Welcome to Gaia! ::

The Things to Do.

1. Join the guild by submitting the request form which includes profile description. Or by getting invited.

2.Post your profile in the profile thread, located in the profile/inventory subforum. If there are some changes needing to be made in your profile we will talk to you personaly, and help you come to the best decision for your character and for the guild. profiles

3. Your first RP post is in the "Welcome/customs" thread, where you character will go through the process of entering the city, and being told of the city rules by our favorite customs agent, Minerva. Here you will be issued an ID, given an assigned job, and assigned an apartment in the city ((and instructed to make an inventory thread in this forum)).

4. From here on, you're free to roam around. There are three threads that hold the Main RP, the others are for sidequests/fun/or just character development. If you would like to make one of these threads PM me. I always love to hear new ideas, and appreciate your participation very much.

--in the profile/inventory thread, along with a summary we will have suggestions and ideas on how and where to post for new RPers, or for people that have been gone for a while, so that they can easily join into the storyline.

5. POST!!!! heart heart

General behaviour rules warnings and punishments may be distributed, depending on the severity of the case.

1. Do not disobey Gaia's ToS...that's naughty.

2. No insulting/fights out of character ---I can't stress this enough, I don't like meanness. If you want to insult and fight, take it outside, and don't break my stuff.

3. Be respectful towards people who make mistakes, constructive critisicm and suggestions are fine, but I won't have insults or cruelty.

4. Please attempt to avoid one liners. I know I'm guilty of them myself, quite guilty, but I'm making my own effort, and I hope you all do the same.

5. No GodModding. The joys of RP involve utilizing our unique strenghts and weaknesses in different ways. Godmodding isn't enjoyable for anyone. You have control of your character, but you cannot control the characters of others. So you may strike out at them with an attack, but you cannot RP the result of that attack on the opposing character. They say whether it hits them or not, it's their right to have the choice to dodge an attack.

If you have any difficulty understanding any of the terms listed, or just RP terms in general, please PM me. Don't feel embarrassed either, we all learn somehow, and I have some great stories on that subject, being the nerd that I am.

How to get involved into the guild.

1. POST!!! --I can't emphasize this enough, ever. The more you post in a guild, the more imperative your character becomes. Don't be afraid to post. If you need suggestions on where to post, we'll have them for you. When in doubt, post, if you don't know what to do next...post. We'll work with you, and don't let fear of mistakes keep your from posting. We all prefer a flawed post over no post at all, and we're willing to help correct things.

2. Do some back up reading--boring at times, I know. I don't expect you to read the whole archives, or each thread, but summaries will be posted periodicaly, they will give you a heads up on what's going on.

3. Find connections or build connections with other players. RP's are a group effort, we can't really deny that. The more connections you make with other players, the better, and the more we are unified as a whole, and you're pulled into the mix.



Some writing tips. This is a semi-lit guild, but I know a lot of people who have wanted to increase some of thier writing skills, so as these are not required, they're just suggestion that may help you feel more confident in your skills, and grow them accordingly.
I will not pretend to be an expert on RPing, but I've been going to college and studying English/creative writing for about three and a half years [brag]with a 3.9 GPA [/brag], so if I don't know anything about writing, then I was sooo ripped of.

1. Write stuff---call us greedy little creatures, but we are really quite curious about your character. We want to know him/her, we want to know what they look like, what they think, how they talk, their dreams, their philosophies. You have an oppurtunity to show your character to a bunch of other people, who want to read about him/her, so take advantage of that. The more we learn about him/her the more we'll love your character, and trust me, we get attatched easily. xd

2. "God is in the details". Little details are loved, especially obscure ones. Those unusual descriptions, or small quircks in characters are part of what makes writing so special. One common idea taught in a creative writing classes is that Specificity> quantity. Commonly used adverbs/adjectives don't let us really know the character, the place, or the item. Although some people say that it's easier to relate to nonspecificity, I think that's not true. We are individuals, all of us, and we relate to something that is unique in its own way, before we do something that is common...or at least I do.

3. Know your character. Interview them if you have to, ask them questions, learn the sound of their voice. Your character is a person, a unique individual. Even commonly made cliche characters are not so cliche when they are well developed. You don't need to know their history as much as you need to know them. Their motives, their conflicts, what they like, what they don't like. Talk to them, in most cases they want to talk to you, and if they don't, maybe you should consider why. They could be loners, they could be hiding secrets, or they could be afraid that you'll hate them for some of the evils they've done. When you know your character, you should have their voice, and your dialogue should be down pat, and then, it's not too hard to show other people why they should love your character too.

4. Weaknesses, and flaws, are so imperative, not just for RP but for writing in general. Conflict is a must for any good story, and there is no conflict that we do not connect with, and feel more, than inner conflict. Sure, I haven't ever had to save the earth from a comet, but I've had people I loved die, I've felt guilt from being cruel, but followed by a pride that refuses me the ability to apologize, and then shame for being weak. I can empathize with characters that have those inner conflicts, and self doubts. Sure the comet is more exciting, but the inner turmoil is more connecting, a combination of the two makes the absolute best stories, in my opinion.

5.

Encouragement at the moment is Art, I generally hate selling it, but according to the Art request/Commision forums and reading what's available, my art could be sold for a rather high price. Personaly I'd prefer activity in my guild over gold any day.

1. If you reach 1000 posts in my guild, I'll give you an OC or avi CG painting. ((this is for encouraging activity on a lenghty basis, so no bump posts, please)).

2. If you have 10 active referrals (reach 100 posts each) I'll give you an OC or avi drawing.

3. If you reach 500 posts, I'll give you an OC or avi bust(1/3) CG painting.

4. if you have 5 active referrals (reach 100 posts each) I'll give you an OC or avi bust(1/3) CG painting.

5. The above are all independant of the mark system, and yes, you can have the bust shot at 500 posts, and then also get the full at 1000.

((for those who already have requests that I'm working on, don't worry about this.))

xd YOU have to read everything. Just because. NOw go read all the archive threads, everyone's journals, and the entire GD forum. Hah! Quickly now, quickly, this will take years.

Nerd. rofl

100 posts in general I think.

If the OOC board is counted, I will moderate it with an iron fist to ensure it shall not be overly spammed.

Damn right it doesn't take that much to get the art out of you. All you have to do is ask and put a smiley face in it and bug you about it. blaugh

Well, he's telling the truth. xd

You be quiet.