|
|
Post by Howard Black on Jan 27, 2016 23:15:28 GMT -5
Conclusion: Desert SongI believe this will be my last RP ever as Howard Black. Since joining the fed almost a year ago, it is an absolutely surreal experience to find the time I dedicated to this character coming to close. When I first joined as Howard Black, I had a very specific story in mind: a rise and fall tale of a man who struggled to be good but whose own demons would eventually consume him and destroy everything. What has ultimately happened is - needless to say - far, far different than I envision. Yet, I think I'm more proud of this result; when I joined as Howard, I was also committed to the idea of a character who develop organically, shaped by the trials and events he went through. In committing to this idea, I sacrificed my original vision but feel that instead I created a character who played an integral role in the stories of several other characters. Being an important supporting character for characters I love as much as Dune, Occulo, Joey Flash, and Kaz Mazy has been a rewarding and fulfilling experience, and I cannot thank those writers listed above for working with me and allowing Howard into their world (other major shout-outs to Scarecrow, Spencer Adams, Katherine Phoenix, the Dark Riders Gang, and - yes - Grime for playing major roles in shaping the outcome of Howard Black). Now that I've posted my final roleplay, I'd like to return to an old tradition of mine and ask what you think of it. If you've been around since I started Howard Black, what are your thoughts on his story arch as a whole? Do you think this is an appropriate ending? What would you have changed or have liked to see? Thank you to everyone who has ever taken the time to read my work. I look forward to continuing on in this community as Jared Holmes and creating more stories for the enjoyment of everyone. -Michael
|
|
|
|
Post by Gemini Battle on Jan 27, 2016 23:58:00 GMT -5
I'll give you my thoughts of the character.
I think you explained it perfectly when you said that he was adaptable. When you started off as him you tried to play a relatively uneducated farm boy. Down to earth Joe Everybody type of guy. however the way you write made that impossible. When the narration and the dialogue is so eloquent it's hard to maintain that facade.
So you turned away from that angle and became a cerebral character which fit him perfectly. I called it on accident when I shot against you the one time I got a chance where I saw he was slowly turning away from everything he believed in and started succumbing to temptation, and if that angle you originally had with Phoenix played out it was one of those obvious yet necessary conclusions where Black would have beat the shit out of her and totally turned on his laurels and go from hero to villain with one swift move.
Then she left and the angle went away. Black became a lovable face again. But the dark side still remained. It was ever present in all of his work and always crept out in drips and drops in his shoot and in his CD.
Then he left. You were pissed OOC or upset or indifferent, but the Black Character suffered. That last set of RPs during Ultimate Showdown had a lot of contradictory elements that seemed to be teasing a heel turn without totally going full frontal with it. (I'm not going to give examples bc it was so long ago but I remember reading it and thinking that you had done so much better in the past... ie the RP against Bates for the TV title) It led to disjointedness to the overall angle and to the character and then he left. (did one lead to the other or did they work together?)
You had two choices upon your return. Full on face, using his time away to heal and become the hero that he always wanted to be.
Or full on heel. Use his time away to drop into that dark place that had been building around him.
But then you did a third thing. He's still a face, but he remains that aura of darkness surrounding him. He' willing to do whatever it takes despite his family's wishes, despite what's best for him because deep down inside he feels that he deserves whatever fate is given to him. It's a deep and powerful emotion and though he describes himself as not the hero and as a supporting character at the end of your final rp he is actually the greatest type of hero of all, the selfless type. The fact that he sees himself as a supporting character shows his humble nature though to those who's lives that he's been involved in see him as a major player.
So this final match against Dune is his swan song. Win or lose he will put it all out there. He will save his brother or die trying, and either way he'll be content.
Bravo Howie... Bravisimo.
|
|
|
|
Post by Gemini Battle on Jan 27, 2016 23:59:02 GMT -5
I'll give you my thoughts of the character. I think you explained it perfectly when you said that he was adaptable. When you started off as him you tried to play a relatively uneducated farm boy. Down to earth Joe Everybody type of guy. however the way you write made that impossible. When the narration and the dialogue is so eloquent it's hard to maintain that facade. So you turned away from that angle and became a cerebral character which fit him perfectly. I called it on accident when I shot against you the one time I got a chance where I saw he was slowly turning away from everything he believed in and started succumbing to temptation, and if that angle you originally had with Phoenix played out it was one of those obvious yet necessary conclusions where Black would have beat the shit out of her and totally turned on his laurels and go from hero to villain with one swift move. Then she left and the angle went away. Black became a lovable face again. But the dark side still remained. It was ever present in all of his work and always crept out in drips and drops in his shoot and in his CD. Then he left. You were pissed OOC or upset or indifferent, but the Black Character suffered. That last set of RPs during Ultimate Showdown had a lot of contradictory elements that seemed to be teasing a heel turn without totally going full frontal with it. (I'm not going to give examples bc it was so long ago but I remember reading it and thinking that you had done so much better in the past... ie the RP against Bates for the TV title) It led to disjointedness to the overall angle and to the character and then he left. (did one lead to the other or did they work together?) You had two choices upon your return. Full on face, using his time away to heal and become the hero that he always wanted to be. Or full on heel. Use his time away to drop into that dark place that had been building around him. But then you did a third thing. He's still a face, but he remains that aura of darkness surrounding him. He' willing to do whatever it takes despite his family's wishes, despite what's best for him because deep down inside he feels that he deserves whatever fate is given to him. It's a deep and powerful emotion and though he describes himself as not the hero and as a supporting character at the end of your final rp he is actually the greatest type of hero of all, the selfless type. The fact that he sees himself as a supporting character shows his humble nature though to those who's lives that he's been involved in see him as a major player. So this final match against Dune is his swan song. Win or lose he will put it all out there. He will save his brother or die trying, and either way he'll be content. Bravo Howie... Bravisimo. Gem is really on the money... |
|
|
|
Post by Howard Black on Jan 28, 2016 0:13:29 GMT -5
I'll give you my thoughts of the character. I think you explained it perfectly when you said that he was adaptable. When you started off as him you tried to play a relatively uneducated farm boy. Down to earth Joe Everybody type of guy. however the way you write made that impossible. When the narration and the dialogue is so eloquent it's hard to maintain that facade. So you turned away from that angle and became a cerebral character which fit him perfectly. I called it on accident when I shot against you the one time I got a chance where I saw he was slowly turning away from everything he believed in and started succumbing to temptation, and if that angle you originally had with Phoenix played out it was one of those obvious yet necessary conclusions where Black would have beat the shit out of her and totally turned on his laurels and go from hero to villain with one swift move. Then she left and the angle went away. Black became a lovable face again. But the dark side still remained. It was ever present in all of his work and always crept out in drips and drops in his shoot and in his CD. Then he left. You were pissed OOC or upset or indifferent, but the Black Character suffered. That last set of RPs during Ultimate Showdown had a lot of contradictory elements that seemed to be teasing a heel turn without totally going full frontal with it. (I'm not going to give examples bc it was so long ago but I remember reading it and thinking that you had done so much better in the past... ie the RP against Bates for the TV title) It led to disjointedness to the overall angle and to the character and then he left. (did one lead to the other or did they work together?) You had two choices upon your return. Full on face, using his time away to heal and become the hero that he always wanted to be. Or full on heel. Use his time away to drop into that dark place that had been building around him. But then you did a third thing. He's still a face, but he remains that aura of darkness surrounding him. He' willing to do whatever it takes despite his family's wishes, despite what's best for him because deep down inside he feels that he deserves whatever fate is given to him. It's a deep and powerful emotion and though he describes himself as not the hero and as a supporting character at the end of your final rp he is actually the greatest type of hero of all, the selfless type. The fact that he sees himself as a supporting character shows his humble nature though to those who's lives that he's been involved in see him as a major player. So this final match against Dune is his swan song. Win or lose he will put it all out there. He will save his brother or die trying, and either way he'll be content. Bravo Howie... Bravisimo. Gem is really on the money... In all seriousness, thanks for posting this, man! I actually have an alternative explanation for Ultimate Showdown: I tried too hard. I got too stuck in a mentality of "What do I have to do to win?" than "Just write a Howard Black story". I got a little too pretentious and a little too cerebral - I got stuck in a story which spiraled far beyond my control. Ironically, I was able to finally tie that up in this RP in a way which I think benefits the overall story better. I always felt you had a really strong pulse on the Howard Black character, really exemplified by how insightful and sharp your shoots and predictions of the character were. Thanks for reading and being a part of this story with me  |
|
|
|
Post by Howard Black on Jan 28, 2016 0:13:59 GMT -5
FUCK YOU DUDE I WAS GONNA DO THE GEM IS ON THE MONEY QUOTE D:<
|
|
Lilith
Newbie
Cancer
Lol
Posts: 60 
|
Post by Lilith on Jan 28, 2016 8:30:28 GMT -5
Damn since when did clown boy become so good at giving character feedback and stuff? Haha! But yeah I totally agree with him in the whole good guy with bad guy aura thing... Its a real shame I never got to push Howie over the edge  that would have really been interesting! If this really is howies goodbye I am going to miss him because he was always one of my favourites but I am looking forward to seeing what you do with "Shark Bear" for sure |
|
|
|
Post by John Gable on Jan 28, 2016 13:07:16 GMT -5
OKAY SO! I just got done reading it and WOW! what is there for me to say. It is amazing. There is no bad feedback I can give. The journey is an astounding one and I am a little sad that this is the character Howard's last RP (but jokes on you if you think I am EVER gonna stop calling you Howie). This was a tremendous epic of visions, revelations, and fights. The faces we haven't seen in a consistent manner in a while and it was all to an amazing purpose. The shoot as always is amazing. If there has been one thing I have always been jealous of you is your ability to organize a shoot and expertly pin up the central idea in such a subtly but potent way, I could only dream of doing something this well. You are truly one of the best shoot artists in the fed. And your ability to tie in your character development in almost seemlessly makes it that much more perfect.
This was a hurricane in a way as the only patient moments were the shoot, as soon as you got to the journey, things became orgasmically transcendent as Howard and Occulo use the Blue Crystal Fire to find what they need. I have seen it done a lot in an RP the "drug trip journey" but never to such a point as this where it felt needed and important, relevant. It wasn't just used to cause a have hearted revelation, it was a convincing spiritual experience! God damn!
Howard definitely has a lot on his shoulder trying to bring Dune back from the dark side and you definitely feel it in this RP, what he is willing to put himself through. Though it honestly felt to me that, even though the trip was Howard's biggest challenge, that he had a much more emotionally difficult time shooting on Dune and having to say all that because it is him having to acknowledge it all and point out to his own friend what was wrong. You could tell that Howard would go above an beyond to bring back this former Sentinel.
As for the description, the whole description is amazing as it demands that you control the land of Dune's life with a familiar and dominant voice. There have been many books and such where I have read the description of a desert but very few where every detail was so vivid and not just going in one side of my head and out the other. I vividly saw it without any trouble at all, and not just saw it in a partial since but really felt I could produce it accurately in my mind. And beyond that the visions were lucid yet just out of reach in a good way. It was all so surreal and damn do I love surrealism. Amazing.
This is truly Howard's swan song!
10/10 Would feel bad for Dune again!
|
|
|
|
Post by Earth-616 Holmes on Jan 28, 2016 16:53:43 GMT -5
I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. Your roleplay (The Dark Knight) I believe was the inspiration of my coding for my roleplay, and I really enjoyed it. Howard Black will be missed.
|
|
|
|
Post by Joey Flash on Jan 29, 2016 9:29:43 GMT -5
RE: The RP - Total shit.
Howie jacked my colour scheme and now the shit filters down!!!!!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by DeMarcus Jordan on Feb 4, 2016 9:23:25 GMT -5
This is truly Howard's swan song! |
|
|
|
Post by Ultimate destroyer on Feb 7, 2016 19:15:10 GMT -5
yay now I can harass los jabrones again ! although benson wouldn't mind a rematch with howard the duck after the last time heh |
|
that would have really been interesting! 
