[closed, please delete]

The first plotline should be...

The gods are grumpy and test the Shamans	17.4%	[ 4 ]
Tribal wars! DOOM DEATH! YAY!	4.3%	[ 1 ]
Shamans decieving eachother. >3	17.4%	[ 4 ]
Peace, love and happyness! (Yeah right. XD)	0.0%	[ 0 ]
The animals rise against the humans! :D	21.7%	[ 5 ]
Poll... Desu. :D	17.4%	[ 4 ]
Plot for what now?	21.7%	[ 5 ]
Total Votes:			[ 23 ]

[Nyowpotopop]

Drums of the Serengeti

The B/C Backstory

Okay, so I'm throwing this topic up after a significant amount of annoyance. I put together an B/C shop after liking the idea of B/Cs, and wanting to make some. However, I didn't want the animals everyone else had posted, so I decided to make my shop a place where anyone could get anything they wanted. I also decided to allow anyone at all into the roleplay with their breedables if they so chose.
Why? Because after only a week lurking on here I saw a massive trend of one-speicies shops each with their own little clique of people that came in for that one shop alone and it seemed almost like no one else was able to just walk in and be all "Y halo thar!" and be welcomed in a non-overly-eager-and-scary sort of way... If they were welcomed openly at all. Now, this could just be my oppinion... But it seems like a hard group to break into.... At least if you're a competeing business anyways.
Well now, a few months later, that whole idea hasn't worked out very well. (So much for breaking down boundries, huh?) So I've decided to fall back on my original idea. I scrapped it initially. Why? Because it's an african-setting roleplay and I saw three or five shops with lion-king based africa themes (not that Lion King is bad, or the art... But it's true, and almost painfully obvious in the artwork) and wanted something completely new to the whole place. However, with a new outlook on the whole thing, I have come up with a much different idea then my inital plans... And I hope you'll take the time to look it over, and give me your opinions!

To-Do list

Make Shop Thread Shop Thread -GRAND OPENING! biggrin EVENTS POSTED!-
Make Mule Account
Make silhouette samples for the guild: 5/5
Get a standerd Cert and a Colorist (See post seven!)
Make an aging outline
Write animal profiles: 5/6
Finish making line art: 27/27
Finish shading made lineart: 25/27
Make guild setup topics: 6/6
Make Guild Drums of the Serengeti - A Guild
Decide on Starting Animals
Make Interest Thread

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Drums of the Serengeti

Plotline

Setting

Once, long ago in Africa, the Serengeti was an open expanse of unmarred nature. There were a few tribes, and therefore a few settlements, but little else. No, there were no fences or photographs. No jeeps or safari adventures. No "National Parks" or Game Wardens. There was just the animals and the land.

One day, the humans sat in their small encampment... They were sitting around a fire, eating a soup made of the local vegtables. This was a typical fare for the people had yet to have much success hunting. Truely, any of the local game was difficult to catch, and was crafty. The few times they did make a kill, it wasn't long before the large cats or packs of dogs in the area chased them off from their kill. They used to feast on fruits and vegetables were in abundance... But the land had changed, and there was much less now then there had been. All the tribes were suffering, and soon there was only one remaining. A hodge-podge group of the remains of the once-prosperous tribes. And so, this small group sat and ate their meager fare, wondering why the world had turned against them.

It was then that a light came from the sky in the west, and the tribes panicked, thinking the world was ending because the sun was rising in the Setting Sky. But it was not the sun. Instead, it was the god Elegua coming to see the mortals in the realm of his senior gods as a messenger. He spoke to the gathered tribes and when he did, the animals came to listen as well.

"Mortal children," He began. "You have lost sight of your world. Once you lived with the brethren in the trees, and were happy. Now you walk on your own, but you have not seperated yourself from them. You stay on a path well-trodden, and ignore that it no longer suits your feet. You must learn to awknowledge to world around you and learn from everything... Otherwise you will never live well in any of your days, and will die the death of eternity. None will even remember your names."

Elegua raised his arms, and turned to the massive number of animals gathered on the plains. Every creature of every shape and size was gathered, and he called to each in it's own language. The largest and strongest leaders of each species came forward, and sat before the god. He then turned to the humans, and spoke to them in their tounge. "From each of the tribes gathered before me... If there is even but one member of your tribe left in this gathering, let the strongest of you step forward." And so the tribes did obey the command, and there stood before the god an assortment of warriors and wise women. And at the end of the line stood a single child, not even come of age.
Then the god called to the largest of the beasts, the elephant. Old and wise, the massive matron stepped forward, and followed the god to the child. "To the youngest and smallest, I give a guardian whose age and wisdom will temper her youth and weakness. To the one who serves her, I give the gift of speech. Share your wisdom with this child, and guard her. Teach her your ways, and she will teach you theirs. Together, you shall grow wiser."
Then the god called to the cheetah, and led him to a large cheif of one of the tribes. "To the bravest and most stable, I give a guardian whose speed and caution will teach you to think and to move with haste when needed. To the guardian, I give the gift of language. Share with this man your wisdom... Teach him your ways, and he will lend you strength and bravery when you need it."

And so the god went on down the line until every tribe had an animal. But there were few tribes left alive and many of the animals remained. So the god turned to the anmals, and smiled. "You shall be free spirits unless you choose to bind yourselves to a human. They may approach you... But tell them nothing unless they also tell you things. A partnership is beneficial, but if you choose to guard your secrets, then do so carefully. You shall recieve the gift of language only if you choose to bind yourself." And so, the remaining animals left. The lion went into the plains, and the mongoose back underground.... And they all scattered to their resting places and returned to their life.

Elegua then turned to the humans. "These warriors and elders of the tribes are now your shamans. They will learn the way of the animals, and they will teach them to you. You will learn to avoid the hunter, and hunt the grazers... But respect each one, for they too will learn your ways as there must be balance in the world."
Then he addressed the shamans directly. "There can be many more of you then what stands before me. You have the rights to take on apprentices and train them. You shall learn how to bind them to an animal... And in doing so, you learn how to bind yourself to other animals. Do so, as they shall give you more wisdom then just one ever will. You will also meet to tell about the wisdom you have gained at the beginning of each Firstday. You shall live apart from your tribes, and dedicate your lives to learning about the world around you. And you shall visit any tribe you see fit to grant them your wisdom. And there will be tribes... In one Passing of the Leaf you will go your seperate ways, strong once more." He then chanted something in a language that made all the creatures lower themselves to the earth, for to hear that language hurt their mortal ears. And before each of the shamans appeared a drum. The women each recieved a tall, thin drum with feathers in bands and strange markings. The men each recived a stout snare drum with a staff that bore similar feathers and markings. Each of the drums were different in size and markings. Elegua then adressed the people once more. "Use these to call to the animals who do not speak your tounges, for the magic that is sealed inside every note of music and every beat of precussion since the dawn of time is understood by every creature on the face of the planet."
Then the god turned from the humans, and began to glow again. He left them with one warning as he sailed into the sky, flying towards the east.
"Do not squander these gifts.... Or you shall fall."

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Drums of the Serengeti


Roleplay

Roleplaying is pretty simple. You play a Shaman. You are not bound to any tribe, or any land.... Rather, you are free to roam wherever you please. Some of the animals like Shamans, others don't. Hyenas and lions are very distrustful of humans, and the mongoose and other small animals are simply terrified of them. However, Elephants see the wisdom in binding with a human... And the Wild Dogs love the company of someone so strange. Every animal is different, so read their profiles! (Which will be posted up... Soon. XD)
The roles of the Shaman are simple... Travel the land, learn everything they can, and tell the important things to their Bound animals, and to whatever tribe they see fit. As it is now a year past, all the tribes have once again seperated, and are now living in various areas.
However, no human is perfect, and the animals, tribes and Shamans each have their own agendas. Some tribes dislike the shamans because they feel that any information they recieve will be at the cost of reveling their secrets to other tribes or to the animals they hunt. Others pay certain shamans off to gather information and spread lies about where the tribes go to hunt. (Shamans of this sort tend to have a Bound animal that matches them such as a Jackal or a Hyeanna. This is becuse they have a disregard for the rules and likely so would their mentors for choosing such an apprentice. So they're far less likely to care about choosing an animal that is in good contrast.)
Because of this, shamans are both loved and hated. They are always a double-agent, and usually working for both sides (or whoever has the largest purse). However, they are welcomed with at least politeness when they enter a settlement because they are sacred men. Oftentimes they are offered a place to rest and meals without complaint for on average a week without complaint. If a shaman is particularly disliked, they may not be offered a place to rest or a meal at all.

Your Shaman can have anywhere between one and ten animals bound to it, but only two non-adults. (After that you are welcome to make a second Shaman.) You can always just get an animal for your signature, but it must be bound to a shaman for you to roleplay it! (There'll be a little note on your cert saying what shaman it's bound to.) Why? Because I don't want to be ripping off SoA or Pride Lands with my shop and RP. I want it to be distinctly different. So humans are REQUIRED in roleplay.

Keep in mind when you are doing character creation that your shaman should be a good contrast to it's first animal. After that, what you bind to him or her is up to you... But don't bind a young and flighty human with a cheetah. Bind it with a zebra or some such, instead. (Unless your shaman is a truely despicable character!)

Also, there is no currency in this world. Instead there are services and goods like rare foods, clothing, supplies, weapons, etc. One is considered wealthy if they carry a bow with arrows (which would be very primitive) because arrows break and can be lost.

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Drums of the Serengeti


Artwork

I now have a decent artwork program (yay!) with proper layering options... So if you saw the art in my previous shop and were sitting there going "They're nice... But OH GOD THE PIXELS!", well, no more. :3 The lines will be nice and smooth and all that good stuff. However, I felt I should give slightly better examples, so here you go! The first stage of all the artwork is the drum one uses to summon it. It is ALWAYS a snare for males, and ALWAYS a tall drum for females. (these are not currently shown.) The big difference is the markings and trinkets. Then it evolves into an infant or child stage, and grows from there.

I also have (waiting) Dragons and possibly elephants. What is shown is all of the basic male and female poses for the Zebra, Golden Jackal, Cobra, Cheetah and Bushbaby. If anyone else has suggestions (Preferably not lions because there's too many lion shops out there) as to what other animals I should add... Pipe up! I'm also looking at adding Servals, Bat Eared Foxes and Pangolins if there's any interest in them.

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Drums of the Serengeti


Pricing

Currently, the price for flatsales will be 5K. Most animals have four stages. Drum->Infant->Adolecant->Adult. Non-growing animals will be 1.5K no mater what.

Since the shop isn't open yet, I'm only accepting bribes. So if you REALLY want one... Make me a serious offer. XD

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Drums of the Serengeti

Affiliate

Big Banner; 500px X 150px

[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/t.45657751/][img]http://tinyurl.com/DotS500x150[/img][/url]

Medium Banner; 200px X 40px

[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/t.45657751/][img]http://tinyurl.com/DotS200x40[/img][/url]

Small Banner; 88px X 31px

[url=http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/t.45657751/][img]http://tinyurl.com/DotS88x31[/img][/url]

Links Out

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Drums of the Serengeti

Other

So I'm looking for a good Cert. I have a cert that I made, but it kind of sucks. D:
There's not a whole lot of requirements. It has to have an african theme, and two drums on the right side (A djembe-style and a snare-style). I would love the mid-ground where the animal sits to be some sort of pretty landscape surrounded by a nice border (Think Soquili). Somewhere across the top it should say "Drums of the Serengeti". Then on the left it should have room for the following information:

Name:
Gender:
Species:
Owner:
Shaman:
Date of Birth:
Stage:

Gender can be a symbol easy enough.... And I would love two or more different backgrounds for the cert (one grassy-ish, and one forest-ish, but more would be awesome).

The prize? One animal of your choice, fully growing with custom colors and possible line-art edits. In fact... If you ask VERY nicely, I might even make it an animal from Africa of your choice (As long as it's neither a lion or hyenna because those are extra-special of plotful d00m) and draw a whole new set of line art. But that's only if I completely fall in love with the cert and it has the whole "multiple backgrounds" thing... So here we go!

CERTIST FORM

[size=18][color=violet][b]I AM AN OBNOXIOUSLY COLORED CERT FORM![/b][/color][/size]
[b]Username[/b]:
[b]Cert[/b]: (Watermarks are allowed for samples)
[b]Can you do more backgrounds for the cert at a later date?[/b]:

I'm also looking for one (maybe more) COLORIST! biggrin Lineartists are great too if you are one. The only artistic requirement I have is that you are able to open up .XCF files which will be e-mailed to you. Don't know what that is? It's the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) files. GIMP is a FREE art program that you can download HERE. It's very similar to Photoshop, so if you've used PS, you'd be fine. Also, please only shade the artwork if you edit it, and use a soft style, not a cel style. biggrin I have shading templates, and want them all to match.
Aside from that, lurking in the thread, being active, and being here for events are the other things. The common-sense things that keep the shop going. Thankies!

Here are the lines for you to color! No sticky paws, mind you!


COLORIST FORM

[size=18][color=violet][b]I AM AN OBNOXIOUSLY COLORED [color=yellow]COLORIST[color=violet] FORM![/b][/color][/size]
[b]Username[/b]:
[b]Colored Examples[/b]:
[b]Other shop examples[/b]:
[b]Can Has Edits?[/b]: (If you can, show some examples?)
[b]Shops you've worked at[/b]
[i]Current:[/i]
[i]Past:[/i]
[b]Anything else?[/b]:

Payment is as follows!
Seventy five percent of Customs and Breedings
Fifty percent of Flatsales, Auctions and Raffles.

One free pet a month for yourself
One ADDITIONAL free pet every six months for a friend.
Three custom slots a month.
One breeding slot a month.
Twenty-five percent raise after a couple months of work.

That's it! Have fun!

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Drums of the Serengeti

-Applicants-

Princess Vempyremon

I AM AN OBNOXIOUSLY COLORED COLORIST FORM!
Username: Princess Vempyremon
Colored Examples: [CLICK]
Other shop examples: [Failed Shop Application], [Grave Guardians], [Own Shop :B]
Can Has Edits?: [Isle of Tiansha], [Grave Guardian Ghost Custom]
Shops you've worked at
Current: USSR (my own xD), Grave Guardians, Realm of Dragons, Apple Heart Kirin
Past: N/A
Anything else?: ... o_o I are can be drawing. (Dont ask >> )

"]

Navywolf

Sweet. :3
The whole rolling-for-customs and stuff makes me excited, for some reason. Like I has power. razz

I AM AN OBNOXIOUSLY COLORED COLORIST FORM!
Username: Navywolf
Colored Examples: [X]
Other shop examples: [X] <--- Note that I only did pixel because it was the limits of what I could do. However, now I can do smooth coloring. ^^
Can Has Edits?: Yes! Mostly only small ones, though. [X]
Shops you've worked at
Current: Skies of the Savanna
Past: Canus Island
Anything else?: It might take me a bit of time to get around to doing a pet or pets, but I usually do all the stages as one time, and do a lot at one sitting. Hope that's okay. smile

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