Quick Start Online

If you only read one whole page, read this one and then be open to us explaining how things work to you as we go along.

Discord

Here's a quick start to joining us on our Discord server, the place where we chat online. You can ask us any questions if you find that easier than reading here. We also have a voice channel there. Discord is free to register but you will need an email address to join. As well as chatting about the project, we do some text-based online roleplay there. Players must be 18+ because we play characters who have adult relationships. Click here for more detailed info about Discord
Click here to go directly to our Discord server

The Experience

Over the course of a year, we'll be gathering online and in person, on several British and Nordic islands, to bring to life a fictional place called Skylark Island. At first, participants imagine the island and her community in theory. Some will create characters to play, online and/or in person. Along the way, we start weaving all those things around a simple core narrative: the coming of age of Kai Skylark, and the associated traditional celebration. We're heading for an eventual gathering in-person (and accessible online) where characters come to life and we can all be in the room for the event, as participants and/or spectators. Click here for more detail about the core story and the experience

The Story World

The setting is a small Northern European island community that used to number about 300 people, but has dwindled to almost half that now. They live in a dated way that is somewhere between the 1950s and 1970s. A few do have access to contemporary technology (partly so we can use Zoom for access purposes) but most of them embrace the traditional and have more old-fashioned ideas and ways, with this notable exception: they are a diverse community and they embrace diversity in almost every area, except for the way they feel about those who come from other islands in the archipelago, and those who come from the mainland. Click here for a YouTube playlist that will give you an idea of the feel of the community, or watch the short videos on this page. Click here for more detailed info about the world of the story

Creating a Character

You can create any kind of character who would be part of, or visit, a community like that. Their main industry is making tartan fabric called broadcloth, so choices include shepherds, weavers, and there's also a small but thriving fishing industry. If you're not sure, you can ask us. Hop into the #chat-and-questions channel to say hi, and tell us the basics of your character so we can point you in a few useful directions and use our characters to get you going more comfortably. If you want to weave your character into the history and existing community, use the links at the side to read some basics - or you can just come and ask us. It's also fine to just jump in with a visitor who knows very little. Click here for more detailed info about characters

How We Roleplay

It’s not about event - event - event, it’s about character interaction. Roleplaying between people to create relationships, which creates the story.
— player Beatrix Livesey-Stephens

We don't use a strict rule system or dice. This is freeform roleplay, or improvised writing. We take turns to write dialogue and/or descriptive prose, as if we were writing a novel together, but we only write our own characters. Reading one of the play channels will give you the idea of it, and you can give it a go without risk of breaking it. If one or more of the people participating feels that what they've written is not quite working for some reason, we usually stop and have a chat about it. Everyone involved can agree to draw a line and write something again a different way. We might have pre-arranged times when we roleplay collectively, but you're welcome to hop into the Discord anytime to see who's around, or to write something solo. We expect all participants to have continuous regard for the comfort of others. Please give considered content warnings wherever possible. If you encounter something that makes you feel uncomfortable, please communicate that to us in whatever way is easiest for you: by email, or in the #chat-and-questions Discord channel, or privately via any method to someone you feel comfortable talking to about it. Click here for more detailed info about how we roleplay
Click here for more about our Rules of Participation There's a lot more information on this website, but you can join us and play without reading any of it.