Welcome to Gaia! ::

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate [You are Here]
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>The Story Behind TNF! and SNF!</center>

Once upon a time there was a girl. This girl was not French. Despite that, she had a like of dressing like them, and so begin the first quest in That's Not French!. TNF! became more than just a quest, it was a place to hang out, a bastion of literacy and weirdness spawning gender-switching trips to Wonderland, carnivorous furniture, and "WTF?"s from many a viewer.

But then, a dark shadow cast itself upon the thread, just as it seemed the future was brightest. Amongst the merriment of the First Gaia olympics, TNF!, which had been struggling against increasing problems with archiving, fell victim to the archiver once and for all. The mighty thread had fallen, and peasants everywhere mourned, for now there was no one who would again blow up the Bastille with chicken-mounted explosives.

But! A light shone upon the horizon! Riikii held the backup file of TNF close to her chest, declaring, "I shall not give up! There's still too much to quest for and too much to donate! We can rebuild the thread, make it stronger, make it better."

Rii had an idea. An idea for the biggest quest she had ever attempted. A quest for every store item. Rii loved collecting store items, but still, there were enough that she didn't really want to keep. Then she had another idea, an unusual feat.

"I know! I'll just donate all the items I end up not wanting!" she declared with glee as she grabbed her Chain Wallet and begin the mass-raiding of the stores.


<center>The Bare Bones</center>

Quest: All store items
Location: All six stores, all pages
Total items: 905 items
Total items collected: 337
Total items needed: 568
Percentage finished: 37%
Total gold: 2,124,226 gold
Current gold: 12337 gold eek

The Rii is currently: TAKING A BREAK FROM GAIA (You're still welcome to hang out. 3nodding )

Currently listening to: Anything sent to me
Currently writing: Mimicworld
Currently watching: Blackjack, Full Metal Alchemist, Bleach
Currently obsessing over: Alphonse and Kon (Rii's in a strange bishie phase.)
Currently playing: Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, Pokemon Leaf Green, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories
Currently doing: RPGish-ness
Currently not doing: Lots of stuff


<center>The Ordinances of the Thread</center>

Feel free to come in and chat with me...straight bumps are appreciated but I like talking with people more. X3 I occasionally do a little roleplay as well, but be warned that I have a literary standard. XD

Those that come in and harass me or anyone in this thread, spam needlessly, post extremely large images or screen-stretching text, or post or PM me begging for charity, however, shall be mercilessly mocked and then ignored. 4laugh

I do not bump back when asked. If you check out the nice stickies at the top of the forum, you'd know this is against the rules of the forum. Leave it in your sig; if you're not a jerk and I'm not overly busy chances are that I'll bump you back or possibly stop by on a regular basis.

Before you ask for a 'bump me back', READ THIS.

Finally, don't come in and try and start drama. Just don't. TNF! had enough for two threads; if you have a problem with me/my opinions/Gaia in general, tell me by PM. Don't make a big deal of it in my thread.


<center>Donators
(These people r0x0rz my nonexistant pixelated female b0x0rz.)</center>

Shadow Myst: 3000 gold
Minamoto_Kino: 3100 gold
Fouled Febreze: Engraved Silver Bracelet
Shi-Ro: Reindeer Collar, 3005 gold
Silverchan: 10 gold
Lachesia: Blacklisted Skimpy Swim Top, Fancy Virgin Dress, Daisy's Warm Dress, Blu Cotton Stripe Sweater, Gold Bracelet
Miriam the Bat: Ghosty, Engraved Gold Pocket Watch
Amestar: Engraved Silver Wrist Watch
HelMel: 300 gold
rockmysocks: 200 gold
Shining_Froggy: Black Gloves, Sand Summer Top, Dried Grass Skirt
Luce Ravenier: Mami Feet, 350 gold
Hammith: Red Shirt, Gray Peasant Booties, Red Hand Knit Top
Doji Tsuruko: Wild Orchid Kimono, 1000 gold
Yatsuhashi: Daisy's Warm Gloves
Baki_Kurisagi: Jade Peasant's Dress, Green Stockings, Vial of Unknown Liquid, 1800 gold
Castalia A. Belmont: 1000 gold
Jursie: White Shirt, Blacklight Hoochie Pants, Leopard Print Hoochie Top, Violet Mink Pants, Violet Mink Jacket
Omicidio: Ash Hot Top
sunihiroku: Studded Leather Collar, Enchanted Trunk, Old Skewl Orange Head Gear, Hockey Mask, Nitemare Boots
Closet of Costumes charity: 1000 gold
darksamurai21: Snowman Mask, Jade Peasant Booties
The Phantom Charity: 100 gold
Silver Gryphon: 100 gold
Inaudible Melodies: 1000 gold
foggster: Monocle, 500 gold
misswoo: Fitted White Shorts - tan trim
Maiyou: Rough Black Jeans
[.Tarradiddle.]: Inverse Red Shoes, 200 gold
Dri: 100 gold
amalyn: Ruby Beach Sandals
Grab a Fork Micron: Engraved Gold Locket
Spaz-chan: In Da Hood Blue Sweatshirt, 200 gold
Nobara: Black Catscratch Sweater
x_Kiwi_x: Dress of the Swan
Yumi-chan: Enchanted Trunk
Misfortune Cookie: 3000 gold
Kittii: Blue Feather Headband, Brown Jeans
Sum Guy: Silver Pocket Watch



<center>The Luck of the Thread</center>

Riikii: Blue Box, Enchanted Trunk x2
Shi-Ro: Enchanted Trunk x6 eek
Jursie: Enchanted Trunk x2
Fouled Febreze: Enchanted Trunk x2, Blue Box
Obersturmbannfuehrer Chii: Enchanted Trunk x3, Pink Box, Blue Box
Miriam the Bat: Enchanted Trunk


<center>Link to Me</center>

The "gag" banner...







...and in French XD







The first post banner...







Another humorous banner...







And a couple of buttons!













Wai! Thankies, Fouled Febreze, for the cute little button!







[ Hiroko ] made an adorable little button! heart







Shi-Ro made this sweet banner!







And Jursie made this great one!







Embyr Arrikanez made us some awesome bump images! Squee!

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return! [You are Here]
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>There's No Such Thing As A Free Lunch</center>

It's very true. I have no intention of sitting around and waiting for people to donate, I plan on earning as much as I can. Here's how.

Check out my store! Check back every now and then, especially if you like events and letters biggrin


<center>Sig Banners And More</center>

I make sig images and banners, like the ones in the above post. X3 Post letting me know you want one, post or PM me. Be very specific when you make a request, otherwise I'll have to design one all on my own, and that takes longer than making the thing itself. ^^; I charge 300 gold for a plain banner, custom bump or sig image...I may charge more for more complicated ones, like animations. We'll discuss it. 3nodding Keep in mind I do not make sig images over the Gaia limit of 500 x 500 pixels and that I do not use fanart in sigs unless it is my own. (I will use yours if you request it...but then again, if you can draw, you probably wouldn't be asking me for a sig. ^^;; )

CURRENT STATUS: OPEN

Examples of my work:

Banners:
For the Fairy Wing Giveaway held by Adralamec
For the Gaia Superhero Foundation

Sigs:
My old sig/wishlist
Wishlist for Shizuka36

Buttons:
For the Yu-Gaia-O! minishop
For Free Item for Worthy Female Newbies

Custom Bumps:
The topic you requested was bumped to the top.
Just one of those things that goes BUMP in the night.

Waiting list:
None


<center>Yet more stuff?!</center>

I *also* do art. My preferred medium is pencil/paper, though I often ink and color on the computer. However, at this time, I am currently unavailable for any commissions due to an incredibly long giftart list. sweatdrop

I actually lost the copy of the waiting list I had...I've tried to reconstruct it from my holey memory, but if I missed you, *please* let me know. gonk

Examples of my work

Current Status: Closed

Status List (in order of completeness):
Noba-chan: Concept stage
Kadevi: Concept stage
Doji Tsuruko: Concept stage
Graceangel: Unstarted
Noishie: Unstarted
Lachesia: Unstarted
Auschwitz: Unstarted

sweatdrop

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out [You are Here]
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>Link Out!</center>

<center>Charities</center>

<img src="http://urlcut.com/1aciv" border="0" alt="The Closet of Costumes: Charity despite popular myth.">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/35tfv" border="0" alt="The Dreaming Away Charity">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v27/graceangel/tempbanner.bmp" alt="Footprints: A newbie charity run by Graceangel" border="0">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v404/elwynavalon/questing02.png" border="0" alt="Humbly Questing: Once a quest, now a charity">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/5wfsm" border="0" alt="The Jellyfish Pirate's Fund">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/4ut3z" border="0" alt="The Phantom Charity: Donating when you least expect it!">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/3jyyx" alt="The Pixel Charity" border="0">

<img src="http://www.ymakadomain.com/images/wornew.gif" border="0" alt="Yumi-chan's Free Item for Worthy Female Newbies! (Read the front page, dangit.)">


<center>Quests</center>

Adralamec's Stuffing for Clothes Quest!

Blasphemia's Gosurori Quest!

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/4ytsc" border="0" alt="Xx da qaio xX's quest for DJ headphones!">

The Quest of Einrick

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/tiakall/bannerbumps/grace.jpg" border="0" alt="Graceangel's quest to be an Army Brat!">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/4u8hy" border="0" alt="Red Bull Can't Give Me Minis! Hiroko's quest">

<img src="http://img68.photobucket.com/albums/v207/jeans/quest2.gif" border="0" alt="jeans's quest for DJs">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/tiakall/bannerbumps/bebee1.gif" border="0" alt="Kit Machu's quest to Be a Bee!">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v163/Kyosukedate16/kyobanner.gif" border="0" alt="Kyo's Quest for a Devil Tail">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/1003/cynicaltwister/APAMN-Banner.jpg" alt="A Peach Attacked My Nephew: MingSao's Quest for Shite" border="0">

Zettai Unmei: Nobara's quest

Make Halloween's Jack A Female?! Pinkclover's quest!

<img alt="Popple's Prettiful Prancing Playful Pquest" border="0" src="http://tinyurl.com/6b46d">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v63/woggy222/Mini_Quest.png" border="0" alt="Shining_Froggy's Quasi-Quest!">

<img src="http://img27.photobucket.com/albums/v81/yatsuhashi/yatsu_MI_quest.jpg" border="0" alt="Mission Impossible: Yatsuhashi's quest for all the store items!">


<center>Minishops</center>

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/tiakall/bannerbumps/chaosbanner.gif" border="0" alt="ChaosBreeds by Player One and Dammit!">

<img src="http://img78.photobucket.com/albums/v281/zazzus/ad2.gif" border="0" alt="Zazzu's Kimonos A Go Go">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v486/tiakall/bannerbumps/mertail.png" border="0" alt="Kristall's Mer-Tail Minishop!">

<img src="http://tinyurl.com/3mr8s" border="0" alt="Mir's Pixel Kitties">

<img src="http://snipurl.com/7hy8" border="0" alt="Papercut: Pixel origami store.">

<img src="http://img22.photobucket.com/albums/v67/sarcastic_kitty/th_sk.gif" border="0" alt="Sarcastic Kitties: Like THAT'LL sell.">

<img src="http://www.ymakadomain.com/images/ygb.gif" border="0" alt="Yu-Gaia-O! A card minishop. Not actually related to the Yu-Gi-Oh! cards. XD">


<center>Exchange/Marketplace Shops</center>

Baki's Low-Price Market!

<img src="http://snipurl.com/8985" border="0" alt="Lostica's Little Pawn Shop!">

<img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v18/kidsinthehall/Gaia/TroisTempSign.png" border="0" alt="Trois Betes Croquettes--Avatar ratings and edits, and commons for sale">


<center>Pets</center>

From Critters (The Cutest Damn Things Ever)







From The Sands of Change



From the Squinty Kitties store

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff [You are Here]
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>Updates</center>

September 12: After a couple weeks of writing and compiling after the archival of TNF!, the new thread is finally online. Yei.

September 23: The admins added new items. How cruel gonk Gambino is updated thanks to Yatsuhashi, I'll get to Durem hopefully tonight or monday. Also, I'm going to AWA this weekend. Look for Inner Sakura! X3

October 31st: Yay for Halloween! A good time was had by all (well, mostly.) We had our own Halloween thread in the basement, That's Not an Easter Thread! Also, as a note, I will probably not be on as much in November, due to NaNoWriMo. You can check my progress in my Gaia journal.

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1 [You are Here]
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>Memories: Bumpers</center>

Dark Magic Princess, Miss. Scarlet, Doji Tsuruko, The Dave, Kekkou, Taone, Skye Starrfyre, M o o, Obersturmbannfuehrer Chii, Jursie, Watanbe Tooru, Uld, Vladislaus_Dragulia, Asian Freak, explodex, FouledFebreze, Kimberly Daniels, King of Bandits, Uberniftacular, Pauhead, bubble_tea1, NiliferousX, coruscadragon, RyanJakobi, LadyShiva, AmeStar, japanese girl, Karly, Bethuns, Tenshi_chan, Paul Honour, Fouled Doppelganger, damn, tATuroxmysox, Freasian, Embyr Arrikanez, Nobara, Lizabean, Preshes, Eijin, relientkfan14, Shugo34, rosaleendhu, Mysty DeEstant, Mnemius DeEstant, Lady Meru, Foxy_Nicole, Ignorantwarrior, number two and a half, Chi_Chii, ShinoMiko, Amee, oneron04, Fyrsiel, Kodoku-Tamashii, Leonidas_Sako, Kristall, Shi-Ro, Aesti, Rosanjin, dracoXK, Icysnowgirl, Robin DeEstant, ~Happy Happy~, Nazi Halo, Celedra, Fallen Fairy, Kaori Kyros, Mrs.Miroku, The Ancient, faded mask, XAoi Hoshi MegamiX, MistressMinako, evilklown, Pepper Azul, Nataku Hayashi, MetalHead76, kain the vampire, Kimbomaru, ~Danielle~13, Yellow Rose, Kirby Peach, blueathena, seaweed482, Hidden Betrayal, jeans, violetlight, Kadi, himizu-no-miko, xXx_Violent_J_xXx, Silverchan, ~Elise~, Citacion, Chino-Chan, Scottie-22, Mister Prince, Seiyoku, Roy-Master, KawarimiNin, Grab A Fork Micron, Yatsuhashi, greg the grim reaper, Pynk Chan, Creawen, Luce Ravenier, frenchdude, Taisu, Eitak, jugiefruit, Adramelec, SE_Lain, I My Me!, Mae Noelle, sorceress_, Faia Zenrei, HapyCow, Dreaming Away, Wingless Faery, vampire_demon93, magical_star, Cinnamin Kaori, metalicacat, Deoxys, Hisame Minamino, Christoph Arndt, Machiavellian, Witherless_Rose, Caschyra, NonSacreligiousDeity, PeePeeChan, Nyhto, [Happy Frown], Peley, Zoey Storm, kawaiisang, Minamoto_Kino, Azami Of Darkness, S.S.2 Vegeto, aryko-chan, miyua, Arion Hunter, Kyousukedate16, rockmysocks, Jayn Newell, Caleb Moran, SquishySan, tyna, cow_luvr, Popple, Kit Machu, pokadotz, PsyGirl, [Hannah], Neon_Xero, SatanGurl, Baby Noviberi, Ronnerkins, SSDK, Tennyo-sama, Noishie, punkid2211, Shoelace, Kiwi King, ShadowMind, Jazira, Tennyo-sama, Nishibie, ZenTiX, Dalila, Blado, Sakura_kura, Princess Aylanoke, Shizuka Hitomi, X.xDamianx.X, R-E-L-Y, Mahsa Tien, Paka Ruri Kaila, Serrinatta, Zellie, black_pentacle, Kadevi, toastercone, Angel from thy Nightmare, Forgotten Memory, xicexdevilx, coolioneodawg2003, Cosmo_Kramer, PsychoAnimalCracker, Ambierto, Klip, Pandora_Starwhip, Nyome, Tempest Trine, DarkAi, Dragonfist, Xellana, brute2femme, Alranth, Teanna, Wild_Wind, ChinoMahouTsukai, alyssak, Groovy Blue, Rai-Kune, X Japan, CrazyAlex, dreamerx90, LapisLazuliKnight88, Vill, [Anne]

Wow, that was a lot of bumpers for almost 800 pages. eek


<center>Memories: Quotes</center>














































































































<center>Memories: Donators</center>

First quest:
The Dave: 3000 gold eek eek heart
Kai Baris: May letter eek eek heart
Second quest:
FouledFebreze: 4000 gold exclaim eek heart
Third quest:
Miss. Scarlett: 300 gold heart heart
explodex: 300 gold heart heart
Kimberly Daniels: 300 gold heart 4laugh
Amestar: 323 gold 4laugh heart
The Dave: 1000 gold eek 4laugh
Dreor: 200 gold heart
Mysty deEstant: 747 gold 4laugh
FouledFebreze: 500 gold xp heart
Fourth quest:
None, biatch! I did it all on my own! xd
Fifth quest:
princesspwrm (~*the^roaring^flames^charity*~): 250 gold heart
xAnaTosmUSe: 100 gold heart
Shi-Ro: 250 gold heart 4laugh
Mysty deEstant: Prisoner's Pants and Prisoner's Top xd xd 4laugh
Sixth quest:
Shi-Ro: 300 gold eek heart
Robin deEstant: 1000 gold eek eek heart
Polaris: 400 gold eek heart
AmeStar: 400 gold heart xp
Pac (The Rurouni Charity): 500 gold heart whee
The Dave: 1000 gold xd heart xp
Anela Vesir - May letter eek heart heart
Seventh quest:
Child of the Stars: 1000 gold whee heart
Mykito (The Moogle Charity): 100 gold whee heart
Caleb Moran - April Letter x2, May Letter, Black Jersey Shirt, 17 gold eek eek eek heart heart
Eighth quest:
atnegam: White Castaway Shirt xd heart
[Hannah]: 100 gold eek heart
The Gold Grappler: Long Black Coat heart whee
Shi-Ro: 1000 gold <3 blaugh
Shiroi Kenshin: 6000 gold eek eek <3
Klip: Sheer Stockings eek <3
Nobara: Leather Punk Socks and Phat Blue Sneakers <3 <3 whee xp
[ Hiroko ]: 500 gold <3 whee


<center>Memories: Luck</center>

37 events and counting! eek </center>

Riikii: Blue Box x2 , Enchanted Trunk x4, Pink Box
FouledFebreze: Blue Box, Enchanted Trunk x5, Pink Box x2
Aesti: Enchanted Trunk x2
Kimbomaru: Enchanted Trunk x2
Eijin: Blue Box
Yatsuhashi: Enchanted Trunk x2, Pink Box
Luce Ravenier: Blue Box
Shi-Ro: Enchanted Trunk x3, Blue Box x2
Dreor: Blue Box
The Dave: Enchanted Trunk x2
Shoelace: Blue Box, Pink Box
Omicidio: Pink Link, Enchanted Trunk
Minamoto_Kino: Blue Box
Angel from thy Nightmare: Blue Box


<center>Memories: Previous Quests</center>



















<center>Memories: The Old Thread</center>

For...something.

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success [You are Here]
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~
Post 15: ~Reserved~

<center>The Secrets of A Successful Quest</center>

Why? Well, for one, I get tired of referring people to Silver Archangel's thread or writing up tips from scratch every time I see a skimpy thread. XD There's also a few things I agree with/disagree with, and every now and then I get asked how my old thread got so big/how I got so many donations. So, here you are.


When to Quest:

* When you've been a member for a couple of weeks and/or have a couple hundred posts. Why? First off, you need the time to learn the workings of Gaia and quests if you're going to do a successful one. The number of posts recommended is to establish yourself as an actual posting member and not just a mule. 3nodding

* When the item you want is more than a k or two. A thousand gold is easy to earn, some people can make that in a day. There's no point in making a quest thread if your item only costs 2k, it'll be over and done before you know it, and that's just a waste of a thread. My recommendation is that the item cost (or the total cost of all items for multiple item quests) be at least 4k. Some charities prefer quests that are worth more though, like at least 8k.

* When the item is obtainable. If you're looking for a halo, you're probably out of luck. There are members that have been here a lot longer that have been questing for months for a halo, and if they can't get one, your chances are about as good as Frosty the Snowman's in the Bahamas. Be realistic. Don't try for too much too soon, like questing for a Nitemare Scarf in your first week.


How to Quest (Preliminaries):

* Have a way to make money. Are you good at the Exchange? Can you make signature images? Draw avatars or make avatar edits? Can you offer your services as a bumper? Get a job in one of the many threads in Barton? Try to have some way to bring in gold besides just asking for donations.


How to Quest (Making the Thread):

* Come up with a catchy title. Announcing what you're going for in the title (if you're going for a single item) isn't a bad idea, but "Questing for [insert item]" gets really old soon. Symbols like asterisks and tildes can help catch the eye, but don't use it if it's not on your keyboard...some of the servers don't recognize ASCII characters very well, so unless you meant to have a bunch of solid boxes in front of your quest title... xd

Good titles:
Prepare to be Flamed!
Help Kunai Jones save a Puppy! Robosaurus knows no mercy!
Pimp Out the Psycho Killer!

Bad titles:
Please donate to me! (Doesn't give any clue what is being quested for, just begs for donations. Not good.)
mY qUeSt 4 a hAlO (Every time you type in aLtErNaTiNg CaPs, some diety kills a cute and fluffy baby animal. Don't do it! ALL CAPS ARE ALSO BAD.)
Hlp me, Im so por.. crying crying (1. Earn your gold like everyone else, 2. If you can't spell the title right, why should we help you?)

* Write up everything beforehand. That way, you have all the time in the world to think up what you want to say without having to worry about your reserved thread dropping off the face of Gaia.

* Spellcheck. For the love of non-sacreligious deities, SPELLCHECK! Especially if you're not exactly the greatest typist in the world. Use proper grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. One or two typos is unnoticeable, but one of the biggest turn-offs for donators is an illegible or rushed thread. Spellchecking is quick and easy, and with sites like Spellcheck.net and IESpell, there's no excuse other than laziness. If you're too lazy to spellcheck your thread, why should anyone donate their hard-earned money to you? 3nodding

* Check your BBCode and HTML tags. The easiest way to do this is to preview the post before you post/edit in the information.

* Know how to use font styles. Bold and italic (and size and colors to a lesser degree) work well on emphasizing things...bold for major points, and italic for minor points (like this list!) looks professional and catches the eye. However, when you use them all at once in a jumbled mess, it looks really tacky.

* Decide in advance how many posts you want reserved. Many people like to reserve a whole first page, but you may want to reserve only as many as you need, or a couple extra to grow into. Your call.

* When reserving posts, tell others not to post. Even if you're just copy/pasting in the info you wrote out last night, mention it in the first/second post. If someone posts anyway, don't snap at them, just PM a mod to have the post removed once you're done reserving.

* If you want, start your thread in the Test Forum and have it moved once you're done. Just PM siryn beforehand. He likes to know about that stuff so he doesn't accidentally delete it. 3nodding


How to Quest (Thread Layout):

* First post: (This is an optional idea, but a good one if you want a poll) Put in a static Table of Contents, the title of your quest and/or a banner, and a poll. If you save the information you're going to constantly be changing (such as a donator's list) til the second post, you won't have to edit the first at all (hopefully) and therefore not screw up the poll. And a poll is one of the best eyecatchers you can have. (Hey, if nothing else, you'll get 10 gold from it...) If you want to link your various posts in the Table of Contents or add a banner afterwards, don't add the poll til you have it how you want it.

* Second post: This should contain all the information relevant to the quest. This is the really important post...all the others are optional depending on how detailed you want your thread to be. Things you should/practically must include:

--What you're questing for
--How much it is
--How much you have (Update this regularly! I try to update three times a night--when I first get on [also to switch my status to online], when I'm done getting my poll and ad gold for the day, [back in the day when that used to work XD] and when I get off [also to switch my status to offline]. I also update whenever I get a new donation.)

These should be nice and obvious. Bold helps. Things you should/it's a good idea to include:

--A bit on why you want this item, and/or a catchy intro. More than a couple of sentences is good, though we don't need a life story. (That's reserved for a later post. XD)
--Online/offline status. It's always good to know when you're in the thread.
--A request for donations/bumps. Don't demand anything, don't beg, don't press the matter into the ground. Just mention that they are welcome and leave it at that.
--Text links/banner links to your thread. It's a good idea to provide the code for linking (make sure you're linked to the thread itself and not like the second or third post in the thread!) with the Code tag. A lot of people use shorter URLs for linking, like Tinyurl (Not recommended...they have a lot of downtime), SnipURL, or URL Cut (My recommendation) to shorten URLs so they fit in signatures (especially with long URLs generated from image hosting like Photobucket), so you may want to provide shorter links as well. I'd still provide the non-cut URLs in case Tinyurl/SnipURL/URLcut goes down, so people can still see the banners/get to the thread. For banners, having a larger size (around 300 x 150 pixels) and a button size (88 x 31 pixels) is ideal.

Note that your links should look like this:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=XXXXXX

and not this:
http://www.gaiaonline.com/forum/viewtopic.php?pt=XXXXXXX&p=YYYYYY#YYYYYY

The first is a link to a thread, while the second is a bookmark to a specific post. The latter tend to break, so make sure you use the first. You can get it by clicking on a page number in your thread or clicking the thread title at the top.


Things you may want to include:
--Favorite quotes. Show off the best of the thread (once you've gotten enough talk in it).
--Thread luck. Someone get a blue box in your thread? Brag about it! xd
--Previous quests. If you've gone on quests before, list 'em at the bottom and talk a little about them. This is a good idea if you plan on using the same thread for multiple quests.

And then, there's the donators and bumpers. Donators are among the must-list things, bumpers are more optional...you may want to list only dedicated bumpers, or list everyone who comes in the thread. If the quest is long or you're doing many quests in the same thread, you may want to put these in a post of their own, in the third post. You can include them in the second post, though.

* Third post: Ways to make money! If you have a minishop, link it here. If you want to offer your services for hire or as a bumper, say so. If you have a vending pass (a worthy investment), link to your store and announce when you're selling things. If not and you have items, annouce them but be aware you may not get very many offers...the Exchange/Marketplace has a lot more exposure. If you want to make wishlists/sigs/avatar art/etc but don't have a store, again, you can set up shop in-thread but be aware you won't get as much exposure. If you'd only be opening a shop for the sake of your quest, though, it's probably not worth it to have to watch over two threads all the time.

* Fourth post: Link out. Link to your favorite threads/hangouts, friends' threads, and the threads of charities that donate to you. If you have pets that don't fit in your sig, this post is also a good place to put them, along with the link to the store.

* Fifth post: Contests. Consider offering prizes for any or all of the following:

--Best bumper
--Best donator
--First post on XX page
--Best quote/most quotes in favorite quotes (if you're keeping track of them)

Avatar contests are also a possibility...you may want to link to a thread in Avatar Talk for a contest, however, instead of holding it in-thread, for better exposure.

Other good contest ideas include word games, lottos and lyrics contest.

* Sixth post: Other ideas--

--All about you. This post is the most optional of all, hence why it's toward the bottom. Talk about yourself, include your luck, link your website(s), etc. Mine has an avatar photo gallery of the various looks I've done. XD
--A daily journal of your progress, or a sporadic update post.
--Showing off the giftart you've recieved.
--Other random stuff.

After the Making (Then What?):

* Put a link to your quest or banner in your sig. Your sig gets a lot more exposure than you think.

* Post outside the thread as well. Now that you have that banner in your sig, get it exposure! Entering and contributing to new discussions outside your normal hangouts will help attract strangers to your thread.

* Get a conversation going. I can't stress what a good thing this is. Even if you're alone, make random chatter instead of just saying 'bump' all the time. Talk to yourself, narrate your actions, post quotes you like. Someone may see your thread and find a bit of random chatter they can respond to. Holding a conversation keeps the thread at the top and makes the thread grow faster as well, without having to worry about bumping repeatedly. A thread with conversation is also a lot more interesting to read than a thread of bumps, and can also provide good quotes (or at least blackmail ninja )

* Make friends and get them to hang out with you in the thread. Even one other person makes the thread go faster than if you're by yourself.

* Lurk around charity and bump other threads. It's a great way to make new friends, and a lot of people bump back. Note that advertising in other quest threads is not allowed. Keep it in your sig and let them decide if they want to bump you back.

* Thank people for their bumps/donations. Even if they possibly don't stick around to see it, it's a courtesy thing. When someone sends you a donation trade, always reply with some kind of thank you when you confirm.

* If you absolutely need to, hire a bumper. There's several bumping services in the Minishops forum that will bump your thread repeatedly for a low cost...some will even do it for free for quests.

Post 1: Table of Contents/Stupid Poll
Post 2: What, Why, How Much and Those who Donate
Post 3: The Big Ol' List of Have and Have Nots
Post 4: TNSTAAFL: Get something in return!
Post 5: Bumpers and Quotes
Post 6: Link Out
Post 7: Contests
Post 8: Updates/Random Stuff
Post 9: Giftart
Post 10: Memories: TNF! v.1
Post 11: About the Rii
Post 12: Rii's FAQ: The Secret to Success
Post 13: ~Reserved~
Post 14: ~Reserved~ [You are Here]
Post 15: ~Reserved~


OMGWTFFBB--*BLAM*