Welcome, Guardianofhope

[Chantal]

Welcome to StarRise Weyr!

You are our fiftieth member, so congratulations! We're glad to have you.

Have a seat, put your feet up, and tell us about yourself. How did you come to read Pern?

Chantal,
aka Weyrhealer Aerden
Goldrider Alissi
and Several Others

[Anna]

Wow! Hope has her own guardian! Can I have one, too?

Seriously, though - welcome to StarRise! We're quite glad to have you. Why don't you tell us more about yourself? Although, you know, being Hope's guardian makes you an instant favorite here.

Hey, Hope! Why didn't you tell us you had a guardian?!

[Hope]

Wow! Are you my guardian angel, fairy godmother, or just someone who will act as bodyguard if I ever get rich and famous?
No pressure here!

Seriously, welcome aboard. This is a great time to join, as we have our latest zine coming out in a mere 2 weeks! And, for being our 50th member, your membership is absolutely free!!!! (OK, it's always free.) zines one and 2 are also readily available on the site! Writing is optional, but encouraged. Do not mention artistic inclinations if you don't want to be harrassed encouraged to contribute art.

[guardianofhope]

Hi! Fiftieth member, huh?

Call me Jo, or Guardian. That's the feminine Jo, not masculine. I'm 24, almost 25, and from Texas.

Guardian of Hope is my standard webname, actually. I picked it out when I was barely in college to serve as a penname for fanfiction. (Power Rangers). It was relevant to the (scrapped) story I was trying out, and now it's become my way of saying I like to make people feel better.

This is due in part to the fact that I am insane, and in part to the cheerful personality I prefer to show the world.

Pern...eighth grade, sucky English teacher who didn't like me because I loved to read. She had a copy of The White Dragon, but I wouldn't read it until I found the other two first. There were dragons, I was hooked.
Then discovered RPGs and was even more hooked, used to participate at Storm Fires Weyr (if you've heard of it) until rl interferred.

I'm a writer, although I am trying to go back and finish my degree in digital art and web design.

I've been thinking about dragging out my favorite dragonrider, blue rider Z'rat and Olenth for ya'll, but I might also try something new.

[Anna]

SHE SAID ART!!!!!


So, Jo. Want to think about lending your artistic abilities to me? It enables you to get a sneak peak at the stories to be published - and spares you the pain of seeing whatever I manage to contrive when I can't get enough contributions.

And you're welcome to bring Z'rat along - and any other characters you want to try out! I love blueriders. They're some of my favorites - even if I don't have more than a couple myself. I may need to change that....

[guardianofhope]

I'm not sure how much I can do, since I don't have dedicated computer equipment and programs right now. But I'm willing to see what I can do.

If I dust off Z'rat, I'd have to decide if I want to de-age him to his infamous beginnings, or invent some reason for him to have left his weyrmate.

But if I invent someone new...I'd have to make him/her make sense.

[Anna]

Reasons to not have his weyrmate, when he ain't to blame:

She died.
She left him.
She was a crafter and posted way the heck away from any Weyr.


Or just bring her along. Although, that could cut down on some collabing opportunities. Or not!

And if you need help making a new person make sense...well. That's what we're here for!

[guardianofhope]

Thanks for the suggestions, but I was thinking about my blue and the man, well, there was one period in his life where he could have left his home weyr, but he stayed. I think I might explore what might have happened if Z'rat, at the age of 21, angry and bitter due to his broken heart, transferred to a new Weyr. Also, it'll be interesting to see how people react to him.


As for the other, well, I'm thinking I'll go Crafter, but I'm not too sure yet.

[guardianofhope]

I do have a question, though...

Can someone please explain to me how Pern configures the date? It's been explained before but I've taken cough medicine since then.

I know that Z'rat's 21, but I don't know how to configure his birth date, especially since I'm adding insult to injury and have his birthday also be the day he got his heart broken...

[Anna]

The date is configured in a Turn.Month.Day format. Our current Pernese date, as of today, is 35.02.21: Turn 35, Month 2, Day 21.

If we were formal it would be P10.35.02.21, simply inserting the P10 for the 10th pass of the Red Star. Come the Interval, it'll be I10.Turn.Month.Day

I have a date conversion chart around here, somewhere. I'll find the link for you. But if Z'rat is 21 turns old today, then he was born in turn 14 - unless he was born in the first or second month, then his birth turn would be 15.

StarRise WAS around at that time. He could have been born here!

[guardianofhope]

Nah, he's a crafter's kid. His family has been members of the smith crafts (glass, star and metal) since the crossing. Out of curiosity, where would you say the main Glass Crafthall is? I've always assumed it was Telgar, like the Smith CraftHall is.

Do ya'll even consider glass making to fall under the "Smith" catagory?

Does StarRise have a glassblower/maker, or a forge that one could use?


Unfortunantly, I have to go type the words of idiocy of those who "agree" to take surveys tonight, however, I should have some of the more interesting aspects of Z'rat's profile ready to share. Hopefully that will be sometime around midnight. We didn't get off until 3 am last night (or this morning, take your pick).

[Anna]

We don't have a Glass Smith Hall in our timeline, but it would certainly be considered a specialty of the Smith Hall.

If I recall correctly, the Glass Smith Hall was formed because of the urgency and priority that AIVAS put on needed good glass for all the various projects it began, and which the Pernese would continue after it shut itself down. AIVAS wasn't discovered in our timeline, so that high demand for special-use glass was never formed, and glassmaking remained a subset of the Smith Hall and a job done by various holds by their own uncrafted folk.

[Hope]

Hi, Jo! Insanity is a common trait here, so you'll fit right in!

A bluerider is the ideal first character here--no writing requirements, so you only need to write what you want to! My personal favorite character is probably my bluerider, although his sort-of step-mother is a close second.

Re: art--art can be scanned as well as originally computer generated. If you have time and inclination, talk to Anna. And remember that I did warn you....

[guardianofhope]

OK, so Z'rat was a glass blower's apprentice before. It's sort of important to his character. (No pun intended)

I was wrong, I'll have Z'rat's sheet done tomorrow. I'm too tired to finish it.

My warning, I can't draw free hand to save my life, but give me Poser and Illustrator and I can impress.

Unfortunately my pride'n'joy (computer) was abducted from my home and I haven't the cash to replace it and my laptop doesn't have the memory/graphic card/etc for me to install the software, which I will need to buy again because my "friend" borrowed the disks to study the programming and they don't work anymore. He's a rocket scientist and robotics specialist and card carrying MENSA member (or he should be) and he screwed up my software! (end rant here)


Hey Hope, my sn's not going to cause you problems is it? Because I'm sure it can be changed...