Recently, someone suggested I set up forums, so folks who enjoy my stories can chat about things other than… well, my stories. After all, if you’re all fans of my writing, odds are good you’ve got more in common than just my writing. Great minds think alike, and all.
This got me thinking… now that I’m trying to divide usage of my blog between random interesting blog content and story updates, why not use some of that random interesting blog content to set up targeted chatter with the community? Use the comments on a post to discuss a topic, or just yammer at each other. And thus: TalkyTime.
These posts are designed to kick off discussion between you folks, rather than specifically me and you. I toss a question out there and you tell us your thoughts, feelings, opinions, etc. Get out there and make yourself heard!
Today it’s a pretty simple topic. “And you are…?” Who are you? Introduce yourself! Plug your own work, it’s fine! Let’s get to know each other. We’re more than bits in a database or letters arranged into words, after all. So: Hi! Hello! How are you? Let’s talk.
Andy says
Hi everyone.
I am Andy, and have been Stef’s friend for a long time before bothering to read his stuff. His sister, now my wife, convinced me to check out Unreal Estate, and I loved it. I then read Sailor Nothing, Anachronauts and CoA.
I am a counselor working as a manager for case management of people with chronic and severe mental illness. I also like reading/watching fantasy, true crime (books and documentaries), sci fi (NOT SyFy). Hobbies include hanging with friends, roller skating, and playing with my kids. Also gaming and anime conventions when I can.
AuranLyrandar says
Gah, I really need to check my favorite places on the internet more than once a week…
Anyway. I go by AuranLyrandar most places on the net. By profession, I’m a officer in the US Navy, although I don’t have much experience at that yet. By academic experience, I’m mostly a computer programmer with a little bit of Japanese language/ culture and ethical philosophy.
I like Japanese music, games, manga, and anime, roughly in that order. (Not that I don’t like anime, I just spend more time on music and games.) I’ve gotten a bit used to liking uncommon things… it seems that even among anime fans, there aren’t a whole lot of people that have heard of all the things I like. (That would be Rewrite, Kanon, and Planetarian for games and Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha, A Certain Scientific Railgun, and Arpeggio of Blue Steel for anime.) I also like almost any sort of RPG or strategy game, including a lot of computer games and some tabletop games. (The last name in my username is probably familiar to fans of D&D’s Eberron campaign setting… although I haven’t actually played D&D in two or three years.)
I’m a bit of an aspiring writer and game designer. By which I mean I’ve tried NaNoWriMo a couple times (one success in about four years of trying) and have tried writing a couple fanfics. (The only fanfic I’ve actually finished writing is the City of Angles fanfic, actually.) I’ve toyed with a couple computer tools for various creative activities (Ren’Py for game design, Vocaloid for music, to name two) but haven’t really tried any major projects with any of them yet. My blog varies between personal details, political commentary, and complete inactivity (right now it’s in a “complete inactivity” phase).
I first found Twoflower’s work through the TVTropes page for Sailor Nothing and enjoyed it quite a bit… then proceeded to pay absolutely no attention until a friend pointed me at Anachronauts midway through its writing. (I forget exactly where.) Been here every week since then, although I comment only rarely.
Brilliand says
Brilliand here – I graduated with a bachelor’s in computer science, but I’m not in school anymore. I came her from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, and aside from an odd hiccup with a word I don’t like, I’m liking City of Angles. I expect to like Stefan’s other work too (and the one page of Anachronauts that I’ve read supports this), but I’m holding off on those until City of Angles is done, so as not to get the continuities confused. I’ve been getting some continuity confusion between “Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality” and “Harry Potter and the Natural Twenty”, and I’m trying to avoid that here.
I read quite a few webcomics – OotS, Widdershins, Girl Genius, and El Goonish Shive, to name a few. For a while I frequented several forums, but I don’t spend much time on forums nowadays.
Qwertystop says
There’s not much way to get continuities confused between Gagne’s works – they don’t particularly share a world at all, with the possible exception of something late in Anachronauts that felt a lot like a shout-out to another work (but I can’t actually remember what it was). And the presence of the shout-out didn’t really have any plot significance, though the object itself did. I think… been a while.
Brilliand says
Well, getting too engrossed in Anachronauts might still cause me to forget what was going on in CoA. It might be worth the risk, but since we’re so close to the end of CoA anyway, it seems like a better bet to finish CoA, then read through all his past work before I look at whatever he’s going to write next.
Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne says
Timing’s up to you; CoA will definitely be wrapping up this year. I’ve got one more chapter after this, then two bonus chapters to write for the retail version, then it’ll be whole and complete. Anachronauts isn’t going anywhere, meanwhile, and it’ll be there when you’re ready.
I do recommend reading both, in time. And UE. Not just because hey, people reading my stuff, which is awesome! But, well…
Jordan / chigaijin says
Hey, all, I’m Jordan. Like Loki I discovered Stefan’s work from HPMoR, and went through City of Angles pretty quickly to get caught up. Because I wasn’t reading in one session, I managed to miss the finale of book 1 at first, which made the start of book 2 very interesting.
Besides MoR, I’ve read all of Unreal Estate (very cute) and a few of the Anachronauts cycles. I’ve written a few short stories of my own and participated in NaNoWriMo a few times. I also make videos and dabble in several other creative avocations, belying some of the stereotypes about software developers.
Jeremy Jinkerson says
Well, this is fun. Good to know about some of you after reading your comments for so long.
My name is Jeremy, although that’s probably fairly obvious. If you see me out in cyberspace, I also sometimes go by bone4lyf or The Crowing.
As I was when I first met Stefan during the Elegia Eternum/hex Coda days, I am a graduate student in clinical psychology. I’ve been practicing for about seven years with emphases in trauma treatment, military issues, and neuropsychology.
I’ve read all the original work and some of the fanfic. Anachronauts is my favorite book series (not just of Stefan’s, but of all) outside of the Bible.
Koi says
Heya! Koi here. Been reading since at least MTSCFT BETA and the old Spoof Chase Productions website. Oh, the wonders the 90s web! Not much else to say about myself beyond having followed fairly closely through 2f’s stuff, even through his Neverwinter Nights modules. Best way to go through the first (terrible) campaign is to finish Penultima/Penultima Rerolled first and to just import your 14th level character. Good times!
Loki says
Hi, I’m Loki! I am a German university student of Computer Science and going to get my Bachelor’s degree in… some time *mumble*
I came here (specifically: to City of Angels) from Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality, and so I guess I am one of Stefan’s most recent readers. I have since read Sailor Nothing and briefly delved into Unreal Estate, but never finished it for some reason.
Most of my time is taken up by my studies, but I also volunteer at my university’s student council, which includes showing freshmen around and generally being hepful. When I have some time to myself, I usually visit Giant at the Playground, in lieu of actually playing a P&P RPG. Not a big fan of play by post.
I also like to cook, I guess, but not for just myself, which limits it a lot. (Also, I don’t have a lot of experience.)
I really enjoy trying to predict what will happen next at CoA, even though I am usually wrong :)
So, uh, hi!
Andy says
Good to meet you!
Lirazel says
Lirazel, the Anime Granny here. I’m sort of a universal stereotype smasher. 59-year-old grandmothers are supposed to retire, not go to graduate school, as one example; nor are we supposed to play D&D, enjoy anime like Lain, or hang out anywhere but Facebook.
I owe Stefan a lot, having met some of my best friends through the chatroom set up as a group fanfic site beginning with one of his Slayers stories. That forum is pretty much dead, but a reasonable facsimile can still be found at sandwich.net.
Oh, for the record? I don’t sew bears, but I have been known to knit a sock monkey.
Lirazel says
Oh, nearly forgot. You can read my public posts at lirazel.livejournal.com. I strongly recommend the tag Absurd Locutions if you hate business jargon, and my latest weirdness can be found under Get Real.
Andy says
Hi there!
Nut Meg says
Nut Meg here. Writer, reader, and gamer of the P&P and video varieties. By day I’m a professional martial artist and motorcyclist. Guess that makes me quite the wrist twister.
I got started via the NWN modules and, after properly mourning the Hex Coda series’ demise (very belatedly — I believe I was at least a few and no more than several years late to the party), was inspired to look up more of your works, which started me on Anachronauts: The First Age. Been hooked ever since, though I don’t read recent updates as often as I’d like to.
Trying to break the habit of lurking, because feedback is hugely important for any artistic pursuit. Hard to consciously deviate from that sneaky ninja training, though, so my apologies.
Qwertystop says
Hi, I’m Qwertystop, but everyone shortens it as Qwerty. I don’t write (prerequisite: ideas), but I do read quite a bit. First thing I read of Twoflower’s was Anachronauts, though I did go back and read Unreal Estate a month our two ago. Outside reading: Terry Pratchett, Wheel of Time, Tamora Pierce, probably too many webcomics. Non-reading: I frequent the Giant in the Playground forums, play in a couple PbPs (all 3.5 or PF at the moment) there, and play a few video games, mostly RPGs and League of Legends but really anything-but-shooters-and-sims as far as genres go.
And this post feels like product placement now… bleh.
Stefan "Twoflower" Gagne says
Product placement is fine! We all have certain IPs we’re fans of, games and franchises and so on that we rally around.
Qwertystop says
No, I mean it wasn’t product placement, and I didn’t mean it to sound like that, but (unfortunately?) most of the activities I’m interested in have brand names.
Loki says
Yay, another Playgrounder! Also, too few people know Tamora Pierce. What’s you favourite book of her?
Qwertystop says
Wait, who’re you on the Playground?
And I’m not sure – either Will of the Empress (I still prefer Circle Reforged as a name for that one), Daja’s Book, or the entire Keladry set taken as a whole.
Loki says
LokiRagnarok – don’t believe you know me, although your name rings a bell.
My favorites are “The Immortals” and “Circle of Magic”.
Benabik says
Hi, I’m Benabik. I’m a grad student in Computer Science, although a bit older than that might make you think.
I’ve been reading since…. the Slayers Trilogy? Or maybe it was mtcff ULTRA, I don’t remember which came first or which I read first. I do remember the dark years when Twoflower was just making mods for a game I didn’t own. :-D Always look forward to more of your writing.
Kit says
I’m Kit, and I write about Japanese folklore and anime. Also I’m a collection of bits that has been following Twoflower’s work since about Unreal Estate?
I’m also trying my hand at developing a short game using RPG Maker.