Meme time, take two
I've done this meme before with militarypenguin, but just saw it again in astrokittie's journal. Funny thing, she gave me almost the exact same words MP gave me six months ago. XD
Comment and I'll give you five words I associate with you. Then, explain them in your LJ.
1. Final Fantasy
Awesome game series. My first experience with it was FFVII when I was thirteen, and I've been a fan ever since. I love the stories, the characters, the settings, the graphics, the gameplay, the music, the artwork, the worlds, etc., etc., etc. Some more than others (i.e. the battle system in FFVIII grated on my nerves, but I LOVED the battle system in FFX), but so far there hasn't been any FF games that turn me off. (Dirge of Cerberus was pretty close, though.) I suppose you could call me a biased fangirl; I could very well be giving the series unfair praise. I'm sure there are some pitfalls and/or handicaps I'm intentionally overlooking. I don't really care, though. If I think it's fun, I'll play it, simple as that. I'm not the only gamer unrealistically attached to this series or that. :P I am so looking forward to Dissidia (one more week!).
2. Fanfiction/writing
I've been making up stories for as long as I can remember. Many have been additions, expansions, and/or rewrites of my favorite TV shows/movies/books/etc. (I remember having whole worlds in my head spun off of Bucky O'Hare, Darkwing Duck, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.) My very first actually written fanfiction was a Sailor Moon short story I did for a writing assignment in fifth or sixth grade. It wasn't until high school that I got into fanfiction in ernest, though. I started writing a Fushigi Yuugi story for chibi_chichiri's fansite dedicated to Chichiri and Nuriko (the story's right here), and soon after created an account on FanFiction.net (there's a link to it in my profile). I posted stories there much more often in the early years of my membership, but on the other hand, I think the stuff I'm writing now is much, much better. Now, I'm seriously intending to get more into original fiction. My ideal career is that of a writer without the need for a day job. I just need to crack the whip on myself and actually write the books that have been swimming around in my head. Who knows? I might get lucky and actually find a publisher.
3. Johnny the Homicidal Maniac
LOL. I think you can see just by looking at my user icons that I love this comic. (They're all either from JTHM or the related I Feel Sick, after all.) When I was first introduced to it, it looked really disturbing and scary. Then I realized the twisted sense of humor it contained, and fell in love with it. This is the comic my cynical, nihilistic side has always been searching for. I like dark, macabre stories, and not much gets darker or more macabre than JTHM. And yet, for all his insanity, Nny sees the world for what it really is, as illustrated in his (rare) moments of clarity. His rants and soliloquies are facinating (and frightening) to read, and I really enjoy how the comic juxtaposes murder and mayhem with startlingly cold and precise insight into the human condition. Nny's view of the world is like my own, only taken to the extreme. (I'm not that negative. It'd be very bad if I was.) Despite the title, it's more than just a gratuitous bloodbook. I'm only sorry it took me ten years to discover its awesomeness.
4. The Smashing Pumpkins
One of the greatest rock bands of recent times, certainly one of the most influential of the '90s. I was a little too young to appreciate them when they were at the height of their popularity, but I remember they were my sister's favorite band for a time. Now that I've (very belatedly) realized how much they kick ass, they've very quickly risen into the ranks of my favorite bands EVAR. Better late than never, I guess. Anyway, if we Seattleites were enthusiastically putting them on the same level as our own big four (Soundgarden, Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains), you know they had to be doing something right. It's a crying shame the Pumpkins' popularity went down so far with the end of the decade, but on the other hand, it was for all the wrong reasons. It wasn't that their music declined in quality; it was that too many rock fans are unwilling to follow bands into unusual territory, and many of them abandoned the Pumpkins when Billy Corgan decided to write music according to his own feelings and desires instead of catering to the fickle tastes of the public. Their music is still incredible, it just isn't played on the radio incessantly like it was in the Siamese Dream and Mellon Collie eras. All I can say is it's the common rock fans' loss. They're missing some really great music thanks to their narrow tastes, and that's fine with me. That just means there's more to go around for us real fans. :P
5. Rammstein
Oh lord, where do I start? These six German men are they very definition of Sturm und Drang. They're categorized as Neue Deutsche Härte, sometimes as Tanz-Metal, but I call them just plain kickass. With six members in the band--a singer, two guitarists, a bassist, a drummer, and a keyboardist--their sound is very complex and layered, which means they don't get boring. Unlike The Smashing Pumpkins, Rammstein has only grown in popularity over time, but that's not to say they bend to every ridiculous demand of record companies and "fans". Over their (so far) fifteen-year career, their music has subtly evolved and changed with every new release, yet has kept a central essence that is definitely Rammstein. They've stylistically moved forward and avoided stagnating, yet have stayed very true to what makes them them, and doing so without screwing up one way or another is pretty damn hard. Perhaps what's made this possible is the complete absence of lineup changes. Not once has a member left the band or a new member been introduced since they formed in 1994. Not many bands can claim that kind of solidarity. It's a "six-way marriage", according to Paul. I'm anxiously awaiting their sixth album, and I hope it's not too long an interim between the European release and the North American release. I'm sure I could find it online once it's out in Europe, but I want my own copy. Hurry up, damnit! D:
Oh, one thing I forgot to mention in #1: I recently went to a (superbly performed) concert at Benaroya Hall of Final Fantasy music performed by the Seattle Symphony. I even got to meet the composer. WIN.