November's Featured Contributor: DS Cinna!

by **Colombina** on November 1st, 2012, 6:52 am

November's Featured Contributor:
DS Cinna

I had a lot of fun interviewing Cinna this month!

She really enjoys Mizahar and her city, and simply buzzes with new ideas. You can tell she has thrown her heart into Spires and really wants players to have fun. Her philosophy on modding is great, and her enthusiasm for pet projects is infectious. (I wish I would have thought of her housing idea!) Join me in congratulating her on winning this month's featured contributor.

1. What is the most valuable trait for a mod to possess?

Patience, definitely patience. You have to be able to deal with any sort of situation that arises with a cool head, meaning dealing with those questions that you may hate or someone asking you when a thread may be graded. We all get them, but being patient and friendly with all of them I think is what makes a mod really great. No one likes a short-tempered mod, and that shows in how you may answer a PC and interact with them on a daily basis.
So keep it cool! Lol
I've also found that people tend to be much more agreeable when you are agreeable with them, so always be patient and nice lol

2. It's almost Thanksgiving season for some of our player base, a time for family, gratitude and eating until you hate yourself. What are some things in game you are grateful for?

I would have to say that I am most thankful for both the players who have been patient with me throughout this change, and the staff who have answered all my nagging questions about everything. Everyone has been really understanding about everything, from the waits on grades, to giving me enough time to figure out how I want something to be done before I answer their specific questions. I can begin to describe how that makes me feel, because I know it has been a shift for everyone who has stayed in the Spires. It's someone new, who may do things a bit differently. But everyone has been incredibly patient with me and I am thankful to have such wonderful people in my treetop city.
I'm thankful that people want to play in the Spires in general, that makes me happy to see activity there every day and have faith in me as a mod. That makes me feel fantastic!
And I'm also thankful for my AS Reaper for seeing poor old Mother Nature in need and coming to my rescue. You're awesome!
But really....who could be more thankful for the awesome community we have here? There is nothing better than that

3. What do you think unites the PC's in the Spires?

I think it's the fact that everyone who is there, at least from what I've noticed, upholds a sense of honor. The Spires in general is a peaceful place, where everyone lives in harmony with each other. Meaning that crime and wrong doings to another is fairly unheard of. I'm proud to say that everyone has upheld that sense, for the most part anyway. Let's be honest, fights do happen between PCs, but mostly things are quite peaceful and characters have kept this spirit going. I haven't had to bring down one of the Judgments on someone yet so I guess I'm doing pretty well! But in all seriousness, I really feel like everyone as adopted this vibe that the Spires gives. It's a place where you can be at peace with yourself and others, and I love how everyone has taken that to heart.

4. What is the Spires theme song for you?

Welcome to the Jungle by Guns N' Roses! Because secretly I think the Jamoura can seriously throw down a party.

5. You're standing in the middle of Spires, what do you see, hear, smell and feel?

If I was in the middle, I would be in the Temple of Caiyha, one of the most beautiful places in the Spires. I would see every animal that could be found in the Spires region, all living there peacefully with each other. I would see the Akvatari priestess caring for the plants and wildlife there, and of course hear all of them around me. Probably the bustle of day to day life as well. I would be able to smell all of the flowers and earth....if that makes sense. As well as get a whiff of what may be cooking at Grath's Rest and several other shops in the city.
And while I may be able to feel the ground beneath me there... I would feel....like I am communing with nature itself. Which I know it is the temple dedicated to that....but it would feel much more personal and spiritual, as if I am a part of the earth itself.

6. What kind of thread do you really want to write?

I REALLY want to give out one of the Judgments. Like have someone that does something so terrible that they get one.....but it's so hard finding a PC that wants to go through all that

. No one wants to be completely banished or shunned, or have their mind wiped of the Spires completely, so it's a tad difficult to do. Which really this makes me sound like all I want to do is deal out punishment.....which I do! Lol
I also want to do a thread with what Gillar is developing: Reminiscence. I think it would be really cool to do a thread where a PC discovered their past lives, and several locations have been developed for that exact purpose, like private meditation gardens. It would be a neat adventure to have.

7. You've done a lot with housing in Spires, can you tell us about that?

This is probably my favorite thing that I have done for the city. What started off as a way to help rebuild the city after the Djed Storm, has turned into a full fledged system that I absolutely adore! Basically, PCs can complete a certain number of building threads to get a discount on their housing price. But if they complete all of them, the home is free of charge!
This was started because much of the city was destroyed in the Djed Storm, and so the city had to be rebuilt, the first thing being homes. I liked the system so much that I decided to keep it for those who wanted to do it themselves, which gives them a feeling of really being a part of the city.

It gives people creative freedom as well, and I love seeing the final write ups of homes that are completed within the guidelines. All of them are added to the link map so others can see the homes as well. I just feel like it gives people a feeling of being involved, and a place to really call their own. I think it's my best work really and I think those that have gone through with the threads have really enjoyed it as well, which is really all that I want

8. When you write for Spires, where do you draw inspiration from?

I've found that I have to kind of....get into a zen like mood. Everything has to be quiet and peaceful around me. I don't want to call it meditating, because that's not what it is.....but I have to have that frame of mind if that makes sense? I'll also turn on Pandora to my "Two Steps From Hell" station and listen to the theatrical music on that station. If I am doing a happy post I try to keep the song bubbly and upbeat, and if it's an angry post I try to pick one to match. It really just depends on the mood of the post.
Music tends to get me the best results though, especially just instrumental music

.

9. What are you excited about for the future of Spires?

I've been developing a creature that I have been terribly excited about introducing to the players as pets! I know that there are lots of really neat creatures already in the Spires, but I've been designing a Jamoura friendly pet that everyone can enjoy. So if you like white, furry, squeaking, three feet tall spiders.....well then this is the pet for you! Crystal spiders!
Not only are they cuddly and cute, but they are incredibly useful and long lived! I don't want to give away too much about them yet, I want everyone to be surprised....but an invasion of them may happen sooner or later!
But dont worry about them biting or being venomous, they are harmless and just want to be cuddled....although a 3ft tall spider wanting to crawl into your lap to cuddle may be a little weird to some people

10. What's something you'd like everyone to know about the Spire's most popular inhabitants, Jamoura?

That even though they may have a "circle of life" view on humanity, they are not just simply animals living in a city. They are the most gentle and intelligent creatures in Mizahar, and I feel like they have a lot to offer to everyone if players wanted a teacher. The best scholars can be found there, and I'd love for people to see them as something more than "the big ape people".

by **Elem Bree** on November 1st, 2012, 6:56 am

Thanks Cinna for breathing life into the Spires and making it such a popular place for people. Awesome attitude and I will definitely envision Axl Rose swaying in a tree branch from this day forward.

by **Gossamer** on November 1st, 2012, 8:14 am

You're a great DS Cinna. I admire all you've endured with the grace and poise you've shown all your players. I don't think there's also a DS that's more universally loved by her tight knit group of players. Grats!