Sorry if this has been discussed to death at some point but I searched 750AY and didn't really find a thread about it, but why are we stuck in the year 750 AY? I'm genuinely interested in why because from a RP perspective it is really confusing to start your first year of RPing here and decide that your character is say, 25 years old, meaning they were born in 725 AY. And so you have been RPing this character for over a year, to the month of their birthday, how can it make sense to start the same cycle over again and it not be 751? The only way to age this character would be to move their birthday back a cycle but in doing so that might alter some aspects of their history, such as when they were schooled, when they got their first job, etc. I can't recall if the answer was something along the lines of 'don't think into it' or something else but I am wondering why it was determined that we stay in this cycle.

Even from a community and development standpoint, it can make sense to move on to 751AY, 752AY, etc by having historical moments occur each year that make that cycle remembered for ____ or ____. Not only that, but I can see it as a means of bridging community RP with an ongoing development of the game, especially since I have heard (I think through the GM Q&A) that lore is being developed in a way that progresses the story of the game in general. I feel like maybe allowing the cycles to move with that developing story might solve the birthday/age dilemma as well as allow for a new and contemporary timeline to begin playing out in an interesting historical sense.

So after returning from a very long absence I forgot most of the lore of the game and had to use the PSwiki and the books in the in-game library to refresh myself on lore knowledge, but a lot of this gets specific and is heavy on reading, so I was wondering if it'd be okay to do one of two things:

-Create a basic but all encompasing lore guide that highlights the most important things your character should know about his/her/kras world by default

or

-Add Jayose's books to the PS wiki as its own little project?

I know that this might harm the no-spoiler rule the forum has, especially the latter idea, but would something like the first idea be okay either? No quest information/solutions would be posted, I would only suggest that further lore tidbits be discovered through questing.

Do you love it, hate it, just ok with it? Why? Please elaborate. I'm curious, and the Hydlaa Plaza needs some interesting discussion.

Then I have some questions you should guide yourself with.

I've discovered that characters are the most important part to a story in my honest opinion, and in this case, characters are the most important thing to the game. I have a feeling that some new players will have trouble roleplaying because they don't know who their characters are.

Do some research and decide the basics.

-So the first step in creating a character allows you to use your preference. You should read over the races and decide what you feel comfortable and knowledgeable playing. Races: http://www.planeshift.it/races.html

*Stay in settings and don't create a mixed kran or klyros. When mixing with the other races, try to put meaning behind the mix. (your characters parents' relationship)

-So now that you have found the race you want to play, now you get to choose what sex you want your character to be. This is also your chance to input some preference.

Your character will need an age.

-You can choose to make this exact in the description: ex) Geoni is 134 cycles old. or ex) Geoni is a kran that seems to be over 100 cycles old.

-You can decide to make the description of your characters age lucid if you feel like getting creative and using your characters history. Here you don't state the exact age, or approximate age: ex) Geoni shows an aged body, what used to be smooth skin on kra's body is now a coarse and jagged surface. This body has obviously gone through much aging.

*When choosing an age, remember to keep them within the settings. Races have different age limitations: http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=35828.0

Permanent Physical Traits

#1) What is your characters build? examples: tall, short, fat, skinny, muscular. Think about races, and what some of their general features are.

#2) What does your characters head/face look like? Think about: hair, fur, skin, eyes, brows, mouth, nose, neck, lips, facial hair, cheekbones, jawline, ears, forehead size, wrinkles, scars. (Some parts of this can change as you roleplay your character)

#3) How does your character walk? Think about: Your characters build, your characters job, and how tired or how much your character has been through that particular day.

#4) What are some of your characters common mannerisms? Think about: History and the personality/psychology that developed in your character because of the history. examples: the chin scratches, the constant stretcher, the arms crosser, the hip holder, the nose picker, the twitchy one. There are plenty of possibilities with this.

#5) What does your characters voice sound like? Think about: sex age and race, what your character is thinking about at the moment, and the situation your character is in.

#6) Does your character have any scars? Noticeable or not noticeable?(Depends on what the character is wearing)  If so, how did he/she/kra get them? If it is gross/disfiguring, how do people react to it, and how does your character counteract?  Think about: history, relationships, and past/current jobs.


*****History*****

Now that you have chosen your characters race, sex, age, and how they look, now is the time to think about your charcters history.

You've arrived to Hydlaa and it is your first day playing. Think about your characters pre-Hydlaa life:

#1) What town did your character come from?
(Don't get out of settings, no character has been to the surface, traveled beyond the stone labyrinths, or a different world. There are also some 'places' that you shouldn't say your character is from: undiscovered Kadaikos the home-place of the Lemurs, and Pradesha which also hasn't been discovered.)

*for some town possibilities, look at this:  http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36460.0 Unimplemented towns are mentioned, and there are probably more planned. You can also play it safe and use an already implemented town.

#2) What was your characters job in that town?

#3) How did the people of that town think about your character?

#4) Is there any good or bad deeds that your character did while in that town? If so, how did it affect your character and those around him/her/kra?

#5) Why did your character leave that town?

#6) Is his/her/kra's family still in that town? What happened to them? How does your character feel about leaving them, or if their dead what does your character feel about that?

Once you've RP'd a bit, your character should change with the things that happen to him/her/kra.

#1) Has your character gotten a new job at Hydlaa yet?

#2) Something bad happened to your character, and this causes a loss, a grudge against somebody, or perhaps a new fear. Many things can change about your character because of a harsh event that he/she/kra was stuck in.

#3) Something good has happened to your character. This could be many things: a job, new friends, relationship happens, joined a guild, perhaps somebody just did something nice for you, or you did something nice for somebody. This can also change a character too.

#4) Death: Your character has died somehow, and now he/she/kra has to go trough the DR, or has arrived out of the DR. What is your character like when he/she/kra is in or just coming out of the DR? Think about the possibilities: was your character...Traumatized? Relieved? Angry? Sick feeling? Etc...

#5) Does your character ever get homesick, or miss his/her/kra's family? How does the character deal with that?

Chlothing

Clothing has to do with the here and now. Your character may have many outfits depending on wealth, personality, and social status.

#1) What does your character wear while working? Think about: Warriors/fighters wear armor, couriers wear armor or lighter clothing, cooks wear clothes they don't mind getting dirty, thieves/outlaws/anything else in that category often wear cloaks. Guildies usually wear a symbol of their guild. (These are just things I've seen on these types of people. You can get creative with this.)

#2) Your going to sleep, or sleeping. What does your character wear to bed? (if anything  )

#3) Your character is going to attend a classy event (wedding, celebration, religious holiday, etc...) What is he/she/kra going to wear?

#4) Your character is in love, and wants to impress somebody with that certain somebody. What is he/she/kra going to wear because of that?

#5) Any jewelry/accessories? Think about: matching what he/she/kra is wearing, would your character have been able to afford the item you plan on having him/her/kra to wear?

#6) What does your character carry his/her/kra's things in? Think about: your characters job, wealth, what your character has to tote around.

#7) What weapons does your character have? Are they visible or hidden? Think about: Social status, job, personality, etc...

#8) List some of the things other characters have said or noticed about the clothing your character wears. Does your character notice that attention it is bringing to himself/herself/kraself? Does your character change clothing because of that?

*stay in settings. Your character has only items that would exist during the medieval times.

Names:

If it is stupid (naming yourself a normal name like John Walker, or something crazy like Mclovin Awesome) then a GM will no doubt change it for you. If you can't name your character, then use the random generator. Having characters with a completely unknown (random) name is probably the best chance to avoid biasing due to similarities with real-life names.

Religion:

It goes with your characters race, personality, and especially history.

You can choose from these to follow:
-Athiest
-Polytheist: follows more than just one of the gods stated below.
-Xiosia
-Dakkru
-Talad
-Laanx
-Black Flame
 (Careful if you choose to play a Black Flame follower. I've made the mistake of creating a character that was a loud BF character when I was an arrogant newb, and she got deleted because of that. Read Oomi's guidelines to know what you are doing when your character decides to follow "the whisper": http://www.hydlaaplaza.com/smf/index.php?topic=36095.0 Just so you don't make the mistake I did.)

Relationships

#1) List some people that are important to your character, and why they are important.

#2) Is your character super shy, super assertive, or inbetween those two? Perhaps there are only certain people that your character is like that around.

#3) (Controversial) Is your character straight, bi, homosexual, or asexual? How does he/she/kra deal with love relationships? (You could say this is physical. Remember the game is PG-13, don't overdo anything.)

#4) How does your character deal with different age types, and races? Think about: children, elderly, teenagers, younger adults, mid-aged people.

Anyways, these are some questions you should answer for yourself if you want to create an unforgettable character. If you really want to remember, copy and paste the questions on a word document and answer them, or even write these on paper. You can even post a reply answering these questions on the post if you want, but I would be careful with what you reveal. This guide is meant to help anybody out if they are having trouble creating a character.

One more thing: When making your description in game, don't put anything but the raw details. (Physique and Chlothing) Other characters can't right click yours and read a description before saying "Hey, I'm really sorry to read that your mom died at childbirth." Just doesn't work like that. Instead, describe only what other characters can physically see. Saying something like: "_______ has deep blue eyes bright as the crystal, that will cause you to instantly fall in love with her." That would be called godmodding. A big no-no.

Most importantly: Stay true to your character when roleplaying.

*If you want to learn the settings for PS, which would be a good idea, then get a settings pass from this forum: http://mindseye.19.forumer.com/index.php

*note this is a duplicate thread of something that had been buried in the newbie section after a while. There are other ways of going about creating a character, and if those other ways work for you then go right ahead, because this guide is not for you. If you are new to roleplaying or you are just not that good at creating characters then I've made this to guide you with.*

Where did it go? 

Yes I know there has been a worship poll before, but I want to know what religions are emptier than others, and find out how TODAY's community of the RP server feels about religion, and what religion their characters follow.

As the player count on the roleplay server goes up and down, but hardly ever more than 100, I have noticed the activity of religious RP decrease dramatically. Religion in roleplay gives a certain spice and personality into a character, and when different or similar personalities clash, the context of a roleplay becomes more exciting and fresh. Now all of our characters should have religious associations, so this should come out of a character often, which is what I don't see at all anymore. What I also don't see anymore is religious services held in the temples, or the garden (I still see it happening in the garden on occasion, but not very often these days.)

Scheduled worships every few days in game at religious facilities such as the temple(s) or the secret garden should be happening, but they are not. I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of the gods/goddesses came and caused problems and chaos for people because they are enraged that they are not being worshiped and prayed to by them. The fact that the gods and goddesses are real and are still looking over the world of Yliakum is good enough reason for there to be plenty of pious characters in the game. But no, many characters nowadays are less caring about the gods and goddesses, and prefer to do things other than worship and pray. I would think that with all of the distress caused by the latest kidnappings and murders, there would be more calls to the gods/goddesses, but there isn't.

Another issue is that people treat the death realm like it is some ten step game of hopscotch. Even though the map is small because there aren't many people to work on expanding it, the death realm should be a grand and large place that a character can easily lose him/her/kraself in. The OOC suicides just to get back to Hydlaa and make it easier on the player who doesn't want to move their character the way they would ICly is an abuse to the death realm. If your character kills his/her/kraself and realizes it ICly then either they are at peace in dakkru's realm because they worship her, or they are completely insane. Even if your character is insane and you have this character kill him/her/kraself, then it should be a long time before the character pops back out of the death realm. Characters that worship other gods/goddesses than dakkru should fear the death realm and if they were to go through it, it should cause them major trauma. I know this has been discussed before, but the problems of the death realm being abused and not played out correctly are because there is a lack of RPers, and a lack of RPers who have religious characters. Now think about it: why would there be a lack of pious characters in a world where gods have shown themselves to exist? Laziness of the players is my theory.

Also, those of you on the team who play the gods and goddesses, along with GM's that can cause god-like phenomenon in various areas and situations, should be on the gods/goddesses more often, or do those mysterious things more often. The gods/goddesses should be as existent as the characters in game are, even if they do not show themselves to the public but once a year or on a special occasion, the gods/goddesses should still be out wandering Yliakum.  Having them show up on random occasions in the midst of a situation they find important to themselves (a RP, you know...what should be going on in skylab) might be a way to promote more characters to be religious. Why would the gods/goddesses show themselves to people? Because either they feel gracious that they are being hailed, or angry that they are being outspokenly degraded and want to punish somebody. Now I don't know 100% of the settings, and if what I just mentioned could really happen, but I know the gods and goddesses should be more in touch with the world they created or helped create.  As I've read in the history of Yliakum, the gods and goddesses have some character to them.

What can you do to help revive religion in game?

Well play out your character to the religion he/she/kra follows. Think about religion in our world and how it effects the behavior of the people who follow those religions. In Yliakum, it should be even more obvious in a character that they love their god/goddess. Think about the little quirks that come with a pious or even somewhat pious character: the things they wear, the opinions they have on actions done by other people and themselves, what they limit themselves to say, what they value. There are many things that spice up a character when it comes to religion. Even though they are going through some drama these days, Daughters of Xiosia have shown how religion can unique qualities to a character. There are many religious guilds in the game that should be doing more to promote the practice of religion in Yliakum, but I see them becoming less and less active these days. Some don't even have any active players anymore, or have been disbanded. There is no active guild of Dakkru that I know of, nor is there an active Laanx guild (I know there have been guilds in the past that were dedicated to these two religions, but I don't see them around anymore)

That being said, it would be a good idea for those of you who are leaders/big names in a religious guild should hold more services (Events that happen often) Though it is a hard thing to stay in game often, and hold these events on a frequent basis, I think it can be done with a little bit of getting to know other players timezones and when exactly you can all meet up. These things could be a nice break for both players and characters, so that they don't have to focus and worry about the kidnappings, the fighting, the hard working (PLing) and laying around taverns all day. (I know I know, the taverns are a great place to find RP, but unless your character is a bartender/tavern worker or the local drunk/bum, he/she/kra shouldn't spend their entire days in a tavern/den.)

Another thing that would be nice to see done is have new guilds created for the Dakkru and Laanx religions so that new players and old can have some interesting RP with the religions that they choose or have chosen for their characters.

So what I wanted some knowledge of is this: What religions do your characters follow?

a)Talad
b)Laanx
c)Xiosia
d)Dakkru
e)Black Flame (you don't have to tell if you don't want to since you might be worried any characters came to earth and looked at this forum. jk, I know that you are worried some people will take OOC knowledge and apply it ICly and I respect that worry.)
f)Atheist
g)Polytheist [Please state which God(s)/Goddess(es)]

I wanted to tally up how many characters there are in each religion. Also, if you don't mind, tell how strong your character's ties are with his/her/kra's religion(s), or perhaps where they think they find themselves in the eyes of their god/goddess. It wouldn't be too bad if you stated what ideas you have that can help revive religion in game, because by the gods I am determined to try and bring more religious awareness to other characters.

Anyways, vote and reply with something more than criticism that isn't constructive at all. I'll try and tally the votes up if no mod wants to open up a poll. If you aren't active in the game or just don't play anymore, please don't vote. I wouldn't mind hearing your criticism and ideas though.

Edit: It seems I got the poll to work. I put a limit of seven days on it so those who actively come to this forum should vote or tell other players to vote by the end of the 7 days. If the mod decides to delete the poll then I guess I'll have to work with the alternative.

So here is a new forum game: End the sentence.

How do you play this game?

Well, I will post the beginning of a sentence, and somebody has to finish it, and have it make sense in the context. Then they get to start out a new sentence for somebody else to answer. And so on, and so on, and so on...

Well, here is my first one, which is an easy fragment to work with:

Babies are 

I can't access the IRC freenode as of for two hours now. Yes 2 hours!! So I took a power nap after a good dose of acetaminophen, still feel woozy. Anyways, I come back to the computer to find that I still can't access it, and it has been the only site that is not working for me. Kinda weird.  

Update: I can finally get on after 5 hours of not being able to. This happens often to me, does it happen to anybody else? Also, I'm feeling a bit less woozy, but I can still feel the acetaminophen kicking...