Congrats to our newest Peacekeeper, Iolo'pax!

[Gryffon Etheras]

We heard reports that someone is questioning the lollypop protocol. Please come with us for reconditioning.

 

[Iolo'pax]

This week has been a roller coaster of a week.

Monday I logged in to the horrible news about the guild bank. I don't wanna re-hatch the details, I think we all want to move forward. However in the spirit of my journal for my trials I feel it is important to offer things as I experienced them.

When something like this happens, it is completely natural and normal for people to be on guard. At the same time, it is only logical to assess what has changed recently that could have caused it. If you have owned your business for a few years, and money has never gone missing from the safe, and then one day it does…what changed?

The first thing I would do is look internally. Who is new or not part of my inner circle? Who were the people that didn't have enough of their sweat and tears invested in the process of building my business and wouldn't care one way or another about its future. Who is in it for themselves?

I after all was a Trainee, having only gotten to know people over the last couple of weeks. It wouldn't surprise me if my trial, or even recruitment as a whole was put on hold. Pull the reins in and solidify the walls. I kinda sorta 'braced' for any repercussions that might come of this. I wouldn't take any offense to it. I want to be in it for the long haul, so I would jump through any new hoops placed before me. As I keep saying, to me that is a normal reaction. On that note, maybe an abnormal reaction on my part, was how upset I was that this happened.

I have only been with Pax Rebublica two weeks, I had only dropped in few contributions to the guild bank. Under normal circumstances, I really should have been relatively numb to what happened. But I wasn't. I was angry that someone would do something like this to Pax. I mean it is wrong for this to be done to anyone, sure, but this was a different level for me. Sure it is wrong to kick an elderly lady down a flight of stairs, but if that elderly lady is a humble Nun, and a cancer survivor, who volunteers her time takign care of special needs kids and you knowingly kick her down a flight of stairs... well that is pure evil to me on an entirely different level. (sorry for the crude analogy) But, that is how I felt. This is a collection of good people, something I have found to be unique, and I felt they didn't deserve this.

I went to try and minimize the impact this has on this wonderful environment I discovered. I went through my own bank to see what I had that I could contribute to ease the pain to everyone. I logged on my alts and got them crafting, and I grabbed whatever purple stuff I had and went to the Guild ship to make a deposit. Taking a look inside, I got that sinking feeling. All of the items I had never seen before (cause you needed a guild to get them) like engineering plans were gone. The only stuff remaining, were plentiful, and were the things I had brought to deposit. I said to myself 'better too many than too few and every little bit will help' and went to make the deposit, and was silenced with 'You don't have permissions to make a deposit' or something to that effect. I figured it was part of the lockdown that I predicted. A little bit disheartened, I logged into TS to face the music.

I wasn't sure what to expect the first time I interacted with folks on TS. I am sure there would be discussions, but I wasn't sure what people's demeanor would be. I was still an outsider looking in, I wondered if the warm embracing personalities that usually greeted me would have turned cold. I logged in and I didn't see any of the usual names online. I exchanged a couple of hellos with the few that were on, but no conversations were going, and none were starting. My heart sank, shifting to an almost defeatist attitude, 'This is gonna suck now'. Some folks signed on then signed off, nothing that doesn't happen on any other day, but I took it as doom and gloom. Uncertain what the rest of the night would have in store, I tabbed out of game and continued  reading on Dulfy to continue my quest for improvement in my DPS.

All of a sudden, over the headset, came a gleeful, acapella, hello introduction song from a very familiar voice…Travis!!! (like you needed me to tell you who it was) Instantly things seemed brighter. Quickly I jumped on the opportunity to get a conversation going. Shortly afterward even more familiar names signed in, and TS came alive.

Wow.. this was unreal!!! It was if the cosmos itself answered my hopes and opened  up to reveal to me that future would remain bright and be filled with unicorns and lolly-pops!!!! OH no wait…9pm raid …duh.   *facepalm* That's why nobody was online yet, and nobody was talking.

Before long friendly voices I had grown accustomed filled the channel. There was some discussion about what had happened, what could have been done different, and of course what happens next. Some folks used their RL careers to gather more information to report the wrong-doer, others made  plans to help restock the bank. People were for sure disappointed, but also pretty accepting of the events that happened. It was almost as if everyone said to themselves 'Oh we lost all that stuff? Well okay, more stuff to do together again as we build it back up. Kewl!' Almost like it was a good thing that had happened. The group then gathered for the gearing raid and we were underway.

All of a sudden I got a whisper from someone who recently applied for membership after reading my thread in the recruitment area. I froze. With all that happened, is this really a good time for this?  uhm.. what do i do? Well.. that's easy.. I just need to mention it.

Travis put me at ease, and directed me to have him reach out to Tiffs, who was having issues with her mic. I greeted the new Applicant, and did as I was told. I didn't know Ashas at all yet, but I was worried that being brand-new to the guild, he might get very different, and less welcoming treatment than I. Before long he was added to the guild and joined us in TS. I was VERY relieved.

Travis helped Tiffs get her microphone issues squared away on her new computer, and soon her cheerful voice was back on the channel. Ciervo was being himself as the gleeful crafting tank..Elias offering his usual one-liners as his healing progressed us through content while simultaneously trying to parlay a deal for his coveted silver/blue crystal. Eosque trading playful remarks with Tiffs. Kayllek chiming in with his Ranked PvP segways… even Shawn popped in for a bit of hello. I could go on and on about the night.

Comparing how I thought events would unfold vs what actually happened in the days that followed proved to be very insightful. On our forums there was a discussion about steps we could take to tighten things up. Everyone was spit-balling things from securing TS to stiffer admission protocols for alts. One thing to me sticks out above all the other comments that were made.

Elias, a trainee like me, pointed out that some of the ideas being thrown around were 'contrary to the guild's philosophy'. I don't yet know Elias' full background, but if he is as new to this group as I am, that is a pretty awesome point to make, and a testament to the recruitment selection process. I was then hit with the following thought.

This is a guild that was created well before there was even a SWTOR game to play on. The creativity and dedication that is required to pull that off is amazing. We aren't going to always be perfect in what we do, but we are already awesome in the ideals we strive for.

Pax Republica was never been about whats is inside the guild box, it has always been about what is inside the guild. I have only been here two weeks, and even I can see that now.

[Nwahs]

:D winner.  Great write up man.  I'm glad the core of the guild has bled threw to newer folks and veterans alike.

[Iolo'pax]

This past weekend my trial concluded, and my future now rests in the hands of the voters.  Work priorities caused me to shuffle my gaming time outside my usually playing window. My experience the last few days centers around some of the social aspects of Pax Republica.

During a raid, especially a HM, there are sure jokes, puns, and lots of sarcasm. However, there is a certain degree of focus required for the current objective. You don't want to cause a wipe when nobody heard the calls to cleanse because you filled the comm channel talking about the scars you got from that vicious beaver bite you got while canoeing in 2005. It is really more appropriate to recant the tale during down time (or drunk raiding as the case may be).

Much of the time when I logged in, raids were already in progress, or were beyond my current comfort level.  I grouped with some folks for some PvP matches, did some conquest objectives too while others were focused on leveling. The raid groups usually were in their own TS channel, and it enabled more casual conversations. Topics varied from the light 'How was the company picnic you went to?' ….the game related 'If you mouse over the PvP scoreboard numbers it gives you even more details about your performance'….to the Obligatory… 'The prequels killed Star Wars for me because…' That latter one seemed to last the longest and for sure got most of the folks in the lobby involved in the discussion.

I would say the conversation flowed for the better part of two hours, maybe even longer. People would quote SW Lore, go off on tangents, or simple say things that were slapstick. There was lots of laughter, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, nobody seemed to leave abruptly. (Well okay there might have been one). Every so often someone who had clearly been on the channel for awhile but was quiet would pipe up with their thoughts on the subject. All the while, people were still playing the game.

One of my fears about joining a guild was the worry about logging in and doing 'whatever I wanted to do' for that session. For anyone who has read this thread, odds are you already know that on any given day I 'want' to hang out with Pax. But let's just say hypothetically speaking, if I wanted to level an alt, do GSF, or go after obscure achievements, I didn't want to feel peer pressured into not grouping with folks. I had fears of having to sign in as invisible and carefully avoid people from the guild so that I my time wouldn't get vacuumed into whatever was popular that day.

But here was a room full of people, doing their own thing in-game, but also having a good time on TS. If someone needed help with something (like soloing a Lvl 40 OP in nightmare mode) someone still helped. If information was needed about an item in game, people gave their insight. The only thing that I would say was absent from TS, was any degree of seriousness. We all could have been at someone house, or even a bar just 'shootin the sh!t'. I had a great time.

I know players are unique, and things that I really enjoy and romanticize, are not always going to be what others desire. Some players are 'all business' while others are more like 'college casual'  and there are 31 flavors in between.  I think Pax Republica has the full spectrum in its ranks. I saw Pax announced only recently that conquests would be given some casual attention. After two weeks of 9th place finishes I logged in to discover this week were were in 2nd!!  Ranked PvP team rosters are filling up, and Raid Progression teams have been hard at work too. There has been talk of some RP activity as well. I get the sense that everyone has an area of the game they are passionate about, but everyone in the guild wants to experience it all, even if only once. Yes I for sure am having a great time and experiencing things in the game on a new level.

Oh and that reminds me of my favorite thing that happened yesterday.

At the end of the night, we all gathered in-game aboard the flagship in a moment of complete silliness to celebrate Swishie finally attaining level 60. We all purchased a celebratory emote (/yippee) though not all got it for the same price (look before you buy LOL) and cheered him on he accepted his last XP gain. Was it necessary.. no, did we blow it out of proportion with being silly, absolutely. I am hoping this was only one of many times something spontaneous like this happens with Pax.

You know, I have 11 toons and I couldn't tell you anything about where I was or what I was doing for any of them turning 60. But you know what, I forever will remember Swishes. Maybe, he will too.

Thank you Pax Republica for all I have experienced so far, and I look forward (hopefully) to all we will experience in the future.  May our house always be too small to hold all of our friends

:)

[Gryffon Etheras]

If I vote no, and we send you through the trials again, do we get more journal entries?

[Iolo'pax]

I appreciate that you have enjoyed them  :)   I figured a lot of thought went into the trial system, and I wanted to  embrace that fact. I give credit to the folks like you that I was able to interact with. If everyone wasn't so welcoming, the journal may not have been so positive.

[Nwahs]

Congrats Iolo'pax!  So pumped that you're a member!

[Iolo'pax]

Thank you very much!!  Not just to everyone who voted, but everyone who talked in TS or went with me on raids/pvp. I confess I am geekily stoked to be keeping the 'Pax Republica' attached to my name. It has really become a symbol of pride for me, and reminds me of a standard of excellence I will strive to uphold. I am really looking forward to knowing everyone hope I can contribute to help keep PR something special :)

 

 

 

[Tiffs/Hugtastic]

Congrats :D welcome to the family!

[Iolo'pax]

Tiffs/Hugtastic wrote:

Congrats :D welcome to the family!

 Thank you VERY much for adopting me  :)

 

 

[Eosque]

Congrats iolo!

[Iolo'pax]

Eosque wrote:

Congrats iolo!

 Thanks EO!!!

[Mazikeena]

Congrats and welcome!

[Iolo'pax]

Mazikeena wrote:

Congrats and welcome!

 Thanks Mazi! I have heard good things about you, and look forward to seeing ya online  :)