How did they do that? and Why?

Starting with the Technos, "The Tribe" kinda started loosening up on their...well, reality I guess you'd call it. The thing that sticks most in my mind is the fact that, all of a sudden, Power was plentiful.

We spent the first 3 years of the show being very much aware of how little the kids in the city had. Food, clothes, shoes, shelter, warmth, water--it was hit home time 'n again that this was indeed a New World. The adults were truly and totally gone. The kids were left to figure things out for themselves.

I guess, after 3 seasons, the writers were finally allowed to loosen up again for the sake of "the story." That's when we got Technos. and Power. and Running Water. and various means of Travel.

You knew there were gonna be some major changes when the Technos showed up in the city parachuting out of planes -- WTF!!!!!

Ok, the power-thing they sorta explained. The Technos repaired the city's power plant, found a great stash of coal (of all things), and then used the city kids to keep the furnaces fed (if they wanted access to all the great things the Technos would supply).

What they never really explained was where the fuel for the planes came from. Or the gasoline that powered the delivery trucks and various cars and motorcycles. (Seemed like Slade never worried about that too much either.)

Ok so beginning with "The Tribe" season 4, it seemed like drama trumped practicalities. We had virtual reality and city-wide news via computers and VR games and running water...suddenly all the deprivations were pretty much a thing of the past. And of course the kids were hooked! Wouldn't you be?

I guess the reason I'm thinking about this now is because I'm realizing we're kinda the same in our game's season-6. Now and then a touch of unreality creeps in. How somebody got any gasoline at all in a world where it's pretty much gone. All of the unexplained knowledge of solar panels and solar cells. How somebody is putting out a city newspaper. Stuff like that.

But you know? It really doesn't bother me (as long as it isn't TOO rampant, maybe just a glitch now 'n then). Because our story is exciting and fun. Our players are doing a great job and sticking as close to the rules as they can.

And when it comes right down to it? Fun trumps being too damned strict about rules any day. Haha!

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Finally a Clue!

Outside the game a lot of us've been talking, speculating, prying, questioning, trying to figure out even the tiniest portion of what that mystery-character Ace is up to. Well, ladies 'n gents -- last night he came through with a pretty big clue. In case you missed it, I'm reprinting a portion of the post below. The scene is Val's bar; Ace & Nightshade are word-jousting. Nightshade got more than she asked for...maybe more than we bargained for.

Don't know about the rest of you, but Chyna's having fun! Read on:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ace: *laughing* I'm just saying if anyone needs to suffer to be saved, I'd prefer the finger be pointed at me. After all when i die, you know I don't stay dead. And it's been talked about that I'm the monster. Mar's just the soldier being lead by the devil, you could say. However, what you'll do is what date dictates you do...in which they share that knowledge with me in due time, allowing the threads of fate to be woven into the fine tapestry that is history and the book in which i am reading...allowed to you and everyone else around...no pun intended. As for the "uppities"? I'm afraid those are the people you're currently associated with.

*Ace laughed a bit.*

Ace: We and the Misfits are the "uppities" you speak of. In fact...in fact you could say there are two kings of Fort River, being River Rats and Misfits. I intend to help create a third. Three nice ladies who will make this city hopefully a great place. Call the name of my story "Romance of the Three Kingdoms 2." I have a fondness for stories after all.

Ace: Well, do what you will then. I'll come find you later with your step in my plan, if you're interested? I have a king who needs assistance, if you don't mind?

--------------------------------
Post: "Night and Craven:
Author: manmodthanatos
Date: Tues May 29 2007 12:49 am

Amber

From first season to last, Amber was a character "ideal." From the beginning she was a leader, somebody willing to fight for what she believed was right. She would often sacrifice her personal safety or happiness to do it.

She was also the least developed & most wooden, one-dimensional character that "The Tribe" gave us.

Ok, I just heard at least 3 people accuse me of heresy--gimme a chance here, guys!

Amber was a hero. And like most heroes, her hallmark was her steadfastness. Once she made a decision, she stuck to it. If she agreed to do something, she saw it through to the end. Her personal sense of honor was highly developed.

It's easy to trace Amber through the story. Leader of the Mall Rats. Leader of the Ecos. Leader of the Resistance. City Spokesperson. And along the way she met Bray, fell in love, had his baby, then lost him to the Technos. Her friend Dal died in her arms. Her friend Pride died senselessly. But her personal feelings were beside the point. Amber was focused on the city, making it a decent place to live for everybody. She worked toward that goal to the very end.

Amber the Hero didn't grow. Didn't change. Some people will argue that with me--hell, even her style didn't change all that much in five seasons. Clothes come 'n go but those Zulu knots were forever. In a way, they were almost a symbol of her unchanging nature.

Amber didn't surprise you. You knew her character, knew her politics, knew her passions. Those didn't change. She was essentially the same person at the end of Season-5 as she was at the beginning of Season-1.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. People like their heroes to STAY heroes. And the world of "The Tribe" needed heroes.

But I would've liked to see Amber grow & develop & change the way a lot of the other characters did. In that, this character was short-changed. She was a lot more than just a hero...I wish we'd seen more of that.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Errata

As sometimes happens, I goofed.
And when I goof, people let me know.
No worries! Just lets me know you're reading... :)

Anyway, regarding the last blog entry "Family,"
it was brought to my attention that I wasn't
entirely inclusive. Our game does indeed have
a familial relationship I left out--the brothers
Ace & Jackie. While we aren't sure what they're
up to most of the time, we are most definitely
sure that they're brothers!

My apologies, gentlemen...

-Chyna

Family

In "The Tribe," why were tribe families more accepting, more credible, more real & more fulfilling than normal family relationships?

Look at the show. True family relationships were dysfunctional or very short-lived.

Bray & his brother Martin? Martin became "Zoot," and we all know where that led.
Ebony & her sisters? That one ended fatally.
Those Techno brothers Jay & Ved? Constantly competing. Ram made Ved "disappear."

The others kinda ended weird. Patsy & her brother Paul (who was a deaf-mute), Paul disappeared. Mouse & her brother Charlie, Charlie disappeared. Alice & Ellie...that seemed like a typical teen-sister relationship. Alice being older, trying to boss Ellie who was determined to go her own way. In the end it was Alice who disappeared, carted away by the Technos to be seen briefly (teasingly!) in Season-5.

We've had very few sibling-relationships in KTDARPG. Ransom & Xeno were brother 'n sister. Xeno was killed in battle. Ransom lost her mind 'n disappeared. Chyna had a sister, Lara, but we never saw them interact. Then there were those Draven brothers, a small bit that hasn't been pursued. And it's barely been hinted at, but an upcoming sibling-relationship you'll see explored in-game is one of brothers: Marionette & Urick. The only other true family relationship was Sid and his son Slash. (At least up until our game season 4 where everybody started having babies!)

The closest we've come otherwise have been strong love relationships.

Hawk & Creed.

Chyna & Xeno.

Prince & Shikra.

Arianna & Judge.

Tom-F & Jade.

And there are potentially even stronger pairings currently developing in game.

Still, it seems like our characters (or maybe it's our players?) were eager to shed any family ties and forge off on their own adventures.

And maybe that's how it should be. Still...without mom 'n dad around, brothers and sisters are a natural relationship to follow. But in a world gone crazy, guess it's just as natural that everybody would split up according to their goals and interests rather than family lines.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Friends

If there's one way in which KTDARPG strongly emulates "The Tribe," it's in our friendships.

In a world gone mad if you don't have friends? You are truly screwed.

Many of the character-friendships we see inside the game reflect player friendships. A lot of our players spend time online & on IM getting to know others, feeling out their plans 'n plots, learning to know them as people to see how that plays out in game.

And that's all good. When players start learning about each other, they feed off each other creatively. The proof is in some extreme back-n-forth posting that shows strong character relationships. It also shows that players take the time to KNOW other characters.

Those friendships inside the game are powerful. They're also fun! A few examples...

Sid & Villa -- who knows their shared past, but the friendship we're seeing in game is rocky at best & potentially fatal at its worst!

Tresvant & Sable -- a friendship sure to go astray! Tresvant led Sable into a gambling den he thought he could handle. The results were riotous & also fatal to the tribe running the gambling.

Krystal & Simtwo -- ah, a budding relationship. Just talking to the guy has already got Krystal in hot water with her boyfriend.

Arianna & Valentine -- Two strong women who share the bond of a dead friend.

Ace, Jackie, Eris, Marionette, Zero & Nightshade -- friends with a bloody past who are now in Fort River & rebuilding their core group. They're helpful to the new friends they're making...very helpful...but you're always aware that Ace has an agenda. We just don't know what it is yet.

Friends in the New World.

Find a way to live with them, because you definitely can't live without 'em.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Always a bridesmaid...

The absolute queen of unrequited love in "The Tribe" was Salene. Always-confused Salene. Take-care-of-everybody Salene. Whiney Salene. Sincere Salene. She was a typical teenager at a time and in a world when "typical" was underrated.

Salene was the one who suffered bulemia.

Salene sold out to the Chosen (kinda like a version of our game's Brotherhood).

Salene loved Ryan, didn't appreciate him, ran him off, then had a bout of guilt and went out to find him.

But loving the wrong guy at the wrong time was truly her forte. Start with Bray. That actually had a chance except for Trudy. Nah, would never have worked. Bray was definitely meant for Amber. Even when she went so far as to...well...offer him everything, all she did was embarrass herself. The Ultimate Turndown. (Thank god that was her cure for Bray.)

Then there was Ryan. But by that time Salene was just in love with the idea of love. Ryan was too nice a guy. Sadly, she didn't know how to react to being treated well. The only reason she married Ryan was that she was pregnant. Poor Ryan.

Next was Luke. Luke of the Chosen. Luke who would be a friend to Sal but actually had his eye on Ellie.

Then there was Pride. Unfortunately Pride was also hung up on Amber.

Salene realized she really loved Ryan after it was too late. Sal found out that Pride actually loved her, but only after he was dead--and the kicker was, that was when she found out that May wanted to be "more than friends."

More than most of the other Tribe characters, Salene spent 5 seasons growing and changing. She had her weak periods, her strong periods, her wise periods...in other words, we got to watch our Sal grow up. By the end of Season-5, you knew she was gonna be ok no matter what she had to deal with next.

Despite everything, Salene was a survivor. And she was one person that we witnessed that survival step by step.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Pride

The Tribe character Pride always connected with me. Words like "lost," "sacrifice," "integrity," "hope," "possibilities," and "honor" -- that's what Pride made me think of.

If you aren't familiar with him, here he is briefly: a member of the Ecotribe, in love with Amber (Eagle), a strong male who was very much a part of the land and not the city. Yet he sacrificed his personal desires to follow her even when she was reunited with a lost love. His honor propelled him, and there was always the possibility that Amber would see the integrity of his spirit and return to him and the Ecos. That didn't happen, of course. Love never runs smooth. He moved on to Salene. and then May. and then died.

Our game isn't quite missing integrity, sacrifice, hope or possibilities. But they've turned. Those traits aren't really character based these days.

Our focus seems to be largely external -- tribal war, lack of resources, obvious allies, gaining control, dealing with people up front and honestly.

But there are a few bright spots. My favorite is watching what's happening with Zero and Jade. That's very much an internal and very personal scenario--the ex-slave-master and the ex-slave, drawn to each other and hoping to make amends. There's also Arianna and Scarecrow and their tumultuous love-life. Are they or aren't they? They've declared their love to each other in the midst of battle when things were hot and uncertain. Ah, but in the easy times? A relationship is not so easy. Jealousies flare. Questions aren't asked...so they can't be answered. Pretty much like in real-life, actually.

As the game has grown this past year, our KTDARPG players have grown too. Some are trying new things. Some are exploring themselves. All good.

Stick around and let's see where this all goes.

-Chyna

Photo source: copyright Cloud-9 "The Tribe"

Surfing

I found this doing a bit of late-nite surfing.
Reminded me of Villa . . .


















-Chyna

Game Summary, May 7

Every week in-game, I post a game summary so we're all on the same page as the week moves forward. In case you're interested, here's the game summary for this week:

Season-6 has begun!

Currently in-game it's night, May 1st. The storm is letting up, and the bigger storm is now over. In the Grimms/Misfits Tribal War...the Grimms lost. More than lost--totally wiped out. No green face left alive.

At the Misfits Warehouse (Arianna, Scarecrow, Lily, Sapphire, Krista, Vincent, Oliver, Prince, Hawk, Saul, Fox, Saber, Tresvant)
Arianna killed The Dealer & ended the war; now guilt trips are flying everywhere! Hawk's trying to help the injured Prince. Vincent & Scarecrow are debating philosophy with the others. The warehouse is pretty much busted up and in need of some remodeling and a good spring clean (and body removal).

At Home (Valentine, Ace, Eris, Marionette, Zero, Jade, Maggie, Johnny Ohm, Kava, Jackie, Krystal, Amy, Sid)
Valentine sent them out so now she's dealing with the wounded. Lucky Krystal is there and Eris is a medic. Maggie was glad to see Johnny Ohm make it back alive. Zero stopped Jade from offing herself and has promised to "take care of Ace" for her.

Others: Blasko & The 100 with Urick & Blackrose outside theMisfits warehouse; Villa at Tango Lake; Izzy on his way back to the warehouse

Last seen: At Home--GraveDigger & Girl, Fanatic & Girl, The Wanderer, Sable & Tom, Simtwo.
Fighting the war--Craven with Nightshade watching.

... and the story goes on!

-Chyna

Interlude: Chasing the Circle

A brief break in the game as we shift gears & seasons. Spring cleaning on a sunny afternoon & I'm tossing stuff out. Mostly fun, but some things I'm reluctant to pitch. I got into a batch of my old poetry. (ok, writer here. takes all kinds, remember?) I think I'll keep this bit. Stashing it away in Chyna's Closet ...

Chasing the Circle [1991]

Touching and touched.
You stand at my shoulder. I move in your shadow. I cherish the last touch of your hand on my hair, the warmth of your breath on my cheek. I wind myself along the slender thread of your smile and find you. More than remembering, more than a dream.

Trusting and trusted.
Other nights, other heartbeats, other passions spent for both of us. Still your heart echoes, hollow, of time idly spent. Of needing more. Do you see the same in my eyes? This is our time of seeking, proving. There is no thought of betrayal. Just waiting on the dream.

Comforting and comforted.
What courage I possess, what strength, what hope is yours without asking. And when my hopes are barren, courage fled, when fear demands a voice I reach out to you. You are ever there. My nightmares are filled with stars. Tomorrow beckons somewhere in that light. It's there.

Loving and loved.
A brief touch. A reassuring smile. A firm order. And in the privacy of our hearts the promise that we are but chasing the circle, each of us from opposing arcs. Completing the course will ultimately complete us. Beloved. The dream will wait.

-Chyna

On the run

I know, I know, I've been neglecting the "Closet" a bit lately. Kinda got my hands full with a season-ending TRIBE WAR in the game and it's getting to be all-consuming! But wicked fun.

If you haven't checked it out, you should! Hit the link (right column) and come join us.

"Season 5: New Life" is ending, and we're getting ready for "Season 6: The Right to Dream."

-Chyna