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Featured Room: Marvel / DC Infiniverse

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care introduces us to one of the many variations on comic-based roleplay!

Hello, and welcome to the latest edition of the Featured Room interview. I’ve scrounged the whochat and looked all over for a room that I haven’t featured yet. This time, I came up with Marvel/DC Infiniverse. This room is run and operated by Diabolus, who has been around ReVo for a couple of years now, so for this quarter, I’m going to sit down with him and get to the bottom of Marvel/DC Infiniverse.

Since you know it’s me, thank you for doing this for us.

First off, I would like to ask, where did the idea of Marvel/DC Infiniverse come from?

Diabolus: Well, first I would very much like to say that I am quite humbled at the interview for the room. So thank you, ReVo, for that. The idea actually came from my love of comics, along another room that I used to help run with neo2681. He ran the Marvel Apocalypse Room, and we are actually good friends from being older roleplayers, back in the late ’90s-early 2000s. In that room, we had come up with the idea to allow people to play any character they wanted that was a Marvel character. So, really, it came from that.

I have seen some many rooms that split the two continuums over the years, and I agree, but I figured that I would also take some of the debates in the comicverse online – a Marvel vs DC kind of deal. So instead of just saying, “Okay, we are in the same universe,” and so on, I created the Infiniverse, a place where the characters from both Marvel and DC are interacting on our world, again able to be played any way that a person wants. Good, bad, whatever. It’s basically a combination of ideas from the old room and my own vision of giving the player as much choice as they want – to a degree, that is, but as much choice as they want within the boundaries of the room. And, besides, who doesn’t want to see what would happen if Captain America took on Batman, or The Justice League and the Avengers teamed up.

One room, both comics, and lots of fun. How would you describe a typical roleplay within the room? Any moments where you have to stop yourself from saying, “No, Batman would not do that to Wolverine”?

Diabolus: Well, what we try to do here as much as possible is give creative freedom within our roleplays. Actually, two of our biggest roleplays right now, “Prisoner No More” and “Fallen Knight”, are slowly beginning to mix the characters. When the room first started out, the natural idea that was gravitated towards was a modicum of seperation. I have an excellent team of people that are constantly, and I mean constantly, coming up with ideas for the room in general. And then there are the players themselves – wow. What can I say about the individual players, other than that there are some great thinkers out there.

I digress, though. The bigger roleplays are more or less – not planned, that is not the right word, but do have a very general overall idea. From there, it is a matter of having the players having the players inside those storylines pick up on things themselves through their characters and interactions. For instance, ” Fallen Knight” started very slowly, with the Joker doing his usual routine with Batman – taking his unpredictable plan and starting to move it forward, which brought in Zatanna. Zatanna, usually, is looked at like one of the – if not the – most powerful magic users in the DC universe, and she has a long friendship with the Batman. The person that plays Zatanna here, though, decided that she would depict her as becoming unhinged since the death of her father, which really changed the dynamic of the character. She and Constantine used to be lovers, but now she blames him for the death of her father (or at least, blames him for being a big part of it). That’s how the Joker got his hooks in her. Meanwhile, since the other villains of Gotham do not really work well with the Joker, or vice versa, most of them have been drawn into taking this as a time to strike while Batman is busy. Basically, it is very much like a “Second Knightfall”, only without the idea of one overall supreme villain and just the Batman. To top it all off, the other roleplays that we have going in the room weave in and out of that main story. Black Adam and Supergirl (who’s currently possessed by Isis) are trying to find her body and amulet and put it back together.

Anyway, I am rambling. A typical roleplay in the room is very much like the comics, a fundamental part of the story. A hero can only be as good as the villain. Villains are what drive storylines. They are the ones that leave breadcrumbs, clues, or otherwise plant narratives for the hero to gather and follow. So, really, it starts with whatever idea a person may have – whether it be a room-wide storyline from the start, or a small idea that turns into something huge. There is no true typical roleplay. It’s all what a person can muster in their mind. You do not have to be a fan of comics or know comics well to be able to play in the room. Vampire, SoA, or any other type of roleplay requires someone coming up with a storyline and putting it into action, which others can then jump in on. There are no outcomes planned, nor every detail thought out. We want the players to let their imaginations run with the characters as much as possible.

That is the great thing about both comics and roleplay right? That it is all fantasy. There are times that we have had to say, “What is my motivation?” Those times are really more about trying to make sure that nothing, well, godly is done, or something that a character would do everything in their power not to do. Make sense? A good example being the idea that Batman does not kill, when in fact, he has. He merely tries his hardest to make sure that he doesn’t have to. So if there is a situation that arises where someone might want to claim that a character wouldn’t do that, we kind of just put it out there that if there are any questions about what’s going on, then ask. If a player is stuck, we have no problem thinking of how a character would react or what they would do. Like I said, I have a great bunch of people helping me. Usually, though, we never police roleplay. Provide help, as much as we can. But never police.

What would you say to someone that wasn’t familiar with the comic characters and had a big issue playing canon characters (like, say, a “Batman” or “Superman”)? How could someone like that get involved in the roleplay you have going on in the room?

Kara: I think at first, I would ask what the reason (if any) there would be for having an issue with playing canon characters – not that it’s a big issue; more so just as a starting point.

Diabolus: Actually, that is a question that I hoped you would ask. We have created characters as well, with which we help players with that are not familiar with, or just not into, the canon idea. I wanted to make sure that there was an avenue for players that fell into that category. So there is the ability to create your own, which we are more then happy to sit down and discuss with a person, even if they have no idea what they want or can possibly do. We want everyone here to be able to enjoy what they are playing.

I personally take it as a responsibility to the players in the room that want to get involved, but are unfamilar with canon characters, to do my very best to provide them with statistics and an origin. Nothing to pen a player into a corner, no; just crucial information that sticks with the main idea of the room. We do not care how you play characters. We only ask you stick with the name, powers, and origin, and that is it. In fact, we have already helped a player that wished to play a particular character but wanted to change the gender. Still the same character, just the opposite gender.

I do, however, ask potential players who or what they are interested in, what makes them feel comfortable, and so on. Just to get a basic idea of possible characters. Barring any situations where the character might be taken, or are a little too powerful (and even then, we might be willing to make an exception on to get people to play), I try to use that to help people pick out a canon character. I usually do up, like I said, a very short powers and origins sheet for the person and send it to them in PM. It is kind of a cheat sheet, really.

Beyond that, as far as how anyone plays their character, it is up to them, really. Almost all of us have seen the movies and/or read comics, so most mainstream characters are pretty easy to get a grasp on. But if a player comes along that knows nothing about comics, then we go out of our way to help them get a character that may be suited to a comfortable style of play – an example being someone from vampire roleplay who enjoys a dark, creepy type of character. It is what they have been playing for years. Well, I, along with my team, am on it to help as much as possible to make the transition that much smoother. So what I would say to someone that has an issue with canon characters or comics in general: How can the room help you?

Kara, for your question, there are some like myself that do not feel comfortable playing a character that was someone else’s brain child.

Now, Diabolus, how does Marvel/DC Infiniverse differ from the other comic rooms around the sites?

Kara: I can understand that.

Diabolus: How do we differ from other rooms? Well, it is all under one room, which keeps all the storylines and players in one area, so it is easier to help, communicate, and otherwise handle issues that may arise. I cannot and will not speak on anyone else’s team or rooms as far as providing asisstance to players. I honestly believe that we all do the best job that we can. I like to think, though, that we perhaps go in more of a helpful direction with our players. I have spent the better part of the time the room has been open working with players to help get ideas and characters generated. Also, we go out of our way to bring into the room everyone that shows interest (or even potential interest). We have a personal info topic on our thread to make sure that any possible real time complications (being away or sick, things like that) are handled. We have a policy for recycling characters that is more then fair. We try our hardest to work with the players and intergrate everyone into the roleplays that are going on, even going so far as to help with actual introduction roleplays into the room. So, I guess I would have to say that the difference is both in the cohesion of my team and the room, and the freedom to not have any real expectations on characters – just letting the imagination and ideas flow from one and all.

Oh, no, I wasn’t trying to compare your room to the others! I know each works slightly differently.

Tell the readers if you have had any moments yet that are just like “WTF” type things?

Diabolus: I know, I know, we are kind of all alike. A vamp room is a vamp room, really, and a comic room is a comic room. I guess to add on to that, Care, around here we are more interested in playing with our players then letting our players play with themselves. (And let the puns roll in!)

Honestly, everyone in the room seems to be gravitating to the guy that plays Green Arrow. I don’t understand it. The guy is great – he really is. I met him a couple of months ago, and he is a good roleplayer, actually very humble and shy. But somehow, and we have no idea how, he is in the middle of everything. His character is mixed up in so many plots, without him even trying, that is the thing. It kind of started as a joke, and then – bang! Now it is like a spiderweb. Which is rather cool.

“WTF” moments. I can’t speak for anyone else, but some of the stuff that Kara has done with her characters – completely out of left field. The two big room-wide roleplays are actually her brain children. And I have to say that character choices can be, as well. The one that surprised me was Caedam and Spiderman, I know Caedam, so it was interesting to see him take the character, since he and I are mostly talking about bad guys or evil plans all the time. Not to mention a lot of people that I thought would never come into a comic room have dropped in to play. I have been doing this a very long time and still get surprised every night.

Are there any plans or ideas for any events in the future? We see many rooms hosting Trivia Nights and Paint Nights. Anything of that nature, or is it all just going to be storyline based events?

Diabolus: I want to have a good room and good community, period. I want to have a place where people can come hang out, and those that are of the “old school” mentality can adapt to the new form of roleplay as I had to, but also have a little bit of the old back as well. Yes, though, to all of those. I would love to have trivia nights, paint nights; heck, we have had DJ Caedam in twice to DJ. Stuff like that. I am completely down for it. I was even thinking of trying a roleplay marathon, actually, once we had a few more players and so on. Halloween ideas, Christmas as well. I am more then open to doing that and have already kind of thought about something.

That’s great to hear. I know we have bounced around a little bit, with the subject being Marvel/DC Infiniverse, so tell me something you want to share with the readers and possible new roleplayers?

Diabolus: Something to share? Well, I have been roleplaying online almost since the dawn of the net. Since 1997 (goes to get my cane), and I have never slowed down. I have seen the rise and sheer dominance of old World of Darkness/free-form, and I have seen the decline of it. The rise and plateau of LKH roleplay. I’m not saying I have seen it all, nor am I saying that I know it all. Far, far from it. I can say, though, that if I were to pass anything on – knowledge, advice, what have you – don’t be like me. Learn to type. And also – well, look. Things are different then they were then, we (meaning us older roleplayers) are never going to get what we had then, and newer players are never going to experience it. So somewhere you have to meet in the middle. Pass on knowledge, facts, or helpful hints. Learn to accept them. Think, be creative, and don’t let anyone else tell you how to think or how something or someone should be played. It is your idea. As long as boundaries in the rooms are respected, then be creative as you can.

I once had a seperate and very long discussion with several dear friends (Masi and Fury), and in those conversations, I bring possibly the best advice I can. Learn to solo. It sucks, yeah, but learn to do it. It is the heart of roleplay. It helps flesh out characters, it helps with your thoughts, and so much more. It helps to describe and detail. (The who? what? when? where? and why? And most importantly, how?) Not that every post has to be a mammoth one. But I have been asked over the years how to write so well (minus the grammar and spelling), and my response has always been the same: Passion. And my favourite quote from any TV show is, “Passion rules us all. And we obey. What other choice do we have? Passion is the source of our finest moments. The joy of love, the clarity of hatred, and the ecstasy of grief. It hurts sometimes more than we can bear. If we could live without passion, maybe we’d know some kind of peace. But we would be hollow. Empty rooms, shuttered and dank. Without passion, we’d truly be dead.”

Learn to love the hobby or lifestyle (whichever), not think of it as a chore or just something to do. It is so much more. It is like reading. The human mind is so powerful. Live your character when you play. See what they see, smell what they smell, taste, and so on. Be them. Method. Make that other person squirm, melt, twitch, flinch, or whatever. The object of the game is not there can be only one. The object of the game is to have fun. So do that. Remember it is a game.

Well, I have to thank you for taking the time out to do this interview with me, and look forward to seeing the growth of the room.

Diabolus: Well, once again, Care, thank you for interviewing me. I find it very honouring, really.

Thank you and have a good night!

Featured Room: Love Is All

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care introduces us to the softer side of sensual role-play!

This quarter, we are taking a look at a room new to Roleplay Evolution – Love is All, brought to you from the minds of Hippolyta and Veritas. Going into this interview, I was under the impression that there would be more sex in this room than there is. After speaking with both Hippolyta and Veritas, I learned differently, and it opened my eyes about this room in the Erotic Impulses section of the whochat. So take a read and learn for yourself – it’s a great experience!

Hello, and thank you, Hippolyta, for taking the time to do this Q&A with me.

Hippolyta: Oh, you are most welcome.

Let’s start with your room, Love is All. How did you get the idea for the room?

Hippolyta: Basically, Love is All was inspired by the Kushielverse books, written by Jacqueline Carey, but it is also an amalgam of some other fantasy novels, with a dash of history and our own flair as well. The idea came as I was re-reading the novels some months ago, and I went, “Oh, I want to do this.” But the world is a very rich one, so we needed to trim down on things a little.

Once you had the idea, how did you plan to implement it into a room?

Hippolyta: Well, I cannot say that we have a plan when we implement ideas into rooms, really. We do what we always do. We talk it out, get some basic ideas, then collaborate on the writing. Argue about the bits that need arguing. Cut out the bits that make things too complicated. Then we write again, and re-write until we have something that is easy to comprehend, and viewable.

Veritas: I usually remind her to keep things a bit simpler.

Hippolyta: Well, you are the one getting to do the blurbs and the simplifying, so it works out.

For those that haven’t read the series of books, what exactly is it all about?

Hippolyta: Oh, to explain what the series is about is rather a lot. They are a historical fantasy, set in a sort of renaissance France, where there is one tenet left by blessed Elua – Love as Thou Wilt. The first trilogy is about Phedre, who is an anguisette, and the story is that of her upbringing and her travels through this rich universe.

Would a roleplayer be able to envelope themselves in this universe without reading the series? If so, where would be a good place to start?

Hippolyta: Well, we have been inspired by the series, and lifted out the things that we like from it. So, basically, any player can go to our forum and read the information there, and that is enough to really get started in our roleplay. It is absolutely not required to have read the books, because our world is different one from the world of the books.

And what makes your room, erotic, as it is in the Erotic Impulses section of the whochat?

Veritas: The concept of love can mean many things, from the gentle love shared at the end of life by a long-time couple, to savage, violent sex experienced by two people joining in passing. We wanted to make sure that all potential possibilities could be captured by our roleplayers, so erotic seemed to be the best place it fit.

So even with the historical and fantasy part of the room, you still choose to put it in Erotic Impulses. Interesting.

Tell us, how is the roleplay going within your room? I know it’s only been on the whochat a few short months or so, but have you had any moments where you just went, “WTF?”

Hippolyta: The roleplay going on in the room is pretty much still in its infancy stages, where we are setting up the plot for the room and storylines to take place later. Since we ask our roleplayers in their character sheets to write up roleplay hooks – i.e. ways that might have them connect with other players and increase the chance of roleplay – we have plenty of different possibilities. I can’t say that we have had any real WTF moments, really. Not yet, at least.

Veritas: Yeah, we did. Eroticism isn’t just about fucking people in rooms, or sitting around talking about BDSM theories. It can be about a long, enjoying play, the kind of thing that maybe never involves calling someone a naughty word, or has more aspects of love rather than lust. And it can be the entire flipside of that. The room’s name says it all. Love is All. The setting is a unique way to bring people and characters together, but the apex of everything is the emotions those characters share. It absolutely belongs in this section, otherwise we would have placed it in another section.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I wasn’t trying to imply that it should be in another section. I just find these things interesting because there is a new spin on looking into what someone considers an erotic room. Thank you for the explanation and sharing of why you feel that way.

Veritas: Feel free to use any of that if it helps you make the point in the magazine.

Thank you. So when someone creates a character – I know you mentioned character sheets and a hook? You explained what a hook was, so can you share some of the hooks that have been created as of now?

Hippolyta: Well, in our character sheets, we ask for some roleplay hooks that can be read on every character sheet – it can be family relations, it can be the position the character has, it can be some piece of gossip about them – basically something that other characters might know about, and thereby interact use to with this character. We also ask for a secret roleplay hook, which is only known by the room leaders and the player of that character. We plan on utilizing those to build more storylines, and involve the characters. As for examples of character hooks – these were created for a commoner character of mine, who owns a tavern in the Lower Down (a slightly less good part of the city).

Like wine? Come to the Crow’s Nest!
Like brawls? Come to the Crow’s Nest!
Like gossip and rumours? Come to the Crow’s Nest!
Like beautiful women? Come to the Crow’s Nest!
Like a good meal? Come to the Crow’s Nest!
Don’t like any of the above? Come to the Crow’s Nest anyway!

I have to say, that is an interesting hook. Why the different take on character sheets compared to other rooms? Why did you decide as room owner and creators to have them submit this “hook” with their sheets?

Hippolyta: Because, why not? I like being different, and I like to try out new things that may or may not work out. We also thought that we might simplify things with having players filling out their hooks on the character sheet – it gives others an idea of how they may be related, or know one another. Plus, it makes the players think about roleplays where they might be introduced, perhaps even spark ideas.

That’s a good point, and actually something that interested me, hence why I choose your room for this quarter. Let’s get to the grit of it – could you give an example of a storyline going on right now? I know you said you are just setting up stories, but what is one storyline a roleplayer could get involved with?

Veritas: In the storyline, Love is All seems tranquil, but under the surface, the King’s rule is very unstable. There are rumours, after all, that there could be another child of the old king. An elder child. But nobody really knows who that is – it could be anyone. And a King who has whispers against him, some of the great noble houses may expect that he is hardly a proper King at all.

Hippolyta: There is also a smaller storyline initiated by one of our players, who will hold a fete at some point. For it, she has contracted courtesans from the Court of Night-Blooming Flowers, and several noblemen and women have been invited.

A fete? I’m not familiar with this word. What exactly is that?

Hippolyta: Oh, it is an elaborate party, basically.

Oh, that’s pretty neat! Thank you for that. So is there anything you would like to pass on to the readers, maybe even future roleplayers?

Hippolyta: Well, basically, you do not have to be a well-versed reader of the books from which we fetched inspiration – all you need to do is to familiarize yourself with the information that we have posted on our board. Keep an open mind, because in our room, love is all.

I have to say thank you again, to both of you, for taking the time out of your roleplay and day to do this interview with me. Look for it in the next issue of the ReVo Periodical.

Hippolyta: You are very welcome. We are looking forward to the new issue!

Featured Room: Prophecy AZ

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care shows us how things are heating up in the Southwest!

This issue we find ourselves within the newest section of Roleplay Evolution, Rebels and Reapers. This section features rooms that focus on motorcycle clubs and the criminal activity that can accompany them. If you’re wondering, yes, folks, this section was created due to the demand we found here at ReVo for Sons of Anarchy rooms.

In the first issue of ReVolutionary Theory, we touched base with a character from the Sons of Anarchy: Long Beach room – then we watched as the growth happened, and now the section is eight rooms strong. But we don’t just have Sons of Anarchy rooms! We have other motorcycle clubs with Blood and Asphalt and Coastal Harbor, and then we expanded into the Mayans, which is soon to be a Sons of Anarchy spin-off show on FX. So we took a few moments and sat down with the owner of one of the original Sons of Anarchy rooms on Roleplay Evolution, to get his thoughts and words on Prophecy AZ.

Hi, Rutger, and thank you for taking the time to do this interview for our readers.

Rutger: You’re welcome.

Many of us on ReVo, known that Prophecy AZ started as Anarchy Vegas, how did your change come about?

Rutger: The change came about through a role-play that ended up giving the Sons charter in Vegas too much exposure. As the local press descended on them after their hand in assisting with the breakup of a human trafficking ring, the charter heads decided it was a good time for them to move to a smaller, less dense area. They rescued many women and children, but it brought them too much attention for the clubs’ liking.

What made you as the room owner not only create the room, but change it to Prophecy?

Rutger: Well, the room was not my original creation. Though many things have happened to make it mine, it was once owned by another player, who portrayed the club president. They moved on to take care of real time things and asked that I be allowed to take over the room.

What are some things that set Prophecy apart from the other rooms in Rebels and Reapers Section?

Rutger: I am not certain on that, as I haven’t really played in the other rooms. I think we have a well defined richness of character in there, for the most part, and there is a lot that goes on that doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with the club. Sometimes characters get involved and sometimes they don’t. Everyone has their own story, and I wanted people that liked the atmosphere but didn’t really want to play a part of the motorcycle club to have something – so there are people there that were local to this small town long before the Sons arrived, but there are also many aspects as well where the club was tied to the town for decades.

Tell me, what kind of things have you done to make it a fun atmosphere in Prophecy to keep your players happy and active?

Rutger: There is a lot of serious and heartbreaking roleplay that goes on, but we do have fun with some things. Around the holidays, we have a party. At Halloween, some come in in costumed avatars (Ryan has a Spartacus-style AV with a decent head swap that makes everyone laugh). This past Christmas we did a Christmas pajama party as well.

Name one of your favorite things about the style of roleplay done in Prophecy?

Rutger: One of my favorite things in Prophecy is that everyone brings something different to the table. Also, the players that are there do seem to understand that what’s inside is roleplay, meaning most don’t get butthurt if another character is mean to them – in character, of course. Some of the roleplay gets pretty intense. We do have limits, but there are not that many.

Could you name a few of the characters in Prophecy and maybe what they do?

Rutger: A few, huh? Well, there is Ryan O’Connall. He is the president of the Prophecy Sons charter, and former President of the currently-defunct Vegas charter (that will be coming back into play). Kaleb O’Farrell is the Vice-President and pretty much the most level headed guy in the club. Alan “Random” Ritter is the Sargeant at Arms and keeps the president from getting his ass killed. There are several brothers – Johnny (Preacher), Donnie (Big Red) Finn, Liam, Razor, Sebastain, Ty, Scratch, Mutt, and a bunch of others have come through, though I don’t remember the names. Silas Tieval is a charter head that drops in every now and then to cause trouble and give the guys shit. The old ladies really keep the club together in more ways than one. Right now, they are Jude (Kaleb’s and Ty’s old lady; a tattoo artist, musician and resident therapist at times), and Dina, who is married to Liam and is a nurse. Dina has grown up in the club and now has a brother and husband in its ranks as well. It is a toss-up on who the resident queen bee is. Persia is an associate of the Sons and runs the local fight club, but also has her own business dealings. Highly successful, she has lent aid to and gotten aid and protection from the Sons. Haven is the younger sister of Ryan and Liam, who was in a band and is now looking to settle down with her family. We also have a myriad of town folks and business owners. Emily Logan owns Logan’s Diner, and Bud Joey and his daughter Pal run the local Harley shop. Krysta works for both Op4 Tactical and Bud’s Harley, and is dating Donnie. Declan runs the local laundromat and is looking into becoming a probie. Hazel owns the hotel. There are a few others, but not steady players of late. The local law enforcement includes Sheriff Jason Garret and his deputy Ames Halliday – and then there are the bad guys. They come and go, but currently, the most notable is Nick Moses, a smarmy former brother and now the head of a meth ring.

Have you and your players ever had what I’m going to call a “What the Fuck” moment while roleplaying?

Rutger: We have had a butt ton of “What the Fuck?” moments in roleplay.

Could you name that “What the Fuck” moment, and tell us a little about it?

Rutger: One involved Ryan being kidnapped and tortured, broadcasted on a closed circuit for everyone to see and Mutt walking out in his underwear during the broadcast asking if it was a porno. More recently, twins delivered in a ditch under gunfire (because our chicks are bad asses). Also recently, we had Ryan pulling a gun and appearing to be on the brink of killing Johnny, when he was really aiming for the guy behind him. That got a lot of “What the Fucks?” before the reveal.

As Room Leader, do you have a favorite character you like to see in the roleplay? Why?

Rutger: Oh, there are way too many to count. I love to watch everyone do their thing, especially when they are in their element and everything just flows. We have certain people that play off of each other very well, and the roleplay is just spot on.

Have you held any events in Prophecy? If so, could you tell us what they were, and if not, do you plan on hosting any events?

Rutger: We have had some private room things, like the club Christmas parties and barbecues and so on. Where we were at before, I did a game of Clue modernized by using some of the brothers for the suspect cards. It went over well and I will probably try it here.

As we said before, Prophecy is a newer room, having changed from Anarchy Vegas – but in all the time you have been on ReVo, has there ever been anything that just made you stop and just laugh your ass off? If so, what was it?

Rutger: Well, in the time I have been on ReVo, there have been some pretty funny moments. Anything with Bill in it was always incredibly funny because he was just an old biker that wasn’t afraid to say what was on his mind. But I will say one of the funnier moments was when the guys ended up in Mexican jail and Tank and Haven came to bail them out, and the police wanted to keep Donnie. Also, when it was still Vegas, one of the bad guys’ groups planned on attacking Persia’s night club, Bijou. The guys got wind of this and went in and decided to trap the bad guys instead, which they achieved by wearing the strippers’ “I Dream of Jeannie” type costumes, complete with veils and all (that’s one hairy woman)!

We touched on the funniest and the most “What the Fuck?” moments, but how about the steamiest? We all know that Sons of Anarchy, the show, was all about the sex appeal. Do you have that within Prophecy?

Rutger: Of course we do. While I have had to limit the amount of public scening (there was a lot, and there’s nothing wrong with going so far and closing the curtain), a lot of the character interactions convey sexual tension or chemistry depending on the characters. We have also been unafraid to explore such things outside the typical male/female relationship, which makes for good roleplay.

How can a person get involved in the roleplay within Prophecy?

Rutger: It’s fairly easy. We have areas open that wouldn’t require a character to even know about the Sons when they come in. Some people have started off already being citizens of Prophecy. Our players are pretty easy to get along with and happy to help anyone that wants to bring their ideas into the room.

Is there anything you want to share with the readers and roleplayers of ReVo?

Rutger: I think this about covered it, so just to come in, watch some roleplay, and check it out for yourself.

Thank you for taking the time to do this for us!

Featured Room: Eternal Rebels

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care lures us to both the shadows and the recent past.

It’s a new year and a new quarter for the periodical, and we’re starting things off with a bang. I sat down with the owner of Eternal Rebels, Tat, for an interview about her room and what sets it out from the rest.

Hello, Tat, and thank you for taking the time for this interview.

You’re welcome.

Let’s take a moment and run down the basics. Eternal Rebels is a room featured in the Supernatural Awakening section of the whochat, and from what I have read, it’s based around the 1980s movie The Lost Boys. Tell us a little about what made you create such a room?

I love the vampire genre, and there are so many things that have been done, but this was something I had not seen. It’s a blend of modern vampire with a kick of nostalgia, where the Lost Boys type characters come into play.

Can you tell us a little bit of the storylines that you run with in the room?

There are several interlacing ventures going on at the moment, as well as some that haven’t yet connected. We have a young newly turned vampire trying to find her way, innocents slowly being exposed to the world around them in different forms, and some drama brought in by other vampires and vampire hunters.

Are there any stories that have been run that made you and your players go, “What The Fuck?”

There is a ghoul who turned a vampire into a pile of goo.

Have there been any roleplays within the room that you and your players were laughing so hard behind the scenes?

See above.

What’s a Typical day like in the life of a character in Eternal Rebels?

Party all night, sleep all day, never grow old, never die, is mostly the size of it – outside of the mortals, of course.

I have seen that you’ve held a few events in your room. You had the “Kill Off Your Character Party,” which if I remember correctly was a night of killing your characters off. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it, but I read some. How did that night go?

That event went wonderfully, with a few great submissions of character deaths on the ReVo message board and on the day of the actual event combined. ReVo has an extremely talented bunch of roleplayers, and that made it very difficult to choose the prize winners.

Then you held another one, “Good Times,” which was a Trivia & Movie Quote Night. How did that one go for you?

Actually the “Good Times” event was held before the “Kill off your character” event, nearer the time when the room opened on site. It was a great experience as well. We had a terrific turnout and gave away some fun prizes with that one.

So tell us, is there anything in the works for the year 2017?

We’d like to increase roleplaying participation.

Is there anything that you would wish a reader and fellow roleplayer to know about Eternal Rebels?

To bring a friend if they are thinking about joining in.

Thank you for taking a moment with us, and happy roleplaying!

Featured Room: La Romance De Paris

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care draws us back in time to the romance of Victorian Paris.

This quarter, we had the pleasure of sitting down with Howl (previously known as Snapped|Bones), owner of La Romance De Paris. The room is set between the years of 1880 and 1910 within Paris, France. Let’s see her take on the world that she helped bring to life.

I already knew your name, but you are going by Howl now, correct? And with that change, I noticed the pretty new entry page you have created. Can you tell me a little about how you came up with the concept of the room?

I did change the page. With people coming in the room thinking it was something it wasn’t, I felt it helped to keep the confusion to a minimum. It wasn’t so much that they didn’t understand as that they didn’t want to read the boards to get the information. So in an attempt to meet all parties in the middle, I made the new entry page. It’s worked wonders.

As for how I came up with the concept, is it bad that I am a massive historical romance junkie? I mean, from Harlequin to Avon and everything in between, I’ve read them all, some even multiple times. I’ve always loved the more historical themed ones because there was more glamour about it. Things were less complicated. You had to work for your love rather than text for a booty call. Love was still seen as something that was seen as important, versus something that could be done without. It was love over lust. Men were chivalrous and kind. They still believed a lady was a lady, regardless. I also loved that in the simplicity of the style of living, there was a bigger connection to the world around them – a connection to nature, which allows people to actually imagine the world around them, versus four walls and a computer. So it was with these thoughts in mind that I created La Romance De Paris.

A romance junkie, eh? Well, that doesn’t surprise me a bit. Thinking about the room, was it hard for you to make the leap from being a Transilient Room (which for those of you who may not already know, are experiments that are easily purchased for 30 days – a shameless plug, there!). How was it switching from a Transilient Room to a Permanent Room?

LOL! It’s not shameless. I actually think the Transilient Rooms are amazing. It’s a great way to test your idea without making a full commitment. I love the option, because it let me get the idea out of my head and into action. It was the best way to get feedback, to see if I would get people who would want to play in there, or if it would Hindenburg on me. As for the transition? Not hard at all! To be honest, I love the fact that ReVo has this awesomely efficient way of stream lining things. They don’t make you jump hoops and brownnose to get your idea out. The staff is always prompt and dead on point, and the support is just the best. I would say that the only hard part is the same that every Room Owner faces – once it goes from Transilient to Full, it’s no longer the new toy in the sand box, so there’s more work keeping people aware of it and what’s going on inside of it.

So tell me, besides time period and setting, what do you see as setting your room apart from some of the others that are on the whochat? I know that might be hard, but it isn’t the only 1880s type of room, as we do have The Silver Horn, too.

Well, the Silver Horn (with Joy) is set in the historical Midwest of America, when silver and gold mining was in its boom. It was those actions that helped colonize most of the United States as we know it. The world out there was rough, rugged, unrefined. People died all the time from dysentery, the flu, poisonous sources of water, lack of water in desert areas, and mining in general. Coal mining is still one of the most dangerous professions we have even to today. The difference is night and day. In Europe, civilization had been on the up and up for some time. Even the great plague which decimated it in the 1600s didn’t stop the elegance and thirst for beauty that all Europeans share. Paris in and of herself is to this day the home of fashion, glamour, and all things couture. It was so even in the 1880s. Paris also had a better standard of living, cleaner environments, better health care, and a greater life expectancy. People could live in comfort – even the poor had soup kitchens and work houses which gave them board for labor. Plus, I will admit I tweaked a few things historically and brought some luxuries from two decades ahead of the era. There is indoor running water, both hot and cold, proper sewage disposal, and the cure for TB, which was not realized until the late 1930s. So true, it’s not 100% historically accurate, but the tweaks that are present do not diminish nor remove the glamour or beauty of the era of France, especially of Paris.

The roleplay you have going on, what kind of scenes could a person walk into and observe within La Romance De Paris? Anything good and juicy? Or is it more the standard everyday living back in that time frame?

Oh anything but! You might walk in on a murder scene, you might walk in on one of my many random little story tellings that I like to do, such as the street fair or the Worlds’ Fair that I will be doing some time this month. The room is open post too so you could very well walk in on the middle of a sex scene, which I can understand for some people it’s not quite as um – Fun? But this is an adult site with adults on it so I don’t feel like limiting my players to private scenes which can sometimes accidentally not be private when the pd acts up. We also have a lot of spy business, poisonings, underhanded dealings, horrible family drama with some nasty skeletons in the closets! We have a few cases of incest, murder most foul, and women being stolen to be shipped off to China as concubines. Really? Any and every day is different. It all depends on what myself and my players get into!

That’s kind of funny as I believe the same thing; why hide behind private whispers when we are an adult site? Anyway, back on topic. What is one of your favorite things about the style of roleplay done in La Romance de Paris? Is there something that sticks out to you?

Hmm. To be fair? Our style of RP is very varied. We have everything from soft sweet romance to twisted love affairs, from murdering of whores on the street to the murder for the sake of bodies to study to advance man’s knowledge of the body. I would honestly prefer to say what makes us stick out more is our variety of RP. (Seriously, we can do any kind of RP a person would want to do – within the site rules, naturally.)

What makes us stand out? Is our support. We all believe in ReVo and we believe in treating everyone fairly. We don’t clique up in the way that we won’t RP with someone who comes in, we won’t ignore someone because we don’t like who they hang out with, and we don’t give two pins about your post size so long as content is there. It’s the fact every one of us will create new chars, NPC or otherwise, to interact with someone; to help further their story line, their character development, or to help them work an idea out in their head. IC and OOC, we are one of the most supportive rooms. We believe in maturity and respect for everyone, and we follow that out to the letter, 100% of the time.

Interesting, as we are all here for a variety of reasons but that’s a good first one. As we all know I love and adore ReVo to no end, and I try to make it work. Okay, stepping away from that a moment, tell me – do you have a favorite character in the room? One that just catches your eye and holds it, not just with roleplay but even avatar wise?

-laughs- That one is hard! I have a few favorites but those are personal reasons, RP reasons, as I have two very different but amazing lines going with both of them. But if there was one I had to pick, just one? It would be Mason Maybrick. Avatar, character style, writing? All of it. The guy is a sick puppy, the French Ripper, and I adore that sort of twist. It’s why I love La Romance De Paris. We have a mix of everything. I can also attest that the player behind him is fantastic and is always coming up with awesome new characters and story branches both in the room and on the board since not all of us have RT calm enough to RP on the regular. It’s fantastic! But, if we were to go personal for just a moment? It would be Adrien Chevalier. You ever get that RP that becomes your ‘happy place’? You know where at the end of a super shitty day, you know the second you get to rp with that person, your day’s just better? It’s like that. But those are my choices!

I like those kind of characters, and that last roleplay is something that I tend to love, too. I have seen a few things going on lately and I know that La Romance De Paris has been a host to two events, since opening. I know the first one wasn’t as popular, but you did have people that showed up and played within that night. Could you explain to the readers what the two events were and how you feel they went and if you would do it again?

Well the first one actually ended up having Murphy come and bugger it good! My DJ’s power was gone, so there was no play out going on the radio, no other DJ was able to step up since so many of them had the same issue, and of course we had a bit if a hiccup getting the word out in time too. But it was awesome because if you can overcome that sort of stuff and still host? You can handle anything! The first event was a Masqued Ball, which had lots of prizes donated by some amazing people, but sadly with the small turn out many of them were just saved up. The second was the street fair that some people had a grand bit of fun with. Every event I make has an entire section of pulldowns devoted to it, and I think that sets it apart from anyone else, and any other rooms. I take the time to write each of the pulldowns by hand, and more than that, I also make sure that the pds are self sufficient. We use the dice a lot in our room because it not only keeps things fair, but fun, especially the way we use them. Every pulldown has a list of choices and the dice roll for them, so all a person has to do is roll and the outcome is right there for them, so they can respond to it. This means they don’t have to wait for a Story Teller to get around them, or wait for someone else to be in the room. You can solo or jump in whenever you want to. It’s so much more fun this way, because no one misses out, no one has to wait for their turn. We also list a lot of information on the boards, such as pictures of some of the main draws or events, which give people a better idea of what they will be seeing in the room.

Are you planning any events our readers should be aware of? Anything juicy coming out of the
creative minds of you and your staff?

Oh, but we are always plotting! That’s the danger! We are looking at hosting in our room the Worlds’ Fair, The Olympics (I’m leaning for winter as it gives us more time to work on such a vast undertaking as that would be); Halloween is going to be amazing! We are going to have a surprise turn of events and not have zombies or the like. That’s a little cliche. We’re going to do worse. A pack of rabid animals will be set loose during a huge outdoor party and the idea is to survive the night! And if the animals aren’t bad enough? A bite from them gives you rabies and you have to go mad and attack your fellow man! What’s worse is that the people who infected these animals are on their way out too. They’re a cult that worships death for the sake of death, and because of that, they will be seeking to slaughter anyone. Survival will depend on both
how clever you are and how the dice treat you!

After that we have the Harvest, which will be an event in the vineyards where a bunch of people will get together and enter the harvest and romance will be in the air! Then, a massive Thanksgiving ball dedicated to families and the like. Christmas will be another large ball and a huge outing in the snow, with picnics in igloos and all sorts of fun things like that.

Sounds like you guys have a lot planned. That’s exciting. Now to take us off that topic and to roleplay a moment. Have you ever seen a roleplay that made you go “What the Fuck?” within the room yet?

Hmmm. Now that one is a toughie! I think one of the ones happened by the same character, Mason
Maybrick, when I came into the room and walked in on a murder scene. It was early-ish in the morning and I literally when hoo leee sheet wat da fuk? It was wild because it was just out of the blue! A murder of a whore, Ripper style, and it was awesome! It was one of those where it was so fucked up you couldn’t help but applaud it. One of those train wrecks, you know?

Those train wreck type of scenes are so freaking awesome. So, expanding a bit on the topic of the roleplay within the room, Have you had a scene yet where you just laughed your freaking ass off at it?

-faceplants- Yes. This was between Adrien and Bella. And it was, uh – God, trying to get through this without cracking up is hard.

What was the scene about?

So, Bella is, or was, totally innocent. She had no idea about sex, where babies came from, or anything of that sort. So Adrien and Bella had what we call foreplay, and she sat up in bed and looked at him, completely serious, and asked when she should start to look for the stork. Adrien looked completely baffled as she explained that perhaps she might not see a stork as they weren’t married, and only ‘good women’ got storks. The bad women had to get their babies from the cabbage patch, and those were called brothelsprouts. She said she wasn’t fond of them at all, but she would start to look through the cabbage patches in the area to find their baby. Now, Adrien is a doctor, and trying to explain what sex was and where babies came from to a woman who was one-hundred percent innocent outside of heavy petting had him utterly fumbling all over the place as he tried to figure out what she was talking about before it clicked.

That’s kind of funny. No wonder you couldn’t hold it in. Well, I think that about wraps up this interview. Is there anything you would want the readers to know or you want to say to them?

Yeah. Don’t be afraid to step out of your boxes. Comfortable RP is good and fine, but it also gets stagnant faster than a puddle of piss. Give something else a chance, a change, because RP is an adventure. Go off the beaten path, toss the compass, and have remember – Not all who wander are lost.

Featured Room: DC Noir

By Care

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Care parts the shadows around DC Noir.

This quarter we have the pleasure of sitting down with Christian, owner of DC Noir, Sex Arcade, and Marvel United. However, for this article, we are only featuring his DC Comics room, DC Noir. DC Noir is one of those rooms that started on another site and moved to Roleplay Evolution. They have been a real staple of the Fantasy Envisioned realm since opening. They are always busy and if you don’t see them in one room, they are in another. So lets get started!

Thank you, Christian, for taking a moment to get with me about this article. Tell the readers exactly how you came up with the idea for DC Noir, besides it being a DC room?

Thank you, Care, it’s a pleasure. As for DC Noir, well, that started as a joint effort from lots of different people. I was sitting in another Marvel RP room on another site, paying attention to a public conversation between two other players – one happens to be our very own CK from DC Noir, and both were wishing there was a DC option for RP rooms. So that sort of sprung the idea in my mind. It was on a site which for years did not permit another comic room so it was a bit touch and go at first.

What kind of storylines sets DC Noir apart from the other comic book rooms?

Well, first off, sole DC rooms have always been rare. I can think of two or three others and most of them are no longer open. What DC Noir does with stories is we sort of branch out. We have a centered Batman centered RP, then we have a focus on the Green Lanterns in space and the Teen Titans. We’ve seen all manners of characters and some darker, horror type stories due to the nature of DC and magic and the supernatural. You can really do anything in DC, whereas Marvel’s universe is more focused on bright, full-color superheroes. DC has diversity at its best. We do slow burn stories, that build and build until we reach a perfect opportunity for a climax.

Can you tell us what the difference is between Marvel and DC? I know many people don’t understand that there is a slight difference, as it may be, for the comics, thus the roleplay too.

Just as I touched on above, the difference is the diversity. Marvel’s universe in any form is more centered around classic superheroes. Now, that’s not to say DC doesn’t cater to this – they are home to some of the first superheroes in the genre – but DC’s universe is more team oriented. Marvel has teams, too, but those teams have more often than not been segregated: You have Avengers and you have X-Men, you have street level and mutants and cosmic levels, and sometimes it’s hard to have those various types intermingle. DC is more user friendly – it affords for all types to interlock, be it under the banner of the Justice League or the Justice Society or perhaps even the Teen Titans. Batman characters and Superman characters can interact and it’s not far fetched. We can have Batman on Themyscira or Green Lantern in Gotham, and it can make sense without reaching! Also, the magic and occult aspect of DC is amazing with the works of Constantine and Zatanna, DC Vertigo, and other properties like Preacher and Sandman. The limits are imaginary.

What is the favorite style of play done within DC Noir?

We’re free form. I would have to say free form. People toss dice into the mix to settle disputes here and there but we’re basically a free form room. I hope that’s what you meant by ‘style of play’ [laughs]

Are there any ideas or plans for any events for DC Noir? Like we see many rooms hosting like trivia nights and paint nights? Anything of that nature, or is it all just storyline based events?

I like to keep my rooms grounded in story line based events. I’ve been known to have a trivia night or two. I’m not a fan of AV auctions or paint nights, basically because I don’t make avatars, so it’s not my bag. If gennifairy wanted to use the rooms to host one of those things, I guess I would have to allow it. [laughs] Seriously, though, I like the idea of rooms that generate activity from their merits and not one shot promotions – not that there is anything wrong with auctions, paint nights, and even trivia nights. They certainly have their place. I’ve just never seen people return to rooms based on those things after said event is over. We have some ideas in the works for DC, especially now that the comics have mirrored an idea I ran with a few years ago. We’re going to revisit that story and expand upon it.

What is one of the funniest storylines you can recall that has been in play in DC Noir?

One of the funniest DC Noir RPs – [thinks on this a bit] Two spring to mind. I love when I get to play Bruce Wayne as opposed to Batman. The reasons to use Wayne are very seldom in the room. One night I had players show up because thre was a Wayne Foundation event. As many might know, it’s no secret gennifairy and I ship Batman and Wonder Woman as a couple. Well Diana (Wonder Woman) shows up to the function with Steve Trevor; who is the government liaison between the Justice League and the United States government. Well, Bruce’s little green monster of jealousy came out to play, and it was just hilarious to have the two try to out do one another. The second was more recent. I was able to play Penguin for a night to help our Catwoman forward a story. It was a different character from the type I usually play, and fun. Catwoman and Poison Ivy robbed him blind!

Have there ever been a moment within the room, within stories, that you and your players have gone “What the Fuck”?

I can’t say that I have. Nothing really surprises me anymore. However, I can say that sometimes my one liners with John Constantine can be a room stopper. Although, all things aside, recently we had a player play a created character from an alternate future timeline. The kicker was she ends up being the daughter of Starfire and Superboy. That was a bit of a shocker in the room as Superboy and Starfire have just hooked up together and now they are shown the could-be possible fruits of that union. Long ago, we once had a Superman whose players would do some really ridiculous things that would make us all stop and think, “What the hell did I just read?”

Have there been any steamy storylines in DC Noir or is that all saved for when you go up to the Sex Arcade?

[laughs] The Sex Arcade always comes up in conversation, people really like that room. I can’t speak for others as I’m not privy to their private moments. I know our Superman and Lois Lane are starting their relationship but Superman’s player can be a bit goofy with not realizing Lois wants him. Kru-El, another Kryptonian has been keeping company with Catwoman, and I think the room is pulling for those two hooking up. [waves a hand] You know how RP romance goes but for myself, I love superheroes and I love my sex. My Batman and gennifairy’s Wonder Woman have a really underlined D/s relationship in DC Noir. If you pay attention and read between the lines, it’s there. Of course it drops when they have to be heroes and go beat up the bad guys, but it’s always there. John Constantine and Zatanna have a more playful romance as opposed to their Sex Arcade romps. However, Superboy and Starfire have a pretty steamy thing going on in DC Noir – not as explicit as their Sex Arcade adventures, but still hot none the less. We’ve kicked around having some stories from the Sex Arcade cross over into the other rooms. The Sex Arcade is still cooling. It can really become anything and be used as a stepping stone if that’s your sort of RP bag.

Tell us something you would like the readers to know about DC Noir?

I want readers to be aware of a few things. First, we don’t use character sheets, claiming a character is easy! Second, you don’t need a long understanding of DC history to play. If you watch the TV shows or follow the movies or some of the cartoons like the old Justice League/Justice League Unlimited, you’re good to go! The one thing I constantly hear is Comic RP is like this incomprehensible form of RP, and it’s really not. It’s fun, interactive fan fiction at its best!

And any last words for the readers?

Yeah, some last words. If you’ve seen Batman vs Superman, watch the Flash and Arrow or Legends of Tomorrow; if you go and see Suicide Squad in August; and if you like these things and want to experience them or give your hand to them, come and check us out! DC Noir is it’s own universe. It’s not the comics, it’s the not the cartoons, TV, or even the movies. It’s become it’s own monster and we would like you to come be a part of this!

And with that I have to say, I’ve learned a bit more about DC Noir that I did not know before. I don’t know about you, but part of me wants to go to DC Noir and try the roleplay there. I bet you would make a good superhero or a rather bad, bad guy.

Featured Room: Ruins of Aetheria

By Joy Naomi

While our chatters are the heart and soul of roleplay, rooms are what give their characters a place to become incarnate. Managing rooms can be a difficult but ultimately rewarding task, and each leader has taken their own road to the “top”. In this issue, Joy Naomi gives us a look into the world of Ruins of Aetheria.

What is your name?

Psychobarbie, or Holly, either way.

What is the name of your room and what section is it in?

Ruins of Aetheria in Fantasy Envisioned

How did your room come about?

I really like Skyrim?

What kind of things do you think sets your room apart from the others like it?

Well, we’ve got the random events pulldown which gives you a start off point into r/p if you’re not sure what to do.

What kind of things have you done to make it more fun?

Well, the room is pretty much open to anything, so any character is playable in the world due to how it’s set up. It tends to put people more at ease to at least know their character even if they aren’t familiar with the room setting.

What kind of scenes can we see within your room?

The world is obviously fantasy so there are dragons, trolls, mages, elves, and different races like the cat or reptile races, so you can really see about anything going on.

What is your favorite thing about the style of play done in your room?

I just love the “anything can happen” idea of the room.

What is your favorite character that has ever been in the room?

Well, Kysa Lundgren (Joy’s character) is an example of anything can happen.

Has your room ever had events? If so, what?

Not yet.

What is the funniest thing you can recall ever happening in play?

A character that has a pet dragon that was in the palace of the high king of Skyrim and ate the tapestries.

What would you like people to know about your room? Give it a chance?

You really can play anything in the room – just because it’s set in a certain room and theme doesn’t mean you can’t play other characters. It’s just a matter of diving in.