In regards to Shizune

[stalk]

Well, she said that the feeling of a person singing feels good on her chest, so I had the mental image of her resting her chest on someone's back as they sing, essentially hugging from behind. I found the idea cute.

When she said this I pictured standing in front of the singer with one hand touching the singers breastbone.
Hugging the singer would interfere with the singers breathing and affect the song. I was always taught vocals begin at the soles of the feet and go through to the head. Posture is important to a vocalist. Their body is the instrument they are playing. I'd imagine only VERY well trained singers (think broadway or opera level) would be well enough trained to sing well while in contact with another person since they are both vocalists and actors. Your average vocalist who sings in the church choir or solo is not trained for that. Touching someone else is distracting at best when you are trying to focus on producing the sound required. The focus and effort required can be very demanding for some pieces.
Hmmm, how would try to describe standing in a large choir to someone who is totaly deaf? The closest I could come would be to say think of swimming in a sea of vibrations. Sorry, I'm horribly innept at conveying ideas like this.

Yeah that posture is the ideal one I would like to do, but the issue with it is that it means I'm going to be staring at them directly in the eye, which makes the singer even more self conscious then they already feel with me standing so close to them, and touching them on the chest. I knew that these people were probably not going to be singing at 100%, and may not even be that good of a singer to begin with. But you know, I'll take what I can get. For whatever flaws there was in the song, and for all the awkwardness it was, I enjoyed it and it was a unique experience that I wont forget.

A little secret? Ever since I did that, I have tried to sing to duplicate what I felt. I can't do it and it's a bit silly to think I could. Even if I thought I captured it, it's probably going to sound like I'm chanting a demonic ritual to rise Cthulhu from the sea. Actually, that might end up being the secret chant. I think I should stop trying to sing, for the sake of world peace.

[Lon]

A little secret? Ever since I did that, I have tried to sing to duplicate what I felt. I can't do it and it's a bit silly to think I could. Even if I thought I captured it, it's probably going to sound like I'm chanting a demonic ritual to rise Cthulhu from the sea. Actually, that might end up being the secret chant. I think I should stop trying to sing, for the sake of world peace.

You know, I think that would actually be interessting to listen to. It would be interessting to hear a bit of the original then listen to a bit of the song as you "heard" it.

[tyren]

Ah, I was just wondering since you seem to be taking a while to get through KS. It seems like you have plenty else to do, though.

I wouldn't say plenty else LOL but I guess it's a sign that I truly enjoy what I'm reading. Most novels I blow through them in a day. But a truly good novel, I will read a little bit, maybe a half chapter or full chapter at a time, and digest what I've just read. Just take a break, do some other stuff, relax, think about how I feel about it so far.

I don't know if KS is -that- well written, I mean... it's not said as an insult, but I don't think anyone is striving to compare to JRR Tolkien or George RR Martin here. However it is written well enough that it does not distract from the overall feeling of the game, which is what I'm enjoying tremendously. Reading Hisao's insights, Shizune's behavior, and just... seeing the world through the eyes of a hearing person. It is just SO fascinating. So I'm really enjoying it. I've read a few VN's before (Fate/Stay Night, ummm.... I'm sure there's others that I'm forgetting) and I probably get a entirely different thing out of them than the target audience. But they were enjoyable stories, and some of the stuff was kind of LOL i.e. Sakura's worms making her all lusty), and I liked Archer a lot.

However in KS I feel like I'm playing Shizune's part with a omnipotent perception on Hisao's feelings. Which makes me laugh, imagining "what if other guys were thinking like that about me?!" I.e. Kenji's "I hear the student council president is a fearsome being who never talks and only gives orders through subordinates!" And I start thinking... do people say that about me.....? I know it's off the wall and silly, but like I said it amuses me greatly.

So reading KS has me thinking a lot about everything, and reflecting on my life. Whatever it is in the game that causes me to reflect upon it, whether it's simply the theme, a coincidence, the writing, or all of above... being able to do that earns it an A+ in my book. So yeah, I'm taking my time. The game's not going anywhere, and it'd be a waste to finish it in just a night when I can enjoy it over a week or two.

I'm kind of the opposite. I devour books if I'm enjoying them. I'll sit down and read as much as I can for a few hours straight. It's not that I'm trying to rush and get through the story, I just get so engrossed in a really good story that I have trouble putting them down sometimes. With books I don't like so much, I tend to get bored in between chapters and put them down until later when I feel like reading them again.

I ended up playing straight through Katawa from beginning to end (only one route, which ended up being Emi's totally by accident) in one night, took me about three or four hours if I remember right.

[Caesius]

I don't know if KS is -that- well written, I mean... it's not said as an insult, but I don't think anyone is striving to compare to JRR Tolkien or George RR Martin here. However it is written well enough that it does not distract from the overall feeling of the game, which is what I'm enjoying tremendously. Reading Hisao's insights, Shizune's behavior, and just... seeing the world through the eyes of a hearing person. It is just SO fascinating. So I'm really enjoying it. I've read a few VN's before (Fate/Stay Night, ummm.... I'm sure there's others that I'm forgetting) and I probably get a entirely different thing out of them than the target audience. But they were enjoyable stories, and some of the stuff was kind of LOL i.e. Sakura's worms making her all lusty), and I liked Archer a lot.

F/SN blew me away - it even made me cry for fuck's sake - and I was determined to get into more VNs after I was done with it. I've since finished all three routes, but have yet to start reading another VN (besides KS of course). I was about to start reading Tsukihime, but I got distracted by a sort of timesink hobby as I tend to do, since it's summer and all. I'll get back to it eventually.

What kinds of games do you play besides VNs anyway? You probably have no interest in playing a game like Call of Duty 4, not least because you're a girl, but games like Civilization IV should pose no (physical) challenge to you.

[Bara]

Well, she said that the feeling of a person singing feels good on her chest, so I had the mental image of her resting her chest on someone's back as they sing, essentially hugging from behind. I found the idea cute.

When she said this I pictured standing in front of the singer with one hand touching the singers breastbone.
Hugging the singer would interfere with the singers breathing and affect the song. I was always taught vocals begin at the soles of the feet and go through to the head. Posture is important to a vocalist. Their body is the instrument they are playing. I'd imagine only VERY well trained singers (think broadway or opera level) would be well enough trained to sing well while in contact with another person since they are both vocalists and actors. Your average vocalist who sings in the church choir or solo is not trained for that. Touching someone else is distracting at best when you are trying to focus on producing the sound required. The focus and effort required can be very demanding for some pieces.
Hmmm, how would try to describe standing in a large choir to someone who is totaly deaf? The closest I could come would be to say think of swimming in a sea of vibrations. Sorry, I'm horribly innept at conveying ideas like this.

Yeah that posture is the ideal one I would like to do, but the issue with it is that it means I'm going to be staring at them directly in the eye, which makes the singer even more self conscious then they already feel with me standing so close to them, and touching them on the chest. I knew that these people were probably not going to be singing at 100%, and may not even be that good of a singer to begin with. But you know, I'll take what I can get. For whatever flaws there was in the song, and for all the awkwardness it was, I enjoyed it and it was a unique experience that I wont forget.

A little secret? Ever since I did that, I have tried to sing to duplicate what I felt. I can't do it and it's a bit silly to think I could. Even if I thought I captured it, it's probably going to sound like I'm chanting a demonic ritual to rise Cthulhu from the sea. Actually, that might end up being the secret chant. I think I should stop trying to sing, for the sake of world peace.

Yes, the hard breastbone would transmit vibration best. Possibly if you could stand to the side at an angle that would allow you enough view of their face but enough to let them see beyond you? When I used to sing I was very insecure and hated performances. I refused to even look at the audience. I was teased I was singing to the bats in the rafters.
Well, here is secret right back in trade; there are plenty of fully hearing folks who sound like they are summoning deamonic minions from nether dimensions. So whats their excuse for sucking at it?
Forget world peace; if you are enjoying yourself; do it.

[stalk]

You know, I think that would actually be interessting to listen to. It would be interessting to hear a bit of the original then listen to a bit of the song as you "heard" it.

Hahaha I think I would be absolutely terrified to try to sing in front of someone. One time someone begged me to do it so much that I felt so pressured and in order to get out of it, I pretended I was "singing" and did the most. absolutely. horrible. sounds. ever. I think I was basically screeeeeeching then gradually changing to a deep scream then going glass shatteringly high pitched. She never asked again, I will tell you that much. LOL.

I'm kind of the opposite. I devour books if I'm enjoying them. I'll sit down and read as much as I can for a few hours straight. It's not that I'm trying to rush and get through the story, I just get so engrossed in a really good story that I have trouble putting them down sometimes. With books I don't like so much, I tend to get bored in between chapters and put them down until later when I feel like reading them again.

Yeah, you're not the first to note my unusual reading habit. Most people I know find it odd, but eh, we can't all be perfect like me! Haha. Just kidding.

F/SN blew me away - it even made me cry for fuck's sake - and I was determined to get into more VNs after I was done with it. I've since finished all three routes, but have yet to start reading another VN (besides KS of course). I was about to start reading Tsukihime, but I got distracted by a sort of timesink hobby as I tend to do, since it's summer and all. I'll get back to it eventually.

What kinds of games do you play besides VNs anyway? You probably have no interest in playing a game like Call of Duty 4, not least because you're a girl, but games like Civilization IV should pose no (physical) challenge to you.

Yeah, I loved Fate/Stay Night. Rin is soooooo cool. Not a fan of Saber but I can kind of understand what people see in her. Really not a fan of Sakura, but again, also understand what people see in her. Taiga is aweeeeesome!! Lancer is so cool. Some parts of them had me very sad too. I think F/SN took me about 2 months to go through. I mean, it IS a pretty darn long game.

I've read Tsukihime, I'm not sure how much I liked it. It was good, but I liked F/SN a lot better.

As for other games... probably the game I play the most is EverQuest. It is a massive online game. I think the only reason I stuck with it for so long is because there's no communication barrier there. I get to play with others and do things on a equal basis. There's lots and lots of people to meet and be friends with. it doesnt matter who you are or what you can or cant do, nobody knows, all they know is your actions and what you say. So It's fun for me.

Other than that... I'm generally not a fan of extremely violent games. GTA type games are out. I'm not a fan of FPS games. Well I'll be fair. I do like playing against the computer on easy mode with cheats unlocked!! I suck that bad at them! Even with cheats I still lose a lot! So as yo u can imagine I pretty much get obliterated when playing against others. Losing all the time is not fun :p So I don't like FPS games. I like Quake Arena's Capture the Flag game. It's such a old game but I still have a blast on it.

I'm hoooooorrrrible at RTS games. Sooooooo bad. I always lose no matter what I do. I either get rushed and lose, or I spend too much time on defenses and lose. LOL. But I liked Rise of Nations.

Hmmm what else. I like fighting games like Soul Calibur. But I'm one of those annoying button mashers :p I like Burnout Paradise. Oh duh, I've been thinking for a while trying to figure out what my favorite type of games are and it's so obvious that I forgot. I play RPG's most commonly. Final Fantasy (and to avert the question in advance as it's almost always the next question... No, I did not like X-2 :p), Kingdom Hearts, Lost Odyssey, and so on.

I'm a lazy gamer though, I tend to curl up and play for a little while and then go do something else. I'm noticing a trend here. I do that alot huh? I guess I don't sit down and spend hours doing just one thing in general.

[stalk]

Yes, the hard breastbone would transmit vibration best. Possibly if you could stand to the side at an angle that would allow you enough view of their face but enough to let them see beyond you? When I used to sing I was very insecure and hated performances. I refused to even look at the audience. I was teased I was singing to the bats in the rafters.
Well, here is secret right back in trade; there are plenty of fully hearing folks who sound like they are summoning deamonic minions from nether dimensions. So whats their excuse for sucking at it?
Forget world peace; if you are enjoying yourself; do it.

Hahahaha touche.

I don't know why this did not occur to me earlier, but your comment about performances brought these memories back for me. Did you know there are deaf sign language singers? Even I, having been deaf 10 some years at the time, was shocked to learn of it. In fact, during my 8th grade graduation, I put on a performance on stage of sign language singing, and did so again in 11th grade on stage where we had a open fair for hearing people to learn about deaf culture.

It is quite different from sign langauge. I'm trying to define it best as I can. Hmm. It's more like miming, but not. You do not sign any words at all, but show a scenery using your hands. There's pitches and tempos, melodies, and so on that we express with our body language, the speed of our motion, the power in our movement or in the flow. I wonder if I have a video of it still around here, maybe I could upload it if I find it. It's probably in the garage in one of the million boxes so I don't know if I could find it.

But it's actually quite pretty when done well, and the body language is so amazingly clear that even the hearing people in the audience understood what I was portraying completely. It's really cool, I really should find something to show this...

---EDIT----

This is not the kind of sign langauge singing I did... but I found it while trying to find examples... its sooooooooooooooooooo cute!

[Caesius]

Yeah, I loved Fate/Stay Night. Rin is soooooo cool. Not a fan of Saber but I can kind of understand what people see in her. Really not a fan of Sakura, but again, also understand what people see in her. Taiga is aweeeeesome!! Lancer is so cool. Some parts of them had me very sad too. I think F/SN took me about 2 months to go through. I mean, it IS a pretty darn long game.

Saber was my favorite, probably because before no other character in fiction drew out my emotions as much as she did.

I don't think I particularly disliked any characters besides Shinji, Gilgamesh, and Zouken. I even grew to like Kotomine by the end of Sakura's route - I imagine the scene in the Chinese restaurant was to prepare the player to cooperate with him later in the route, because I found that scene very amusing and could relate completely with Kotomine's love of spicy food and how he eats it. And unlike a lot of the fanbase, I liked Sakura even when she was a sex-driven maniac. I didn't much care for her in the first two routes and was even disappointed to wake up with her by my side at the end of Fate, but at some point in the third route I unexpectedly became attached to her (and I don't mean the sex scenes). Besides, the HF normal ending was absolutely heartbreaking, and anyone who still calls Sakura a slut after seeing that can go fuck themselves.

I'm hoooooorrrrible at RTS games. Sooooooo bad. I always lose no matter what I do. I either get rushed and lose, or I spend too much time on defenses and lose. LOL. But I liked Rise of Nations.

I'm also really bad at RTS games; I just can't keep track of my troops, my base, and my resources all at once. I liked StarCraft, C&C: TS, Supreme Commander, and RoN though.

Civilization IV is completely different from those games, and I've poured hundreds of hours into the Civilization series beginning with Test of Time. It's a game that calls for a meticulous and mathematical approach to strategy and a lot of patience to learn all of the mechanics of the game. I'm a slow builder and a turtler in RTS's as well, so yeah.

Hmmm what else. I like fighting games like Soul Calibur. But I'm one of those annoying button mashers :p I like Burnout Paradise. Oh duh, I've been thinking for a while trying to figure out what my favorite type of games are and it's so obvious that I forgot. I play RPG's most commonly. Final Fantasy (and to avert the question in advance as it's almost always the next question... No, I did not like X-2 :p), Kingdom Hearts, Lost Odyssey, and so on.

I really hate arcade-style racing games like Need For Speed and the Burnout series after 2. But I also hate ultra-realistic sim racers like those stupid NASCAR games or WTCC - I would sooner spend 20 hours slogging through tutorials and a massive manual to learn to fly an F-15 in a flight simulator, because then I can at least blow shit up once I get the hang of it. Games like GRID and Forza really hit the sweet spot, and I'll sometimes even try my hand at driving the cars manually (even though I suck at it) because I think it makes it more exciting to have to pay attention to the engine's RPM. Part of that is having control over the sound the engine makes, but even if you're deaf it should be interesting to see the tachometer react to your gearshifts.

Not a fan of traditional RPGs really, and especially not MMORPGs. I do like tactical RPGs though. I'm apparently a fan of grid-based games, and yet I suck at chess...

[Cirno]

I'm currently reading the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George RR Martin. I LOVE it!

I'm about halfway through the second book and it's hard to put down.

Oh also, I've read a fair share of VNs. Narcissu, Planetarian, F/SN and Tsukihime, Ever17, Yume Miru Kusuri, Saya no Uta and possibly other ones I'm forgetting. Aside from F/SN's Unlimited Blade Works route, I think Ever17 left the biggest impression on me for making such awesome use of the Visual Novel medium for storytelling. I really don't know how Ever17 could possibly done in another form, it really could only exist as VN due to the way the plot works. It's awesome.

KS is really holding it's own against most of these titles too. I'm looking forward to it.

[tyren]

Yeah, you're not the first to note my unusual reading habit. Most people I know find it odd, but eh, we can't all be perfect like me! Haha. Just kidding.

It's definitely an interesting way of doing it, I might actually have to try it sometime. Maybe I'll get more out of a story if I pause every few chapters and sort of mull things over.

I will say because I don't take the time to digest what I read I end up forgetting a lot of the details when I go back to read it again later. I'm always noticing new things and sometimes it's hard to tell if I just missed them before (which happens frequently) or if I just forgot.

[SnowSong]

Speaking of Civilization IV and music, do you feel computer generated music through the ear phone's vibration, or do you have a special appratus that amplify the vibration? Baba Yetu might be quite interesting for perceiving the vibration.

[vermithrx]

Well, she said that the feeling of a person singing feels good on her chest, so I had the mental image of her resting her chest on someone's back as they sing, essentially hugging from behind. I found the idea cute.

When she said this I pictured standing in front of the singer with one hand touching the singers breastbone.
Hugging the singer would interfere with the singers breathing and affect the song. I was always taught vocals begin at the soles of the feet and go through to the head. Posture is important to a vocalist. Their body is the instrument they are playing. I'd imagine only VERY well trained singers (think broadway or opera level) would be well enough trained to sing well while in contact with another person since they are both vocalists and actors. Your average vocalist who sings in the church choir or solo is not trained for that. Touching someone else is distracting at best when you are trying to focus on producing the sound required. The focus and effort required can be very demanding for some pieces.
Hmmm, how would try to describe standing in a large choir to someone who is totaly deaf? The closest I could come would be to say think of swimming in a sea of vibrations. Sorry, I'm horribly innept at conveying ideas like this.

As far as singing while being touched, I don't expect it would be that difficult once I got used to it. Sure it would be distracting at first, but it would mostly depend on how familiar I am with the piece and the person I'm singing it to. I certainly wouldn't be able to do it while practicing something new, but I wouldn't want to have an audience for that anyway. Whereas, while I'm in the middle of a piece I really enjoy I can be so focused on the presentation that you could almost burn the theater down around me without my noticing.

Thinking about it some more, I don't know if you'd particularly care for standing in a choir Stalk. Sure, it is like being bathed lightly from head to toe in a feeling both like and unlike that of a singer such that you feel it in your very bones, almost like it is coming from within you, but there is no face to it. The individuals of a choir are too involved in blending their voices together into one voice to be able to express much with it, and they aren't normally expected to do so with their faces, so there isn't much room for individuality. (...does that thought seem horrific to anyone else, or is it just me? I think I'm going to ask a few conductors I know what they feel about it.) There's emotion to it, but it is mostly in the words.

[stalk]

Saber was my favorite, probably because before no other character in fiction drew out my emotions as much as she did.

I don't think I particularly disliked any characters besides Shinji, Gilgamesh, and Zouken. I even grew to like Kotomine by the end of Sakura's route - I imagine the scene in the Chinese restaurant was to prepare the player to cooperate with him later in the route, because I found that scene very amusing and could relate completely with Kotomine's love of spicy food and how he eats it. And unlike a lot of the fanbase, I liked Sakura even when she was a sex-driven maniac. I didn't much care for her in the first two routes and was even disappointed to wake up with her by my side at the end of Fate, but at some point in the third route I unexpectedly became attached to her (and I don't mean the sex scenes). Besides, the HF normal ending was absolutely heartbreaking, and anyone who still calls Sakura a slut after seeing that can go fuck themselves.

You know, come to think of it.. I'm not sure if I ever finished the Heaven's Feel route. Ack. I should go check sometime.

An i think that you probably like Saber for the similar reasons I like Archer. Except, you know, oppsite genders and all for the both of us. The whole sacrifical hero, determined, and so on. So Saber being written in such a way she is wouldn't appeal to me like she would to you.

I have difficulty understanding the whole slut thing in regards to Sakura, LOL. I mean... Shiro has sex with Rin and Saber at the same time! Does that make him a man-slut?! Ay ay such a double standard! Hahahahaha. But my issue with Sakura was not that. It's just more... I guess in general subservent women don't strike me as a good character trait. I mean.. I wouldn't think lesser of anyone for liking that trait in her, we all have our thing. But her personality clearly wasn't aimed to make me like her. I felt sad for her, however, for the life she led.

I hated Shinji, but Gilgamesh made me laugh. He was so over the top cocky that every time he did his smartass lines I cracked up because it's just horrible! I felt sad for Rider as well.

I'm also really bad at RTS games; I just can't keep track of my troops, my base, and my resources all at once. I liked StarCraft, C&C: TS, Supreme Commander, and RoN though.

Civilization IV is completely different from those games, and I've poured hundreds of hours into the Civilization series beginning with Test of Time. It's a game that calls for a meticulous and mathematical approach to strategy and a lot of patience to learn all of the mechanics of the game. I'm a slow builder and a turtler in RTS's as well, so yeah.

Yeah! That's exactly it. And I forgot to mention that I have played Civ 4, I enjoyed it a lot. But it's such a time consuming game that I rarely can play it. I heard that online games are usually suspended and replayed over the course of a week! That's just nuts. But it does suit my style of play WAY more than anything else.

I really hate arcade-style racing games like Need For Speed and the Burnout series after 2. But I also hate ultra-realistic sim racers like those stupid NASCAR games or WTCC - I would sooner spend 20 hours slogging through tutorials and a massive manual to learn to fly an F-15 in a flight simulator, because then I can at least blow shit up once I get the hang of it. Games like GRID and Forza really hit the sweet spot, and I'll sometimes even try my hand at driving the cars manually (even though I suck at it) because I think it makes it more exciting to have to pay attention to the engine's RPM. Part of that is having control over the sound the engine makes, but even if you're deaf it should be interesting to see the tachometer react to your gearshifts.

I don't like the racing aspects of it either. I just like the parts where I crash and things go boom.

I used to play Flight Simulator. My dad was a pilot. Before I got sent to CSDF, I was close with him. He would play the game and I would sit on his lap watching him play and sometimes he would let me fly the plane. It was soooooo fun. But I was like 8 years old lol. Nowdays though it seems so mind numbingly boring.

Not a fan of traditional RPGs really, and especially not MMORPGs. I do like tactical RPGs though. I'm apparently a fan of grid-based games, and yet I suck at chess...

Final Fantasy Tatics!!!!!! I love it. I'm good at chess. I can beat everyone in 4 moves. Unless you know that I'm doing the 4 move thing. Then I lose. Its the only trick I know. Haha.

[stalk]

I'm currently reading the A Song of Fire and Ice series by George RR Martin. I LOVE it!

I'm about halfway through the second book and it's hard to put down.

Oh also, I've read a fair share of VNs. Narcissu, Planetarian, F/SN and Tsukihime, Ever17, Yume Miru Kusuri, Saya no Uta and possibly other ones I'm forgetting. Aside from F/SN's Unlimited Blade Works route, I think Ever17 left the biggest impression on me for making such awesome use of the Visual Novel medium for storytelling. I really don't know how Ever17 could possibly done in another form, it really could only exist as VN due to the way the plot works. It's awesome.

KS is really holding it's own against most of these titles too. I'm looking forward to it.

I've read Planetarian! I love it. I tried Ever17 but I lost track of everything. I should pick it up again.

Speaking of Civilization IV and music, do you feel computer generated music through the ear phone's vibration, or do you have a special appratus that amplify the vibration? Baba Yetu might be quite interesting for perceiving the vibration.

Nope, my computer only has a onboard sound card and I have no speakers or headphones. My older brother has surround sound thingy and boy I can feel it. But in general I like my quiet so I don't go out of my way to be able to feel things in games or movies.

As far as singing while being touched, I don't expect it would be that difficult once I got used to it. Sure it would be distracting at first, but it would mostly depend on how familiar I am with the piece and the person I'm singing it to. I certainly wouldn't be able to do it while practicing something new, but I wouldn't want to have an audience for that anyway. Whereas, while I'm in the middle of a piece I really enjoy I can be so focused on the presentation that you could almost burn the theater down around me without my noticing.

That begs for testing. Let's see if we really can burn a theater down with you in it, shall we?! Haha.

Thinking about it some more, I don't know if you'd particularly care for standing in a choir Stalk. Sure, it is like being bathed lightly from head to toe in a feeling both like and unlike that of a singer such that you feel it in your very bones, almost like it is coming from within you, but there is no face to it. The individuals of a choir are too involved in blending their voices together into one voice to be able to express much with it, and they aren't normally expected to do so with their faces, so there isn't much room for individuality. (...does that thought seem horrific to anyone else, or is it just me? I think I'm going to ask a few conductors I know what they feel about it.) There's emotion to it, but it is mostly in the words.

All I could think was... We are borg. You will be assimilated. Resistance is Futile. The thought of Choir-Borgs was actually quite terrifying. I'm not sure if I can sleep at night. I wonder if Priscilla can defend me against those.....

[Caesius]

Yeah! That's exactly it. And I forgot to mention that I have played Civ 4, I enjoyed it a lot. But it's such a time consuming game that I rarely can play it. I heard that online games are usually suspended and replayed over the course of a week! That's just nuts. But it does suit my style of play WAY more than anything else.

I don't play Civ 4 often, but when I get into it I can play one game for a week or more at a time. I love to play on ridiculously huge maps and disable the Space Race, Diplomatic, and Cultural victories so I'm forced to mobilize my extremely efficient monster economy to build an elite military force to steamroll pretty much everyone. Granted, I usually get bored before I satisfy the victory conditions, but it's better than the game ending just as things are getting interesting.

I love to show off my military's power projection capabilities by building a ton of carriers (with four-jet-fighter CAGs), transports, missile cruisers, marines, modern armor, and mobile artillery. Then I go halfway around the world to kill some dick AI who pissed me off.

If I end up finishing the game, it usually takes me... I don't know... 40 hours? My favorite civilization is the Dutch by the way; in the Fall from Heaven II mod I like the Lanun, which are a seafaring civilization.


In addition, at one point I really got into Hearts of Iron II. I liked to play as Sweden and cheat to get their government more aligned with Nazi Germany, and eventually join the Axis to support Finland in the Continuation War. I helped Finland conquer the entirety of Karelia and Kola, but gave up because the German AI usually didn't fare very well against the Soviet Union. One time Britain even snuck past the Skagerrak and the Kattegat for an amphibious landing at Stockholm, and I was like wtf Germany.

I don't like the racing aspects of it either. I just like the parts where I crash and things go boom.

No, I do like the racing aspects, just not when I'm spinning out every goddamn corner. GRID and Forza do start out difficult, but not "realistically" so, and it's a real sense of accomplishment to master the faster cars on the longer and more difficult tracks. I love to do the Le Mans in GRID (24 minutes) and the endurance races in Forza (50 minutes).

Between those games and Civ IV, I guess it's just easier for me to really get into something and spend a ton of time on it.

I used to play Flight Simulator. My dad was a pilot. Before I got sent to CSDF, I was close with him. He would play the game and I would sit on his lap watching him play and sometimes he would let me fly the plane. It was soooooo fun. But I was like 8 years old lol. Nowdays though it seems so mind numbingly boring.

I used to play ATF Gold on my uncle's computer when I was about that age as well. I only liked to watch my planes get blown up though.

Final Fantasy Tatics!!!!!! I love it. I'm good at chess. I can beat everyone in 4 moves. Unless you know that I'm doing the 4 move thing. Then I lose. Its the only trick I know. Haha.

I never finished FFTA, but I intend to play it again eventually. I was thinking more like Tactics Ogre, Zone of the Enders: The Fist of Mars, Advance Wars, and... well... maybe some others I forgot.