Age of Genesis

Memories...or imaginings?

2008-09-22T09:00:00.000-07:00

I got a letter from my Grandmother the other day.
Or rather, I found a letter from my grandmother the other day. It was hidden in a cupboard, out of sight, out of mind.
My Grandmother is Yvonne Moore. And I thought that she was dead for the past eleven years.
Within the pages she sent me was my past, and my memories, all of which we unravelled and strewn out onto the floor like a mess of broken plates - all different, and the pieces must be made to match.

There is the past I know, and the past I have been told. We are not defined by our history, but we ARE the result of it. Boy meets girl, and so I was born. But the choices that we make beyond that are our own, and they shape us. Unfortunately the choices that are made for us are our own too, and they, too, shape us.

Within this all the truth is hidden. And I am going to find it.
I have left the letters, the photos, and the...notes in Memoria.
Before long I am going home, across the continents, and beyond that I am going to go to California. And in it all, I will find out about my past and what really happened.

Shevek

Genesis Updates

2008-09-20T13:16:00.000-07:00

Well, boys and girls, we have had a few things start to build up in the Genesis project:

A final invitation has been sent to all the Guild Heads that I could find. If they do not reply within the next week design work will go on without them and they will have to remain out of Genesis. To be honest, this is not what I was hoping for. I was hoping to have a cohesive representation of the Uru community. However, if it does turn out like more of a Riven-like Age (shattered and broken) then that in its own right will tell a story:

In the making of this Age a story is being told. Our story - the story of Uru, what has become of it and where it will go. There is always a way to make a home. Such a gift is not confined to artists or writers. It is given to every living person.
"What makes a man?"
"Iron enough to make a nail..."
"Salt enough to coat a brow..."
"Time enough to raise a child..."
"Strength enough to build a home."

Anyway, this is a copy of the letter I sent to the various Guild heads, and below, a list of the Guilds I have contacted

The Guild of Messengers (with a yes: Thank you Andros)
The Guild of Writers
The Guild of Maintainers
The Guild of Cartographers
The Guild of Archivists
The Guild of Greeters (through the MOUL board)
The Guild of Fine Artists
The Guild of Caterers
The Guild of Imaginists
The Guild of Healers
The Guild of Comedy (with a Yes: thank you semplerfi)
The Music Guild
The Guild of Ideas (register wait)

Some Guild heads would probably not like people to know about their activities, but with Genesis NOTHING will happen in the shadows. There will be no secret meetings or discussions, and everything to do with it will be in the open. If that means that opinions must be voiced and HEARD, then so be it.

In more news I posted the Layout plans scribbled up by Keppit and "modelled" (for want of a better word) by me. I have yet to have any response from it, but we shall see.

LINK IN VIEW - "YOU APPEAR IN A COURTYARD RINGED BY GRASS, PRETTY FLOWERS, AND STONE WALLS.

WHERE WE ARE, THE COURTYARD

THE LAYOUT OF THE AGE: CENTRAL COURTYARD WITH SMALLER AREAS DOTTED AROUND FOR EACH GUILD.

A DIAGRAM OF THE AGE WITH LABELS.

AN EXPLORER OR GROUP OF EXPLORERS CAN ADMIRE THE VIEW OF THE AGE FROM THE TOP OF THE TOWER.

IF A SOLO EXPLORER FINDS HIS WAY THROUGH THE SECRET PUZZLES AND PATHWAYS HE WILL BE REWARDED WITH...A ROLLERCOASTER RIDE (AND A TOKEN OF COMPLETION)

IF A GROUP OF EXPLORERS FINISH THE PUZZLES THEY ARE REWARDED WITH A SECRET LITTLE COVE TO HANG OUT IN.

So those are the updates for now...I have other updates to do for now, but we will get through it sooner or later. Next week I will be posting up a list of the Guilds who will be represented in Genesis.

Shevek

Genesis Updates

2008-09-17T16:00:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Genesis is continuing.
After that stint of virus hunting, I can finally get back to the Genesis project.
Before long graphic design will begin for the Age - by the next month at the latest.
So far we have the concept as:

A garden age for gatherings, but beneath the surface lurks a DARK secret.

More details will be unveiled soon.

Memoranda

2008-09-16T19:44:00.000-07:00

Looking at these old notes again...is making my head buzz in
uncomfortable ways.
Thoughts I had hope were long buried surface again. I feel my mood change under the buffeting wind of the past...
The winds that sweep by and carry me away with them...

I am beginning to think that unearthing this past may not be such a good idea. Perhaps to remember is worse than forgetting.

Genesis Notebook 16 August to the 9th of September

2008-09-11T17:11:00.000-07:00

Well, I have finally got these all set in stone...though the echo-pads are giving me trouble...must remember to reset them and give the webs a tweek. Anyway, after this more pages will be provided once a week, with sketches, plans, and thoughts.

I will also be placing the ManAge Journal here, an orderly collection of Ages in developement or ones that have been completed. I have been asked to compile a list as it is, so making a visual representation of it would not be much of a step up.

The next poll comes up soon, and my notes on the creation of the ManAge journal will be in the next installment.

Memoranda

2008-09-11T03:14:00.000-07:00

At last!
I knew I had my old age lurking around here somewhere. My Age of Memoranda, my old study. It should have all my old notebooks still there...and it would be the perfect place to house all of my new notes and the work on Genesis...

Well, here's the Linking page...God, it's been some time since I cleaned up.

After Linking in, I put both my Genesis Note book and the full Genesis journal on my desk.
I'll have to clean up before I bring the rest of my journals through...where did I leave that old shaper?

Hmm. Will upload and edit the rest later.

Genesis Note Book Cover

2008-09-11T03:08:00.000-07:00

Okay, uploading this little image.
Tonight I will upload Omnage journal, and the rest of my notebook up to date (19August - 10September).

Genesis Polls

2008-09-10T02:16:00.000-07:00

I have put the new Genesis Poll up, this time asking people about their favorite ages in and out of Uru - the Poll was made up of two parts. The first, listing as many of the Uru Ages as I could, is multiple choice. The second is not - it requires the readers to actually voice their opinions rather than just click on a single button. It means that they lose their anonymity, and they have to type out their answers. I cannot wait for them to get active. We move soon, or not at all.

My journal on Whilyam shows that Ages can go from concept to complete in less than a month - if the effort is put in. I cannot see why this would not be so. However, many are too comfortable in their doodles and descriptive writing to make a move on finishing their project. This cannot be the path that Genesis will take.

The Springs of Kehlbet

2008-09-07T18:42:00.000-07:00

The Springs of Kehlbet was an Age that began years ago, when the Guild of Writers was still named the "Guild of Age Creators". It developed over the years, and even had a website built, complete with gallery and trailer:
The Springs of Kehlbet
The following journal contains the scattered bits and pieces that I could find on the Age. As it was all hidden behind closed doors it is very hard to determine just how far the Age got, in the end.

The Showcase Age

2008-09-07T16:01:00.000-07:00

The Showcase Age was a project started some time ago...looking into it I realised that it was very close, in concept, to what I was hoping to achieve with the Age of Genesis - something for the community of writers and explorers to have to show off their work and creativity.
However, I also found that the project had died...for the time being. Recent events have led me to believe that the end of this age has yet to be written...

Genesis Polls

2008-09-01T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Polls for the Genesis Project are going well - I just hope that we have a few more votes to take in before they close - by the end of September the polls will be closed to avoid a constantly fluctuating basis for the Age.

So far, the Age Name has been picked to be "Genesis", with an alternative "D'ni" name of Glotesmahrn - which will be a secret name used for decoration around the age. The symbol of "Aleph" was also suggested, which was adopted as the main symbol for the Age. So things begin.

Many people liked the concept of having book along with a small visual gallery for the age - the question is how to present it visually...

As for the poll on the inclusion and content of the Guilds, some are a little hesitant about what we should add. Many feel that only a small piece of Guild content should be involved - a small room for each guild - or even just an alcove. The Guilds themselves support the Age, but do not know what they would like to have (for the most part) to represent them.

The fourth poll on puzzles went over as I thought it would: Most of the people preferred Riven style puzzles, which would take a lot of work, while others thought that group puzzles were a good idea. Subtle here-there-and everywhere puzzles may be a good idea, but this concept must remain flexible - as it would be influenced by the style of the Age in the end.

The Fifth poll, on target group size went over well - small groups were agreed to; get people working together, exploring together, and guiding each other through the age - to emphasize what Uru is about, not just pizza parties and large, server clogging groups.

More Polls will come and go, but from here on I will post first the Poll puzzle (and the date) and then the result TWO weeks after it.