Ask Me Anything: Tealed

You mentioned starting out with the L5R RPG. Did you ever play the card game it was derived from? Which clan is your favorite & why?

You mentioned your dog but didn't include pictures. Would you like to fix that oversight? 😋

- I was never able to try the card game, much to my personal regret! I always thought I should and there was a box set available at my local game store, but the moment I had the nerve/money to buy it, the section for the L5R cardgame was gone and replaced by Arkham Asylum cards. It was a bummer!

- That's a hard one! If I had to pick, it would definitely be the Unicorn Clan. The blending of Mongols and Samurai seemed so cool to me, and I've always loved the aesthetic of mounted warriors like the Utaku Battle Maidens. But their history as well as having to leave Rokugan to explore the world and avert threats to Rokugan, only to then return and be treated as outsiders, is a fascinating story that appealed to me.

And I love the color purple. So there's that!

My sincerest apologies - I forgot I was on the internet, the place of cute animal pictures! I shall rectify this mistake immediately!

I don't have too many pictures of him, since most of his pictures are him being a blur due to having the zoomies or trying to lick the phone when you're taking a picture of him. But once he's a bit tuckered out, I can snap a picture of him! So here's Teo!



Or when he thinks sleeping between my legs is the best thing ever.



Or when I'm working from home and he really doesn't understand why I just can't go walkies with him.

Aww, chocolate labs are the best 💖

* What game do you most want to try but haven't had a chance to yet?
* What is your favorite and least favorite thing about living in Belgium?
* What question do you wish people would/wouldn't ask you?

Choose:

1) For TTRPGs: Definitely Lancer. The art is so colorful and inspiring. Plus hey, big ol' mechs are always great. A friend of mine wants to run Mechwarrior Destiny but it doesn't grab me in the same way Lancer does, where being a Lancer is something larger than life while being a Mechwarrior, while still special, kind of still makes you feel like you're just part of the rank and file (especially if you're playing mercs and going for seedy contracts). I wanna feel like a hero of a story! But that's just me though.

For videogames: Other than my massive backlog, I want to try out some oldschool CRPGs like Baldur's Gate 1 & 2, but everytime I boot them up I get overwhelmed and feel like a dum-dum for not understanding the game well enough. But I think I just have to push myself to play it instead of always wondering "am I being optimal in my character builds? Should I follow the plot or explore? More overthinking questions?"

2) The best part of living in Belgium has to be that I grew up already surrounded by many languages. My native language is Dutch, but most of the media we get here from the U.S. or U.K. are subtitled instead of dubbed over (except for some kids' shows and movies). On the Dutch-speaking side we get taught French at an early age, and then we also get English classes as well as the option to learn German later on. I love languages so this is a plus for me!

The worst part is well, the game shops. Don't get me wrong: I'm just glad they're here, and the people who run them are lovely, but you're lucky if the RPG shelves (if there even are shelves and not just a single corner of a stack of books) have more than just D&D. Getting printed copies also means a hefty price for shipping if they're not based in the EU or you can order them through the game shops: but the owner of the store has to agree to ordering it in the first place. If it's just a single book, they might not deem it enough to place a special order.

3) This is a tough one! I always like people asking me about my favourite books or what kinds of subjects I'm interested in learning about. Or any ideas for worldbuilding and potential future 'one day' campaigns.

A question I've always hated since I don't know how to answer it is: Where do you see yourself in the future? I don't know man, I barely know what to have for dinner the tomorrow! It's a common question for job interviews but it always sends me into an existential crisis.

Steak: 2
Toast: 3
Coffee: None! I don't like coffee, which to many office workers around the world may sound like blasphemy.

Eggs: Gotta have 'em soft-boiled! Then some toast to dip in - delicious.

hi Tealed!

-My home-cooked [insert best dish name here] are the best!

-I once tried to make [insert worst dish name here] and it turned out [insert disastrous result here]

My home-cooked hamburgers with roasted veggies are the best! There's something satisfying about rolling and shaping them yourself from mincemeat.

I once tried to make moussaka (a greek/balkan dish) and it turned out into a watery pile of soggy hot vegetables. Not my finest moment, I underestimated how long it should take!

"Non-fiction books" <-- That covers a lot of ground. What kind of stuff do you like to read? Anything that you've completed that you enjoyed so much its impact lingers on? What about future reading? Any topics or titles at the top of your "to-be-read" list?

I realise it's a very broad 'like', yes! I think I mostly go for psychology, history, and social sciences books, but honestly if the book sounds fascinating then I will just give it a shot! I don't really have any topics that I don't want to read when it comes to non-fiction. Except for those 'Seduction Artist' books like "HOW TO GET ALL THE CHICKS PART 69"

I think the book that left the biggest impact on me is Humankind: A Hopeful History by Rutger Bregman. It's a great message of hope backed up by scientific sources that shows that, yes, humanity can be good and altruistic. And even though it seems hopeless sometimes, the book taught me that I have to focus on doing what I can for my environment first instead of feeling powerless at every turn.

The book that I'm currently looking to read next is Born Red: A Chronicle of the Cultural Revolution by Gao Yuan. Mostly because recent history about China is something I'm absolutely blind on and wanted to learn more about!

If you could time travel and just observe for 1 hour, where and when would you go?