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Desolate and lone All night long on the lake Where fog trails and mist creeps, The whistle of a boat Calls and cries unendingly, Like some lost child In tears and trouble Hunting the harborfs breast And the harborfs eyes. -- Carl Sandburg, Lost Ren is one of the up and coming creators in the FPL. He's worked his way up the ladder the hard way, through patience, creativity, and perseverance. Here he talks to us about his creations, his take on collabs and elitism, and the allure of the FPL. Topic is 'Looks like we've broken our Ren. Cleanup on Aisle 4.' Abdiel first of all, thanks for taking the time to come and chat with us today, Ren. Ren Not a problem. Quite the ego-trip, really. Abdiel You undoubtedly know my first question - which of your characters do you consider to be your "greatest success", and why? Ren By technical success, The Contortionist fits that bill. But, as for what I'm most satisfied by, I'd have to say Matilda. Abdiel In what sense do you mean "technical" success - wins? Ren Yup, but I was never really satisfied by him. Abdiel and what about Matlida makes her stand out for you? Ren Matilda, on the other hand, fit what I had planned for her to a T. I can never help but feel I executed her without flaw. Abdiel What, to you, separates truly 'great' characters from merely 'good' ones? Ren What separates them is what I like to call the 'holy SHIT!' factor. Abdiel care to elaborate? Ren Good ones, you can sit, and you can read, and feel like you've not wasted your time. GREAT ones, on the other hand, you have the nagging urge to read again, or learn more about. Because afterward, you sat and couldn't help but let your jaw slack. Just a little. Abdiel can you give us an example or two of each type? Ren First off, The Chronomancer. Oh GODS, The Chronomancer. And as for the second, DANGER AUSTIN DANGER just managed to get me. I don't know how. I'm not sure why. It just did. Abdiel and an example or two for "Good" characters Ren As for good, Rookie's current entries. Legacy's Allure and Redeemer. He didn't pull them off as well as he could've. Abdiel So, what inspires you when you're dreaming up ideas for characters and what do you think forms the basis for a good character? Ren I basically rob from anything that comes my way. ThreeDark Bryn belly dancing is not an acceptable answer Ren ..... Moving on. Abdiel any particular sources that have had special influence on your works? Ren Mostly crappy movies, it seems. Abdiel such as? Ren Matilda I snagged from Candyman and the latter Elm Street movies - I was intrigued by the idea of 'hallucinations' that could do mean things to people. The Contortionist was taken from that David Alan Grier scene in Tales From the Hood where he was folded up like paper. I went '....Ooooooh.....' and went to writing. Abdiel What features of characters and matches do you look at when you vote? Do you vote on every match, or just your own? Ren The amount of matches I vote on is hideously varies, and depends on how many hours of sleep I've managed to get. I usually look for that good 'Oh DAMN why didn't I think of that?' idea, and the act of showing off one's writing abilities. I look for the ones that make me feel like dirt, and vote for them. Abdiel so you don't usually place too much emphasis on powers comparison and the like? Ren Naw. Unless it's the Elims. Then I try and factor that in a little, no matter how much the pain in the side of my head tells me not to. Abdiel You've made efforts to involve some of your characters in Khazan's IC world. What are your thoughts on IC participation in the FPL - its effects, reader feedback (or lack thereof) and generally the amount of freedom you have to work with, dumping characters into the Nexus? Ren I think the IC lines are a bit hazy. I'm still not sure where I can go, what the boundaries are, whose territory is what.... Then again, considering I pale, turn around, and walk away whenever I take a look at Graves' archives, I really only have myself to blame for that. Abdiel Do you have any favorite IC works written by other FPLers that you'd like to recommend to the audience? Ren Apocalypse. Can't help but say the Apocalypse. ThreeDark Mmmmmmm Maxxosity. Ren And I must also obligatorily plug Soberguy's ASYLUM. Just because. Ev Is that a word? Ren looks innocent. Abdiel What do you think of the FPL Powers and Creation system? Are there any flaws that prevent you from expressing your characters inherent in the design? Ren I have no idea. The Creation system itself isn't necessarily the most user-friendly system, especially late at night. Abdiel how would you improve it, were it up to your discretion? Ren One big page that displays all of what you've got up to that point, and says 'Are you happy now?' at the bottom. Abdiel not a bad idea, heh As a (relative to the vets who are reading this) newcomer to the FPL scene, what were your first impressions of the site months back, and how have they changed as you've learned the ropes? Ren I was scared. I looked through some of the HoF and felt really really small. Then I read Kronus and felt that everything would be alright. (Editor's Note: Not worth a link.) Abdiel heh ThreeDark Kronus is supposed to be DEAD. Must talk to Serge about that. (Editor's Note: reference to another character was removed to save all of you some brain cells) Abdiel Do you think that elitism exists in the FPL, and if so, what if anything should be done about it? Ren There is no elitism. Just the jerks that notice trends and make it seem like it. And if there is, I have not noticed. Because I'm thick like that. Abdiel A few people who were interviewed recently have given you high praise, listing you as their pick to have the next big breakout character. Anything you'd like to say in response? Ren I LOVE YOU ALL! Except Rookie. :p I'll be sad to see him go, but I won't give him a hug. Abdiel Do you have any advice for the newcomers to the site who feel as small as you did when you first came here? Ren Making yourself look like a non-threat is usually a good idea. Pulling out the big guns to see if anyone's impressed is the favorable follow-up. Helps test the waters. Abdiel Do you have any personal goals for yourself as far as winning the Main Event or making it to X number of wins, or do you just create and hope for the best? Ren I just make and foolishly hope that I won't go 0-3. Or 1-3. Ren looks at Dulane and tries not to cry. Abdiel If you had to name the evil-est personality (real person/creator) involved in the FPL, who would it be? ThreeDark Now you can name Evan Ren MediaMan. Ev's just craaaaaaazy. Ev I'm not evil. I'm just spreading the chaos (ren would you like to join the CHAOS ORDER?!?) ThreeDark Don't make me hurt you Evan. Abdiel if you could co-create or work in a collaboration with any creator(s), would it be Media? if not, who? Ren That question hurts my head. But there're SO MANY..... To be honest I'd probably go with Ev, though I could probably just drop everything, mail 'im, and there we go. Ev (blushing) Ren Hush you. Abdiel Do you think the overall quality of active FPL characters is higher or lower than usual at present? Ren scratches his head. Ren It honestly seems to be all over the place, though I suppose I could rectify that by sitting down and actually looking through the gallery now that I have the chance. Abdiel what's your opinion of Collaborative works in the FPL? Want to tell us a little about your team for the Heart of Dios collab and how you and your partners worked things out? Ren Collabs are fun. At least when the teammates are of the agreeable sort and won't be at each others' throats within the hour. *jerks thumb to the Ev/SoL pair-up of John's random collab* And as for the Heart of Dios collab, 'twas fun. At least when the teamwork portion began. Ren twiddles his thumbs. Abdiel Are there any matches in your FPL career thus far that you really wish you could "do over"? Any matchups between your characters and others that you wish could have happened? Ren The Sniper vs. Rika. Just because. As for matches I wish that woulda happened.... Actually, I can't think of any. Though if a Photoshop 6.66 vs. Chick Magnet match had happened, I woulda choked on my own saliva. Instant cringing horror, right there. Abdiel What's your take on the recent shenanigans on the boards? Do you feel certain individuals went (or are in the process of going) too far? Ren There are certain people who're just being idiots and probably would be better off spending their time doing other things, as they're not contributing ANYTHING whatsoever. Abdiel care to name names, or will you leave that to our imagination? Ren I shan't mention their names, as they probably would love to be mentioned anywhere. Though I will say for the record it's not Ev. Ev hooray! Abdiel Do you think the FPL in general is too harsh towards newbies, or too lenient (or neither)? Ren It's fine towards newbies. Look how far Juli's gotten, after all. Morons, on the other hand.... Abdiel if there were an actual "FPLCon" where most of the creators actually met in person, and money wasn't a factor, would you attend? Ren Yes. Even if it would just be to sit in a corner, make an attempt to avoid looking frightened, and watch as reality suffers the consequences. Abdiel Why the FPL? What keeps you coming back and creating again? Ren I remember that I had been looking for a place like this for about three years. Something that wasn't really just a fiction site, that had something else to it. Abdiel anything you wish this place had that it doesn't? Anything you wish you could take away, to make this a better experience for you and others? Ren The only thing I can think of - leaving the Personalities on the battle sheets. Abdiel Do you see yourself still visiting the site in two years? Ren Definitely. Wouldn't have it any other way. I've gotten too fond of this place for my own good. Abdiel What's the best anime/book/album/movie/entertainment form we aren't experiencing? Ren I'd say Mark Danielewski's 'House of Leaves', but I'm pretty sure after reading 'the maze' that Tarq's already read it. I'd also say the music by one Arvo Part, though Ev got me into him in the first place. Abdiel okay, hypothetical situation - you have ten bucks and you're in the middle of New York City. It's kinda cold, and you're a little hungry. What do you buy? Ren Depends on the location. If I'm near the Naked Cowboy, I first get as far away from him as my legs allow. Merely looking at the fellow would make me feel colder than I'd already be, so there'd be no point in staying around. There was this little restaurant I went to once, can't remember the name, but it had good soup. Abdiel what's the best bargain power in terms of cost-effectiveness in the FPL? Ren A tie Matter Animation, Danger Sense, and Iron Will. I'm an indecisive one, as you can see. Abdiel Star Trek or Star Wars (or Babylon 5, you weirdo)? Ren I wanna say The Next Generation, but I liiiiiked Marcus from B5. He woulda been my idol had I been six. Abdiel which rating contains more, cooler movies: R, or PG, G, and PG-13 combined? Ren R had One-Hour Photo. PG-13-G had Nightmare Before Christmas. So hard. Jack or Cy, Jack or Cy, does not compute..... Abdiel if you could kill one person and get away scot free, who would it be? Ren Oh, that's a toughie. Probably Jerry Springer. I hate that show. Abdiel How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? Ren Somehow I knew you were going to ask that. Abdiel I'm quickly exhausting my supply of pseudo-witty rhetorical questions. Ren As much wood as could fill Mr. McDuck's bank vault, or until it became thirsty. Whichever came first. Abdiel what should everyone do before they turn 20? Ren Test the 'If at first you don't succeed' hypothesis by bungee jumping or skydiving, lest they've proven it already. Abdiel what will you do if Matilda wins the Main Event? Ren Probably go into a short bout of self-denial where I'd convince myself that somehow everyone was lying just to make me feel better, then secretly laugh at Buzzbomb. :) And I'd also tell Psycho Ann and Jessi of my accomplishments. Not that you know who they are. Abdiel What makes you special? Huh, huh? Abdiel pokes Ren in the shoulder Ren I know that if you add HerbOx chicken seasoning to Kraft Mac&Chesse, it suddenly becomes much better. Though now you know too. Crap. Abdiel Why does it always rain on me? Ren Because it's monsoon season? Or maybe you're just grumpy and you have that little thundering raincloud over your head. Abdiel Are we there yet? Ren Only when we find the other half of THIS GOLDEN AMULET will we find our way. Abdiel Okay, I'm done. Anything you want to say to the FPL crowd in general? You have the final word. Ren LOVE AND PEACE! Previous Rants |
