I don't know why, but all my female characters in KTDARPG suddenly seem to be finding themselves in dark places.Didn't plan it this way. It's what some of us refer to as "letting the story write itself." You find yourself putting words together that (it feels like) someone else is whispering in your ear. I've seen the phenomenon at work many times--on me and on other players.
My warrior-woman "Tara" has just become the unlikeliest (and most reluctant) of mothers. The self-involved "Valentine" is on a path to self-destruction and doesn't seem to care. And my wanting-to-be-fiercely-independent "Jade" finds herself in the same hellish nightmare she barely escaped from once before.
This season in the game, I guess a lot of our established characters are changing, growing, evolving. It's just taken me by surprise.Have to confess, I'm looking forward to what happens next.--Chyna
Photo source: copyright Renaissance Pictures
Watching endless reruns on WAM!, it occurred to me that Season-5 of The Tribe had everything we loved about the show since the beginning:Danger -- from Mega threatening Baby Bray, to Ellie trapped in cyber-punishment, to the infamous mind-wiping.Intrigue -- who's the stranger rescuing Ram from the dump? how can Zoot be alive? and why the hell is Mega being NICE to Trudy & Brady? Dynamic Characters -- Amber got whiney, Mouse split, Sammy got drunk, we had some last glimpses of Hawk & the Ecos, Ellie returned, Slade exploded on the scene, Jay became the new male whore, May & Salene... well, let's not go there... etc. etc. -- and would somebody please smack Gel! Great Villains -- it was fun to watch Ram try to earn redemption while Mega became the better villain. And Ebony? Sometimes you wonder if she was ever really a villain at all.Action -- lots of great action scenes! from Ebony's raid on Mega's supplies, to the shoot-out between Ebony & Java, to Lex/Jack/Jay trying to beat the robot laser & everything in between!Love -- Jay & Ebony, Jay & Trudy, Jay & Amber, Jack & Ellie, Slade & Ruby, Slade & Ebony, Ebony & Phantom-Zoot, Lex & Siva, Ram & Java ... it did get a bit confusing at times.Hate -- Ram hates everybody (except Java), Ebony hates everybody (except Java & Siva), May hates everybody (except Salene), Mega hates everybody (except...well, hmm...), and everybody hates Mega. It's a vicious circle.Death -- We find out Bray is dead (isn't he?) & Taisan is dead (is she?) & Zoot is dead (again). Then Pride joins them. Sad death, that, and not sure it accomplished much after all (except to finally get him out of the damn mall).Most of all, Season-5 had promise. We saw glimpses of KC, Alice & The Guardian in a prison camp somewhere, talking about others they'd seen recently (like Bray!). And the greatest potential of all was that, after 5 seasons, our heroes were finally gonna break away from the city--finally, we'd see how the Virus & the years since had affected the rest of Tribe-world.Promises unfulfilled. Potential unresolved. Questions unanswered. Damn..... -ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
In honor of the Tribal Gathering at Dragon*Con 2006, a review's in order. Our focus today is Ram, played by Tom Hern, returning to D*C this year.Ram entered The Tribe in S-4, and the world was never the same. With his Technos, Ram quickly took over. With sophisticated (often unexplained) technology, he ruled the city. First the Technos divided & conquered (trucking some off to parts unknown). Then Ram amazed them by returning electricity & water to the city. Then he hooked them on the addictive 
"Paradise" alternate-reality cyberspace. He gave them their hearts' desires...but there is always a price. They had to work for the privilege.Ram was anything but simple. With Jay to lead his troops & 2 warrior-wives (3 when he added Ebony), it didn't matter that he was unable to walk & was germophobic. Ram was definitely the master.
Then came S-5, the downfall of Ram & the rise of Mega. Changes came fast 'n furious--Ram learned to walk again, discovered his true love in Java then watched her die, joined the Resistance that once opposed him, discovered how much his student Mega surpassed him...and watched the city die because there was no way he could prevent it.
Tom Hern had challenges that few in The Tribe had known--creating a major character who was handicapped. (Well, maybe just 1 other, right? I'm thinking of Paul, who was speech-impaired. Can't think of any others.) That effectively took away half his ability to emote. He made up for it with expressions & gestures that brought the maniacal Ram to life in a big way.Fans are eager for this 2nd chance to meet him at Dragon*Con!--ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
In honor of the Tribal Gathering at Dragon*Con 2006, a review's in order. Our focus today is May, played by D*C first-timer Laura Wilson.May joined The Tribe cast for just a few scenes in S-2 & then became a regular in S-3 through 5. This girl was a chameleon, street-smart, tough. The first we see of her, May definitely made an impression--she successfully scammed Lex & sent him back to the mall minus his boots! That was just the beginning.
We never learn much about May, just what we see on the screen. She adapts to whatever situation comes & makes "friends" easily. Those friendships are usually one-sided, though. She keeps them from touching her inside. She cozies up to the Guardian & his Zoot-followers when needed, then just as quickly joins the Resistance (mostly because she is attracted to Pride in a big way).
Interesting enough, following Pride's death, it's the character of May that The Powers That Be choose to experiment with, drawing subtle pictures of her deepening friendship with Salene. Is this or isn't it a lesbian attraction? If you go strictly by what's on screen? Well...it got cut pretty quickly, so I guess it doesn't matter. But those scenes were sensitively drawn & fell logically with the way the plot was headed.
Throughout the show, May lives pretty much in her own black-n-white world. There aren't too many shades of gray for her. Whatever needs doing, she'll do it--from surviving the Guardian to living under Mega's blackmail threats, getting antibiotics for Salene or a pregnancy test kit for Ruby, to dealing with her own Paradise-addiction.
It's not hard to imagine that this tough lady still survives somewhere inside Tribe-world.Laura Wilson consistently gave a vivid, strong performance as a character who's been through the ringer & means to live long enough to see how it all ends.Glad fans will have a chance to meet her at Dragon*Con! --ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
In honor of the Tribal Gathering at Dragon*Con 2006, a review's in order. Our focus today is Bray, played by D*C first-timer Dwayne Cameron.Bray appeared in the first 3 seasons of The Tribe and very briefly in S-4. He was described as an "eco-warrior," a mysterious loner who generally kept his own secrets & apparently (as our photos show) was quite the thing with the ladies. :)
Bray was the brother of Zoot & uncle to Trudy's baby Brady. By the end of his run with The Tribe, he was also the father of Amber's baby Bray.From his first appearance in S-1, Bray & Lex were oil & water. Lex saw him as a threat, specifically to Lex's plan to be in charge of the newly formed Mallrats. And the fire really flared when people learned Zoot was his kid-brother. But after a few arguments, a few fights & a lot of episodes, they learned to tolerate each other.
Bray was the target for Trudy's amorous notions (she wanted a home & a daddy for her baby, & Bray was the perfect target). But Salene was the one who first caught his eye. That didn't last long...next up was Amber, which turned out by the end of the story to be True Love. 
Then there was S-2. Amber was apparently dead. Then Bray meets Danni, who has Amber's sense of fairness & democracy (though not quite her subtlety or leadership qualities). We also learn in S-2 a bit of Bray's pre-Tribe history with Ebony. (Does this boy get around or what?)
By S-3 Danni had disappeared & Amber was back for the fight with the Guardian. Once the fight was over, Amber was kidnapped. At this point? Well, let's just say Bray...changed. He gets depressed, then drunk. He gets beat up by the Mozzies & winds up with Moon throwing herself at him. (Sorry but I couldn't find a Moon-photo!) Bray was a teen-aged loner, lover, fighter, leader, strategist, chemist (remember the antedote formula?) & almost a martyr. He also did a fair imitation of Zoot, enough to fool the Guardian in the end.Dwayne Cameron portrayed one of the most popular characters in The Tribe. Glad fans will have a chance to meet him at Dragon*Con!-ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
Tribal Gathering.Dragon*Con.Labor Day Weekend.With 4 prime stars from "The Tribe."Bray (Dwayne Cameron).May (Laura Wilson).Ram (Tom Hern).Slade (Matt Robinson).This will most likely be the last time on the planet that "Tribe" fans will get to see a group of the series cast 
together in a place where you can talk to them, get photos, get autographs, and pay homage to one of the most inventive & addictive television shows produced in these first years of the 21st Century.If this is, indeed, the last North American Tribal Gathering--or even the LAST Tribal Gathering anywhere--it's gonna be a blow-out, folks.
So who's gonna be there? I've already heard from Hawk & Ransom--these girls live within shouting distance from the convention & have attended previous ones. (I know, I know--I'm jealous as hell that Lex was on the continent & Chyna couldn't be there!)There are rumblings & rumors of a massive reunion of KTDARPG players, and even a conspiracy of sorts to get even more of us there. Ah, our players...always plotting, twisting, planning & being wicked creative. 
Looking forward to seeing where these rumors lead.For info on Dragon*Con, North America's biggest 'n best scifi/fantasy convention, the weblink is: www.dragoncon.orgThe link for Tribal Gathering information is: www.tribereddragon.com/gathering/If you miss this one, guys...you KNOW you're gonna regret it.Stay tribal! --ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
If patience is indeed a virtue? Then this girl lost her virtue a long time ago.I don't know what it is, but there's part of this game that tests my patience with just about every scene, every thread, every plotline. It's the waiting...Two days to travel from here to there? Damn. Two days in this game can last a month real-time! Even getting from morning to nightfall, or through the night to a new day--forever!I know, I know, the reasons are all good. We have a lot of players, a lot of characters, a lot of new & interesting things happening with every post. It's fun to watch what happens next, how the story builds scene by scene, how the characters come alive.But...somebody give me a cure! I need a pill or something, so my fingers stop drumming & I can put down the tremendous urge to hurry the night & see what happens next.Sorry. I'll be good now. -ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
We've all been there--newbies, neophytes, first-timers--new players in the game. Fun & weird at the same time. Fun to finally be IN the game building your character & interacting with the other players. Weird because you don't wanna goof & have somebody yell at you. (What? Us? Yell? Never!)
Like I said, we've all been there. We know what it's like. So please please please, when you have questions, ASK! The moderators are just players, and there's usually always at least one around to help out. (They won't bite, honest. Well, at least not too hard...)For all the current KTDARPG newbies, a few words of advice:1--Read the "How to Post" & "Rules" files in the file section of the game website. Lots of good stuff in there. Read at least a little bit of the story digest, too. That'll help you get a feel for our game-world & the characters who currently live there.2--Spend some time reading the current posts, so you can get an idea of the flow of the story & the rhythm of the game.3--Remember this IS a game AND a story. You're helping us build the story one step at a time. You have to hold up your part & give other characters something--an action, a question, a conversation--SOMETHING to react TO. (Those things we refer to as 1-liners may be easy but they're hard as hell for another player to work with.) Hold up your end of the game & the action. Picture the scene in your mind...and then be a real part of it.4--We're working to be as realistic inside the game-world as we can, so use all of your character's senses. Sight, sound, smell, touch, taste ... the world has substance. Make your character come alive!-ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
Little things always make a difference, in life and in-game.In our search for the scenes that give KTDARPG the scents & sights & sounds of real-world, we've discovered that it's the small things that make the difference...just as it was in "The Tribe" on tv.A good recent example is the traders market at Tango Lake. Hey, it's not teenagers at the mall, but it's the nearest these characters can get. Food, clothes, jewelry, perfumes, candles, weapons, household goods--pickpockets, pets, friends meeting up--it works.Sure, we've had shopping scenes throughout the game since it began; but maybe you have to be here a while and actually "live" your character to realize what it is these scenes do.What do they do? Create the illusion of normalcy in a crazy, upside-down world. Make you half-believe that maybe things will be ok...even when you know they can't possibly.Hey, that's why we call it a game. --ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
What's this? Strange...is there something in the air? or the water? or that cigarette? hmm...A strange phenomenon. For the past several weeks, the game's been...fun. A more-than-pleasant place to play. Yes, my friends, winter's over & the early spring crazies have finally left us. Summer is on our doorstep & everybody's playing nice. An interesting story is beginning to develop in this season 4 of our game.Some interesting new characters have crossed our paths. Male & female (and a new animal pal too)--and coming along quite nicely, if I may say so. I'm looking forward to finding more about them. Saffron & Kailie & Cody, Sable & Tom, Blaze, Bug, Scarecrow--we're glad you're with us! And our established characters (and players)? Man, they're busting out in ways I never would've imagined.Creativity's running hot, folks. So pop the popcorn & sit back. Let's see what happens next. --ChynaPhoto source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"
I don't know why, but all my female characters in KTDARPG suddenly seem to be finding themselves in dark places.
This season in the game, I guess a lot of our established characters are changing, growing, evolving. It's just taken me by surprise.
