Getting it, and kudos

[tortall]

Oh, who made it "click" for you.

So, originally, and mind you this is roughly 2002:

Kojiro Fale - inspired me to play my first noble and got to play with him
Amos of Kadius - I know, SUPER generic, but this was the first Amos I knew.
Ysania of Kadius - same time period as Amos
Ishan(sp?) - Super Scary Templar played by an imm back when they could do that, but was GREAT

Now, my comeback in 2008(I had taken a 2-3 year break):
Serilla and Elethan - I dunno what House they were from, but kick-ass templars that I really enjoyed
Ranak - Legion turned Hlum. My PC thought he was an idiot at first, but ended up suporting him. His player is also super awesome!
Shabago - Staffer, but brought to live an NPC that really brought conflict to my PC and helped my RP a ton.

There were others from the 2008 time period that really got me going into the game again, but I'm forgetting them.

[Reiloth]

2002/03 - Durg. That long-armed dwarf probably made the difference between me sticking with the game (and Tuluk for so long) and just quitting after my 5th PC in a row died to a beetle in Red Storm. Took in my crafter Aelithor, and the rest was history.

2003/04? - Priest, Malifaxis' Half Giant. I hadn't really been around half-giants or thought much of them, but his RP as this half-giant really struck a chord with me. I compare all half-giants to him, even now, twelve years later.

2006 - Cammul Tenneshi. Was a RL friend of mine, but his writing and acting as Cammul really hooked me into the game. Got into great shenanigans with him.

2006 - Felysia / Eunoli . Same era, but really nailed the Lirathan Templar to me. I only got bent once or twice by Felysia, and it was in the most beautifully subtle way, that I never even suspected or knew Lirathans were capable of such things until much, much later (RL Years). They were also incredibly badass during the Copper Wars. I later read Felysia's diary when I played Hederai Negean, and was impressed with her kill count.

2006 - The Labyrinth Elves. Haruch Kemad, Naenn'Tru. Bhagharva (for all his good and bad). Nasty things that go bump in the night. Hell, i'll even give a shout out to Gin and Quick, though I didn't think they were the 'best' part of it all, they definitely gave it that flavor. It was the first time I saw 'the dark side' of ArmageddonMUD, and it was a beautiful thing to be a part of. There was a group of Elves playing together around that time, all from different families (Valuren, Dairiki, Sandas, Kanosh) and they liked each other, but were also separate. There were great tests of loyalty and trust, and it was my first city elf (playing in the Haruch Kemad). It showed me a different side of Armageddon.

2007/08 - Nyr (As a Storyteller!), Kon, Vash, Midge, Khortoc Salarr, and Expansion Division. Though it wasn't a sustainable model, I was a hop skip and a jump from taking a long break from the game. This group of people had me laughing out loud almost every time I logged into the game. It was just a wonderful synergy, and a great time to be playing the game. Also one of the only times I enjoyed playing in Allanak. Nyr also did a wonderful job portraying Raital Salarr in all his creepy mannerisms.

Looking back, all these inspiring people definitely helped 'make' the game for me, an environment that I continually wanted to be a part of. I'm not sure the moment it clicked for me. There were several moments I suppose -- These were all pivotal moments for various reasons. Certain things didn't click before, and clicked after that. There are always rocks to overturn, and people to inspire you to RP better by example, even if some of the more obtuse 'mysteries' of ArmageddonMUD are no longer mysterious to me.

[Fathi]

Mine are Gin and Quick, Samos, and when I first started my Byn crew was pretty stellar. Really got my creative engine going back then.

Oh, man. Beard and Wakazi. FourTwenty and Zoltan. I've told them numerous times how much they really gave me a proper bearing. And Trooper fatty! I just imagined this huge fat fucker swinging a big ass sword and always scratching his balls.

Every Bynners dream.

Oh man I remember teaching those guys how to emote and shit back in the day. It's incredible how they grew up. Newbie success stories the both. I can't remember how many times I intervened as a player to keep Kazi from getting dead.

Trooper Fatty was glorious, too.

I forget her name, but EvilRoeSlade's Salarri family member around that time was a character who really helped me learn to emote. Heuna? Huena? Something like that.

Rokov Kurac. Ceylara Borsail. Elithan Winrothol. There were some incredible high-level/long-lived leader PCs around that time.

And a little bit later, gosh, does anyone remember a claw-handed guy named Abisaid or Abisayed or something around that time? That dude taught me how to emote spooky stuff.

Later on, there were some incredible desert elves who really brought that flavour of the world to life for me: Stare of Many Faces, Silent Dancer, an Akei who went by Thorn.

[titansfan]

Fathi you had a character WAY back then in the Byn that was tremendous for me too. Thank you for the fun times....sadly I cannot remember the names of that group.

[Refugee]

My first PC I fell in with Elrum, who taught me how to hunt and how combat worked.  He spent a lot of time at it and I appreciate it.

Albie the half-giant who helped me so much with my Byn sergeant.

Nell the Borsail aide.

[wizturbo]

These are some characters that really helped me "get it" with Armageddon.  There are plenty more, but these are older and helped shape me in my formative years.  In no particular order:

• Templar Kishime Fale - scary, stylish and extremely good at generating conflict
• Danu of Kurac - just a very deep character that showed me the merchanting side of the game
• Fianna Salarr - Showed me the political side of the game with style
• Shatuka of Kurac - Just an incredible character with so much depth.  I'll forever be a fanboy.
• Ahyena the Bard - Showed me the power of secrecy in Armageddon, and got me emotionally invested in both her character and my own.

[Erythil]

The character who made me interested in the game was Wisp, the Tuluki government assassin.

[Riev]

The character who made me interested in the game was Wisp, the Tuluki government assassin.

Man, she killed so many people.

[palomar]

The character who made me interested in the game was Wisp, the Tuluki government assassin.

Man, she killed so many people.

That she did. She also had 2-3 templars assigning her targets to kill, on a very regular basis. I found her to be interesting to be around.

PCs who were important to me, in the "getting it" sense, were Aja Driamusek, Goor of Kurac, Serpent of the Guild (and the staffers at the time), Malken's Kadian First Hunter back in 2005, the Akei Stare of Many Faces, and a whole bunch of others I don't remember at this very moment.

[sleepyhead]

Het, Kit, Lexie, Aarif, Nicci, Bixan, Pearl (not that Pearl), and many others.

[LauraMars]

In addition to listing some of the characters who really helped me grasp the game, I'd also like to show some of their actions that encapsulated what these players were capable of doing with their dialog, their emotes, and their writing.  These logs are all 10+ years old, the characters in them long gone, and they reveal nothing sensitive about the game's more mysterious elements, so I assume it is all right to post them.

If not, staff can let me know and I'll take them down.

--------------------

Ceylara Ellandris Borsail - Everything about this character was amazing and I still think about how perfectly she seemed to embody vast wealth and privilege in a crapsack world. To my characters at the time, she seemed all powerful. She manipulated people, had spies everywhere, really took the time to pull me into plots, and was so in touch with the virtual world of Nakki politics it was spooky. When I played my Borsail noble I thought about her all the time - I even used her middle name as my character's name, in tribute.

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish, with a lazy smile:
     "After all I've done for Nenilia, maybe she'd be a doll and let you show me some of the designs that you people keep hoarded away."

The slender, pitch-haired young man casts a thoughtful look down at his paper, then back up.

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish, after a moment, more decisively:
     "And stay away from crimson unless it's something I'll -absolutely- fall in love with. Half the family is going to be wearing crimson."

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish:
     "But not me. Ceylara Borsail stands out."

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish, more quietly:
     "And.. just on the very slight off chance... you two wanted me to adore you for the rest of your careers..."

The slender, pitch-haired young man's dark gaze fastens on the slight, silver-crowned woman again.

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish, lifting a hand to her earrings:
     "I have diamond earrings already. I want to take a step higher. Silver studs. Or maybe copper. Some kind of metal."

At a plush, blue-cushioned divan, you overhear the slight, silver-crowned woman say in sirihish:
     "I may very well be married at this banquet, you realize. I'll be damned if I don't look fabulous doing it."

--------------------

Thialle Borsail - This bastard froze my blood with his sarcastic cruelty, and eventually got me killed, but I don't care. He truly seemed to see the common people as little more than animals, was manipulative and mean, was completely focused on his own affairs, and really brought the darker side of Allanak to life. I wish I saw more crazy nobles like him today (there was one, recently, who reminded me a lot of Thialle...but took it to eleven.)

Smiling into his slender, blue-rimmed wineglass pleasingly, the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man asks you, in sirihish:
     "Sathis, repeat after me.  Are you ready?"

Appearing slightly confused, but nonetheless compliant, you say to the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man, in sirihish:
     "Yes my Lord."

While shifting the aim of his coal-dark eyes on you, the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man holds his slender, blue-rimmed wineglass.

Topping off his wineglass and recorking the bottle, the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man says to you, in sirihish:
     "My Lord, I think it would be best if you whipped my back as punishment for my foolish behavior."

The chiseled, mercurial-tressed man lazily sips at the contents of his wineglass and gazes skyward contemplatively, as though testing the quality of the wine and oblivious of the conversation.

Cheeks flushing shamefully further, gaze falling even more, if such were possible, you say to the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man, in sirihish:
     "My Lord, I think it would be best if you..."

The chiseled, mercurial-tressed man futilely attempts to wrestle the smile of his face as he watches you.

Squaring her shoulders a little in resolve and beginning over, you say to the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man, in sirihish:
     "My Lord, I think it would be best if you whipped my back as punishment for my foolish behavior."

Feigning shock with a widening of his eyes upon you, the chiseled, mercurial-tressed man says to you, in sirihish:
     "My, my.  Do you really?  You know I've always valued your counsel, Sathis - I'll have to trust your judgement on this, as always. To the post, then."

The chiseled, mercurial-tressed man turns and saunters away, violent winds billowing his robe to life, hair streaming down his back.

--------------------

Sergeant Zee of the Wyverns - A character with great pathos and depth, yet so much outward stoicism it took me a long time to truly know him. Made me realize how important it was to have a multi-layered character, and how effective that could be, dramatically.

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish, placing his hands on your shoulders:
     "You need to take care, Sathis. I understand that things have become complicated very quickly. I am not telling you what to do, simply telling you the situation, as I see it."

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish:
     "I do not wish to kill you."

At your seat, you say in sirihish, glancing up and over his shoulder at the battlestaff protruding there:
     "That doesn't mean you wouldn't."

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish, genuine kindness in his usually simple tone:
     "I like you. A lot. I have not enjoyed myself as frequently as I have since I met you."

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish, tone hardening again:
     "But my duty is to the House, and my loyalty is to Borsail."

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish:
     "Understand that I have never, ever harmed an Allanaki before. It is something that I would never wish to do."

At your seat, the white-haired, olive-skinned man says in sirihish:
     "But I would take my own life, if so ordered."

--------------------

Lord Templar Vlorvaldorax Borsail - Scared the crap out of me as a newb while also being kind enough to atmospherically involve a new player in his affairs. An inspiration to me when I played my own Templar later on. Great writing, believable, and funny to boot.

Making his way along, his tone a low rumble, the runic, bull-necked templar says, in sirihish:
     "Good.  Prove useful enough to me, and you will go very far, girl.  Now... when you leave these gates, look scared, and run off.  I won't have anyone knowing I was kind to you."

The runic, bull-necked templar places a fierce, wyvern-skull mask onto his face.

Fitting his mask onto his face and looking down at you, hand tightening on his bronze-inlaid bone battleaxe, the very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask asks, in sirihish:
     "You and I are in perfect understanding?"

Dropping her gaze, the frayed, chaotic-haired girl nods.

The very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask sends up a call to the wall to open the gates.
The very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask opens the gate.

The very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask walks north.
You follow the very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask, and walk north.

Chasing you out the gates, the very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask shouts, in sirihish:
     "Run!  Run, Stormer, and take your heathen ways with you!"

run
You speed up to a fast run.

Cringing away from him with a terrified squeak before taking to her heels, you exclaim to the very tall and thick templar wearing a fierce, wyvern-skull mask, in sirihish:
     "Yes, Lord Templar!"

n (hands held over her face as if crying)

Templars' Way [NS]

--------------------

Lord Cammul Tenneshi - This character's emotes were incredible. So vibrant, off the wall, and well written that I still think about them. He was capable of bringing a scene to life like few other players I've encountered, and it left a huge impression on me as a newer player.  Whenever I want to chew the scenery, he's always in the back of my mind. I'd say after ten years of practice, I could match him in a battle of wits at this point, but I'm still not sure that's true.

Issuing the words in a slow hiss as though through a filter of sedge, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man asks the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Whaaat...am I goooing...to doooo?"

Avoiding his eyes, the white-haired, red-skinned man says to the gloriously-maned, corpulent man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "I'd...rather refrain from offerin' my lesser opinion, Sir...though I haven't any opinion at'all."

Eyes lifting upward as though chasing an ascending thought, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Well thats good, Kurnim.  You're not much of a thinker."

Hawking up a grotesquely viscous glob of saliva and spitting it onto a flagstone at his feet, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Drov-be-*aaawwwk*damned. *Ptew*"

Ire swelling in those heated eyes, sucked behind the fat of his cheeks, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Tek's Fortune!  Damnit!  Damnit all..."

Warding him with the heat of his angry eyes, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man exclaims to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Give me some room to think, man!"

The white-haired, red-skinned man immediately backs away from the gloriously-maned, corpulent man and averts his eyes.

At your seat, you say in sirihish, pushing off the dumpy, twin-braided dame's curvy, padded shoulder, straightening from her wilted and stagefright posture:
     "What's he talking about?"

At your seat, the dumpy, twin-braided dame says in northern-accented sirihish, shrugging vaguely and forcing her gaze regretfully away from the gloriously-maned, corpulent man:
     "I have no idea. His Chosen Lordship is looking for someone."

Lifting a hand to his right temple, regaining his composure at least for the moment, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Jochebed has already reached the stage..."

Moaning defeatedly as he gazes up at evening's empire, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Less than two days..."

His eyes still settled upon the ground for fear of causing offense, the white-haired, red-skinned man asks the gloriously-maned, corpulent man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "What will you do, Sir?"

Despondently, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man says to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "I don't know."

The gloriously-maned, corpulent man says to the white-haired, red-skinned man, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Something."

At your seat, the dumpy, twin-braided dame says in northern-accented sirihish, sighing dramatically:
     "Maybe something's gone wrong? And it's obviously not the Chosen Lord's fault."

At your seat, you say in sirihish, with a reverence approaching stoicism:
     "Obviously."

At your seat, the dumpy, twin-braided dame says in northern-accented sirihish:
     "Couldn't be."

And suddenly, with an impulse as whimsical as the winds themselves, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man locks his gaze upon a small white stone bench, staring for a prolonged while.

Strutting his stuff - of which he has a sluggish abundance - over to the bench, lifting his voice to the stentorian, the gloriously-maned, corpulent man exclaims, in northern-accented sirihish:
     "You there!  You two!"

[Akaramu]

Het, Kit, Lexie, Aarif, Nicci, Bixan, Pearl (not that Pearl), and many others.

You mentioned all the gypsy PCs of that time except mine. 

*sadface*

[Fathi]

Ah man, Laura, I remember all those characters fondly. Really wish I still had logs from back then. That hit me with the nostalgia hammer.

I really wish I could remember the name of Apocalyptic_Cow's Salarr mul because he was incredible. Murk from Kadius, too. 2008-09 was a fine vintage for muls.

[Feco]

Prystik, of the Jaxa Pah.  First enemy.  Great example of an elf.
Ratbait, the sorcerer.  Best kidnapping scene I've ever experienced.  First introduction to magick.  Got me all scared and shit.
Omar, of Salarr.  Was batshit crazy by the time we met.  Totally unpredictable.  Has influenced future crazy characters.
Kilaski Salarr.  Had that "epic adventure" thing going for him.
Tasok Salarr.  Really exemplified "successful merchant."
The Devourer, a mul that worked at the Mantis.  Brought me into rinth life with my favorite rinther, Amos.  We didn't interact much, but it was enough.
Hawk.  The scariest mul I've ever met -- reacted to things, like knives being drawn, just how I would expect a mul to.  Will definitely influence future mul play.  Also didn't interact much, but it was enough.
Hasan.  Much later in my career.  Ignoring all the crazy magick shit, was a good leader PC.  Kept my PC busy even though he was sort of codedly gimped, in terms of getting around, out where he was camped.  Very good at giving out tasks, which I think is important as a leader.

That's what comes to mind thinking about "getting it."  There are plenty of other PCs I've interacted with that were super badass, of course.

[Erythil]

The character who made me interested in the game was Wisp, the Tuluki government assassin.

Man, she killed so many people.

I had the honor of being the last person to see her alive and telling her that she was probably doing something really dangerous.  I was right.   

[wizturbo]

Het, Kit, Lexie, Aarif, Nicci, Bixan, Pearl (not that Pearl), and many others.

You mentioned all the gypsy PCs of that time except mine. 

*sadface*

I wasn't mentioned either Akaramu, we can cry together.  :p

[Akaramu]

Hey, you can't cry until someone mentions your entire clan but leaves you out!

But sure. C'mere, you. 

[wizturbo]

Hey, you can't cry until someone mentions your entire clan but leaves you out!

That's what I'm saying, I was a gypsy at the same time but was left out.  Poor Antony, no love for Antony.

[Akaramu]

Oh right, Anthony was around that time too! Poor Anthony was indeed awesome. Shame you stored him. 

That said, your Seumas and everyone's favorite templar Kishime were probably the two top PCs that made the game 'click' for me as a newbie.

[Seeker]

Veric-da of Kurac, Adlock of Kurac.  Barvel of Kurac.  Somat of Kurac.

Veric was the shit.  Adlock and Barvel brought it all together.  I think a shout out to Fianna Salarr and her erdlu "Bitchripper" is overdue. 

[boog]

Anyone with a name like Varric Tethras is bound to be good.

I'm not sure -who- made it click for me. I'm trying to consider. I guess and instance of 'getting it' would be the Dragean versus Raleris feud. It was completely Tuluki and made Tuluk click for me, inside my head. I think that's why I've always preferred Tuluk to Allanak: Seeing them jab at each other, the subtleties, just how artful and terribly degrading it was.

In Allanak? I guess it would have to be Validos Fale. He commandeered Ayla's beetle one day from her and rode it around from Red's, to Caravan's, down Templar's, then back down Stonecarver's like a mad man: it was like, Validos says, "Give me your beetle," Ayla blinks, bows, is weirded out, hands the reins over, and ... then he came back almost frothing at the mouth. Then, he found out she was a Tuluki, training in Kadius in the south, and he leaned over her one day and whispered that he would tie her naked to a pole in the bazaar so that everyone would see her horrid inks and spit upon her like the animal she was. To me, while they were just threats, they were credible and scary. I mean, Allanak doesn't need a brash templar to kill -all the fucking things- but I think Validos was scary enough. He was also whimsically insane and could be charming at once and a complete shit head the next day. He was just really... Allanak, in a nutshell, for me.

Icumen Borsail also taught me a lot - I'm confident I'd do a 'Nakki noble better next time because of him. Um. Hmm. Oh!

Bam - was she ever adopted into Kurac? - was the best. Oh. And Goldy. I've always loved Kuraci PCs, though, so maybe I'm biased. But she was a fuckin' blast.

I'll think of more and update this.

[sleepyhead]

I thought about both of you guys, but Antony came a little later (when I'd already grasped the game) and I just didn't spend enough time with sleek chocolate-skinned (I'm sorry, I've forgotten the name but I remember it started with an A, didn't it?) to really get a good feel for her! I'm sorry! <3 You were all awesome.

[Saiseiki]

(Oodles and oodles of awesome stuff.)

As a newcomer to these parts, LM, this was an incredibly helpful post.  It also must have taken a good deal of time and thought to write up.  Much obliged.

[Reiloth]

Laura, that scene with Cammul was brilliant. Thank you. That was when Camille found out one of two lead actors in Man And Dog had gone out hunting and died the morning of the play.

[Delirium]

Laura, that scene with Cammul was brilliant. Thank you. That was when Camille found out one of two lead actors in Man And Dog had gone out hunting and died the morning of the play.

I'm sorry, but that's fucking hilarious.