Re: Hopefuls before JEDI?
Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2015 4:23 am
I truly appreciate the bumps to this topic, because I know that it will help out at least SOME people on their journey to joining our wonderful community in roleplay. I figure I should at least share my own experience and answer my own question now, given how much time I've spent with JEDI and how much more time I have ahead of me to contribute.
Being a hopeful was a mess for me, it was something that I both hated and really enjoyed. I joined with the hope that I wouldn't be restricted to waiting for an application to process before I became a member of the community. I thought it was all just a waiting process, then I'd be invited, but I was clearly wrong. Being a hopeful isn't just a period of waiting for an RPmod account, membership or features, it's about development. It's an experience only you can cherish once it is gone, and it is a great one.
For me, Galen first met his mentor Silas and two of a group of his best friends, Karmarie and Dithaal, on the first day I logged in. I thought Silas was the coolest, before I ever knew about his being a Matukai or beast with telekinesis. I was never drawn to his powers, merely how he treated me and how Galen's friends played with him and expressed some ideas back and forth, just like children would. As a hopeful, I had no idea about the Jedi's missions or what they actually did in this community, so I had no expectations for it outside of an interesting roleplay, and boy they delivered.
I got into the zone of caring for Galen as a character, and as a hopeful, developed up a story for him and played it out according to his nature. How would a young teenager act, after his parents had died and he was thrust into some foreign place, expected to wear robes and be friendly to others, and study an ancient code? It felt odd and, as I said, foreign. Galen was distant, always saying a couple of words and then shying away while he dealt with his internal struggles. Then I began to open him up, show others that I had sides of Galen that hadn't been seen, ones that are now more commonly seen than any other: his silly, sweet, considerate and happy sides.
The more I began to develop him as a character and get over his flaws, the more I felt connected to others and when my initiation came, it was an absolute shock. Sebastin Creed (Or Sebastian Creed, as I thought it was then ) walked right up to me, stood there, and invited me to the center of the room. I wasn't even expecting it, I just felt a shock through my heart and got so jittery, wondering if I'd finally be able to join my friends as a full member of the community. I did, of course, and it was one of the greatest moments I've ever experienced in a roleplay in a long, long time. The feeling, so satisfying, was intense and I couldn't help but wonder just when I was going to learn something cool, like Force Jump or survival skills.
As for becoming a Padawan, that's another story entirely. Even with less than a month/IC year as an initiate in Galen's case, I was able to enjoy many things while in that stage of Galen's life, and it had to be funner than anything. I still have a picture from my apprenticing.
If you've had a great connection to people in JEDI and set your mind to something, as I did to becoming Silas' Padawan, then you'll definitely achieve what you set goals for. You need to feel your place, not just let it come to you, because otherwise you'll be unhappy with what you've got and not want to roleplay it. As it stands, I've only got a couple of goals left before my JEDI experience is entirely complete. Choose your own path, don't let your path choose you. You CAN mold your story to your liking, it just takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity.
As I said, it's all a matter of development, not waiting to become an Initiate/member of the community. It's just a stage of your character's life, and one that should be treated tenderly, as you'll most likely miss it as I do, thinking back on it. Heck, I was only an initiate for a month, so I didn't get to enjoy that much, but I am grateful for being recognized and appreciated as a member of the community. I've made my own mistakes during my time here, but there's one thing JEDI is full of, and that is forgiveness, and for that, I don't think there's a chance in high hell that I'll ever leave this community. It's been a good ride so far, and I still have a long, long time to go with Galen. He is my child, he is my creation, and when his time comes to pass away, I will no doubt shed tears and reminisce over all of the good times I've had with him. I love Galen, his character, what I've done to progress him, all the pain and happiness he's been through and what goals he's achieved.
Being a hopeful was a mess for me, it was something that I both hated and really enjoyed. I joined with the hope that I wouldn't be restricted to waiting for an application to process before I became a member of the community. I thought it was all just a waiting process, then I'd be invited, but I was clearly wrong. Being a hopeful isn't just a period of waiting for an RPmod account, membership or features, it's about development. It's an experience only you can cherish once it is gone, and it is a great one.
For me, Galen first met his mentor Silas and two of a group of his best friends, Karmarie and Dithaal, on the first day I logged in. I thought Silas was the coolest, before I ever knew about his being a Matukai or beast with telekinesis. I was never drawn to his powers, merely how he treated me and how Galen's friends played with him and expressed some ideas back and forth, just like children would. As a hopeful, I had no idea about the Jedi's missions or what they actually did in this community, so I had no expectations for it outside of an interesting roleplay, and boy they delivered.
I got into the zone of caring for Galen as a character, and as a hopeful, developed up a story for him and played it out according to his nature. How would a young teenager act, after his parents had died and he was thrust into some foreign place, expected to wear robes and be friendly to others, and study an ancient code? It felt odd and, as I said, foreign. Galen was distant, always saying a couple of words and then shying away while he dealt with his internal struggles. Then I began to open him up, show others that I had sides of Galen that hadn't been seen, ones that are now more commonly seen than any other: his silly, sweet, considerate and happy sides.
The more I began to develop him as a character and get over his flaws, the more I felt connected to others and when my initiation came, it was an absolute shock. Sebastin Creed (Or Sebastian Creed, as I thought it was then ) walked right up to me, stood there, and invited me to the center of the room. I wasn't even expecting it, I just felt a shock through my heart and got so jittery, wondering if I'd finally be able to join my friends as a full member of the community. I did, of course, and it was one of the greatest moments I've ever experienced in a roleplay in a long, long time. The feeling, so satisfying, was intense and I couldn't help but wonder just when I was going to learn something cool, like Force Jump or survival skills.
As for becoming a Padawan, that's another story entirely. Even with less than a month/IC year as an initiate in Galen's case, I was able to enjoy many things while in that stage of Galen's life, and it had to be funner than anything. I still have a picture from my apprenticing.
If you've had a great connection to people in JEDI and set your mind to something, as I did to becoming Silas' Padawan, then you'll definitely achieve what you set goals for. You need to feel your place, not just let it come to you, because otherwise you'll be unhappy with what you've got and not want to roleplay it. As it stands, I've only got a couple of goals left before my JEDI experience is entirely complete. Choose your own path, don't let your path choose you. You CAN mold your story to your liking, it just takes a bit of creativity and ingenuity.
As I said, it's all a matter of development, not waiting to become an Initiate/member of the community. It's just a stage of your character's life, and one that should be treated tenderly, as you'll most likely miss it as I do, thinking back on it. Heck, I was only an initiate for a month, so I didn't get to enjoy that much, but I am grateful for being recognized and appreciated as a member of the community. I've made my own mistakes during my time here, but there's one thing JEDI is full of, and that is forgiveness, and for that, I don't think there's a chance in high hell that I'll ever leave this community. It's been a good ride so far, and I still have a long, long time to go with Galen. He is my child, he is my creation, and when his time comes to pass away, I will no doubt shed tears and reminisce over all of the good times I've had with him. I love Galen, his character, what I've done to progress him, all the pain and happiness he's been through and what goals he's achieved.