Gunslinger Gaming

Some of you may know her as Dria from the Gunslinger Forums, but many of you undoubtedly have chatted with her under the name TheCakeisaLIE. The Gunslingers have had the fortune to count her as a member for some time now, and it is high time we get to know her better! With that in mind, enjoy the following interview that will shed some light as to why her chat handle is quite apt.

GS: You joined the Gunslingers back in May, 2011. How exactly did you happen upon us, and was there a particular game that brought you here?

Dria: Not any particular game really. I joined after my boyfriend (Sosyc) told me about the site and I had recently given up my MMO at the time and was looking for something to give me the social aspect that I enjoy. After reading over the forums and the diversity of games and systems and then after spending time in the chat room I was hooked!

GS: Obviously, you like gaming, but what people may not know is that you have formal training in the culinary arts. How long have you been doing that, and when did you first realize decorating cakes is something that interested you?

Dria: I went to culinary school several years back. My family spends a lot of time watching food network, which had gotten my attention from the various cake challenges. I had been working at a toy store before that and felt I wanted to get out of retail. I always loved desserts and the artist aspect of cake decorating was super fun, challenging and something I felt I could do and enjoy.

GS: Based on the pictures, you have created some really complex cakes. Can you tell us how the process of molding objects out of sugar works?

Dria: Well for things like wedding or tiered cakes its always best for me to start out with a sketch of my idea based on either a theme or color scheme. Then I can make a list of what is needed for that cake in decorative aspects, e.i. Flowers, bows, bubbles, swags, or things of that nature. Sometimes it takes a couple days to make those before you even bake the cake. If its a fondant cake you can color the fondant yourself by kneading a gel coloring into white fondant, or you can buy pre-colored, or you can choose to airbrush (I prefer self coloring) after all that its just a matter of assembly.

GS: What was the most elaborate or hardest piece you have made, and how long did it take?

Dria: Most elaborate piece would be the three and a half foot sugar sculpture I did with dolphins,

An eleborate cake created completely by Dria

bubbles, kelp and shells. It took around three days. Sugar can be temperamental depending on humidity and how heavy handed you are. It requires a very delicate touch and good eye for assembly keeping in mind balance issues for when the piece is moved. I have a bad habit of wiggling my piece after attaching a few things to make sure things aren’t going to fall off. On the flip side, that piece didn’t fall apart until three and a half years later.

GS: According to your GS profile, reading is listed as one of your other interests. What genre do you most often read? Do you have any favorite authors?

Dria: Fantasy and Science Fiction are my go-to genre’s. Though I enjoy historical fiction, biographies, and I did go through a kick for a year or so that I read a lot of westerns. My favorite author at the moment…. a three way tie. Lois Mcmaster Bujold, Mercedes Lackey, and Terry Pratchett.

GS: In addition to being a culinary artist, you also dabble in drawing. Has that been a life-long interest, or is that something you have recently picked up?

Dria: Life long interest! Always thought when I was a kid that I wanted to be an illustrator for novels. Did competitions when I was in high school and ended up with a sculpture piece in Athens for a few months because of it. Don’t draw or paint so much now. I’m horribly out of practice.

GS: Being from Georgia, what are some favorite places that you could recommend to the tourists among us?

Dria: Technically I’m not really from Georgia. I grew up in Germany on a military base.Though I think that it gives me a better look at Georgia by not being from here. From what I have discovered of Georgia, Jekyll Island was a lot of fun to visit, River Walk in Savannah is beautiful plus the city of Savannah itself is interesting to walk through. The apple houses of north Georgia was very neat to visit with lots of fresh apple cider. North Georgia also has the Appalachian mountains that are scenic and with trout streams! Atlanta has an amazing symphony plus the High Museum of Art. Not to mention all the amazing restaurants with a very diverse culture.

GS: Your significant other, Sosyc, and you both enjoy gaming. How is it like being a gaming couple? Who gets dibs on the television?

Dria: We share a lot of the same interests so it works out very nicely. We enjoy the same shows and games for the most part. I like watching him play games as well as playing myself. I love being a gaming couple! He does tease me about my facebook app games, which they are silly but I still enjoy. I used to play Neopets too (though I don’t admit to it very often) There are alot of co-op games that we have such Borderlands, Dirt3, Portal 2, and Dungeon Defenders. And we have a lot of characters we play seperately on Skyrim, Fallout, 3d Dot Game Hero and Brink.

GS: Do you have any pets? If so, can you tell us something about them?

Dria: I have one pet, a ten pound white peke-a-poo named Murphy. He’s eleven years old now but still plays like a puppy. He’s a strange little dog who has a lot of cat like tendencies.

GS: And, most importantly, what is your favorite drink?

Dria: Vanilla Coke most assuredly!

Thank you for taking the time to do this interview, and thank everyone for reading it. Most importantly, thank you for being a Gunslinger, Dria!

March 2011 marks Bolink654′s one year anniversary as a Gunslinger member. Bolink654 is a bit of a husband and wife—Jeff and Giggles—duo membership, and we had the fortune to sit down and ask “the better half” her thoughts on gaming, couples who game together, and other questions to get to know someone we have had a great time gaming with this last year.

GS: You signed up back in March 2nd, 2010. What made you join the Gunslingers back then, and what is keeping you busy around here now days?

Bolink654: Well, my husband and I bought the game [Modern Warfare: Reflex Edition] a few months before we joined and we just loved playing the game, but realized there were a lot of clans we were going against. That’s when we decided to look into it and see if we would be interested in it, and that’s when we found GS. Ever since we joined the clan, we always have a group of (adult) members to play with and enjoy the game with. And I would also like to point out that the reason I have a win/lose ratio of 3.02 is because of my fellow GS. If it wasn’t for them I would never have even got over 1. What keeps me busy is the tourneys, forums, and of course the game [Call of Duty: Black Ops].

GS: In the forums, you go by the name “bolink654.” In chat, it’s “TheHeims.” Many people, however, have grown fond of referring to you as “Giggles.” How did that start?

Bolink654: The “bolink654″ is just something Jeff has always put on the internet as the user name. Well, with the “TheHeims,” it’s because my husband and I both play, but as a lot of you know, Jeff won’t talk on Skype, so I was the one on there. And when we first started using Skype, I was so shy I didn’t want to talk to them, so every time something was said or done funny, I would always giggle. So, every since then I was called “Giggles.”

GS: You and your husband game together quite often. How does gaming online as a couple affect the experience?

Bolink654: Well, honestly, when we play together, we look out for each other more in the game than we would for someone else. But then again, if we are on opposite teams, we try to kill each other more. The game is great, but when we play together it actually makes the game a little better.

GS: Recently, you purchased a second Nintendo Wii system. What were your motivations for doing so, and do you recommend it for other Nintendo Wii playing couples?

Bolink654: We did it because we both love playing the game, but hated taking turns, and we figured if we got a second Wii, not only could we play at the same time, but, if no one was on, we would still have each other to game with. And for the couples, I very much recommend it. Like I said before, it makes the experience of the game better.

GS: Being a female player in a franchise, such as Call of Duty, with an obvious male fan-base must bring about some amusing moments. Can you relate one?

Bolink654: Well, the other day, we were going against another clan, which were all males. We whooped them pretty good, score limiting the game. And like most other games that happen like that, they start having something to say, so I will respond to them, and when they realize I’m a girl, they either start calling me a hacker or just won’t say anything at all.

GS: We all know you like to game, but what other passions do you have? Hobbies? Favorite movies?

Bolink654: When I’m not playing Call of Duty, I am usually playing in Photoshop. I love to work with pictures. I’ve always been the type to love art and graphics. But during the summer and fall, you will more than likely find me in the woods or out on the lake.

GS: What was the very first video game you remember playing? Have you always been into video games?

Bolink654: Yes, ever since I was old enough I have been playing all kinds of video games. The very first one I remember is Mario on the NES.

GS: If there could be one place in the world you could go to vacation, where would it be and why?

Bolink654: Even though I have been there more than one time, I would still go to Eureka Springs, AR. Its just so beautiful there, more than words can describe, and so much to do. The people that live there are some of the nicest people I have ever met. And the town itself has so much history, it would take you forever to learn it. My favorite part of the whole place is the Crescent Hotel that looks over the whole town. In that place alone, the history is amazing.

GS: You are a big fan of the zombie mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops. What is the horror film that, hands down, scares the crap out of you?

Bolink654: Hands down scariest movie ever is……The Strangers!!! I will NOT ever watch that movie again. I was on my seat the whole time during the movie, and jumping at every little sound! I know it’s not zombies-attacking-people kind of movie, but you try watching it on a stormy night, with all the light out, and by yourself!

GS: What is your favorite drink?

Bolink654: My favorite drink is a frozen strawberry daiquiri. Regular drink would be a Cherry Dr. Pepper.

Thank you for taking the time to answer a few of our questions, and we all look forward to seeing you and your husband on the virtual battlefields!

Welcome to the very first edition of the latest Gunslinger Gaming tradition: Member Spotlight! Each month, we randomly select a member proven to be active in the Gunslinger Gaming Forums or Chats and interview them. This new feature allows for all of us to get to know our fellow parent/adult gamer better and encourage game contacts swapping.

Before we go any further, we should tip our hats to Gunslinger member, Fist of Metal. He is the one that came up with this idea, and it would not be possible without his brainstorming.

We are starting the new GS Member Spotlight this month by interviewing none other than the awesome Balki! He seemed like a perfect candidate to kick things off considering he has recently celebrated his two year anniversary of being a member here at Gunslinger Gaming. The following interview was originally conducted in January, 2011.

GS: Before we speak more lightly, it is hard to ignore the historic level of flooding taking place in your home country of Australia at the moment. The videos of it are both incredible yet frightening. Are you and your loved ones all right, and what impressions of the natural disaster do you have that may not be reaching the rest of us globally in our news coverage?

Balki: A friend on facebook today posted a link about how Brazil and Sri Lanka have much worse floods than Aus, and we have better resources to clean up. It’s been awful and fascinating to watch on TV, my stomach turns seeing politicians be all political then say, “this is not the time for politics.” Where I live is far, far away from the current floods, and it would never flood here. Thought we were going to be wiped out in Jan 2003 by a fire storm. Looked like Hell approaching, and I will never forget that sight.

GS: You have been a member of the Gunslingers since January of 2008. How did you find us?

Balki: MarioKartWii.com. After being shocked at the age of the people I was playing with, the word “Adult” stood out on the GS Thread. I held off joining for a while, then finally did (just being lazy, as a lot of GS people say – wish I joined earlier.)

GS: As someone who signed up originally to play some Mario Kart Wii, what are you playing these days?

Balki: Still Mario Kart, although no where as much as a year ago. I’m trying to play Call of Duty. It’s a tough game!

GS: Let’s talk about your music. You have been kind enough to share some of your song in the GS Jukebox. Obviously, you have passions in addition to video gaming. When did you start playing music? What was your band’s name, and what sort of experiences did you have with the band?

Balki: I started out with the band at 18 years old. We were just kids playing around, wasn’t very serious (we thought it was at the time, though). We were called Optimus Prime. All members of the band basically went separate ways not long into the band’s life. I am not a fan of the music industry. Film making is for me.

GS: If being musically inclined wasn’t enough, you are also an avid table tennis player. How did you get involved in that sport, and do you compete in competitive ladders or tournaments?

Balki: The Club is across the road from where I went to school so I always knew it was there. Friends and I were starting to play all the time in the lounge room, so we decided to check out the club and been playing there ever since. There’s 2 seasons per year. I’ve made it 5 grand finals over about 8 or more years, and won 2 out of 5.

GS: Do you have any pets?

Balki: I have a young cat, and lots of spiders in the backyard. From April 2008 (the week Mario Kart Wii came out), to Feb 2009, all 3 of my cats died. The 3 of them had lived together for about 10 years, and when the first one died (the youngest at 10 years old) the others went down hill, too. One was 14 years old. The other was 18 years old. Got him when I was 10 years old myself. I was really sad.

GS: What was the very first video game you remember playing?

Balki: It’s like my first cigarette. I remember it happening, but not sure of the exact details. Hand held games (like Nintendo’s Game ‘N’ Watch) aside, it’s either, Combat on the Atari 2600 at a family friend’s place at the coast, or Wonder Boy or Wardner’s Forest or Ghost and Goblins (which I never made it past level 2). Down at the local community centre, which had about 4 or 5 games, and it is definitely the first place I played an arcade game.

GS: “Balki” is an interesting choice for a forum handle. If it is in reference to the television program Perfect Strangers, what inspired that?

Balki: My DVD collection. Mario Kart Wii being online, I needed a Mii with a better name than “Fred,” so I glanced over at my DVD collection and thought, “Ah, Balki.” I was going through an 80′s sitcom rewatching phase at the time…ALF, Perfect Strangers, and stuff like that. Somehow today’s sitcoms like 2 and a Half Men and How I Met Your Mother just don’t do it for me. Thank God for the Big Bang Theory! I never thought “Balki” would become my online identity. I just named myself “Balki” at MarioKartWii.com for convenience. I made my Youtube page years ago, never thought I would use it for video games, so my Youtube name is “hymma,” as in, “You guys get me down from hmyaa!!” -South Park.

GS: It is no secret that you are a South Park fan. What makes the satirical animation series so attractive to you, and what is your favorite episode?

Balki: I’ve always been interested in voice work, and I have huge respect for Matt and Trey as film makers/voice artists/writers, whatever. I’ve listened to every commentary they have ever done. The best thing about South Park is that it’s still going.

GS: What is your favorite drink?

Balki: Beer!

Thank you, Balki, for not only taking the time to sit down and answer some questions about yourself, but also for being a Gunslingers member!