A New Site?

[Quill]

For anyone interested in the new site if it happens.

List things that need to be talked about.

Southern Continent
differences and similarities
environment
Who is going to admin, co-admin, help out?
Leadership in-game
Simourv variations?
Where did the settlers come from?
claws on simourv arms
New Simourv color
Noctural simourv and their purpose


I've just noticed some talk about it and well the cbox only holds so much.

[Kat]

I have a lot to say, but I am technically studying for a midterm, and I cannot completely commit to spending the time it would take to write out tonight. Expect something awesome or at least long tomorrow.

Also, I am willing to take some sort of admining or moderating position on the condition that someone or, ideally, multiple someones coadmined with me. I do not have quite the time, at least until the end of April to set up and then admin a site on my own. To give people an idea, I'm reading at a literature conference at the end of March, and hosting an author for my school next week, and then I have finals.

BUT I WANT THIS TO HAPPEN SO BADLY YOU GUYS HAVE NO IDEA I WILL MAKE IT HAPPEN.

And I do have a lot of admining and moderating experience. I used to mod a lot, and I even worked for a pet site really briefly as a roleplay moderator. I actually really enjoy working with players, plotting, and checking character applications, that stuff.

My only concern is that while I can fiddle with proboards enough to manage it kind of, I struggle with coding and stuff, and so I don't know how much of that I can do. And my graphics are uglyyyyy, so that might be a problem as well. I guess I am saying that if someone else could do that stuff better, that'd be ideal.

So if other people are better candidates, I understand, and I would not be AT ALL offended if other people want to run the board. I know I can be a bit inconsistent because school runs me ragged.

I'm babbling, so I'm stopping.
The only plot suggestion I'm posting until my post tomorrow, is that blacks with colored accents needs to happen. Please, guys. I want that.

And I think we need Bre to officially confirm that she is okay with us splitting off. I would be crushed if she did not let us, but it's her idea. And Zeis would have to let us use her art...Those are my immediate reservations.

[Para]

Collecting ideas from the cbox....


Leadership
-leaders are elected, or otherwise not determined by flights
-candidates for election must be wingleaders, and have good records of not getting the people in their wing killed
--a minimum amount of time they must have been a wingleader

-more militaristic/strict hierarchy
--certain colors can only be addressed by certain other colors without invitation; as in, only reds and blacks and tawnies can address grays without the gray's permission/initiating the conversation, possibly only reds, blacks and tawnies can address each other as well, or can inform the other colors when they may or may not address them without permission.
--color limits on who can address who carry over to riders as well
--(because of 'evil' gray leader?)

Southern Simourv Colors/Variations
-White, Orange, Yellow, Blacks with colors
-nocturnal/owl-like
-more suited to water/oily feathers
-several more/highly specialized colors


(I'll edit in an expanded/with explanations version of this in a bit, if anyone would like it.)

[Kilnarak]

I'm willing to help with adminning stuff if it's needed. Also I'm making Zeis come with us ('though it ain't real hard >>)

Mm. Also, characters that will be going? Because I imagine some people will want to bring their winglets who cannot fly yet?

Also, structure of the society on the southern continent - more militaristic, maybe more barbaric/tribal. There probably aren't many people - originally survivors from an expedition to explore that continent who crashed there? Maybe, if we end up doing water-resistant/fisher colors for simourv, maybe some sort of cliff dwelling near the coast for some of them? I think the human survivors would adopt more simourv-like homes - in trees, or high on cliffs, not so much ground level - since they seem to have more emphasis on simourv-culture?

[Kat]

YES ZEIS MUST COME BACK.

I was thinking about winglets too. Right now, I only want to bring over Ri'ley and Sly, but if Sly bonds at Altaph's hatching, though, I do not know what I am going to do. I really want to roleplay him with a hatchling, when the time comes, so just waiting until I determine enough time has passed seems so aggravating.

So, since I was thinking about this, I figured we could just find a way to shuttle simourvs over. We're assuming that the trip will be long, but maybe if the original group makes it over, some really dedicated southern riders and our riders can take a hatchling a piece or something. Like they will be kind of small hatchlings, so if two or so blacks tried to hold the hatchling, we maybe be able to get them over. It's the stupidest, very unlikely solution, but it is all I can think of, and I do not think it is fair to bond people's characters off right before they need to be transferred, so that the hatchling stage is missed. that's my favorite part.

That, or we could just plot with Aika to somehow have something awful to Altaph's egg, so that no one bonds. That seems really sad for her, though.

ORRRRRRR, actually, if Aika was okay with it, maybe Altaph's eggs don't happen, and then we let Aika run a hatchling almost immediately on the other site of some NPC's eggs, so that she still has the hatching experience and the ability to create the hatching, without the problem created by the bondings so close to the move.
Then they wouldn't be Altaph's eggs, though, which might be a problem. (Although it makes more sense for Altaph to be willing to shift locations if Aika intends on bringing her over, if she has no babies to look after.)

All of that depends on what Aika wants to do, though, because I really want her to have her hatching.

I figure we can assume the Charlies are big enough to fly themselves. Maybe it could be really difficult for them, though, and maybe the riders need to be shuttled over by other simourvs?

EDIT: As for characters I am bringing over, I am planning on bring over Ri'ley and Sly immediately, because I am really attached to the two of them. I want to cut down on my characters, so I will probably leave the girls and then I might bring over Ja'son at a later date, depending upon how much I like my new characters and how I am doing with the whole keeping up business.

That was a long explanation about information only I care about, so I am sorry.

EDIT TWO YES: ORRRR, maybe Altaph refuses to leave without her eggs, but wants to go for some reason, so all the simourvs bring the eggs over. That is also pretty unlikely, but if there was a physical threat to the eggs in the North, maybe everyone feels the need to bring over the eggs to keep them safe. And then depending upon whether or not we needed/ wanted more eggs, there could be a tawny (or equivalent) clutch in the South, so we could merge the two hatchings.

[Kilnarak]

Maybe something can happen to the Eyrie, making it unsafe? Like seismic activity or increased attacks by koxi or some sort of disease. And then whoever is leaving splits off because they want to find a new, safer location, whereas the people who aren't coming are staying to rebuild or something?

I sort of want for a boat. >> But I suppose if the Charlies end up big enough to fly by the time they come over...? Then that would negate that problem. And maybe Altaph can keep her eggs, but have them laid and hatch on the other continent? Or there could be a separate, sea-bound expedition carrying the eggs and those hatchlings that can't fly yet? With an escort of a few of the smaller adult simourv? That'd require a really big boat, 'though. And I'm sorta being inspired by the dragon-transport boats in Temeraire. >>;

With the boat, could have maybe some of the greens and blues stay with it, maybe one of the rainbows. Then have the larger simourv fly ahead, sort of as a vanguard? Have another of the rainbows with the forward group to relay messages back to the ones on the boat, so that they'd know where was safe to land and whatnot? (And then we could maybe have a little side-plot thing with weird ocean-borne monstrosities. >>;

[Kat]

Oh, I didn't even think of having everyone move over before Altaph clutches.
That would require some serious forward movement in the next few weeks, though.

A boat would be interesting. I do want to play around with sea creatures.

And seismic activity is actually a GREAT idea for a reason to have to transfer the eggs. Since the sands are warm, I've always assumed they are right over some sort of seismic vent, so maybe that vent blows and knocks out the sands? Then Altaph could have a good reason for wanting to move her eggs.

I was thinking a koxi attack myself. Like there's a HUGE attack, and everyone is focused on the koxi, and one sneaks off and just starts going to town in the sands, smashes an egg or two, everyone is sad over the little baby simourvs that are now dead, but one or two eggs remained safe, and then that's a reason to move them, because they Eyrie is no longer entirely safe?

We'd have to come up with something, and Aika needs to comment, I think.

[Para]

Characters: Well, I'm bringing Erunei, as she's my only character.

Admin/mod/support-related stuff: I'd be willing to do just about anything, and I have the time, but I have absolutely no clue how to do anything, or even most of what's needed. So... basically, if anyone thinks of anything I could do, let me know, and if I have the abilities for it (technology tends to disagree with me, so what I'm able to do can be kind of sporadic), I'll most likely be happy to.

Hatchlings: *gets ninjaed by Kilnarak* Well, in that case, add my support to Altaph's hatching happening on the southern continent, either by laying her eggs there or by them being transported somehow.


Also, I like the idea of southern riders living in caves/trees/whatever. No real reason, I just like the concept in general.


Okay, adding more.

Combining the earthquake and grays fighting ideas (er... which if any of those were mentioned outside the cbox yet?), the Eyrie could suffer and earthquake, which causes (or is coincidentally the same time as, possibly escalates) a fight between Laraph and Eceph, possibly about whether to stay and rebuild (Eceph) or leave and search for a safer place (Laraph). The fight results in someone deciding that the two should simply be separated (intention could be permanent, or temporarily), and Laraph and those who agree with her leave to look for a safer place, sooner or later ending up on the southern continent.


Candidacy in the Southern Eyrie:
-candidates don't have to be chosen by simouvs-simourvs can choose candidates, but candidates can also just show up and say 'I want to join,' and be a candidate. (Would result in the opportunity to have candidates that just aren't simourv material, and the plots resulting from never being chosen, plus not need a search thread for every single candidate.)
-candidates have a (official or unofficial) hierarchy based on if they were chosen by a simourv, and what color
-riders track the candidates their simourv finds, and have bragging rights on who found the most candidates who bond to high-ranked simourv


Southern riders could have adopted a more simourv-like lifestyle; living in caves (seaside, if the simourvs are at all aquatic), trees, or something similar?


Southern Eyrie has unexpressed dissent, due to the more militaristic hierarchy, and possibly for other reasons. Some of the junior grays want to rebel against and/or oust the senior gray, and take advantage of the northern riders and simourv to try to do this. Laraph becomes a central figure/leader for the dissenters, leading the senior southern gray (who initially dismissed her) to try to stop her. This would likely lead Laraph and I'dou to go off and found their own new Eyrie again. Some northern and southern blacks and reds could attach to the other continent's grays, for more drama. And the southern continent could not have a color the northern one does; particularly if the color is tawny or red, they'd be scrambling to figure out where they fit in their hierarchy.

[Kilnarak]

Mm. Maybe another specification for a simourv-type - some sort of specific hunter and/or gatherer type? Not so much fighters, like reds and blacks. Maybe it's more of a shift in blues and greens - with talons better able to clutch food items, or more hawk-ish features to make hunting easier. As I imagine they would probably hunt a lot - since I doubt livestock would have been able to survive the journey over. Although maybe the southern colony has been working at domesticating and herding other native species for their simourv to prey upon?

[Kat]

Hmm, I think this is an interesting thing to bring up, since I've been thinking of (and other people have to I think?) the South as having a less centralized and modern human population. So there probably would be a whole lot less livestock, etc, so hunter/gatherers would be important.

Maybe the greens/blues, or their equivalents are more hunter/gather suited. Or maybe blues are fighters and greens hunters/gathers who also do a lot of fighting.

I am really apprehensive about bringing in a whole bunch of new colors with such distinct roles so early in the new site. But I see no reason greens and blues cannot have a slightly different role.
(Or rather, blues have the same role and greens have another, which fits their temperaments best, I think.)

OH WAIT! Or rainbows can be the gathers/hunters, since they never really had a specific purpose in Northern simourv society. We could give them the purpose of being hunter/gatherers.

Also, I think I will also say that maybe the owl/nocturnal simourv is also a mutation and as rare as rainbows, and like south rainbows, they have a specific purpose in the Eyrie, to be the night watchmen.

Then, we're not adding any colors which disrupt the hierarchy, but we do get our special, distinct position simourvs.

I think that will work really well, actually. It'd put the percentages for rainbows/owls at like-- 4 % maintained for rainbows, and then maybe 5-6% for owls. We would have to pull the extra percentage points for owls from the other colors, but I think it would just take removing one percentage point possibility for each current color.

Also, I thought of something because of something Wing and I were talking about--what if we got some odd color variations from clutches where there were parents from the south and the north. So that north/south pairings had the possibility of producing different colors of the current types of simourvs. So like, maybe if Lara and a North black made babies, there would be like 1 black, but then 1 other large simourv who is clearly equivalent in rank to a king, but like--white or brown. And then instead of a tawny, there's a pink, and 7 greens but also 5 fighter simourvs who are yellow.

I think this might be a fun way of adding more colors without actually disrupting the percentages and hierarchy of the simourvs. Of course, the Eyrie would be confused at first, but also totally aware after awhile, of where the unusual simourv fit into the hierarchy.

[winged]

Rainbows would make good hunters/gatherers I think. It'd give them a stronger purpose, beyond comic relief.

[Kat]

Yes, I think it would work nicely, since I do think they don't quite have as defined a position here as the other simourvs. Maybe Southern Rainbows, too, have like bigger claws and longer beaks, to show that they do a lot of gathering.
-shrug-

Right now, if I'm reading people right, and I think I am but I hate making assumptions (ass joke notwithstanding) so please correct me if I am off base. I'm just trying to solidify a few ideas, the colors for the South look like this right now:
(or this is what we are talking about to be modified obviously and stufssszzzz.)

Multiple grays (like one pheonix, and one or two junior pheonixes) who lay slightly smaller clutches. Although we can have them lay really variable clutches, too. But since there will be more of them, which makes sense with the idea of like--an established eyrie, the clutches should probably be smaller.

Blacks with colors.

Reds/Tawnies or equivalents. We haven't really decided if we want this class to be composed of different colors. Also, we talked about tawnies not clutching. I suggested that they didn't clutch because of some sort of hormone reaction to the amount of grays being around, and that they could start clutching if the grays like...died, left, got sick, etc. I think we're leaning towards assigning these guys new colors, so that tawnies and reds were North only colors, but correct me if I am wrong.

Blues -- pretty much the same. I like the idea of them being able to have brown on them, just so that they look different. But I think I'm the only person who wants that.

Greens-- the same? We should probably change their coloration up in some way, although I don't know quite how, since they are really variable in appearance. Thoughts?

Rainbows, maybe assigned as the hunter/gatherers of the Eyrie? I really like that idea. Do we want them to have modified beaks/claws? We wouldn't be able to reflect that in the lineart, though.

Owls? They need a color name, but the nocturnal simourvs who do night watches and stuffs and generally be cool and nocturnal. Would these look dramatically different from regular simourvs? We would have to like...do that. How are they differentiated in color, since owls tend to be brown. Although!! Maybe these guys are always brown, ish, owl colored, etc, and then there's not a brown tawny color, but something else instead. (Whites? Other suggestions?) That would be a really valid reason to make the lady class simourv some sort of different color, and would also cause confusion when the northern riders brought over their giant, lady tawnies.

Anyway, right now, I think we could use basically the same percentages:

Grays: 2%
Blacks: 5 % (modified from 6%)
Reds: 7% (modified from 8%)
Tawnies: 4 % (modified from 5%)
Rainbows: 4 %
Owls: 5 %
Blues: 33% (Modified from 35%)
Greens: 40 %

Something like that. I quite literally just like fudged the numbers, and I have no attachment to that system. So people comment on it.

Any other things I missed?

EDIT: Also, I see no reason for people not to start expressing interest in colors, because that might help us start to solidify the political system in the south, if we knew who wanted what, and what that player wanted to do with that character.

AND people need to start offering to write some things. We'll need new everything, unless Bre doesn't mind us using her writing, so new information boards, the whole bit. This will take tons of time, so I figure we can start now, at least with some of the basic stuff, and not like...start writing, just like start divvying up the work.

EDIT 2: Also, I've been thinking it might be kind of cool to have the southern simourvs be a bit smaller than the norther simourvs, so that there is kind of a "ohwowyouguysarealllarge" moment for the southern simourvs, and also kind of this weird thing where our simourvs don't all fit into some of the places in the southern Eyrie, at least right away, because of physical limitations. This would only be a problem for the large reds, tawnies, blacks, and poor Laraph, but it might be fun. And I'm not thinking like a HUGE size difference, like maybe grays are only like 29-30 feet tall and 60 feet long, and every other color is scaled back that in a similar degree. Then, that way, we'd see bigger simourvs in southern clutches when the northern simourvs started breeding with them. I dunno; I think it might be nifty. And it makes sense, since in my head, the South is really tropical, and has a LOT of tree cover, so there would be physically less room for the simourvs than in the north with all that open space.

-shrug-

[Quill]

Wow, guys. I love what you guys have put up. And it really is a delight to have all of these great ideas in one place.
As I really have nothing to add, I'll dish out my opinion.

1. Administration; I am willing to co-admin. I have much experience in the past, and I am very comfortable helping out. Coding is something else. I can fix it, but not make it. Graphics is out of my league. Organization and plot working is not.
2. I love the idea of having Northern Simourv bigger. This makes more sense because there are less up north.
3. I am hesitant about adding colors, but like Kat said, it would make more sense to add variation between the north/south clutches. I do believe owls and perhaps water-based simourv will be helpful. Owls are good for night patrolling and if we decide to make the Southern more watery, the watersimourv will be a good idea.
4. Rainbows as hunters/gatherers. Since I have a rainbowrider, I find this very important.
5. The strict hierarchy makes a lot of sense and can create a lot of plots. I can see tension caused from the southern riders to perhaps A'ryllis and Ri'ley for example. If they have a close relationship as siblings, there might be problems.
6. The natural setting? I enjoy this and we can put the strict hierarchy into this.
7. Fyi. I will most likely move most of my characters. A'ryllis might have to wait, depending on the time frame. Je'ce will stay so I don't have to kill him.
8. I am not too sure on the how to get people across. I will need to reflect on this.
9. Though it's not my decision, I think Altaph not clutching would be a problem and we do have to leave a "future" behind for the northern continent unless EVERYONE is leaving. If no clutching gray/tawny is left, the koxi would eat everyone eventually.

Things to think about:
Only riders have simourvs?
I think it would be interesting to have other important people bond like people who make saddlers and stuff. People who come into regular contact with simourv.
Cities and Eyries?
Metal armor? This was brought up in a discussion a while back. Do we want to pursue this?
Idengious? This was tried, but nothing solid ever came up. Also are koxi in the south. Are they different?
Something else. It is never really clear (to me) whether rainbows can clutch. Make it a chance? Sometimes yes; sometimes no.

[Kilnarak]

I read through the rest of this when I have more time and make a better reply, but: Rainbows gatherers, greens hunters? Since they're generally larger than rainbows, and will have to be carrying back heavy carcasses? Or maybe sort of a mix of both - rainbows and greens both serve as hunter/gatherers?

[Aikaph]

Since I see my name a lot, I think I should post here. ^^;

I think that wither all my characters are coming over, or my girlies, then Xo'li later on.

As for the clutching, I don't want anything to be smashed, but I have noticed that there haven't been any duds in any of the clutches recently. It was a morbid thought last night, but I think that one of the eggs hatches a stillborn or a prettymuchdead simourv. Don't ask.

If that doesn't happen, then I think that I would want Altaph to clutch in the Southern continent due to insanokoxi attack. Eceph would still be there, if Laraph chooses to break off from the Northern Eyrie, and other simourvs would stay (I'm sure I'm probably going to leave Xo'li over there and eventually bring him South all battered and bruised, maybe with Shad missing a limb or an eye or something. Again, don't ask.).

For the colors: I wouldn't mind having Tawnies replaced by a color. And this is an idea, mind you, but maybe Greys in the South are either White or Orange? I don't know. Blacks with different colors is obviously happening, since there's so much agreeing on that part. For Yellow, maybe replace the Greens with them? Just musings, is all.

The size change I'm fine with. It would allow for some awesome plots.

If we're having swimming Simourv, what about swimming koxi? I think it would be awesomesauce if the xochipollli actually existed. In case you don't know, it's the fish-like koxi that Xo'li stole his name from: fins on the joints, fins on the tail, and they would most likely be either blues and greens, or stay the same color as the land-dwelling xymokoxi. We could also have large native fish for both animals to prey on.

As for modding/adminning, I don't know how well of an admin I would be. I mean, what with marching band, school, and the fact that I'm going to take Latin over the summer, I don't know how much free time I will have. =/

Anyways. If I missed anything, let me know, and I will fix it. ;D