[Discussion] Why Are You Here?

[Kaiphur]

I came to Mizahar because I wanted an active community that was well established. This place is alive with new members and great ideas, and I think that is why I am enjoying being a member so much!

[Dren Zhao]

I am a young person, and time passes differently for youth. We can change drastically in a span of a few months, and in a year or so become a completely different person then who we were before.

I have matured greatly ever since I've joined Mizahar, and I'm a completely different person now then when I first started. Though I wasn't around in the year of 2009, Mizahar has been a fleeting yet omnipotent presence in my life for three years at the most.

The universe of Mizahar is intriguing. I always find myself coming back to it, as if an invisible string links my soul to this fictional world.

I believe that Mizahar exists. Gandalf from Harry Potter once said, "Just because something happens inside your mind doesn't mean its not real." Or a quote that's very similar. I believe that to be true. Everyone who has participated in Mizahar even in the smallest of ways has made Mizahar a very real and tangible place for all of us.

All of our minds link and touch each other when we roam this fictional universe. We have made Mizahar real, and it exists within all of us. Mizahar may only be waves and chemical reactions inside the organ that is our brains, but even then Mizahar has become a real thing. Mizahar has touched all of us, even if its in a small way, and we have touched Mizahar. We have been there. It is a real place to us. We are all strings in the tapestry that is Mizahar, and we are each entwined into it in some way.

This is why I am here right now. I've been maturing emotionally and mentally over the last few years. I'm becoming an adult. Mizahar has become a part of that process. Even when Mizahar is long gone and over and done with, the strings that make up Mizahar will still be entwined inside of me. That tapestry will live on forever in my memory.

[Venser Rush]

This thread hasn't seen activity for a while and I thought I'd add my two cents.

Some of you may know my PC, and others may know my twin, Verin, as well.

I came onto Mizahar for her. A simple invitation extended by the hand of a person who knew that I was unhappy with the poor quality of the other sites I had been on before. I was rather reluctant to join, given that it was my first experience with forums and how I felt that I wouldn't measure up to the rest of the quality players upon the site, but I was convinced and I created Venser.

But, that doesn't answer the question of why I am here, but adequately answers the question of why I joined. As for why I am here, that's an entirely different story.

When I came onto Mizahar, I was intimidated. Not by the lore, because I absolutely love to read, but by the process of creating a CS. So, when that was out of the way, with the help of my lovely best friend from across the pond who plays as my PC's twin brother, I eagerly trudged forward into the game that is Mizahar.

I steeped into the lore that is the magicks, read up on them, heavily discussed them with other PC's, and eventually managed to obtain enough knowledge and time, with enough posts to apply as a Grader. Following that, an ST. Why did I volunteer for these positions? It is for the same reason that I come onto Mizahar and continue to do so.

Because of all of you. All of the players, all of the plots, the writing, the sheer depth of the thought that is put into the roleplay here, to this day, astounds me.

I'd have fallen in love with this place even if it had unoriginal lore and recycled concepts if it had all of you here. The writing that I've seen here have inspired me to become a better writer, the discussions I've had here have inspired me to become more informed. And the people that play here inspire me to give back and furthermore, aspire to achieve greater things as both a player and a staff contributor here on Mizahar.

So, I thank all of you, especially my dear twin (<3) for everything you have given me, and for being a continuous and incredible inspiration for me to become a better writer.

I love you all ^.^

- Venser Rush

- Tydus Tempest

- Vice.

[Palla Frostfawn]

Alia told me to. I joined one day, conpletely clueless, and forgot all about it. Eventually, I returned and came up with Potato's character sheet. I retired him since it would be very hard to recover him after plans fell apart, and I wasn't feeling a strong enough connection to really put the effort in. For me, it requires a huge amount of effort to play a PC I don't connect with, and Potato was one of those PCs.

Next, I was convinced to make a PC in Riverfall, and so Palla was born. Writing for her was so much fun, and the words just effortlessly flowed from my fingers. I really felt a conection to her, as many aspects of her personality are based on mine. I fell in love with Mizahar and its community, and my writing improved. My experience with Mizahar has been infinitely rewarding, and nothing short of Mizahar's demise will stop me from playing.

[Gossamer]

It might be time to hit this thread again. I'd love to hear why some of the new people (or even veterans) that haven't posted to this thread are here. It usually invigorates the Staff hearing what everyone thinks.

[Finnegan]

Hello! I'm not sure how much weight my reason with have since I haven't posted anything in-character, but I'm here because of how involved everyone is!

I've lurked around the forum for a long, long time on-and-off, and seeing just how excited everyone gets about it is really what drew me in to finally making an account! There's nothing wrong with casual RP if that's your thing, obviously, but for me there's such a thrill in being so involved in your character and feeling their emotions and knowing that you're interacting with people who feel the exact same way.

[Lisana]

To me, Mizahar is an escape. It didn't start off as such, but it has become a way to spend a couple of hours to stop thinking about the shenanigans in my life, and slip into the shenanigans of someone else's life. Not avoiding my problems altogether, but just taking a break from the ugh moments. It gives me a reason not to think about things that are frustrating me, and instead just lets me be creative, and, well, escape. Not to mention, Miz is pretty frickin' fun.

[Zephari]

I joined mizahar because a friend of mine told me about it (Shahar Dawnwhisper), but my reasoning for staying is that this is a place that I can get creative, and actually use it to have fun and be social. It is a great way to unwind from the real world, which gets a little icky sometimes. Also i love the people here! Everyone I have interacted with so far has been extremely nice, and very helpful, which is very hard to find both IRL and on the internet.

[Theo Popcampio]

I come here because I genuinely love to write. I love RPing and getting into characters as well, very often, despite the dissimilarities, my characters are directly inspired by a piece of myself (Theo and the npc character Rielly are highly idealized versions of myself). I like how the RP restricts your story too, you have to work up, you have to earn all the respect your character has in this world. Writing in this restricted way also forces me to create new and interesting plot ideas (The recent thread with Bakar was an example of this, I knew I wanted Theo to not like Nuits, but after actually writing it was no longer this inexplicable racism, instead it made a ton of sense for his past.).

I used to thread on a site a long time ago, Gundam Vagrant Destiny, and that site was in a constant state of turmoil. I love the stability Mizahar offers me as a writer, and that I can leave a week or two to settle some personal affairs and still have a community to come back to. It really was an awful thing to come back within a month to the site and see that they system you were writing in was getting scrapped for another, highly similar style.

Also, you guys are awesome! Maybe a little too nice for my taste at times hahah, but seriously, I dont know where these PSA about assholes in chat is about, I've had nothing but support and I can be kind of an asshole at times. You guys really do try to write good, meaningful RPs, we aren't telling the same old tales again and again. It's a pleasure to have you as peers!

Finally, I want to work on my writing. If anyone ever has any advice, wants to pass a comment my way, show love, or really focus on some intense plotting send me a message. I think you can tell by my solos (which I have more of in the works) that I really strive to write a good story. Even though I'm terrible, as this is my first major creative story-driven pursuit, I'd like to think my style improves everytime I sit down to write here, whether it be with one of you guys or by myself. Fyi, I was writing on Gvd at fourteen, writing poetry/lyrics at fifteen, and rapping at sixteen (you can lol, im actually pretty confident about this). Point being, this is a great site to write for any purpose! I love what the founders have given us and want all you staff to know that your jobs are vital to the existence of this site, you guys make this site what it is and help it continue to be a fun place to be!

[Kaie]

For a long time I've had a creative itch that just needed scratching. Back in elementary school, and something I've decided I'm incredibly grateful for, teachers in pretty much every grade level required us to write. They encouraged us as kids to really hone into our imaginations without many limitations. We were given a loose topic, something to give our young minds a little nudge with how to start, and off we went to create these wild stories simply with the goal of providing entertainment to both young author and reader. I really loved these assignments. I belonged to a wide circle of friends that fiercely occupied the "jock" stereotype for our school, and I think these writing tasks allowed me a chance to discover a part of myself that was outside of athletics. I don't think I've realized that theory until just now, actually! In any case, despite this enjoyment, sports pretty much had taken a vice-like grip on my attention outside of the classroom from then on. I lost the desire to write for a long time. I don't think it ever really occurred to me again until just about the end of high school.

I think just about everyone has had the crazy idea of writing a book in their head at some point. There's a spark, this crazy, unorthodox (or perhaps otherwise) idea that just really hooks you. There's a personal attachment to these characters you create in your head to play out this epic story, and it's like the only thing you have left to do is gather up some nerve to organize and write the hell out of it! I had that experience a few years ago. Problem was, I didn't quite have the nerve. Probably still don't. I'm not ready yet and neither are my skills as a writer. Yet there sat this burning desire to just write something. To breathe life into some character or world they occupy. But how?!

You guessed right! The answer is always the internet. Searching for what I was looking for wasn't the easiest task. I honestly didn't know what this sort of role-playing was to be perfectly, shamelessly honest with you all. Lots of typing and clicking later, I figured out what I was looking for and what kind of environment I felt I craved as a novice writer. That's when I found Mizahar. I was blown away. It would be a total lie if I didn't admit I was intimidated. I was. I had no idea where to even start. I was wow'ed by the level of detail and love obviously put into the site's creation and the dedication of the player-base. The complexity of Mizahar is why I'm here. Its diversity in population and world conditions are why I'm here. The endless challenges it throws at me IC and OOC is why I'm here. The helping hands along the way (kudos to the amazingly patient staff and veterans. You know who you are!), the idiot mistakes I've worked through trying to nail down the lore, and my awesome threading partners are why I'm here. Mizahar has proven to be a great crucible for myself and the character I play. I couldn't ask for a better place to start.

Before I get sappy or something, I'll finish up with a HUGE THANK YOU....to everyone who brought Mizahar to fruition, and everyone who continues to keep it running. I'm doing my best to give back as I go. I encourage all players, new and veteran, to do the same. Pay it forward. Being here is a privilege. Every little bit counts. Try to keep that in mind.