LOVE: A Valentines Day Mizahar Discussion!

[Gossamer]

Happy Valentines Day Mizahar! I thought in honor of this world-wide holiday we might have a bit of a discussion and get a chance for each of us to step forward (if we'd like) and do a little talking about our PCs and the events in their lives! What do your PC's look for in love? Are they interested in it at all? What are the pitfalls to it in writing about love on Mizahar. What are some of your favorite things? Do you have 'greatest moments ever' when it comes to romance and your pc? Is your PC completely afraid of getting close to another? Why? How come? What's the motivation! Lets talk LOVE!

[Victor Lark]

I can never explain these things outside of the story itself, so here's a quote about Victor and Seven that pretty much sums it up. Three seasons strong... that's longer than most of the relationships I've been in irl. >_>

He would not lose this man, who had found him helpless and helped him rediscover his life, who had turned out to be a vessel of emotion that could fill his emptiness, whatever the cost. I love you, he thought he should say, but those were the sort of empty words that he spoke to persuade, the purest and simplest of dishonesties he knew. Victor could not love Seven, but he could try to share his happiness, his sadness, his fear and his rage.

[Kreig Messer]

Hmmmm..... what to say? Well, to being with I don't know what would my character look for in love. Kreig has never really fallen in love nor even had a crush on some, being that he grew up always getting into fights, spending time with his mother and some menial labor to help pay for the everyday necessities when money gets tight. Even now he does what he loves most , which is brawling, constantly on his mind, there has almost never been room for love.

At some point, and when I get full grasp on my character, I plan that he falls in love, to have that confused feeling that's generally depicted as having ones heart skip a beat whenever that special someone is around or feeling an unexplainable longing whenever that person is somewhere else.

If he were to have a preference for someone he loves, I'd imagine him liking a women who speaks her mind and unafraid of getting her hands dirty, simple as that. But of course, love is blind so who knows?

[Xavior Silhouette]

Hmm love for at least Xavior is all about the trust shared between partners. As an Eth, he is in fact gay and has strange attractions to Kelvics. No it isn't some sick love relation with an animal. Xavior views everyone who isn't like him an animal regardless. One of the bigger reasons as to why I feel Xavior favors homosexual relationships is the trauma he had endured in a past life. He was a zith with a loving mate who was pregnant. Though tension between his alcoholism and drug use pushed his mate away and into another man's arms. Even though she made a promise to help him fulfill the gap that alcohol and drugs occupied. Unfortunately this man was nothing but a spider. She was found dead in the forest and it was assumed from the brutality of the murder that it was Xavior, or Shadow the Zith, who had committed the crime. Shadow went to a tavern, ignorant to the killing, and proceed to drink himself helpless. A riot broke out, which lead to Shadow being beaten near death then hung by the neck till dead. He favors a kelvic relationship, intimate or not, because Kelvics know they are animals and act like animals. They are easier to predict then human and most are overly loyal taking secrets to the grave. He wants something that he knows will have a dedicated relationship with him. He doesn't want to deal with people in intimate relations instead, he enjoys watching as the "Superior animals" destroy their own world. Though the hardest thing I find about writing Romance through a forum is the fact that it is a post by post relation. I much prefer to write Romance in one long post where I have control of the characters. The only problem is, I never like animating someone's character because I can't help but feel I'm either dumbing them down or not playing them right. Though I think my most actual romantic of the characters I have is a tie between Jeremiah DraDerex and Gallo Duplais. Both of them have genuine hearts of gold and generally will go way out of their way to accommodate friends and partners. Though what they find alluring in woman differ greatly. Gallo would find a woman who holds her ground in a fight attractive, while Jeremiah would find a woman who enjoys either tending to his self inflicted wounds or helping him in his meditation rituals to be an attractive trait. (Note that goes for ghost or the living.) I guess it is fair to say love can certainly be different, aye?

[Revy Hiroe]

Well, I'm not sure what Revy wants in a man just yet. Right now though.... She's neither friendly, nor hostile with them (exceptions there, but hey... she's unreasonable). She is rather inexperienced in love at the moment and has actually had a fair share of rather..... unpleasant encounters with some other men. The reason she binds off her chest is because as a warrior it gets in the way and... men usually eye her lecherously, some even went as far as trying to take her by force (those didn't survive though ) If she would dress like a woman, people would probably find her quite attractive, if it wasn't for her usual facial expression. Well can't help that right? What I think she's looking for in a possible romantic partner..... well.... I think that she'll want someone she can at least have good spars with, so someone who can hold themselves against her in combat. (S)He shouldn't back off from rather dubious work requests that Revy does either, not judging her nor like those particular. In fact, I think at least, more someone like herself. Someone who values strength over justice, money over doing good.

[Veldrys]

My PC used to be extremely afraid of getting close to a woman because there is always a risk, no matter how many precautions you take. A woman that gives birth to a Symenestra’s child usually dies, and Veldrys doesn’t want to be a murderer. He just doesn’t share his race’s views. He tried his best to kill off any desire of his and lived pretty much like a monk until he was in his twenties.

For a while I considered having him fall in love with a man – he has feelings for other men occasionally, and men at least would be safe - but then he walked into the temple of Nikali one day. He was incredibly lonely and had come to the realization that even he couldn’t live entirely without being close to another person.

I’m not sure if he loves Lucette – he hasn’t had the time to think about it yet - but he cares deeply about her, more than he cares about anybody else in Denval. She made him forget all the problems he had. She made him happy, and for a while he thought that it was possible, that he could have somebody in his life without becoming a murderer. He thought that a servant of Nikali would be safe. Most of you know what happened …

I don’t know how their relationship will develop, but it’s probably going to be a little tragic, no matter how it ends. I don’t think Veldrys will ever have that simple, romantic relationship that other PCs seem to have, even though that’s what he wants the most.

[Sira]

Romance is never simple, in real life or written on a page. I never expected Sira to end up as she did. First, I had originally planned on her falling in love with a man. But then after thinking about it I decided a woman would make sense. As a wind eagle, there was a very high chance she would bond with someone of the same sex, and it's only natural for a kelvic to fall in love with their bond mates. Could a kelvic even be in love with someone, if they were bonded to another? I don't know. Love is a powerful bond, and kelvics feel that bond stronger than most. It's a part of who they are. Even so, when Sira first met Aidara, neither one of us had planned on them falling in love. But there was something that I just liked about Addy, and so we started PMing each other exploring the possibilities of our character's bonding, and eventually falling in love. It has been an uphill battle for them ever since. Aidara's sister, Sairque, wanted Sira for herself, though Sira had no romantic interest in the woman herself. It's always been an issue between the three of them, because Addy has always lived in Sai's shadow. She is always afraid that Sai will steal Sira away. For Sira's part, she always tries to reassure her love. Love is a battlefield, and Sira and Addy are perfect examples of this. Every season we some up with some new thing to test their love. Sai, of course, has been a recurring theme, but we've done more than that. Sira and Addy both had to overcome their insecurities. Sira was closed off emotionally, and Addy opened her heart. Addy was filled with slef doubt, and Sira filled her with confidence. We've had affairs, we've had near death situations, Sira even got pregnant! And through it all their love stayed strong. For Sira, love is Aidara. That's really the best answer I can give. Because really, that's what love is. Love is who you love. I love my wife, and really that's the best description. If someone asked me what love was I would just shrug and say, "Kelsey." We've had a lot of favorite moments.. I really can't think of just one. So I guess I'll just show off the thread we were recognized for, First Date. It's pretty much what the title implies, Sira and Addy's first date. It's just a cute little thread, but it's the official start of a relationship that has lasted a year now. So.. anyway, that's what I have to say about that. ~Sira

[Devero]

My characters are still a bit young to the Mizahar experience. So I guess I can break down what is, and what is to be. Krivak arrived in Avanthal hurting physically and emotionally.In Ravok, he was bonded to his former slave master, but had strong feelings, maybe even love, to a fellow Kelvic slave named Allana. The pair of them, during their slavery, had always been forced to stay in animal forms. But then one day, Krivak came upon his slavemaster and a beautiful, naked woman. A woman he didn't recognize, but felt he knew. It was Allana. In his rage, Krivak changed into human form for the first time, killed his slave master, then killed and ate Allana, a secret from his Myrian heritage. He, however, repressed all memory of these events, and what he thinks happened is slightly different. He thinks he saw his master kill and eat Allana, and then killed his master out of vengeance. Now he's recuperating in Avanthal, not sure what he feels or who he can trust. But ever since then, he's not willingly taken the human form that would remind him of that day. Liandra is a curious soul to her very core. She has not experienced love in any form yet. The closest thing she has is a single case of lust on an unknown beach, and some emerging feelings on a certain Casinor. Alderache has had no experience with love or anything similar, though I suspect that his darker half, Alseroth, would have different feelings on a type of woman. And finally Devero. Devero is a married harvester in Kalinor. A Harvester is often a master of seduction and luring. And Devero's greatest achievement was his seduction of his wife, Navara. It was originally a challenge issued to him by his uncle, a master at the trade. Navara used to hate Devero with every fiber of her being, for no known reason. Maybe he just rubbed her wrong. But Devero's challenge before he could receive his uncle's blessing to join the Harvester trade, was to seduce her. Several years later, they are now married, and Devero will soon go abroad to seduce other women. Everything for family and Web.

[Kadrath Onktaka]

Love is merely a pretty term for those who want to breed. A lot. Like Raiha for example. I'd breed that.

No way. If you're gonna play with this label, at least have Kavala in mind...

(When Rath speaks and when Uruk speaks.)

[Avari]

Nice discussion idea! Very appropriate.

For my PC, Avari's Konti gift allows her to touch a person and see what they love or desire most, and ever since she left Mura, she's been using that information to manipulate and make a profit off that person, either by stealing their most precious possessions outright or influencing them to take risks or reveal things they shouldn't because of their love. (I really need to write more threads illustrating how she would do this!) As a result, she naturally takes the view that love is a terrible failing and despises the idea of love and romance.

For all that, though, Avari is not immune to love or desire, though she'd definitely have problems coping with tender or selfless feelings that go against her usual self-serving instincts. She's the sort who would fall in love with someone else with both eyes open and fighting it all the way. In her deepest, most secret heart, though, she really wants to see her own face when she touches someone else and to know that she is wanted and loved, as neither has yet to happen for her. Unless she plans to profit off a person, she'll avoid touching them as much as possible, ostensibly because she doesn't want to know that much about that person right away but unconsciously because she always believes, fears, and hates that she'll see something else in their touch that isn't her.