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Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2450 –
Okay, I want to start with, I'm not dead. I'm very much alive and I intend to stay that way.

My absence was unavoidable. My primary computer decided to go tits up and die on me leaving me with only a phone and a laptop that I can't find the power cord for. I was however able to visit a friend on the weekends and borrow his computer to use for gaming.

I wish to apologize for any inconveniences this may have caused, trying to write posts from a 4 in(10 cm) screen is really hard. This post is to say that I have managed to get my computer into a functional state once more, which took far longer than I would have liked due to not having as much personal time for these things as I would have liked. I will get to working on some posts here shortly.

Again, I'm sorry for my abrupt vanishing act, couldn't be helped. But I'm returning.

~TrexelCat

P.S.: I'm absolutely horrid at letting people know when tings go sideways, I'm not actually used to needing to do that as I'm often in groups or around people who could care less if I'm there or not. So I feel absolutely horrible that I didn't hold up that end of things when crap hit the fan on my end.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2451 –
The important thing is, you're back!

So a big hug from me here.

And how's E.V.E.? I mean your actual computer A.I.?

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2452 –
PLEASE CONGRATULATE THE AWARD RECIPIENTS OF THE RESEARCHER'S MEDAL AND THE DEPTH OF CHARACTER AWARD

The votes in the two recent polls are in, and here are the results! :)

THE RESEARCHER'S MEDAL ORDER WENT TO ABSINTHE

Primary Reason: For their submissions of the T'fanrell & Elsarian species
Motivation and Links from the GM:
We have a several non-cannon and canon species in our database, and a lot of them is really well wrought in terms of detail and level of scientific description. I could nominate a lot more, but these very thoroughly described. These contributions to the sim really elevates the storytelling and when reading the posts of characters belonging to these species, they stay true to what they are. As I said, many more could be nominated for their species write-ups, but there will be other times this award is opened for nominations, so I chose to put these in the first batch. Thank you for the time you put into these!

The T'fanrell: https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=T%27fanrell
The Elsarian: https://uss-theurgy.com/w/index.php?title=Elsarian


THE DEPTH OF CHARACTER AWARD WENT TO KALIGOS
Primary Reason: The characters Hi'Jak & Sithick, demonstrating dedication to their character development and history.
Motivation & Links:
For Hi'Jak: From the start, as linked below, both writers have remained true to their characters' development and progress, regardless of for better or for worse, it never changed, and they also paid attention to the consequences of their choices. The actions and choices made by CanadianVet for Carrigan Trent still reflect up to the present, and for Hi'Jak, every thread of his shows his development and progress. Kaligos constantly keeps us guessing until he so reveals what he wants us to know about the half-Klingon, and he's not afraid to explore routes of progress some would balk at. I believe they both truly deserve this award.

For Sithck: At first look, one could easily mistake Sithick as a silent, brooding background bit of security muscle, as likely to give you a grunt as a pounding in the face if you step out of lines, but Kaligos has managed to take a 9 foot tall conglomeration of scales and teeth and turn them into a sympathetic character with a tragic background and atypical interests.  By making him approachable, it encourages interactions with the crew and leads to some rather unexpected pairings and encounters which in turn leads to a greater exploration of his origins, even if they aren't the norm for one of his species.

For Kaligos' character Hi'Jak:
https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php/topic,2146.msg12960.html#msg12960

For Kaligos' character Sithick:
https://uss-theurgy.com/forum/index.php/topic,2049.75.html


DEDICATION & SUFFERING AWARD NOMINATIONS

Nominations for two new Writing Awards are now open until the 17th of December, where two separate polls will be posted on the 18th of December for the two award categories and their nominated scenes respectively.

This time the awards are these:



Awarded to a writer who through real-life crisis keep current with plot despite an overwhelming level of events occurring or mounting obligations. The player may be only able to post at a minimum level for up to three months, but their contribution is consistent and focused.



Awarded to a player in recognition of their willingness and ability to put their character through extraordinary personal hardship, be it suffering through sickness or personal crisis, through which the writer contributed superb posts relevant to the situation. The writer who gains this award is a master at torturing their character(s) for the enjoyment of others.


Here is the thread where you post your nominations:

Dedication & Suffering | Award Nominations

You may also submit your nominations anonymously via PM to me. I look forward to read your nominations!

Best Regards,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2453 –
Congratulations!!! Well deserved victories.

Apologies on my posting rate. I have started posts for a few threads, but it's been super busy lately IRL.  I'll be trying to post over the next week.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2454 –
Hey all. You all might have noticed how absent I've been lately, especially where writing is concerned. My life is still crazy, I'm moving across the country again to an even better job, but it means my living situation and everything has changed four times in the last 3 months and while it's all leading to something great, I feel stressed pretty much all the time and everything short of gaming and show-watching fills me with crazy amounts of social anxiety. I'm really hoping that in 6-12 months I'll be stable at my newest job with a place of my own and a cat :) and be in a place to put the required investment that being a member here entails. I don't want to hold back others' stories because I can't get my shit together at the moment.

So that said, I'll be leaving the site, and by extension the discord server, hopefully temporarily. You are the best writing community that I've been a part of and will miss you guys. If anyone that hasn't already wants to send me a friend request on Discord, I'll gladly accept. Wish all of you well, and hope to return soon. (L)

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2455 –
THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME WRITING WITH US MATHIS! :)

FYI, for those wondering, I will be NPCing Derik up until an unfortunate accident that puts him in stasis, opening up the Chief CONN Officer position. Any scenes Derik is required in up until then will be handled by me.

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2457 –
Today, on the 14th of December, I am handing out another Sim Contribution award, and this in the form of...



Awarded to a writer in thanks for helping to keep the GM sane. The writer may have taken initiative to play an active role in a project or significant plot, been a helpful posting partner, given OOC administrative assistance, or simply was extra supportive, encouraging, or making the GM laugh.


This award, if you read the description, has a wide range of applications, and for the life of me, I could not narrow it down to one Theurgist getting this award, because there are so many of you who make my life as GM both easier and rewarding, so, I decided to hand it out to five of our writers.

I don't think this will devalue the award in itself, since all five given this award have done amazing things for the story and the sim as a whole. They are all great contributors in their own right, and since this is the first year we have these awards, I wanted to recognise old efforts (that only so many of us here still might remember). So, this does not take away from any recent contributions and efforts of newer writers, since I could easily give out more of these, but all in good time. I have somewhat of a backlog of gratitude to show. :)

And the recipients. in alphabetical order, are:


BRUTUS
  • Despite his heavy real-life burdens, and all the years he has been a member, @Brutus remains with us and keeps on delivering high-quality writing. This is a writer that truly delves into the personality of his characters, and puts the reader firmly in the head of the character in all the scenes they appear in. Despite everything that may be burdening Brutus, he still makes the time and delivers awesome quality writing as soon as he is able.
  • Despite his demanding RL situation, Brutus still goes out of his way to try and support the major storyline as best as he is able.
     A recent example is how he wanted to write an NPC for the Episode 04 story, this being in the form of Komial Dotnhil, who drove the plotlines on Starbase 84 forward. He devoted time and energy to make this NPC's full character page and to writer her story from start to finish, just to help out characterising the opposition on the starbase. If Brutus hadn't written this character, I would have been forced to make a Chief of Security in order to make everything turn out the way it did.
  • I also want to commend Brutus for all the sub-plots revolving around his character Sarresh Morali, and how this character has made both a direct and indirect imprint on the story. Without Sarresh, a lot of things in the story would not have been what they are today. Sarresh is tightly connected to the main storyline, and Brutus has a lot of responsibility in supporting the story through this character, and so Brutus does, and I am so very thankful for it.


CANADIANVET
  • Here is a wellspring of ideas and a keen mind for details. With a betimes better memory than I, @CanadianVet has truly invested himself into the telling of our story, driving plot ideas forward and gives 100 % in describing situations and facilitating the course and direction of plot development. Ranging from the mutiny and battle with the Calamity in Episode 03, to the Battle of Starbase 84, CV has a great talent for the narration of battles and the illustrating the role of a commander.
  • Given the above, I feel that I can always trust CV to deliver upon plot-essential posts, knowing when to step up and post for the benefit of the whole sim and not just for the sake of furthering his own characters. Our protagonists loose sometimes, make mistakes, and over the course of the years, CV knows just as well as I do that a story thrives in adversity.
  • CV doesn't only make our storytelling easier, or present excellent ideas for the plot, he has been a reliable source of inspiration and help in creating the technical specifications of many things featured in our story. The Accipiter, the Twin-Mount turrets on our fighters, the tech and weaponry of the Reavers, the point-defence system on Thea are just a few. Thank you so much for not letting me have to come up with all the tech specifications on my own.


CHXINYA
  • It is quite funny that @chXinya almost didn't join our sim because he barely had any time to reply to PMs to begin with, making me doubt his commitment to writing with us, but oh... how he proved me wrong, lol! He offered, to show his commitment, to read the whole story, from Episode 01 and onwards, leading up to Episode 04, and to send me weekly reports via PM with comments and observations, and I thought, "Psh...yeah, right, he won't." So, ahem, well... Not only did chXinya prove me a fool for ever doubting him, he read everything devotedly and ideas began to bubble up right until his writing appeared in the story itself, and through the eyes of our lookout in Stellar Cartography, he was able to provide a storytelling solution that I didn't even know we lacked before Starbase 84. He supplied us with the long-range eyes during the battle, able to foreshadow not only the arrival of the Orcus, but the whole of Task Force Archeron. ChXinya has created an essential character in Shall, and I am so happy he proved me wrong, and I could not be more grateful that he stuck around and didn't just move on.
  • Since then, chXinya - with his knowledge of the past Episodes of our story - has taken on both Selena Ravenholm and Wenn Cinn, both characters of great import to the story with either their skills and access, or the implications of what has yet to happen. Wenn Cinn may be Ives' Second Officer, but both characters are equally important in driving our story forward, which was proven during infiltration of Starbase 84 and the sending of the Simulcast. Thank you chXinya, for your dedication and your attitude, and I am so sorry for ever having doubted you!


NOLAN
  • Aside from Brutus, @Nolan is our longest remaining writer on the sim, and he has proved his dedication to our story and the telling of it on more occasions than I can name here. Something that stands out first in my mind is how he has never been afraid to truly progress scenes, as in to push them onwards, instead of just writing his character in reaction to what they experience around themselves in a scene. The first time I realised this was when we wrote the battle on Theta Eridani IV, where he - unbidden - furthered one scene exactly to the point I had meant to do in the post I was to write after him, progressing the scene and letting us get to where we were heading ahead of time. I love it when writers almost reads my mind and sees the story objectively, realises where to go, and without dictating actions made by other people's characters, furthers the scene to where is needs to go. I am so used to having set the pace that when someone helps me do it, I am both shocked and happy at the same time.
  • Not only is Nolan a very frequent writer, posting a lot, he is also a very diverse writer, being able to write the characters he has with different tones and objectives. And aside from being able to progress scenes, Nolan readily helps me a lot with his characters in the story. A recent example is how he played a very, very active role in the telling of Edena Rez' last scenes and Jona Rez' betrayal on the bridge. We had to create the buildup towards the betrayal back in Interregnum 03-04, and then act it out via PM as a joint-post, setting the whole defeat at Starbase 84 in motion in Episode 04. We had several joint posts that we worked on simultaneously, and it all came together in one of the biggest plot twists we had so far.
  • Then, in being such a prolific writer, having a sense of story direction, and being so helpful in developing the plot through his characters, Nolan recently volunteered to help me with new member character introductions with an NPC he created. Using Nurse Patterson, Nolan sought to ease the burden for me by helping with the many stasis-revivals we had. Nurse Patterson was there to help introduce new characters, and that really made a difference for me during the hectic months I had when we started up Interregnum 04-05. Thank you so much, Nolan, for staying, for writing so much and so frequently, and for making my life as GM so much easier.


TRIAGE
  • I mean... Come on. Who doesn't love @Triage ? :) This is a writer that exudes positivism and truly cares for each and every character and writer on the sim, lending to a really carefree and easy-going atmosphere both on the forum and on our Discord server. She is the uncrowned gif-queen and oddball angel that makes us all laugh and smile every day. The attitude she has should be a role-model for all of us, and I am so, so happy she remains with us still. With her heart in the right place, so enthusiastic and a spitball of ideas, I am really grateful for what she is doing socially in the group (even if I have to shoot down some of those more crazy ideas, lol)
  • Back during Episode 03, many of you might not know or remember, but Triage was a really awesome plot driver though the writing of several characters, two of which she inherited. She's had stints writing both Edena Rez and Cameron Henshaw, and both had essential roles during the grand finale of Part III of that Episode. Heather McMillan is also a plot-essential character in her Radiant abilities and what they might be able to do to the hosts of parasites. Therefore, she dedicated a lot of time and effort in making the ending of Episode 04, writing joint posts with me and willing to put her character in harms way for the benefit of the story revolving around the parasites and Sonja Acreth in particular.
  • How else has she contributed to make my life easier? Oh, well, the idea about the USS Resolve and Tristan Kendrick was hers. The first half of Episode 04, playing out before the Theurgy arrived, revolved around a ship idea of hers, and a Commanding Officer of her creation. She helped compile he first iteration of the information on the Resolve, and together, the premise of the Resolve's voyage beyond Romulan space took shape. The first half of Episode 04 would have been nothing of what turned out to be if it wasn't for Triage. Oh, and how about the fact that she is an excellent writer on top of all this, who truly dedicates herself to quality and staying true to her characters?


And what about this one?



Awarded to a writer who goes through extreme, even insane measures to get an administrative project done for the sim, well beyond any kind of expectations from the GM.


Who else can this go to?  :)


DOC M.
  • In essence, @Doc M. is overqualified for the GM Sanity Award. Because he doesn't only contribute to helping in the telling of the story just as much as the five people listed above. Quality in writing, driving plot, coordinating scenes, presenting ideas, knows canon really, really well. Humour? He got the Pakled Order, so I don't need to say more on that.
  • Doc M get the Insanity Award because on top of all the aforementioned things, he earned the Builder's Hammer for active contribution to our Wiki. So put it in perspective a moment. Not only a story driver and an awesome writer, driving scenes forward through excellent story telling, but also creating our own starship database?
  • How about the starship database, plus all of our NPC pages, and 80% or more of all the NPCs listed there? What can I say? I am humbled by the time and devotion Doc M. has to this sim and our story, going beyond all my expectations in contributing to the sim. I don't know how to articulate the gratitude I feel for your contributions, and I am a writer myself. Thank you for staying with us, and for all that you have done. This sim would be nothing like it is without your efforts.

I hope these small tokens of my appreciation shows how thankful I am for all of your efforts in making this sim what it is today. :)

Best Regards,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2458 –
I want to apologize for the delays in my posting. The holidays are the busiest time of year for me because of my job (retail) and I'm usually exhausted by the time i get home.  I have tried to post responses as i have the energy, but they are few and far between.

That said, i have a trip planned this weekend and dont know if i will get to post or not.  :) if not, then hopefully next week will be better.. x.x

The good news is that i can see the end of the tunnel! I have the week after christmas off so i can relax and recover.  So whatever i cant get to before christmas, ill get to then.
"Relationships are not my strong suit; I deal in evenings."
 - Jaya Thorne, Asst. Chief CONN Officer, Ensign [Show/Hide]

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2459 –
Congrats and good job to all of you above people :D, I can say I have seen your works all over the place throughout my browsing of both the wiki and the forum.

That aside I should get to posting soon enough, just had a rather unfortunate event happen. So I have a funeral to prepare for.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2460 –
TRAILER HELP REQUEST



Well, before Episode 05 starts and recruitment opens up, I want to finish this bloody thing. :) I need your help guys and gals!

Please go hunting for good youtube clips showcasing your actors/actresses/models and send me the hyperlinks via PM, please also send me the time index for moments in the clips you especially like. I can, however, not promise that all clips will make the final cut of our new trailer.

As for those with very exotic/alien characters, I will make do with what I can, using parallax effects and such on my own artwork to try and bring them to life a bit. Please don't have too much expectations though, since that is very hard to do, and takes a lot of time for me. Results vary with the images and what I can do with them.

When I get your PMs, I will label them and catalogue them for use. Things get lost on Discord though, and it would take forever to track things there, so PM is the way to go. :)

Your characters will, individually, get about 4 seconds of screen-time, so keep that in mind. :)

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2461 –
I'd like to say that I don't expect any of mine in the film and don't want to make you do any more work with my characters than you've already done! If you'd specifically like one of mine I will surely find some film for you, but I am already more than satisfied with the animations you've already made!

I wish I could help you with the animating, but all my (limited) expertise is in hand drawn animation. I wish you the best of luck, Wizard Lucan!

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2462 –
Thank you FT! :)

NEW SITE FEATURE!

An early Christmas gift for you all! As of now, you can personalise the Theurgy site - forum and wiki - by choosing which of our featured vessels you want displayed on the right hand side of the site! As for how you can do it, check this explanation to learn how you navigate to the selector.


> > Full Resolution

Merry Christmas!

Best Regards,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2463 –
This looks and sounds like fun! I'll find something for my boys to star in the clip. I just can't send you anything just yet, Auctor-- but I can't wait ;)

I'm having blue screen issues and need to get a new laptop sometime by or around Christmas-- just a polite headsup.  I have a cargo run due in Montana before christmas-- comes with a nice payday; I'm going to get a laptop for video editing and hopefully photoshop. Finals are done, so once I get a new laptop, I'll be back on schedule.

--I hate blue screens of death--
Lt. Commander Leon "Striker" Marquez
Chief Tactical Officer, USS Theurgy
"No one left behind."

Ensign James "Jimmy" Mariner
Security Officer, USS Theurgy
"Showtime!"

Lieutenant (J.G.) Alessia "Angel" Garcia
Valravn Fighter Pilot, USS Theurgy
"You're not the only one with a gun,"

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2464 –
Thanks for the update, Striker!

As for the youtube clips that are sent in, I notice that you guys are really into this new trailer coming up, but some of you have been sending me 3-4 clips per character, and I have to say again, please don't get your hopes up about what will be seen of your characters in the trailer.

So, expect to be dissapointed in how much of your character is seen, because it is 3-4 seconds that your character might appear in this trailer. It is very fast-paced, and will clock in well below 4 minutes. The old trailer was over 6 minutes, and has half the amount of characters that we have now. That should say something about the challenges I face. :)

On the flip side, I really, really love that you all send in things to pick from! Just please don't get the idea that something from the clips will be seen in the trailer, because in the final cut, I have to pick something that fits in terms of timing and placement when the slot comes up. Realise also that this is exceedingly difificult to time to a song, etc. etc.

So, please continue to send clips, but don't expect that much of them to show up! :)

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2465 –
Update to the personal story that is my life.

As of december 30th I will be walking away from the job i have had for the last two years. I've already cut down my expenses to as small as I can make them, and I have two paychecks left before the well runs dry, and I have a student loan that is underway, so I have about three months left before the lights go dark and I'm forced to live off the land as a crazy forest hermit, so...

Lets just put that up in the corner

So aside from finishing school in the time aloted to the continuation of my existence, come end of December expect my activity on this site to actually increase, and then baring future employment, expect me to vanish come april as my back up plan is to go into the woods with my swords and my bow and arrow, and to hunt the tourists that camp there for sport and food.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2466 –
So sorry to hear this, Kaligos. Hope you find a better employer.

TWO NEW AWARD POLLS

Hello Theurgists! Thank you to those who took their time to make nominations in the Writer's Heart and Scourge Award categories. Now, the nomination time has long expired, but the two polls have finally been posted, one for each award category:

The Writer's Heart Award Poll 2017

The Scourge Award Poll 2017

The polls will run for 7 days, in which those who cast their votes should take a few minutes to read the linked scenes first. The nominee(s) who get the most votes will receive the Writer's heart or Scourge Award respectively. If you are a Nominee, you may not vote on yourself, but you are free to vote on your fellow competitors.

Thank you in advance for your voting in these award categories! I would have posted the polls sooner, but the trailer and work has eaten up my time entirely. :)

Best Regards,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2467 –
QUICK UPDATE

Some stuff I brought up in chat when I had some spare time at work, but which should be here too for sake of posterity and ease of access to the info (instead of reading up on the channel in chat). :)

VALRAVN UPGRADE PROJECT

The upgraded Valravn is selectable on the forum's theme instead of the old one now. Renders and finalised 3D model in progress.



Omardex made us custom landing gears for the Valravn. They are original, but I really like them:



She's got a nice, new ass too, with this engine assembly:



Close-up on the detailing of that impulse engine outlet. Please notice the scorch marks from the auxiliary thrusters! :)



Cockpit texturing is still work-in-progress, but in this view, where the glass of the cockpit is removed, you can see her LCARS screens added for the pilot and the RIO. As I said, more to come in the cockpit texturing, but then, it will be finished. I will show what it looks like with its glass canopy replaced then.



This screenshot shows the Valravn from the dorsal side, where you can notice details like the sockets in which the hard points are to be attached, underneath the wings and under the forward-swept arms:



These are just screenshots from a 3D viewer, making the hull texture come out a bit matte, but Omardex gave us a couple of test renders too! Behold her in all her new glory... :)



Omardex said he had really enjoyed upgrading our Valravn, adding yet more hours to the realisation of her design. Kalashnikov did an awesome job with the first rendition of her, which served as a basis for this new model. Kalashnikov has been on vacation and worked on the Cayuga up until recently, and I am so happy that Omardex wanted to do this completion of the Valravn. As I said earlier, there is still come work to do on the cockpit, but soon, the Valravn project will be finished. :)

TRAILER PROJECT

Furthermore, the new trailer is 85 % done! I will pause now to catch up on posting. Another reason I have paused is because a new Theurgy animation is being rendered too, which takes forever... I also have 6 frame agreements to negotiate at work and settle them before the turn of the year, so it's a bit... hectic atm. :) Still, posts will be rolling up on the forum today.

I can say that I feel the trailer will turn out really good, in any case a definite improvement from the former one. The music of choice has a very quick rhythm to it in the trailer, to the transitions match it, making it really adrenaline-pumped and cool. With all the hours I have put into it here and there the last year or two, added with this latest sprint... I would not dare to venture a guess on how much time in total (including animation renders and the parallax effects done) this project have taken. About 30 hrs. minimum? Something like that. A lot of the character images done over the years is included too, and I have lost count on those.

It is a huge project, but it s also a kind of collection of old work put into it as well, showcasing so much of the sim in just so many minutes. The boring time, for me, is to search for viable clips, which I felt I needed help with, and I made sure to ask for help this time.

FINALLY

That's all for now, just a short update. Progress is being made on the Sheromi and Ep 05 starter threads too, and when the trailer is finished, and Ep 05 is up, we will slowly be able to start up recruitment again, but there might be some waiting time involved depending on how things are then. :)

Best,

Auctor Lucan

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2468 –
Quick note to everyone that I will be away the 22nd through the 27th visiting family out of town. I'm going to try and get any tags waiting on me done by end of day today so I don't leave anyone hanging for a week.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2470 –
Took a couple of hours to buckle down and write out replies to all my 1-on-1 threads while the wife enjoyed a bath. Now its off to lunch, so the two 'group' threads I owe for will have to wait until later. God, but getting away to an inn was a good idea. Great for sitting down and focusing on writing for a bit :)

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2473 –
Merry Christmas, I do hope you all had a good and at least somewhat enjoyable day.

To those I owe posts too, I should be on that tomorrow or the day after.

Re: Main OOC Thread

Reply #2474 –
I have a lot of family stuff to deal with and work on top of that so I will be getting much less sleep so I won't be able to do much writing until it is all over around January 3rd. Just FYI. I might get some posts done, might not. We'll see.
 
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