Old Gaia. A Collaborative Reminiscence. WRITERS WANTED

[mark abuses children]

WELCOME

Remember when gaia was first starting out? When there was only one map screen? When you waited months for a small storyline update?

I'm looking for talented writers to write about the old days; there impressions, reminiscences, and there opinions.

I want to collect as many essays as possible to create somewhat of a "Guide" of different Gaians impressions of the old times. This is for nostalgia mostly, and to hear the different Impressions.

CURRENTLY ON HIATUS

RULES:
1.The Essay MUST contain something about gaiaonline (Or Go-gaia as you remember it) that happened in gaia's past or changed since gaia's past.
2. "Past" could mean anything before the year 2005.
3. I read any and all essays posted in this thread, and i decided if i add it to this first post.
4. If you would like to have me only to decide if you make it to the first post, and not like any criticism from me please add three domo smiles to the end of your post.
" domokun domokun domokun

More rules later.

.

I will be linking to the different works in this first post, so feel free to post whatever you feel like throughout the thread. This is your time to reminisce.

WORKS:
Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian By [ pipoTASTIC! ]
Titles, How I Miss Thee by Hostile Convict
Stockpiling by Reinna Astarel
Pimped-out Peasants by Gemini-san

Feel free to be creative as you want!

TO DO LIST:
MAKE THIS THREAD LOOK PRETTY!
Get ideas to get more people to write here.
Write at least 5 3 more works.
Maker Banners promoting this thread.
eat more bread.
READ MY POSTS FOR GRAMMAR/SPELING ERRORS.
Check out the new AT forum. (YAY!!!!)

[mark abuses children]

A, very short and really badly written, example essay.

Rare items, Gaia's fools gold

Back in the old 2003-2004 days of Gaia. Items were very slim. You could still have your own unique style but having only one store things were not in excess. You can probably have guessed that MANY people were walking around wearing the same, flame clothes. Well there was something to shake things up.

Rare items.

Whenever you would come to Gaia you had a real good chance to see something floating about your screen. Chest would bounce from one side of the screen to the other. if you were lucky you will get to see a Pink box. The glee to see one of these was magnificent. As you would know that there was something inside that was, well, rare.

At least that was what i thought thanks as from the beginning they would named "Rare". Well after clicking on these floating Mystery Boxes you were treated to an item appearing in your inventory. Of you have gotten a chest, now came the true moment of choice. Would you sell the magical chest for a, almost pre-set, amount of gold? Or will you open it up and find something that's worth more value?

For me it was always tragic. Adding another gas mask into my inventory was like more hope for more gold thrown out the window.

Rare items were one of the things that made gaia worth coming back, and added to the initial draw to the website. For it added much more surprise and fun to a website based on a simple forum. It also made the avatar system much more fun and exciting, getting the whole set of items, and showing it off.

Times sure have changed, and the whole "Daily Chance" system seems a little bit more tamed.

[[ pipoTASTIC! ]]

It's so weird - I took two years off and everything is different.

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian

Back when I first started out, you could not traverse Gaia without finding seventy different Gaians questing for the lovely Fairy Wings. They were, and still are, 40k, but at the time, that was about as much cash as one could muster up within a year. There was no fishing, or cards, or daily chance. No towns for inks and flowers and bugs. Nothing but the good, old-fashioned post and poll to gain gold.

My friend on Gaia achieved Fairy Wings within four months; she was friends with Gaians with more gold than the rest of us peons who had to be happy with our tied tops and sandals, hot skirts and emo glasses. I was inspired and went for Seal Slippers which, at the time, were 20k. I only got to 14k - I did a massive inventory sweep and had nothing but my seal slippers and old clothes, but it was worth it. To run around Gaia with Seal Slippers was something of an accomplishment. I was a tenth of the way from an Angelic Sash (200k when I was in my beginning years); I was loaded. I later quested for Horns, a Chain Wallet, Winged Anklets, and a Ninja Headband, all successfully (because they were cheap then). I felt special with my new item and a gaggle of new friends who had bumped my thread. It was my Gaian experience.

I've recently returned from a two-year hiatus from Gaia, and I am approaching my four-year Gaiaversary. I have not quested for a long time, and I think my years of questing are done. But I will never forget the joy of getting those Seal Slippers; I never wear them, but they will sit in my inventory until I give up Gaia for good.


I hope this is okay?

[mark abuses children]

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian.....

I like! adding to the 1st page.

Also, i feel the same as you.

I went on a, about 1 and a half, hiatus of sorts. (By hiatus i mean like a no-posting but quietly reading the storyline updates hiatus). I remember those infernal fairy wings, i hated them as it brought nothing but hate when someone won them in that one Christmas event.

[mark abuses children]

el bumpo

[mark abuses children]

Avatar Talk, from cultural collective to tektek consumption.

When i was first starting out in gaia i struggled to find THE forum to reside in.

Though it wasn't hard to see that much of gaia was like the Gaia Commerce forum.
Every forum had just a at least one "Hangout/Business" themed threads and the rules weren't strict enough for it not to be allowed.

But where i liked it the most was at the AT, or avatar talk.

It was there were many "Rating" Houses were formed. For the main purpose for rating anyone that happened by, by members of the "House". I joined a house formed by AT regular "Perfectblue" where i also met many of the other AT regulars as Ericotto, Z.i.A, and the infamous (in my eyes) Atrocious.

The form of these houses were simple. A thread where there were a collective "Housemates" that rated anyone who happens by and needs a rate. While also having a hangout thread for kids to come and do what they do, Hangout.

Many of these houses sprang up in the days of Late 04 to early 05. Yet new things sprang up and killed them.

First, tekteking. When you walk into the AT today you'll see nothing but it. While in the past all you had was the a 1-10 rating, maybe some suggestions, and the fitting room. All you gotta do no is post a contest, fork over at minimal 100g. And bam you have an avatar to get you higher in the AT Arena. It's a very cool thing to do, but in the past rating was less about money.

finally, Rules. Yes you would think the Houses were a little bit more hangout related. The mods and Admins have started to organize things into more forums and more sub forums. This is because the amount of money gaia is getting to by new servers. While this is completely fine and is actually a good thing. It is making Hybrid threads harder and harder to get away with,.

The AT is still what i think it is. A place to see if you Avie is nice looking. But it's harder and harder ti see threads that hold true to that concept.

[[ pipoTASTIC! ]]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian.....

I like! adding to the 1st page.

Also, i feel the same as you.

I went on a, about 1 and a half, hiatus of sorts. (By hiatus i mean like a no-posting but quietly reading the storyline updates hiatus). I remember those infernal fairy wings, i hated them as it brought nothing but hate when someone won them in that one Christmas event.

Yeah, I think I went for a period of six months before coming back, changing up the avatar, seeing if anything was new, then disappearing again. And everything is so different now eek

And dude, I was such a lurker at AT xD It saddens me that it's all about tekteks now.

[mark abuses children]

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian.....

I like! adding to the 1st page.

Also, i feel the same as you.

I went on a, about 1 and a half, hiatus of sorts. (By hiatus i mean like a no-posting but quietly reading the storyline updates hiatus). I remember those infernal fairy wings, i hated them as it brought nothing but hate when someone won them in that one Christmas event.

Yeah, I think I went for a period of six months before coming back, changing up the avatar, seeing if anything was new, then disappearing again. And everything is so different now eek

And dude, I was such a lurker at AT xD It saddens me that it's all about tekteks now.

How can you be a lurker in the AT. It's just a place where you post like once in a while to get rated/get a tektek? Did you just look at the other people's rates? xp nah j/k.

I gotta real get more people writing in this thread any ideas?

[[ pipoTASTIC! ]]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian.....

I like! adding to the 1st page.

Also, i feel the same as you.

I went on a, about 1 and a half, hiatus of sorts. (By hiatus i mean like a no-posting but quietly reading the storyline updates hiatus). I remember those infernal fairy wings, i hated them as it brought nothing but hate when someone won them in that one Christmas event.

Yeah, I think I went for a period of six months before coming back, changing up the avatar, seeing if anything was new, then disappearing again. And everything is so different now eek

And dude, I was such a lurker at AT xD It saddens me that it's all about tekteks now.

How can you be a lurker in the AT. It's just a place where you post like once in a while to get rated/get a tektek? Did you just look at the other people's rates? xp nah j/k.

I gotta real get more people writing in this thread any ideas?

It's very easy to be a lurker. I never posted ever and made no friends there, just kind of looked around and absooooooorbed. :]

I'm very bad at getting traffic. I only stumbled in because I felt like writing. The writing forum never gets much traffic anyway. sweatdrop

[mark abuses children]

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Sentos

[ pipoTASTIC! ]

Fairy Wings and Seal Slippers: the Quests of an Old Gaian.....

I like! adding to the 1st page.

Also, i feel the same as you.

I went on a, about 1 and a half, hiatus of sorts. (By hiatus i mean like a no-posting but quietly reading the storyline updates hiatus). I remember those infernal fairy wings, i hated them as it brought nothing but hate when someone won them in that one Christmas event.

Yeah, I think I went for a period of six months before coming back, changing up the avatar, seeing if anything was new, then disappearing again. And everything is so different now eek

And dude, I was such a lurker at AT xD It saddens me that it's all about tekteks now.

How can you be a lurker in the AT. It's just a place where you post like once in a while to get rated/get a tektek? Did you just look at the other people's rates? xp nah j/k.

I gotta real get more people writing in this thread any ideas?

It's very easy to be a lurker. I never posted ever and made no friends there, just kind of looked around and absooooooorbed. :]

I'm very bad at getting traffic. I only stumbled in because I felt like writing. The writing forum never gets much traffic anyway. sweatdrop

Yeah kinda figured that. but this is a VERY important project that i REALLY want as many people to see.

I'm creating a banner as we speak....

[Hostile Convict]

I like this idea. Here's something from me:

Titles, How I Miss Thee

When I first started Gaia in '04 in the account of Jessie Sparrow it took me little time to find the forum I would call home. The Collaborative Works forum was a small place that moved like molasses in wintertime with only a handful of people. While it still moves relatively slow compared to other places one of the most noticeable things that have changed is the titles of the threads.

I remember fondly the time when I would come in during school and find a plethora of different genres of threads, all with interesting and eye-catching names. People would put time and effort and thought into making their title as real as possible, as book-like as could be. The collabs with 'WRITERS NEEDED' and 'COME HERE pleasepleaseplease' would be frowned upon and ignored. If you had l33t in you title (or even a thought of it inside your thread) you would gain nothing but burn marks and turned backs from all that looked upon it.

I don't want to sound like one of those old geezers that wave canes at the younger generation and talk about walking uphill through three feet of snow both ways to get to school. But I know for certain that few of those that frequent The Collaborative Works forum nowadays would have made it far a couple years ago. The people I met and still work alongside whenever we can manage (Jurri, TC, Shoryu, LoLo) were some of the best writers and anti-illiteracy people I have ever met. (We didn't call Jurriah the b***h Queen of the Collaborative Forum for the good of our health)

Unfortunately most of the regulars that were famous in my day (and wow doesn't that make me feel old?) don't have time to come on Gaia regularly. College, jobs, families, they all have their reasons and they're all very good and very legitimate ones. But with them gone goes the era of threads with titles more interesting than "Fun Story, Writer Needed".

[mark abuses children]

Hostile Convict

Titles, How I Miss Thee............

O_O, wow, Thread titles, very interesting topic, and no i'm not trying to sound sarcastic sweatdrop .

I'm adding this one to the front page, also i'm going to advise anyone to check the first post for a new, urr, "Feature".

If you would not like to have criticism for your essay, and would like to just see if it's "Front Page" Worthy, please put 3 domo's at the end of your essay like this. domokun domokun domokun .

Hostile Convict, please tell me if you want Criticism, cause i have some to give.

[Hostile Convict]

I'd love criticism! Who doesn't like getting told how crap-tacular their writing is or isn't? Give me the cold hard truth, I can take it!

EDIT: Just call me Lee. "Hostile Convict" is so much longer to type.

[mark abuses children]

Hostile Convict

I'd love criticism! Who doesn't like getting told how crap-tacular their writing is or isn't? Give me the cold hard truth, I can take it!

EDIT: Just call me Lee. "Hostile Convict" is so much longer to type.

Alright i just wanted to comment about something small.

For all for a topic about titles being very vague these days, the title is very vague xp .

I had mor criticism but that's all i remember. sweatdrop

[Hostile Convict]

Sentos

Hostile Convict

I'd love criticism! Who doesn't like getting told how crap-tacular their writing is or isn't? Give me the cold hard truth, I can take it!

EDIT: Just call me Lee. "Hostile Convict" is so much longer to type.

Alright i just wanted to comment about something small.

For all for a topic about titles being very vague these days, the title is very vague xp .

I had mor criticism but that's all i remember. sweatdrop

Really? Wow, I hadn't noticed!

I meant to do that, you know. It further accentuates my point. ninja