| Advanced Roleplayers' Guild |

Everyone at my school complains so much about the summer reading even though it is really amazing. At first I didn't like The Great Gatsby, and then we started discussing it and I was like this is beautiful.

I've... I've just been through the perfect storm. I honestly have been having the highest highs and the lowest lows of my life the past month-ish.

So, I'm usually super apologetic about everything that happens to me and my crazy life. I'm just not gonna go there this time. Because for once, it was really mostly all beyond my control. So, with that, I'm just going to run through a quick explanation of my vanishing effect.

As you know, I went on a week-long vacation around a month or so ago. Maybe five weeks. And, as you can see, I never reeeeaally came back from that vacation. And, as you also know, I picked up some virus on that trip. I'm unbelievably still experiencing the lingering symptoms of that, even if I'm not sick anymore. And you also know I'm in a few advanced classes in addition to being an English tutor, which has been sucking up a lot of my time. Now, for the parts you didn't know.

I was at a volleyball game making a post, and a ball hit my laptop squarely and perfectly on the edge of the monitor. It has lost the ability to show me what I'm doing. As in: the monitor's dead. My dad managed to fix it... kinda, but it was extremely unreliable and wound up dying completely again. So, that took away a lot of my posting power. Second, I updated to iOS 7 (anyone tell me if you like it or not) and somehow got the short end of the stick, as my Safari stuff was wiped clean. Of course, that meant also my saved passwords for the site. And, as I couldn't remember it (again) that wiped out my mobile posting and checking power. *sigh* Perfect storm, see? Not yet. To top it off, my desktop was, for reasons I cannot explain without revealing a bit of my personal life, unusable with the Internet. Well, I can kinda explain it, just so you don't get the wrong idea. My Internet cable was needed by a more needing party, and I don't have a wireless card. There.

This is long, but I have to mention the part that was my fault. This whole thing hasn't been going on for the solid month I've been not-here. Parts of the time when one of those avenues for posting may or may not have been available, I've been investing interest elsewhere. Anime... I've been going through anime like Survey Corps members go through blades trying to defeat the Female Titan. If I say much more, I'm going to say much more, so I'm not going to say any more. But, to those of you who gave me recomendations back when, thank you. Especially anyone who suggested Shingeki no Kyojin. I'm going to say that without a doubt it is the best anime ever made, and a high contender for best story. I honestly believe that if it had been written by a noble 100 years ago, it's be studied today as classical literature. It's comparable to Shakespeare...

And I gotta stop.

Anyway, while I was gone, it seems I have all my threads to catch up on. I am currently (not) enjoying a two week fall break. Not, because I'm behind all the schoolwork from a while. I probably won't be done until near the end of my generous vacation. So, ironically, I have less free time than during the schoolweek.

That being said, I'm going to slowly re-integrate myself. This sounds arrogant, but it's sort of touching to come back after a long absence to find that no one's really into it or doing anything anymore. Gives me the false impression that I helped run the place.

Whhhiiiiichh... actually, I need to get working on that again too. I have 2/3 Guild pages done for the relocation, and will try to find time to do that. But I think most of you would rather have me respond to our threads than work on an external project. So, I'll do it in the background. At worst, I'll have a nice Christmas present for all of you. ;)

So, that was long. Sorry, Blackie: I didn't realize I mas making a negative impression on anybody with my post length. I came here being really accommodating to the short posts, but then everybody kinda encouraged me an praised me for my ridiculousness, and I got carried away. I shall regress slightly after this post. But, I think this one is slightly excusable, to make up for a long time of not no nothingness.

And hello to everyone again!! I'll get to threads as I come. Priorities are going to be made on the basis of muse, not persons. Thankfully, I seem to have a really good flow of it right now, as I was talking to two writer friends, one of which goes to my school, to which same person I have been keeping one off-site thread going. It helped me keep the flame alive when at any time it could've completely died. Anyway, that's all. No more taking of your (obviously valuable) time. Thanks!

Suil Vain

P.S. - If I seem... erratic, unfocused, not really like Thorny, then please remember I gotta get back to the feel of this. There have been other reasons for me not coming back, and I can't tell you what it is because I would be revealing private details of persons in my personal life. But in the end... I'll come back in spirit eventually. Thanks for understanding.

Belle you always seem to say the right thing at the right time. Those paragraphs above seemed to give me a small boost of morale as well as muse and energy.

Lifted a bit of stress off of my shoulders. I thank you for that!

Everyone seems to be having a rough beginning of the school year. Nothing really missed Thorny. Although we did miss you (Even though I was only on for like two hours the whole time you were gone).

I do believe the guild is populated by a majority of highschoolers to college kids. Most of them are using the time to study and hang with friends so I would assume this place would be dead until holidays and vacations start to come around. Hopefully then things start to pick up again?

Okay, Belle. I'm thinking, with Playing with Fire, we should just have Skotos meet us there instead since Pasta has dropped off the face of the earth. This way it would seem as though Skotos believes highly in Buckpaw. Of course he wouldn't say this to his face. This would be a chance for Melei to be accepted right away. Or maybe we meet Uthio? I don't know. I just really want to get that thread going again.

And Thorny. Long posts are good. I just usually keep things short when I'm posting chat wise. I don't know why, maybe it's because I feel like I'm talking to friends instead of a professor? Not sure really. Don't be ashamed of your posts though. Love reading about your life (again, don't know why. Just seems interesting).

Well, with all of those IDK I might as well cut out.

And then there's me who's just like

Welcome back Thorny!

I don't know. I'm just bad at the long post thing. Short little paragraphs are fine, but whenever I attempt a long post I end up repeating myself five times.

Oh don't worry. I catch myself doing that ALLLL the time. :)

Belle! Oh, how I've missed you! And Blizz! And Sky! Oh goodness, it feels so good to be typing long conversations again, to be writing to these people, to be spelling out BBC code. I've actually had to use Ctrl + I for all my stuff with school, and it's irking. [.i]This is so much nicer.[/.i]

I have to admit, I was just coming back out of obligation. But that post made me feel so good, as well as responding to a few PMs... I am well and truly into it again. It's going to take a little bit longer to realize what I was doing in my threads, or entering into the Warriors world again. But the people... no culture shock will ever happen.

I should probably take breaks like this periodically so I don't start to get feeling crowded and stuff, but I can't bring myself to tear away from what has become, not an obligation, but a responsibility. In all of this, I constantly remember that everyone is at the other end of a keyboard, with lives and feelings too. I sit around forever some days waiting for replies, and I never want to be the person doing it back to you.

That being said, I never bump or PM people when they don't respond. I've never had a thread inactive long enough for me to personally justify it. So, if you want me to continue on with a thread, then please go ahead and Shoot me a PM or bump. Otherwise, there's a few I think I might just let go, and see if anyone cares. That being said, don;t freak out with the bumps and PMs if I don't get to you in a week. I still have a lot to do. So... if it looks like I'm fairly active, and you get nothing in 2-3 weeks, bump again. Or PM. Not sure which I prefer, though probably PM.

Quick warning: I've kept one thread off-site going, as it was the only thing accessible. On that one, I've worked hard to keep it down to a 1,500-2k average post length. Which means, I'm going to be posting either waaayy shorter than my usual length, or waaay longer. Depending on the plot and muse, or what's required.

Now, plot. Looks like I really can't keep my length down. Sorry, Blackie: you seem to be the only one who gets annoyed. Or, you're the only one that's telling the truth. I'm going to choose to be oblivious in that regard.

On Playing with Fire... I know I'm not involved with that particular thread yet, but I've followed it the whole way since I posted on the "emotion munipulation" thread. XD (Sorry, had to.) I originally planned for Ultio to meet them, but then Pasta... and stuff. Now, I don;t know what to do. I don't think someone as important as Ultio should be spent on the young rebels, nor someone as off-putting. To that effect, I propose a NEW CHARACTER! Get ready Belle, for your favorite!

1) Not exactly new, but Solacerain. Blizz, you have no idea, but Belle should remember a long discussion on my lotting thread a looong time ago with Caedis and Pasta about Tidepaw and Featherflurry and all manor of other RiverClanners in a loose Tenebris plot. Well, Solacerain fits a loose bill for a contact. Semiflame was much better, but we can't go that route now. If I remember correctly (and I know I do, I'm just being formal), Buckpaw and Melei are on the fringes of RiverClan territory, so this fits nicely. More on him if you're interested.

2) A completely new, from scratch character. To be played by myself or anyone else, depending on who's available and what the role calls for. Not much to elaborate on this.

3) Not a new character idea, but I had to list two more options, if only so this will be a true numbered list. We could go with Ultio anyway, and try to slog through a few issues with the authenticity. It's totally possible, it just screws with my timeline a lot. It's have to be a one-night encounter though, not the planned tutorship/team leadership/babysitter that the assassin was supposed to be. That'll come later.

4) Wait for Pasta. Get in your favorite Zen pose and wait.

I'd really like to prefer to not go with #3. However... if that's what the majority of those involved decides, I'll go with the sake of the group. Other than that, I have no opinionated preference. And when I do 9,999 posts just to chat... I guess it is annoying. So I'll quit there.

DISCLAIMER: I told you I'm not myself. Problem is, in my last post P.S. I told you I wan't myself by using my name instead of Thorny. I was away so long I forgot I was Thorny, and not my real self. So, pay no mind if you didn't see it. If you did, and forgot it already... pay no mind. If you remember, use this golden oppourtunity to stalk wisely. I can almost guarantee you can't find me. And if you're in the first two groups and are now interested, I can let you down and say I've already gone back and edited it so that I'm not my name anymore, but Thorny. That's why I never do Post Scripts.

Ugh... as much as I wanna be happy about seeming to have revived the guild just in time for people to come back, I actually have to apologize to you all.

The way it looks, my activity may drop even lower than it's been lately. And I haven't been active at all since school started. I'm really sorry about that. I can't tell you all how much I wanna spend my time on here with you guys. But it's really out of my control here...

It's become more than just all the college homework. There's definitely still lots of that, but there's drama at home to add to it all now. I'm just.. overwhelmed. Without revealing too much: I now have no ride to college, because my mother's now incapable of driving me safely. I don't even have a learner's permit, and all the college homework I get doesn't even leave me with time to glance over the driver's manual. I don't have a car even if I did have my licence. As far as I know, nobody in my college lives around me. And even the bus that takes me there half the time is an hour's walk away from my house. Probably longer if I have my heavy backpack and bulky art portfolio on top of it. Winter's coming up, too.

My mother quit her job and now we're running on extra low income again. We can barely afford to pay my tuition, and without a licence, a car, or any free time, I can't get a job to try and help out. My mother's spending all our money on.. I'll say "stuff we don't need", and let you imagine what that is. At this rate, we might lose the house. I might have to drop out of college. And just...

The stress is making me sick. I honestly don't wanna get out of bed in the morning anymore. As much as I don't wanna say I have to take a break from this place... that might be what it comes to. I'm going to try my hardest to get on and say something, reply to a thread when I can, but I just can't make any promises until my life settles down. That probably won't happen until the end of the semester. At the very least, I guess me being more active for awhile will be a good Christmas present? Or Yule, Hanukkah, etc. Whatever you guys celebrate.

Again, I'm going to apologize for my inactivity so far, and that which is still to come. I have no idea when I'll be able to get on or for how long. I can't even say for sure what's going on in my life offline, so.. yeah. I'm really sorry. I do hope none of you will be too upset if I'm not able to get on much, if at all, for the next two months or so. I might have random bursts of activity. I might not be on at all in those two months. It might be selfish of me to say, but I hope you guys won't give up on the threads I'm in with any of you.

Volare! especially. Belle, it still remains my favorite thread, and I'd hate to see it die just because my life seems to be spiraling into chaos. Whether I find the time to reply a week from now, or I can't until the semester ends, I hope you'd still be willing to continue that with me.

I really have no idea where my life is going right now. It could clear up and get easier, or it could get a million times worse. I just.. I have no way of knowing. And I hope you'll all bear with me while I try to get my life in order.

Caedis, you're brave for sharing that. Perhaps it is bold of me to assume, but I think I know your situation, because it sounds the same as what mine used to be.
It can be incredibly hard, but try and find time to support your mother, if you're anything like me you may feel inclined to blame her for now, but that will only make things worse in the long run.
Also, College isn't the be all and end all, you can always go back at a later date when it works more for you. (Well I say that as an Australian, but I'm sure the systems are similar in whatever country you come from)
Also, make sure you have you time. Try not to spend all your spare time in bed (however tempting) that was the trap I fell into and it makes it really hard to get up and do things later on. Don't give up hope. Find a hobby, something outdoors is really beneficial as sunlight is a great antidepressant.

If you ever feel the need to vent to someone who doesn't judge, and who likely knows what you're going through (unless I'm way off) feel free to PM me. I always have a listening ear...or eyes, in this manner.

Stay strong.

Welcome back Tris, even though your time is limited!

And I have been having trouble as well. The fan on my computer died, and now I can't use it until a) the fan is replaced or b) I get a new computer. So, I will be limiting my posting on WCRPG at the moment to only the threads I am actively participating in or have already planned with people.

I really, really hate to do this. But I have zero say in the matter, which is the only circumstance that would drive me to do this at this particular point.

I'm behind on schoolwork. Some classes, just a week or two. One of them is already caught up. I regret to admit that one of them, I haven't hardly done a thing since the second week of school. And the end of the trimester is in a mere three weeks, so I gotta get busy. That means, aka, my parents have revoked roleplaying privileges until I'm all caught up. Most likely at least 'till the end of this week. At absolute very most, three weeks: I get released Nov. 8. This seems like a good time to leave, and also the worst time. And I feel bad about announcing my return less than a week ago, only to leave.

Most of all, I'm really feeling for you, Caedis. I can't pretend to understand what you're going through, but I can offer my whole-hearted sympathies of a guy who's empathetic emotions are usually ridiculously out of control. I realize we have different religious views, but I'll still keep you in my prayers. I don't know what there could be, but if there's anything I can help with, don't hesitate to ask. We may only know each other virtually, but I still consider you to be as dear to me as any of my physical friends. After all, you saw fit to share that extremely personal and sensitive information with us; I want to deserve that trust.

Sky, sorry 'bout your computer too. Hope you can get that fixed up.

Belle, don't you dare leave until I get back. I need you too much for you to fade away with the inactivity. It is starting to feel like we're all slipping away, but it'll come back, you'll see. Many of us joined this year, so we haven't experienced how the fall season affects our posting. But the comeback will be great. So wait for me, k?

If anyone asks where I went, refer them here. Broken, I won't get a chance to respond to your PM, so if you can see this, know I haven't forgotten about you. Pass that on to Corp and Cardinal, please? Blizz, I already talked to you. Uh... I think Ellie isn't in the Guild yet, so I need to respond to her personally. And Tabi... I want to make sure i cover all my bases. Anyone else? I would remember better if I wasn't already coming off of an activity low.

Once again, so sorry to everyone for this. It's a parental dictate, so not much I can do. And iPod is confiscated, so I can't check mobilely. I'll try to check a few times a week, sneak in a glance at what's going on. But I'm not formally allowed to post, so that's that.

Sorry to hear about all the issues going on... The school year combined with other issues really just sucks.

Well, I have some good news for you guys. You know WCRPG has a sister site called Xanje right? Well, it seems to be more of an 'advanced roleplaying' site and I actually managed to make a board on there for the ARPG! It is currently being constructed and I can't wait for you guys to see it!

I was thinking this would be a much more organized way of keeping our Guild Competitions and Threads more organized. It would be so much easier to hold site wide contest and communicating among ourselves. You guys think you'd join?

The only problem I see with this, is that there is also a Advanced Writers Association and I do believe they may have taken the idea from us. I have invited them to a friendly competition of popularity. What do you guys think? You wanna join and take them on?

Thanks for caring, guys. Really, those words don't begin to fully express my gratitude, but, well.. that's all I've got.

It actually did just get much worse since the time I posted that. However, this might work out for the better in the long run. I just found out from a classmate that he takes the high school bus to our college. There's a middle college here, so yeah. If I can find a way to do that same thing, things might just get exponentially easier for me. I'll still have lots of school work, but I won't have to stress about finding a ride to school every morning. And right now, that is a big contributing factor to my stress.

Additionally, that'll give me about an hour and a half of free time at school in the morning before my first class. If I don't have homework or studying I really have to do, I might actually be able to reply to my threads! It probably means less sleep at home, but eh. Who needs sleep? And if I'm able to take the high school bus here... Well, I always slept on the bus to school anyways. I just have to make sure I wake up in time to get off the bus. I'll figure out what time it gets to the college and set an alarm on my phone or something.

So yeah. I really hope I can organize something with that, because that'll make my life immensely easier. And I could really use some relief right now.

I have some long overdue replies that I think require my attention right now. If time allows it, I'll get to replying to you guys on here more thoroughly soon, too.

No problem, Belle. I know it can be kinda hectic with two sites (I usually just keep two tabs open each one logged into each site). I plan on running the ARPG over there with Thorny, if he ever gets un-grounded, and also keep myself updated over here. I'll try my best, but if it gets too hectic I may have to choose a side... I don't think I can do that.

Also, Xanje is more of a Human Rp or other book Rp that is not related to WCRPG, although they still have a cat section. I hope to see you guys over there once Thorny adds the sign up thread.

EDIT:

Quick side note: I will also be working on NaNoWrMo this november. It'll be my first time so I'm throwing my all at it. I don't feel to confident going into this when everyone else has already planned all summer, but I'll see what I can do within the month. Wish me luck!

Hey for my first NaNoWriMo I didn't plan at all. Granted, I failed miserably at less than 10,000 words, but I made an attempt.

This year I'm re-writing my fantasy novel that I've written, so hopefully I can finish it before the end of the year.

Goodluck in your endeavour, Skyleaper :)

Good luck to you! Let's see if we can do it this year!

Kay so! I'm gonna try and make this short, cuz I need to get to bed soon.

To make a long story short, I'm happy to report a lot of the drama in my life has worked itself out. Mother's better, found a ride to school 3/4 days of the week, and a ride home from the same person half the time. Still only have one parent with a job, but hopefully that'll change soon, too.

Anyways. I'm going to Salem tomorrow/today! I found a ride with a friend. It's probably gonna be pretty crazy. I'm staying over in the friend's friend's dorm, and I should be getting back sometime on Friday.

I really appreciate the concern and prayers you guys. Maybe they're what made things better. :)

Belle: I've got a post for Volare started, but no time to finish it tonight. Really got distracted getting ready for the trip tomorrow. But! I should be able to reply later in the weekend. I'm really gonna try to reply more now, and though I still have a lot of homework, with the drama cooling down significantly, I oughta be able to post a little more frequently. Certainly won't be daily like in the Summer, but hopefully my threads won't be going two-three weeks without replies anymore. :P

So yeah. I'm gonna head to bed now, get a good night's sleep so I can be up all night at Salem. Be back Friday!