Good morning, afternoon and night, whenever you may be reading this, denizen of Catalyst Gaming,

To preface this post, I made a post 10 days prior in a thread stating my intention to leave and criticisms of the server, but I felt it was a bit harsh. This thread, after all, will be to announce both mine and Old Greg's official retirement from HL2RP indefinitely. I feel going out on a bit more of a spark, a cheery note and suggestions for the future would be more fitting than a harshly-worded post. Anyways, onto the thread proper.

In 2006 I purchased the Half-Life 2 Christmas Box, which contained Half Life 2, Counter-Strike Source and HL2: Episode 1. Other than Age of Mythology and Diablo II before that, this collection would be my first real foray into the wonderful world of PC gaming. I was still very much a console gamer at this stage, but little would my high school freshman self realize how much that purchase would impact my life. I truly believe PC gaming is the absolute best platform to experience new games on. A proper computer is unparalleled in power and has nigh limitless potential to that of a console. It allows more interaction, customization and biodegradability than any console. My computer has been the gateway for me to connect to the world. I've met friends from across the planet, some of whom I've connected with in real life and grown strong relationships with. My computer has been a learning tool about the realms of science, religion, history and exploration; it's taken me to India, Rome and back again. My computer has been my greatest ally and worst enemy, bringing me through the highest and lowest points of the last 6-7 years of my life. With my computer, I've visited foreign countries, seen extraordinary sights and done things I never would have thought I could do. Take it as geeky as you'd like, but I truly believe my PC, whether it be my new desktop, previous desktops or current laptop, has been a central pillar to me grasping life's experiences.

But let's go back to that purchase in 2006. Flash forward a year, I have Steam installed and see a cool game named Garry's Mod on the market. Oh boy, it's $10! A lot of money for a low-income earner (I worked as a cashier at 15) in grade 10. After begging and pleading, I managed to convince my parents to let me use their credit card to purchase it. About 5 months later, late 2007, I embarked into my first serious HL2RP server, Taco N Banana Server #1, City 45 Plaza. Like many of us had done in our first forays into HL2RP, I didn't know what I was doing and was promptly kicked for minging. After exploring the TNB servers for a few hours, I re-entered under a new character and began to take it seriously. This setting was hauntingly beautiful to my 15-year-old self, whom had just come off the "high" of reading George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four for a school project. I played under the name Scott Farley, a fairly dull, unassuming man who just went about his business. I looked past the faults of the server, as for many of us, serious HL2RP servers seem nigh perfect during our first few dozen hours. Scott Farley applied for the CCA, a feat I thought was mighty for a now 16-year-old newcomer. I made it in and the summer of 2008 was gleefully filled bashing citizen skulls with my stunbaton and shooting rebel thugs with my SMG. But I began to feel bored with the game. Over this time period I had developed an interest in Warhammer Online, World of Warcraft and several other games that began to eat up my time. Where did HL2RP, with it's 90% "passive/boring" and 10% "active" environment fit into my gaming schedule? So, as the community joke goes, when you get bored, make your character suddenly insane. Apparently insanity is the only interesting quirk us teenagers can think up of and it even continues to this day, hah! Farley went ballistics on his squad and ended up PKing two Units before being gunned down by an OfC. I decided that to get truly engaged in the setting I would need to create a realistic character, one that I would heavily research and develop over the years. Someone who felt real, who had relationships and actual emotions, an epitome character in my eyes. Thus, Amanda Whitley was born.

My heart and soul of HL2RP was poured into her character. At first she was not very developed and I had few contacts within the community. But I sat myself down, read into real biographies and drew inspiration from friends and family. Not to sound like a creeper, but her appearance was heavily drawn on from a crush I had on a girl at the time who worked with me as a summer camp Councillor. Thinking back on it, it just makes me laugh now. Sidenote: I dated her briefly then got friendzoned. Don't let that shit get you down gentleman. Brush them off and move on. They're not worth your time. It is now September 2008 and I'm entering grade 11. It was during the next year I met and befriended SubAtomic (Onyx IC), Bill Smauz, PureRage/Ezrios and Old Greg. I made more mates during this time but those would be the people the HL2RP community would likely recognize. It was also during this time I began really developing my Atheistic side and began to reject my Christian upbringing. I was going through a difficult period, like many 16-year-olds do and I wasn't quite sure where I fit or what I wanted to do. This attitude reflected in my roleplay and I was nearly banned from Taco n Banana. Luckily, my contacts saved me from that ban and PureRage, SubAtomic and I began developing a Castle-like Resistance group called the Reliquary (or Refinery, I can't remember the name). Amanda also received the name "Ruby" during this time as a joke from SubAtomic's character, Onyx, whom was ICly engaged in a relationship with Amanda (I swear I've never cybered. Fade to black, people!)

The next two years were a rollercoaster, both IC for Amanda and OOC for myself. My spirituality went from Atheism to Agnosticism to Buddhism and is now a complicated blend of Hinduism, Agnostic Atheism and Pantheism. I learned that at the core of the things I enjoyed, I enjoyed the complex systems of society and people, city expansion and nation building. I opted to go into urban planning for university since I thought it was perfect for me. My adventure had me cross and recross different servers and people, going from the defunct Necropolis, back to TnB to nearly making my own server. I graduated high school, began working at a new job and it all culminated with the 18-year-old me going to Asia for a 6 month work term for a family member. That same year I even had my first real girlfriend and popped the cherry (don't worry guys, it will all happen at some point). I took a break from HL2RP at this point for university. In June of this year, about 6 years since I bought HL2 and 4 years since I started roleplaying, Old Greg got me hooked back again with a new community, Catalyst Gaming with the intention to create a citizen-centric roleplay group known as The Castle.

Things went well at first, with some cool ideas bouncing between myself, Greg and Roven (whom I had known previously from Taco n Banana). We had some good people with us - Jules, Shawn, Mute and the odd vortigaunt here or there. Amanda began running the clinic at this point. At first, the server appeared a welcome change from the totalitarian false democratic nature of TnB, but my outlook began to change as frequent ratio change requests and administrative misunderstandings were frequently ignored. The "thermal vision" springs to mind, but I digress. We felt relieved a month later when we were able to transport everyone into the Outlands. Greg and I knew we needed to make the Castle something special, as we had both planned on retiring from HL2RP in September. Roven came up with the idea to make the Castle into a Greek citystate like structure. An interesting though, but it was unachievable due to our dwindling population, small land holding and constant OTA raids. We lacked administrative support for personal defense and popular support from the Town. The Castle also was lacking in qualified roleplayers, as there were 3 poor-average roleplayers per every 1 above average roleplayer. It was not destined to be. Greg and I indirectly thought that, so over the last three weeks we've been slowing down our pace, coming to halt in early August. The Castle died a slow death.

Our last hurrah ended in failure, but that's not to mean any of you cannot pick up the reigns and rebuild what we had set out to achieve. In fact, I challenge you to make a better citizen-centric group than Roven, Greg and I ever could. I will be watching in earnest, but alas our time with HL2RP is finished. Old Greg is two years younger than me but is now legal age to enroll in the armed forces. I believe he's going into the Air Force, but he keeps changing his mind. I'm now 20, entering into my second year of university. Other than Asia, this will be the first year where I have my own house, paying for my own food, car, etc. It's quite an exciting time to take the reigns of adulthood. Do I miss being a teenager? Absolutely not. I urge all you teenagers, ignore those assheads at high school. You will never see them again. Almost everything you do before graduation is meaningless. It's what you do with the rest of your life that truly matters. You will cross and recross new paths and relationships like automata patterns. So a second challenge, an OOC challenge. When you finish high school and are a real adult, able to drink, smoke, go out, have sex, meet people, have a job, question your beliefs and motivate yourself to try new things, I want you to just be the best you can be. Try the hardest, always strive for first place. You're your own character, and you wouldn't expect anything less but perfection IC, so why the fuck wouldn't you do the same OOC? You'll find that awesome boy/girl who will be your best friend. You will find that job you love and go on that trip you've always wanted to go on. Always strive to do bigger, better. When you become a real adult, shaped by your passion for gaming, computers, sports, whatever, take that passion and use it. Beat the world, I dare you.

<:: Unit.04.08819 Scott Farley ::>
Amanda "Ruby" Whitley
Toxilium
Alex Jennings

has disconnected from server.

P.S. I'd like to think that Amanda remained in the Town, collecting her thoughts after the demise of the Castle from the OTA raid 2 weeks ago. There she remains until the Free Man, forever the town's healer and caretaker, it's citizens eternally grateful of this mysterious redhead woman.

Player Section

Steam Name: mrsmiley92 username (Uncel dolan Steam Friends)
Age: 20
How long have you been Roleplaying? (can be any game): 10 years
How long have you been playing Serious GMod RP?: 4 years

Character Section

Authorization(s):
+ Sub-surgeon medical experience
+ Former Resistance member


Name: Amanda Whitley
Age: 31-33
Gender: Female
Affiliation: Resistance

Write a detailed in-canon back-story how your character obtained these authorizations.
[[For the sake of this story, I'm going to assume 2016 takes place about 10-12 years after the Seven Hour War. I know for a fact in your canon it takes place 1 year after the Resonance Cascade, but bear with me for the story's sake, else I'm voiding 3.5 years of character development.]]

Amanda grew up as an only child on a small farm near Winnipeg, Manitoba to an Anglican family. Her mother was a part-time veterinarian's assistant who primarily helped farm animals around their community. Occasionally, she would bring Amanda along with her to visit these sick animals and sparked her interest in saving lives. Flash-forward to high school graduation, Amanda decides to apply for a degree in Journalism at the University of Manitoba. After a year in the program, she decides it doesn't suit her and her parents recommend the nursing program. Amanda applies for the Faculty of Nursing during the summer and is accepted. It is a four-year program ( http://umanitoba.ca/faculties/nursing/ ).

However, half-way through her final term, the Seven Hour War takes place and the Whitley's are placed in Winnipeg under Combine rule. Shortly later, her father is taken away by Civil Protection when refusing to comply to a search order. Amanda is then separated from her mother, whom is moved to a different city. Amanda, now alone, struggles to deal with her situation in the Combine-occupied Winnipeg and thus begins helping a local Church assist in aiding the sick. This time at the Church re-kindled her faith which was struggling over the past few months. The Combine shutdown the Church clinic and detain the pastor, whom is presumably executed in the Nexus. Amanda along with the other nurses and doctors are relocated to other cities around the world. Amanda is shipped across the ocean to City Eighteen (TnB's old city before City .

[[From here on, everything was done IC over the course of 3.5 OOC and 4-5 IC years.]]

Several years pass and Amanda is slowly beginning to succumb to her depression. She has nearly given up on her faith and has very few 'friends' in the city during this time. She is working as a street cleaner during this time in Precinct-1. Being the only woman in her cleaning crew, she was subject to ongoing sexual harassment. Amanda learns to ignore it and even retort in some instances, shaping this mid-20 year old into the toughened, cynical person she will eventually become. Amanda happened upon a lucky stroke of fate one night while drinking herself into a stupor at an underground pub in Precinct-13. She befriended a man named Rodger who was apart of C-18's Resistance. This man saw Amanda as a woman desperate to leave the city and someone who could help provide medical expertise. After about six months, Rodger along with several other Resistance members, escorts a group of about a dozen civilians into the Outlands. Though rusty after 5 years, Amanda quickly re-learned what she had known before through several medical journals and books provided at the Outlands clinic. These books were outdated, but Amanda quickly remembered her old skills and applied herself to assisting the sick and wounded Resistance members and refugees.

After a year in the Resistance camps, Amanda, now 30, had developed a romantic attachment to a Resistance soldier nicknamed 'Onyx.' He introduced her to the higher ranking members of the Resistance, including then-commander (lol, I know) Rex Lee and his second-in-command, Katherine Craft. It was during this time that Amanda received the nickname 'Ruby' from Onyx based on the vibrant colour of her hair and "inner fire she possesses." During a mass Combine raid of her Resistance camp, Onyx, Lee and several other members of the Resistance were detained. After a month of waiting, news from one of their inner-city mirrors had revealed these members all executed or deported. This sparked a deep depression that nearly resulted in a suicide by Amanda. She knew the Resistance still needed her medical help, thus she knew her purpose was greater than her own selfish needs. Nevertheless, she remained cold, ignoring her friends attempts to help.

Sometime later, Amanda had received orders of deportation to City Eight, which was located somewhere in Japan. She complied, hoping the change would be positive. Craft gave her orders to meet up with the Resistance group in City Eight somehow and inform them that others exist around the world who also resist the Combine authority. However, Amanda soon learned the Resistance effort in City Eight was broken and in shambles. One of the cell leaders, Bill Smauz, worked with Amanda to try and strengthen the resistance effort. Though very reluctant, Smauz and Ruby developed a romantic attachment during this time.

Although their efforts were going well, the CCA caught wind of a resurgence of resistance effort in the city. Amanda, Smauz and many other members of the resistance were arrested and detained in the Nexus. Over a month of grueling detainment awaited them. After thirty days, they were separated into three groups by chance. Group A, which included Bill Smauz, was immediately gunned down in front of the other two groups. Group B was led off and their fate was unknown (presumably to be detained indefinitely or deported). Amanda's Group C was led to a large prison cell, where inside the only noticeable thing was a screwdriver. The door was locked and they were given no food or water. For nearly 48 hours, all members of the group sat around in silence, each one slowly breaking in their own right. Amanda used her absolute hatred of the Combine for murdering Smauz before her eyes to focus her diminishing energy. Her focus allowed her to survive the first attempt as one of the members of the group murdered two others with the screwdriver. He aimed at Amanda next, but she and the other woman remaining overpowered and killed him. The other woman was now in possession of the screwdriver and Amanda knew they would only release one survivor. By some act of God, the Civil Administrator happened to be visiting on this day and ordered Civil Protection to stand down. Upon opening their cell door, the woman with the screwdriver charged at the jailer, stabbing him through the shoulder. He shortly followed up on this by planting a bullet into her forehead. Amanda was released, having been the only survivor (other than Group B presumably).

Amanda continued to live on, shoving her latest experience under a cloud of emotional baggage. She worked at the CWU briefly, then was a shopkeeper's assistant. During this time she barely spoke and was a general loner. A former mirror from City Eighteen arrived one day by train and met with Amanda. He informed her that Craft and the others had gone into hiding and that Amanda should try to re-locate cities in order to avoid an inquiry. This mirror disappeared shortly after giving Amanda this information, who contacted an old ally with connections to the CCA. Giving nearly all of her tokens and possessions to him as payment, she managed to take the next train, which happened to be going to City Forty-Five.

The rest is history. Amanda came across a certain establishment in Precinct-3 while looking for a place to drown herself in a night's drinking. She befriended the staff and was put in charge of raising and running a back-room clinic. What she will do now, only roleplay can tell.

What will these authorizations give your character in regards to perks or defects?
Perks
+ Able to treat minor injuries (cuts, scrapes, bruises, etc.)
+ Able to treat some major injuries (stabbings, gunshots, broken bones, some very basic surgery)
+ Able to use biogel, scalpels, stitches, etc.
+ Able to perform other miscellaneous nursing tasks
+ Very adapt at working under extreme pressure
+ In-field knowledge makes her adaptable and more knowledgeable than most nurses (somewhere in between doctor and nurse level of medical knowledge)

Defects
- Not able to perform complex surgery (heart, respiratory, brain, etc.)
- Sometimes carries medical supplies, some of which is contraband and easily found
- Unofficial medical clinics are unauthorized by the CCA and grounds for detainment/worse
- Nearly all her experience is in-field with Resistance, dirty instruments and ad-hoc clinics, which may lead her to make life-threatening mistakes
- She is not as experienced as a full-fledged doctor and I will not RP as such
- Cynicism and hatred towards CCA may result in her not helping certain people, namely loyalists, CCA, etc. on a case by case basis
- I have been doing medical RP for over 3 years, but people still get on my nerves sometimes if they don't know what they're doing or complain I'm taking a long time

What do you plan to do with these perks/defects?
I will use this authorization to //officially// run the clinic. Until now I was running it on my own accord, but did not realize an authorization was required. If Amanda enters the Outlands with the rest of the Castle, she will be using her expertise there to assist the sick and wounded. As she is the only one in the Castle with any medical experience, her role is vital in keeping it going.

Will anyone else need these auths? (If so, list OOC and IC name(s))
No

Which server does this apply for?
Both

Extra Notes (optional):
As I said, I have been running the clinic for about a week now. I was informed just today that I required an auth and am sorry for unknowingly circumventing server policy.

Introduction
My name is Toxilium. Though I may be new to your community, I am still active in the G-Mod community after four years. I was second-in-command for a short while on TNB's resistance and I have been developing my character, Amanda Whitley, for about 3.5 years. She has nearly four years of in-game experiences to draw inspiration from and I as her author, have her back story, motivations, life experiences, beliefs and mannerisms nailed down. She has never been permanently killed. She has never exhibited god-like powers or done anything out of the ordinary. I want to draw upon my experience with her, tabletop RPGs, novella writing and personal life experiences to help you enhance your character. Maybe one day you can look back after a lengthy (in a G-Mod time span) character career and feel you've accomplished creating a character you cherish.

First, I'd like to refer anyone to this excellent guide by Statua on how to get started here. If you are making a new character, I strongly recommend reading it before we get started with this guide, as I need to make one thing clear before beginning:

This guide is designed to help develop your current character into something believable and compelling.

I will outline this guide into three sections, each important for the next section so it is important you read them in chronological order.

I. Belief Systems
II. Motivations, Goals and Objectives
III. Action, Reaction and Consequence

In all of literature, every good character you will encounter has the above three phases already pre-planned by their authors or writers. This is done to ensure that character fits properly into the fictional universe and draws the audience into the script. These three phases are chosen specifically to assist the newcomer into easing their character into the universe. It is best two have at least the first two pre-planned before continuing through roleplay, as the third, Action/Reaction, is the most difficult in a live environment. We are not individual authors writing stories of our characters; we exist as a collaborative group of creative individuals whom wish to explore each other's characters in a live roleplaying setting. This is a unique prose, as it allows unpredictable events to occur which only the most defined characters will be able to act/react to. Thus is the reason why I put Act/React last - you need to know your character inside and out before your character can learn others inside and out. Our first phase will be belief systems, where we will discuss your character's moral perspective, religious/philosophical beliefs and thoughts on the human (or vortigaunt) experience. The second phase will consist of outlining your character's motivations, goals and objectives (yes those three are different from one another) in the context of HL2RP. The final phase will involve discussing the mannerisms in which you interact with the live roleplaying environment and further building upon the two previous phases.

I. Belief Systems
"Art, like morality, consists in drawing the line somewhere." - Gilbert K. Chesterson

Your beliefs are the fundamental base for every action or thought you conceive. They are the foundations to your characters personality. This part may be highly difficult for some and very easy for others. The most important thing is to remember this is all fictional, so keep an open mind. For example, I am personally a Agnostic atheist who subscribes to Pantheistic viewpoints, yet I play Amanda Whitley as a Christian struggling with her faith. If you cannot look past religious differences to create a compelling, fictional, character you will not succeed. Google is always open if you need to look up basic tenants to certain religions. I'm sure most people won't know the ten tenants of s?ma?era to become a Buddhist monk, it doesn't hurt to have that knowledge save anyone ask your character about their faith.

Every human who has lived has consciously developed some sort of belief system. These beliefs include an enormous range of things that I do not have time to name them all, nor the capacity. However, what we can boil these beliefs down to is a moral code for every individual. Even religion, which strives to teach of higher powers, reincarnation, life cycles, etc. has a moral code at it's core. People choose to believe in these moral codes to help understand their place in the world, providing themselves some comfort and organisation of thoughts. Morality changes from one person to another and some believe it is relative while others, universal. What we can discern though is a system of morality is required for every character you make, whether it be kind-hearted shop owner to a calculated serial killer.

"But Tox, what about those who are psychopaths, or don't have any moral beliefs?" The void of a moral system in itself is just another moral system.

So how do you create a moral code for your character? Well, from reading Statua's guide, you should be able to discern what type of personality your character has. The first question you should ask with that in mind is: Do you believe morality is relative or universal? In layman's terms, moral relativism is the belief that morality is disagreeable and objectively, no one can be truly right or wrong. The opposite of this belief is universal morality, which is the belief that some standard of ethics can be applied universally, regardless of the circumstances. A solid example of moral universalism are the Ten Commandments listed in the Bible, which nearly all of humanity adheres to in some way (do not murder, do not steal, etc.). If your character is a follower of a certain faith or religion, you would almost certainly follow the moral system of that religion. If your character is agnostic, atheistic or simply doesn't care, they would still have a moral code, yet you would establish that moral code through life experiences. Another thing to draw upon would be your close family/friends which would heavily influence your character's beliefs. That is why it is important to have a solid backstory in mind before creating a character.

Next, you need to decide if you believe in any specific religion. Religions and sub-sects of those religions vary greatly. Choose how close you are going to stay true to your faith and perhaps if you will consider trying to convert others as well.

Now, with all that in mind, your character will need to choose how the Combine invasion impacted everything listed above. Do you practice your faith in secret? Have you given it up? Are you more prepared to let down your moral code for murder, if it is against an opposing faction? We will discuss this more in part three, but keep these questions stirring in your head.

Remember, keep an open mind through all of this. You're not playing yourself, you're playing someone else, in the future, in a fictional world. They have had different experiences than you.

II. Motivations, Goals and Objectives
"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going." - Earl Nightingale

Motivations, goals and objectives often are used interchangeably with one another to mean 'to succeed'. Incorrect, though I can see why people can't make out the distinction between the three words. They should be used in conjunction with one another to mean 'to succeed.'

Motivations are the WHY
Objectives are the HOW
Goals are the WHAT

Say you want to build a home - actually let's use a HL2RP example. Say you want to take revenge on a certain Civil Protection officer. Your eventual goal is "I want to kill that CP," the WHAT. Your motivation is, "He murdered my brother," the WHY. The stepping stones to succeed at your goal are your objectives, "First, I'm going to find someone to buy a weapon from. Next, I'm going to study their patrol patterns. Third, I'm going find a way to distract his partner. Then, I will lure him into the back and enact my revenge," the HOW. Obviously, not the greatest example, but it shows the differences between the three terms.

When engaged in roleplay, we want our characters to have both short-term and long-term goals, as well as the subsequent objectives and motivations for each of those goals. A short-term goal could be "Setup my new apartment," or "Go to ration distribution." Those are easy to define your motivations and objectives for them. Long-term goals are a bit more difficult, as our motivations often change or objectives may need to be altered - this is called problem solving. A long-term goal could be "Establish a positive presence for myself in C-45 among the Loyalists," a certainly lofty goal, but is it achievable? That is the second question you should ask yourself after the standard What/Why/How. The Achievable question is truly up to the discretion of the individual, but group goals should often be met under a committee or meeting.

In relation to our first section, you need to make sure your motivations and goals are believable under your character's belief system. Someone who is morally righteous and upholding of life would forbid any mention of murder in their presence. You may not wish to complete your goals you setup earlier, as they may conflict with a new moral belief. That's the third question: Do my goals and motivations for them work with my belief system? If that answer is No, you will likely suffer internal conflict, which should be reflected in your roleplay. Say you're a morally good person, yet you just stole someone's ration when they weren't paying attention. You may begin telling yourself it was wrong, or attempting to justify it through illogical self-questioning, but it truly depends on your character. Internal conflict is an extremely difficult thing to do, but is one of the most rewarding tropes to pull off in fiction. Ever watch the AMC show, Breaking Bad? Yeah.

So let's recap this section. We now know the distinction between motivations (the WHY), goals (the WHAT) and objectives (the HOW). We also know we need to ask three questions of our characters in order to create a compelling storyline.

1. What are my short-term and long-term goals?
2. Are these goals achievable?
3. Do these goals conflict with my beliefs?

Depending on how you answer, internal conflict may arise which will put stress upon your character and others around you. This needs to be reflected in your roleplaying. Remember though, no matter how you plan things, everything has consequences...

III. Action, Reaction and Consequence
“While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” - Stephen R. Covey

Creating a character who reacts in a believable way to events in a live environment is probably one of the most difficult things to do for some people or one of the most easiest things for others. How do you avoid roleplay mediocrity? How do you make your character realistic, without being boring? What would your character do? These are questions we all ask and even the best of us, myself included, struggle with sometimes. If you've read the two previous sections and have a road map for your character, this should be easy....right? Wrong, dead wrong. A live roleplay environment is both one of the most rewarding and challenging environments to create a well-rounded character in. Unlike a novel or play, you cannot map out a character's actions, dialogue and decisions. You must act on the seat of your pants. However, this does not mean to spout out whatever comes to mind - you should always take a minute to think before you type. Other roleplayers will thank you for a more enjoyable roleplay if you help to create a rich environment, rather than a mediocre soap opera vaguely set in Gordon Freeman's universe.

Before you act or react to your environment, you must consider what your character would do in the situation. Fall back on your motivations and if required, your moral code or spiritual beliefs. Act or react accordingly. Sometimes silence may be the only answer - not everything warrants a response*.

*Please use proper grammar, punctuation and vocabulary to describe your actions or when speaking at all times. I highly suggest reading 'high-end' literature (i.e. not comics or commissioned novels) as to develop your vocabulary, cut down on verbiage and make it so your dialogue or /me's are more interesting.

Depending on how you act or react to different situations, all will have consequences. Another strength of live roleplay is that players must be willing to adapt or react to these consequences on nearly a whim. There is no reverse button or erase feature. As Morpheus puts it, "No, what happened, happened and couldn't have happened any other way." If things do not go your way, you will be recognized as a true roleplayer and owning a developed character if you can react in a believable way. Don't go back on your previous beliefs on a whim - moral codes do not simply disappear in a flash. If something changed you, it will be a long, slow, arduous process. I've seen too many people suddenly turn-tail and run (or start acting mingy) when they step up to the bat, simply because they couldn't face the pitcher's mound. Don't be that guy. Hold your roleplaying head high and show your developed skills with your compelling character. Things have consequences, deal with them realistically.

Recap and Closing Remarks
So we have gone through three phases to develop a realistic, compelling character: establishing our moral ground, understanding and creating realistic goals, followed by what to do in the live environment and the consequences we face. We learned to keep an open mind when forming a belief system and that morality is either relative or universal, each person is different. We then learned that goals are the WHAT, while motivations are the WHY and objectives, the HOW. We will ask ourselves three important questions when fashioning goals for ourselves or group: Are this short-term or long term? Are they achievable? Do they conflict with my beliefs? If they do conflict with our beliefs, we learned that internal conflict may arise and we will need to deal with it in-character. Lastly, we learned that actions have consequences and we must act accordingly. We should try to expand our vocabulary and make interesting roleplaying experiences for our peers. We should listen (or read) first, react second.

You can use what I've written here today in almost any form of fictional writing, but I hope that it will help to primarily enhance your roleplay. Thanks for reading.

- Toxilium

P.S. I did proof read, but if anyone spots a mistake let me know. Also if you have anything to add feel free to post