The Interview
1. Unlike most of the Storytellers in the game, you have been floating around between at least three regions: Cyphrus, Falyndar and Mura’s tiny little Konti island. What do you think are the pluses and minuses of being a floating AS and having your fingers in so many pots?For me, the pluses far outweigh the minuses. When I first applied to be an ST, I had no idea where I wanted to be because in a place like Mizahar, every city and region has its own character, unique player base, and environment. So when I saw an opportunity to get a chance to contribute and participate in this whole mixing pot of places I jumped on it like a kid at a candy store. The only downside for me sometimes is I fear that I might be neglecting one place because I get so excited about a story or idea for one of the others.
2. You are an extremely gifted artist. Most people may or may not understand how you have an amazing ability to take a concept and make it a reality. How has this helped you in your moderation?I am an extremely visual person, so when I get really excited about a project, NPC, location, or even a quest, I get an itch to draw it, paint it, whatever. I find it easier to write in words the images in my head, but when I have the physical product to show people who look at something, I feel like something really clicks with me, this unity between the written and visual planes. I just really enjoy contributing to the beautiful art that people on this site create every day, and I feel like the writing fuels the art and vice versa.
3. Many moderators struggle with organization. What to do first? What is a priority? What are you doing to get yourself organized and focus on one project at a time in order to get some real progress done. Share your secrets!I am probably one of the most unorganized people you will ever meet, so my secret? Putting all the chaos into the pile and sorting through it. First on the list is grading. If I’m not feeling inspired for posts, or accidentally just painted an Akalak NPC pink, I love sitting back and grading to sort of set myself at a starting point. Interspersing writing with drawing or doodling potential locations is probably where I’m at my most level, then I double check my moderated threads, see what my fellows are doing, and get back to work!
4. Being a storyteller takes a toll on the life of a PC. Have your PC’s suffered since you’ve became an ST and what have you been doing to combat that?You can say that again. I have a poor abandoned fellow in the desert and a rather lonely Kelvic up in Avanthal, but I like to think of my absence from them as necessary breaks, because I’ve also recently started up a third PC that is currently flourishing. I just try to mediate as well as possible. Being ST is sort of like a strange act of juggling. You come to terms with the fact that your PC is second to your mod duties, but at the same time, I sometimes am scrolling through the forums and tell myself “You just quadruple-checked your threads, probably time to log out for now, aye Travy?” Yes, sometimes I call myself Travy...
5. Share with those people who are not currently storytellers what the most rewarding part of joining the staff on Mizahar is? What were some things you expected? What were some unexpected things? Was it harder or easier than you thought it was going to be? And timewise…more or less time? Give the non-ST some insight on what you found when you moved from player to player and staff!This is a great question, because I mean, it is the answer I desperately sought before and as I became an ST. I mean what magical powers does having a colored name possess, anyway? Probably the most rewarding part of becoming an ST for me was to get access to these places that I might never travel to as a PC, and working with them in this whole new capacity. Grading threads, moderating job threads for players, you get a feel for their PC’s which then in turn can help shape the quests you try to plan out for them, or potential events for a new season. It wasn’t as hard as I imagined it would be, but at the same time it was just as hard, if that makes any sense. In translation I was extremely paranoid for my first few weeks, flinching every time I got a private message sure it would be an ST saying I had made some horrendous error or an upset PC, but then I realized that the wonderful community Miz has built doesn’t suddenly turn on its head when you become an ST, and everyone has been so understanding as I flounder my way into place. There is a lot of work to do, and being an ST is sort of a constant game of catch up, but it is very rewarding work. For me there is a lot of time put in even when not on the site because I am constantly thinking of things to do, or images I should draw and the like, but it was pretty much exactly what I expected in that department.
6. As the title indicates, Storyteller is someone that tells stories. What do you think is the most important aspect – or aspects – of formulating a plot? What sort of process do you go through? Do you use the same techniques for small threads as you do larger challenges?The most important aspect of a plot? Well for me it would be keeping the player’s interest. I have only had one opportunity thus far to run a long plot, but when comparing it to the smaller threads I am involved in, there are many more paths open to the players. There is a set end goal, but it could be reached in any number of ways, while a job thread has this fairly cut and dry conclusion. As a whole though, I make a diagram in my head of the idea of the story, but try to remain as flexible as possible in the story telling so that I’m not putting any horrendous restrictions on the players. I want them to have fun as well as enjoy the thread myself, so I try to always keep those elements in mind.
7. Storytellers need fuel. They need inspiration, snacks, music, etc. Can you tell us some of your favorite storyteller fuel?Hrm. Good question, much harder to answer than all of the other thought provoking one’s you’ve asked thus far… Music is a biggy, but the genre and style isn’t super important to me as long as it has a good beat. Sometimes I’m grading a romantic thread to Skrillex or a really intense combat oriented thread to the Beibs. Usually, however, some intense techno beats like the Glitch Mob or Swedish House Mafia guide me through my day on Miz. I also get really hyped up for grading and posting after watching an epic TV episode or a new movie.
8. We always talk about Storytellers and what they give to Mizahar. Can you tell us instead what Mizahar gives to you? What keeps you coming back and excited about this place?I think it’s just the surprises. I mean even as a Storyteller I would have to be pretty nosy to know every little thing others are doing in their domains, so when announcements like the Kalea Regional Quest are thrown up I get all excited to see what happens, even if I’m not going to be directly involved. So it’s the big things like that, also all the little things that make this site unique and awesome. I enjoy reading the creations of other players and ST’s, and a constant buffer of support always keeps me racing back eager to share my ideas as well as freak out about everyone else’s.
9. Why did you pick the name Traverse? It’s an excellent well-fitting name for the job you do and all the travel you do across Mizahar as a storyteller. But your fans would like to know why you picked the name you did.I originally wanted to pick the name Hydra, and had practically written it in stone. I love dragons and all their ilk, you see, and the opportunity was too good to pass up. I’m not sure what made me pause, probably just other awesome words, and so I made this long list of adjectives, verbs, the whole nine yards. When I wrote out the word Traverse, I just knew that it was the perfect name. It was a sort of prophetic choice, because I knew I didn’t want to settle down in one place immediately, and it sort of summed up the whole premise of why I became an ST as well as what I hoped to accomplish.
10. Is there anything else you’d like to tell your audience?This is the part where all those ideas I ever had of writing something profound in an interview fly out the window…Mostly I just want to say thank you to all the Founders, ST’s, and players that make this site possible. I am simply a fairly new addition to the team and I will continue on as I have had, so thank you ever so much for the nomination! In parting I will bequeath to you the eternal wisdom of one of the greatest pilots in the ‘verse. “I’m a leaf on the wind…Watch how I soar.”
by Nira'lia on March 1st, 2013, 2:45 pm 
