Flintershop Orientation (A Flinterforge Intro Thread)

In light of the many, many new recruits to the Forum recently (which is awesome, by the way), I figured it would be good to get a place going for the newly “sorted” Flinterforge, as well as old-timers, to introduce ourselves, talk a little about what brought us to Flinterforge specifically, and assign you your official Guild nickname! (Okay, I’m actually just kidding about the nicknames part, promise.)

@Tinker and I would love to get to know you all a bit better, so sound off here!

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So, for example…

Hi, y’all! I’m Viviane, generally known on the Forum as Viv. My username is a reference to the Lady of the Lake in Arthurian mythology.

In the mundane part of my life, I have a B.A. in English literature and I work in education research. If I could have any magiqal familiar it would be an animated mechanical shoulder dragon, and if I could have a magiqal profession instead of my mundane job, I would probably want to find new and interesting ways to integrate magiq in web design.

I love the Flinterforge Guild symbol because it reminds me of the myth of Prometheus; I actually took the MAGIQ Guide 3 times in a row over a period of days when I found the Mounties and got Flinterforge every time. The ideal of jumping in and working hard to put new things into the world really speaks to me. Happy to have you all here!

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Hi everyone, I’m Tinker (tho lots of people call me Tink, so that’s cool too). The username, which I think I picked before I got sorted into Flinter, was just a nod to the fact that I’m on the crafty side and like to…well…tinker with things.

Off the forum, I’m a PhD student in mechanical engineering and any time I can squeeze out around that is spent reading, sewing, or attempting to learn an unusual new craft (this time last year it was bookbinding, because why not). And I’m also a dancer!

Shamelessly stealing this bit from @Viviane but if I had a magiqal job I think it would be a lot like what I do in the mundane…I’d want to do research and invent magiqal tech!

I’m excited to meet everyone, and re-meet all our veteran members!

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Hello hello!! I’m Catherine and I’m @Saberlane’s assistant on the office side of Ackerly Green! I help out with everything from making sure emails get answered and shop orders go out to keeping an eye on the forums and working with Sabes on marketing and editorial stuff for the books, so you could say this is my magiqal job! :deirdreexcited:

Fun story that I don’t know if we’ve told here yet, but when I was applying for this job, I did a bunch of research to catch up on everything TMP related (this was before the books were out too, so it was a deep dive into Deirdre’s blogs and the Basecamp weekly recaps), which of course included taking the Guide to Magiq. I went back and forth over whether or not to include my guild in my cover letter, thinking it was going to be really cheesy/obviously sucking up if I did, but I went for it anyway. I think I tried to be casual about it and said something along the lines of “As a Flinterforge, the need to take charge and create things runs deeper than merely a professional interest,” or something equally cheesy. It wasn’t until much later that I learned I was the only applicant who mentioned their guild in their cover letter, so I guess owning my Flinterness paid off in the end!

I only took the Guide once, because I knew I was exactly where I was supposed to be (although as an avid reader, there’s definitely some Thornmouth in me). I love working with my hands, whether it’s writing by hand or typing, knitting, puzzling, cooking, playing piano, etc., I love feeling like I’m actively working to create something, and often feel like I’m wasting time if I’m not physically busy with something.

Also I think a lot about what my username would have been if I didn’t have to be easily recognizable as AGP staff, but haven’t landed on anything I’m happy with so open to suggestions!! [spoiler]For inspiration/comic relief, my 8th grade AIM username was kitcatgirl137 :endriblush:[/spoiler]

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Hey friends,
I’m Tungstenedge, or Nick, either works just fine.
I am currently employed as a barista, which I know sounds a bit mundane, but the cafe I work at is kinda like Willy Wonka’s factory if he was into coffee instead of chocolate! So, I’m not to upset about not using my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in a professional capacity.
Actually I feel like me being a barista is one of the reasons why I resonate with Flinterforge so much. I’ve noticed the excerpt about alchemical affinity that Flinters have is often overlooked in discussion, and I spend all day making potions that have an almost magiqal effect! Plus some of my preferred brew methods are so theatrical and captivating, they might as well be a form of charm magiq.
Other than my unwavering passion for coffee, I tend to do a lot of outdoorsy stuff. Hiking, rock climbing, and fishing to name a few activities. I actually took the placement test on the ride back from a work party that I was on helping build hiking trails. The first line of the guild description “A day without soiled hands is a day wasted” really resonated when there was still dirt on my hands from building a freaking trail!
A lot of my outdoorsy-ness stems from the fact I was raised in the mountains of Maine. A lot of my tenacious tendencies can also be attributed to having to work every day for everything. House wasn’t going to heat itself, got to chop the firewood!
Other interesting things about me… well, I kinda worked as a Barker in a carnival for a bit. I say kinda because we were more of a yearly haunted attraction, and the carnival was more of a theme to justify us having bloody clowns chase grown adults around. Big fan of Halloween! Used to attend anime conventions a bit. Really enjoyed the prop making aspect of cosplay, and had a side hustle in college being commissioned to make some prop weapons.

Yeah and that’s really all you need to know about me in a general sense; Coffee lover, Outdoors enthusiast, and a bit of an anime nerd with a strange horror fixation. What else could you need? :bearded_person::+1:

Also as you can see, I am not talkative at all! sarcasm

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@Tungstenedge I never got into horror but I love haunted type events for the sfx makeup :deirdreexcited: I love the morbid artistry that goes into it. I might be able to get into horror if I could find things will less jump scares and maybe more people or creatures with extra eyes. Idk extra eyes are under utilized in horror I think. I’m part Flinter so I can post here, right?

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Hi everyone :open_hands:

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Hey, King! (Is the nickname okay?) Anything you want to say about yourself as an introduction, feel free to do it here. :relaxed:

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Yes, I like it! Hmm…about myself. Well on the surface I’m simple, direct. Under the sufrace I’m a little more complex. I’ve revealed some of both sides already in replies to various posts but I guess that doesn’t count in this thread.
On that note if anyone is interested in knowing anymore about me, I feel I can express myself easier and more directly to specific questions.
Sorry for the rant. Caffine flow :grin:.

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Hey King! Welcome to Flinterforge! Was there anything in particular in the guild description that resonated with you or that you connected with? What are some of your passions? If you could be any tree, what kind of tree would you be?

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Yes! First of all the name as I’m currently pursuing black/bladesmithing and I get my hands dirty with that almost daily, time permitting. Which also resonated with the “getting as much done as you can with limited time”. Also, it reminded me of a time I took apart an electronic robot toy as a kid to figure out how it worked. I pursued electronic engineering in my late 20’s after my military days.
Anyway, another part that resonated with me is the fact that I’m pretty good at figuring out why something is broken and creating an improvised fix or taking an object and modifying it so it works better or serves another purpose for me.
As for the question of the tree, I’d be an old mighty Oak of course! They’re so beautiful with the intricate detail of their huge gnarled limbs. I feed off of their energy when I look at them.

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My passions…well, I could say I have a passion for learning. When I decide I’m interested in something I go all in learning every last detail. And if its a physical skill, I’ll push myself to the point of sickness! Which I actually did as a teenager when I taught myself how to backflip. I was out in the yard barefoot in the cold for hours all day and into the night until I finally was able to land one. I ended up getting so sick I felt like I was on my deathbed for two weeks!
I also have a personal passion for spiritual matters.

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Y’know I didn’t want to say it at first but, the first thing that came to mind with the tree question was that Celtic tree of life symbol. I’d be that tree.

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Hey guys! I’ve actually been here about a month now? (wow what the heck, time flies) I thought I’d actually introduce myself where everyone can see!
So my username is Latin for fire because I’ve always had a special connection to that element, whether it be my Zodiac sign Sagittarius for the win!! or just my general love for fiery colors, beasts, and the regenerative properties of it.

In the mundane, I’m currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Studio Art and want to one day become a teacher. I am primarily a sketch artist but after taking two painting classes I am really starting to enjoy working with oil, even if it takes forever to dry and I am not a patient person. I love all vertebrates, especially cats and snakes, and hope to adopt a danger noodle of my own once I graduate!

I took the Guide only once, but as I read through it resonated deeply with me. I am always trying to think of new characters, new creatures, new shortcuts and fixes to things that need fixing. After all, I’m an artist first (whether its pencil on paper or just the endless iterations in my head) and a student second (magic, mundane, worldly).

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Welcome officially to the Guild page, Ignis! Good to have another fan of floofs and danger noodles! I’ve been thinking of adopting either a small snake or a gecko when I move in a few months - my current apartment doesn’t have a good place for a tank. :disappointed:

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:laughing: danger noodle…:grin:

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Hello Everyone! I’m relatively new, and I go by Disoa :slight_smile: I love languages, art, science, ethology and writing- and I thought I would tie all my interests together in my name. In Yakima and Zuñi stories, coyote is an important figure who is full of flaws- he is something between epic hero and silly fool- which resonates in my name. In Sesotho, Disoa means ‘Downgrade’, but if you swap the ‘s’ and ‘o’, it means ‘Goddess’ in Spanish. I love the irony and lessons to those stories, hence my name and profile picture. I have a love for learning, but I sometimes fear making mistakes. By choosing this name, I also choose to accept my own faults. :smile: I found myself in Flinterforge when I slowly became more comfortable on the site and truly grounded myself with the Guide. In the mundane, I’m a sophmore in high school! (Only 12 more days to go!!)

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Welcome, @Disoa! I love all the symbolism behind your name. What draws you to Flinterforge?

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