MYLANDERS

Probably the thing I love to do most on the net is chat. And I generally chat at one place, a tavern called Mylanders. It's browser based, so there's no software to install. Basically, you create a character for yourself, and go in and play as it. The people in the room are listed on the left. There are four permanent rooms, and as many private rooms as you want, since they are generated spontaneously. There's a space to type messages, and buttons marked 'Post', 'Reload', '1-on-1', 'Clear' and 'Leave'.
The buttons function as follows:

Post: Posts what has been typed in the message box onto the screen. The most recent messages are added to the top of the list, and a sequence of messages reads from the bottom up.
Reload: Reloads the screen so that the most recent messages show up. Unlike IRC, Mylanders doesn't automatically refresh.
1-on-1: Downloads another screen, for 'whispers' or private messages. The message is typed into the box. Beneath the box are buttons labelled with the names of the people currently in the chat. When the message is typed, click the button with the name of the intended recipient. The browser returns to the regular message screen, and the private message shows up on your screen, and of the person you sent it to. Multiple messages can be sent by quickly clicking on more than one button. And private messages show up in red.
Clear: I've never used this, but I assume it clears out the message box.
Leave: Exits the chat. It's the 'polite' way to go, instead of going straight to another URL, or just closing the browser. If either of those two happen, the name stays on the list for about 10 minutes, then disappears.

There are also some basic conventions that most people follow.
*Text inside stars, like this, is accepted as actions. Sometimes people vary, using :: or ^.*
((Text inside double brackets is acknowledged as Out Of Character talking (user to user), or OOC. Another variant is to use single brackets.
Another is that no character knows the name of another char unless they've been introduced. As strange as it may sound, we treat the characters and role-playing as something a little realistic. I mean, wouldn't it freak you out if you were in a club, and someone you never met called you by name?

Ok, I realise that's a lot, and all kinda boring to some. Oh well, can't please everyone.

Anyway, from here I'll show you something you may find as boring, or you may find interesting. Over my time at Mylanders (and before that, a similar site called the Dragon's Inn), I have created a lot of characters. Here are a few of them.

Return to the Hallway.