Current
As Spring grows, so too does the itch to dream, to imagine, and to create.
7 yrs ago
It's Christmas time! Put up the lights, and hold up your light! #LightTheWorld
7 yrs ago
And it's impossible to edit a status. Wonderful. I meant to say my hard drive is down; I'm working out of a flash drive now.
7 yrs ago
Whoops. That's one flash drive destroyed. Kids, take good care of your toys! For those concerned, thank you! I don't have any storage, but I do have access to a browser; roleplaying continues!
7 yrs ago
Driving on my lunch break when a random kid on the sidewalk yells, "It's the internet man! Hi internet man!" Spend the rest of Monday feeling like a champ.
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Bio
*Picks up the profile* *Looks at it oddly, as though it vaguely reminds him of something he read once* *Blows off a mountain of dust*
Ah! That's what this is! It's my old role-player guild account!
Hello, folks, from a friend new and old. Old in that I spent many happy hours fictating way back in Old-Guild before Lost Christmas, and then I spent some time in New-Guild during its beginning development; new in that I've been gone for two years, so a lot of the "faces" I was familiar with back then don't seem to be haunting the place these days. Whether you've known me before or not, I extend to you a hearty greeting and a virtual feast. If you'd like a name shorter than the full one, please call me Taro. I'm rather comfortable with that one.
Well, you didn't come here just to hear about my history. You're probably looking to see what kind of a role-player I am. Truthfully, I'm not totally certain right now; two years without practice does bring on a multitude of changes. Then again, even in those two years I've kept the creative spark fed and fanned, in isolation though it may have been, and I can tell you this much with great certainty: I like light-hearted laughter, soul-searching questions, and that precipice of commitment. My favorite settings would be: High Fantasy Modern Fantasy Science Fiction (new worlds, a newer Earth, even just in the immensity of space) I consider it a given that, where boys and girls coexist in a story, Romance will blossom. Horror I have a very weak stomach for. (I read the basic instructions for Betrayal at House on the Hill and had to consciously tell myself that night that everything was fine and I would sleep safely. I didn't even play a game; I only read the instructions!) I stay away from graphic violence, sexual depictions of any nature, and profanities. I'm very much a PG-rated writer; I plan on sharing everything I write as bedtime stories with my kids someday.
I play a convincing dude (I'm sure you never would have guessed that), but a vast majority of my favorite characters are female. So if you have romance in mind, I'm happy to play either party. If you don't want a romance, you will probably have to tell me that plainly. Then I'll just go with what feels right for the story, subject to a few personal whims which I hope will only bolster the plot and development.
I'm very picky as far as my own ideas go. I'll try just about everything I can think of to break the idea in order to insure there are no gaping plot holes. I invite everyone else to examine my ideas in a similar light--different people, different thought processes, different problems discovered--and to offer any compliments or constructive criticisms you have. As part of that, I absolutely love pushing the boundary of an idea as far as it will stretch, or looking for that odd, "I never thought of using it like that" approach to a character's abilities.
What else would I say with this space? I really like old poetry; reading Isaiah gives me the happy trembles. I hope I've presented a fair assessment of my writing style and capabilities through this brief introduction. I love creating--creating characters and bringing them to life from the page; creating worlds filled with fascinating lore and beautiful locales; creating stories, be they narrations of ordinary men and women facing their trials or epics of fated heroes overcoming every obstacle to save Dwarf-kind.
And, in closing, I'm excited for the chance to work with you. I should be able to post daily. PM me anytime, especially if you have a question about anything I've said here or elsewhere, but even if you only want to chat. You could even ask me about my mysterious two-year absence. I'll tell you now that I was in California, but that doesn't really answer the question. I'm happy to talk anytime.
Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet! -Taro
"Up here, yes. Always the walls. Some might be out already, of course, so they're in the passage. The Middle Floors, they say the roof isn't safe. If the pattern holds, the floor will become dangerous, then even the air itself. I've only been to the fifth floor, though; I haven't heard of even Agni Familia dealing with monsters that appear from thin air." Koph looked back down at her side as they moved. "I'll need to be a lot stronger to deal with that kind of monster. Definitely strong enough that this kind of hit doesn't hurt."
She looked back up at her companion. Her eye roved over his torso and arms, again appreciating how developed they were despite his young face. "Strong like you. How did you grow that strong without Falna?"
"Hm? But you asked earlier; and that was only a small wound. I really doubt you could have done that yourself," she added with a laugh. "Unless you're one of those people with a really long tongue and can lick the tip of your nose--ooh! Or your elbow! I hear that's impossible for even the gods!" Koph held up her bent arm and moved her elbow as near to her mouth as she could. Her arm was long and slender, and nowhere near close enough for her to even make the attempt to lick the end of it.
"Let's keep moving, then. We'll drop one more floor, then orbit. Try to stay back-to-back, too. Did you have any more questions?" Her thoughts were spoken as quickly as they formed, and they certainly didn't seem linear. Despite it, she smiled and stretched again, this time tucking her spear behind her and wrapping both arms over it, then using the haft to push her waist forward and arc her back.
If Alisea was surprised by Uchaka’s question, she didn’t show it. Her mind clicked into magic-study mode without a pause. “Nether Push and Nether Pull are good spells for combining. Ever since learning them this feeling that they should be paired with another effect has been following me. Maybe combining Pull with a simple Bolt will give you something like an electric fishing line? Or Push with the Plasma Burst to repel enemies near you?”
”Sounds like a decent enough idea,” Uchaka stated, before her analytical side began to kick in, ”But I don’t think that will be very damaging, I could do Chain Lightning combined with Nether Push to deal far more damage while sending multiple enemies back.” Uchaka began to inspect the stats of the spells, still likely judging just how effective a combined spell like this would be in the long run. However, she also had to judge her play style and what she wanted to do with the future as far as building her stats. She let out a long hum as she began to run the numbers in her mind.
“For more damage, I would suggest the fire discipline. And a powerful Intelligence attribute, of course. Do you have any equipment for boosting that yet?” Alisea asked quietly.
”Unfortunately, I don’t have access to the fire discipline currently,” Uchaka informed her friend before looking over at her intelligence stat. It was decent for a mage at her level, ”I’m sitting at about twenty-two intelligence, but I don’t have any items to increase it.”
“Well, this is a festival; maybe we can find something!”
It was then that River turned back to share his idea. Alisea stared blankly until she realized he was still looking for spell combinations. His idea for a single, powerful, opening burst was nice--it would have been a good contribution as soon as he thought of it--but he had spent too long trying to make it more complex. Whether he mistook how long the window for Overload was, or he just didn’t understand the lengthy cooldown a dual-discipline area spell would have, or maybe he even misunderstood how Energize worked--whether any or all of the above, River’s idea for chaining wouldn’t work. Alisea could see that, but after a moment of contemplation decided not to speak of it. River wasn’t a mage, so he would never be in a place where he might try it himself; thus, correcting him would create no profit, only negative emotion.
Instead, Alisea smiled. Kindly. “That sounds like something to look into. Say, River? Are you spending the day with Xenos?”
“I hadn't actually thought about that. Not too sure that he is actually going to be going, been a tad preoccupied lately. I may just look to see what special event items the game has to offer, maybe buy an outfit for Pots here to help boost her stats.” His voice trailed off for a moment as he thought to himself. "Maybe I can work on a dual spell with more time too. How many can you make again? How does one even determine the mana cost and such? Uh sorry, so what plans do you two have for this event?”
Alisea glanced over to Uchaka, curious if she would answer him.
”You can make any amount of spells as you want, but you can only have one active at a time,” Uchaka yawned, before looking over to River, [/b]”I don’t have much to do. Tend to stay alone.”[/b]
Alisea couldn’t help but smile at her understatement. “Then this is the perfect chance. We can all go look at the stalls together!”
River was shocked at the sudden invitation. Realizing that although he looked forward to this event, he hadn't actually made any plans for it. ”Sure! I wouldn't mind tagging along if that's alright with you two.” he said with a polite shrug and smiling nod.
Uchaka simply shrugged away her indifference, she looked over to Alisea and gave a light smile at the prospect of doing some shopping during the festival. However, she did have her reservations about it, knowing that she would be treated differently than her friend.
“Then off we go!” Alisea decided.
She led the way through a few streets. They stopped to look at several stalls containing what she could only describe as novelty souvenirs--pricey and without function. They were useful for driving the conversation for a bit longer, though. Between shops she would ask Uchaka about her plans for her character build: spells, other disciplines she was most interested in, stat balance. Behind the skull mask, it turned out, was a blossoming Battlemage.
Not surprisingly, a number of dark glares followed their party. The red tag was far too prominent, and with only ten days experience most people’s emotions about death were still raw. Alisea made it clear she didn’t care about those stares, or the people sending them, in the slightest. So long as nobody hassled her group, she had no reason to acknowledge those people existed. Not when Uchaka was far more interesting to her right now.
After two streets and nearly an hour, Alisea adopted a contemplative look. “Uchaka, our guild is planning a dungeon raid after this festival. We leave tomorrow morning. Would you join us? We found in the last dungeon that some monsters are easier dealt with by magic, so another mage would be a tremendous help.”
”A dungeon raid, eh? Would the others be fine with a red tag joining along?” Uchaka asked, raising an eyebrow behind her mask as Alisea extended the rather surprising invitation. The to-be battle mage was definitely skeptical of the idea but she would consider it since she never actually gets to do this kind of stuff often with people.
“It will be fine!” Alisea assured her. “You heard the big man this morning: all previous cases of manslaughter are pardoned.” She couldn’t entirely keep the ironic tone out of her voice, but she quickly added to make sure Uchaka knew here jab was intended at Aramo, “Any minute now the system will catch up with his majesty’s magnanimous decree.” Alisea softened her grin from jesting to friendly. “I plan to see Reylan later; I can confirm then. We do want your help, though. Mage-power is unparalleled, you know.”
Uchaka thought the offer over once more in her head before giving a slight nod to Alisea, ”Very well, I’ll tag along. No doubt it’ll be to my benefit.” While her comment was selfish, it was still an acceptance from someone who had really only had negative experiences in the the game. She tucked her arms into her cloak and simply looked back ahead.
As the throuple continued their way through the streets and stands, River listened in to their conversation while browsing the items on sale. He had been met with many questions by Alisea as well about how certain garments looked on her, him, or in general. ”Is this what Reylan and them do each day? Hows does he manage the energy for it all...unless...is he also?” River pushed the thought away as it would be indecent to ask, especially of his guild leader. "Say...I know I'm kinda a last minute addition but...would you guys mind if we made a stop to a certain shop? I'm looking for clothes for Pots.”
“Oh? Not at all. Lead the way,” Alisea answered happily. “Pots would look cute with some ribbons. Or are you imagining a more fearsome, battle-ready appearance?”
River looked down at his feet attempting to hide the embarrassment on his face. “I was hoping...that we could get matching outfits, Pots and I. Sorcerer's Shoes and the Mages Cloak to be more exact, as I don’t think she can wield a weapon.”
A sudden idea showed on Alisea’s face--that enlightened look a person gives when they’ve put all the pieces of a puzzle together in their head. “Do you already know a place? Because I think I know one…”
"I was hoping to find the vendor who sold me my outfit...trouble is I can’t remember who it was. So why don't we go ahead to yours, might even be the same shop.” River beamed with a bright smile.
With a reciprocal smile and a nod, Alisea led the party away from the central streets--and away from most of the crowd. They soon stopped in front of Nina’s shop. Hanging on the door was a sign announcing it was “Closed for the festival,” but another sign hung beneath directing them toward the central plaza and promising they would find the shopkeep at a temporary booth somewhere along the way.
The sign proved true; Nina had set up a small stand and packed it with as many clothes as possible. Racks circled its girth, hung with clothes pressed together like morning commuters on a Japanese subway. Crates were stacked beneath everything--the racks, her table, the eaves behind the stall, and even beneath Nina herself when they arrived. She jumped up when she recognized potential customers approaching.
Alisea was mildly vexed to see she had once again donned her cloth cat ears.
“Welcome to meowr shop, dear customers! What myight I do to help meu today?”
“Hi, Nina. I thought you were done with the catgirl act?” Alisea asked, trying not to be blatantly pointed about it.
Confusion swept over the shopkeep’s features; then a flash of understanding lit up her face like a beacon. “Oh, the myiss from last Meusday! I thought about it a lot, meu see, and I realized what I myost want to do is myake all myy custumewrs happy! And they are! Myost of these crate are empty already!” she declared, beaming with pride.
“Is that...so?” Alisea sighed helplessly. “If that makes your customew...mers happy, then good for you. Well!” she suddenly exclaimed, changing the topic as quickly as she could. “My friend here, River, hopes you can tailor some articles to fit his tamed beast.” Alisea turned back to the Trainer, gesturing for him to step forward and conduct his business. While he was doing that, she could look over some more of the outfits.
" Do you happen to have a Cloak of the Magi or Sorcerer's shoes?”he looked around as he asked, attempting to see if he could spot the items in order to hasten the transaction. Rivers eyes kept darting back to the sales woman and her attire, he didn't recall there being a cat race in the character creation screen, perhaps it was an NPC exclusive race.
”Meow let me see. Ah! Myy apawlogies myister but I don't have that cloak. Meowever I do have a pair of the shoes in stock," She pulled out a pair of sorcerer's shoes from a box and placed them onto the stands counter to show them to River.
"Perfect! I'll take the pair thank you!” he said as he handed over the Renn and added the shoes into his inventory. River spared no time after the purchase, he opened up his menu and found the trainers pet section where they could add equipment. He quickly equipped the item to Pots and watched as he stats went up. "Not only do you look even more adorable with those little shoes, but we now have an extra use of your attacks for battle.”
An entire half-rack was taken up by bright, white cloaks trimmed with golden thread. It was immediately eye-catching, and Alisea had to pull one off to see what it was. She found in her hands a bright cloak, its colors as pure as those of the rest of this festival commemorating the sun, the source of light itself. She quickly waved Uchaka over to her. “What do you think of this?” she asked eagerly.
”It’s fashionable I guess, but does give any good bonuses to any stats? I wouldn’t purchase it if the stats aren’t good enough,” Uchaka said, analyzing the cloak with a keen eye, wanting to minmax any items that she came into contact with.
“Ranged damage reduction. Reylan forbade me from the frontline, so it will do me well.”
”That’s it? The least it could do is boost up magical damage if it’s going to look all flashy.” Uchaka sighed her disappointment.
“If only a cloak would,” Alisea replied with a laugh. She took the cloak to Nina to purchase. The young shopkeep smiled happily, handing over the cloak as well as a medallion with the sun emblazoned on it. “For myour wonderful support!” Nina explained. The magess thanked her, then turned to her companions.
“Thank you both. The day has already been so much fun! I did promise Aster and Reylan, though, so I shall excuse myself here.”
Noon to midafternoon (around 4:00) Uchaka, River, and Alisea spent time wandering the festival streets and talking. River purchased Sorcerer’s Shoes for Pots. Alisea purchased a Solace Cloak (and received a Solace Medallion) Uchaka didn’t purchase, but she did receive an official invite to the next day’s Dungeon Raid.
Koph returned her comrade's grin and added an affirming nod. That was a good look on his face. Confident, but not crazed.
Koph spread her hands on her spears shaft, then stretched both arms high overhead. Her torso expanded, causing her bruised side to cry out in a moment of pain. She pushed through it, sucking in deep breaths that pushed her chest out before releasing them again. After a few moments the discomfort faded. Lowering her arms, she twisted her body to look closely at the point of contact. There was no visible discoloration anywhere on her smooth skin; whatever damage the blow may have done was minimal, so her body had or would soon finish repairing it. "No trouble," she confirmed to her partner.
Looking at Voltaire, though, that might not have been totally true. There were still traces of blood on his cheek. She stepped close to get a good look, even reaching a hand out to hold his head there so he couldn't move. "Any pain?" she asked.
With another moment's thought, Koph leaned in and licked the blood off his cheek. The wound had stopped producing any more, so all that remained was a thin line that would disappear soon enough. "There. You look good; now we can keep moving."
Koph nodded. She lunged forward, sending two quick jabs around the kobold's head. The monster ducked to avoid the tip, then prepared to rush in. "Come!" the Amazoness called. Without withdrawing again, Koph pushed her spear straight down. The monster was far enough under that it reached up with both hands to catch the shaft beneath its blade, preventing any attempt to cut. At the same time, though, this froze the kobold's movements. All she needed was to give a firm tug to one side--to push the kobold off balance, and to make sure her weapon wouldn't be in Voltaire's way. Just at the right time.
Her eyes drifted shut, her breathing fell quiet, and her ears strained to pick up every note the Song had to share.
As soon as Voltaire engaged her last kobold, Koph darted around him and rushed the two coming at his back. She didn't slow a step as the distance closed. Both kobolds saw the attack coming and tried to sidestep; she followed to the left and rammed her spear through that beast's chest. The power she put in, and the momentum behind it, blew the kobold to ash with the impact. It's partner lashed out while it had the chance, the back of its arm crashing into Koph's exposed side as she drove past. The blow knocked her over, sending her rolling to the side. She tucked her arms in, careful to keep her spear beneath her and the tip above her head as she tumbled.
The rolling stopped and Koph pulled herself to a knee. The kobold had begun to rush toward her already. The Amazoness coughed twice, feeling out the bruising on her side through her lungs. It throbbed a little, but nothing was seriously damaged. As the kobold came close, she threw herself to the side and tucked into another roll, this time tumbling at an angle over her right shoulder, then came up running toward Voltaire.
Two paces shy she slid to a stop and spun back, ready to keep the final kobold at bay with her speartip. "Together this time," she called over her shoulder. "Can you jump me?"
Koph was backing one step at a time, the kobolds advancing warily as a group. She kept her strokes steady, but she could feel the music building in intensity. Her steps grew shorter; the kobolds' did not. As the movement reached its peak, Koph lunged forward with her thrust. The kobold on her right couldn't react quickly enough and the spear's tip drove through its chest. Pulling back just as suddenly, Koph spun away from the remaining two. Seeing the opening, both attacked; though the center one, with its thigh still injured, ran while its companion leaped.
This proved its salvation, at least for the moment. Its companion found the but of Koph's spear shooting backward, meeting its skull as it descended on its prey. The beast's head snapped back and it fell, lifeless, to the ground. The remaining kobold staggered backward in surprise, just in time to avoid the speartip as Koph spun around again, resetting her stance.
She glanced back to her companion. He seemed fine; he'd already dealt with one of the kobolds, the other two weren't near enough to attack. He was a bit further up the hall, too--somewhat behind and beside her remaining opponent. "Switch!" she called at him.
Alisea was eager. It was such a refreshing feeling after that meeting of Guildmasters. Receiving a PM from Uchaka so soon had been a surprise, made all the sweeter when it was a direct invitation to spend time together. With the crowd dispersing, Alisea had excused herself from Reylan's side ("I have something I need to do. Go show Aster a good time, and I'll meet up with you later, okay?") and exchanged a few more PMs with Uchaka to decide on a meeting place.
When she arrived, the magess found another surprise. Uchaka wasn't alone; River had already approached her. Alisea quickened her steps to reach the pair before he did anything foolish, but when she was finally close enough to hear him over the din of the busy street, she was shocked by yet another unexpected event. He was apologizing. Today was shaping up to be the most interesting day since the first in this new world.
"...together and we need to start acting like it. So instead of meeting you with malice, I meet you with kindness, something I'm sure you weren't met with in the beginning which may have lead to your current position."
Alisea couldn't help but smile to herself. It may have been her words that caused him to think along those lines. It just as well may have been himself, though. What an earnest child he was. The magess withdrew a pace, staying out of sight long enough for Uchaka to deliver her reply before she approached.
After Uchaka had spoken to River, Alisea stepped forward. "Uchaka! Oh? River! How good to see you here! Enjoying the festival so far? All these decorations give the town so much color!" She cast a glance from one player to the other, then gave a shy, little smile. "Oh, I apologize. I can come back a little later if you two need..."
Koph spent some minutes thinking about that answer. The pair descended a floor--still lit by the same blue light, though the tunnels were a little wider now--and continued in silence. It wasn't until then that Koph began wondering if he didn't have any more questions, or if he just didn't realize it was his turn to ask again. Maybe she should just ask again? She had plenty more questions.
"Why Amaterasu-sama? Was there no-"
The walls on either side of them crumbled, a pack of kobolds emerging from the holes.
Koph cut her words short and used her momentum to jump a little further ahead. With them all behind her, she spun back and lunged at the nearest with a quick spear thrust. The kobold jumped away, but the spear's reach was such that it still took a gash on its thigh. The two behind rushed forward. Koph drew her spear back, then thrust with two rapid, short strokes to keep the monsters at bay for a moment more.
Koph spent a moment in silence pondering his query. "Lick it, I suppose. I have a potion in case something really bad happens, but my little injuries mend themselves slowly. For in-the-middle ones, I go to apprentice healers. Discounts since they're still learning." She thought a few moments more, then decided that was a good, complete answer. Solome would be proud of her, she was sure.
"Now you. Why? You're strong--not as strong as Falna, but stronger than most humans. Now you adventure. Why?"
*Picks up the profile*
*Looks at it oddly, as though it vaguely reminds him of something he read once*
*Blows off a mountain of dust*
Ah! That's what this is! It's my old role-player guild account!
Hello, folks, from a friend new and old. Old in that I spent many happy hours fictating way back in Old-Guild before Lost Christmas, and then I spent some time in New-Guild during its beginning development; new in that I've been gone for two years, so a lot of the "faces" I was familiar with back then don't seem to be haunting the place these days. Whether you've known me before or not, I extend to you a hearty greeting and a virtual feast. If you'd like a name shorter than the full one, please call me Taro. I'm rather comfortable with that one.
Well, you didn't come here just to hear about my history. You're probably looking to see what kind of a role-player I am. Truthfully, I'm not totally certain right now; two years without practice does bring on a multitude of changes. Then again, even in those two years I've kept the creative spark fed and fanned, in isolation though it may have been, and I can tell you this much with great certainty:
I like light-hearted laughter, soul-searching questions, and that precipice of commitment.
My favorite settings would be:
High Fantasy
Modern Fantasy
Science Fiction (new worlds, a newer Earth, even just in the immensity of space)
I consider it a given that, where boys and girls coexist in a story, Romance will blossom.
Horror I have a very weak stomach for. (I read the basic instructions for Betrayal at House on the Hill and had to consciously tell myself that night that everything was fine and I would sleep safely. I didn't even play a game; I only read the instructions!)
I stay away from graphic violence, sexual depictions of any nature, and profanities. I'm very much a PG-rated writer; I plan on sharing everything I write as bedtime stories with my kids someday.
I play a convincing dude (I'm sure you never would have guessed that), but a vast majority of my favorite characters are female. So if you have romance in mind, I'm happy to play either party. If you don't want a romance, you will probably have to tell me that plainly. Then I'll just go with what feels right for the story, subject to a few personal whims which I hope will only bolster the plot and development.
I'm very picky as far as my own ideas go. I'll try just about everything I can think of to break the idea in order to insure there are no gaping plot holes. I invite everyone else to examine my ideas in a similar light--different people, different thought processes, different problems discovered--and to offer any compliments or constructive criticisms you have. As part of that, I absolutely love pushing the boundary of an idea as far as it will stretch, or looking for that odd, "I never thought of using it like that" approach to a character's abilities.
What else would I say with this space? I really like old poetry; reading Isaiah gives me the happy trembles. I hope I've presented a fair assessment of my writing style and capabilities through this brief introduction. I love creating--creating characters and bringing them to life from the page; creating worlds filled with fascinating lore and beautiful locales; creating stories, be they narrations of ordinary men and women facing their trials or epics of fated heroes overcoming every obstacle to save Dwarf-kind.
And, in closing, I'm excited for the chance to work with you. I should be able to post daily. PM me anytime, especially if you have a question about anything I've said here or elsewhere, but even if you only want to chat. You could even ask me about my mysterious two-year absence. I'll tell you now that I was in California, but that doesn't really answer the question. I'm happy to talk anytime.
Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet!
-Taro
<div style="white-space:pre-wrap;">*Picks up the profile*<br>*Looks at it oddly, as though it vaguely reminds him of something he read once*<br>*Blows off a mountain of dust*<br><br>Ah! That's what this is! It's my old role-player guild account!<br><br>Hello, folks, from a friend new and old. Old in that I spent many happy hours fictating way back in Old-Guild before Lost Christmas, and then I spent some time in New-Guild during its beginning development; new in that I've been gone for two years, so a lot of the "faces" I was familiar with back then don't seem to be haunting the place these days. Whether you've known me before or not, I extend to you a hearty greeting and a virtual feast. If you'd like a name shorter than the full one, please call me Taro. I'm rather comfortable with that one.<br><br>Well, you didn't come here just to hear about my history. You're probably looking to see what kind of a role-player I am. Truthfully, I'm not totally certain right now; two years without practice does bring on a multitude of changes. Then again, even in those two years I've kept the creative spark fed and fanned, in isolation though it may have been, and I can tell you this much with great certainty:<br>I like light-hearted laughter, soul-searching questions, and that precipice of commitment.<br>My favorite settings would be:<br>High Fantasy<br>Modern Fantasy<br>Science Fiction (new worlds, a newer Earth, even just in the immensity of space)<br>I consider it a given that, where boys and girls coexist in a story, Romance will blossom.<br>Horror I have a very weak stomach for. (I read the basic instructions for Betrayal at House on the Hill and had to consciously tell myself that night that everything was fine and I would sleep safely. I didn't even play a game; I only read the instructions!)<br>I stay away from graphic violence, sexual depictions of any nature, and profanities. I'm very much a PG-rated writer; I plan on sharing everything I write as bedtime stories with my kids someday.<br><br>I play a convincing dude (I'm sure you never would have guessed that), but a vast majority of my favorite characters are female. So if you have romance in mind, I'm happy to play either party. If you don't want a romance, you will probably have to tell me that plainly. Then I'll just go with what feels right for the story, subject to a few personal whims which I hope will only bolster the plot and development.<br><br>I'm very picky as far as my own ideas go. I'll try just about everything I can think of to break the idea in order to insure there are no gaping plot holes. I invite everyone else to examine my ideas in a similar light--different people, different thought processes, different problems discovered--and to offer any compliments or constructive criticisms you have. As part of that, I absolutely love pushing the boundary of an idea as far as it will stretch, or looking for that odd, "I never thought of using it like that" approach to a character's abilities.<br><br>What else would I say with this space? I really like old poetry; reading Isaiah gives me the happy trembles. I hope I've presented a fair assessment of my writing style and capabilities through this brief introduction. I love creating--creating characters and bringing them to life from the page; creating worlds filled with fascinating lore and beautiful locales; creating stories, be they narrations of ordinary men and women facing their trials or epics of fated heroes overcoming every obstacle to save Dwarf-kind.<br><br>And, in closing, I'm excited for the chance to work with you. I should be able to post daily. PM me anytime, especially if you have a question about anything I've said here or elsewhere, but even if you only want to chat. You could even ask me about my mysterious two-year absence. I'll tell you now that I was in California, but that doesn't really answer the question. I'm happy to talk anytime.<br><br>Sweet water and light laughter until next we meet!<br>-Taro</div>
Member
