if, by some manner of luck, they were able to return and re-join the game we could have their character found again or another new character introduced.

Now I know I did -somewhat- disappeared from BD (which didn't really help anyone's nerves here, I'm sure) but just so you know it has and will remain my homepage albeit my role changed from poster to simple lurker (and back to poster! Rawr!)

** Valesseka would never allow Jenfred to take her Gondorian, anyways. ;D

Haha, Valesse, I love your attitude. :D Great to see you back.

I dislike giving up too, but I like to think there's a limit when it would be more beneficial to just stop, when we're just being "clingy". After hearing you two just now I'm not sure if we've hit it yet...

So -- has an agreement been made to continue the game? If so, who will begin posting?

Well, there has been no agreement. Valesse has posted though. I think we should vote, everybody stating if we should or should not continue. And no grudges if someone disagrees with you... ;)

I vote for continuing the game.

But if this continues, who's to be the game owner? Glirdan has left and we don't know when he's coming back, Crystal has resigned. I was made a co-owner at one point, so should I (nominally) continue as such?

If the game is to be continued, there will be at the most 4 players (it seems), so it will be drastically altered. We'd have to decide how to deal with the players who have vanished, and how to work this into the story.

So, here’s who’s left the game:

Glirdan (co-owner) – Glirdingo, Elf male of Lorien

Crystal Heart (co-owner) – Arianna, Elf female of Lorien

Cordelia Harrison – Marieme, Elf female

Naria - Syringa, human, female (cabin owner)

~*~

And here’s who remains:

VALESSE – Valesseka, Human female of Arnor

THINLÓMIEN – Thin-Gloomy, Dwarf male of Iron Hills; Jenfried, female from Rohan

EOMER OF THE ROHIRRIM - Éomeléo, young Gondorian nobleman

THE SIXTH WIZARD - Dárin, Dwarf male

---------------

Glirdan has defaulted in his ownership of the game. He would be more than welcome to come back and play his character if he wants to do so.

Of those remaining players, it would be Thinlómien & Eomer of the Rohirrim who are qualified to lead the game per RPG forum rules. Would either or both of you like to step up and do this?

I would, but I would like it even more if Eomer would do so as well, if it pleases him. :)

I have Glirdan's MSN messenger address, so if he happens to be online the same time with me someday soon (he almost never is, though) I'll tell him to check in on this thread. Let's hope he'll come back and we don't need to do so much extra arrangements.

Pio, you missed my another character Jenfried, who entered the game later. She's a Rohanian bandit girl and her character description is in this post. *EDIT by Pio - Fixed it :)*

Aye, sure. :)

Yay! :D

Now I'm all for continuing, so I guess we just need to hear a solid yes or no from Sixth... and, uh, figure out what exactly happens to the Elvish population and Syringa (who we never really ran into... : \)

If the Elves abandon the quest and Eomeleo, Valesseka and Dárin want to continue it, they must take Jenfried with them because they can't even dream about accomplishing it with just three people (not that one more person changes a lot, but it's better than having just three people). Hilarious! :D *malicious grin*

I will continue, if only to be polite. But if there is a mass evacuation I'll be likely to join in (sigh) . :(

To my group:

I am so sorry for leaving you all in the lurch. I did not intend to do that. I have had a lot of problems as of late, but they have been fixed and I am back.

If you'd like we can continue. If not, I would understand.

Again I am deeply sorry to you all. I feel horrible. Please forgive me.

Sincerely yours,

Crystal Heart

It would be best at this point for someone to make a post to the RPG thread.....

~*~ Pio

Thought I would do something a bit interesting. Let's see what we can make out of it. ;)

EDIT: Don't worry about it Crystal, these things happen. Whatever happened, I hope things are ok now.

Thanks Eomer. You are a kind person. I thank you for your understanding.

Haha! nice Thinny. I thought my subscribed topics page was messing up for a moment until I checked out the thread. :p

Hrm. Can we have Dárin's arguments before Valesseka runs off to find Éomeléo? That way the group can split up.

I just caught that, but I'm not sure I understand your question, Eomer. Would it be moving that particular inquiry to an earlier post or... something else?

It was a lovely post, Crystal, but Valesseka had -just- slipped away. : )

You mean Sixth, right? :p

I just meant that Dárin's arguments could have taken place earlier (while Valesseka was still near him) and she slipped off afterwards. That way Dárin could continue with Arianna or Jen or by himself, and Valesseka could have gone off to find Éomeléo.

Now this shouldn't stop to this situation, should it? :rolleyes: Sure you can find some way to sttle things and someone can post. :) I have the feeling this RPG's going on terribly sloooooooowly....