"Where brilliance is good and madness is better..."
Helovia Info
Helovia opened in February 2012! We are an active fantasy equine RPG
Where once the world narrowed into naught but gray dust and desolation, the gods called for life. Wielding the elements of fire and light, dark and wind, earth and water, spark and time, they have created Helovia. The realm is set within the mythical globe of Loorien, a planet rich with all variety of creatures and blessed with all manner of magic. Originally populated by nomadic, tribal characters, they've since grown into massive empires saturated with culture and history. Separated into four distinct segments of Helovia, called "The Regions," each band of horse strong enough and capable enough, took up the power and responsibility of leadership. Unicorns, old, wise and mysterious, took to the north, hidden in forests of mists and shadows and rarely making themselves known beyond their cliffs of the World's Edge. Equines, vast, organized and militaristic, split into two, one group went north to the Windtossed Foothills and the other group went south to the Dragon's Throat. Pegasus remained nomadic, making their homes in various parts of The Wilds in a migratory manner. For many generations, the land was peaceful and calm, but peace was never the way of the gods. With a clash of argument, war and bloodshed massacred Helovia, and in the aftermath, the realm was eerily quiet. Now, as newcomers sweep into this land, they are met with the lingering bitterness of the gods and the struggle to reclaim what was lost. Nothing remains safe or certain while sorcerers and soldiers alike brood and bide their time for revenge, honor and glory.
Site Wide Plots
Kaos :: The Beginning of the End ☼ - 6/2017 - Kaos placed Helovia in a time-bubble for a short period of time, but the Helovian gods are fighting back. But Kaos is powerful- far more powerful than anyone thought. This may be the beginning of the end of Helovia as we know it.
Kisamoa :: A New Kind of Kaos ☼ - 3/2017 - Kisamoa asks Helovians to help him restore the Spectral Marsh. Which side will you choose?
Invasions :: All Out War ☼ - 5/2/16 - New layout and the brand new invasion rules are up! Thank you for your patience and we look forward to getting started with this new adventure.
The Rift :: Gods Do Die ☼ - 8/2015 - Helovia Gods are saving the Rift from corrupt gods! Can Helovians band together against these foreign deities?
The Literal Ship ☼ - 2/8/15 - Oh no! You have to pair up for Valentine's day!
Sky Island :: Murder ☼ - 10/25/14 - Vesta has been found dead on the island, and the gods have called to you to solve the murder!
Sky Island :: Peace ☼ - 7/7/14 - An island has appeared in the sky! Clouds carry Helovians from the Veins to the sky.
Restoration :: We Welcome the Dawn ☼ - 9/21/13 - The sun has finally risen on this day, giving the land new light, but the Time God and the Sun God have yet to be seen.
Endless Night :: Broken Magic Plot ☼ - 8/30/13 - The earth god has returned and is walking across Helovia to heal the land. Every area can now be considered lush and prosperous, but the sun has still not risen.
☼ - 7/19/13 - The moon has risen in the sky, heralding the return of the Goddess of the moon. Lamp trees which light the paths have grown brighter, moon flowers which grow in dark places have begun to grow and prosper and the world is brighter, filled with a new hope.
Endless Night :: Dead Magic Plot ☼ - 6/22/13 - The gods of Helovia, in order to protect the world, have disappeared into the rift, leaving the world sunless, moonless and magic-less in their absence. Only the herdlands have a source of light, but lamp-trees with glowing leaves and branches sporadically line the popular roads and paths from place to place.
Doppleganger Plot ☼ - 6/20/13 - The God of Time is still struggling to close the rift though which the dopplegangers have come. He has requested that his brothers and sister assist in closing this hole, but without knowing why it opened, the task is proving difficult. Magic still remains faulty and hard to control, but the herdlands continue to be places of refuge for those who are fortunate enough to call these lands home.
ORANGEMOON cools off the lands with a a viscious force. Colder than normal, a sign of things to come during Frostfall, Helovia is bathed in a rich tropical lushness - albiet a cold one. The coastlines of the Dragon's Throat are pelted constantly by tidal waves, and the desert climate is humid but chilly. Ice begins to form early in the Aurora Basin leaving the winding trails slick and dangerous. The mists of the World's Edge coat everything in a glistening crystalline shine which encourages mould to grow everywhere. The Spectral Marsh is the only area which remains fertile, blissfully temperature and lush.
Cotm
Character of the Month for
June, 2017
WEAVER, Corporal of the Aurora Basin, is a relatively recent addition to Helovia and has taken it by storm. Branded with the seal of Death on her chest, intrigue and interest follow both her past and present. Though she is assuredly beautiful, her sometimes sharp personality reveals that there is more to this uni-peg hybrid than meets the eye. Proving herself able on the battlefield in the Basin’s warrior ranks, we can’t wait to see her test her mettle against the looming Kaos happenings! Congratulations!
Helovia RPG was created by Tamme and Blu and coded by Tamme also known as Schwartze. All coding, palettes and imagery are copyrighted to the website and are not for use outside of Helovia. Thank you to our ServerMaster for hosting Helovia. A special thanks goes to Neo for all of her coding help and fixing Tamme's errors, Boom, for her loyal service and creation of the Time God, and to Ali for her consistent contributions and dedication.
Since this is a roleplaying site focusing on writing, I thought I'd put this out there for anyone who'd like it. I absolutely love talking with people about writing, or anything to do with writing, so that's basically what this little thread is.
If anyone has any questions about grammar or writing in general, I would love to field them and help if I can. I seriously get a huge kick out of helping anyone better understand English/writing, or making it easier or more enjoyable for them. I love writing so much, and I want to just like...shove that joy in everyone else's face. Politely, of course! :P
But honestly. No question is a stupid question, and no topic is too simplistic. Creative writing is an interesting beast that combines some hard and fast grammar and syntax rules and then throws the rest out of the window depending on your style. Getting a hang of it can sometimes be pretty hard.
If anyone feels the desire for it, I will also cautiously offer to edit small bits of a post. I say that because editing can quickly get overwhelming for the editor when there's a lot. On the off chance people take me up on this offer, I'd rather not let anyone down by not being able to edit what they ask for.
Feel free to post anything in this thread if you want, or if you'd rather ask me in a private message, go right ahead and PM me.
Everyone here is a lovely writer, but sometimes we can all have little questions or things we're not sure of! No shame in that :) Just offering any help I can give when you run into one of those moments. I love all of your faces and I want everyone to have all the resources they need to be fabulous! :D
Hey, just to put this out there... You should be a English teacher... or Writing teacher.. What ever you like better. :) This is a good Idea for a thread!
Since you're offering, love, I had a quick question. And my feelings are hard to hurt so don't worry about that, hahaha.
What are your opinions on the way I write Oxy (i.e. second person narrative). I really enjoy writing him that way as it really gets me into character with him and helps me think like Oxy would think. However, I have a hard time judging if its hard for other people to get into his character, you know?
Is it difficult to read? Is there anything you would suggest changing? Are there ways to make it more readable for others, if indeed it is difficult to read?
Thanks for any help!!!!
Permission granted to use magic or physical force with Kahlua at any time
for any reason to any degree, with the exception of killing her.
Please do not tag Kahlua unless it is in an opening post
Interesting that you should bring up Oxy. When I first started reading him, I will admit I was thoroughly thrown off by the second-person narrative I read. I think that comes from the fact that I'm not used to reading second-person narratives. It isn't a common POV chosen for fiction writing - authors usually either go with first-person "I" narratives or third-person ones.
That said, honestly, I think the second-person perspective allows Oxy to have funny moments in different ways. For example, in Dalibor's threshold thread, when Oxy realizes he's being rude and you wrote, "Nice. You'll make a lot of friends that way." or something similar, I actually chuckled. I think the format lent itself to making that particular part of the writing more powerful.
If it helps you get into his character, there's nothing wrong with that. As for readers getting into his character...well, I can't speak to that other than for myself. It took me a good while, and I'll be honest: I didn't like it at first. It had nothing to do with the quality of writing, because you write well, but I'm just not used to second-person style, and my brain is kinda snooty. It likes what it likes, and what it's used to.
However, now that I'm used to it, it doesn't bother me much. I have a thing against other writers ordering me what to feel or think or experience when I'm reading, and second-person sort of amplifies that because everything is "you did" or "you said" or "you felt." Well, no I didn't because I'm fully aware I'm not that character. Strangely enough I don't have the same amount of mental resistance to first person "I saw/I said/I felt" sort of things...perhaps because I can clearly delineate that it is the author or character whose mind I'm getting a front row seat to view.
Anyway. This is rambling. Bottom line: To help others get immersed, I personally prefer third-person narrative the most, but first-person narrative can also be highly effective. Second-person narrative I can deal with, but I'm never fully comfortable with the sense of immersion - after all, I know I'm not a huge, drug-addicted, hilarious oaf, now am I? But that's not to say you can't write in second-person. For others it may be just fine, and if it's how you write the character best, then I certainly can't argue with that.
If it isn't TOOOOO much work, do you think you could critique how I write Aurelia?
I've had her for a short time, but love her a lot. I've done a lot of opening posts (which I'm very bad at... >.>), so it's not my best writing, but there is a few threads that have been replied to, and that I've replied back.
Anyways, if you could give me really tough criticism, it'd be really helpful.
Success isn't the result of spontaneous combustion.
(11-11-2013, 04:02 PM)Torleik Wrote: After all, I know I'm not a huge, drug-addicted, hilarious oaf, now am I?
Work on this. I'm sure there is a shady street corner somewhere nearby, no? Lol.
ANYWAYS.... Thank you! It was incredibly helpful. It gives me a lot to think about, and makes me wonder if I shouldn't experiment a little bit. I don't think I want to force someone into feeling something they're not, and if that's an abrasive way to write then I'm not doing my job properly!
Permission granted to use magic or physical force with Kahlua at any time
for any reason to any degree, with the exception of killing her.
Please do not tag Kahlua unless it is in an opening post
I would really appreciate some feedback on my writing! I know that I need a lot of help. If you'd be so kind as to look over some of my posts and give me critique I'd really like that.
I play;
Eris
Arah
Scarter
Andreas
11-15-2013, 03:12 PM (This post was last modified: 11-15-2013, 03:13 PM by Torleik.)
Homahgoodness. More people than I planned for responded lol. If all of you lovelies could just be patient with me, I would appreciate it. I haven't forgotten about anyone's requests on here, or through any PMs I've gotten, but it's going to be a bit of slow going.
<3 for all, and really, I don't think any of you are as bad as you think you are. A general piece of advice I'd give is to be strict with yourself, but not hard on yourself when it comes to your writing.
Not that I'm the best example, because I can be pretty critical of myself, but over the years I've learned that sometimes I just have to let things go. The things I'm best at are the things I'm hardest on myself when going over my own writing. That generally includes two things: 1. Grammar, and 2. Dialogue. If those two are messed up in any noticeable way, I don't let myself get away with it because I know I can do better.
Other things, like location descriptions and battle scenes, don't come as easily for me, so I give myself a little more slack. I try my best, but I don't immediately beat myself up when it's not flawless - I just try to get better every time I write anything in those two categories. I would take some time to assess your own writing and get at least two things you think you're good at, and two things you think you could improve on, and then focus on those for the next however many posts, or the next two weeks, or some arbitrary length.
When that time period is up, reassess yourself, rework your list of improvement areas as needed, and do the same thing. Writing, like life, is a process. We all have things to learn. :D
Okay. Been a little busier than I expected, and I like I said, more people asked for help than I anticipated. I have a question for those who posted in this thread asking for help:
Would you like me to write my suggestions/critiques/praises in this thread, or would you rather me PM you with them?
This applies to those I'm tagging below:
@[Seele]
@[Eris]
@[Aurelia]