General Report May '23
Posted on 08 Jun 2023 @ 9:11am by Commander Calliope Zahn
MAY ‘23 GENERAL REPORT
Active crew: 7 (LOA Crew: 3)
total word count: 44,315
OF Post count: 89
12.66 posts/ active player
CURRENT ROSTER
Markus/ Sep & DeHavilland
Nikki/ Zahn
Polar/ Steiner & HaiRoa
Aaron/ Sikan (LOA)
David/ Rubens
Tara/ Haille
Spiral/ Brek
Sara/ Wagner (LOA)
Em/ Ovim
Chistery/ Tann & Zh'Athrun (LOA)
POST TRACKER SPREADSHEET
OBSIDIAN COMMAND DISCORD SERVER
Overview OOC
May was still a strong showing with 89 SPM. Some of the lighter posting might have been a natural part of the climactic bottleneck that is common to story round ups, when all the connecting threads unite and the GM works on resolution scenes. And the GM had some major resolution twists in hand to bring to light!
We also have multiple players who were on leave for personal life reasons. We look forward to having them back to play in the coming weeks/ months as life allows.
I still consider us on something of a streak, and anticipate that as M3 has passed the high point of action, the resulting aftermath will provide a lot of story fodder for another strong month in June.
We’ve still got some aftermath story points ahead for the closure of M3 which, I’m told, has lead-in to M4. The plan to do some reorganization of mission posting method on the nova is still in the wings to be released this summer. Some time. It should make things smoother to follow along as a reader, especially those who write in different locations and threads. More details to come.
Recruitment
Still accepting applications!
Although there isn’t yet an active recruitment campaign, we expect to run some advertisements this summer between mission wrap up and the next story roll out.
If a prospective player has some questions about applying, please do not hesitate to join us in our discord and ask away!
OBSIDIAN COMMAND DISCORD SERVER
GENERAL STORY SUMMARIES (IC)
For a brief summary of each post, see earlier news entry
Individual Post Summaries May '23
USS Pathfinder on Recon:
Marshal Steiner’s team follow a starfleet signal on the ground that leads them to the Marine engagement. Lt Tahriik, locked in a vicious, gladiatorial-like battle with the Pyrryx, kills it. Meanwhile Steiner stuns the apelike creatures that serve as the Pyrryx lieutenants. As the Z’ala Korin witness the mortality of their overlords, they begin to turn on their gods.
When the Demophon runabout gathers the Marshal and all the starfleet and SFMC personnel from the ground and beats feet back to Orbit, they discover that the Theseus has gone multi vector mode to fend off attacking Pyrryx ships.
Meanwhile the Pathfinder has braved atmospheric flight in the hurricane to try to search for them and also taken some hits. Demophon connects with the Pathfinder, before the Pyrryx attacking ship they had temporarily shaken returns for another strike
This time it employs some torpedoes with isolytic warheads. Shooting them down splits subspace as a byproduct of the isolytic properties, and the result immensely threatens the planet the subspace fissure is in orbit of, as well as the rest of the entire system.
After some brief but tense debating on the bridge, it is decided to sacrifice Pathfinder’s warpcore to seal the breach and preserve Korix, which will leave Pathfinder unable to flee the system even while more Pyrryx reinforcements are sure to be enroute.
But at the last second, another ship decloaks with the capability to seal the subspace fissure and does so. The strange appearance of a Federation vessel decloaking poses many questions. The USS Alabama reveals itself to have been on a black ops recon mission, jointly with Romulan interests, and as a consequence of their intervention, the records of their presence and interference must be scrubbed and all mention of their activity and presence in the area hushed up among the crew.
Theseus and Pathfinder set a return course for Obsidian Command, at top speed.
Loki System:
Back aboard Obsidian Command, Brek refuses to get involved in Romulan intrigue and family drama and is frustrated as the artist he has commissioned has taken special liberties to reimagine an old work in a new style. Limmi’s words lead Sibyl to open communication with her estranged husband. And Yuliette checks herself in with the Marshal’s office as a requirement of her probationary stay while she waits for word on her asylum request.
FLYING SOLO CHALLENGE
May goes to Spiral! Well deserved, Spiral is a solid contributor of solo writing every month! Brek’s follies dealing with Romulans and their artworks continues to build intrigue, and the paper crown is all hers. All she has to do is pry it out of Sep’s hand. His single post flex just shy of 5k was not too shabby…. Not to even mention it was his big plot reveal.
Spiral 7,050 (4 posts)
Nikki 5,988 (3 posts)
Markus/Sep 4,902 (1 post)
Total solo word count: 17,940
JP CLUB: Taggaholics Anonymous
Bragging rights for all those members in a month who have a byline in 3 or more JPs! (5 or more JP bylines for those on the command team). See if you can get your name on the list and a chair in the support circle.
The month of May Taggaholics are:
Sep, Nikki, Polar, Tara
MAY AWARDS
Post Spotlight: Shadow Games
- to be submitted to the Fleet News
For the dramatic and suspenseful introduction of the USS Alabama crew. The reader discovers little by little a new crew faced with the presence of a Starfleet vessel where it shouldn’t be. It is the Alabama’s mission to save the day. As the crew does so, we discover who they are and how they cope with the fact that they must operate in absolute secrecy. An intense description of what it’s like to serve the fleet from the ‘dark side’. (nominated by Spiral)
Professional Merit: Marshal Ridge Steiner (Polar)
Rising to the occasion, Steiner took on the role of Security Chief in a world of Starfleet officers when he had originally only been a long as support. From getting prepared for the possibility of boarding parties with innovative low tech solutions like rail guns and expanding foam traps, playing second on an away team, engaging in a first contact, assisting in a rescue mission, and supporting on the bridge, Marshal Steiner has brought his unique training and perspective to bear and been a key member of the Pathfinder’s Recon mission.
Creativity Award: Lieutenant Sibyl Danzer (Nikki)
For the post “Text Alerts”
For the novelty way in which she describes, via text messages, a relationship that is on the verge of breaking. The messages are sent and received whilst going through the daily life of a Starfleet Officer and a Merchant Marine, showing how much they have drifted apart. (nominated by Spiral)
Ribbon of Panache: Markus, Nikki, Polar, Tara
For the post “A Shadow Revealed”
A compelling jp that describes what happens when a crew meets heroes who, for classified reasons, cannot be allowed to exist in the public eye. This leads to a series of emotions, from bafflement to awe as DeHavilland’s crew realizes they are being rescued, but history won’t retain this momentous encounter. (nominated by Spiral)
Characterization- Style: CPO Ibis Xeri (Nikki)
For the description of a character who’s a true survivor. Whether Ibis is stranded on a planet, fighting for her existence, or that of her loved ones, or when she is finally ‘rescued’, her despair and doubts are always superseded by her resilience, compassion, and just as importantly, her need to find answers. (nominated by Spiral)
Last Item for awards!
Sep suggested we highlight the efforts that have gone into the lore building through out M3, so we are adding this new award to the system with the following award description:
Master Worldbuilder
This award is for efforts exceeding a well designed backdrop in a few posts or colorful singular arrangements. This award recognizes the marriage of planning and storytelling: worldcrafting merged within story which goes beyond just exposition. True master worldbuilding involves things such as geography, flora and fauna, arts and culture, history, myths, politics, faiths, key figures and events, and much more. The Master Worldbuilder serves as a guide, taking the richly prepared ground of detail and coaxing a well established garden of story that grows out of it, ultimately inviting readers to walk through and experience places we can only visit in the Worldbuilder’s imagination as it is shared with us.
And the Award goes to—
Master Worldbuilder: David
When I built this mission, I had a general idea of what a Korin was. Fins, flippers, breathing underwater, generally bi-pedal on land. But that was about it. I had a very, VERY rough outline of them and really hadn’t figured to get too, too into the weeds on it. David asked if he could build on that and I reluctantly conceded. Boy was that the right call. He took what had been a stick figure drawing and turned it into a living, breathing, dynamic culture that exceeded my wildest imagination. As I read who the Korin were I couldn’t help but feel like I was a random reader seeing it all for the first time. Masterfully crafted and woven into the mission. That is why I am giving this award to David.
Master Worldbuilder: Polar
Here’s a pencil, a book that was written 30 years ago, and a suggestion. Go forth and come up with something. That’s basically what we gave Polar. We had no real idea what we wanted going on the surface of Obsidian, only some basic set pieces provided by a decades old novel. But Polar took those random threads of trivia and with it has begun to weave a marvelous tapestry onto the face of the world OC orbits. For the depth of creativity and life he’s breathed onto the planet and culture of Obsidian, I’m giving Polar this award.
THANK YOU
Special thanks to all who contributed to the quotes this month- Spiral & Em in particular! And to those who sent in and worked on awards, thank you for giving back a token of appreciation to build up fellow writers.
Category: General News
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