Adding New Storylines — IO's "Next Gen."?

[Blanchefleur Paget]

I apologize if this topic seems to ramble, but I feel the concept can be explained no other way.

From what I have read in all my lurking, and the few roleplays that I have had, the bulk of Issuing Orders's story is centred around a handful of "main characters" that have shaped the site's main story. They have been RPed here from the beginning, or at least for a very long time — they seem to take up most of the story from 1939-1943 on IO. Indeed, the assumed "current time" is the 1944-ish period, when the war saw some of its most dramatic turning points that led to the end.

How does this relate to what I'm getting at?

What I'm trying to say is, I think some of us with newer characters might be interested in building a new, parallel storyline to what has gone on — something that doesn't involve the site's "main characters". The RPs of this storyline hear the characters only in passing mention — a character hears of Edward McMillan's apparent death, but it is not central to that character's story. A soldier fights in Africa or France, yet he never meets — or even hears — of Rhys Bevan or Stephen Colly. I refer to this as "the next generation", as it is a storyline with a completely new cast of characters, starting from the early stages of the war and winding down to the near-end. It's a restart of the same universe, and is what I'm pursuing with Blanchefleur — hence the strict line of time I'm following, starting from 1941-1942.

Would anyone else be interested in having a "next generation"-based storyline with me? Or perhaps starting one of their own? I can help with plot building if needed.

- Bran

[Isaac B. Barker]

Definitely interested.

[Daniel Brennan]

Well I for one am against timelines altogether. I like to think the site follows a timeline of it's very own, where someone can fight in D-day, then the battle of the Bulge, then back in D-day again and there not be any issue. The site pretty much has its own "plot", alike other RPing sites out there.


I'm not sure i'm grabbing the right end of the stick here, but are you thinking of setting these threads in "the past" of the storyline? Because that definitely wouldn't work, it would just make things way too confusing. Sorry if I'm getting this wrong, btw.
Sure, if you want to you can start a mini storyline in 1940 and end with it in 1945, but you have to understand that the time-line of the war and the sites storyline are two different things.

[Stephen Colly]

What? No gay boy around? *jokes*

I personally think that if you guys want to do other story lines then thats great, gives a more colourful feel to the site.

I always thought that there wasn't really a storyline in the site, you could just "hop" from different years...GOD I WISH THAT COULD HAPPEN IN REAL LIFE...be just like Doctor Who...ahem...anyway...I think you should go for it.

[Isaac B. Barker]

Now that I've been thinking, I'm still for the new storyline, but I am opposed to the whole timeline thing. I think it would be much more confusing than it would be good.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

I'm against a timeline as well, and we don't have one, you can have whatever story line you wish, don't have to have any set dates or anything, in fact I'm pretty sure most RP threads here, whether they be neutral or hostile, don't have set dates specifically for that purpose. IO is a completely reshaped version of WWII the way we make it.

And since when have we had a "Main" story line? Dan why haven't you told me about this?

I think the reason you may think the "main" characters are certain members are only because we have been here, and been active, for some of the longest time periods, therefore our stories have been around the longest so others have had more time to go read them if they get board, and more members know of us simply due to how long we have been here, not that we are the main story or what have you. Almost makes me feel bad, like you think we are trying to steal a spot light or something which, as far as I know, is not the case.

-JT

[Heiko Alkema]

I think you guys are missing her point a little.

All she's saying is that most of the threads involved in any kind of story arc all revolve around a select few characters, and she wants to start a completely separate series of arcs with characters not involved with the current ones. Whether that's purely because those characters have been around longer doesn't matter, she just wants to get some fresh characters in on the canon action.

And the "line of time" she's talking about is just a personal one. I've been trying to do the same thing with Heiko, only threads in Africa/Italy and whatnot to avoid any kind of time paradox and preserve a logical progression of his life.

[Blanchefleur Paget]

Heiko hit the nail on the head. Thank you, Heiko.

All I was trying to say was that I think there are too many awesome characters here that could make for some great turning points in the IO story, and that they deserve some storylines of their own, independent of more famous characters. I also meant to say that I was wondering if anyone would be interested in an RP storyline that is "truer" to history, and without time paradoxes (as Heiko put it) but unfortunately, I think I ended up completely missing that in the original post.

Am I accusing anyone of stealing the spotlight? Not at all. What I'm trying to say is that I'd like to give others a chance with any characters they have that are not main ones to have their arc as well. I apologize if it sounded that way; part of my terminology comes from the IO Wiki, as McMillan, Colly and various others are referred to as "the main characters" and "the main protagonists".

[Nicholas Ealing]

By main protaganists, I only ever meant that those characters (like McMillan, Strumfelder, Addie etc.) were the most prominent at that point in time. It doesn't mean that new characters can be just as major but at the moment only a small number of characters have really affected IO canon.

But if it looks like the wiki's tried to edge out less prominent characters, i apologize.

[Blanchefleur Paget]

Nah, don't blame yourself, Rhys. It's my fault for reading it wrong. But I still do want to give others a chance to affect IO canon with some new story arcs or something.

[Edward"Butcher"McMillan]

We have Canon?

-JT

[Heidi]

Any serious work that has ever been created - whether it be movie, video game, book, and etc. - has a main, official storyline that contributes to the medium's universe. That is canon. IO has a storyline directly affected by the RPers who continually shape how the site's story goes. There is canon as long as there are roleplays on IO.

[Deleted]

I know very well what she means. It would be nice to get away from the well-known names for a bit. I've had threads with Erik Schneider, but that's about it. Other options would be welcome.

[∬: Rafael Z. Wolfram]

I agree and disagree with this idea; I'm afraid.

I know you approached me Blanch' for a role play, but I was unable to take part, because you wanted a set time/date for the role play/s to be taken forth with. Now, like many others here, most of you can perhaps say my character Rafael Wolfram has had some of the most changes and storyline archs compared to many other older members here (I.E: Main characters/Veterans/Old members - whatever you proclaim us to be).

Now I wasn't able to take part, because I've personally shaped Wolfram's life with a manner of different events occuring during his military career during the war (obviously) and nothing prior to the war (-1939 backwards), so when I'm given a proposal to take part in a thread with a set date and year, I like many other main cannons here, scrunch our noses up at it, because we've been here for so long and taken part in so many long winded storylines, that we're somewhat afraid to take part in a dated thread, because we don't want to create this paradox universe where our characters are going back and forth in time - or are in two places at once.

I haven't followed any particular dates to my threads, maybe the odd one or two or even in passing, I've mentioned a partial bit of history in Wolfram's life (like the invasion of Poland for example), but other then that, I haven't dated my threads, but I've taken part in so much 'ommph!' plots and storylines, that it seems weird and strange to be taking part in something in 1940, where I've technically set a standard ratio year between 1943 and 1944 for my character now.

I like your idea Blanch', don't get me wrong, please. At the same time however, if this became a large site condition, where IO was split into two categories: First and Second gen' role plays, this place would fall apart I feel, as you would technically be secluding some of the older members, because they're unable to take part in dated role plays, opposed to newer people who have the chance to date their role plays and follow a timeline of their own.

If you're talking from a personal point where you're happy to do this with yourself and a small number of people (mini campaign of role plays), that's entirely fine, why not! If you're proposing this to be a main-site suggestion, then hey, you're basically trumpin' out a majority of the site's older generation here and it simply won't work for us.

I see both sides of the story here and the fact I love IO, is that you can MAKE HISTORY anywhere within the war, at your own discretion, without following a set timeline lapse. I know there was talk a while back about getting an IO-WAR-MAP up and perhaps a campaign following a set timeline, but whether that ever comes into power or not, will certainly suade the effects of role playing here and if it ever did, then myself, McMillan, Dan, Strumfelder, Brentwood, etc -- would find it incredibly hard to change our storyline to fit the new layout or simply have to abandon our accounts and start a fresh, because we just simply can't fit in.
- Raf

[Blanchefleur Paget]

Huh, this is still getting replies. I've dropped the idea, but yeah, I meant a mini-campaign, like an episode or a strand of them, if anyone wants to do that much RPing; making everyone on the site do something like this wouldn't be fun. I just roleplay a different style, that's all, and this was more to find RPers who wouldn't mind roleplaying something a little more strict to history.