Piru on gaming, graphics, manga, "home", and dessert.
Got this from glass_icarus; I guess it's kind of like a version of this meme except instead of asking whole questions you just give trigger-words. Let me know if you want to play. ♥
1. gaming
I've been into games for quite a long time; my family used to play a lot of PC games such as King's Quest and Myst together. Then I got into Pokémon (just the Gameboy games). In middle school I saved all my money to buy a PS2 and got heavily into the JRPGs; FFVII was the first. Over time I've built up a pretty decent library of PSX and PS2 games; not bad for someone who's never really had much time for gaming, I'd say. I also own a PSP (high school graduation gift from my dad) and, as of ~2 weeks ago, a PS3. And since last year I guess I've come full-circle and am slowly getting back into PC gaming as well, mostly because of Mass Effect.
I enjoy games a lot more than other fandom media because I find it so much easier to become completely immersed in the fictional world. I like how the game creators pay so much attention to crafting all the tiny details of their 'verses, like in-game histories and codexes and complex international politics and the like, even if those things only barely come into play in the game's storyline. For fannish purposes, especially, I think it gives us such a huge playground to explore and play in... I love it. ♥
2. graphics
Haha, not sure what exactly you were hoping for this to trigger. I... guess I don't make a lot of them? It's weird because this is basically my major (or, well, a small part of it, but still) and since I started college I really haven't done any fannish graphics as a hobby anymore. I think it's too hard to tell myself, "I'm *just* doing this for fun," and I get too caught up in thinking, "Man, if my professors saw this [awful typography/boring composition/poor color choices/etc.], they'd flunk me!" I do admit to also having gotten annoyed with easy access to Photoshop leading to everyone thinking they can be a graphic designer, and thereby devaluing a design education. But that's another rant for another day...
3. manga
I love manga a lot better than anime, and if it weren't for me recently rewatching some old series (Rurouni Kenshin, Excel Saga) with the ex, I... probably haven't watched any anime since freshman year. Manga I do read pretty regularly (though it's mostly BL). I haven't been too good about keeping up with the ongoing shounen manga that I like (Gintama, Air Gear) and I keep meaning to but it... doesn't happen. I'm not a fan of shoujo manga but there have been occasional exceptions. Tuxedo Gin was good (although I am clearly biased because of penguin-love), Love Monster was surprisingly entertaining, Shinshi Doumei Cross was bearable.
4. home
When people ask me the question "Where are you from?" I usually do a double-take and don't know how to answer. I prefer to say Europe but it's true I haven't lived there for the past 10 years. Sometimes I feel obligated to say Texas but I've never, ever felt at home there; from the time I got there I always wanted to leave. It's hard to think of Pittsburgh as home because even though I don't hate it here I think I've always known I wouldn't stay past college, so there's no sense of permanence here. Tokyo felt like home moreso than any physical place has ever done, but it's true that I was only there for a few months. I guess I usually come back to the "home is where the heart is" thing; my heart is with my mom and my relatives, so I answer, "Europe, by way of Houston, Texas."
5. dessert! ;)
I am not a foodie. Not at all. A lot of my friends are, but I honestly could care less what I eat so long as it makes the hunger pangs go away. However! Desserts are pretty much the one exception. I have a huge sweet tooth and am obsessed with anything chocolatey, fruity, yoghurty, you name it. At restaurants, I often look at the dessert menu first. (Not that I always get a dessert; I usually have too small of an appetite to even finish my entree.) I also love making desserts - for family gatherings we have the tradition that everyone takes care of one dish, and I usually volunteer for the dessert. I love baking cakes and pies and custards and mousses and whatever crazy creative thing I can come up with. My favorite dessert to make has got to be cheesecake; a few years ago my mom got me a big cheesecake recipe book, and I've made it my life's mission to bake all of them someday.
1. gaming
I've been into games for quite a long time; my family used to play a lot of PC games such as King's Quest and Myst together. Then I got into Pokémon (just the Gameboy games). In middle school I saved all my money to buy a PS2 and got heavily into the JRPGs; FFVII was the first. Over time I've built up a pretty decent library of PSX and PS2 games; not bad for someone who's never really had much time for gaming, I'd say. I also own a PSP (high school graduation gift from my dad) and, as of ~2 weeks ago, a PS3. And since last year I guess I've come full-circle and am slowly getting back into PC gaming as well, mostly because of Mass Effect.
I enjoy games a lot more than other fandom media because I find it so much easier to become completely immersed in the fictional world. I like how the game creators pay so much attention to crafting all the tiny details of their 'verses, like in-game histories and codexes and complex international politics and the like, even if those things only barely come into play in the game's storyline. For fannish purposes, especially, I think it gives us such a huge playground to explore and play in... I love it. ♥
2. graphics
Haha, not sure what exactly you were hoping for this to trigger. I... guess I don't make a lot of them? It's weird because this is basically my major (or, well, a small part of it, but still) and since I started college I really haven't done any fannish graphics as a hobby anymore. I think it's too hard to tell myself, "I'm *just* doing this for fun," and I get too caught up in thinking, "Man, if my professors saw this [awful typography/boring composition/poor color choices/etc.], they'd flunk me!" I do admit to also having gotten annoyed with easy access to Photoshop leading to everyone thinking they can be a graphic designer, and thereby devaluing a design education. But that's another rant for another day...
3. manga
I love manga a lot better than anime, and if it weren't for me recently rewatching some old series (Rurouni Kenshin, Excel Saga) with the ex, I... probably haven't watched any anime since freshman year. Manga I do read pretty regularly (though it's mostly BL). I haven't been too good about keeping up with the ongoing shounen manga that I like (Gintama, Air Gear) and I keep meaning to but it... doesn't happen. I'm not a fan of shoujo manga but there have been occasional exceptions. Tuxedo Gin was good (although I am clearly biased because of penguin-love), Love Monster was surprisingly entertaining, Shinshi Doumei Cross was bearable.
4. home
When people ask me the question "Where are you from?" I usually do a double-take and don't know how to answer. I prefer to say Europe but it's true I haven't lived there for the past 10 years. Sometimes I feel obligated to say Texas but I've never, ever felt at home there; from the time I got there I always wanted to leave. It's hard to think of Pittsburgh as home because even though I don't hate it here I think I've always known I wouldn't stay past college, so there's no sense of permanence here. Tokyo felt like home moreso than any physical place has ever done, but it's true that I was only there for a few months. I guess I usually come back to the "home is where the heart is" thing; my heart is with my mom and my relatives, so I answer, "Europe, by way of Houston, Texas."
5. dessert! ;)
I am not a foodie. Not at all. A lot of my friends are, but I honestly could care less what I eat so long as it makes the hunger pangs go away. However! Desserts are pretty much the one exception. I have a huge sweet tooth and am obsessed with anything chocolatey, fruity, yoghurty, you name it. At restaurants, I often look at the dessert menu first. (Not that I always get a dessert; I usually have too small of an appetite to even finish my entree.) I also love making desserts - for family gatherings we have the tradition that everyone takes care of one dish, and I usually volunteer for the dessert. I love baking cakes and pies and custards and mousses and whatever crazy creative thing I can come up with. My favorite dessert to make has got to be cheesecake; a few years ago my mom got me a big cheesecake recipe book, and I've made it my life's mission to bake all of them someday.