LoupGarou

I'd have to insist again (this time from a writer's perspective) that there is very little a script tells an actor about the character. A scriptwriter hardly ever gets a chance to meet with an actor and say "this is how I want the character to be". Hence there are a lot of [censored] off scriptwriters in the world as the end product never looks like what they originally planned. That's up to the directors and the actors, who interpret the script and even change it to suit themselves as they see fit. That's why a script is mere dialogue, never actually direction. It's sort of like a religious text in that respect; loads of different interpretations and who knows if anyone actually got it right...

As far as Hatesman goes - this is why I wanted the chance to allow Hatesman to really really go for it in our little spar-off. That was awesomesauce of the first degree. Truly, a villain worth fighting and a character I really want to follow up on. I did have quite a few people chasing that one up to track him down, but I know you need a break from him now and again.

What I really dig about the Terra Liberation Front is, on the surface, what they're doing is something I'd applaud myself personally - the people ruling themselves and protecting the planet. It's just these guys make the Earth Firsters look like a bunch of hippies. These are eco-terrorists from Hades. On any other level, Jean-Luc might even respect them, but it's their METHODS he has issue with. Get two strongheaded people who both believe they're right and...well, end result was the fight. I'd like to play that one up again at some point but I admit I've sort of lost interest in levelling through missions and I tend to come on solely for rp.

Honestly, I feel it's more frustrating for villains when there's no pursuit. It was rather difficult for me to even find anyone interested enough to save Loup the night the fight was to take place. There was even less interest in trying to find and hunt down whomever it was who had nearly killed him. I'm not sure why that is, but it's not too encouraging for villain types to be villainous when people will just shrug their shoulders and go back to trying to pick up chicks in Pocket D...but for my part I am looking forward to more of Hatesman, as utterly twisted and wrong as he is.

[ QUOTE ]

because he follows a script, and we put ourselves in the mind of the villain


[/ QUOTE ]

Incorrect. That is EXACTLY what an actor must do. Put themselves into the minds of their characters.

If you've not seen a script before, it's very very...uninspiring. It's not a book, there are no explanations on your character's motivations, how they react to something, how they move, what they do and why they do it. It's just dialogue, and it is up to the ACTOR to get into the character, and pull it out. That is what makes a good actor.

Case in point...and by doing this I am aware I will blow my own cover, but I want to demonstrate something this is a SPOILER about Jean-Luc/Loup Garou.
















































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Once upon a time, I needed to write a piece from the perspective other than my own gender. It was absolutely impossible for me as I couldn't even dream of getting into that other gender's head. Couldn't do it, couldn't do it. So, I turned to this wonderful medium, online roleplay, and I created a character from the ground up, reasoned out everything about that character, really got into their heads. When I logged in, I WAS that gender. I had most people fooled. It worked brilliantly, because I was able to put that mask on and play it.

We've all seen women played by blokes, but I will readily say here I can count the men I have seen who play women WELL on the fingers of one hand. It's difficult to get the mannerisms of a woman down for most men. They never quite manage; either their women are too regal and aloof and cold because the female body language is missing or they "overcute" the character until she's some sort of bubble-gum chewing teen.

Suffice to say, I am not male. However, when I log in as Jean-Luc, I am definitely in what I call my "male headspace". I talk like a bloke, I react to other people like a bloke, I think like a bloke, both ic and ooc. I've had men ask me if I watched the footie last night. I've had them ask me computer questions (because of course women know bog all about computers!). Again, I don't think that's creepy, that's just a skill, and a good one as it earned me a paycheque for being able to finally write a believable male character.

And guys, you'd be surprised how many women are doing the same thing. It's just we don't brag about it. Like it or not, people tend to listen to instructions more readily if they don't know the person behind the screen possesses breasts. There's a fair few women who are "crossdressing" but they'll never admit it.

Again, it's a matter of being able to actually get into the head of a character, and do it fully to the point your own personality has no bearing on what you're doing. That however has its dangers; many a "hollywood marriage" falls apart because the actors on screen thought what they were acting and what they were feeling were the same things. And even a few actors who have played habitual bad guys have frightened themselves sometimes with allowing themselves to sink too deeply into a character's psyche. However, unlike actors we aren't under contract, we do not HAVE to play a character that makes us uncomfortable.

So I suppose in the end, there's two factors here - having the ability to step into a villain's skin, and also having the responsiblity and ability to know when to step OUT.


((And yes, even with cover blown...when I'm on as LG/Jean-Luc, I'm still in "bloke mode". Posting this won't change it for me heh. Hope no one is horribly uncomfortable now!)

Right, hope everyone had a good holiday! I'm moderately recovered and wanted to test the waters as it were:

Is there a preference of night to run about with our characters? This is sort of an "alt" type of guild and it may work better to assign one night a week for people to show up and participate. My Wed nights and my weekends are filled so I can't attend anything then, by I have Mon, Tues and Thursday free. Any ideas welcome!

Secondly, do we want a forum site? I have no luck with the things myself so someone infinitely more site-savvy than I would be a better candidate for sorting it.

I do want to pop in on Jam sometime tonight, so we'll see how I'm feeling.

For me it's easy. It's just an act, that's all. It's not me, I don't do all those loathsome things in real life and I have no problems distancing the evil I am rping from the person I am. I think it's pretty safe to say that Anthony Hopkins is NOT a cannibal, but hey can play one. He puts on a shell, a mask, and then walks around in it. The thing is...that's getting harder to do. I'm not sure why, but people seem to think if you're playing an evil character then you MUST be a "off" person - again, that IC/OOC blur. But when I ever played an evil character, the instant I logged on I thought like that character completely - right up to the point I switched off the game. I guess for me with a background in dramatics it's not so difficult to do, but it's not a skill everyone has. To be honest I find playing "goodies" a LOT more difficult as they seem to be so two-dimensional. They're either supposed to be all cute and light and willing to save the day, because if they EVER have a day where they question what they're doing, someone comes along with the overused "emo" label. But I can't see heroes as having perfect days and perfect smiles all the time...and I absolutely can't play those types.

Different strokes I suppose.

The following flyer appears in the various Hero Hall buildings of Paragon City - as opposed to littering the ground every Friday Evening.

http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c7...W/4thflyer.jpg


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Bonjou! The Fourth Wall is about to open its doors once again this Wed night at 8pm! The new manager, Jean-Luc Santeres, has spared no expense for his esteemed guests and members and thanks them for their patience while he has been redesigning the club and preparing it for 2008!

Members and guests alike will be pleased to note the addition of a dancefloor and stage, where the band "Wildflower" - brought to us our gracious investors - will be keeping us entertained with rock/punk and covers to keep us dancing the night away.

We have added a new room to the Fourth Wall, a V.I.P section/restaurant we have named "Zydeco". The Zydeco is a simple black bean which was considered "poor food" in Kreyol Louisiana, but is now a delicacy and can be found in the finest cuisine of New Orleans. Our chefs bring you Kreyol fusion food with the following "opening menu" for our special guests who may dine at their ease. The atmosphere in this room is one of leisure; we have added a sound-barrier to keep conversations in the VIP private and to screen the music from the rest of the club. There is a grand piano in the corner however, if you simply cannot resist the urge to play.

Fusion cuisine is a great way for a chef to show his artistry and flair, but this is also Kreyol food; namely, the main requirement being "Let there be a LOT of food!" Our dishes are served in the large soup-bowls of New Orleans, and our wines are carefully selected to compliment the menu. Please, manje!!

Starter: Mackerel terrine with wild mushrooms and crisp rounds of lightly toasted baguette

Soup: Zydeco soup - our namesake! This simple soul-food soup has been "fancified" with the addition of fines herbs, a hearty stock splashed with fine wine.

Main Course: Shrimp Etouffe; classic Kreyol, king prawns are drenched in a thick, hearty roux, spicy and bold, served over rice. We recommend a Bourdeaux wine with this dish.

Vegetarian option: Okra Jambalaya; graciously stocked with grilled vegetables in a roux, further fortified with the strong, bold taste of miso, all served over a bed of rice. You might even be able to convince your carnivore partner to have a bite or three of this.

Dessert Course: Bananas Foster; a classic dish from New Orleans, ripe sliced bananas are flambe'ed at your table in rich spiced rum, then poured over our homemade vanilla ice cream for you to enjoy. Or perhaps you'd like to sample of Homemade Pecan Pie, rich as toffee, you'll only need a slice...maybe two.

Cheese, nuts, and cafe brulot; a liqueur coffee, very sweet, which is flamed till the sugar carmelises.




Eat, dance, drink, and be merry, from all at the Fourth Wall, byenvenu


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OOC Bit:

Okay, ladies and gents, here it is, opening the Fourth Wall. Just going through the "terms and conditions" bit. The rules of the Fourth Wall haven't changed. If you need a refresh, please have a look here if you need a refresh. For anyone who isn't a coalition member, please contact me and we'll try to get you in a group to come and visit, failing that please create some alts in advance to add to the supergroup, and specify whether what member status you wish for.

We are going to try this Wed night to see how attendance goes. If it works, then we'll stick to opening every Wed night. If not, we'll try another.

If anyone has Coalition status and for whatever reason no longer wishes to have it, please let me know as I do have other SGs in a queue to join. However this is not pressure to kick anyone off provided the space is being used.

We have some new staff on board, and we hope they'll be able to make it however I understand real life comes first and foremost.

We do have a band willing to play the gig. Due to the game mechanics, it will be assumed they are playing music, but we won't be spammed continuously with lyrics. A write up of the "playlist" as it were will be done later after the event.

Thank you everyone for being so patient with me as I got this set up and faffed with the club a bit. I'm hoping you all enjoy the Fourth Wall.

[ QUOTE ]
If you're playing an incredibly neutral character who gets along in some way with everyone, you're hardpressed to get any rp at all.

[/ QUOTE ]

Actually was I meant to say was UNLESS you are playing an incredibly neutral character willing to natter and chat with anyone...I'm aware it's incredibly easy to rp as long as you don't create any waves...but then not creating waves defeats the purpose of playing a villain to my mind.

For the most part, I think has a fair bit to do with one's audience. This is a progression I've seen with RP over the years. I used to play some wicked baddies, who did the most nastiest deeds, not because they were unbalanced, but just because that's what they did. It could be argued the "good guys" are just as bad - witness the Crusades. People - victims, let's be plain - were a lot more willing to accept roleplay coming their way, even if it wasn't nice. They were more willing to accept their characters were not omnipotent, could be defeated, and that the person playing the utter creep was not ACTUALLY an utter creep.

That however seems to have changed. I see it happening more often that people get defenisve if a villain type attacks them; they're the type of people who have the inpenetrable fortresses which no one can ever destroy. Everything needs to be consented to, and heaven forbids their characters ever be maimed or injured permanently from a battle. Also, villains MUST be obvious. They must "mwahaha" and leer and somehow give away they are evil so the heroes can always make the "right decision" in order to defeat them - because of course heroes and good guys always do.

As a result, a villain becomes a character that is just a counterfoil for people to hate and beat up on. Small wonder people play their villains as anything but, just so they can actually have a few rp sessions of normal dialogue.

I think it's difficult to be evil in these mediums these days...there's too much perceived IC/OOC crossover. If you're playing an incredibly neutral character who gets along in some way with everyone, you're hardpressed to get any rp at all.

So, for my part, I do try and react how I should to a villain. I give opportunity for the baddies to do what they do best, and I harbour no ill will. I'd like to see a lot more going against the baddies on the server, but I'm aware in order to do that, us "good guys" really should let it be known "It's okay to be bad."

Thanks kindly. You should be able to catch the character Arrow Flame around the Galaxy Girl or the chalet (if it's still open) usually round 9ish or so. I will stress this is a alt-ish guild, we intend on using it once a week for story and missions and so forth but it's not the 24/7 type of guild out there. Now that holidays are chilled however we should be able to get into storytelling with interest!

you're going to either want to find Havok or me. I am NOT having a shiny happy existence at the moment; and getting ingame is proving problematic. I want to get storylines and rp going, but it requires me to be able to sit up for longer than fifteen minutes at a stretch.

(OOC - right, going to be opening this place up now that the holiday dust is settling. The opening date for the club will be 9 January, 2008 from 8pm till late. We are trying this date experimentally to see whether it's a suitable time. The club is also open for private parties or gigs or what have you subject to scheduling.

See you next week!

Volunteers most welcome - hit me up when you get ingame and let me know what you can sort.. As it stands, we are going to try for Wed evenings, but it will be after the chalet closes down.

Jean-Luc sat down in the manager's chair in the office of the Fourth Wall and placed his hands gingerly on the mahogany wood, easing himself back in the chair. For the uncountable time since he walked in, he shook his head and laughed in disbelief.

His...the club was his.

In true rocker style, Stratocaster had cornered him one night when he'd gone in for a drink. Gemini had been right behind him, and in a conversation Jean-Luc hadn't quite followed - probably due to the amount of alcohol they'd all consumed - the conversation turned to the pair wanting to go tour Europe and play their music, but not having anyone to run the club. Somehow - and he was still hazy on details - Jean-Luc had been volunteered. Somehow, the keys had switched hands and a bunch of paperwork had been signed by three very drunk people. Somehow, he'd stumbled home, and when the morning - and the morning hangover - arrived, Jean-Luc had fumbled about in the pocket of his motorcycle jacket and found the wadded up papers signing him over as owner and manager of Fourth Wall, and the keys to the entire place.

Somehow, it was now his.

"Man, oh man," he murmured to himself in what was now his office. "What 'm I gonna do now? I dunno de firs' t'ing about business...."

Jean-Luc laughed again, and closed his eyes. His own club. It was like a dream. Lately, with his edge lost due to his battle with Hatesman, he'd been looking for something to do. The "lil black book" from his mentor Ragefang had cautioned against having idle hands. Sure the chalet was fun, but the season was coming to a close. Soon, it would be business as usual, and there were many members and patrons to the Fourth Wall who would be wondered what in the world had happened...

And here was Jean-Luc with the keys and no idea what to tell them. In front of him were the rather messy logs and files of drink tabs, inventory orders, ingoings and outgoings and none of it made a lick of sense as the former managers hadn't been the most organised of people. He didn't know where to start, where to finish, or what to do in between.

Think, man, think...there's a way to handle this. I got connections, an' I got de Book. So...what den?

Jean-Luc leaned forward in the chair, eyed the piles of paperwork without a clue what any of it meant, and finally just shoved it aside, reaching for the phone and digging in his inner pocket of his leather jacket. Ah, there it was, his book, and quite a few cards. That would do to start.

"Firs'...I call everyone. EVERYONE, an' tell 'em what's what...and den, I call in a few favours. I gonna be busy."

But it's mine. All mine. If I pinch myself I might wake up, so I ain't gonna.

Jean-Luc spent nearly an hour on the phone, leaving messages for each and every Supergroup which was a special VIP member of the club, asking them to send a representative to the club for a meeting. He also called Rei Mizuni and left a message there to get some help with business, aware he was going to owe a favour.

Letting out a breath, he rubbed his ear and stared, bemused, round the office, and then out at the club through the door beyond. He'd be tempted to have a celebratory drink...but he knew where that'd lead, and he was going to do his best, his UTMOST best, to be responsible.

"Man, oh man," he murmured yet again, and laughed.


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The OOC bit:

Right, I'm back. Hope everyone had a decent holiday! Just wanted to get this started with a bit of pre-story, and also to let people know what's going on.

The club will be "closed for refurbishment"; one to make a few changes to the club, secondly to try and get everyone up to speed, as one of the changes to the club will be hosting it on regular nights. The logic behind this is if the club is made one night for rp, people will actually show up rather than asking if anyone is about or going in and finding the club empty and thus losing interest. The big issue is just trying to agree a night. We won't be using weekends as that's when people tend to do their TFs, and we won't be doing Wed as that's habitually the GG evening (though I'm aware most people show up on evenings anyway). So Mon, Tues, Thurs, and Friday are relatively open, and unless here's huge objections one way or the other, I'll just pick one. Yes, I'm aware we won't be able to please everyone or pick a day when everyone can consistently come, but we'll do what we can ASAP so people can get back into roleplaying there.

Also on the cards - Fourth Wall staff, functions, what have you. If people want to rp their characters being chefs, bar staff, what have you, please come see me and we'll see what we can do. If your SG wants to hold a special function and would also like to use the space on a certain day, please let me know and I'll see about getting a calendar or something placed on the CoH wiki entry for Fourth Wall.

Lastly, decor: I am going to be making some changes to the interior of the Fourth Wall, and so expect the club to have changed its look slightly. I'd like to thank everyone in advance who has been working on getting prestige for the club. If there is demand for a "VIP Room" (which I have considered adding in) or for other rooms people might want to see; a dining area perhaps, or a kitchen for staff, then feel free to bring that to the Fourth Wall channel.

That's what's going on at the moment. I'm going to try and run this the best I can, and input is welcome as this is about the enjoyment of rpers in Paragon, so if there's something you'd like to see, we'll bring that on board.

Cheers.

Fourth Wall Under New Management

The Fourth Wall, a prestigious club for the heroes of Paragon City, has been open for a scant month and it now appears to have changed hands. In a public announcement, the managers and owners of the club handed the running and management of the club itself to a Creole named Jean-Luc Santeres. The club is currently closed for refurbishment, and will reopen in the near future. (full story on page 5)

Okay I am now back to the computer, but I have a LOT of Xmas aftermath to deal with (mostly in the shape of my house being a total disaster area). I have a LOT of rp I need to get sorted, and so I'll be doing that hopefully this weekend and can start the storylines going from there.

Cheers

Coile, again, thank you very much for your confidence in me, and as far as I'm concerned, when/if you return, 4th Wall is yours. I'm just the caretaker for now.

Do be well mate, and good luck in everything you do.

Invited a member yesterday, so hurrah there, I will once again be leaving for a few days on Monday, so havok is the main contact. After the holidays expect some storylines to come into effect. Cheers!

I apologise in advance...rl currently sucks in a big way and I haven't been on, I'll do what I can to get on this weekend.

Excellent, I don't know if I'll be in tonight, but I shall be tomorrow, but I'm sure Arrow Flame will be in. Again, don't worry about levels, this is about a larf!

Cheers.

Just going to ask a mod to move this to the creative section so it doesn't get lost.

Info updated, few things added, and advance warning that I am leaving AGAIN on Sunday, and will be gone for four days. Some storylines are on hold due to holiday fun, so enjoy the chalet people, and in January expect some stories to progress apace.

[ QUOTE ]
So, can I assume that you could join the club without being in the SG? Because GhostSpy would like a membership card but he's a Militia member already. Artifacts are his speciality, and I'm quite fond of PvP myself. So this all sounds like a good idea.

[/ QUOTE ]

By all means, mate. There's a couple ways to work it, either as being an IC contact through MAGI and meet in secret somewhere to exchange information or we can get you into the base in Team. The main thing we're looking to do is create a SG which works with other SGs, not just an insular group, so having a member's card would be most useful, and we'll try and figure out how to get people into the Supergroup base for anything big planned.


Sorry to hear the SG hasn't caught on, Sha'dower. I think it's a matter of timing and crowing around in order to get the word out there. You're welcome to come over with our lot, though if you've put so much work into a base on your own (yikes!), I'd understand if not. We're working on our own base at the mo, but not a bad start for only getting sorted in the past 24 hours, got a power source or two going and two rooms, Arc has put a load of work into the place and it's going well.

Right, in any event, things are mostly about setting up now and trying to get the base up to scratch - with the holidays as they are and all the great events, we're playing things low key, but expect there to be some storyline with this lot in January.

It's really not going to be a "you have to be there at least every day" sort of thing; it's something to pop in with now and again when you get a Wild Hair. Right now, everyone's a bit rp restricted at the mo with holidays, so I'm just trying to level up Netherwitch/Jam and get some prestige under my belt for the base.

Have a glance at the S.O.A.R entry and if you want a go, see me ingame sometime and I'll fling you an invite. Just working on the prestige for the base now at the moment, and biding time till the holidays are over.

Group Name: S.O.A.R (Society For Arcane Research) S.O.A.R
Server/Game: Union

Theme: Magic-origin heroes who wish to assist in keeping artifacts and arcane knowledge out of the wrong hands, often taking on Hellions, Skulls, the Circle of Thorns, Banished Pantheon and entering Croatoa, Dark Astoria, and other areas where the veils are thin on "rescue and retrieve" missions which M.A.G.I cannot take on itself.

Other Activities: Occasionally taking on the citizens of the Isles if artifacts or important arcane personages have gone missing.

Background & Structure: "To Know, To Will, To Dare, To Keep Silent" - the motto of the early Egyptian pantheon. S.O.A.R's concept was created one evening at the Ski Resort of Pocket D. After working in Paragon City for a period of time, Jambalaya felt the group M.A.G.I was not up to the task of protecting magic artifacts and knowledge from going into the wrong hands. It seemed a particular problem to keep Hellions and Outcasts from kidnapping psychics, stealing artifacts or the Council of Thorns harassing citizens. After discussing this with the fallen angel Arrow Flame, they decided to pool their resources together to create a small organisation which would study and keep artifacts and arcane knowledge safe and out of the wrong hands, recovering artifacts and information as necessary and storing recovered items safely away in a protected dimensional "museum".

Admission Notes/Requirements: Currently recruiting any level members who wish to join this arcane-based guild. Our only requirement is that your character has a Magic origin. We are very casual as we are primarily running this group primarily for roleplaying, and while we will be taking part in task forces and pvp play, all of these will have some sort of roleplay story built around it. We are looking for villains who may want to pit themselves against us from time to time as well as people who care to mix PvP with their roleplaying though it is merely optional, not mandatory.

Contacts are either @havok_fang or @LoupGarou. You can find our entry in the Wiki.

Righto, S.O.A.R (Society Of Arcane Research) has been formed. Contacts are Arrow Flame or Jambalaya if anyone cares to have a go; just going to slap this one into the RP Roundtable.

Cheers!

This was discussed at one point on the Militia site and I'll apologise now if I'm stealing anyone's thunder, but now I've got my wee scrapper and an idea brewing to awaken her "ka", I still haven't found a purely arcane supergroup. Thus, I've decided to get one going in the works, with a few twists.

Firstly, the arcane society may or may not be a supergroup. Maybe you're quite happy with your guild but you'd like to roleplay now and again without having to create a new character. Maybe you've got an alt or two which would make a fit but you can't play them every day. Perfectly cool - we can do this as a coalition, as a group that meets maybe twice a week for rp somewhere to go after some baddies and run a few missions or a Taskforce - or my next idea, which I'm about to get to.

PvP - I am a total PvP n00b. I readily admit I am utterly [censored] at it and running around zapping people doesn't strike me as much of a huge challenge (I used to do re-enactment in real life and so for me, fighting is about going toe to toe and beating the stuffing out of your opponent till one of you drops, none of this pogo-stick rubbish! But I digress...). However the one thing I DO think would be useful is fighting real players now and again in order to regain certain artifacts. Maybe I'm in the wrong places, or maybe I'm still pretty new to the game, but it's a rare thing to see a hero outfit and a villain outfit go toe to toe for the benefit of good - or evil, as the case may be. So one thing I would certainly like to see is storylines which involve this society having to try to get to artifacts before the baddies get them, or wresting artifacts out of baddies' hands - and maybe getting quite spanked in the process. So if you're a bit of a PvP fan as well as a roleplayer, you are more than welcome to come along and put some ideas together and bring some villains as well.

Bring as much character development as you can dream up. At this point I'm probably going to be running two different toons who will be the same character (as I'm still looking for an excuse to run a dark defender). I liked Netherwitch but I had no joy trying to solo her, so bringing her out now and again through arpee would be good.

Now there are some names from the RP Roundtable which I will PM on about for this - got my eye on a few villains who would be cool to go up against - and also some players who might potentially want to get in on this, but, I figured I'd flesh the idea out a bit more and see what the interest is.

So, quick and dirty recap:

1) Characters should have magic origins. Level isn't so important.

2) Playtimes will be discussed, but as these will more than likely be alts, we'll run these as "alt nights" so you can be as involved as you like without having to feel like you need your character all the time.

3)PvP will happen now and again, but it will be optional. However since I am totally naff at PvP I'd like someone with a lot more experience than me to handle that sort of thing so I don't run the risk of utterly botching it. So if you want to flex your PvP ...erm...muscle...wink wink nudge nudge...by all means, step up.

4) Right now, this is all in the idea stage, and I will be going off yet AGAIN for more holiday next Sunday, and will be gone for a few days, so this may not see the light of day until January when people have returned from various do's and the hangovers are done. However, if there is an interest, pencil your name in and we'll try and figure out how to make this happen.

Ideas and input on the 3x5 card below.

Cheers