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Soap operas are a good source of entertainment with their interesting situations, sentimentalized family matters, and the melodrama to which we can relate, and even just to peek into something far different from what we know in our normal daily life.

Often used as an escape from the everyday problems which we are too tired to deal with, soap operas take part of your leisure time and, though you are distracted, don't really give you anything in return save for a bit of amusement. As time lost is impossible to recover, the best anyone can do is to try to enjoy it to the maximum. Being a fan of the passion we see in soap operas, I have found it is even more pleasurable to take part in the drama as an active character.

Roleplaying, especially on a MUSH environment, allows you to step into the life of another, experience new situations and emotions while exploring your creativity and improving your writing ability. At Firan, a Mush with a Greco-Roman-like feel, I am able to take part in adventures, say things which I simply would not dare to in real life, and act in ways I'd never dream of. One can be the submissive wife, the patriarch or matriarch, the strong warrior, the drunken smith, the whore, the judge, a prince or a pauper. Depending upon the game where you play, the choices are unlimited and each character is distinct from another. Even on Firan, which primarily used a roster of pre-written characters, even when another is of the same social status, same clan, and same vocation as another, they can be completely different. You can be part of the story and help to write it.

Like happy stories? Take a cheerful character who likes to party and celebrate all day long. Thrive on confrontation? Perhaps play a more aggressive character. Shout! Drink! Start a brawl with your nemesis and dump your frustrations there. Instead of bottling them up, explore your feelings in roleplay instead of sitting back and watching the soap opera unfold.

On Firan, where I play, there is also a real feeling of OOC (out of character) community to go along with the IC (in character) world. It not just a place to play, but also to talk to real people, share opinions, and thoughts or just goof around and chat. Every year, those that are able to travel to the hometown of the creators of the game and meet in person to make lasting friendships face to face, and there are those who continue with a purely virtual relationship. It is all up to you.

In the end, it is your choice. Soap operas are interesting, but why watch when you can help tell the story and let your imagination run?

Sara, player of of FiranMUX
http://firan.legendary.org 5000 (69.93.21.154 5000)