The Featured Character of The Month: Satu!

[Cayenne]

Character of The Month: Satu! Hello everyone! I'm pleased to announce that our character of the month for August 2010 is Satu! Below is her interview - I hope everyone has as much fun reading it as I did conducting it, and as always, feel free to ask questions of the princess of glitter here. Cayenne: How did you get into roleplaying and what drew you into it? How long have you been at it? Is there any reason it appeals to you? Satu: When I was a little girl, I read all the fantasy/science fiction books I could get my hands on. So when I found tabletop roleplaying games (DnD and a few others), it was a natural fit, I loved every minute of it. The doing of it, instead of just the reading of it struck a chord in me. Though I must admit I was terrible at keeping track of what dice to roll when! But I had a huge collection of dice, because everyone knows, dice are like sparkly, little precious jewels! (Yes, I am a dice hoarder. ) But after a time, I found that creating characters and their backgrounds was something that I really liked to do. Our DM always said that if you made a detailed background for your character, then you’d get more xp. And since there is no such thing as too much xp, I’d turn in like 10 pages! I’d even come up with elaborate back stories that really didn’t matter because ultimately we were only going on a hack-n-slash extravaganza. I still love crazy, made-up worlds, but it seems no one has time to devote whole nights at a time to gaming. And I’ve found that I get a similar kind of satisfaction in the writing of stories, and being part of an online rpg community like Mizahar. Cayenne: What are your favourite aspects of Mizahar? Least favourite? Satu: Mizahar drew me in right away! The quality of writing I found surprised me and I wanted to join and write. And write well! It’s like that thought that comes to you when you read really amazing threads. I call it the “I wanna write with THEM!” feeling. During my initial forays into the threads that happened all the time, over and over again. And still, I get that feeling when I read what other people are writing. The good and talented folks of Mizahar inspire me to try and write better, and more creatively. I’m totally in awe of you guys! The second thing I loved about Mizahar was the lack of elves, dwarves and orcs! Yay! Can I tell you how weary I am of those! And as people have said so many times around here, the Lore! The Lore is original and detailed, and informative. I find I go to look up one thing… and that leads me on to a hundred other Wiki articles, and before I know it, I’m asking myself what I was looking up in the first place! And lastly, can I mention the Founders and Mods without sounding like a suck-up? Haha. It’s true. Those who were here when I started KNOW… I had a lot of questions at the beginning. Not to mention daily issues with the bbc codes among other things. And through it all, everyone was always helpful without being insulting towards my backwards mental capacities. And that is something that is really rare on a lot of sites. *Wipes emotional tear*. My least favourite thing is the keeping track of equipment lists and money. I understand the necessity of it, but I’m not the best at keeping track. So needless to say in an effort to simplify things, Satu is in the process of losing or giving away most of her belongings. Cayenne: Of all the races in Mizahar, what originally drew you to the Konti? Was there anything in particular that stood out about the race to you? Satu: Originally, I was trying to decide between the Konti and the Vantha. I went with the Konti, because I couldn’t find the perfect picture for a Vantha. And the Konti, were so lovely and peaceful, yet tragic with their own personal sensitivities. What a truly amazing life it would be to live in Mura, a little bubble of a world, without conflict and in harmony with the women around them. Naturally, I couldn’t resist making a sweet one… and then turn her life into a chaotic, turbulent mess. Ah... good times! Cayenne: Some people identify really strongly with their characters, and tend to see parts of themselves in them, whether it was intentional or not. How much of Satu is you? Do the pair of you share any key traits, like a secret love of strawberry ice cream with extra glitter? Satu: Common traits like… insanity? Wait? Is this a trick question? Yes! We do! Though, she is not me, and I am not her. I think that all my characters have aspects of me within them; I begin with the known and work outwards, because if I imagine them, aren’t they a part of me? I think so! Generally, my characters are very different from one another, in looks and demeanours, professions or sex. But to a greater or lesser degree there is always a family resemblance regarding their inner worlds that make them offspring of me, even the ones most different from me in RL. But one thing holds true, they are all very emotional, even if they try to conceal the fact. They feel! And they feel strongly. In RL I work in an alternative field, ripe with intensions and intuition, and with feelings that are stored within the physical body. That I guess trickles over into my writing. For Satu, as a HeartSeer, is witness to the hidden emotions of others. And at times the shell a person presents to the world is not as important, or as strong as the emotions or the life that is hidden within. Cayenne: Satu has recently undergone quite a traumatic experience and has had a complete metamorphosis since then... do you find it easier or harder to hear Satu's voice since her capture at the hands of Drainira? Satu: Actually, I find it much easier to write for Satu since her capture than before. I find it extremely hard to play nice for long periods of time or I get very bored as a writer. I was just about at my limit with Satu’s niceness and naïveté! And I was sure everyone else was too! Tarot and the Refreshing Excursion Thread came along just in the nick of time! Now, with Satu’s inclination to seek out aggressive feelings in others, it is much more fun to write. Conflict, inner turmoil all good things! But now that I think about it, even with Satu’s mental changes, she seems to have held on to some of that naïveté in regards to how she sees the world around her. I love surprises like that! Cayenne: Most people are nervous about risking such enormous changes with their beloved characters - do you have any advice for them? Satu: Advice? Not really. I think everyone has a sense of what they are comfortable writing about. And sometimes that can be pushed and sometimes it can’t. I like changes myself. Everyone changes whether they want to or not, in some way shape or form. And those changes have a ripple effect on the world at large. And that in turn affects me and the way I write, and it forces me to stretch my comfort zone. If I write for my characters preservation, I find I limit both Satu and myself. It is funny because originally I wanted Satu to accept Drainira’s offer, saving herself some heartache. But Satu didn’t want the safe way and I couldn’t write it. Somewhere along the way she had developed a voice of her own and if I listen closely and carefully, I can hear it and follow where it leads. And that can be really fun and amazing to find these places you didn’t know existed. I fear for my characters to grow stagnant and dull! I love to write about challenges and catastrophic changes. With new characters, I like to start them out with a firm, unchanging mindset about something, anything. And then I spend the rest of my posts and their roleplaying life, trying to tear down that mindset, one way or another. I like to pull the rug out from under them! Only for them to find that chaos, and mayhem, and uncertainty were hiding there all along. Cayenne: Have you ever heard the saying "I don't suffer from insanity... I enjoy every minute of it!"? Do you think it applies to Satu? Satu: Well, not exactly. Satu has no idea that she is insane, and I think it would come as a great shock to her if she were ever to realize what she has become… Satu now believes it is the world around her that is topsy-turvy, not her. She is only a poor Konti girl trying to survive by reacting to life. As I’ve said before, she is still as naïve as she ever was, but now that particular brand of naivety allows for aggression and murder, lying and walking in to dangerous situations without that protective layer of fear that keeps a person from doing something stupid. Cayenne: You're one of the very first non-natives to begin playing in Falyndar. What made you decide to make the perilous trip there, and how good do you think Satu's odds are at making it out of Taloba alive? Satu: The Jungles of Falyndar! It scared me to take a Konti there! But a little conversation in chat one day changed all that. And Satu was given a wonderful opportunity to take part in a deadly storyline where she takes the life of one of our players (thank you Kell!). Also, the small group of dedicated Myrians and others in the area, and Cayenne too, made the offer too good to pass up. Now Satu is the butt of many, “What’s for dinner jokes…” But so far she’s not been cooked up. (Keep those prayers coming!) I like to think that Satu’s madness will actually help her to stay alive in Taloba far longer than she would have if she’d been sane. Her new found aggression and willingness to fight lends itself to something the Myrians might understand better than her previous pacifistic Konti stance of peace, love, and cooperation. She would have been dead already! So I am hoping (maybe I’m the naïve one), that she will be accepted as much as a deyhan ever could be accepted in Taloba.). Cayenne: What goals do you have envisioned for attaining with Satu? Any future plans? Satu: I have plans upon plans for Satu. If there was only enough time for all of them to come to pass! But the unclassified outline is this… While in Taloba, Satu has been focused on weapons trainings. And now with the help of one of Cayenne’s NPC’s there a chance Satu could find a new focus and purpose within her madness. And I am very excited that soon Satu will begin learning the Leadership skill. Imagine that in the hands of an unstable person! In the far, far future I could envision her leading a cult of like minded, adoring followers around Mizahar, for some unknown purpose only Satu can see. And then, there’s that unfinished business with Drainira too… Cayenne: If you could do any one thing, no matter how crazy or insane, in a thread, what would it be? Satu: From the start, Satu has always wanted to become Rhysol’s girlfriend. No joke! Cayenne: Thanks so much for a great interview, and congratulations once again! Satu: I just wanted to say thanks! Really! What a truly wonderful, beautiful place this is to write stories for, and the amazing people here keep me coming back. I’m really glad I found it, and I’m really glad you all found it as well! Kiss Kiss!

[Nimvahlis]

Congratulations Satu! <3s to my favorite insane character
Remember though, sanity isn't statistical. Maybe Satu is right and its just everybody else that is crazy.

Super Hugs,
Morse

[Mao]

Congrats, Satu!

To my favorite loveable insane Konti girl. I love you, girly and I'm so happy for you! ^___^ Keep up the amazing work and keep writing! Satu is an amazing character, and she deserves every bit of recognition!

And just for you, some glitter to go with the grats!

[Torc Ironwood]

YES! Satu!

Enugh said!

This is my gift to you! *huggles Satu*

[Gossamer]

I have to say I really loved this interview. It was fun to read and really interesting to think about things from Satu's perspective. Grats girl! You deserve it.

[Malia]

Congratulations, Satu! Your PC's adventures keep surprising me; you really deserve this! ^^

Also, I enjoyed reading the interview and getting a deeper look into the thought process and the person behind the PC.

[Tarot]

It's been a pleasure to peel away your sanity. It's still in a jar on my desk. Seriously, though, I loved the interview and I'm looking forward to continuing Satu's story in the future. Congrats!

[Abashai]

Congratulations Satu! Such an intriguing and dynamic character deserves the recognition, and you as a player are a wonderful part of Mizahar! Keep on keepin' on Magnum!

[Siiri]

What's there to say the others have not? Congratulations, Satu! This is very well-deserved! The others don't know how wonderful a writer and player you are until they have threaded with you and I feel honored to be one of those few who have! Proud of you, woman!

P.S.
Sorry for breaking your PC's nose but if you think about it, it would just make your character that much more interesting in the long run.

[Kamalia Timandre]

Congratulations, dear Satu! <3 We'll meet again someday and Kammy will be astonished by the changes! I just want to tell you that our thread "A Meeting at the Pavilion" is still my favorite action thread ever! It was so vindictively female!

P.S. Siiri, please don't break my PC's nose.