OOC -- "Siege: Acts of Desperation"

Introduction

The Ever Continuing Story -- Catch up on the story or find "facts" you may have forgotten.


[URL="http://forum.literotica.com/showpost.php?p=37897813&postcount=11"]The Devil is in the Details --- A list of helpful facts for you to consider.

Posting Guidelines --- What's expected and desired from RPers.



Character Sheet[/URL]: Create your character here, then PM it to the Host.

Cast of Characters: Anyone who's anyone.

+++ Character Ideas --- For people who need some inspiration, check out these possible characters.


This OOC is still under construction. I just recently learned how to put links into a thread (to photos, images, and pages within that thread) so I am excited about getting that done ... but I simply don't have the time this morning.

For now, I just want to get this idea out there.


The below information is about me, you -- yes, you -- and the RP. Please peruse it and, if it sounds like a story you would like to be part of, PM me, Tony4Prez.


About Resources: I am in control! (Sorry, I just don't get to say that much in Real Life!) What I mean is, I want this to truly be a story about desperate people in a desperate situation, doing their best and, when necessary, their worst simply to survive until tomorrow. Sex and debauchery, violence and cruelty, love and compassion, heroism and sacrifice: they will all play a part.

Therefore, no one can have anything without first requesting it in their initial Character Sheet and getting it approved. And I mean everything! You're thinking to yourself, "I have to list every ... thing?? Yes ... but it won't be a problem, because you're not going to have that much, are you ... ? ... you're desperate!

(I was a writer on another RP site once in a role play in which the Hostess said this very same thing, and RPers simply ignored her and introduced anything they wanted to possess. Not this time! This has to be about desperation -- it's in the frickin' title -- so introducing a ton of possessions just doesn't cut it.


About the Host I haven't RPd on a site like this before, but I am very experienced in RPing in general, as well as story telling; I have been writing a fiction column in a local periodical for going on two decades now. I don't have gobs of free time; see Posting Guidelines below.

I will be RPing multiple characters, only a couple of whom will be PCs. Most will be NPCs present simply to lay down details of the RP, stimulate ideas, and inspire other writers.


You, the RPers: You may RP one or more characters, people who are friends/associates on the same side or enemies facing each across across the No Man's Land through gun sights. You can also create NPCs, but don't simply drop names here and there nilly-willy, because things get confusing. If you create an NPC -- even a name drop -- add it to you PC's CS, indicating very briefly what their role in the story is.)

Character Sheet

Please be very brief on the questions, reserving long descriptions for the end where it says "More". (Keep in mind that a detailed character stimulates other RPers in their collaboration with you; YET AT THE SAME TIME being vague allows you to be flexible and jump into scenarios as they are presented later. If this doesn't make sense, PM me.)

More headings will be added as they come to me or are suggested by RPers; I will announce new headings periodically and ask RPers to add them to their existing CSs.


Name:

Gender, Age:

Pic(s) and description:

Nationality/Ethnicity, Religion, Languages Spoken, etc:

Employment (or other description of how you make your "living"):

Current Residence:

Details concerning family, friends, associates:

Possessions (must be approved):

More: (Be detailed or vague, your choice):

Cast of Characters



Henry "Hank" Baets -- pic

Name: Henry "Hank" Baets (pronounced "Bates")

--- aliases: Asad (Arabic), Adir (Hebrew), JJ Jefferson (American)


Gender, Age: Male, 35


Description: Pic

5'8", 185; fit.
Various battleground scars.
Brown eyes.


Nationality/Ethnicity: American of mixed descent (See below.)

Religion: Matriarchal Agnostic Deist. (See below.)

Languages Spoken: English (American dialect), Arabic, and a touch each of Modern Hebrew, Farsi, and Spanish. (See below.)


Employment:

Former U.S. Army Soldier/Translator; discharged for insubordination.
Currently a mercenary, semi-abandoned.


Current Residence:

Abandoned inside Santa Maria.
Living in the basement of a heavily damaged, 5 story apartment building.


Details concerning family, friends, associates:

Has family in both the US and UK.
Currently lives with a group of "disenfranchised" people, all just trying to survive.
Had contacts within the CIA, MI6, and Xe (formerly Blackwater; pronounced "zee").


Possessions (must be approved):

AK-47 (currently light on ammunition); Beretta M9 pistol (with silencer; currently no ammunition); combat knife; at RP's start, 2 M67 fragmentation grenades.

Standard US Army-style combat issue gear (now missing multiple items).

Satellite phone (with solar charger).

Various possessions and small stash of edibles, but living lean like anyone else. (See below for more.)

More: (Be detailed or vague, your choice):

+++ Matriarchal Agnostic Deism: The belief that the beauty and complexity of the natural world dictates the existence of a Goddess -- yes, female -- while simultaneously dismissing all organized religion on the basis that humans can not know that Goddess beyond the simple "fact" of her existence.

+++ Family: Hank's father (a Jew from Britain, who was actually of Belgian descent), met, dated, impregnated, then married his mother (an already betrothed Muslim student from Libya). They "fled" to the US, where they led an upper middle class life filled with diversity.

+++ Languages and Education: As a youth, Hank learned to speak a bit each of Arabic, Modern Hebrew, Farsi, and -- because the family lived in San Diego -- Spanish. He was educated in a private school and got Bachelor and Master degrees in Language and Third World Economics.

+++ Military Record: Then, with a wild hair up his butt, he joined the US Army as a translator. He was only in for 3 years before being discharged for insubordination and refusing direct orders in an incident involving an attack on a village in Iraq. He joined Black Water, but left them for similar reasons. He then became an Adviser to the Governor of Santa Maria, but behind the scenes was working as a CIA informant. When civil war struck and he was caught within the siege zone, he was left behind.

+++ Currently: Hank is still in contact with the CIA and others via a solar-power charged satellite phone. He continues to provide information to various sources in exchange for what ever he can get from them, but there is very little loyalty or security involved. Essentially, he's a man without a country or a friend.

+++ Hank lives with a small group of people I call disenfranchised because, between them, no two has the same loyalties or allegiances to neither the three rebel groups, the illegitimate government, nor the legitimate government-in-exile

+++ Possessions: When he entered Santa Maria, he had a standard combat pack, as well as back up supplies, ammunition, and more. But time and hostilities have depleted this; and some of it was also abandoned when Hank "switched" from Government employee to rebel aide.


This Character will collaborate with other Characters, but he is primarily here for the introduction of story background and "current events"; essentially, he is here for exposition.

(More to come)

Santa Maria has seen little but conflict for three generations, and now -- divided between three primary "rebel" groups -- is totally surrounded and cut off from the rest of the country by the government forces of a corrupt President.

The current conflict can hardly be called such a thing: the government forces, hampered by an arms embargo, don't have the ability to take Santa Maria back from the dug in rebels; and the rebels -- who can't or won't pool their resources -- can't break out to join up with friendly forces beyond the city. Shooting still occurs -- just about anytime someone with a gun sees movement -- but for the most part this "war" is a cold war ... in a very hot zone.

Of course, as with any war, those who suffer the most are the civilians caught behind the battle lines. Our story is about those innocent people, about the "warriors" helping or harming them, and about the politicians and generals who can shape a nation's future with the lifting of a phone ... or the dropping of a bomb.

(More to come.)

I will, to the best of my ability, keep a summary of major events here. Use it to catch up if you are a new RPer; or recall details if you are an existing RPer.

Name: Keshia (pronounced kuh-SHE-uh)


Gender, Age: Female, age of consent.


Pics: Current Appearance

She did a bit of modeling as a pre-teen and teen: 11, 13, 15, 16.


Nationality/Ethnicity: African, Egyptian, and more.

Religion: (Your choice)
Languages Spoken: English, broken; (and your choice).


Employment (or other description of how you make your "living"):

She is on the verge of becoming a kept woman: she has been trying to get by simply by doing her share of tasks within The Family, but she wants more and -- knowing that Howie has an eye for her -- is considering becoming his squeeze to get it. (Her available skills within the Exeter -- sewing, cooking, whatever, are your choice.)


Current Residence:

The Exerter


Details concerning family, friends, associates:

Orphaned, in a sense, from a well-to-do family,. (See bottom for more.)


Possessions (must be approved):

(Make suggestions.)


More: (Be detailed or vague, your choice):

+++ She comes from a well-to-do family that had connections to the Country's former Administration. When the current President rose to power in a coup, her family was detained. She was never taken into custody, and after nearly a year of hiding ended up in The Exeter (by what ever story you wish to create).

RPer's are welcome to create any character they want who fits into the story concept ...

... OR ... you may take one of the following characters, expanding on his/her background.


Female --- African/Egyptian descent; her "age of consent" birthday is just around the corner.

RPers are welcome to create from scratch any character who fits within the story concept, but if you having a hard time coming up with an idea, here are some.



MALES:



FEMALES:

Keshia --- pic --- African/Egyptian descent; approaching age of consent; has caught the eye of Howie.

These are guidelines, not hard and fast rules, but I encourage everyone to do their best to follow them. It will make RPing more fun for all.


1. Pace: The Host sets the pace of the RP, based reading the replies and upon PMs to the RPers to check on their progress. When it's time to move to the next day, the Host will do this. Two important things to keep in mind: One, RPers are welcome to move their characters to the next day if it's necessary for their portion of the story, but only if it's not going to take an opportunity from another RPer; and two, if I do move the story ahead to the next day and you aren't done with the previous day -- or didn't post for it at all and really need to do so -- go for it!

2. Post Frequency: This depends upon your character's involvement in the story. If your character is vital to the pace or plot, then post appropriately, whether that be once a day, every other, or what ever. We are all grown ups here, so figure out what your responsibility to the other RPers is and follow it.

3. Post Length: Max: 1000 words per day per RPer (not character). If you want to know how much that is, the very first post -- mine -- is 1200 words (give or take) ... in one post! ... and you won't see that every again!! The reason is simple: some of us can sit at our computers all day long, posting six or seven or eight 500 word posts without breaking a sweat. The problem arises when someone who hasn't been here for two days finds 10,000 words awaiting them. So ... don't! 1000 words max a day per writer, spread across all of your PCs and NPCs. If you are in a collaboration with another character -- be it conversation, conflict, sex, etc. -- that is going to involve dozens of short exchanges that will be pushing that limit, there is a way to get around it; just PM me for details.

4. Spell Check and Proper Grammar: This is not a guide line, this is a HARD AND FAST RULE: USE YOUR SPELL CHECK AND PROOF READ YOUR GRAMMAR !!!! We all make mistakes sometimes -- I do!! -- and this isn't an English Comp' class, so you're not getting graded. But -- and this is just me -- I will not acknowledge characters or their replies from an RPer who won't at least use spell check and perform a quick proof reading. I am not interested in translating your chicken scratch into English. If you see a squiggly red line below your word, it is (more likely than not) spelled wrong. Fix it! And before you submit your reply, read it and look for to/two/too and their/there/they're and other grammatical errors that make it hard for your fellow RPers to read your stuff. (If I consistently see that an RPer is not doing this, I will PM you about it ONCE ... after which, if you don't follow the RULE, I will remove your character from the Cast and advice other writers that your Character no longer has a place in the story. I don't mean to sound like a dick, but it's just too much work.)

5. Who, What, Where, When, Why... : Please give some kind of an indication whose point of view your reply is coming from; what time of the day it is; and anything else you feel we need to know to understand your reply. One way would be to ensure your point-of-view characters name is in the first line; or you could put this at the top: Bob, midnight, out on "Broadway". This is not always necessary, particularly if your reply is in direct response to one that was just before it, such as a conversation. Use your best judgement.

6. Absences: If you are going to be absent, let us know so we are not waiting on your reply. If your character vanishes, we will continue on without you, with the assumption being that he/she died or was kidnapped. (It is a war zone after all.) Acceptable absences are based upon your character's importance to the story, as explained above.

If you do disappear for a good reason and return to find your Character kidnapped, we will arrange some sort of recovery or escape so that you can resume play. But I'm not going to do this twice for the same writer; it's too disruptive to those using courtesy. Bottom line: Keep us informed. We can play without your character if we know you're going to be missing, but we can't continue the story if you simply stop posting for your vital character.

7. Other Rules and Guidelines: All the other RP rules apply about god moding, courtesy, yadda yadda...


More will likely be added here; I will do so with new or altered or something to that effect beside it.

I like consistency between RPers, so the details below are provided to allow all of us to be on the same page concerning such things as numbers, places, descriptions, etc.

Again, as with spelling and grammar, you are not being graded. If you get something wrong, or forget a little detail, we're not going to throw you out into the street to be shot. However, it would be nice if -- when you decide to use a detail that may have been stated in a previous reply -- you would simply glance at the below information and see if it is applicable to your reply.

(This information is constantly being added to. I will put a date in red when I add new information or edit already established information.)



HOW MANY IN THE EXETER:
+++ At the start of the RP, there were 19 residents (The Family), including Hank.



Picture

Height: 5 stories (60 feet from sidewalk to roof)

The Basement: 2 levels. The Family lives in the lower level; the entrance is well concealed.