main
side
curve
  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit Literature member interviews

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Point Given , Jun 6, 2013.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    Interview Hub:

    1. CooperTFN
    2. AdmiralNick22
    3. s65horsey
    4. instantdeath
    5. Havac
    6. dp4m
    7. Point Given
    8. Trip
    9. GrandAdmiralJello
    10. Skywalker8921
    11. The Loyal Imperial
    12. JackG
    13. Jedi Ben
    14. Lazy Storm Trooper
    15. RC-1991
    16. Sniper_Wolf
    17. krtmd
    18. Gamiel
    19. Zorrixor
    20. _Catherine_
    21. Cynical_Ben
    22. DigitalMessiah
    23. TrakNar
    24. Revanfan1
    25. MasterSkywalker86
    26. Gorefiend
    27. AdmiralWesJanson
    28. patchworkz7

    Hey everyone, we're starting a new series where we'll be interviewing members of the Literature forum about Star Wars and other things. If this seems familiar from LACWAC/SWTV...well that's because I blatantly ripped off borrowed the idea from them! :p

    There will be 20 questions in the interview, some pertaining to the Expanded Universe and other aspects of Star Wars, and other personal questions (favorite movies, books, etc). It will be a back and forth interview and everyone is free to chime in with comments if they want. However, please wait to ask questions of the interviewees after the interview is over. I do have a shortlist of people I want to interview, but once that's been exhausted I'll be happy to take signups for future ones.

    Anyway, I'm pleased to announce our first guest, CooperTFN, a longtime member of the site(he's been here since Bill Clinton was president!)

    CooperTFN:

    1. I think I know how you chose your username, but can you explain it for the others. Have you ever considered changing it? Also you don't mind me using Coop, right? :p


    2. How do you rank the Star Wars films. Can you explain your reasoning?


    3. You've been a member of the Jedi Council Forums for almost 14 years now. What's your general impression on how the site and forums have evolved since 1999? What do you think it will look like in say, five years?
     
  2. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Man, make me sound old, why don't you. :p

    1. When I first signed up, actually, my username was Coopra6000, which is derived from "Mik Coopra", which was the extremely clever SW version of my real name, Mike Cooper, that I came up with when I was 15 and hanging out in SW roleplaying chatrooms on AOL (which, yes, makes me sound even older). I ran the Unofficial NJO Homepage from '99 until 2002, at which point I was given a staff position at TFN proper--which involved using my real name, and so I went ahead and changed to CooperTFN. All my three-dimensional friends call me Coop, so I don't see any reason for people here to call me anything else. The whole internet anonymity thing never really made sense to me--when I say something, I put my name next to it.

    2. I've never really seen the films as films, in a normal sense--Empire is definitely my favorite, but it's also the only one that cracks my overall top ten favorite movies. The rest aren't even close, but I'd roughly put them as follows: ANH, RotJ, RotS, TPM, AotC. The throne room stuff in Jedi is actually my favorite moment(s) in the entire saga--even over Empire--but overall I think ANH is more even, and you can't help but appreciate its place in film history. Sith, I think, is no better as a film than Clones, but it's my favorite prequel purely because of Obi-Wan--I feel like Utapau is the only time we ever really get to see the great Jedi Knight I always expected him to be, and Ewan McGregor turns every crappy line Lucas gives him into gold. TPM has grown in my estimation over the years by being the most even of the prequels; yeah, its highs aren't even close to the highs of Clones and Sith, but its lows are miles above the lows of the other two. The fireplace scene in Clones is the only scene in the entire saga that I'm utterly unable to sit through.

    3. It's nice that the forums aren't steam-powered anymore; I remember having to stock up on coal in anticipation of AotC. But seriously, eighteen months ago, I'd have said they'd evolved very little, but now that we've finally moved to the new software, and new users are coming in again, things are feeling way more contemporary. As a culture, honestly, I don't feel like it's changed a great deal. I'll always remember the day the title "Attack of the Clones" was announced, and I spent pretty much the whole day defending it to haters in the movie forum--the same way I'll often stand between Dave Filoni and packs of angry villagers nowadays. Maybe it's just me that hasn't changed. The one thing that's absolutely evolved a great deal is the treatment of diversity as a worthwhile issue for EU fans--the first few pages of the original Diversity Thread speak for themselves. Some people would say that we've just scared away all the people who disagreed with us, but if so, I'm okay with that. As for five years from now, I'll be happy if they've fixed the post character limit problem by then.

    Do I get a gold watch when this is over? Or at least a gift certificate for the Olive Garden?
     
  3. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Great thread idea, PG!

    Coop, you get a counterfeit Golden Ewok. We're not really authorized to hand out real ones though, so we have to have these ones made in a small fac...err, I've said too much.
     
    TheRedBlade likes this.
  4. Jeff_Ferguson

    Jeff_Ferguson Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    May 15, 2006
    Were you on my roof last night, stealing my weather vane?
     
  5. Sinrebirth

    Sinrebirth Mod-Emperor of the EUC, Lit, RPF and SWC star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Nov 15, 2004
    Holy carp. You've been a staff member since 2002? Kudos.
     
  6. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    Don't listen to them, Coop. Us 30+ year olds gotta stick together. Just because we were born during the Reagan administration and have lived through four additional presidents doesn't mean a thing! [:D]

    --Adm. Nick
     
  7. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    You'll get an autographed picture of myself for your trouble. Remember to hang it outside your house to scare away burglars!


    CooperTFN

    4. You mentioned the Diversity thread, which has been around since our Temp board days. Why did you start the thread? Has it gone the way way you hoped it would, in raising awareness and fostering discussion about the state of diversity in the Expanded Universe?


    5. Do you really enjoy paying taxes? Or is it just the name of your blog? :p






    Hey I was born in the Reagan administration! (Granted I was literally born in the last week of it)
     
    AdmiralNick22 likes this.
  8. krtmd

    krtmd Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 5, 2012
    Egad. If this is considered "old" in these parts, I'm friggin' ancient. Born during Nixon's first term. In fact, I'm so old, I remember Reagan's election. I played John Anderson in our school debate. (Cross dressing of course, since I'm female. Most of you are probably wondering who John Anderson might be...)

    Like this thread Point Given
     
  9. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Correction--I was a staff member from '02 to '07. I stepped down because I didn't really have much time for news posting anymore, and I was getting tired of book reviews.

    I'l hit 4 and 5 this afternoon, gotta run.
     
  10. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    4. Oh, it's been around since well before the temp board--per the link in my last answer, I started the original in 2009 after seeing the Dramatis Personae for Abyss. And even then, I started the thread because I'd been bringing the topic up randomly for years (especially since LotF, which is when the Great White Jedi Order really started to become obvious) without much interest. There's a reason I titled it "Beating a Dead Eopie".

    I think the one moment I realized how completely necessary it was was when I posted a DP in the old TOS VIP thread with the addition of "white" to all the human characters it applied to. The only VIP to respond to it was Troy Denning, aghast, pointing out that "we don't include race in the DPs!"

    Having said all that, yeah, I'm very happy with the evolution of the thread over the years, and by extension, the Lit community. Maybe the bulk of us still don't think it's as important as I do, but the big win to me is that people are conscious of it as an issue instead of totally blind--I've lost count of how many times I've seen people who don't even participate in the thread bring it up elsewhere. And Jen Heddle took the time (eventually) to talk to me about it on FB last year, so even the VIPs may be coming around.

    5. Pithy answer: read the blog. :p

    Less pithy answer: even ignoring the politics of it all, I intentionally overpay a bit throughout the year. That way, I put in an evening or so of work around February, and a week later I get several hundred dollars. Beats the hell out of my birthday.

    Serious answer: seriously, read the blog.

    http://whytaxes.blogspot.com/p/about-this-blog.html
     
    Mia Mesharad likes this.
  11. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Great idea for a thread or set of! I'd be interested in taking part too, but for right now, you two can do all the work! :)
     
  12. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    Just an addendum to the last question, if you're at liberty to say, what did Jen Heddle say about the diversity in Star Wars?

    And for some personal questions:

    6. Where are you originally from? Are you currently living there, or did you move elsewhere?

    7. What do you do for a living?
     
  13. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    He could tell you that, but then he'd have to kill you.
     
    CooperTFN likes this.
  14. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Don't be silly; I could always just kill him anyway.
    Oh, it was a public conversation--that was one of her conditions, in fact.

    6/7. I grew up in Buffalo, NY, and moved to Pittsburgh in 2000 (Class of 2000, what what) to attend the Art Insitute of Pittsburgh. I graduated with a BS (heh) in Visual Effects and Motion Graphics in 2004, and I've been here ever since. "Ideally", that would have meant a career making TV commercials, movie trailers, end-credits sequences, etc, but as it happened, I fell in with a friend-of-a-friend who ran a dance company, and since 2006 I've been using my education to do various video/technical work for a live performance venue called the Space Upstairs. While incredibly fun and fulfilling, it's never quite paid the bills, so I have a day job running the copy/mail room for a small law firm in downtown Pittsburgh, which I obtained after a two-year stint in the copy center at Staples. By 9-5 standards, it's just creative enough to hold my interest, while still allowing me a lot of freedom for other pursuits.
     
  15. The Loyal Imperial

    The Loyal Imperial Manager Emeritus star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Nov 19, 2007
    Mail rooms still exist?
     
  16. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    You should see how many faxes I get in a day.
     
  17. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    It's a law firm - they need post (mail) rooms!
     
  18. Jedi Ben

    Jedi Ben Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Jul 19, 1999
    Now that's more surprising, as fax is dying, but I also know faxes have certain legal status hence....
     
  19. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    8. Who are your top ten favorite Star Wars characters (in any form of media) and why?
     
  20. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    8. Woof. Here's the thing: I strenuously disavow the fannish compulsion to rank things. I almost made this point with #2, but something told me I'd have another chance. :p It's not that I don't have favorites, but to sit down and try to decide whether Jango Fett is my ninth or tenth favorite character just feels pointless to me, and only a few degrees off from the people who sit around inventing midi-chlorian counts. Having gotten that off my chest, I'll do my best to give you ten in no specific order: Obi and Lando are definitely my two favorites from the saga, because they're the two characters who most feel like they're detached from all the nonsense that's going on. Then there's Garm Bel Iblis, whom I've always appreciated for telling Mon Mothma to go to hell, Tycho and Winter, who bring out the shipper in me, Booster Terrik, who is Booster ****ing Terrik and requires no explanation, Ace Azzameen, who really is just an avatar--literally--for my love of XWA, Jango, who's all the good parts of Boba but with a real personality, Nom Anor, who had me at hello, and Barriss Offee, mostly because I named my cat after her:

    [​IMG]

    Honorable mentions: despite all the issues with FotJ, I do really like Wynn Dorvan and Vestara. And Ben, for that matter.
     
  21. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    9. Is there any Star Wars era that you prefer? (Old Republic, Clone Wars, NJO, etc) Are there any that you could do without?
     
  22. COMPNOR

    COMPNOR Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Aug 19, 2003
    If you're friggin' ancient, then I'm a fossil because LBJ was still in the White House when I was born.

    Remember, don't trust anyone under 30.
     
  23. anakinfansince1983

    anakinfansince1983 Skywalker Saga/LFL/YJCC Manager star 10 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Mar 4, 2011
    QFT. Shuddering at the idea of being born during the Reagan administration being considered "old". There were a ****load of Vietnam War protests the day I was born.

    Definitely like this thread, I'm pretty new around here and it's a good way to get to know people.
     
    kataja likes this.
  24. CooperTFN

    CooperTFN TFN EU Staff Emeritus star 7 VIP

    Registered:
    Jul 8, 1999
    Please, please--you can both be ancient. [face_skull]

    9. I think it should go without saying that I've seen more than enough of the SkySolos at this point, so gun to my head, I'd say the early Legacy Era could stand a breather--but even ignoring Episode VII, we all know that's not happening. I was never a big NSW booster specifically until Knight Errant came out and was awesome, so what I'm realizing is that I don't care what era a story is in as long as it allows for something I haven't seen a hundred times already. As such, I hope we see more Kerra Holt someday. I'm reading Into the Void right now and I'm a huge fan of that setting; boiling the entire galaxy own into one system from which there is no escape is definitely something we haven't seen before, and that context by itself does a huge amount of the legwork on making a story interesting to me--I'm not the biggest fan of John and Jan's storytelling around here, but their world building can't be beat. I'd love to see stories about Opus Dei, since that's another thing we haven't seen before. In a perfect world, I think both Opus Dei and the Great Droid Revolution could be NJO-level storytelling events. Imagine if the EU spent several years doing that and just left the ST era alone until the dust had settled.
     
    TychoCorde likes this.
  25. Point Given

    Point Given Manager star 7 Staff Member Manager

    Registered:
    Dec 12, 2006
    10. Since Lit has turned into Game of Thrones lite, I have to ask, are you watching the show? What are your thoughts on it?
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.