Ceriwyn Alyvor/Korweynite/Traveling Bardess

[Ceriwyn]

Hello, Ms. Kalina. Thank you for coming by to comment! I hate to ask for more of your time, but I'm a bit uncertain of your request. If it's not too much trouble, would you mind elucidating a little? Otherwise, I may end up simply adding superfluous verbiage, and I don't want to cause frustration to you and others who may peruse this CD.    If it's in regards to Deklitch's questions, which he was so thorough in providing, I'm afraid it's a request I cannot grant, for reasons mentioned in a previous post (namely, that I'm uncertain of how all of these attributes will manifest--an unfortunate Catch-22).

Thank you, Alexandre, for your approval, and for the list provided. The characters are certainly fantastical and extraordinarily creative, but not all are necessarily exceptional in the way I was speaking (though I was probably speaking too vaguely--I apologize). I'm glad to see that more puissant characters, such as Drustai, have found approval, though.

My character has only ever had one familiar--just Murmur the horse. Though with all the many character descriptions here, you are probably terribly overworked, and mix-ups are bound to happen. No worries!  

Thank you again for second approval, though I'm not entirely certain that my description has ailments to which I have a cure.  

[Deklitch Hardin]

Kalina would like you to explain your strengths and weaknesses a bit more. Write the two or three sentences on each one that you are asked to write in the Character Creation link.

[Ceriwyn]

After cogitating and worrying over how to add to Strength and Weaknesses without becoming overly repetitive, I decided to try to revamp the genre in which I'd composed them.  I had originally chosen a minimalist, attic style purely for the aesthetic of concision, but as this is not permitted, I decided to craft something a little more consistent to the style I'd adopted in the other sections. This involved adding another section to the history, in brilliant yellow. I tried to color-code the Strengths and Weaknesses, but the colors wouldn't come out (I assume it had something to do with the bullet points). 

I am still a bit hesitant about going through this process;  I'm still a novitiate here, and therefore do not know the characters generally approved. I suppose my question is (in the wake of all this chaos I inadvertently caused): is the application of rules and regulations relatively consistent among all CDs, and is this process of application now lightening to allow more leeway, or was the severity with which the rules were applied for my particular CD somewhat aberrant in the general process of critiquing?

[Alexandre Scriabin]

There was no severity. It was simple a question of what constitutes a strong character. And we're still divided on the issue. I had said that I thought it over again and I feel ready to approve you.

Let me read it real quick, and see about getting you approved. If it was just a change of writing style, then I'll probably be approving you.

[Alexandre Scriabin]

Yep, just some more good storytelling. You've gotten your second approval. Congratulations, ceriwyn!

[Ceriwyn]

Thank you, Alexandre! You have taken so much time and care to read over this character description. I dare say you must be more than a little tired of my character by now. Thank you again. 

I feel as though I may be failing miserably to word my question clearly. Was the way my CD was assessed initially (i.e. being overpowered, not being detailed enough, etc.) common?

If so, are things going to change in the future so that slightly more powerful or otherwise exceptional characters gain approval?

If not, what was it about my CD in particular that engendered such aberrant critique? Can such things be avoided in the future?

I'm still trying to assess if this is a good environment for me to RP. I tend to appreciate a fair amount of freedom, and I just want to be assured that this is a good fit. 

[Altario Shialt-eck-Gorrin]

I do not speak for everyone, but what "I" consider overpowered is someone who I will have a hard time, as a story moderator and creator, controlling that character from short circuiting my efforts.  Therefore, what I consider over-powered is someone who has too much influence or too much combative attributes.  If your character can single handedly beat back a horde of rampaging orcs, or can summon up an army of his own, then it limits me in my storytelling ability.


A good story puts people in situations where they are challenged, but if you have all the answers, then it becomes too easy for you.

On a personal note, I prefer flawed characters, because they are more "human" and I can delve into their fears, their flaws and such much deeper than I can with a superman.  A superman just takes things for granted and rolls over obstacles.  How boring.  My characters can't do that.  They try, sometimes succeeding, sometimes failing, giving them a personal growth arc that I can transcend over multiple storylines.

Altario the character, for instance, is not the same Altario in Frozen Darkness as he was in Twilight or is now in Destiny.  He has evolved, changed, and learned.  I think it makes him more rounded, more three dimensional than if I started him from some position of superiority.

That said, I do not think that he is a mundane character on par with a simple peasant, and too much emphasis (in my opinion, not shared by others more qualified than I at CD commenting) is made to compare to a common peasant.  The adventurer is by definition a superior person to the common man of our medieval fantasy world.  Not that if a person wanted to put a common peasant into uncommon heroic positions it would not be a fascinating challenge.  I'm sure it would.

But, this is all my own opinion.  Others do disagree, and I respect them all for their views and for their knowledge in the many aspects of Santharia.  With time, and in proving how you handle characters in story situations, you can get a certain amount of latitude in future CD creation.

Though, I'm pretty sure a god will always be off limits.  Though, I may be in need of one for future use. 

[Deklitch Hardin]

Ceriwyn,

Our role as CD mod is to make sure CDs are balanced.

If we feel that they are not balanced, we are going to ask for modifications to them or clarifications about what appears in them. Those of us who are CD Mods and Mini Mods have been through the process of getting characters approved at least once, and in many cases, more than once (sometimes many more than once - I have 6 completed characters and half a dozen or more characters in various states of readiness for the approval process).

We don't go out of our way to make things difficult for people, we go out of our way to make sure everyone is on a level playing field as it were, so that all people in a story have the chance to enjoy it, rather than one or two characters getting all the action, and the others having to watch from the sidelines. In the past, the odd character has gotten through that has been deemed to be overpowered. That caused problems for stories that they were in, as well as those of us who assisted in the approval process, it also caused more wok for all concerned.

Have you tried looking at other characters approved? That'll show you the process that other people went through. The process was the same as yours ... CD Mods/Commenters not feeling CDs were balanced, not understanding things, asking for clarification and pointing out inconsistencies. And in the majority of cases, the CD writer working with the CD Mods and Commentators to address concerns raised.

Congratulations on your approvals.

Dek

[Kalína Dalá'isyrás]

And titled. Sorry it took me a little while to get to ya.

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