Eighteenth Interview: Mr. Graves
Here in the FPL, when you mention success, Graves is one name you simply can't miss - the mere mention of his name brings talks about one of the most prominent - and significant - characters in the FPL; Mr. Graves - winner of Year 2000's Contest of Champions, who's given many a legendary FPL character a run for their money, as well as playing a pivotal role in defining Khazan's IC canon as we know it. With a slew of other masterful creations made under his name, Mr. Graves is a force to be reckoned with. Continuing the tradition of the NNFPL interviews, I, Lawman shall meet with the mind behind the masterpieces in an interview to know more about his history, the present and his plans for the FPL's future, stay tuned.
Lawman: I would like to thank Mr. Graves for graciously allowing us part of his time to take part in this interview. First, following common tradition, I'd like to ask you - which of your FPL works do you consider your best character ever, and why?
MrGraves: Hmm... heh, you know, I've thought about this a lot.
MrGraves is thinking about this a lot right now actually...
Lawman: Hmm... considering you're one who routinely churns out epic works, I guess this one's a toughie.
MrGraves: Yeah. But, really. Mr. Graves. I look at him and I just... I dunno. There's no other real answer I can give.
Lawman: Well, I guess it all goes without saying, heh. Mr. Graves, a name that is synonymous with one of the best FPL creators, as well as a character with a lot of IC influence.
MrGraves: Heh, but, you know why?
Lawman: I dunno, but I'd be interested to...
MrGraves: Yeah, he did some crazy things for his time, but that's not it. What gets me to this day is that I'm still going back and reading him. My writing skills have gotten better since those days, but if someone still asks me, I'll still say, "Go read his character sheet." It's that important, I think. I'd been writing plenty of stuff about him before then, and I'm still writing about him today, but that's like, a focal point, you know?
Lawman: True dat. No doubt, Mr. Graves was the first character to patent the power combo, back before teleportation was a legitimate power.
MrGraves: It ties everything together.... hehe, yeah, that was a big thing I did with the first few characters. Lots of experimenting.
Lawman: So, here's another classic - what do you think makes a great character truly great? And how would you distinguish a truly great character from one that is good?
MrGraves: Here's how I can tell when a character is truly great: Once I've finished reading it, I want to write something, or make a character, or do something creative, especially if it's related to that character. It's kind of hard to say HOW you make a character that does that, but a good character will impress you, while a great character will -inspire- you.
Lawman: Ah... so one of the things that makes a great character great is that you feel like giving that character an IC spot in your fics, I guess?
MrGraves: Maybe not just that, though that's definitely a good sign. A good character might still make, like, a cameo or something.
Lawman: Hmm... kinda profound here, but I think I understood what you meant. ^^ That being said, how about examples of 'great' and 'good' characters?
MrGraves: A great character, you'll read it and then you'll say, "Ooh, what if this character met this guy, or, I can see if this guy tried to battle this villain"
Lawman: A-ha... but could you name a great character off the top of your head, as well as a good one?
MrGraves: Hmm... here's a good example of a great character, in my opinion. Chakos. Never used him in a fic before, but when I read that character I wanted to see him in a story doing something.
Lawman: Chakos... well, that's a timeless classic in my opinion.
MrGraves: I think part of that was because Chakos really stands out as the first big character to use storytelling for the powers instead of just describing them, but still.
MrGraves remembers bugging Chakos the creator to write more about him ^^
MrGraves: Him and Samas, that was another great one...
Lawman: Of course, innovation plays a BIG part in greatness, too. Certainly not a requisite, but it does help to be the first to try something.
MrGraves: Let's see, a good one... Zalrafel. He's a REALLY GOOD character, let me stress that.
Lawman: No doubting that. ut do you mean the classic Zal, or the Twisted one?
MrGraves: Either one, really. I remember reading both of them, and, well, I wasn't immediately thinking of scenarios and fic ideas and such. But when I read it, I could say, "Yeah, this is really good stuff, I think it's gonna go far in the FPL"
Lawman: Hmmm... okay, here's the next one - Do you think that IC works play a big part in the FPL?
MrGraves: Hmm....
MrGraves looks at page on his website dedicated to FPL Fan Fiction. MrGraves looks at other page on his webspace dedicated to his own writings for Khazanian Empire
MrGraves: Yeah, I'd say they're pretty important ^^
Lawman: No doubt, IC works make the FPL a lot more colourful.
MrGraves: Seriously though, you can make a character, and it will do well, and you can be satisfied with that. Me, I wanna see it jump off the character sheet and start doing something. It's 50/50.
Lawman: Of course, what do you have to say regarding writing epic works of fiction that will reshape the FPL IC continuity? Which IC fics do you regard as FPL canon, and non-canon?
MrGraves: You've gotta have the small stuff, that helps a lot more with personal character development and relationships because it's not a big comittment. At the same time, the big epics can allow for lots of interaction and some real plot and gritty stuff going on. It's great to have both. Canon? Heck, canon is what you want to be canon.
Lawman: Hmm... true, Khazan is open to one's intepretation afterall.
MrGraves: This is Khazan, I could see the Apocalypse and an invasion of Quietus being worked in at the same time with no problems with the right spin on things. The only time I ever consider something non-canon is if you have two separate works that directly contradict each other, like with a character or something. AoG is non-canon, or at least, it's not canon yet ^^ One of these days, a bunch of us are going to sit down and pound out a timeline. And we'll say this happened then, and then this and that, and something might get thrown out, but anyways.
Lawman: Ah... so I guess even a 'Chaos Lord in Khazan' could be considered canon so long as it doesn't conflict with established FPL IC elements, I suppose? j/k
MrGraves: He could be a Chaos Lord on 35th Avenue, perhaps ^^
Lawman laughs So, any IC works you'd recommend to the FPL crowd?
MrGraves: You know, I haven't seen him in ages, but I kinda liked how Robotech Master's War of Drekis was going for a while. Dunno how I'd fit it in with the stuff I'm doing, but it's a fun read if you get the chance. Hmmm....
Lawman: Well, as a side, Robotech Master is in the process of restructuring the War of Drekis, last I checked with him via e-mail.
MrGraves nods All the big stuff of course, though it'll take you forever to read Apocalypse. Quietus Unleashed is a good one for early stuff... ASYLUM's going well, that's worth checking out.
Lawman: I guess Apocalypse goes without saying... it's about the closest thing you'd get to a professionally-written novel on the FPL, IMO.
MrGraves: Heh, yeah, and, well, of course, there's the obvious plug for Khazanian Empire, though that one's getting to be a really long read too if you start from the beginning. I need to update the Fan Fic page though. Really, the more you read, the more appreciation you can have for the FPL.
Lawman nods So, when you speak of characters and fics, then you can't forget creators either - care to list some recent creators to catch your attention?
MrGraves: Most improved that I've seen in recent times: May Lee. I had my doubts about her when she first came to the FPL, but on these last few characters she's made great strides.
MrGraves thought Guasconti might make the ME. Who else... Jake/Maestro's been impressive, Soberguy continues to do well...
Lawman: Ah yes... give her a "hardworking creator" award - no doubt she's earned it. So, which creators do you feel are at the moment 'underrated'?
Lawman decides to be a tad egotistical and point out that he was also one creator who never had any luck at first, but managed to work his way up.
MrGraves: Hehe, yeah, I like the current champ, props to you. Most Underrated: Somebody give Ren a freaking medal already. Really though, Ren's like the new Pie or something. I remember when Pie was the most underappreciated guy around here, but now he's got like 3 champs under his belt.
Lawman: Thanks, you just told us younger-generation FPLers of a side of Pie we probably never knew. ^^ Yeah, I think it's kinda universal that Ren isn't getting the credit he deserves. But when you list underrated creators, you can't forget the overrated ones. So, who do you feel are overrated creators?
MrGraves: Heh... overrated? I dunno, there's not toooo much of that going on.
Lawman: Seems that way to me too.
MrGraves: I mean, look at Rhekarid.
Lawman considers Rhek a new breakout talent that's bound to create something great one day.
MrGraves: He's exactly where I think he should be right now, I've seen a couple of really good characters from him, but he has yet to get a real HoFer. Maybe he's a bit underrated, but I think in the next character or two we're gonna see which way he goes. He's got his foot in the door, and at the same time, we haven't seen one of his characters win the Main Event three times and everyone go, "Aww, he ain't THAT great, he needs to be knocked down a notch." Yeah, I'm interested in seeing what he has next, potential for greatness there.
Lawman: Ah-ha. Annnnd... on to the next million-dollar question: FPL fights! What are the fights you vote on, and what do you think are deciding factors as to who you think should win a fight?
MrGraves: I vote on at least half of the fights, usually. How do I choose? Sore wa himitsu desu ^^ Really though, I pick a lot of factors. Most important one: Focus.
Lawman: Eh, focus?
MrGraves: Well, maybe not most important, but that's the one I pick up on the most. Many times you'll see a character that really focuses on one group of traits. Robot-Killer Aria vs. Morton the Robot is kind of an extreme example, but you get what I mean.
Lawman: So... in recent times there are people who say those who use powers as a deciding factor in a fight are shallow... what do you think of fights where powers and abilities are concerned?
MrGraves: I think it's more how those powers and abilites are used. Like I said, Focus. A character can be really great and awesome and everything, and I may love how it's written, but if it's like an anime character or something going up against The Anime Hunter, they're going to have their hands full ^^ OTOH, AH may be at a slight disadvantage in other fights. It's kinda like Immunities and Resistances. They can really swing the battle in your favor, but if they don't get used they can really hurt your chances too.
Lawman: True dat. but you can't deny the fact that certain characters have a stigma comes solely from their creators. For example, most of us would simply shake our heads when faced with a Landon or Poe character in an undercard fight. (Editor's Note: Landon shoots Lawman while editing the interview)
MrGraves: Heh... well, they're not invincible. But... well, if you read the character, and you said, holy crap this is a good character, then maybe you have a reason to shake your head ^^
Lawman: Certainly, no character is unstoppable - save the DELETER, that is. But that's a different story, so I shan't go into that.
MrGraves: If you didn't feel that way... well, I AM the guy who coined SioK... Err, SIoK, rather ^^ Just remember, the reason you win or lose a fight is because of about 20-30, sometimes more or less, people's opinions.
Lawman: Oh. But when you discuss fights... you inevitably discuss the taboo... elitism. So, do you think elitism is a tangible force that affects the outcomes of FPL matches, or are they just an excuse coined by disgruntled newbies to make them feel better about their characters simply being not as good?
MrGraves: Some of those people have very set opinions about what they like and what they don't like. Everyone has that, I think, just some people have it for stuff outside the FPL where it may not carry as much weight. Like I said, it's 20-30 people's opinions, some of whom may be set towards certain things. But just because people may share some of the same opinions doesn't mean they're getting together to decide how matches are gonna go.
Lawman still believes that it was a disgruntled newbie who originally coined the term 'elitism'.
MrGraves: Yeah, I didn't coin that one... I think ^^
Lawman: So, I guess it's safe to assume that nobody here loses because the rest of us form voting cliques against them?
MrGraves: Naw. I think some people do have similar opinions, but that's about it.
Lawman: Well... onward we go. If you could change certain things in the FPL... what would your ideal FPL be?
MrGraves: Not too much different... ideally, I would change the world so that people would have more time to spend on the FPL, doing CAs, FAs, writing fics, but that's a bit more difficult ^^ That's what I think the main problem is. If more people had the time to do stuff around the site... or maybe just weren't so lazy ^^
Lawman: Wouldn't you like to see less annoying people?
MrGraves: Annoying people? Eh, it's not a huge deal for me. Sure it'd be NICE if no one was annoying, but that's not exactly an easy thing to have either.
Lawman: Ah yes... but considering the things we do on the FPL, we do it for free, it can be hard at times to get the proper motivation. Of course, I always stress on real-life taking priority over FPL...
MrGraves: Real life? What is this real life you speak of?
Lawman: *Mega anime sweatdrop* Gulp...
MrGraves: Heehee
Lawman: Anyway, what do you forsee yourself doing in the FPL like say, three years from now?
MrGraves: NOT STILL WRITING KHAZANIAN EMPIRE, I HOPE! *sighs and laughs* God, it's taken so long to get done... but, when it is done... hehe, I have a few projects in mind. One of them I may very well be working on then, if I'm still around, which, hopefully, I will be.
Lawman: Well... I guess it's time for some random tidbits... Any FPL fights you're simply itching to see come to pass? Or any FPL fights that would never come to be, but you wish could happen?
MrGraves: I wanna see Dodge Murphy vs. Lincoln Matthews sometime. Two characters that are a lot alike, and both did really well.
Lawman: Six times! SIX times! Oh yeah.
MrGraves: A Wizard in Foxtail Park vs. Jesper of the Road. Really liked Inky's character, that'd be a fun throwdown.
Due to time constraints on Graves’ part, the interview would be left hanging here… however, it shall go on….
Lawman: Well, that might come to pass in CoC 2003, I suppose. If there is a Contest of Champions 2003, that is.
MrGraves: Heh, I think there'll be another CoC someday. 2004 if not 2003, though I think the next one might just be ME winners or something.
Lawman: Hmm... I suppose so. Well, perhaps not all of us know of your glorious history... do you mind sharing with us a brief history of how your FPL career started?It might be interesting to find out about the origin of Mr. Graves... hmm...
MrGraves: My FPL career? Well, I've been around since it began, though I missed the preliminary stuff apparently. Saw Day One though, haven't missed much since. Lawman: Remember what I said about his character sheet being so important? ^^
Lawman: Yeah?
MrGraves: GO READ IT! (is just kidding here, sorry) Seriously though: If you REALLY want to know about how the whole Adventure and Mr. Graves and stuff got started... MrGraves looks at the clock. Damn library closes in two hours, can't give the long version.
Lawman: Lemme guess... Battlemaster High fics, right?
MrGraves: Naw, actually, BMH stuff was put together after I started in with him in the FPL. Lemme see if I can compress this down into 5 minutes or so. About several months before the FPL started, I (accidentally, believe it or not) started a few freestyle-RPG sessions on a couple of different message boards. Guess who was the villain.
Lawman: Alexander Raimus?
MrGraves: Mr. Graves was my nickname back then, because I, well, lacked the creativity to come up with something better ^^
Lawman: Eh... wasn't Graves your last name in real-life as well?
MrGraves: Yep... heeyyy... what do you mean wasn't? Anyways, those sessions were what built the groundwork for Graves' history. Eventually I'd go back and add things like his adolescent years at BMH, and stuff even before that with the High Council.
Lawman: On to the next question. What is it about the FPL do you think makes it different from interactive sims of a somewhat similar nature?
MrGraves: Interactive sims of a somewhat similar nature? There's other places like this?
Lawman: Well, for starters I could point out West Coast Empire...
MrGraves: I think the big thing is, the FPL's more do-it-yourself, in a way. Sure, there's a listing of powers and a background, but nobody's really in charge of forging things ahead. Oh, you mean what sets it apart from other create-your-own sites?
Lawman: That's right.
MrGraves: Even on that comparison, I think it's more open. I've hung around most of the sites that were set up like this one, and I think that's the one main difference. With those sites, the people in mind I think sort of had an idea of what they wanted to do with the world that the site's IC aspect took place on. The people running it did, rather. Around here, you pretty much forge your own path if you want to.
Lawman: Oh yeah, true. You make your own storylines here, whereas in other hero sims, you follow the site's IC continuity.
MrGraves: Several people have, some with pretty good results. Sure there's some stuff entrenched into history, but the whole point of Khazan is that it's big enough for anything.
Lawman: Are there any works of fiction (ie. movies, novels, comics, etc.) outside of the FPL that you draw on for inspiration for FPL works?
MrGraves: Mostly books and RPGs, when I've got the time for playing or reading. Hehe, a few movies too ^^
Lawman: So, any of such works you'd recommend to the crowd?
MrGraves: Yes, if you haven't watched "The Blues Brothers" at least once (the original, not the sequel), do so. If you've never played Final Fantasy VI, do so. If you've never read 1984, do so. Really though, just do it. And don't limit yourself to just one medium. Read books, watch tv and movies, read comics, play video games... they're all important. Even listening to music (heck, especially listening to music), or looking at art... finding what inspires you is the most important thing.
Lawman nods So... what's your favourite genre of music? ie. rock, slow rock, techno, pop, etc.
MrGraves: I have a stack of CDs sitting next to me. Simon & Garfunkel's Greatest Hits, Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here, Pearl Jam's Ten, The Black Mages, and even one for Henry Mancini.
Lawman: Sounds like pop to me... Rather, a wide array...
MrGraves: Well, the thing is, there's also a lot from those genres that I don't listen to, and several I haven't listed here. About the only groupings I don't listen to that often are rap, country, and IdiotSound.
Lawman: IdiotSound? Sounds like the ravings and rantings of the FPL's dumbest...
MrGraves: Yes. Set that to music.
Lawman: Well, before we wrap this up... we'll allow you some free talk. Any random musings you'd like to close this interview with?
MrGraves: 90% of the world's problems are caused by people who assume things that may not actually be true. Of course, I'm just assuming this. It may not actually be true.
Lawman: Actually, that was something I believe too.
MrGraves: But, yeah. Never assume too much. It can make things complicated ^^ Err, I hope that's random enough...
Lawman: Well, anyways, a million thanks to Mr. Graves for agreeing to be interviewed. Stay tuned to the same server, same channel for the next possible FPLer to be interviewd.