Meet the Mods: dark-daventry

[dark-daventry]

So, now it's time for my Meet the Mods segment!

Forum Name: Dark-Daventry
Goes By: DD or whatever variation of Dark-Daventry you want to use. I'm not fussy.
Real Name: I was debating whether or not I should put this in, and I figure I should because my name is already in the credits for TSL and it's in my POStudios e-mail below. So, without further ado, my name is... Drum roll please... RUMPLESTILTZKIN! Ok, not really. It's Chris McDermott.
Current location: Massachusetts (Originally I was going to be mean and put only New England in, but I figure I'll go easy on everyone)

General Interests: I've got a very unhealthy addiction to TV, having grown up watching it as far back as I can remember. My other interests include Video Games, Anime/Manga and technology in general. One of my all time favorite TV franchises is Star Trek. I own roughly 23 seasons of it on DVD and the 11th movie on Blu-Ray (I did own the first ten on DVD, but I sold them in order to eventually upgrade to the Blu-Rays that are out now). My favorite series of Star Trek is Deep Space Nine. I could go on and on about how much I love DS9, but I'll spare everyone that pain. I'm also a big fan of Science-Fiction in general. I like Stargate, Farscape and so much more! Oh, and I can't forget about Joss Whedon. I worship him. Dollhouse, Firefly and Buffy the Vampire Slayer are all among my favorite shows of all time.

King's Quest: My father and I used to bond playing King's Quest when I was little. We played all 8 of them together, all the way through. And then again and again. For years. My dad loves KQ5, while I love KQ6. We have our difference of opinion on that, but we still love KQ regardless. And finding TSL for me was like finding my soul mate in some regards. You don't think it will ever happen, and then BAM! It does (Please note, dear reader, that I have not found my soul mate yet. I'm only 19... I'm a little on the young side for that...)

As for my history with TSL... Well, that's quite a long one. Officially, I registered on the forums in 2005, but don't let that number fool you. I've been around for QUITE some time. I first learned of TSL through an article in PC Games Magazine back around 2002 I think (It was a LONG time ago, and my memory is very spotty the farther back I go...). I was here before the age of the Blue Forums. I was here at the tail end of the white website phase. I lurked on the forums for years until I finally joined, and I'm happy I did.

My employment with TSL began back in the day when I decided, "Hey, I wanna work for them!" Due to some minor issues that had to be worked out first, I started working for the team a few years later, albeit in a limited capacity.  My first duty was to keep a watch over our old facebook group, TSL Phoenicians. Back then I reported directly to Yonkey and had no contact with the rest of the team. I eventually pitched the idea to Yonkey of a twitter account, and I became the overseer of that as well. When TSL got shut down by Activision, I started to have more contact with the team. I was instructed to speak with Cez, and I was officially brought on to the PR team in order to help tell the world of TSL's triumphant rebirth. My mod position didn't come about until around the release of Ep 1. I asked to become a mod, and my request was granted. I now do various things for the team, including, but not limited to, beta-testing, moderating the forums, brainstorming PR ideas and even writing a few FW articles... Not yet published of course, but in due time... In due time...

Fun/Interesting facts: For something weird about me, I've got PLENTY of DVDs. I mean I could own a whole blockbuster store with the amount I got. 23 seasons of Star Trek, all 10 seasons of Stargate SG1, all five seasons of Stargate Atlantis, the complete series of Farscape, the complete Thundercats series... The list goes on and on (into the hundreds I'm sure. I haven't actually counted...). So if you ever want to borrow a DVD from me, let me know. Chances are I have it, or know where to get it.

Right now I'm a student at the New England Institute of Art studying Web Design and Interactive Media. First semester is a pain in the butt... I've also worked in a grocery store for the past five years. I'm no stranger to customer service, and I've dealt with some particularly picky customers.

And I know many people have been DYING to see a photo of me, so I figure I should actually post one for once... The photos you see below were taken with my new digital camera, courtesy of my grocery store (And by new, I mean REALLY new, as in I-Just-Got-It-Two-Weeks-Ago new). Frankly, I like the last photo a lot... And in case you're wondering, no that is not my hat. It is my friend's hat which was forced onto me... And yes, that shoe did enter my mouth. And no, it didn't taste particularly good or wholesome.

[waltzdancing]

Hey! We are a lot a like. Thanks for sharing.

[Enchantermon]

Nice to meet you, DD, fellow Star Trek fan!

[dark-daventry]

Ah, I see I'm not the only Star Trek fan here! That's good to know! I do love my star trek... I mean, I own 23 seasons of it on DVD... That's kind of insane and shows at least some level of dedication lol.

By the way, Enchantermon, is your avatar by any chance an image of Digimon Tamers? I can't remember the exact character name, but it looks an awful lot like a character from Tamers... I must say this now: I LOVE DIGIMON! haha. Particularly season 3. I know it's not favored much by other Digimon fans, but I love it.

And yes, Waltz, it appears we are!

[kindofdoon]

Cool and interesting. Thanks for sharing and keeping these MtM posts rolling.

[tessspoon]

Great post, DD, nice to meet you!

[Enchantermon]

Ah, I see I'm not the only Star Trek fan here! That's good to know! I do love my star trek... I mean, I own 23 seasons of it on DVD... That's kind of insane and shows at least some level of dedication lol.

Indeed. If I had the money, I would own all of the series' on DVD, and someday I will.

By the way, Enchantermon, is your avatar by any chance an image of Digimon Tamers?

Indeed it is! It's Ryo.
I love Digimon as well; it's the show that got me into anime. I still remember watching the first episode of Season 1 the first time it aired in the US. I immediately fell in love with it. I agree that Tamers is the best. It's certainly not as reviled as Frontier and Savers seem to be (except many seem to hate on just the English dub of Tamers for some reason, which I thought was really good).
Have you watched any of the new season, Xros Wars? If you don't mind it almost completely redefining Digimon, it's really pretty interesting (and in HD! )

[KatieHal]

NOM NOM SNEAKER NOM

[dark-daventry]

Ah, I see I'm not the only Star Trek fan here! That's good to know! I do love my star trek... I mean, I own 23 seasons of it on DVD... That's kind of insane and shows at least some level of dedication lol.

Indeed. If I had the money, I would own all of the series' on DVD, and someday I will.

By the way, Enchantermon, is your avatar by any chance an image of Digimon Tamers?

Indeed it is! It's Ryo.
I love Digimon as well; it's the show that got me into anime. I still remember watching the first episode of Season 1 the first time it aired in the US. I immediately fell in love with it. I agree that Tamers is the best. It's certainly not as reviled as Frontier and Savers seem to be (except many seem to hate on just the English dub of Tamers for some reason, which I thought was really good).
Have you watched any of the new season, Xros Wars? If you don't mind it almost completely redefining Digimon, it's really pretty interesting (and in HD! )

FINALLY! Someone else who likes Tamers besides me! I had a feeling his name was Ryo, but I wasn't entirely sure. I haven't seen Xros Wars yet, but I have watched the intro. I gotta say, it actually looks pretty cool. But I'm still waiting for my Tamers continuation. The series did end on a cliff-hanger (ok, in some countries it did). I don't know why people hate on tamers so much. The dub was great (I'll be honest and admit that I never saw the subs. I prefer dubs because I like to watch tv, not read it.) and it was a lot more mature than all the other seasons, past and present, in my opinion. I could gush about tamers for hours, but I've got school work to take care of. Darn you, college work load!

NOM NOM SNEAKER NOM

Katie, I may just have to put that in my facebook quotes. And only the best of the best get such an honor.

[Enchantermon]

FINALLY! Someone else who likes Tamers besides me!

Indeed! You're not alone in the world!

I haven't seen Xros Wars yet, but I have watched the intro. I gotta say, it actually looks pretty cool.

You really should take a look, although you'll have to wait a while if you don't want to watch the sub. That's assuming that it gets dubbed in the first place, but I have a feeling that it will.

But I'm still waiting for my Tamers continuation. The series did end on a cliff-hanger (ok, in some countries it did).

That would be pretty sweet. I don't think it'll happen, though, because I think the story was continued through drama CDs. Not that they couldn't continue the anime anyway, but I think it's less likely.

I don't know why people hate on tamers so much. The dub was great (I'll be honest and admit that I never saw the subs. I prefer dubs because I like to watch tv, not read it.) and it was a lot more mature than all the other seasons, past and present, in my opinion.

Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!

[KatieHal]

LOL, aww, I'm honored!

[snabbott]

Chris, may I borrow your 23 seasons of Star Trek? j/k

[dark-daventry]

FINALLY! Someone else who likes Tamers besides me!

Indeed! You're not alone in the world!

I haven't seen Xros Wars yet, but I have watched the intro. I gotta say, it actually looks pretty cool.

You really should take a look, although you'll have to wait a while if you don't want to watch the sub. That's assuming that it gets dubbed in the first place, but I have a feeling that it will.

But I'm still waiting for my Tamers continuation. The series did end on a cliff-hanger (ok, in some countries it did).

That would be pretty sweet. I don't think it'll happen, though, because I think the story was continued through drama CDs. Not that they couldn't continue the anime anyway, but I think it's less likely.

I don't know why people hate on tamers so much. The dub was great (I'll be honest and admit that I never saw the subs. I prefer dubs because I like to watch tv, not read it.) and it was a lot more mature than all the other seasons, past and present, in my opinion.

Yes, yes, a thousand times, yes!

I love everything about tamers. The animation, in my eyes, is far better than season's 1 and 2, and it's a lot more vibrant. The story line, for me, was MUCH more powerful. I mean, it actually deals with the death of a digimon, and what that means for the tamer. In this case, Jerry. And I must say, the D-Reaper was so awesome. And, for some odd reason, I just LOVE Bio-merging. Oh, did you see the dubs they did of the movies that were previously undubbed? I really like the tamers ones (gee, what a surprise lol). I've got them on my comp because Disney is being stupid as usual and not releasing Digimon on DVD. I WANT MAH TAMERS ON DVD! lol Oh, and Belzemon. Nothing more must be said. He is just that awesome. I still want them to dub X-Evolution: The Thirteenth Royal Knight. Did you ever read the manga? The manga that hasn't (officially) been translated into english? V-tamer is made of pure epic win. And so is NEXT. Wow, I'm gushing a lot more than I intended to. And I'm asking way too many questions and I'm going on and on unnecessarily.... Dude, you're like a carbon copy of me. That's almost kind of creepy

Chris, may I borrow your 23 seasons of Star Trek? j/k

If you can find me, then sure. But I must warn you, I'm an expert at looking like Waldo. Ok, not really... But seriously if you want to watch star trek, you're best bet is to buy it on DVD. Sadly, it's not available via hulu or netflix, and the DVD's can be pretty expensive. The blu-ray of TOS season 1 cost me 80 bucks alone, and most of TNG cost me 130 a pop at Barnes and Noble. I didn't buy all the seasons at once. In fact, the first star trek DVD I ever owned was season 6 of DS9 (Yes, I started with season 6 of ds9. Don't judge me... It was all BJ's had at the time... And my Christmas money had to go somewhere...) It took me years to aquire the library that I do now. I own a lot of DVDs, and the list just grows bigger and bigger by the year. I have all six seasons of Highlander: The Series, the complete Stargate SG1 and Atlantis (complete with both Direct to DVD movies and the original movie) the Complete farscape series, The complete thundercats series, and believe it or not, my most prized possession is the Ronin Warriors Complete Collection. I'm an absolute Ronin Warriors JUNKIE! I LOVE that show with all my heart. I love the dub. It's actually pretty good considering how much they tend to screw dubs up. Oh I could go on and on about the hundreds of DVDs I own, but I'm sure you don't want to read all that.

[crayauchtin]

D-D I thought you were published in FW.... wasn't the last one yours?

[Enchantermon]

I mean, it actually deals with the death of a digimon, and what that means for the tamer. In this case, Jerry.

Yeah, that was definitely one of the most emotional parts of the entire series. They did something similar in Adventure/Adventure 02, but stretching it out over two seasons detracted a little from its impact.

And I must say, the D-Reaper was so awesome.

Indeed, and it was a nice break from the enemy always being a Digimon, though the way they defeated it, while also a nice break from the traditional firing-all-at-once shonen ending, was kind of...anticlimactic.

And, for some odd reason, I just LOVE Bio-merging.

'Cause it's awesome! It was a nice new take on the way Digimon and humans interact, and set the stage nicely for Frontier.

Oh, did you see the dubs they did of the movies that were previously undubbed? I really like the tamers ones (gee, what a surprise lol). I've got them on my comp because Disney is being stupid as usual and not releasing Digimon on DVD. I WANT MAH TAMERS ON DVD!

I did! I didn't see them when they first aired because we didn't have cable or satellite, but while I was looking for subs online (because I figured they were never going to be dubbed into English), I found out that they had aired and before long someone put them on the internet and I was so happy I could have burst!
I want them all of DVD, too. Movies, series, the lot. I know Disney is releasing Data Squad on DVD. Of course it's only the English dub without the Japanese (because they're marketing to the younger crowd), but I'll probably get it anyway. I bought DVDs of Adventure 01 and 02 a while back from Amazon for a pretty penny, and after receiving them discovered they were bootlegs. :/
But yeah, the movies were awesome. I need to watch them again, actually. Maybe we'll get lucky and Disney will release them, but I'm not holding my breath.

Oh, and Belzemon. Nothing more must be said. He is just that awesome.

I liked Impmon until he turned truly evil and began rampaging. When he came back to his senses, though, then he became awesome in my eyes; a true success story.

I still want them to dub X-Evolution: The Thirteenth Royal Knight.

Yes. That would be awesome. The Savers movie as well.

Did you ever read the manga? The manga that hasn't (officially) been translated into english? V-tamer is made of pure epic win. And so is NEXT.

I haven't, actually. I saw a couple Adventure manga in Barnes & Noble once, but never looked for any scanlations of V-tamer or NEXT. But that was before I liked manga, so I should look them up now.

Wow, I'm gushing a lot more than I intended to. And I'm asking way too many questions and I'm going on and on unnecessarily.... Dude, you're like a carbon copy of me. That's almost kind of creepy

Lol. It's all good. It's really awesome to know someone else who's crazy about Digimon, probably because the community doesn't seem to be too large anymore.

[Haids1987]

*Waves*

Hi D-D!  Interesting to learn more about you.  I've been a fan of yours for quite some time--your constant optimism and belief in the project has kept so many people inspired over the years.  

Keep these coming, it's really fun learning about the people behind the usernames!

[dark-daventry]

*Waves*

Hi D-D!  Interesting to learn more about you.  I've been a fan of yours for quite some time--your constant optimism and belief in the project has kept so many people inspired over the years.  

Keep these coming, it's really fun learning about the people behind the usernames!

Thanks! Yeah, I've been a huge supporter of TSL over the years. I'm actually kind of a pessimist in real life believe it or not, but for some odd reason, it's just not in me to be pessimistic about KQ. It has some sort of quality about it that I know everything will be alright. I truly hope my posts over the years have inspired people. I love KQ. In a way, it defined my childhood, much the same way TV did. In fact, if I wasn't watching TV, I was playing KQ. No joke. I started watching star trek at like 5 or 6, and I can't even remember when my dad got me into KQ. It was so long ago really.

I mean, it actually deals with the death of a digimon, and what that means for the tamer. In this case, Jerry.

Yeah, that was definitely one of the most emotional parts of the entire series. They did something similar in Adventure/Adventure 02, but stretching it out over two seasons detracted a little from its impact.

And I must say, the D-Reaper was so awesome.

Indeed, and it was a nice break from the enemy always being a Digimon, though the way they defeated it, while also a nice break from the traditional firing-all-at-once shonen ending, was kind of...anticlimactic.

And, for some odd reason, I just LOVE Bio-merging.

'Cause it's awesome! It was a nice new take on the way Digimon and humans interact, and set the stage nicely for Frontier.

Oh, did you see the dubs they did of the movies that were previously undubbed? I really like the tamers ones (gee, what a surprise lol). I've got them on my comp because Disney is being stupid as usual and not releasing Digimon on DVD. I WANT MAH TAMERS ON DVD!

I did! I didn't see them when they first aired because we didn't have cable or satellite, but while I was looking for subs online (because I figured they were never going to be dubbed into English), I found out that they had aired and before long someone put them on the internet and I was so happy I could have burst!
I want them all of DVD, too. Movies, series, the lot. I know Disney is releasing Data Squad on DVD. Of course it's only the English dub without the Japanese (because they're marketing to the younger crowd), but I'll probably get it anyway. I bought DVDs of Adventure 01 and 02 a while back from Amazon for a pretty penny, and after receiving them discovered they were bootlegs. :/
But yeah, the movies were awesome. I need to watch them again, actually. Maybe we'll get lucky and Disney will release them, but I'm not holding my breath.

Oh, and Belzemon. Nothing more must be said. He is just that awesome.

I liked Impmon until he turned truly evil and began rampaging. When he came back to his senses, though, then he became awesome in my eyes; a true success story.

I still want them to dub X-Evolution: The Thirteenth Royal Knight.

Yes. That would be awesome. The Savers movie as well.

Did you ever read the manga? The manga that hasn't (officially) been translated into english? V-tamer is made of pure epic win. And so is NEXT.

I haven't, actually. I saw a couple Adventure manga in Barnes & Noble once, but never looked for any scanlations of V-tamer or NEXT. But that was before I liked manga, so I should look them up now.

Wow, I'm gushing a lot more than I intended to. And I'm asking way too many questions and I'm going on and on unnecessarily.... Dude, you're like a carbon copy of me. That's almost kind of creepy

Lol. It's all good. It's really awesome to know someone else who's crazy about Digimon, probably because the community doesn't seem to be too large anymore.

I suggest you go and find the scanlations. V-Tamers is made of pure epic win. I haven't actually finished it yet, but regardless, it's awesome. It'd make a great series. I have the manga for Tamers (all 4 volumes) but I prefer the anime. You and I seem to have quite a lot in common. Star trek, Digimon. It's kind of uncanny. You're seriously like a carbon copy of myself in a lot of ways. Kind of creepy, yet kind of cool!

[LadyTerra]

Nice to meet ya.  I'm a Digimon fan too, but Frontier was my favorite with Adventure as a close second.  I liked Tamers and how serious the story was, but I didn't like Beelzemon.  He was much more sympathetic than Sephiroth, but anything that reminds me of Sephiroth puts a bad taste in my mouth.  I did cry when Leomon died, and anything that touches me emotionally like that has to be good.  Biomerging was also wicked awesome.  I also have the Tamers manga, though I wish they didn't abridge it like they did.

[Enchantermon]

I suggest you go and find the scanlations. V-Tamers is made of pure epic win. I haven't actually finished it yet, but regardless, it's awesome. It'd make a great series. I have the manga for Tamers (all 4 volumes) but I prefer the anime. You and I seem to have quite a lot in common. Star trek, Digimon. It's kind of uncanny. You're seriously like a carbon copy of myself in a lot of ways. Kind of creepy, yet kind of cool!

I'll definitely look them up.
They condensed all of Tamers into 4 volumes? How in the world...? They must have done some serious slicing. I'd still like to get it, though.
Creepy and cool at the same time; that's awesome. I'm a little behind you on Star Trek though. I haven't seen much of DS9 or Voyager; I never had the opportunity. But I will, eventually, watch them both all the way through. It's just a matter of time.

Nice to meet ya.  I'm a Digimon fan too, but Frontier was my favorite with Adventure as a close second.

Adventure is my second as well, with Frontier as my third.

I did cry when Leomon died, and anything that touches me emotionally like that has to be good.

Well said. The emotional depth of Tamers is one of the things I love about it.

[dark-daventry]

I suggest you go and find the scanlations. V-Tamers is made of pure epic win. I haven't actually finished it yet, but regardless, it's awesome. It'd make a great series. I have the manga for Tamers (all 4 volumes) but I prefer the anime. You and I seem to have quite a lot in common. Star trek, Digimon. It's kind of uncanny. You're seriously like a carbon copy of myself in a lot of ways. Kind of creepy, yet kind of cool!

I'll definitely look them up.
They condensed all of Tamers into 4 volumes? How in the world...? They must have done some serious slicing. I'd still like to get it, though.
Creepy and cool at the same time; that's awesome. I'm a little behind you on Star Trek though. I haven't seen much of DS9 or Voyager; I never had the opportunity. But I will, eventually, watch them both all the way through. It's just a matter of time.

Nice to meet ya.  I'm a Digimon fan too, but Frontier was my favorite with Adventure as a close second.

Adventure is my second as well, with Frontier as my third.

I did cry when Leomon died, and anything that touches me emotionally like that has to be good.

Well said. The emotional depth of Tamers is one of the things I love about it.

Maybe it's just me, but I guess I like the series that are always looked down on. Frontier wasn't bad in my eyes. I quite enjoyed it. If I had to rank the series, I would most definitely put Tamers first, but I'm not sure what I would put second. I guess Adventure 02 would go second and frontier third, but thats not set in stone.

Voyager isn't all that great compared to DS9, in my eyes. Don't get me wrong, it was most certainly good, but not my favorite. I like DS9 the best for a lot of reasons. One of them is definitely Captain Sisko. I LOVE SISKO! He has such power in his voice. DS9 is a different sort of star trek. It's a break from the formula, and I like that. It takes place on a space station, the captain is torn between his duty with starfleet and his role as the Emmissary of the prophets, and the whole Gamma Quadrant thing. I don't want to spoil anything, but the series really does touch on religion in a lot of ways, and it's an interesting take. Religion is always a touchy subject, but I think DS9 really did it pretty well. Now go watch DS9!

And yes, they did condense it into four volumes. Adventure was in five, and Adventure 02 was in two. Frontier never got (officially) translated. The best digimon manga in my opinion though is V-Tamer. I love it. It's basically an alternate universe prequel to Adventure, I think. It's been a while since I've read it (I intend to re-read it and actually get to finishing it this time).