How have we seen this at Myriad: in truth, Rowan's discussion of themes showed just these sorts of activities happening. William and Ian moved into Davydd and Edward, who were NPCs referred to in a document and in William's memory, Edward appearing in a single (!) wack of a scene 7 years ago, eventually leading to London being built, and threads on politics, sexuality, NPCs in Spain, Switzerland, Italy, earlier life RP.. well, it goes on. Let's take a detail looked at Edward for a moment, and a few events.

Edward literally was part of The Twelve, a bg element in Will's history. Edward appeared in a single scene (leaf) on a previous mush, but in truth, that was it. I played him more for William's IC need/story at the time. Edward's mentioned in passing ICly as doing things in France (still related to William) and London, but is seen again in a series of scenes, a set tendril, sorta, where again William is the focus -- about changes happening to William and in William's life. William is in London, meets Davydd and Edward, and goes for a drink that results in a bar brawl and a strange discussion on homosexuality as Edward is forced to react to William and Edward's realization of what's gone on in William's life.

Edward's seen again in another series of scenes, each set self-contained, but run parallel to William's increasingly public relationship with Ian, with Davydd's questioning his awareness and role over the centuries, and the trio's interconnectedness with supernatural politics. Edward soon develops his own storyline (because it did not exist before then), when he makes a simple choice, taking cues from his friends. Looking back now, William, Davydd, and Edward's scenes and arcs have reached a point, only recently (say like in the last damned month??), where some leaves and tendrils are twined together enough to grow somewhere else. Where that is, I cannot say yet, but with the recent inclusion of others (Ian, Fiona, Isabella and Hafwen) it may be moving towards some more deep-rooted discussion that's mush-wide.

In truth, if I cared, we could sit and literally map (thanks to the site) each of Edward's leaves, where sets of leaves became tendrils in a series of arcs, and then where those arcs started to form vines (say with the introduction of Valan Montague). Beyond that, well that's sorta where Edward is now, I think. However, it is a way of discussion Edward's character changes AND his story with respect to other stories and meta-stories at Myriad. When we speak of Edward, it may be asked: are we talking this part of the story? This aspect? His personal aspect, or his political stance? This set of scenes, this tendril or we talking viewing him with respect to large stories about change?

In addition, it also means, that a precise discussion about being stuck can be had, if Edward became so: where is he stuck? In a leaf? That's fixable. In the thread of how he's handling Davydd telling him x-information? Or the larger story of the Brujah trying to choose mediocrity or glory...where does being the iconoclast lead him? It sure helps to find problem areas when you can identify exactly the problem area that needs tending...and then give it a name, and ask others for assistance.

Mapping is essential in this sort of space: if all we cared about were individual scenes, how would Myriad be different than the scene-desperate-driven pickup-RP found at any mush, at any day? If Myriad has an element of writing stories from an organic set of precepts, is everything coincidence and serendipity? Or does such a space with a limiting factor of individuals tending to generate scenes and themes one that cannot help but be related in complex connections?

And if they are (or aren't), doesn't it behoove us to take a moment and help the environment along...we are all storytellers and narrators and writers and wizards in this exercise.

In the end, not all things are equal. Not all scenes and leaves portend something. Not everything is a damned tendril, vine. And some stuff shouldn't be. By the same token, it's not hard to do, to look broadly, and attack locally, with a little larger visualization. Look over at the person next to you and their part of the garden. What can you grow in that direction?