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Asandir
I am Asandir and you might have seen some of my posts, if you came here because I made you mad or sad, then I want to apologise to you, with that being said, just enjoy your time on Newgrounds!

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Interview with RydiaLockheart

Posted by Asandir - December 9th, 2013


Asandir's interviews with Newgrounds forum users

This week's interview features the user RydiaLockheart.

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When did you find Newgrounds and why did you join? Why did you choose the username RydiaLockheart?

RydiaLockheart:

"I found Newgrounds during my freshman year of college. I ended up stumbling upon some of the video game parodies, which led me back to the main site. Eventually, I began spending a lot of time browsing the site, and finally decided to sign up for an account just before I left for Thanksgiving break. I had already used the username RydiaLockheart on another forum I had been on that was defunct by that point. At the time, I was really into FF7’s Tifa Lockheart, and was trying to pick something that was Final Fantasy-themed and fit with “Lockheart.” FF4 is my favorite game in the series, and I always liked Rydia and her powers, so I used the name Rydia."

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Do you think that you changed over the time you were here, as user, or also in real life?

RydiaLockheart:

"Definitely both. When I look at my first posts here, I notice I was kind of a bitch and am rather embarrassed by that. I initially only came on here to watch movies and play games, but eventually gravitated to the forums. I hung out exclusively in the Politics Forum at first because the discussion there was a little more mature than in General, and at that time, the immaturity in General turned me off. But I think I was also being a bit of a snob then too. I still enjoy political discussions, but I think I was being too serious. Eventually, in real life as on Newgrounds, I learned to chill out. I still see plenty of stupidity in both forums, but I don’t let it affect me as much as I used to.

I think a big part of the change in my posts in Politics is due to the change in my political compass. I held some conservative views when I first joined, but I was definitely a college liberal. That began to change in 2008, when I was living in Ohio with a full-time job and out of school. I began to realize that the liberal ideas a lot of college students have don’t work in the real world. I also began to find a lot of them objectionable once I saw how they worked (or didn’t work) in the real world. I am now a center-right independent with some libertarian leanings. If you dig through a lot of my posts from 2005 versus, say, 2011, you won’t even believe it’s the same person."

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Are there any other users that you like, and how do they affect you?

RydiaLockheart:

"I spend a lot of time in the Regulars Lounge thread in the Politics forum. Most of the people there are folks I have known for years and like. SevenSeize isn’t around as much anymore, but I still talk to her whenever I can. Some of the others I remember from way back when, like TheShrike, have moved on. I like ZJ and hanging out with him and the other users in the football threads because no one gives me any of that “what do women know about football?” crap.

I also remember one time I had a concussion after banging my head on some stairs and Malachy had to tell me not to lie down like I wanted to. His advice probably saved me from having to go to the doctor."

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Are there any users that you would consider enemies or that you just don't like?

RydiaLockheart:

"The people I find generally abrasive are ones in the Politics forum. Fortunately, I can only count the number of people I don’t like on one hand. What’s also good is that some of the people I used to not like have also shaped up. Cellardoor6 comes to mind here. He used to just go and start fights, but now, he can actively debate and back up his views."

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What is your opinion about the forums? Is there one forum that you prefer?

RydiaLockheart:

"I gravitate between the General and Politics forums. I’ve posted in the Video Games forum every now and then, but generally I haven’t been playing games that are discussed on there. My gaming in general has been down since there hasn’t been as much I’ve been excited about in recent years, but things are changing now that games are being released for the holidays. There are new consoles coming out too, but I’m not going to run out and buy them unless I know for sure there’s something I’m interested in."

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I guess that you have an opinion about the moderators of Newgrounds. Do you think that they do a great job or not?

RydiaLockheart:

"Generally, I think they do a pretty good job. Then again, I haven’t trolled or really broken any rules, so I guess not being on the receiving end of things makes me not have as strong as an opinion as others may. However, I can get away with things on here I would get banned for on other forums, such as a certain four-letter word I use to refer to Senator Feinstein."

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Would you like to become a moderator on Newgrounds? If so, what kind of moderator?

RydiaLockheart:

"I thought about it when I was unemployed since I hung out here more and I love the community. Now though, I’m afraid I wouldn’t have the time to devote to the Newgrounds forums they would probably need from a moderator."

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You were a member before the redesign 2007. Tell me how you experienced Newgrounds back then and what changes you liked about the redesign?

RydiaLockheart:

"I liked the 2007 redesign better than the latest one. That layout looked nice and it was much easier to find things than it had been when I first joined. Things were categorized better so it was much easier to find content, like certain series, instead of hunting everywhere for links. This was probably because it started switching over to drop-down menus rather than a bunch of text links.

Of course, whatever the redesign, I’ll take it over all the pop-up ads that used to plague the site. It amuses me that they used to have hentai/porn ads back in the day, now that I think about it. What was even more amusing is how terrible they were."

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The redesign happened last year. Tell me what you think about it. What do you like and what is not so good?

RydiaLockheart:

"I’m glad there’s a “Classic Portal” option, because I really don’t like how the Portal looks after the redesign when judging movies. For one, movies and games are separate, and I would miss half the content. I suppose a more detailed view is nice for some people, but the classic view makes it easier for me to decide what’s interesting and what I’d rather not waste my time on. My favorite part of the redesign is the forum drop-down tab which lets me jump from forum to forum without having to hit the back button over and over. That was a pain."

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You mentioned that you like the Harvest Moon series. Tell my readers what Harvest Moon is about and why you like this game series.

RydiaLockheart:

"I laughed when I first heard the concept, but the games are quite addictive. For whatever reason in that game, you get a farm. You have to cultivate the land, grow and ship crops, take care of animals, earn money, gather materials, and make friends with the villagers. You can also focus on getting a spouse. The Rune Factory spinoff also has that, but now also has dungeon crawling and stuff like forging weapons and armor. I notice in those games, the interpersonal relationships have more depth, as opposed to “keep talking to her and giving her stuff until her heart turns red”."

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In 2007 You obtained the Legend of Zelda game Phantom Hourglass. Looking back, how did you like this game? Which of the Zelda games is your favourite?

RydiaLockheart:

"I liked it, but I ended up liking the game after it, Spirit Tracks, a lot better. The aggravating thing about Phantom Hourglass was that I’m already bad at stealth missions, but they were timed. Spirit Tracks took that out, and I also liked its plotline better, probably because of the characters. There also seemed to be more stuff to do, like chasing down those rabbits."

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It seems like you are a football fan. When did you start following football actively and which team is your favourite? I think it's the Pirates. I have no clue about football ( ._.)

RydiaLockheart:

"Well, the Steelers WERE called the Pirates when they were first founded. I’m not a baseball fan, but it’s nice that they didn’t do abysmally for a change.

I’ve liked football since I was little, but I didn’t really start actively following it until high school. My dad is a Steelers fan too and I picked that up both from him and from being born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania. Apparently when I was little and there were games on, I would crouch down when all of the players were lining up before a play. Then once everyone started running, I would run around the room. I didn’t really understand what was going on, but it kind of stuck with me since then.

I moved to Pittsburgh two years ago to live with my husband, and being a Steelers fan is also part of the city’s identity. It doesn’t matter who you meet, if you both have that in common, you can get along. There’s a saying “when you play Pittsburgh, you play the whole city.” I find that to be true. It’s amazing how everyone can rally behind their teams. When the Pirates finally got out of their slump this year, there was so much excitement. People were happier, and even I got excited, though I don’t know anything about baseball."

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In the past years you visited Las Vegas a few times for vacations. What fascinates you about this city and would you kindly talk about one of your favourite experiences that you had there?

RydiaLockheart:

"I just went on a trip with my husband and my parents there last month. It’s really changed from the excessive, over-the-top style it used to be. I miss stuff like the Egyptian theme of the Luxor. But Las Vegas is basically Disney World for adults. There’s booze, gambling, parties, and strippers and escorts, if you’re into that sort of thing. One thing that is fascinating about the city is how much free stuff there is to do there. You can walk around and look at things like the fountain show at the Bellagio. You’re also likely to see performances in the casinos or on the street you don’t have to pay for.

I also love that part of the country. There’s nothing like getting out of the city when you’re a little tired of it and going somewhere like Red Rock Canyon or the Valley of Fire. It’s like you’re on another planet. There are also all sorts of fascinating animals, like the burros at Red Rock Canyon who stand in the road scaring drivers. But yes, it gets very hot in the summer. It was 127 degrees Fahrenheit one year when I was there. The other seasons are generally OK though. One year, I got to watch George Carlin perform at the MGM Grand. That was one of my favorite shows I’ve ever attended, period."

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You are married. When you were younger, did you think that you would marry one day? Do you think that the role and importance of marriage has declined over the last decades and what does marriage mean to you?

RydiaLockheart:

"I didn’t think I would. I think that’s one of the reasons I liked games like Harvest Moon so much when I was younger. I basically gave up on anyone ever liking me and lived vicariously through those characters. I was a weird kid throughout school and generally stayed away from people, and vice versa. I had friends, but not that many.

I married my husband because I realized I loved him and didn’t want to live without him. We started off as friends and knew each other for about two years before we even began dating. I think that had a lot to do with our relationship becoming the way it is now. As for marriage, it obviously isn’t as important as it used to be, since populations can generally sustain themselves now and women can have jobs and own property. But I don’t think there’s no reason not to marry someone if you really want to. Despite that, I am against people getting married young. When you’re barely out of high school, you barely know yourself, let alone the other person. And you both will change. If I met my 18-year-old self today, I would not be able to stop slapping her. Once you’re in your 20s, if you’re still committed, I see no problem with getting married out of college. By then, you’re more mature and have an understanding of how the world works."

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Every person has secrets. Can you tell one of yours or something else that we didn't know about you yet?

RydiaLockheart:

"I wouldn’t necessarily call it a secret, but one thing a lot of people don’t know about me is I survived an indirect lightning strike my sophomore year of college. There was a horrendous storm and I had to make it to class, since it was the first week and I didn’t want to be dropped from the class for not attending because it was necessary for my major. I had a metal umbrella and walked the only way to that building: past a lake. Yeah, dumb idea. I was soaked and there was lightning striking things all around the area. Then there was one point where sparks started running down the metal part of my umbrella before pain seared through my entire body. Then there was a giant thunderclap. I have no idea where the lightning did strike, but if it were a direct strike, I wouldn’t be typing this. I ended up hobbling to the nearby campus police station to take shelter under an awning and told a couple of people what happened. There was an officer there who didn’t want to take any chances and took me to the health center. When they took my shoes off there, the skin on my feet was all roughened up, and it hadn’t been. The nurse said what probably happened was the current came in through my umbrella and out of my feet. To this day, I refuse to carry a metal umbrella anymore. I pay the extra money for fiberglass."

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What can we expect from you in the future, RydiaLockheart?

RydiaLockheart:

"I don’t intend to leave this site any time soon. I’ll keep posting on forums, keep watching games and movies, and just generally hang out here. I’ve been here for 10 years now. There have been other sites I’ve moved on from during that time, but not this one. I think it’s because not only has the site’s focus remained the same, but the community is strong and full of great people. There’s no reason for Tom and the others to fix what isn’t broken, so as long as that doesn’t happen, I’m not going anywhere."

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Now you are filled with more knowledge about RydiaLockheart, dear reader.Feel free to leave a comment here, saying what you think about the interview, requesting users to get interviews is also appreciated. Tune in next week :3

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Comments

She's a very cool human being, and enjoy the occasional word with her on her blog. And lightning is lightning... direct hit or no, that current can boil your (eye) balls; very grateful she's still with us!

Agreed on all parts :)

Well...she signed up exactly a year before I did (11/21/2002 vs. 11/21/2003 for me) and I've seen her around over the years.

I want to comment about her answer regarding Cellardoor6 since I remember him lucidly.

"He used to just go and start fights, but now, he can actively debate and back up his views."

To be safe, I checked to see if he has posted recently--nope, he has still been silent since 2008, which to me is for the better. I don't miss him and can't imagine why anyone would. He had a mind of his own, but his far-right views, his chauvinism, and the lengths he would go to antagonize anyone that disagreed with him, made him annoying to be around to the bitter end of his existence here. He wouldn't win a "Most Improved" award by a long shot, even now.

Thank you for the insightful comment, always great to read about backstories of users that were here long before I even visited the site. Granted I heard about Cellardoor6 before and never in a good way, I give him the benefit of the doubt that he improved, most importantly for himself.

Something I learned about persons that I find have mostly horrible personality traits is this sentence "I can leave this room and distance me from you, you however have to settle with yourself all day". It's a sentence that can also be used to self reflect, if I would have to deal with a carbon copy of myself, would that be a pain or rather a good experience? Based on the verdict I can try to better myself and there were times where I didn't like parts of myself and worked on those aspects. While we cannot be flawless we can try our best to make sure that we don't go out of our way to ruin others days, like Cellardoor6 did with his pityful arguing.

Haven't seen her around since I don't frequent the Politics forum but glad to know another Pittsburgh user is on here who seems nice.

Pittsburgh NG Meetup 2014 ^^

Love the pic!

Yeah, we do need a Pittsburgh NG meetup. Surprised there hasn't been one. If there was, I wasn't living here at the time.

Glad that you like the pic ^^
There was no Pittsburgh NG meetup so far.

Everybody loves Rydia: The hit comedy

: D

noticed before but never really knew much, good interview :o

Thank you ^^

who r dese people

They are users who post regularly in the forums ^^