Meet the Member Monday - CreamPie

Welcome to our weekly blog about DoF members.

We hope that these blogs will entertain you as well as help you in getting to know our members and DoF better.

We asked CreamPie 15 standard questions from our Meet the Member blog questionnaire and then we gave chance to our members to ask 5 specific questions.

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My name is Amber but my online name is CreamPie. I was born and raised in North Dallas, Texas. I am a yoga instructor and dog walker. My hobbies include gaming, cooking, reading, archery, kayaking, hiking, dancing, painting, and being a general outdoor enthusiast. My first gaming experience was Hunt the Wumpus when my grandfather used to set it up for me. I played Super Nintendo as a kid but have spent my adult life in PC games. I have been in DoF for going on 8 years now.

Favorite Quote/Line: I have quotes that I love, but the mission statement is how I choose to live my life. My Mission Statement: To leave the world with a little more love than how I found it.

1. How and why did you join DoF? I was playing on a DoF server and Erminas noticed that I was focusing on protecting the archers and was really trying to play as a team. He responded to that and invited me to join DoF. I was over the moon about it because I had never been invited to a clan before, and just assumed that I wouldn’t get an invite unless I was a perfect player. There was another player in the clan at the time (Antman) who kept encouraging me to fill out the application immediately, and I am so grateful for that. From the moment I joined, DoF became a home for me. I felt safe and respected as a female player, which is not always easy to find. They were fun, lighthearted, and intelligent...just the absolute best clan that I could have joined. I guess that’s why I glued myself to them and never left since.

2. Favorite moment(s) in DoF? I have had so many great moments with DoF. My favorite times were when we had a big promotion in DoF and we would make a huge deal of it. Erminas made us our own practice map that was incredible! It had everything that we could possibly need, including a place for promotion ceremonies. In any other clan, you might get promoted in name and rank, but DoF went out of their way to celebrate your successes.

I looked forward to our practices every week. It was a nice bonding time with everyone and really made us feel more like a team, rather than just a collection of players. There was one time when I first joined where we were playing around on a map with a volcano. I don’t even know where we found it, but we were all standing at the top and I believe it was Darin who kicked William into it just to see what happens. That was the first time I knew that this clan was for me. When I wanted to learn archery, Erminas spent hours teaching me the basics even though that wasn’t my main class. Darin let me join the private cavalry practice just so I would have a general idea of how it works, and I was able to take notes to share with everyone. They’re just always selfless and willing to put in time with the players when asked. All the players have individual quirks and I’ve got great stories with all of them.

Outside of gaming, they’re just great guys to hang out with in Teamspeak. There have been many late night talks about serious subjects like history, politics, and religion; and then light hearted topics like embarrassing stories, music, or personal experiences. Part of what makes DoF special is that we are world wide. Everyone has a different life story, culture, and set of beliefs. We are able to talk openly and respectfully about topics that others would avoid and introduce each other to new ways of thinking.

3. Favorite book? This is probably the most difficult question of the bunch, but as far as novels go, my favorite books are dystopian reads (Match Series, Hunger Games, Maze Runner, etc). I love Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. The movie was ok, but it changed so much of the story that it was difficult to love as much as the book. I read The Crucible screenplay like a book about every year or so. I also read a lot of psychology and philosophy books (Stroke of Insight, Buddha’s Brain, The Body Keeps the Score, Waking the Tiger, etc). Right now, I am reading Dracula for the first time and it is quickly becoming a favorite. If you haven’t read it, I highly recommend it -- at least so far.

4. Favorite movies and tv shows? My favorite movie is The Princess Bride. I think that movie has something for everyone.  Gilmore Girls and Tudors are the two shows that get played on repeat at all times for me. I tend to swing back and forth between those two shows. I also love Boy Meets World and my guilty pleasure is Dawson’s Creek. It was a very popular show when I was small and it’s so nostalgic for me now. I love the Lost series too and I saw the first few episodes of Outlander and enjoyed them. I don’t watch a lot of TV because I get bored of just staring at a screen, so if I do watch something then it is usually an old show that I’ve already seen.

5. Favorite music? It depends on what I am doing, but my favorite band is Nothing More. I listen to a wide range of music, but I mostly listen to hard/alternative rock (Nothing More, Five Finger Death Punch, Bring Me the Horizon) or acoustic-ish music (Angus and Julia Stone, The Civil Wars). I got into hip hop and rap a few years ago and I like to work out to it. I listen to Brian Crain (classical piano) a few times a week and I almost always listen to the golden oldies when riding my bike, doing yard work, or cooking. I don’t speak French but I listen to a lot of French music too.

6. Favorite food and drink? This is boring but I love water. It’s my favorite drink. I’m not a big fan of sodas so I just drink sparkling water when I want something carbonated. I do drink herbal teas quite often and sometimes I will drink coffee, but I am pretty sensitive to caffeine. As far as alcohol goes, I love mezcal and tequila. I prefer liquor straight without mixers, though I guess I do “mix” an old school martini (50/50 dry gin and dry vermouth, with a lemon twist). I just don’t enjoy sweet food or drinks the way others do, I guess.

7. Favorite color? Pink. Also pink. Oh and pink too. I surround myself with as much color as I can, in general. I love bright colors or jewel tones the best, and much of my stuff is multicolored in rainbow stripes or some other intense collection of colors. Also, I really like pink. And then there’s this amazing color called pink that I love.

8. Favorite time of the year? I am obsessed with all things Halloween so starting in June, I am already shopping for more decorations. I know the schedules for all the local stores for when they start releasing Halloween merch. I start decorating my house in August and it takes me a full 2 weeks to get it all up. Besides that, any time of the year that I can go outside and stay relatively comfortable is a win for me. That pretty much rules out a few weeks each year where it’s crazy hot or randomly cold in Texas.

9. Are you a sport or esports fan and if so what are your favorite sports and teams? I watch the FIFA World Cup every 4 years. I pretty much ignore the games up until that point and then become a crazy football nerd for the cup -- literally watching every single game LIVE. If two are playing at once, I have both up on different screens. I can really only be that way once every four years, so I concentrate my support down to that competition. I do go to quite a few Dallas Stars (NHL) games every year, but I don’t watch them outside of that.

10. Do you have any pets? I have 6 pets that are all over 12 years old and they are lovely and unique. All but one are rescues and each have their own little bizarre characteristics about them.

Dogs:

1) Dazie -- A less than 2 pound apple-head chihuahua who is disabled and has no teeth. She can’t walk in a straight line so she just spins in circles until she arrives at her destination. 2) Lucky -- A 5 pound yorkie who prefers to live life while being held on his back like a baby. Everytime you come near him, he tries to become a pancake on the floor. He only has half a nose because he attacked a pitbull from the backyard years ago, so he snorts like a happy little pig while he runs around the house. 3) Cookie -- An 8 pound bichon-poodle mix who is deaf and just the sweetest dog ever. She loves carrots and pupperoni and constantly thinks that she’s gonna get a treat whenever you get up. She pretends not to notice you but that little tail gives her away.

Cats (all tabby siblings that I found abandoned in a storage tub):

1) Eve -- she is a spitfire sweetie who can stand up for herself at any time against her brothers. She gets mad if you don’t let her lay next to you wherever you are, and will keep sneaking her way to the spot that she wants. 2) Nissan -- he loves to spin as fast as possible so he’s always stealing my chair when I get up. He runs from across the room and lands on the chair making it spin...then gets off and does it again. 3) K1 -- he likes to be cuddled but not touched which took a while to understand. He doesn’t want you to just lightly pet him, he wants you to squeeze the heck out of him and forcefully pet him. Otherwise, he’ll come up to you for love and then cry when you don’t do what he wants.

All of my babies want to be wherever you are, so I am rarely in a room without all 6 of them around. If I get up and leave, they will follow.

11. Place you would love to travel to? Anywhere with a beach, large forest, and great food. Puerto Rico is my absolute favorite place to visit. I usually stay up near the Rio Grande area so that I can hang out on the beach all day, go to the rainforest in the mornings, and visit the bioluminescent bay at night. Luquillo Beach also has the best street food in the area. I go to New Orleans every year, though I rarely stay in the city. I have a friend who has a home off the bayou and it’s such a relaxing and fun place to go.

12. Most inspiring historical figure? I read a lot of Tudor history books so I am quite fond of Queen Elizabeth I and Anne Boleyn. I don’t know if it’s a “historical figure” but I am also very fond of Weston A. Price and the work he did on nutrition and oral health. I also admire Violet Jessop who was a stewardess and nurse who survived the sinking of three ships (Olympic, Titanic, and Brittanic). I guess what they all had in common was that they all faced “impossible” situations but didn’t let that stop them from doing what they knew was needed.

13. Favorite games? Warband!!! I like fast paced, team games that go up against real people. I am not big on playing alone because I see games as a social activity. I like CSGO, League, 7 Days to Die, LFD2, The Forest...the list is pretty long but I always come back to Warband.

14. Describe your playing style? Protective and defensive with lots of call outs. I am not very aggressive so I try to create an environment where high scoring players can safely get kills.

15. What will be your main class in Bannerlord? Infantry and archery. I do wish I had played more archery in Warband because that’s probably a closer fit for my play style, but I think I would miss infantry too much to change with Bannerlord.

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And now we will turn to the specific questions our members had for CreamPie

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16. Aeronwen asks If you could wake up tomorrow having gained any one quality or ability, what would it be? ROLLER SKATING!! I am getting Moxi Lolly Roller Skates this month and I am extremely excited about it. I have been telling everyone who will listen, even strangers. I want to do tricks on ramps and skate bowls but it’s going to take a lot of practice. If I could wake up with the ability tomorrow, I would never leave the skatepark. I used to skate as a kid and teenager but it’s been a while so I have to wear all the protective gear while I am getting bashed around for the next few months.

17. Darin wants to know How did you discover Warband and what made you interested in it? I had a cousin that I hadn’t talked to in years that was playing it. I only started playing because I wanted to impress him and reconnect. He stopped playing soon after but by then I had already fallen in love with the game.

18. If you had one superpower, what would it be? And what would you do with it asks Duncan? I would like the ability to mentally shock people in what us yogi’s call “the root.” I don’t want to cause any wounds or anything, but I want it to be strong enough that they can’t focus on anything else. I would use this for those times when someone is being a jerk and forcing everyone to give them what they want and you can’t do anything about it. For instance, if it’s not your turn in traffic but you drove all the way up to cut everyone off and force your way in...you’re gonna get shocked. Basically, it’s a karma super power but with an edge.

19. What kind of steak is the best kind of steak is what Gadric really must know? I have perfected this, no joke. Ribeye grass-fed steak, or top sirloin if you’re on a budget. Sprinkle with kosher salt and let it sit out for 30 minutes to dry and become room temperature. Then place it on a skillet with ghee/butter over medium-high heat and don’t move it until it’s had time to form a crust on the bottom. Then flip it and again don’t touch it. Wait one minute before adding more butter, garlic cloves, and rosemary sprigs to the pan...and then continuously spoon that flavored mixture over the steak until it’s cooked to medium-rare (cause all you welldone people are crazy). Then put it on a cutting board on top of fresh butter, cracked pepper, minced garlic, and a squeeze of lemon juice (and spoon a little of the pan sauce over the top). Let it rest for 10 minutes before cutting it up into bite size pieces and then roll those around in the sauce you’ve created on the board. Add some coarse sea salt so you get little sparks of salt as you eat it. Heat up a plate until it’s hot...add the cuts of steak...eat...and be grateful for my existence.

20. Erminas is asking What game(s), apart from Bannerlord, are you looking forward to playing in future? I am pretty much always up for any game that’s fast and allows me to shoot or stab players/mobs. I don’t have any that are on my list right now, but I did look some up and the game GTFO is new and looks really interesting. I love shooting zombies and hordes with friends, so let’s go kill some zeds!!

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Thanks to Cream for joining us in this week's blog.

Next week on our MMM blog we will have our EU member WhiteNoise!

Join us for his interview next Monday.

Thank you for reading this week's blog and we hope you enjoyed it!

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