An expert role-player is one that is beyond advanced status, a consistently superior quality writer. To earn this prestigious status, your posts should always have good spelling, grammar, length, coherence, creativity, follow the rules, and be pleasant to read. ERPers are to be the kinds of writers that set an example for the board and people that are a pleasure to play with.

ERPer status does not come with any special forum access or other benefits, it is for prestige only. It is all about quality of content and is a very difficult title to earn. It is expected that most applicants will not be accepted, especially on the first or first several tries.

You may apply once every 2 months. For example, if you apply on January 1^st and are not accepted, you may not apply again until March 1^st or later. Any applications of members that do not meet the prerequisites or follow the submission guidelines will be trashed, and you will not be able to apply for an additional month.

WARNING: People are able to lose ERPer status. If, after you achieve ERPer status, your post quality then declines, you are subject to loss of the title.

Prerequisites:

• Must be an active ARPer for at least 3 weeks.
• Most RP posts have a minimum of 400 to 500 words, often more.
• Spell-checked posts.
• Good grammar, spelling, description, and creativity.
• Always follow the rules of RPing. (Never god-mode, or power-play, misuse spells / items, etc.)

Submission Guidelines:

• Please post links to 10 different topics that you have RP'd in on Arda. Only 10 topics, no more, no less! They cannot be quotes of posts, or links to other sites.
• Describe why you should be an ERPer and how you've worked to achieve this status.
• If you applied before and were rejected, please elaborate, in detail, on how you've improved since the last time. Please also write about how you will continue to maintain these improvements over time.

I will check the applications and links provided when I find the time. You are not to PM members of the staff about your applications. All PMs will be ignored. If you are granted ERPer status, I will post to say congratulations. If not, I will give a very brief reason why. If you want more detailed information from other RPers on how to improve, you can always ask in the Writing Reviews forum. Good luck with your applications!

Some of the specific things I look for when reviewing applications:
[doHTML]<ul><li>Length. All of your posts should have at least 400 to 500 words, but should often be much more than that. It is not desirable for you to consistently post only the minimum.
<li>Spelling. All RP posts MUST be spell checked. You can read the Tools for the Diligent Writer topic for resources.
<li>Grammar. It has to be grammatically correct, which is something a spell checker doesn't to for you. Make sure your verb tense is consistent and that you have subject-verb agreement, etc.
<li>Creativity. Your RP posts should consistently have high-quality content. They should have plenty of description and enjoyable to read. We like to read not only about action but about what your character is feeling and thinking, how this experience is perceived through their eyes. Length and spelling are the prerequisites that get you in the door, but creativity is the meat that gives your application the most weight.
<li>Character Development. Your character should have depth and development that progresses them as an individual through the course of their travels in Arda.
<li>Flow. Your writing should be well-paced and flow nicely when reading. If you post a lot of action in one paragraph, it tends to lack good description and throws the flow of reading off balance. Too much action in such little space makes it hard to read and understand everything that's going on.
<li>Does it make sense? On top of your writing needing to be coherent so that everyone can understand your actions, you need to pay close attention to the posts and details written by others. If you don't fully read what your fellow participants write, you may start miscounting opponents or thinking someone did something they actually didn't, etc. You must carefully read what others write, as well as pay attention to the surroundings, forum descriptions, time of day, weather, everything.
<li>Quality Battles. If you are the kind that kills many opponents in each post, especially with little effort, you will not be granted ERPer status. Every opponent should give you a challenge, it should never be easy to kill anyone. If you are also the kind to never get hurt, or only allow minor wounds, you will also not be accepted.
<li>Your OOC posts are also a factor! Not everything is factored into this, and it is a minor aspect of the review, but only being able to spell right and use correct grammar when using a spell-checker is not good enough. You must show a clear knowledge of good-spelling, proper grammar, and correct use of things like apostrophes.</ul>[/doHTML]

This application is valid for both Ita the Reckless and Thavron, who are both controlled by the same person, even though the focus is more towards the latter account. Should I ever be accepted, it would be preferred if the Expert Role-Player status would be added to both.

Although the Ita account was created summer of 2005, I have been roleplaying for six years, making me far from a beginner. But even from those first few weeks of just starting to grasp the concepts of play-by-post RP, I've not only been interested in its fun factor, but also possessed by a huge drive to improve my writing skills. Ever since joining Arda I have always paid a great amount of attention to grammar in my posts, constantly learning of (and applying) new grammatical rules to add more depth and flow. I always strive to add variety to the different plots I decide to create and join with my two characters. This may be more true in Thavron's case than Ita's, since I usually test the different aspects of his personality and see what he would do in many specific situations. Ita is a more straightforward character and doesn't allow that much versatility, but that is something I find slightly frustrating and I'm currently trying to find more ways to play her.

It is safe to say I pay extremely close attention to the rules of Arda and try my absolute best to adhere to them. After all, I have to enforce them as well as write with them. :lol: My writing length is also a concern of mine, and I have been improving it steadily, adding more and more detail of my character, their surroundings, feelings, thoughts, and actions. I have gotten to the point where my posts average 900 words, and I no longer have to expand them by adding an overabundance of descriptions or "fluff." All of these reasons are why I feel I am deserving of the Expert Role-Player title.

Following are several topics I have created and taken part in with my Thavron account. If you would like to see a full list of all the topics this character has been in, along with their own brief plot summaries, please see this page. Several topics have been recently deleted from this list to lessen the strain on Loth.

• The Vulture's Grin - A roleplay with a lot of posts, almost all of which are quite lengthy. The plot for The Vulture's Grin was a huge turning point in both Thavron and Raikenza's character storylines, and although it's a pretty dramatic topic, it's the only RP of its type I've been in. C'mon, I can be excused of one emo topic in my roleplaying career, can't I? xD
• Brown Feather, White Feather - The continuation of the Vulture's Grin, now with 10% less drama and 20% longer posts. A demonstration of an RP with a moral. It also introduces Larry the satyr, whose interactions then and in the future make him quite possibly the funniest and most interesting NPC I have created.
• Force and Diplomacy - The two posts of mine contained in this now dead topic are not the longest in the world, but show a bit of fighting.
• On Devotion - On Devotion is a pleasant conversation between two representatives of two different faiths. Despite a follower of Lothlomendil and a follower of Threnody sometimes having radically different views about various subjects, there are still things they can agree with. Gregoire and I eventually agreed to let this one die, but there are quite a few posts within it that are pretty long considering there isn't any fighting going on.
• Evil Never Makes Empty Threats - Another fighting topic, along with another appearance of the Larry character. This is a very current demonstration of my RP ability, and was completed somewhat recently (at the time this application was written). Thavron certainly doesn't kill with ease, that's for sure. This is also the topic where Thavron proposes to Raikenza, something that took a good deal of contemplation considering my status as an extremely non-romantic person. Currently, the length of my posts in this topic is considered a personal average.
• Ancient Mysteries - A somewhat current topic that died before it could get off the ground, but its first post is still a lengthy one and could have been the start of a very interesting plot.
• Of Deserts and Dungeons - A topic I scrapped due to the people partaking in it being unable to post in it. At the time I already had my second post in this topic done here in my personal Admin Forum thought corner. This second post is around 2600 words and the longest post I have ever made, which is why I didn't let this topic fade into nothingness. I just wish it would have gotten off of its feet.
• NEW: Peccatum - My most recent topic yet, and another continuation of the Thavron and Raikenza storyline arc (which makes this topic a pseudo-continuation to The Vulture's Grin, Brown Feather White Feather, and Evil Never Makes Empty Threats respectively). It's a spousal argument, basically, and will end up revealing several of the participants' secrets they had been keeping from each other. The intent of this topic is revealing more about Thavron and Raikenza's histories, which both reflect somewhat their darker deeds in life. There is also a small description within one post of mine that roughly describes the history of the brown angel race as a whole.

There are not as many posts made by my Ita account that I feel would be necessary to feature in this application, although there are some.

• The Fate of the Demon Lord - It's simple, really. Meeting in Aman, Ita busts in and tosses a few insults, Loth comes in with some completely unrelated news, you get the idea. :p
• Unleashing Chaos (Second Post) - Another topic where Ita is setting herself up for a pwnage by Loth. I linked to the second post I made in the topic because the introductory one is older and of much less quality.
• The Turmoil That Ensues After Complete Exhaustion - A current topic and the first one that shows Ita's new look. It also demonstrates an insane rambling about Loth. There's also a Thavron post in it, but he functions only as a deus ex machina to get Charlotte back on her feet. :p

Expert Roleplayer Application for Aloric and Sraxen

Both the Sraxen and Aloric characters belong to me, and I'm making this application for both of them. I'll describe both characters in detail and show how I believe I have achieved expert roleplayer status.

First off, I'll say that I haven't had as much experience in roleplaying as a lot of the other members of this board. However, writing has always been a passion of mine, and I found that roleplaying was a good a medium as any for me to develop my skills further. I have tried my hand many times at writing longer stories, but always found that my writing skills and style changed so often that it was impossible to remain consistent throughout. Those attempts have since been abandoned. I had no desire to write shorter stories, so I had a long break from writing altogether. Until I rediscovered Arda. I had visited the site a few years ago, but had decided it wasn't for me. This past summer, however, I was encouraged to come back and give the site a second go-round. I decided to go ahead and do it, and I immediately felt right at home with Arda's environment and community.

It is clear that my writing has improved even during the time I've been here, as evidenced by some earlier posts I have made on this site. I believe I have come into a writing style that I can hold onto and make my own, though my skills will continue to develop. As you'll see in my posts, description is what most of my writing lacks. I prefer rather to get into the character and the situation, and leave the description to the reader's imagination. What I lack in imagery, I make up for in character development. Of course, I'll continue to strive towards being proficient in all aspects of writing, but this is one that will perhaps take more time to hone. Spelling is another thing: sometimes I get too impatient and make a post before I proofread it, which leads to spelling and sometimes grammar errors. As always, I am continually improving in this aspect.

Those are some areas of improvement for me. As for my qualifications for the expert status, I'll let my writing do the talking. Without further commentary by me, here are some links to posts I have made on Arda. I'll provide a description of each topic with the link: the plot, my thoughts on the topic, etc.

Aloric Maluil:
Aloric is the first character I created for use on Arda. The name originally came from a fantasy book I was attempting to write, though I only completed about half of what I wanted to. The character, however, is completely original for this site. He is a shapeshifter, but a reluctant one. He views his ability to shift as more of a curse than anything else, and abstains from using it whenever possible. This ability is the main plot device in most of Aloric's roleplays, as it leads to his poor social skills and weak willpower. Here are some of his topics:

A Wanderer in the Woods - On the timeline of the topics I'm putting in here for review, this is the earliest and also, among the ones I am most proud of. It digs deeply into Aloric's character: his poor social skills, his paranoia, and such. But it adds another level on top of that, the emotions imposed on him by the taint of Khalida, the other character in the topic. Aloric has to deal with both false and authentic emotions. The contrast drives the character development, and sometimes the plot.

Shoreline - A shorter topic by all means, but another one that really gets into what Aloric is feeling at the moment.

First Neutral Meeting - Who would have thought Aloric would join a guild? Not even Aloric himself. Yet he somehow manages to fit in among his peers in the Syndicate, even though he doesn't feel like he does. And when it is necessary, Aloric finally steps up to the plate and takes charge of the situation.

Letting the Cold Sink In - Another shorter topic, this one deals with Aloric meeting a dragon in human form. It didn't really develop into anything, but is a good indicator that I can still write for the character with very little plot actually taking place.

Riding Out the Storms - Now in the Archived Topics forum, this thread originally took place in Silnimare's house. Aloric, in desperation, traveled to a fellow guildee's house for shelter, to learn a little about himself, as well as about his friend. In this topic I really tried to dig deep into Aloric's personality and his paranoia when he comes into contact with other people.

Somber Conviction - The first of a series of one-post topics that takes place in Repentance Hollow in Threnody's temple. Aloric deals with his own demons, and confronts his beliefs on whether or not the dieties of Arda actually exist.

Closure - The second part of the series, Aloric finally realizes he needs to embrace his destiny- he needs to come to terms with his curse. This series has not yet been resolved; Aloric will make another trip to the temple in the future.

The Importance of Reading the Labels - I included this topic just to show my range in roleplaying skills. This topic isn't meant to be taken nearly as seriously, and was actually spawned off the fact that I originally believed the Khelek Tundra was a part of the same continent as the rest of Arda. When I was informed otherwise, I had to come up with a reason how Aloric could get lost and end up on a separate continent. This topic is a humorous look at how that could have happened.

To Come So Close, Just to Feel So Numb - In sharp contrast, there is nothing humorous about this post. I decided to include some more information on Aloric's past in this topic, and also introduce a new obstacle for him - a fear of vomiting. This fear will be visited more in later topics. Take note of the fact that Aloric is never mentioned by name in this topic - this is to enhance the feeling that he doesn't feel as if he has an identity.


Sraxen Stoneshield:
Sraxen isn't nearly as developed as Aloric, and I'd like to delve deeper into him (which consequently, is why he's joining the Lightbringers, as the Keepers weren't active enough to really flesh out the Dwarf's character). From what I've worked out so far, he's a very devoted person, being devoted to the path of good, but still has his own character flaws. He believes that his ultimate destiny is to die in battle, which has made him mellow and bleak. He's a healer more than a fighter, but loyal above all else. He will follow his friends into any battle they are fighting. Here are some topics involving Sraxen:

The Restless Dichotomy - The least recent of all the topics I'm putting up here for Sraxen. The post length is a little shorter here, but I believe I have the style downpat. I would later learn to stretch out my ideas more and make the story more entertaining and engaging. In this topic, Sraxen talks with his would-be guildleader about the state of good and evil in Arda.

Meeting Our New Family - The first- and last- guild meeting among the Keepers of the Sacred Deed. This was written well after The Restless Dichotomy, and again, it shows. Only got one post in here, but it's one I'm really proud of, so I thought it was worth mentioning.

Natural Disaster - Not the most entertaining thread to say the least. This was done while I was still trying to figure out what Sraxen's character was. This doesn't provide much insight into his personality, but it does show how he reacts to strangers, something he doesn't get a lot of in other topics. It is in no way one of my better topics, but you should know the whole picture. Sraxen wasn't always as developed as he is now, and he's still continuing to be fleshed out more and more.

The Thunderbird - The only other topic where Sraxen encounters a friendly stranger. This time it's Thavron and his familiars. This topic didn't get far from shore (literally), but the posts are of good quality.

Secrets in the Water - The only one-post topic I've made thus far using Sraxen. I thought it would be an interesting concept for me to do an IC topic about how Sraxen aquires one of his first spells. He ends up learning the water spell from the water in Draco's Shrine. It was a concept I'd later flush out in full with a different character, Unol.

The Forge, the Hammer, the Anvil - This one was actually supposed to be a one-post topic as well, but I forgot to lock it before other people replied :D The first post in the topic is the one I am most proud of, as it lays out the beginning of Sraxen's smithing story arc, that I hope to explore in more topics in the future as he hones his craft (much like I hone my craft of writing).

Rebirthing - A short but unique roleplay. Sraxen and Zenith await the arrival of their new familiars, the dragons that would help to protect Arda against the agents of evil. It is symbolic of the rebirthal of the holy movement in Arda, that would later be seen in the conception of the Lightbringers guild that Sraxen would join.

The Brotherhood of Hruka - Perhaps the most epic topic I have ever been a part of. This thread deals with the journey of Sraxen and Zenith to the mines in the mountains, where they encounter an evil power they had never imagined. The pair fight cult members and old enemies in an epic battle that will eventually culminate in sacrifice, but triumph over tragedy. As far as Sraxen goes, this is the topic I am most proud of.

Expert Roleplayer status for Obsidian Nocturne
Last Updated: 3/31/07

I really have little idea on where to begin. I have been RPing for over five years and unlike some who learned mostly from the tutelage of others, I had to practice my way through observation. I first began by watching people post in impromptu chat. They would clutter the Yahoo screen with five to ten lines at a time. The trick then was to have someone interact with your character within the mere five-minute window you had or else what you’ve typed would be pushed up due to the constant scroll. For two years, I fostered my skills that way until I discovered that quality was best achieved through the forums.

The monstrosity of my posts began when I joined Avegost, an online RP site with the strictest of rules. It dealt heavily on DnD and realism. Every hop from one place to the other required us to “travel” in real time days through role play. Each lifting of chair had to be backed up by numerical character statistics. Post length defined how much gold one would receive. Yes, I learned the hard way but in the end, the rigidity of rules aided me with description.

I left Avegost to start my own forums which managed to survive a few months. I lost my inspiration to manage after my definition of fun turned into work. Things do become quite difficult when you’re the sole admin of a board that draws its life from a single “Dungeon Master.” That and of course life itself contributed to the board’s decline. Many of my members were in their early to mid twenties; several of them got married, others, interestingly to each other. Every now and then, I am made aware of their status and I get the chance to learn about their children.

Anyhow, chance drew me into Arda through invitation. I honestly thought it odd at first :D. I swear. It had to be that man in the floating bubble. *dies laughing* Anyway, I missed writing and I certainly missed interacting with fellow writers.

What makes my posts different these days since instead of focusing just on length and description is that I am now concentrating more on plot development. I tend to try imagining my writing as if it were a movie being played in my mind. For some odd reason, the inherent interest in film manages to help me in composition. It’s a reinforcement to know “shots,” “angles,” and sequences. I tend to have a better idea what to highlight and what to ignore. I’ve learned how to incorporate description without having to do an “overkill” and as far as I know, I’ve managed to make my readers imagine without being stirred.

Every post I make averages at around 800 words with a couple of 1,500 – 2,000 words popping in every now and then. It really depends on how inspired I am.

Generally, I do not write unless I am certain that I could incorporate quality. I just like the idea that my posts are being read because I take the time to make sure that it’s worth reading. I never post just because it’s something I’m obligated to do. I like being able to devote two maybe three hours into composing something as if it were an official paper to be passed for grading… hence why it took me forever to make that 60k post. I kept proof-reading (not for spell-checks but for coherence) and making sure that there was something worth revealing at the end of every chapter. All of which that I mentioned are the reasons why I believe I am deserving of ERper status.

Anyhow, I’ll stop trying to bore you :)

Here are my favoritest links in the whole wild world! (Yes, I know. I intentionally murdered grammar there.)

Beneath the Ebon Tree
This is a topic that I am currently sharing with Phedre. It is pretty controversial for obvious reasons *cackles.* On a more serious note however, it illustrates a pretty good picture of seduction and conflict rolled into one.

A Life for Fifty Gold Pieces
This topic shows how much I love linking my topics together and how I actually have my character "act out a procedure" that is normally neglected. Here, you'll see Obsidian bribing a commoner to have a letter sent to Raku's lair. The arrival of the message leads to the topic "A Mysterious Correspondence"

A Mysterious Correspondence
This is a post I created for continuity. It doesn't involve Obsidian personally, but a hired hand he bribed in a topic named "A Life for Fifty Gold Pieces." The NPC here delivers a message for Phedre at the Temple of Darkness. I really just love rping out events that most people generally skip.

Where Bonds are Tested
Melandro and Phedre's first secret meeting at Ered Annon. This meeting results to both "Anger Without End" and "Breaching the Darkness."

Breaching the Darkness
A "preparation post" that I created before entering the topic "Anger Without End." This topic explains how Melandro had awaken in the middle of the night due to a nightmare that led him to the Temple of Darkness.

Anger Without End
Initially Raku and Phedre's topic that deals on infidelity. I had Obsidian join recently to make life more complicated than it currently is :).

Of Silk and Satin
I usually make posts out of whim than anything; regardless if I receive replies or not. This one was specifically made for continuity just so my topics could be tied together. It shows Melandro attempting to buy a dress. He fails and succeeds only with the help of a female who is more acquainted to such interests. On the time table of events, this occurs during the afternoon before the topic "Initiation" which transpires a few hours later.

Initiation
A new recruit named Demetrio Vasquez is initiated into the Syndicates. This, though not explicitly stated, happens a few hours before Melandro's meeting at the topic named "Beneath the Ebon Tree" where he finally delivers the dress to its recipient.

Battle: Royal Tournament
One of my earliest posts here in Arda. Such illustrates Obsidian's skill in battle. It is also the topic that explains the Guardian Dizahab's loss of leg, which Melandro manages to chop off.

Unstoppable Force CoC Vs. The Syndicate
This contains a post meant for Ita the Reckless when she attacked the guild a long time ago.

NEW!The Final Battle
This contains yet another character progression topic that aims to show Melandro's struggle with the spirit inside of him. Here they are portrayed to be battling at the very same plateau where the Royal Tournament was held. Will the mortal half finally conquer the possession he had been plagued with after so many centuries? This is a sample of how I usually rp fighting.

Reversal of the Hourglass
My 60k post that details very much on character development and progression. I used the experiences of the characters in Melandro's history in order to shape his personality. I felt that a method that is not so direct is the best way for people to get a general idea of who he is instead of stating such details explicitly.

The application reviews are finally finished, and I would like to congratulate all three of you in achieving Expert RPer status! :)

Expert Roleplayer Application- Phedre Teh Uberton.

LINKEHS FOR J00::
Beneath the Ebon Tree
So... I am finishing up this one.... with an expert rper... therefore I think I should be one. :lol: Ok, on a serious note... umm wait... there is no serious note... just kidding. lol. Wow, gotta get over... whatever is making me laugh. OK!! So this is the most recent escapade in the Obs/ Phedre adventure. It's filled with the more forgiving side of Phedre and her curiousity which helped her re-find her feminity.

Where the Bonds are Tested
The first forbidden meeting of the pair. Phed/Obs pairing. Decided to bring Raku and his watchful gaze into the mix to make things interesting... as well as give me an opportunity to beat Obs senseless with the hilt of my dagger. :p

Anger Without End
The Raku rebellion. The topic that was ment to show the confrontation btw the spouses. It died with Raku's unannounced departure and before the twist of Obs' arrival could take place.

Blind Man's Redemption
My topic with Siln with me as Renny. It shows her metaphorical side. There isn't much to explain.

Of Temples and Messages
Renny's topic with Thav and Rai. It was supposed to be their innaguration into the service of balance. But it died... but in its time it was great!

Home Coming
Phed's newest topic, her home coming from a scouting trip.

The Battle of Ying and Yang
Ita and Renny's battle of uber. Shows some of Ren in battle.

Battle on The Dark Horizon
Seeing Phed in action.

The Battle of Prophecies
Phed in the first battle. Action shots. Swoot.

The Silent Acolyte Seeks The Goddess
Siln and Renny's first meeting. He gets pwned into a forgiven due to his lack of... balance-ness.

I've been with Lothy (YOU!!!) and Arda since way back. I'm an active member and work incredibly hard to make my posts unique and descriptive without getting boring. I use spell check (WORD is my savior) and re-read all of my posts in order to reduce any kind of grammatical error. I've rp'd for a little over 4 years and have come a long way (you remember our posts way back on sangoria! They were embarassingly sad!!). I've also been trusted to be a mod on 3 different sites at some point and time. I am incredibly focused and dedicated to my characters and find any and every opportunity to improve them and my writing skills. I use Arda as my creative outlet for writing, something I have been passionate since I was in grade school. I have never broken a rule or recieved a warning on Arda. (except for when I was banned... because I was asked to be banned :p ). I even try to outlet my creativity into my diety shop! As you have seen throughout my stay here (lol) my posts have grown and improved drastically. I love seeing other rp'ers write amazing posts, it challenges me to write just as passionately. My post length has grown with the quality as well, I find every post well past the 500 word requirement. ^_^

So this is the bones of my application.
Posted: April 14/ 07

Application has been reviewed, congratulations on making ERPer, Pheddy!

I have made some adjustments to the ERPer application. I have made it so that you may only apply once every two months instead of once a month. This is because I feel like improvements should not only be made between applications, but also maintained for a long period of time.

In addition to this, I added a clause stating that ERPers can lose their status if their post quality declines once they are granted the title.

Lastly, I changed it so that instead of a minimum of 10 topic links needed, it is 10 only. No more, no less.

Expert Roleplayer Application for Sartana-kun.

Alright, so, where to begin? I've been roleplaying for many years now, probably six in all, and writing has always been one of my most enjoyed hobbies. It's my dream to be a successful writer one day, once I've improved even more, and to enjoy an easy living in the mountains of New Hampshire with sacks of money earned from my novels! But, really, I do love writing. Roleplaying gives me an opportunity to practice and improve my writing, while (and I don't mean to sound arrogant here) doing something that I'm quite good at. Granted, there's always room for improvement, so I'm hardly perfect. I can say that in the few months I've been here, my writing and grammar have both improved.

Arda is one of my favorite sites. I wish I could do more for Arda, if only because it has been a safe haven for my writing, where I can roleplay with other skilled writers. I can't roleplay one hundred word posts or anything like that, I really can't. It's just impossible for me. I have so much to describe; so many emotions I want to invoke in the reader. Because of this, my posts tend to be quite large, and I always post over five hundred words (with most around six to seven hundred). In competition-based roleplays, such as the war and Nafalen's tournament, I post much, much more; usually 2000+ words in the war, and 1000+ for the tourney. Competitions always do that to me, though I don't think it's such a bad thing.

While I've only been in Arda for a little under four months, I believe I'm deserving of the Expert Roleplayer Application because of my ardent attention to grammar and details, the quality of my posts, my friendliness towards other members, my strict adherence to the rules, and my dedication to Arda.

Sartana the Demonhunter
Sartana is one of the most well thought out, developed, and loved characters I have. He's the second character I've ever created (Luke-Duke being my first), and I've put a lot of thought into him and his hobby, which I think shows in my posts, making him stand out as more than just a fictional character.

A Portal to Nowhere – My second thread in Arda, dealing with Sartana trying to get home. Decent length, though I haven't started my strict '500+ word post only' rule, yet.

Order in Estolad – Another old thread, one of my first, where I type some decent posts, and have trouble fighting vampires, as Sartana was such a weak character. It was here that I decided Sartana was from a different plane of existence, and had lost much of his power in being transported here.

The Elf Princess – Started by William Drown, this thread held many members and even won topic of the month. It was an enjoyable thread, and I was sad to see it die.

Wasteland – Why did Este have to leave Arda?? She was an excellent roleplayer, as you can see from her posts in this topic, where Sartana stumbles upon her wet, fragile, and somewhat clumsy self. Again, I'm sad to see that it died, though I did have some good length posts in it, where I worked on the imagery of the tavern surroundings, and Sartana beats up a couple of bandits. Read my first posts; they're quite good, as I think I remember.

Demonhive Invasion – Sartana, Sanzen, and Dispater investigate recent deaths around Estolad. Some good posts, though the thread lacked a solid plot.

Sartana vs. Aaris – My first match in Naf's tournament, where I fight Aaris. She was a decent opponent, but according to Naf and Wraith's ruling, I beat her with my post quality.

Plague of the Swamp – DM-lead thread wherein Sartana stands around being cool (and quite badass), while befriending Kestrel and several other interesting characters. This is where I began to implement Sartana's accent (or at least mention it).

Sartana vs. Annihilate – My second match in the tournament. I must say, this was quite the battle, and was terribly fun to fight in. You'll find some of my best fighting posts here (with only my war posts topping them). Sartana makes use of all his equipment, and his quick-thinking mind, to overcome his opponent, Anni.

Battle on the Dark Horizon – This amazing thread inspired me to write some of my best posts since I've been here, along with my longest. Almost all of them are over 2000 words, with correct grammar and superb details. Every one of my posts has earned the light side a point. Now that I think of it, I have to post there...

Plane Warped – My 60k post, which I received the maximum amount of gold for. Now, I realize it's not the best story, but I'd be a liar to say that I haven't read it at least ten times myself. I'm not sure if it's my writing that pulls me in, or the fact that I love seeing Sartana in his own world, but I think I did something good here... Something that makes the reader want to keep going, and learn more. I introduce Victoria, which, if I ever do write a novel, will sort of fall in love with my demonhunter. Sort of. I think they may just be friends, as Sartana doesn't feel passion as he used to, but either way, I love how they act together. I must say thanks to you, Lothy, for offering me the promise of fake gold, which is apparently all I need for motivation to write such a.. decent short story. Really, thanks.

So there you have it. 'Hope you accept me. And if you don't... Eh, oh well. There's always next time.

Congratulations, Sarty, your application has been accepted and you now hold the prestigious title of Expert Role-Player! ^_^

Ok so where should I begin? I first joined Arda back in 2006, now in those days I was one of those people who made short posts with very bad grammar, I also had many, many characters. However since joining Arda I feel my writing has improved by a great deal as I able to easily type out posts well over seven hundred words and more. Writing has always been a strong passion to me but when I had first joined Arda I was rather new to the entire world of RPing, but upon meeting people such as Obs, Pheddy, Ita etc I came to learn far greater ways to develop my writing farther and farther. Yes Arda has been, and will continue to be, a powerful and effective learning experience for me.

Now Arda is the largest RP site I have ever seen and instantly, from first logging in all that time ago, I was vastly impressed with what I saw. In my posts I try my hardest to bring a strong sense of imagery for the reader to enjoy and feel I am getting a lot better at doing so. When the 60k Challenge came out I was the first member on the site to complete the challenge and once it was reviewed I took in every little detail of advise Loth gave to me, every since that day I changed my style of writing slightly and in truth feel I have managed to improve it vastly than the level it was when I made my 60k post.

Having been on the site for almost one year I have never broken any of the posting rules on the board within my RPs and have also tried to always do what is best for Arda (such as voting whenever I can and things like that) Being made an Expert Roleplayer is something I think I deserve as, mainly through the last four months, I have strived upon making my posts the best that they can be. Sure I shall admit there is a lot more for me to learn about complex and detailed writing skills, but that is what I am here to do as well as have fun. To me Arda is my save haven from the world outside, and I want to all that I can to be a positive role model for new members to come.



Zenith Meria
Zenith is by far the most used character of mine and the most developed character I have. He was once a member of the Keepers of the Sacred Deed and was trained as a Paladin by Avénnian not long after meeting him at The Sanctuary of Angels. As a Paladin Zenith wants to aid the powers of both Light and Life against the ever growing Darkness among the world of Arda. This Angel also seems to have a strong connection with magical animals as many of the Familiars that I purchased for him I made him meet in character. He is now set to marry Esgalrin whom he met within the Temple of Life.


Meeting Our New Family – This is the oldest of the topics I am using for this application, but it stills means a lot to me even thought it is short. It was the first, and sadly also the last, in character meeting of several members of the Keepers.

Rebirthing – In this topic we see Zenith meeting with his close friend Sraxen as they wait for their magical eggs to hatch. These eggs hold powerful animals inside them that both Sraxen and Zenith seen as the new light in the struggle against darkness.

"The Brotherhood of Hruka" – This is by far the topic I am most proud of from my stay on Arda. I was in this Roleplay as both Zenith and Alba Meria, while Sraxen played the other major role. Both Sraxen and Zenith travelled to the Mines within the mountains and found far more than what they had first went for. A great and evil power was manifesting itself inside the Mines and it was up to Zenith and Sraxen to stop it, of course Alba did not make it so easy for them to do so! The topic then ends with Sraxen making his escape as Zenith stays behind risking his own life to destroy Hruka. Most thought this had killed Zenith, but the angel barely survived the encounter. The writing quality of both Sraxen and Myself increased farther and farther as this topic moved on.

The Elf Princess – There were many other people involved in this topic and it was rather fast moving and fun. Sadly it died rather suddenly, but all in all the topic was fun to be in and even won Topic of the Month once. It had a strong story as well as some top class Roleplayers

Battle on the Dark Horizon – I have started the link to the war from my first post as Zenith. What else is there to say about this topic other than it is absolutely amazing? I am also getting the chance to RP out a battle against Obs in this war, which should prove to be both very fun and exciting.

Returning Home – This is the topic where Zenith and Esgalrin first meet with each other as Zenith had travelled to the Temple of Life in order to pray for his power to be returned to him after losing it all at the end of the Brotherhood topic above. The story moved along quickly and will soon be getting continued with the creation of the Wedding topic.

Infinite – A new Roleplay I joined a few days ago, it looks as though it shall be most interesting as Zenith will have to battle against Morgo and his Familiar. How will he fair in said battle? Guess you will have to find out as the topic progresses on further.

Demonic Revenge – Right at the start of this topic it is revealed that Zenith has somehow been kidnapped by a large group of demons and taken to the Underworld where he has been chained up and beaten badly. It had not long started up and thus not many posts have been made, however I intend on having this story span over several topic. The second in which Zenith shall tell the ones that save him how exactly he was captured. It should be very fun to plan out further and roleplay out.

Kill and Run – Another new topic that shall soon see Zenith and Valdearg facing off against two others. Not much has been posted for it so far, but it has still be a very nice topic to reply to. I have high hopes for this topic as I see a chance for me to show the emotions held by Zenith to a greater detail.

Tas Oberon
Tas is my secondary character and is an Elf. Unlike Zenith I have made Tas a fighter rather than a mage. He is the least used out of my two main characters and I intend to develop him a lot further as time goes on. Many ideas are starting to surface on what direction I should take this character.

Meeting after so long – Having spent most of his current life training with swords Tas has now set off out into the world of Arda on his own, finally away from his kin the young Elf decides to rest at the lake for the day. However as he is resting the elven man is suddenly attacked by two large, grey Lupines intent on ripping him apart. When all seemed lost someone arrived to aid Tas in the battle that person just happens to be Merenwen whom Tas knew from childhood!


Thank you for taking the time to read through, as well as review my application. I hope that you will grant me with the title of Expert Roleplayer and if not then during the two months before I can apply again I shall improve my writing even further.

- Zenith Meria.

Sorry Zen, I think that there are a lot of issues with your writing still. I can't grant you ERPer status at this time.

Applicant: Vaudeux Jupiter (Male) (Half-Dragon)
Character Alignment: Evil
Role Play Experience: 5 years overall
Updated 7/09

Well let me start off saying that, when I joined, I did not expect much out of this character. I came up with the name a day after I found the site, based it vaguely off a want to RP transforming in to a dragon, and wanted to be someone evil for a change. But what I didn’t think what I would find instead was a learning experience, where plot lines were expanded and most one-topic progression walls were shed, allowing me to grow even further as a RPer, as a writer. Now my character is probably my favorite thus far for Fantasy, he is now multidimensional, his past melds with his present and shapes his future. He lusts and loves, hates and feels anguish, while I sit back and find the words for his journey along the way. I came to Arda when the Expert application first came to be, and I remember sitting back and reading it, not fully comprehending it at the time (like most of the whole site) but thinking.. Ohhh expert, what’s before that? Whoa.. That’s two steps over what I am now! Anyways.. From that point on I tried to keep my posts up to my own personal standard, while even pushing myself for that extra adjective and even going as far to find good similes to work with a particular description, all for a closer reach at this very application.

I started when I was in 7th grade when my friend showed me a site called Elven Tears, and that very day I joined, not sure why I did, but it seemed fun. Came up with a name on the spot with a faint idea of a burly woodsman who turned into a summoner called Freedo Clodie… <-LOL. From there I started my own site just for me and my friends to RP on called the Teere. It started with one line descriptions with words following, /Forbid I describe anything back then!/ This was a crucial, but fun, site because there I met some good people who opened a whole new world of RP for me. La Costa Nostra. This guy got me into it and it grew on me. A world of crime and of sociable RP sites. I met tons of good friends on LCN that carried through a good three or four years of my writing until the second portion of this year; where I deemed to write something totally different than modern realistic crimes and drug trafficking… I went back to Fantasy and found Arda through a googily search.

Considering I was pumping out 6,000-10,000 word “Heists” to get millions of RP money by requesting it through Rping for it, to coming to a site where the amount of posts got you money, I was lost but it was just what I needed to change my pace. So in the beginning I kept up with both until Mafia changed sites and I changed characters.. Then I never started over with her on that site… Anyways I thrived back here, got involved with powering up my char the way I wanted and joined some interesting topics. Joined a fun venture, NafNaf’s Tourney, and experimented with banners and Avatars. This site really tests your creativity, and I’m glad I have enough to keep up.

Well enough about experience and that I have a couple habits I should explain. Well first I admit, Mechanically I’m not the best... for example.. I start sentences with conjunctions like So, And, Yet and so on.. but I admit it now and decided I would embrace this and just do it anyways.. Despite how my English teacher advises us not to. And (<- haha) my spelling is enough to make a 5th grader wince in pain, but I’ve made Word my home ever since writing heists. It’s hard to think about writing anything but short OCC comments in the post box w/o copy and paste.. As for grammatically, I’ve passed my comma’s mastery two years in a row on the first try, passed my pronouns, and apostrophes (took me seven times after class last year).. But I passed!!

There was a point around a few months ago that I thought I was ready to post my app.. Yet I looked at my character and thought against it. He just wasn’t developed enough, it was really hindering my writing and I didn’t even realize it. So I revamped his history and gave him a new motive, instead of soley wanting gold, he now wants prestige - wants to be known. Well I’ve made him some enemies since then, captured a Dryad (being evil in her eyes), and got the last topic I’ve wanted for my showcase- that just started today. Now with all my topics that should show you my skill, flow, and creativity before this gets too unnessecarily long.

-I’ve arranged my topics from latest to most recent (Apart from my first one which I have put first because I love it), added a description and my view on the topic as a whole.-



No reasons equals an easier target - My Favorite Topic thus far. After an odd request Jupiter has been sent on a mission to kill the local businessman in the Village of Estolad. Expecting the kill to be quick and uneventful he finds another already in the midst of his assassination, a rouge named Azrail. This story is filled with many twists and turns, leaving the reader guessing what both characters will do next.
-This is my favorite topic so for because of it’s astounding plot. When I look back at it I’m amazed that this whole thing started out in the C-Box with Azrail going “Hmm I think I want to RP.. A murder” and me replying “Yeah do it, and I’ll help!” and the plot change kept happening from there. We’ve kept it up for months on-end, with a few lapses during due to absences. Then I look at the topic itself, and wonder how I made some of those monster posts, but we’ve both had fun RPing together on this one. I only hope she returns because the story just took its sharpest turn of them all…

Echoes - Marauder meeting with Anni. I decided to fit this in. It has better writing throughout and dialouge. My last post is devoted to the beginning brawls with a barman, which was supposed to break into chaos.

Lounging A strole to get a drink up to a lake presents an interesting situation with a nearby lounging dragon. Sensing it would be harmless was proven wrong instantly, as it sensed Jupiter's true colors. Blinded by blood purity and impurity beliefs the being attacks, scorching the land, and having the half-breed come up with whatever situations he can in order to stay alive. When the fighting becomes too intense there is only one solution to keep his life; fight fire with fire.
-First role-played transformation into Wyrm form.

Spring Festival - A little dance with Fidelity. I read back and enjoy how Jup bumbled out of the tavern and was bombarded by women after his looks (who wouldn’t? ;)), you’ve already read them I presume, though I enjoyed Fid’s style which only helped me produce quality posts in the end.

-These tournament posts, based on quality and time written were probably the most enjoyable. I love writing about the fighting going on in my head, thwarting possible counterattacks before they happen, and coming up with an alternate counter to a complex offense. Round 1 was harder, Death rather grew inactive in the second, leaving me up one more bulky post than him.-

Vaudeux Jupiter Vs. Azlateen Nafalen's Tournament - Round 1 He entered the tournament not expecting much, and found himself pitted against a crafty martial artist who won't make getting to the next round a stroll in the park. This is the blood-ridden beginning of a grudge match between both men, starting a whole new disliking towards the other. This is the beginning of a pair of enemies.

Valdearg Vs. Vaudeux Jupiter Nafalen's Tournament - Round 2

Masquerade Assult - Jupiter in a display of his many talents, thievery and deception.
Basically deceiving a small child into being his friend behind a Crow’s mask. I rather liked this topic, and it lost momentum when our leading lady went astray… but Jup met up with his rival Azlateen, which promised to be interesting..

The Start of a Dark Journey - The capture of Gwen Gamore.
Blundering through the woods, downtrodden on his luck with gold, Jupiter schemes of new ways to retain his losses by means of selling on the black market. Unfourtunatly the first thing to stroll in his path was the kind-hearted and nature abiding Dryad, Gwen Gamore. After a stealthy plan which involved his own demon fly to attack him, he gains enough attention and enough trust to deceive the powerful forest nymph and drag her from her home.
This probably has some of my most thought-out dialouge apart from Part Deux.

Sartana Vs. Vaudeux
This is the topic I’ve been waiting for to complete this extensive application. I knew once I made it this far, I’d have a good chance at the title. I’m whipping out my best writing for this topic, I’ve been saving up some of my best moves and now, with my fighter abilities, I’ll give Sarty a run for his mon-aayy..

Kidnapped
Decided to put this topic up and take one out. Has a pretty good plot, Vaud as the head of a slave trade organization. He's viciously commanding. Here, Mere finds out of his evilness. The second page is worth the read.

Finally I enjoy writing, plot planning, which only helps with my various short films to come. Since I can picture it, it's only the matter of fitting it to words or even to film. So, thanks!

Sincerely,

Jupitaah

Curin of Neiruthaun.

1 Planning: A Bitter Union After posting my character-development of: Earliest Hisory, I was approached by one of my major role-models, Vaudeux Jupiter, wanting to write together. So I got straight to work plotting out something that would bring out the best in both of us as writers. I attach this out-of-character thread first of all, because above all else I attempt to conduct myself as an "author", if that doesn't sound too pompous. I try to bring planning and good consideration to my activity here, in order to raise the tone of my "work", and those that write alongside me.

2 A Golden Shadow Another highly planned thread, though not to the degree of A Bitter Union. An example where I have given another writer the opportunity to help shape my character. The Golden Harrier is something Curin knows nothing about, and if he should find any significance in its' presence. I approached Kyerme, our first fully fledged beast-master, with the idea of letting him decide on the harriers fate and purpose. And I, the author, just have to keep on my toes. It just keeps Curin, as a character, moving, and fresh.

3 Curins Earliest History I take the need for my character to be plausible very seriously. I wrote this piece as an exercise to delve up a creditable history, that would properly anchor why Curin reacts to the things that happens to him in the ways he does, and to cast light on how he has come to where he is in life.

4 A Pillar of Fire At every opportunity I like to let Curin fall into moments of despair and weakness, to balance those of nobility and strength. Again, this is entirely to help flesh his character out, and also, it helps to put his fate into the hands of other writers, bringing up options, and tides of change, that I, the author, could never have arranged better myself. Ancale has resolved to take Curin through an ongoing process of devotion and discipleship. It will be immensely fruitful I have no doubts.

5 Curin of Neiruthaun This is one of the only topics in which I have engaged in combat. I will be the first to admit I shy away from combat, it doesn't hold a lot of interest for me. But when I do make battle, I try to be imaginative, and aggressive, whilst always maintaining the other writers' prerogative of not being harmed by my attacks. I am sure you noticed Silva/ aka Lord Deimos commented that our interaction really helped to further his own character development... I was very honored, so pardon me for speaking so highly of myself, but, since this is my chance to make good of my application: I do very deliberately try to do exactly that in my every interaction with all the writers I meet here.

6 The Charmed Stable I try to lavish my writing with engaging detail, but attempt, painstakingly, to ensure good flow and tone. I think my opening piece here has such wonderful potential. I think it sheds an immense amount of light on my character, and his motives, and his mood. It was a shame Berindel, the authors' own brother as a matter of fact, had to fall out of the thread, because it lost its' momentum after that... a pity.


7 The Ancient One on the Steps An example of the imagination, and effectiveness I try to bring to my NPCs'. I eagerly await the involvement of The Rider in this thread. He is very gifted, and I can't wait to see what lengths he brings this very tender thread to. I am certain it is noticeable the length of my posts continues to grow. To tell the truth I would write as many as 2000 words in my every post, but it is not always appropriate.

8 A Drows Entrance A rare opportunity to embrace a new-comer with wonderful potential, I very much relished pushing the dialog as far as I could in terms of my characters unspoken feelings and reactions to what was said.

9 Old Acquaintances Meet in the Wild I found an opportunity to write alongside Etain again, and was very excited, as I very much enjoyed the dynamic between them when we wrote alongside each other in Saddle Sore & Tired. I don't often get a chance to write alongside a mature-minded author who can delve into the "tender emotions" without the risk of things beginning to gush all over the show.

10 A Bitter Union This highly researched and deeply considered thread is my pride and joy. I hope in time many of the authors of the Arda community will carry out elaborate threads that have been as lovingly considered, and which, as I believe A Bitter Union is already doing, engages the interest of all, not just those writing it.

So, for your consideration, I present my application for ERP, with many thanks for the time it will demand of Admin to consider it, regardless of the outcome.

*Deep Breath*

Expert Roleplayer Application for Dark Wraith and all subsidiary accounts.

When I came to Arda, I had little to no experience on how to roleplay or even how to write fantasy very well. Most of my posts came in at around 200-300 words if I was lucky. Looking back on my old topics, they are embarrassingly short and have too many typos. I also ran into a little trouble with the law during my first topic, mostly borne out of complete inexperience with how things worked in the play-by-post world.

However, since joining, Arda has helped drastically to improve the overall quality, length, and detail of my writing. I’d say this statement goes for my fantasy writing both within Arda and beyond it. I attempted to write a novel as a teenager, and looking back, it was awful. However, I write short stories and small novels now, and they are dramatically improved from this early work. Writing has always been a passion of mine, but after high school, I was looking for something, anything, to help me really vamp up my storytelling to the next level.

Arda has provided that boost.

Nowadays, I pride myself on making my posts 700-1000 words, sometimes longer depending on who I am RPing with. Most of my war posts top 2000 words, and I have reached that max word limit in the Grand Ardian Tourney round as well. While it is more difficult to find good RPs for a guardian everyone fears, these types of events suit me perfectly and drive me to add quality and description to my writing. I double-check every post I make, ensuring that I don’t over-use adverbs, or repeat the same word too many times. Everything I write is in MS Word, so it’s all automatically spell checked. I do my own nit-picking, of course, to ensure that my writing has as few flaws as possible. Even after posting something I’m happy with, I normally go back an hour or two later and read it again, always finding little things to change or add to.

I have been working on improving my battling style, and have been careful to never godmode or power-play in any topic. To my knowledge, I have never abused or over-stated the power of a spell or item, and if I have questions about their usage, I always ask before posting.

And now that I’m done tooting my own horn, here are the links to the Wraithington Hall of Fame:

Order in Estolad.
Here, I use my now-scrapped character St. Sorrow. This is probably the earliest topic in which I really made an effort to give my posts good quality and length. I added more detail than I ever had before. This is, in my opinion, the topic which has set me onto the path which I currently follow. Definitely a landmark in my ongoing quest for quality. Admittedly, some of my posts are not amazing, but as I’ve said, this is probably the earliest topic that you’ll see in this application.

A Dangerous Game, Part I.
This is a pre-Turmoil attempt at an epic journey-style topic. We tried for a Part II, but this topic died due to inactivity from Eclipse and Alkar. I was sad to see it go, it had so much promise. All of my posts here meet the word limit, and it is obvious that I am just starting to improve my length and quality.

The Turmoil that Ensues after Complete Exhaustion.
A hallmark in Xoco’s character, possibly the biggest progression topic I’ve ever done for him. It was so influential to his story, that I actually began referencing his topics are “pre-Turmoil” and “post-Turmoil”. It was great to RP with Ita, an incredible writer, and I did my best to keep up. All of my posts are above the required word limit, some very well above. I am very proud of my work here, mostly due to the unprecedented length and importance of this topic.

The Battle on the Dark Horizon
I am very proud of these posts, for they showcase the “New-and-Improved Wraith” style of writing. This very recent topic is some of my best writing to date, with most of my posts topping 2000 words. I even got a showcased quote from one of my posts. I try my best here not to rampage and slaughter through NPCs, but instead sought out PC enemies to fight.

The Siege of the Obsidian Tower.
I’m not quite as happy with the posts in this war battle as Dark Horizon, but they are both well above and beyond the minimum ERPer requirements. I am very happy with my work so far, and am interested to see how this will unfold.

Dark Wraith vs. Twin Blade.
The first round of the Grand Ardian Tournament. If I had to pick one topic to showcase the best writing I’ve ever done, this would be it. Twin Blade is a worthy adversary, and writing to impress judges like Al, Sarty, and Jupiter all drove me to put out my best work. I have maxed out the word limit (2000 words) once and have come close with almost every other post. I was actually disappointed when I only posts 1300-1400 words.

A Deal With the Devil, Well, Sort of.
This is a very recent topic that is part of a plot Mere and I cooked up through PM. In it, she agrees to sell her soul in exchange for the safety of her parents. Of course, later in the plot, she becomes a guardian and Xoco kills her parents in revenge. All of this will be coming soon to a war battle near you. I’m very proud of the post length and quality here. Definitely showcases my current quality.

A Meeting of Darkness.
An old Dread Legion topic, where we all sit down to plot an attack on the city of angels. The reason why I chose to include this topic is to show my ability to pull out a decent post a good length and detail in the midst of others that are, well… short.

Siege (60K)
I have always been very proud of this post, simply because it took so much time and effort to fine-tune it to how it is now. Even though it is nowhere near the level of Sarty’s uber-uber post, I am still very happy with what I think is a great second place.

It’s Always Darkest Before Dawn.
A topic I did with Mazzer after his fall from dietyhood. This is the first topic I ever did with Xoco as the Guardian of Shadows, and it again shows off my ability to make long, detailed post in the midst of less lengthy posts from others. It is unfortunate that it died so soon, it promised to be a good progression topic.

And, I believe that’s everything.

*Crosses fingers*

Congratulations, Wraith, you've been granted ERPer status. ^_^

Jup, I'm holding off on making a decision on you because I haven't read your 60k challenge yet, okay? :) So far so good, I really enjoyed your tournament topics.

[edit]
Oh, I didn't even see Curin's application. :blink: Sorry! :lol: I'll need time to review your submission.

Ok, here it goes. *Takes a deep breath*

I have been a member of Arda for over 3 years now, and I have never had any difficulties with breaking any rules or anything of that nature. You obviously believe that I am competent and I can handle being in a higher position otehrwise you never would have made me a Co-Admin. If there is one thing that will probably hold me back from becomign an ERPer, it would be my activity. I have been active within the past 3 weeks, but before that I was off for a bit. I am not the most active member, and I generally refrain from posting in a lot of threads at once. I tend to stay with one or two threads at a time, posting in them until they die and then moving to a new thread.

When I first joined Arda I had a very short post length, and I still don't see how I possibly could have made my posts any shorter. Since then, I have become much better. I now find it easy to crank out 600+ word posts and when I really make an attempt, I am able to get over 1200+ words in a post. I have never had many difficulties with grammer or spelling. Most of the time, my spelling errors come from typing too quickly, and then I go back and correct them. I always very carefully read what the other people in the post say so that I don't accidentally make a mistake.

My posts:
A Strange Occasion
This is the thread where Ita had ordered Valdearg to assassinate Thavron. It took place in Lomedor, and I believe that it would have become an excellent post, but Thavron stopped posting for some reason and so the topic quickly died.

The Elf Princess
William Drown started this topic. A group of evil beings were attempting to kidnap an elven princess. I decided to stroll along as Death and see how things went. The topic was kind of chaotic with so many people, but it seemed to be working. At the end of the topic before it died, I was about to have a confrontation with Sartana.

Zenith Meria Vs. Valdearg
The first round of Nafalen's tournament. I was facing off against Zenith Meria. It was an excellent thread that really forced me to write exactly what I was doing in order to be clear. The round ended after two weeks.

Battle by the Lake
Death was going to face off with Alba Meria. Unfortunately, soon after this topic was started, Alba was killed off and the topic died.

Born on a Monday
This topic is with an rper that I know from another site, and I was very excited about it. Solomon Grundy is out hunting for food, and Death is out hunting for elves. The dramatic climax commences. I know that it says the last post was in July, but we are going to take the thread back up again and continue it.

Shake n' Bake
A 2 vs 2 battle in the Battlestand. Death and Famine against Zenith and Samarin. A fight that woudl shake the very ground they stood on. Unfortunately, Famine pulled one of hi disappearing acts and the topic died.

Arcan Zarikon vs. Death
The first round of Sartana's tourney. Arcan managed to get out some decent length posts, but then he conceded and the topic went no further than a couple of posts from each participant.

Valdearg vs. Vaudeux Jupiter
The second round of Nafalen's tournament. Valdearg was facing off against Vaudeux Jupiter. I had to make my posts even better than the ones in the first round. I eventually conceded because I was in a funk and couldn't get any decent posts out.

A Tale Come True
Valdearg is captured by some tribesmen in the rainforest. This topic was just something I kind of threw out there one day when I was hit by inspiration. Alas, the topic died when one of the members never replied.

Death vs. Deathstrider
The second round of Sartana's Tourney. I managed to crank out a 1700 word first post. Currently waiting for Deathstrider to reply. We are pretty evenly matched, so this should be a reall challenge.

Congrats Jup and Curin, you've both made expert role-player! :w00t:

Deathy, I'm working on yours now. I'm more familiar with your writing and some of your topics so it shouldn't take as long for me to review yours as it did Jup and Curin.

Bless! Thank you ever so much! I'm so delighted.
is it acceptable for my alt to be listed as ERPer also?

Application tendered 13/12/2007

Updated 21/12/2007

Well, you don't know until you try :xmashappy:

Why should I be an ERPer? Now that is a really, really hard question. The part of the interview where the guy in the suit inevitably asks "so why exactly is it that you want to work for us?" Well, I have been role-playing for a great many years in table-top, live and virtual form. For me, the point of the exercise is the telling of a story, one that hopefully interests, if not grips those who care to read. I have always striven to improve my own abilities as a writer, though like Taryn, I am my own worst critic. I personally hold too many years as a GM responsible; it tends to make me look for weaknesses in my own story because you can bet your soul that one of the players will otherwise :xmaswink:. Since discovering Arda (or rather having been nudged in its direction by the better half) I have posted consistent, spell checked, grammar checked and descriptive posts that have involved those present without ever resorting to Godmoding or powerplaying. I hope that I have even proven pleasant and maybe even humourous in the CBox on occasion, though that has little to do with role-playing, and have set something of an example to the younger players *feels like an old man*.

Ahem ... back on topic!

Wurzag was originally developed for use in a Dungeons and Dragons game many moons ago when he was a rather two-dimensional being created for the sole purpose of being rubbish, stupid and disruptive. That was pretty much the from in which he entered Arda. I had no plan for him, no grand scheme, simply a desire to play a slightly daft half-orc with a dislike for short people and a penchant for drinking. Since that chilly September day however he has sprouted exponentially into a creature with a rich history which is slowly being revealed throughout the posts and a personality that goes beyond thick-skulled stupidity. He has a story, a destiny that he is not yet aware of (though I am *cackles gleefully*) and a wealth of experience to draw upon. I have never felt the need to create a second character because there is so much still to do with this one!

What's more, every item and piece of equipment is only added to the inventory once it can be explained in character with a related post. As far as I'm concerned if I cannot explain how Wurzag got it ... then he really shouldn't have it!

I never would have believed it of the chap!

Anyway, without further ado, on to my Curriculum Vitae -

Close Encounters of the Chaotic Kind
The first post that really launched Wurzag toward his ultimate destiny. Originally the events depicted were to happen at a later date once the Lich slaying quest reached its inevitable confrontation, but with the evolution of the story it ended up working much better before their departure.

The Tale of Unka Frush and Da 'Pockalips 'Ammer
My first effort at a sixty thousand character post! The story is told by Wurzag himself in the tavern for a bunch of random peasants. The post is significant in several ways. It reveals for the first time that Wurzag is a story-teller and knows a great many of the orcish tales and legends, though the reason he has such knowledge is yet to be revealed. It explains, rather long-windedly, the origin of his favourite curse and, perhaps most importantly, some of the characters featured in the tale have a larger part yet to play.

A Dance of Sheep and Wolves
A thread begun by the rather excellent Scarlet Symmetry that ended in a bar brawl of colossal dimensions. It revealed for the first time that Wurzag has a least some semblance of nobility residing within his brutish frame as he stood in defence of a member of the fairer sex. An accidental save that later developed into an unlikely friendship.

Brittle Bonds Built Between
The follow-up of the previous thread which deals with the consequences of the evening frivolity. The thread is still active, though sadly Scarlet has been absent from it for awhile. The hypnosis performed by Taryn also gives another glimpse of strange things at work!

Glutton for Punishment
Wurzag reveals a couple of fragments of past to a random drow warrior he chooses to be his drinking buddy. The half-orc also learns some important truths about dark-elves and the Underdark. The meeting was an oddly ominous one as it was shortly followed by ...

Wurzag vs. Sargtlin Olath
Wurzag entered the Zenith Tournament only to find himself face to face with his former drinking buddy! The bout is still active though the half-orc is looking a little worse for wear. The eerie environment is also bringing out some of the stranger parts of his psyche, not to mention dredging up a few nightmares!

'Hoggr in Estolad
A thread in which Wurzag, in an unlikely turn of events, befriends a baby dragon. Whether this ultimately turns out to be a good thing remains to be seen ...

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin'
Wurzag, Taryn and Thallinis join a merchant caravan as guards with the intention of traveling to Taryn's home in search of an undead artifact. The journey ends at a nameless little hamlet that had been attacked by bandits and provoked an uncontrollably violent response from the half-orc as something strange begins to surface in his psyche.

Death Becomes Them
Wurzag and Taryn take bloody revenge on the brigands responsible for the village massacre. The half-orc finally taps into the powers of chaos that have been growing in him since his encounter with the chaos warrior but is left injured in the wake of the battle.

Unexpected Homecoming
The pair of unlikely friends cope with the aftermath of the battle, finally meet with the mage's family and set about finding the artifact that will allow Taryn to bring an end to the Lich that haunts him. Thread is still in progress and developing!

*waddles grumpily into view* Expert Roleplayer Status flease! I am an alt of that infamous goof named Obs!

Congrats, w00rzeh, your application for ERPer has been accepted! :w00t: I skipped over finishing reviewing Death's to do yours, since he has retired from Arda. :unsure:

May I politely request the esteem of ERPer for my dear alt Ferdibrand?
xxx Curin

Wraith alt here, ERP status please. :D

If you could do me an aaaawesome favor (this appears to be the proper topic to do so), could you go ahead and make my alts Thavron and Riya ERPers? The former appears to be only an ARPer currently. 0_0

ERPer Application for Annihilate and The Rider

Alright, well, here it goes.



I like to think that my RPing skills have come a long way from my single line chatroom posts. I normally average 700 word posts overall, but I have been known to post upwards to a thousand depending on my mood and the occasions I go for larger, 20,000 word posts and the 60K challenge. However, in many ways, a lot of ways, I’m still growing. I’m always revising historical information about characters, tying them all into the world I’ve created, and so far I’ve never made a character who I haven’t constantly looked for ways to improve them.

I’ve been RPing for roughly six years now, starting early on playing DnD. I upgraded to online chatrooms a few months after completing my first campaign, and stayed with one privately owned site for several years. It took a really skilled RPer, who I hold in the highest regard, to actually get me into roleplaying. He beat my character down with only a few posts, and since then I’ve strove to gain his approval. I ask myself repeatedly ‘would Derek like this or would he do this?’ despite rarely getting to speak with him. I eventually left the RP chatroom because of lack of RPers and the fact that everyone was either a cyberbunny or a metaphysical god and bombarded rooms with physics and more math than a senior college level exit examination. For about a year afterwards I wandered from forum to forum, finding them easier to post in, and finally found Arda.

Arda was by far the biggest community I’ve ever visited, and I loved it from the beginning. I looked at the site as a guest for almost two months, and eventually made a character named Verus in mid December of ’06, but he only lasted two weeks before I decided to bring in Anni. At first he was still using the name Vaelen Anarthros, but a friend of mine said I could use the name Annihilate, which was the name of a character of his own from the old chat, and I thought it fit perfectly.

I’d say my biggest weakness is my flow of ideas. I’ll go into an RP with guns blazing, but then I find once I get going a while I run out of things to write about, and it inevitably leads the RP to do a nose dive. Normally, it’s either not enough thought, with many breaks in action, or too much, which causes an overload of irrelevant information. Next on my weakness list would be grammar, but that’s normally due to my lax revisions of my posts. But, I’m trying to work on them, and I’d like to think I’ve improved since I started, but I think I can do better, so I’m trying to work on it every chance I get. I just always try to get everything right the first time, causing me to overlook minor details.

Annihilate Examples
Anni was not always evil. When he was human he was a fairly decent person, a knight, but his wife and children were killed. He merged with one of the demons coming to collect their dead souls, and developed an obsession with reviving, which led him to utter insanity. It also led him to becoming a very brilliant creature easily capable of weaving a web of lies that could consume anyone unwitting enough to walk into the trap. Strangely, though, Anni has a strong affinity for drow. Since their culture is similar to how he lives his life, they tend to be like-minded, and he really enjoys going into the Underdark to visit them. Recently, Anni has become very moody, and it is harder for him to so intricately control people. It brings his faults and his chaotic tendencies into a new light, and opens up a new story line where he may actually do some good around Arda in his own violent and twisted way.

1. A Predator in the Dark – This was my first RP in Arda, and is supposed to come immediately after my first 60K post. I really like this post, and was glad that Ryu joined it. Overall I thought it was quite enjoyable, save for the few run-ins he and I had over PM’s, and I think it was one of my better RP’s from my first stretch on Arda.

2. The Sintelnor Brothers– This was another one of my favorite RPs, which I’m particularly proud of. It was one of my first, as well as one of Nafalen’s first, and I had a great time. I wish we could’ve gotten further into it, because Nafalen is a person who just brings out some of my better ideas.

3. The White Raven – The White Raven has been mentioned frequently in many of my RP’s as a meeting place, and also a focus point for the Marauders in Ondolond. Meeting Cara here was wonderful because she was an excellent writer, and brought a bunch of new ideas out of me. The fight was excellent, but I was burned out by the end, and it was my fault this particular RP died. This was when I started becoming less active before the beginning of summer.

4. Echoes – This particular RP went down over the summer, when I was trying to get my first draft of the Marauders going. It was supposed to be an induction, and in the end me and Jup were going to tear down the bar, but it never got finished. Still, I think there is some fine writing there, but it was my inactivity that doomed it.

5. Rebirth I: Entrance of the Hopeslayer – This was one of my first RP’s in a string of new thought with Anni. I began shying away from mass murder, and decided it was time to take a more artful approach. I also decided that I’d be using Anni more as a mage and diplomat type of character rather than a fighter. So I decided it was time to start working on his charisma. So, this RP is meant to have Cara, Vaud and Anni discussing new plans for the Marauders, and for the three of them, and hopefully it may continue, but for the most part I believe it is finished.

6. Rebirth II: New Acquaintances – This is an interesting RP between Anni and Phedre, and her elites. It is on pause for now, but I think the intro's aren't too bad, and the interaction between Anni and the Elites are interesting.

7. Slave Master – This is a nice RP me and Ero were working on. It is a mini war of sorts, and was meant to bring Eroker into the Marauders as the leader of all of the Orc tribes. It is paused, but probably wont be restarting anytime soon.

8. The Ancient One on the Steps – Meant for the Rider and Curin, I turned out subbing Anni in his place. It was a different RP, and shows how alike two totally different people can be.

9. The Fires of Ondolond – This is a single post, character progression topic. It shows that Anni has emotions, and will do anything for those he cares about, specifically this NPC whose attitude and link to Anni as his “stepson” will be elaborated on further along in the story.

The Rider Examples:
Sera is far less progressed character than Anni, and he’s in fewer RPs. So, that’s why I only put one example from him. His story isn’t great, and he’s primarily an antihero, but he’s an interesting play. I plan to eventually bring him back, and even go so far as to having Anni and him team up. They do have history together, after all.

10. New Company – This was an RP idea for Mithy and Sera, that was supposed to be a more lighthearted RP. It never went much further than introductions, though, and made me sad.

Expert Role Player Application for Rièle

Reasons for Applying

I started looking for an advanced role-playing board after an extremely bad experience on my old board, where I was co-admin. The situation there was very stressful with people getting in spats with each other all the time, and then several moderators were promoted who I thought shouldn't have been... they treated everyone, including me, with a very elitist and condescending attitude. It was really hard for me to resign and leave that board, because I missed writing so badly, but I was a lot happier just being away from that community. So, I searched the web pretty thoroughly looking for a new place to write. I came upon Arda several times, but it was so severely different from what I was used to that it took several visits before I even thought to give it a proper chance. I was accustomed to a board with about 30 active members where the RPers had free reign over character abilities/equipment, etc., and it felt so strange to write within the rules here. But the more I browsed around the more I wanted to make myself fit here - and it was because of Arda's writers.

The more posts I read on Arda the more I thought 'This is exactly what I want to do! I wish I could RP with these people." So I tried making a character for the board. It didn't go so well on my first try, and I reconsidered my attempt and wandered off to try somewhere else for awhile. But the more I tried to find a community of good writers elsewhere, the more I realized how hard that is and that maybe putting in some more effort on Arda might pay off. So, I came back and tried again.

Things have been awesome for me ever since I came back. I've been role playing with people who I feel challenge me as a writer, and I've never put so much effort into the details and emotions of a character before. I love the writing I do here, and I love the people I've found to write with. So many of the ERPers have been open and welcoming to me, and I'm grateful that they've been eager to write stories with me. I'm content just being a member who can share the fun of loving to write with others in a community that's so wonderful to be a part of.

For the other stuff in the app - I type my posts in a text program, so they're always spell checked, and I proofread before posting so they're grammar-checked as well. Length varies, my shortest post was about 700 words and my longest was around 6,000. Usually I average around 1,500 words.

Links to my 10 topics

A Morning In Estolad
This was my first RP here in Arda. Curin jumped in pretty much immediately, and we've been RP'ing together ever since. I love writing with Curin because I expect so much more of myself, and put so much more thought and effort in my writing than I used to. This story tells of the meeting of Rièle and Curin, explores Rièle's first few talents and abilities, and introduces the Liradan.

The Winds of Salquedor
I started this RP hoping to find some new friends, and I snagged Grundy and Dunimir. I loved reading Grundy's battle posts, and it was a challenge for me to write my own character's fighting as this is not my strong suit. I developed some of Rièle's first fighting skills a bit here, and worked towards helping the plot along as best I could. Overall the interaction between the characters was really enjoyable for me, though it seems to have been a short-lived story.

Rumours of Wolves, of Halflings, and of Horses
Another RP with some great character interaction. I put a lot of work into my first post just looking for a way to incorporate Rièle into the story that made sense to me. After I finally figured it out and jumped in, Aloric and Dibs gave me some great opportunities to work with Rièle and her talents and incorporate them into character interaction. In this RP Rièle learns that packs of wolves give her trouble, because the dominant-submissive aspect of their behavior leaves little respect for her timid and uncertain mind. So, I worked with her flaws and weaknesses quite a bit. Rièle is also forced to think on her feet and save poor Aloric, who gets chased by a pack of ravenous wolves.

A Visitation
A very brief topic I jumped in on, with Obsy. Not much really happened, but the post quality is there. I wish it had gone further...

Taming Fire
Rièle meets Jupiter! And, again, gets herself into a mess of trouble. Jupiter expects the poor girl to tame a dragon! I'm hoping that she and Jupiter can become friends, despite the fact that Jupiter despises Curin. So far I've worked to keep Rièle open-minded and vulnerable, and Jup and I have written a lot about the connection between our characters (both aligned with nature) and the things they sense about each other.

Cursed
Cursed is the sequel to Morning. I opened it with a marathon post that got Rièle into an interesting bit of trouble. Again my motivation was context, I wanted to come up with a reason for her to seek the Liradan when she believed that Curin was dead. Her weaknesses play a part again, but as Rièle is still a growing beastmaster with only a few abilities I feel that her confidence should develop slowly as well. This story is still active, Curin and I are working though a difficult period for our characters, and plan to continue developing their relationship. (And no worries, that nasty curse is due to be broken in another post or two!)

Misconceptions
This RP is so much fun! Writing with Wurzag is a great opportunity to work some humor into my writing, which I don't often get to do with Rièle. Not much development has happened yet, but I'm looking forward to the rest of the story. Rièle is a really nice character to play because by nature she's very open-minded, and hence can accept the company of a character like Wurzag without too much difficulty. I really can't wait to see where this goes.

Gray Dream
My 60k! I spent a few weeks writing this, but all it really is is Rièle learning what her greatest weaknesses are, how she feels about them, and then finally resolving to overcome her fears and start doing something about them. She considers some major choices in her life and is forced to face her worries, and learns that the uncertainty she's built up inside of her is only hurting her. She also finally deals with her wolf problem, and as I've developed it her weaknesses and the wolves are connected.

The Call of the Wild (Post 1 | Post 2)
Rièle gets to act like a Liradan! I am so excited about this topic... I just love RPs that have a larger bearing on everything, ya know? The DM began by giving me a very difficult fighting scenario. It was quite a challenge to write, but I think I succeeded in making it reasonably feasible, and hopefully somewhat interesting too. Here Rièle uses some of her newer beastmaster battle/summoning skills for the first time.

Tension
Part 2 of Call of the Wild (link is directly to post). I don't think I've ever been forced to put so much character development into one post before! The DM is sure challenging all of us. The DM essentially asked Rièle to come out of her shell and develop some of that self-confidence and bravery that's hiding beneath the surface. This is a perfect transition after Gray Dream, because I can show her confidence finally starting to develop.

Thanks in advance for considering my application! ^_^

Expert-Role-Player application for Winter and her alts (Alchemy, Kogata, Ikoru Yami and Angulaut)

I've been on Arda for a long time but spent most of that time as a noob who wasn't worth RPing with, but over the time I've been here I've learned from a lot of great writers and RPers, some older and some younger than me and of course I wanted to improve and I slowly did, I learned that long posts don't mean a good post and while it took me a while to get used to American spelling I managed to work up post of a good enough quality to grant me ARPer status at last, although it did not seem like the big, uber-cool title I thought it would be, I'm still far from the best RPer on the forum and a good many ARPers and definitely the ERPers far outrank me in terms of post quality and size, so as you can imagine I'm still learning. I'm still aiming for higher though and I feel that going up a step would be a worthwhile achievement just to prove to myself that I can be on the same level as these people and that I'm not just a fifth wheel trying to look good. I don't really know what other people think of me and to be honest I'd rather they didn't, I can't really take fame all that well having been a very popular member on another board, to cut a long story short I'm not the sort to show off just because I can write better posts than other people. I'd more see it as a way to inspire other people to achieve the same things I can, I see a lot of new members racking up the quality of posts that I used to achieve and yet I don't look down on them because of it, in fact I'd probably try and support them and give them good advice in order to improve, even if I don't achieve ERPer status. I'd also welcome the idea of having to watch my posts carefully so I don't lost my title, as I'd hate to fall into a decline in writing. I'm sure whatever decision you'll come to will be well judged and failure will only push me towards improvement, so without further ado here is my application:

Winter:

Guild Meeting - I'm sure you've heard of the OOC unrest between Mere and Zek. Personally I'd rather keep this an IC matter and leave any OOC banter alone, so I feel no reluctance in expressing Winter's honest feelings in this topic, although I'll admit trying to display that in a character who is known for having little feeling is kind of difficult.

To Join a Cause - Winter proves she does have feelings after all, as she pursues a man calling the members of BADI to openly defy Merenwen, who is probably the only person Winter ever has and ever will have any respect for. As you can imagine I'm digging up more of Winter's buried feelings, I've been doing this more and more lately and have been getting a good deal of character development out of it.

Autumn Before the Spring - Funnily enough, every time I start a topic to give my character character development it dies soon afterwards, no matter how successful it was to start with. This was my last RP with Sartana before his brief absence and certainly Winter's last RP as Sartana's inferior. I've taken care to display Winter's disrespect for Sartana, contrary to other BADI members' opinions. Funnily enough it's the opposite feelings she has to Merenwen, even though at the time Merenwen was Sartana's second in command, it's almost like two sides of a coin you might say, that and I'd just be following the crowd if I went for another random admirer of the demon hunter.

Alchemy:

The Fight begins - I know I make it known that I hate fighting topics I have been told I've made a very good post in this one and I feel that posts between PCs tend to be shorted if you're less experienced, so this'll be a fine example of how well I can RP under pressure. And since Alchemy wasn't designed to be the fighting type I felt it a grand opportunity to see what would happen if I did toss her into that situation and make her suddenly realize she's in trouble and how she'd react.

Kogata:

The Spring Festival - I'll admit the promise of prizes this tempt me, but I have also been allowing Kogata to fall into disuse and a topic like this is a grand opportunity. As I'm sure you've guessed Kogata doesn't deal with crowds too well so at the first opportunity I throw her into the throng and see what happens, a few posts later and I've gained a fairy, yay me, and that's given me a great opportunity to extend Kogata's horizons. I'm still working on Kogata's backstory and character but I'm sure that before long I'll have an excellent character to show off with.

Chasing Lights - I figured I'd put Kogata's new found fairy to use and it's given me a great excuse to get Kogata outside Lomedor and into unknown territory, after all it's kinda boring having your character in the same place all the time.

Oueoboros - I can see Tai-chan will be a great help in keeping my post counts high, with a high standard to keep up to I'm positive I'll be able to reach a good average minimum for my posts before long, here's hoping.

Angulaut:

The Unexpected Nightmare - Unfortunately I've only been able to make one post with my evil teddy bear, Angulaut so far. It doesn't show much about the character but does give a good background of the situation and if the topic continues hopefully Angulaut's own backstory will become apparent as well as several high post counts.

Ikory Yami

Order of Doors, door 3 - Iko is a character with a difference, he came into arda more or less fully developed, he's one of my favorite characters and I put him into arda more to develop his backstory than his character, so putting his skills to the test in something like this may help me work that out as to his own feelings towards his abilities and what they mean to him.

A party to Die For - Certainly an interesting concept, and now my little psychic boy does a bit of detective work. Under pressure to figure out what's going on before it's too late, Iko is thrown into a world where his abilities can either save his life or cost him his freedom. Hopefully this topic will play out well and give me a chance to give Iko something to do with his powers.



Well that's my application in, heres hoping I'll make it and if not I'll understand why. Thankyou for your time.

~TotalObelisk

ERP Application for Taiaka:

I’m addicted to role play and it all started when my evil brother introduced me to the game of D&D under the battlements of old 70’s classic rock. But more than role play, I’m addicted to writing. Over the years I’ve been a member of numerous forums, even ran my own for a stint, and eventually fell through the cracks of Rhydin and lamented for Yahoo’s post limits. I was lost to the void with an itchy trigger finger when I found Arda and I feel as though a herd of wild horses couldn’t drag me away.

Upon my arrival, I wondered if my writing style and length would intimidate the other writers and I was so thankful that Curin took me under his wing. If I recall correctly, the first question ye old God of Nature asked me was: “who’s alt are you?” I took this as a sign (and perhaps a touch of flattery) that I was going to feel right at home here.

Since then I’ve written my posts for the pure initiation of story and joined in as many DM led storylines as my time would allow. I’ve been very careful to portray a character that is vastly developed and I’ve had no reservations opening my own threads in the hopes of fostering small quests. Sadly, there have been a few that have not prospered and, as any self depreciating writer would, I blame myself. But I have so many goals for the future of my character! Yet, I know I have not been on Arda for as long as some of the other applicants, but that fact will not stop me from wanting to write Taiaka anywhere he is welcome.

Becoming an ERPer is just another step towards those savory IC dreams. I am but one spider conscribed to build a web for thousands. As far as length goes, I don’t think I’ve ever posted a piece of writing that clocked in below 700 words. But I am aware when enough is enough; quality over quantity will forever be my motto. I write in my Word program so the most you should ever see in the way of a typo is an ‘it’ instead of an ‘in’ or other such incongruities. Thank you in advance for considering my application, I assure you that you won’t regret it.



The Big 10:



Dew Drinker's Scuttle: My first RP in Arda and Topic of the Week! Here, I wanted to introduce Taiaka as the forgotten remnant forged from living a life as a beast. I knew I had to be very careful when playing as a shape-shifter from the word go because of all the traits that I could only achieve through various spell/skill purchases. To be honest, it was delightful playing Taiaka as a ‘noob’; I was fettered by only my wit! Unfortunately, the thread died and I have yet to brow beat Dunimir for that. Also, this thread shows a touch of stylization when I broke into present tense to add a heady feel to my words.

In the Woods Far to the South: Ferdibrand invited me to join this string, and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I wanted to show perception in this thread, show that even good aligned characters are bound by the limits of their perspective. As the old adage goes, “A man often takes the limits of his own vision for the limits of the world.” I wanted to show a lot of plot related dialogue too, and I was anxious to let the story play out as it would. This is the only post on Arda where I purposely ended the thread and did so in a way where the reader could understand Taiaka’s terror. This string also shows something I call the ‘cipher effect’; it may begin in one place and fly off the handle from there, but it is always brought back to the main thought in closing.

To Dream of Blackbirds: This post, for it never received a reply, is a play on prophecy and it delves into the mindset and history of Taiaka. Perhaps somewhere deep inside of me I knew that no one would reply, so in penance I have made this dream one of Taiaka’s deciding factors in the Call of the Wild storyline. It fits too well to be discarded and I never knew when I wrote it what Taiaka’s mother meant by a ‘gathering of darkness’. Now I know! *chuckles*

Process of Elimination: Oh how Taiaka reveres the Stars! I speak of civilized man and the worship of Gods and how difficult it is for Taiaka to understand the divine. But animals understand only what they can see, and for Taiaka, his first love will always be the glint of the heavens. I am not saddened that the Goddess of Light did not respond, but it fits with Taiaka’s feeling of abandonment by his culture and his desire to please his superstitions. So in an act of good faith, I gave one of my Spring Flowers to Kieraline so she knows of my devotion.

The Spring Festival: I am ashamed that I only wrote one post in this thread, but the one I did was laced with levity and sarcasm. It was nice showing that Taiaka is not only a beast of the field but also a man of the city…and one who is not shy around the ladies…or booze.

Order of the Doors, Cloth Curtain (Post 1)(Post 2): I’m placing this series of posts in my application to show that, when pressed, I can fight. I admit that I had to edit my first post there to allow for the DM to call the shots. But I am really happy with the outcome, especially since I had absolutely no spells or skills to help me (other than the starting equipment).

Call of the Wild (Post 1) (Post 2) (Post 3): Karma has once again suckered Taiaka into biting off more than he can chew. I wanted to write these posts with blistering description right down to the taste of briny sea air and the electric hiss of faux lightening. I really don’t know what else to say about my posts in this string, I feel like they are some of the best writing I have ever done under the guidance of a DM and that this is a catalyst for something bigger in Taiaka’s future.

Tension (Post 1) (Post 2): Part 2 to the Call of the Wild, so some of the before mentioned characteristics of my writing carry over. My challenge in this thread was twofold. First, I was given complete freedom with Rochroval the hippogryph. And second, I had to write a single post where Rochroval, Zekhen, Auereliano, Baugrin and I were all introduced into the same scene. I’m actually really proud that I pulled it off.

Ouroboros: I couldn’t get Samuel L. Jackson to do Gypsies on a Plain, so I had Taiaka do it. And I’m really psyched about the great responses I’ve gotten. I tried to show a darker pall to my description in this thread, a grittiness that only death can detail properly. I’m taking this story one step at a time and creating off the fly. I have no more insight than the other PCs and I’m hoping to carry this string a long way.

Posts as my alt Umae'lara

Burning Bridges: I’m adding this thread to my application to show that I can play as someone/something other than Taiaka. Umae’lara is a spanking new creation for me, though I have played as a Drow in the past, and I wanted to make a character far away from the Drizz’t archetypes.

Application reviews have been completed and all applicants are now either accepted or denied.

If you have been accepted, congratulations! :) For those of you that