mynewempire's Journal

RULES BELOW!

For joining info, requests, questions, etc., you can use the information at the bottom of this page, or leave it in THIS post. Welcome to My New Empire.




"This is the night; this is the sound; here comes the war machine..."
-Bush

"Has no one told you she's not breathing?"
-Evanescence

I am in the air now
I am in your lungs
I am written
I am spoken by a million flaming tongues
I'm the lens through which you see
I'm the process
I am the key
I am synapses firing bullets from a gun
I'm the world's mystique
I am the words you speak
I am language
I am hidden memories that you seek
I am the sun before you see me rise
I burn still when you close your eyes
I am the soul that never dies when flesh is weak

I am inside of you in spite of you
With strength and sacred grace
But for all you do
I'll carry you now
From this bitter place

I am in your future

I am in your past
I'm the echo of your footsteps
I'm your shadow cast
I'm the heat you radiate
I am the fury and the fate
-Thou Shalt Not





[IMPORTANT SUMMATION NOTE: This is a brief introduction and history, allowing potential players to understand the setting for the game - the timeline, the things that differ from "established canon", and the general tone of the thing. BUT, and this is important to remember, we'd rather have good players than an absolutely rigid timeline. Meaning? Well, if there's a detail there you'd change, or don't quite like, it's negotiable. Most of everything is. That's where the fun is, isn't it? Only this may be one of the most ambitious LJ RP's out there... if only for both the supreme darkness of the overall tone... and the disturbing allowances, "pairings", events, and implications. You shall hear.]

In the aftermath of Order 66 and the purge of the Jedi Temple, Supreme Chancellor Palpatine - now self-proclaimed ruler of the Galactic Empire - has succeeded to a great and unimaginable extent in his unthinkable bid for ultimate power. Instrumental in his ascent, without a doubt, is his new, powerful, and - for now, at least - excruciatingly loyal apprentice; the not-even-quite-twenty-year-old Sith Lord, Darth Vader... formerly Anakin Skywalker, Jedi Knight and "The Hero With No Fear". Together, they have become the terrifying scourge of the galaxy, even now.

Sent to the planet Mustafar to personally eliminate part of the remnants of Palpatine's former allies - disposable to the Emperor now, like so much other living tissue - Vader encounters his former Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi... who it seems has realized at last that the man who was once Anakin Skywalker - the boy slave who cared more for his mother than himself and strove to help all, regardless of who they were and what they'd done - is no longer reachable. Not by the means Obi-Wan is prepared to use, in any case.

The cataclysmic duel amid the lava fields and flaming skies is the stuff of legend... and it is also where this "RP" universe splits off from what some consider "established canon" and into what you might refer to as a AU... or an EU, depending on your personal point of view concerning the echoes of the Multiverse. As someone once said, many of the truths we cling to depend greatly on our own point of view.

The path splits here. (And in our humble opinion, this split creates a universe uniquely and perfectly suited to RP, if the people involved are creative and astute; so very, very many possibilities.) The noise a lightsaber makes when cutting through three limbs in mid-air is a very particular sound; one remembers it in one's dreams.

Left there helpless to burn by the man who claimed to love him, Vader is grievously wounded, yes... but not quite to the extent that he was absolutely in the story you're familiar with. Thighs, chest, stumps, torso, one line of his throat and part of one eye, yes; burned some, damaged more, and scars like that never go away... even though he is, even now, recognizably Anakin Skywalker.(To those who would recognize him after Vader's reign, I suppose) Enough damage done internally to require the implantation of mechanical breathers that do the job for his scorched and flattened lungs... metal and electronic organs without which he'd simply die.

And yes, the Emperor does indeed find him there, and bring him back, and piece him back together like... well, like whatever you'd imagine. Vader, betrayed and angry - only without the helmet and the full life-support system(not quite, not quite) that his daughter later came to fear so badly) not realizing his wife has not perished, not realizing he is being played to a horrible, horrible extent... obedient and loyal in many... disturbing ways. Vader, the terror of his troops, who at this point he has killed several of just on a whim... just to prove that he can.

Vader, who has found in Palpatine the father - literal and figurative, as unnerving as that makes some images and ideas, yes - he never had. Who has found the praise, acceptance, and yes, discipline, that fall over him as naturally as an old worn cloak. "Always a slave; you just change Masters once in a while", indeed.

Where begin the major differences is this: Padmé Amidala(Skywalker), still pregnant with the twins she is carrying, has survived Vader's wrath; together with Obi-Wan Kenobi, mourning the loss of the man she loved. And it is here that the real fascination of this game(and I do wish it could be explained in less words, truly) opens up - having Obi-Wan brought to him, ostensibly to be killed by his own hand, Darth Vader is instead caught unaware and unprepared by an echo of his own past... a fishhook of remorse planted by his former Master, and just enough to awaken him from his endless sleep within the Dark Side. Enough to make him realize the weight and thickness of the blood that is on his hands.

So where do we stand, in this breathless pre-game pause? The infant Galactic Empire readies itself for massive, shattering changes; there are two surviving Jedi in existence, and one man who still stands on the line between the darkness and the dawn - Skywalker-Vader, unable to truly come all the way back, unable to truly come all the way home. Because to a great extent, humbled before the man who became his ultimate and uncompromising Master, he believes that he is home.

Unpredictable to a great extent, dangerous to a barely milder one, dancing on a razor line between wanting to keep the command, the ultimate power, that is Lord Vader - even the fear in the eyes of his troops, when they approach him; no judgement here, no looking down on him as lesser now, is there? - and fighting for a kind of redemption, any kind at all.

"Master Skywalker, there are too many of them. What will we do?"

Right now, Anakin/Vader finds himself in the middle of what ultimately becomes known as Imperial Center; the illusion that he is loyal only to Palpatine something he desperately clings to. But is it only an illusion... or is Obi-Wan(and even Padme, who shed tears over his wrecked body and took him back into her arms) simply - and horribly - mistaken? Unable to pull himself away from command of the Empire, even now. Away from that power.

This game starts wherever you put it; one scenario blends into another so easily that it might be a little unnerving. The warning, though, the the difference that you'll rarely find, is this: adult themes are rampant here... as it should be. Anyone who can slaughter a Temple full of unsuspecting Padawan - or who can demand things from his apprentice whilst still referring to himself, often, as "Father" - is not a child's sandbox playmate. Dig? (Oi, bad pun. Not intended.)

In the center of one side is Anakin/Vader's conflict, his battle between power and respect, love and remorse, and how far he - and those around him - are willing to go to either save him or shut down that which he has helped to create. Submission, to one stronger Master, has been Anakin's life. Is it really much of a further step to wonder if, if his Master were to ask him how much he is willing to prove his true loyalty, he'd do things that would be unspeakable - to some people, in their horror - except in the dark?

Long story short: dominance/submission, slash(both Obi-Wan/Anakin(and vice versa) and more disturbingly, Palpatine/Anakin), het relations(Anakin/Padme, in those incresingly, terrifyingly rare moments when he remembers that all of this, all that he has done, has been for her; or so he has taught himself to believe), violence, adult concepts, death, alternate universe splits(someone has asked/suggested to us the idea of Luke and Leia, twenty years too late, being tossed through one of the few hidden holes in space-time, coming face-to-face with their father as he was; if that sounds like good drama waiting to happen to you, then lovely; give us a Luke and Leia!), blood, dark, guilt, and what else? Have I left anything out?

Basically: it's your messy sandbox, now. Welcome. Come and play.

Stand side-by-side with Vader and allow him to forget the loyalties of the Jedi, remind him how heady a drink that power is, or stand with Obi-Wan as a Jedi that escaped the Order(but please, PLEASE read the userinfo on OCs first, say thankya. Luke and Leia; Padmé; we also need someone who can pull off Emperor Palpatine in a clever, cunning, ruthless, and manipulative enough way to make it convincing. Perhaps the most important. I think we have Mara Jade(back through the same wormhole? She's an interesting loose cannon) kicking around somewhere(no player, just a request from a watcher) and someone even suggested our favorite Toydarian junk dealer: after all, who doesn't want to spent hours reminiscing about Tatooine and beatings for the work you left undone?

...although, deep down, that is a clue indeed, to Anakin's nature.

Like we said: knock yourselves out. There are only two requirements: you can be absolutely serious... and you can handle that degree of dark. Poof. Voila

Long, sorry. This was mentally composed for days, but upon further consideration, we wanted to make sure we were clear. *laughs.* Join us. Come to the Dark Side; our Sith brings all the boys to the yard.

See it here, below; And don't worry about an entirely "formal" application. If you're good, and(more importantly, passionate, just let one of us know.
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This might be considered a rather groundbreaking game in that it doesn't have pre-established pai-- you know what? I'll let the rules explain themselves!


The rules are pretty simple:

1. "Omnia Vincit Canon": or, at least, the canon that has already been established up until the point of the "split" that creates this RP universe. The idea is to have a serious, mature, thought-out place to explore both the events that have already happened and the projections that we'd like to see/believe will happen based on those events. After all, we're here to play or live out these characters' lives, so the one unbreakable rule is this: keep it in character. if you have questions, moral issues[someone died and your character was the only one there? etc.] or whatever, you can either open them up for discussion, or make an in-game journal entry asking for advice. Simple, no? This is more a friendly reminder to stay in character, as stated above, than a reminder to be rock-immovable about events. People are the most important thing. And do NOT be afraid to turn the volume up to eleven and then pull off the knobs, as they saying goes. Go for it. Some of these are not nice people, we're dealing with here. When a twisted father/son relationship involves many other things including a heavy emphasis on punishment and obedience... I mean, really. What are you afraid of?

2. Pairings =/= The Answer to Life, the Universe, and Everything. END OF STORY. Yes. Yes. It is awesome to have romantic entanglements between people... or submissive entanglement, depending I suppose on the people themselves. HOWEVER: I do not want you to create an OC simply because the idea of you/your character banging, er, Ewan McGregor makes you hot. :-P Personally? I lean toward... well... a little of everything. The barn door swings both ways. (You get where I'm going with this. I hope.) I plan on letting this game go like so many other games I've been in; "method acting" means letting the characters go where they wind up going themselves.

And no, I don't mean your LJ is going to get up and start strutting its stuff on 47th. What I do mean is that if Obi-Wan tries to get through to Anakin by a rather, er, direct medium, have a one-night stand, that does NOT automatically mean that OBIXANI OTP 4EVA!!1!!oneone!!eleventy-one!!1! *shudders.* (Although if I were Palpatine, that wouldn't wind my crank much; I'd be pretty annoyed, actually, to put it mildly... but that's neither here nor there. Right now, anyway.) Pretty straightforward, I think. If you have biases as far as pairings go, that's okay... but don't force it. They may be playthings, but puppets they ain't.

3. Following from #2: no characters are "inherently the sporkspawn of the devil" just because they interfere with your OTP. :-P Case in point: er... You know what I mean. Sure, you might not like them; but they were a big part of these characters' lives, so they're not just going to go away if you plug your ears, fart three times, and yell "Neener neener!" loud enough. Now, I don't want these folks to come across as "puppets", either... but if they show up, it will be in a way that makes sense in the timeline of events.

4. OCs MUST HAVE A VALID PLACE IN THE STORY. Yes, folks. You can have your OCs. New blood is always there, whether we see it or not: that new stormtrooper down the hall, who truly believes that the Empire is noble and just... at least for now; until he runs into Lord Vader. Or learns things he was never supposed to know... Leia's Rebel commanders(if it comes up), or Palpatine(or even Padme's!) attendants. But the difference is, OCs without a purpose are simply window dressing; they wind up congregating and confusing everyone.

Is your OC too perfect? Are they planning to suddenly make Obi-Wan/Anakin/Luke/Palpatine(*snort!*) drop their appropriate undergarments in the elevator on their very first attempt? Thanks, but no thanks. If the canon characters are the equivalent of "real people", then the OCs need to be, too. Relationships do happen. But they're hard, and they take time. Yes, you can certainly bring in your new character. But please work with us in order to make it believable. On that note:

5. Keep the backstory out of the game, unless it a)serves a solid dramatic purpose, b)is absolutely, canonically possible, or c)is mutually agreed-upon by most of the people involved. (Meaning, if we find Anakin/Vader, ehh, kneeling before Palpatine, knowing if it's happened before or not is always an advisable idea; it changes most reactions hugely.) Good example? If it's in-canon or in-story, chances are it'll work. If it's from another RP you and your buddies spent three years in, it'll probably be pretty damn hard for the rest of us to catch up. Say, in an old game you've played in, you and someone else had several... illicit encounters, despite(or maybe because of) the fact that they're in the middle of a war. Both of them are too needy/attracted/scared to break it off. You and the person who played with you in the other RP 'verse would really like to bring that fact into the new game, because you think it'd have added drama value.

What do you judge this possibility by? Well. If they have been discreet, and none of the canon characters know yet what's going on, then yeah, sure: that might actually work. Because the introduction of that fact, and how the canons react to it? Cool. (Or it can be, if played out right.) Your OC is Luke and Leia's long-lost little sister, Padmé's... eh... improbable third child by immaculate conception, who might just be wide-eyed and powerful enough to bring back Darth Vader... whom we've never even heard of, and she was sleeping with both, eh, Han Solo and Watto in your previous game... and you'd like all the other players to memorize, integrate, and apply that backstory? Uuuuuuhhh, no. That one fits the three "I" rule: Implausible, impractical, and irritating. Moving right along in that vein:

6. Drama WILL happen. It's an integral part of the verse we all appreciate so much; and ESPECIALLY WITHIN THE CURRENT EVENTS THAT WE ARE DIRECTLY IN THE MIDDLE OF. Seriously, when even seeing the title of the score track labeled "Anakin's Dark Deeds" makes you shiver, it's not a two-dimensional story. Intensity. I despise a boring game. And to me, boring is several "X wakes up, takes a pee, reads PlayTrooper in the bathroom and then gets on his Happy Horse to go to the Coruscant 7-11" threads, over and over and over. (and it just wouldn't FIT; things are being hugely upheaved, here, people, I mean seriously.) A good game is a game in which the players are at least semi-emotionally invested. A game in which the players are in the world they love, can make things happen in it... but are three-dimensional. Think it over: if there was another canon piece that consisted only of Qui-Gon Jinn peeling potatoes, how many of you would still be watching it? [Be honest, now, guys. :-P]

People get drunk and have roaring fights in the street. People die... by murder and by mistake. People fall. People fight. People have sex. People don't have sex. People learn about themselves, each other, and how they see and are seen by each other. Violence happens. Random acts of good and horrible happen.Shuttles crash, needing late-night scrambles to help out; every Imperial soldier is a person in and of themselves - despite the focus on Vader's conflict and the complicated webbing within the command structure - each lost in their own brooding about whatever pursuits those were. Catching m'drift? If you're allergic to drama, please don't get too involved. Games are only fun, IMO, when they're compelling.

But don't be afraid to write Harvey Harold taking a pee, either. Lord knows people do do that. Just... space it out, huh? > __ >

7. If you don't have time to PLAY, please don't APPLY. Now, I've seen this a million and one times already, but sh*t happens, and people usually have at least a very vague idea of their own schedules. I don't want this to turn into a game where "a thread a week" is cool, while everyone else sits metaphorically(or maybe literally; how do I know what the pilots are doing?) dead in the water, because they can't move forward until someone answers them back. Basic, simple rule: if you're going to be a serious player in the game, make sure you have time to check your thread either a)Two or three times a week, at night, or b)At least once or twice, on weekends.

If people are waiting for you to post something, don't start another thread; however, if you're caught up on open threads, go ahead and start as many as you'd like. And if you're in seventeen other games, please let me know that. It does conflict, sometimes. [If you're really interested, but your time is limited -- but you can really make an effort -- go ahead and apply anyway. Chances are, if you really want to try, we can make room for ya.

8. Yes. There ARE moderators: but the moderators aren't librarians, teachers, Net Nanny, Mommy, or the Plot Police. Whew. Meaning this: if anyone has an idea for a thread/plot point/relationship twist/perverted scenario/something you'd like to see or play, they can chuck it out there in the game's OOC comm; but votes will either be taken by majority or by the number of people who think they could potentially play off such a thread. There's no WAY everyone is going to agree on a particular plot point; for example, Anakin might not like the idea that Padmé's old flame shows up in Imperial Center. (*shrugs helplessly.* It's an example. Cut me some slack, here, people.) But the idea is push the envelope; break new ground; explore the old; and shove out comfort for canon. This shit DOES happen.

If enough people want to play a thread -- and said thread isn't truly offensive(rape does happen; we've heard it. But is one of the players a rape survivor? Maybe not so cool), or completely ludicrous(see Rule #1) -- then the mods can't veto the thread simply by virtue of being mods. Worst-case scenario = group chat, where those with plot-problems can discuss them in a rational, fun environment.

9. Sex will happen, too. *gasp!* It tends to do that. Here, in this bizarre and almost fetishistic conflict and darkness, you ought to be comfortable with het and slash. NC-17 threads -- which I do expect to have, here and there, if the players choose to write them -- will of course be marked with all the appropriate warnings, tagged and belled and made to smell like watermelon. But there will be, I guarantee you - if the game rolls true to itself, at least - that there will be a lot of painful self-discovery around here somewhere... sooner or later. Count on it.

10. Have fun... but take the game as seriously as it suits you to do. Games are astounding when the players truly feel the characters. I have my own personal muses, as do so many of you. Interplay is like, er, power, and when it works, it really works. Especially if the players themselves have already realized that they can push that envelope, push those limits.... that they're not afraid to just go for it.


Okay. "Too many damn RULES!" you say. "Let's get to the 'How do I PLAY, you shipdit?'"

That part's easy.


Send an e-mail to skywalker.herowithnofear@yahoo.com(or even better: leave a comment in the "Player Request" Post HERE, with your info stated within! Whee) with the following information:

Your name(or alias)
Your e-mail
Your LJ(whichever one you like)
Your preferred character

If an OC, give us a brief but detailed (hi)story of who, what, why, where, what they do, why our paths would cross, etc., etc., ad nauseam, and why we would care. [That's NOT meant badly, I swear. If you can sell your OC in an e-mail, then I'll believe them as a person.) Note: I will accept OCs whose purpose is Vengeance-Against-Vader-For-Their-Dead-Loved-Ones. But only - read me big here, people, ONLY - if you can sell it convincingly, and only if it's poignant, not purple.

What you'd use for a character LJ
How often you think you'll be available to play
Best way/times to contact you(mod-wise AND threads)

How do you feel about your character? What makes you compelled to play them? (Can be a SHORT answer. :-P)

Any internal drama that we should know about?

If you DO feel brave enough to test the pirahna-infested Waters of Bach Sto Rie, this is the time to let us know: (Have a backstory? Sell it here.)

Brief RP sample: (I refuse to be high-and-mighty about this; if you can play, write more than a three-line paragraph in a thread, and can spell and be convincing, then you're probably in. I warn you, though, I'm an infamous para-player. You don't have to be; don't worry.)

Character LJ sample: (This can be either a note to someone else, a description of their day, an internal angst!moment, or a reaction to/feelings about another character. You know the drill.)


Always wanted to play Padmé in the midst of the collapse of the Republic she helped build... knowing her husband is at the heart of that collapse? Show her inner steely reserve? Always wanted to show us what makes Mara Jade tick? Always wanted to know just how far Obi-Wan's loyalty to Qui-Gon really went? Or have the ultimate command - and yes, I do mean it in all those ways, too, you perverts - of Darth Vader? You're our folks. ;)


Looking forward to your responses!


Taken characters:

Right now, only the split personality(Tyler Durden, anyone? Snort. Not quite that blatant) that is "Anakin/Vader": drowning_jedi.
We have many people who'd like to see how this comes out, but no one's claimed anyone as of yet. So go for it. (Personally, I'm waiting to see who can pull off Palpatine deep enough to make all of us shudder. Want Qui-Gon really, really badly? Let's talk about it. Crafting a universe together... now doesn't that sound like something to do in your spare time?)


OCs:


We do need some plausible OCs, I think, to spread it out a bit!


Your first choice taken? If you know the cast and would like to play, go ahead and send us an application for someone else, or a [plausible] original character.

Make sure, once you've been accepted, to join both the game and the ooc communities; that way, nothing gets lost in the shuffle. ;)
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