Meme thingy from Feral
Leave a comment saying "Hello 'ello" and:
❶ I'll respond by asking you five questions to satisfy my curiosity.
❷ Update your journal with the answers to your questions.
❸ Include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions.
1. Weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
Well, I'd like to think of myself as rather open-minded when it comes to foods. I mean, we're omnivores, right? We're made to be able to eat a ton of stuff, so limiting ourselves because we think things are gross is kinda stupid, imo. That said, I don't usually have that much of a chance to eat foods that are really out there, so when the opportunity comes, I try to take it. So, I'll have to go with the cow brain I had last Halloween. There was a zombie-themed party going on, and they managed to procure some cow brain from a local butcher shop. The brain itself was fine, but hardly anyone was touching it because it was icky (thought it was kinda cool, myself). So, yeah, I had a little to try it. The taste wasn't really anything to write home about. Kinda like scrambled eggs. :/
2. What was your first RPG?
If you count tactical rpgs, then Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. If not, then Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Both games earned a spot in my heart, due to excellent settings, characters, writing, and gameplay. I really enjoy exploration, so one of the things I loved about these games was that I could beat them and still have tons of things to uncover or find. In FFTA, it was the 300 total missions. In Golden Sun, it was all those optional things hidden over the gameworld - summons, weapons, temples, djinn, etc. Every time I found something new, my heart jumped with glee, knowing that the game that I had sunk so much time into still had so much more to give.
3. If there were three additional routes in Blaze Union, who would you want the main characters to be/what would they deal with?
Hmm. In Blaze Union... another for Nessiah (imo, Sting is wasting a lot of good storyline with this guy), one for some sort of Vanir (maybe Milanor, idk), and one for Zilva. I'd love to see Sting address Nessiah and his ambitions of destroying the gods. Now, I love a tragic villain who has lost all sense of right and wrong in his quest for vengeance and thereby becoming a monster just as much as the next person, BUT. We've been down this road more than a few times, Sting. Let's change things up a bit. How about Nessiah comes to the realization that he is becoming the very things he hated - a cold, uncaring monster who toys with the lives of others for his own personal ends. The realization of what he has done could make for some excellent drama, and you could then have the story go in the direction of him trying to atone for all the suffering he has caused.
I'd also like to see something done with the Vanir. They're only mentioned as existing as something other than just regular people in the guidebook, and even then, it's pretty vague. How about throwing Milanor into Blaze Union (I mean, come on. We saw what he wanted to do in Yggdra Unison, he'd be right at home amongst Gram Blaze.) and addressing his heritage. Perhaps having him find out about his royal ancestry. You could have him try to regain the lost civilization his people once had, instead of being forced to make their livings as bandits in a wasteland.
As for Zilva... I dunno, I'd just like to see more done with her. That kind of dedication to one's cause and complete repression of emotion doesn't come to people easily. What could have happened that made her want to be like that? Being an assassin isn't exactly a job most people just "pick up." I'd like to see more about this. Of course, I haven't played BU, so this may already have been addressed.
4. Favorite three novels?
TOUGH CALL. Well, I suppose I'll have to go with On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, Neuromancer by William Gibson, and Starship Troopers by the master of science fiction, Robert Heinlein. Take a wild guess at which I prefer - Fantasy or Sci-Fi. It's hard for me to pick out specific books as favorites, but these three all speak to me on some level that many others don't. When a lot of people think of Starship Troopers, they think of that B movie allegedly based on the book. I would like to say right now that the whole "based on the book" part is a bunch of crap. There are similarities, but they are mainly superficial at best. The book itself is a fantastically well written treatise on politics and society of all things, despite its name. Yes, there's an intergalactic war that forms the main plot of the book, but I'd say about half of the book if not more is spent discussing the pros and cons of our current way of life and a proposed system where every citizen must prove their loyalty to the rest of society before they are permitted the rights of a citizen. It's a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it.
As for Neuromancer, it was the first book in my absolute favorite genre - cyberpunk. The ideas in this book have always captured me - from cybernetic upgrades to replace the weakness of the flesh with something more efficient, to plgging into a computer with your mind, directly transmitting data and impulses to your brain. There's so much in here that I love that I can't actually write any more about it - I would go on for pages and pages.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, On a Pale Horse. This book. It changed my life, I shit you not. I was going through a weird part of my life where I was very worried about death and the like. This book and the philosophical points it brings up made me think about it in ways I had never before thought of. I'm being totally serious when I say that this book is possibly the biggest reason I fear death so little. It changed me. I don't know what more to say.
5. If you wrote a book on your craziest exploit, what would the title be?
The Unseen World.
Like I said, I love exploration. A lot of people think that's pointless, because there's nothing left to explore. That's a bunch of bullshit. There's an entire world right around you that most people will never see. Abandoned buildings, old storm drains, locked up areas - these places surround us in our everyday life, but few people ever bother to take a look. You'd be surprised at the beauty you can find in an abandoned VA hospital. Or the wonder sparked by stalactites hanging from the cieling in an old storm drain, formed by many years of water seeping in from outside the tunnel. Now, of course, most people don't get that, so in order to do this exploration, you have to trespass. This can be both tricky and fun. Therein lies one of my craziest exploits: Getting into an abandoned hospital, trying to sneak by some police watching the area. Lots of crawling around in tall grass that day. Totally worth it, though.
❶ I'll respond by asking you five questions to satisfy my curiosity.
❷ Update your journal with the answers to your questions.
❸ Include this explanation and offer to ask other people questions.
1. Weirdest thing you've ever eaten?
Well, I'd like to think of myself as rather open-minded when it comes to foods. I mean, we're omnivores, right? We're made to be able to eat a ton of stuff, so limiting ourselves because we think things are gross is kinda stupid, imo. That said, I don't usually have that much of a chance to eat foods that are really out there, so when the opportunity comes, I try to take it. So, I'll have to go with the cow brain I had last Halloween. There was a zombie-themed party going on, and they managed to procure some cow brain from a local butcher shop. The brain itself was fine, but hardly anyone was touching it because it was icky (thought it was kinda cool, myself). So, yeah, I had a little to try it. The taste wasn't really anything to write home about. Kinda like scrambled eggs. :/
2. What was your first RPG?
If you count tactical rpgs, then Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. If not, then Golden Sun: The Lost Age. Both games earned a spot in my heart, due to excellent settings, characters, writing, and gameplay. I really enjoy exploration, so one of the things I loved about these games was that I could beat them and still have tons of things to uncover or find. In FFTA, it was the 300 total missions. In Golden Sun, it was all those optional things hidden over the gameworld - summons, weapons, temples, djinn, etc. Every time I found something new, my heart jumped with glee, knowing that the game that I had sunk so much time into still had so much more to give.
3. If there were three additional routes in Blaze Union, who would you want the main characters to be/what would they deal with?
Hmm. In Blaze Union... another for Nessiah (imo, Sting is wasting a lot of good storyline with this guy), one for some sort of Vanir (maybe Milanor, idk), and one for Zilva. I'd love to see Sting address Nessiah and his ambitions of destroying the gods. Now, I love a tragic villain who has lost all sense of right and wrong in his quest for vengeance and thereby becoming a monster just as much as the next person, BUT. We've been down this road more than a few times, Sting. Let's change things up a bit. How about Nessiah comes to the realization that he is becoming the very things he hated - a cold, uncaring monster who toys with the lives of others for his own personal ends. The realization of what he has done could make for some excellent drama, and you could then have the story go in the direction of him trying to atone for all the suffering he has caused.
I'd also like to see something done with the Vanir. They're only mentioned as existing as something other than just regular people in the guidebook, and even then, it's pretty vague. How about throwing Milanor into Blaze Union (I mean, come on. We saw what he wanted to do in Yggdra Unison, he'd be right at home amongst Gram Blaze.) and addressing his heritage. Perhaps having him find out about his royal ancestry. You could have him try to regain the lost civilization his people once had, instead of being forced to make their livings as bandits in a wasteland.
As for Zilva... I dunno, I'd just like to see more done with her. That kind of dedication to one's cause and complete repression of emotion doesn't come to people easily. What could have happened that made her want to be like that? Being an assassin isn't exactly a job most people just "pick up." I'd like to see more about this. Of course, I haven't played BU, so this may already have been addressed.
4. Favorite three novels?
TOUGH CALL. Well, I suppose I'll have to go with On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony, Neuromancer by William Gibson, and Starship Troopers by the master of science fiction, Robert Heinlein. Take a wild guess at which I prefer - Fantasy or Sci-Fi. It's hard for me to pick out specific books as favorites, but these three all speak to me on some level that many others don't. When a lot of people think of Starship Troopers, they think of that B movie allegedly based on the book. I would like to say right now that the whole "based on the book" part is a bunch of crap. There are similarities, but they are mainly superficial at best. The book itself is a fantastically well written treatise on politics and society of all things, despite its name. Yes, there's an intergalactic war that forms the main plot of the book, but I'd say about half of the book if not more is spent discussing the pros and cons of our current way of life and a proposed system where every citizen must prove their loyalty to the rest of society before they are permitted the rights of a citizen. It's a fascinating book, and I highly recommend it.
As for Neuromancer, it was the first book in my absolute favorite genre - cyberpunk. The ideas in this book have always captured me - from cybernetic upgrades to replace the weakness of the flesh with something more efficient, to plgging into a computer with your mind, directly transmitting data and impulses to your brain. There's so much in here that I love that I can't actually write any more about it - I would go on for pages and pages.
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, On a Pale Horse. This book. It changed my life, I shit you not. I was going through a weird part of my life where I was very worried about death and the like. This book and the philosophical points it brings up made me think about it in ways I had never before thought of. I'm being totally serious when I say that this book is possibly the biggest reason I fear death so little. It changed me. I don't know what more to say.
5. If you wrote a book on your craziest exploit, what would the title be?
The Unseen World.
Like I said, I love exploration. A lot of people think that's pointless, because there's nothing left to explore. That's a bunch of bullshit. There's an entire world right around you that most people will never see. Abandoned buildings, old storm drains, locked up areas - these places surround us in our everyday life, but few people ever bother to take a look. You'd be surprised at the beauty you can find in an abandoned VA hospital. Or the wonder sparked by stalactites hanging from the cieling in an old storm drain, formed by many years of water seeping in from outside the tunnel. Now, of course, most people don't get that, so in order to do this exploration, you have to trespass. This can be both tricky and fun. Therein lies one of my craziest exploits: Getting into an abandoned hospital, trying to sneak by some police watching the area. Lots of crawling around in tall grass that day. Totally worth it, though.