Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Traverse on September 1st, 2014, 4:53 am

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Hello Mizahar!


As is the monthly custom the circle of Founders and Regional Storytellers have selected Nightmare as September's Featured Contributor! Syliras is a constantly bustling domain, and Nightmare has stepped up and embraced the challenge and adventures such an active city poses with aplomb. It was an easy choice this month to feature such an active and positive contributor to Mizahar's forums, and I hope you'll join me in congratulating this very deserving ST!


1. The classic introduction, what got you into STing, and what made you pick Syliras?

I suppose it was participating in the grading program that really got me to try for being a storyteller. I love reading other players' threads. I figured that if I was going to sit down and read all these threads for fun, why not also make my time that much more productive and give those threads some well deserved rewards. It was the act of grading that taught me so much more about how the game worked that I felt like I could give back to the community in an even greater capacity. That, I suppose, was what really set me up to take the plunge, so to speak.

As for why Syliras? Truthfully, it was not my first choice. Despite the fact that my first really active character was from Syliras, I was thinking of maybe Riverfall, Sultros or Ahnatep. Ahnatep is, as most of you know and at this time, currently closed and underdevelopment. After I was informed that the Ahnatep (and indeed the entire region) was closed, I really thought about the cities I could help out. The other two cities I love dearly, Sultros being the city of one of my favorite races has a very well defined culture and set of factions, and Riverfall, has such a fascinating dynamic with a city populated by a race exclusively of men. But, I suppose what drew me to Syliras was just how intimately I knew the city. I realized that with my in depth research of the city and experience of really playing in Syliras, I could help the then newly appointed DS Radiant out in his day to day duties better than any other city.

The rest I suppose is history as they say.

2. Syliras is a city that operates as a new player hub, making it a popular and always busy. Can you tell us a bit about the pros and cons of this, and how you deal with it as an ST?

The constant influx of new players is an interesting phenomena that I often contemplate philosophically. Players can start in any city they like, from Lhavit to Zeltiva, and many choose the crowded, militaristic dictatorship of peace and civilization that is Syliras. This stream of new faces means that a lot of raw talent is tossed into the laps of those in charge of Syliras. This can make for some really fun and involving dynamics when these players interact with the already large player base of gifted writers.

In the same token, all these new faces means that a lot of mistakes are made. Mostly because a lot of really new players are totally unused to how forum roleplaying works (at least, Mizahar-style forum RPing), which requires patience, compassion and a bit of tact to keep things running smoothly. Or people do something silly and require a gentle nudge to get them on the right path. Unfortunately all the new blood also means that a lot of these new players simply do not stick around. Many promising writers feel overwhelmed or simply don't have the time play regularly and tend to disappear without warning. All those abandoned threads are probably the most frustrating thing about Syliras, sometimes they are cut off when it is really getting good!
But, Syliras is always busy and that means never a dull moment. Players are always improving, meeting other players, getting into fights with monsters or visiting the wilderness just outside of the city. It's worth helping as many people as I can.

With so many new players coming and going there is a danger of being unable to give personalized attention to each player. I am one person serving 50 or more players at any given moment. If I could, I would totally do modded threads for every single player all at the same time but this is often not practical. It really comes down to managing my time as efficiently as possible. Though I am not always successful at it, I do my best to provide timely answers to questions and give advice when I can, as well as get city management done without making my players wait for too long..

3. STing is a time consuming and never ending job, yet as most STs can agree well worth the effort. How do you tend to manage ST vs. PC time along with RL time, etc?

I was joking with a friend that being a storyteller, a PC and having a life outside of Mizahar is a bit like spinning plates. It really does feel that way sometimes. I know from personal experience how life can get in the way of doing the things you really enjoy like writing on this lovely website. But, I've found that an essential part of managing it all is to pace one's self. The work of being a storyteller might be endless, but chipping at it, prioritizing duties and working on it all over time rather than leaving it all to languish and pile up is what seems to be working for me so far. This includes leaving time to write for my own character, which I have been getting increasingly more time to play. :)

4. My favorite question for STs, can you give us any juice tidbits about plots and plans you have for the city coming in future seasons?

Syliras has some (I hope) interesting changes in store this Fall and in the near future. Quests that involve ancient portions of the castle, of secret things and places will be presented. The knighthood's attitude will start to show an interesting change in regards to an event happening at the beginning of Fall only to exacerbated with certain tragedies and the incursion of the Iyvess. Alliances between other cities are also being looked into and may go either way, presenting chances for drama. Some rather rare and interesting imports should be arriving soon as a result of these diplomatic envoys.
In terms of OOC plans, I hope to revamp some of the more outdated numbers in the wiki and clean up some information that has been causing some confusion. The Syliran Knights hierarchy will be somewhat restructured and made into a more cohesive whole. Hopefully these changes will add to the depth to the Knights of Peace and Civilization that many have come to love.

5. What is your dream vacation? If different what would it be on Mizahar?

I would love to visit the Cloud Forests in Monteverde, Costa Rica, or swimming/surfing along the coast of New Zealand, or visit the Rainforests of Brazil. I live in a fairly urban and deserty/dry area and visiting places that are just so... filled with life would mean a lot to me. I also have this amature biologist hobby that I haven't been really able to indulge in lately. (Ask me about it and I might ramble on for hours!) So basically exploring the forests along the coast of Falyndar or visiting the Spires would be a good deal for me, especially if I got to bring along my sketchbook to study all the flora there.

6. What are some of your favorite kind of threads to read, and as a follow up, are there any plots or goings on in Syliras now that really have you jazzed up?

I really love to see all the squires striving towards knighthood. Reaching the requirements takes time and a bit of effort, but that just means the end result is that much sweeter. All that hard work will pay off! I also look forward to those knights moving up in the organization. It would be so awesome to have a PC Lord Knight or Grandmaster! Outside of the knighthood, there are some really interesting plots cropping up in around around Syliras. Many of them are social, but they really explore character dynamics and flesh out said characters via interesting encounters.

7. Conversely, what are your favorite threads to write both with your PC and ST account?

I can't get enough magic, I love magic practice and theory. Unfortunately I haven't had a chance to do much of either yet. I am, however, looking forward to doing some magical plots and such in the future! I also really enjoy any sort of crafting or travel threads of which I have had the pleasure of participating in.

8. Is there something in particular you would love to see expanded or added to the lore?

There is so much that would be cool to have expanded! I would love to see more gods and goddesses made or written up. Magic is always cool and fun to see; you might have gathered I do have a bit of a soft spot for the magics of Mizahar and would love to see them expanded upon. Summoning worlds and monsters living there would also be cool!

9. What inspired the name Nightmare?

I suppose it is rather odd to have "Nightmare" as a mod name for a storyteller of Syliras, city of all those knights best described as "Good" and "Honorable". Honestly, the name came about due to a mild infatuation with Nysel, god of Dreams and Nightmares. For me it is a bit of an homage to both the character and the creator. However, I do have a bit of a fascination for spooky, creepy and scary stories. The horror genre is very diverse and can be a lot of fun to explore. So perhaps it is fitting. :)

10. What is one of your favorite horror movies or novels (you can tell us about both too we won’t mind :D )?

While H.P. Lovecraft is not for everyone, I do suggest his short story "The Rats in the Walls" (Mind the 1920s racism) as well as the standard fanfare of the "Mountains of Madness" and "Call of Cthulhu. While not specifically horror "John Dies in the End" both the book and the movie is worth a look, as well as Donnie Darko and if you are interested in exploring some really obscure body horror I recommend the film Antiviral. Also, check out the game Five Nights at Freddy's, that game is scary!

11. As always this spot is for you to write whatever you feel! The spotlights on you!

Oh boy! I can't express enough what a tremendous honor this is. When I first started playing on Mizahar, I just wanted to play, write and make some friends. I hadn't thought I would ever end up helping out in quite this way... and for Syliras of all places! But truly, I am here to serve and keep Syliras and the game as a whole running smoothly, just like all the other Storytellers. And I couldn't be happier to do so. Here is to Mizahar! Greatest collaborative story place ever made. :D
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Gossamer on September 1st, 2014, 9:52 pm

Grats! Thanks for all you do.
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Adelaide Sitai on September 1st, 2014, 9:54 pm

Woo! Congratulations Nightmare. :D
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Kismet on September 1st, 2014, 10:04 pm

Night, Congrats! Thank you so much for volunteering! You're awesome-sauce!
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Nemesis on September 1st, 2014, 10:13 pm

Gratz my Nightmarish fiend! Very well deserved!
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Khara on September 1st, 2014, 10:33 pm

Congrats, Nightmare! :D
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Caelum on September 1st, 2014, 11:17 pm

This is fantastic. Congratulations, Nightmare!
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Ragdoll on September 2nd, 2014, 7:37 am

Congrats are most definitely in order! Woo, Nightmare!
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Asha on September 2nd, 2014, 12:58 pm

Congrats Nightmare! Thanks for all you do, and a great interview!
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Nightmare is September's Featured Contributor!

Postby Garland on September 2nd, 2014, 2:07 pm

Nightmare-senpai! Congrats! *throws flowers at you*
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