Arch0wl AMA

[SCWolf]

Not going to lie Arch, I had a pretty negative opinion on you when I had just started here. It was around the time of the video, and among my group of friends, it was "funny". I was 13. I held that opinion of you for about 3 years until I kind of grew up, intellectually speaking. My views in general kind of changed, as everything in the real world changed around me. I'd been talking to Reach for a long time, and he had never anything negative or derogatory to say about you, and I can respect that a lot. I kind of learned that your scenario was completely unfair and so was my opinion of you.

I only really started to see you and your personality through your writing on these forums as of recently (about a year ago). Reading your point of view on the whole subject is really respectable, in a sense that you can comfortably write about it.

EVERYONE has done/had something happen to them in the past that they're not proud of, but rarely do people experience what you had to go through. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone.

You definitely have my respect dude.

On the subject of the thread; What was your initial impression on the spread play-style that Moogy kind of brought into the scene from Beatmania?

[Syhto]

what was the most disturbing shit you ever took

[Arch0wl]

@SCWolf, first part: that means a lot to me, thanks. A side-effect of having your dirty laundry aired to the internet, I suppose, is that there isn't a lot you're not comfortable talking about once you get over it.

@SCWolf, second part: Moogy was a fascinating person on so many different levels, but I think his playstyle was the least interesting thing about him. That playstyle was inevitable, but Moogy the person isn't. He had such strong opinions on areas of music and RPGs you wouldn't expect someone would have opinions on. The environment he was raised in was like an incubator for that. His dad, for example, listened to music concrete albums from the '50s, so he was set up to like IDM before all of us.

@Syhto, I don't know if by "most disturbing shit you ever took" you mean "most disturbing defecation" or "most disturbing substance you've put in your body", so I'll answer both

disturbing defecation: once when I saw an enormous roach in the toilet. it was a very "this could have crawled on and possibly up my asshole" moment.

disturbing substance: salvia.

[Moogy]

Uhhh I had nothing to do with spread and I'm pretty sure IIDX didn't really influence it either also it's really weird randomly finding posts about myself on FFR to this day holy shit

hello arch how are you on this fine day

[Arch0wl]

eh, about to hit chest

at about 5AM I might go see a dancer and I've slept with 2 people this week, trying to see if I can get it up to 4

then after the week ends I'll actually start being productive instead of reproductive

what about you, how've you been?

[SCWolf]

Originally Posted by Moogy

Uhhh I had nothing to do with spread and I'm pretty sure IIDX didn't really influence it either also it's really weird randomly finding posts about myself on FFR to this day holy shit

This is just what I remember hearing from back in the day. Sorry if it's not correct though!

[.Layne.]

ded

[Reincarnate]

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

disturbing substance: salvia.

IMO this stuff is amazing

[Tps222]

Damn, I miss O2Jam. That game really was fun.

holy shit its moogy. Thanks for propping up Disgaea so much, that series is awesome.

[Arkuski]

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

disturbing substance: salvia.

Tell us more

[Arch0wl]

this is a c/p of a description of the experience I wrote to someone in a facebook log

Originally Posted by Arch0wl

http://www.disregardeverythingisay.com/post/9331287956/the-visual-components-of-a-psychedelic-experience this seems accurate. This is what happened: I took the first hit. It came over me IMMEDIATELY. There was very little time between taking the hit and feeling the effect. I was listening to Stereo Love at the time.

You know the feeling when your leg falls asleep? It was like a very mild version of that, but coming over my entire body slowly. It started at my feet and rapidly engulfed my body upward. I could feel it happening, so I put the pipe down and -- this is where it gets fuzzy -- I think I sat on the floor, where I had cleared space in case I needed to do that.

This is where it gets insane. This is where I was in the song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p-Z3YrHJ1sU#t=03m45s
The moment when he says "where I'm smilin' for you" -- time just stopped for that frame alone. Somehow the wording was twisted to be "300 Max Dinosaur smilin' for you" but I digress, it was essentially that frame of visuals/sound, repeated over and over and over again. If you took a shot of the last second or so of what I experienced, imagine it as an animated gif with sound repeating over and over again, but you're slowly applying '60s kaleidoscope/fractal effects while turning the snapshot in a circle.

Eventually 300 Max Dinosaur For You or whatever became a fractal. So I could plunge into Dinosaur For You, which had corresponded to some sort of sound repetition of the vocals, and it revealed more of MAX 300 Dinosaur Smilin' For You MAX 300 as I did it. It was like a sea of that frame over and over again. I didn't actually feel my body, I felt like I was floating in this frame with that vague leg-falling-asleep feeling around everything, so going forward into the frame just revealed more of the frame sample.

It was VERY MUCH like a fractal zoom. In a way, it was kind of terrifying. I thought I was at risk of dying. I had that "coming back to reality" effect that I've had a few times when i'm blacking out, and I thought there were people around me about to tell me what I had done, but there wasn't anyone.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAcEKCj5jq8 This is pretty accurate. Only difference: there is no music (the sound is part of the fractal), and the colors are grabbed from the shit you were just paying attention to.

[BLAZZE]

hi

[Arch0wl]

sup

[BLAZZE]

nm you

[DaRkLoTuS666]

Just googled 'What happened to Arch0wl' and I found this lol. Definitely a good read. And I've been around for a long time, but I typically avoided all of the drama that was this forum among others such as ODI, especially ODI. That and well, I was a kid and was more focused on playing FFR and StepMania in general so I lurked occasionally, but never really posted anything. If anything I was in MP chat a lot back in the day. Just wanted to say that I first saw your Quasar 1.5x video when I was 15? I think? I remember watching that and having it blow my mind. I never thought I would get that good, ever. Today, index is still my main play style. I did adapt spread years ago and I still play it, but to me it still isn't nearly as fun as playing index. And I feel like I can finally say, when it comes to index anyway, I'm as good as you were 7 or 8 whatever years ago lol. Even now if you really think about that video, it just seems like you were miles ahead of everyone else back then and it's crazy to think about. Anyway Arch, good to hear you're alive and stuff. I wish I would have found this thread sooner.

[Arch0wl]

all of that is really flattering, and I appreciate that you took the time to type it all out. sorry I couldn't respond sooner.

my drugs-I've-done repertoire has expanded significantly. I think the most disturbing substance I've done is no longer salvia but in fact caffeine powder, if only because of two items of knowledge pertaining to it:

(a) the amount I took (~5g) was debilitating, and

(b) knowing that it's one of the most readily available drugs and that if I was reckless enough I could induce that effect with less than $5 in coffee grounds

compare something like cocaine or amphetamines, where the user knows of the overdose potential and has to go through relatively difficult channels to get it. caffeine, on the other hand, is seen as benign if not harmless.

[SCWolf]

Would you call yourself the Steve Reeves of FFR

[Arch0wl]

complicated question. reeves is inarguably hot, which is one thing we have in common, but I think he was natty. arnold marathoned all seasons of diana ball Z and drank a lot, which I'm definitely dumb enough to do, so coupled with his importance and reckless behavior I'd say I'm more of an arnold than a steeve

[SCWolf]

blame it on the fettuccine Alfredo

[Arch0wl]

to date I've only had one woman use Alfredo Sauce as a euphemism for my semen

it's been a disappointing life