Alvino Castillon
TNPer
FAQ:
In, Out, and In Between Character
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Alvino Castillon
TNPer
December 3, 2012
I Am: The In, Out, and In Between Character
I Am: The In, Out, and In Between Character
Q: Who are you exactly?
It's a good question honestly. My name is Alvino Castillon, and yes, that is a pen name. I am a freshman student in College in the Northeast United States, simply living amongst other people. I go to classes, go to clubs, do my schoolwork, and use my free time somewhat wisely. I'm a normal freshman student overall, save for the diminished case of Autism and the ADHD that has been under control for a good few years now. I've lived eighteen years, loving some of them and hating some of them. I'm socially liberal, and I sometimes listen to the news. I choose my friends as wisely as I can, and yet get myself into trouble with enemies. I've given up on love, yet I believe there is someone for everyone. Overall, I'm fairly normal.
...And I fucking hate it.
No. Seriously. I hate normalcy. No matter what I say, I do hate it. It gets monotonous. It becomes droll. It becomes a boring lifestyle. Yet, the people around me seem content with normal, boring, monotonous... which pisses me off further. Don't get me wrong. I like peace and quiet and I like the hustle and bustle as well... but let's face it, that's not what I consider normalcy. Normalcy, in my honest opinion, is the place in between... where there isn't the hustle and bustle of a city or a museum, nor is there the peace and quiet of a park or porch. As a college student, I am truly unable to appeal to my escapist nature and travel the world in "reality." However... I always do find a way to appeal to my escapist nature in "fantasy."
Q: Who are you In Character?
I am a multitude of people. I am Alvino Jay Castillon-Mythika, the adopted child of Aliandra Mythika and the Head of the House Castillon. I am the bookworm that brings order to a group of people and ensure that the task at hand gets done. I am the emotionally unstable who relies on assistance from other characters to avoid falling into depression. I am the maniac that seems to do evil, only to turn face and reveal my true intentions later down the line. I am the mixture of the bookworm, the emotionally unstable, and the maniac who seems to cause a sudden twist in the plot and excite the story. I am the God that rules over others, effectively using unbiased manner to basically mess around with everyone for Out Of Character amusement. I am the diplomat teenager who at 18 years of age has already negotiated for the control of an archipelago, spoke in favor of a war against a hostile country, and conducted a Conference of some of the biggest names in regional foreign affairs. I am all of these, and still more.
There are many other characters I am and have been. However, I am at the whims of my desires and imagination. As such, I have never been the character who would commit atrocity before going to insanity. I have never been the jock idol, who has everyone fawning over them. I have never been the character who would suppress their own people. This could all one day change. There is a chance I may improve, be able to write from such standpoints, and improve myself in my Role Playing skills...
But I will never be the Mary Sue. I will be the God... but I will never be the Mary Sue.
Q: How does the Out Of Character and the In Character tie together?
I have almost always Role Played in a first person narration. As such, I usually allow the person I am to bleed into the character I am. I have been some of the characters from In Character in Real Life. I have also been the characters from In Character in the folds of my imagination. When I Role Play, I often listen to music to enter a place of mine I call The Zone. I am sure there are a few people that have this sort of place. I am sure there are a few people that also listen to music when Role Playing. For those of you who haven't, The Zone is a place where my imagination connects with the hands that type on my keyboard, or the hand that hold the pen to the paper. It is a place where ideas flow and I assume the identity of my character. It is the place where the music dominates the landscape and drives me forward. There are times I will literally listen to the same song five or six times while creating a post in a Role Play on NationStates.
People have told me that this is dangerous. They have argued that it makes me too attached to my character. However, that is what I want. It is why I feel I am a skilled Role Player. I feel that my best work comes from this connection with my character. It may just be a character to some. To me, it's a representation of my writing.
This is who I am. This is the In, Out, and In Between Character of Alvino Jay Castillon.
*Deposits two cents into the "Opinions Jar"*
Until next time.
-Jay
Alvino Castillon
TNPer
December 5, 2012
The Social Work: Work Relationships
The Social Work: Work Relationships
*Sips a cup of hot cocoa near a warm fireplace and looks over.*
Oh. Hello again. Welcome back. I apologize for my absence yesterday... I've been busy helping the Ministry of Culture & Entertainment with their work. We're currently dusting off some great ancient FAQs and placing them in the Archives. It's a good job I'd say. Sure it can be tedious, but the things you learn from them are sometimes quite interesting. That, and the current Minister (and also my Boss) is quite a nice person.
*Puts down his cup on a small table and quietly stares at a nearby window.*
Yes... it's one of the main reasons I love my new job. It shall also be the focus for today. So, let's get started.
Q: How important is a work relationship?
Work relationships are often characterized with feelings ranging from mutual respect to sheer animosity. I've been on both sides of the spectrum and I've received these emotions and have returned them in kind. Sometimes these work relationships can be lopsided, with one side feeling animosity and the other feeling respect. I've seen a few, but have not been in one of my own thankfully. Work relationships may not seem very important in the short term. However, there can be long term effects from work relationships. Depending on the relationship, these effects can range be quite positive. You know how work relationships can be positive in the long run... access to new experiences, very close ties with certain people, and a comforting feeling that if something goes wrong in the work, you have someone right there to help. My current working relationship as Deputy Minister with Kingborough is a very positive work relationship and is one of mutual respect. Sure, I drag him into Role Plays and yes, he drags me into doing blog posts, but at the end of the day the job gets done.
However, there are times when these work relationships are not so healthy. In fact, they can have long term consequences of negative value. Often times, these work relationships will happen at places people loathe. Bad work relationships can be detrimental to health, sanity, and even other relationships outside of work. I have seen and been in a few of these work relationships, with most of them now buried in the remains of the past that were my High School years. One in particular stands out however and I shall be using it as my example.
We have two students. One is socially awkward and fairly uninterested in working with others. The other is uptight, studious, and somewhat egocentric. Now, you put the two of them together in a class and have them work together on a simple project. Perhaps it's a day where people partner up and create notes. Other times it could be as simple as coloring a map. Just from the the description of the students, we could safely assume that the two will get through rough points and awkwardly work together, after which they will push their desks apart and engage in other activities.
However, remember that it is real life... and therefore, there is always a chance of extreme fuckery in the Universe.
This is the problem with work relationships. You can not be totally sure if someone if being fully honest with you all the time, or if you will be able to get along with the person you have to work with. Work relationships are very different from social relationships. Social relationships are built mutually and with cooperation. Work relationships are often times forced all at once and often deal with the work at hand. With work relationships, one can never be completely sure in the beginning if there will be respect or animosity. In the case of the example above (which did actually happen), the two students ended up not working together and spent four years in a state of animosity towards one another. In fact, that work relationship bled out of that class and into the following years as the two students clashed over mutual friends and their social norms.
Do not doubt the importance of a work relationship. I am not saying that it will always have long term consequences, but in the connected and digital world we live in, there is a higher chance now than ever before for consequences. Social relationships are important. They allow us to grow and explore the world around us with other people by our sides or across the battle lines. However, work relationships are as important in the modern world. They can and usually will leave a mark upon a person's social life and can even become a social relationship of its own. Whether that relationship becomes one of care and true friendship, or one of animosity and pure spite, is up to them.
*Deposits two cents in the "Opinions Jar"*
Until next time.
-Jay
Alvino Castillon
TNPer
Thank you very much madjack.madjack:
I will be updating either tomorrow and Friday. If anyone has suggestions for what I should write about next, I would love to hear them.
Alvino Castillon
TNPer
December 11, 2012
The Finals Countdown: Real Life and Role Playing
The Finals Countdown: Real Life and Role Playing
*Sips a cup of hot cocoa near a window and looks out at the snow*
It's funny how very few consider the concept of the "in between" character a good one. It almost seems crazy to some people. They might state that allowing for the creation of that "in between" character is a dangerous precedent that makes for bad etiquette. They state that people take things too personally, respond with a furious passion and animosity when things don't go the way that the "in between" character intended.
However... it isn't so crazy actually.
*Puts his cup of hot cocoa down on the windowsill and looks over*
It's actually a very key element of role playing to some people. Some people need that "in between" character to do their best writing. That doesn't mean bad etiquette at all. Bad etiquette would be to take events that happen in Role Play on a Real Life level. However, many that use the "in between" character learn that very quickly and learn to separate the fantasy from reality. The fear of taking In Character matters in an Out Of Character way is unfounded in most cases. However, there is the problem of Real Life affecting Role Playing. The best example of this would be the dreaded finals week, which is the focus for today.
Q: How does "Finals Week" affect Role Playing and the "In Between" Character?
The dreaded finals week is a time of crunching and cramming. Students spend long, dreary nights cramming as much into their skull the night before as possible. It generally lasts a full week and will often take up the majority of a person's time for that week. The entire week is a rush of sleep deprivation, testing, and nervous breakdowns. During that week, a very critical moment happens...
It is the life or death moment for a Role Play.
This is part of the proof that the "In Between" Character does indeed exist. Real Life does eventually bleed into In Character Role Play, no matter what. People who face the major crunch time of the "Finals Week" will also generally suffer in terms of participation and quality in role playing. During that week, students have much less time to engage in Role Playing and usually need to take a leave of absence. If enough people are absent for that week, the Role Play can lapse and eventually die out. It is a critical danger to Role Plays around this time in terms of quality as well. The limited time in a day will be spent mainly on cramming, leading to less time to write out a decent post. Sleep deprivation makes many student role players very impatient and somewhat stubborn. It is around this time that either a Role Play will collapse in a fiery demise or will fall into ruin.
The "In Between" Character suffers even worse than the In Character. Students that role play in first person will sometimes make mistakes and take In Character matters in an Out Of Character sense. They may rarely hold Out Of Character grudges for In Character matters on a normal day, but when they're cramming for a final tomorrow and running on little to no sleep, the lines become blurred. First person narrative suffers due to this sleep deprivation. It becomes harder for a student to get into that "In Between" Character zone and as a result, have difficulty writing an adequate post.
Q: Can this somehow be stopped?
Short Answer: Yes, but no.
Long Answer: There is no way to stop "Finals Week." It is inevitable and will carry out no matter what Role Plays a person is in. As I've said, this week is a dangerous time for Role Plays because it is a point of sheer collapse or abandonment. The goal of the participants is to ensure the Role Play survives that week of chaos and insanity. For an Opening Poster, this can be done by doing some of the following:
- Tweaking the story a little bit or introducing a concept that will allow for a slow down in posts. Introducing a concept near the end of the week that changes up the story is a great way to get it back on track and on the move.
- Place a reminder at the end of the week about posting. Most people will return to post if they remember the Role Play and if the Opening Poster makes a good attempt to keep the story moving.
- Some Role Plays have characters that can drop out of a story for a certain amount of time, and reappear at any moment. In these Role Plays, the students can drop out for about a week and reappear later on at a different part of the story. Opening Posters who are great with creative writing and plot twists can use that leave of absence to create some convoluted subplot.
- Call for a "recess" in the Role Play for that week. Use this as a last resort. This is a dangerous strategy that requires the Opening Poster to post as soon as the recess is over. This should only be used if there is a large mixed group of students that have a week of final exams and people who don't have that week of final exams.
Opening Posters should not fear a slowdown in the story during "Finals Week." It always happens in role playing and students usually take a leave of absence around that time. Once "Finals Week" ends, there is usually a break for these students and a time of relaxation. Around that time if a Role Play survives that week, most students will return to Role Play and the story will once again move.
To everyone who does have a large amount of final exams this week and the next, I wish you the best of luck with your exams and with the all night cramming that may ensue.
*Deposits two cents in the "Opinions Jar"*
Until next time.
-Jay