Headphone Jack: A Gang/Music RP ♬♪ Signups & OOC

Hey all,

I realize I just made that announcement about PMing everyone for posts weekly but just being bluntly honest here, I'm really tired out. This RP has been a lot more effort than I initially planned and it feels like trying to keep it alive is way more energy than I should be expending on it.

So for anyone who wants to actively continue this rp, please reply here saying so. I will take all the people who did this by Friday, 23 June, and create a new plot line / course of action (and possibly even a new private thread for us) in place of all the characters who would no longer be involved. If nobody replies, then I will keep posting in the IC if someone is waiting on one of my characters, but I won't be bugging anyone for replies ever, so the thread most likely will quietly die from inactivity if its recent history is anything to go by.
And if everyone replies, then maybe we can all laugh about this later.

Additionally, I have stopped actively recruiting people for the rp (as of today).

A lot of this is my fault. I've made like a billion missteps GMing this and I apologize for that. I've tried to change and improve but at this point it feels like I spend more time bugging people to post than actually posting. I don't like doing that and I'm sure people who aren't too interested in continuing would prefer to quietly drop the rp.

It's been a fun run and I'm thankful to everyone who played and helped me learn to GM through this experience. I'll do 1x1s if anyone's interested in that.
I may remake this rp in the future, but I'm really too tired of the concept right now to pull a total reset of it at the current time.

If you want to run something based on this concept, feel free to "steal" the idea. I hope you're successful! Maybe I can join? xP

I've learned a lot through this experience and will try to not make the same mistakes in other RPs I try to GM. Thank you everyone who has played, enjoyed the RP concept, and/or stuck with me through all of my fumbling.

Thanks for reading.

EDIT 23 June: I've PMed the people for the new rp. Consider this RP now inactive.
No longer accepting new members, but will respond in the [original] IC thread if others still post there.
 
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@Vardoger I like the concept of the banner 'cause it conveys what the RP is about, but I think the graphics make it a bit intellectual. Maybe a tagline? "Music is illegal. Where do you stand?" "Bring back the music." "When gangs run the music." "Music, not drugs." "In a world where music is illegal and the gangs run the scene...."

Which is to say I really like your catchphrase banners. :D They're like kinda classy, kinda grundgy, kinda dystopian, but as recruiting banners, they lack what the RP is about.

Maybe art of instruments? A collage of music sheets?

I will also totally say, slightly contrary to @Giltine13, I actually really like the slice-of-life aspect. ^^ But I'm totally up for switching to more action. (And I can totally see how it's difficult to start a new plot line / join an existing plot line because they are a bit scattered.)

@Vardoger / @Proficiency My second character would quite probably be looking to buy music. So. Stay tuned?
 
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@Shavynel
re: Banners
LOL I JUST HAD THE FUNNIEST IDEA
"D.A.R.E." except now it's "M.A.R.E." (which makes absolutely no sense, since using the DARE acronym as part of the message was sort of the whole point.)
But maybe we're onto something..........

re: @Proficiency
You should set up the history of music dealing, then maybe Shavynel's new character and Ryan could come in at the same-ish time?

EDIT:

Do any of you have AIM?
On Varsdoger on it. You should add me.
I probably won't be online when you do (going to bed right now) but still, totes add me. kthx
PS: Love where the rp is going so far. Thank you everyone for sticking around

EDIT2:
eSXWkPN.png
 
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@Vardoger
Ooohhh, I actually really like both of the new banners! I think they capture the RP much better.
Also read through your advertisement tread and it looks pretty good too!
 
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@Vardoger
I getcha...think I can do that with Silas, once I get him into the story. I'm struggling like everyone else, but can't give up cause I love this idea so much!
 
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@Proficiency
It was!
But could you add:
Tobias | [whatever affiliation/title you want him to have]

At the top of your post?

Otherwise, it's great!
I will give @Shavynel some time to reply before I have Rye swoop in.

@Shavynel : How long til you think you can create and post as that new character? =]

--------

@Giltine13
I will add the MAR banner to the rotation. I don't really feel good about the other one. I will think on how to improve it, though.

----

Note to self: add end of page 4 to summary post.
 
Uh, I don't know. Have you seen me? I'm aiming to write up my character today.

I thought he was going to be Nu-slanty, and probably is Nu-slanting, but is pretty much a civvie. FOR NOW.
 
How about these?

wavuoOU.png


eecPAcc.png
 
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Say hello to Shavynel's new character! =]

Character Name: Nathan Teak
User Name: @Shavynel
Age: 22
Gender: Male
Affiliation: Civilian
Occupation: Tenuto University Student (junior, econ major), Gymnast
Bio: Nathan Teak's climb to the international level was a far cry from easy. His parents were martial artists, teaching classes to the community and still having to take janitorial jobs elsewhere just to keep the studio open. It was only natural that he picked up the trade, learning the forms, helping out with classes, running the books from the time he could add (they tricked him into that one, really, but he's quite good with numbers now). He entered competitions from a young age, but found it just wasn't much of a challenge. Sure, others practiced, but he lived it.

It wasn't until he was eleven, when one of his studiomates invited him to come see an exhibition at the local gym, that he really saw what gymnastics was for the first time. It was different -- bigger, flashier, more stilted, and yet more powerful. How he managed to get his parents to enroll him in a gymnastics class was quite the story. If it wasn't sold on gymnastics after that exhibition, he was certainly hooked after his first class. Physically, he made the transition easily. He made two promises to his parents then. First, no matter what, he would not give up martial arts and would still help out at the studio. After all, it was in his blood, and there was no denying that. Second, he would never be half-hearted about gymnastics. And even if they didn't understand it, he'd make them proud.

At first, his parents were discouraging. Add financing a gymnast on top of a struggling studio, and you're just asking for a world of trouble. More than once, he caught his parents up late into the night, trying to make the numbers line up. He couldn't stand watching his parents suffer through that, but he was equally unable to give up what he wanted. So in his free time, he started started doing street acts, setting up a hat and making a show of what he could do. It was intoxicating, knowing he could hold a crowd, but found that that didn't necessarily equate to money. On top of that, he took odd jobs, and would straight up lie about his age if employers asked. Anything to scrape together those last dollars to make it to his next class. That was probably what brought around his parents full support.

That, and the fact he worked hard to mesh the styles together. Even from a young age, he could see how with others, it was obvious where one move finished and the next started. Nathan hated that break, though, thought it was terrible, and would continue his energy and intention through the transition whether it was a slow ease or a fast snap, weaving in elements of his martial arts background in between the high powered tumble passes. His coaches and teammates constantly advised against it, saying it was a wasted effort. And by the books, it was. But this was for his parents, for himself, and even if they numbered few, there were those that said it was cool and edgy (not to mention he knew from his street performances what would bring in money).

After high school, well, life continued. He held down a steady job, taught classes at the studio, and continued to keep the books there. But his real focus was still on gymnastics. There, he doubled down, and landed on the international stage with a flare. Commentators loved to hype up how atypical his style was, but it wasn't like he could breathe another way. Most importantly, though, he managed to land himself in the eyes of the public. He was an underdog, young for his sport, one long dominated by Headphone, and they absolutely ate up the fact he did street acts as kid to scrounge up money (for a while, a new video seemed to pop up every week, and it'd just make him cringe with how bad he was back then).

Quickly following the publicity around his individual gold at his first big international event came an athletic scholarship from Tenuto University It wasn't a full ride, but furthering his education hadn't even crossed his radar previously. Nathan was hesitant about it. It would take his time away from the studio, and his family was already financially teetering. His parents, though, were all too encouraging. Just because martial arts was in his blood didn't mean running a studio was what his life was meant to be. He hadn't let that stop him from pursuing gymnastics, they reminded him.

And with that reminder of how he took gymnastics by storm, he accepted, becoming an econ major (money, after all, had been the constant limiting and driving factor in his life). On the surface, things were fantastic. Suddenly, he had access to a facility he didn't have to pay an eye and a tooth for (his coaching fees, though, remained), and he embraced the college life he had never even dreamed about. But between his part-time job and is full-time gymnastics life, his full-time student life is suffering. His grades are borderline, just above the cutoff for keeping his scholarship (pulled up by the A's he has in econ, but dragged down by the stupid humanities requirements), and not for lack of trying. More than once, Nathan has wondered if he ought to just give up. But if he left Tenuto, he'd still have the debt from the loans he's already taken out, and he'd no longer have access to the gymnasium.

So he grins, he bears it, and he never lets on that anything can get under his skin. He basks and thrives off publicity, so he's only too aware of the image he has to keep up. He exudes a chill confidence, like he's game for anything and the world can't beat him down. There's that undercurrent of nationalistic pride which jives well with his actual values -- community and responsibility -- and that strong-willed determination that's gotten him this far. Yet underneath, there's that constant question. He's pursued a hard track in life, but even with the support of his family and friends, what if he fails? In his heart, he's a people person, and he suffers from the idea that he might be letting the people he cares most about down. His parents don't know how bad his education is going, not to mention he hasn't kept up with martial arts (just the other day, he realized he'd forgotten a section of a form). He's often late for his part-time job from dashing across town (more often due to gymnastics than partying, but late is late). His coach is from Headphone and is starting to get on his case for 'moving too much like music' (whatever the hell that means), and that he's got to tone it down unless he's asking for an investigation -- which is ridiculous because he hasn't listened to any (yet), so he can't imagine why that'd be the case (but there's one way to find out).

Nathan is dark-skinned, with very short black hair in tight curls. He stands 5'6", short of average for a guy, but with his build and presence, it's hard to remember he's not taller. His eyes are dark in color, but hold a welcoming warmth that matches his always bright smile. Most commonly spotted with his Team Musica or Tenuto University hoodie and shorts.
 
Wooo! Post up! @Proficiency / @Vardoger I left it a litttttle bit open ended as to whether Nathan intended to find Tobias or Rye. Anyway, this'll be fun. :D

And nope, no AIM. I did like 10 years ago. (Also, holy shit ... 10 years ago...)

Alsoooo ... for anyone looking for more character backstorying, I'm on the look out for a part-time job for Nathan (or past jobs). Mark Evans (@Vardoger) did say he was looking for a helper ... or maybe Mean Bean (@Lost-and-Bewildered)? I mean, the library (@Vardoger) or In 'n Out (@Proficiency) might even work for extra drama. :D
 
@Shavynel
He can find Tobias (@Proficiency)! I don't know what to do with Rye just yet, maybe have him walk over later on and see the deal happen. Dealing with some family crap irl so dunno if I will be able to post tomorrow but hopefully...

As for jobs, if Nathan walked in and asked about it, Mark would probably hire him, but there's not a sign up or anything.
You could probably work at the library but, RP-wise, I don't think anything exciting is going to happen there again. At least, not any time soon, anyway.
 
Lol. I intended for Nathan to find Tobias, just unclear as to whether or not he originally meant to find Tobias or if he meant to find Rye instead. ;)

As for part-timeiness, I'm more interested in the character-connections rather than the location-connections, anyhow.

(Lydian Ledges and Tomes is totally going to be the Library of Tuesday. I'm calling it now.)
 
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@Shavynel Most definitely (probably).



EDIT:

My family drama has reached critical mass, and I probably won't be able to post for a few days. Apologies in advance.
 
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D: No one deserves drama in their real life. Hope it resolves ... :| I'm sure @Lost-and-Bewildered can find you some sprinkles to make you feel better. ^^

In other news ... what's Musica's colors? I'm asking on behalf of Nathan's sense of nationalism.
 
@Shavynel I never thought of them. Feel free to make them up =]

So I've lived with my grandparents since January, and I am basically a live-in aide. My grandpa's hard of hearing and 90, my grandma's 75 but bedridden. I helped them a lot before I bought my house. After I bought my house, I still lived there and helped them, but my "day job" was working on making my house liveable. Things were starting to go downhill with my grandma, and without getting too into it, she refused all help and she manipulated her husband into thinking NOT going to the hospital was the best idea. So, after some failed ultimatums about doctors and/or hospitals, it got to the point where it was like "Well you obviously don't need me so I guess I'm moving out now." and I moved all my shit out in like 4-5 hours the other day. [To clarify: this is pretty much a death sentence, 'cause grandma refuses to have a REAL live-in aide, and it is physically impossible for grandpa to take care of her on his own.]

My house has no internet and there's a safety issue with regard to my cat, which I don't want there until I get it fixed. So I am now staying at a friend's house for a while. And since I did all that moving by myself, in the cold (still in 50s-60s F here) and didn't finish til like 10pm, now I'm sick. I was practically catatonic yesterday, but today I'm doing much better.

So anyway, hopefully all this is finally the kick in the pants needed for my grandparents to realize grandma needs to be in a nursing home.

Coincidentally, grandpa's family is all coming over to his house this weekend, and after they were updated on this situation, the current word is that they're going to take grandpa back with them. Me being a grandchild, I really have no power to do anything, and all the closer relatives are geographically more spaced out, so... Idk where I was going with this, I guess just that this weekend things are going to get even more complicated, but I am not living there anymore so I guess I will just get all my news second hand.

Thing is though, if nobody's going to live in that house then the next few weeks/months will be interesting trying to split up the estate.

I'm going to try and make a post right now. But I am still pretty sick so I apologize in advance if the quality isn't up to par (or if it takes me a ridiculously long time to finish it).
 
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Vardoger said:
@Shavynel I never thought of them. Feel free to make them up =]

So I've lived with my grandparents since January, and I am basically a live-in aide. My grandpa's hard of hearing and 90, my grandma's 75 but bedridden. I helped them a lot before I bought my house. After I bought my house, I still lived there and helped them, but my "day job" was working on making my house liveable. Things were starting to go downhill with my grandma, and without getting too into it, she refused all help and she manipulated her husband into thinking NOT going to the hospital was the best idea. So, after some failed ultimatums about doctors and/or hospitals, it got to the point where it was like "Well you obviously don't need me so I guess I'm moving out now." and I moved all my shit out in like 4-5 hours the other day. [To clarify: this is pretty much a death sentence, 'cause grandma refuses to have a REAL live-in aide, and it is physically impossible for grandpa to take care of her on his own.]

My house has no internet and there's a safety issue with regard to my cat, which I don't want there until I get it fixed. So I am now staying at a friend's house for a while. And since I did all that moving by myself, in the cold (still in 50s-60s F here) and didn't finish til like 10pm, now I'm sick. I was practically catatonic yesterday, but today I'm doing much better.

So anyway, hopefully all this is finally the kick in the pants needed for my grandparents to realize grandma needs to be in a nursing home.

Coincidentally, grandpa's family is all coming over to his house this weekend, and after they were updated on this situation, the current word is that they're going to take grandpa back with them. Me being a grandchild, I really have no power to do anything, and all the closer relatives are geographically more spaced out, so... Idk where I was going with this, I guess just that this weekend things are going to get even more complicated, but I am not living there anymore so I guess I will just get all my news second hand.

Thing is though, if nobody's going to live in that house then the next few weeks/months will be interesting trying to split up the estate.

I'm going to try and make a post right now. But I am still pretty sick so I apologize in advance if the quality isn't up to par (or if it takes me a ridiculously long time to finish it).
Click to expand...

Hang in there buddy, things are bound to improve soon and if not @Shavynel is right! Sprinkles fix everything
 
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So ... Uh. I kinda went beyond colors. A little ... lemme know what you think. :D Oooor if I'm just being straight ridiculous.

Musica:
musica-flag.png
I was thinking, maybe it was an eighth note originally, but got changed to a rest about ~25 years into the Mute Movement.

Headphone: I kinda wanted red/white [maybe black] 'cause I really wanted one to be red/white 'cause red-white is frickin' awesome ... but I'm failing here. Here're two ideas.
headphone-flag-1.png headphone-flag-2.png

Indie:
indie-flag.png
Maybeeeeeeee..... ?

Emo:
emo-flag.png
It's the most flag like. :D

And @Vardoger *HUGGSSS*
 
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So, I am still pretty sick, like. I really did not think it was gonna be this bad. =[

But in other news, grandma went to the hospital last night (voluntarily), so we'll see what happens there.

@Shavynel you know in my head I was thinking these countries were not self-aware of their name's being real things, but, you know it's kind of hilarious if they are so lol at Headphone's headphone flag.
I like your first flag's design a bit better though. I think if you change it so that circle is a whole note, it might look a little cooler? Idk, I could be totally wrong, I'm not really at 100% mental capacity right now. I like the rest of them a lot. Want to add them all to the wiki?
 
LAUGHABLY, I am still sick. I'm on antibiotics now.
Grandma's in a nursing home, and I've thankfully been shielded from most of the drama by this point.

My house is liveable finally, but I probably won't start sleeping there til next week.

Despite still being sick, I'm at least able to walk around and do things without being worried about passing out or falling over, so yay productivity. That being said, I'm working on a post now @Lost-and-Bewildered . Sorry for taking so long.

@Proficiency @Phi Chisym how are you guys doing?

edit: I updated all the summaries. Though to be fair, there wasn't much to change.
 
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