The Nilbog Answers

Here's finally that answer post to the "Ask the Nilbog" that I posted last month.






1. Have you been watching Star Wars Rebels? I know you loved Clone Wars, and Rebels has been doing a really nice job of continuing that while simultaneously doing its own thing.

I had been watching Rebels pretty religiously since its premiere. After a so-so start, I really began to get into the story and the characters, especially as they began to draw from all eras of Star Wars.

Unfortunately, with my finances being the way they are, we've had to cut down on our cable - and are in the process of cutting it out altogether. Disney XD was one of the first casualties of this downsizing and I have not yet seen any 2016 episodes of Rebels. So PLEASE NO SPOILERS!!

In the meantime, I do need to start catching up on Clone Wars seasons 1-3.



2. If you could have a lightsaber what hilt design would you choose and what blade color would you want?

Well, I think this article I wrote some time back answers the first part of that question. TL;DR: A curved-hilt lightsaber in the style of Count Dooku would be my hilt of choice. Even better if I could conceal it in a cane.

As for color? Well, my favorite colors are Blue, Green, and Purple, all represented in the Jedi. While I'd be happy with any of the three, I would actually gravitate more towards the purple as it's the rarer of the three. Then again, if someone found a color crystal that produced an Aqua or Turquoise blade, I'd be all over that faster than you can say "midichlorian".



3. Favorite/least favorite ice cream flavor?

Incredibly, I am actually not a particular fan of ice cream in general. I'm okay with it once in a while, but it's not something I seek out most days.

On the rare occasions where I do decide I want some, I've been partial to Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie and Reese's Peanut Butter Ice Cream patties.

But above all else, last summer, after not having it since I was very little, I developed a deep and abiding love of Soft-Serve Vanilla. In fact, if this summer continues the trend, that soft-serve may actually make its way onto my "preferred foods" list.

4. Ever been in a fight?

Like a physical fistfight?

I suppose I could recount the times I was bullied and hit in elementary school. I could recount the time when someone in my youth theatre troupe backed me into a corner. I could recount the time I stood up to teasing in my high school and got three punches thrown at me as a result (I deflected all but the third, and got some respect from my attacker for that). I could even recount the time when my future father-in-law (who we don't talk to anymore) threw me to the ground and beat me up for trying to diffuse an argument and calm everyone down.

But in all of those cases, I never really had to fight back. I never threw a hit myself, always tried my best to talk my way out of it, and always had some authority to turn to when things got south (that last one amusingly so - it took place at a bus stop that happened to be in front of a heavily-surveillanced government building of some kind. Whoops!).

So, I don't know if I would necessarily count any of those instances. The truth is that while there are times when one must fight to protect oneself and those that one cares about, there's almost always a way out that avoids violence and still keeps people's dignity.



5. Favorite clothing store?

I loathe clothing stores with a fiery passion. I find them pretentious and overpriced with stupid names. Plus, they all sell the same stuff. And they're everywhere. We need more bookstores and stores that sell esoterica. Not just "fashinably-ripped jean shop #1,138".

But that's just my opinion.



6. Any piercings?

Nope. Can't stand needles.



7. Favorite anime?

I haven't seen all that many, and I'm not the biggest fan of it as a genre.

However, as a film, I'm very fond of "My Neighbor Totoro" (the original English dub released in the '90s with Cheryl Chase as Mei, NOT the recent all-star Disney re-release). And as a TV show, I really loved what I saw of Sgt. Frog.



8. Ever cosplay?

Technically every Halloween, but never to like a convention or anything.



9. Ever been embarrassed by your folks?

Who hasn't?



10. What are your thoughts on belching contests?

I'll take "Outer Planets" for $100, Alex.



11. Ever dyed your hair?

Nope, and I have no intention to unless some role requires it.




Feel free to leave any thoughts in the comments below. If I get more questions, we'll do another one of these again soon. If not, we'll never speak of this again.