User:RosieRazor/Demi-Pharaoh

Tell us a little about yourself (i.e. how long have you been playing? What do you enjoy about ATITD? etc.):
I am 34-years-old and live on the southern coast of Maine, USA. I am the owner of two small businesses, as well as a licensed veterinary technician. Due to health issues, I've been on medical leave for a bit over two years, giving me an abundance of free time to play ATITD.

Tale 4 is the first tale I've played, and I'm happy to have discovered the game. I enjoy many aspects of ATITD, including crafting, building, foraging, working on tests, donating time and materials to tech research, and being involved in community projects. I also enjoy helping others, be it by helping them become familiar with the game, working towards goals or finishing projects, or answering any questions they might have. Lastly, I enjoy the social aspect of this game. I've met so many wonderful people and enjoy the friends I have made in-game.

What do you believe the role of DP is? What should it be?
I believe the role of a Demi-Pharaoh should be that of a reasonable, knowledgeable mediator. In addition to being honest, temperate, and empathetic, I believe a DP needs to be approachable, socially engaged, and able to consider all perspectives in a given situation. A DP should be someone that other players know they can turn to with any concerns/issues they may be having.

Regarding the topic of banning players, I believe this power should only be used in a "worst case scenario," when all other options have been attempted and failed. Also, I believe that DP's should work together to make decisions regarding the banning of players.

(Note: Personally, I cannot think of a situation where I would find banning to be the only solution.)

Why would you make a good DP?
Well, I think I fit the bill because I am all of the above. :) I am honest and do not mince words. I feel that I am a fair person, and am both friendly and considerate. Though this is my first tale, I feel that I have a solid grasp of the game, and am knowledgeable enough to offer help and advice to those who need it. With that being said, I also know when I am not the best person to give advice on a particular issue/subject, and am not afraid to advise players to ask a more qualified player (or GM/Dev) for help.

If I've left anything out or you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me. :)

Questions asked during the debate on E!...

Can you give an example of how you handled a conflict where you were one of the parties involved in the conflict? Can you also give an example of how you handled a conflict where you were not one of the parties engaged in conflict, but rather a bystander/mediator?

Conflict where I was involved: "The Zeus Situation" - Long, overly-dramatic story made semi-short: Zeus/Blackbeast did not like the fact that I decided it best that we not be friends anymore. (He had lashed out at me a number of times after I declined his proposed trades of things like his 1 night granite for my 11 osm.) After that, he began to harass me endlessly, even after I had squelched him. (Sending me rude, derogatory, threatening comments via the /message command, accosting me on E!, etc) It got to the point where I was actually feeling threatened. I tried my best to just ignore him, and when that didn't work, I attempted to calmly communicate to him that his contacting me was making me uncomfortable. I made him aware that if he did not refrain from harassing me, I would seek the assistance of a DP. Unfortunately, this only fueled his fire. I ended up logging off at this point. When I returned, I was informed that his IP had been banned. (Yay!) Needless to say, I was very appreciative of the action that had been taken, and thankful to all who took part in the removal of what I feel was a very toxic player.

Conflict I was not involved in by helped to resolve: I will not include names here, but an example of a situation in which I helped mediate would be when one player, who was rather distraught, chatted me to both vent about the situation and ask for advice and help in diffusing said situation. I was able to listen, give some bits of advice, and sooth the frazzled and stressed player's nerves. It's my understanding that this player then chatted the other involved player, and they worked things out amicably. I did chat the second player the next day, just to make sure things were smoothed out. I was very happy to have helped, and would do my best to always be available for any similar situation if I were elected as Demi-Pharaoh.

Some (perhaps all) of the candidates have had interpersonal conflicts with other players (as have many of us, at one time or another), and some of these conflicts have become quite heated. If there were a conflict raised to you as DP, and it involved someone with whom you had experienced conflict with yourself in the past, do you feel you could be fair? Would you recuse yourself from the resolution of the conflict and ask another DP to step in?

In general, I believe I am fully able to set aside past disagreements or conflicts in order to be an impartial mediator. I am not the type to hold grudges, and strongly believe the old cliche, "Let bygones be bygones." However, I admittedly have a sour taste in my mouth when it comes to a particular someone, and if I were faced with a situation that involved said player, I would have to pass the situation off to another DP, as I feel that my personal opinions regarding said person's communication style would likely cloud my ability to mediate in an unbiased fashion. As "unprofessional" as that may sound, I must be honest here. After all, I am only human, and like everyone, I have my flaws.

Otherwise, I feel that I am completely capable of being fair and level-headed in any given situation.

A DP is a player like another: as such they participate in the life of Egypt. 1 - In your opinion, can he (or should he) participate in the qualifying rounds of DP elections and why? 2 - In an election can he have an opinion on the candidates, naturaly; however, should he use his position to support actively one of these candidates?

1. I am not sure I understand this part of the question. This is the first DP election I've ever taken part in (save for the rounds I entered in the beginning to pass principles). If you are asking if I think already elected DP's should participate in DP rounds, I would have to say no. In my opinion, current DP's should be allowed to take part in the actual voting round just like his/her fellow Egyptians. (If my interpretation of this art of the question is completely off, I apologize. :P)

2. Of course, everyone has the right to their opinion, as well as the right to show support for their candidate. However, I do find it in poor taste for Demi-Pharaoh's to diss other candidates in order to "fluff the feathers" of their favored candidate.

Do you still enjoy playing ATITD? What do you enjoy about it now, is that different from what you used to enjoy about it?

Yes, I very much still enjoy ATITD! I enjoy most aspects of the game: the people, the challenges of tests, working alone or in groups on projects such as research donation and other community projects. As for what I miss... well, I miss Lill and Pacer. And Catlyn. And Cali. And many, many other players who have since moved on due to a variety of reasons. I really do hate to see so many folks leave the game. :(

(Oh, a few other things I enjoy include antagonizing blondie, getting my OCD on with Eastern Meditation and obsessively rearranging my CP's on what seems to be a monthly basis, and the odd satisfaction I get from stabbing wild sheep.)

What do you think of past DPs who no longer play but promised to be here through the end of the telling?

I think that, like the other candidates stated, life happens. Those DP's who are no longer here probably had full intention of playing to the tale's end. As we all know, real life is not always predictable and as much as we love Egypt, we aren't always able to make it a priority. That being said, I do not make judgments on these absent DP's, I only wish them well and hope to see them return when and if real life permits.

Firstly describe yourself in five words ONLY and second describe your fellow Egyptians in five words ONLY. I would like a degree of brevity.

I am authentic and forthright. Egypt's people are diverse and generous.

Since the new shard was released, would your friends say your playtime on this shard has increased, decreased, or stayed the same?

When the shard was first opened, I did spend a few hours a day checking it out. This tale is my first, and I joined a few months after it's start, so I had never seen Egypt in it's earliest days. I played both Bastet and the main shard for a few weeks, but have not renewed my subscription. Nothing compares to the community we have on the main shard, and I spend all of my game time here. :) (In my opinion, the shard has much less of a 'community feel,' and the general feeling there is one of being hurried and far more competitive than the main shard. That, to me, is more stressful than enjoyable.)

What irritates each candidate the most in egypt as it currently is:

I wouldn't say that anything in particular "irritates" me, but I suppose the rate of which tests are being released is a bit disheartening.