Category Archives: geeking out

Published: September 30, 2008

IAQ – Kvothe’s Alignment.

I get a lot of fanmail, which means I get a lot of questions.

The questions that get asked a lot, I put into the FAQ, for obvious reasons.

But there are other questions too. It’s occurred to me that some of these questions, while infrequent, might still intrigue or amuse folks.

So here’s the first of these. Not part of the FAQ. More like the begining of an IAQ, if you will….

Pat,

With the shape of an “L” on my forehead, here’s my question: What would you say is Kvothe’s alignment (i.e. ad&d terms)

[Name withheld for reasons of not wanting the person to die of geeky shame]

Oh yeah. Total Geek question.

Here’s my total geek answer: I didn’t even have to think about it. Chaotic good.

Though honestly, now that I pause for consideration, it’s possible he’s neutral good. He doesn’t work actively against the system, he just doesn’t feel constrained by it.

Now, of course, you’ve got me thinking about everyones’ alignment.

Some are easy, like Master Lorren: Lawful Good.

Some are hard, like Elodin. Chaotic neutral? True neutral? He’s just too complicated to put in a box like that. Plus there’s a lot of him you haven’t seen yet. I honestly don’t know where I’d put him overall.

The more I think about it, the fact that I can’t fit most of the characters into little AD&D boxes makes me feel good. It shows that they’re more complex than that. I hope that complexity isn’t just inside my head. I’d like to think that y’all get to experience it too….

Pop quiz:

What is Pat’s alignment?

Where does Bast fall on the Kinsey Scale?

What is Denna’s Myers-Briggs Personality Type?

Would Elodin pass a Thematic Apperception Test?

How many questions does it take to clear Lorren on the Voight-Kampff?

Extra Credit:

If Auri were a tree, what kind of tree would she be?

Geekily yours,

pat

Also posted in Fanmail Q + A

|posted by Pat 29 Comments

Published: July 20, 2008

Do Not Bounce.

So, I can’t imagine my life without Dr. Horrible. I’m dimly aware of doing things prior to watching it. I wrote a book, learned to walk, lost my virginity, etc etc. Silly things. Trivial things.

Joss Whedon. I don’t think there’s even a word for what I feel for him.

There’s awe, that’s a given, plus a vasty respect. Then those two emotions are tangled up with an odd, primal terror. I know that sounds odd, but that’s the only way I can describe it. He terrifies me. It’s the same fear a caveman would feel when confronted with, say, Opimus Prime. It’s the terror that drove people to burn witches at the stake. Why? Well, because they can do things. They have preternatural abilities that freak us out right down to the marrow of our bones.

So. You take that knot of molten awe, respect, and holy terror, wrap it up in a fluffy blanket of love, then sprinkle it lightly with toasted coconut. That’s how I feel about Joss Whedon. Is there a word for that? If not, we need one.

Were I not Pat, I would be Diogenes. Were I neither of those, I would be Joss Whedon.

But I’m not. I can’t be Dr. Horrible either. Is it wrong that I want to dress up like him? Where can I get a lab-coat like that?

I think that there might be something wrong with me….

By tomorrow I’m guessing I will have settled down a little. But right now I’m thinking I might want to do a video blog or two. But honestly, I don’t know if that’s a good idea, I am many things, but I’m no Neil Patrick Harris.

What about you guys? Would any of you be interested in seeing a video blog?

pat

Also posted in Diogenes, Joss Whedon

|posted by Pat 52 Comments

Published: July 15, 2008

The Day Has Come: Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

For you Whedonites out there, I just thought I’d remind you that the first part of Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along blog is now live.

This probably isn’t a big surprise for those of you who have been reading the blog for a while, as I’ve been geeking out about it for a while.

A couple months ago might remember me talking with Felica Day. She’s Penny, the female lead. On the offhand chance that you weren’t reading a couple months ago, and you’re interested, here’s a link to the interview I gave her. And, contrariwise, here’s a link to the interview she gave me.

If nothing else, they will give you something to read while you’re waiting for Dr. Horrible’s page to load. I’m guessing it’s going to get hit pretty hard today…..

pat

P.S. By the way, let’s keep the comments section spoiler free, shall we? Not everyone will be able to watch it right and nobody likes having the good bits given away before they’ve had a chance to watch something themselves.

While I understand the desire to talk about the awesomeness of something like this, we must restrain ourselves. Sublimate the urge to say something along the lines of, “That was so cool when he blew up the sun and died at the end.” Instead, say something gushy and loving about the show itself. Extra points given for odd-but-appropriate comparisons. For example: “That was so cool that I feel like I just got to hug a kitten and eat an entire ice-cream sundae.”

Remember folks, people who give away spoilers go to the special hell: one reserved for child molesters and people who speak in the theatre.

Also posted in cool things, Felicia Day, Joss Whedon

|posted by Pat 46 Comments

Published: June 25, 2008

Trailer for Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.

I don’t know if it’s possible for me to be more exicted about this than I already am…..

Teaser from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog on Vimeo.

Also posted in Joss Whedon, recommendations

|posted by Pat 18 Comments

Published: May 15, 2008

Photo Contest Part I – Shrines.

When I first had the idea for the photo contest, it was completely off-the-cuff. I was making a facebook event for the paperback release date, and I thought, “What the hell. I’ll offer prizes if people want to take pictures of themselves with the new book.”

In my secret heart of hearts, I was thinking that it would be cool if I got maybe eight or ten pictures. Enough so that I could post them up in a blog, have some fun, and give prizes to everyone who played along.

I even had a secret backup plan. If not enough people participated, I would take some photos on my own to pad things out so I wouldn’t look like a big loser.

Suffice to say that I am officially stunned by the response. We ended with over five hundred pictures, so many pictures that it’s taken me hours and hours to download, label, and organize them. I’m sorry that not everyone can get prizes, and that I can’t even display all of them. There were just so many….

Anyway, today we’re going to start with just one category: Best Shrine.

Nice genuflection, you really stuck the dismount.

I like the fact that each of my books seems to have access to its own sword here.

Kneeling in reverential awe – check. Scenic backdrop – check. Dramatic sunset – bonus points.

Wait… is…. is that a frikkin gunblade? Yes. Yes it is.

While it would seem like this picture would be a shoe-in for the win, the mastermind behind it, Captain Joe, can’t win this category. You’ll learn why in more detail during the next blog, but rest assured, this level of awesome will not go unrewarded.

Here’s the runner-up. The Name of the Wind in paperback, playing king of the hill. If you look closely, there’s also a little plush draccus there.

The Winner. At first I thought this might be a very surreal candlelit dinner for a college student, but then I realized that the flowers, food, and drink were being offered up in tribute to the book. Also, the composition of the photo is really nice, though I’ll admit that the lighting makes me wonder if there might not also be a black goat and a knife just off frame.

Remember kids, blood sacrifices won’t get you book two any faster.

The clincher? The person who built the shrine got not only my favorite brand of ramen, but my favorite flavor too. Mmmmm…. Chicken.

Next blog we’ll get more photos, along with a discussion of what the winners actually win, and the revelation of Captain Joe’s tragic secret.

Later all,

pat

Also posted in contests, fan coolness

|posted by Pat 21 Comments

Published: April 27, 2008

The Rothfuss Corporation

A couple weeks ago I had the delightful experience of doing my taxes. It was extra exciting this year, because most of my money came from writery stuff. That means for the most part, I’m self-employed.

I’ve always thought “self-employed” had a nice ring to it. It’s sort of Firefly-esque. Wear a gun, take jobs as they come, and never be under the heel of nobody ever again….

But then I found out that if you’re self employed, you get to pay super double-fun bonus taxes. Because, apparently, the government hates you.

Up until this year, I’ve always gotten money back because I’ve lived well below the poverty line. This year, I got to give them money. It was, as they say, more fun than getting kicked in the throat. Mostly.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against taxes. Everyone loves to bitch about them, but taxes pay for schools, and roads, and snowplows, and sewage treatment plants. My friends have a son who is autistic, and the government helps them by bringing in well-trained people.

These things are important. If that’s all my taxes went toward, I would pay them gladly. I would sing a song while writing out the check.

However, we all know that’s not the case.

So, under the advice of several wise people, I’ve decided to start a corporation. This is supposed to prevent the government from taking quite as big a bite out of my ass for next year’s taxes.

It doesn’t seem right, honestly. The corporation is just me: I own it. And this corporation (let’s call it Me-corp) will be employing me. That, apparently, is different from being actually self-employed. Sorry? What? How does that work?

I guess what it comes down to is that the government is really, really dumb. Dumb enough so that if I put on sock on one of my hands and use it as a puppet, it will be convinced that the puppet is actually paying the taxes, not me.

But I’m not above exploiting a loophole in the system. So all that remains is to figure out what to call this corporation. I having trouble picking a name. Names are important things, you know. They tell you a great deal about a… a corporation.

So far, the only names that I can come up with are goofy ones, like Puppet-Co. Because the thought of owning a corporation is just silly to me, I keep thinking of cheesy names and slogans. Things like:

Rothco: Our Future is Your Tomorrow….

The Badassery: Crushing Your Hopes and Dreams Since 1998

Another part of me wants to just geek out and name the corporation after something in my book. I could call it “Elodin Enterprises” Or “The Valaritas Consortium.”

If y’all have any clever ideas, please feel free to list them below….

Also of note:

Today my book is going to be listed in the New York Times print edition at #11. It’s probably not such a big deal for you, but I’ve been excited to see it….

I’ve been really surprised by the response I’ve had to The Contest. I’ve already received over a hundred entries, and decided to push back the deadline because some people heard about it late and asked for more time. New deadline is May 4th. Clever readers will realize that this opens up the possibility of taking pictures on Beltane…. I’m just sayin’.

Later all,

pat

Also posted in contests, holding forth

|posted by Pat 58 Comments

Published: April 10, 2008