10-25-2009, 08:11 PM
First and foremost: Tell us about yourself, as a player:
I have been RP'ing since I was 8 years old, starting off as a tag-along to a friend's old, pencil and paper, orange-boxed, wax-diced, D&D Basic game. And have been hooked ever since. That was about 33 years ago. As a player, I am the type that wants everyone to have fun, even if it means playing a supporting role to someone else or helping them along with their story lines. After all, in my view, the point of gaming is to have fun, or else, what's the point, right?
What country do you come from? What is your primary language?:
I come from the US of A, California in the East Bay, to be precise. And English is my primary language, though I am trying to absorb the Rosetta Stone course to learn Japanese and Tagalog, but don't hold out much hope for success.
How did you get into Warcraft?:
One of my former friends was a fanatical vanilla-WoW player and was always spending her time in the game instead of our usual RP times, so she brought me into it and I played for about 6 months or so until finances made me quit.
What made you seek our server over others?:
I started looking for free servers, but all the ones I kept finding kept focusing on PvP and I don't like that much because I am not good at those kinds of things and it holds no interest for me either because it is like playing Hack-n-Slash D&D. No substance. When I read the reviews for this server, I was hooked by the strong RP aspect of the feel.
What kinds of roleplay do you enjoy?:
Actually, in my 33+ year tenure as a RPer, I have played possibly every game, at least once, of a table top gaming bent. I love the character development of good, free-form RP. Story driven. On the normal retail-WoW game, I found like-minded souls and we formed a group that explored the world in the game, finding small niches hidden away in remote, out of the way places to call our own and develop backgrounds, stories, relationships, friendships, etc.
What is your favorite race/class? Why?:
Honestly, I don't have a favorite class yet, I only got to try a few before I had to stop playing, but in that time, I tried playing as many of them as I could and got to the max level of Hunter right before having to quit. I think my favorite races are the elven races, this is a hold-over from my D&D days and most games I prefer them because of the depth of background and the fantasy aspect they lend to almost all RP genres.
What are your expectations of this server?:
From all that I have read and absorbed, my expectations are pretty high that I will find the kindred spirits of real RPers here. I want to see how Orgrak the Tauren (made up names for example purposes) deals with the loss of his parents when he was just a child. I want to see why Telemar the Blood Elf's magic seems to bring him sadness instead of elation. I want to experience depth and feel in the characters I share the world with.. not just stats on a character screen.
Out of all of our rules and regulations listed on our server, which appeals to you the most?:
Respect for others is a key issue for me. We're trying to build a shared story here, a place of like minds, like fantasy, and a place where we all have fun. As a free form player most of my life, this form of RP is based entirely on respect of other players and characters and the responsibility each player has to enrich the experience they are part of, not detract from it. Respecting others leads to self respect and the respect of your fellow players.
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!:
((Okay, this is a story of an RP character I play in a free form RP area named Tru, and his first realization that the woman he met three days prior and had become best friends with was his soul-mate and knowing this, even if she didn't know it yet.
Which, later, she does come to realize this. Hope you like it.))
He hadn't been in the West End in years, not since he had left in a drug induced haze, but that was as far back as he could remember, just before leaving home to find the help and support he needed to kick the addiction.
Now, he had been back a month and met Mira, she seemed really nice. Then he had gone to the inn one night and met Aja. He'd never known anyone as easy-going and accepting as Aja. Other people treated him like a child, or a buffoon, but not Aja, never Aja. She seemed to instinctively understand what his damaged brain meant to say.
He felt bad sometimes, going to the inn with Mira and finding himself looking forward to seeing Aja again instead. He knew she was becoming his best friend, but he hadn't known just how truly special she was until that third day after their first meeting...
He arrived at the bustling marketplace a few minutes after leaving the inn, still in a dazed state. His mind was filled with images of her...
Aja.
They had become fast friends, he knew they would. They connected on a primal level he couldn't even put to words, something so natural it actually scared him to think about it. They would become best friends and that just strengthened the surety of his present feelings.
He swung a leg over the rise of the saddle and dismounted his horse, his pack shrugged higher on a shoulder before he started into the teeming crowds of afternoon shoppers at the marketplace.
He felt a twinge of guilt about the feelings Aja created in him, since he had been dating Mira for a short while. Mira was a good woman and he didn't see how he could hurt her that way, but he couldn't deny the feelings he experienced whenever he saw Aja. He knew in his soul, what the feelings really meant. He had no memory of his past until a few months ago, but he knew Aja, at least he knew what she represented, even to his lost life, the missing piece of himself.
He deftly skirted the passing shoppers, the feeling of anxiety was growing with each thought of Aja, every laugh, every smile, every word she spoke to him... he knew he loved her, even if that thought, once again, punched him in the gut to remind him of Mira and his commitment he had already made to their relationship. He would not betray Mira, in action, as he was in feeling and thought, but he could no less ignore Aja than he could his own heartbeat, or his next breath. Each of these things was critical to his very survival.
He paused in the middle of the wanderings, brushing silvery-white hair back from his face with a lifted hand, eyes falling on the many kiosks and shops. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for yet, but he knew he had to come here and let instincts direct him... which it did when his eyes fell on a dirty alley between two shops, tucked away in shadow and disuse.
He turned on a booted heel and headed into that alleyway, narrow and dusty. It twisted and turned between buildings like a snake with a case of severe scoliosis, until the alleyway ended at a run-down kiosk, not in sight of anyone that could possibly be shopping. Eyes swept over the broken down cart and the kindly looking, elderly elf that sat on a stool behind it. Even by elf standards, the woman looked ancient.
The elven woman lifted her gaze to Tru, her eyes a milky white over what were once eyes the blue color of a summer sky, a smile dawning.
"Oh, my dear boy, you startled an old lady†She said with open amusement.
"Oh... um... sorry, miss, I didn't mean to." He said with a bit of embarrassment.
"I just...saw this alleyway and it seemed curious, so I came exploring and found you. May I ask why you are back here alone instead of out in the marketplace?"
The old woman seemed to stare right through her young counterpart.
“Oh, that place is too busy for my liking. Are you searching for something, dear boy?"
"Huh? Oh... yeah, no... I mean... I don't know, really." He rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing what he was feeling... or worse, knowing and not able to express it.
"There's this woman... a human woman... I think she's... um... I want to find a gift for her... I think."
He was talking like a flustered schoolboy, eyes darting to the old woman, expecting she thinks he's some mentally challenged fool, but he came up short as her smile conveyed an understanding he had not expected.
"Perhaps... a ring?" The old woman said with an apparent understanding.
"A ring?" He said with a blink. A ring. Two rings. That was the missing piece. He hadn't known how to express the feelings that were threatening to swell his heart to the breaking point with... love... for her... Aja. He looked more closely at the old woman; she knew what he had wanted already, but how.
"She is special, is she not?" She asked, with seeming lightness and a tone of light conversation.
He just nodded, quietly, watching the ancient elf.
"And she's human, something special. Something to show her how you feel?" She said with a questioning tone as she started to stand, though it was like she was asking more as a way to tell Tru what he needed to think rather than being curious.
"Yes... do you sell things like that?" He asked, He didn't know what to think now, the old woman seemed nice and friendly, but like she was part of some inside joke even he wasn't privy to.
The old woman started rummaging through what looked to be old pieces of garbage and randomly collected items and pulled out a small, scratched up box.
“As a mater of fact, I have this little item, but it isn't cheap, my boy.†Her voice was soft and full of life and meaning now as she held out the box to Tru.
He took the box, looking it over curiously. He opened it to see the pair of rings that rested within, a set of pewter rings carved to resemble twining branches, one large, and one small. He looked back to the old elf and raised a brow.
“These are special?†He asked, not truly understanding why the old woman believed them to be special enough for Aja.
“Indeed they are.†She replied. “For the male's ring is as ordinary as it looks, but the other ring, it holds the key to your happiness and that of your human woman.â€Â
“What do you mean? It looks like a normal ring†He said, looking back at the pair of rings, turning it this way and that.
“These rings are called the Rings of Nature's Love. While she wears it, the elements spare her most of their wrath, wounds hold but a fraction of their full danger… and while she wears it, time ceases to hold sway over her aging. She will be forever young.†The old woman concluded, her voice had dropped to a soft whisper.
“You… you mean…†He swallowed. “These… are bonding rings, for elves to humans. Aja..I mean she...“ He stammered. All the feelings he had been trying so hard to pin down, to identify, to embrace, came into sharp focus with the woman's words, her meaning, she believed Aja to be his soulmate, the other piece of himself… and his heart knew it to be true. Aja was the one he had been waiting for his entire life and now he had found her without even meaning to, and only three days had passed since he met her.
“May I buy them?†He said, almost a whisper.
“Of course, my boy, but they are a valuable gift.†She said, her meaning clear.
He set the box gingerly on her cart and unshouldered his pack and pulled out a sack of gems, the result of a lifetime of saving and the sale of everything he owned before coming to the marketplace. His horse and one other item were all that remained of his worldly possessions.
“I am afraid this is not enough, child.†She said. Her voice was almost sad. “Have you nothing more?â€Â
“I…†He began. He swallowed and reached to the necklace he wore around his neck and pulled it up, out from beneath his shirt. At the end of the chain hung another ring, this one as simple as one could imagine, made of beaten silver and the size of a woman's ring finger. He unclasped the necklace and held it, and the ring, in his palm for a long minute.
He knew Aja three days.
He knew next to nothing about her.
He knew he had almost no chance to win her love...
...He knew she was The One.
She was the answer to a lifetime of searching and dreaming. He didn't know how, he just knew. So he gently placed the ring and necklace on the gemstones.
“I…was told this ring belonged to my mother, I don't remember her... but it's all I have left; please accept this as payment enough. If this ring will keep her by my side for the remainder of *my* lifetime, I must have it… please. I will do anything you ask.†His own voice had dropped to almost nothing. He had not realized how important these rings had already become to him, to his future.
The old woman stared at the young elf for what seemed an eternity, then, nodded. “Consider payment given in full, my young romantic.†She scooped up the pile of gems and the necklace and ring and put them beneath the edge of the cart, pushing the box toward Tru.
His eyes lit up and he slowly took the box, a smile growing. “Thank you, elder, I will never forget this.â€Â
“No, I don't think you ever will. Cherish your bonds, young romantic, you have an eternity to share with her now.†She replied, almost whimsically, before she took labors to sit once more on the old crate she had used as a chair before he had come along.
He looked at the box again and closed both hands around it, his eyes closing and imagining the possibilities if he could only now win Aja's heart and soul. He opened his eyes and almost ran out of the alleyway, in the direction he came, he had vows yet to compose for the day he would marry her, the day he was already now picturing in his dreams.
Is there anything else you would like to add, ask, or otherwise clarify?:
I just hope I can learn enough of the WoW world and culture quickly and thoroughly enough to add to, instead of take away from, the flavor and story of this world I am about to hopefully join.
I have been RP'ing since I was 8 years old, starting off as a tag-along to a friend's old, pencil and paper, orange-boxed, wax-diced, D&D Basic game. And have been hooked ever since. That was about 33 years ago. As a player, I am the type that wants everyone to have fun, even if it means playing a supporting role to someone else or helping them along with their story lines. After all, in my view, the point of gaming is to have fun, or else, what's the point, right?
What country do you come from? What is your primary language?:
I come from the US of A, California in the East Bay, to be precise. And English is my primary language, though I am trying to absorb the Rosetta Stone course to learn Japanese and Tagalog, but don't hold out much hope for success.
How did you get into Warcraft?:
One of my former friends was a fanatical vanilla-WoW player and was always spending her time in the game instead of our usual RP times, so she brought me into it and I played for about 6 months or so until finances made me quit.
What made you seek our server over others?:
I started looking for free servers, but all the ones I kept finding kept focusing on PvP and I don't like that much because I am not good at those kinds of things and it holds no interest for me either because it is like playing Hack-n-Slash D&D. No substance. When I read the reviews for this server, I was hooked by the strong RP aspect of the feel.
What kinds of roleplay do you enjoy?:
Actually, in my 33+ year tenure as a RPer, I have played possibly every game, at least once, of a table top gaming bent. I love the character development of good, free-form RP. Story driven. On the normal retail-WoW game, I found like-minded souls and we formed a group that explored the world in the game, finding small niches hidden away in remote, out of the way places to call our own and develop backgrounds, stories, relationships, friendships, etc.
What is your favorite race/class? Why?:
Honestly, I don't have a favorite class yet, I only got to try a few before I had to stop playing, but in that time, I tried playing as many of them as I could and got to the max level of Hunter right before having to quit. I think my favorite races are the elven races, this is a hold-over from my D&D days and most games I prefer them because of the depth of background and the fantasy aspect they lend to almost all RP genres.
What are your expectations of this server?:
From all that I have read and absorbed, my expectations are pretty high that I will find the kindred spirits of real RPers here. I want to see how Orgrak the Tauren (made up names for example purposes) deals with the loss of his parents when he was just a child. I want to see why Telemar the Blood Elf's magic seems to bring him sadness instead of elation. I want to experience depth and feel in the characters I share the world with.. not just stats on a character screen.
Out of all of our rules and regulations listed on our server, which appeals to you the most?:
Respect for others is a key issue for me. We're trying to build a shared story here, a place of like minds, like fantasy, and a place where we all have fun. As a free form player most of my life, this form of RP is based entirely on respect of other players and characters and the responsibility each player has to enrich the experience they are part of, not detract from it. Respecting others leads to self respect and the respect of your fellow players.
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!:
((Okay, this is a story of an RP character I play in a free form RP area named Tru, and his first realization that the woman he met three days prior and had become best friends with was his soul-mate and knowing this, even if she didn't know it yet.
Which, later, she does come to realize this. Hope you like it.))He hadn't been in the West End in years, not since he had left in a drug induced haze, but that was as far back as he could remember, just before leaving home to find the help and support he needed to kick the addiction.
Now, he had been back a month and met Mira, she seemed really nice. Then he had gone to the inn one night and met Aja. He'd never known anyone as easy-going and accepting as Aja. Other people treated him like a child, or a buffoon, but not Aja, never Aja. She seemed to instinctively understand what his damaged brain meant to say.
He felt bad sometimes, going to the inn with Mira and finding himself looking forward to seeing Aja again instead. He knew she was becoming his best friend, but he hadn't known just how truly special she was until that third day after their first meeting...
He arrived at the bustling marketplace a few minutes after leaving the inn, still in a dazed state. His mind was filled with images of her...
Aja.
They had become fast friends, he knew they would. They connected on a primal level he couldn't even put to words, something so natural it actually scared him to think about it. They would become best friends and that just strengthened the surety of his present feelings.
He swung a leg over the rise of the saddle and dismounted his horse, his pack shrugged higher on a shoulder before he started into the teeming crowds of afternoon shoppers at the marketplace.
He felt a twinge of guilt about the feelings Aja created in him, since he had been dating Mira for a short while. Mira was a good woman and he didn't see how he could hurt her that way, but he couldn't deny the feelings he experienced whenever he saw Aja. He knew in his soul, what the feelings really meant. He had no memory of his past until a few months ago, but he knew Aja, at least he knew what she represented, even to his lost life, the missing piece of himself.
He deftly skirted the passing shoppers, the feeling of anxiety was growing with each thought of Aja, every laugh, every smile, every word she spoke to him... he knew he loved her, even if that thought, once again, punched him in the gut to remind him of Mira and his commitment he had already made to their relationship. He would not betray Mira, in action, as he was in feeling and thought, but he could no less ignore Aja than he could his own heartbeat, or his next breath. Each of these things was critical to his very survival.
He paused in the middle of the wanderings, brushing silvery-white hair back from his face with a lifted hand, eyes falling on the many kiosks and shops. He didn't know exactly what he was looking for yet, but he knew he had to come here and let instincts direct him... which it did when his eyes fell on a dirty alley between two shops, tucked away in shadow and disuse.
He turned on a booted heel and headed into that alleyway, narrow and dusty. It twisted and turned between buildings like a snake with a case of severe scoliosis, until the alleyway ended at a run-down kiosk, not in sight of anyone that could possibly be shopping. Eyes swept over the broken down cart and the kindly looking, elderly elf that sat on a stool behind it. Even by elf standards, the woman looked ancient.
The elven woman lifted her gaze to Tru, her eyes a milky white over what were once eyes the blue color of a summer sky, a smile dawning.
"Oh, my dear boy, you startled an old lady†She said with open amusement.
"Oh... um... sorry, miss, I didn't mean to." He said with a bit of embarrassment.
"I just...saw this alleyway and it seemed curious, so I came exploring and found you. May I ask why you are back here alone instead of out in the marketplace?"
The old woman seemed to stare right through her young counterpart.
“Oh, that place is too busy for my liking. Are you searching for something, dear boy?"
"Huh? Oh... yeah, no... I mean... I don't know, really." He rubbed the back of his neck, not knowing what he was feeling... or worse, knowing and not able to express it.
"There's this woman... a human woman... I think she's... um... I want to find a gift for her... I think."
He was talking like a flustered schoolboy, eyes darting to the old woman, expecting she thinks he's some mentally challenged fool, but he came up short as her smile conveyed an understanding he had not expected.
"Perhaps... a ring?" The old woman said with an apparent understanding.
"A ring?" He said with a blink. A ring. Two rings. That was the missing piece. He hadn't known how to express the feelings that were threatening to swell his heart to the breaking point with... love... for her... Aja. He looked more closely at the old woman; she knew what he had wanted already, but how.
"She is special, is she not?" She asked, with seeming lightness and a tone of light conversation.
He just nodded, quietly, watching the ancient elf.
"And she's human, something special. Something to show her how you feel?" She said with a questioning tone as she started to stand, though it was like she was asking more as a way to tell Tru what he needed to think rather than being curious.
"Yes... do you sell things like that?" He asked, He didn't know what to think now, the old woman seemed nice and friendly, but like she was part of some inside joke even he wasn't privy to.
The old woman started rummaging through what looked to be old pieces of garbage and randomly collected items and pulled out a small, scratched up box.
“As a mater of fact, I have this little item, but it isn't cheap, my boy.†Her voice was soft and full of life and meaning now as she held out the box to Tru.
He took the box, looking it over curiously. He opened it to see the pair of rings that rested within, a set of pewter rings carved to resemble twining branches, one large, and one small. He looked back to the old elf and raised a brow.
“These are special?†He asked, not truly understanding why the old woman believed them to be special enough for Aja.
“Indeed they are.†She replied. “For the male's ring is as ordinary as it looks, but the other ring, it holds the key to your happiness and that of your human woman.â€Â
“What do you mean? It looks like a normal ring†He said, looking back at the pair of rings, turning it this way and that.
“These rings are called the Rings of Nature's Love. While she wears it, the elements spare her most of their wrath, wounds hold but a fraction of their full danger… and while she wears it, time ceases to hold sway over her aging. She will be forever young.†The old woman concluded, her voice had dropped to a soft whisper.
“You… you mean…†He swallowed. “These… are bonding rings, for elves to humans. Aja..I mean she...“ He stammered. All the feelings he had been trying so hard to pin down, to identify, to embrace, came into sharp focus with the woman's words, her meaning, she believed Aja to be his soulmate, the other piece of himself… and his heart knew it to be true. Aja was the one he had been waiting for his entire life and now he had found her without even meaning to, and only three days had passed since he met her.
“May I buy them?†He said, almost a whisper.
“Of course, my boy, but they are a valuable gift.†She said, her meaning clear.
He set the box gingerly on her cart and unshouldered his pack and pulled out a sack of gems, the result of a lifetime of saving and the sale of everything he owned before coming to the marketplace. His horse and one other item were all that remained of his worldly possessions.
“I am afraid this is not enough, child.†She said. Her voice was almost sad. “Have you nothing more?â€Â
“I…†He began. He swallowed and reached to the necklace he wore around his neck and pulled it up, out from beneath his shirt. At the end of the chain hung another ring, this one as simple as one could imagine, made of beaten silver and the size of a woman's ring finger. He unclasped the necklace and held it, and the ring, in his palm for a long minute.
He knew Aja three days.
He knew next to nothing about her.
He knew he had almost no chance to win her love...
...He knew she was The One.
She was the answer to a lifetime of searching and dreaming. He didn't know how, he just knew. So he gently placed the ring and necklace on the gemstones.
“I…was told this ring belonged to my mother, I don't remember her... but it's all I have left; please accept this as payment enough. If this ring will keep her by my side for the remainder of *my* lifetime, I must have it… please. I will do anything you ask.†His own voice had dropped to almost nothing. He had not realized how important these rings had already become to him, to his future.
The old woman stared at the young elf for what seemed an eternity, then, nodded. “Consider payment given in full, my young romantic.†She scooped up the pile of gems and the necklace and ring and put them beneath the edge of the cart, pushing the box toward Tru.
His eyes lit up and he slowly took the box, a smile growing. “Thank you, elder, I will never forget this.â€Â
“No, I don't think you ever will. Cherish your bonds, young romantic, you have an eternity to share with her now.†She replied, almost whimsically, before she took labors to sit once more on the old crate she had used as a chair before he had come along.
He looked at the box again and closed both hands around it, his eyes closing and imagining the possibilities if he could only now win Aja's heart and soul. He opened his eyes and almost ran out of the alleyway, in the direction he came, he had vows yet to compose for the day he would marry her, the day he was already now picturing in his dreams.
Is there anything else you would like to add, ask, or otherwise clarify?:
I just hope I can learn enough of the WoW world and culture quickly and thoroughly enough to add to, instead of take away from, the flavor and story of this world I am about to hopefully join.