Eambar: Off-Topic Thread

[Falathrim]

Excellent.

Seeing as it won't be a serious, complex RP, then, I can think of only one question; how far from the Tolkien canon are we permitted to stray?  

[Zach McClure]

I personally detest straying to far from canon. I don't mind adding in a new king in a place where Tolkien never states the name, but I'd rather not replace one king for another.  

[Falathrim]

Hmmm.

My idea was to simply use the world Tolkien provided and go off on our own in a non-canon manner, creating our own world, often filled with generally WTF moments.

The thing is, Tolkien lists the names of each and every Numenorean king. If we were to do a completely canon RP, we would be bound to Tolkien's characters and Tolkien's annals. We'd be unable to have personal freedom; something which often restrains creativity in an RP. If the RP is serious, complex, this isn't a bad thing. But for a quick, make one minute posts RP, canon may not be a good thing.

Still, it's an idea, and I asked for feedback for a reason. smile  

[curumo]

But Zach, what you're suggesting would make it a serious RP. Is it serious or non-serious?

There isn't really a scale with which to measure the amount of canon in a post or an RP, so I don't know how we would set limits on the strayingness. Besides the setting.  

[Falathrim]

curumo

But Zach, what you're suggesting would make it a serious RP. Is it serious or non-serious?

There isn't really a scale with which to measure the amount of canon in a post or an RP, so I don't know how we would set limits on the strayingness. Besides the setting.

And once more someone says what I wanted to say in less words while making the meaning clearer. Grr.  

[curumo]

Well... using OCs in some hither-to unknown part of Numenor would limit the canon destruction while allowing maximun freedom/hilarity.  

[Falathrim]

Hmmm. Perhaps I was, again, not clear.

I was thinking of something sort of like the mock trial; I RP as Darth Vader, attorney-at-law. Cleary, his presence is so utterly random in the Tolkien world it should have made we purists cry ourselves to sleep at night. But it was funny (or so I'm told), and Darth acted relatively sane, so we went with it.

For the RP, I was thinking of something along the same lines. Utterly random yet still in the vein of Tolkien. But I thought that perhaps others would find that too random, and so I asked the question of canon.

Another possible question is the matter of scale. Do we keep the RP to a small part of Numenor, or do we drag the realms of Middle-earth into it? Are Elves, the visitors from Aman allowed? Are the World's Greatest Jerks Valar allowed in?

. . .

For a non-serious, non-complex RP, this is taking a lot more thought than I originally realized. sweatdrop  

[Nimbrethil]

For a Monty Python fan, nothing is ever too random.

Like my post here, for instance.

Horseradish!  

[curumo]

I think what we have to do is draw the line between random funny (example: Ol' Darthy or Horseradish) and inappropriate random (Killing or groping of characters. Gross.).

Also, random doesn't always = funny, but I'm pretty sure most people know that. I doubt anyone here would cross the line.

Scale? I say we keep it to Numenor, and allow only those races who would be there in Numenor in the first place. I don't think it'd work out to have people RPing a Vala. It might get serious. surprised  

[Falathrim]

How's this for an idea? Just use whatever jokes we've made based around the guild and the subforum, and flesh it out into a world of our own. Then, we RP in it, using whichever character you want. You wanna be a Man? Whatever. Wanna be an Elf? Go ahead. Do you want to be an evil Vala bent on destroying Numenore just because you are a Vala and thusly a jerk? Sure thing. You want to be a unicorn? Get the hell away from our guild.

Objections? I'm just throwing out an idea. Obviously, we need to have some sort of framework.

EDIT: Or do what curumo said. Like I said, this is just an idea, throwing it out for people to say no to.  

[Nimbrethil]

I think Falathrim's got the right idea about the Unicorns.

...And also about it being based on the Guild and Subforum stuff. Seems much more fun. I don't see how a non-complex, quickie RP can be serious at the same time, especially if you're trying to do Tolkien.  

[Zach McClure]

Thanks...now you've gone and gotten that one song about unicorns stuck in my head..."We've got the green aligators, the long-necked geese, the humpty back camels and the chimpanzees, I've looked everywhere, but Lord, I'm so forlorne, I just don't see no unicorns." Actually, okay, that does kind of sound fun.  

[Imyavie]

Sounds great. I'm glad it doesn't have to be complex and serious for my brain will be too occupied by homework starting soon.  

[Glorfirith Annun]

I like the idea of a RP!

I was just sitting and reading everyone's comments and a million thoughts went through my mind.

"I want to be a Unicorn!" I then got to the part of no unicorns. "..."

"I want to be a Fairy!... maybe a pixie..." then I got confused and couldn't make up my mind.

Even though I was intentionally being an a**, I did get an idea that we could have all the settings, all the characters, all the places at the same time... meaning time doesn't exist, just location... and maybe not all the characters. So this I thinks to myself is a good idea. But then I thought maybe it's a bit big. Meaning, all locations is great, you have lots to choose from but then there'd be so much distance in between groups. Unless we threw distance out the window. That'd be weird... " *is in Mirkwood* I'm going to Gondolin! *poofs there* YAY!"... and that would be just rediculous.

And that's when my brain went into overload and stopped working. Scary how my mind works. Well my two cents... and I probably horrified everyone in the process.  

[Falathrim]

I typed this up late in the night. It's kind of stupid (okay, it is stupid), but I figured I could at least post it and see where we can go from here.

Quote:

In the final years of the First Age, the Half-elf Earendil won for the Free Peoples of Middle-earth the pity of the Valar. Thus, the Host of the Valar came at long last to Endor, and threw down finally the Dark Lord Morgoth Bauglir. He was chained, executed, and thrust into the Outer Dark, to remain there until the Unmarring of the World.

Ironic that it was the throwing of the Hell-master outside the world's walls that caused all hell to break loose on the world.

For many a century, the Numenoreans were the champions of nobility in the world. But as time passes, their enemies grow ever in number. In the far East of the world, a new threat rises, one who would see the island kingdom thrust beneath the waters of the world. Taco-Sauron, the High Men name him, and he was Morgoth?s chief servant and favorite food. The Dark Lord gathers unto him a great number of Illiterates, chief foes of the Numenoreans. The great havens, assailed by those fangirlish folk, have dwindled, and now only Arnor and Gondor remain safe from the evil claws of illiteracy.

Yet while their chief peril lies to the east, the Wise among Numenore gaze also Westward, and are afraid. For many a countless age, the West Men suffered agaisnt the cruel and unjust Ban of the Valar, and were not pemritted to sail to Tol Eressea where their friends the Eldar dwelt. Still they accepted the Ban, for they had great reverence for the Valar, those mighty ones who threw down the Dark Lord. But as the years fade and the Elder Days grow ever distant, the Valar grow ever colder to the Numenoreans. Rumors speak of a darkened Manwe, one who would wish to see Numenore under his own dominion. If this be so, then alas! he is an a** indeed.

Thus, the Numenoreans must look East and West with fear, for they are unloved, though they be a pure folk. It is good, then, that still can the Numenoreans find friendship in the scattered folk of the Eldar. And the Dwarves. And the Ents. And maybe the Eagles. But they certainly do not have friendship with the Unicorns, for the Numenoreans do not befriend fiction!

Ehhh, okay. Comment?


Basically, the gist is that everything was fine until the end of the First Age, perfectly canon. Then everything got ******** up somehow and we get the above; an Arda where the only thing we recognize are the names themselves.