Sheridanne Kelley on Role Play

INTRODUCTION

I want to remind everyone we are a “Tolkien-Tribute Role Play Land”.  That means we try to use the resources we have to create something that JRR Tolkien, were he still alive, would be proud to be part of.  Contrary to popular belief, I do not channel Tolkien, but I have a strong opinion on how things should be.

We are a stage play unlike any other in this strange world of Second Life and one that I have had many wonderful people, creative thinkers and creators help raise up from a bunch of square prims.  Yet real people “animate” those who wander into our lands and those who linger to become part of the fellowship here.  Our roles and appearances can be tightly defined as are those of the Valar and some of the characters.

Some are not so easy to define and then create.  Today we will focus primarily on the non-Noldor characters.  One question that comes up often is why do I have to change just to wander around.  The answer is that we ARE a living stage play.  If you are a Guide, you’ve figured out a few answers that work as to why we do not want to disrupt the smooth flow of our production.

Here, we LIVE the  first seven chapters of The Silmarillion.  They FOCUS on the life and times of the Elven clan of Finwe – the Noldor in the Two Trees First Age in a restricted geographical area.  Also, we use certain “props” to create “stage presence & identification of some characters.  Other races you might find here include:

• Valar
• Maiar
  • Mermaid-types
  • Fae-types
  • Balrog
• Dwarves
• Ents
• Eagles
• Kraken
• Dragons
  (restricted to four active at any one time)

Last week’s class was a great joy to conduct and I hope you  all got a copy of the link to what we learned so you can review it.  If not I will give you the link now: https://sheridanne.wordpress.com/  if you have not found this site before, there are many lessons on there that can help many, or that is the hope.

I had anticipated Aule would be here today, but we will  proceed.  Last week we focused on the Noldor and Elves as the key and most important of races for our lands- We are FOCUSED firmly on Noldor-we are also a living/virtual stage play this means we have firm guidelines we use to create our stage play.

THE SILMARILION.

We use as our key guide in our lands “The Silmarillion”.  We used to say, “if you can’t find it in The Silmarillion, then it doesn’t exist.” .However, there are two characters you may find in our lands that are not within the Silmarillion first seven chapters and one is at this table … Would anyone like to guess what form is not catered for by Tolkien?

• Feanor: the Fae
• Nica blushes…I am NOT a Fae!
• Feanor: I apologize
• Nica pets her bunny and is quiet again

MAIN CHARACTERS

Yavanna smiles- few would have met Nica and there is a good reason for this.  The non-Noldor characters are not “in the front of the stage”.  Nica is here many times, but she is quiet and she has a job and does it without taking focus off the main characters.  Who ARE the main characters of our play, again?

• Feanor: Noldor elves
• Losa: the Noldor

PARTICULAR TIME

We will stick with that always because that is what the seven chapters focus on the restricted time we live in is called what?

• Losa: The First Age?
• Feanor: First Age

Yavanna: We are the First Age and a certain PART of the First Age called what?   Two Trees.  The First Age was long and so Tolkien divided the time into special parts.  What this means is that the Fallen one…  The Noldor never mention his name by the way.  The Fallen one is one of my brothers, and I call him Melkor.  Feanor will create another name for him later.  (Morgoth).

The Two Trees First Age is a time of relative peace because Melkor is in the Halls of Mandos.  However, this does not mean the lands are always at peace.  The reason Melkor was captured and imprisoned is because he was a bad little Valar

Does anyone remember what he was doing that landed him in chains?  What was Melkor doing when he was first around?  He was creating havoc
and also he was creating creatures to serve him thus we HAVE Balrogs and Dragons

GEOGRAPHICAL RESTRICTIONS

In this time also we are restricted geographically so all these foundational issues need to be considered when we look at non-Noldor races in this land, because this is a rendition…an interpretation.  Additionally, because we must always have some tension for a story to work well and because we live within Second Life there are some issues that also come into play…such as what is “reproducible”.  (I have to say most “evil/dark”
creatures seem to have been well created by the makers in Second Life.)

So, we have a story that restricts us to a time in Tolkien’s writings and geography combined with the media of Second Life that restricts us.  As the Director of this stage play, I also have a group of leaders who help make decisions for non-Noldor characters to keep them to a bare minimum.

Think about what would happen if you walked into a land and there all Fae there?  Do the Fae seem special?  The point is if there are all Fae,
the Fae are common.  This would happen if we had heaps of Fae, or even Maiar, or heaps of dragons, or Balrogs.  And for dragons, we have the wonderful land of Uhre nearby, built to support the “largeness” of a Dragons life.

Exploring these characters, feeling their specialness is important so I want to take each of the characters we do allow in this land one at a time but our key guidelines are ALWAYS to be:

• REALISTIC
• MODEST
• RESPECTFUL
• RECOGNISABLE
• BELIEVABLE
• CONSISTENT

• Vailelir: and not too much into Fantasy

AINUE

[Also see Aule’s excellent article on this  )

Starting at the top of Tolkien’s hierarchy is Iluvatar.  He does not appear in any stage play as He is God and no one wants that responsibility.

The next in power are the Ainur.  Within this grouping are some categories of power.  The Ainur were created before time as “companions” sort of for Iluvatar.  They aren’t exactly thought of as His children, that distinction goes to the Elves and later in time to the race of Men.  The Valar are part of a group called Ainur.

The Ainur is a category of Iluvatar’s creation that includes: the Aratar, the Valar and the Maiar so he uses one all encompassing word for all three of those types of characters: Aratar, Valar and Maiar all are categorised as Angels in our meter except for those who choose to follow the Fallen one

The Valar are gifted with the power to sing Iluvatar’s creation into existence at His direction.  The Valar are not the creators of things in  themselves they are servants and managers of the resources of Iluvatar’s creation, yet they are amazingly powerful.

The Aratar are the highest of the Valar.  They are Manwe, Varda, Ulmo, Nienna, Aule, Mandos, and me

There is one name I did not mention who is also Aratar – the Fallen one or Melkor.  He is called the Fallen and is not counted as part of the Valar because he made his choice to withdraw.  Nevertheless, he is Aratar and was understood to be created of equal power to the highest of the Valar, Manwe.

The remaining seven Valar are also very powerful but not the most powerful.  To create a recognisable image of the Aratar and Valar we have had to go to a bit of special costuming.  The Valar can fly and have wings (not in Tolkien).  They are the one race that can shape shift at will, in any form, at any time for any or no reason.  Their true form is what? Anyone know?

• Valarauko: misty vapour
• Isyarmo: they haven’t form

That is correct.  We have no form.  We look conveniently enough like Second Life clouds when things aren’t rezzing but we choose to mimic what race primarily?

• Feanor: elves
• Eredhion: elves
• Isyarmo: nods

We as Valar looked around and were amazed at the beauty of the Elves and so most of us appear as beautiful as we can possibly manage in
Second Life.  We, as a group, choose to wear wings because visually it makes us easy to recognise.

STRANGE RELATIVES

Valar are changeable and the only race that can and do shapeshift.  Look at those gathered at table and tell me what two are the least likely to be related or friends…

• Feanor: the Balrog and Nica
• Nica hides behind her hands

Yes, this is true.  Nica and the Balrog are related.  They are both what?

• Valarauko gives a growl at the winged Maiar
• Feanor: Maiar
• Isyarmo: Maiar
• Nica puts her head down on the table and hides

You are safe here, Nica and the Balrog will not hurt you.  It is true.  The Maiar are lower “angels/Ainur” and they serve specific Valar.  They have
Iluvatar-granted powers as the Valar do.  Our Balrog started as a servant of Aule and turned to the Fallen one who then perverted his body and encouraged him to love evil and the fire.

• Isyarmo: looks at the flaming creature
• Valarauko thinks that his Master is more powerful

Aule often speaks of this because there is always hope, he thinks, to redeem the Balrogs.  The visual appearance of the Balrog and Nica is quite startlingly different.  In the category of Maiar fall various races with specific visual appearances you can tell a Balrog easily and know to avoid
him if possible.  Sorry, no offense Valarauko.

With other Maiar we have Mermaids and they would serve whom?

• Feanor: Ulmo
• Isyarmo: Vala Ulmo?

Yes, the Mermaids serve Ulmo.  What do mermaids look like? Can we all tell a mermaid easily enough?

• Vailelir: half fish like tail
• Nica whispers: they smell fishy?
• Feanor: they have fins

Most can tell a Mermaids/Mer whether male or female by the way they are equipped to be in the water.   One note…we do not have female mer who are not covered on their top- this is part of being modest.  Have any of you seen the mer Goldberry?

• Feanor: Eruanna has hung
  up a painting of Goldberry in the museum, let me find a painting for you

Ok, we can recognise Mermaids and Feanor will find a picture for us. The Mermaid and the Balrog are easy to recognise and costume.  Ah, yes, thank you for the painting of Goldberry, but I think the one character that is not mentioned in The Silmarillion has taken her away now or killed her?

• Vailelir: The “Kraken”

There seems to be some controversy about this character.. but we see him as an evil Maiar who once served Ulmo and has turned away.  Did anyone ever make a painting of the Kraken?  Let me see if I have any of the pictures of a kraken and I will pass them to you Feanor…

• Feanor: the kraken I have seen looked a tad different.  He was all red and had many tentacles and had a lot of tentacles.

Many times he looks like an octopus to me

• Vailelir: I see the kraken as sea food >:3
• Vailelir has fought with the Kraken as did The Tyr
• Isyarmo: : you always think of eating Vailelir

But I am unsure if Goldberry has survived.  We will find out in time.  Hopefully she did.   So Mermaids and Kraken are related Maiar.  They both served Ulmo initially.  The Kraken took the dark path as did our Balrog friend here and so their appearance demonstrates this clearly and visually so you don’t walk up to one and have a casual chat with them.  You can SEE immediately that they should be, sadly, avoided.

• Feanor: he does not seem to serve Ulmo – Goldberry was frightened of him (Feanor shudders as he remembers Goldberry’s
  scream of agony…)

Remember we are a STAGE PLAY.  We want our characters to be identifiable from the last row in the balcony, as it were… Let’s talk of structure:
Ainur, including Aratar, Valar and Maiar – can we all tell these characters now visually?

• Losa:  nods
• Feanor: most of them, because the Valar do resemble Elves if it was not for the wings
• Isyarmo: Yes

SPECIAL EFFECT

We do a bit of stage direction with the Valar only and this is that the Elves kneel others do sometimes as well because this creates a sense of AWE and recognition that they ARE creators by decree and will of Iluvatar

• Valarauko will not kneel to anyone but his Master

Yavanna smiles at the Balrog, knowing he too has knelt at her feet and will again the Evil ones do not kneel easily but as one of the Aratar and one of the most powerful of the Valar, I can defeat most evil easily.  I am even stronger than my beloved Aule.

• Feanor: no, you will need some ‘arguments’ to convince them to kneel

Now moving on… where did Dwarves come from…just quickly?

• Vailelir: Created by Aulé
• Valarauko watches Yavanna with dislike and remember the embarassing moment when she made him kneel…

Yavanna: my sweet husband Valar Aule created the Dwarves because Aule was impatient and lonely for students.  Dwarves are typically short of stature.  and they have BIG characters.  They drink a lot and sometimes even smoke.

• Vailelir:  They are bulky, stubborn, drinkers, they get into fights easily, big egos.

STAGE PLAY

Let me stop right here to be sure everyone understands the term Stage Play.  Did everyone receive a copy of “Sheriwood being in a RP land is like a Stage Play”?  What this means is that it is like putting on a play on a stage.  Have any of you ever been in a play – or even gone to a life play on a stage or in the round.

We have spoken of Valar and their categories and that there are Maiar.  We have noted that the Balrog and Nica are related as they are both Maiar, as is Oaklie – each Maiar by the way is devoted to serving a Valar they are not independent

Yavanna: I am trusted with all Trees, Plants and Animals that live in the Forests with this in mind I have a few Maiar at this time.  One is Nica of the small animals and the other is Oaklie of the plants.  Nica resembles what she represents and it might be good to note that Oaklie is one of the few who has been able to BE a character other than Noldor because Noldor are the STARS of our stage play .

• Feanor: just for the protocol: the NOLDOR are the stars, not the main royal characters!

Oaklie your costume is quite unique….and I know you have wanted to share a bit about your appearance. I would like to share the last few
character categories and then I will ask everyone to share a bit about their appearance.

Ents were created by me with permission of Iluvatar to answer the threat of the Dwarves- they look like trees in themselves and they move and speak painfully slowly.

DRAGONS

Dragons, according to Tolkien were, in fact, created by the Fallen one.  Has everyone gotten the notecard on Worms-because they are also called by Tolkien “Great Worms.”

So when we began we had a lovely part of our group, called Grendel.  He was realistic looking.  He stayed at the Guardian Cave as a resource
of quiet wisdom to those who roamed the lands he agreed to be our first Protector of the Guardian Cave.  He knew Tolkien inside and out.  So many would wander TO the cave and seek his wisdom.

He was an Ancient, quiet and tired… and it worked for us he knew being here was special.  He moved on and we considered the closeness of our neighbours Uhre.  They are land designed for Dragons, with lots of big spaces to sit and caves that would accommodate this race that Tolkien
had already said were evil in our stage play- there were no good dragons.  Also, most dragons have been permitted to shapeshift in most lands.  Here the leaders have met and decided they will keep to one form only.

How we have handled dragons is to restrict the number of active dragons to four, they have to appear realistic and like most races they do not shape shift.  You will note this set of pictures here they are by John Howe and they are from The Lord Of The Rings and they are there to point to if someone wants more clarity on what we mean by realistic…

Dragons have always been difficult here.  We do not allow them to wear clothing for instance.  The Tyr is from Uhre and the ruler there so we choose to always welcome him with his crown and bracelets and kilt if in his bipedal form.

The colouring of our Dragons is to be realistic, yet we have a purple dragon everyone loves, called lady Salix, who some have argued looks like the Flintstones dragon, yet we love her just the way she is.

Realistic for us MEANS it seems to fit into “nature” and is recognisable.  I can visually determine that Nica is safe and a “good” character.  I can
visually determine that Valarauko is a dark and “evil” character.  In a stage play if I am 6 meters away from you, you need to immediately know what I represent.

To review:  the shape shifters are the Valar and the Mer, who can take a land-walker form we used to ask the Dragons to have a Noldor form but sometimes that seems difficult.  For now we have strict guidelines on Dragons because, again, Tolkien does not include good dragons…and we have only found ONE reference in all of Tolkien’s writings that may indicate he had one small exception.

EXCEPTIONS TO RULES DANGEROUS

• Losa: A question Lady Yavanna.  I have seen Lord Cromm in  the lands, and thought he was a shapeshifter.

Yes, lord Cromm is also one who came in our very early days and  is not here often enough.  He is many times an amazing Ent.  Being an Ent, having experience with this  costume myself, is VERY difficult — you cannot see and you cannot move easily…so it is not easy to be an Ent…so perhaps that is why he chooses to shift out of that form.

We know that making exceptions creates tension and arguments.  It makes being an administrator and leader of the lands difficult.  It allows others to argue they should be able to appear as pole dancers or mechanicals with fur.  At the end of the day, I actually am tasked with making the final decision…I rely on the other leaders to help me with their recommendations and these come from their observations.

I can tell you right now there is someone who is saying they will be a Fae type but they have not even been in our lands to demonstrate their abilities.  When Oaklie came, for instance, many leaders observed her and many spoke with her. It was a consensus that she had the ability to be respectful with her role play that she was …demure and gentle in her approach and she does greatly.  Unlike some characters she is very gentle…

To be a non-Noldor in these lands, means you are a supporting actor… you are not and never will BE the star. You may have some very important parts to play. just think of how important Vailelir can be sometimes or Glaurung who is not here either today.  He is the most evil of all dragons/worms.

Think of this amazing Balrog.  To play a Balrog by the way is equally not easy.  It is difficult to see and it is sometimes difficult to move out of conflict and it takes very special people behind the screen to play these roles.

OAKLIE – MAIAR

Oaklie would you please pick up our spirits and tell us about your wonderful costume- and then we will close this class

Oaklie:  “ok I do this OOC as it be better for this ok?  First, you see I look like a little tree in colour and looks.  This fits in well with my Maiar role as looking after plants and trees in a forest- I blend in very well –  if you see where my heart is it is a hollow with a little beautiful plant in it, this I feel shows my love for the beauty of the forest and always in my heart.

“On my head I have mushrooms and a snail, this I think is good for showing things do die and rot and get eaten in the forest but then, from the death and rot comes new life, and this is shown by the new shoots on me.  So on my avie it shows the cycle of life in the forest and the big branch helps me look more tree like when hiding and the little pink stick is like a wand but not, it hold Maiar magic to help me do my work in the forest.  So that is a short guide to what this avie is all about.  So now you have some idea what i am trying to show in my look.”

Thank you, Oaklie.  At the end of the day we are creating a land of tribute to an author we all admire… the desire of my heart is that, even though Tolkien is now dead, that if his spirit- walked into our sims-met any of you here-that he would recognise who you are and what you stand for– and he would know this place and see that we respect his time constraints-

CLOSING

Having this vision is difficult.  I am responsible for the set decoration (the sims)-and they are here to support the BEST of creative thinkers who also love the works of Tolkien.  Sometimes we do not get what we want in our choice of character, but we truly try to encourage everyone to respect and focus on the Noldor. those who are non-Noldor are here to support the Noldor as they quest through the story as best they know how.