April 2011
Ami
Erm... I can't think of a witty comment. Er... You... You wear glasses... ha... ha...?
I personally select each month's Member of the Month. People are picked based on their contributions to the community, whether they are: making excellent trials, providing comic relief or just being a brilliant person. The next Member of the Month could be you!
If you have any questions about the Member of the Month system, please PM me.
Note: Since this interview was conducted, genodragon changed her name to "Ami".
genodragon: Thank you, it's an honor.
Meph: Can you tell us about how you found AAO, and what made you want to join?
genodragon: Actually, I didn't find AAO: it found me. It all started a long time ago when I was just a young man of somethingteen that had just registered on GameFAQs. I don't remember what topic, or even what I wrote, but all I remember was that it was part of my budding comedic writing, and it caught the attention of AntiRoyalty, whom most know as Trucy on the site.
Being both curious and and, to be honest, somewhat lonely, I came to the site. I already thoroughly enjoyed the Ace Attorney series, and was actually happy to find a place that was filled with fellow fans.
Meph: And how did you eventually become a member of the staff?
genodragon: Well, if I recall correctly, this story properly starts way before I was a moderator. There was a lot of spam starting to come to the General Chatting section, and so Ghaleon was the first to take the job. At first, it went well: Ghaleon's no-nonsense attitude served him well. However, the job started to get to him, since being a mod was an even more thankless job then than it is now.
Then Trucy took up the mantle, only to run into much the same problem Ghaleon did.
After they couldn't handle the burdens by themselves anymore, I joined. The staff would fluctuate quite often, Ghaleon becoming a mod on and off, as would Trucy.
I don't know why I've been able to hold on for so long, as this position can become highly stressful, especially before there was some real order on this site. I have my friends and fellow moderators, both past and present, to thank for that.
It also helps that I don't have to patrol 24/7 anymore, haha.
Meph: Tell us about your latest trial series: Turnabout Trilogy.
genodragon: It's a new love of mine when considering the trial creator. Previously, I was working on something with Original Characters, but that petered out due to my lack of art prowess. However, this idea is a marriage of some ideas I'd actually started to like: an expansion of the Ace Attorney universe, but with the minimalistic nature of not creating new characters or settings.
And so was born Turnabout Trilogy: a line of cases that happen after Trials and Tribulations, but well before Phoenix loses his badge. It will be a trilogy that has two main goals behind it for the player. Chiefly, it is to be entertaining, yet as faithful to Shu Takumi's creations as possible. The second is to be a more challenging version of the series, as evidenced in my first case Turnabout Pandora- little to no tutotials, and very little hand-holding.
I don't want to go too much into detail, considering the nature of the storyline, but I can say that there will definitely be a returning of old faces (as is the nature of these trials), and that I plan to create a lot or moral ambiguity, a la Justice for All and Trials and Tribulation's story arcs. I don't want to go too much into detail, considering the nature of the storyline, but I can say that there will definitely be a returning of old faces (as is the nature of these trials), and that I plan to create a lot or moral ambiguity, a la Justice for All and Trials and Tribulation's story arcs.
Meph: What's your favourite fan trial on AAO?
genodragon: Actually, my favorite fan trial on AAO is an oldie- Turnabout Nightmare. Ghaleon created it a while back, and I truly haven't liked another trial- even my own trials- since. This is what Turnabout Trilogy is attempting to surpass, in terms of writing.
Meph: Now let's talk about your personal life. What was your childhood like?
genodragon: Not to be melodramatic, but very painful, with small bursts of true happiness interspersed at random intervals. My grandmother on my father's side manipulated and tortured the entire father's side of my family. My dad and his sister (my aunt) were pitted against one another, blind to the severe beatings and emotional scarrings from my cousin, which my grandmother condoned. I was chosen at a very early age to be the "black sheep", as it were. My grandmother has narcissitic personality disorder, and I was the first child to be born outside of her influence, which sealed my fate as the black sheep.
In my second elementary school, I was oppressed quite literally by the system. I was immediately marked as a "problem child", and the principal there made sure that every tiny action of mine went under a microscope. I remember being grounded for a month for something I never did.
Then came middle school, which I spent most of the first year in an inner city school. It's there I learned to defend myself, as it became necessary to live. Figuring out tactics of guile, stealth, and occasionally close hand-to-hand combat was the only way to get from class to class. As a very sheltered young man, I stood out like a sore thumb amongst the downtrodden.
In that same year, I lived in a gated community that was completely barren of children, save my sister and I. It would be in my 7th grade year I moved to Wisconsin, a cold place in more than one way. I made only one important friend there, a friend I still keep in touch with. Needless to say, I went through a lot of pain then, and not all of it I wish to discuss in public.
It would be here that I got my major back injury that would almost flunk me out of my first semester of senior year, and a case of the stomach flu that flunked me in the second semester. The next year would be my second senior year. However, that's not to say there weren't good times.
I've had friends through the years that have helped me laugh and love even through the horridness. I'd discuss college as a part of this as well, but I feel I'm starting to move out of childhood.
Meph: It's alright.
genodragon: Besides the pain, I was, like I said earlier, quite sheltered. I stayed inside a lot, and usually kept to myself outside of class. This made me very close to my immediate family.
I'm currently residing in that town in North Carolina- closer to my family than ever, especially given the events of my first year of college. I'm maturing more every day, which is always a good sign of things getting better. I've also gotten past my past in many ways, though I'm still working through the scars.
Meph: It sounds like it's been really tough for you. How are things for you in day-to-day life now?
genodragon: Very. Boring. Currently in the search for a job, which has yielded little results, so I have way too much time on my hands, ha ha. The PWM, Vendetta Strada, AAO, and my friends from all these things are what help me through these slow times.
Meph: What sort of job are you planning on getting?
genodragon: Anything, really. I'm not really picky, as long as it pays. But preferably? My dream job would be working at Gamestop... or something along that vein, anyway.
Meph: Why do you regard yourself as female when you are in fact a male?
genodragon: The profile says "female". Now, it did BECOME about fooling others, after it became funny, it wasn't the original intention. I identify as a female. I am male, and entertain no illusions to the contrary, nor do I wish to change my gender. I am also straight. I dress in men's clothing only (unless you paid me enough, I'll do many things for the right price, haha). However, I still feel as if I am spiritually and mentally female, so that is how I identify.
UPDATE: I fully identify male now. Turns out I identify /with/ females more than I actually identify female. I think it's mostly because I have interests in things that do not conform to "normal" gender roles.
Meph: Let's move on to something else. Which is your favourite Ace Attorney game?
genodragon: Hm... not an easy question to answer. I feel that Trials and Tribulations is the best of the series, but Justice for All is my favorite.
Meph: What other video games do you really like?
genodragon: My, this is a subject in which I can REALLY ramble on about. I really enjoy RPG's in all their forms. Mega Man Legends is an action/RPG I really enjoy, as is Beyond Good & Evil. Then we have First-Person RPG's like Fallout and Mass Effect, traditional RPG's like the Final Fantasy series, et cetera and so forth. I don't really have a favorite game, as I tend to either like or dislike all games on an equal level. I'll play any genre as long as it's fun. I even have rhythm games like Amplitude, DDR, and Elite Beat Agents. I also am a huge fan of survival/horror games like Silent Hill, Dead Rising, Resident Evil, and Clock Tower.
I really value gameplay and story over anything else- a superb example would come from the simplicity of Portal. A simple, well-constructed plot with likeable characters, but with challenging gameplay.
I'm also a fan of classics, especially now that they've become cheaper, haha.
As far as RPG's go, my favorites tend to be ones with a few factors. Chiefly among them is a driving storyline. Gameplay is a close second, as a bad storyline can kill an RPG that has even superb mechanics. Then comes customizability- the more I have control of my party/character, the more I play it after defeating it once.
In the "Suggest a Game" topic, I should have the latest post (currently), where I've listed the entirety of my game library, and underlined all games I really like.
Meph: What other interests do you have?
genodragon: Mafia. It's a great forum game. Vendetta Strada is the site AAOM, CRM, and VGM merged into. The Phoenix Wright Musical is also part of my interest in musicals, as I'm a huge theater geek. I also am a fan of Magic The Gathering, though only in passing- Magic is a powerful addiction to support if one plans to play competitively. I'd also be remiss if I didn't say that animals weren't of a great interest to me. I love my puppy, Roxy, as I love all animals that aren't fish and birds and insects or something else equally judgmental/icky.
I also love writing. I plan to make a career out of it. I'm trying to get noticed with my fan works at the moment, but sadly I have no art skills to back them up, which means I have to rely on an artist to get my comedy out there. If one looks on the second page of the General Chatting area, one may see my doujin script "Life in Ace Attorney Prison", something I'm particularly proud of.
I've an artist working on Apollo Justice: Ace Attorney: Ad Mortem, but that's been slowed understandably due to her being a large contributor to the art team with her impeccable skill in drawing.
I'm also a fan of any comedy show that has quality, and tend to like any anime that has good storytelling in it. I'm a sucker for sappy romances as well, though I have a limit on the amount of BS I'll take before calling the writers on poor taste (I'm-a lookin at you, Lifetime network). From there, my interests tend to be so eclectic they border on generic.
Meph: What is your involvement in the Phoenix Wright Musical Project?
genodragon: Originally as a writer, but I've done a lot for the project. I'm also the voice actor for Winston Payne, have recruited several members to the project, have helped morale of the project, and various other things here and there. I tend to try to be of assistance where I can.
Meph: We're nearing the end, now. Is there anything else you'd like to say?
genodragon: That I truly appreciate Ace Attorney Online for what it has given me. It's given me friendships that I'll always treasure. It's given me my first wake-up call to stop wallowing in self-pity and start taking more positive steps in my life.
AAO has changed me, I'll admit it. But it's changed me for the better.
Without AAO, I would have never found Court Records, where I encountered the PWM, and truly discovered my passion for writing comedy. I wouldn't have ever discovered my affinity for playing and creating rounds of mafia.
To put it simply: I'd probably be worse for not knowing AAO. I thank it and all of its members for welcoming me into this community. I thank Unas for allowing me to help maintain the forums.
This is love. Maybe not the romantic kind, but the love that only comes from forming bonds of friendship. It is this that's allowed so much good to happen in my life, and it is this love that I am endlessly grateful for.
Meph: Well it's been wonderful to learn about a brilliant person like yourself, geno. You've certainly been -- and still are -- a very important person in our community, so we're very thankful for being such a great mod and friend to all of us. I wish you all the best in the future.
Goodbye, and thanks for the interview.
genodragon: De nada, glad to be interviewed.