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Maegwyn -> Issue 28 - Nel and Maegwyn (Nel) (7/23/2008 11:21:30)
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Nel and Maegwyn
By Nel
"Aaaahhhh, what a lovely day," Nel mused to himself as he settled down by the pond for his lunch.
"It's so nice to take a break and get away from the Chronicles for a while. And I doubt that anyone will find me out here ... at least for a while."
Nel munched contentedly on his lunch and lay back beside the pond for a bit of a break.
Idly watching the water, he noticedd some ripples appearing. Then a sleek brown head broke the surface and gazed at him with bright, inquisitive eyes.
'My, what do we have here?" Nel thought to himself as he put his spectacles back on.
The otter, for that is what it was, swam over to the shore and flipped herself out expertly.
"Hello, I'm Maegwyn. I hope you don't mind the intrusion, but I heard you wanted to speak with me. I thought we could do our interview here ... I like the water better than being inside," the otter said as she sat down beside Nel.
AE-related questions:
1) What do you do for AE? (coder, artist, game staff, forums staff, support staff)
Er. Well, I'm certainly not a coder nor an artist. Otherwise, I'm not easy to define. I'm staff, and I do ... a bunch of stuff. I'm a forum administrator. I'm head mod of MQ Gremlins, and I help mod when and where I can. I'm an Assistant Game Administrator. I help Warlic with a variety of things. I report game bugs, and help get them fixed, and help test to squash them (ideally, before they get into the game). I help edit The Zardian. I ... um ... help do stuff.
2) How did you first find/get involved with AE?
I have a friend. Well, he's my friend's son, but he's my friend - a bit like an aunt-nephew friendship. One day, he gave me the link to AdventureQuest and said, "Try this game! I think you'll like it!" I loved it! I got onto the forums to look at guides, and I don't think I've logged off since that fateful date in late December, 2005.
3) What keeps you interested in AQ, DF and MechQuest?
Oh, the updates! The community! The gameplay! The puns and parodies!
4) Has your time in school prepared you for what you do with AE, or, if you haven't finished school, will it help you once you're done?
I suppose my time majoring in "Arts and Ideas" was somewhat of a preparation, but 'school' is relative - I've learned as much or more from my fellow forum members and staff members in terms of AE stuff. I'm constantly learning, so, for me, life is just a fun kind of school.
5) If you could change anything about one of the games, what would it be and why?
The only thing I can think of is just to fix all the typos. Always the editor! (And they are being fixed, so it's kind of a non-issue.)
6) Where would you like to see the games go in the future? (Any particular features added/plot lines explored/etc)
AQ: I'm always up for a good parody with puns and cultural references. I also enjoy learning more 'deep' storyline, especially when the games refer to one another whether it is a crossover or a hint. I look forward to more alignment developments as well.
DF: Always fun, yet the game with which I have the least familiarity. Perhaps some sort of map so I'm not lost!
MQ: Well, that's the game for which I do the most work, so if I were to tell you, I'd have to get the Gecko to CHOMP you!
7) What would you contribute to the games if given the chance? If you have had the chance to do so, which contribution do you like the most?
I enjoy pretty much everything I've been given the opportunity to do. (I'm just awful with "favorite" and "most" questions). If I were better at graphic arts, or learned to code, I'm sure I'd love doing those things, but really I get to dabble in many aspects including a bit of writing collaboration here and there, and I'm happy with my jack-of-many-trades role.
8) Who is your favorite moglin and why?
Er, that's a "favorite" question. Nel is an absolute dear. I'm quite fond of Zorbak (although I expect he'd cringe to hear that). Kabroz is underrated and unappreciated. Twilly is my constant companion. Chilly is awesome!!! Twig is fun ... I suppose I simply like Moglins.
9) In an all-out, no holds barred duel between Zorbak and Kabroz, who would win? Why?
Isn't this just a thinly-veiled "favorite" question? Kabroz. Or perhaps Zorbak. Or maybe it would be a draw. Why? They know each other's strengths and weaknesses. Depends on who's more ruthless, and ... who is Ruth, anyway, and why is she involved? These darn Deus ex Machinas, always stepping in.
10) In a zards versus sneevil match up, who would triumph? Why?
Probably just see above. Although if you gave a Zard a pair of scissors and let him run with it, that just might give him the advantage.
Personal questions:
11) Do you have a favorite style of food? (Southern, Chinese, Italian, etc)
I love food. I just rarely have time to eat it. I do enjoy the various Mediterranean cuisines, and you can't beat a good French recipe with a little wine for flavoring and perhaps a cream sauce, but I think Vietnamese and Japanese foods might be a sure win. It depends on who's cooking, though. My cousin could make an old shoe taste like ambrosia from the gods. And my other cousin makes Brussels sprouts into something that even a two year old eats. But give me a plain tomato off the vine, and I'm in heaven.
12) If you like to read, do you have any favorite genres? What are some of your favorite books?
I will read everything, and usually do. I do love fantasy, and the Lord of the Rings tops the list - partly due to Tolkien's rich linguistic scholarship. Tad Williams is another favorite author from that genre, as are Diana Wynne Jones and Brian Jacques. One of my favorite books of all time is Dandelion Wine, by Ray Bradbury. I usually re-read that once a year. Another favorite is Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban. Gene Wolfe is brilliant. Other favorite fantasy authors include Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, and Charles deLint. (I used to co-own a bookstore, so I could talk about books for pages and pages.) I also read tons of more 'literary' books, and heaps of non-fiction.
13) Do you play any games? Console, computer, online? And what?
Well, other than AE games, I do love Blizzard's Diablo. The expansion (Lord of Destruction) is my favorite, but sometimes it's fun to go back to Diablo II (classic) and even all the way back to the first Diablo. I got Hellgate London for Christmas, which was created by a whole gang of the old Diablo people, but my computer is too old to run it ... but no obstacle will be permitted to stand in my way when Diablo III is released. I can hardly wait!
14) What are some of your hobbies? What is it about them that is attractive to you?
I play in my garden when I'm outside. I like to watch things grow, and help them - and smell them, and harvest and eat them! I also like learning about what works together to make everything thriving and beauteous. I also like to cook, and to write, and to play with watercolors. I enjoy researching genealogy, and really, research in general. If I'm interested in something, I want to learn about it - and sometimes to write about it. I also have a couple of cameras and love to wander around with them, taking photographs.
15) Why did you choose the name you did? (Your forum/online persona name)
A forum friend, WelshDragon, who is teaching me bits of Welsh, just asked me this same question at the end of a PM: "P.S. I've been meaning to ask, where did you pick the name Maegwyn from? Cause it actually means something in Welsh, it literally means Is White (Mae is is and gwyn is white)."
I love the Welsh language, and I took bits of it to make the name "Maegwyn." I was actually going for 'fair one' in Welsh. (I had looked it up, and read that "gwyn" is 'fair, white, blessed,' & "mae" is a form of the verb 'to be.') I thought I'd invented this name, but a later Google search brought up other Maegwyns (who, by the way, are not me). Also, here is an interesting tidbit from IRC:
<InMediaRes> Oh, quick question, Maeg: your name isn't from Tolkien's Elvish language, is it?
<Maegwyn> No, it's not. It's derived from Welsh, kind of.
<Maegwyn> But I read that Tolkien loved Welsh!
<InMediaRes> Ah. Didn't think so.
<Yagno2000> Is it your real name? It's quite pretty. :)
<InMediaRes> It means "Maiden of Sharpness" when translated, though.
<Zz|Insane> Aqua is correct then :P
<Gnome> :P
<Zz|Insane> Yup, in Quenya that is :P
<Zz|Insane> we were wondering because it was very similiar to two Quenya words: "Maeg" and "wen" :P
I think this is really awesome as well!
16) Have you completed college? What did you study? Why?
Yep - BA in "Arts and Ideas." It was the most diverse major that didn't require a lot of math. (I am not great at equation-style math; I'm more of an intuitive mathematician.) I just like learning about tons of things, and the classes combined history/music/literature/art/philosophy all into one. I originally planned to major in languages and become a translator. I got a bit sidetracked ...
17) Do you play any sports? If so, for how long?
I played frisbee once for 5 minutes. I can't toss, and I can't catch. We all got sick of chasing the thing into the bushes. (I love to swim and rollerblade, but not in a 'playing sports' kind of way.)
18) What kind of music do you like to listen to?
I listen to all kinds of music - classical, punk, ska, 'world music,' particular styles of rap, reggae, old-time gospel, and country music, for example. Flamenco-style guitar is a big favorite, whether it be classic-style Spanish or newer interpretations (I adore Carlos Santana) - and Manu Chao tops my 'most-listened-to' list.
19) Do you sing or play any instruments? What?
Trumpet.
20) Do you have any pets? What are they?
I have a cat named Little Bear. He doesn't say, "meow," so his nickname is "Peeps," because he ... well, he peeps!
21) Do you have a personal motto? (If not, is there a phrase/saying you particularly like?)
"Worse things happen in war," I s'pose.
Random/Fun questions:
22) Do you know what the Burning Daystar is? Do you see it on a regular basis?
I prefer not to burn. Tanning a bit is nice, though! Lack of sunshine makes Mae sad, but please add sunscreen.
23) What usually makes you laugh?
Funny stuff ...
I suppose I find the well-placed, quick-witted, spontaneous comment to be the best laugh-inducer.
24) If you could have one superpower that bends the rules of reality, what would it be and why?
Well of course it involves dancing and something involving shellfish, but I haven't quite figured out exactly what it is yet. Reyn suggests that it would be a FOTIP. This has something to do with flying oysters and what he calls my "very highly developed otternomic nervous system."
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