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IC News travels slowly in Mizahar. Fortunately there is a constant stream of news from around campfires, from caravan to caravan and from merchants to merchants. Within this forum lies the best of the best of this talk. Also, within this forum, OOC news from the staff and players can be found. This forum requires all posts to be 'approved' by a Founder before they are displayed. So if you post within, be patient. Your post did display - it simply will not show to everyone until approved as actual 'news'. Please keep all Introductions, Status Updates, and various other discussions in their appropriate forums and leave this area for game news!
Keeping with our tradition, the Founders Circle and Regional Storytellers are proud to announce that the Featured Character of the Month, February 2014 is Matthew! Matthew is a very brilliant, somewhat emotionless male prostitute who has stolen our hearts. Let's congratulate him on his excellent character development with this fantastic award!
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The Interview
1. So to start, I’ll ask the question we’re all dying to know. What inspired you to write a male harlot? What influenced you in that decision?
When brainstorming for a character, I decided that I wanted to go completely out of my comfort zone. There are certain things I naturally feel uncomfortable writing about, but for no real reason. I wanted to expand myself as a writer, broaden my horizons, so I decided to find something I would normally be adverse to playing, research it, and then try to play it. Originally I was going to make him a wizard harlot (Auristics, Hypnotism, Projection, etc... use your imagination) but that seemed just a bit silly. It seemed to be too "casual" of a use for magic, though I still struggle with writing magic correctly. I decided instead to focus on a more social sort of character, the traditional pretty boy (though with intelligence) who has decided to become a harlot for private reasons of his own. A prostitute is something that I would never normally play, so I decided I had to play it. It also gave me an opportunity to take the traditionally handsome male (lots of models around) and give him a reason for being attractive. Then I had to research hair styles, cosmetics, and how to do all of this in Mizahar. It definitely broadened my knowledge, both as a person and a writer. 2. Following that, you’ve often said that before writing the character, you first conducted some extensive research. Share! Which novels did you read and which were most helpful? Which other sources did you use, if any?
I feel like I've mentioned that once or twice and you just know what sort of questions to ask. I had no idea how to write seduction or romance, so... well, I first did a little research online when it came to the actual act of sex. If a PC wanted advice or actually paid for his services, I wanted to be able to realistically portray a skilled harlot. As for romance and seduction, I actually went to Goodwill and purchased a romance novel. I don't even have it anymore, but I know it was part of a "Temptations" series. This is horribly embarrassing to remember. Anyways, I didn't know what I was in for. I assumed there was going to be a lot of romance and sultry scenes, but I didn't know exactly how graphic they would get. My wife gave me a lot of funny looks, but still proclaimed undying love for me. I'm a lucky man. I also bought two copies of Cosmepolitan so I could actually seem very knowledgable about sex when Matthew was asked about it, but found that the promises on the front cover are empty promises. So then I ran to the internet. So in summary, I did a lot of internet research and read two romance novels. The internet research felt the most handy, but the novels gave me an idea of how to write seduction in a way that didn't seem creepy or perverted, but actually sensual. I wanted to make sure people were comfortable RPing with Matthew, so I really worked on writing tastefully. I hope I have accomplished that. "Smut", as some people seem to call it, is handled in a vast variety of ways by different RPers. It has been interesting learning to play a character who is centered around it in a sense.
3. Now, onto Matthew’s past. Care to shed some light on the death of his sister? Give us the full story! Further, how do you think this event defined Matthew from an ethical standpoint?
Ah, his sister. I purposefully didn't put his sister into his public history, as I like some element of mystery. I don't think many people even know he had a sister. It was a really simple event, in my opinion. There was a trade caravan, the caravan had an accident, and we end up with Matthew hanging onto his sister as she is dangling off the side of a cliff. Completely happenstance. She, of course, is desperately holding on and trying to pull herself up. His parents are coming to help him, and screaming for him just to hold on. He is holding on, but in her desperation, she is starting to pull him down with her. In the space of a second or two, his highly logical mind processes the situation and comes to the conclusion that if he continues to hold on, she is going to drag him over as well. His parents won't be there in time to help, and there is no other solution. Knowing it is the only way to survive, he just lets her go. He didn't feel remorse for it, though perhaps he felt a little bad that she was put in such an unfortunate situation. In his mind, it was the obvious choice to make. His parents and others didn't see it the same way, and start to view him a little differently. I don't think it defined him from an ethical standpoint, but it was a point where he started to realize that something in his mind was wired a lot differently than most people.
He will claim that his parents disowned him because of his choice in profession, and his history says the same. However, they only grew distant because of what he did. He does not understand this, so instead comprehended it in a way that made sense to him. He was studying to be a whore, so they disowned him. That makes sense to him, so that is what he believes.
4. To quote Mirage: “Do you hide your emotions, or do you look for them?” Is Matthew truly asocial, or is he simply stunted, in search of something truly provocative?
Both. I feel he is a near sociopath, but doesn't quite pass the Hare Psychopathy Checklist. I am sort of against the more traditional mental disorders, nothing personal to those who like them. When I do play some sort of mental difference, I like it to be either exactly like the mental disease would be in the real world, or a logical reason as to why his brain works the way it does. He isn't exactly emotionless, just doesn't feel them as strongly as most people would. Sometimes he doesn't feel them at all. It is very up in the air. When he does feel them, they are so minor that he can dismissive them in favor of his preferred method of living, which is by logic. So, he is stunted in a sense, and is curious as to why. A dreamwalker might be able to figure that one out...
5. What does knowledge mean to Matthew? What is his endgame? Does he err more on the side of Eyris or Gnora?
I think he would err more on the side of Eyris. He wishes to simply know things. Even his prostitution shows this. He wishes to know everything about it, from how to be masculine (traveling to Riverfall at some point to study the manly men there, seriously) to how to bake cakes that he can offer to his clients, and so on. When he has accomplished that, then he will move on and learn something else. I tend to choose subjects I have no idea about, so I can learn them along with him. Maybe he will become a chicken farmer, or a pastry chef. However, I think he also leans a bit toward Gnora's way of thinking. He values logic and knowledge over emotion and impulse, so that particular trait is very much in line with Gnora and her ideals. He has actually considered going to Gnora in order to remove the troublesome emotions once and for all, but has decided to explore the "why" before he acts.
6. Elaborate on the significance of his recent encounter with that member of the Inverted. It seems to have elicited some new feelings from our ambitious young prostitute. Just this once: kiss and tell!
If I recall, that particular NPC had used an illusion to mix things up a bit. His curiosity got the better of him, his mind and control slipped, and his desire shot beyond control. That was a brief showing of actual desire from someone who usually keeps it so closely checked, and I think it scared him. He isn't used to feeling it, and it made him feel like he couldn't control his own body. That lack of control terrifies him, and the fact that he has that much emotion hidden away somewhere confuses him. It really pushed him to start learning more about himself, so he can decide if to embrace these naturally human feelings, or to search out a way to sever them completely.
7. Tell us a joke that would make Matthew laugh. Something tells me that he’d be a tough crowd. What is his style of humor, if any?
He has a sense of humor, he just misses the joke a lot. He wears a tattoo of the symbol of Yahal, something of a mockery of the God of purity. He finds that funny, perhaps just because of the irony. Otherwise, I am not so sure. I looked around, and the joke in the spoiler seems like something he might laugh at?
Secret :
A guy sees his new neighbor out in his backyard, so he decides to get acquainted. After introductions, he asks the new neighbor what he does for a living. The new neighbor says, "I'm a professor." The first neigbhbor then asks, "Oh yeah, what do you teach?" "Logic," the professor reponds. "What is that?" the neighbor inquires. "Well, let me see if I can give you an example...you have a dog, right?" "Yeah, that's right," neighbor #1 responds. "And you have children too, right?" says the professor. "Wow, right again!" exclaims the neighbor. "So, then you must be married and that would make you a heterosexual, right?'' proclaims the professor. "Unbelievable, you're absolutely correct. How do you know all this about me?" "Well," the professor says, "I observed there was a dog house in your backyard, so you must have a dog. I also saw bicycles next to your garage, so you must have children. And if you have children, you are probably married and if you're married, you are most likely heterosexual... it was all logical!" The next afternoon, the neighbor runs into his old friend. His friend asks if he has met the new neighbor. The man says that he met him yesterday. "What's he like?" "Well," the man says, "he's nice and he is a professor of logic." "Oh," says the friend, "what's logic?" "Maybe I can give you an example. Do you have a dog house?" "Why, no, I do not," responds the friend. "Well, then," proclaims the man, "you must be gay!"
8. Let’s do some serious delving, right here, right now. Give us a character diamond for Matthew.
I have never heard of or done a character diamond before this, so I may have gotten this completely wrong.
Mechanical. He is apathetic and unempathetic, moving through life with the personality of a machine. He believes there is a logical way to act in every single situation, and that emotion should have no control. His steps in life are very automatic, practically predetermined before he even makes them. In being logical and analytical and abandoning all else, he often seems less human and more machine.
Impulsive. A direct opposite to Mechanical, Matthew can sometimes be overcome by impulse. He is curious and thirsty for knowledge, and driven by a sense of urgent impatience deep within his soul. Even though
Superficial. A lot of who Matthew currently is has been specifically designed in pursuit of his current hobby. He puts effort into his appearance not because he wants to look good, but because he knows looking good will help him as a prostitute. While he does have sexual desire, all desire he actually shows is usually falsely generated for the customer's benefit. While he is a prostitute, the prostitute and every single bit of seduction that the prostitute does is actually a very intricately designed persona.
Naive. Since Matthew processes everything on a very logical and intelligent level, he rarely understands anything on any other level. He rarely understands jokes, rarely understands shows of emotion, and completely misses sarcasm. Social interactions follow unspoken rules, and Matthew is not good with unspoken rules. He often has to study a society before he feels he can integrate himself into it, as the core code of most mortals (emotion) is something that is very foreign to him. Love makes absolutely no sense, and happiness is fleeting. Sadness is useless, as crying doesn't help a thing. So on and so forth. He is naive to these concepts, and to someone who knows Matthew, this naiveness shows.
9. What was Matthew like as a child? Was he drastically different than the character we see now? Or was his childhood simply a window into the person he is today?
He was drastically different. He was a very happy, imaginative, playful and outgoing little child. He was a cute baby boy, but something changed at some point. Nothing tragic, just a slight bump in the head.
10. Shameless as I am, I need to know. What would Matthew seek in the perfect mate? And is there a difference between what he thinks he wants and what really suits him?
I have absolutely no idea. Are you interested? You should approach him with that. Seriously though, he hasn't thought about a mate. He is very aware that love and intimacy are foreign concepts to his mind, and has been studying it. I think it would be a fairly long process. There was a woman back in his University days that he felt lust for, and eventually dreamed about for quite a long time. When she approached him in real life though, he instantly put up a wall, defensive to the fact that someone could invoke illogical emotion in him. He has been physically attracted to people before, like Kaie's character, but never thought about it beyond that (Oh, that woman has a nice rear end. Interesting.) He usually just realizes there is attraction, and then files it away. An ideal mate would probably have to put up with his socially clueless and emotionally distant persona, as well as the fact that he is a prostitute. They would have to understand that the concept of love and intimacy are very foreign, and may always be foreign. Those barriers seem pretty tough to me, so it'll be interesting and involving if someone tries to pursue a relationship with him. He doesn't think he wants anything, but I imagine he could definitely benefit from having someone there to support him.
11. Pick a modern song for Matthew to strip to. Explain why you picked it!
Hahaha, this made me laugh. I haven't really thought about it. I looked around, and I chose "Inside and Out" by Feist. It seems like an slow and sultry sort of stripping song, and if I close my eyes and imagine Matthew waving his hips to it, it kinds of works. I think.
12. Finally, the catch-all question. Who would you like to thank? What would you like to say? This is your party and you can rant if you want to! Go ham.
Edriena, Kaie, and Razkar have been my most constant RP partners, and have really let me explore a lot of his character with a very open mind, each in a different way. I am really appreciative of that. I am really thankful for everyone who has RPed with me, as I was very worried the character concept would be frowned upon and people wouldn't want to write with him. However, everyone has been more than accepting and welcoming. The Staff has been quite friendly as well, dealing with a constant stream of questions from me, some of which were sent to the wrong people, some of which had obvious answers. Thank you very much, everyone.
This is too much... I both honor and Apologize. When Vanari and I were deciding on our choice for feature thread, YOU were the runner-up. Glad you got this! So very deserved.
I would prefer you called me "Nolan Parnell"...In fact, I insist.
Bloody well done, mate! Can't add much that hasn't already been said, only that I hope your ball-shrinkingly awesome writing continues for a long time.
You earned this, dude. Enjoy.
My Words | Your Words | Myrian | Fratavan | My Thoughts Razkar has been cursed by Yahal, and as such finds little acceptance from others; they will instinctively view him as being deceptive and traitorous. However, when close to one blessed by Yahal, the effect is negated. The curse is etched onto his left pectoral, and viewing the mark causes others to feel dirty and unclean.
by Edreina on February 1st, 2014, 5:08 pm 
Very very very much deserved!!! 
