The Staff Team Needs Elven Representation- CordytheNordy's Staff Application

IGN: CordytheNordyy

Discord Tag: CordytheNordy#5879 (though I would remind everyone that the four-digit tag is no longer in place, and thus I see no reason for it to be required in the application)

Pronouns: She/her

Timezone: EST (Eastern Standard Time)

When I started playing: I am unsure, but I believe it was prior to May 31, 2022.

Time played on the server: 58.64 days 

Age: Handled privately.

What are some examples of your leadership and/or teamwork experiences?

In the real world, I have spent many hours volunteering at a local museum, working as both a cashier and a tour guide. This means that not only do I have experience making small talk, smiling, and generally trying to be pleasant to people who are having trouble, but also that I am good at giving people tours of things, pointing out the qualities and facts surrounding an object, and keeping them moving. 

As for online, I led an almost entirely Discord-based group from December 2018 to May 2022. This group never topped more than a hundred members/associates, but I maintained consistent activity and effort in it. From the group, I primarily gained experience in investigation, recruitment, writing documents, dealing with other groups, crisis management, as well as various things like conflict mediation. 

What do you excel at?

In-game I possess a degree of skill in building as well as in redstone, although I should say that I have largely forgotten any commands I previously learned, and I have no idea how to use World Edit. Additionally, I like to help out new players and share my knowledge of the mod with others. Outside of TOR, I am told I have some skill at writing fiction (though judging by Shadmir_’s staff application, TOR does not lack in skilled writing), should anyone ever wish to utilize that. I also am pretty good at keeping my cool and not losing my calm during tense situations. 

How familiar are you with the Lord of the Rings mod?

I would say I am intimately familiar with most if not all aspects of the mod. I’ve made it a point to travel to just about every biome and interact with every gameplay mechanic I can. I’ve also spent significant time on the wiki learning about anything I might have missed in-game.

What is an example of personal growth you have done recently?

I’ve started trying to cut back on carbs and sugar (I have a bit of a sweet tooth lol). It takes some willpower, but I’m really trying to improve myself for the better, in every way I can.

What is your role in the community, currently?

Currently, I’d like to think of myself as just pretty chill with everyone. I know a lot of people, and like hearing what they are working on. If they have questions, I answer them. If new players need help, I try to help. I’m also usually down for checking out someone’s build, if they want to show it to someone. I spend most of my time building, gathering resources, or hanging out with friends. The community being what it is, I wouldn’t say I really have any quarrels with anyone or whatever. 

The last time you found yourself in a disagreement with another player, how did you approach it?

I can’t really recall any significant disagreements I’ve had with another player. However, there have been a handful of times when player(s) tracked me down and murdered me for my stuff. This is, of course, legal, but I do find these events and their aftermath to be perhaps the closest things to disagreements I’ve had occasion to take part in. Nevertheless, in my response to these events I tried to be as calm and collected as possible, and I refrained from using insulting words or making threats. 

Naturally, not everything is perfect on TOR; What do you think needs improvement?

This is a question I’ve been considering for a long time, even before I considered applying for staff. I’m certainly not finished considering this question, so I don’t feel comfortable sharing some of my insights, but I would like to share my thoughts on lore items.

Lore items are a pretty cool idea, but I’ve noticed that some members of the community treat LIs with indifference, or will even go out of the way to avoid getting an LI so as not to have a target on their back (for example selling an LI as soon as they get it from an event). I feel that part of this is because most (though not all, of course) LIs are focused on combat, or at least many effects that are useful during combat. 

There’s nothing wrong with that. Those are some cool LIs, and when I look in #trade I see that people definitely still want them. But to make LIs more appealing and more highly desired to the other members of the community, I would suggest that additional LIs be created that are not focused on killing or helping people not get killed. These new lore items could help people with building, like an unbreakable mattock, something that increases people’s reach so they could place blocks farther away, something that behaves like a OP Galadhrim cloak in that it makes it harder for NPCs to detect you, or even some kind of multitool that you could use as a sword, pick, shovel, and axe all in one.

Idk if any of those actually sound nice to people, mostly I just feel there should be other LIs for different types of players. Instead of new ways to kill people, items that make the most tedious tasks of the mod bearable. I asked around, and people mentioned enchanting/xp grinding, chopping down trees, building (especially without fly), and mining.

Lastly, what motivates you to continue playing and to apply to the staff team?

Well, in large part this is because of subtle threats Mido and Foxtra have both been making about having me assassinated, and also everyone knows the staff team is missing elven representation, but seriously, TOR has been an incredible place for me (as well as many others), serving as a place both to unwind, and make close friendships. I hope it can continue to serve as a fun, calm place to relax for many years, and if I can have any part in making that hope a reality, I intend to do so. Thank you for your time.

And also, /fly. Lol.

This concludes my staff application. Hopefully Mido will release my family now. 

Adiós- Cordy