The top "sellers" aren't surprising -- these are the fundamental themes of Life and art is imitating it. Sex, death, change, motion, family, desire, love, magic and questions of whether we've "done this before".

The first themes on myriad really centered on the nature of the universe (Life, Death & Immortality), Love, Desire, Past Lives, Politics, Transformation and Travel and Forgiveness.

The Magic thread really started with Cesare, in one of the first scenes run on Myriad. It has been a surprising, runaway theme here, now incorporating Davydd, Ian, Cesare, Nathaniel (and all of the "other Nathaniels"), Fiona/Drancy, Wendy, Hafwen, Lily, Daen, Sabine and Bill.

Past Lives took an unexpected twist in its application. It was used not only in regards to reincarnation, but in terms of historical scenes or the recollections of characters and any reference they made to The Good Ole Days. It has perhaps the most eclectic scene collection of any theme.

Moderately used themes: (31 - 70 mentions)

These are themes I consider in a "healthy" state of development and exploration. They touch a wide variety of characters, locales (though Tori has had the lion's share of 'madness'!). Of those at the lower end of the spectrum, Destiny & Fate would be the most likely theme for growth in this category, with Davydd, Lily, Valmiki, Sakir, Fiona and Bill and Sabine's combined story contributing currently. Time may also increase in application, but is primarily used by a very specific corps of characters (Nathaniel and the Other Nathaniels). Notions of Time, its passing, what it means, how it affects things or not is a part of vampiric storylines. It could be further explored.

These could be said to represent the emotional core of stories that have happened so far.

Under-utilized themes: (30 or fewer mentions)

I bet you're ALL surprised to find 'homosexuality' in the under-utilized category. But this category has nothing to do with sex (which isn't underutilized) and everything to do with philosophy and sexual identification. Edward, Valan, William and Ian have been the primary sources of conversation on this topic.

Perspectives and Soliloquies & Speeches are both new themes, recently added within the past month or two. That War! is underutilized isn't a negative, per se. We are not a combat-oriented group of storytellers. This was the least surprising.

Growing Themes or Themes "on the bubble":

The characters mentioned are simply the first ones that come to mind, not to be definitive. There are certainly more associations that could be made.

The general trend I am seeing at this point is a shift toward the Heroic Journey, the search for Self or Identification, and the struggle with, in some cases, Destiny & Fate. The exploration of relationships, while likely to continue, does not seem to be taking center stage at this time. In many ways, the characters who have formed relationships are fairly comfortable or set in those relationships and once more they begin to turn inward to face themselves.

Existing Themes I'd Like To See More Of...

New Categories?
I make them up as I edit logs, if I can't find corresponding appropriate categories already existing, but if there's a theme you'd like to see added, just email me.

Other Interesting Factoids:

RP By Cities:

No surprise here, London is the easy winner. Turkey, Chennai and Newgrange (Boyne) could benefit from storylines that center in those very unique and interesting locales.

Biggest Threads:

The Big Picture:
To get the most out of Myriad and the exploration and freedom it offers is not simply to create whatever kind of character you want. Maybe you've always wanted to play a certain paradigm, but if you are not thinking of the larger quilt of stories, the bigger picture, and knowledgeable about what has occurred, you will likely experience difficulty starting your narrative.

Several characters on Myriad are in their 7-10 year range of development (William, Ian, Tori, Nathaniel), while others began with Myriad's inception (Edward, Davydd, Una), which puts them in their fifth year of development. They have old relationships, not only with one another, but with the grid, with the overall narrative.

So, how do you get your character into the stories in progress?
To create a new character or to bring on a character that existed previously on another mu*/in another universe is more difficult here than other spaces. The available entry points into the narrative are not as obvious. While there are pubs, no one is simply hanging out in them to jump into scenes. And, in truth, individual scenes aren't really the point. Roleplay for roleplay's sake also isn't the point. It is to develop stories, to push characters and narrative. It isn't about the one scene your character may do but the whole reason they're here in the first place...

While it is easy to drown in the wealth of information and stories posted on www.myriadmush.net, I encourage you to read, read, read. Go to myriad themes and read what has been posted on various themes. These are great hooks for getting started or moving your character into a new direction. While your character may not be privy to some of the information, as an author you have the option of trying to get your character involved, positioned, to contact other authors and begin to enter The Story.

The Secret: All stories intersect at some point...and everyone meets Everyone Else. World and inter-dimensional grid notwithstanding...

To get a full picture of what's happening to specific characters, read the myriad stories, the major threads that have occurred over time. Not every log is included in a thread, but rather specific moments that led to certain events or character transformations. Several threads have intersected one another or led to additional threads. It is a good way to get to know the progression of the narrative. In fact, not every log ever captured is posted on myriadmush.net. There are several scenes that were not completed, never led to motion, that are simply not thematic and thus are not included.