|
|
|
Being in power is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you aren't. -- Margaret Thatcher Vina stands out not only because of her gender (she's one of FPL's few female creators) but also because of her characters' forceful, perky style. Nearly reaching the HoF with her first character, vina has created at a consistently excellent cast of characters for herself, and earned recognition from the FPL voter populace at large. Abdiel First off I'd like to thank you for taking the time to answer a few questions this evening, vina. I know we're eating into precious Chris time ;) vina Heh... Chris time doesn't get eaten into. I plan computer time around it. Abdiel Anyway, traditional first question: Which of your characters do you feel has been your "biggest success," and why? vina Well, I guess the obvious answer is Jessic. She's grown into something much bigger, and I'm actually working on a novel with her as the main character. I mean, I've tried to get that good since then, and Maggels is close, but she was kind of a fluke. Abdiel Will you be attempting to have the novel published, or will it be available online? (for your FPL friends, that is) vina I think I'd like to have it published, cause it really is that good, but you all can have an advanced copy :) Abdiel Sounds great. Anyway, what would you say is it about Jessic that makes her unique? vina She's just a perfect amalgam of everything I love about science fiction and heroics, and I have a real soft spot for female heroines... Jessic is kinda basically an example of my favorite sort of heroine. But again, she's grown past the fpl... and I'm trying to find a new sucess there. Abdiel Speaking of female role models... what do you think of the FPL and gender issues? Do you ever feel out of place because most of the members are male? Do you ever wish there were more female members, or try and recruit more? vina Frankly, I really enjoy being one of the few females. I know it's not very feminist, but I don't feel like any of the special treatment is negative at all... I feel like I get more attention here as a woman. So I DO think that other women would enjoy being here... but I'd hate to loose my spotlight :) Abdiel So you think you've been treated differently (other than in obvious ways) because of your gender? And if so, in what ways? vina Um... well yes, I have been treated differently, the question is really what ways are the obvious ways. Like, I was barely hazed at all... and I think a good deal of my initial sucess was because I'm a girl, but would you consider those obvious or not? Abdiel Hey, I'M asking the questions here =) So you're of the "take it where I can get it" mentality? vina Sorry :) Frankly, I don't worry about it. I just enjoy being allowed to play with the boys. Abdiel That's, frankly a really good attitude I wish some of our male players would embrace.. vina I'm not sure if most boys know it, but the "no girls alowed attitude" is pretty pervasive. I mean, growing up, I would have absolutely died if the boys had let me play football during recess. It would have been a dream. So that's really how I see this. I'm being allowed to play the boys' game. Abdiel Both sexes can definitely be exclusive at times. So, moving on - what do you feel separates a truly "great" character from a merely "good" one? vina There's sort of a extraneous factor... even after everything comes together and flows perfectly, it has to have some sort of "oomph" that really takes it home. It can come from anywhere... like with Forté it comes from his picture, in my mind, while with Stella Aurorae, it's the nature of her powers. But basically it's just something beyond the sum total of it's parts. Abdiel So, speaking of great characters, can you give us your personal FPL All time top 3? vina Well, I just gave you two :) * Abdiel nods vina Forté and Stella are huge, in my mind... the third would have to be a toss-up between Cybortus and Babylon Jones. Abdiel Why Cybortus/Jones? vina Cybortus was just such a well put together villian, while Jones has that same "heroine" factor that I was talking about. Plus, I'm probably the biggest Poe fan there is. * Abdiel nods vina I mean, how many fans appear naked in his gallery? :) Abdiel So, what's the best little -fill in the entertainment media blank- we're not experiencing? comic/book/CD/movie/recreational sport/game, etc vina Ooo... good one. Um... everyone needs to read the Golden Queen, by Dave Wolverton, it's like, the absolute pinacle of space opera. Movies... I think my two favorite right now are Memento, and as always, Night of the Living Dead '90, birthplace of the flaming beatdown stick :) Abdiel Heh, the infamous flaming beatdown stick vina Damn right :) But don't forget Memento... that thing is just poised to explode. It's incredible. Abdiel So, I know one of your pasttimes is casting universes and storylines, any news on that front? vina Actually, I had to take a major step backward... after seeing Pearl Harbor, I realized there's no WAY Alec Baldwin could be Batman. Abdiel Alec Baldwin moves his lips when he reads, vina... what were you thinking? =) vina I was thinking the shadow... Abdiel Heh, fair enough vina But you're right, it was stupid. Abdiel Do you have a website up again? vina Anyway, I took a step back, and realized that in the four years since I started the project... well, everybody aged. So I've started the whole thing over again. Abdiel Its a neverending task vina Yea, but you know... I haven't enjoyed it this much since I started. Oh, and incidentally... Ralph Phinnes as Batman. Abdiel hmm... * Abdiel will have to think on that one vina Watch english patient and strange days in the same sitting, you'll agree with me. * Abdiel was thinking Johnny Dep, actually, now that he's older, but perhaps not a good fit vina And you gotta save Johnny Depp for Ghost Rider. Abdiel Have you found a new home for your old website? vina Aw, the website... it was fun, but I'm really not a programmer. If I can find a way to get the info on the web easily... I'll redo the page. Abdiel Do you have your casts for EN, Sluggy, GI Joe and the various other series chronicled somewhere? * vina taps her noggin. vina Right here, my friend :) Abdiel A good answer, to be sure Abdiel Do you think elitism exists in the FPL, and if so, is it a problem? vina Oh, god yes, and it's a problem as much as it is anywhere. But I mean... so what? Abdiel No ready solution, eh? vina Yea, and I really don't think it's something that needs to be solved. Some people are good and they know it, and they get to haze the people who are new and suck. Not the most evolved system, but high school is pretty much the same way :) Abdiel With that in mind, do you have any advice for all the newbie creators out there, male or otherwise, who are striving for their first success? vina I think the best advice is to not be discouraged... because not only does this take practice, the simple truth is that there is a style of character that tends to better than another style of character... it's going to take a while to figure it out. It's challenging, and you get teased... but the rewards are seriously worth it. Because not only are these people cool, they're some of the smartest people I know, and being able to switch on your computer and have access to a wealth of brain power is a definite asset. Abdiel Do you have any new characters coming up that you'd like to give us a sneak peek of? vina I have a few ideas... nothing that's really taken grip at all. generally I like to go on and banter... usually with you Abbey :) * Abdiel grins Abdiel And I with you, as always vina The good ideas start to peek out from the so-so ones. Like that water nymph idea we were talking about. That'll probobly be my new one. I'd love to do a villian, but my last one was a HUGE headache, submitted him like fifteen times before they'd take him. Abdiel So... when you vote on a match, what's the first thing you look at, and whats the most important thing to you? vina I'm not afraid to admit it... the picture really does grab me. I like to try to figure out what sort of character the player was TRYING to create... and the picture gives me a great jumping off point. If the picture is crap, or a joke, then I kind of get a sense that the character isn't going to be great. Abdiel So what do you think of this Whole Heromachine thing? vina I really dig Heromachine as a toy.. something to doodle with. But when it comes to characters, as I said... the pic is how you make eye contact with the reader. If you flub the pic, which is really what Heromachine is, then you do a disservice to the reader... and he'll know. So you're welcome to use them, but know that pissing off the voters is generally a bad thing. Abdiel What do you think of the recent changes to the FPL in v3.0? vina You know, I had to leave for a while, and when I came back, everything was different. I'm still getting used to it, but it seems pretty cool. I miss some things, enjoy the additions... you know, it's different. something to explore. Abdiel If there was one thing you could change about the FPL, what would it be? vina Hmm. I think... I think IF i was going to change anything, it'd have to be the nature of the fights themselves... find some way to more accurately depict just how these characters are going to fight. Like, I love nifty ideas like ..... or BARECHESTED THUGS, but if they were fighting someone like Maggels, how exactly are they fighting? * Abdiel nods Abdiel Any idea how your new system would work? vina I think it'd have to be an expansion of the setting... like, instead of just putting us in the mall, we should go on and say what they'll be doing, what the challenge is... what the conditions for winning are. I think it would also inspire some people to think more three dimensionally when they creat the characterrs to begin with. Abdiel Good idea... Abdiel So, any dream matches between champions or underdogs past and present? Any matches of your own characters you wish you could have over? vina I'm really still a beginner, so I don't have as many characters as a lot of other people... but I think I'd love to see jessic against someone like Robot Killer Aria... she WILL be meeting Babylon Jones in a story I'm writting as we speak (with official Poe illustrations :) ) Mack So, anybody you feel to be an underrated creator(s)? vina I'll be honest, I tend to get so immersed in the characters themselves, that with a few exceptions, I overlook the name of the creator. I mean, a new Poe, vK, Marks character... that's always going to catch my eye. Mack Any fights you feel the result went the wrong way and such? vina Um... all the ones I lost. Abdiel Fair enough ;) vina In all seriousness... I know all creators feel gyped when they have characters die from under them... but I had a really soft spot in my heart for Chuchu. I would have loved to see him get bigger. Abdiel So, if you could off any one person in the world "and get away with it, too", who would it be? vina It's a toss up between David Arquette, Joel Schumacher, or Strom Thurmond. Oh... and this one customer from work today. Abdiel Awww... but strom thurmond is like 95... the poor guys gonna die soon anyway vina He's 98 actually... 99 in november, but you're right... too easy. take him from the list. Replace him with Newt Gingrich. * Abdiel winces Abdiel Anything else at all you'd like to plug while you're on record? vina Well, what I would like to say is that I love this place... and it makes me sad when politics or semantics make people unhappy around here, because at it's core it's a game, and a really fun one. if everybody stepped back and just realized how lucky we are to have it in the first place without all the "he's ruining the game with his *blank*" or the "I'm fed up with all the *blank*" and just PLAY... it'd be much more fun. Abdiel An excellent sentiment vina Isn't it? :) Mack Yes, and saves Abby the need to ask the 'final thoughts' question... Abdiel Well, thank you for your time, Vina, I look forward to seeing more great work from you in the future! vina I would think so... half the ideas are yours to begin with :) Previous Rants |
