board77

This is not yet the reall OOC - more a brainstorming and an expostion of some ideas.

In the first post general ideas for a story line, in the second a first character biography for two persons (I have another one ready - must just type it)

A survivor’s RP…

My initial idea was to write or at least to attempt to write for once something not Tolkien related. That does not necessarily mean that all fantasy elements should be excluded, but the background would be good, old planet Earth.

Time frame: the first years of the 19th century. Sydney is founded already, but of course still small. Not all of Australia is already claimed as British territory. The sea-roads are well-known, but not yet entirely mapped and travelled often enough to know all islands on the road and to find an eventually stranded group.

Beginning point of the story: A ship leaves England for Australia. On board are of course, those, who chose to emigrate: many of them second or third sons of farmers who would not inherit ground, those who have no future where they live and thus decide to try their chance elsewhere. Most are rather young people, searching for a new life, a chance. Among the passengers are as well women as men, but in the social and cultural context of the time, women would not travel alone, but with husband, father or uncle.

A part of the “passengers” did not choose freely to go to Australia, but were sent there as prisoners or convicts. They did not have necessarily have to be heavy criminals – thieves, burglars, those who could not pay their debts. But some of them could be – if it tempts you.

After several weeks of voyage, during which the passengers could have met each other a bit already a storm rises. The bad condition of the ship, the lack of experience of the crew – a bad combination of circumstances bring it to sink. I would like to start the story at the moment of sinking , when in the panic of the storm, some passengers are evacuated in rescue canoes, whereas others remain on the wreckage.

Only a part of the passengers survive – it would be for logistic reasons easiest if it was the group which remained on the main part of the ship who survives the storm, so that they can use parts of the ship or its equipment once they have stranded on the island…

After the sinking on the island, many problems have to be solved – how to eat, where to live… the island would have to be explored, hunting techniques found or invented, fire made. Quickly other problems will occur: how to make dresses – or just how to live in promiscuity with people you do not know. The combination of emigrants of free will and convicts is of course a potential source of conflicts.

I am also personally interested in several aspects:
- technical questions of how you make things, how you get along with nothing, how you make weapons, arrows, houses.
- Emotional questions: how do you live after having people see die under your eyes. How do those whose family survived look at the others who lost everything? How do you live when you have to rely on the other for survival.
- Organisation : look at this board only – how does a bunch of people thrown together get along? Who will lead?

I would like to cover the first year of installation – until everybody has accepted that they will have to stay there, and that there is no coming back and that their live will be on that island. From the moment when they were stranded to the moment when they become settlers, with a new home.

Several books have greatly inspired me for this, besides Robinson Crusoe, Jules Verne’s “The mysterious island”, “Two years of holidays”, of course Golding’s “Lord of the Flies” and a German book called : “Die Höhlenkinder”. A science fiction/ fantasy version of the subject which I greatly liked was “Landing on Darkover”.

As for fantasy elements…

Besides your input, mystic experience, like vision almost seems inevitable to me in an extreme situation… but of course nothing like unexplained disappearing or mysterious beasts….

Characters for survivors RP :

Moira and Nigel Grandfield

Moira was the third daughter of William Fiberson, a shoemaker in a village in southern Wales. Disappointed with the birth of a third daughter instead of the desired heir for his business. Her father has not taken more care of Moira than of her elder sisters, Elaine and Sarah-Louise Moira has been sent to school until the age of eleven – she knows how to read and to write and basic arithmetic.

At the age of twelve her parents sent Moira as a housemaid to a family of local notables, the Suttertons. She was mainly hired to help in the kitchen, to take care of the washing and ironing, and occasionally to serve when the family received guests. During her first year, Moira still went home for the night, but with the birth of several children after her, among which four lived, there was not a lot of space for her in her parent’s house.

At the age of thirteen, Moira moved to her employer’s house, where she remained until her marriage with Nigel in the year of her nineteenth birthday. In the daily contact with wealthy and cultured family, her taste and her knowledge evolved. Moira discovered that she likes fashion and learned to sew. She inherited several dresses from the elder daughter and transformed them to her own taste. She read, mainly classic poetry and pious novels, but her natural curiosity led her to devore the book-shelves of the entire family in her meagre free time.

She met Nigel, a young vicar, at a dinner in the Sutterton’s house, when she helped out. Nigel was then 27, ten years older than her. He had been sent to seminar by his uncle, both of his parents had died from cholera in the Indian colonies. After a year of discrete courtship, he asked her to marry him, which she would have willingly accepted, but her father refused. Her mother had recently died in childbirth, the twelvth and last child, the long expected son. With her two elder sisters married already, and Moira’s closest younger sister working for better wages than herself he wanted his daughter back home. Moira and the Suttertons refused and during a heart-wrenching year, Moira faced the wrath of her father and the growing pressure from Nigel, even if he understood her refusal to marry him and live in the same city without her father’s blessing.

It was thus Nigel’s idea to leave for a community in Australia, where he is promised land and a house if he becomes the vicar of a newly founded town. Moira accepted this and they got married less than a week before setting sails. Moira was then nineteen, rather tall (1m75) and thin, with long, hazel-nut brown curls and dark-brown eyes. Her vivid intelligence was continually underchallenged. Her nose covered with sunspots, she is rather cute than beautiful, rather cuddly than elegant. Nigel was 29, not taller than his wife with dark-blonde hair and green eyes. He was very sincerely in love with Moira, whose abilities he saw better than herself. Pious and learned, he could read and write, knew Latin and Greek, played and organ and piano, but had no experience of country life.

Moira admired her husband for his studies and knowledge, and was happy with the perspetive of a different life in a far-away country. She enjoyed his company and thought of this kind affection as love.

Double post little sheep

But interesting idea. I may have a couple of ideas playing in the back of my mind.

I would love to write a political prisoner, not sure who yet, but almost a marxist intellectual revoultionary and see how he would cope in the new world when it really is back to basics.

One that sprung to mind imidiatly would be a native. The interaction would be facinating, and possibly not long term, but the ide of this native who sells them food, and they ahve to learn from even though he (he?) has no intention of teaching them, or no understanding that they lack the skills.

Or the surving naval officer, who should be an ensign or midshippman, who is too young to be in charge.

Or the missionary Now that would be fun.

Let me play with ideas, and see what does come up.

Even though we are not allowed dinosaurs and lost colonies of Atlantian mystics

i too have thoughts on characters but must brainstorm a bit

sounds really interesting Nin

Din - I corrected the double post with the bio that should have been there.

Honestly, I thought of natives too....

Told ya before, and i'm still interested.

Would have to think of a character, though........that might take a while.

And is it just me, or might our adventure be a little like Lost? Anyone watch that show? it's really good :mrgreen: Bet this adventure is going to be better, though, i can't wait

Nin wrote:

Din - I corrected the double post with the bio that should have been there.

Honestly, I thought of natives too....

I saw

Natives would be fun, but they should be on the next island was my thinking. They can trade with the survivors, but the interation and blending of the two cultures would take years. That would be fab to write, the whole incident from the natives view point, all the confusion about what the newcomers are doing.

If you let me, I would love to write that ( is begging bad in this situation? )

Do you want these fellows completely cut off, or would there be room for an odd, possibly slightly crazy fellow who's poking around the islands for fun and idle exploration to show up?

Quote:

would there be room for an odd, possibly slightly crazy fellow who's poking around the islands for fun and idle exploration to show up?

Sounds like a wizard to me, Guru.

I'm still trying to think of a character....i'm not very good at this real-life stuff

Nin, you just may suck me into this thing.... I love this time period (though the historians here will lambast me for my inaccuracies ) Lemme see what I can cook up...

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Lemme see what I can cook up...
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No, that will be for my natives to decide, you know, who is invited for dinner.

(Excepty Nin who we will worship as a goddess)

Honestly I'd rather prefer those people to be completely cut off society.

Which makes the question of the period less accurate - once they're on the island, they're rather out of time.

i have this maniacal idea of a mother with two kids and her teenage daughter falls for one of the convicts on the ship/island.






I watch too much junk on tv i swear.

Jae , if you keep on like this, I'll think you want to start to RP about thinking of England

Why not?

Would you want to write the convict yourself?

hmmm maybe it's just an idea i know i'll have little time after this week so may just want to change my mind. writing four characters gets a bit too much no?

funny

Well.... I have a boring seminar this afternoon.... let's see what comes out of it.

Hmm...

I'll come up with a character...I swear I will...

Would it be totally weird if I played.. erm.. me? No, not Alandriel (though there are certain resemblances I admit *cough* ) ... just plain ol' moi

Might be interesting you know...How would a RL Nin, react? How a RL Guru? Dindraug? Jaeniver..... Peeg?

You wanted 'realism' - well, here it could be. Or tell me to shut up if I'm totally off the rocker...

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Resident witch

That is actually a fantastic idea. Would be really interesting to play ourselves, terrifing though.

How the hell would we do that?