The Glorious Borderlands of
Swith WitherwardWhat nickname can players use to address you?Swith is fine.
Where in the world are you?I'm in the US though I've been all over the world as a military brat. My timezone is EST.
What genre do you personally enjoy?I've found that my tastes are slowly changing. This is probably due to burnout. For example, I love WH40K but I'm so tired of WH40K! I will always love science fiction, but lately I've been getting more into high fantasy.
Do you have any roleplaying experience outside of NationStates, such as on other forums, pen and paper, or tabletop gaming?My uncle introduced me to roleplaying when I was still very young. I've done it all over the years. I prefer tabletop gaming, but I also enjoy pen and paper. I'm active on a few other roleplay forums, though I've retired from most due to time constraints.
All Mentors are volunteers, but what do you do in real life?There's life outside of NS?
I'm a nerd. My focus is biochemistry. It's... not very impressive, trust me. It's dull and routine, nothing groundbreaking, and my role is usually that of a flunky. My real life is in limbo. I'm supposed to be on leave from work; they call me in when shit needs done (or when it hits the fan and they need to me to waste hours pouring over documents). I'm supposed to defend my dissertation before a committee; the date has been bumped out (again) for no good reason. I was supposed to go to Mexico for a nice summer vacation; I went to Taco Bell yesterday. So, in real life, I sit on my butt and twiddle my thumbs.
What subforums do you Mentor?Portal to the Multiverse (P2TM).
Why did you want to become a Mentor?Someone told me site staff didn't have to pay taxes on collected souls.
I've always been a mentor. We all have the opportunity to mentor someone at least once in life. I joined the NS Mentor Program because I saw an opportunity to help people grow as writers, as roleplayers, and as worldbuilders. These are the hobbies that got me through a lot of turmoil during my younger years. It's only fitting that I pay it forward.
What are your personal goals as a Mentor?Souls. Did I mention those?
I'm not a perfect Mentor. My goal is to be an effective one. I prefer to give people the support and tools necessary for them to grow. As a Mentor, I hope to train up the next generation of roleplayers. My goal isn't for them to be good roleplayers. It's for them to become confident enough in their own abilities in order to mentor the generation that follows them.
What do you think is the most important concept or idea for a new player grasp about roleplaying on NationStates, regardless of board, tech level, or genre?It's a game; don't take it too seriously. You're going to screw up. We all do. You're going to fail. We all have at one point or another. Use those mistakes as a valuable lesson, and move onwards. Don't limit yourself to one community or subforum. Explore. Expand. Try new things. Challenge yourself to improve, and then work to do so.
A
ny advice for those that hope to one day become Mentors?Give up all hope of tax free souls. Or any souls. Mods hoard them. It's entirely unfair, really.
Mentors are not people that write the best stuff or run the best roleplay games. They aren't the most popular. They don't have to belong to any special groups. When we're assessed as candidates, site staff look at the overall picture. How do we conduct ourselves on the forums? How do we deal with friction? Are we helpful, or are we petty? Do we crave glory, or are we humble? Do we actually contribute to the site in a meaningful way, or is our focus only on our own stuff, our own friends, or our own projects?
I don't wear this jacket because I'm better than anyone else. I wear it because my aim is to help people surpass where I am now as a writer, roleplayer, and forum participant. People see the bright green name and flag me down in TG or in chat. They ask me to make them good. You're already good. You just don't realize it. I'm here to help you discover your hidden talents, and to help you harness your own creativity and potential. It's on you to go the distance.