This is an intimate and candid interview pertaining to all things Yoube -- No such thing as tl;dr in this thread! Enjoy!
What or whom got you into twinking?
It started out of a hatred of leveling, but still wanting to enjoy the game. After a long break in BC a buddy and I decided to resurrect what we had dubbed “Dork Fest.” Dork Fest involved us taking a Friday night off from the bar, getting a case/bottle, and playing WoW all night.
Our plan consisted of playing a 19 Hunter and 19 Warrior. One named Youbetter and one named Runaway. The idea of Horde players coming up against two toons whose names worked out to “You better run away” cracked us the F up for some reason.
Unfortunately the dream died as he only lasted a few Dork Fest nights, leaving me all alone on my red bearded dwarven hunter in the World of Warcraft.
What is your favorite class?
Shaman. Shaman of the Resto variety
What is your favorite race?
I am going to have to say Goblin here. Having to start the leveling process in their starting zone might be the Warcraft equivalent of being drafted by the NBA Kings, but damn do I love Rocket Jump.
What is/was your favorite expansion pack?
Vanilla and BC consisted of me learning how to play and dicking around killing horde at the Crossroads. Nothing super exciting.
The answer to this question will change depending upon my mood. If I am feeling nostalgic then Wrath becomes the easy answer.
Cata may have had a ton of balance issues, but we had such good times with scheduled games in the 29/39/49 brackets. So much cooperation amongst different players and brackets to make sure games popped.
I do not really have strong feelings towards MoP one way or the other. It came, I played, it passed.
WoD has proven exciting for reasons outside of the game. I have found myself spending more time doing things to promote XP-Off/twinking than playing.
So there is a long winded answer non answer. Enjoy!
Where is home for you?
A wonderful random bumfuck town outside of Tampa consisting mostly of retirees and people I don’t know.
Computer Specs? Monitors? Keyboard? Mice or Mouse? Headset?
Umm… I guess a list here will suffice?
Computer Specs:
i5 quad
16 gigs of ram
Radeon 7800 something or other and some other stuff inside that helps me do things. I built it a few years ago so it is by no means a world beater.
3 Monitors:
50” for main gaming screen.
27” to the right for surfing the interwebz
42” on the wall for my MAME arcade/Wii setup
Mice:
Naga for gamaing and general PC use
Wireless that I have over on the arcade console
Keyboard:
Logictech g510 for general PC use
N52te Belkin for the gaming styles
Wireless that accompanies the mouse over in arcade land
Headset:
The world’s best. A Logitech g930 that every simply loves listening to me on.
A Blue Snowball Microphone for Podcasts
A really fancy shmancy set of Sony Headphones for Podcasts
Favorite Beer all time? I’ve been crushing Innis & Gunn’s lately…
F******ck… Well, the beer I drink on a regular basis will never find itself confused with one of high quality. Hmm… I actually think Shock Top Wheat IPA. I am sure that choice will end up less than popular, but F it. I love that shit and screw you beer snobs!
39’s time. Share your guild resume and feats of strength!
First off, Feats of Strength mean nothing when you have a fez adorning the top of your bald blue skull. No stronger look exists in this game.
With that out of the way, my guild resume is pretty damn light. I already had a guild from when I played 19s named <the beegeez> (now <Reminisce> F U Ooch!!
). Oh, and shout out to Pote for actually being in that guild as a 19 & still active today.
When I started talking with buddies about moving on up to the 39 side it seemed a natural destination. We really just built ourselves up and poked our head in as complete outsiders. At first we experienced some legit road blocks. I remember Huargo going ape shit on a guildy for using jumps. We had no idea the culture of 39s frowned upon them. For some reason the ant-jump lobby had not made themselves known prior to his first game.
The drama did not last long. We adopted the 39 mindset, made a lot of great friends, had GD good time, and the rest is history.
What is your favorite server for 39’s right meow and all time.
Aerie Peak. It was my first ever server. It was the Home to my first ever twink, my first ever 39, and our guild. For me that will always be home base for 39s. Sure, I have horde 39s scattered around for when faction balance becomes an issue, but they do not have same relevance. Not meow, not ever.
BG vs Arena. What one is more enjoyable for you?
Battlegrounds. Not to say I will not get in my arena moods after a few beverages.
How Frequently do you log 39s? Has activity begun with the Twink Cup nearing?
In all honesty I am largely an outsider it seems at this point. Almost all of the old 39s guard has moved on to other things. Only a few of us old timers remain.
A new group of players such as [MENTION=26098]paynefull[/MENTION], [MENTION=23059]Venom[/MENTION]splitter, and a few others have done a great job recruiting people to play from the looks of it. Once the Twink Cup ends I am extremely excited for the possible future of 39s. Already arenas and a few War Games have occurred.
For any of you on the fence about 39s jump the F over! Maybe it works out, maybe it does not. How long will it really take for you to make a toon? Instead of putzing around in Org or SW just start leveling. It looks like most of the gear will end up as either Heirloom or BoP making gearing super easy. Just pretend Rev does not exist and you will be fine.
Oh! Scheduled start time of Aug 8th @ 6pm est.
Is there a planned revive for the bracket in the future?
Looks like I shot my wad on the previous question. Please advert your eyes and look up a smudge.
-Scheduled start time of Aug 8th @ 6pm est.
If you could have 3 wishes what would they be and why?
Wish for more wishes with number 1. Then kick back and ride the wish train.
20s/29s quickly! I enjoy farting around in the bracket from time to time. What’s your poison?
I had had fun at every level/style of play in this bracket. If I ever decided to take it seriously and get into Premades/wargames/arenas I would definitely rock the f2p route. The other sections of this bracket just do not seem to have the same organizational ability. They need to borrow [MENTION=18878]AlbinoCow[/MENTION] for a few weeks or something.
Since I am a lowly soccer dad; however, my current poison lies in the bottle marked 29s. You can do ridiculous things like form the Shaman Corgi Squad and still win games.
As far as maps I try like Nate Robinson off the bench to avoid WSG. Holy hell does that map suck in this bracket. At least in AB or EotS you can find a way to have fun in a terrible game. In WSG it is either steam roll or steam rolled.
The mount option is huge and makes for a different style of play, but is it enough to sustain interest or is it just a way to kill time for all?
I am not entirely sure I understand the question. I will give it a shot though. Mounts makes maps such as AV, AB, and EotS enjoyable. Except for AV, that shit is awful no matter how you slice it.
The bracket as a whole seems like the perfect way for players to get the PvP fix. Log in, get a few games, and log out. There is something to be said for that which many people dismiss.
How and when did bisnation.net come about? Spare no details?
We all had fun with Twinking.net and bringing it back to life after purchasing it from [MENTION=1430]Inkobah[/MENTION]. However, I really wanted a fresh platform.
We spent months trying to figure out a new name. @biggie and I would have brainstorming Skype Sessions which evolved into us making fun of our terrible suggestions. Eventually a young tinker by the name of [MENTION=11761]Hunnybuns19[/MENTION] came up with bisnation. Of course, a Swedish band owned bisnation.com so .net we became. Thinking back on things this may be were the curse of [MENTION=3652]Nicozy[/MENTION] and the technical issues started…
That is the quick version. No one really wants to hear the whole thing.
Is it a costly project? Is the upkeep a hassle?
It is what it is. I enjoy myself and the community seems to benefit. As long as those two hold true it is worth it.
Was it easy getting forums for the site?
FFFFFFFFF UUUUUUUUUUUUU!! No!! And to make matters worse I had never seriously intended on adding forums to bisnation.net. If not for Shane and a Mod or two trying to rid TI of the poisonous 19 presence I never would have created them.
Going in to the whole forum thing I basically knew the most likely outcome would be TI amending it’s CoC and the bis forums slowly fading away. It seems that is what ended up happening. A few days after they went live TI changed it’s tune pretty fucking fast. Looking back I have to laugh at how poor a job Shane did when making decisions for the site.
If he would simply have appreciated and worked with the community from day one TI most likely would have received the link from Blizzard. Unfortunately, it took a bunch of page clicks from GG19 and the increased interest in 19s for him to realize this. By that time it was simply too late, the link was up, and his butt was hurt.
Who is your favorite poster on your forums?
The forums are dead, have been dead, and will most likely be taken down aften the Twink Cup. I have a great deal of faith and respect for [MENTION=5141]Myrm[/MENTION]. The need for bisnation to have forums seems like it will die once the link back loses relevance.
Let’s talk fruit boots! What’s the biggest rail you’ve slayed? You a half pipe or street guy?
Biggest rail can mean so many different things. The most bat shit crazy rail I have ever done used to live on the West Chester University Campus. Prior to remodeling their quad there was this almost straight down blue rail leading to the basketball courts. I tried it twice. The first time I could handle the speed and end up flying down the last 4 or 5 steps in the air landing with an o so pleasant thumb on the court.
After a few curse words and deep breaths I climbed back up the stairs, laced, and rode the F away.
The longest… hmm… most likely an S shaped handicap rail outside of a church. I spent a solid week trying to land the damn thing. Finally my little brother hit it which lead to me doing the same a couple attempts later.
As far as the street vs. Park debate goes I am firmly half pipe, more precisely mini-ramp. Riding mini served as a form of meditation to me. Once you really get the feel of a ramp riding it becomes second nature. The feeling you get after hitting a trick you have spent weeks working on or that has straight up broke your ass more times than you can count really has no comparison.
With something like skating you are the limiting factor. You have to overcome your fear and the pain to land a new trick. When it all comes together and you happen to hit something no one else has before on a ramp it is pretty fucking awesome.
Do you still skate or are your knees shot? Do you have a pair atm or is that a thing of the past?
I have my old ass pair of Remedyz Les a buddy who rode for them hooked me up with around ’04 on display. While my knees suffer some serious issues most of the problem revolves around my 80 year old man back.
It most likely has to do with the fact I found jumping off roofs, acid drops, and vert ramps fun for an extended period of time. But who knows, it may also result from my Warcraft Lean while gaming.
You and HB have a special Podcast running. Explain how it started. Who approached whom?
Thank you! I had wanted to do a podcast for years, but the person I wanted to do it with refused. Once he changed his mind (@bwappo) everything started falling into place. Rise warming up to the idea of doing a Podcast really opened the door. I then put together a group for the first Podcast which we dubbed ‘The Queue’ consisting of@chops, Dak (joined after a few episodes), @biggie, crypto, and willy.
A few weeks after the inaugural Podcast HB and I were talking and I offered him the opportunity to have his own cast. We tossed around ideas, worried about having enough to talk about, and ultimately decided 15 minutes the ideal time period. As you all know we have stuck to that 15 minute thing every episode since.
My Fav cast of yours so far has to be dan’s Story that was shared recently. Do you have a favorite cast of all time?
Holy hell did he knock that out! That definitely lives at the top of the Podcast Totem Pole.
Damn, that question has no easy answer or perhaps a single one. A few of my favorites though: When Brackets Become Guilds, Gearing Horror Stories, Memory Lane f/Drugs, any cast with Nicozy on it, Rose Colored Glasses. I really cannot pick one.
You’ve had an extremely positive impact on the 19 community with all the content you share. BUT do you enjoy 19’s?
Thank you for saying so. It feels strange hearing that though as I have not played in the bracket nearly as much as I have spoken with HB about it.
I had a blast the first week or two back in action, but now not so much. The constant containment style of games, for me at least, grows old fast. Sometimes I wonder if when people speak on the quality of games they confuse Premades/War Games with PuGs.
There is no denying the extremely high level of organized play at 19. Anyone arguing otherwise is either ignorant or has a personal agenda. PuG life; however, leaves a lot to be desired.
What’s your 19 twink stash looking like? I know you got a couple!
I still have the original Youbetter who now takes up residence on Doomhammer.
I moved him over to play with Dayman and the rest of the 39ers, but couldn’t really get into it. I missed my mana and Wing Clip.
Currently I have an Alliance Rshamling which Dids decked out with all the bells and whistles. In additional I have a Horde Rshamling that could use a bit of polish.
Who was your pick for the Arena Portion of the Twink Cup? The 2v2 was out of hand.
Harvest. Though JCM had me thinking upset. And yes, that 2v2 was bat shit crazy.
Let’s talk about the Warsong Gulch aspect of the Twink Cup! Who’s your pick?
Harvest Babay. And then in some order JCM and WFS
What are your thoughts on the bracket after the cup? Is it a one trick pony or can the NWL actually work.
I actually think I am going to steal this for a possible Podcast topic. I have a lot of thoughts on this. Some good and some not so good.
That Halloween costume of yours was epic, it’s clear which way the beach is! What was that?
How can you not recognize Super Sperm when you see him?!
What did you do for Y2K? Where were you? Do you remember or was it that greasy of a night.
I won’t lie. It took me a few minutes to jog the old man memory banks. I am really not sure any of that night belongs on a public forum. Perhaps a Skype chat and a beer is a better setting.
Would becoming a mod at TI ever interest you or is bisnation.net full time?
Has this all been one long winded job interview?
Can you own a website and moderate another? I cringe at the thought…
If a Randy Rogue loses the Roll on a Shadowfng to Mage McGee did it ever really drop?
Thank you for doing all those interviews with the leqaders of the packs, was fun to listen to them while doing dailies/farming stuff!
Anything I can do to help lessen that hell for you good sir! Going into them I actually had a bit of apprehension. I didn’t want to let the community or those who took time out of their day to speak with me down.
Of course things turned into a gigantic cluster fuck immediately, but settled down by Saturday. I am overall pretty damn happy with how the conversations turned out and hope it gave insight to each Team Leader. I really like how Rise phrased it about letting everyone know the person behind the keyboard.
Did you ever in your wildest dreams think that you and HB would surpass 100? 50 even?
I never really gave getting to a certain number a lot of thought. Once we hit the certain numbers the feeling of daaaamn can you believe we have rocked out 50 or 75 or 100 Podcasts certainly set in.
What’s the future looking like for 15 mins with HB? I’m hooked and truly admire you two and the chemistry you demonstrate.
Aww. You are going to make me blush! I look forward to our cast every week. We have grown and evolved quite a bit since episode one.
I am extremely proud of HB. He has become a driving force the bracket like no one has before him. Just look at everything he has done for the Twink Cup. I am not sure anyone realizes just how much work goes in to streaming, shout casting, running a team, doing a Podcast, and holding down a community leader spot.
He does damn near everything possible for the community and does it at an Alpha level.
Was there ever a moment that you wanted to scrap everything and just move on from all this?
F to the Yes. Several times in fact. Actually around episode 80ish I spoke with HB about closing up shop. He talked some sense into me and we have been going strong ever since.
100s? All this talk about twinks we haven’t discussed end game at all!
Meh. Not really a lot to discuss. Outside sitting in my garrison while I chat with people I have done little to nothing on 100s.
Do you take end game seriously or is at just a means to fund your past twinks.
Outside of a few months of half serious RBGs with Rise I have never done much end game. I guess they are just XP-Off/Twink sugar daddies.
List 10 Players you see shine brighter than most!
1. Number One has to be Rise (@bwappo) for the TI peoples who do not know him. He has been the single most important person to me in this game. For those of you who enjoy the Podcasts you should really give him a great deal of credit. You could agree (and win said argument) that I would never have started the Podcasts without him.
Beyond just being a great person to play with he has been my closest friend in this game for a long damn time. The XP Off/Twink landscape would look a lot different if not for his presence and not for the better.
2. Mangry. A lot of you may not remember him, but he is one of my oldest friends in this game. We started in 19s and he made the leap with me to 39s. All of you who have ever pulled some gear out of <the beegeez> or <reminisce> guild bank owe him a thank you or two.
3. Bam. One of my favorite people of all time. I always have fun shooting the shit with him on vent or rocking out some Hearthstone.
4. Chops. He is my number 1 drinking buddy. My lets go do some fuck around BGs or Arenas partner. One of the most solid people I know.
5. HB. See prior Questions
6. Crypto. Hilarious, out of control, and just a good damn time. It is always entertaining if Crypto is in the call.
7. Nicozy. I have not known him nearly as long as everyone else here, but he has quickly become one of my favorite people. He is the Swedish Superstar, what else needs to be said?
8. Biggie, Dak, Willy – I owe a great deal of thanks for them in getting things rolling with the Podcast. Dak is still, to this day, the voice of bisnation. Willy made the casts possible by doing the editing of the first few. And Biggie has been a good friend ever since the resurrection of Twinking.net.
9. Rastaganjah/Masterdrood. Rasta, Mangry, Bam and I formed a pretty close knit group for many years. We have all moved on to different games or scaled back play time, but still stay in contact.
10. I am going to leave this one blank. I have met so many amazing
people via this game. Having to pick out 10 just doesn’t seem fair given a written format. So, I will leave this blank. This is for all of my friends and people I have played with over the years that have had a meaningful impact on me.
Thank you for answering these questions of mine Yoube! You rock!
What or whom got you into twinking?
It started out of a hatred of leveling, but still wanting to enjoy the game. After a long break in BC a buddy and I decided to resurrect what we had dubbed “Dork Fest.” Dork Fest involved us taking a Friday night off from the bar, getting a case/bottle, and playing WoW all night.
Our plan consisted of playing a 19 Hunter and 19 Warrior. One named Youbetter and one named Runaway. The idea of Horde players coming up against two toons whose names worked out to “You better run away” cracked us the F up for some reason.
Unfortunately the dream died as he only lasted a few Dork Fest nights, leaving me all alone on my red bearded dwarven hunter in the World of Warcraft.
What is your favorite class?
Shaman. Shaman of the Resto variety
What is your favorite race?
I am going to have to say Goblin here. Having to start the leveling process in their starting zone might be the Warcraft equivalent of being drafted by the NBA Kings, but damn do I love Rocket Jump.
What is/was your favorite expansion pack?
Vanilla and BC consisted of me learning how to play and dicking around killing horde at the Crossroads. Nothing super exciting.
The answer to this question will change depending upon my mood. If I am feeling nostalgic then Wrath becomes the easy answer.
Cata may have had a ton of balance issues, but we had such good times with scheduled games in the 29/39/49 brackets. So much cooperation amongst different players and brackets to make sure games popped.
I do not really have strong feelings towards MoP one way or the other. It came, I played, it passed.
WoD has proven exciting for reasons outside of the game. I have found myself spending more time doing things to promote XP-Off/twinking than playing.
So there is a long winded answer non answer. Enjoy!
Where is home for you?
A wonderful random bumfuck town outside of Tampa consisting mostly of retirees and people I don’t know.
Computer Specs? Monitors? Keyboard? Mice or Mouse? Headset?
Umm… I guess a list here will suffice?
Computer Specs:
i5 quad
16 gigs of ram
Radeon 7800 something or other and some other stuff inside that helps me do things. I built it a few years ago so it is by no means a world beater.
3 Monitors:
50” for main gaming screen.
27” to the right for surfing the interwebz
42” on the wall for my MAME arcade/Wii setup
Mice:
Naga for gamaing and general PC use
Wireless that I have over on the arcade console
Keyboard:
Logictech g510 for general PC use
N52te Belkin for the gaming styles
Wireless that accompanies the mouse over in arcade land
Headset:
The world’s best. A Logitech g930 that every simply loves listening to me on.
A Blue Snowball Microphone for Podcasts
A really fancy shmancy set of Sony Headphones for Podcasts
Favorite Beer all time? I’ve been crushing Innis & Gunn’s lately…
F******ck… Well, the beer I drink on a regular basis will never find itself confused with one of high quality. Hmm… I actually think Shock Top Wheat IPA. I am sure that choice will end up less than popular, but F it. I love that shit and screw you beer snobs!
39’s time. Share your guild resume and feats of strength!
First off, Feats of Strength mean nothing when you have a fez adorning the top of your bald blue skull. No stronger look exists in this game.
With that out of the way, my guild resume is pretty damn light. I already had a guild from when I played 19s named <the beegeez> (now <Reminisce> F U Ooch!!
). Oh, and shout out to Pote for actually being in that guild as a 19 & still active today. When I started talking with buddies about moving on up to the 39 side it seemed a natural destination. We really just built ourselves up and poked our head in as complete outsiders. At first we experienced some legit road blocks. I remember Huargo going ape shit on a guildy for using jumps. We had no idea the culture of 39s frowned upon them. For some reason the ant-jump lobby had not made themselves known prior to his first game.
The drama did not last long. We adopted the 39 mindset, made a lot of great friends, had GD good time, and the rest is history.
What is your favorite server for 39’s right meow and all time.
Aerie Peak. It was my first ever server. It was the Home to my first ever twink, my first ever 39, and our guild. For me that will always be home base for 39s. Sure, I have horde 39s scattered around for when faction balance becomes an issue, but they do not have same relevance. Not meow, not ever.
BG vs Arena. What one is more enjoyable for you?
Battlegrounds. Not to say I will not get in my arena moods after a few beverages.
How Frequently do you log 39s? Has activity begun with the Twink Cup nearing?
In all honesty I am largely an outsider it seems at this point. Almost all of the old 39s guard has moved on to other things. Only a few of us old timers remain.
A new group of players such as [MENTION=26098]paynefull[/MENTION], [MENTION=23059]Venom[/MENTION]splitter, and a few others have done a great job recruiting people to play from the looks of it. Once the Twink Cup ends I am extremely excited for the possible future of 39s. Already arenas and a few War Games have occurred.
For any of you on the fence about 39s jump the F over! Maybe it works out, maybe it does not. How long will it really take for you to make a toon? Instead of putzing around in Org or SW just start leveling. It looks like most of the gear will end up as either Heirloom or BoP making gearing super easy. Just pretend Rev does not exist and you will be fine.
Oh! Scheduled start time of Aug 8th @ 6pm est.
Is there a planned revive for the bracket in the future?
Looks like I shot my wad on the previous question. Please advert your eyes and look up a smudge.
-Scheduled start time of Aug 8th @ 6pm est.
If you could have 3 wishes what would they be and why?
Wish for more wishes with number 1. Then kick back and ride the wish train.
20s/29s quickly! I enjoy farting around in the bracket from time to time. What’s your poison?
I had had fun at every level/style of play in this bracket. If I ever decided to take it seriously and get into Premades/wargames/arenas I would definitely rock the f2p route. The other sections of this bracket just do not seem to have the same organizational ability. They need to borrow [MENTION=18878]AlbinoCow[/MENTION] for a few weeks or something.
Since I am a lowly soccer dad; however, my current poison lies in the bottle marked 29s. You can do ridiculous things like form the Shaman Corgi Squad and still win games.
As far as maps I try like Nate Robinson off the bench to avoid WSG. Holy hell does that map suck in this bracket. At least in AB or EotS you can find a way to have fun in a terrible game. In WSG it is either steam roll or steam rolled.
The mount option is huge and makes for a different style of play, but is it enough to sustain interest or is it just a way to kill time for all?
I am not entirely sure I understand the question. I will give it a shot though. Mounts makes maps such as AV, AB, and EotS enjoyable. Except for AV, that shit is awful no matter how you slice it.
The bracket as a whole seems like the perfect way for players to get the PvP fix. Log in, get a few games, and log out. There is something to be said for that which many people dismiss.
How and when did bisnation.net come about? Spare no details?
We all had fun with Twinking.net and bringing it back to life after purchasing it from [MENTION=1430]Inkobah[/MENTION]. However, I really wanted a fresh platform.
We spent months trying to figure out a new name. @biggie and I would have brainstorming Skype Sessions which evolved into us making fun of our terrible suggestions. Eventually a young tinker by the name of [MENTION=11761]Hunnybuns19[/MENTION] came up with bisnation. Of course, a Swedish band owned bisnation.com so .net we became. Thinking back on things this may be were the curse of [MENTION=3652]Nicozy[/MENTION] and the technical issues started…
That is the quick version. No one really wants to hear the whole thing.
Is it a costly project? Is the upkeep a hassle?
It is what it is. I enjoy myself and the community seems to benefit. As long as those two hold true it is worth it.
Was it easy getting forums for the site?
FFFFFFFFF UUUUUUUUUUUUU!! No!! And to make matters worse I had never seriously intended on adding forums to bisnation.net. If not for Shane and a Mod or two trying to rid TI of the poisonous 19 presence I never would have created them.
Going in to the whole forum thing I basically knew the most likely outcome would be TI amending it’s CoC and the bis forums slowly fading away. It seems that is what ended up happening. A few days after they went live TI changed it’s tune pretty fucking fast. Looking back I have to laugh at how poor a job Shane did when making decisions for the site.
If he would simply have appreciated and worked with the community from day one TI most likely would have received the link from Blizzard. Unfortunately, it took a bunch of page clicks from GG19 and the increased interest in 19s for him to realize this. By that time it was simply too late, the link was up, and his butt was hurt.
Who is your favorite poster on your forums?
The forums are dead, have been dead, and will most likely be taken down aften the Twink Cup. I have a great deal of faith and respect for [MENTION=5141]Myrm[/MENTION]. The need for bisnation to have forums seems like it will die once the link back loses relevance.
Let’s talk fruit boots! What’s the biggest rail you’ve slayed? You a half pipe or street guy?
Biggest rail can mean so many different things. The most bat shit crazy rail I have ever done used to live on the West Chester University Campus. Prior to remodeling their quad there was this almost straight down blue rail leading to the basketball courts. I tried it twice. The first time I could handle the speed and end up flying down the last 4 or 5 steps in the air landing with an o so pleasant thumb on the court.
After a few curse words and deep breaths I climbed back up the stairs, laced, and rode the F away.
The longest… hmm… most likely an S shaped handicap rail outside of a church. I spent a solid week trying to land the damn thing. Finally my little brother hit it which lead to me doing the same a couple attempts later.
As far as the street vs. Park debate goes I am firmly half pipe, more precisely mini-ramp. Riding mini served as a form of meditation to me. Once you really get the feel of a ramp riding it becomes second nature. The feeling you get after hitting a trick you have spent weeks working on or that has straight up broke your ass more times than you can count really has no comparison.
With something like skating you are the limiting factor. You have to overcome your fear and the pain to land a new trick. When it all comes together and you happen to hit something no one else has before on a ramp it is pretty fucking awesome.
Do you still skate or are your knees shot? Do you have a pair atm or is that a thing of the past?
I have my old ass pair of Remedyz Les a buddy who rode for them hooked me up with around ’04 on display. While my knees suffer some serious issues most of the problem revolves around my 80 year old man back.
It most likely has to do with the fact I found jumping off roofs, acid drops, and vert ramps fun for an extended period of time. But who knows, it may also result from my Warcraft Lean while gaming.
You and HB have a special Podcast running. Explain how it started. Who approached whom?
Thank you! I had wanted to do a podcast for years, but the person I wanted to do it with refused. Once he changed his mind (@bwappo) everything started falling into place. Rise warming up to the idea of doing a Podcast really opened the door. I then put together a group for the first Podcast which we dubbed ‘The Queue’ consisting of@chops, Dak (joined after a few episodes), @biggie, crypto, and willy.
A few weeks after the inaugural Podcast HB and I were talking and I offered him the opportunity to have his own cast. We tossed around ideas, worried about having enough to talk about, and ultimately decided 15 minutes the ideal time period. As you all know we have stuck to that 15 minute thing every episode since.
My Fav cast of yours so far has to be dan’s Story that was shared recently. Do you have a favorite cast of all time?
Holy hell did he knock that out! That definitely lives at the top of the Podcast Totem Pole.
Damn, that question has no easy answer or perhaps a single one. A few of my favorites though: When Brackets Become Guilds, Gearing Horror Stories, Memory Lane f/Drugs, any cast with Nicozy on it, Rose Colored Glasses. I really cannot pick one.
You’ve had an extremely positive impact on the 19 community with all the content you share. BUT do you enjoy 19’s?
Thank you for saying so. It feels strange hearing that though as I have not played in the bracket nearly as much as I have spoken with HB about it.
I had a blast the first week or two back in action, but now not so much. The constant containment style of games, for me at least, grows old fast. Sometimes I wonder if when people speak on the quality of games they confuse Premades/War Games with PuGs.
There is no denying the extremely high level of organized play at 19. Anyone arguing otherwise is either ignorant or has a personal agenda. PuG life; however, leaves a lot to be desired.
What’s your 19 twink stash looking like? I know you got a couple!
I still have the original Youbetter who now takes up residence on Doomhammer.
I moved him over to play with Dayman and the rest of the 39ers, but couldn’t really get into it. I missed my mana and Wing Clip.
Currently I have an Alliance Rshamling which Dids decked out with all the bells and whistles. In additional I have a Horde Rshamling that could use a bit of polish.
Who was your pick for the Arena Portion of the Twink Cup? The 2v2 was out of hand.
Harvest. Though JCM had me thinking upset. And yes, that 2v2 was bat shit crazy.
Let’s talk about the Warsong Gulch aspect of the Twink Cup! Who’s your pick?
Harvest Babay. And then in some order JCM and WFS
What are your thoughts on the bracket after the cup? Is it a one trick pony or can the NWL actually work.
I actually think I am going to steal this for a possible Podcast topic. I have a lot of thoughts on this. Some good and some not so good.
That Halloween costume of yours was epic, it’s clear which way the beach is! What was that?
How can you not recognize Super Sperm when you see him?!
What did you do for Y2K? Where were you? Do you remember or was it that greasy of a night.
I won’t lie. It took me a few minutes to jog the old man memory banks. I am really not sure any of that night belongs on a public forum. Perhaps a Skype chat and a beer is a better setting.
Would becoming a mod at TI ever interest you or is bisnation.net full time?
Has this all been one long winded job interview?
Can you own a website and moderate another? I cringe at the thought…
If a Randy Rogue loses the Roll on a Shadowfng to Mage McGee did it ever really drop?
Thank you for doing all those interviews with the leqaders of the packs, was fun to listen to them while doing dailies/farming stuff!
Anything I can do to help lessen that hell for you good sir! Going into them I actually had a bit of apprehension. I didn’t want to let the community or those who took time out of their day to speak with me down.
Of course things turned into a gigantic cluster fuck immediately, but settled down by Saturday. I am overall pretty damn happy with how the conversations turned out and hope it gave insight to each Team Leader. I really like how Rise phrased it about letting everyone know the person behind the keyboard.
Did you ever in your wildest dreams think that you and HB would surpass 100? 50 even?
I never really gave getting to a certain number a lot of thought. Once we hit the certain numbers the feeling of daaaamn can you believe we have rocked out 50 or 75 or 100 Podcasts certainly set in.
What’s the future looking like for 15 mins with HB? I’m hooked and truly admire you two and the chemistry you demonstrate.
Aww. You are going to make me blush! I look forward to our cast every week. We have grown and evolved quite a bit since episode one.
I am extremely proud of HB. He has become a driving force the bracket like no one has before him. Just look at everything he has done for the Twink Cup. I am not sure anyone realizes just how much work goes in to streaming, shout casting, running a team, doing a Podcast, and holding down a community leader spot.
He does damn near everything possible for the community and does it at an Alpha level.
Was there ever a moment that you wanted to scrap everything and just move on from all this?
F to the Yes. Several times in fact. Actually around episode 80ish I spoke with HB about closing up shop. He talked some sense into me and we have been going strong ever since.
100s? All this talk about twinks we haven’t discussed end game at all!
Meh. Not really a lot to discuss. Outside sitting in my garrison while I chat with people I have done little to nothing on 100s.
Do you take end game seriously or is at just a means to fund your past twinks.
Outside of a few months of half serious RBGs with Rise I have never done much end game. I guess they are just XP-Off/Twink sugar daddies.
List 10 Players you see shine brighter than most!
1. Number One has to be Rise (@bwappo) for the TI peoples who do not know him. He has been the single most important person to me in this game. For those of you who enjoy the Podcasts you should really give him a great deal of credit. You could agree (and win said argument) that I would never have started the Podcasts without him.
Beyond just being a great person to play with he has been my closest friend in this game for a long damn time. The XP Off/Twink landscape would look a lot different if not for his presence and not for the better.
2. Mangry. A lot of you may not remember him, but he is one of my oldest friends in this game. We started in 19s and he made the leap with me to 39s. All of you who have ever pulled some gear out of <the beegeez> or <reminisce> guild bank owe him a thank you or two.
3. Bam. One of my favorite people of all time. I always have fun shooting the shit with him on vent or rocking out some Hearthstone.
4. Chops. He is my number 1 drinking buddy. My lets go do some fuck around BGs or Arenas partner. One of the most solid people I know.
5. HB. See prior Questions
6. Crypto. Hilarious, out of control, and just a good damn time. It is always entertaining if Crypto is in the call.
7. Nicozy. I have not known him nearly as long as everyone else here, but he has quickly become one of my favorite people. He is the Swedish Superstar, what else needs to be said?
8. Biggie, Dak, Willy – I owe a great deal of thanks for them in getting things rolling with the Podcast. Dak is still, to this day, the voice of bisnation. Willy made the casts possible by doing the editing of the first few. And Biggie has been a good friend ever since the resurrection of Twinking.net.
9. Rastaganjah/Masterdrood. Rasta, Mangry, Bam and I formed a pretty close knit group for many years. We have all moved on to different games or scaled back play time, but still stay in contact.
10. I am going to leave this one blank. I have met so many amazing
people via this game. Having to pick out 10 just doesn’t seem fair given a written format. So, I will leave this blank. This is for all of my friends and people I have played with over the years that have had a meaningful impact on me.
Thank you for answering these questions of mine Yoube! You rock!
