Midnight is rising in Orion. Come and play!

First, I want to state to the world that I adore Google.com in all of its incarnations. One day, Google.com and duct tape will take over the world... and, I will be in the background cheering them on.

Now, on to the first entry that-- hopefully-- is an explanation and a beginning. Of course, I will admit that it is a shameless plug to perhaps lure in more members.

After years and years of text-based role-playing Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series, my soulsister and I decided to wash our hands of the world. I, personally, did not enjoy the majority of Anne's Pern books. Moreta and Chronicles were mildly entertaining, I give. Otherwise, though, I really enjoyed the Dragon Lover's Guide to Pern. Honestly, the DLGP is the only Pern book that I would recommend anyone read. (I do lurve many of her other series, though... Especially the Powers series and excepting the Acorna one.)

NOTE: This is all just personal preference in writing styles and such. I have nothing against Anne McCaffrey. I also know many people that really enjoy the series she writes that I don't enjoy.

Anyway, moving on.

I use text-based role-playing as a way to relax. So, I knew that I had to do something. A fellow RPer suggested a website, and I decided to read up on the place. So, I did. And, the more I read, the more I thought, "They really screwed up a pretty decent premise." The premise was that the unnatural creatures (lycanthropes, demons, angels, gods, goddesses, vampires, and many more) walked the earth. Authors have been playing with this premise for years. (Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake and Merry Gentry series, Charlaine Harris's series, Kim Harrison's Hollows, Christine Feehan's Carpathian series, Sherrilyn Kenyon's Dark-Hunter series, Kelley Armstrong's Otherworld series, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.)

However, unlike the great authors out there, the place had no history (no explanation of how this came to be, though it was set in modern New York.) Their descriptions and limitations upon breeds were essentially "whatever." I *DESPISED* that their vampires could walk in daylight, had no reaction to holy objects, et cetera. There were almost no rules governing the place. For example, you could randomly kill off someone else's character without their permission. HELLO! I'd be so pissed. Someone would die, and it would not be me.

Being the person I am, I showed it to Laura (forementioned soulsister). We have pretty much the same ideas concerning vampires, lycanthropes, and role-playing limitations. There is a good reason for this. We read many of the same book series, and we have role-played on the same websites. The first words from her mouth reflected the first words I had thought. "We could do this so much better." Arrogant? Nah. Just confident.

So, we worked for a week or so on writing a good history and making the rules. We wrote descriptions of the breeds we wanted to allow: lycanthropes, shapeshifters (two different things), vampires, humans, and demons. We chose the setting, based upon logic and reasoning that we enforced. The United States is our country of choice, because the United States is the most willing to bomb other countries. (I'm a U.S. citizen. Don't give me shit about this.) New Mexico is our state of choice, because we figure the United States cannot just blow it off into the ocean. Of course, after annexing New Mexico from the United States, the state was renamed to "Orion."

Since the website opened for registration on June 1, 2005, we have acquired nineteen (19) members. Though not amazing, I don't think this is a bad number. Hopefully, more will come with time.

"A wrong can move a people, and a wronged people can move the world."

Midnight is rising in Orion. Come and play!