Welcome to SmashBoards Writer's Interviews! This is a series that will appear at twice every month covering a writer. These are more casual interviews, but depending on the interviewer, we leave it up to you whether they'll answer further questions.
This week we have SmashBoards Writer Liberation! He does a lot for the community even if he's more of an underground man, so please, give it up for Liberation!
Thirdkoopa: Tell Us who you are
Liberation: Hello, hello! I'm Liberation, a player who comes from the Midwest. I've played Smash since the Melee days; that being said, I didn't start seriously playing until Brawl in 2009. I currently play Smash 4 competitively as well as do commentary. I'm on Iowa's current PR for Smash 4 as well!
On terms of Smashboards, you may have not seen my work in other areas; I'm a Moderator, a member of the Rankings Staff, and a member of the Writing Staff. I'm also a member of the Smash for Wii U Backroom. I'm quite proud of my ability to work in many places at once.
Thirdkoopa: How did you become involved?
Liberation: Well, one morning I think I just asked Xiivi about doing things for the Writing Staff, and then I was placed onto the team a few days later. Pretty simple, but hey, I like doing it!
Thirdkoopa: What inspires your work?
Liberation: If I had to say who exactly inspires me and my work on Smashboards, it'd have to be some of my fellow community members. Be it staff members who assist me with projects and work alongside me in the field, members of my specific region, or users who post in my areas of moderation, seeing these people really makes me keep going. In a sense, it gives me a bit of determination; I desire to assist and make Smashboards and the Smash community a great place for these people.
Thirdkoopa: Where do you see the community heading a few years down the line?
Liberation: The Smash community is heading into an interesting direction in the near future. 2016 has a massive amount of major events coming it's way for the community. With many tournaments coming in for the new year (Smash N Splash 2, Pound 2016, GOML 2016, and so on), there's going to be many events where the top competition will duke it out and stories will be made. Perhaps even more interesting is character development; as it stands, with the final patch coming in for Smash 4, people will really dive into characters that are unexplored and make them a real threat. In addition, I see many new sponsorships for players incoming; while we may not be as big as some MOBAs or FPSs, Smash is still a very serious contender in the competitive world, and 2016 will be yet another year to prove it.
Thirdkoopa: How did you get into Smash Bros?
Liberation: In my earlier years, I was given Melee as a Christmas gift back when it came out, along with a Gamecube earlier. It was basically my fifth game I had ever gotten? Regardless, it made history for me.
I played countless matches with friends and family, and with time, I eventually decided that I wanted to play at least one Smash on a competitive level. While my experience with Brawl is a bit more... mixed, per say, I heard about a tournament in my area and attended. I made third out of 32 with Luigi and Mario. While I didn't really attend that many tournaments later on, I hosted many a Smashfest for PM, and eventually began working with Smash 4 the day it came out.
Thirdkoopa: You've mentioned in the past that PM means quite a bit to you. Care to elaborate?
Liberation: Project M is honestly what brought me back into Smash. While I know that Brawl is a game that definitely can be played competitively (and I do respect those that play it), I wasn't too pleased with the game on a personal level, and I honestly had less interest in Smash for a while. Eventually, I heard about PM in it's early days and grabbed the first demo a few days after it released. I absolutely loved it; it pulled me back into Smash. Even with the PMDT's halt, I still plan to play this game and keep it around because of what it means to me.
Thirdkoopa: Favorite stage?
Liberation: Without a doubt, it'd have to be Fountain of Dreams on Melee. I absolutely love this stage and always long to see this stage return in future Smash games. It has a great platform layout, incredible music, and a nice yet subtle gimmick with the platforms.
A personal runner up would have to be the underrated Prism Tower Stage on Smash 3DS. This is by far one of my favorite stages in the series because it combines many elements of good competitive transforming stages: transformations are gradual, the order is set, walkoffs are minimal, and the blast zones are just right. It also has a good Omega Form.
Thirdkoopa: And of course, favorite character?
Liberation: Isn't this one obvious? It's Greninja! For years in many other games, I've often struggled to find a character that fits my playstyle, and Smash 4 gave me one of my favorite Pokemon with the absolute perfect style. High mobility options, incredible tools, a ridiculous down taunt, and the glorious amount of memes make this character feel right at home in my book. When I saw it revealed during the Smash Direct in April 2014, I was taken by surprise at it's style (along with being hyped that my 3rd favorite Pokemon made it in), and decided to main it from Day 1 (and eventually, alongside Mii Brawler). I absolutely love the way this character has developed, and it's clear that Greninja has many things that we simply have yet to utilize. It makes me very excited for the future of this character.
Thirdkoopa: Alongside Smash, you've mentioned in the past that you play many other fighting games. Care to explain?
Liberation: Absolutely! As mentioned, I play many other fighting games beyond Smash and general platform fighters like Rivals of Aether. I generally happen to play games like Skullgirls, Guilty Gear, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and Lethal League. While Smash is my primary focus, I'd personally say I'm best at Skullgirls. I've played that game since it's inception, so I feel like I know the game's mechanics on a serious level. I'm also looking to play Karin in Street Fighter V.
Thirdkoopa: How long have you been involved in the community as a writer?
Liberation: I've done writing work as a guest writer for Rankings for a few months now; however, it was only two months ago that I actually joined the team with the first installment of The State of Smash 4. It's a very fun experience and I enjoy working here.
Thirdkoopa: Is there any personal goal you have in the community?
Liberation: I guess I have three main goals. First off, I want to take my opportunities here at Smashboards and really improve the community in any way I can. I want to help make Smashboards the home of the Smash community, and working in multiple areas allows me to help in many areas and have insight on many topics. Second off, it's definitely to become a high-level player. I want to make it known that Greninja and Mii Brawler are very good characters, and I want to push each to their limits in the future. So far, I've made it onto a PR, and I hope to only go up from there. Lastly, my third goal for the moment is to work towards Mii legalization, something that is a very hot topic in the Smash community. Lots of differing arguements are thrown around and it can sometimes get a bit too heated. Playing a character like Mii Brawler means that I naturally have concerns in rulesets, and it ends up affecting my ability to actually go to tournaments. In the future, I hope to assist in helping make a standardized ruling that's good for TOs, but also lets Mii Fighters be viable.
Thirdkoopa: Outside of Smash Bros., What other hobbies do you have?
Liberation: Naturally, I play other games. FPSs, fighting games, RPGs, and so on. However, my main primary hobbies including studying and sketch work. I do lots of studying because I love to learn about things and get more information. I've done sketch artwork for years and I always like to experiment with new styles, but I tend to be best at noir. I also collect amiibos.
Thirdkoopa: Favorite games?
Liberation: Outside of the Smash Bros series, there's one game that takes my spot for my personal favorite game, and that's Chrono Cross on the PS1. I didn't actually play the game until a few years ago, but I was completely enthralled by the game's world and loved the unique battle system it presented. It feels revolutionary yet fresh each time I come back to play it.
Some other notable games would definitely include Super Mario Sunshine (I play this game each year to 100%), Jet Set Radio Future (probably my favorite soundtrack out of any game), Skullgirls (I'd honestly say I'm better at this than Smash), Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (one of my favorite RPGs ever with a solid set of protagonists) TF2 (easily my favorite FPS), and Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (as well as the remakes). I also really like Sonic R for some reason. I've never really known why, but it's probably because of the memes.
Thirdkoopa: Anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?
Liberation: Well, here's a few random fun facts about myself:
Liberation: I'd be totally down for answering questions! As for a contact, you can easily contact me on Smashboards, but I guess I have a Twitter? I don't really use it too much.
Thirdkoopa: Thank you for your time.
Liberation: The pleasure was mine. Thank you for having me.
---
Happy new years to everyone. @Xiivi interview will be coming in two weeks later instead. Enjoy the last article of the year.
This week we have SmashBoards Writer Liberation! He does a lot for the community even if he's more of an underground man, so please, give it up for Liberation!
There is no picture. Happy new years! Go spend it with ones you love.
Thirdkoopa: Tell Us who you are
Liberation: Hello, hello! I'm Liberation, a player who comes from the Midwest. I've played Smash since the Melee days; that being said, I didn't start seriously playing until Brawl in 2009. I currently play Smash 4 competitively as well as do commentary. I'm on Iowa's current PR for Smash 4 as well!
On terms of Smashboards, you may have not seen my work in other areas; I'm a Moderator, a member of the Rankings Staff, and a member of the Writing Staff. I'm also a member of the Smash for Wii U Backroom. I'm quite proud of my ability to work in many places at once.
Thirdkoopa: How did you become involved?
Liberation: Well, one morning I think I just asked Xiivi about doing things for the Writing Staff, and then I was placed onto the team a few days later. Pretty simple, but hey, I like doing it!
Thirdkoopa: What inspires your work?
Liberation: If I had to say who exactly inspires me and my work on Smashboards, it'd have to be some of my fellow community members. Be it staff members who assist me with projects and work alongside me in the field, members of my specific region, or users who post in my areas of moderation, seeing these people really makes me keep going. In a sense, it gives me a bit of determination; I desire to assist and make Smashboards and the Smash community a great place for these people.
Thirdkoopa: Where do you see the community heading a few years down the line?
Liberation: The Smash community is heading into an interesting direction in the near future. 2016 has a massive amount of major events coming it's way for the community. With many tournaments coming in for the new year (Smash N Splash 2, Pound 2016, GOML 2016, and so on), there's going to be many events where the top competition will duke it out and stories will be made. Perhaps even more interesting is character development; as it stands, with the final patch coming in for Smash 4, people will really dive into characters that are unexplored and make them a real threat. In addition, I see many new sponsorships for players incoming; while we may not be as big as some MOBAs or FPSs, Smash is still a very serious contender in the competitive world, and 2016 will be yet another year to prove it.
Thirdkoopa: How did you get into Smash Bros?
Liberation: In my earlier years, I was given Melee as a Christmas gift back when it came out, along with a Gamecube earlier. It was basically my fifth game I had ever gotten? Regardless, it made history for me.
I played countless matches with friends and family, and with time, I eventually decided that I wanted to play at least one Smash on a competitive level. While my experience with Brawl is a bit more... mixed, per say, I heard about a tournament in my area and attended. I made third out of 32 with Luigi and Mario. While I didn't really attend that many tournaments later on, I hosted many a Smashfest for PM, and eventually began working with Smash 4 the day it came out.
Thirdkoopa: You've mentioned in the past that PM means quite a bit to you. Care to elaborate?
Liberation: Project M is honestly what brought me back into Smash. While I know that Brawl is a game that definitely can be played competitively (and I do respect those that play it), I wasn't too pleased with the game on a personal level, and I honestly had less interest in Smash for a while. Eventually, I heard about PM in it's early days and grabbed the first demo a few days after it released. I absolutely loved it; it pulled me back into Smash. Even with the PMDT's halt, I still plan to play this game and keep it around because of what it means to me.
Thirdkoopa: Favorite stage?
Liberation: Without a doubt, it'd have to be Fountain of Dreams on Melee. I absolutely love this stage and always long to see this stage return in future Smash games. It has a great platform layout, incredible music, and a nice yet subtle gimmick with the platforms.
A personal runner up would have to be the underrated Prism Tower Stage on Smash 3DS. This is by far one of my favorite stages in the series because it combines many elements of good competitive transforming stages: transformations are gradual, the order is set, walkoffs are minimal, and the blast zones are just right. It also has a good Omega Form.
Thirdkoopa: And of course, favorite character?
Liberation: Isn't this one obvious? It's Greninja! For years in many other games, I've often struggled to find a character that fits my playstyle, and Smash 4 gave me one of my favorite Pokemon with the absolute perfect style. High mobility options, incredible tools, a ridiculous down taunt, and the glorious amount of memes make this character feel right at home in my book. When I saw it revealed during the Smash Direct in April 2014, I was taken by surprise at it's style (along with being hyped that my 3rd favorite Pokemon made it in), and decided to main it from Day 1 (and eventually, alongside Mii Brawler). I absolutely love the way this character has developed, and it's clear that Greninja has many things that we simply have yet to utilize. It makes me very excited for the future of this character.
Thirdkoopa: Alongside Smash, you've mentioned in the past that you play many other fighting games. Care to explain?
Liberation: Absolutely! As mentioned, I play many other fighting games beyond Smash and general platform fighters like Rivals of Aether. I generally happen to play games like Skullgirls, Guilty Gear, Street Fighter III: Third Strike, and Lethal League. While Smash is my primary focus, I'd personally say I'm best at Skullgirls. I've played that game since it's inception, so I feel like I know the game's mechanics on a serious level. I'm also looking to play Karin in Street Fighter V.
Thirdkoopa: How long have you been involved in the community as a writer?
Liberation: I've done writing work as a guest writer for Rankings for a few months now; however, it was only two months ago that I actually joined the team with the first installment of The State of Smash 4. It's a very fun experience and I enjoy working here.
Thirdkoopa: Is there any personal goal you have in the community?
Liberation: I guess I have three main goals. First off, I want to take my opportunities here at Smashboards and really improve the community in any way I can. I want to help make Smashboards the home of the Smash community, and working in multiple areas allows me to help in many areas and have insight on many topics. Second off, it's definitely to become a high-level player. I want to make it known that Greninja and Mii Brawler are very good characters, and I want to push each to their limits in the future. So far, I've made it onto a PR, and I hope to only go up from there. Lastly, my third goal for the moment is to work towards Mii legalization, something that is a very hot topic in the Smash community. Lots of differing arguements are thrown around and it can sometimes get a bit too heated. Playing a character like Mii Brawler means that I naturally have concerns in rulesets, and it ends up affecting my ability to actually go to tournaments. In the future, I hope to assist in helping make a standardized ruling that's good for TOs, but also lets Mii Fighters be viable.
Thirdkoopa: Outside of Smash Bros., What other hobbies do you have?
Liberation: Naturally, I play other games. FPSs, fighting games, RPGs, and so on. However, my main primary hobbies including studying and sketch work. I do lots of studying because I love to learn about things and get more information. I've done sketch artwork for years and I always like to experiment with new styles, but I tend to be best at noir. I also collect amiibos.
Thirdkoopa: Favorite games?
Liberation: Outside of the Smash Bros series, there's one game that takes my spot for my personal favorite game, and that's Chrono Cross on the PS1. I didn't actually play the game until a few years ago, but I was completely enthralled by the game's world and loved the unique battle system it presented. It feels revolutionary yet fresh each time I come back to play it.
Some other notable games would definitely include Super Mario Sunshine (I play this game each year to 100%), Jet Set Radio Future (probably my favorite soundtrack out of any game), Skullgirls (I'd honestly say I'm better at this than Smash), Persona 2: Eternal Punishment (one of my favorite RPGs ever with a solid set of protagonists) TF2 (easily my favorite FPS), and Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire (as well as the remakes). I also really like Sonic R for some reason. I've never really known why, but it's probably because of the memes.
Thirdkoopa: Anything you'd like to tell us about yourself?
Liberation: Well, here's a few random fun facts about myself:
- The big borders around all of my avatars are a thing I did starting over a year ago.
- I'm a huge fan of memes.
- Despite loving Melee, I'm really, really bad at it. I play Jigglypuff.
- I'm even worse at Smash 64, and that's a game I do somewhat want to get into.
- My favorite anime is Kill La Kill.
Liberation: I'd be totally down for answering questions! As for a contact, you can easily contact me on Smashboards, but I guess I have a Twitter? I don't really use it too much.
Thirdkoopa: Thank you for your time.
Liberation: The pleasure was mine. Thank you for having me.
---
Happy new years to everyone. @Xiivi interview will be coming in two weeks later instead. Enjoy the last article of the year.
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