Article MOTM Interview - February 2016

Hello Valorians, and welcome to February's edition of the Member of the Month interview. This month, our subject is none other than my fellow writer, [member='Zero Sifr']. I've asked him a few questions, so feel free to read!

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Let's start with an easy one; who are you?

I am vengeance, I am the night, I am not actually utilizing that secret identity at the moment. Actually, I'm Zero Sifr (that's pronounced Zee-Roe Sy-fer). I'm a college student and Pokémon trainer who's been trying to Catch 'Em All since Blue Version. Around here, you might know me as the guy whose posts are many times longer than they need to be.

How did you find out about Lake Valor?

Believe it or not, I simply don't know. I was looking up Valor in my browser's search bar about a year ago (maybe looking for the actual lake in Sinnoh, I don't even know for sure), when this site came up in my history, despite the fact that I had never even heard of it. And so I clicked, and so I lurked on a few threads, and so I decided I liked what I saw. "Wow, there are a lot of really cool people around here," I tell myself, "maybe I could stick around and join the family?" And so I did, and so I have (or so I hope).

Do you enjoy the role you play in Lake Valor?

It's a balancing act lately, and I'm not exactly an acrobat. I enjoy writing, research, and sharing knowledge. I dare anyone to ask me about Far Eastern philosophy or the latest discoveries in astronomy or anything relating to Mega Man X/Zero (or like a dozen other topics, half of which are remotely useful) and escape my grasp within an hour. Anyhow, those Pokémon Historiae I've been meaning to write more often are a good outlet for that (but would you believe I've written two published articles in scientific journals?). My life gets crazy sometimes, but I admit I enjoy the times I can throw on classical remasters of videogame music and just put pen to paper. Or, uh, finger to keyboard. It's less poetic that way, but oh well.

Do you enjoy being a part of the Lake Valor community?

Of course! One of the things I love about Lake Valor is how welcoming everyone around here is. I've been in many other groups, both terrestrial and digital, and so many of them are incredibly closed-off. If you're not part of the group already or have at least three people to vet you, then you'll be an outsider for months or longer. Valor is polar opposite in the best ways. Ever since my first few posts I've felt welcomed and accepted here. You all are truly an amazing community.

How did you react when you found out you had won Member of the Month?

First of all, it felt like a delayed reaction. I disappeared on a small soul-searching respite near the very end of January and didn't return until four days into February, so I was probably the last person to know. Other than that, I was a little stunned. I dislike like the spotlight: I don't tell people my real birthday, I hardly ever take selfies, I turn down every party/bar-going invitation I get, and I stay at the edge of the crowd when possible. It's just part of my personality. That said, it was a mixed reaction. "This is great! But everyone's staring at my MOTM field! But it's also awesome!"

Finally, describe Lake Valor in one word.

I refuse to answer this question, for one simple reason: Lake Valor is such an incredible and diverse community that no one extant word can adequately explain what we all are. If I must identify a word, then I choose "Valorian". It is a word that can be described as the trait of being uniquely self-defining through inclusion of many parts by the power of its own self-propagating gravitation. (It's a very specific synonym for "cool", or when used as a noun, you.)

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Thanks very much to [member='Zero Sifr'] for cooperating, and I, on behalf of the Writer's Team, hope to see you again in next month's interview!