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I wrote this letter in response to a topic in the GCD, which asked what your present-self would tell your past-self in a letter on your first day of Gaia. I rather poured my heart into it, and decided that it would probably be more appropriate here in my journal than in the thread.
Dear Lady_Litheria,
Firstly, welcome to Gaia. This will be a home-away-from-home for you for the next five years or more. Get comfortable. You are soon to make a bunch of awesome new friends and have some really great times. Do not limit yourself to this one group. Do not limit yourself to just one forum. Make as many friends as you can. As life changes and time passes, some of these people will leave and never come back, and as Gaia grows, it will be harder and harder for you to make new friends that last. Make friends now, or forever remain alone.
Secondly, do not give up role-playing. I know that sometimes the utter lack of new or original stories will frustrate you, but if you stop, you'll never be able to start again, and you will regret it. Oh, and don't roleplay yourself all the time. You're not as good a rooleplayer as you think you are, so take the time to read some RPG guides, and learn how to not be a mary-sue or a god-modder. I know you don't mean to do that, but that's what wish-fulfillment characters inevitably become.
Be aware that as Gaia grows, it will change from the pet project of a group of friends into a real incorporated company. This is not a bad thing, but it does require adjustment. Pay attention and document everything, because even though you will enjoy the new ways, you will miss the old ones as well. Be prepared to spend real cash on the site, try not to be too upset about advertisers and sponsors when they come. Also, there will soon be a storyline full of adorable NPC characters. Start encouraging the staff now to make these characters as well-rounded as possible. Also, gently remind them that an overabundance of characters who look like Greek gods and super models is off-putting, irritating, saddening, and disappointing. They can do better than that.
Forget all of the cute store items that you want, and start investing now in the donation items. Store items will always be there, but the prices on the DIs will skyrocket. In particular, you will want the DJ Headphones, so prioritize. I promise you, 2500 gold is not all that much to pay for them, because they will eventually sell for millions. Get multiples of letters and sit on them for a couple years at least, although as Gaia grows and there are more letters in circulation each month , you may want to try working the marketplace. Also, don't miss any major events, because sometimes there are free items, and the early ones will be worth a lot. And don't worry about how some of those early store items are a little ugly. Over time, there will be so many amazing times you wont know what to do with yourself.
Don't be afraid to start threads and be yourself. The internet isn't the real world, and you don't have to live by your imagined limitations here. Decided that you are not shy. Decide that you are bold and wild and fun. Practice on the net, and then do it in your life.
Oh, another thing. It wont be long before you get tired of having Lady in your username and you will want to create a new account to fix this. This is unnecessary. Just make a note about your name in your sig and ride through it, because eventually you will be able to change your username. This isn't a major thing, but it will bother you one day if you main account isn't your oldest account, so just stick to your guns.
Finally, and most importantly, never choose Gaia over your real life. The people you know and love will always be more important than the internet, and the internet can never fill the void within. Numbing yourself will not ease the pain, but it will make it worse. The internet is fun, but not at the price of your life and soul. Don't let the lazies or the doldrums get you, stay in school, work hard, play hard, have fun, and live well.
Much love from your future self,
Litheria
P.S. The battle system is not a pipe dream. It will come. And it will be good. BE CAREFUL!
 Litheria · Sat Nov 08, 2008 @ 04:28am · 1 Comments |
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