elanya

The latest LJ fad. A bit more involved than the average. I like this one...

It works like this. I *already* asked to be interviewed by someone, because they were offering. In order to continue this little circle of love, I must now offer to interview anyone who speaks up in the comments of this post and asks me to pose them some (five, to be specific) questions, which I will leave in response to their comment, and then they will take to their own journal to answer. I actually have two sets of questions to deal with atm. And then I am going to bed, whee!

In the order that the comments appeared in my inbox...

Forthright's questions:

1. Have you ever considered chopping all your hair off and selling it,
and if so, how much would you charge?

I have, actually, I have heard stories about people offereing money for hair. But never really seen any. I vaguely remembersomeone (Sarah barnes maybe), who had hair of an envbiable lenght cutting it off and either trying to sell or donate it, and the people being extremely picky, and saying hers wasn't good enough, so I'm not really sure mine would make the cut. I have thought about things like 'if I ever get cancer, I will just shave it all off.' Sometimes I think I would donate it, and sometimes I think I would keep it for my own wig. I can't *really* see myself selling it just for cash, and then, I realize that it is probably a buyer's market rather than a seller's.

2. You have defined yourself (to me, on a couple of occasions) as a
'postmodernist'. What does this mean to you, and why do you espouse it?

I have actually thought about this a lot. Somewhere, I have it all written down... my personal affirmation about what I think about all this. It is packed away though, so I will have to wing it!

I see myself as a postmodernist because I believe in some of the very basic precept of what I understand 'postmodernism' to be about. Primarily, I am a big supporter of the concept of the 'Death of the Author', which basically boils down to the fact that there comes a point where interpretation is divorced from intention. I believe that people learn both form culture and from experience, and that while culture provides tool for interpreting experiences (and partly also determines the range of experiences they will be exposed to), Experiences themselves will often have a backlash effect on how people come to interpret their culture... and since everyone's experiences (and so, their personal views on their culture) are unique, their interpretation of single shared experiences are likely to be very different. I do believe that people, individuals, even, have the potential power to effect and change cultural norms, though.

I also find myself 'suffering from the post modern condition', as I have had one overly philosphical professor put it: doubt. I have a tendancy to question *everything* about people's beliefs/cul;ture/what have you... I always question sources of 'authority' (especially in a academic sense of the term), because I don't trust them... I don't believe in absolutes... Everything *is* relative. I don't think I can think of very many things that I couldn't come up with some kind of scenario where it could be either good or bad. Culture winds up creating arbitrary distinctions that are not always cross culturally true.

Anyway, I don't think I am doing a very good job of answering *that* one. It was a tough one :o I could keep rambling, but I'll hope that that is *somewhat* satifying, and go on to the next question. I can always just say that I *did* have a point, but that it died along with me (the author ;).


3. Do you believe that you possess supernatural/psychic/mystical powers,
and if so, explain

You want me to admit this is somethign resembling a public forum, eh? ;D Hmmm... Sometimes I like to think that I do, but generally I'm too sceptical to let myself believe it for very long. I can be very empathic at times, but I pay a lot of attention to people. Sometimes I can 'feel' people's emotions strongly, and mainly negative ones... Like for example, if I were to say that 'Frank was radiating anger' it wouldn't necessarily be intended as a metaphor. Like I *feel* negative energy rays or something. Yes I am strange. You asked! Sometimes I like to think that I can focus certain kinds of emotional vibes into other people, but that is just wishful thinking. Like trying to lend someone strength, I suppose, only actually trying. I have never asked if it has actually worked, though ;)

There is Hazel and I's psychic link, but we are sisters and spend a lot of time together, and have a lot of similar interests and experiences, so it isn't completely unexpected that certain stimuli will provoke the same resposes in the both of us.

I have been having a heck of a lot of little deja-vu experiences lately, I really don't know what is up with that. And I mean, at least daily.

Basically, if I possess any mystical powers, they are pretty lame ones :/


4. What kind of role-player do you consider yourself to be - what are
your quirks, habits, and tendencies?

Possibly unsurprisingly, I tend to play a lot of empathic characters. People who care about people. I *can* play cold hearted bitchy people (Aliss!), but they are not the norm, at all. I tend to play characters who resolve rather than create personal conflicts. I definotely have a tendancy to over-empathize with Hazel's characters. I also tend to play characters who are at least somewhat witty. I guess as far as 'type' of gamer, I am definitely a 'roleplay over rollplay' type. Rules and character advancement (level wise) aren't the most important thing for me.... it is the *story* and the 'personal' devellopment of characters.

5. If you had the opportunity to go to any graduate school in the world
for your Ph.D., where would you go, and what would your hypothetical
thesis be entitled?

Libertaila Unmasked: an archaeological investigation of an early eighteenth century pirate settlement on The Ilse de St. Marie, Madagascar.

As to where I would do it... I am thinking of applying to Boston, because they have the right kind of department to support such a project. There really isn't anyone out there who would specifically be appropriate for me to study under. I am doomed to have an unqualified supervisor. :/


Curtana's questions:

1. What is the worst thing your sister has ever said or done to you? The
best?
Trying to get me in trouble or what? :o I would say the worst thing that Hazel did to me was all the years of belittling and provoking me.... All I wanted to do was be her friend :( Some kind of weird Stolkholm syndrom type thing going on. She created in me the instict to appease... to appease *her* anyway, and sometimes I realize it is a little less healthy than straight up sibling loyalty. Both things are very strong, though. Somethig else she used to do was take things of mine, and say they were hers, and then tell me I was wrong (tell everyone, in fact). Which is why I always get defensive about people telling me I am wriong about thinsg when I know I am not, I think.
The *best* thing that Hazel ever did for me was to finally *actually* become my friend, because now I feel needed, like I have a special quality that no one could replace, and
now there is a balance between us. It is like how they say, in s/m and what have you, it is really the *submissive* who has the real power. Somethign liek that. It makes things balanced. We are co-dependant now, I think. So much better.

2. Do you consider yourself to be essentially rational or irrational?
Explain why.

I am cabale of being frightningly rational. I am not someone who is subject to great extremes of emotion Well, that is poor language, it make it sound like this is a good thing... it isn't, necessarily. It is just a thing.... I do not often experience extremes of emotion, in any case. In that sense, I am quite rational. On the otherhand, I like to pointlessly indulge my own whims, especially if they are hamrless, and I can be very thoughtless, which is less rational. In the end, probably the rationality wins out though. I think *too* much.... But rationality is subjective, you see... gah.

3. Like most of us, you were a geek in school. How do you feel this
particular social status affected the development of your personality?

I think it has lead me to hava tendancy to have few close friends rather than many acquaintances, and to be quiet (not necessarily shy) in social sitiuations, and have little interest or capacity for small talk. I would rather have something to *actually* talk to someone about before I will do so, if I don't know them. If I don't know you, I don't care how your day way, or what you do for a living. I tend to see a lot of things as trivial, like fashion, courtship rituals, people's opinions of me, and so on. It also meant that I was never enculturated into liking a lot of the things that teenagers were suposed to, like underaged drinking. My 'geek' crowd was pretty clean, which probably explains why I am still not very interested in getting high/plastered much. It doesn't hold any appeal, and I mostly don't see the point.

4. What achievement are you proudest of?

I'm not sure. I'm not a really 'goal oriented' person, so to speak. I am fairly satisfied with where I am in my life at the moment, but I dpon't know if there is any one thing I have achieved that stands out from any of the rest of it. Even my MA.... I suppose I was pretty proud at the time, but tonight I am too tired to be inpressed by myself. Maybe I will say this, though: I am proud of having the respect and frienship of those people who give it to me. Everyone Loves Lannie, and I am proud to be a person who is deserving of that.

5. What do you like and dislike the most about Changeling?

I like the potential for creative storytelling, but this is true of every system. I like the different levels that it can be played on as well. It is conceptually an interesting world. What I like least.... Probably the rules. The WW stories are kind of lame, but they are easily ignored. There are too many inconsistencies, and limitations, and unclear bits in the rules themselves though.

Well, hopefully that is somewhat coherent/interesting. Now, who wants questions from *me*? :)

*crashes*