1. You moderate over the biggest single domain in the game. What is the Suvan Sea's appeal to you? What are your favorite parts to the Suvan Sea and your least favorite parts? Give us some insight!The Suvan Sea's appeal, I find, lies in the possibilities. Just so much can be done here! It's so different from the rest of the Game, that I find there is a uniqueness here that can't be replicated elsewhere. It's different and vibrant and alive, and constantly feels like it's growing. You never know what's going to happen when you venture into the Suvan Sea, which really makes it a blast to moderate.
Some of my least favorite parts...can I say nothing? Well, no, I guess that isn't true. It's not perfect. It's a new region and underpopulated, and sometimes I wish I had more people playing here that weren't just there to cross over to the other side of Mizahar. That's my main fault with the Suvan Sea; for most of the players, it's nothing more than a transitory area. A convenient transport route. And, I mean, who's to blame them? That is one of it's main purposes, after all. But it's just frustrating to see players that are in here for a couple of journey threads and then gone again.
However, the playerbase that I do have here is fantastic, they're really creative and enthusiastic. And I hope that as time goes on and as the Suvan Sea becomes even more detailed and fleshed-out, more players will settle down here.
2. The Svefra are a challenge to moderate because of their independence and exuberance. You tend to embrace them though and in a lot of ways I see you as a kindred spirit to the race as a whole. Talk about your feelings about the Svefra and why you and the whole culture seem to fit together so well?Aww. Thanks for the compliment.
I feel like the Svefra are vibrant and unique, you just never know what to expect. That's makes them so much fun to moderate! There is a method to their madness, though their culture. Courtesy of the lovely Gossamer, their culture so developed and deep, and really unique to the Svefra. It adds a flair to the race and really makes them stand out - at least, it does for me.
I just feel like I get the Svefra, that's why I've embraced them so much. I looked at their lore page and thought, "Wow, I really understand what they're trying to do here"...and I was instantly compelled to make a Svefra and play around with this wonderful race. While that never happened, it is part of what influenced me to apply for the AS of the Suvan Sea, and I can't say I've ever regretted that choice.
3. NPC creation is often a challenge for moderators. Talk about your NPC creation process and where you get your inspirations from.For my NPC creation process, I take the basic definition for the NPC needed - something like a "guard" to a "fighting instructor" and grow off of that basic idea. What motivates this character? Why are they in the position they are now? How did they get to the ridiculously high weapon skill they have now? Questions like these, I feel, really help me flesh out the character and make them unique.
Inspiration for my NPCs, and development in general, comes from a variety of sources. I'm like a sponge; I just absorb ideas from every medium possible, be it T.V., books, et cetera. I mean, I once went to a movie and said "hm, that character sounds really heartbroken, maybe a loss in the family did that?..."! I just take ideas I come across and play off of them, then store them for later. If I don't use it in one of the myriad stories I'm writing they'll probably end up in Mizahar.
4. The Suvan Sea has endless location possibilities. You could put out a location every day of the year and still not have the domain feel overfull. How do you choose what to develop and why?I choose to develop whatever I feel is needed the most at the time. I try and listen to my players, see what they want and put my priorities onto doing that. Take the Anchorage Flotilla for example; a lot of my players were asking about a place to trade and meet up on what is literally an ocean, and from there Anchorage was born. It did just that; gave them a market/meeting place to use. I take what I feel is needed the most and work my way down from there.
5. Plots are difficult to create for some people. You tend to have great ideas and are slowly settling into the idea of running plots in the Suvan. Talk about your favorite plot in the game so far that you've created. This doesn't even need to be one that's active yet. Feel free to give us teasers.Aw, I have divulge details already? Alright, fine...well, so far, my favorite plot is one that's still in the works. I like to call it the Kalista Conspiracy, the first word of which is (coincidentally, of course) the first name of a deceased character in the wiki. It deals with one of the biggest mysteries of the Suvan Sea of all time - who killed Laviku's Champion. It goes back to the very formation of the Suvan Sea itself and is connected to the sunken cities - and yes, that was plural.
Beyond that, I won't say more.
Can't really say more, if I'm to be honest...a lot of it is still being formulated, even though I do have plans to tie it in to the open quest I have going on right now. (see: shameless advertising)
6. Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink! Tell us how you keep the waterworld of the Suvan interesting so all the locations and plots and npcs don't start to seem repetitive. Whats the secret? You are very good at unique locations and ideas to the point you can help others by just talking about your thought process here. Please give us more insight.Clever first sentence, I think I might use that...
Anyways, I like to think I keep things interesting by always putting 100% of myself into all of my characters/locations/plots. I put everything aside for a moment and just devote all my creativity into how to make this character/location/plot fresh and unique. I like to take some basic idea and grow off of that. Say, some ruins on the shoreline. First, I think to why the ruins are there. How placed them? What was their intended purpose? Then I go into how they became they way they are now; why are they in ruins? Was it intentional, or just a result of abandonment and decay?
It goes like that. I try to make my locations feel endemic to the Suvan Sea without keeping it bland and interesting. The fact that I'm moderating the Suvan also helps out here - it's just so variable that you can have any sort of thing in it, which really helps towards keeping things fresh.
7. What is the hardest thing about being an AS for you? What's the best thing? Elaborate! Your words can help others.Hardest thing I would have to say is making decisions. I know that what I say can affect a person's experience in the game, and that puts a lot of pressure on me to make the right decision. It's the hardest thing, but also the most rewarding; you feel like you're making a difference. Like I said before, you're shaping people's experience - which can be good or bad.
The best thing is interacting with my players. One of the things I absolutely love to see is a player coming to me with an idea on how to make the Suvan Sea better. It doesn't matter what that idea is, I just like to see others taking an interest and becoming actively involved. I've devoted a lot of time into the Suvan Sea, and I love it when there is others that approach it with the same passion that I do.
8. What is something you would love to see more of within your domain in terms of creativeness from the PCs in your area? Anything you'd like to see them explore more of? Is there anything you'd like the PC's in your area to tone down a bit?I'd like to see some of the PCs delve into the history of the Suvan Sea. Most of the history is still unwritten, and while I balk at the idea of players making huge portions of that without permission, diving into the history of place or a smaller location would be nice. It adds flavor, it makes the Suvan Sea more unique.
Now toning down...actually, I can't really say I want anything toned down! I've got a creative bunch here, and threads vary. I mean, the only thing really tying them together is they're all in the Suvan Sea! There's nothing for me to really tone down. One of my biggest fears is that the Suvan Sea would be turned into a Pirates of the Caribbean-lookalike, what with pirates left and right, but that hasn't happened, which I'm grateful for. There's a lot more to the Suvan than just that.
9. Your good spirits are almost infectious. You treat everyone as if they are your BFFs and have something to offer no matter how small or delicate. How did you culture this attitude and how do you keep it up in terms of appearances? Almost infectious? Guess I haven't succeeded then.
Joking aside, RPing is something we do for fun. It's supposed to be enjoyable. I know I come here to have a good time, and I want everyone else to have a good time too. I don't think Mizahar is for drama and fighting, and I'm sure most if not all of the people here agree. So, honestly, I just want everyone here to get along and have a good ole time. Not that this applies to in-character things, though - I love IC fights!
I keep it up by...being happy? I dunno, a lot of you guys here are just a lot of fun to talk to and a blast to thread with and it just...puts me in a good mood. There's no real way to describe it. And I'd like to think I have the decency to fake it when I'm actually in a bad mood, at least when I'm in ST mode. When I'm on my characters though - look out!
10. Is there anything else you'd like to share with the community about being an AS or your overall experience on staff or as a player?Being both an AS and a player has been a blast, and I hope it will be in the future as well. Everyone here is creative, witty, and are great writers, and I consider myself honored to RP here. It's truly been fun, and I hope it will continue to be.
Of course, there are those moments when you just want to rage at Mizahar...but for those situations, you have Gossamer to vent to. Go to her if you want someone to listen to all your problems.
by Gossamer on January 2nd, 2012, 6:44 am 
