The NineMoons Interviews: Lucido

by PJ Punla [http://geninemoons.blogspot.com]

Previous interviews:
DeSanggria

In this series of interviews, I’ll be spotlighting fellow Granado Espada players who keep the game going even when logged out by blogging about the New World.

This second interview focuses on the GE blogger/player known variously as Joy, Ligaya, and Lucido. Like Anne, Joy is a GE cosplayer, best remembered for coming to the launch weekend as pistol-packin’ RNPC Brunie Etienne.

Joy as Brunie Etienne.

She also cosplays for many other fandoms, including for the Philippine fantasy-based TV show Encantadia and spin-offs, as well as for Transformers.

Joy as Sang’gre Danaya from Encantadia.

Let’s get this interview started!

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PJ Punla: Can you tell us your in-game name, and/or your preferred nickname? [Just give us a name we can call you by during the rest of the interview.]
Joy: My in-game name is Lucido. You can call me either Ligaya or Joy (my real name).

Granado Espada-related questions:

PJ: What is your main server at present?
Joy: Cervantes all the way baby!

PJ: Who are the members of your current main team? And who else is in your Barracks at present?
Joy:
Main team:
Liberita, a Musketeer
Elviretta, a Scout
Placido, a Wizard

Other members of the Lucido barracks:
Saturnina, an Elementalist

PJ: Do you have a faction? If yes, what is its name?
Joy: None yet.

PJ: How did you hear about Granado Espada?
Joy: A colleague of mine (Vodacci) told me about it at work, and I was intrigued.

PJ: What made you decide to start playing Granado Espada? And what keeps you playing it now?
Joy: The graphics and the music made me a fan. But my friends Anne (DeSanggria) and PJ (NineMoons), among others, got me to keep playing. Seriously! I also have other female friends, like Tanix (Stormgeist, if I’m not mistaken … she hasn’t played in ages though) and Rien (SeigeValentine), playing the game too.
[Correction: Tanix or Tanya Obedoza’s IGN is Crowe.]

PJ: What aspect of the game do you like best?
Joy: It’s very well-rendered, and actually girl-friendly. Look at all the costumes! <ogles> But also, it’s very historically-rooted. I’m a history and culture nut, and my favourite eras were the Age of Exploration and Age of Enlightenment (15th-18th centuries), besides the Victorian era. It was in that era that my country (the Philippines) was discovered (by Spain - Vespanola in GE), and the circumstances regarding that have always intrigued me. Finally, as a fan of trance, techno, and electronica dance music, the GE soundtrack owns my soul.

PJ: Have you had any funny experiences related to Granado Espada, whether in-game or in real life?
Joy: Well, the gamers that I met were surprised that I cosplay (I cosplayed Brunie during the Commercial Launch-Day Raid) and that I enjoy a wild dance party (it’s useless to deny that I was one of the ledge dancers - out of costume naman - during the Commercial Launch-Night Raid / Godskitchen@BigFishManila event) . XD

Blog-related questions:

PJ: What is the name / title of your Granado Espada blog?
Joy: Cartas y Dibujos con la Familia Lucido

PJ: What is its URL?
Joy: http://ligaya-lucido.blogspot.com

PJ: When did you start keeping this GE blog?
Joy: Very recently, around mid-September

PJ: Why do you blog about Granado Espada?
Joy: Honestly, GE spurred my creativity. I actually have a lot of posts but they’re still drafts at this point because I still need to do some research (especially for the language bit, which plays a great deal in my enjoyment of GE’s backstory).

PJ: What’s your blogging style like? What tone / voice / point of view do you use in your posts? How often do you prefer to blog?
Joy: It depends on the situation, normally I just blog whatever I feel like blogging something GE-related? ^_^0 I do try to use my perspective as a Filipina gamer often though, because there are so few Filipina gamers who are around at all. I do plan to add more posts as if I am my characters eventually.

I’d honestly love to blog more, and to have more time to research. Alas, I have real life to attend to… >_>0

PJ: How do you balance Granado Espada, blogging, and real life?
Joy: Balance? What balance? O_o I’m still in level 37 in GE, and I haven’t blogged a great deal. v^_^000 Please let me get back to you on that one.

Freedom wall: message to readers, shout-outs to friends, general fun ^^
Joy: Watch out for more from me! I promise I definitely will post more. Also, for all Filipino gamers, ingat lang tayo* at konting tulungan naman diyan**. Thanks to Hakkyu Kim for all the eye candy for the ladies (besides the ones for the gents)! Finally, for all gamer grrlz out there, I cannot recommend this game enough. ;D Just be patient with the lag (seriously, what game DOESN’T have lag?), much enjoyment - from the costumes to the quests to the RNPC experiences - will be had from this game.

* - Let’s all be careful.
** - Let’s all try to help each other out.

***

Thanks to Joy for answering the interview! Everyone please drop by her GE blog and encourage her to post more ^^

I’ve got several other local GE bloggers in mind for the next interviews. If you’re a GE blogger or know a GE blogger whom you’d like to see featured in this space, please drop me a line at hisuifox AT gmail DOT com. You can also send me your feedback and comments there.