A General Prologue.

[Xional]

Tell us about yourself, as a player:
Howdy hey. I'm not going to give my life story (you all know you don't care), plus the question emphasises “as a player”, so I'll spit my dogma from a player's perspective.
Like most, I'm more of an on-off WoW gamer than what some would consider hardcore – I recently went through a one year spurt of not touching the game, before beginning a stint of Youtube WotLK-Raid watching, at which point I decided, “hell, why not try it again.” Suffice to say, I don't regret it at all. I'm not a raider myself, hence watching the videos (call it insecurity, call it compensating, what have you) – I've always been more of a “MMO to bash things and make good jokes” kinda' guy.

What country do you come from? What is your primary language?:
I currently live in England, and have done so for a good 7 years. Originally I'm from South Africa, but my primary language has always been English.

How did you get into Warcraft?:
Heh, you may laugh at this: My Grandmother.
My grandmother actually had Warcraft 1, God knows why, and I used to love it. Something just mesmerized me; I couldn't get enough. I was bought Warcraft 3 when it came out, and I guess that's where the fanaticism began.
When reading through some of the other applications here on the forum, I noticed one of the guys said that he “nerd-gasmed” when he heard about WoW; I gotta say, that's one of the best descriptions of the feeling I've ever heard. It was just the perfect concept of a game, and I've loved every second since purchase.

What made you seek our server over others?:
I read about it, had a spare hour, so did some further research. I read the forum, all the rules and policies, and I must say: I fall more in love by the minute. The rigorous screening process each new applicant must face and survive inevitably means that the only players are those worth playing with, if you know what I mean, and that's just an awesome thought. To see someone in-game, and not have to go through the usual process of “okay, is this guy a Leet fool? Is he going to gank me for no reason? Does he speed-hack? Does he have ridiculously overpowered donor items that'll ruin the game for me?”… those are my generic Private-Server thoughts, and to be honest, the bane of my WoW-Life.

What kinds of roleplay do you enjoy?:
Pairs. I love roleplay in pairs. Big groups become unruly – when there's no higher goal or authoritative force, which there often isn't, I find large group roleplay deteriorates into a mess of /say and /emote, when there's no real clear situation or event. Roleplay as a duo or even a trio allows for a much more sensible, measured, immersive environment, I find, and I simply prefer it. Plus it allows for more in-depth character portrayal, as the moments are generally more intimate (in a personal, not sexual, sense).

What is your favorite race/class? Why?:
I can't pin my favourite race down – I find each great in it's own right, obviously – if they weren't all diverse and interesting, Blizzard simply wouldn't have included them. If forced, I'd argue I'm a Tauren man at heart: the strength of each Tribal bond the Tauren seem to share really captures my spirit. As silly as it may seem to read me writing this, I am quite loyal to those I call my friends.

What are your expectations of this server?:
Can't say I have any. I'd hate to expect too much and be disappointed, just as I'd find it great to expect nothing and be absolutely thrilled.

Out of all of our rules and regulations listed on our server, which appeals to you the most?:
It's got to be the keyboard skills rule, to be honest. The amount of times I've wanted to wring the neck of “wtf”, “omg”, “roflcopter” and “plz rez me prist” speakers, on however many servers I've been on, is simply insane. If you don't find me worthy of a full sentence, I don't find you worthy of attention. Simple as that.
(I don't mean to come across as arrogant, but I'm not submitting on that. I take this very seriously.)

Lastly, tell us a story! It can be short, it can be long; but most importantly, we want to see your work in action. Go!:

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“Death is cold; empty.
It's the end to which all beginnings lead, and the beginning of the ending of all.
I don't need to spell this out, we all know it.
We all know that life isn't fair: it doesn't care – it arbitrarily cuts off your air. Life is ghost in the machine of existence, rearing its ugly head only to force innocent eyes to look at a barren, hostile world where both your best friend and your worst enemy are your sense of identity and reason for being.
At least, that's what Solive tells me.”

*He stares deeply into his mug of ale, almost as if each bubble of froth offered a glimpse of another, happier time.*

“Poor girl,” he whispers quietly.

*His eyes wander slowly upwards, glazed. They pass over yours, catching you staring in confused silence at his mesmerized mumbling.*

“S-sorry, was far off for a second there – where was I? Oh yes, we were talking about the loss of your frog. Ergh. Look, I'm really sorry that Warty died. I'm sure that Kobold will rot in hell - especially after you took his candle despite his earnest requests that you cease - but don't you think it's just a little petty? It's a frog. I'll buy you another one tomorrow. How's that?”

*He sips from his mug, his tongue lapping from his mouth to catch a renegade slosh of froth that had attached itself to his beard.*

“It could've been worse: you could've lost your whole family. Like Solive did.”

*He looks at you, sternly.*

“Hey, don't pull a face: I realise that was an utterly crap line, horrendously clichéd and barely an acceptable way to bring a character into a story, but so what: I'm drunk, and I want to talk about her, so I'm going to. Okay? She's not all morbid lines and odes to death, she's actually a great female – plus, like me, she does love toying with irony a little, and that makes her worth speaking of.”

*He smiles. There is genuine warmth in it; a clear fondness for the owner of the name that drips so affectionately from his chapped lips. He is also, you realise, overtly smashed beyond wits end.*

“Her sarcasm was almost dreamlike. She used to make full grown Tauren men feel like children, simply by power of wordplay alone. Was entertaining, to say the least. Suffice to say, she doesn't really do it in a joking sense any more. Seems almost… crueller, now; like she does it to hurt feelings. I can't say I blame her. Life's been moreso a b***h to her, than to the rest of us. I moan, I complain, I whine, but deep down I know I've got it good, because I can sit down and count what I have: I have both my parents still alive and well, I have a home, I have a wife, I have a purpose – she has none of those things. All she has is a past.”

*The fluidity of which he spoke earlier seems to cease instantly. He seems unsure of what to say; of how to speak the thoughts and memories cascading into his mind.*

“I was with her, see… I mean… when she saw them. Him. I… when she saw the raiding party attack her father's gathering… the orcs were unarmed… the men were blood-crazed, shouting and yelling… I swear to the Gods, I saw a man giggle with delight as he cut down a young orphan waiting to be blessed…”

*His jaw opens and closes: words refusing to be spoken, thought refusing to be forgotten.*

“I'm sorry, I'm a fool. I don't honestly have a clue why I brought this up. It's just… I've been thinking about her all day. She's coming tonight, you know. She's passing through here. She sent word before her, asking if I could put her up for the night. She never stays in one place too long; I find it intriguing. I've offered her a permanent place in my home more times than I can count, but she always seems to refuse. A nomad, I guess. Like her family. Even in death, they guide her safely.”

*He sighs quietly, puts down his beer, and searches his wallet for a few silver coins. Finding enough for both his beer and yours, he pays with a silent nod to the bartender, bows to you, and leaves without another word.*

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Is there anything else you would like to add, ask, or otherwise clarify?:

Apologies for the shameful crow-barring in some of my story – I bit off more than I could chew by setting it as a conversation about someone between two others. I hope I didn't come across too badly.

Anyway, just two quick things:
The first, a question – I don't really understand the whole “two lives” thing… Dying is not allowed, basically? Or only dying while in a Roleplay situation?
If, persay, I was doing an instance run for some good-looking or relevant gear for future Roleplaying as a character, and doing the run In-Character, would dying (as is usual in an instance) mean I would have to reroll?
To me that would suggest that all characters have to live in a state of perpetual fear; every mistake could mean an end to the character you've spent however long trying to create.

The second point can be disregarded and ignored at will, it's simply idle flattery: whoever wrote the policies, rules, and main content of the site, is an absolute genius. The little comments and sarcastic asides made me smiles for a good hour or so. Just wanted to offer some kudos to he or she, whoever it may be.


Regards,
- Taylor.

P.S. Verdict be what it will, it was still fun writing this. Thanks.
Peace.

[Xional]

(Sorry for additional post - the large post was becoming clumsy and slow.)

I believe these details to be unimportant: to me, the character matters, not the generic variables, but I shall list them for the sake of convenience to any interested.
My character would be as follows:

Name : Solive
Gender : Female
Race : Orc
Class : Shaman

Again, regards,
- Me.

[Kaelvan]

Welcome to the server, Xional!

Awesome introduction, I must say. I really loved the story.

The first, a question – I don't really understand the whole “two lives” thing… Dying is not allowed, basically? Or only dying while in a Roleplay situation?
If, persay, I was doing an instance run for some good-looking or relevant gear for future Roleplaying as a character, and doing the run In-Character, would dying (as is usual in an instance) mean I would have to reroll?
To me that would suggest that all characters have to live in a state of perpetual fear; every mistake could mean an end to the character you've spent however long trying to create.

No. Dying OOCly from a mob or instance raid has -no- affect on your character ICly. Dying ICly is different. You can die one time and still be ressurected by someone that may find you or a party member. But you must make an IC post of it for GM's to look at. So you can die OOCly as many times as needbe. But you can only die and be ressurected once per character. I hope that helps.

The second point can be disregarded and ignored at will, it's simply idle flattery: whoever wrote the policies, rules, and main content of the site, is an absolute genius. The little comments and sarcastic asides made me smiles for a good hour or so. Just wanted to offer some kudos to he or she, whoever it may be.

Those would be our awesome GM's, plus the Kretmiester.

If I didn't explain it well enough, or you have any questions/comments. Drop me a PM.