Author Topic: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through - Esifex  (Read 53462 times)

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through - Esifex
« on: July 21, 2011, 07:29:55 PM »
Hello, hello, and how do you do?
I am Esifex, or commonly referred to as Esi!
'Your Lordship' works well, too

Being one of the Librarians marks me as one of the staffers around this here lovely board. While I don't wield board-warping powers, I do answer to superiors and help do my part to keep my little corner of The Kaleidoscope tidy.

For those of you who don't frequent the PSL subforum, not only do you make me cry inside, but you may not even know who I am. Since we've had several iterations of the 'Ask a Staffer' thread already, the routine should be familiar to you all by now; come up with a query, and direct it to me!

I will warn you, though - I am not artistic in a visual sense, but rather in a literary sense. While I don't have any physical gimmicks to entertain the lot of you with, I can of course be rather wordy. It comes with being a bookworm, you see; they call it 'Purple Prose'.
I will, however, open each batch of answers with a nice song for you to listen to if you so deign. It'll be up to you to open the music, y'see - I don't have embedding powers. Besides, that'd just get messy!

So, ask away!
« Last Edit: August 13, 2011, 12:17:52 AM by Sakura Kyouko »

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #1 on: July 21, 2011, 07:47:08 PM »
Where does your interest in the supernatural come from? (Pardon me if you dislike that term for whatever reason.)

Do you prefer reading books on paper, or do you prefer reading them electronically? Why?

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #2 on: July 21, 2011, 07:50:23 PM »
Where'd you get the name "Esifex" from?

What made you decide to study massage therapy?

Tengukami

  • Breaking news. Any season.
  • *
  • I said, with a posed look.
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #3 on: July 21, 2011, 07:51:28 PM »
When did you know that you wanted to write?

Best part about being a Librarian? Worst part?

What was the proudest moment of your life?

Who is America's greatest president ever?

"Human history and growth are both linked closely to strife. Without conflict, humanity would have no impetus for growth. When humans are satisfied with their present condition, they may as well give up on life."

Iryan

  • Ph?nglui mglw?nafh
  • Cat R?lyeh wgah?nagl fhtagn.
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #4 on: July 21, 2011, 07:54:09 PM »
Once more I ask:

What do you consider your great achievement in life? Similarly, what do you consider your greatest failure?
Old Danmakufu stuff can be found here!

"As the size of an explosion increases, the numbers of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero."

MatsuriSakuragi

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #5 on: July 21, 2011, 07:56:06 PM »
Wanna trade states with me? It's been years since I've seen the ocean. :<

This might sound stupid, but how exactly does massage therapy work? I've never really looked into it.

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #6 on: July 21, 2011, 07:57:54 PM »
How are your talks with Panera Bread going?

Have you constructed any mental barriers recently (I forget exactly how you used to refer to it)? Why or why not?

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #7 on: July 21, 2011, 09:09:01 PM »
For your listening pleasure.


Where does your interest in the supernatural come from? (Pardon me if you dislike that term for whatever reason.)

Do you prefer reading books on paper, or do you prefer reading them electronically? Why?

Supernatural is a perfectly valid way to put it. As of right now, heightened mental capacity is just manifesting as an unsually high IQ, or exceptional skill at logical concepts like math and science.
However, for the lot of the readers who don't know precisely what you're hinting at, the spiritual side of the supernatural intrigues me greatly because of my own history with it. When I was four years old, I was ran over by a mini-van. I temporarily blacked out, as did my brother. A moment later, I recall seeing me drag myself halfway out from under the minivan before the girl who was driving it pulled me the rest of the way out - then my mother came running out of the house and took me into her arms. At this point I began to see out of my own eyes, again, no longer seeing myself. This is also when my brother came around, again, too - later I came to find out that he was my vantage point. The angles that I'd been seeing the incident occur from corresponded to where he was standing when it happened.
I believe this kept me from being fully anchored to my own body - I have an easier time relaxing than most people (and being a massage therapist, I can say that objectively, because I know how hard a lot of people find it to relax) and can let a comfortable 'floating' sensation take over my mind. While I'm doing this, I have a much greater feel for the people around me - how they're feeling, what they're thinking, what they're doing. This also passively manifests in my translating of foreign languages into English when I hear them, or regular episodes of deja'vu. I'd personally like to hone those last two traits - precognition would be nice, and being able to be a natural translator would give me a great sense of self-worth, being able to bridge the gap between language barriers. Unfortunately, I don't honestly know how to 'train' these abilities, as I can't force them to work - focusing on it tends to shut it down immediately. Suddenly I'll have heard half a sentence in English, the rest in Spanish, and no longer know what is being said. Trying to remember further along in my deja'vu makes it end prematurely, and I feel like I just woke up from a dream.

As for books? A paper medium or an electronic medium are all the same to me - as long as I can read it, I'm happy. My collection of paperback books will always be a fond memory for me, even though I've already donated all of them to the local library to resell - they are what really contributed to me being who I am. Nowadays, though, I'm very pleased with my nook and its functionality, and the fact that I am literally carrying an entire library with me in a small, three-pound tablet that has a screen that almost perfectly imitates natural paper. Reading on a computer monitor is much the same - otherwise I wouldn't've ended up becoming a Librarian, if I didn't read practically every story that was posted when I'd arrived.
A story is a story. If it's written on paper, shot into my eyes by photons of light, scratched into a stone, painted onto a canvas, or told to me orally, it's still a story, and it'll still hold my attention. Stories are entirely new worlds, fantastic places to explore your imagination, and to see where you can go in your mind.

Where'd you get the name "Esifex" from?

A technique I picked up way long ago from a blog post in an old webcomic about how the author named his characters - he'd just punch two letters at random on his keyboard, and pick a vowel to go between them. Instead, I took the three-letter name method and expanded it. Since I love music, and good sounds in general (I love a good wind chime), I picked the letters SFX - 'sound effects'. If you take those three letters and spell them out, you get Esifex!


What made you decide to study massage therapy?

What made me decide? A period of great depression in my life where I had no clue who I was, what I was worth, where I was going in life, and I began to frantically search for any measure of skill I had that I could identify with. I very nearly destroyed a friendship that I cherish greatly during this period of time, but because of her patience, I managed to get through it safely and realized that I have a good, caring heart that enjoys helping people feel better, and a natural talent for touch. I'd been working on my parents' backs since I was a wee lad, and continued to do so into my mid-teenage years. I decided, 'okay, I'm good enough without training to NOT cripple my parents. I may as well learn how to do it right, so I can get paid for it.'
So, I started sending out for information to a bunch of local schools, and ended up taking a tour of a small, simple school not more than twenty minutes away from where I lived, and fell in love with the environment and the people that were part of the trade.

When did you know that you wanted to write?

When I was in second grade. I picked up reading before I went into kindergarten, and always loved the stories that I could dig up in my brothers' old box of books. They were, of course, mostly picture books at the time, but I always had a book in my hands at home. I spent hours at night reading with Mom, stumbling all over the words until I got them right, and then telling Mom to stay on the couch while I ran and got another book, and would repeat the process until I eventually fell asleep. Stories were my life. In second grade, I was going to a private Lutheran school, and learned how to write in cursive. Before then, I couldn't be bothered to write, because the scar on my arm messed up my fine-motor control and I had very atrocious hand-writing - which, to this day, has barely improved. But suddenly, I had this fancy, loopy writing under my control, and I could make pretty letters! It was time to take those letters and put them together to make words, and take those words and put them together to make sentences, and to take those sentences and put them together and make the best stories I could think of. I followed up by volunteering to re-enact, but mostly just read, Dr. Suess stories to the kindergarteners and pre-schoolers, doing my best to share my love of stories with them. In the fifth grade, I won a silly little prize for writing a short-story involving a terraforming dome on Mars based around the polar caps. I was a nerd, even back then. Of course, having both parents be avid Trekkies didn't hurt.

Best part about being a Librarian? Worst part?

Being able to help people with their stories via proofreading and summarizing. Feels good, man. As for the worst part? Being a Librarian, period, when I'm dealing with writer's block. I could really do without that sense of guilt and hypocrisy.

What was the proudest moment of your life?

Honestly? I can't remember, or think of one. And yes, that does make me as sad as you'd think it would.

Who is America's greatest president ever?

When it comes to Presidents, I typify the American education system. I don't even remember who we had before Clinton - and this is another saddening and shaming revelation for me, especially considering that I took JROTC in high school, and the Presidents were a major part of the history we went over.
The President with the greatest name, though, I can remember this - GROVER CLEVELAND :V

What do you consider your great achievement in life? Similarly, what do you consider your greatest failure?

As mentioned above when Ammy asked, I can't honestly remember what my proudest moment is. Objectively speaking, the greatest part of my life so far has been taking the initiative to sign up for going to Massage school on my own free will, without having to be told or commanded by anyone else. I would say 'all the times I've helped my friends get through a tough spot in their lives,' but like Ruro, I feel that if I'm not doing that, I'm not worth an ego.
My greatest failure? Unfortunately, escapism played a very large part of my interest in the paranormal, and I've locked a lot of that stuff away in my mind, and to be honest, I don't like dwelling on it, even now. I'm afraid I'm going to have to pass on this question.

Wanna trade states with me? It's been years since I've seen the ocean. :<

YESYESYESYESYESYES I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE BUT YES GET ME OUT OF FLORIDA GOD YES

This might sound stupid, but how exactly does massage therapy work? I've never really looked into it.

The therapist simply makes touch-contact with the clients' body. This causes an immediate response in the client's body, in accord with their mind, that brings their attention to the point of contact. If there is any tension there, the client's body recognizes and acknowledges it, and begins to heal.
At the same time, the therapist is performing sweeping, rolling motions across the skin, stimulating and promoting bloodflow. Improved circulation leads to an improved immune system, more energy, and a better sense of relaxation.
There are a lot of different modalities, or techniques, that are used for specific situations - for example, Deep Tissue Massage (the single modality most likely to scare people away from massage) is painful in the process, and will oftentimes leave the client a little sore afterwards - ESPECIALLY if the client ignores the therapist and doesn't take a hot shower soon afterwards - but is also the single most effective treatment for deep-muscle contusions and restrictions. It literally involves pushing through the muscle fibers laying over an afflicted spot to get directly to the 'knot'. It is not a pleasant experience if you don't know whats coming, especially since it usually makes the client tense up - which instantly undoes any work the therapist has done and makes it ten times harder to work on the tension.
A muscle that is working cannot physically relax. It's not possible.

How are your talks with Panera Bread going?

Still in limbo, but I'm still harassing the crap out of them and making sure they know I exist. I WANT TO MAKE BAGUETTES DAMMIT

Have you constructed any mental barriers recently (I forget exactly how you used to refer to it)? Why or why not?

With the exception of the on-going battle against my own sex-drive and unbridled anger issues, no. The rest of the fragmentation I've done to my own mind was unpleasant enough - the memory loss, the delicate temperament, and the straight change in personality is not something I intend to intentionally put myself through again. I resist my sex-drive and hormones for personal reasons, that mostly stem from an utter distaste for the people in my generation around me - and while yes, I know that wherever I go, there are GOING to be dumb people who are reckless and treat their bodies with complete irreverence, there is just such a large concentration of them in Florida that I'm actually saddened by it. This may also have something to do with my rage issues - both the self-inflicted sexual frustration and being surrounded by idiots.

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #8 on: July 21, 2011, 09:09:21 PM »
By the way - I wasn't kidding when I said I could be long-winded.

Aya Squawkermaru

  • "You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war." - William Hearst
  • Relevant quote is relevant.
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #9 on: July 21, 2011, 09:32:11 PM »
Wow, the song ended just before I finished reading all that. Good timing. :V

Yeah, my mom works as a receptionist at a massage-therapy place, and she's picked up a few things. The thing with the soaz (no idea how to spell it) is super painful.  :ohdear:

Anyway. Are there any aspects of the supernatural that you still don't believe?

What is your opinion on the Touhou fandom's desire to relationship anyone and everyone?

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #10 on: July 21, 2011, 09:33:04 PM »
Are there times when you're more laconic? If so, when?

Favorite non-Shanghai Touhou character and why?

First comes rock, then comes paper... You can't throw all of them. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #11 on: July 21, 2011, 10:17:54 PM »
YESYESYESYESYESYES I DON'T KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE BUT YES GET ME OUT OF FLORIDA GOD YES
Even if it's Indiana? BV

What character in Touhou would you most like to write about, but haven't?

Name five cities in the world you'd like to visit, and why.

Mimachiro

  • Master of the Swimsuit
  • Making being an evil spirit look good
    • Tondemonai
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #12 on: July 21, 2011, 11:15:01 PM »
If you could take any of the staffers on a trip to see the world, who would you choose and why?

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

Where's the beef?

"I don't have anything against you, but I hope you're ready to die a dog's death!
Oh, don't worry, that cat will carry off your body, so you'll be able to live in our place!"

theshirn

  • THE LAWS OF THE FIESTA MEAN NOTHING
  • *
    • Wisdom is Not a Dump Stat
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #13 on: July 21, 2011, 11:28:36 PM »
Am I the only one who doesn't care for that signature?

Where are the Purvis of yesteryear?

How epic is your beard these days?

What's the trick to a good shoulder massage?  People tell me I'm very good, but no one's ever been able to give me one that didn't hurt like hell.

[09:46] <theshim|work> there is nothing like working for a real estate company to make one contemplate arson

communist unity (comm-unity)

  • Boss of the Gym
  • 100% salt
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #14 on: July 21, 2011, 11:35:25 PM »
What part of America's dickFlorida do you live onin?
We should break out of Florida, [water] guns blazing. 'cause it's so hot. :derp:

I don't read PSL a lot, what are a few of your favorite stories there you would recommend?



MatsuriSakuragi

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #15 on: July 21, 2011, 11:39:45 PM »
Even if it's Indiana? BV

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh i'm trying to get out of here  >:<


I suppose this is a distant tangent in relation to massage therapy, but what do you think of things such as acupuncture for alternative therapies? More out of curiosity, because I really am not sure how they work :x

Fetch()tirade

  • serial time-waster
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #16 on: July 21, 2011, 11:53:23 PM »
What animal would you associate yourself with the most?

Why Shanghai?

Attack or defend this statement: "The end never justifies the means."

What is your favorite color?

How do you like your eggs?

Hanzo K.

  • White Tiger Shikigami
  • Whoa, this YF-29's awesome!
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #17 on: July 22, 2011, 12:26:46 AM »
Tuna VS Sea Bass VS Chicken. Which one wins in a no-holds barred cage deathmatch?
All weapons permitted, even ones that could level the planet, like a nuke.
Essence RO
Eiji Komatsu L1xx/6x CritsinX | Ryoshima Nanbu L7x/4x Crafting Blacksmith

Arbitrary Gaming~!
Youkai Quest: Unknown Adventure

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #18 on: July 22, 2011, 01:48:15 AM »
Lie back and think of Iceland



Yeah, my mom works as a receptionist at a massage-therapy place, and she's picked up a few things. The thing with the soaz (no idea how to spell it) is super painful.  :ohdear:

Illiosoas? :ohdear: :ohdear: :ohdear:

Anyway. Are there any aspects of the supernatural that you still don't believe?

Non-contact telekinesis - that is, to suspend something by itself in midair. It violates too many laws of thermodynamics, and the strain on the mind would be astronomical to fight gravity at range with no leverage to work off of. Touch-contact telekinesis is a possibility, though - but only for things with less mass/weight than the Mentalist at-hand.

Also, direct mind control. You can influence, but you cannot deactivate free-will.

What is your opinion on the Touhou fandom's desire to relationship anyone and everyone?

There'd better be a good reason for it, beyond just 'hey they'd be cute together <3'. That being said, there are some occasions where just two Touhous being cute together have been done well enough to stand on it's own - provided the Touhous in question have been fleshed out and characterized, instead of just 'LOL HAY GAIZ I LIKE SHANGHAI AND I LIKE HOURAI AND I THINK THEY ARE SUPA KAWAII DESU UGUU TOGETHER'. If you can give me a good reason why Sanae and Reimu are all huggy-huggy, kissy-kissy, then I'm game. If the relationship has justification, there's no reason why there shouldn't be one.

Are there times when you're more laconic? If so, when?

Oh, all the time.

Favorite non-Shanghai Touhou character and why?

I assume you mean Shanghai doll and not Team Shanghai. It'd have to be Orin, then, after Alice and her dolls. Why Orin? Because she's cute. Seriously, dat smirk.

First comes rock, then comes paper... You can't throw all of them. Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!

SCISSORS

Even if it's Indiana? BV

What's wrong with Indiana? Those pictures you posted of the skyline at night were amazing.

What character in Touhou would you most like to write about, but haven't?

More of the Chirieden gang. I've used Koishi a little bit in Fresh Faces, because :telepathic hijinks:, but Utsuho and Orin have a good 'best-friends forever' dynamic that I'd love to explore.

Name five cities in the world you'd like to visit, and why.

Not only do I fail at remembering all the Presidents of America (Besides GROVER CLEVELAND :V) but I'm also hella-bad at geography on the whole. I know countries, but not cities. Mostly.
Dublin, Ireland. It's a hub of civilization that I'd be comfortable in, but then it's like, an hour and a half drive and BAM! Glorious rolling green hills and countryside as far as the eye can see.
Anywhere in Germany. Since only about 10% of Germany is dense civilization, and the rest of it is woodlands or farms, it'd be an amazing place for getting back in tune with the natural world. Also Sakana and Iryan <3
Iceland! Same reason as Ireland. Also because there's an Ammy in Iceland, and he seems like a pretty cool Time Lord guy. Hell, just being able to hang out with Ammy would be amazing for me. I can't guarantee he wouldn't want to bash my skull in from frustration after a while, but it'd probably do me worlds of good to be able to osmosis some wisdom from him.
Raleigh, North Carolina. It's a quaint little place that also happens to have that aforementioned friend who ultimately helped me decide to pursue massage therapy! She's a pretty cool guy. Er... wait...
Somewhere in Canada. I hear everyone is so polite up there. Plus, if I wander around enough, I'm liable to pick up my very own Mystearica!

If you could take any of the staffers on a trip to see the world, who would you choose and why?

Only because I literally just spotted all the crap that he's been through, Benny1. He could seriously use a vacation. I'm sure the other staffers could use one too, but... seriously. Bro's been through a bunch of shit in the past straight year, he needs a break.

What's the craziest thing you've ever done?

You'd be disappointed at just how boring of a person I am. I can safely say this is the most reckless thing I've ever done.

Where's the beef?

At Wendys!

Am I the only one who doesn't care for that signature?

Probably not. There aren't many people around here who are massive fanboys for Shanghai and Hourai like I am. Thing is, though, I was threatened with excommunication if I changed it, so :x

Where are the Purvis of yesteryear?

Didn't you ask Ruro this? Did you lose track of them again so soon?

How epic is your beard these days?

It's actually currently just a mild goatee and mustache combo. I trimmed it down just a few days back. I wouldn't say it's so much of an 'epic' beard as it is a 'rogue-ishly charming' one. I'm a very charming guy. It's my dump-stat.

What's the trick to a good shoulder massage?  People tell me I'm very good, but no one's ever been able to give me one that didn't hurt like hell.

Assuming this is the left shoulder. Place the flat of your palm of your left hand on their left shoulder-blade, and with your right hand, seize the top of the deltoids/trapezius, but do not 'pinch' per se so much as squeeze - kind of like you're gently wringing a sponge out. Then, with your left hand, push into the scapula and elevate it - that is, bring it up with mild pressure, skyward. Proceed to do clockwise-counter-clockwise alternating rotations with the scapula while gently rolling the muscle in your right hand through your fingers.
For the right shoulder, alternate right hand/left hand, obviously. Body mechanics play an important part in how good a massage feels.
The most important thing to remember about a massage is that it's muscle manipulation, NOT bone. They shouldn't be pushing or squeezing on your clavicles. Squeezing muscle against bone is one of the quickest ways to inflict pain. (That being said, don't fight a massage therapist - they'll nail you in the joints and shut you down, and be all like WHAT DID YOU LEARN, and then turn your muscles back on, and you'll be all :C sadfaec)

What part of America's dickFlorida do you live onin?
We should break out of Florida, [water] guns blazing. 'cause it's so hot. :derp:

Central Florida, Seminole County. And yes. We should.


I don't read PSL a lot, what are a few of your favorite stories there you would recommend?

Well, the more people we get started on White Rose, the more people there'll be cheeping for continuations - but Ruro is a busy lady, so we really shouldn't torment her like that (but seriously go read it anyways it's amazing and is one of the stories that contributed to me liking the Earth Spirit Palace residents as much as I do)
PSL has a subforum called KGB. Poke around in there - those stories are completed. In there, you'll find gems like Rising Star - the story of Shou and how she came to be one of Byakuren's disciples. It's a very powerful story, especially during her 'final trial' thingy. That had me cursing and swearing and then finally crying many manly tears of happiness when it was finally resolved. ...never liked Nazrin anyways :troll:
Then, Sound of the City. I'm not personally a big fan of Aya, but this is some amazing characterization. It literally takes a character that, honestly, I saw her more as a troll and an annoyance, and turned her into a character, a person, someone that I actually was interested in seeing what they did next.
Mystia Lorelei vs The Hunger has possibly the single most hilarious take on the Yuyuko x Mystia schtick that goes on all over the place, while still being an excellent story about Mystia dealing with one of the problems with being a Youkai - that is, having a sweet tooth for sweet meats.
Then there's Forsake the Future, Pursue the Past. You can read that if you want to see how hilariously bad I was when I started in on Touhou fanfiction :derp:
In PSL itself, there's an amazing story in progress still called 'What Alice Found There'. Obviously, coming from me, I'm a little biased, being a massive Alice fanboy and all, but don't let that stop you - Alice isn't even a very major character yet. She has a presence, don't get me wrong, but she isn't the focus, yet. Instead, we get some fantastic characterization behind Heida no Aya, the incarnation of Maire before Akyu, as well as a good origin story on Gensokyo itself.

I suppose this is a distant tangent in relation to massage therapy, but what do you think of things such as acupuncture for alternative therapies? More out of curiosity, because I really am not sure how they work :x

Acupuncture is more or less just a very advanced style of the Shiatsu modality. And with a lot of holistic healing methods, it works very well, if you actually let it work. Holistic healing remedies aren't like aspirin; you don't pop 'em back, then go back to your daily life. If you get a massage, and the therapist tells you to go home and take a hot shower, they're not just saying that because it'll help you relax - they're telling you because you need to go and take a hot shower after a massage or your muscles will become even stiffer than they started, before the massage.
If you want a really off the wall modality that you'd think no one would ever even think of offering because they'd be afraid of being called quacks and snake-oil salesmen, look up Reiki massage.

What animal would you associate yourself with the most?

Turtle. I'm often times slow to act, always observing, always watching, and when you piss me off, I snap. Also, I swim a lot.

Why Shanghai?

It's not just Shanghai, actually. It's Alice, Shanghai, and Hourai all in unison. The thing about the three of them that entices me isn't so much that Shanghai and Hourai have so much OMG KAWAII DESU UGUU artwork but rather because of the mental acuity that Alice would need to be able to field and maintain a swarm of dolls like how she does. For someone who's as much into mental evolution over physical evolution, can you really fault me for being attracted to that?
Also, puppetry is kind of cool. Also I tend to play Minion-mancers in any sort of game I play that gives me the option to do so.

Attack or defend this statement: "The end never justifies the means."

This can't be cut in stone. Depending on the situation determines if it's appropriate or not. To use one of Ruro's answers from her Ask a Staffer thread as an example - 'If you don't kill this person, they WILL go out and murder dozens more.' Obviously, the ends justify the means in this case - you have to resort to murder to stop this person from perpetuating murder.
However, that doesn't excuse you from just pulling someone out of their Very Nice Car and blowing their head off their shoulders just because you want their Very Nice Car. Saying this falls ONLY one way or ONLY the other is about as dumb as trying to convince people that you are ONLY emotional or ONLY logical. No, no you're not. There's logic to emotion, and emotions can influence logic (in incredibly abstract fashions, mind you, but still. You can logically predict someone will behave based on emotional patterns which can be identified logically blah blah blah I'd really explain this better but I'm sure I have like ten more posts waiting for me after this and I'm not a full-blown psychology student leave me alone ;-;)

What is your favorite color?

Blue! Or purple. The darker shades of both. Blue is the color of expression. I myself am rather enjoying the new theme. Much more vibrant, and, like I said, blue is the color of expression, and being into stories as much as I am, obviously my fifth chakra is my most active one.

How do you like your eggs?

;-; I can't cook eggs to save my life.
Unless you want scrambled eggs. Or French Toast. I can make French Toast. But every time I try to make sunny-side up or eggs over easy, I botch it and end up having to just scramble them.
But if someone who CAN cook is preparing them? Scrambled, whites only! I actually like the taste, believe it or not. The health benefits are just a bonus.

Tuna VS Sea Bass VS Chicken. Which one wins in a no-holds barred cage deathmatch?
All weapons permitted, even ones that could level the planet, like a nuke.

How the hell are those things going to use weapons? And clearly it would be the chicken, by default. The tuna and the sea bass would end up suffocating after a little while, being tossed in a cage like that. Then the chicken would eat them! That's mean. Why would the chicken even need a nuke? Pfft.
Unless it was Sakana's tuna-half. In which case it would viciously attack with the 'OVERDUE' stamp until the sea-bass and chicken submit.

theshirn

  • THE LAWS OF THE FIESTA MEAN NOTHING
  • *
    • Wisdom is Not a Dump Stat
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #19 on: July 22, 2011, 02:47:40 AM »
Oh, it's not that I don't like Shanghai and Hourai, I just don't think the pic is particularly cute. ???

And that sounds about right for what I do, actually!  Good to have someone tell me I'm doing it right!  I think the problem when people try to massage me is that they pinch (I have almost no muscle mass).

[09:46] <theshim|work> there is nothing like working for a real estate company to make one contemplate arson

Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #20 on: July 22, 2011, 03:02:20 AM »
SCISSORS

ROCK--...wait, wha-- ...you may have bested me today, but I'll get you yet!

Anyway, what is your favorite dessert? Fruit? Meat?

Why no noses?

Are you surprised you've gotten this many questions already?

Hello Purvis

  • *
  • Hello Jerry
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #21 on: July 22, 2011, 05:01:37 AM »
Which one are you again? The froofy one?

Iryan

  • Ph?nglui mglw?nafh
  • Cat R?lyeh wgah?nagl fhtagn.
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #22 on: July 22, 2011, 05:49:20 AM »
Lie back and think of Iceland
Aw man, that's relaxing!
Quote
I'm a very charming guy. It's my dump-stat.
Actually, the dump-stat is the one you put in as little points as possible so that you can put more points in the stats relevant to making your character the unstoppable killing machine you want him to be.  :moogy:
Quote
There's logic to emotion, and emotions can influence logic (in incredibly abstract fashions, mind you, but still. You can logically predict someone will behave based on emotional patterns which can be identified logically blah blah blah I'd really explain this better but I'm sure I have like ten more posts waiting for me after this and I'm not a full-blown psychology student leave me alone ;-;)
* Iryan highfives Esifex

New question:
What kind of music do you usually listen to, and what is your relationship to  :dragonforce:The Metal   :dragonforce: ?
Old Danmakufu stuff can be found here!

"As the size of an explosion increases, the numbers of social situations it is incapable of solving approaches zero."

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #23 on: July 22, 2011, 06:28:16 AM »
What's wrong with Indiana?
Everything. I was referring to you wanting to switch with Matsy, since he lives in Indiana. I actually live in a nice place. :smug:

Top five favourite books?

How did you get into Touhou?

I don't believe I've ever heard you mention this, so: what are your political inclinations, if any?

Solais

  • Developer fairy
  • is working for a game developer now.
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #24 on: July 22, 2011, 09:37:28 AM »
I know you're a kind of guy who is all about the mind, so I guess you have a "mindspace" as I call it (you know, the world in your head what defines you and your mind). If it's not too personal, could you tell us how it looks like?

Are you a wizard, Esi?

What do you think, why is that people can find supernatural fictional sceneries beautiful as real ones, why they can perceive non-existing things as beautiful?

And then and then STUFF HAPPENED?

Bio

  • resident walker
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #25 on: July 22, 2011, 12:18:45 PM »
Spoiler:
Your lordship,
What is the meaning of life?
Please submit in a 1000+ word essay. Include anecdotes and the like.

Esifex

  • Though the sun may set
  • *
  • It shall rise again
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #26 on: July 22, 2011, 12:35:09 PM »
This is relevant to my interests



Anyway, what is your favorite dessert? Fruit? Meat?

Peach cobbler a la mode for dessert. I could literally just finish eating a bajillion calories and I will still go out of my way to eat any cobbler that is put in front of me. I am just that much of a sucker for it - I know I shouldn't, but I will anyways.
When it comes to fruit, I'll pretty much eat anything that isn't citrus. However, I'm particularly fond of cantaloupe, strawberries, and bananas, in no particular order. Matter of fact, I have a crate of strawberries in the fridge waiting to be snacked on.
...correction, I now have a crate of strawberries that I am snacking on. In this case, strawberries can count not only as a fruit but also a dessert! Because I have a small dish of chocolate to dip them in.
For red meats, I'm not that exciting. I don't have a favorite cut of steak or anything like that - if it's cooked to medium-rare or medium, I'll eat it. I tend to go for prime rib, though, but not always. Otherwise, I vastly prefer fish and chicken, and mostly for their flavor. When it comes to 'healthier' food choices, I'm pretty lucky. I've developed a taste for the flavor of the 'better' stuff - whole grains, wheat breads, fish, egg whites, fruits and the like. 'Course, it's like pulling teeth to get my brother to eat the same stuff.

Why no noses?

Danbooru links approaching rapidly, be wary of NSFW banner ads
For some reason, I just find it incredibly cute on MOE KAWAII DESU UGUU drawings - which I am a bit of a sucker for. Just look at that Youkai moe! The lack of a nose is my trigger for defining something as cute.
Mind you, that doesn't mean that I immediately label detailed art that also happens to lack a nose - a la Utsuho and her Bahamut cannon - as cutesy, either. And I won't snub it just because it has noses drawn, either (Exhibit SDM), nor will I immediately dismiss it. It's just, if a drawing is done up deliberately to be cutesy, I find it more cutesy if the nose is left out for simplicities' sake.

Are you surprised you've gotten this many questions already?

A little, yes, actually. I knew the Ask a Staffer (Staffer of the Week? SotW!) threads were pretty popular, but I didn't think I'd get such a high turnout in just the first few hours.

Which one are you again? The froofy one?

There's a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy joke in there and I'm kicking myself for not remembering it. And hey, weren't you one of the sub-Librarians way back when? Deserter!

Actually, the dump-stat is the one you put in as little points as possible so that you can put more points in the stats relevant to making your character the unstoppable killing machine you want him to be.

....ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. I knew that. I was just seeing if you did.

New question:
What kind of music do you usually listen to, and what is your relationship to  :dragonforce:The Metal   :dragonforce: ?

I can't say 'a little bit of everything', because now that I think on it, it's more or less like 'I only listen to about half of the types of music out there.' I won't listen to jazz, blues, hip-hop, R&B, rap, country, raeggaeton, 'dubstep', growl-heavy metal, or very repetitive synthesized/techno music. I do listen to techno, though, so long as it's well done.
I will typically go for classical/strings, first, then hard rock, then metal, then techno. When it comes to classical music, there really isn't an instrument that I don't like. I'm especially a sucker for horns and strings, and I know how to play a violin. I don't have one, which sucks big time, and I haven't for a long time, so by now I'd be lucky to remember how to play Ode to Joy. When it comes to unusual instruments, I tend to gravitate towards harps, accordions, and harpsichords.
Finding good music is more or less like a drug for me. If stories stimulate my imagination, music stimulates my emotions, and being as spiteful as I am to the people around me and the state I'm in, my emotions are unusually stagnant.
So far, the best way I've found to wake up the dead emotions in me (and seriously, you have no idea how much of a head rush that is for me) is quite simply with the Blue Man Group. They have a cover of Donna Summers' 'I Feel Love' that to this day never fails to make me cry with just how incredible it is. The song by itself, not so much - though it is a major part of this - but it's also knowing that the Blue Man Group plays music for the sheer sake of having fun while they do it. Yes, they're commercialized, they're rolling in the big bucks (and blue latex), they're 'corporate' or whatever you may want to say, but they still do it for the fun of it. They know that music sings to the heart, the home of emotion. Another song of theirs that just makes me grin like a flippin' idiot because of just how awesome it sounds (to me) is the opening measures of their Piano Smasher song, where they are literally smashing a piano... well, they take a grand piano, stand it up on its side, and take the top cover off and then start smashing the strings with a giant rubber mallet. It really just sounds like a bass guitar, but knowing the concept behind it - that these guys were fucking around so much and decided 'hey, lets see what it sounds like when we rip a piano apart and play it like a drum!' It just sounds neat :3

Everything. I was referring to you wanting to switch with Matsy, since he lives in Indiana. I actually live in a nice place. :smug:

Eh. Even if it has the same amount of idiots, but more diverse weather patterns, I'll take it. If it has the same weather patterns (yuck, I hate year-round humidity saturation) but less idiots... hmm... tough call. I'll just move in with Ruro. Or Iryan

Top five favourite books?

I'm assuming I can't count each of the different books in the Night Angel Trilogy as books one through three, huh? In that case, top favorite book - currently, at least - is the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks. I've gone on about him quite a bit in the past, especially around here, because I feel that it's a perfect set of stories for the demographic that seems to dominate MotK/PSL.

Then we have The Black Prism - another story by Brent Weeks. The guy is good at crafting up interesting worlds and characters, and the rules behind the magic in his stories stays consistent within themselves, which I myself have found to be a tricky feat to accomplish. The Black Prism involves color magic, which is based on how light enters a mages' eyes and what spectrums they can use. It's really pretty cool, but unfortunately I haven't found out if the story was completed or aborted halfway through.

I've got a little excerpt from the Bardo Thodol on my nook, and it's done a lot to help me find comfort with my Granpa's passing. It's the first step I took towards looking into Buddhism, and I intend to follow up on it further and see what else I can do and how I can fit Buddhism into my life.

I really like the Harry Potter series, too. I mentioned it elsewhere in the Shrinemaiden Cafe in one of the threads who currently escapes my knowledge (I think it was the 'Things that make you ask 'why?' thread) that it's a very rich world to explore in your imagination, and the characters are very balanced and well-done. It says a lot for you when you can carry a story on a main character who is completely and totally average at everything he does, with the exception of flying - and come on, it's not like he's going to fly Voldemort to death. Seriously. Hermione is a better magus than Harry is. Multiple people even comment on it in-story.

I'm always going to have a soft-spot for the X-Wing Series of Star Wars novels. Wedge Antilles and Wes Janson have an often-times hilarious, but otherwise incredible dynamic with each other. They are true Bros. I particularly like the books revolving around the Wraith Squadron they put together - Myn Donos and 'Face' (which, yes, he is more or less the same role as Face from The A-Team) are my two favorite Wraiths, followed by Lara Notsil. She's so conflicted, but she keeps pushing on anyways to get a unique identity for herself and prove that she's not just everyone elses' doormat.

Now, don't think that because I'm listing this one as number five that it's my least favorite - it's not. But the Savage Empire series of books (or what I've read, at least - the first three of the four/five that have been published) are exceptionally good reads, too - especially for me. It focuses on what is essentially the two vastly differing schools of paranormality; telepathy and telekinesis. The telepaths are called Readers, and, in my opinion, have probably the closest representation of what true telepathy would actually be like, while the telekinetics - the Adepts - have the fantasy-flavor of telekinesis, which somehow includes being able to create lightning strikes.

How did you get into Touhou?

A spunky little girl who wouldn't stop ramming it down my throat at the slightest chance she got. I describe building a mech in Armored Core based around high agility and top speed? BAM! Aya reference! Make a missile platform mech with lots and lots of forward-facing heavy artillery? Hey, that's just like Marisa! Don't stay in front of her if you like to stay un-crispified. Any mention of fire-based powers? If you can't figure this one out there's no helping you.
It started mostly with just little character bios, the occasional IOSYS song (which to be fair she only picked because it actually showed the characters the songs were focused around), and the occasional gameplay video. From there, I turned to Touhou as a way to test my writing, which with the exception of Kaetir, had been growing stagnant, because Touhou has such a large cast of already-established characters. If I could write a story that used those characters and get some kind of reader-response from it, then I'd know it's not the quality of writing that's keeping people from being interested in Kaetir but something else instead.
Cue as many doujin-dives I could manage, a lot of Touhou-wiki trawling, and then Forsake the Future came together. I am seriously a little embarrassed by that story now, but in a good way. It's like, 'wow... I can't believe I put that together and had the balls to throw THAT plot device in there.'

I don't believe I've ever heard you mention this, so: what are your political inclinations, if any?

I don't really have any, to be perfectly honest. It's a mix of apathy and cynicism, though - mostly apathy, but the cynicism stems from the sensation that I truly and honestly don't have any leverage when it comes to political legislature or anything of the like. If I had to pick one of the two primary parties, though, I'd lean towards Democrat. Mind you that's just a lean, not a full-blown leap.

HELLO ESIIIIIIII  >:D

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

I know you've mentioned your reasons for shying away from my works, but is there any reasons for your sensitivity towards horror?

Just as I've said. My imagination is, in this regard, terrifyingly powerful. I don't have to see a drawing or a motion-clip of something for it to bounce around in vivid detail in my head. Written text is just as powerful a medium for me as the visual arts. Since you can craft up such terrifying things, obviously I have a fear response to them. The human mind remembers what it fears so it can steer itself away from it, and since I tend to spend a fair amount of time in my own mind, I much rather prefer not to bump into those visceral, horrifying, mind-scourges. Nothing against your writing style, though. I have peeked through Xenophilia every now and again - especially since I was the one assigned the summation of it, and I like how you handle the Great Old One's effects with the warped text. Or whatever causes that. I just peek in for a few seconds, scroll through as quick as I can, and suddenly Hey! Big block of garbled text. Since the story is about Things That Oughtn't Be Seen, I can only imagine that's how you're handling non-Euclidean body-horrors.

Would you believe me if I said horror wasn't my cup of tea?

A little. I mean, you don't exactly have a very good track record in that regard, but I do understand what you mean by the whole 'getting it out of your head' on a paper medium thing. I just don't want to get it INto my head.

Would you give Thanato a try? :P While I haven't worked out the whole thing yet, it's very likely to be much less visceral than Xeno.

Knowing my luck I'll be the one assigned to write the summary for it  :getdown: If the straight-up gore and viscera stays down but you still manage to maintain the inherent 'wrongness' of What Oughtn't Be Seen and I still get creeped out, we'll know it's because you're a very solid writer, not just because I'm hella squeamish.

Are there any Touhoes you believe have way too much attention than they should?

Than they 'should'? Nah, not really. But there is a fairly sizable over-saturation of the SDM crowd, if  you ask me. And Eientei. I'm bored of them. Gimme more Earth Spirit Palace, or UFO folks'. Especially Kogasa. She tries her best.

I know you're a kind of guy who is all about the mind, so I guess you have a "mindspace" as I call it (you know, the world in your head what defines you and your mind). If it's not too personal, could you tell us how it looks like?

Picture mesas, rising out of calm waters. The sky either overcast, or it's night. Rain falls constantly beyond the immediate area, that being wherever the focus is. Atop each different mesa is a door leading down into them, where they become more like silos than mesas. Inside these silos are countless storage areas, many of which are locked away, all of which are rather unorganized. From whichever mesa you stand upon, you are alone, but across the way, atop the others, you can see people. Some of them notice you as you float around from mesa to mesa, but the rest of them mill about and mind only themselves. They never linger atop the mesa you're going to.
In the middle is a massive avatar of my own self-image. It's usually in a state of flux, depending on how I'm feeling at the time and how my self-esteem is doing. It has no mouth, but it always watches everything that goes on atop the mesas. Whenever it's gone, the waters aren't calm anymore and the rainstorms close in. There's never lightning.

Are you a wizard, Esi?

I am absolute bunk with a sword, and if you've seen my YouTube account, you'd know I'm not that great at archery, either, so obviously I'm not above a Grand Master there. If you mean magically, well, you've just turned into a whale, so what does that tell you?

What do you think, why is that people can find supernatural fictional sceneries beautiful as real ones, why they can perceive non-existing things as beautiful?

Because it's their own personal take on it. If I showed you a picture of Daiyousei and said 'This is Daiyousei', that'd be stuck in your head. But if I just described her and let you picture her, would she not be a more enticing character to you? Millions of people love God - whichever version they believe in. None have ever seen him. Why do they love him so much? Because of their faith that he is what they perceive him to be.
Nevermind the insinuation that 'God is non-existing', I'm just using that as an example.  As for why the surreal is so often romanticized and people are attracted to it, well... think about it. We live in concrete jungles. It's all gray, it's all square, it's all the same. That's a fucking turtle flying through the air with Rainbow Dolphins jumping over him. That's awesome.

And then and then STUFF HAPPENED?

wat

What is the meaning of life?
Please submit in a 1000+ word essay. Include anecdotes and the like.

No :derp:
'Meaning of life' is actually a touchy subject for me. I haven't yet figured it out - when I have, I'll get back to you on it. But that very quandary is part of the root cause of my depression.

Hello Purvis

  • *
  • Hello Jerry
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #27 on: July 22, 2011, 03:22:14 PM »
Naw, I'm just the reason why anyone paid attention to PSL and it became what it is. ::smug::

>What about text adventures, eh mac?
>Why am I your favorite?
>What sorts of librarian things do you do?
>What do you do when you encounter a story that is just dreadful? Or one where characters are just used badly?

Alfred F. Jones

  • Estamos orgullosos del Batall?n Lincoln
  • *
  • y de la lucha que hizo por Madrid
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #28 on: July 22, 2011, 05:30:37 PM »
Naw, I'm just the reason why anyone paid attention to PSL and it became what it is. ::smug::
Just so you know, I was throwing the idea around in my head for a while, and your encouragement was akin to a "whoa, someone else has had this idea? Then maybe it's not that crazy! I should give it a shot..." :P

Esi!

What is your opinion of Shakespeare's works?
If you could go on vacation anywhere, where would you go?
Out o' curiousity, are there any things you would like to see in White Rose?

FinnKaenbyou

  • Formerly Roukanken
  • *
  • blub blub nya
Re: Entry 23 - Still More Staffers To Go Through
« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2011, 07:33:10 PM »
That's a fucking turtle flying through the air with Rainbow Dolphins jumping over him. That's awesome.
Oh hey, someone took a picture of that time we both hit a major acid trip. :o

You said you swim a lot. Why?
As a continuation, have you ever been swimming with dolphins? Apparently, they do that in Florida. If not, do you ever plan to?

What's the one thing you think you need to improve on in your writing? Productivity is not an answer.

Is there a difference between writing for entertainment and writing commercially?

You have an interest in music. Ever played an instrument yourself?