Nerdalius Newsletter! Issue 1

Hey hey Nerd! This is your spunky ace reporter Leia Rolando here, and have I got a scoop for you today! Now, you may be asking yourself "What the heck? We have a newsletter?" and the answer is yes. As of today, the Nerdalius Newsletter is officially a go!

What is the Nerdalius Newsletter?
Well, the Newsletter is my way of getting the latest and greatest of the Nerdalius out to all of you, our wonderful readers! In this column I hope to be able to keep everyone up to date with information regarding just about everything; from site events, to new rps, to what our admins had for lunch this morning!

Staff Interviews!:
To start off this first issue, this reporter went down to the streets of the Nerd and talked to some of the people who actually control what happens on the site. Namely, the admins of our site! To start things off, we start with the man who started it all? The owner of founder of the site, Eric Pickering!





"I see, quite intriguing...and I suppose Alex became a co-owner because he helped form the idea?"

"Yeah, that's pretty much how it went down."

"How about Yamski? How did he join the team?"

"Actually Yamski joined out of a request we decided that we wanted to put up an electronics section but neither Jude nor I had the knowledge to run such a place so we recruited him and he was very knowledgeable about many other things as well and his efforts with the site helped build it further. Sadly though the electronics section had to be shut down because there wasn't enough activity but Yamski being the guy he was stuck around despite his section of the site closing."

"That's quite a lot of dedication. So, I suppose your staff are all loyal then, huh?"

"I would like to think so all of the staff here are hand picked by the Admins of the site and have been giving a test to see how well they are able to function under pressuring situations. We don't pick our staff lightly but those we do pick have our utmost trust and respect. I would gladly put any one of them in charge of the site during a leave of absence of an admin."

"That's great to hear! I'm sure our readers feel safe knowing they're in good hands. Now, off of the site stuff, how about you? What can you tell us about yourself?"

"Well there's nothing really interesting about myself. I'm just your normal everyday kind of guy off the site. I play video games, do house work, spend time with my girlfriend, and just try to live life the best I can. Well, ok there is one thing. The interesting thing about me though is that I'm a burn survivor. I was burned in a house fire at the age of 15 and I'm now scared 75% of my body. I do a lot of activities with other burn survivors as well.


It's basically like a second family. We all have our troubles and all have our worries about our scars but we're always there for eachother and the events with the other survivors are just wonderful. There should be a Halloween event for burn survivors coming up soon that I hope to attend."

"Seems pretty cool. Glad you've managed to turn a tragedy into something good."

"Well you can't dwell on how your body looks. Just because your body may seem ugly to some and that you're disfigured doesn't mean you have to feel that way. Through being burned I've learned that everyone is beautiful in their own way."

"Now, onto the next question...You're obviously a RPer, as you're apart of a couple of RPs. Do you yourself have any plans to GM your own RPs, or anything at all regarding the RP section?"

"Well you see that's a touchy subject on me GMing. Not because I'm a bad GM it's because of the style of roleplaying I do. I'm what is known as a T1 PC roleplayer. T1 is the highest level of fighting within Roleplaying. 


PC is the highest sub section of T1 standing for Powered Characters. I enjoy a good fight and I love watching others enjoy the fight with me. I'm also majorly apart of Clan Roleplaying. Which is a lot of work seeing as how there are so many people you have to watch over and keep together while keeping their individual storylines going that it can be hard to keep track of everything. 


I do run my own clan which is known as the Hashaco clan. A clan of diplomats rather than fighters which is strange because of how big into fighting I am. The transformation was brought about when the rest of the clan fell to a member of the Darkasakage known as Unoti Darkasakage so I took it upon myself to restart the clan only this time I wanted to keep it away from the blood and gore and politics that followed the T1 clans."


"So, how about future plans for the site? I'm sure as owner you have quite a lot planned."

"Well currently the site is still in it's beta stage. It's open to the public so they can see the stuff we currently offer but I do plan for in the future creating another site. One that will offer everything this site offers but more. You see we're using a web hoster known as Forumotion. as such we are allowed to make a free site through them but they're advertised in our url.


That's something I wish to get rid of one day."

"So, does that mean you plan to make this site into a legitimate forum site one day?"

"Yes I do. Also I plan on making premium memberships a possibility for the site once again.  I hope to one day host a site where the home page is not only useable with a chatbox but members will be given the opportunity to post pictures. Host videos and even have their own private pages."

"Well, glad to see a little ambition from the owner of a site that has captured the interest of quite a few people! Any final comments you wish to make to our readers?"

"Yes actually I do have a few. No matter what you like you should never be ashamed of it. Be yourself and show people who you are."


Quite inspirational, wouldn't you say? This reporter feels we got the luck of the draw with this guy. Anyway, he's obviously not the only staff member here, and we still got a long way to go!


Paul Harris:

"First off, how about we start like everyone else....how'd your username come about?"

"Well lets see, I believe it was way back in like the 3rd grade, and I had this friend who randomly named his pillow Agentyamski (Pronounced Yomski btw) and then out came Runescape. For whatever reason, that was the first name that popped into my head when signing up for the first time."

"Ah, I see...so, how about you tell everyone a little bit about the man behind the computer screen?"

"Well I'm not entirely sure what exactly people need to know about me, but I'll give it a shot. My name is Paul Harris, I turned 21 not too long ago, and my hobbies include: Video Games, Roleplaying, Occasionally Cooking from time to time, and screwing around with instruments and computers."

"I guess that would explain why you were chosen to be the leader of the short-lived computer section. What prompted you to join with Mr. Pickering and Mr. Burke to form this site?"

"Honestly I didn't even know there was a site, until Eric was like "Hey, I need an admin with knowledge behind these sections we made, so wanna be an admin??" But yeah, it really seemed like a lot of our members didn't seem to have anything to post in our computer section, so we decided to scrap it. 


At first I was kinda meh about it, but then I started enjoying taking part in some responsibilities in the site, even with how minor they are. Making the smilies, and trying to fix little bugs from the admin panel are essentially all I have to take care of aside from regular admin duties. Plus with the smilies, I can even make my own and throw them on the site."

"I see. How about any future plans for the site?"

"As for future plans, I'm not entirely sure what to expect. Hopefully we get an increase in members, whether they come for just yugioh, just role playing, or just enjoy Alex's youtube videos."

"I see. Any parting thoughts?"

"Sure, as members of the site, if any of you would like to see something added on, or have any comments on how things are run, don't be afraid to contact any of the mods or admins."

And that was it for our techie readers. I can safely say I feel safe for the internal safety of the site with that guy around!

Alex Burke:


"Now you sir are probably one of the more popular users and admins. So, how about you start off by telling our readers a little about yourself?"

"Well, first off I don't feel I'm really that popular. The only reason it seems that way is because I'm friends with most of the members. As for me, my name is Alex Burke. I am turning 19 within a few months..I enjoy writing, role playing, video games, and am currently volunteering at a dog daycare for my cousin. 


Personally the interesting things about me are the fact I have had a lot more death than I really should have in my family while growing up. I also became socially awkward for a long while because my best friend was murdered. I try not to drown out people with my life story however."

"Wow...quite interesting. Anyway, how did your username of Razren come about?"

"Nothing too glamorous of a story. My brother had this name as one of his online IDs and I liked it so much I used it as my RP Character's name. I was originally part of a T1 Roleplay clan called the Sanada using that name. Since then, it's just kinda stuck."

"I see...so, you're a big name here. Tell us, how did you come about joining Mr. Pickering in this endeavour?"

"Well...here's where things get weird. So, one day I was sitting on DN having recently rejoined after leaving Yu-Gi-Oh for a while. I decided I wanted to join an academy so that I could see what the current meta was and everything. I found my way to NDA where I joined the Ra Yellow dorm and later joined the staff as a tester.


Eric was an admin there and got into a fight with the admin who tested me and I sided with Eric over the other guy. Eventually some disgruntled members that left NDA asked me to mod their new academy. Little did I know, Eric was there as a member because he wanted to see what they were doing. He found me and started giving me shit that I was from NDA under the guise of his persona there.


After handling that situation he apparently thought I was a good staff member so he asked me to admin CMA. And from there I suppose the rest is history...but you would know that better than anyone."

"I suppose you're right. So, obviously you're a big RPer here. Tell us, how long have you been RPing?"

"Hard to say. I honestly can't remember a time I wasn't RPing. I believe it's at least over 12 years now. I started Clan RPing, moved to Windows Messenger and Chat RP, then found my way to Skype RPing with my friends Jason, Meghan, Elisha, and Jacob."


"Wow...quite a long time. Now then...the big talk here is about the fact the big site RP you were GMing, Terminal City, has been cancelled. What led you to that decision?"

"Well...it was a lot of personal bias against how the story was going and how much of my time thinking about it was taking up. I just wanted to focus on other stuff."

"Alright. Fair enough. Now, how about any future plans?"

"Future plans? I'm not really one to think ahead that far. I'd love to start up a new site-wide RP but I'm not sure what it'd be about.  I also plan to finally get my Persona RP off the ground."

"Alright, sounds like a plan! Any parting thoughts?"

"Hmmm...well I guess all I would say is try to be patient with me guys. I really do care about this site..I just don't always have the time to do everything I wanna do. I hope everyone has a wonderful time here at the Nerdalius."

And that the the Roleplay Master, Razren. This reporter cannot say any unbiased things about this guy, so take him as you will.

Jain vi Bookshelvia:

"Tell us a little bit about the man behind the computer screen."

"Sure. My name is James Chan, age 21. My hobbies and interests include YuGiOh, Pokemon, fanfiction and music. I write and compose in my spare time, or read and listen to the works of others."

"So, would you consider yourself quite creative then?"


"Depends on what one defines as creative. I don't do that much original work, but I do think I'm innovative with what I have."

"Alright, thanks. Now...what spawned the name Jain vi Bookshelvia?"

"Well, this is a two-part story. Jain came from back when I recently left the competitive YuGiOh scene. It was shortly after the Light of Destruction booster pack release and I was entering an MMO that affected a greater part of my future. I was thinking of a name and the YuGiOh monster, Jain the Lightsworn Paladin, came to mind. I entered Jain as my username and it became my alias ever since.



The Bookshelvia part came later, after two years I became Jain. I had met several friends through that MMO and had met a few in real life. One of which took a photo of me in a bookstore I frequent. There were several responses to said photo and I replied to most of them with, "Sorry about that bad shot, there was this tall asian guy in front of me."



From there on, I was known as a bookshelf. I took the name and combined it with the protagonist of the Code Geass series, Lelouch vi Britannia. And it became a running gag."


"I see. Well, for the next question. The RP that you have been GMing alongside Razren, do you feel it will ever be finished?"

"I'm honestly not sure. It depends if we have the time or interest to completing it. That applies to anyone involved in it, really."

"Have there been a lot of personal roadblocks in YOUR way of continuing the story?"

"Well, I'll admit it, there has been a few. Both myself and other parties. I treat the project like improv; you must add more content. However, like improv, blocking causes the scene to stumble. And there's been quite a few of those."

"Well, let's hope one day the story can finish. Now, on the topic of RPs...do you have any future plans for RPs on the site?"

"I actually do, though I'm not sure if I want really do it. It's also a bit... cheesy, I suppose? I was thinking about hosting a Codename: Kids Next Door roleplay, with the concept of a brand new sector created by new graduates of the Kids Next Door Academy. I'd create my slew of new villains while having occasional cameos from the original cast. I was aiming towards nostalgia and a more innocent reprieve from the constant dark and 'edgy' atmosphere."


"Alright, how about for the site in general? I'm sure you must have some events planned."

"I do indeed, though I'm rather disappointed with the lack of activity with the current event I'm hosting."

"Now, back on some history again. What made you join CMA, then later the Nerdalius."

"As shocking as this may sound, I literally joined because I saw an ad on Dueling Network about hiring new staff for an Academy. I joined what was formerly Night Shade Academy on a whim. After some drama and burned bridges, Eric (or whatever alias he prefers) offered a position at Chess Masters and I accepted."

"Then I suppose it was simply a matter of him asking you to stay when he made the new site?"

"More or less."

"Well, I have one more question for you before I ask for your closing thoughts. As an outside Admin (and by that i mean not one of the founders) do you feel the staff here is acting up to par of what they should be doing?"

"Hm, that's a difficult question. I believe my biggest critique would be that sometimes the 'founding' admins tend to forget the other staff of whatever thoughts or decisions they have made. Miscommunication generally doesn't end well."

"It certainly doesn't, especially in a forum. Well, any final closing thoughts?"

"I'll leave this parting shot: Eric making a Forbidden List while being drugged is not a good idea."

And that's it from Jain, the admin with a plan! Personally, he seems like a trustworthy sort to me, especially if he can point out flaws in other admins without hesitation.

Veteran Interviews:
Alright, so we got all of the admin interviews out of the way. To celebrate the creation of this newsletter this reporter decided to interview the 3 members who have stuck around since the inception of CMA! They are: Necruta, TrueHeartKnight, and Zaio Volnutt.

Necruta:


"So, how about you tell us where your username came from?"

"Well It came from one of my friends names: Naveon. Before this I used a different name: Kendant. However when we started playing another game together his name was already taken so he took mine. So I had to come up with a new one, and seeing how I started as a necromancer it was easy coming up with the first part. 


The second part was harder to find out. Eventually I came to recruit seeing how I was new to the game and he recruited me for his guild. So Necrut was born and that didn't sound very good so I tried adding other things to it and it eventually became Necruta."


"Guild? What game were you guys playing, if I may ask?"



"Honestly...I forgot. Heheheh."


"That's alright. No need to worry about it. Now, how did you come to join CMA and ultimately this site?"


"I think I was dueling Terror(Eric) a few times on DN and eventually he invited me to CMA..."



"So, obviously you came to this site as a Yugioh player, how long have you been playing?"

"In total I think... 6 years. I started when the first 2 starter decks came out and quit when the synchro era begun because the boosters weren't sold anywhere around where I lived. Then when fish synchro was at it's peak I found DN and rejoined."


"So, you've seen a lot of decks then. Favorite deck?"

"It differs, I like most decks or at least the way I build them seeing how I try to venture of the path most people follow. Currently I have to say my favorite decks would be: Inzektors, Ghostdust, heroic athlete and masked destiny heroes."


"Alright, now...do you have any plans for anything on the Nerdalius? And could you tell us a little about the man behind the computer screen?"



"Currently I really don't have any plans for something on the Nerdalius, mostly because I'm only stopping by every so often. I have an extensive profile to tell anyone anything they need to know about me."

TrueHeartKnight:


"Alright, first questions first. Would you like to tell our readers a little bit about the man behind the computer screen?"

"Well...I enjoy stories, that much is obvious. I...have an active imagination. Constantly creating and imagining new ideas every second. I love comic books, and fantasy, and sci fi, which is why I love games and rps so much. I'm studying to be a 3d modeling artist for gaming, and now have my own place...and well....never had a girlfriend or been on a date before. Heck haven't even had a first kiss. Outside of that I can't go into much else without going into personal life."

"Now, how about we go for some history. Your name...this reporter knows some of the tale...but how about telling our readers about your username and where it came from."

"Heh, well TrueHeartKnight was just the name I choose when I came to Dn. The original true name I stand by...well is one from long ago. The reason for it was actually given to me by someone precious. She said I have a kind heart, a pure one that always helps others and speaks his mind truthfully to them. She came up with the idea of me being TrueHeartKnight. And well, it's stuck since I suppose. Plus the first letter of each word...heh...has a semblence to what my original name was."


"Alright. It seems you've got quite a rich history. How long you been RPing for?"

"Lets see.......eight years, or possibly a little longer."

"Alright then. Now, obviously Terminal has been officially canceled by the GM, Razren. However, this reporter is also aware that you have permission to use the NPCs he created however you want. With this newfound freedom, what do you plan to do?"


"Well I have ideas on writing further or future events in the story, but I need time to properly figure them out. Plus with college now on me I need to balance the time given to me, so it may affect how much I can spend on a new story or not. But I do want to tell what I think would happen...though at the same time I'm unsure because it's still Raz's story..."

"I see. Now, while on the topic of RPs...you've commented before you have certain...ideas. Care to elaborate on some of them?"

"Well...one is the world of Muse I did. My original character for that, Kigen. I have a whole world and story based around his world, one I thought could be good rp potential, but I'm unsure. Then of course theres ones based on other series and events I've seen. And of course the massive idea of doing a multi rp crossover, where several rps and characters we've all created and love can come together in a major rp event."

"Certainly sounds intriguing. Now, onto a different question. Knight, you are a member that has been here since CMA. Tell our readers...what made you join this site and stick with it for so long?"

"Well.....joining was king's (Eric's) thing. He saw me and the kind of person I was back on dn. Kind, honorable, polite, and a good person. So he wished for someone like that to join cma. I was hesitant but did so after a while. As for staying....well.....It's cause I care for you guys. All of you."

"D'aww. You're making this reporter blush. Now, any parting thoughts you wish to give before I die of embarrassment?"

"Heh, I doubt I could do that to you. But parting thoughts......I guess...I want to stay as long as possible. And do whatever I can to make everyone happy. Nothing more or less..."

Zaio Volnutt:

"Now, to begin do you mind if I ask a somewhat personal question? Why the name Zaio Volnutt? Was the Volnutt inspired from Megaman Legends? Where did it come from, and why did you choose it?"

"You could say Volnutt was inspired from Legends, however i just dreamt up the name Zaio after reading Black Cat."

"I see, so is there a particular connection you feel with the name? Or was it a spur of the moment thing and just stuck?"

"Well I did make him under my image so.....its kinda hard to explain but i feel like he was with me waiting for me to discover him. like a soul bro."

"It's quite obvious the Terminal RP has been cancelled...so, let's say it was left in your hands to continue the story...what would you do with it based on where it left off?"

The interviewee requested a no comment to this question.


"Now, onto current events! Obviously there's some cool RPs going on and if I recall at least one of the planned RPs is GMed by you. Can you tell us more of future plans you have for what you're gonna be doing on the site?"

"Well its true that i made a RP but its kinda on hiatus due to lack of attention as for future plans who knows i am someone who tends to make something happen at any moment. Although i can tell you this.......If there is anything interesting going on you bet that the Green strider Zaio Volnutt will be there, doing whatever I can to make it happen."

"Alright. Now, how about we start discussing your history. What made ya join CMA in the first place?"

"Why i joined CMA?....heh well its funny that you asked its when i was dueling Eric on dn. after the first game i dueled him again with my first deck, and it was during that time where he invited me to join CMA i only got to be their for a week till Nerdalius is made, i sticked around cuz it looked like fun. I mean look at where i am now. I got to meet some great ppl down here a few games lots of laughs they were all good times."


"Right. Any closing thoughts?"


"I simply hope that the Nerdalius will make a breakthrough and becoming something far greater than where it is at the moment."


And that's it for issue 1! Thank you all so much for reading and please leave comments regarding what we here at the news team can do to improve our reporting and quality! Join me next time for a little interview action regarding the mods of the site! And I will also take you through the streets to see what is on the up and up of events going on here at the Nerdalius.

This has been Ace Reporter, Leia Rolando signing off! Have a great day!