Lyris answers questions

Lyris (our volunteer who helps us craft storylines, develop uniforms, organize MQ, and lately making a cool cutscene that you'll see during GEARS) has answered some of your questions! Probably all of them. It's a big list. So here are Lyris's answers now!

Griffin asks

    What do you guys look like?
    Long brown curly hair, brown eyes, around 5'5".  Tend to live in t-shirts & jeans.  Could stand to lose a pound or three.

    What's it like to work for MQ?
    A bit strange mostly because just about everything I work on is discussed and dealt with online, unlike my day job which involves going into actual work place

    What's your personality like?
    Inquisitive, pretty creative, a bit sarcastic at times.  I tend to like a good (read:bad) pun now and then.  I have a few "loner" tendencies, but not too many.

    What do you do in your free time?
    I dabble in writing and digital art, I like video games, I read, I cook.  Trying to learn how to sew better for costuming purposes.

    What's your favorite food?
    Chocolate.

    What's your favorite drink?
    Probably ginger ale, though I have been enjoying a lot of grapefruit juice lately.

    Do you enjoy working for MQ?
    Yup.

    How come all the staff are noobs in MQ?
    Hey, my primary character is level 40.  :P  But I admit, since I startd working on the game, I don't get much time to just play.

    If you had 3 wishes, what would you wish for?
    Well, if I could get away with it, one of those wishes would be for ultimate cosmic power WITHOUT the itty-bitty living space part. ;)  The other two... not so sure.  I would have to think of the wording really carefully, just so they don't backfire on me.  Wishes can get messy if you're not careful.


    What's your favorite holiday?
    Halloween

    What's your favorite color?
    Black, green, or blue depending on the context

    What's your favorite song?
    Tends to vary by mood.  Right now the bands getting the most rotation in my player are VNV Nation, KMFDM, Assemblage 13, Celldweller, Gravity Kills, Abney Park,  System Der Dinge, type001, Love Spit Love, Shirley Walker, Moby, Karl Orf, Cruxshadows, Mozart, Oingo Boingo, and Danny Elfman.

    What's your favorite movie?
    AGain varies by mood, but I'd say the list includes Empire Strikes Back, The Princess Bride, The Dark Knight, Singing In the Rain, Court Jester, The Incredibles, Army of Darkness, Young Frankenstein, and probably a bunch I forgot.


    What's your favorite game?
    Probably Mutants & Masterminds, but depends on who's running it.  Also a fan of the Disgaea and Virtua Fighter serieses and I love a good CRPG and/or dungeon crawl. 


    What's your least favorite food?
    Black licorice.  My dad used to love that stuff so I tried it and though it was vile.


    What's your least favorite drink?
    Coffee.  It gives me migraines,


    What's your least favorite holiday?
    National Dress Up Your Pet Day.  Seriously, your pet will HATE you.


    What's your least favorite color?
    Fuchsia, because no one can spell.


    What's your least favorite song?
    Anything performed by KidzBop.  Worst.  Covers. Ever.  (note: the original version is usually fine)

    What's your least favorite movie?
    Batman & Robin.  (Joel Schumacher has much to answer for)

    What's your least favorite game?
    I've forgotten most of the really bad ones, but I do remember Hexplore, a horrible little game I pulled out of a bargain bin many years ago.  It was made with Voxels of all things, and while it had a lot of problems in general (graphics, game mechanics...), the worst was your three companions' A.I. which was about the same intelligence as a turnip. Enemies would come up to them and they'd stand there and yell (in badly acted voices) "I'm being attacked!" over and over and OVER! And you HAD to keep them all alive because you needed them to get though certain areas. Bleah.


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Skyvolt666 asks
    Have you completed Collage? What did you major in?
    At University of Miami (FL) I double majored in college: Graphic Design and Motion Picture Production.  I have a BA.


    Do you have another job that you work in besides AE? If so what is it?
    I'm one of the web designers in a local company.

    Do you work at the Underground Lab? If not have you ever visited or plan to visit it?
    I'd like to visit someday, but it's a few states distant, which makes it kinda hard. 

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Knoodlesguy asked
    Wonder if any staff watches anime often?
    Not as much as I used to or I'd like.  I used to rent a DVD each weekend but had to stop due to both money and time.  Now I catch what I can.  A few that stand out in my head for various are FMA (both series), Cowboy BeeBop, Exel Saga, and Dragon Half, though given time I could probably name a ton more I've enjoyed.  My memory sometimes needs a bit of jogging.

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ZamuelNow asked
    I'd add American cartoons as well since they can add influences to things.
    I'm a big fan of a lot of the DC:AU stuff in its many forms going back to B:TAS. I'm also a huge fan of Genndy Tartakovsky's stuff and the classic WB cartoon shorts.  Got too many I've loved over the years to list.       

    I also wonder what everyone's favorite character is both within MQ and in other AE games.
    In MQ, probably either Sys-Zero or Billy Boltavolt because both of them have a whole lot of story potential.  I'm afraid I don't play the other AE games enough to really select anyone else.  Sorry :(

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blackshock asked
    What mecha anime do you guys usually watch? any favorites?
    Mech anime isn't on my regular schedule, but I do like Big O and Dual, and Gundam 00 wasn't bad.  Liked Code Geas for a while (nice mech designs) until it got too complicated and Xanatos Gambit-y for it's own good.  I'm not sure if it counts, but I kinda grew up on Voltron and it still holds a place in my memory (though it doesn't hold up as well on recent viewings).  And though it technically isn't anime, Megas XLR completely ROCKED. 

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nami976 asked
    whats youre faviroute mech in game also do you have anything from heromart
    The Army of Darkness mech.  There are stronger ones, but...seriously, it's Ash!  :D  I'm also kinda partial to the AMR since that smokescreen got me through a lot of tight spots in the past, plus I like the design.
    Only thing I currently own from HeroMart is the MQ art book.

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master mix asked
    If you could have a mech from the game in real life, what would you do with it?
    Probably one of the Valkyrie mechs since they're medical mechs, and see if I could do some aid relief.  As tempting as it would be to go out and stomp some stuff flat, helping out would probably mean I'd get to KEEP the mech for another day.

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DinoboyWhisperwind asks
    Maegywn, do you (and all of the other staff members) like dinosaurs or any other prehistoric beasts?
    Saber tooth tiger is pretty cool.  As for the reptiles, I kinda like the pterodactyl.

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.R.M. asks
    You know how every one is asking what their favorite video games, and stuff like that are... Well I just came up with an awesome question; What is your most favorite thing in the WORLD?
    Imagination.  It makes all those video games, and stuff like that possible.
    (And my cat.  She's such a sweetie :) )

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Master Mix asks
    DO YOU LIKE TRANSFORMERS?
    Mostly.  Transformers the toys were neat, I used to watch G1 after school, liked Beast Wars a lot... Didn't get to see Beast Machines, and I really didn't like Transformers Animated, but as for Transformers in general, you could say I like them.


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kevin282819 asks
    do you guys actually look like your characters in real life?
    I look more like my message board avatar than my in-game character at present but even then there are some differences (like I have no tattoos for one thing)

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ShadowDragonShadow asks
    What do yall like to do/go when on a vacation.
    Every year I burn some of my vacation time on DragonCon in Atlanta which I've been doing for more years than I care to admit.  ;)  Otherwise it tends to vary depending on how much money and time I have to spare.
   
    What planet would you go to if you lived in the MQ Universe.
    I'm thinking Zargon on the offchance I'd end up with a cool superpower.

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Neonpanther asks
    What was your favorite thing that you put into MQ? Favorite Mech you helped make? Favorite Zone/Quest? Favorite Weapon?
    Probably my favorite personal contribution so far would be the Groupie uniform. I got to have a lot of fun with the design.

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seventy two asks
    Question: What are your guys favorite in-game and out of game mechs?
    I mentioned favorite in-game mech earlier, but out of game, it's a tossup between Gundam Zero Custom, Nightmare Frame Lancelot, and Magus XLR

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XxArchfiendChaosxX asks
    do any of you guys watch DBZ?(DragonBall Z)
    if so,whos your favorite character(s)?
    I've seen a few of the series, though I can't say it clicked with me.  Because of that, I don't really have a favorite character either.  Sorry.

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Lord Kashmir asks
    Do staff members use thier game names when talking to each other?
    Online I call everybody by their handle and I think most of them know me better by mine than my real name.  Comes from working remotely and only talking to them online.
   
    What is your favorite thing you got for Christmas?   
    Favorite christmas item was a set of plushy giant microbe ornaments.  I can now say my Christmas tree had mono.  :D
    http://www.thinkgeek.com/geektoys/plush/e39e/

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iceman4444
    1)Do you guys have steam (Application)?
    2)If you do which games do you have on it?
    3)Favourite zombie game?
    4)Funniest thing that's happened to you?

    1-2) Don't have Steam yet.  Keep meaning to get it, but if I did, there goes all my spare cash and free time on new games.
    3) Haven't played many zombie games.  Off the top of my head, I can't think of any I've tried for any length of time.  Sorry.
    4) I fell flat on my face while wearing a ninja costume in front of several hundred people.  True story.


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Dragonhunt asks
    What mecha would you own?
    BC-AOD, Ash FTW!  :D

    What weapons would you like to own?
    A pair of twin laser pistols and a laser shortblade of some kind in case someone actually got in close enough for that to be an issue.

    What would your occupation be?
    Between classes, I'd probably have a part time job at the Museum.

    What house would you be in?
    MystRaven.

    What planet would be your homeworld?
    Zargon if I could potentially get a superpower, otherwise, probably Arthuria.

    What species would you like to be?
    Human's pretty nice, but if I had to change, I'd be the same race as Casca.

    What would you do after you get A+++++ in all classes?
    (Wow, if I only did that good in real school  ;) ) Probably explore the galaxy looking for new life and new civilizations and other cool things.

    What would you do if Valoth attacked GEARS?
    Gear up, head out and try to send him and his forces packing.


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PD asks
    What is the best Foreign Cuisine you've ever had?
    I was in France a long time ago and it didn't matter where we ate, the food was always wonderful.  In Périgord, we stayed in this small bed & breakfast that had the BEST tomato soup I've ever eaten.  I had never liked tomato soup before, or since.  Nothing else has measured up.


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Skyvolt666 asks
    Do you play any sports?
    Not really.  Did a number on my knees back when I took ballet so gotta be careful.
   
    Did you every play D&D?
    If yes what was your Class/Race?
    Played it all through college and quite a while after.  I've played most classes and races, but my favorites are Rogue or Bard, and Human or Half Elf
   
    Have you ever played any Card Games?
    A little Munchkin, a little Battle of the Bands.  Used to play a lot of BS back when I was in marching band, it was kind of the band's unofficial card game.  Never got into the CCG thing because it was too expensive for my wallet.
   
    Is there a chance that Gambling at the Bar over in Westion will be re-allowed?
    Probably not, but I wouldn't mind if it was.
   
    What is a feature that hasn't been added to the game yet that you think would be cool to have ingame?
    Won't happen any time soon, but I'd love to see some handheld blaster combat. 


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blackshock asks
    What's yer favorite bands?
    I like a lot of stuff as I mentioned earlier.  My favorite will change depending on my mood.  See the "Favorite Song" question earlier.
   
    Fave genre of music?
    I lean towards electronic, but not so much "Dance" electronic, and a little more industrial.  I also like a lot of classical.  Basically I like music with a bit of a spine, something that affects me viscerally.   
   
    Do any of you guys play instruments?
    Used to play clarinet back in high school.  Haven't touched it in a long time sadly.

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fhiz asks
    what is your favorite musical/stage play?
    Singing in the Rain
   
    are any of you good cooks or chefs?
    I cook and can do pretty well without a recipe. 
   
    have you ever pet a kangaroo?
    No, but I have pet a manatee while snorkeling.  Will that do? 
   
    at what age did you decide you wanted to go into the game design feild?
    I started wanting to do games in college but hadn't considered it as a career option really.   
   
    who is your favorite actor?(mine is bruce campbel)
    Johnny Depp.  He's had an amazing array of roles, though Bruce Campbell is pretty rockin' awesome too.
   
    can you say the alphabet backwards? if so how fast?
    yes, about 20 seconds.
   
    what colour drapes are in your house?
    Sort of earthy tones, though the blinds are white. 
   
    have you ever been skiing? where?
    If you mean waterskiing, yes.  At summer camp when I was still in grade school.
   
    @female members of staff
    are you single?
    [ERROR - SIGNAL TERMINATED]

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icemasrer 77  asks
    1. Do you like Irish music to be honest?
    I do.  I've enjoyed a bit of Celtic music over the years.
   
    2. Do you like Ireland?
    I have never been there I'm sorry to say.  Looks nice though.
   
    3. What are you favourite Historical Movies?
    Apocalypse Now.       
   
    4. Do you like today's cartoon shows or the classic cartoon shows?
    A bit of both really.  The old WB shorts hold up amazingly well IMO and I have a certain affection for the old Tom & Jerrys as well as the old Fleischer Superman shorts.  There was a lot of good stuff that started coming out in the 90's as well, like the DCAU stuff, Animaniacs, Darkwing Duck, ExoSquad, etc.  Lately I've been enjoying among other thing Sym-Bionic Titan, Avatar:TLA (not to be confused with either movie), Clone Wars, etc.  As you can tell, I'm a bit of an animation fan.  Not everything from any era is pure gold, but usually there are things to be liked scattered throughout.

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Dark Cal asks
    1) what goes on at the underground lab
    That is out of my zip code I'm afraid, but I hear they do unspeakable things, UNSPEAKABLE I TELL YOU!!!   
    Ahem, where was I?  Oh yes...
   
    2) where do you get all of your ideas
    Everywhere.  I'm a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy/comic book fanatic and a lot of it gets stored up in my head where it occasionally surfaces and starts to evolve into an idea.  You never know what might set it off.   
   
    3) do you work on the weekends
    Sometimes. Depends on what needs doing.   
   
    4) what do you do in the holidays
    Usually get caught up on things I've let slip, try to get with family and friends, and if there's time, maybe enjoy a little down-time.
   
    5) do you work nights
    Since I have a day job, most of my MQ work is night work.   
   
    6) do you get paid much
    Paid?  What is "paid"?
    I kid.  Actually I just volunteer at this stage.