Wot About You Wednesday: Vivienne

Welcome to our first Wot About You Wednesday spotlight! Today's special guest is Vivienne, one of WoTMUD's Immortals.


Hi Vivienne! Thanks for joining us today on TWNP. Can you tell us how long you've been a part of the WoTMUD community?

That's really hard to pinpoint. I think I've been consistently here since 2000, but I want to say I first found WoTmud in late 1999. My oldest still existing character has a creation date of November 20, 2000.

Can you tell us a little bit about yourself outside of WoTMUD?

I think just about everyone knows that in real life I own my own company and I'm a real estate broker. In my former life I was editor of a poetry magazine and a published author in the fantasy/sci-fi genre. I'm an avid knitter and a few years ago for the holidays I made black and red scarves for some Lion Warden players. My number one current hobby is being a craft brewer - and it's still in 'hobby' status only because we're not opening a professionally licensed brewery at this time.

Everyone was a newbie at some point. What was your most memorable "newbie" moment?

That's easy and absolutely my fondest memory ever of this game. I had been playing steadily for maybe two weeks on an FC and I decided I wasn't fit company for anyone, so I took off on my own to see if I could make it from Caemlyn to Tear. There's an area of the Tear Road that has some confusing up-down rooms and I had been thrown off my horse and couldn't find it. I was haggard, frustrated, and thinking the 'quit' option was sounding pretty good. I put out on chats that I was lost, no moves, no water, no food (I know, I know, classic pathetic n00b101!) and someone came to my rescue with a horse, food and water. He also looked at me and decided I was woefully underequipped and gave me the best dagger in the game then -- ZOMG! A jewelled dagger! I decided that character was my hero in the game, that player was the nicest guy ever, and we've been friends ever since in real life. (Hi Hoeg!) Oh, and where was I lost? Freakin' Zakin's Glade, thank you very much. Sheesh.

Ha! Being lost, hungry/thirsty and haggard is practically a right of passage for newbies! If you survive that, you're ready for anything! I'm sure over the years you've had many incredible experiences, but here at TWNP, we definitely want the dirt. What was your most embarrassing moment?

I was a newbie imm and there was a griefer in the game spamming channels with the F-bomb over multiple lines and everyone was really upset, not only because of the content but because it was multiple lines of the same word filling the buffer and the griefer would cut/paste his buffer creating pages of nasty text. I thought to myself "Self, be clever, write a script that slams that guy into Imm Jail the next time he says that word on channels." It was a sweet script but I wrote it too fast and didn't put the correct limiters on it. Next thing I know a certain Fade says the F-bomb on trolloc channel and KABLAM! He's in jail. He'd been leading pk down south and the whole group was dependent upon him, and I just took him out of the game! I'm laughing, I'm worried, my hands were shaking so hard I could barely type, all I could think was "Holy hell! Nass is gonna kill me!" and not only is the griefer still running loose but also the Fade isn't exactly sweetness and light on channels either. I panicked, and instead of sending the Fade to the Circle of Darkness so he could exit into Darkside lands... I kinda sorta put him into the Circle of Light. Not one to let such an opportunity pass, the Fade exits into Caemlyn, everyone in Caemlyn Central Square goes "EEEEP!" and... well... the Fade killed a whole bunch of pukes.

It sounds like that Fade made out pretty well in spite of the situation! One of the best things about WoTMUD is that there is something for everyone. The game is highly complex and diverse, ranging from pk to questing to roleplay. Which part is your favorite?

That changes depending on the mood I'm in, and it's never stayed the same. One of my favorite pasttimes though used to be going on the Smobbing Train.

What made you decide to apply as an immortal?

I honestly don't remember one specific catalyst moment. I remember bugging the heck out of Cyrilla about a zone that didn't match up with the books and was basically told "Think YOU can do better?" So I put in an application and they took me. She then punished me by assigning me a zone with a theme that would only be used in theory in a futuristic fantastical turn of events that had pretty much nothing to do with the books. That zone has still never been released.

What would you say is the best thing about being an immortal?

I can see all channels at all times, so I'm able to people-watch a lot. It's very amusing and puts a whole new spin on being a "Watcher".

I'm sure being an immortal is not always fun. What was the hardest choice you've had to make as an imm?

I had to fire another Imm for cheating, and I didn't want to believe that person was capable of doing what they did. I was very disappointed and I actually didn't sleep well for a few days afterwards because I was so distraught that the person had let us all down so badly.

That sounds like an awful position to be in. Do you have any regrets, and if so, what is your biggest regret?

I'm assuming you mean regarding the game... I think the biggest regret I have is that I let my sense of hope in the human spirit and belief in redemption, combined with having to consult with legal authorities and experts, allow a situation to go on for too long, and it hurt the morale of the playerbase as well as the overall health of the game.

It wouldn't be a complete interview if I didn't ask the age-old question that divides the masses: Chocolate or Vanilla?

Chocolate. Dark. Bitter. Lots of it.

Do you have any hidden talents?

They're hidden for a reason. I'm entitled to some mystery.

I like it! Keep 'em guessing! What would you say is your biggest accomplishment in the game?

I've been here too long to single out anything as the biggest numero uno accomplishment, sorry.

Fair enough. Do you have any goals in the game?

As a player? Just to enjoy it. I frequently run around on unknown unclanneds just to see what kind of mischief I can get into.

If you could change one thing about the mud, what would it be?

My list has a lot more than one thing on it.

I'm sure it does! I bet it never seems to get any shorter either. What advice do you have for newbies just starting out?

Don't freak out over stats. Get into the community, learn the ropes, then get into a character that's a "keeper". There are over 360 zones in the open game, you won't see them all on your first ever character, so just kick back and join in.

Thanks for taking the time to share with us today!

If you have any questions for Vivienne, leave a comment below and I'll try to get those answered! Next week, Markus will be sharing with us about his player run clan and why you should be a part of it.