  Hail Mizaharians!A mentor in and out of chat, aiding in the Q&A forums and a positive force in all cities she passes through, this individual knows her way around Mizhar, and isn't afraid to help out folks new and old alike, helping to preserve the integrity Mizahar holds so dear. As is tradition the Founders Circle and Regional Storytellers thought it was long past due to award Alea Davenport the Featured Contributor award for February 2014! Please join me in congratulating her and enjoy the interview below! |
1. So to deviate slightly from the normal first question in these types of interviews I’ll throw this one at you: As one of our veteran players what has kept you coming back to Mizahar?
I think it’s mostly commitment to my characters. I hate to see a story unfinished. Even after the enthusiasm of new plots fades, I’ll eventually come back to every thread and continue it, or find a way to resolve it if the other player has left. Besides, I’m on a roll. I’ve been a part of Mizahar for over two years; it would be a shame to stop now 
Mizahar also has a really strong community and a dedication to excellence that’s hard to find on other sites. It is truly amazing that Mizahar has grown as big as it has without completely falling apart.
2. You’ve acted as a mentor long before you got your fancy medal. What drew you to helping PC’s on your PC account?
I think mostly it was that I understood what they were going through. I definitely remember first stumbling upon Mizahar and being daunted by the sheer mass of reading, and I used to get hung up on unimportant details. If all it takes is a quick word from a more experienced player to set a newbie’s fears at rest and get them writing happily, then that’s well worth a few minutes of my time.
But sometimes, it’s not such a quick solution. When I was just a Mizaharan month old, making my second character, I talked to the wrong mod and came up with a concept that eventually had to be put down. So I can empathize with someone who’s going through a tough time getting their awesome-but-unacceptable backstory approved. I know how discouraging it can be to start playing a character, only to have it torn away. If I had been discouraged before I had started playing in character, I would have been able to rework the character instead of having to scrap the whole thing while I got over the emotional trauma. So I try to be for new players the person I did not have when I was starting out, and because I know how they feel, I’m sometimes willing to spend several hours one on one with them while they try to figure out how to fit their ideas into Mizahar’s world.
3. Tell us about a typical day on Miz for you both as a player and mentor. Do you rush to the Q&A forums first, make sure you’re all caught up on threads, maybe distract yourself in chat for a time?
I subscribe to all threads I’m part of, plus the Q&A forum, so I can tell if there’s been Mizahar activity any time I check my email (which is frequently). If there’s a Q&A, I usually check to see if it’s a question I can answer (I usually let magic questions go to someone who knows anything about that, since in the over two years I’ve been on the site, I still haven’t had a PC with magic). In many cases, someone has already gotten to the question before me, so it’s just a matter of making sure they answered the question completely and accurately. When I answer a question, it’s usually something that’s not too hard for me to answer, just because I’ve been around long enough to have a good feel of how things work around here. So, yes, I usually make sure the Q&A forum is taken care of, simply because it’s usually quick and easy.
If there’s a new post in one of my threads, I’ll read it, and if I know exactly how I want to respond, I’ll try to get a post out right then. Otherwise, I put that thread on the list I keep in a google-doc of threads I have to reply to. I don’t forget about threads that get to that point, but I’m often waiting for a point when I have the time to devote the energy the reply deserves, which can sometimes take a while. Especially when replies stack up.
Sometimes I’m just not in the mood to write, so I’ll go into chat just to keep myself connected to the community, and keep updated with what’s going on. I once stayed out of chat for a while, and when I came back, I didn’t recognize anybody! Also, going into chat shows people I’m still in the community even if I’m in one of my writing slumps. Of course, even when I do feel like writing I’ll sometimes jump into chat just to brag a little about a particularly fun post, or to plot enthusiastically with a potential or existing threading partner.
4. Now, how about a typical day in the life of Alea (if there is such a thing)?
You know, even though she has lived in four different cities, she still operates under the same basic principles, which, I admit, are designed to maximize her potential for interaction and adventure. Generally she will wake up, perform any duties or a job if she has one, and then in her free time, wander about the city. Usually there will be some logic behind where she spends her day, but she generally tries not to get stuck hanging out too much in any one area. If she’d lucky, she’ll encounter someone, and wacky hijinks will ensue. Sometimes the hijinks are less wacky, but she usually tries to always learn something. She pays attention to her surroundings, and has a curious and inquisitive nature, so even though she started out as an ignorant small-town gal, she’s quickly picking up some pretty interesting tidbits about what goes on in Mizahar.
5. What is one or a couple of the most common questions you come across from new players?
I’ve linked the Timekeeping wiki page more often than others it seems, which would make sense since it’s one of the more difficult concepts for a new player to get their head around. I know when I was new, I was flabbergasted by the idea that you did not have to thread in chronological order.
“What city should I start in” is another common one. When this is uttered in chat, everyone is quick to recommend their own city, but I try to get the new player to elaborate more on what they’re looking in a city, so they have a better chance of being happy with my recommendation. I try not to sell any one city as being “better” than another, though I will give OOC advice on how well-moderated a city is, how many players tend to be there, and how their character is likely to be treated (Zith have a hard time being accepted in many cities, for example).
And then there’s the always beloved collection of, “Why hasn’t this mod responded to my PM?” “It’s been a week and my thread hasn’t been graded!” “Why hasn’t my HD ticket been looked at? I posted it yesterday! Am I being ignored?”. This is when I get to preach patience (impossible I know. I was on the sight for three days straight when I joined, completed a thread in that time and had trouble waiting three more days for a grade). I assure new players that they are not forgotten, but remind them that moderators have a lot to deal with, and real lives as well. I also try to give them a better estimate of how long it’s reasonable to wait, and give a little background on what’s going on in their specific circumstance. If I happen to know that a certain mod is on vacation (which they often advertise in scrapbooks or OOC threads, which newbies don’t know to look for yet), I can let the player know not to expect a response before they get back.
6. Is there anything you do to get you into a Miz mood? Catchy beats, a favorite snack?
There’s not really anything that can make me get into a Miz mood. It seems to happen in cycles. Generally a cycle will go something like this: I get excited about new plots, and I hunt down as many thread partners as I can find, and write like crazy for a couple of days. Then I start to burn out, and my posting slows down. Eventually it’ll stop, sometimes for days or weeks at a time. Eventually, before I’m completely forgotten, I’ll be recovered and start thinking about all those unfinished threads, and I’ll find a quiet space of time that I can dedicate to just writing. I’ll get into a steady pace of maybe 2-3 posts per day, depending on my RL schedule, and keep going like that until my thread count gets low again or a new season with new plotting potential starts.
7. What is your favorite city in Mizahar and why?
Now that’s hardly a fair question. Naturally ALL of the cities on Mizahar have their own unique charm, and it can hardly be said that one is any better than any other!
Ahem. Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, I’ll have to say Sunberth. (I’m sorry Avanthal! You’re just too cold for me to love you!) I wanted to include Ravok in the running, but the more I think about it, the more I realize that the main reason I love it is because of the people who play and mod there. Though, it is pretty funny that the entire city is just one cult.
But I have always been drawn to Sunberth, the city of lawlessness. I’m not a huge fan of authority myself, so I can definitely appreciate a city that has decided to do away with it. Sunberth is a city where your power is largely determined by how many friends you have. There’s no arbitrary moralizing about what’s right or wrong, there’s only the justice of the mob. You can do what you like, right up until you piss off enough people. Then they can do what they like.
The only potential downside to Sunberth for some people is that they’re not huge fans of magic, but then again, neither am I, so it works out just about perfect.
8. If there was one thing you could change about Mizahar, what would it be?
Mizahar is a gem of a site, and clearly a lot of thought has gone into each of the decisions that make it what it is. I would not want to make any suggestions that would shake the very foundations of what Mizahar is about.
If I had any proper suggestions, I would have told somebody about them already, so I’ll just suggest something that I know will annoy Jen
Let there be dragons!
9. If someone gave Alea 1,000,000 GM, what would she do with it?
Probably pass out! Good lord, this is a girl for whom 300 mizas was more than she’d ever seen at once in her life! After she woke up? Hrm… she’d probably build a fort. That many flat round disks could make one heck of a killer fort I bet. Then the obligatory crashing into the fort to know it down. After she calmed down and started spending the money? She’d probably hire an expedition to Denval and fund the rebuilding of it, right before she went off to travel the world like she was doing before (albeit with better equipment). She might stop in the various cities on the way to Zeltiva to let all the Denvali refugees know what she was doing, and she’d fund their passage back to Denval to help rebuild for anyone who wanted to.
10. What would your advice be to players who are looking to volunteer on the site, but perhaps aren’t looking to fully commit to an ST position?
Oh boy, do I know how that feels! I did try being an AS briefly, but the constant pressure and responsibility was a bit much for me to handle! I struggled for a time after that feeling so guilty because I wanted so badly to help out in Mizahar. So, for inspiration, I clicked on the “Help Us” button at the top of the page. After reading that I decided, if I can’t be a mod, then the very least I can do is play an amazing character that brings life to the world and, ya know, sticks around.
But if you want to do a little more than that, there’s plenty more you can do without committing to an ST position. Basically, just take any one thing an ST does and just do that. People want modded threads? Offer to guest-moderate. A city is underdeveloped and needs more locations/NPCs/games/etc.? Work with your local ST, ask if you can help develop some of these things. Some cities already have a thread dedicated to development suggestions. Are you appalled at the number of grades in the moderation thread and want to help out? Apply to become a grader! (Seriously, keeping grades up-to-date makes a HUGE difference to everyone’s roleplaying experience.)
11. The spotlight is on you now, anything you want to say to the wide world of Miz?
Make your own plot! We are incredibly lucky to have so many different storytellers on Mizahar willing to make such exciting storylines for us, but that’s not enough to base a character around. There are far more players than storytellers, but if each player comes up with ideas for their own plot, then other players can get involved in those, and you can all work toward achieving your goals together!
(Was that inspiring enough? I’m not used to these big speeches!) |
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by Edreina on February 1st, 2014, 2:48 pm 
Congratulations, Alea! 
I love your interview!
Very well deserved! Congratulations, and thanks for all your help!
