Five Things Lauren Apparently Associates With Me!
1. Theater
Theatre used to be an extremely big part of my life. In fact, theatre was why I had such a good high school experience. After a very rocky eight years of public school and one rocky year of Grade 9, when the drama club returned after a year-long protest (the government attempted to make extra-curricular activities mandatory, and as a result, no extra-curricular activities ran that year), I finally found my niche. The drama club exposed me to people who thought similarly, acted similarly, and through the stage, and acting in school productions, within a year I suddenly found myself one of the most popular kids in the school. Of course, at first, I thought people were just making fun of me, but they weren't. Oh, sure, there had been a few plays before that...mostly summer camp things, things only my family ever turned out to see. The GDCI drama club was a window to a much larger audience, and Dave Armour, the professor, knew exactly what roles to cast me in, the roles I'd really shine; grumpy, self-important old men (The Pope in Faustus, Charax, leader of the Chorus of Old Men in Agammenon, the first play of the Oresteia, and 'Percy', in an adaptation of Lysistrata).
I haven't been in a play since I graduated. Why is that? Well, acting for a living is not an easy way to live. It's very hand-to-mouth, you're never sure when your next role will be, and I honestly didn't know if I could keep up the enthusiasm for a role for...multiple weeks. A week long community thing? Sure, I can do that. A show once every few weeks? Sure. But no. Not full time. Lambton and Humber don't even offer the same community theatre programs GDCI did. So acting did its bit, helped me conquer a lot of issues I had...but I've moved on. I don't expect I'll be getting up on stage much anymore...if ever again.
2. Being tall
Not much to say here other than I am indeed very tall. And I don't know where that tallness came from. I stand six foot six at the moment, towering over just about every other member of my family. To hug my grandmother, she practically needs a stepladder. I do enjoy being tall, but it sometimes is limiting, especially given my love of costumes and the like. Sort of a double-edged sword, if you will.
3. Comic books
I do know a lot about comics, primarily Marvel Comics. I'm a huge Marvel nerd, but I don't read as many comics as I'd like. Christopher certainly got hit by the comic bug in the mid nineties...I remember he had a huge collection! This was back when Marvel tried make as many issues 'collectible' as they could, with holographic covers and other gimmicky effects, while failing to realize all these mass produced issues would never achieve the same amount of value of, say, Uncanny X-Men #1. But it was an extremely impressive collection! These days, though, I mostly collect graphic novels and anthologies, rather than the actual comics. Less valuable, sure, but they'll last longer, and I don't have to freak out about mylar bags and shit like that. I've become very interested in the Ultimate continuity of Marvel, which allows me to pick up the various stories without the decades of backstory accumulated (which always stopped me from collecting comics in the first place). Ultimate's only been around since the early 2000s, so they're much easier to pick up. Currently, I'm working on an Ultimate Iron Man, and The Ultimates collection (the Ultimates being the Ultimate universe's answer to the Avengers). I'd like to perhaps expand to Ultimate Spider-Man at some point, but we'll see. My absolute favourite comic book characters are almost all Marvel. Sure, Batman's cool and all, but for me, there's also Iron Man (despite the huge character derailment following Civil War), and as far as villains go, you cannot top Victor von Doom. The Fantastic Four do not deserve such an incredible archvillain. Deadpool also ranks high, as do the X-Men.
This bleeds over into video gaming as well! I've taken a keen interest in superhero-based video games, though sadly few live up to the hype. There's Ultimate Alliance, and Mortal Kombat vs. DCU (though whether or not that's a 'superhero game' or merely a 'game with superheroes' in it is up to debate), but there have been few other superhero games to date that deliver an authentic experience to the hero you're supposed to play. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, unfortunately, fell short from what the reviewers say, there has yet to be a Superman game that's any good...but! I have high hopes for Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Ultimate Alliance 2 draws ever closer, which I am very excited about! Wolverine may also be awesome, but I'll wait on that one.
4. Dynasty Warriors/Gundam
Lauren had this as 'Dynasty Warriors/Gundam/etc.' but I wasn't quite clear on what the 'etc.' means so I'm just going to count this as a Dynasty Warriors/Gundam/Mecha in general entry. Yes, I am a Dynasty Warriors fanboy. Yes, the games aren't good. Yes, the gameplay is extremely repetitive and there's been no real innovation until...really, well, DW6. Yes, the voice acting is hammy and over the top, and until DW6, the actors weren't arsed to actually learn the proper pronunciations of the character's name. I don't care, I love Dynasty Warriors...or perhaps I only loved DW5, the game that introduced me to Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Warriors 6 introduced too many changes, redesigned too many characters...made it less over the top, more 'realistic'. I'm sorry, but I don't WANT realism in my Dynasty Warriors. I don't care if Sun Ce uses tonfa, a weapon that didn't exist until centuries after he lived! Don't give him a fucking spear! Spears are boring! Practically everyone in Shu uses spears! Spears SUCK! A number of other gameplay changes really turned me off DW6...it just didn't feel like Dynasty Warriors anymore.
But the spirit of the original games lives on in its sister series. No, not Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, or Bladestorm! I mean Dynasty Warriors GUNDAM. Everything I loved about DW5 except the Chinese people are giant robots now! And not just any giant robots, they're GUNDAMS. Yes, Dynasty Warriors Gundam was not a good game. But the game was made for me. Dynasty Warriors meets Gundam! What's not to like? Sure the cast was small, there were only a handful of missions that were shared with between the entire cast, and the plot of Original Mode made absolutely no damn sense, but it put me in the cockpit of a damn Gundam, so I had no complaints.
Which is why I am so, so very excited for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 on March 24th. Yes, that's right. They're making a second one! And following the standard KOEI business plan, there'll be a Gundam 3 next year, too! DW:G2 offers more suits (and not just Gundams! All the mook MS that weren't playable in the first game now will be, including some Suits that should have been playable to begin with, like the Zeong, Palas Athene and Bolinoak Sammhain) while going up as far as Victory Gundam (though only Char's Counterattack made it into the game's Original mode; the F91 and Victory Gundam characters are only part of the 'Mission' mode which replaced Original; more on that coming), as well as adding a few more Suits from the alternate continuities. No additional suits from Wing, G Gundam, and there's still no Gundam X representation, but the Turn X from Turn-A Gundam is being added to the cast, while the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, and Destiny Gundams from Gundam SEED Destiny along with pilots Gym Ghingnham, Kira 'Jesus' Yamato, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, and Shinn Asuka being added as pilots for the new Suits. Gundam 2 will also shake things up with 'boss' battles against Mobile Armours. I've seen some screenshots, and they do look impressive! The Nu Gundam going toe to toe against the Alpha Azieru, or the Zeta Gundam charging towards a towering Psyco Gundam Mk.II and a host of lesser mook Suits? Pretty damn awesome! So I am looking forward with great anticipation to March 24th. ^_^
As for Mecha in general, I've tried to expand my horizons beyond just Gundam, though I've stuck primarily to the Real Robot genre than Super Robot. Over the summer I watched the first season of Code Geass, and then since school started, I've downloaded fansubs of Code Geass R2, Gurren Lagann, and the first season of Full Metal Panic. I enjoyed Code Geass and Gurren Lagann, not so much FMP. I'm just waiting for the second season of 00 to wrap up before I download all of it in one fell swoop.
5. Sleeping
A trait that seems common to the males of my family, I love sleeping in, and having a good nap. I've never been a morning person, and after a day of classes, I come back to my room generally feeling drowsy, so I usually enjoy konking out for an hour or two. I didn't used to nap so much before college, but I nap a lot now. However, the true napmaster in the family is my father, who once fell asleep in the middle of turning a page of the book he was reading. Truly, the man is an inspiration to us all. ^_^
Theatre used to be an extremely big part of my life. In fact, theatre was why I had such a good high school experience. After a very rocky eight years of public school and one rocky year of Grade 9, when the drama club returned after a year-long protest (the government attempted to make extra-curricular activities mandatory, and as a result, no extra-curricular activities ran that year), I finally found my niche. The drama club exposed me to people who thought similarly, acted similarly, and through the stage, and acting in school productions, within a year I suddenly found myself one of the most popular kids in the school. Of course, at first, I thought people were just making fun of me, but they weren't. Oh, sure, there had been a few plays before that...mostly summer camp things, things only my family ever turned out to see. The GDCI drama club was a window to a much larger audience, and Dave Armour, the professor, knew exactly what roles to cast me in, the roles I'd really shine; grumpy, self-important old men (The Pope in Faustus, Charax, leader of the Chorus of Old Men in Agammenon, the first play of the Oresteia, and 'Percy', in an adaptation of Lysistrata).
I haven't been in a play since I graduated. Why is that? Well, acting for a living is not an easy way to live. It's very hand-to-mouth, you're never sure when your next role will be, and I honestly didn't know if I could keep up the enthusiasm for a role for...multiple weeks. A week long community thing? Sure, I can do that. A show once every few weeks? Sure. But no. Not full time. Lambton and Humber don't even offer the same community theatre programs GDCI did. So acting did its bit, helped me conquer a lot of issues I had...but I've moved on. I don't expect I'll be getting up on stage much anymore...if ever again.
2. Being tall
Not much to say here other than I am indeed very tall. And I don't know where that tallness came from. I stand six foot six at the moment, towering over just about every other member of my family. To hug my grandmother, she practically needs a stepladder. I do enjoy being tall, but it sometimes is limiting, especially given my love of costumes and the like. Sort of a double-edged sword, if you will.
3. Comic books
I do know a lot about comics, primarily Marvel Comics. I'm a huge Marvel nerd, but I don't read as many comics as I'd like. Christopher certainly got hit by the comic bug in the mid nineties...I remember he had a huge collection! This was back when Marvel tried make as many issues 'collectible' as they could, with holographic covers and other gimmicky effects, while failing to realize all these mass produced issues would never achieve the same amount of value of, say, Uncanny X-Men #1. But it was an extremely impressive collection! These days, though, I mostly collect graphic novels and anthologies, rather than the actual comics. Less valuable, sure, but they'll last longer, and I don't have to freak out about mylar bags and shit like that. I've become very interested in the Ultimate continuity of Marvel, which allows me to pick up the various stories without the decades of backstory accumulated (which always stopped me from collecting comics in the first place). Ultimate's only been around since the early 2000s, so they're much easier to pick up. Currently, I'm working on an Ultimate Iron Man, and The Ultimates collection (the Ultimates being the Ultimate universe's answer to the Avengers). I'd like to perhaps expand to Ultimate Spider-Man at some point, but we'll see. My absolute favourite comic book characters are almost all Marvel. Sure, Batman's cool and all, but for me, there's also Iron Man (despite the huge character derailment following Civil War), and as far as villains go, you cannot top Victor von Doom. The Fantastic Four do not deserve such an incredible archvillain. Deadpool also ranks high, as do the X-Men.
This bleeds over into video gaming as well! I've taken a keen interest in superhero-based video games, though sadly few live up to the hype. There's Ultimate Alliance, and Mortal Kombat vs. DCU (though whether or not that's a 'superhero game' or merely a 'game with superheroes' in it is up to debate), but there have been few other superhero games to date that deliver an authentic experience to the hero you're supposed to play. Spider-Man: Web of Shadows, unfortunately, fell short from what the reviewers say, there has yet to be a Superman game that's any good...but! I have high hopes for Batman: Arkham Asylum, and Ultimate Alliance 2 draws ever closer, which I am very excited about! Wolverine may also be awesome, but I'll wait on that one.
4. Dynasty Warriors/Gundam
Lauren had this as 'Dynasty Warriors/Gundam/etc.' but I wasn't quite clear on what the 'etc.' means so I'm just going to count this as a Dynasty Warriors/Gundam/Mecha in general entry. Yes, I am a Dynasty Warriors fanboy. Yes, the games aren't good. Yes, the gameplay is extremely repetitive and there's been no real innovation until...really, well, DW6. Yes, the voice acting is hammy and over the top, and until DW6, the actors weren't arsed to actually learn the proper pronunciations of the character's name. I don't care, I love Dynasty Warriors...or perhaps I only loved DW5, the game that introduced me to Dynasty Warriors. Dynasty Warriors 6 introduced too many changes, redesigned too many characters...made it less over the top, more 'realistic'. I'm sorry, but I don't WANT realism in my Dynasty Warriors. I don't care if Sun Ce uses tonfa, a weapon that didn't exist until centuries after he lived! Don't give him a fucking spear! Spears are boring! Practically everyone in Shu uses spears! Spears SUCK! A number of other gameplay changes really turned me off DW6...it just didn't feel like Dynasty Warriors anymore.
But the spirit of the original games lives on in its sister series. No, not Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi, or Bladestorm! I mean Dynasty Warriors GUNDAM. Everything I loved about DW5 except the Chinese people are giant robots now! And not just any giant robots, they're GUNDAMS. Yes, Dynasty Warriors Gundam was not a good game. But the game was made for me. Dynasty Warriors meets Gundam! What's not to like? Sure the cast was small, there were only a handful of missions that were shared with between the entire cast, and the plot of Original Mode made absolutely no damn sense, but it put me in the cockpit of a damn Gundam, so I had no complaints.
Which is why I am so, so very excited for Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 on March 24th. Yes, that's right. They're making a second one! And following the standard KOEI business plan, there'll be a Gundam 3 next year, too! DW:G2 offers more suits (and not just Gundams! All the mook MS that weren't playable in the first game now will be, including some Suits that should have been playable to begin with, like the Zeong, Palas Athene and Bolinoak Sammhain) while going up as far as Victory Gundam (though only Char's Counterattack made it into the game's Original mode; the F91 and Victory Gundam characters are only part of the 'Mission' mode which replaced Original; more on that coming), as well as adding a few more Suits from the alternate continuities. No additional suits from Wing, G Gundam, and there's still no Gundam X representation, but the Turn X from Turn-A Gundam is being added to the cast, while the Strike Freedom, Infinite Justice, and Destiny Gundams from Gundam SEED Destiny along with pilots Gym Ghingnham, Kira 'Jesus' Yamato, Lacus Clyne, Athrun Zala, and Shinn Asuka being added as pilots for the new Suits. Gundam 2 will also shake things up with 'boss' battles against Mobile Armours. I've seen some screenshots, and they do look impressive! The Nu Gundam going toe to toe against the Alpha Azieru, or the Zeta Gundam charging towards a towering Psyco Gundam Mk.II and a host of lesser mook Suits? Pretty damn awesome! So I am looking forward with great anticipation to March 24th. ^_^
As for Mecha in general, I've tried to expand my horizons beyond just Gundam, though I've stuck primarily to the Real Robot genre than Super Robot. Over the summer I watched the first season of Code Geass, and then since school started, I've downloaded fansubs of Code Geass R2, Gurren Lagann, and the first season of Full Metal Panic. I enjoyed Code Geass and Gurren Lagann, not so much FMP. I'm just waiting for the second season of 00 to wrap up before I download all of it in one fell swoop.
5. Sleeping
A trait that seems common to the males of my family, I love sleeping in, and having a good nap. I've never been a morning person, and after a day of classes, I come back to my room generally feeling drowsy, so I usually enjoy konking out for an hour or two. I didn't used to nap so much before college, but I nap a lot now. However, the true napmaster in the family is my father, who once fell asleep in the middle of turning a page of the book he was reading. Truly, the man is an inspiration to us all. ^_^