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Zulehan
The New Architect
Mint chocolate chip. Just found out they call it peppermint bon bon in Minnesota. Go figure. They have a 'mocha' ice cream at Stone Cold Creamery I really like, too.
Thanks for the question.
Adventure9
´･ᴗ･`
What do you like to do in your free time? 
Zulehan
The New Architect
While you were sleeping.
At the moment I am working on a short story titled 'The Mapmaker.' I am almost finished with the draft. Just completed the previous scene that ends with a confrontation on a mountainside. Hope to polish it up for publication in the school literary magazine. I very much enjoy creating stories.What do you like to do in your free time?
That aside, I also read a lot, play a lot of New Leaf, and play basketball with my brother.
Thanks for the questions!
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Zulehan
The New Architect
I love city or base building games. My favorites for this genre are for the PC: Zeus: Master of Olympus, Supreme Commander, and Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun. For the C&C franchise, my introduction was Command & Conquer: Red Alert: Retaliation for the PS1, which I received as a child, and played 'skirmish' on endlessly.
Speaking of childhood favorites, the SNES was my first console. Super Mario All-Stars, Super Mario World, Killer Instinct, and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past were so fun that I even play them now every once in a while. A Link to the Past remains my favorite game for any platform.
For the arcade, I absolutely loved the Raiden franchise, a vertical scroller shoot-em-up.
Then there was the PS1. I thought NFL Blitz was the most hilarious sports game I ever played. There were late tackles, clotheslining, etc.; everything you're not allowed to do. Whenever my brother scored a 'touchdown' I would clothesline then body slam him on the 'end zone.' The Crash Bandicoot games were quite fun; I especially enjoyed the third installment of the franchise. But Final Fantasy 9, my introduction to the FF franchise, was the game for me on the PS1, and remains one of my top five.
Then there was the PS3 games Final Fantasy 10 and Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, both tied for second place as favorite game all time. For both games, I loved the story, and thought they were some of the most interesting for any form of media, whether books, movies, etc.
For the N64, I only got The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time and The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, but those games were powerhouses for that console, from which I got countless hours of game play. In fact, I am playing Majora's Mask again.
Before I go on much longer, I'll just end with recent favorites: Wolf Among Us (TellTale; PC), The Walking Dead (TellTale; PS3), and Last of Us. All compelling stories with emotionally engaging characters, especially the latter two.
Although, upon reflecting, I've played a lot of games, I probably watch playthroughs more than I actually play. My favorite video game playthrough guy on YouTube is Vash12349.
Other notable mentions in my game collection include Spec Ops: The Line, LittleBigPlanet, Bioshock Infinite, Journey, Pokemon X/Y. And of course the endlessly addictive Animal Crossing: New Leaf, my introduction to the AC franchise.
Thanks for the question.
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Zulehan
The New Architect
Mm... Hamphrey, a pudgy black hamster who's like a cranky old man. Love him.
At a close second there is a tie between Pippy the peppy rabbit and Flip the jock monkey.
I find the jock personality the most distinguished or 'eccentric' and think that Flip is just well designed among the monkeys and villagers in general. I like his orange color palette and how some features of his face make me think of traditional Japanese artwork.
As for Pippy, I like that she is a female rabbit not designed with exaggerated feminine features ('gender coded,' e.g. of some of the 'features' of gender coding: the only female protagonist in the latest Sonic game is completely pink, prominent eyelashes, made to strike a 'seductive' pose while 'at rest,' etc). For similar reason I like Twiggy. Of course, I like the peppy personality in general.
Calzone, burger and fries, casserole, spiced apple, plouts (combination of plum and apricot), Pink Lady apples, pineapple-papaya salad, spaghetti (w/ parmigiano reggiano), orange juice, apple juice, clam chowder, pizza, oranges (esp. Cara Cara and Blood oranges), roasted chicken, tamales, Sinigang (a Filipino specialty that, like many food dishes, can be prepared any number of ways, but which I prepare with pork loin and belly meat boiled with bok choy, Chinese spinach, tomatoes, green chili peppers, daikon, onions, etc. and flavored with black pepper, chicken bouillon, and a Tamarind soup base mix by the Filipino brand 'Sarap' (adds a lot of sweetness to the soup)), ground pork with vegetables (I just follow the instructions to cook the ground pork, add a few cups of water, bring it to a boil, add the prepared green beans, mushrooms (usually portabello), and the same seasoning mentioned above).
Yeah, let's stop there before I keep going much longer.
My memory is disgusting: I don't remember what kindnesses I bestowed upon you.Why are you so kind to me?
Thanks for the questions.
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Zulehan
The New Architect
Just for how much time and revision went into it, 'Mitsero, the Artifact.' Thirty-eight pages or 11,583 words on Microsoft Word. At the time, it was the longest story I wrote as a serious effort rather than a free-write (i.e., rather than just writing for the sake of writing), and the first time I realized my potential so long as I maintain willpower. It was about a young man and young woman dissatisfied with society and so operating on its fringes as pirates.
The society is a mixture of the modern and medieval, as there was a cataclysm but societies have begun springing up again that incorporate some of the older technologies with new sensibilities.
These pirates, Benson and Amelia, come to the aid of society, however, when a plot is put in motion for a coup d'etat, one that fails miserably, but at the cost of the last remaining family Benson has, and his will to live. I especially wanted to develop a character who is authoritarian leaning in mindset but also empathetic. Not Benson, but the leader of the society I allude to.
As for Mitsero, let us just say it is a device signifying lingering hatred from a previous era, one that shows how we cannot truly escape the violence of our ancestors, as author Frank Herbert would say.
Ah! I remember. You are most welcome.
Characters. I can watch Edward James Olmos and Mary McDonnell read a phone book, that's how much I loved them in Battlestar Galactica (2004-2009). In fact, even when the series came to what I saw as its lackluster conclusion, the final scenes with those two were ironically some of the most powerful in the series, and nearly brought me to tears.
As another example, Joel and Ellie in Last of Us and Lee and Clementine in The Walking Dead (PC; Telltale) are emotionally engaging characters that kept me engaged in whatever situations they found themselves in, and no matter the twists and turns. I don't know: maybe it's a chicken and egg thing. But for me it's characters and environment.
- - - Post Merge - - -
Yes. I like all kinds of potato, and vegetables of similar consistency, such as gabi (seen in the ingredients list for a Filipino food dish here: http://www.squidoo.com/philippine-recipes). By the way, when trying to remember the vegetable gabi, I came across a type of sweet potato I've never seen before: Okinawa sweet potato (http://www.thenibble.com/reviews/main/exotic-vegetable-glossary13.asp). Apparently, despite the name, it's Hawaiian, but then again that makes sense since Americans of Japanese descent make up nearly 20% of the population of that state.Do you like sweet potato?
Mm... not sure if I would classify yam as similar to meat, but I feel like it has a meaty texture. I like to boil yam and sweet yam and eat it alone.
As for cooking potatoes, I like the classic meat and potatoes, or to put potatoes in adobo (Filipino style with pork), though I also like to broil it, or to make stuffed potato. Oh! I also pair potatoes and green beans (stir-fried) with broiled salmon.
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Aryxia
very fla-zay-dah
Ah, that sounds amazing. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you put your mind to it- sadly, my sense of willpower isn't quite that strong. I usually end or give up on stories as soon as I start to feel dissatisfied with the way things are going. It's probably because I can't come up with any good ideas
I feel like the writers at Telltale are some of the best in thee business. I rarely ever develop strong emotions for side characters, but I've cried over so many deaths in The Walking Dead.
Sarah's really bugged me, I mean I know she was broken without her father and would prove to be burdensome to the group, but dang. I've only seen the one in the trailer, and that was brutal.
Clem's grown so much from season one. She's so strong that it actually made it easy for me to accept Lee's death. I think they've found the perfect balance of strength & vulnerability with both her and Ellie- They're actually believable as human beings, and that's something that I admire.
Zulehan
The New Architect
I have a lot of stories and poems sitting around unfinished, and I'll have a lot more works added to that pile.I usually end or give up on stories as soon as I start to feel dissatisfied with the way things are going. It's probably because I can't come up with any good ideas
I think a lot of writers do that but just don't want to admit it. They'll act like they never had huge doubts and a voice telling them everything they came up with is useless. And they'll act like nothing they ever wrote was meaningfully inspired by anything outside of themselves, which runs counter to the advice some writers give of reading a lot for ideas. For instance, for Mitsero I was inspired by Final Fantasy XII and Firefly, among other works, and the reason I had to revise a lot is to help find my voice more and more, so it wasn't only a cheap knock-off and a series of decent ideas poorly executed but a work that can truly stand on its own.
In regards to doubts, I am reminded of the words of writer John Gardner in "What Writers Do":
I think works often feel uninspired for the writer in the first few drafts, and become more and more inspired over time, as the writer has more time to mull over every aspect of the work, every scene of the work.
As for ideas of a writer inspired by others, I think of what writer Thomas C. Foster pointed out in How to Read Literature Like a Professor (p. 189):
I think a lot of people put too much pressure on themselves thinking that they have to be this brilliant, and this way end up shooting down so many interesting ideas they could have polished over the years without the self-imposed ceiling.
What I heard about their earlier games weren't as flattering, but whatever they did to or whatever happened to their writing team was a godsend, for sure. Although I loved Last of Us and think Naughty Dog did a wonderful job, The Walking Dead as a seemingly lower-end production game certainly does not skimp in the writing department just because it's less of a blockbuster hit.
I suppose this would be canon, but it doesn't have to happen. I just watched that part by my favorite playthrough guy and saw a different outcome: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XCpb8EjZJTo&list=UUH58W9dE3k5cRcQDBHlN-Tw (SPOILERS).
Yeah. I never found Clementine's strength and perseverance hard to believe. If there is anything I would question about the characters, it would be the willingness for the adults to put aside the notions they grew up with to see children as particularly helpless.
- - - Post Merge - - -
Oh, forgot to give comment on Clementine's vulnerability: I like how nuanced and sensitive a portrayal of a child character Telltale gave in the form of Clementine. This is a break from the average portrayal of children as unable to do anything on their own, or serving no purpose but as carrion, motivation for revenge, or mere constant nuisance. I still feel sad about how the extremely talented Dakota Fanning was reduced to perpetual carrion and scream-machine status in War of the Worlds (2005).
I suppose such nuanced and sensitive portrayal of children as complex human beings rather than one-dimensions 'problems' informs why I enjoyed such stories as the movies of Hayao Miyazaki, which has strong child female protagonists (the child aspect is often overlooked), along with other movies such as Coraline, The Iron Giant, Pan's Labyrinth, or—oh, how could I forget such characters as Sansa Stark, Arya Stark, Bran Stark, Meera Reed, and Jojen Reed in Game of Thrones. And also children in novels such as Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Antoine de Saint-Exup?ry's The Little Prince, Diana Wynne Jones's Howl's Moving Castle (the novel which inspired Miyazaki's movie of the same name, and which is well worth reading even if you've seen the film adaptation), Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart (Ezinma, a young girl who is strong-headed, winning over the main protagonist and patriarch, Okonkwo, despite problematic social norms regarding gender).
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