Hail all,
I am new to the family and wanted to say hello and introduce myself. My name is Darren, or Melisander in the Tavern =P In Tyria, I guide the destiny of one Melisandris, human elementalist. Her name is a derivative of the name Melisandre, who is the red priestess of R'hllor, Lord of Light, from George R. R. Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire," a series I am firmly entrenched in.
In the real world I am a technical consultant for Sprint, married 13 years, a dad, a volunteer and a college student. I live in Minnesota, have filled three very large containers of leaves so far (that's a lot, trust me), and will soon be shoveling snow. I love every minute of it. Love the outdoors and love to read and write about it, and biking and running through it, too. Atypical for an avid gamer, no? Yes, aside from fantasy fiction (go figure) I love history, creative non-fiction and nature writing. If all goes as planned, when I finally finish my degree, I will be teaching and publishing.
Why am I here? I have been to the Gaiscioch site in the past from links for guides that I was looking up, and I will say, some of the best I have found have been here. One of the most helpful, has been Jerich's crafting guide. Thanks a lot, sir, well-written! Anyway, the guild I have been in for quite some time has decided not to participate in GW2, and this is a game that I very much enjoy.
I decided to come back here and have a closer look, and aside from the obvious hard work that has been invested in this community and website, the simple yet effective "blades out not in" philosophy, really resonates with me. I have been spending a lot of time soloing in GW2, running PUGs and whatnot and it has been a mixed bag. Sometimes you get helpful folks and sometimes you get very rude individuals. Most of the time you get mere indifference. I play MMOs for the social aspect more than anything. Fellowship is most important to me. That's why I am here.
So that's the very abridged "me." I'd like to raise a mug to you all for what you have built here and I am very much loking forward to being a part. And in the spirit of nature and keeping the blades out, I would like to share this little bit from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden:"
"There is a period in the [life] of the individual...when the hunters are the "best men." No humane being, past the thoughtless age of boyhood, will wantonly murder any creature, which holds its life by the same tenure he does."
"[Still we] go thither at first as a hunter and fisher, until at last, if [we] have the seeds of a better life in [us], [we] distinguish [our] proper objects...and leave the gun and the fish-pole behind."
Well met all, I look forward to meeting all of you soon.
Mel
