Welcome to Gaia! ::

RULES



These are the basic codes of conduct within the Academy. There are not many and they are very simple. Breaking these will have consequences.

1. Common Sense
Don't be an idiot. Respect each other, respect the TOS, and respect guild rules. Don't mess it up for the rest of us, and try not to do anything that would upset other people. This is a GAME after all, we're here to have fun.

2. Control
Because this is a school we're going to be understanding if you don't know proper RP etiquette at first but all students will be required to take POL 101 as their first class where they shall learn, among other things, the following rules: Don't control anyone else's character(s). Don't severely affect (maim, kill, etc) them without permission (of the player or with GM override). Don't go off on an insane killing spree (without permission). Don't mess up the plot/world. Basically use some measure of self control or pay the consequences (character death/player ban).

3. Literacy
This is a school and as such we encourage you to write well. For this RP that means in third person, past tense, complete sentences. L33t speak, txt abbreviations, profuse slang, and generally bad grammar should not be used outside of dialog. We won't be grammar Nazis but do try to write above an 8th grade level. If we think you need help with your grammar you will be asked to take LIT 101 before continuing to another course but you can always request to take any of our LIT classes if you would like to improve your writing.

Also, please do not color and/or bold dialog. It puts too much emphasis on dialog which, while important, should not be put above the rest of the text. And so not to offend our eyes, do not center align long blocks of text, use small fonts, or use bright font colors. In general, please keep formatting to a minimum.

4. Depth
We'd like our characters to be as real as possible but this is a school so we don't expect much from entering students. Because of this all players will start play as themselves (or a believable online persona) and must take PSY 101 to create/flesh out any other character(s) they might like to play.

5. Commitment
We want dedicated players or at least to know how dedicated all our players are. You will be asked how often you expect to be able to post on your application, take that seriously and give us the time you sign up for. We will pair you with a tutor that has a similar activity level so don't waste your tutor's time by falling behind. The absolute minimum is 1 post a week for students. Tutors are expected to make at least 3 posts a week.

6. Dependability
Occasional lapses in commitment are understood but please notify the Registrar and your tutor when you expect an extended absence. Frequent, repeated lapses in commitment will result in the lowering of your listed posting frequency, failure of classes, and possible expulsion from the Academy.

HOW TO APPLY



Whether you want to become a student or teach them the SDRP Tutoring Academy is the right place to do it. Just follow these steps to get started!

STUDENT ENROLLMENT

Basic Requirements

Our aim is to provide roleplaying education and experience to as many prospective and continuing roleplayers as possible, so it will be rare for us to turn down a student applicant. However, to ensure smooth running of the program, we do require that a few criteria be met of our students.

As a student, you must:
• be on Gaia at least three times a week (you must be present to learn)
  
• have the patience and enthusiasm to learn and try out new things



Application Process & Form

Enrolling in the SDRP Tutoring Academy is fast and easy. Just PM the Registrar (School of Dedicated RPers) with your completed application (form below) using the subject: SDRP Academy Enrollment. The Registrar (School of Dedicated RPers) will place you with a tutor appropriate for your needs and availability. You will get a PM reply to notify you of this placement and any further instructions necessary. You should hear from your tutor shortly after being assigned.

Please note that your application is subject to being circulated among SDRP Tutors.

[b]Username:[/b]
[b]How often are you on Gaia?[/b]
[b]What are you hoping to gain from the SDRP Tutoring program?[/b]
[b]How much, and what kind of, role play experience do you currently have (include links if possible)?[/b]
[b]What do you think you need the most help with?[/b]
[b]What courses are you most interested in taking?[/b]

See our Course Catalog for a list of our current and upcoming courses.

Since you're starting a class we'll also need some information for your character. Just a general concept right now and we'll work on 'em in class. Be sure to include: name, race (human, neko, elf, lizardman, anything else you want), physical description, personality, and any other details you want. Be flexible with this cuz some tweaks might have to be made for them to fit the setting.

If you want to sign up to teach, put in your application for our Tutoring Class to prove your stuff.

Students sat in their seats and some did as the blackboard instructed while others clearly did not. But that was the way of any group of people, really. One in particular did not, choosing instead to nap with a book laid over his face and feet propped on the desk in front of him. The clock on the wall over his head at the back of the room ticked the time away, well past when the invitations had said the class would start. The students were beginning to get restless, some more than others. It wasn't until one of them voiced a complaint that the sleeping student in the back woke with a start, the book dropping from his face to his lap as he blinked at the people gathered in the desks around him. He blinked a few more times then checked his watch, frowned at it and gave the glass a tap then looked at the clock on the wall behind him and jumped up with a muttered curse.

"Sorry, guys," he told the class as he straightened up, flattening his shirt on the way to the front. "Lost track of time there," he laughed a bit weakly and dropped the book on the teacher's desk then stepped past it, up to the blackboard. There he picked up a stick of chalk then found a clean space and scrawled in the same tight, awkward hand as the rest of what was on the board, "Mr. Vay." The he turned to give the students a friendly smile.

"I'm Mr. Vay," he waved a hand back at the board. "And I got saddled wi- I mean, the privilege of being the first to teach here at the Academy. This is going to be a sort of special class to get you all indoctrinated into the way we do things and the like. First though, let's get to know each other." He stepped away from the board as he talked and sat down against the edge of the teacher's desk, putting his hands into the pockets of his faded jeans. He didn't look like a teacher but he was acting like one, for the most part.

"How 'bout one of you start us off? Tell the class who you are, how you got here, why you came, all that fun stuff," he looked out over the class with a smile as he waited for one of them answer.

Roll Call:

Shane sat stiffly in his desk, straight and tall. He had decided to come to class that day in his base form, a slightly pudgy, average height male, sans tail. He'd wanted to blend into the class until he was more comfortable with the other students. But he couldn't resist having some colorful ornamentation today, if for nothing more than some small, covert comfort; he had covered his pinky nail on his right hand with shiny blue green scales.

Shane's eyes were laser focused on the blackboard, but he was hyper aware of all the students around him, including the dude sleeping in the back. What he wouldn't give to be relaxed like that. It was another moment of resolute staring before the instructions on the board sunk in and he hurriedly grabbed for his messenger bag on the floor. Pulling out a pad of fresh paper and a new pen, he started the assignment.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the sleeping guy awaken and move to the front of the classroom. Oh crap, is that the...? Yep. And worse, it was time for introductions. He loathed introductions. He sat through the first girl's intro (what was her name again? shoot), mind racing with the most unhelpful thoughts. Should he go next? Or wait to go last? Which was better? At least he wasn't first. Maybe let another person slide through? What are the pros and cons of each option? None of those were useful thoughts. He decided the best thing to do was take action now, bite the bullet!

"My name is Shane," he said as soon as the girl (Michi!) sat down. "I, uh, came because I wanted to learn some new skills, improve myself, and see some interesting things while I'm at it. When the Academy founders opened a portal to my world looking for takers and offering invites, I decided it was perfect. Um, I guess that's it?"

He looked questioningly at Mr. Vay then settled back into his seat, rubbing the pinky scales unconsciously.

Crystal was stunned by all that she saw around her this place was nothing like she had seen before. She pinched her arm a few times to make sure this wasn't a dream, but nothing about her surrounding changed. She had remembered the letter she had received but hadn't put much thought to it. A strange woman who started to show Crystal to the class room seem easily annoyed by how easily she was distracted by everything. The woman grabbed her by the wrist saying "There is no time to dilly dally. Your late." She said. Crystal should of know better but she didn't know what the rules were here. She was pushed into the room brightly light from the light coming in through the window. She took in the room each an every single part.

Even though there were others in the room she first was shocked by the openness of the bookshelf she could reach out and touch any book she wanted to. She had never picked up a book as nice as these. She if she had ever come across a book it was matted dirty and torn. She had a master that had a book shelf but it was looked up so non of the servants could get to the books. Her ears shifted as she heard the sound of the other classmates at work.

She turned thinking to apologize to them and looked at the outside. 'Why couldn't class be held out there?' She questioned in her thoughts then looked at the sleeping student. "Who would sleep on such a glorious day?" She complained lightly not trying to disturb the others in the room. She took an empty seat near the window. Her ears twitched again as the one sleeping woke. She heard his apology but she didn't know why he was apologizing for tell he walked to the board and wrote Mr. Vay. She gulped lightly as she listened to the other introduce themselves. Tell it was her turn. "Hi I'm Crystal. I'm not sure how I got here, but please don't send me back for waking you up Mr Vay sir." She said as she read what was on the board finally about writing something down. She didn't really know how to write nor had she brought anything with her not like she could have no body would have sold her paper and a quill with ink.

((Hope this is good?))

As the students stood up one by one, Mr. Vay sat down at his desk to grade a stack of papers that seemed to magically grow with each introduction. When they were all done he looked up with a surprised blink.

"Oh. Wow. That was fast, guys," Mr. Vay huffed a slight laugh as he put away the stacks of grading and stood up then gave the papers a dismissive wave, "Finals season." Then he picked up a little black book from the corner of his desk and stepped away from it to stand in front of the board and look over each student in turn with a little glance into the book, turning a page for each one.

"Good, good. Well done, guys. Nice to meet y'all. Notice no one mentioned anything about players or games so I'm guessin' ya haven't been caught up on how this all works," the teacher paused to give the students a look over before he went on with a nod. "Well, long story short. You've all got people that control you. Yes, terrifying proposition. We," he waved a hand at them all, including himself, "all have a person behind us, a player, creator, puppeteer, whatever ya call 'em. They speak to us in a lot ways: that nagging voice in the back of your head, the moving picture in your sketchbook, the mysterious texter on your phone. However they do it, they are the tellers of our story. And that's what this is all about - telling stories.

"Here at the Academy, we work through you to teach your player how to tell your story better. Neat huh?" Vay grinned then waved at the students. "Check under your desk. There should be a book like this under it," he held up the little black book he'd taken off his own desk. "This is your journal. It's a sort of magical retro-tablet. Like an iPad with pages. Lecture notes will appear in there along with resources and assignments. Transcripts of everyone's first assignment should be in there already," he turned his around to show the scribbled words. "That's your introductions," he tapped a page then snapped shut his book.

"Now, lets see what y'all got out of that. Next assignment's gonna be a little harder," Vay flashed a grin to the students as he walked around his desk with a slow stride and pulled the chocolate, corduroy blazer with tan leather elbow patches (proper professor attire) off the back of the chair behind it. "My wife didn't dress me today," the teacher winked, making light of his clothes as he pulled on the blazer then continued walking around the desk to resume his perch on its front edge.

There Mr. Vay flipped idly through his book a moment then looked back at the chalk board and laughed with a shake of his head. "I should probably tell you what the assignment is, eh?" he glanced briefly at the class before pushing himself off the desk again and walking to the board. "This one's a three parter but don't get all intimidated by it. Just an exercise," he spoke into the chalk board as he scrawled onto it:

1) List everything you learned about the student and their player from the introduction before yours.
2) Choose, in your opinion, the best introduction so far.
3) Explain why that is the best one.

After dotting the last item with a bit of a flourish Mr. Vay turned back to the class and stepped aside so they could read it. "First," he pointed at the first one, "Read over what the student directly before you posted. Michi, you get to do me since you went first. Make sure to read carefully. Which you should be doing anyway," he said the last sentence in a bit of a mumble then flashed another friendly smile. "Then just list out whatever characteristics were mentioned or implied by the post. If you want to be extra fancy you can mark what was explicit (actually said) and what was implied (hinted at)." He paused to look over the class and see if they all got it. "If I ever lose you in the instructions just shoot me a PM and I'll explain," he gave them an apologetic look before going on.

"Secondly," he pointed to number two, "Read all the students' introductions and pick which one most effectively conveys a well-developed character. This is a judgement exercise so you're going to have think (and then think even more on the last part where you have to analyze that judgement) but there is no wrong answer so don't freak out about it. Just be sure you can support your judgement in your analysis. Speaking of which, that's number three," he pointed to the last instruction.

"Here you have to tell me why you picked that intro as the best. Again, no wrong answer so long as you can support it with analysis," he paused briefly, "And don't choose your own. Even if you really think it's the best we don't need to hear it from you."

Finished with instructions for the day, Mr. Vay folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against the black board to watch the students with a pleasant expression.


Roll Call:

Michi frowned as she pulled the black book from beneath her desk and flipped through it, careful to not fold any pages. With all his talk of higher powers and whatever the heck a “phone” was, Mr. Vay was beginning to remind her of one of the lecturers back at the Academy—he was a Drifter, a nomad, and only showed up to class every two months or so, always full of new philosophy. One class he’d have them reading poetry about the Vermese beaches, and the next he’d be railing against the false enlightenment sold on the streets of some metropolitan dot on the map where he’d stopped to buy a pair of socks. She seemed to recall him wandering into class one day rambling about fates being intertwined and a higher plan.

The idea hadn’t appealed to her at the time, nor did it now. As far as she was concerned, if she had a “puppeteer,” as Mr. Vay had called it, that being was pretty boring. It had stuck her on Yun Island, for crying out loud, the world’s most stagnant superpower. And when it gave her a ticket off, it was to a lecture about how she had no free will. She smiled to herself. No, she didn’t have to believe that. It didn’t matter what her teacher’s religion was, or how roundabout his teaching style. She was here to learn. She opened the book to the correct page, picked up her pen again, and tapped it on the inkwell, thinking. The assignment was straight out of secondary-school language arts, and she fell to the rhythm of writing easily.

1. Mr. Vay is unpunctual and relatively laid-back. He presents a casual, friendly demeanor and speaks colloquially. His introduction explicitly mentions him leaning against the teacher’s desk with his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and that he “didn’t look like a teacher.” With these characteristics and the informality of his dialogue, his player creates the image of a teacher who isn’t trying to intimidate his students. The explicit details of his oversleeping, cut-off phrase “saddled with,” and messy handwriting suggest he’s perpetually behind schedule.

2, 3. Hiacinth’s introduction of Shane is good. It gives explicit descriptions of his appearance: a “slightly pudgy, average height male,” and mannerisms, such as sitting stiffly and staring at the board. His internal monologue adds a realistic level of uncertainty and self-doubt for a student on the first day at a new school. His choices to stand up and speak immediately, and previously to attend the academy, suggest spontaneity. He is also a bit self-conscious, choosing to blend in with other students and looking for confirmation at the end of his verbal introduction. Overall, the introduction isn’t too long but portrays a relatable character with enough depth to make his reactions unpredictable but justified.