Roleplaya - Wolf478 RP Reviews

(I was told to post this here, I'm more than happy to move it somewhere else if you wish)

Welcome to the RolePlaya where we take a look at the story and major parts of some of our current Roleplays. I’m Wolf478 and today we’re looking at the first cycle of ‘Wake up, shaken up’ which was begun in 2018 on December the 12^th and has become one of the busiest Roleplays in a long time.
 
For those of you who don’t know, in this series we take a look at Roleplays that are taking place across the SRN, we review Roleplays in ‘rounds’ with a round being the time it takes for each User to post once.
 
The story for ‘Wake up, Shaken up’ is that an overarching villainous figure, running a small organisation, has successfully kidnapped several of the characters who they deemed strong. This villain then subjects the characters to a series of fights and puzzles in a kind of ‘death tournament so that the organisation can discern who is the strongest of them all and use their DNA to make super soldiers.
 
The basic overview that was provided by the Author ‘The Red Blur’ sparked much debate *cue very fast scrolling montage* on certain specifics such as Exactly how the organisation found their targets, considering that many character hide their powers, and what happens to the characters both if they win the events and if they fail the events.
 
This large debate caused some (not myself though, I was really quite fine with the intro) to believe that the introduction was rushed, and unplanned. So let’s have a look at that.
 
At this current point in time there has been a total of two rounds with one more on the way, but this review will be on round one


‘Wake up, Shaken up’ – Round 1
 
In Round one we are greeted by a very helpful introduction from the Roleplay’s author and producer ‘The Red Blur’ with him choosing out, of his many current OCs, to play his main ‘Caen’: A red hedgehog. This post is extremely well written, much like most of the posts in this round *TRIGGERED zoom in on Wolf478’s post*
 
It starts off with Caen returning from a long day out, and although it isn’t completely clear as to what he does for a living, it can be assumed that he’s an actor and You’ll find out why I’ve said this in a minute. We also learn that Caen is at least a middle-class citizen, being able to afford his own apartment and being able to successfully look after his own pet Chao, which makes sense given his occupation.
 
A short nightmare segment leads us to a TitleCard ‘Wake up, Shaken up’ Which I really love. Or at least would… really. Love… After which we’ll find out that Caen is a captive.
 
One of my favourite parts about this first round is that it by keeping the pre-kidnap parts short it saves the Audience from having to read too much unneeded detail *Another Triggered Zoom on Wolf478’s post*
 
Caen wakes up with his arms and feet tied to the chair he also wakes up to find himself sitting on. I find it a little strange that his arms are tied to the chair, not his hands, it would kinda go with the ‘hands and feet’ thing but in all honesty Caen could very well have a good reason for his arms to be tied, we just don’t know it yet.
 
The red hedgehog is stuck in this chair, which appears to be in the centre of a spotlight beam, in a nice and intimidating manner. Not too long after this a mysterious figure comes into the light. Due to the lighting, the strangers face is completely covered in shadow thanks to some sunnies plastered across their eyes. It’s probably worth noting that the figure also has a voice changer on, assisting in the disguise and with the terror.
 
It’s a genuinely intense scene where we’re left to wonder who the character is and whether or not Caen is currently in the hands of a lunatic, due to the amount of information that they have on Caen and the incessant twisted puns.
 
It’s in this moment that Caen askes on of the most recurring questions of both the Roleplay and the discussion that preluded it: What do you want from me? But Caen takes the question a bit further by asking whether the plan is to kill or torture him. To which the stranger replies “shh, shh, shhh… All will be answered in due time, my little actor. We just need to… set up the stage,”. See, didn’t I say he was an actor?
 
After giving Caen some space, because maybe he has some bad breath or something, I don’t know, the masked figure makes one more comment “How about we wait for you co-stars to wake up, hmm?” Then the Roleplay cuts to the introduction of our next character.
 
And, before we get into the actual posts by the amazing cast here, I just wanna say that Producer Red Blur knew what he was doing when the villain said ‘Co-stars’ because the cast in this Roleplay are some truly phenomenal Rpers with great characters, which I hope you begin to root for later in the story.
 
Now while in this series I’m mainly going to focus on the Posts by the producer/author, I am definitely going to do a worthwhile section for each of the Members of the roleplay and the characters used, especially in the first round where they get introduced.
 
Without further ado let’s get right into the first character we’re introduced to.
 
ForeverYoung
 
Famous Roleplayer ForevaYoung is one of the members within the RP with a character whose name doesn’t get revealed during this round. Which works for some characters, as it builds up a gentle aspect of mystery about them. In fact, we don’t even learn what species they are until later in the series, which is kinda confusing but what we do know is that her character is female, mobian and has black fur.
 
ForevaYoung’s character is introduced into this series in a relatively similar fashion to Caen as they both just finished a shift of work and it’s also late at night. Spooky.
 
Although, instead of being in the comfort of her apartment, FY’s character is walking home late and night and constantly gets the feeling that she’s being followed. Better watch out, there’s some investigators on the loose.
 
She brushes it off as drowsiness and we learn that she’s been working for two days straight. Is that even legal? Unlike Caen though, we are informed of exactly what the time is, and it’s an early 1 o’clock, with Caen being roughly past midnight.. She gives in to what she believed to be paranoia and turns around, but is a bit too late and an attacker comes up behind her and delivers a solid hit to the head.
 
The fade out with the sound of a thumping heartbeat along carrying all the way through over to the fade back in creates a really intense scene similar to Caen’s kidnapping and it leaves us with a similar feeling right from the get-go.
 
Once ForeverYoung’s character’s eyes open we see that she too is stuck within the centre of a spotlight, with darkness circling around. But this time we don’t get to see what it is that is keeping her locked in the centre, we just know that she can’t move. Which in my opinion is kinda frightening in and of itself since it could be like chains or something, which leads the reader to wonder what FY’s power could be that would cause for chains or worse?
 
And although it isn’t clear as to whether or not ForeverYoung’s character actually saw Caen, or the masked figure, she apparently is able to hear the conversation they’re having, which I mean, is slightly strange because they’d have to be close by and the spotlight that Caen was in would be very visible in the darkness. The simple explanation would be that these Kidnappers are crafty.
 
We’re pulled out of this character’s perspective at this point and in a similar way to Caen are left to wonder in a terrified way, what’s going to happen to her.
 
Ninathelioness
 
The Third character we get introduced to belongs to well-known roleplayer Ninathelioness. While Ninathelioness hasn’t posted much on the forum, she has been a member for much longer than any one else, joining at the surprisingly young age of 12. Her character in this roleplay isn’t named either, in a similar fashion to ForeverYoung’s character, but we do know that she’s a lioness.
 
However, unlike ForeverYoung, or The Red Blur, Ninathelioness gives us a new way of viewing the kidnap, rather than doing the intro and then giving us the kidnap, we’re thrown straight into the heat of the moment right off the bat and then see the exact events unfolding through a flashback. I love the freshness in this post, and while I have nothing against the previous two posts by FY and Red, they are wonderful bits of work; I feel that it’s nice to spice things up every so often.
 
Ninathlioness’s character is bound by her hands and feet, and in a quick struggle to escape we learn that her tail is untied, which could be a mistake on the kidnappers behalf.
 
The actual time that we get to see her locked up is very short, but it is certainly quite dramatic and gets the point across quite clearly and effectively, because we are then offered a flashback as to the events which led up to this moment.
 
The Flashback sequence begins with a rather eerie scene in a forest, there’s some thick fog broiling it’s way on in, It’s night time, and there’s some clouds threatening to rain. Sounds like some perfect weather for a kidnapping there, you should probably watch out.
 
Ninathelioness’s character isn’t sticking to the ground though, she’s keeping to the canopy with an amazing First person view of her jumping from tree-branch to tree-branch. The nimble lioness is making her way to her house, or at least that’s what I assume it is, but is starting to get a little creeped out by the idea that someone might be watching her.
 
She too, similar to ForeverYoung’s character, attempts to wave of these thoughts, but they keep coming back. After trying to get rid of the thought, this time it’s her that’s back, because the First-person View sequence ends and we see that She’s arrived at a rather make-shift looking shack. I totally dig this scene, because the hideout gives me a throwback to my times as a kid, I’d usually go to places like this to spend my spare time and It kinda helps me to connect with the character. To all of you who haven’t had the opportunity to do this, I suggest you find the nearest Hideout and enjoy yourself some you time.
 
Our unnamed character lies down on a roll-up bed laid out on the floor, and attempts to sleep under what is likely a rather damp blanket. Ah yes, sorry, but it just brings back so many memories of tree-houses for me. She tries to sleep, but finds it a little difficult, maybe it’s because you’re not alone hmm?
 
Eventually Ninathelioness’s character does begin to drift into the realm of sleep, but not before an ominous twig-snap is heard. She completely ignores this and chooses to go with the warm embrace of sleep, which honestly I don’t blame her for *It’s 4:56 AM Somebody help me my address is-*. And just before the screen cuts to black, we hear muffled footsteps making a beeline towards her.
 
Awakened Vega
 
Our Fourth contender for this roleplay is the Awakened Vega’s main Vega, Vega actually hasn’t been on the site for very long, and hasn’t posted much but I feel like he’s a solid part of the community and he very usually contributes to the SRN Discord chat, which I recommend you check out.
 
Vega seems to be a rather chill character, and while we don’t get to know what he looks like in the actual post itself we can find what he looks because we actually have a name to search for. Not that there’s anything wrong with not using a name for the first few rounds, it builds mystery, but we can’t tell who it is.
 
It seems that Vega is dealing with some issues with his past, because we’re introduced to him through a rather calming meditation shot, there’s a quick voiceover which I absolutely love, and we get given a quick run-down of who Vega is and why he’s in this location: The Pool of Remembrance.
 
Apparently he was some sort of Guardian of earth, but something went down and now he’s washed up. Although he still has to deal with some things that did manage to stick around from his job. The Voice-over ends and the screen fades to the amazing garden that is the Pool of remembrance.
 
The Pool of remembrance is a beautifully set out Zen zone, with a large body of pristine water surrounded by luscious green grass, protected by the surrounding forest and with some thick undergrowth acting as a natural wall to keep it secluded from the hustle and bustle of the world. Gosh darn it Awakened Vega, you can design my garden dude, I want some of this yo.
 
We also find out that looking into The Pool of remembrance will allow the viewer to see into their past, present or in some cases, the future through a rather philosophical method. I think this post is really deep and would definitely recommend you give it a read yourself instead of relying solely on this review.
 
Vega’s got himself in a Meditative pose, sitting cross-legged in front of The Pool of remembrance, having a good look at the reflection of himself, waiting peacefully for a vision to appear. And Appear it does, he sees himself in a more youthful state, his colours vibrant and his expression to match.
 
But I guess all of this reminiscence is a bit too much for the Guardian as a few seconds pass by and he forces himself to look away, breaking the vision and the vibrant image fades away. He lies back onto the grass, and in no time at all falls asleep. Which we should all know is the perfect way to get yourself kidnapped, just saying.
 
The Screen blacks out and when it fades back in, surprise! Vega’s been kidnapped.
 
You should all know by now how the intro into the kidnapping room works, big spotlight, bound to a chair, the works. Although Vega’s colour pattern doesn’t help him in the current situation as his bright design reflects light like, well, a reflector.
 
We learn that Vega’s power has something to do with the light, as the first thing he does after realising he’s been captures is attempt to absorb some of those Photons. But I guess the spotlights Ain’t enough energy for the guy so he quickly gives up.
 
A quick scene follows where he begins calling out into the dark, hopeful to find out who the kidnapper is. But without any reply, the screen cuts out to black. Ending Awakened Vega’s sequence for this round.
 
Charredh
 
Here we get to meet a new member of the forum, and who I believe to be an upcoming Roleplayer, Charredh. We haven’t seen much from Charredh so far, but what he do know is that they’ve got a well-designed OC and some fantastic RP skills. We are introduced to their character Sandy, a squirrel with large and powerful tail, and Fur that is… well, sandy coloured.
 
Going back to Ninathelioness’s post we get another introduction that begins with the kidnapped sequence and then goes back to sequence of events that led up to the moment, but the twist is that it comes back to the Kidnap room after the flashback. Which is an excellent touch.
 
The Screen fades in and it appears that all the chatter that’s going on in the room is what’s awakened Sandy, And of course Sandy is bound to a chair with a bright spotlight above him.
 
It’s then that we get to see what happened to Sandy and In a short flashback sequence we see the inside of a rather fancy hotel. There’s some warm orange lighting and there’s a luxurious lounge with gold trim. Damn dude, how much money you got?
 
There’s a short discussion between the Receptionist and Sandy, but not before a can of mace gets sprayed at him and he gets knocked out, ending the Flashback.
 
We also learn that Sandy’s tail has been bound to the chair, because I guess it’s pretty damn powerful. But he doesn’t worry too much about it because soon enough the voices begin to become more agitated, making them easier to hear.
 
I really like this segment of the post because it gives us insight into the fact that they’re all together in one room and that something’s about to go down. The screen fades to black and while Charredh’s post is rather short, I think it’s a great way to start and I absolutely love their character Sandy.
 
Wolf478
 
Now I know what some of you are probably thinking, ‘Wolf, how did you end up with a role in this?’ well, it never hurts to apply.
 
And while I do have a part in the story, which I will definitely cover in the overall plot sections later in the series I won’t do anything for my introduction or for my overall skills, so as to avoid any bias my writing. We’re only human after all.
 
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Alright, so with all of the posts dealt with, lets take a look at the numbers.
 
So far there has been 6 kidnappings, each one with their own story, kidnap method and binding. The Kidnappings consist of 4 guys and 2 girls with. And we’ve got 3 Sleep Kidnaps and 3 knockout Kidnaps, two of which were with blunt force, and the other was with a can of mace? I think?
 
In Terms of binding we have 4 characters with bound arms and legs, 1 character with bound arms, lega and a tail, and 1 character locked in a cage. One kidnap happened in a Hotel, 1 happened on the street, one took place in a Zen Garden, and 3 took place in their own home. Giving us 3 private kidnaps, 1 kidnap in the open and 2 kidnaps which are kinda in the open but the chances of someone being around were very low.
 
Everyone put forward some fantastic work in the round one and with more rounds coming out, I hope to see a continuation of this marvellous tradition.
 
Well, there you have it. ‘Wake up, Shaken up’ began on the 12^th of December 2018 and the first round ended on the 13^th, considering that it’s still going, I can imagine it’s going to make a great Christmas Holiday Roleplay. And I look forward to it.

 
But until then, I’m Wolf478 and this has been the Roleplaya