Elan_Talak

I understand what you are saying and agree with the advantages a script format would present. I also know that in each of the sims I participated in claimed to have the best writers, a fact that is great as it clearly shows that there are a lot of great writers out there, each one with their own individual flare and style. Therefore based on the above and acknowledging that script format is unfortunately not for me, I am sorry to say that I will be resuming my search for a Star Trek sim, one that i will be a better fit for so as to not waste anyone's time here. May your adventures be numerous and filled with wonders.

Greetings and Salutations, My name is Francois (yes, I speak French and English). Live in Montreal, Quebec (yes, I eat poutine). I work in a high school as the head technician (yes, I spend way too much time in front of a computer and should be doing something else during my breaks and free time). Elan, my character, has gone through several reincarnations, and I am looking forward to seeing himin action as a Caitian. Looking forward to writing with all of you and I hope that I can prove myself worthy of the honour of being part of this group.

I may be jumping into a discusson in which i have no business being in, so I will apologize in advance if the below is "out of place" or "unacceptable". I have taken part in at least 4 different "Star Trek / Sci-Fi RPGs" and all used the Fiction format. Everyone that joined in these sims seemed to be most happy with this format because it allows them to feel more like they are reading / contributing to an ongoing story. There have been a few in which people were not allowed to write for other characters... --- Example: Elan walked into the Officer's Lounge and noted that the First Officer had been sitting with the Ship's Counsellor. Although he suspected that they were having a discussion of a personal level, the Caitian still decided to approach confident that his reasoning for interrupting would be accepted. "My appologizes Sir," Elan humbly offered. "May I join you? I have a matter of some urgency to discuss with you." (Tag First Officer, Counsellor) --- Although this insures that nothing is said or done inappropriately with anyone's character it does slow the pace of the story should one or more of the players whose character was tagged are not able to reply in a reasonable amount of time. The other RPGs I belonged to actually encouraged people to write for *all* characters, thus allowing them to actually grow through not only the writing of their owner but also through the imagination of others. In another incarnaton, Elan was said to love apple juice, someting hat I had never thouht of and was happy to incorporate into his character. Anyway, I am getting off topic. I personally prefer the "open fiction" forma in which players are encounraged to write the full scene while still leaving room for additional details to be added or corrected by the owners should there be a need. --- Example: Elan walked into the Officer's Lounge and noted that the First Officer had been sitting with the Ship's Counsellor. Although he suspected that they were having a discussion of a personal level, the Caitian still decided to approach confident that his reasoning for interrupting would be accepted. "My appologizes Sir," Elan humbly offered. "May I join you? I have a matter of some urgency to discuss with you." "If Elan has a matter of some urgency," the Counsellor echoed with a playful tone, "I would think it best that you listen to him," she added as she grinned at the First Officer knowing that their own conversation could wait a few minutes. The First Officer signed playfully. The Caitian had been a model Officer since his arrival onboard but he had displayed a certain over zealous desire to report every little *problem* to the command staff. "By all means, have a seat," the ExO stated as he offered one of the empty chairs to the new arrival while silently planning a way to even out the score with the Ship's Counsellor. Elan sat and immediately proceeded to explain, in rather painful detail, how he had noticed that one of the secondary plasma conduits on the port nacelle had displayed signs of structural fatigue and that even though it had been scheduled for replacment in less than a week, the Caitain had thought it best to perform this *urgent* repair now and had offered to put in all of the extra time required for him to do this himself. The Counsellor did her best to hide her amuzement as she watched the First Officer's annoyance gradually mount as the Catian's explanation progressed without any signs of ending soon. The occasional glare that the ExO had managed to send her way had been almost enough to make her laught out loud, but she held firm. Evantually the First Officer agreed to the *urgent* repair and sent the Caitian on his way before turning his fullest attention to the still visibly amused Counsellor. "That was cruel of you." "Cruel?" the Ship's Counsellor repeated with an tone of surprised innocence. "Just think of how happy you made him," she added with a tender smile as she leaned over the table. "Yeah," the ExO agreed with a quick chuckle. "He has to be the only officer I know that would be happy to put in an extra 12 to 15 hours worth of work into something that could have waited a few days and be done by a full team instead of just one person." "Look on the bright side," the Counsellor grinned. "That's 12 to 15 hours that he won't be bothering you or the Captain." --- For me, writing this way is so normal, natural. It is true that at first it can be difficult as you get to learn the specifics of each character, but in time it does offer possibilities that would in any other style remain untapped, leaving the stories to be far more static in flow and imagination than they could otherwise be. Sorry... just the longwinded opinion of a Cadet who should probably learn to keep his mouth shut ;-)

CAIT - Four year ago The spires of the Temple of Felinas, one of CAIT’s most prestigious religious structures, stretched with grace and majesty towards the heavens. Since the first time Elan had laid eyes upon them, his heart and soul had long to follow their led and venture into the vast unknown that could be found out there amongst the stars. Having had an affinity for engineering and problem solving, the Caitian took every course available in this field of expertise with the hopes that one day he would earn enough recognition to be accepted into Starfleet. The endless dedication and undying determination soon paid off and the young Caitian found himself bound for EARTH to begin his training and hopefully join the ranks of those fortunate enough to explore the universe under the banner of Starfleet. --- STARBASE 118 – Present day Four years of intensive training, endless hours of work, training and simulations had brought the Caitian here, to STARBASE 118 for the final step in his journey to become a Starfleet Officer. The moment the towering being stepped into he open walkway of the Commercial Sector, all eyes diverted onto Elan, a reaction that he had grown accustomed to over the years. With a gentle bow of his head, the 32 terran years old Caitian greeted some of his stunned onlookers as he ventured onto he starbase’s Commercial Sector with an hour to himself before having to report for his final training. At almost 2 meters tall, Elan had been difficult to miss or even ignore, and his 130 kilos of imposing musculature only insured that no one, not even the station’s own security personnel would stand in his way. “Elan?” An attractive humanoid woman with long flowing red hair called out as she easily spotted the Caitian in the crowd. “What are you doing here?” The imposing engineer quickly turned in the direction of the voice that had beckoned him, and it was with not small amount of joy that he recognized Amber Satori, a woman with whom he had spend a many hours studying back on EARTH. Despite the fact that she had not been a Starfleet Officer or Cadet for that matter, the woman had possessed an uncanny knowledge of Starfleet and its ways. The fact that she had managed to eluded divulging her actual origins to the Caitian had only further deepened his admiration of her. “I am here for my final training,” the gentle giant replied, his tender, soft voice a sharp contradiction to the impression the Caitian gave by his simple form. “I am happy, although somewhat surprised to see you here,” Elan added having half suspected that she had already known that he would be here and that her presence here had not been a coincidence. “The universe is full of surprises my dear Elan,” Amber cooed back as she took one of the Caitian’s skilled hands into her own delicate ones. “That said, it is unwise to question he universe when it presents you with a gift,” the redhead added with a beaming smile. “After your training you and I will have to get together so that I can once again listen to your magnificent flute playing.” Elan could not help but smile at the thought of playing his silver flute for her. Many evenings back on EARTH during the last four years the two of them had spent long hours together, her listening to hi playing, and him feeling inspired in a way that he had never thought possible. “It will be with great pleasure that I shall be looking forward to this,” Elan announced with a smile that matched that of mysterious crimson haired woman. “I can only hope that this final training will not leave me in a condition that will make it impossible for me to play my flute.” Amber chuckled. “Elan, I have yet to see anyone throw you into a situation or give you a problem that you can’t find a way out of without compromising your ethics and beliefs,” she affirmed without hesitation. “I have the utmost faith in you my dear Elan. Believe in the universe, because it believes in you,” she added with a playful wink before leaving the Caitain giant to his own thoughts with now less than 30 minutes before his final training. Cadet Elan Talak --- Character Summary – Elan Talak Race: Caitian Age: 32 terran years Height: 6 feet 8 inches (198cm) Weight: 285lbs (130Kg) Appearance: Tall and muscular, Elan easily comes across as someone that would best be befriended or avoided entirely. Light beige base fur color with dark brown stripes over the shoulders and arms, and spots over the rest of the body. His fur is relatively short and exceptionally soft to the touch. Although imposing in size and appearance, Elan is a “kitten” at heart, unable to harm the smallest living creature. Because of this he has often been given the nickname of “teddy bear” although he is quick to point out to those individuals that his race is feline in origin. The fact that he is an extreme pacifist has also created a few unique situations where fellow classmates have assumed that because of his size and general muscular appearance the Caitian would not have any problems getting into some sort of brawl along side fellow Cadets. They are alas quick to realize that this is not so as Elan will avoid any type of confrontation.