Welcome to Gaia! ::

So, Chika. ^_^

How do you add such lovely detail to your posts? Is there a trick that you might share? How long have you been writing? Other than this and college, are there any other places you write for? Journal?

If you could have had the first pick of any summon you wanted, which one would you have chosen? The same for your weapon.

What is your favorite kind of music? Favorite band?

@Amy: Get ready for a small autobiography. You don't know what you've done now that you made me the feature of Ask a Character. I'm sure that, after this, no one will want to ask me anything anymore. XD Shortest Q&A ever, hahaha. Feel the regret!

Chika: How do I write with such detail? I don't know, is it detailed? I thought I just kinda rambled...Well, I just can't stop myself from shutting up. I think I go on and on and on. But, really, ideally I want to include the reader in the scene I'm picturing and the emotional state of the character, instead of leaving them out in the cold wondering, "Wait, why did they choose to do this? How are they perceiving the moment? How can I possibly make believable slash fic out of this if I don't know the mind set of the character?" So I try to write what my character is feeling in the moment, what's running through their head, and the little details of their environment that might affect their thinking. I guess it just shows the control freak in me, because I'm like, "No, there isn't any question about what my character's thinking! Imagine what I'm seeing, dammit! It's my way or the highway! scream " and then I just end up writing a ton to beat my point across. I'm not really poetic, though, and I think I leave much to be desired in my writing. Like, my descriptions could be so much richer, my dialogue filled with so much more wit...and I feel that I'm just dragging the reader through. >< No one ever gives me opinions or critique on my writing, so I never really know how I'm doing or if it's liked. So, I just keep doing what I know, hoping that I will improve. I think my writing outside of an rp would look different, because there's a lot of things you can't do--like, create a fantasic, punny conversation between characters or add Nathaniel Hawthorne-like flowery, detailed (and incredibly boring) exposition. And I think it's harder to get the subtle details of a character across since there's such a large gap in between posts that I often start forgetting where I originally wanted to take him/her and the nice, natural play in between characters gets broken. My ultimate goal is for people to read my stuff and notice what I don't say. Also, I love to show off and add little details about things that I've learned in school or elsewhere. Because, really, I think that when a writer adds in fluff that doesn't do anything for the greater plot, it just adds great depth, sucking the reader in like the painting in the spare bedroom of Eustace Scrubb. The writer shows they're willing a step beyond. Pretentious? Maybe. But first and foremost, I hope that the references will make the reader more interested in learning more, because there's nothing greater than sharing knowledge and inspiring a quest for understanding, in my opinion.

If the irony is entirely lost on you, that paragraph shows everything that I don't like about my writing. XD

If there's any more advice I could give, it would be READ LOTS OF BOOKS. Preferably fiction ones. You get a better feel for how narrative flows, add to your repertoire of vocabulary, learn new phrases to use, and get a better grasp of how to wield words. (You could read nonfiction too, it's just that the writing is a little different that what you'd use in an rp.)

Other places that I write? I would, if I wasn't so lazy. I started an online blog (that no one reads) where I've been writing about the things I've been doing while abroad. However, it severely needs to be updated, because I usually have so much to say that I just end up writing nothing. But, if you're really interested, it's here. When I get the journal-ing bug (or the procrastination one), there is a journal I turn to, but it's more about personal thoughts rather than fiction, like how gorgeous the moonlight over the ocean is while I sit out on a balcony on a cool summer's night. (However, I will always remember that entry as the time when I got 10 bug bites from sitting outside for a mere 5 minutes. Needless to say I finished up the entry inside.) That journal is where I get to be overly gushy with my words and pretend to talk pretty because no one will care to read it (probably) until I die, and I won't be around to hear their laughter. I'll also write down quotes that I like or cool things that I've seen. It started out as a quickwrite journal that I needed for AP Lit where we had to write for 10 solid minutes, never letting out pencils stop. I ended up writing a short piece about my old original character, Chikara, that way, which I thought I'd end up using as an rp post but I guess that must have been around the time that I stopped being in the guild because I never did post it.

I've always wished I could write things like fanfiction, because I think I'd rather enjoy it, but usually that requires me to get on the computer to type or research something, and then I get on the internet, and then nothing gets done because I love talking to you guys more than I like writing. This also explains why I still need to go and write an HA post. Hmm, I haven't writing been long or consistently. First Generation was my first time rping (guh, so long ago. Did you know that FG started out as semi-literate? It did. None of this long narration, it was all "*points to the beach* 'Let's go over there!' *runs*" sort of thing, though I even wrote longer things back then that eventually turned into third-person narrative), and once I got into that I entered into a bunch more rps---several threads in the FG guild, an Abhorsen rp, an FMA one (which I miss, I wrote some pretty good characters for that. I miss my mean, sarcastic roles ;_; ), a CLAMP universe one, and a number of others. After a couple of years, I turned my attention towards school, stopped writing (besides essays), and then came back again last year, as you all know. But other than rping? I wrote a couple pieces for the anthropology club newsletter, hahaha. I also was the editor of my high school's literary magazine and had to write a few things for that. But really, I don't write. How sad.

Moving on!

Hmm, summons? Well, I know next to nil about Final Fantasy. Like, I know the main characters and some basic storylines, but really I haven't gotten to play them that often because, like I said, I turned my attentions toward school. And books. Books were always my #1 procrastination destination. (Now that I'm in college, what little work ethic I possessed is gone, and sadly I'm too sick of reading articles to get the energy to read a nice, thick book.That's what summers are for. Except I also read a ton of manga during then as well. I alternate summers, one for reading novels, the next for manga and catching up on a couple TV shows.) Anyway, off topic. Yes. Summons. So, basically, I have no idea about summons. I wanted to have a wind element because, well, I like the wind, but several people said there were already too many wind users. Everyone suggested water, since there weren't any people with that, but really I usually don't feel an affinity to water. (Funny, because in this exact moment I kinda am. Maybe I've been in English weather too long. I've really come to like it. And, well, people change; maybe I've developed a water affinity.) I asked my friends what element they thought I'd be (not telling them about the rp), and it was usually a "wind" or "earth" answer, but I don't remember there being a lot of earth summons, or maybe it was that I couldn't find earth summons that appealed to me. So I was like, "Fine, I'll just be non-elemental, take that!" And I really ended up liking Odin for some reason, but that idea got nixed because he's apparently melee and I ended up not having a melee weapon, and I guess they can't go together. So...after getting some help from Kyle, who knew a hell of a lot more about FF summons than me, it was either going to be Asura or those three sisters...summon thing. It went with the whole mirrors bit and showing different aspects. But one of the forms of the sisters were these grotesque-looking bug things, and even though we can make the summons to look however we want, I couldn't get the image out of my head. Plus, Asura has those cool-looking swords, and secretly I would love to be a sword-wielder type. However, that, too, was overdone, so I didn't get that (because there's only so many times you can redesign a sword, and I didn't want to seem like a copycat. Sometimes my imagination sucks and I couldn't think of a cool, new idea for a sword.) I initially was going to go with a naginata because, well, you rp what you know, right? (I did naginata for a number of years...like, what, three? I earned a ranking and everything---whatever the highest one is before you need bogu [armor], 'cause I am definitely too poor to afford bogu.) But I guess someone at the time had one, sorta, or like they were using it as a non-heartbound weapon or something, I don't know. Either way, the idea was kinda half-rejected, so I had to go with something else. Then I thought that Musica from Rave Master had a cool weapon---manipulable silver---but it didn't really have a strength/weakness application, if that makes sense, since it's not one specific thing (melee/ranged/defense/etc.). Don't judge me for having a moment of imagination failure and picking up ideas from somewhere else. HA is definitely different than rps I'm used to due to such a heavy stat/rpg emphasis, so yeah, it wouldn't have worked in HA, though in something like PLL it might. So, in my 100th time of re-reading the guidelines and rules for HA, I saw that we could even wield an umbrella if we wanted (which I'm still waiting for someone to do), and then I started wandering around my house looking for objects that might make cool weapons. XD Books? Already taken. TV? No. Spoons? Forks?...Umbrellas? And then I brushed and parted my hair at one point, using a mirror...and then I almost saw the iconic lightbulb above my head. I based my HA profile around that. Now I'm just waiting for the chance for me to be there for a battle, so I can actually use them. sweatdrop (why must there always be a battle when I'm busy with school?!)

New subject!

Favorite kind of music? Long story short: I usually don't restrict my music to bands, but rather just songs I like. But, if pressed, here is my answer: Favorite current-day bands--OneRepublic and The Script. Favorite oldies bands: that's a toughie, but the first one that comes to mind is Earth, Wind, and Fire. Doobie Brothers. Rolling Stones. War. The list goes on. Favorite artist: Elton John. Hell yes. The man's a musical genius, though I tend to like his stuff better when he worked with Bernie Taupin. Still, he can really write music.

Long story long: Hmm, well...I am going to disappoint everyone and admit that I like some mainstream stuff. I'm not cool and I don't listen to a ton of obscure bands like everyone else I know. I listen to...two obscure bands. XD (The Union Line and The Silent Comedy.) But as for actual genres, I tend to like anything from the 20's onward. I love oldies stuff, even if I don't know who the hell I'm listening to (this pertains to the 20s, 30s, 40s, and 50s, where I'm not so familiar with the music but I could listen to it all. day. long). I don't like smooth jazz (94.7 The Wave can go suck it); a lot of 80's music (especially heavily synthesized stuff. I just don't like the 80's in general, though there is still plenty of music from that era I really enjoy; I'm just picky about it); rap, and metal. Country's okay, though after a couple of hours I need a break. (Folk music, however, is AWESOME. I love the Oh Brother, Where Art Thou?] soundtrack.) I'm picky about today's hip-hop and R&B (though, ironically, I love it from the 80s and 90s). If one were to make a generalization about me, it's that I love pop. I grew up with 90s pop, and it's really influenced my taste in music, I think. I tend to like pop-like things. But, I'm pretty open about music in general, despite all the things I said I didn't like. Jpop and Kpop are really fun, and they still have boy bands around, which I love. They will come back into style one of these days. I also love, love classical music. Technically, if we were to get into semantics, "classical" refers to a specific time period of music, not just the use of orchestra musics. In this case I can say that I do, in fact, like classical music. Baroque's pretty good too, though a bit boring, and early romantic stuff I really like. I enjoy orchestral music so much that I even took a class about symphony one quarter, which was amazing. Opera is pretty cool too. I think I came to love it because of a neighbor and Sunday mornings. The space between my mom's apartment complex and the one next to ours is so narrow that you can barely sidle down the divide. So, everything echos, and it's really easy to hear what other people are doing. I lived in this complex for over 10 years, and nearly every Sunday morning that I was there, a neighbor somewhere in the complex next to ours would play opera music. Oh, to wake up to the morning light gently diffusing through the curtains as you snuggle into the comforter, savoring the moment of tranquility, and an aria wafting in on the back of a breeze. Oh yes. That, my friends, is heaven. And so, often when I want a moment of calm in my mind, I will pull up some opera off of my school's music library and relax. Oh man, and soundtrack music is totally cool, too. John Williams is my hero. I have a ton of soundtracks from movies. After one summer, I knew the music from Finding Nemo by heart. When I went to Notre Dame, the only thing in my head was Clopin's voice going, "Who is the monster and who is the maaaaaaan?" And yes, of course, I own the two Kingdom Hearts soundtracks, although I should buy a new copy of the first one because the original's gotten banged up.

I'm willing to give anything a listen, really, even the stuff I normally don't like. Techno, rock, pop, funk, alternative, dance---I may not be a music buff, but I sure do love the stuff.

Sayrike: Please, stop talking already! gonk My eyes are burning! This is supposed to be about me, not you!

Cloud: . . .

Cloud: . . .¬_¬

Cloud: *nods*

Amy: How do you feel about suddenly being sucked into a video game?

Jenny: ... *Ninja glomps ChikaChi* First off, I'd like to say that I love you. OwO The Script is awesome, I listen to them in the car, same with OneRepublic. They kind of have those albums in which you can listen through to the whole thing. Usually with albums there's one or two songs you want to skip along the way. XD And yay for classical! You've definitely raised a few notches in my book, but I don't know if that's even possible anymore because you're pretty high up there on the amazing scale. You should try Hildegard of Bingen, she has some pretty Gregorian chant-esque music that actually features a female voice, considering back in her time, guys did most of the singing, but I suppose you can do anything when you're the composer. XD

Anyways~ what is the one food you could probably eat for your entire life? What is your favorite baked good? How about your favorite beverage? Favorite flavour of ice cream! What inspired your dress sphere? Breakfast, lunch or dinner?

@Raz:

Chika: RAZ! *uber glomps*

Sayrike: ^_^ Hello, Jacob! (<----doesn't glomp very often)

Haha, whato do I do with a drunken sailor? Depends on if it's earl-ie in the mornin'. But usually I put him in bed with the captain's daughter.

Chika: You know, the first time I heard that song was years ago, when I went to the Lobster Fest in Ports o' Call, and there was a group of pirates and wenches raucously and heartily belting that tune out. It was hilarious, and I loved it. It's gotta be the only way to listen to that song.

Chh, if by "abnormal grasp" you mean "won't stop using and abusing it," then I would love to trade it for a better, more graceful grasp of the magic of the English language. Or maybe I'd trade it for another few inches in height. Or maybe a magic lamp, so I could make three wishes and get even more stuff. Or I'd trade it for the chance for my life to become like a fictional adventure (haha, like my middle school dream of becoming a Cardcaptor, that would be so funny...and so incredibly cool). Or the ability to fly. Yeah, I'd gladly give up good writing abilities and compose crappy posts in the guild if I could fly like Superman.

*beats everyone to it again, woot!* DO YOU LIKE WAFFLES?!?! Wow, how did so many people not ask you that question? XD Aaaaaand go figure everyone else asks the questions that I wanted to ask... Oh wait, I had no questions I wanted to ask except the waffles... >.> Recommend any good books/music/movies? n_n heart HOW WAS BACON NOT MENTIONED IN THE LIST OF BREAKFAST FOODS YOU LOVE!??!??! How the crap did you understand what Cloud wasn't saying? o_O; WHY AM I READING THE QUESTIONS BACKWARDS!?!??!? *done now*