?Porqu? espadas?
Lac?nico: Porque son muy simb?licos.
Regular: Las espadas representan muchas cosas. Obviamente, representan violencia, la violencia de hombre contra hombre durante los siglos. Pueden tambi?n representar defensa, defendiendo a alguien m?s.
En mi mente, las espadas representan deseo. Deseo, en este contexto, incluye la sensaci?n de adrenalina en las venas-- una preferencia para vivir una vida peligrosa, para probarse uno mismo, probar sus habilidades en el borde de la muerte. Representan ese deseo para los est?mulos extremos que hace que las personas se metan a peleas con armas letales. Deseo incluye la sensaci?n extrema, las endorfinas, el orgullo de sobrevivencia, y tambi?n el amor de la disciplina. Es uno de esas mentalidades que causa que los que no tienen esa mentalidad llaman una locura. Yo siento esa mentalidad dentro el simbolismo de las espadas.
?Porqu? flores?
Lac?nico: Porque son muy bellas.
Regular: Tambi?n simbolizan mucho las flores. Representan m?s que nada el poder de la naturaleza, que siempre ganara. Cuando la humanidad termine para siempre, la naturaleza sobrevivir?, muriendo y renaciendo y creciendo como siempre. En la cara de tantos desastres humanos, las flores siempre renacen, y eso me inspira.
?Porqu? pasto?
Lac?nico: El color verde simboliza la vida.
Regular: Por muchas de las mismas razones que me gustan las flores, me gusta el pasto. Verde no es mi color favorito-- eso es rojo-- pero sigue siendo el color del poder de la naturaleza, y debe ser respetado.
?Por qu? Maria?
Laconic: Hahahahah.
Regular: It's so true! My mother has been watching telenovelas ever since before I was born, and I got to see all kinds of crazy stuff going on in them. They're so cheesy, but so funny, too
When can the Librarians go on break ;-;?
Laconic: Back to the galley, slave.
What is your thoughts/viewpoints on paranormal traits - telepathy, telekinesis, clairvoyance, precognition, and the like?
Laconic: They may or may not exist.
Regular: I used to have enormous doubts about whether or not they could exist, having had a strong skeptic streak as a science enthusiast. If there is anything that my courses on death and the afterlife have taught me, though, it is that science does not yet answer all questions, and there is data that is out of reach at the moment. I think they could very well exist. I hope we get to prove that they are true someday, because those would be pretty sweet abilities.
A close friend comes to you for advice. Do you give advice based on a gut feeling in response to their situation, do you analyze it from every different angle, or do you confer with others anonymously to get multiple viewpoints and solutions to their problem?
Laconic: All of them.
Regular: It depends on the situation, but I can't imagine excluding any of them on basic principle. If I have no time at all, I would go based on my gut feeling, but if there is time to talk it out, I would offer the gut feeling advice, then analyze and pick apart the situation to find answers from every different angle, in a very short amount of time. And if there is more time available, I would seek anonymous advice from trusted sources of my own, as well, unless this was expressly prohibited by my close friend or would not do any good.
What's your zodiac? :3
Laconic: Sheep, Aquarius.
Regular: Born in the year of the Sheep according to the Chinese zodiac, I believe. Western zodiac calls me a water-bearer.
Pick one: Super-strength, perfect proprioceptive senses, or unrivaled agility and dexterity.
Laconic: Unrivaled agility and dexterity.
Regular: If there is anything that Dune has taught me, it is that I neither want nor need perfect proprioceptive senses. I would also not be able to handle all that sensory input. Super strength is quite useful, but with unrivaled agility, inertia more than makes up for it. Because I cannot run, in any case, I would prefer to be able to run again instead of gaining shiny new superpowers.
If a Chicken with a Naginata fought a Sea Bass with a Halberd, which would win?
Laconic: Not vegetarians.
Regular: If variables such as skill level, length of weapon, and battlefield conditions are held at a constant, I would say the sea bass. Presuming the battle is fought on a pier of some sort (so as to give both combatants a chance within their own environment), the sea bass would have more flexibility, being able to hide under the surface of the water while the chicken is stuck on dry land.
How do you approach issues of moderation?
Laconic: Check rules, then evaluate.
Regular: If it's a clear-cut rules breaker, then apply the measures that have been used before. If it is not, then I consider the circumstances, the people involved, and what I know of their motivations, and apply the punishments to what would be most likely to get them to change their objectionable behaviour. Whether that is talking it out with them or laying the smackdown depends on the person and the problematic behaviour.
Why am I your favorite?
Regular: You, too, have a great appreciation for history! I'd love to go back to taking lessons from you someday or somenight when we both have time.
What is the region of the world you know the least about?
Laconic: Oceania.
Regular: The Middle East and parts of Africa I can make good claims to knowing at least a little bit about. Oceania is one big blank for me.
What do you think the biggest problem the forums ever had was?
Laconic: April Fools' 2010.
Regular: What made that particular prank so very destructive was that the staff deliberately and intentionally made every effort to show that we were not at all complicit in what was going down, when it was the exact opposite in reality. We used our reputations and the trust the community placed in us to pitch the story and spread misinformation (at one point Hele and I faked getting into a fight, and our different stories encouraged the lie that we didn't know what was going on either), and it backfired in the messiest manner possible. Rebuilding trust after that was an enormous challenge (I, for one, did not feel and still do not feel that I deserve the opportunity to do so), but it has happened at least in part by studiously avoiding any kind of repetition of that nasty event.
Reals or Supers?
Laconic: Guh?
Regular: I do not understand the question! Which is sad, because it looks interesting. Do explain.
If you could change one rule here, what would it be?
Laconic: Can't think of any rule.
Regular: I almost want to be selfish and say it should be the image size limits, but I've been on other forums where due to a straining of resources, the administrators enforce even more stringent rules on image sizes in signatures and the like for the sake of those people who don't have as many resources, and so I have developed a healthy respect for such limits.
While not a 'rule' per se, though, I would like for there to be some way to show our ordinary users how we deliberate issues in the staff board. It's kind of a logistical impossibility, since a lot of the information we handle can be controversial or private (and entrusted to us and to no one else), but I still wish there were a way to show our users how we do not by any means rush to answers easily or hastily.
It's sort of obvious you're a Doctor Who fan. Favorite Doctor/episode/whatever?
Laconic: The First Doctor.
Regular: You'll laugh at me, but I really like the Hartnell years. They're nowhere near as technically good as some of the later seasons, but they're so delightfully campy and cheesy at times that I have to love them.
You've mentioned a few times you're a vegetarian. Is that for health reasons or ethical ones?
Laconic: Not quite true, and not for either reason.
Regular: I dislike eating meat on basic principle, but I do eat the occasional bits of chicken. Y'see, I don't hate on meat for health reasons or ethical reasons (though there are very good reasons from both perspectives), but simply because I dislike the taste of meat. It's not very good, or very well-prepared, and no matter how much chicken I could eat, I would never ever EVER touch beef. But as I have a firm belief in trying new things, whenever I visit a new restaurant I ask for a meat dish, so I can know from then on whether to reject it or to have some on later visits. Ironically, this might have the reverse effect of vegetarianism; because I do not like just any meat and do not like a wide variety of it, I visit those places that do have good meat more often. Regardless, as good as some chicken and fish can be, they can only rarely stand up to the yumminess of vegetables and fruits.
You have a strong interest in history, but what about the future? Are there any emerging technologies or trends you're interested in?
Laconic: The future is interesting, and I like some things about it.
Regular: I was raised on history, yes, but I was also raised a sci-fi nerd! I remember that one of my first chapter books in the first grade that I read was the My Teacher is an Alien series, and from there I got way into science and science fiction, particularly ones related to biology and ecology. I have more than a passing interest in transhumanism, particularly in advances that may allow us to live longer, and converting weapons of war into tools of peace. Solar energy, wind farms, you name it. Clean sources of energy are something I look forward to. I'm also a closet audiophile, so I'm hoping for more accessible technology that provides rich, clean sounds.
You seem to have a strong respect for the public library. Does me planning to work as a library professional affect your opinion of me any?
Laconic: Yes.
Regular: I admire your chosen profession greatly! Just don't lapse into being too focused on the details and in so doing lose your amiability.
...actually, what's your opinion of me in general (I understand if you don't want to answer this one)?
Laconic: Good, improving.
Regular: You creeped me out a few weeks ago with your stated stalking of me and my posts, but I figured it was just a one-off thing, and it seems to have been right-- you seem to have been going through a bad patch, in retrospect, and I can understand that. I've gotten to know you better since, and my opinion of you is quite favourable. You really should stop caring that much about what others think, though.
Who's that Ruromon?
Laconic:
It's Tenshi Ruronai!Did you ever get around to reading that paper?
Laconic: I read it the very first day. Didn't I tell you?
:sword!: ?
Laconic: :sword!:
You've discussed androphobia before - how do you deal with encounters with men, when they are unavoidable? And do you find the androphobia fading with time, getting stronger, or pretty much staying the same? If there has been any change, can you explain why that might be?
Regular: If possible, I avoid them-- I don't like this bias in myself, and I resist this when necessary, but if it's not worth fighting with my brain over, I just go with it. But when such encounters are unavoidable, I tend to become much more withdrawn than I normally am, not drawing attention to myself. I find, however, that it is fading with time, and I welcome this change. I think it began when I joined IB, and while IB was predominantly female (to the point of calling ourselves International Bachelorettes as a parody), there were still a handful of guys in IB who were smart, funny, and friendly. And selfless. I was once having fun in a snowball fight when I slipped on some ice and ruined my ankle yet further (it had already gotten injured when jumping over a hurdle on the track earlier that year) when a male friend helped me up and supported me as I limped off. Over a long enough period of time (longer than it should have been tbh), I came to grow more accustomed to the idea of men around me, and while I'm still not entirely comfortable with it, I can live with it.
Who got you into photography? I remember showing you some old Mexican photos that you'd said you were familiar with. Do you have any photos that inspire you in particular?
Regular: My IB English teacher, who was also my yearbook teacher. Sent out to cover stories for the yearbook, I found that I much preferred taking photos of sports and animals to actually writing the articles. I liked it so much that my graduation present to myself (putting my graduation gift money to good use) was a Canon Rebel XSi, because I had already learned how to use the very similar XTi for yearbook class.
And you are referring to the
Archivo Casasola, yes? I plan to someday make a pilgrimage to the Fototeca Nacional in Pachuca to see the archives in person. To your second question--
this is a Time Magazine photo, from the Second World War. There is more information
here if you are curious. It is one of the few photographs that really stands out in my mind.
Cilantro: yes or no?
Laconic: Yes. Very yes.
Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Laconic: Hoo boy.
Regular: Um... worst case scenario, dead in a ditch and my camera broken. No one ever finds my body. Best case scenario, writing stories during a short calm in between protests on the street against corporatism. Or teaching history as an IB teacher. Almost everything but a cushy life.
Aren't you glad you live in Denver instead of the Springs?
Laconic: Who wouldn't be?
Regular: Properly, I do not live in Denver-- I live in Aurora, adjacent to Denver. While Aurora is indeed its own city with its own history and NOT A SUBURB, I go to Denver every day, check out books from their public libraries, go to university there, and do some political work there. Either way, Aurora or Denver, I'm jazzed that I don't live in the Vatican of the Rockies like you do. :>
As opposed to your "favorite" piece of fiction, of all the fiction you've read, what piece do you think has the highest literary value?
Laconic: Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness.
Regular: I analyzed this novel through and through for my IB English exams, and I found that for such a short novella, it has an enormous amount of depth and subtext. It is short, and it is no epic tale in length, but in scope it is enormous. Rich in symbolism-- indeed, you're probably going to have to have a King James Bible beside you if the copy you have doesn't have good footnotes, since Heart of Darkness makes plentiful use of Biblical allusions-- and infused with a love of contrasts that illuminate the hypocrisy and shortcomings of the major characters (including our narrator), set against the backdrop of one of the most horrifying moments in the history of European and African 'interaction', it's fantastically good for such a short book.
If you could change one event in history, what would it be?
Laconic: See above.
Regular: That said, if I've gotten another chance to change history, I would sabotage the founding of the International Monetary Fund. What's my beef with them? Let's just say that there are a lot of people in the past half-century who have died of starvation or war or thirst that didn't have to if it hadn't been for these people.
When was the last time you received a handwritten letter?
Laconic: Last year.
Regular: My best friend, Stephanie, went to Missouri for college, and she writes to me when I write to her. :3
(Ryougi) Shiki is now the ruler of the world, and you're her right hand. She gives the first move to you. What do you do?
Laconic:
Texas weather and Colorado weather get into a fight. Who wins?
Laconic: Texas.
Regular: You see, Colorado weather is extremely tsundere. Texas just has to withstand the blows long enough for Colorado to kiss and hug it.
Why am I your favorite?
Laconic: You're a wonderful person~
Regular: You're much too harsh on yourself sometimes. I'd like to see that change. But as it stands, you're a very interesting person-- which is about the highest compliment I can give, because I can't stand boring people.
What is your favorite thing about legs?
Laconic: Their grace.
Regular: The way they contribute to poise, oddly enough. I came to appreciate good-looking legs as a photographer, because the way they are held and posed can say a lot about a person. Healthy-looking legs I gained an appreciation for because after injuring my own, I notice that which I can never have anymore.
Favorite Quad City DJs mashup?
Laconic: Never heard them, much to my embarassment.
Serious: Why is that, while you're surrounded by many many friends and loved ones, basically having the one thing I always lacked, yet you still yearn to be a lone wanderer and to be living alone? I can understand people like me, we have barely anything to lost, but not you.
Laconic: They have nothing to do with each other.
Regular: I am blessed or cursed with an intensely strong desire to see what is over the next mountain, to live free and experience the world in all its nightmarish horrors and its wild beauties, because they are inseparable from one another. Wanderlust has been strong in my heart ever since I was a child, particularly after I moved out of the enormous metropolis that is Los Angeles and came to the much smaller city of Denver to live in. In a land where wild untamed nature is just a bike ride away, it's hard to resist its call. I love my friends and family, but wanting to go out into the world alone is quite separate from that. I bear no ill will towards those I love, I just really really want to see what is around the corner.
Not-so-Serious: Are you really a Cherokee Warrior in secret?
Laconic: I can neither confirm nor deny this statement at this time.
Why do I feel the urge to change my nick/avatar to Tomoyo right now? (Except that damnit, Matsuri beat me to it.)
Laconic: Switch to Syaoran! :]
How do you interpret Shiki's power to see things in black and white?
Laconic: Chiaroscuro on every level.
Regular: It's less of a gift and more than a curse. I interpret her standards of black and white to be a lot more reasonable than ours; whereas we hear "oh, someone is judging by black and white? They're not acknowledging shades of grey!", she sees a different standard of black and white that
does account for actions of that nature. And in art, I like to show it as the Jouhari Mirror reflecting colours in absolutes, but in an inversion of the usual symbolism: black as good, white as bad. White is good for contrasts, after all.
How can you trust the history that you read? What about fictional portrayals of historical eras, which may not hew to pure factual accuracy but can instead convey cultural insight?
Laconic: Research, research, research.
Regular: Research is really the only way to make sure that the history is sound, and even then you can make a lot of mistakes. As you go further back into less well-documented history, it becomes intertwined with myth and legend, and less strictly factual. I actually really like this, because a strict adherence to facts has its own shortcomings, but there are still downfalls. Sometimes, the best I can do is to get all the sources I possibly can, interpret them as honestly as I can, and hope to god that there aren't too many errors in the history I've written, regardless.
As for fictional portrayals, I appreciate that they acknowledge that history and reality are very unrealistic in practice. I like them better than by-the-facts accounts, which give you skeletal structures and tell you nothing about the culture or society that is suspended around them. I can do both, but I prefer sacrificing accuracy for a bigger picture. (Which is why accusations of "THIS ISN'T FACTUAL" simultaneously annoy me and amuse me, because as social anthropology has taught me, as factual as we try to be as researchers, a good amount of our results are infused with our own biases and expectations, and condemning works on the basis of something that is unavoidable is silly.)
Read any Latin American literature? If so, what are your favorites?
Laconic: Definitely not anything by Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez.
Regular: Ironically, the only literature I could say that I read often in Spanish is not from Latin America at all; it's from Spain's Golden Age, mostly by Francisco de Quevedo. That said, my father adores the poetry of Latin America, and so I have grown up with an ear for it, but I could not name any names off the top of my head.
I have read Gabriel Garc?a M?rquez's works, though. And I loathe them. They are stupid in the way The Great Gatsby is stupid, which means that there is a reason why they are stupid and nothing changes in the end, and I can respect that reason. But I still loathe his works. Magical realism is an awful genre (at least the way he does it).
Why the laconicism?
Laconic: Instinct.
Regular: I have to remind myself that speaking only in short, minimalist sentences is not a good thing when doing a question-and-answer thread, the one time I am
supposed to be more open with my words. I very much like your avatar and signature images, by the way.
