Just to Clarify (part 2?)

[banaili]

Hey there! Sorry to make another thread for this, but it seems the original thread is now locked, and I still had some questions based on the explanation that was provided for us.

So, from what I read, I'm gathering that I'm not allowed to post with Gollum (aka Silence) at all?

Also, do you mean that Bilbo having the Ring is the problem here? If so, does that mean that we're not allowed to roleplay out any scenes that take place after Bilbo gets the Ring? I think several of us had some fun side quests planned in Mirkwood and Laketown and such, but they weren't going to affect the main plot. However, if you're saying Bilbo having the Ring is the problem, then I'm assuming we're not going to be allowed to do those?

Also, I definitely understand that Smaug cannot be killed, since that would be god-modding another person's character, and I don't think any of the players intended to do that. So you definitely don't need to worry about those kinds of things! Everyone on here is pretty responsible and definitely respectful, and there's no way we'd try to kill off another's person character without their permission and the admin's!

I'm just concerned because it sounds like we're going to be extremely limited in what we can roleplay, and that goes double for me and Gollum. I mean, it really just seems like I can't roleplay anything past getting the Ring now.

If you're worried about Bilbo having the Ring and worried he might use it to gain some sort of extra power, that definitely wouldn't happen. I've tried my best to stay as close to the canon character as I can, and I do hope I've done a decent-enough job of it. I won't stray too far from him if I can help it, and of course that would be totally out-of-character for him! >< I definitely have no intention of Bilbo using the Ring outside of his usual purposes for it on the main quest. (Plus, from what I remember in The Hobbit book and also the beginning of Fellowship, the Ring is pretty much dormant until Gollum gives away who has it, unless I'm mistaken. Which means that it's not causing any harm that we need to worry about!)

I just want to have these things confirmed, because I feel a little disheartened. I don't know what my limitations are now as Bilbo, and I didn't think this was a problem before...I just don't know what to do.

I guess I'll just ask...can an exception be made? It's just extremely difficult for me to roleplay, knowing there are going to be all these limits.

Sorry for another long post in here! I appreciate your time~

[Gandalf the Grey]

It is not that you are not allowed to have the ring because I am worried about what you may or may not do with it. It is just a principal thing. The board was set in the time period before Bilbo has the ring. Now, if you desire to post with the dwarfs in Laketown and Mirkwood than you can do so, just without the ring. You have to understand this. If Bilbo has the ring it makes us play those few years in advance. What I was trying to do is rebuild the plot so that we can build up to the quest itself. You are free to post however you wish with who you wish. The reason you can not post with Gollum is because that would directly result in Bilbo having the ring and yea. So I hope that explains it. I fully intend to have Bilbo receive the ring, just not yet in the board roleplay.

[banaili]

I don't understand though. >_< Because Bilbo does not go to Laketown or any place past the Misty Mountains without the Ring. Even if I go to those places after the quest is finished, Bilbo would still have the Ring, as he has it into his old age. Obviously I can't play Bilbo going to Laketown with the dwarves or anything before the quest, as that would also be completely AU.

And you said I can roleplay with whoever I want, but that still doesn't include Gollum...Also, I'm just so confused. >_< You said the main quest has to be completely canon, and yet you're saying I can only do posts after Riddes in the Dark without the Ring. I'm sorry, I just don't understand... So are we just changing the plot of the novel so that Bilbo doesn't get the Ring? I'm totally game for trying AU things, but since that's such a huge part of the quest, I'm really completely thrown for a loop right now...

If this is really such a problem, I'll consider leaving the site. I joined this site and helped recruit people to it because it really looked like everyone had put a lot of work into the place, and I wanted to help you guys build it up after all your hard work. But now I just feel like I'm running in circles and being told one thing while being expected to do another. And it's just confusing and a little stressful for me, when roleplaying is supposed to be fun. I didn't know it was going to be so complicated just to post with other players...I thought by taking a canon character, you would want me to stick to doing canon things. I also feel really bad that Gollum is even more limited than I am in interactions...

I just don't understand. I'm very sorry. If this can be further clarified, I would appreciate it very much. But I'm starting to think maybe I should look elsewhere if you're not looking for Bilbo to follow his canon plot on this particular site. Since that's the only thing I know, as it was written by Tolkien, if there's something else I'm expected to do, I don't understand what it is. It's extremely complicated for me right now and I just don't get it....

(And another long post...I'm sorry, it's quite late here, and I'm feeling quite a bit stressed. )

[kili]

I hate to jump in, but I am also confused. You're telling Ai Li that she can play Bilbo with the Dwarves in Lake Town and Mirkwood without the ring, but I've also read that you wanted this to stay completely canon and true to Tolkien's works. So, with that line of thought, playing Bilbo without the ring in those areas would not be canon.

And, on a more personal note, staying completely true to canon means certain specific characters die. I was personally of the opinion that this was a 'Following the Quest but Allowing for some AU' kinda plot. I mean, no offense to anyone, but if we're just supposed to eventually play out the Quest exactly as it was written out in Tolkien's book, we may as well not play at all and reread the book.

Those are just my two cents. I apologize if I offended anyone, but all this confusion has made everything a lot more stressful than I thought it would be.

[cassiopeia]

I respect that this is your forum and as such it is your prerogative to decide the rules and how it is run. Ai Li, Pumpkin and Puck have all made points and asked questions much more eloquently than I am capable of doing. I just want to chip in to say that I, too, am at a loss and would also appreciate some further clarification. Hopefully by posting in here I will not be muddying the waters further or make you feel bombarded from all sides.

Do you mean to say that the Quest will be acted out in an entirely linear fashion (i.e. from start to finish, rather than having different threads dedicated to different events at once)? Or are we currently able to play out scenes up to, but not including, the moment when Bilbo receives the Ring? Or must we wait until we have acted out the moment Gandalf gives Thorin the key before we can do even that?

Remaining on the issue of the time-period, are we permitted to play out events from the past? For example, Simba, Hades, Pumpkin and I were hoping to have a thread set in Ered Luin decades before the Quest. It would not in any way influence the future Quest plot but would allow for us to develop the relationships between Balin, Thorin, Fili and Kili.

I understand entirely your desire to protect Tolkien from posts that would otherwise undermine his work but I think it is safe to say the members here are very respectful of the Professor's work and handle their canon characters with a great deal of care. In any case, I figured we could have side-quests etc. that do not appear in the book in order to develop the characters - so long as it did not take away from the main Quest or detract from the characters as Tolkien meant them to be, obviously.

I can understand that we cannot act out Smaug being killed, for the reasons Ai Li has already given. But I do not understand why Bilbo cannot meet Gollum or have the Ring. Could you please explain the principle behind this? As to the Battle of Five Armies, I don't think any of us are in a hurry to act that scene out, given what it will entail for some of the canon characters.

Anywho, as I say I do not mean to add to the flood of questions or distract from Ai Li's posts.

[hades]

Ai Li:
It's alright, *hugs* You're just freaked out because of the suddenness of this. You need to calm down, take a few deep breaths, and eat a couple of Bofur Ice Cream Bars. <3

This is why people should consider creating a freer character, it isn't that Gollum is limited, he can meet whom ever he wishes! I could have him have an encounter with Ginger and Dénor and it would be fine. (He doesn't like Elveses anyway, and of course with Silence's permission) Bilbo isn't as limited as you're saying either, upon meeting other characters along the quest.

However, he is limited to having the Ring until everyone else catches up, it almost feels like ya'll are leaving us behind - I hate to say. You have a thread with me in the Misty Mountains just after the Company leaves Rivendell, it is after this thread that they catch up and then they encounter the Goblins/Orcs/Gollum. (but you knew this!) Have you OR Silence considered having a Third Non-Cannon with you and Gollum in the cave sharing Riddles without giving names to where Gollum wouldn't remember that it was a Baggins in the cave with him? O.o; - - just a thought.

Events on this site are happening so fast that even I'm a little winded! If we take a few steps back, breathe, and let the excitement of having a Hobbit based RPG site 'wear off', we can have a great time! <33 I don't want to see anyone leave because of a little matter over a Ring... I'll go and cast it into the fire myself! ):

Do you see what I'm saying? I don't think I can clear it up anymore than I have.... but I can try.

We love having you and your Twin here, Ai Li! <3 And we wouldn't want you two to leave. *hugs and gives extra Bofur Bars*

[banaili]

Jan 18, 2013 11:11:06 GMT -5 @hades said:

Ai Li:
It's alright, *hugs* You're just freaked out because of the suddenness of this. You need to calm down, take a few deep breaths, and eat a couple of Bofur Ice Cream Bars. <3

This is why people should consider creating a freer character, it isn't that Gollum is limited, he can meet whom ever he wishes! I could have him have an encounter with Ginger and Dénor and it would be fine. (He doesn't like Elveses anyway, and of course with Silence's permission) Bilbo isn't as limited as you're saying either, upon meeting other characters along the quest.

However, he is limited to having the Ring until everyone else catches up! You have a thread with me in the Misty Mountains just after the Company leaves Rivendell, it is after this thread that they catch up and then they encounter the Goblins/Orcs/Gollum. (but you knew this!) Have you OR Silence considered having a Third Non-Cannon with you and Gollum in the cave sharing Riddles without giving names to where Gollum wouldn't remember that it was a Baggins in the cave with him? O.o; - - just a thought.

Events on this site are happening so fast that even I'm a little winded! If we take a few steps back, breathe, and let the excitement of having a Hobbit based RPG site 'wear off', we can have a great time! <33 I don't want to see anyone leave because of a little matter over a Ring... I'll go and cast it into the fire myself! ):

Do you see what I'm saying? I don't think I can clear it up anymore than I have.... but I can try.

We love having you and your Twin here, Ai Li! <3 And we wouldn't want you two to leave. *hugs and gives extra Bofur Bars*

Hey Hades~

I can't speak for Silence, although I know she really wanted to play Gollum. (And if you really love a character and want to play them, I certainly don't blame you for taking that character! More power to you!) But as Bilbo, I think things should generally be pretty free in terms of roleplay. There's lots of opportunity there. Like any canon character, I obviously have to stick to Bilbo's canon timeline. But what I'm confused about right now is whether or not I'm supposed to be sticking to Bilbo's canon timeline, given everything I've just been told. It sounds like I'm being told that I'm supposed to stick to Bilbo's canon timeline, but when it comes to anything that has to do with the Ring, it can't be canon anymore. (As in, scenes that happen after Bilbo gets the Ring will no longer actually be with the Ring, aka no longer canon...) Do you see what I mean? It's extremely confusing for me to understand what I'm expected to do as a canon character when his canon plot is being changed so drastically. I don't know what the limits are anymore. >_<

Anyway, I really need to get some sleep, since I've been awake nearly 24 hours straight now. I'll try to get back to this tomorrow. Take care~

[Gandalf the Grey]

Alright: I am going to try and clear this up again for everyone so that they understand. Hell after reading all that even I am a little confused.

First let me say this. I love everyone being on here and everyone posting and discussions like this do not bother me in the least and they need to happen if things are going to get resolved so everyone can enjoy themselves.

Second: Everyone keeps saying that their characters are going to be limited. Ali makes a great point about non cannon characters and such as well. For example Gollum can interact with who ever except Bilbo. That gives him a lot of options. Anyway; the way the timeline works is this. This board is set for five years before Gandalf comes to Bilbo’s door and all the dwarfs get together there..

Now, apparently that is the issues that is causing problems here on the board. Let me explain how this works. Just because we are five years prior does not mean that you are not able to act out certain scenes from the books. This is also why this board is not based around acting out the entire adventure written by Tolkien. That basically would be, ( as Bilbo said ) like reading the book. The story line that we are trying to establish is entirely original within Tolkien’s world of Lord of the Rings. You can come and do whatever you want to do. If Bilbo wants to be in Laketown then he can. You might be asking, how does that makes sense? He can’t be there that’s part of the quest.

Let us step back here. Everyone here is a creative minded person. You have to be or you would not be on this board posting, obviously. Create something knew, something different. Considering the fact that, as been recently discussed by the admins, it would be in the best interest to maybe not do the actual quest because it would be repetitive, let us create our own story. Who is to say the dwarfs didn’t come recruit Bilbo to come to Laketown with them to kill the dragon. It doesn’t matter, you can do it. This is a free roleplay, play however you like. If you want to storm the keep you can do it! If you want to reclaim Moria by force and throw out the goblins within, you can do that and then PM me and say he, I am the ruler of Moria now and I can set it up that way. This is the point of roleplaying. It is to take what we love, Lord of the Rings and middle Earth and play it as if we were part of that world with our own spin on how everything works and goes. My other character, Aragost. If he wants to go and invade Dol Guldor with a band of Dunedain Rangers then he can. Sure it never happened in the books, but that is okay because this is free roleplay. All that we have done is set down a certain amount of guidelines to use as a template. For example, Sauron is in Dol Guldor. Smaug is in Erebor and Gollum has the ring in the Misty Mountains. They are points to play off, points to build storylines. Tyler’s character, Cindralic, because I know my own brothers personality, will probably, at some time try and take over Middle Earth. He is allowed to do that. If he wants to apply to be the ruler of Angmar then he can and then he could control the forces of that realm and try and take over the world and the forces of good can try and stop him.

I think the problem that we are running into here is that people are trying to make it exactly like Tolkien wrote it. I realize the board says True Lord of the Rings. I put it there. That means that, cannon characters, Gandalf, Thorin, Elrond, simply need to be true to character. Be the characters they are meant to be. What that also means is this, play them doing whatever you want! Meaning this; If Thorin wants to take over Moria then he can take all the dwarfs and go make a thread and do that. If Bilbo wants to go exploring in Mordor, he can do that. The whole point of the Cannon characters is to make sure they would act as they would in Lord of the Rings. Gandalf has to be a wizard, Bilbo has to be a hobbit and timid and well Bilboish but that doesn’t mean he can’t go out and do whatever he wants. I am 100 percent flexible on whatever you want to roleplay and do with regard to the few guidelines that have been set down. If you want to replay something from the past, by all means do it. I have no worries about that and can not wait to read it. You are free to do whatever you wish. Is or Gondorian players wish to rule Gondor and they can explain in a thread how they come to Rule then go right ahead and do it. I want that sort of play to be as flexible as possible so we can write what we want.

So, let me summarize this: Look at this board like an opportunity to be cast back into the realm of Lord of the Rings five years before Bilbo goes on his quest. From there you can act out and do whatever you wish with your characters as long as the cannon characters behave as they would in Lord of the Rings. If they want to go on their own quest and do whatever they wish then so be it, as long as the simple parameters that we have placed are kept. I hope this clears everything up. Let me know! Thank you

[kili]

For me, this has cleared everything up. Thank you Gandalf. This turns out to be exactly what I initially signed up for. A complete AU with respect to the source material and the characters therein. I'm more excited now for the opportunities awaiting Kili and my other characters to come.

[puckrox]

Excellent. That is great to hear. Thank you, Gandalf.

[Gandalf the Grey]

Glad that helped cause it took forever to write...lol

[pumpkin]

Hey there, sorry not to get on top of things sooner, too... I went to bed early last night. >.< I read everything, and actually, while I had always thought there was room for side quests and all, I didn't realize this was a completely AU site. It doesn't say that anywhere, and I do suggest you mention that somewhere in the rules or plot thread, if that is the case. I still feel frustrated, because since the first day I signed up, I wasn't sure what was what on the site. It's just not clear, and signing up for canons back when I joined was extremely strict, so I assumed we had to be extremely canon, down to the plot. I even asked in Dear Eru back then about the plot to make sure, but there hadn't been an answer about that. I just feel like I've been under the wrong impression the whole time. I thought we would follow the story WITH room for AU stuff (like side quests and such), but I didn't think that the entire thing was completely AU. (Especially if it's because Bilbo's character isn't supposed to have the ring. That just seems odd to me.)

I'm going to carefully consider everything and whether or not I'll stay. Thanks for writing that long response. I still feel a little upset and unsure about what exactly just happened. And I realize it doesn't really affect me personally, or my character, but it's just a bit much. Sorry.

[westernfiddler]

Let me get this straightened out, completely. I want these questions answered by one than one moderator/admin. No one except authority answer them.

1) Are all RPs at the same time, and therefore, canon correct? (Meaning, Balin cannot be in Gondor because in the time we are he is in Ered Luin.)

2) Are any major modifications to the plot allowed? Seems to me a lot of people joined to to do AUs.

[banaili]

Questions from the Members

So we've been talking in the c-box and tried to put together this list of questions we have, based on all the information we've been hearing. I think we're all very confused (myself most certainly included). If you could address these questions, Gandalf, with very specific answers as to what you plan to do with the site, I think it will really help to clear up some of our confusion. Thanks in advance for looking at it and taking the time to explain!

1) Are you saying that this site is canon up UNTIL the Riddles in the Dark scene, and then we can just post whatever the heck we want after that?


2) If your answer to 1) is yes, does that still mean Bilbo is not allowed to roleplay anything with the ring? If so, why? (I only ask because according to your last post, everyone else gets to write whatever they want to change the plot--including taking over Moria and becoming its king--but Bilbo is not allowed to roleplay anything actually canon, which doesn't make sense to me.)


3) Doesn't it seem that, if the site is COMPLETELY AU after a the Riddles in the Dark scene, it sort of takes away from some canon characters? (As an example, if someone wanted to take Thranduil or Beorn or Bard, they sort of lose their appeal now because they no longer fit into a specific timeline, and they aren't even technically canon anymore. They lose their sole reason for being important to The Hobbit...)


4) If the site IS going to be an AU free-for-all after the Riddles in the Dark scene, are you still planning to have a site-wide timeline? If so, how would you make that work?

Pumpkin, Balin's roleplayer, brought up some examples for why she felt this is confusing:

I've been doing posts where I mentioned that one canon character had told me he felt this way about the quest for Erebor, while another canon felt this way about it, and my character felt this way about how they felt. We all had set feelings about the quest for Erebor that we discussed in those posts. Now we're suddenly saying that the quest for Erebor after a point might not even happen if the site is completely AU. If this happens, it seems like every single post written on this site and based around the canon plot--even after they've already been clearly and carefully written--was a waste of time, as they aren't going to lineup on the major site timeline (whatever that may now be).

As another example, Moria...I've been writing Balin as going to die eventually in Moria, like his canon character does. I've been plotting with Dori and Ori for this...In order for it to make sense for him to bring Ori with him to Moria (where Ori also dies), Balin has to get close to Ori. So we were working on plot ideas to lead up to that moment where the two will eventually die. But now, on a completely AU site, if someone else wants to go in and reclaim Moria first and gets to be king, then everything Dori, Ori, and I have been plotting and writing makes no sense...

I agree with Pumpkin on this...I also thought this would cause a problem, not only because it eliminates what canon characters originally thought they had signed up for, but also because it gives us absolutely no idea of what to expect for the future. It makes it extremely difficult to plot anything in particular for our characters' futures, and particularly feels like it negates the need for canons altogether.

Not having the canon timeline to follow doesn't give us any guidelines to follow at all. We can't know where our characters fit into the grand scheme of the site, because it sounds like there isn't any grand scheme. If the site is going to be completely AU at a point, then I think it's important that we get to know where that point is and what's going to happen from there. Otherwise, it literally means any character can come flying out of nowhere and claim to be King of Moria--or hell, King of Gondor--without having to worry about how it relates to anything else going on on the site. It also almost feels like it negates the whole point of roleplaying with other people (at least for me personally), because it leaves things so open that you can literally do anything, including god-mod other characters (which would be what is happening in Balin's case, losing his canon opportunity to become King of Moria). (Sorry, that was long! >_<)

5) Also, if the site is now going to be an AU free-for-all, how will you monitor the AU stuff in every single post to ensure that nothing is too extreme (and that it fits in the site timeline, if we're having one)?


6) Finally, it seems that the incident with Bilbo meeting Gollum is being considered the major turning point in this forum's time-line, can you please explain the reasoning behind this?

I think the biggest confusion after all this is because right now we're being told that after the Riddles in the Dark scene, the site is open to all the AU possibilities. But most of us thought this was a site that specifically followed the quest from beginning to end, but which allowed for some AU along the way. One of the members put it very well, stating this:

We need to know whether there will be boundaries put on AU aspects (though I realise this will be hard to police). I think creative freedom is a wonderful thing (and necessary if we are to develop the characters) but I don't want to see insane things going on or the characters Tolkien created being terribly undermined.

I definitely felt this way as well, and I think a lot of other members did too. We would love to have the opportunity to roleplay out different AU ideas if you don't mind allowing us that freedom, but not ones that would completely alter the quest already set in the books. Basically, we like the idea of being allowed to have OC characters appear here and there along the quest, as well as having mini-sidequests and fun AU stuff occur while the quest takes place. However, I don't think any of us wanted the quest to be completely negated after the Riddles in the Dark scene. That feels, at least to me personally, like we decided to start roleplaying "The Hobbit" and then suddenly quit after Riddles in the Dark.

I hope this all makes sense. Thanks for your time~

[pumpkin]

First of all, thanks to everyone for such a detailed post and also the responses to the questions. I hate to say it, though, but I still feel a bit frustrated after the PM message about the plot... >.<

I was sort of hoping this would be cleared up by the time I got home from work, because I do love this place. And I appreciate, as I know everyone else on here does, that the admin took the time to write such a long and in-depth message. I just have to note something, because I think you are going to lose a lot of members over this, and I might just be one of them. >_< This is going to be long, but I think I might understand what you are worrying about, and I want to try to convey that. (I might have failed miserably, but hopefully this helps a bit, even though it's long! >.<)

It's quite troublesome for people trying to be creative to be told that they can only write what happens in the first movie. Not only that, we're now also being told that we have to span out the events of the first movie over an entire year, meaning that we cannot write the Eagles scene, for example, until the end of this year. It's very troublesome and limiting making people wait for months to write a scene just because it happens later in the movies rather than earlier. I can tell you right now that people are not going to wait. I promise you that. I don't want to sound too mean, but even as much as I love these books and movies, I wouldn't want to have to wait until the end of this year to have to write a scene I want to write now. And no one does, unfortunately. We're just not that patient, haha. We want to be able to enjoy our inspirations while we have them!

And that being said, if it is truly the case that we have to wait until October/November, for example, just to write a scene that happens later in the movie, and that we cannot roleplay anything after the first movie, then almost every scene I am writing with people right now (except for a couple) is "not allowed." You said we should just consider ignoring those threads and starting over, but that seems very unfair and rather "muse-killing," if I do say so myself.

A lot of time and character and setting research went into those posts, not just by me, but by the people I'm writing with as well, so hearing that we're not allowed to continue them because they happen after the first movie is sort of unreasonable to me. I apologize, but it really is. People were enjoying your site as we ALL thought it was. Why did it suddenly change, and why does it seem that the Riddles in the Dark thread is the problem? That is a question that still has not been answered from the post before this, and it's just very confusing...

I just can't piece it together, and I love what you guys have done with this site--that is why I advertised it and tried to recruit people as much as I could. But if it has truly become so limiting, then it's being destroyed in some way, isn't it? If this is the plot, probably no one is going to join the site... Even though I enjoy helping out by advertising, I can't advertise a lie. And if I advertise the truth, no one is going to join, because no one wants to be limited that badly when it comes to writing their favorite characters/scenes/etc. I mean, just being told that we should ignore what we wrote and start over, if the scene takes place after the first movie or later into the quest, is something that is going to drive people away. Especially after all the time and effort and love that went into those posts, you know?

I just want to say all this because the one big reason I joined this site and went out and tried to get more people to join it too was because I loved it, because I thought you guys were doing a great job, and because I thought out of all the LotR/Hobbit roleplays I had seen, this one had a plot that really catered to creative writers. A plot that followed the main quest, but allowed for lots of side quests and open creativity along the way. No limitations where characters can't interact with certain other characters (unless it's extremely unrealistic) or having to wait months just to write a certain scene because it happens later in the movie. I really didn't think that it was that kind of site, and I just really don't think I can stay on a site and promote a site that is that way. So I'm very sorry to hear that this one has decided to follow that pattern. I really think you are going to lose a lot of members (possible current members, but certainly potential future ones) because of that.

I can promise you right now, as I'm sure everyone else on here could and would, that no one of us intends to go crazy and ruin the site plot for you. (If a troll did come on the site to ruin a canon character, don't worry--you can bet your loyal members would be there to help out and stop that! ) We're here because we want to write. We want to have fun and explore these characters and make Tolkien proud (haha) with how well we develop them! This is why I suggested a site time line, because that way we can keep track of what we're posting and when it takes place. This way, if it takes place after the quest or in the middle or whenever, the timeline would show it. People can go back to the timeline to see what happened and when. You wouldn't have to worry about it being disorganized.

OH! And anything that involves the main plot (like the dwarves being caught by the trolls, for example)...THAT would have to be waited on, like you said, so that all the dwarves are actually in the post together. Same with the lunch scene with the dwarves and Bilbo in Rivendell. We all understand that. None of us is going to leap ahead and write those scenes without all the canons present. We just want to be able to skip through the quest and after it where we CAN do AU side quests. As an example, the post I have going with Bilbo, Balin, and Ginger takes place during the dwarves' trip through the Misty Mountains. Balin and Bilbo got separated from the other dwarves and encounter Ginger. However, once that post is done, they will find their way back to the main group of dwarves, and we will not continue the canon plot until all the dwarves are present. Our thread ends once we find the main group of dwarves.

And I think that's how everyone on here intends to write any side quest things that involve the main canon plot.

Does that make sense?

We want to compliment the canon plot. We want to add to it with lots of rich, creative excitement-filled stories! But we do not want to actually write the quest itself until everyone is present.

I say this because I feel like maybe that's what you guys are worried about, in some way? I can completely understand why you would be, if so. I just want to reassure you that you have some grade-A members on here, and none of them want to cause you that kind of trouble!

But in the end, I'm not the admin, and it's not my place to insist that you change anything. So if it's really going to be this way, please definitely let me know. I might have to toss in the towel and call it a day. Thank you. I apologize again for the long message... >< I hope this made some sense! (My brain is fried from teaching all day.... x___X)