Hello Fellow Mizaharians!
Keeping with our tradition, the Founders Circle and Storytellers are proud to announce that the Featured Contributor of the Summer Season of 2021 is Shiress! Shiress has been around on Miz for a long time, and she does her best to give back not just by writing, but also by grading and being an active, welcoming presence in chat. So, please join us in welcoming her to the elite club of Featured Contributor! Her interview is below! |
The Interview
1. You’re one of the people in chat who is often around to greet new players that drop in; what do you think is the most important thing in terms of greeting new players and making them feel welcome in chat?
I think the biggest thing, first and foremost, is that it is completely normal to feel overwhelmed at first and to let the newcomers know that we understand that there is a lot to read and take in and encourage them that questions are not only expected but welcomed.
2. You’ve been around on Miz for quite a long time; over your time here, what would you say is the most common mistake you’ve seen people make, and how would you suggest people (especially those new to Miz) avoid it?
For new players, it's skirting the rules of the game, I think; only reading what they think applies to their PC or city and neglecting the rules and guidelines of Mizahar itself. My biggest mistakes were made at the beginning of Shiress's creation for that very reason.
It is important to know the rules that apply to your PC and your choice of city, but it's also just as important, if not more so, to know the rules that apply to you as a writer on Mizahar itself.
3. In your opinion, how can the average player help give back to Miz?
Write. Write. Write. Share your PC's story! Get involved in other PC's stories and help them tell theirs. Not everyone is comfortable or confident enough to take on the role of a staff member (myself included  ) so the next best thing is to put your PC out there and tell a story.
4. When did you first start RPing, and how did you discover Miz? What is it about Miz specifically that has kept you around for so long?
I first started RPing waaaay back in the mid 90's when there was such a thing as a dial-up connection. Back when a simple phone call would knock you offline and you would lose everything you had just written and it would take you an age to get back online! My first roleplaying site, if you can call it that, was a website called Angelfire.
I found Mizahar just like the majority of other players, I Googled 'best fantasy RP site', wound up on Miz, saw how much there was to (read) RPing on Mizahar, and immediately freaked out. I kept coming back, though, and I finally just went for it and I'm so thankful I didn't give up!
5. You’ve done a decent bit of grading recently; what inspired you to become a grader in the first place? What’s your favourite and least favourite thing about grading?
Honestly, I became a grader as a way to give back to Mizahar. As I mentioned before, being an ST isn't for everyone and so being a grader was something I felt comfortable with, but, funnily enough, I'm not comfortable grading my own threads -not exactly sure why.
My favorite thing about grading is the story I'm reading. It excites me that I get a little peek into the story of another PC and I get to control the end results of their storytelling effort. I'm not gonna lie, I like the bit of authority I feel when grading; it makes me feel important, like I had just a little tiny bit to do with the development (growth? maturation?) of another PC.
My least favorite thing, hands down, is coming up with lore. I'm so very bad at it it's not even funny!
6. Is there anything that you would like to see more of from STs? What about from fellow players?
From ST's, I guess I would have to say I would like to see ST's getting more evolved in the stories of the PCs in their city/domain. I've always had the most fun when an ST popped into one of my threads unexpectedly and completely changed the direction of the thread, or in some cases, changed the direction I was taking Shiress. It's both challenging and absolutely enthralling to have to adapt to an abrupt plot twist you never saw coming.
From players, myself included, I would like to see us stepping out of our comfort zones more, doing bigger, weirder, stranger things with our PCs, taking chances, and discovering new things because there is always something new to do around Mizahar. For instance, something I just learned, MIZAHAR HAS MONSTERS!!!! Let's start discovering and utilizing ALL of Mizahar's vast lore. There's so much fun to be had that we don't even know about!
7. If you were to become a ST, which domain would you most want to be ST of and why? For the sake of the question, let’s say that you could have your pick of any domain, even ones that do currently have STs.
Syliras. Absolutely Syliras, with Ravok a very, very close second. For Syliras it's the Knights. Despite Shiress's own hatred of the order, she has her -clears throat- reasons, I absolutely love Sylir, His Knights, and the idea of a completely fortified city surrounded and protected by armored men and women with a unified goal of protect and serve.)
As for Ravok, my love of the city came solely from writing there. There's so much mystery surrounding The Black Son, the Ebonstryfe, and the city itself, not to mention Shiress's newfound knowledge of Rhysol, that I couldn't help but become intrigued by it all.
8. What is one important piece of advice that you would give to new players? Why do you think this advice is so important?
New players - Never stop reading! If you truly want a complete understanding of the game, read. Read your new player messages. Read the game rules. Read the lore, and when you finish reading the lore, read it again. Then, start reading threads. Mizahar is an ever-growing community and there are constantly new things being added to the lore. I've been around a long time and I still, to this day, find things in the lore that I never knew was there.
Ask questions!
But most importantly, write! You'll never get the hang of Mizahar until you put yourself out there and introduce your creation to the world. You'll make mistakes, you'll get fussed at, probably more than once (god knows I've been handed my arse more than once), but keep going!
All the above is important because the home you'll find in Mizahar, and the friends you'll make, is just so very worth all the effort.
9. What is your favourite thing about the way Miz works game-wise? Conversely, what is one thing that you would change or that you think could be improved?
My favorite thing is, and always will be, the in-character ability to form relationships/friendships. That said, improvement would be to take your fellow writers seriously. Value those willing to share their PC's story with you by thoroughly reading their posts, posting promptly to replies, and most of all, communicating with your thread partners, something I have failed to do myself on numerous occasions.
When you fail to do those things, not only do you end up causing others to lose inspiration and motivation, you cause them to lose confidence as a writer. I know I have caused my fellow player's issues and, in turn, the same has been done to me. It's called collaborative storytelling for a reason and I (we all) need to remember this.
10. Can you finally, for good, put to rest the rumours about whether or not using the balls emoji in the chat actually summons you? Because it certainly seems to work most of the time. The people need answers!
One time! One time I mentioned that we needed a balls emoji and it became MY balls emoji! But, yes, I do have to admit that said emoji does somehow seem to summon me to chat. Every. Single. Time.
I should have asked for, I don't know, a kitten emoji or something. 
11. Here’s your soapbox question! You can talk about whatever you like here, so go wild and say whatever’s on your mind.
This feature was absolutely unexpected and so very humbling.
Ever wonder why when given your chance to talk about anything, you suddenly cant think of a thing to say? Yeah, me too!
I would like to thank all you amazing people for keeping Shiress alive and kicking, both figuratively and literally.
Goss, thank you for your unwarranted faith in me as a writer and your love for Shiress's story, but most of all thank you for Mizahar. You've given me a place of shelter and sanctuary and an outlet for many years. I honestly don't know what I would ever do without Mizahar and your personal encouragement. I love you for it, truly.
To the writers of Mizahar, thank you for your stories. Thank you for entertaining me. Thank you for teaching me. Thank you for including me. Most of all, thank you all for giving me something to love and to look forward to every day when I get up and log onto Mizahar. You guys have no idea how much each one of you means to me. <3
To Milo, thank you for returning to Mizahar and sharing such a huge part of Milo's story with Shiress. I can't wait for our story to unfold!
Lastly, I want to give Caspian a special thank you, straight from the heart.
Caspian has been by Shiress's side for a long while now, both in character and out.
He has been with Shiress through a lot of ups and downs, losses, and changes. He allowed Shiress to drag him to Zeltiva and has went head-on into wild and crazy plots with such an enthusiastic willingness that honestly, I didn't trust for the longest time.
So many players have come and gone over the years, but none has meant more to me and Shiress than Caspian and his writer.
Caspian, thank you for being your talented, hilarious, caring, engaging, and so very perfectly imperfect self. I can't imagine Miz life without you.
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by Luminescence on June 1st, 2021, 6:59 pm 
