More interviews!
Apr. 26th, 2006 08:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
alliancesjrIan's Interview
1: In keeping with a theme, though I know I asked you this on our drive to Michigan, what's your middle name?
My middle name is Joseph, the same as the first name of at least one male in every generation of my family, paternally. HAHA MY PARENTS BROKE TRADITION. Somewhat.
2: I know you're a very well read individual, and I'm interested to know which authors and series you've enjoyed the most?
Currently, or all-time? My tastes in literature tend to shift every once in a while. Though my early-to-late-middle teen years were dominated almost exclusively by the Star Wars EU novels. And as far as they go, you should read anything by Timothy Zahn, who not only was the first Star Wars novel writer, but still the best. He set the standard that various other authors mutilated (*cough*BarbaraHambly*cough*). Keeping in the Star Wars line, I heavily reccommend the X-Wing series, by Michael Stackpole (and a few entries by Aaron Allston, who keeps a similar style with Stackpole but with much more humor), as well as I, Jedi, also by Michael Stackpole.
A brief explanation of these authors before I move on to my favorite non-Star Wars books. I love Zahn's novels because he not only keeps with the grandeur of an epic storyline, but he creates some of the best Original Characters (Talon Karrde, Mara Jade, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, anyone?). He writes foreshadowing in so subtly that even I had to reread a few times before I caught it all. His characterizations are perfect, and keeping in line with the Lucas originals, and he just brings large-scale galactic conflict to the table in the most glorious way. Stackpole, on the other hand, is responsible for Corran Horn and the main EU characterization of Wedge Antilles. He brings the galactic conflict down to a more personal scale, and his novels are unique in that they are nearly exclusively about Original Characters. (The only canon characters that make appearances, aside from Wedge, are even mostly relegated to cameo status. Luke Skywalker, for example, is only in one chapter of one of the first four X-Wing novels. The third one.) He not only makes this grand Space Opera believeable, but realistic and personal. He does what Tom Clancy does with current military technology, but he does it much better. But he makes you love the characters. He makes you care about their fate.
Wow. I didn't plan on writing a thesis about this. I'd better move on to non-Star Wars books.
Um...I am a fan of Stephen King, I'm starting to be a fan of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, I'm a fan of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series but I'm not really a fan of his writing. I'm a big Harry Potter fan, and a big Michael Crichton fan.
3: Just out of morbid curiosity, how many Ben Folds CDs do you own now?
I plead the fifth?
Um, I recently purchased Ben Folds Five and Rockin' the Suburbs, so that brings me to...five.
4: There's no doubt your taste in music is little short of perfect, but you do have some Staind by now, right?
Haven't gotten around to it, sadly.
5: You've spent the last nine months or so meeting a multitude of online friends in person. Your collection of Modist meetings may well be the most extensive in the Church. In all these meetings, what sorts of things have surprised you about the RL personalities of the people you knew from only the internet?
Honestly? I think only Gendou was the only one that was different than I expected. Mostly because I hadn't really spoken to him much - compared to most everyone else I've met - and while I did have a fairly good grasp on his personality, it's just different meeting the man in person. His sense of humor, for example, was much greater than I expected. He was just as gloriously geeky as I expected, though, if sitting and riffing on Batman together is any indication. But the real difference is that he keeps up a reputation online of being aloof and unapproachable - regardless of intent - and he's really not.
6: Along those same lines, what are your travel plans for the near future?
I'm still wanting to go visit you guys, and I need to re-discuss my plans to visit Mrs. Z and Robin later this summer. I was originally going to road-trip it with Fiddler, but Fiddler can't make it.
Um...aside from that, not much. Though I will be in Missouri for my birthday, because my sister is graduating from her university.
7: Any all-time favourite anime series?
Naruto is getting up there, but it's not quite as high as Ranma and Love Hina. Hellsing is always a great read, and I'm currently reading Gen and Rene's Blade of the Immortal.
8: Still resorting to asking about favourites, how about video games? Which ones stand out?
Old-school RPGs. Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, and Chrono Trigger. I'm also - as you know - addicted to the Golden Sun story, and I also highly enjoy the Knights of the Old Republic series. (I secretly hope that they do a Knights of the New Republic, but that's just me.)
The Halo series and the Soul Calibur series also rank highly. I'm still enjoying Xenosaga, but it's a bit tricky at the moment. And there's always .hack.
9: Being a wing fanatic, I liked the question I asked Grayed in her interview. So this time to you, Kevin, describe your ideal pair of wings.
Those of a red-tailed hawk. Absolutely gorgeous.
10: We've also discussed this before, but I'll ask again anyway. Favourite pizza toppings?
Meat. Meat meat meat. Namely pepperoni, sausage, and bacon, but I won't ever say no to ham or a good canadian bacon.
Spinach is also good in certain deep-dish pizzas, but only a few. Others just fail at it.
1: In keeping with a theme, though I know I asked you this on our drive to Michigan, what's your middle name?
My middle name is Joseph, the same as the first name of at least one male in every generation of my family, paternally. HAHA MY PARENTS BROKE TRADITION. Somewhat.
2: I know you're a very well read individual, and I'm interested to know which authors and series you've enjoyed the most?
Currently, or all-time? My tastes in literature tend to shift every once in a while. Though my early-to-late-middle teen years were dominated almost exclusively by the Star Wars EU novels. And as far as they go, you should read anything by Timothy Zahn, who not only was the first Star Wars novel writer, but still the best. He set the standard that various other authors mutilated (*cough*BarbaraHambly*cough*). Keeping in the Star Wars line, I heavily reccommend the X-Wing series, by Michael Stackpole (and a few entries by Aaron Allston, who keeps a similar style with Stackpole but with much more humor), as well as I, Jedi, also by Michael Stackpole.
A brief explanation of these authors before I move on to my favorite non-Star Wars books. I love Zahn's novels because he not only keeps with the grandeur of an epic storyline, but he creates some of the best Original Characters (Talon Karrde, Mara Jade, and Grand Admiral Thrawn, anyone?). He writes foreshadowing in so subtly that even I had to reread a few times before I caught it all. His characterizations are perfect, and keeping in line with the Lucas originals, and he just brings large-scale galactic conflict to the table in the most glorious way. Stackpole, on the other hand, is responsible for Corran Horn and the main EU characterization of Wedge Antilles. He brings the galactic conflict down to a more personal scale, and his novels are unique in that they are nearly exclusively about Original Characters. (The only canon characters that make appearances, aside from Wedge, are even mostly relegated to cameo status. Luke Skywalker, for example, is only in one chapter of one of the first four X-Wing novels. The third one.) He not only makes this grand Space Opera believeable, but realistic and personal. He does what Tom Clancy does with current military technology, but he does it much better. But he makes you love the characters. He makes you care about their fate.
Wow. I didn't plan on writing a thesis about this. I'd better move on to non-Star Wars books.
Um...I am a fan of Stephen King, I'm starting to be a fan of Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, I'm a fan of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series but I'm not really a fan of his writing. I'm a big Harry Potter fan, and a big Michael Crichton fan.
3: Just out of morbid curiosity, how many Ben Folds CDs do you own now?
I plead the fifth?
Um, I recently purchased Ben Folds Five and Rockin' the Suburbs, so that brings me to...five.
4: There's no doubt your taste in music is little short of perfect, but you do have some Staind by now, right?
Haven't gotten around to it, sadly.
5: You've spent the last nine months or so meeting a multitude of online friends in person. Your collection of Modist meetings may well be the most extensive in the Church. In all these meetings, what sorts of things have surprised you about the RL personalities of the people you knew from only the internet?
Honestly? I think only Gendou was the only one that was different than I expected. Mostly because I hadn't really spoken to him much - compared to most everyone else I've met - and while I did have a fairly good grasp on his personality, it's just different meeting the man in person. His sense of humor, for example, was much greater than I expected. He was just as gloriously geeky as I expected, though, if sitting and riffing on Batman together is any indication. But the real difference is that he keeps up a reputation online of being aloof and unapproachable - regardless of intent - and he's really not.
6: Along those same lines, what are your travel plans for the near future?
I'm still wanting to go visit you guys, and I need to re-discuss my plans to visit Mrs. Z and Robin later this summer. I was originally going to road-trip it with Fiddler, but Fiddler can't make it.
Um...aside from that, not much. Though I will be in Missouri for my birthday, because my sister is graduating from her university.
7: Any all-time favourite anime series?
Naruto is getting up there, but it's not quite as high as Ranma and Love Hina. Hellsing is always a great read, and I'm currently reading Gen and Rene's Blade of the Immortal.
8: Still resorting to asking about favourites, how about video games? Which ones stand out?
Old-school RPGs. Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior, and Chrono Trigger. I'm also - as you know - addicted to the Golden Sun story, and I also highly enjoy the Knights of the Old Republic series. (I secretly hope that they do a Knights of the New Republic, but that's just me.)
The Halo series and the Soul Calibur series also rank highly. I'm still enjoying Xenosaga, but it's a bit tricky at the moment. And there's always .hack.
9: Being a wing fanatic, I liked the question I asked Grayed in her interview. So this time to you, Kevin, describe your ideal pair of wings.
Those of a red-tailed hawk. Absolutely gorgeous.
10: We've also discussed this before, but I'll ask again anyway. Favourite pizza toppings?
Meat. Meat meat meat. Namely pepperoni, sausage, and bacon, but I won't ever say no to ham or a good canadian bacon.
Spinach is also good in certain deep-dish pizzas, but only a few. Others just fail at it.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 01:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 01:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 02:12 pm (UTC)He's also a pretty big Neil Gaiman fan and has been urging me to read. I've read "Coraline" for my Children's Lit book and was quite impressed, but he wants me to pick up "Neverwhere," his favorite book of all time. I plan on getting to it when we go to North Carolina this summer.
And old skool RPGs. Yeeah.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 02:18 pm (UTC)His books are all out of order, though. (And he has Barbara Hambly books? DEATH. But I'll forgive him.)
I still need to get the Black Fleet trilogy, and I have yet to read any of the Tales books.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 07:03 pm (UTC)Yeah, he doesn't organize, I don't think. Or he has them in order he likes maybe? I don't know. All of our other books are alphabetized nicely, but that's because I did that. :D
And yes, I'm thinking about keeping him, too, haha.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 03:14 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 03:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 03:39 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-26 04:36 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-04-27 12:40 am (UTC)