"So You're A Gold Candidate - Now What?" - Submitted by Briana of Monaco Weyr @ Silver Skies MUSH

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This is a letter that we send out at Monaco to our gold applicants. Many folks apply for gold, and then have absolutely no idea of what they're getting into, or they think that being a goldrider makes them somehow 'better' than everyone else on the game. Nuh-uh! Bzzzt. Wrong. ;) Particularly on smaller MUSHes, many folks have already had that dreaded fancy knot and done the job elsemu*. Something that all gold applicants need to be aware of.

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First, congratulations on being Searched at Monaco Weyr!

If you're receiving this mail it is because you have decided to place gold as a color choice for impression at Monaco Weyr. There are many candidates who want a gold, because in several books, they are the heroines, so it can be quite competitive even on a small MUSH like ours.

People, especially those new to the PernMU*s, often have some misconceptions about riding gold. The letter is intended to help clear up those misconceptions, and to make certain that you are not viewing gold through rose-colored glasses. This letter will sound fairly negative. It isn't meant to be; it is meant to be realistic. Riding a gold can be a really rewarding experience, but there are still moments when you will hate it.

Here at Monaco we allow all colors to participate in search and in making the dragons. If you think that you're going to be totally in charge, particularly as a junior goldrider, then please rethink. We're a cooperative Weyr, who work together to do everything. Since anyone in the Weyr has the potential to be an OOC leader and all of the IC leadership roles except junior weyrwoman and senior weyrwoman are normally closed to goldriders, at Monaco Weyr being a goldrider is more restrictive than any other role.

The person we will choose will be junior for a long time. They may never see a senior position. Briana has no intention of retiring in the near future, and so any gold we impress this time should expect to be junior for at least 2 years. If you don't think this will suit you, then please, withdraw your application now, or change it to another color first, and save yourself from the spam of this letter. ;)

Riding gold can be a very worthwhile experience. Though there will be times when you wonder why you're doing this, there are (and should be) more times when you are glad that you are. It's kind of like a relationship that way, except your relationship is with the Weyr. There are going to be some rocky times, but if your heart is in it, it can definitely be worth it. However, you must be willing to make some sacrifices. There will be times when RL is put on hold because something came up online.

You need to resolve yourself to the fact that if you Impress Gold, you'll disappoint every single person in the Weyr at least once. Everyone, at one time or another, without exception and that may apply to other admin - Sr WW, WL, whomever. For every decision you make, at least one person will think you made the wrong choice, and will usually be happy to tell you why. Sometimes these comments will be helpful. Sometimes they will not be. At some point everyone in the Weyr has been that person who is unhappy with /something/ that the Weyrleaders have done or decided. That's a hard thing to deal with all the time, particularly when the thanks are few and far between. But you have to listen to every single one of them. Why? Because you are not the Weyr, yet you are part of the admin team that must keep the Weyr enjoyable for everyone else. That is the primary responsibility of a weyrwoman and goldrider.

Does everyone love you, look up to you and admire you? Definitely not. With any position of authority VR or RL there are those people who believe (a) they could do a better job, (b) you only got the position because you 'knew the right people', (c) you set a bad example, (d) you ignore the residents/chromatic riders/crafters/holders/whomever, (e) they have been around long enough to have done your particular job elsewhere, or any number of other issues. And on the other hand, there are newbies that look up to you and admire you and watch you with an awe that can truly make a person uncomfortable, particularly because it is undeserved.

This sounds so terrible! Can it be fun? Yes. Can it be rewarding? Yes. Your reward will come from knowing you've done what you can to make the Weyr a good place and a place that people enjoy Rping in. Your reward will come from helping others and knowing that you have provided something for them. Your reward will come from doing your part to ensure a fair and cooperative environment. It will never come from personal gain, glory, and benefits and seldom from even a simple thank you. Not as a weyrwoman.

There is a fishbowl effect; no one made that up just to scare candidates away from the gold hatchling. People want to know why you (both as a player and as a character) were seated on that particular bit of code, and given those responsibilities. And, as a representative of the Weyr, everything you say and do, IC and OOC, will be taken apart and dissected for meaning. You can no longer be truly selective in your RP and play with only a small group.

Being a weyrwoman is a dual role IC. And OOCly, you are expected to wear many hats: arbitrator, builder, descer, coder, admin, organizer, friend, confidant (to name a few) and still manage to find time to RP. Please be sure you have the time, the commitment, and the tolerance for this job. And make no mistake; being a weyrwoman - junior or senior - is a job more than anything else. It is often a thankless job, where the only benefit comes from hearing several months after someone joins the Weyr: Oh, I love it that you have X, Y and Z! It makes the Weyr so much more enjoyable! If you come in expecting wine, roses and candlelight, it can take your enjoyment of the game from you very quickly. It is a responsibility, one that you cannot just walk away from when you get tired of it. And everyone gets tired of it sometimes.

In that gold is unlike any other color, even bronze. As a bronzerider, you could become Weyrleader, be WL for a while, decide you need a break, be replaced for a while, and when you feel up to dealing with administrative stuff again, you could become Weyrleader again. If you become senior weyrwoman, and you step down, you probably won't be stepping back up barring unforeseen need. And you may not even get to have another clutch. There is no break for a senior weyrwoman.

It takes a unique breed of person, indeed. You've got to have tough skin and infinite patience, but manage somehow not to become insensitive or distant.

In simple words: everyone expects you to be perfect, and one of the hardest parts of the job is balancing doing your absolute best with not expecting yourself to be perfect. That is always one of the hardest things about being a goldrider; you can be doing a very good job, but how long can you sustain it for if you're constantly battered? An important key is how to not take things personally, delegate wherever possible, and surround yourself with people who help you function at your best. If you do those sorts of things, then you can better enjoy the things that brought you to the role originally. If you can't turn off your own feelings, please consider changing your color preferences. You must be able to listen to everyone yelling at the choices you have made without prejudice. And without letting the stress of it get to you.

If you've made it this far and these dire predictions haven't scared you off, then in the coming weeks, the weyr staff and I will be seeking you out for an interview, sounding each of you out individually. Since being a goldrider at Monaco Weyr means you'll be organizing events and doing things for the Weyr, we'll also be asking in your interview what event you'd like to organize or task you would like to take on, and then asking you to schedule it with the candidate coordinators.

That said, I do want to wish you all the best of luck, and if you