Comrade Duck

The Shadows Have Teeth Olivander could only smile as David admitted to his fear of the dark. However, he kept a feeling in the back of his mind that told him to be cautious and not to take David's words for granted. "My young squire," Olivander said as he stooped a bit to look David in the eye. "You've been a valuable part of this journey. But, a leader should not send in his men to do something he would not. Therefore, please allow me to take this leg of the journey alone. I'll report back with my findings as soon as I'm able." Without another word, Olivander stood up and entered the cave. Naturally, it was dark. That was to be expected, of course. This was an enclosed structure of rock that only allowed light on one of two ends of its entirety. But, as Olivander moved further along, the darkness seem to expand in all directions around him. As he wound a corner, Olivander suddenly felt lost. His sense of direction had been swallowed by the intense blackness of this cave. It was just as David had described, but was much more intense in person. Each step further into the darkness made Olivander question why any sane person would come this way. Furthermore, it made him question if he was sane to have pursued this route to find Pfeifer. A moment passed, and Olivander suddenly got a chill up his spine. A quiet rumble beneath his feet made Olivander feel uneasy. It was like he was walking through the lungs of a sleeping giant. The whole cave seemed be alive, breathing in and out. "What the fuck is with this cave?" he whispered aloud to himself. He then quickly wished he hadn't said that aloud, for fear that something would answer back to him. The unnatural darkness coupled with the trembling earth was enough to keep the Watchdog on edge. Thankfully, he could finally see daylight a few meters ahead of him. He sprinted toward it, stumbling over a rock, and landing in the dirt with his knees. With a huff, Olivander looked up to the sky, thankful that he could see the listless skies. Their boring, empty blue was more than welcome than darkness and rumbling. A deep sigh escaped Olivander as he lowered his head, only to find himself staring directly at Pfeifer. He chuckled to himself before he addressed the boy. Pfeifer was sitting with his knees to his chest, also admiring the clearing above him. "David said you would be here. You look like you're in deep thought," Olivander said, finally sitting on his butt and crossing his legs. "What's on your mind?" he asked of Pfeifer.

With Yui's blessing I've been given the opportunity to revive it. I don't want to go nuts just yet so I won't give you my plotline. However, I'd like to garner interest to see if there are still more than two invested parties in it. If I can get at least three others excluding myself, I'll happily share details. This is just an interest check.

A Daunting Silence Watching David doodle in the dirt captivated Olivander for a short moment. Perhaps there was no drawing that David was putting together. Or, at least, that's what Olivander thought until the circles were added to the lines. "Is that a penis?" he thought silently. His mind briefly wandered back to Flynt and Olivander's face went red. Then, he immediately frowned and focused his attention back on David. "I'll deal with him later." "... I guess if you want to help, I mean, I’m either looking for treasure or the guy that buried it. I’m sure Pfeifer’s fine, I mean, but I haven’t seen him in a bit.” That last bit worried Olivander. He kept his smile but he was silently wondering what happened to Pfeifer. With another yawn and a stretch Olivander stood to his feet. "Well, young squire, I propose that we gather all of the King's forces and search for treasure together. That is to say, we should find Pfeifer first, and then we'll go searching for treasure. For we are stronger together than we are apart. What say you?" "I guess that makes sense," David said. "Is he gonna be a squire too or does he have to be less than a squire for running off and shirking his squire duties?" Olivander chuckled. "We'll reprimand him. Then, you'll be the lead squire and take charge of the treasure hunt. Lead the way, squire!" Olivander hoped that they would find Pfeifer sooner than later. He was trusting David to lead the way, but he would keep his eyes open for any telltale signs of Pfeifer's presence.

The CEO of Atlas. Is this before Jack? I didn't play BL1

Aretha Franklin "What have you done?" He didn't answer. "Do you realize you've put the entire world in jeopardy?" He remained silent. "Well!?" Olivander could only smirk. "Your audacious behavior will stop. You will show us the respect we deserve! Whether it be now, or with the end of--!" Olivander awoke with a soft grunt. He rubbed his eyes and sat up slowly. As he stretched and yawned he realized he was in the presence of David. With a smile, he reached out and messed David's hair as he greeted the boy. "Hello my young squire," he joked. He finally stood up and took note of his surroundings. Pfeifer had gone and it would appear that David arrived not long ago. How long had he been asleep for? Long enough to dream but not enough to ring in a new day. "And what can I do for you?" Olivander felt like something was off. Things were happening now that weren't parallel to yesterday's events, despite time being reset over Corpus. This meant that he and Kitt changed things. Yet, Olivander couldn't shake the feeling that these changes were not set in stone. In fact, he knew they weren't. At any time, Flynt could recite the Law of Cycles and force them to start again. Unfortunately for him, Olivander had no choice except to see the day to its end, whenever that may be.

All In “I’m willing to change the deal, though, since I don’t want to question you too much. You can either do the thing you agreed to do yesterday and tell me what I’m looking for or, at the very least, you can make sure David hears it. He doesn’t even have to remember it, but if you’re keeping it from me when I’ve gotten so close, I don’t want to be alone.” It made perfect sense for Pfeifer to follow Olivander. After all, being promised one thing and being given something else was a slap in the face. As a man of his word, Olivander knew that, and he regretted gambling with this boy. He was beat, and all of the cards in his hand were dead. All this would cause Olivander to do is commit to the hand he had been dealt, and see it through to the end. And so he would, even if meant scarring Pfeifer for the rest of his life. While he held no resentment to Pfiefer, the boy's resolve pushed him and forced him to honor his word. Doing so would come at a cost to the both of them, whether it be now or later. As he finally allowed a sigh to break his lips, Olivander faced Pfeifer and stared him down. He understood exactly what these words meant to Pfeifer and why he was so insistent on learning the truth. Language isn't as precise as an arrow, but its just as deadly in the wrong hands. And that was why he hated what he was about to say. "There comes a price when you make things bigger than yourself -- something as big as the gods themselves -- all about you. I had hoped that you would understand how dangerous this line of thinking was without putting your feet on the coals. But it would seem you're willing to learn from pain," Olivander said with a shrug. He learned from pain too. It was a familiar lesson. "So, Pfeifer. I'll tell you exactly what you want to know. I won't repeat myself, and you're not to repeat what you hear either. Those are my terms. And if you violate them, I'll kill you. Whether you break those rules now or in the future, Pfeifer. I will kill you. Do you understand?" Olivander stuck out his hand and offered a handshake to Pfeifer. Pfeifer didn't hesitate, but he didn't take the handshake either. "Tell David too, then. Make him the same deal too, threaten to kill him, whatever, but he's the one dealing with me all the time. He should know it too." "This isn't about David, Pfeifer. This is about containing a Word of Power. One I promised that I would give you. What he should know is that things will return to normal. Even if I have to kill his Headmaster. I only made this promise to you, not to David." Olivander left his hand extended, his eyes still even with Pfeifer's. That did get Pfeifer to hesitate, biting his lip as he finally realized the gravity of the situation. But he did surrender his hand to Olive eventually. "Okay," he said. "'I have a soft spot for someone who can argue with the best of them, huh?" The contract had been sealed, and two people gave their words. Olivander then escorted Pfeifer out to the woods on the edge of the island until he was absolutely sure that there was no one in earshot of either of them. There, he revealed everything to Pfeifer, creating indirect verbal links between its wording to prevent reciting the spell accidentally aloud. "Words of power are words that belong to the gods. They are words that, when recited in a particular fashion, have a grand effect on the world, from what I understand. The word you heard, E͘xǫlv̵u͞ǹt͘u̢ŕ, causes a change in time. It effectively reverts the state of everyone and everything by the person who perfectly recites its spell. To do so is to invoke said spell. This spell of E͘xǫlv̵u͞ǹt͘u̢ŕ is called the Law of Cycles. And that is why you feel the way you feel, and have experienced the same day for so long." When he was done, Olivander took a seat under a shady tree, sighing with relief. "It's a big weight off my shoulders to tell you the truth, but I hate it all the same." He stared up into the canopy of trees as their leaves waved back and forth against the island's breeze. Tucking his arms behind his head, Olivander couldn't decide what his next move would be. "I don't yet know the range of the spell. Obviously it has encompassed all of Corpus, but how much further does it reach? It appears to affect even the weather, now that I think about it. Flynt said he's trying to prevent a catastrophe. Yet, he's keeping you all prisoner to make sure he gets his own, satisfactory, happy ending." Olivander sucked his teeth. "Remember our deal, Pfeifer," he said as he turned his attention back to the young man. "I am a man of my word. Just this once, I would prefer not to honor it," he said with no hint of sarcasm. "I'm trusting you with something dangerous. I'm asking you to keep word." Without another thought, Olivander lowered his guard and tucked his head into his chest. A few minutes later, he was snoring away beneath that big tree, plotting his next move in his dreams.

I guess, in my opinion, a large rp consists of more than five players, and a small rp would consist of three to four players max, including the host. You're right in that either works, I was just wondering what your personal preference was.

I think it's difficult to hold out hope for a severely lessened cast. With a few obvious exceptions, some rps require their full cast for success. And I think that's where the problem lies. Taking my own failures for example, I could've left things open. But due to the nature of the rp, without a full cast it fell apart and unraveled the overarching plot. But with that in mind, maybe it's safer in this community to make smaller scale rps that don't require more than 3 - 4 total players including the host in order to keep things going in the long term. Larger rps that do succeed seem to be an outlier, which makes them more appealing overall (in my opinion) but more difficult to maintain. I guess what I'm thinking is, do you wanna take the risk and put it all out there for everyone to play or do you want something small and dedicated that has a higher chance of succeeding? And what appeals to you more? Large or small rps? Thanks for all your insight.

Cutting off Atlas at His Head "I learned about what you were interested in, first hand," Olivander said as he approached Pfeifer. "Though I suppose that much is obvious since we're meeting like this again." Olivander wasn't going to pretend like this was his first meeting with Pfeifer. At this point, he knew better. Instead, he got right to the point. Olivander sighed as he placed his back to the cave wall. "I want to keep my promise to you Pfeifer, but I'm only able to fulfill part of it. I cannot repeat what Flynt said. It's too dangerous. But I can tell you that you're not crazy. What you heard-- well I won't go into detail, lest you find yourself in incredible danger. But know that everything you think you know, is true to a fault. So I'll ask this of you only once," Olivander said, staring Pfeifer in his eyes. "Do not seek out this path any further. It could get you, your friends, or the people you love, hurt or worse. And that's all I'm willing to say on the matter." "As for that coin you keep taking from David," he said as he took one of Lord Hinder's Serpentine Gold from a small pouch in his pocket. He handed the gold piece to Pfeifer. "Take this instead. It's much more valuable. By Lord Hinder's blessing as His watchdog, I'm allowed to give these coins to those I choose. They may not look-it, but they're far greater than gold. I'll ask that you hold onto it dearly. When you are in dire straits, offer it to Lord Hinder. Then, I won't be long behind. I know this is a lot for me to ask of you, Pfeifer," Olivander said, taking the boy's hand and wrapping the Serpetine Gold in Pfeifer's palm. "Please. Trust me. I'm going to set things right with Flynt. With the help of my fellow watchdog. And I hope that when I see you next, you'll know that things are right again." Olivander took another Serpentine Gold from his pouch. He had as many as he would need, but this was the first time he had given one away. "David," Olivander called. "Catch." With a flick of his thumb, he lobbed the coin gently toward David. "One for each of you, if ever you need me. And no more fighting. You boys are friends. You should only be fighting to protect one another," Olivander said as he began making his way back to the town center. "I'll be at the only altar in town if you want to talk more."

Now that I've had time to digest your thoughts, I have to admit its accurate, if disappointing. Especially the last lines where we would have to basically accept that nothing will last. But I don't find comfort in accepting that as an inevitability. While our options are limited, I do feel like there is something that can be done, and that we shouldn't just sit idly by and let rp after rp die. Take yours, for example. You weren't strict and you work with players (I can attest to that personally). But after a week, you would ping us and let us know, "hey, get on your stuff". Not in those words obviously, but it keeps Sonic and I going. And to be honest, I think its an effective tactic. It reminds players, "you've made a commitment". Obviously it won't work on everyone. Some people could get that ping and just be like, "I've lost interest, sorry" and dip. But with that in mind, I think its an option. You also hit the nail on the head when it comes to communication. I think that players (including myself since I know I'm guilty of it) need to explain when they're losing interest before its long gone. Approach the host ahead of time and just be forward about it. "Hey, I'm losing the interest I first had in the rp." "Can you tell me why?" "I think it's because of (A, B, C)." "Well let's address it and see if we can't keep you interested." Simple things like that I think would go a long way to increase the longevity of RPs at NCM and I think we need to try harder. Players and hosts alike.

When Seasons Change “You surmised correctly, he has heard a word of power. I couldn’t tell you how; I don’t know what he was doing up at midnight, which is when I normally use it, but he most certainly has. He has probably told you, he is looking to hear it again. But of all the things I told you, you should know the danger such knowledge will bring." Olivander silently frowned. The one thing he didn't want to do was break his word. It was all he had as a thief. But keeping that promise could very well put others in danger, and he wouldn't be responsible for that. “That being said, this was your charge yesterday. You are the watchdogs here, what are you going to do?” Olivander stood up and folded his arms. "Nothing. Not until you tell us the rest," he said firmly. "If you believe disaster is imminent, then why would you keep these people trapped here? Evacuate them. You cannot prevent what the gods have willed. Not forever." Olivander was poised to leave with David as he did before, but something made him stay. "My concern is that, if you keep this up, you'll make things worse. You will anger the gods and bring an unbridled fury down on all of Corpus for intervening in the divine. As a former watchdog, I would think you'd understand how problematic that can be." Olivander sighed. "You fear for their lives and safety. I understand your reasoning. But you will inevitably fail. And the results will be catastrophic."

Aye I'm not OP but I'm pretty sure it's not necessary. Plus, OP provided wiki links to keep us informed on anything critical. You good homie.

It seems the general opinion of new rps and franchised rps are roughly the same. Something familiar is welcome and easy to get into. Something new is exciting and brings challenges. With that in mind, is the rp community at NCM so small that franchised and new rps die too quickly? Excluding my own, I've seen and have been apart of at least 3 franchised rps that have died a few weeks in with no real explanation. Posts just stop. What can we do as a community to better keep the rps we have alive? I have a few thoughts that I'd love your feedback on: Suggestions for new rps (is it too complex or too simple? what is it missing that could draw you in?) Suggestions for franchise rps when things feel slow or seem to dwindle (how to keep an rp sparked with life?)

I totaled my car last Tuesday. I'm still traumatized by the accident but I'm desperately trying to cope with it and not show it. To be completely honest, I still wish I had died in the accident so that I wouldn't feel so fucking helpless like I do now. I keep telling myself this shit is gonna pass but I already had enough trauma on my fucking mental and now I've added to it. I'm exhausted, going broke, angry, and depressed. And I don't want to feel any of that.

Sharp as a Marble Everything seemed normal at first glance. Flynt's greeting as they left the Swallow Tail was the same. But things were quickly unraveling as they sat down to eat. In fact, Flynt wasted no time at all getting right to the point. “I imagine you have some questions for me.” Olivander nodded silently as he sat back in his seat. “‘Why?’ is probably at the forefront of your minds. It certainly would be if I were in your position. But you should eat first. You didn’t get to eat dinner yesterday, after all, and hopefully some food will get you to calm down after the shock.” Olivander sighed. Even the food was the same, he noticed as a bowl was placed in front of him. But he was hungry. Without waiting for Kitt or Flynt to join him, Olivander began to shovel food into his gullet. It was as delicious now as it was the first time he had it. "I'm not sure what's worse; the fact that this is as enjoyable a meal as I had the first time or that I trust anything you place in front of me. But you're a fine cook. I'll give you that," Olivander said. "Down to business," he said as he practically inhaled his meal in one fell swoop. "What's your goal here? Surely you know the gods are furious. I mean, from what little I can tell, it would seem that you're able to control a lot with the law of cycles. Does that include life and death? Are you trying to reverse something that has brought harm to Corpus? Are you trying to keep yourself young and live forever? What is it?" The entire time, Olivander was staring Flynt in his gorgeous eyes. He wanted to be angry, but he also wanted to understand.

EDIT: Since this thread got a few replies I'm going to post more questions to further inquire about the state of NCM's RP section. I hope that you'll continue to join in the conversation so we can grow together. What do you look for in an RP? What does it take to keep your interest and investment? Do you prefer original ideas or rps based off something you're familiar with?

Lackluster Olivander sighed, running his fingers through his hair. "He left when Flynt was alone in the home with us...and when I awoke this morning, he simply gave me the same greeting as he did when we first arrived in Corpus. That said, the ones in proximity were you, myself and of course Flynt. Now I'm not sure if Pfeifer was around at this point...so perhaps he's broken from the recycle...but still...we know things now." "Then, you think being present during the casting of the word of power determines recollection?" Olivander mused. "He left when Flynt was alone in the home with us...and when I awoke this morning, he simply gave me the same greeting as he did when we first arrived in Corpus." "Perhaps it has memory wiping properties when you're not present?" Olivander thought aloud. "I'm going to ask that you put your trust in me, please." Olivander nodded. "You know Flynt better than I do. And I'd rather not kill a Watchdog if I don't have to." "It's a gamble, but I think for the time being, we pretend we're oblivious to this loop. If we're alone with Flynt and he addresses it, then we drop it and we demand to know what's going on. Blood shed is only necessary if he physically strikes first. A peaceful solution could still be found...we just need to play our cards right." "That's a hell of a gamble, Kitt," Olivander replied, finally standing again. "I'll work with you. And I'll follow your lead. But as I'm sure you know by now, I'm not one for politics when it comes to putting the lives of others on a roll of the dice. If he doesn't concede and stop what he's doing, then in the end, I will kill him." Olivander had that twinkle in his eyes again. "I don't say that to drive a wedge between us. But the dice are in your hands now. And I can only pray you don't roll snake eyes." Kitt was right though. Feigning ignorance would be best for now. If Flynt knew that Olivander and Kitt retained their memories, there's no reason he wouldn't address it, right? Unless, of course, he saw fit to toy with them and delay the inevitable. Olivander was frustrated and annoyed. He let out another sigh and unfolded his arms. "Alright then. Let's play our roles to the best of our abilities," Olivander said as he slowly opened the door to his room.

(W.I.P.)

Do you have a preference on created or established breathing techniques? I just wanna be sure before I get into this.

Down to Business The thunderclap awoke Olivander right away, but he wasn't frightened by it this time. Rather, when he sat up, he was brooding. His face folded into an angry frown as he picked up his dagger from his bedside. "I'm gonna cut out his tongue," he thought angrily, about Flynt. As he stood to his feet, Olivander heard a rapping on his door. "Olive, it's Kitt." Olivander yanked the door open and pulled Kitt inside without a second word. He locked the door behind Kitt, still clutching the dagger. "He's destroying the balance, Kitt. That right belongs only to the gods. Recycling days like this... how angry has he made them?" Olivander asked. But he didn't bother waiting for an answer. "That's our answer. That's what's causing this 'twilight' with Corpus." Olivander's shoulders were tense, but he finally allowed them to relax. He dropped his dagger and slid back against the wall. "But this time, I'm not going to be of much use. I'm afraid that if I act now, I may inevitably kill Flynt, which will get us nowhere," he said in a hushed whisper. "I guess, the next step is to figure out what he's trying to accomplish," Olivander said, rubbing his head. "And how do we stop him when he can control the flow of time itself?"