Get To Know A Gamer: AwesomeEli

[Astra]

Get to Know a Gamer
AwesomeEli Edition

Hello everyone. This thread is the next installment in a series of threads on a somewhat-weekly basis where we get to know members of the RPGX community by having informal "Ask Me Anything"-type threads. In essence, I am going to post some icebreaker questions to which the subject will reply and then the thread will remain open for Q&A until it isn't fun any more.

If you would like to be a victim interviewed, if you have feedback on GTKAG or on the questions themselves, follow this link: https://www.rpgcrossing.com/showthread.php?p=8981519

Some reminders:

1. All site rules of course still apply (i.e. keep it PG, no dox, etc.)
2. Nobody's obliged to answer any questions they don't want to answer
3. Please keep in mind the risks of sharing info online.
4. It is okay to ask questions in advance; no need to wait for the victim to respond to the opener.

Now without further ado, some opening questions to break the ice!

Questionnaire What are you doing right now? (besides answering this) What do you like about your town? (and where is that?) What do you see when you look in the mirror? What do you see when you look out the window? What's your personal quote? Low-fat, non-fat or regular milk? Pen or pencil? Last-gen or first-gen game consoles? Where would you vacation (if you had enough money)? Sarcastic or ironic? The following shamelessly stolen from the "Inside the Actor's Studio" Questionnaire: What is your favorite word? What is your least favorite word? What turns you on (intellectually speaking, not sexually)? What turns you off? What sound do you love? What sound do you hate? What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? What profession would you not like to participate in? If heaven exists what would you like to hear your supreme being of choice say when you arrive? What is your favorite... ...music style? ...food style? ...color? ...instrument? ...ice-cream flavor? ...furniture piece? ...quote? ...video game? ...magazine? ...moment in a game (either on RPGX or IRL)?

[AwesomeEli]

Originally Posted by Astra

What are you doing right now? (besides answering this)

I am currently at work, or as at work as one can be in a work from home situation. I have legitimate slacking off reasons though, so no reason for the bossman to get mad at me right now! In a grander sense of things, planning out a vacation to take in the near-vaccinated future, as I have a plane flight voucher that is expiring sooner than I would like. Unfortunately had to rule out a fancy underwater hotel.

Originally Posted by Astra

What do you like about your town? (and where is that?)

I live in a relatively small college town in the Deep South, United States. Some of the highlights for the town are the very nice walking areas, be they on campus or our little downtown area, the very diverse food scene given the size of the town, and the community events that get held. There have even been some cool events put on over the past year that were designed with COVID-safety in mind, which I really appreciate!

Weirdly though, we don't have any good BBQ joints in town any more. The owner of the last one just up and left recently with no warning, and took half of the location with him.

Originally Posted by Astra

What do you see when you look out the window?

A lot of student housing! All the student apartments, really, although the apartment across from me on one side has a few adorable cats that like to lounge about in the sun. We get a lot of birds and squirrels around here too, with several brave nuthatches even hopping into our window occasionally.

Originally Posted by Astra

Low-fat, non-fat or regular milk?

I stick to unsweet almond milk myself! Not always the best for cooking, but the sweeter-than-normal mashed potatoes were at least interesting.

Originally Posted by Astra

Pen or pencil?

Red felt-tipped pens just write and draw so well! Anything else just does not compare.

Originally Posted by Astra

Last-gen or first-gen game consoles?

The latest and greatest, even if I haven't been able to get my hands on a PS5 yet. I have a lot of nostalgia for plenty of old games and the old gaming experience, but I think a lot of people forget how awful the tutorials and learning curves on those games were, for so many of them.

Originally Posted by Astra

Where would you vacation (if you had enough money)?

With enough money, I'd indefinitely vacation at home? Some might call that retirement, and that's basically what it would be, but still. For grand locations to go, though, it's been a long while since I went to a nice beach, so I'd like to do that. Something slow and easy, maybe with a big aquarium nearby? Always gotta go to the aquarium.

Originally Posted by Astra

Sarcastic or ironic?

Sarcasm for days.

Originally Posted by Astra

What is your favorite word?

'Yeet' is a versatile word that everyone should come to embrace.

Originally Posted by Astra

What is your least favorite word?

Not sure I have a least favorite contextless word. I know some words just send chills up some folks' spines, but I'm not sure I have any of those.

Originally Posted by Astra

What turns you on (intellectually speaking, not sexually)?

Talking nitty gritty details about all sorts of things. Media, games, sociology, whatever. Being able to just delve in and talk about weird bits and pieces of a thing is often fun and interesting, and tends to keep me learning about the topic and whomever I'm talking about.

Originally Posted by Astra

What turns you off?

Is this one supposed to be sexual, or...?

For non-jokes, I don't handle people getting bigoted that well. Shocker, I know, but a adverse reaction to that catches more people off-guard than I am comfortable with.

Originally Posted by Astra

What sound do you love?

I have two cats and they are both talkative in very different ways. AugustusGus loves to holler and yodel and scream and shout and squawk all over the place, and enjoys sitting on the upper landings of stairs and singing his little heart out, which is always hilarious, and he's always needy for attention so that usually means he's gonna seek someone out imminently. Ultron chirps and chatters and huffs and is more tsundere about it all, but both are sweet babies who are always making some noise.

Originally Posted by Astra

What sound do you hate?

Oof, the noise of any of my animals about to get sick. Pet owners (and parents, I assume?) understand though. The weird uncomfortable noises are really distressing.

Originally Posted by Astra

What profession other than yours would you like to attempt?

Young Eli has wanted to be many things once they grew up, and by and large most of those still apply. Brain-Computer Interface, RIP my PhD workBCI researcher, psychologist, marine mammal trainer, writer, and possibly the biggest and longest desired profession for myself, dinosaur.

Even now, as a software engineer, I'd swap for being a dinosaur just about every time.

Originally Posted by Astra

What profession would you not like to participate in?

While adjacent to my actual profession, but I would be less than willing to work in the video game industry. Similarly, anything too big on math is a real struggle for me, which rules out a lot of stuff. Mathematicians do math, I assume?

Originally Posted by Astra

If heaven exists what would you like to hear your supreme being of choice say when you arrive?

"High Score Achieved!" would be amusing, if a little concerning. Definitely the most interesting thing I can think of currently though, so I'll go with that! Gotta seed some plot hooks for the GM.

Originally Posted by Astra

What is your favorite...
...music style?

Not too picky in most genres honestly. Pop, rap, hip hop, and certain strains of rock have been the biggest ones the last couple months but that'll wander around a little bit. I am a bit picker about Country and Metal though, not a blanket fan of those genres.

Originally Posted by Astra

...food style?

I love me some Indian food. If it's up to me, we'll be getting Indian food, doesn't matter when or where. Other stuff is great, it really is, and I can (almost) always find something I'll eat and enjoy, but those aren't my favorite.

Originally Posted by Astra

...color?

Pink. Glorious, bright, so-vibrant-your-eyes-lowkey-hurt pink!

Originally Posted by Astra

...instrument?

Bass guitars are like regular guitars but less screaming to be the center of attention, and I appreciate that.

Originally Posted by Astra

...ice-cream flavor?

Mint chocolate chip is where it's at!

Originally Posted by Astra

...furniture piece?

A good, high-quality bed is necessary for life. I can sleep on the floor, I can even sleep standing up, but I gotta be sleeping on that nice bed.

Originally Posted by Astra

...quote?

“The law, in its majestic equality, forbids rich and poor alike to sleep under bridges, to beg in the streets, and to steal loaves of bread,” as said by Anatole France.

Originally Posted by Astra

...video game?

Too many to count! The Fire Emblem series gets high mention, Dicey Dungeons has been one I've recently been getting into, Titanfall 2 is great, Endless Legends is splendid and has some awesome fantasy worldbuilding, Mario is always a classic. Do I get hipster cred if I say Pong?

Originally Posted by Astra

...magazine?

I don't read too many magazines (any at all, really), but Teen Vogue's recent whole evolution has been fascinating/

Originally Posted by Astra

...moment in a game (either on RPGX or IRL)?

After a pretty brutal (and absolutely hilarious) TPK that ended a campaign, our GM decided on our next campaign and all us players went our separate ways for a time to make PCs. When we showed up for our first session, nobody had checked with anybody else for what their PCs were, in the slim hope that we would all put together bards or barbarians or something.

Instead, we had four different alligator-themed PCs and a single wise ratfolk NPC, so near-immediately, our pretty serious character became the Teenage Mutant Ninja Alligators, which when that got pointed out, the GM laughed so hard they had to go outside to take a breather.

[Marshmallow]

Why am I the best player you've ever had? Who are some of your favourite players, whether on-site or in a podcast/actual play?

[Unko Talok]

Originally Posted by Awesome Eli

Pink. Glorious, bright, so-vibrant-your-eyes-lowkey-hurt pink!

You should have won Outplay 2020. Probably the wildest pink of any badges available for a while.

Why did you go with "Awesome" Eli. I know it was chosen before your avatar and all, but whenever I see that dino and its name, I'm thinking "Why not 'radical' or 'bodacious' or..."

Any favorite game concept that you would love to run but just haven't had the time / opportunity?

[AwesomeEli]

Originally Posted by Marshmallow

Why am I the best player you've ever had? Who are some of your favourite players, whether on-site or in a podcast/actual play?

I'm not gonna name names just to be on the safe side, but I love people who hop into character and then make that puppy breathe. Kinda related to that, irl I end up introducing a lot of new folks to RPGs, and there's always some point, usually in their second or third adventure or game or whatever, where things just kinda click for them and they become fully comfortable with inhabiting a PC and having that be different. And I really enjoy seeing that transition happen from the GM's seat, in part because I remember that paradigm shift hitting me too, way way waaaaaayyyyy back in the day.

Originally Posted by Unko Talok

You should have won Outplay 2020. Probably the wildest pink of any badges available for a while.

I should have indeed! Sure, I didn't participate or anything like that, but the contest organizers should have just understood and given me the badge!

Originally Posted by Unko Talok

Why did you go with "Awesome" Eli. I know it was chosen before your avatar and all, but whenever I see that dino and its name, I'm thinking "Why not 'radical' or 'bodacious' or..."

AwesomeEli because, while a not suuuper common name, Eli tends to already be taken or be too short for whatever site I'm signing up with? I've been using the AwesomeEli moniker for a while now as the one I am most comfortable tying to my irl identity. And why shouldn't I be awesome, ya know?

Originally Posted by Unko Talok

Any favorite game concept that you would love to run but just haven't had the time / opportunity?

A whole lot, more than I can fit in one reasonably sized post here. I've put together a good amount of coverage for a PF-update to the DragonMech setting, doing a lot of work smoothing over some of the existing bumps that the original release had, and would enjoy running something (anything!) in that setting. There's just a lot of very entertaining base elements that I really enjoy in the setting that I want to play with, but have never gotten a chance to use.

Similarly, I'm pretty interested in running a Wicked Ones game, as well as a SIGMATA: This Signal Kills Fascists game. I may be serving as an interim GM for a roll20 group on the horizon that could scratch the former itch and I am very excited to see how that goes. Most of the players for that group tend to play goody-good PC types, so an All Evil game system will be fun!

[Strangemund]

Your Deep South town sounds suspiciously a lot like my Deep South town. By any chance, have a bunch of liquor stores opened up around your area? Specifically ones with a wavy tube-man in the front? Because if so, hey-o! We are neighbors in a town with a serious drinking problem!!

Anyways!! Question time!!

What's your favorite horror movie? Additionally, what's your favorite scene from your favorite horror movie?

What was your first anime? Do you still unquestionably love it? Or do you feel like you've out-grown it?

Please grace us with your Goblinsona, O' Awesome One.

And lastly, tell us more about your dogs and cats! Give us the deets on those good bois and kitty cats!

[kingmonkey]

What are the best sauces to accompany the following pasta:

Gnocchi
Fettuccine
Ravioli (meat)
Ravioli (cheese)
Farfalle
Penne

[Imveros]

As it is obvious you are a man of culture, who are your top three best girls in all of anime?

[Wishkamon]

What would your teenaged self think of you if they saw you now?

[AwesomeEli]

Originally Posted by Strangemund

Your Deep South town sounds suspiciously a lot like my Deep South town. By any chance, have a bunch of liquor stores opened up around your area? Specifically ones with a wavy tube-man in the front? Because if so, hey-o! We are neighbors in a town with a serious drinking problem!!

Hark! After much consulting between Strangemund and myself, it turns out that we DO NOT live in the same town! It was touch and go there for a moment though. Turns out our towns have the same number of walmarts, Taco Bells, and Best Buys!

Originally Posted by Strangemund

What's your favorite horror movie? Additionally, what's your favorite scene from your favorite horror movie?

A doozy of a question, worse than the music question honestly. For the sake of my own sanity, I'm gonna call it a two way tie between John Carpenter's The Thing and Alien, two classics of the genre that everybody loves. The testing/couch scene is my favorite from the former film, and for the latter film, you gotta go with the chestburster scene!

Originally Posted by Strangemund

What was your first anime? Do you still unquestionably love it? Or do you feel like you've out-grown it?

My first anime as an anime was Death Note, which... I don't love, in retrospect? It's not bad, but it's not particularly memorable for me either. First general anime would be Pokemon, Yugioh, or maybe Zoids, which all hold up superbly in different ways and for different reasons.

Sorry, Death Note. Should have had more dinosaur robots?

Originally Posted by Strangemund

Please grace us with your Goblinsona, O' Awesome One.

 

Goblean?

Not pictured is the front tummy pouch of the varsity hoodie jacket, which is half-filled with snacks, the other half being a regular ol' pet cat. Pretty quality, would play in a Pathfinder game.

Originally Posted by Strangemund

And lastly, tell us more about your dogs and cats! Give us the deets on those good bois and kitty cats!

Got one dog and two gatos, although my cat-boys are currently staying at my parents' house for apartment reasons (it's not cat safe at our current location sadly.)

Ultron (AKA Tron-Tron, The Tronster, Big Boy, Baked Potato Belly) is our oldest boy, an American Shorthair who was found on the street in town as a baby kitten. The person that found him initially, instead of giving him kibble like the human should have done, instead fed him bits of ham sandwich. Because of this, Ultron has a big ol' ham sandwich monkey on his back. Not interested in ham or bread normally, but the moment the ham touches the bread, he's on the hunt.

Perhaps because of his time on the streets, he's distressingly smart and athletic. He can, from a sitting jump, slap the tops of door frames and has been known to open indoor doors just to show that he can.

 

Gust (AKA Gus-Gus, Goose, Gucifer, Lil Man) was our next pet acquisition, a Russian Blue with permanent baby face that we adopted through a rehoming organization. Unlike Ultron, who started off a lil feral, Gus is a little people cat, only tempered by his general skittishness about... everything? Once he's comfortable with someone though, he'll be all over them. He's a big fan of climbing onto peoples' chests and headbutting them in the face until they pet him. He also likes sleeping curled up in your hand, very cuddly and warm.

While he's two years younger, and was smaller than Ultron for that reason, he's since grown a bit bigger than his older brother? Even if he doesn't actually look bigger due to his kitteny appearance. They're best friends though, and protect each other.

 

Weyland (middle name Yutani, AKA Wey-Wey, Bonehead, The Dog, Stanky Doug) is the third, what those in the business call a Lord Knows Hound. He's a bit of a rescue and has a lot of anxiety issues, so he ends up being a very needy baby. Unfortunately, he's a needy baby who weights 50 lbs and doesn't realize that. He has his own designated space in the apartment that is his safe space - a kiddie pool pictured below where he naps and keeps all his toys.

He really enjoys being outside on a deck, just sunning himself. It's his must-have for the next place we live in, pretty sure.

 

Originally Posted by kingmonkey

What are the best sauces to accompany the following pasta:

Gnocchi
Fettuccine
Ravioli (meat)
Ravioli (cheese)
Farfalle
Penne

Pesto basil, pesto basil, pesto basil, pesto basil, pesto basil, and pesto basil?

I don't discriminate too much when it comes to matching pasta with sauce honestly, and prefer pesto basil. I do break into marinara and vodka sauce, with the odd dabbling into mushroom cream sauce or alfredo. Those are heavy though, so I don't have those latter two very often.

Originally Posted by Imveros

As it is obvious you are a man of culture, who are your top three best girls in all of anime?

As a person of culture who is gonna make someone salty: Nui Harime, Kumoko, and Entrapta.

Originally Posted by Wishkamon

What would your teenaged self think of you if they saw you now?

I'm not sure, honestly. Probably be surprised and confused, but I'm not sure that's a bad thing! Life always has a habit of throwing curve balls, right? Some of those turned out pretty well for me, and I'm doing pretty ok for myself now.

[Sassafrass]

Why do you hate mammals?

[AwesomeEli]

Originally Posted by Sassafrass

Why do you hate mammals?

If mammals were as cool as reptiles or amphibians, they might have a leg to stand on. As it is....

[Baxder]

Originally Posted by AwesomeEli

And why shouldn't I be awesome, ya know?

Awesome.

Your furry friends are adorable!

What do your avatar, Answeredusername, and custom title mean to you?

If you could be any creature, real or fictional, what would it be and why?
If you could own any creature as a pet, what would it be and why?

Do you have a favorite book and/or movie? What are they and why?

Ninjas or pirates?

[AwesomeEli]

Originally Posted by Baxder

What do your avatar, Answeredusername, and custom title mean to you?

My avatar is a bit of a geographical in-joke that I likely share with... maybe three? people on site. In my home town, there was an official government statement made about how skateboards are (supposedly) used as weapons and symbols by radical anarchists, which is... kinda nonsense? So clearly, an image of a totally radical dinosaur skateboarding around is just too amusing for me to not put up for a while. Although I will admit that it is likely time for a PFP change.

As for my custom title, on RPGX the same filter that censors any and all curse words also, for reasons that still mystify me a little bit, catches l33tspeak. This has actually messed me up a few times in actual RPGX posts, most recently wandering in and intruding on one of my IronGM entries. So "YEET THE L33T" is up there as half protest, half making fun of what I feel is an outdated rule that now only damages legitimate use of the site for its intended purpose. But alas, the rule remains for the time being.

Originally Posted by Baxder

If you could be any creature, real or fictional, what would it be and why?

Kobolds are pretty great. Small, nocturnal, certified BAs, great at designing complex systems? All sounds like upsides to me! Although something big and powerful would be cool too.

Originally Posted by Baxder

If you could own any creature as a pet, what would it be and why?

I could use more cats in my life tbh, never enough cats. I get along with most all types of pets though so I'm not too picky. Have to say no to anything large and carnivorous, but even those would have appeal if I somehow had the resources to take care of, ya know, a crocodile or allosaurus.

Originally Posted by Baxder

Do you have a favorite book and/or movie? What are they and why?

A specific book or film is pretty impossible to nail down unfortunately. I love horror or monster movies so my above mentions of Alien and The Thing stand, but I end up watching a lot of movies and shows, and have a lot of ones I really enjoy. Knives Out is a recent film that I loved, a really refreshing take on a whodunnit-type mystery!

For books, Armor is an interesting read. A take on Starship Troopers that is focused on a single character and the trauma he goes through, in pretty rough detail.

Originally Posted by Baxder

Ninjas or pirates?

Pirates get way cooler rides and hats, so I have to go with them. Plus, that sense of flair!

[Wishkamon]

Hold up, are you Eli like El-ee or Eli like EE-lie?

Also whats your favourite dinosaur?