OOC LOG: Color Info Meeting, 5-12-06
Nolee welcomes folks, thanks for coming to this OOC meetingy! And tosses out beanbags, chips and dip (watch the sling, there, that stuff's messy!) and m&m's. Mmm, snacky!
Jazra munches m and m's. And offers tension tamer tea?
Jazra says "A trade."
You say "Aww, this one should be awfully chill and low-key. We're just glad to be sharing what we love! :) Welcome, all! Let's get this party started! This is an OOC meeting to share information about various colors of dragon hide, complete with thoughts from some of our own riders as well as our weyr's leadership. We'll go through each color, with time for questions about that color after each. We love questions!
Many thanks to Cynara, Griere and V'lano, who are kind enough to come and chat with us tonight, and to G'tive, who send in his thoughts ahead of time, and of course, to the candidates who are here. There will be a log (mwah ha ha, starting now!) posted on the istaweyr.com site, so if you have to leave early, you can read up later. :)"
Griere waves little flags for all the colors! :D
V'lano waves a plaid one just to make Griere wonder.
Rilayen plops in a beanbag. "Ooh, flags!"
Jazra bounces around her dorm room. Holding up a couple of flags here and there, random ones, just to be hyper.
Nolee snags the flags, juggles them (magical 2 flag juggling, amazing!), then tosses the flags of talkiness to Griere. We'll start with the metallics, then move on to the really fun stuff. :) Gri, want to say a few words about gold? :)
Griere says "Alrighty. Gold. I'm gonna focus more on the OOC side of things, since that tends to be the heavier of the two parts of goldriding. One thing I can really say about the IC part is that it generally gets a little harder after impression. You're on the spot more, you've got more eyes on you - it can be a little unsettling. Especially if you're sort of the shy type like I am. ;) But playing a goldrider is like playing any other character, they're just people. The big difference is the OOC stuff. (But if you have questions about the IC stuff, just ask!) (more)"
Griere says "When I first started playing, I knew search committees were picky about goldriders and that golds had all these OOC responsibilities so I got curious and started asking people: just what -are- these responsibilities? No one ever seemed to give me a straight answer. Since then I've come to believe that the reason no one could tell me what the gold thing was about is because it's a little of everything. The only difference is that if no one else does it, the weyrwoman -has- to do it. That's really it. The weyrwoman is just where the buck stops, everyone else can pass it if they want. Goldriders need to take that final responsibility - when no one else wants to do something, they'll step up to the plate. (more)"
Griere says "I think there are probably two hard, fast rules of being a WW, just observations that I think could apply for anyone interested in gold. 1) You have to be professional. That means you have to pay pretty close attention to what you write and how it's going to be perceived. You have to keep a cool head and be respectful and reasonable even with unreasonable people. 2) You have to make a time commitment. That doesn't mean that there's a magic number of hours that you have to spend online. ;) What it does mean is that sometimes you have to miss out on other things or make it a priority to handle the business the Weyr needs taken care of - because again, the WWs are where the buck stops! :) Other folks get to pick and chose whether they take on extra responsibilities, goldriders... not so much. ;)"
Griere says "So, that's my take on goldriding in a nutshell. ;) And if there are any goldy-questions, feel free to spit 'em at me now. Or if you're reading this in a log, feel free to page me with 'em whenever. ;)"
You say "Thank you to Griere. :) Any questions about gold for her (or us)?"
Rilayen looks around. "Only two candidates. No, none here."
Jazra shakes her head.
Nolee grins, true. The log'll be up soon, for those who weren't able to be here to read. Onward, then! V'lano, take it away with a few words about bronze?
V'lano woo. :) ""There are three things about bronze that I'd like to touch on. First is that riding bronze offers one unique opportunity - the possibility to become a weyrleader. Most bronzeriders will never take on that responsibility, but that potential is there. If you're fond of organizing events, if you're an enabler and an encourager, and if you have the administrative and code or building skills which would serve you in that post, you might enjoy that potential. Outside of weyrleadership, the opportunities for a bronzerider are really no different than for any other - they can be wingleaders and seconds, be part of the weyrling training staff, run special projects like SAR or dragonhealing, and more. (more!)"
V'lano says "The second thing is specific to riding the largest male dragons - siring clutches. Like browns, bronzes may chase and win any female that rises for a mating flight, green or gold. I wouldn't say that, statistically, riding bronze provides a major advantage - there are certainly plenty of brown-sired clutches on the game. Bronzes can sire golds, however, which browns can't, so sometimes that comes into play. There is usually a significant time commitment needed from a potential sire and there are often OOC responsibilities attached. Still, the RP involved with clutchsiring has been one of the most fulfilling possibilities for me, and that's one of the nice possibilities for brown and bronze. (one more!)"
V'lano says "So that's two things which are similar to other colors - leadership opportunities are mostly the same, and mating flight opportunities are comparable to brown. There is one place where I find that bronze is a major difference: how it affects a character and RP. Much of the RP I have had that descended from the fact that I have a dragon at all could have been substantially similar if I rode brown, and even quite familiar on blue. However, I find that Volath's color has a significant effect on V'lano's outlook and on the reactions other characters have to him. I have also seen that affect other characters riding bronze - there is, even in this relatively egalitarian Pern, a certain IC cultural expectation that bronzeriders will be exceptional people. It can be fun to play to, against, or around that expectation. Similar cultural associations affect all of the dragon colors; how a dragon's hide affects a character's potential relationships with other people is, for me, one of the most intriguing aspects of playing a dragonrider of any sort. :)"
You say "Thanks, V'lano. Anyone have questions for him about bronze?"
Jazra can't, she's a girl.
Jazra says "however masculine my character is." ;)"
Griere says "Well, you don't have to be applying for any particular color to ask questions about stuff if you're curious. :)"
Rilayen thinks. "Would you say the 'fishbowl(?)' effect ascribed to gold candidates/riders applies to bronze candidates/riders? Or to a lesser extent? Or not at all? Um."
Jazra kinda wondered that too actually.
Jazra considered, actually, making a male alt for awhile, and applying for bronze elsewhere, but I can't handle two candidacies at once. And I don't play men very well. So I didn't think of it.
V'lano says "Yes, but to a lesser extent. ;)"
V'lano will explicate on that answer, sec to type. :D
V'lano says "Basically, most of what I see isn't real fishbowl in the sense that everything you do is judged and people talk about whether you should/shouldn't have impressed bronze, because the impression isn't that rare. Gold, because of the restricted number available, is much more that way. However, bronzeriders -are- sort of a resource; they're part of the clutchsire population and those from whom new WLs are drawn when needed, so people do sort of keep some tabs on them. It's not huge, but it's there, and sometimes it's caught me by surprise. ;)"
V'lano says "I wouldn't say it's stressful, at least not very. ;)"
Rilayen says "Okay =) Cool, cool. Thanks! ^^ I was curious, since not much is ever mentioned about the fishbowl effect among bronze riders."
Jazra wonders how many hours of work goes into Clutchsiring.
Jazra applied for brown, so this goes for her immediate character and not an alt.
Griere says "There's never a magic number of hours and siring at different places requires varying amounts of work, so it's hard to give a solid answer to that question, unfortunately. However, I've never sired a clutch, so... ;)"
Rilayen says "That's a point, actually."
V'lano says "It's hard to stick a number on, Jaz. It depends on what the clutchmom wants you to do. I probably spent most of my time at HRW with Josilina RPing with the candidates and doing egg touchings - RP/side stuff. Here, at the PC clutch we had before this one, I handled a lot of codey things and helped with dragon editing and all kinds of stuff as well as RPing with candidates and spending time on the sands with the eggs. Few clutchmoms will hand you a 'required hours' sort of list, but a lot of them are definitely looking for someone active when they choose a sire. ;)"
Jazra nods, because she likes to know what's expected, and clutchsiring, or attempting it, was something she considered.
V'lano says "Most of them, however, are also understanding people. Griere was understanding about my vacation falling toward the beginning of our cycle, and Josilina was very flexible about what I could do. :)"
Nolee thinks that one may depend on where you are, very true...such as, how interested the sire is in being involved, how much is shared at that particular weyr, etc. As V'lano's two very different experiences suggest, some sires mostly rp, some might help with writing eggs, dragons, emits, event running, puppeting, participating on SearchCo, etc...depends on the sire and what the clutchmother/clutchmother's weyr is interested in.
V'lano nodnods. :)
Rilayen was going to ask if it depends on the sire's preferences for what he does, but that answers it really ;)
Jazra understands now. Writing is my strong suit, so that's not much of a problem if I'm required to do that. It's coding and time that are my worries in that department. Especially time, with a college education and a summer job search to worry about, that's probably going to be a concern for the next three to four years. So...
V'lano says "Short answer: as far as I've experienced, yes. If the sire doesn't want to do X most weyrs aren't going to pressure him to. If there are requirements they're often revealed up front at or before the flight, too. :)"
Jazra nodnods.
Griere tosses out, just in general, that for anyone attending an open goldflight, it never hurts to chat with the goldrider to ask how much she's looking for and let her know how much you are able to give. If she want big involvement from a sire and you know that you're going to be swamped with RL during the cycle... it's best for both of you to know that before the catch pose. ;)
V'lano nods!
Rilayen says "Sounds like sensible advice to me =)"
Jazra will definately ask just before a flight, maybe even when the post advert first goes up.
V'lano would suggest that if you ask, you do so well in advance, if possible; they can be kinda spammed just before the flight itself. XD
V'lano says "Any other bronze questions I can field? XD"
Cynara would recommend...yeah, what V'lano said. The poor goldrider doesn't need six or seven chasers asking that ;-)
Rilayen grins. "And no more questions from me."
Jazra says "none for me either."
Nolee sneaks in affection for C'len, who rocks as a sire, and has been involved in heaps of things here. :) And hee! True, Cynara. I was more than a little nervous before Nala's flight, and was amazed that I managed to still remember how to type!
Thanks for your thoughts, V'lano, and for the questions (we love questions!), and answers, too. :) It's awesome to have the interest, and to get out those tickling little wonders now. :) Now we'll share some of G'tive's words about brown, since many of the same flight-type things apply to this color, too. Gus wasn't able to be with us today, but he sent in his thoughts.
From G'tive: Alright this is a fairly hard question, "What are your thoughts on riding a Brown?" For me it is anyway because after all, _all_ dragons are really the same ting. Bits of MU* code stung together and then given a personality to play. This would be an easier question if it was, "What are your thoughts on playing Cansoth?" ;) But it's not, alas. (more)
Right down to the basics! Browns are really your jack-of-all... uhm dragons. ;) They can rise to pretty much any leadership position, there has even been a recorded case of a Brown Weyrleader on this MUSH. They can chase any female dragon, not as bulky as Bronzes they can fly a Green and with more endurance than Blues they can chase a Gold, which means the fun of siring a PC clutch is still possible. Browns are also open to both sexes, so for you girls you can still sire a PC clutch without going through the hassles of being a Goldrider. No offense Griere and Nolee. :) (more)
Nolee sticks in a grin, none taken! :)
G'tive continues: Now for me, playing Cansoth as any other color would've added bits to his personality that just wouldn't fit him, or G'tive for that matter. If he had been a Bronze it would've added a cockiness possibly to both 'Soth and Gus that really just wouldn't mesh. And had he been a Blue or a Green it would've added a flightiness that also wouldn't have been quite right. Can you imagine Gus on a proddy Green? ;) This is something to really take into consideration before you choose your color. 'How will this color effect not only my character but my dragon's personality?' One of the biggest things to remember, about any color really, is: 'This dragon does not make you, the player, a better or worse person.' (leeeetle more!)
Finishing thoughts... :) Browns are really just a great color to play being the most flexible of the dragons. There are such a wide range of possibilities open to them and their players that I think this color does have some of the most to offer. Not only for character expansion but just as a lot of fun to play!
Feel free to page me when I'm on again with any questions you might have for me or Cansoth! ;)
You say "As you can see, Gus is willing to answer questions and to chat about brown any time. As he isn't here today, he won't be able to field questions right now, but if you have them, toss 'em out and we'll do our best to field them. ;)"
Rilayen says "Jazra? =)"
V'lano plays catch. XD
Jazra nods. "This vies with my knowledge of browns other mu. The one that I /do/ have experience, SC, places a high standard for people who try to apply for them. (more)"
V'lano says "I think at Ista we hold all impressions in high regard, chromatic or otherwise. ;)"
Jazra says "Um... I do have a question actually."
Griere says "Plus we can't really speak to experiences on other games. We can only realy discuss how browns are seen on NC. :)"
Nolee will pass her thanks on to Gus, and notes that there'll be a chance for y'all to detail your prefs coming in a few days, too. Sure! Bring on the question. :)
Jazra says "Jazra is almost flamingly butch. Is that often common among female brown riders?"
Griere says "We don't really place a high importance on a character's gender or orientation. How a player decides to explore that would be up to them. There are all sorts of characters on all colors. :)"
You say "Sankoo, Griere--that's a great and beautiful thing. :) Maduk was also not able to be here, but he did pass on a question for brown. He wanted to know if there was any specific reason a brown impressee wanted or was drawn to that color in particular. V'lano, want to take that one? :)"
Jazra says "please excuse for a second."
V'lano hm. "I think people who aim for brown are looking for either the vast flexibility of the brown - all of the same opportunities as bronze except WL - or else they're aiming for a very specific RP experience. As I mentioned, all colors affect a character's possible relationships with other people and how those people view the character, ICly. Brown has some interesting possibilities for personal conflict, which might attract some players - I know that's what I find most interesting about brown, myself. :)"
Rilayen has a question about browns, yay.
V'lano says "There may also be some attraction to that loyal/faithful archetype. :)"
You say "Got for it, Rilayen. :)"
Nolee ers, go even.
Rilayen was waiting until everyone else was done ^^; "Okay, I'm just wondering: browns are usually thought of as the 'sensible' dragons, calm and cool and such things. Would you say here at Ista your browns hold true to that 9at least sometimes)? That they provide a sensible partner to their rider? Or are their personalities jsut completely varied?"
Rilayen says "My question's a bit rambling I'm afraid."
V'lano says "No worries. XD"
Jazra returns.
Griere says "We tend to write all different sorts of personalities for each color. We aim to blend the impressee's wants, theme inspiration, color and playability all together to try to create a well-rounded dragon. If the impressee indicates that they want the stoic, sensible, loyal stereotype, we'll head that way, but we don't find ourselves held to that stereotype for all browns, no. :)"
Rilayen says "Okay. Thanks =)"
V'lano says "Any other qs on brown? :)"
Rilayen headshakes.
Jazra shakes her head.
You say "Thanks on that front, V'lano. :) Now we're fortunate in having Cynara, a certified bluerider, here to share her thoughts about blue, as well as some in-absenta thoughts from Lirit. We'll begin with Marsath's Cynara. Ta da!"
Cynara says "Okay. Thoughts on blue. The key thing about blue is...the other colors have...stereotypes. We have an image of the flashy bronze, the solid, loyal brown and the flirtatious green. And then we get to blues, and they almost seem to be an afterthought. Which is probably why, historically, games have seen less people apply for blue than the other colors. You don't have that archetype to build on and form a character around. And that is *exactly* why blue was my first, last and only choice for Cynara."
Cynara says "The only thing a bluerider can't do is win goldflights. So, we can't be weyrleader and we can't sire clutches. But we can do anything else. And what blue offers is the fact that nobody *has* any real expectations of blue. Blue is, very much, the RPers dragon. You can take as much or as little OOC (and IC) responsibility as you want. The only thing really said about blues is their affinity for Search, and if that's something you enjoy RPing, consider going for blue. Most of all, though, blue is a good way to go if you already have a very firmly developed character. You can't lean on the stereotypes if you're tired or off-form...blues are a challenge in that sense, but also a lot of freedom. Blues *do* get overlooked...and it's important not to do so. There's really no reason to ;-)."
Nolee grins, and thanks Cynara for her p.o.v., too. Those are most excellent points, and well-said. :) Lirit has written a small novella, interestingly with a few of the same ideas touched on as Cynara, so I'm thinking those parts especially stand out for blues. :) Here ya go! From Lirit:
Flying the blue skies.....
So, you want to know what it's like to be a bluerider? Well, I'll start by saying that blue is my favorite color and that I never realized it until Eleketh came along. Blues are highly underrepresented in the books and underappreciated overall of all the dragon colors on Pern, how many blues have you seen partnered to a major character in one of McCaffrey's novels? How many people do you hear around the MUSH saying I want to Impress blue before they sit through one of these color meetings and have the advantages pointed out to them? Blues are given short shrift. (more)
Lirit, continued: Here we have dragons as manuverable and quick as a green, the most sensitive of the Search dragons, and one entirely unencumbered by preconceptions of what they should be. There is no stereotypical blue, unlike the other colors. Preening green? We've got them by the thousands. Stolid brown? Trip over them every time you turn around. Proud bronze? Every Weyr has half a dozen at least. A regal gold? Every color has their stereotype, leaving their riders with the choice of playing to type or playing against it there's less room for subtlety and individuality among the other dragons because of the molds people expect them to fit into if you try to play a fine line between the stereotype and something unique, oftentimes the nuances of the dragon can be lost as people shove them into the mold they expect them to fit into. Not so blue who has ever read about one to actually have preconceptions of what one is like? The field is wide open to explore and play with and make wholly your own. That's why I'm so fond of blue their flexibility both in and out of character. (more)
Lirit: There's no limit to what you can do on blue I've been a Wingleader, a Searchrider, and now Weyrlingmaster. There have even been cases of blueriders being acting Weyrleaders, though it is admittedly rare. With blue you can take on as much or as little responsibility as you like and your life allows try that with bronze or gold! Thinking green because playing proddy sounds fun? Heck, try playing a blooie that's just missed a catch. Freedom and flexibility, a field wide open to the inventive player that's blue. I doubt I as a player will ever choose another color. (end)
Nolee thanks both of our blooies and wonders if there are any questions about this flexible color? :)
Rilayen thinks. "I think that pretty much covered everything, both Cynara and Lirit's thoughts."
Jazra has to get dinner. BRB.
Nolee wahoos for the detail and depth of those descriptions, too. Thanks to the blueriders! Since there aren't any further queries at the moment for Cynara, how about onto green? Griere?
Rilayen cheers for greens!
Griere puts on her I-love-Green pin. ;) Green is probably my favoritest color to play. ;)
Griere says "Every cycle candidates ask 'What color does Ista need?' and every cycle we tell candidates to pick what color will best suit their character. This cycle is no different - we still want you to apply for the color that inspires you the most! But if there is a color that we'd like to see more of this cycle, it would be green. No, applying for green will not increase your chances of impression - that's not the way we do it here - but we do invite you all to consider the coolness that is green and see if it might be something that tickles you."
Griere says "Greens come with a number of unique opportunities that are great for the player and the weyr at large. While there are certain stereotypes that come with any color, to be played up or played against, the stereotype of a green is Anything Goes. There's the flighty ditz, the sultry man-hunter, the prim girly-girl, the no-I'm-not-gay guy and the yessir-I-am guy, the dedicated taskmaster, the layabout good-for-nothing, the dreamy visionary... everything is open to you with a green. (more)"
Griere says "Being the only female dragon aside from the more limited golds, greens offer a unique opportunity for dragon RP, particularly now when we don't have many active greenriders. A green dragon can be the foil for many of the males, a temptress, a priss, a tomboy! And then, of course, there are flights! These days flights are wealth of opportunity. They can be solely RP based, a game of riddles, an exercise in stretching the creative fingers. And there aren't all that many greenflights, so running a flight offers Rp that is good for the whole game. It increases inter-area RP, forges new relationships and gives everyone a chance to do something different. Plus, it allows the greenrider a chance to really show off and shine! (more!)"
Griere says "There's also the added bonus of proddiness! Do you want to see your reserved char go all out? Your sweet character develop a sharp tongue? Your big meanie turn into a flirt? Every female dragon is different and the effect on her rider is just as varied. The proddiness around flights gives you a chance to put a spin on things! And if you feel like chasing instead? No problem, just create an NPC and have at it! (one more!)"
Griere says "Like all with all colors, greenriders are encouraged to get as involved as they want to be. All sorts of positions are open to them. Get involved with wingleadership, SAR, DHL, search candidates, serve on the SC, run events and plots, be a weyrlingmaster! Or just sit back and Rp! Whatever strikes your fancy! :D (end)"
Nolee waves the flags of all the pretty colors, and wonders if there are any q's for greens? :)
Rilayen cries. "All the happy green memories I have. I don't have any questions, though. But now I want to go for green. Even though I can't see one suiting Ril" ^^;
V'lano says "There's always fun in conflict. ;) It also seems worth nothing that greens, unlike male dragons or golds, can pretty much enter into flight RP at leisure - there are fewer limits on their flights, and ICly they rise much more often than queens. Kind of nice. :)"
Nolee adds one more thing regarding greens: while flights are an excellent and fun event activity greens can enjoy, if that isn't an aspect of green that appeals to you, flights are not mandatory and could, if desired, occur off-camera, or off-camera with NPC winners. And the proddiness factors? Could allow for much exploration of different aspects of the character's personality that might not otherwise be expressed. :)
You say "As many of our riders have suggested, you can make what you'd like to play out of almost any color of dragon, with or against the pervasive 'stereotypes' that are lurking out there--with some color-specific limitations (boo, Nalaieth can't chase Aerianth, alas). Much of the rp opportunity comes from what you make of it; how you play the dragon's personality, and how that personality interacts with and affects the personality of your character. That's some of the fun part!"
You say "In a few days, you'll be receiving your final applications. Please read through the information and answer each question thoroughly. If you've particular things in mind as related to the color, personality or temper of a dragon you'd want, or really not want, to impress, please please please include that in your final app answers. That way you have a better chance of ending up with a dragon you'd like to RP, cause we like happy players. :)"
You say "Any last questions or comments before we wrap things up? :)"
Rilayen says "Uh...my question's about the final application rather than the dragon colours? Shall I page it to someone?"
You say "Go ahead and ask it, Rilayen. :)"
Rilayen says "I was just wondering if we get to request anything specific for the name of the dragon we'd like to Impress? say specific length or letters."
Griere says "Ooh, easy question. ;D Yep! :D"
V'lano says "You can stick that in there with other 'what you want in a dragon' stuff. ;)"
Rilayen says "Oh, okay. I've never gone for Search at Ista (or, for that matter, NC) befroe, so I don't know what's coming up! =)"
Griere will be sending out the final app right after we get this log up. :)
You say "Yahoo! Coming soon. Let us know if you, any of you, have or think of any more questions, either spurred by the meeting, the final app, or anything else. :) Thanks very much to the candidates, and to our riders who have been kind enough to share their thoughts and experiences. And that's a wrap! :)"
Rilayen says "Thank you, riders =)"
Jazra comes back from dinner, thanks, and goes to review the chatter.
Griere says "Thanks for coming guys! :D"
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(Note: a small portion of this log was edited at the request of an individual to remove a small segment of their own commentary. Just fyi.)