The 'Shroom:Issue LXXVI/Interview
Hello, 'Shroom readers! I'm still Superchao, but now I've been promoted to Fun Stuff director! But I remain committed to bringing you high-quality interviews and low-quality introductions!
This month, I'm interviewing forum regular Nabber! Nabber's been pretty significant in the community for a while now, and while he was originally pretty controversial, he's generally liked these days. He's also a member of the Mafia Hosts Guild, and one of the more profilic mafia players around.
And that's enough of my attempts to introduce him. Why not read what the man himself has to say?
The Interview
Superchao: Hello yet again, Shroom readers! This month, I'm branching out and interviewing someone not a current staff member: Nabber!
Nabber: Good morning, MarioWiki! Or night. Whenever you're reading this.
Superchao: You forgot afternoon, silly.
Nabber: And evening, for that matter.
Nabber: Time zones are confusing.
Superchao: That they are.
Superchao: So, might as well jump into the questions. How did you find the wiki?
Nabber: I started browsing the wiki probably around six years ago. I was looking for information on a game, I think, though I can't remember which.
Superchao: Well, that's... a lot longer that I was expecting.
Nabber: Yeah, I suppose it is. For a while I actually just read the 'Shroom, so I got to meet some of the users here before I actually joined.
Superchao: And thus, SMB gets to boast about attracting yet another person to the wiki.
Superchao: Or Stooben and Tucky. Depends on when you were reading it.
Nabber: Tucky, 3K, and MCD were the people I remember reading about. Or maybe that's just my current memories of the 'Shroom mixing with my old ones.
Superchao: Perhaps, considering MCD also started browsing the wiki years before joining.
Superchao: More information on that can be found in my interview with MCD in Issue LXXI! </advertising>
Nabber: Anyway, when I finally did join the forum, it was cool getting to meet the people I had read articles from for a few years.
Superchao: Wait, the forum?
Superchao: ...Did you ever join the wiki? I honestly don't know.
Nabber: Yeah, I joined the forum first. I only got a wiki account to write for the 'Shroom, actually.
Nabber: I've never really made many edits, which is a shame since I don't write for the 'Shroom anymore.
Superchao: Lack of time, then?
Nabber: Yup. High school is tough.
Superchao: Yeah, that's true. College is more dependent on how many classes you take at once.
Superchao: What're you looking to do, anyway?
Nabber: For a job, you mean?
Superchao: Yup.
Nabber: I'm thinking of being some sort of engineer or coder. The other idea I have in mind is becoming a critic, though that'd probably be more of a side job.
Superchao: Explains your workload, I hear those are tough jobs to get into.
Nabber: Well, most of my homework comes from a couple of subjects. Mainly Humanities, where the teachers (it's a combined class) go trigger happy on projects.
Superchao: That kind of imbalance is always painful.
Superchao: But back to the online stuff, which teeeechnically I'm supposed to do first. What drew you to the Shroom, then?
Nabber: I'm not really sure about how I got into the 'Shroom (you may have realized this by now, but my memory sucks.) Probably saw it on the front page of the wiki.
Nabber: After that I would check in time to time to read it. I think I especially liked Fun Stuff and Fake News.
Superchao: Everybody always loves the Fake News, it seems.
Nabber: It's an interesting section. Now that I don't really have as much time to read, I generally just read the Critic Corner, but I like to check every section if I have time.
Superchao: I'm sure Dippy will be flattered to hear that.
Nabber: His reviews are incredibly well-written. Definitely the highlight of the paper.
Superchao: I'm ashamed to say I forgot: What exactly did you write again, anyway? :V
Nabber: I wrote Marioverse reviews, and stopped just after the review sections were merged into Critic Corner.
Superchao: Ah, I see.
Superchao: So whenabouts did you join the forum again?
Nabber: July 12, 2011, if my memory serves correct.
Nabber: Just over two years ago.
Superchao: obligatory comment about getting on my level
Nabber: It's scary, though. I remember when I joined this forum and so many users had been there for years.
Superchao: Intimidating, then?
Nabber: Not intimidating - it's just funny to see how I've already been here for two years. Time flies.
Superchao: And of course, the traditional question, who was your first friend on the wiki?
Superchao: Or in this case, the forum.
Nabber: First friend. I distinctly remember interacting with Tabuu on chat in those first few months, so I suppose my first friend would be him.
Superchao: What'd you bond over, anyway?
Nabber: I would think it was Userfics. He was finishing up Resolutions at the time, and I was starting the short-lived Nabberture Science.
Superchao: Oh, yeah, I remember the latter. It was pretty good, if, well, short-lived.
Superchao: Wasn't it featured once?
Nabber: Yeah, back in the days when Tabuu ran the Featured Fiction Committee. The committee went really inactive, so Tabuu eventually just featured stories himself.
Nabber: Nabberture Science was up for a few months, much to my embarrassment. I didn't like it, which is partly why I stopped writing it.
Superchao: Oh, may I ask why you developed distaste?
Superchao: Also, no offense to Tabuu but I lose track of his stories pretty easily, so I don't remember which one Resolutions is. :V Do you?
Nabber: It's a curse among a lot of artists, I think. Artists referring to painters, writers, musicians, etc. Sometimes you just can't stand the work that you put out, even if everyone else tells you it's good.
Superchao: Yeah, I can understand that. I've seen it happen to a bunch of people.
Nabber: Resolutions was the final story in the 132 trilogy, I believe. It's a little hard to describe which one it was, considering I don't remember it well and a lot of his stories use similar elements.
Superchao: That they do. >_>
Nabber: With Nabberture Science, I had a plot going for it, but I realized that it was going to turn into a cliche'd mess. I didn't really have much time to write it, though.
Nabber: Also, I was getting distracted by a shiny new iPad I got around that time.
Nabber: A lot of the time I don't have is due to various forms of procrastination, like MarioWiki.
Superchao: Story of my life.
Superchao: So, since we're sort of on the subject, you are openly a fan of Portal and Portal 2.
Nabber: Very much so. I was playing Portal 2 earlier, actually.
Superchao: Wouldn't be surprised if you were the biggest fan on the forum. :V
Superchao: What draws you to the series?
Nabber: I'm drawn to the series because... well simply-put, it's simply extremely well-made. It's many awards speak for itself.
Nabber: It has a unique concept, well-made and thought-out levels, a great script, good characters, just pretty much everything that makes it feel amazing.
Superchao: I've been intending to play them, but I need to stop being lazy and get a new laptop first.
Superchao: Alas, there will be no Portal 3 until Gabe finishes his counting lessons. It's tragic.
Nabber: I found out this morning that Valve wouldn't be at E3 again this year, so I guess that's one too many E's for Gabe to understand.
Superchao: Quick, we need to create an E2 conference instead!
Nabber: E2 - Episode 2, more like.
Nabber: They had a really cool gimmick for the original version of Portal 2, though, so I'm just waiting for them to announce the game they inevitably make out of that.
Superchao: Yeah, I've read that they were doing something different. Can't remember what, though I think they didn't actually say what it was because of disclosure stuff and such.
Nabber: The mechanic was called the F-STOP, but they stubbornly refused to say much else.
Superchao: Makes sense, don't want someone undercutting them.
Superchao: Are you a big fan of any other Valve games, for that matter?
Nabber: I haven't had a computer powerful enough to run their games until recently, unfortunately. I played a little bit of Half-Life 2 and Team Fortress 2, but I keep getting distracted by other games.
Superchao: Oh well. Perhaps sometime soon.
Nabber: Soon, if I can ever beat Super Meat Boy.
Superchao: So, anyhow. You're also probably one of our best mafia players around, or at least most prolific. And in the hosts guild, to boot.
Superchao: What interests you about mafia, and how did you get skilled at it?
Nabber: It's funny, but I never really noticed the Mafia board until November 2011, a few months after I joined. The first game I played was Lily's Professor Layton and the Lost Future Mafia.
Superchao: Some people never look and some people never leave. Mafia board's funny like that.
Superchao: I've always found it interesting how it seems like the upper and lower halves of the forum have practically different communities at times.
Nabber: I find it a fun game. I don't really know how to describe what interests me in it - it's just fun. Possibly the only strategic game I feel like I can actually play decently.
Nabber: I wouldn't exactly say I'm skilled, but I got my proactive playing style back around February when RandomYoshi and I decided to join MafiaScum (another forum completely centered around mafia, for those who don't know.) They play extremely differently there, and RY and I picked up on their playing style. Well, he did - I was probably the most inactive one on there, believe it or not.
Superchao: Somehow I'm not surprised you joined there too.
Superchao: So what drew you to hosting?
Nabber: I don't remember what drew me to hosting - I think I was just curious to try out hosting a mafia of my own. Once I got started, though, I was flooded with ideas for mafia games, and I started getting backed up on games I wanted to run.
Nabber: It's exciting, planning out a game, but it takes a lot of thought.
Nabber: Balance has been an issue in quite a few mafia games around here.
Superchao: It certaintly is. I think I still have 2 or 3 mafia game ideas lying around somewhere.
Nabber: And, as my very own Portal Mafia showed, some ideas simply aren't done well.
Superchao: I didn't really checkup on Portal Mafia, but from what I heard it was good on paper and too confusing in practice.
Nabber: There were a few things I did wrong with Portal Mafia, but yeah, one of its flaws was that it was too confusing.
Superchao: And yeah, I've seen balance troubles beforehand. Of course, sometimes people themselves are just dumb.
Superchao: In one game the mafia killed the host and the host wasn't even part of the game like in Stooben's case.
Nabber: ...that sounds quite interesting. I hear mafia was crazy when Stooben first brought it here.
Superchao: It certainly was, some of the old games had a much different userbase and playstyle than the modern ones. But that seems to happen everywhere that mafia is a really long runner.
Superchao: So what's it like, being in the hosts guid?
Nabber: A lot of sitting around. Regrettably, not a lot gets done. There are a lot of ideas thrown around, but generally the Guild is too inactive to decide on anything.
Nabber: We're working hard to finish a secret project, though, which I think would be rather exciting for this community.
Superchao: Sounds interesting, and secret.
Superchao: Hopefully you guys can get some new blood in soon, I think a few of the guildsters left forever.
Superchao: Have you thought about an advertisement campaign?
Nabber: We still get a good amount of applications to the Guild, and there are a lot of good choices for members. Some of them just need a little bit of improvement before we can accept them, though.
Nabber: I was looking forward to inducting RandomYoshi, but alas, he left. Maybe when he comes back.
Superchao: Let's hope he does, sometime.
Superchao: So, would you name anyone as your close friends right now? Yet another traditional question.
Nabber: MCS and I talk a lot. I also like chatting with GreenDisaster (who has the odd skill of being able to find pretty much anything you can think of on the internet) and BMB. There are too many people that I like to name here, though.
Superchao: Huh, wasn't expecting MCS for some reason. Glad you feel pals with a lot of people, though.
Nabber: Yeah, MCS and I mostly communicate via PM, so I don't think anyone else knows of our friendship.
Superchao: Well, now they do! :V
Nabber: The secret's out. :X
Superchao: Pandora's Interview
Superchao: So, we've obviously covered your most favorite non-Mario game.
Superchao: What about Mario itself? Are there games you really like there? Or dislike, for that matter.
Nabber: Favorite is Super Mario Galaxy, with Paper Mario 2 coming in for a close second.
Superchao: yesss TTYD
Nabber: Paper Mario: Sticker Star is probably my least favorite, to the point where I find myself reluctant to even play the game.
Superchao: So what do you like about both of them?
Superchao: And dislike about Sticker Star, even though I can guess :V
Nabber: Galaxy is nearly perfect. It has great level design, the exploitation of gravity is well-done but not overused, it's soundtrack is arguably the best I've heard in any game.
Nabber: Thousand Year Door is good for me because it's a rather easy RPG, but still has addictive gameplay, an equally awesome soundtrack, and amazing dialogue.
Superchao: Easy, except for the Pit, I'd say. But that's bonus, so.
Superchao: Also I have to say my favorite part of Galaxy is that it still keeps some of the big open level style from 64 and Sunshine (ex: Gold Leaf, Sea Slide, Freezeflame), even when trying something new.
Superchao: Wasn't that big on Galaxy 2 thanks to everything feeling linear.
Nabber: Yeah, I know Galaxy gets a lot of hate for being linear, but I think it was still open enough to be enjoyable. Galaxy 2 was really pushing it, though.
Nabber: And of course Sticker Star just... feels flat (pardon the pun.) The sticker concept is original, but in the end doesn't really work out well. Other than that, there's pretty much nothing else holding the game up. Even the dialogue felt worse than its predecessors, though maybe I'm just being nostalgic.
Superchao: Nah, I'd agree with you there. Dialogue was hampered by the lack of unique personalities - you had a couple of special Toads and Kersti, and... that's about it.
Superchao: Honestly, I much prefer the exploration based stars. Such as the non-timed Purple Coins.
Superchao: And to be fair to Galaxy 2, at least it wasn't 3D Land level. :V
Nabber: 3D Land was, in fairness, supposed to be more like the 2D games than the 3D ones.
Nabber: But at the same time, it borrowed too many ideas from the Galaxy games to really feel like a 2D game.
Superchao: Yeah, it sort of felt like a hybrid that... didn't really have the best parts of either style.
Superchao: So in the end, it was pretty mediocre.
Nabber: I've been thinking lately that a lot of the 3DS Mario games felt mediocre.
Superchao: Which ones, besides the two mentioned?
Nabber: Even Luigi's Mansion 2, as some may be shocked to hear me say. I think it's great, don't get me wrong, but there's only so much vacuuming a person can do before it gets boring.
Superchao: What about Luigi's Mansion 1, though?
Superchao: And you're right, that opinion's probably gonna be a little more debated than 3D Land or Sticker Star.
Nabber: And New Super Mario Bros. 2. Probably the worst part of that game was the soundtrack, though. It was so rehashed that I couldn't enjoy playing it.
Superchao: Oh, yeah. Forgot about NSMB2. Probably because I try to forget about the NSMBs in general.
Nabber: Luigi's Mansion 1 was a really good game. Probably because it was so short - it didn't drag on like LM2 did. It also had those portrait ghosts to keep things interesting, not to mention the elementals.
Nabber: I was rather upset that there weren't any major upgrades like the elementals in LM2.
Superchao: And yet, that same shortness is brought up as a point against. Funny how things work.
Superchao: But yeah, the elementals were pretty fun. It's too bad they removed them.
Nabber: Its shortness is a strong and weak point. Yes, it's disappointing there wasn't more, but Portal was still amazing despite being only 2 hours. If it's short, then the game doesn't start to feel stale.
Superchao: Of course, the best games are long and interesting, but you've got a point there.
Superchao: On the note of Portal: We obviously know what your favorite non-Mario game is.
Superchao: But are there any others you would recommend?
Nabber: A couple of months ago I got VVVVVV (this is probably the fourth 'Shroom issue in the past few months to mention that game), which is also a short but nonetheless fantastic game. And its soundtrack is heavenly.
Superchao: MCD also likes VVVVVV a lot.
Superchao: are you him in disguise
Nabber: I'm not MCD, though I have a theory that he's an alternate personality of mine that becomes dominant every time I sneeze. Would explain my random memory lapses.
Superchao: That only makes sense if one of you is murderous, though.
Nabber: But of course that would have to be MCD.
Superchao: Besides your recommendations, do you have any non-mario anti-recommendations?
Nabber: You know, I can't really think of anything I'd strongly recommend against getting, now that I think about it.
Superchao: Huh, how about that.
Superchao: So, I remember we discussed your job ideas earlier. What got you interested in being an engineer/coder/critic?
Superchao: Although not necessarily all three at the same time.
Nabber: I've been interested in technology for as long as I can remember. I suppose I just grew up with it, or rather, it's part of my personality - as a child I loved building things and of course taking them apart to see how they work.
Superchao: But did you put them back together right?
Nabber: Well, my parents would probably say no to that.
Nabber: Luckily (or maybe not), my laptop broke a month or two ago, so I was able to take a good look at that.
Superchao: That was probably interesting to poke around in.
Nabber: More interesting than the Macs we had at school. When we opened those things up, there were just little boxes inside that you couldn't open.
Nabber: Also, I just remembered that my parents bought me a circuitry set when I was young.
Superchao: I'm sure you spent many hours tinkering with that.
Nabber: So that's probably where I got my interest in engineering, yeah. I learned about resistors and transistors and promptly forgot all of it. I'd really love to get my hands on another one of those, though.
Superchao: >promptly forgot all of it
Superchao: Reminds me of a couple of my old science books. I should reread them sometime.
Nabber: I'm not the best at retaining information, and I'm sure my biology grade would agree with that.
Superchao: How about coding, was that from the same place?
Nabber: As for coding, I never really got into that. I found out about Python from an online class back in fifth grade, and while I've dabbled in that, I haven't had much time to get very in-depth.
Superchao: Fifth grade, wow.
Nabber: I didn't code back then, though.
Superchao: I don't think I did anything with coding until a high school elective. Computers for us in fifth grade were just "how 2 use".
Superchao: also Oregon Trail.
Nabber: It was probably seventh grade that I started looking at it.
Nabber: Back in fifth grade, it was still computer games. I went to a private school then, so our class would usually pick a game for a year that we'd get obsessed with.
Superchao: were any of them oregon trail
Nabber: We had a small class, so everyone gathered around the computer to watch.
Nabber: Nope, I still haven't played Oregon Trail.
Superchao: You should fix that. Everyone needs to play it (and inevitably die)
Nabber: The big ones we played were Icy Tower and a math game called Operation Neptune.
Superchao: Hmm, I think I've heard of the latter. Not the former though, what was it?
Nabber: I thought it would be the other way around, actually.
Superchao: Oh, huh. Why?
Nabber: I don't really know. I thought they were both rather obscure but I thought an educational game like that would be more unheard of.
Superchao: Well, it'd help if you got around to describing what Icy Tower was.
Nabber: Anyway, Icy Tower was an endless game where you jumped up on platforms to get as high in a tower as you could. With ice physics, of course.
Superchao: So basically, it was Ice Physics Suffering: The Game.
Nabber: It was rather fun when you didn't die in the first five seconds, actually. You could combo stylish flips that made confetti go everywhere.
Nabber: Fun fact: ice towers are the number one source in the world for random bursts of confetti.
Superchao: I thought it was Not Guilty verdicts, myself.
Superchao: So, how about being a critic? I believe you mentioned you got a start on that with your shroom section.
Nabber: That I have a definite answer to. When I subscribe to Nintendo Power, I found myself thinking about working there myself and writing reviews. I would often make mock-up reviews of games. I can talk a lot about something I'm passionate about, so that really helps.
Nabber: Of course, Nintendo Power is gone now, so I suppose that working there is one dream I can't fulfill.
Superchao: At least there are other game magazines around, so you could always sort-of-fulfill it.
Nabber: Yeah, I read GameInformer for a while, too. But at the end of the day, you start to realize that it's pretty hard to find a good review in the world of video games. Or any industry, really.
Superchao: Actually, is your interest in being a critic at all connected to you checking CC more often than other sections?
Nabber: Yeah, I think that would be it. I also like writing, you know, so I like to see people's different writing styles along with their opinions.
Superchao: And the CC certainly has much more writing on display than the other subteams.
Superchao: Not that that's a critiscm, just an observation.
Nabber: It's funny, since reviews were struggling to get writers before Dippy came in, I think. He's really done a great job of handling the CC.
Superchao: It probably helps the appeal of reviews that they got their own subteam, so it's easier to see that "hey other people do it so can I". At least, that's my take on things.
Nabber: That would probably be it. I know there's a bigger emphasis now on being able to review anything you want, as opposed to just games, but I think Tucky's the only one who's done something like a book review.
Nabber: I think a writer for that will come around someday, though.
Superchao: Not only that, but I think it used to feel like you could only review Mario stuff, which quite clearly isn't the case anymore.
Nabber: Definitely. I know a lot of users have only played Mario games, though, so hopefully the CC can help open people up to other types of games.
Superchao: I'd hope so; there's quite a few interesting games that aren't Mario but still should be played.
Superchao: Or even that aren't Nintendo entirely; even if you're sticking with Gamecube and Wii that doesn't prevent you from trying things like Metal Gear Solid or Resident Evil.
Superchao: Which definitely don't follow the "traditional nintendo archetype", so to speak.
Nabber: The DS has a great lineup of non-Mario games, too. Phoenix Wright, Professor Layton, and Rhythm Heaven are all really great games.
Superchao: The real question is: If you ever get more time, do you think we can expect Critic Corner to get another section?
Nabber: I really hope to get back to writing, since I've played a lot of great games I'd like to review. If anything, I think my junior year is going to be a bit more relaxed. So it may take a year, but I do plan on returning to the Corner sometime.
Superchao: That'll be cool, I look forward to reading it.
Superchao: I would have asked this during games, but I don't think it really fit. You are pretty clearly a big fan of DR2, especially considering you're like the only one who still has their DR2 namechange these days. :V
Superchao: What keeps you interested in that?
Nabber: It's pretty hard, because onen has been incredibly slow with updates. I suppose I can't really blame him for having other things to do, but the paywalls have been more annoying than ever.
Superchao: Can't really blame him for that, of course.
Nabber: It's still a great game, though, and very interesting to read, even if it takes a while to read.
Superchao: They do get annoying when they block completely unrelated things. I keep missing Fire Emblem Appreciation Season :<
Superchao: Also, your favorite DR2 is clearly obvious, but what about DR1?
Nabber: I'd probably change my name back, but I'm too lazy to find another theme.
Nabber: My favorite DR1 character is probably a toss-up between Fukawa and Togami.
Superchao: And for that matter, why do you like them both?
Nabber: Gundam Tanaka is hilariously over-dramatic for something as harmless as an animal breeder, but he manages to avoid going over-the-top with his act. What really makes Togami and Fukawa great is their relationship (Fukawa's obsession combined with Togami's looking down on everyone), and Fukawa's... let us say, mood swings.
Superchao: I think I like moodswinged Fukawa better, honestly. :V
Superchao: But yeah, Gundam's certainly... unique.
Superchao: I stand by Peko being the best, though.
Nabber: I agree, she was definitely better, but normal Fukawa is certainly a good character, too.
Nabber: I think they'll all be good characters, but Gundam was able to establish his character basically immediately, while the others are taking a little bit longer.
Nabber: The person who's been stealing all the gametime, though, is Nevermind.
Superchao: It honestly helped that the prologue was more stretched out, though.
Nabber: She's cool, but she doesn't let any of the other characters get a turn.
Superchao: Rather than just HERE'S ALL THE CHARACTERS LEARN THEM
Nabber: Yeah, as Hagakure points out, it took a long time for many of DR1's characters to be noticeable.
Nabber: To be fair, they have to fit in 16 characters at once. That's not easy.
Superchao: And they do a pretty good job of it! Well, mostly. I admit certain people (leon) felt pretty flat.
Superchao: So I would have asked you about this earlier but I didn't recall until I started typing out a smiley we don't have. :V
Superchao: Are you still a fan of Stephen Colbert? Since I distinctly remember your old theme.
Nabber: I still am, but his show is on at inconvenient times, so I can't really watch him. I'm sure he's still being amazing, though.
Superchao: No chance to record, then?
Nabber: I used a DVR for a while, but then our trial ran out. The summer's just around the corner, though. And I still have his book to finish.
Nabber: I should probably start watching Jon Stewart, too.
Superchao: Well, might as well ask them: What interests you about The Colbert Report? And potentially The Daily Show.
Nabber: Well... simply put, Colbert's funny. He also was my only source of politics coverage for a while, since I have little interest in that.
Nabber: Nowadays, my school gets daily copies of the New York Times, so that's where I'm forced to learn about politics.
Superchao: The Times can make for pretty good reading, even if it is certainly bland.
Superchao: But honestly, when it comes to news, sometimes bland is better than sensational.
Nabber: I like to skip to the Business section. More often than not, our teachers make us read soft news. Once we read about cheese descriptions. And once we read about a collection of ceramic pigs found under an auditorium.
Nabber: You'd be surprised at how much news isn't actual news.
Superchao: That's... I'm actually at a loss for words.
Superchao: No, wait, I'm not. "Banal" is what I'm thinking of.
Superchao: Business section is pretty good, though.
Nabber: Yeah, it's a pretty good way to keep up with the tech industry. I think there's something for most people in the paper, if you know where to look.
Superchao: I'd say so.
Nabber: (in case you're wondering, here's the cheese article: http://goo.gl/4L6Uz and this is the pig article: http://goo.gl/XATy0 )
Superchao: Now, we may have discussed the majority of them already, but do you happen to have any other hobbies you want to bring up? For example, books.
Nabber: I do like reading books whenever I can. Ender's Game is my favorite, probably because Ender reflects how I feel being crushed with the workload I have.
Nabber: I also want to finish reading the Scott Pilgrim series. I saw the movie about two weeks ago, and it was amazing.
Superchao: I've never actually read Ender's Game, but you're not the first one to recommend it.
Superchao: Any particular genres?
Nabber: Other than that, I'd probably put Coraline, Animal Farm, and Artemis Fowl as my favorites.
Superchao: Artemis Fowl was pretty great.
Nabber: In general, I really love sci-fi. Not solely books, but sci-fi plots really intrigue me for some reason.
Superchao: Ever watched Star Trek or Star Wars?
Nabber: I've never seen the Star Wars movies whole, but I've seen it in clips here and there.
Nabber: Know next to nothing about Star Trek.
Superchao: Ah, alright.
Superchao: Also, you've read Asimov, right?
Nabber: A little bit, but not much. I've been meaning to get around to it, but at a certain point you get overwhelmed with books to read.
Superchao: Personally, I prefer mysteries most of all. But sci-fi (and lots of other genres) are good too, and I have a book of Asimov's sci-fi mysteries.
Superchao: yeah i hear you. I have like 10 half-read books lying around. :V
Nabber: There are also short stories. Flowers For Algernon and --All You Zombies-- are two great ones.
Nabber: I hear there's a full book on Flowers For Algernon. I'll have to find that sometime.
Superchao: I remember All You Zombies. That was confusing, but I honestly liked And He Built A Crooked House better.
Nabber: Never heard of that one, but I'll take a look.
Nabber: That reminds me! Pretty upset I forgot, but I've read a little of Yahtzee Croshaw's (the creator of Zero Punctuation) work.
Superchao: It's also Heinlein, about a man who builds a house that collapses into a tesseract. Pretty interesting stuff.
Superchao: Oh, what did you think?
Nabber: The one published book I read was Jam, which is about a guy who wakes up to find out his whole entire city was devoured by strawberry-scented, flesh-eating jam. It was actually a really good book, I'd recommend reading it.
Nabber: I also starting reading Articulate Jim, which was only put online. It reminds me a bit of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
Superchao: The funny thing is, that was a plot element in another book I read. Completely unrelated one, though.
Superchao: I'd like to ask yet another of my traditional obligatory questions.
Superchao: Is this the last question?
Nabber: That's a good question, and like many others, it requires an eternity of thought. Is it really the last question? When one thinks about it, there is always another question waiting for them. Perhaps it is the last question for this interview, but there will be another question tomorrow, for life is full of questions if one stops to ponder. In fact, even this response is questionable - am I truly right? Perhaps you should write a ten-page essay in response to this response, and maybe then we shall know.
Nabber: In other words, the answer is no.
Superchao: But alas, I will never be able to write my ten-page essay unless we end this interview sometime.
Superchao: So I'd like to say thanks for appearing, it was quite interesting.
Nabber: And thank you for inviting me. It's been a very interesting interview for both of us, I think.
Nabber: So, good night MarioWiki! Or good morning, or good afternoon. I think that covers everything.
Conclusion
You don't necessarily have to be staff on one of the wiki branches to have an interesting tale to tell. Nabber proves that - he certainly had a lot to talk about. If you didn't read it, you should, considering it was the entire section.
Join me next month, when my conclusions remain really short.
Addendum: Nabber recently resigned from the Mafia Hosts Guild. The interview was held before that happened, so it is not covered.
| Issue LXXVI | |
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