[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Gossamer on July 21st, 2013, 2:02 am

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I have to admit, most days I'm a bit curious why people are online so much and why they are so in love with writing for Mizahar. Indulge me, will you, if I ask humbly? Talk about why you are here, what draws you to Mizahar, and what you get out of your Mizahar experience day in and day out.

I would be really curious to know. Sometimes, I feel, that I log on and honestly ask myself this question and then have to think about it. That might seem strange to you, but my reasoning for being here has changed significantly over time.

Once, long ago, I was part of a website that made me hellishly unhappy. I loved the process and idea of the site, but the management was terrible and they were so bad at backsliding or ignoring the needs of the player base, I knew anyone could frankly do better. I had friends that felt the same way. Tarot, our wonderfully gifted Admin, is one of those people. And in some ways we are kindred spirits because the driving force behind Mizahar at first was a desire to prove to everyone, and most importantly ourselves, that we could do something that was meaningful, tasteful, well-thought out, and catered to the needs of the players. And lets face it, by being successful, it was in essence a way of thumbing my nose at a place that was in a huge downward spiral.

So fast forward from 2009 to 2013. We are still here. In four years, we have managed to do things most other sites only dream of. By that initial competitive streak itch in me hasn't been scratched for a long time. Why? Because our posting rates, our thread counts, our pbase, and our staff are stellar. We've so far blown the competition out of the water that it is proof to me that we were right about how to do things and why. Which, I might point out, was one of the reasons why Mizahar for me had to happen. I wanted to be right.

As far as I'm concerned, we proved everything we needed to prove to most importantly myself.

So now, what's the draw? I love the stories. I honestly do. I love those plain jane or joe pcs that rise above and do something great. I think that's one of the reason Syka is scratching that itch for me right now. We get to make believe we are Indiana Jones and Columbus and all those people we read about in history that did incredibly foolish things. And I can't wait to see which pcs rise above and which fall short, and who does what that's surprising. I want to see where this rag tag group of explorers can go and what they will make of the epic level story I've come up with for them. Will they even think its epic? Will anyone talk about it after its done? I know Fire Dreams didn't start out to be anything special. It started out to be something to get my favorite hottie (lets face it, Ivak is a hottie) out of jail and roaming the world again. Simple concept, but it turned out that I got to write with one of my favorite writing buddies of all time, meet a few more great players along the way, and tell more stories. People that weren't here while it was happening, still know about it. Will anyone find anything meaningful out of Syka and the plight of the Nyavanni?

Will these PCs love being explorers and sailing off into the unknown as much as I love that idea? Will they be okay? Who will die? Some might. It's a really big possibility with what's coming. And who will stare at the screen with their eyes wide open and go OMG OMG OMG!

That's what I'm living for now. I also want to see the gods, gnosis', and wiki more finished than it is now. It will happen. I'm driven to make it so. But I guess I'm most curious about why YOU ARE HERE.

WHY?

Can you just start talking about it? I'd really be interested in knowing. I think others would be too.
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Shiress on July 21st, 2013, 2:32 am

I will! I will tell you why I came to love Mizahar. It has become a sort of refuge for me. I have a lot of RL issues and other things going on and to log into Mizahar and put on the Shiress face and become someone less troubled means the world to me, even with Shiress' issues lol! It's the only way of escaping the woes of real life that I have right now and I love Mizahar and the friends I have come to make. I don't think anyone who knows me as Shiress will fully understand what Shiress means to me and how much I love and respect the writers here that I meet. I simply need Mizahar. Period
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Alea Davenport on July 21st, 2013, 2:42 am

I am mostly here for my characters. In my first year on Mizahar I managed to solidify which three were most important to me, and now I want to see them live and grow on Mizahar, and watch their stories unfold over the coming years (and decades if possible--I worry about things like who will inherit Mizahar in 50 years).

Since forever or so, I've always wanted to go have adventures in magical worlds. When I discovered role-playing, that was the closest I'd ever gotten (writer's RPG especially), just because of how free-form it is, and no matter what happens, I can choose exactly how I want to respond (as opposed to video games where at best you're limited to a few choices). As I get older and more sophisitcated with my role-playing, I appreciate the realism and challenge of Mizahar as well (which makes it easier to immerse myself in the roleplaying experience and believe these stories are possible and relevant), and I start to appreciate things like character and emotion, psychological things rather than beating bad guys with magic lasers (this might be why I'm not all that enthusiastic about getting gnosis marks--meeting gods sounds like a lot more fun if I don't want anything from them).

The other draw is the ooc social aspect. Mizahar is such a big community, and there's always someone online in chat. It's also exciting to make friends by bonding with people over what you're doing to each other's characters. I think the PCs' lives in this fantasy world have a chance to be much more colorful in a way that our real lives sometimes aren't (wings! Shape-shifting! magic!), and it's fun to get excited about those things with other people.

It's also fun to experience potentially dangerous and risky situations without the risk of real-life consequence. For example, Alea enjoys physically attacking people when she gets angry. I could never do that in real life, because consequences would happen, but in Mizahar I can unleash my inner feelings and still be best friends with the author of the character I'm abusing :D

One more thing: it's sort of just fulfilling to be part of something as big and as lovingly crafted as Mizahar. I usually have a hard time committing long-term to something, because there are so many fantasy worlds out there to explore, but Mizahar is real enough and important enough to me that I'll always come back. I've put down roots here, and claimed it as home, and ultimately, being able to come back to the same character season after season and year after epic year is a greater feeling than spending two weeks on a game that has to end.
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Noaru on July 21st, 2013, 3:47 am

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I like Mizahar, the storytellers, players and PC's! I like the monsters, magics and the sheer detail this website holds. The whole of Mizahar just feels like another world to me; everyday I'm discovering something, new people in chat, new PC's and stories/lores I'd never seen or heard before. The whole Mizahar world, no universe, wasn't something I believed I would've been apart of. I spent three years on another website typing with folk that cared nothing for the stories they and I had created together.

The projects we started together, were constantly restarted because most of the people in our administrative group hated each other and just didn't care. I was the one mocked constantly because I was the worst roleplayer and the only one amongst the admins that cared for the players, the story and their stories. The hardest of my efforts were made into nothing, everything I tried and did to help our group and for our group wasn't appreciated.

I spent those years constantly searching for another place. A place with concepts, ideas, stories, worlds, characters and monsters that I wasn't familiar with... a place that I would be completely lost in when I discovered it. When I finally left that vicious circle of criticism and unappreciation a friend of mine showed me Mizahar. If you are wondering, why I stayed as an admin for that site for so long... it was because I believed the people I worked with for so long were my friends :'(

The reason why I'am on Mizahar is because, it has rekindled the love and passion I had for writing, roleplaying, and typing. :smirk:

The thing that draws me here? Obviously, the dream you guys have for Mizahar and the immensity of this places originality! :D I'am definitely a long term resident/player here. The experiences I get out of Mizahar are always different, some funny, sad, weird :paranoid: but I understand and adapt.

Arrrgh! I'm having a hard time trying to explain my experiences but despite how they are--the love and appreciation remains.

OOCSorry about my little rant/life story. I'm an emotional guy sometimes v.v


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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Fox Starseer on July 21st, 2013, 4:03 am

Why. Why is a good answer. (It's also a crooked letter that can't be straightened lol).

Okay, all jokes aside, serious Fox is serious (for now). Why am I here. Aside from getting all pseudo-phylosophical, the answer is simple. I need somewhere I could scratch the medieval/fantasy roleplay itch. Deal with the craving (short of playing Skyrim again and again and again, which I still do by the way). Plus I'm a writer and a roleplayer. This is what I love, making characters, telling stories. Everything that Miz is about.

I wanted somewhere I could call home, somewhere I could....grow in myself. And somewhere I could make awesome friends (which I have). The lores and extensiveness is what kept me here, I think. And the people. I mean yeah, it is difficult at the start, but then if it was easy it wouldn't be fun.

So, in short, I'm here because I am. And I am because I'm here. Yeah okay, that made no sense. Well very little sense.
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Rayage on July 21st, 2013, 4:20 am

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Mizahar. That one word brings to the surface a lot of emotions. Excitement is the most prevalent one. Dread sometimes, because Ive had my ups and downs here. Though I come back because I really enjoy Mizahar, the site, the concept, the entire world! I love it all, except dealing with people :P Sometimes they can be a bit much, sometimes I can be a bit much. People aside, I love this place. It's one of the things I can do when I have a bit of free time to just type.

However, this is not answering the prompt. My reason for joining Mizahar initially was to find out what RPing was all about. This is my first RP ever, and there was a huge learning curve. I studied the hell out of the lore, asked questions, and eventually settled on my concept of the Sahovan Nuit. Initially I wanted an escape and something to pass time with. So I chose Mizahar. I love to write, I write all the time on site and off. I love to read. And I found that RPing is quite unlike any video game that could ever possibly be made. No game can ever give you the amount of freedom to do what you want in a world, and it cant compete with an RP world such as Mizahar. I found it fascinating but also sort of intimidating the amount of freedom on the boards. It really let me explore and develop a connection to my PC.

Which brings me to my next point. Initially I wanted something to pass the time, but it involved into more of an emotional attachment to my PC. As I figured out Rayage's personality, quirks, and ambitions, as I got them more cemented into my mind I wanted more. Seriously, Mizahar is like a gateway drug to writing ridiculous amounts for hours...

Anyways I got more and more attached to my PC. Which evidently brought me back, and I put even more work into him. I got excited. I started a goal with Rayage that still hasnt come to fruition, but Im working towards it. I want Rayage to be important, powerful, regarded as one of the best wizards of all time. I want Ray to beat Pycon at his own game, and then move on to do more great and amazing things! It was this competition in my mind, this unreal rivalry with a long dead fictional wizard, that started to make me come back. I wanted to do something that NO ONE ELSE has ever done before, and then when I have done it... I want to top it. Somehow! I even dont know how yet, but that is for the future.

The excitement of my own ambition is my driving force now. Im here because I want Rayage to be the best wizard possible. If I dont know something for sure, I ask questions... lots of them. Poor Goss knows :( with Shielding. I probably made her sick with everything I was asking about XD But to be the best, you need to know for sure how it works properly. I dont want to end up as an example of 'what not to do', but rather a role model to follow.

As for Magic, it has been a real sticking point with me. I love the concepts of it all, and how it all ties into reality itself. As a wizard (pronounced Gambler), the more you are willing to risk, the more becomes possible (that is if it doesnt blow up in your face :P which is equally as fun. I guess that is why its called a risk). Roll the dice and see what happens.

I guess, to sum it all up before I rant some more, Rayage is here because I want to change the face of Mizahar and help mold its future. Ray will be an agent of change :) or that is my grand ideal!

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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Khida on July 21st, 2013, 9:47 am

I roleplayed for a long time in the MUSH/MUX venue, then spent about a year off due to RL time constraints. By the end of that, I was very much itching to get back into it -- writing alone just isn't the same, and I've always liked the other perspectives and surprising ideas someone else can introduce into a story. So I branched out into forums, where the time of day I logged on at didn't matter so much. But I didn't want to play Sanctuary or Supernatural or Marvel or any other canon setting; I didn't want to play urban fantasy or science fiction or any of those things. I especially didn't want a multi-setting RP; I wanted a single, unified theme in the fantasy genre -- preferably an original setting, or at least definitively not RL-like or futuristic. I've always loved original fantasy first and foremost, but that also seems to be one of the hardest genres to find a good game in... regardless of the platform.

Then I found Mizahar, and my problem was solved. Here, I have an original fantasy setting to play in where all of my main character types fit without issue, with any number of story options to explore -- too many, even! -- and a great community which is equally invested in the game and the stories of our characters. The world is beautifully thought-out and detailed, with opportunities to do pretty much anything once you point your characters in the right directions. Mizahar is the kind of game I've been looking for for a long time. Now I have characters, I have story plans, and I have people to RP with... and I'm thoroughly invested in all of them. I'm here until I run out of those things. May it be a very long time from now!
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Eida on July 21st, 2013, 10:53 am

It's not an odd question! :P I wasn't rolayplaying for so long. When I did I was only with 3-4 people, in a forum where we had fun. We had only 5-6 sentences but I still had fun. But it stopped... I was sad and I was always searching rp in hungarian for so long. I gave up, then I found this site. I wasn't sure in the beginning because everything was in English and I was freaked out that OMG I WON'T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING, EVERYONE WRITES WITH WORDS I DON'T KNOW YET OMGOMGOMGOMG... so yeah but I have read the lores and the world. I started to read some threads. I didn't understand every SINGLE word but as a whole I understood everything. So I decided to join because why not? Finally I found a unique world, I can roleplay, and it helps in my English. ( My grammar is still not the best, but my final exam in english was mark 5 which in here Hungary is the best! :) oh yeah 90% )

I started to make my character which was yeah... so it had an interesting concept. But I was glad to see that a lot folks read the intro forum and Noaru helped me to get started! :) And when I got my first grading for my first flashback I was so excited! So I continue and I think you know the others.

Oh I also want to add: I also joined because it has unique history, unique Gods, magics and others. Really it's a whole world which could really exist in another dimension :P And I love mythology, gods and goddesses. So that must be also a reason.
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Fubuki Kouri on July 21st, 2013, 12:33 pm

I'll be completely honest, I'm here because Mizahar is the staple of Online Forum RP site. It's #1 in many top RP site lists for a reason. The universe, the magic system, the unique races, flora, fauna, everything about it is just amazing. I very much understood that there are no perfect site, but heck, no other RP forum could match up to this. :)

I completely fell in love when I saw the ghost race, instant telekinesis, deadly touch, possession, phasing through objects, flying, blinking, and having no need of physical sustenance whatsoever? I'm in! Also, I see there are only two active ghosts so far before I join, Noaru and Elaine. That's far too few for this very unique race so I decided to turn the duo... to trio! :D
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[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

Postby Sliver on July 21st, 2013, 5:49 pm

Short Story? I came to do a bit of writing and ended up staying for the lore, the people, and the stories.

Long Story?

I first discovered written roleplaying on Facebook. It was Starwars (Jedi vs Sith I think was what it was called) and apart from having all that 'Add all your friends and get points and do all these repetitive tasks!' they literally just had all the planets listed, and each was a blank forum you could write in. I remember it was my first long date with wookiepedia, learning about the conditions and sizes of all these different planets, realizing just how massive the star wars universe really was. I chose an empty one by the name of Tholatin, pretty much a giant rock in space, and named my wandering outcast jedi, Hawk, which has led me to a long tradition of naming characters after one simple word (Sliver, Coal, even Tinnok goes by the name Wolf...its really just ridiculous).

After that I was hooked. It was like the best parts of a video game and a fantasy novel combined, but you could write every part of it, sheer brilliance!

Like everyone elses tales, the sites I migrated to that were born from this jedi v sith game were not as well policed, shaped, or unified as Miz. I had fun, but I didn't realize role playing sites really got better until I flitted to a couple other sites that were far worse than where I had originated.

I had done a drive by of Miz once in 2010, barely staying more than a couple weeks, but when I returned with that urge for online role playing calling to me, I took my time, fell in love, and decided to stay for a while longer the second time around.

And here I am over a year later. I have three characters that are quite dear to me, though one I can't even post on yet :D , and I'm planning to be in this for the long haul. I think it has a lot to do with the wonderful energy that people can just exude when they get exited about something. Not the silly fools that don't take their time to read the lore, or hamper ST's in every step of character creation, but the folks that settle right into the groove, and might stumble a bit, but always pick themselves up and continue on, for the love of the story and those that they can share it with.

Makes for a pretty great place I'd say.
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