Secret :
Oh, bloody 'ell, I'm dreadful at these. Are you dreadful at these? These little... 'introduction' things? Well, let me tell you something - something you may have picked up by now if you've been paying any kind of attention. I'm not. The problem inherent being that I have a strong tendency to ramble. Oh, yes, I know; you're probably thinking, "I bet he's just saying that because he is." Well. That IS true, but still. Think about it. This isn't charming, this isn't funny, it's certainly a waste of both my time and yours... so why would I ramble? What purpose does it serve? Again, I shall provide for you the rhetorical answer; none. Yet here I am, and here you are, reading what I've written, despite the abject lack of quality and the writer's apparent determination to make you stop reading.
Makes you think, doesn't it? No? Well, good. It shouldn't. I'm just rambling, and if it did make you think, you're a lunatic.
Oh, yes; I've read the material provided for those such as myself, whom can't write an introduction whilst keeping to the bloody point. The, ahh, 'Welcome to Mizahar!' thread. Replete with terrifying exclamation mark. Yes, indeed; I find it terrifying. Why? Because it felt forced upon me. Like I had to feel welcome. I felt like I had to be all cheery and optimistic and such, and if I wasn't, then I could do you all a favour and **** off, taking my miserable baggage with me; horrible, old, potentially senile man that I am. Hrm. Perhaps that is why I took so long in constructing a profile for this forum. Yes, I'm still rambling. And yes, you're still reading. How quaint.
Well, getting back to the topic at hand, I read through the 'Welcome to Mizahar!(!!)', I perused the option held within - even read through other introduction threads, to get a feel for what I was going to write. In the end, I decided to use the guidelines provided, despite a particular misgiving I have over using it. This misgiving being that I found it... well, emotionally sterile. I mean, reading through numbered prompts to decide what I was going to tell people? It's not like I'm at an AA meeting. If I'm going to be pretentious enough to think I can write worth a damn, I should at least be capable of writing about myself without the need to be guided to it.
Now, having said that and having already admitted that I'm going to use it anyway, I should take the time now to clarify that I'm only using it to be ironic. I shall also take the time to point out that it is not because I suffer from severely crippling social issues, which you may have very mistakenly presumed. So... yeah. Just... just a head's-up. Right.
#1, also known as 'The Boondocks is alright, but it'll never be as good as the Venture Bros. Also, Archer will never be as good as Frisky Dingo.': Name - or what you'd like to be called!
I have been known by many names. W-wait... no, no, that's a lie. But some hot chick once mistook me for Johnny Depp at a bus depot in Glasgow, so perhaps... oh, damn. That's a lie, too. Ugh, who knew this would end up getting so complicated? I guess you could call me Caddilas Filcher, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Hrm. What a silly question. It's not like people are saying it or something. But still. I... I guess you could call me 'Cadd', then. That works. Also, yes. I realize how unsubtle the prefix of my character's first name is; pointless additional 'd' or no. But I mean, come on; his surname is Filcher. He ain't exactly subtle as it is.
#2, also known as 'Electric Six are terribly under-rated. As are They Might Be Giants. Also, whatever happened to The Darkness?': What sort of RP experience do you have, if any?
Been Rping now for... oh, almost a decade. Started out back in '03 on a gaming website that happened to have an RPing section (I was invited by an old friend of mine, despite not really liking the game series the site was based on). I recall hanging around there for about five years before I started noticing the fact that all of the other RPer's seemed to be staying around the same age while I continued to grow older, most others my age having already left. Rather than loiter around being the token old creepy forum member that endlessly complains about no one having any originality any more and loudly proclaiming that the courts were utterly, utterly wrong to have put me on that register, I decided to RP elsewhere.
First I went to Surreal Twilight. Or did I go to Give Up Already first... hrm. I don't remember which I went to first, but suffice it to say, one community was full of RPers that were nice and friendly but seldom stuck with an RP, whilst the other was full of belligerent, elitist RPers whom seldom stuck with an RP. I bounced between the two for a good while whilst occasionally taking a complete break from RPing for real life reasons (for instance, to finish university) before returning. However, in this instance, I returned after completing my tenure at university to find that both RP communities seem to be... well, dead. Hence why I don't mind mentioning them. This also seems like the perfect time to segue into the next question, if one take's into account I found this forum immediately after this took place...
#3, also known as 'You can trip on MY, you can trip on MY-HAI, you can trip on MYYYY~, you can trip, you can trip!': How did you find us?
Soon after the aforementioned discovery, I merely typed into Google '50 Best RP Sites' and clicked on the first link. Sorry to let you down, Founders, but unfortunately, you were not first. Some other site was. I can't quite recall the name, but I do recall the website blurb proudly declaring that it was possible to reach '5 million' levels or something. I have no idea how something like that is supposed to reel in quality writers as opposed to, say, WoW addicts, but hey; they're first, so who am I to judge. Alas, however, I find that anything mentioning levelling up one's character into the millions will earn my immediate and lasting disdain, so I selected the second option on the list. Which turned out to be here. So, uhh, good job on second place, guys.
#4, also known as 'Good Omens is a stunning book. Seriously. I admit, I do have a secret shrine to Terry Pratchett in my closet, but don't let my fanboy-ism deter you. It really is good.': What sort of RP style is your favourite?
Favourite? Style? Never thought about it, so I'd suppose I don't have one. Romance, mystery, action-oriented... even a casual conversation. Actually, I take back what I said before. The conversation's are the best bit. Just relaxing into a role and typing away, developing him or her into a person with their own thoughts and desires with every sentence, every word... marvellous.
I should probably take the time to address my little... erm, 'sub-title's'. Like I said before, I do find the prompts to be rather barren, so this is my humble attempt to make them a touch more intriguing; by adding whatever I happen to be thinking of at the time as a title. Also, are you still reading this? That's kinda scary. I mean, don't you have anything, anything else you could be doing? Like writing a response to someone else? No work to do, no essay's to write? Nothing? Duuuuuuuude. =|
#5, also known as 'I have a copy of 'Pearson International Edition - Management' in my room, and I don't know where it came from. I didn't even study management when I was at university. Where did that come from? Why is it here?': What do you like to write about - not write about?
Sit down for this one, 'cause it's gonna be a shocker. Are you ready for this? Are you? I don't think you are. I'm gonna give you a little longer to get ready.
Ready now?
Really?
Okay.
Only if you're sure.
You're sure?
Fair enough.
I'll write about anything.
Stunning, I know.
#6, also known as 'Don't talk about Fight Cl- aww, crap, I should've made this one the first one! Ugh... dammit... -_- ': What's your favourite thing about Mizahar so far?
This... this is an odd one. It's an odd one because it's also what frustrates me the most about Mizahar. Well, not exactly frustrates. More... unnerves.
It's how nice everyone is. Seriously, it's like this is some forgotten corner of the internet where no one knows what 4chan is and Rick Astley is just some mediocre, utterly forgettable singer from the 80's. That, or you're all pod people. I've been watching you folks interact for the past week (bloody 'ell, but that sounds downright creepy to me) and you're all nice and... and... dare I bloody well say it, mature about everything; a word I had never before dared think I could use to refer to something on the internet. Freaks me right out, and I ain't afraid to admit it.
#7, also known as 'Where I repeat everything I just said, except with less words. I say less words, what I actually meant was one word. With four syllables. I've always liked that word, 'syllable'. It has three of them, you know.': What, if anything, has frustrated you about Mizahar so far?
Aforementioned.
#8, also known as 'Why does everyone play Minecraft these days? It's only a poor man's Dwarf Fortress. Give me depth to graphics any day.': What would you like out of the Mizahar experience?
Ah... hrm. Might get a bit long-winded again.
Despite four years at university studying games development which might suggest otherwise, my greatest passion is writing. I love doing it, I love reading it, and I hold myself to quite a high standard when I'm actually RPing (so please, for the love of the gods, don't presume this is how I'll write when I'm RPing). Perhaps, one day, I might even work up the nerve to try making a career out of it, if I can ever manage to convince myself I'm good enough to do so. Now that I think about it, this doesn't really answer the question, so I'll try being succinct for a change.
To get better at writing, first and foremost. Secondly, to get back into a hobby I've left by the wayside for far too long. Thirdly, I and six of my friends have recently started our own games company, for which I am the head writer. As such, I want something to pour my energies into when I hit a brick wall writing for our first game (which is to be a strongly story-driven point-and-click that, if we're lucky, will probably be released some time next year, and if we're unlucky, not at all).
#9, also known as 'I'm looking to my right, at the moment, and I'm staring at a smiley. I'm staring at this smiley because it's giving me the finger. Go to hell, smiley. That's not cool.': Is there anything you'd like to see expanded?
Heh.
There are skills which are stunningly specific (Beekeeping, for instance) whilst there seem to be 'parent' skills that are overwhelmingly broad (Animal Husbandry, for instance). It came across to me as rather bi-polar in execution, and I imagine the system would be more efficient - if not more clear - if it were required for a character to work one's way into a single 'parent' skill (for instance, Persuasion), and achieving the relative ranks in that, before being able to branch off into 'child' skills (such as Seduction, which would require a great deal of Persuasion, or Acting, which would require not quite as much, but would still require some to give the actor in question enough gravitas to pull off a role). If a character were to attempt to seduce someone without being capable of taking the skill just yet, then the points earned at the end which would have gone into the skill could instead be put into Persuasion until the rank has been achieved. While I'll admit that such a fix would come across as gamey, I can't help but feel that the current arrangement leaves many of the skills open to abuse by twisting the seemingly trusting intent of the system.
I also took note of the 'Limitation' section of the Seduction skill, and I was confused by it. It actually suggests that there is no purpose in the Seduction skill. I mean, it tells you that you can't use Seduction in place of Persuasion, but doesn't disabuse the notion that the opposite is true. If that is the case, then what is the point in the skill? If that isn't the case, and Persuasion can't be used in place of Seduction, then how does that make sense? Seduction is almost by definition the art of talking someone into sleeping with you. So if Persuasion doesn't factor into it, how does Seduction take place? Do two people at a bar just look at one another funny for a couple of minutes, then hail a horse-and-cart, tell the driver not to spare the horses and get right to the dirty deed?
[/rant]
I'll admit, part of what lured me to this site was the incompleteness of the lore. It gives this place a feel that there's just so much to do, so much to be added to, polished, created and used. So... yeah. I'll stop now.
#10, also known as 'I can't believe you read the whole thing. I mean... why? It's just an intro. Why would you do that? This is the least fascinating thing ever, and that's coming whom the guy that wrote it! STOP READING! GO AWAY!': Anything else you want to talk about?
I should probably talk about my character plans. Welp... he's gonna be a con artist, with a strong preference to aiming for the 'big' marks; folks that are already extremely well-off, quite powerful and would hunt down the man that made a fool of them to the ends of Mizahar. As a result, he'll be focusing quite understandably on disguises, crafting fake backgrounds, fake identities and entirely plausible and utterly engrossing fake stories. He'll also be utterly, utterly rubbish in a fight. If he were carrying a sword and apprehended by a mugger, he'd rather give away the sword than even try to do battle. The only thing that's meant to keep him alive are his wits, his make-up kit, a huge deal of planning ahead of time and his array of identities.
...well, I like the idea. Or perhaps I've been reading too much Locke Lamora... I dunno. Anyway, I'm done writing. So if you've really been bored enough to read this from start to finish, well... congrats. Have a cookie or something. I'mma go try and figure out why my orphaned character hailing from Sunberth likes dressing up and conning people as opposed to... I dunno, begging. Laters.
Makes you think, doesn't it? No? Well, good. It shouldn't. I'm just rambling, and if it did make you think, you're a lunatic.
Oh, yes; I've read the material provided for those such as myself, whom can't write an introduction whilst keeping to the bloody point. The, ahh, 'Welcome to Mizahar!' thread. Replete with terrifying exclamation mark. Yes, indeed; I find it terrifying. Why? Because it felt forced upon me. Like I had to feel welcome. I felt like I had to be all cheery and optimistic and such, and if I wasn't, then I could do you all a favour and **** off, taking my miserable baggage with me; horrible, old, potentially senile man that I am. Hrm. Perhaps that is why I took so long in constructing a profile for this forum. Yes, I'm still rambling. And yes, you're still reading. How quaint.
Well, getting back to the topic at hand, I read through the 'Welcome to Mizahar!(!!)', I perused the option held within - even read through other introduction threads, to get a feel for what I was going to write. In the end, I decided to use the guidelines provided, despite a particular misgiving I have over using it. This misgiving being that I found it... well, emotionally sterile. I mean, reading through numbered prompts to decide what I was going to tell people? It's not like I'm at an AA meeting. If I'm going to be pretentious enough to think I can write worth a damn, I should at least be capable of writing about myself without the need to be guided to it.
Now, having said that and having already admitted that I'm going to use it anyway, I should take the time now to clarify that I'm only using it to be ironic. I shall also take the time to point out that it is not because I suffer from severely crippling social issues, which you may have very mistakenly presumed. So... yeah. Just... just a head's-up. Right.
#1, also known as 'The Boondocks is alright, but it'll never be as good as the Venture Bros. Also, Archer will never be as good as Frisky Dingo.': Name - or what you'd like to be called!
I have been known by many names. W-wait... no, no, that's a lie. But some hot chick once mistook me for Johnny Depp at a bus depot in Glasgow, so perhaps... oh, damn. That's a lie, too. Ugh, who knew this would end up getting so complicated? I guess you could call me Caddilas Filcher, but it doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, does it? Hrm. What a silly question. It's not like people are saying it or something. But still. I... I guess you could call me 'Cadd', then. That works. Also, yes. I realize how unsubtle the prefix of my character's first name is; pointless additional 'd' or no. But I mean, come on; his surname is Filcher. He ain't exactly subtle as it is.
#2, also known as 'Electric Six are terribly under-rated. As are They Might Be Giants. Also, whatever happened to The Darkness?': What sort of RP experience do you have, if any?
Been Rping now for... oh, almost a decade. Started out back in '03 on a gaming website that happened to have an RPing section (I was invited by an old friend of mine, despite not really liking the game series the site was based on). I recall hanging around there for about five years before I started noticing the fact that all of the other RPer's seemed to be staying around the same age while I continued to grow older, most others my age having already left. Rather than loiter around being the token old creepy forum member that endlessly complains about no one having any originality any more and loudly proclaiming that the courts were utterly, utterly wrong to have put me on that register, I decided to RP elsewhere.
First I went to Surreal Twilight. Or did I go to Give Up Already first... hrm. I don't remember which I went to first, but suffice it to say, one community was full of RPers that were nice and friendly but seldom stuck with an RP, whilst the other was full of belligerent, elitist RPers whom seldom stuck with an RP. I bounced between the two for a good while whilst occasionally taking a complete break from RPing for real life reasons (for instance, to finish university) before returning. However, in this instance, I returned after completing my tenure at university to find that both RP communities seem to be... well, dead. Hence why I don't mind mentioning them. This also seems like the perfect time to segue into the next question, if one take's into account I found this forum immediately after this took place...
#3, also known as 'You can trip on MY, you can trip on MY-HAI, you can trip on MYYYY~, you can trip, you can trip!': How did you find us?
Soon after the aforementioned discovery, I merely typed into Google '50 Best RP Sites' and clicked on the first link. Sorry to let you down, Founders, but unfortunately, you were not first. Some other site was. I can't quite recall the name, but I do recall the website blurb proudly declaring that it was possible to reach '5 million' levels or something. I have no idea how something like that is supposed to reel in quality writers as opposed to, say, WoW addicts, but hey; they're first, so who am I to judge. Alas, however, I find that anything mentioning levelling up one's character into the millions will earn my immediate and lasting disdain, so I selected the second option on the list. Which turned out to be here. So, uhh, good job on second place, guys.
#4, also known as 'Good Omens is a stunning book. Seriously. I admit, I do have a secret shrine to Terry Pratchett in my closet, but don't let my fanboy-ism deter you. It really is good.': What sort of RP style is your favourite?
Favourite? Style? Never thought about it, so I'd suppose I don't have one. Romance, mystery, action-oriented... even a casual conversation. Actually, I take back what I said before. The conversation's are the best bit. Just relaxing into a role and typing away, developing him or her into a person with their own thoughts and desires with every sentence, every word... marvellous.
I should probably take the time to address my little... erm, 'sub-title's'. Like I said before, I do find the prompts to be rather barren, so this is my humble attempt to make them a touch more intriguing; by adding whatever I happen to be thinking of at the time as a title. Also, are you still reading this? That's kinda scary. I mean, don't you have anything, anything else you could be doing? Like writing a response to someone else? No work to do, no essay's to write? Nothing? Duuuuuuuude. =|
#5, also known as 'I have a copy of 'Pearson International Edition - Management' in my room, and I don't know where it came from. I didn't even study management when I was at university. Where did that come from? Why is it here?': What do you like to write about - not write about?
Sit down for this one, 'cause it's gonna be a shocker. Are you ready for this? Are you? I don't think you are. I'm gonna give you a little longer to get ready.
Ready now?
Really?
Okay.
Only if you're sure.
You're sure?
Fair enough.
I'll write about anything.
Stunning, I know.
#6, also known as 'Don't talk about Fight Cl- aww, crap, I should've made this one the first one! Ugh... dammit... -_- ': What's your favourite thing about Mizahar so far?
This... this is an odd one. It's an odd one because it's also what frustrates me the most about Mizahar. Well, not exactly frustrates. More... unnerves.
It's how nice everyone is. Seriously, it's like this is some forgotten corner of the internet where no one knows what 4chan is and Rick Astley is just some mediocre, utterly forgettable singer from the 80's. That, or you're all pod people. I've been watching you folks interact for the past week (bloody 'ell, but that sounds downright creepy to me) and you're all nice and... and... dare I bloody well say it, mature about everything; a word I had never before dared think I could use to refer to something on the internet. Freaks me right out, and I ain't afraid to admit it.
#7, also known as 'Where I repeat everything I just said, except with less words. I say less words, what I actually meant was one word. With four syllables. I've always liked that word, 'syllable'. It has three of them, you know.': What, if anything, has frustrated you about Mizahar so far?
Aforementioned.
#8, also known as 'Why does everyone play Minecraft these days? It's only a poor man's Dwarf Fortress. Give me depth to graphics any day.': What would you like out of the Mizahar experience?
Ah... hrm. Might get a bit long-winded again.
Despite four years at university studying games development which might suggest otherwise, my greatest passion is writing. I love doing it, I love reading it, and I hold myself to quite a high standard when I'm actually RPing (so please, for the love of the gods, don't presume this is how I'll write when I'm RPing). Perhaps, one day, I might even work up the nerve to try making a career out of it, if I can ever manage to convince myself I'm good enough to do so. Now that I think about it, this doesn't really answer the question, so I'll try being succinct for a change.
To get better at writing, first and foremost. Secondly, to get back into a hobby I've left by the wayside for far too long. Thirdly, I and six of my friends have recently started our own games company, for which I am the head writer. As such, I want something to pour my energies into when I hit a brick wall writing for our first game (which is to be a strongly story-driven point-and-click that, if we're lucky, will probably be released some time next year, and if we're unlucky, not at all).
#9, also known as 'I'm looking to my right, at the moment, and I'm staring at a smiley. I'm staring at this smiley because it's giving me the finger. Go to hell, smiley. That's not cool.': Is there anything you'd like to see expanded?
Heh.
There are skills which are stunningly specific (Beekeeping, for instance) whilst there seem to be 'parent' skills that are overwhelmingly broad (Animal Husbandry, for instance). It came across to me as rather bi-polar in execution, and I imagine the system would be more efficient - if not more clear - if it were required for a character to work one's way into a single 'parent' skill (for instance, Persuasion), and achieving the relative ranks in that, before being able to branch off into 'child' skills (such as Seduction, which would require a great deal of Persuasion, or Acting, which would require not quite as much, but would still require some to give the actor in question enough gravitas to pull off a role). If a character were to attempt to seduce someone without being capable of taking the skill just yet, then the points earned at the end which would have gone into the skill could instead be put into Persuasion until the rank has been achieved. While I'll admit that such a fix would come across as gamey, I can't help but feel that the current arrangement leaves many of the skills open to abuse by twisting the seemingly trusting intent of the system.
I also took note of the 'Limitation' section of the Seduction skill, and I was confused by it. It actually suggests that there is no purpose in the Seduction skill. I mean, it tells you that you can't use Seduction in place of Persuasion, but doesn't disabuse the notion that the opposite is true. If that is the case, then what is the point in the skill? If that isn't the case, and Persuasion can't be used in place of Seduction, then how does that make sense? Seduction is almost by definition the art of talking someone into sleeping with you. So if Persuasion doesn't factor into it, how does Seduction take place? Do two people at a bar just look at one another funny for a couple of minutes, then hail a horse-and-cart, tell the driver not to spare the horses and get right to the dirty deed?
[/rant]
I'll admit, part of what lured me to this site was the incompleteness of the lore. It gives this place a feel that there's just so much to do, so much to be added to, polished, created and used. So... yeah. I'll stop now.
#10, also known as 'I can't believe you read the whole thing. I mean... why? It's just an intro. Why would you do that? This is the least fascinating thing ever, and that's coming whom the guy that wrote it! STOP READING! GO AWAY!': Anything else you want to talk about?
I should probably talk about my character plans. Welp... he's gonna be a con artist, with a strong preference to aiming for the 'big' marks; folks that are already extremely well-off, quite powerful and would hunt down the man that made a fool of them to the ends of Mizahar. As a result, he'll be focusing quite understandably on disguises, crafting fake backgrounds, fake identities and entirely plausible and utterly engrossing fake stories. He'll also be utterly, utterly rubbish in a fight. If he were carrying a sword and apprehended by a mugger, he'd rather give away the sword than even try to do battle. The only thing that's meant to keep him alive are his wits, his make-up kit, a huge deal of planning ahead of time and his array of identities.
...well, I like the idea. Or perhaps I've been reading too much Locke Lamora... I dunno. Anyway, I'm done writing. So if you've really been bored enough to read this from start to finish, well... congrats. Have a cookie or something. I'mma go try and figure out why my orphaned character hailing from Sunberth likes dressing up and conning people as opposed to... I dunno, begging. Laters.
So you know, I AM here to help if any part of the game seems confusing!
