As I've mentioned elsewhere on this domain, I've been loitering about the 'net for an ungodly number of years (indeed, if you knew the number, my geekiness would be all but secured in your mind). I've had a good variety of websites over the years, experimented with free hosts, shared hosts, paid hosts, cheap hosts, hosts that eventually fell prey to bankruptcy, foreign hosts, domestic hosts, and I'm sure a variety of other hosts whose nature was, and is likely to continue to be, unknown to me—and I think I can safely say at this point in my electronic excursion that I still have yet to travel the greater extent of the information super-highway, and this, by my considerations, being mostly due to the fact that it is constantly in a state of disrepair—what with websites bursting into somethingness and, just as quickly, collapsing into nothingness—and that, even in this day and age, computers don't yet have the wits to halt a conspicuously verbose writer in the midst of a potentially run-on sentence. And so, whilst I struggle forth in an epic battle to dislodge the finger of my most tedious muse from the Bombazine Button ∗, feel free to read on about my favourite topics, namely fantasy, narrative and video games, which are generally what this domain is all about, and generally not at all what I was previously discussing in this paragraph. Impart any wraith you harbour on my muse—I always do.
on fantasy
If I have one undying love, it's fantasy. Much of my art reflects this—you'll see lots of elves, faeries and the like, and those often paired with various animal-esque creatures, whom I've always thought of as much dearer to the Faerie kind than to us. In fact, I don't think I can talk about my art without bringing up fantasy, nor the other way around; they're like peas in a pod, birds of a feather, the Weasleys to hand-me-downs, and other such nonsense. In my (generally futile) efforts to break away from the fantasy mold—namely one defined by a classic literary work since revived in movie form—I infuse my fantasy with wide-ranging elements, and draw inspiration from a variety of material sources: the movies I've watched, the books I've read, the games I've played, the artists' works I've seen...as well as from the real world: the brilliant nighttime sky, dawn and dusk alike, the people I see (particularly the outwardly quirky ones). Above all, my inspiration is fueled by nostalgia: I have a vivid memory when it comes to my childhood imaginings and dreams, and I don't hesitate to draw from it. My delving into the artistic domain began with Sailormoon fanart, moved into a more traditional direction with my Nana teaching me how to paint with acrylics and watercolors, switched gears when I became interested in Western comic art, and has since settled into a cajumble of all three. Over the years, my interest in creating art has staggered drunkly between a complete lack thereof and no-holds-barred inspiration; as of now, I feel more motivated than I have in years (oh dear, did I just curse myself...?) and hope to replace much of my old art pieces with new ones.
on narrative
Beyond my love for fantasy are stories. No, scratch that—caught in a never-ending stalemate with fantasy are stories. I often describe the great ones as delicious, because I harbour the delusion that I'm a synesthete. In any case, I've always had a love for narrative. Yes, I was one of those nerds who hung out in the local library reading books all the long summer days. Despite this, I still haven't quite made it through the local library's collection of literature, but I'd say my literary journey is about 45.2% complete. Not helping my progress are the tantalising (and...inesescapble...!) deals Chapters offers on select hardcovers (who can say no to deliriously cheap hardcovers?), as well as, in the early-to-mid '90s, the narrative revolution video games undertook. The former impediment has me surrounded with piles of hardcovers—much like a moat with myself as the castle in the middle—of which, to be honest, I may or may not get around to reading within my lifetime. In the latter case, I deferred. I still read as much as I can, and I also like to write, if it isn't obvious by this point. I tend to be a witty writer, much to my personal chagrin (you see, I'm rather slow and dim-witted in person, which inspires disappointment, if not outright suspicion, in people who have stumbled upon my written works and then happen to converse with me face-to-face—and for that I feel the utmost ungratefulness towards my muse, who is an utter jerk about it and refuses to budge from his cozy, if narrow, quarters in my fingers, even for a moment).
on video games
I've been playing video games for as long as I can remember (which isn't saying much, given my less than stellar memory, but you know what I mean). I started playing video games at such a young age that I find myself in a state of utter disbelief when informed by another that he or she hasn't ever touched a gaming system. I am more than slightly irritated when members of either sex profess disbelief in the fact that I'm a gamer, and that have been from such a young age, too (a female gamer, particularly one as enthusiastic as me, is apparently blasphemy). The truth of the matter is that I was busting Bowser's ass at as early as five, rigorously competing with my brother for the best time scores in Sonic the Hedgehog 2 at ten, and heading down the path of the retro gamer with games such as Dragon Warrior IV by fifteen. ∗ ∗ At twenty, now in university, I surprised myself by completing a long-held dream (which I'd often thought of as a fancy, and nothing more)—and that dream was creating a video game. Since then, I've managed to fulfill my dream at least three times over, and am sure that, at some point in the future, I'll be involved in video game creation within the professional arena. In particular, I hope to contribute to the current direction of the video game as a narrative medium. In my mind, story-telling isn't only about relating knowledge in typically underhanded ways—it's also a channel through which we can understand different perspectives, beliefs and ideas we might not normally consider. This I see as being made possible in large part due though the immersive element of transformation; aside from obvious technical limitations, is there really any other way a person could be more affected by a story than actually becoming a character in one? But I swear I don't just play video games for their stories. I just tend to talk more about the ones whose stories are integral to their greatness. Of course, this doesn't mean I don't talk about—or in the following case, to—video games that have only the slightest, if any, emphasis on story—those who've had the pleasure of gaming with me know that I am, ahem, a violently talkative gamer, no matter the game, though, in general, the more frustrating the game, the more vulgar and amusing my tirades.
∗ You see, my muse thinks he's a clever little fairy of some sort (I've seen him preening as fairies do in the mirror and even attempting a fiendish smirk of the Peter Pan ilk, so I know this to be true) and is fond of referencing obsolete words for the sole reason of inspiring readers to look up these woefully lost creatures—an irritable compulsion or unexpected genius? I leave that up to you to decide. (∧)
∗ ∗ Clearly wilful, poetic exaggerations, I hope. Rounding numbers is my forte. (∧)
