Fresh meat

Well, I guess this is my first post, so I'd better make a good first impression!

As you've probably guessed already, I'm new here. My fingers were aching to let portions of my fantasy go wild and I hope this is a place to do so. I have done some roleplaying before but i'm not an expert, so I'll try to sharpen my skills while I'm around. I'm gonna start by looking around for some new stories where I can fit in, if anyone has a suggestion, feel free to share!

Welcome, at the current, I feel like being a door greeter, anyway, first impressions aren't all important. Expert or not, roleplaying is all about havng fun, right? :D

Welcome to our happy little – I should say large – community/family of RPG (sorry for the acronyms, Role-Play Gateway) Haroth! I’m happy to see another person has found their way to us and is willing to jump into the enjoyable tales and stories we have to offer. My name is Maestro and besides being a member of staff, I have the important lovable job of being a Mentor! So when it comes to any questions involved in role-play, I or any of our other staff members are defiantly the ones to ask – but we promise, our members are just as friendly and knowledgeable.

I have been role-playing for only two years and I can personally vouch for this site when it comes to having the chance to excel beyond your wildest imagination; all you need is a little patience and motivation. When I first joined I was nothing more than a novice myself; but since my stay here, I’ve become a well-respected member and active role-player – and now the words under my hand are dynamite! At least I hope they are (nothing better than gloating)! But I can assure you that as long as you believe, you will quickly join the ranks of the best role-players we have to offer. The road ahead may be difficult, but worth it, and now it’s your turn. At Role-Play Gateway we promise our members will try their best to make the path ahead of you an easily traveled one.

Keep in mind you don’t have to only rely on yourself because our members are willing to help you along the way so please don’t be discouraged to ask questions. If there is anything on your mind please feel free to check out the Role-Play Gateway Chat to ask your questions or even the Role-Play Academy where our Mentors are always willing to lend a hand. If you want to approach less interactive means, The Help Forum or The Beginner's guide to RPG Chat is there to assist. To further gain an advantage, make sure to take a look at our RPG Rules. There are only five so don't be stressed out about thinking were strict. As long as you respect us, we will return the favor.

If you're looking for a good role-play, look no further than Without Absolution! A Mentor created role-play, besides being fun and well-created; it is open to all kinds of writers and will house many different locations that suit everyone’s needs. Whether you're a premature writer, advanced, chat based, one-liners, etc, this role-play is for you! Luckily it's still in the early stages of creation so join while you can. This will be a constant expanding role-play that will let your characters evolve throughout the many plots to come. More importantly, if you're looking for help, this is a fun way to accomplish it! Throughout all hours of the day Mentors running the role-play will both participate and be there to answer your questions and help you better your role-play - if you wish it. So if you find the time, please check it out!

I hope I am of some help and that you enjoy your stay here. ^.^

~ Maestro ~

All right, sounds interesting, I'll go check it out!

Hello Haroth (I *love* your username, by the way! Where does it come from? It sounds like a Desi name, or perhaps Germanic.), and welcome to Roleplay Gateway!

It looks like Ryu and Maestro all beat me in being the first and second greeters to welcome you to our humble abode here at Roleplay Gateway! But that's okay! :D My name is Ylanne (it makes a spiffy username too! ---> ), and I am the site's resident crime writer. I'm also an editor (so feel free to ask me about publishing and the process if that's something you're interested) and part-time teacher. I'm always around, so you should feel free to drop me a line if you have any questions, problems, suggestions, or requests in regards to the site, your roleplaying, and/or your writing. I would be happy to help you in any way I can, in any way necessary or desired. I respond to all queries within 24 hours. Because you are new to this site, I highly encourage you to take advantage of this opportunity. (Other people to seek help from: Dark blue usernames denote mentors, green usernames denote moderators, and red usernames denote administrators).

I prefer modern/realistic roleplay, and especially character-driven stories (basically literary work), but am open to almost anything. The only setting I will never do under any circumstances whatsoever is cybering, or any game or writing inclusive of sexual content beyond what is seen in a PG-13 film. I tend to be advanced/literate and write upwards of 500-750 words on average per post, so I expect the same from most others; however, semi-literate also appeals to me, so two paragraphs can work well too. (Surprisingly, I can also enjoy consistent one liner dialogue between two characters, but only if setting and other context has already been established.) I've also begun to participate in text-based fighting, which I found surprisingly interesting and compelling. (And LARP is the first kind of roleplay I've ever done, and it still remains my favorite, like what you describe doing with your friends before you'd ever heard of roleplaying - and I still do that, even at my age! :D ).

If you're interested in private roleplay, just drop me a line anytime. Also feel free to check out the links in my signature. I have an interest check that's been open for a while now - a warning though: it's all modern and realistic settings. That being said, here's hoping you have a wonderful time here! The folks round here are great people and great roleplayers, with rare exceptions. You can find practically everything here that you've ever imagined or could want to write, read, or roleplay - and if you for some crazy reason you don't see it, feel free to create it. We encourage creativity - it's the reason the site exists. Other than Eric (our founder) having way too much free time on his hands!

To shamelessly advertise my own roleplays, you should check out my newest roleplay, When the Lion Wakes, which is my typical modern/realistic setting, and is a character-driven story about crime and terrorism. We already started the IC thread, but are still accepting characters through September 2010. (We're looking for terrorist, FBI agent, and CIA agent characters, but other characters are also welcome; all characters are original characters created by their writers.) This one asks for a minimum of one post every two weeks (more is accepted, of course, and less is permitted with discussion with myself).

Be sure to take a look at the site rules. There are only five of them, but they're all integral to the continued success of this community. Members on this site use the forums, the chat system, and the Roleplay Tab system for roleplaying. For help with the Roleplay Tab system, which is unique to our site, you might want to look at this user written guide. By the way, my reference guide, Ylanne's Guide to Roleplay Terminology includes not only general roleplaying terms (useful for those new to roleplaying altogether), but also a number of terms used specifically on this site (useful for anyone new to this site, or anyone acclimated to slightly different terminology).

And once again, welcome! I hope to see you more often around the forums. By the way, thank you for the compliment on my avatar in the other thread. If you need anything or have any questions, don't hesitate to ask.

Blessings and peace,
Ylanne