Featured Stories

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October 2017

Greetings to all and welcome back for another Feature Article! For this month’s edition, I have the pleasure of sharing a fantasy based roleplay with you, titled ‘To be a Queen’, written by members ThePurplePriestess and BlueBear. For this feature, we will learn more about how the authors interacted when plotting, what the overall plot consists of and some behind the scenes questions with the creators.

As mentioned in the last article, writers can meet in various ways. With this pair, it was interesting to learn they already knew each other in real life before coming to the site. ThePurplePriestess has been a member of Guilty Pleasures since November 2016 while BlueBear joined in January 2017. The pair came together to expand on a plot idea by Priestess that was ditched by a previous writer. The overall plotting took 1-2 days before starting but is also an ongoing process as they write. Relating to the contributions and ideas shared, we discovered that while sharing half of the plot each, BlueBear focused on the world building while Priestess worked on the character development and themes. When asked about her experience writing with BlueBear, she responded with “He is always fun to write with. His characters are always something else and the worlds he can build are simply amazing.”

The plot for this story is described by BlueBear as such. "In a medieval world a scarred warrior is forced to make a beautiful noblewoman his Queen and they must work out the deceptions in their castle and between themselves." With one to two days of plotting, it was interesting to see the initial result. The plot is described as a part action part political drama with the possibility of a tragic ending; which is still being debated. The main themes include inner strength and questioning of social morality while the genre consists of romance, action, and fantasy. When inquired about the character roles for each writer, we found that Priestess plays Ophiris, her Father, and Morello while BlueBear plays Drausus, his Father, and Ericsson. There is also a host of minor characters as well and new ones to be introduced in the future. The main characters, Ophiris and Drausus have an interesting contrast in personalities. “Ophiris is a proper Lady that was raised to be her Father's tool. She knows how to navigate the backstabbing ways of the best courts in the land and has a good head for politics. Deep inside she has a yearning to be more than someone's trophy wife but she is mostly unaware of it herself and doesn't know how to go about doing that anyway. Drusus was heavily abused as a child but he really does have a gentle heart, as can be seen by the way he interacts with animals. He is completely socially inept but for that reason, he also doesn't hold a lot of the same prejudices as some people do. He doesn't consider Ophiris weak just because she is a woman.” The story is said to contain dark themes that are “...not for the faint of heart” which include hints of rape and the breaking of spirits, suicide, abuse, and murder.

For this article, it is always a joy to be able to ask the writers some behind the scenes questions. This month, I asked Priestess how Ophiris specifically represented her to which she replied “I think we have all had a point in our lives where we stood at crossroads and not known which direction to take. A point where we had to pick ourselves up and make the hard choices that would remake us into new people. It was that part of me I put into this.” When questioned on who their favorite character was to write/read about, Priestess answered with “Honestly Morello is so much fun to write. He is such a stuck up little ass.” Relating back to the plot, an inquiry was made regarding possible plot twists to which Priestess responded enthusiastically with “Heck yes! xD” Finally, when asked about where she got her inspiration from, she replied with “I usually think about these things while taking my evening walks around the neighborhood.” I also had the opportunity to ask Bluebear about his interpretation of Drausus’ personality to which he replied "Drausus is a strong warrior who feels a more emotional connection to the horses in his stable than his own family. When given choice to do anything he will almost always do nothing and is reliant on others for things like 'purpose' and 'goals'. Rather than revel in freedom or peace he gets from being the new King, instead, he fears the silence it brings and the traumas that come to the surface when his hands are idle."

Whether through new friendships or old companions, a writing partner can be found just about anywhere. In this month’s article, we found that when some chapters are closed by one, they can easily be opened with another. The story ‘To be a Queen’ has the capability to draw you into its well-detailed worlds, a variety of themes/genres as well as the wonderful romance story. We also learned some interesting things about the writers such as how inspiration can come from something as simple as an evening walk. I would like to thank both ThePurplePriestess and BlueBear for their cooperation and time. With 231 replies in, this story is certainly worth a read.

Ally xoxo

August 2017

For this month’s feature, I am delighted to shine the spotlight on a supernatural story created by members Silver Wolf and Ragnarok. The story Into the Unknown is described by Silver as a fantasy mystery that centers on the Seven Deadly Sins in their human forms. In this month’s article, we will be looking at interactions of the authors behind this story, the overall plot itself, as well as "Behind the Scenes" questions with Silver Wolf.

When finding writing partners, the methods used can vary. Some may find each other through RP threads, others find a companion in the general chat. Some are already familiar with one another while others are complete strangers. For Silver Wolf and Ragnarok, they were well acquainted prior and found they shared similar interests in the general chat. With these shared interests being Silver’s love for fantasy and Ragnarok’s fondness of mystery, they tossed around plot ideas. Both writers agreed to be assigned one main character each and for both to play the Sins plus other various characters freely. With effective communication, it did not take long to come up with a final plot.

Working together, both writers came together with an appealing plot. With fantasy being the main theme, the story is set in a world with all sorts of demons causing havoc with a human girl who wanders into their midst. Silver goes on to describe the plot as such: “A human (Seraphina) stumbling into a world not her own, curiosity pushing her to walk through that door, and step into a place controlled by demons, particularly the 7 Deadly Sins, fitting exactly what they need, plus so much more.” Both writers are always adding new ideas as they come along. According to Silver, more plot points are yet to be mentioned which led to the next question: will there be any romance between any main characters? While answering with a "most likely," she elaborated by noting how she is not one to force romance, it is a matter of if these unmentioned characters will fall for each other. Further on, the mentioning of Seraphina’s father was addressed and it was said that "there is good reasoning for the hint about him, and a point for later on but I shan’t reveal why." The seeds planted along the way sound very intriguing and will hopefully make for good plot development.

For this article, there was the opportunity to ask the writer Silver some "Behind the Scenes" questions regarding the roleplay. When asked which audience would be best suited for this kind of story, Silver suggested it for lovers of "fantasy, mystery and some crazy Sins." Behind the scenes, Silver was asked how the character Seraphina specifically represented her. In response, Silver mentioned that they share the same curiosity. “She’s driven to get closer to this mansion, drawn to its walls beyond the gate, grasping for whatever rumours or stories there are, and even when she pushes away the temptation, it still lingers until she gives in and takes advantage of a chance to see more.” Following on from this, Silver was also asked who was her favourite character to write for and/or read about to which she responded eagerly: “Right now I love our Sin Sloth, or Gideon. He is so lazy, choosing to nap on the sidelines, much to his sibling’s irritation. He takes the easy or lazy way out of situations, where there's less chance of having to hear from his brother Wrath/Alistair. Less effort, more sleep seems to be his go-to thought process. Often his siblings will scold him, but he'll just yawn right through it. Just a warning, if he is ever fully awoken, steer clear.”

Creative writing is an art form that can be gratifying to share with others. When discussing the authors' interactions, we found that a writing partner can be found in various places and can be with anyone, friend or stranger. The story Into the Unknown is an intriguing read with much potential for further plot development such as possible romance and hidden twists along the way. Behind the scenes, we learned how writers can associate themselves with characters in various ways as well as having a favorite to write about. I would like to thank Silver Wolf for taking the time to be interviewed as well as Ragnarok for agreeing to share this story. Four lengthy replies in, this story is fresh off the market and an excellent time to start reading if you want to follow along with the creators!

Ally xoxo

October 2016

Underlying Afflatus

Salutem Member,

As we all know, a story can be inspiring and it can ignite ideas or create an urge to form your own story based off another. In the literary world, there's a bunch of fine print with copyright and plagiarism, but in the world of roleplay, this doesn't apply (as long as you aren't making a profit off of it). In roleplay, your hand is the quill that writes or continues the story. In roleplay, there is no giving justice to an original work but there is the emotional resonation of preexisting art. This week, I welcome you to 'Go back to Whence You Came' of the Underlying Afflatus, featuring an on-going fandom thread created by Questor, who joined in October of 2014, and BellaAmore, who joined in January of 2016, that began in March of 2016 titled 'Return to Middle Earth'.

It begins years after Sauron's defeat where the heroes of the last age are but legends in history, a new fellowship is formed. To quote Questor, "It was never told what lay beyond in the East. The map just ended as if there was more but not shown." This is a valid point and many fans of the Lord of the Rings franchise share this sentiment.

I was captivated after reading the first few replies, compelling the scroll of my mouse to see more. I didn't even realize I had clicked the arrow bringing me to the next page! The words painted a thrilling adventure and the characters, Pegawen and Lotharn heavily contribute to what hooked me in. What's more is that these are not the only characters focused on! It's probably why I'm eagerly anticipating the rest of the story, to be honest.

I felt surreal reading the genuine reactions and emotional story, leaving me to wonder how hard it is for these two talented roleplayers to reply to one another. They both admit that they put initial consideration on the characters' reactions during their time invested writing and that is the's ultimate factor to the outcome of the story. Questor also considers the interest of his writing partner while BellaAmore adopts the stance of letting story progress naturally and puts emphasis on the angles and emotions of her character.

At the end of the day, I am sincerely convinced that the 258 replies (upon writing this article) are worth every second. I believe your minds will writhe in excitement at the scenes and start looking at the most minute of details in the character's reactions. There are so many emotional sinkholes to trap you in the moment too! Between you and me, I cannot wait for the climax and, according to the writers, that's a distance away.

May you enjoy it as much as I have,
LadyLena