An Interview with Nanogirl
By Archfiend

I had opportunity to talk with the first lady of StarCraft, Nanogirl \"/. After we finally got together (she was fashionably late picking up her boyfriend), we had a long in depth interview that covered a lot of ground including her ugly exit from The-Feared clan, GiGGLes~LiZarD, her dating habits, and of course strategy.

Archfiend: First off, age and location.

Nanogirl\"/: 19 and I live in California but go to college in Boston, Mass.

Archfiend: You go to Mrs. Clinton's Alma Mater don't you?

Nanogirl\"/: Sigh, unfortunately yes, I attend Wellesley college.

Archfiend: Why do you say unfortunately? Wellesley has a rep as being a nice upper crust all girls school...

Nanogirl\"/: Hrm... how to put this nicely...It's full of snobs that think quite highly of themselves...and of course my computer geekiness doesn't quite fit in =P

Archfiend: I was going to ask how playing tons of SC went over at Preppy U (=

Nanogirl\"/: Well they probably think it's quite funny that I spent a lot of time at the computer...But I hope that one day I can have a future in the gaming industry...They spend their time studying and partying...I party a bit, study a bit, and play a bit. OK, I study just enough to get by =P

Archfiend: OK...how about dropping some big name Starcraft players you've beaten in 1 on 1 or team games so we can establish to the prepubescent misogynists in the SC community that you can play the game :)

Nanogirl\"/: Um...gee...I don't remember most of my games frankly =)

Archfiend: ** Editor's note ** : We spent a good 5 minutes trying to establish people Nano had beaten and she was being super modest about it. At last I dragged out of her that in 1 on 1 or team games she'd beaten a lot of name players including Zileas, Xaanix, Atlas, DuDeY, Maven, Kain the Feared, etc. :)

Archfiend: First, a list of the clans you've been in.

Nanogirl\"/: Bnet: Starclan 2000, The-Feared, ~Dragon~, X17.

Nanogirl\"/: Kali: Shadow Council, Imports.

Nanogirl\"/: Those are chronologically in order btw.

Archfiend: First off, why did you choose to join a clan?

Nanogirl\"/: Originally I wasn't interested in joining... but I had a friend that wanted me to test for a clan so I decided why not...

Archfiend: Test for it?

Nanogirl\"/: As in play against a current member to show that you have some "skills"

Nanogirl\"/: I killed my tester on Dire Straits, Protoss vs. Zerg in 15 minutes.

Archfiend: So if you can really play you get in eh? I didn't know about that, I always get invited to join scrub clans :)

Nanogirl\"/: Well most of the good clans are by invite only, and it's not only your skill level they are recruiting for, it's also your personality. I've gotten many invites to scrub clans based solely on my Nanogirl account statistics... they did not know anything about me besides that.

Archfiend: So do you hang out online a lot with your clan mates? I imagine you do.

Nanogirl\"/: I try to hang out with them as much as possible. However, I am asked into a lot of games a day and I try to play as much as I can with my clanmates...

Archfiend: Now wasn't there some controversy involved with you leaving The-Feared Clan?

Nanogirl\"/: The controversy was this... I was kicked for publicly disagreeing with the leader, Tear-The-Feared.

Archfiend: What did you disagree about?

Nanogirl\"/: I made a post in The-Feared forum that we should not participate in TWN, a tournament.

Archfiend: Why?

Nanogirl\"/: Due to the fact that Tear hates 9 pools and these guys 4-6 pool... plus we wouldn't have enough of a showing.

Nanogirl\"/: I wanted to keep Tear and the rest of The-Feared happy.

Archfiend: Ok..that makes sense

Nanogirl\"/: Instead they kicked me for my efforts.

Archfiend: They kicked you out just for that?

Nanogirl\"/: It hurt really bad...and yes, that's the reason they kicked me. I was in that clan for over 6 months and was quite attached to the members.

Archfiend: Didn't anyone stick up for you?

Nanogirl\"/: Yes, some members did stick up for me because I was somewhat loved in the clan...about 10 members finally ended up leaving because they were unhappy with the way the clan was run and were unhappy about the decision about me.

Archfiend: I just don't get the logic behind dropping you just for that...

Nanogirl\"/: Logic doesn't always necessarily determine actions..

Archfiend: Isn't that the truth...

Nanogirl\"/: I had spent the past 6 months making The-Feared more active on battle.net....It had reached the height of it's popularity... people actually knew who Nano-The-Feared was... of course I wasn't as popular as Kain but still...Then I was kicked and The-Feared went back to dying on battle.net...

Nanogirl\"/: It wasn't all me, but the help of my friends in The-Feared who eventually left too.

Archfiend: Have you had problems with any other clans you've been in like this?

Nanogirl\"/: Yes I have... I must have the worst luck...

Archfiend: Really which one? Over what?

Nanogirl\"/: I made the record in joining Shadow Council after a little over a month of being in their channel...some people have waited YEARS to join that clan...they told me that I could remain in The-Feared and be in SC~...a month later they changed their minds...put me through a crying fit for a week...and asked me to choose...at the same time the imports offered me a position in their clan...so I left SC~ for The-Feared and Imports

Archfiend: Is Shadow Council a Kali clan? I'm not really familiar with them.

Nanogirl\"/: Yes Shadow Council is a Kali clan... they have their own server 473 and were once known in the Warcraft days...their biggest Starcraft members include Chaplan and Shen. I've played countless games with them. hey are quite good 2v2... but every once in a while they'll make a mistake that you can capitalize on.

Archfiend: I've heard of both of them. Who cares if you are multiple clans? What's the big deal?

Nanogirl\"/: I don't know. All I know is that Imports isn't very active and don't mind a Bnet clan and X17 doesn't mind my having Imports... so it's all good. I love Imports and X17... it would take a lot to make me leave right now.

Archfiend: Now, how does it feel to be the first lady of StarCraft?

Nanogirl\"/: Um... I don't know if I'd call myself that =)

Archfiend: You're the best known female SC player.

Nanogirl\"/: I talked to several friends and clanmates and they somehow agree with you tho =/ I might be the "best known" in some circles, but I still have only had one big interview. you =P

Archfiend: But do you agree? :)

Nanogirl\"/: I try hard in every game I'm in and just try to do my best... if that makes me the best female gamer that's awesome...that was my goal since I first started playing StarCraft =)

Archfiend: What was your goal?

Nanogirl\"/: To be the best female gamer (if possible). Being the best at anything... well it isn't easy. No one agrees on the best male Starcraft gamer, so no one is really going to agree on the best female gamer either.

Archfiend: Some people would say GiGGLes~LiZarD your former clan mate is the best female player..except...

Nanogirl\"/: Giggles was NEVER a former clanmate... my problem with Giggles is multiple reasons... 1) I think she's a guy (Mark) 2) she abused and hacked 3) she lied 4) she doesn't treat even her own clanmates nicely

Archfiend: Oh ya...I was getting Lizard and Feared clans confused :)

Nanogirl\"/: Hehe oopsie =P....I had multiple invites to Lizz...never joined though

Archfiend: I don't know Giggles, but I've had a dozen peeps tell me Giggles is a guy.

Nanogirl\"/: If Giggles is a guy (which I do think "she" is) I've met "her". Her "boyfriend" Mark is who everyone thinks is Giggles and he could very well be. He's quite odd.

Archfiend: How so?

Nanogirl\"/: He's very antisocial and is trying to make a company which will create it's own RTS. But the money he offers for merely beta testing is way too much.

Archfiend: The money he offers who?

Nanogirl\"/: I got a job interview (if I wanted it), along with almost all the PGL. He was going to offer in the range of 50k to beta test. That is ridiculous.

Archfiend: What would you have been doing? Just playing the game?

Nanogirl\"/: Alpha and Beta testing.

Archfiend: That sounds sweet :)

Nanogirl\"/: He also claims he's a day trader...

Archfiend: Maybe he is :)

Nanogirl\"/: Everything about it was creepy and didn't sound right. So I wouldn't be surprised if he was Giggles too.

Archfiend: Where did you meet him?

Nanogirl\"/: PGL season 2 in NY.

Archfiend: Ah..well ya know the SC Gals Clan was all guys so I guess he could be too. How do you feel when you go on somewhere like the GX forums and the whole board is full of topics like Nano and sex?

Nanogirl\"/: I think it's hilarious. Frankly every time they talk about me some newbie begins to think I'm someone important...I freely admit I'm a virgin and I love it.

Archfiend: I think it's great that you're still a virgin...but what do you love about it?

Nanogirl\"/: That unlike some of my friends I don't have to worry if my period is late =(

Archfiend: I'm sure that is very, very stressful.

Nanogirl\"/: I know that sounds bad, but it's a girl thing... not worrying about pregnancy is definitely good

Archfiend: If you're dating someone and she hasn't had her period, you worry....a lot :)

Nanogirl\"/: I'm working for web pages and have to keep up my grades... pregnancy and the emotional attachment of sex is not something I think I can handle right now.

Archfiend: I understand..that's a wise choice.

Nanogirl\"/: Hehe thanks... my boyfriend is sitting right next to me. I think he's having a heart attack =)

Archfiend: So is your boyfriend hating this conversation about you being a virgin?

Nanogirl\"/: Naw, he's laughing =)

Archfiend: He's laughing on the outside...

Nanogirl\"/: Naw, he's laughing all the way, he has a great heart =)

Archfiend: On the inside he's going "I'm not getting anything for years :( " Do you find guys outside of your clan are rude to you simply because you are a woman?

Nanogirl\"/: Not really, most of the people that are rude are girls and the guy friends they coerce into being rude to me. One guy called me a f*&^ing b(*&*&. When I asked him nicely why he did that he responded that in truth he didn't know. We had a 15 minute conversation after which he apologized and found out that he actually got along with me...and yes I did beat him 1v1 =( I respect him for apologizing and admitting he was wrong.

Archfiend: There are two cool quotes I've heard in reference to you Archfiend: The first was from Zileas "You can't stop the B*tch". I thought that was amusing.

Nanogirl\"/: Hehe. People have the wrong impression of how that quote came about...

Archfiend: Oh?

Nanogirl\"/: He told me to make a Bnet name The_B*tch and at the end of every game when I won I should say "you can't stop the b*tch". Just like he thinks it's funny when you log onto quake with the name "hisownd*ck" because when you kill someone it says "whoever was killed by hisownd*ck"

Archfiend: Lololololol

Nanogirl\"/: Now do you understand Zileas humor?

Archfiend: It's funny :)

Nanogirl\"/: Zileas is one of a kind =)

Archfiend: The other cool quote I don't remember who said it..but they said "be careful what you say to Nanogirl, she has an army of virgin geeks that follow her around :)

Nanogirl\"/: Oh yeah, that one, my friends at Wellesley made fun of my "harem of men" last year because I dated someone new almost every other week but they weren't virgin geeks =) but I guess I have enough following me around? =)

Archfiend: hehehe...I think it takes guts to put your pic up on the net...you are really cute but you know people are going to rip on it out of jealousy.

Nanogirl\"/: Heh yea... I'm sort of used to it... you get flamed no matter what you do on the web...but thanks for saying I'm cute ;)

Archfiend: I'll probably cut that out so I won't appear too uncool because I'm complimenting someone in the SC community instead of mindlessly flaming them :)

Nanogirl\"/: ROFL. I don't mindlessly flame either... that's why when I am flamed I ask nicely why they did that...

Archfiend: On to the strategy part of the interview, do you specialize or play all races?

Nanogirl\"/: In a serious 1v1, I always go Toss... when I'm fooling around or 2v2ing I go random.

Archfiend: Are there any weird strats you tend to win with?

Nanogirl\"/: I love, as Zerg, doing a straight Crackling rush...most peeps if they scouts you early (as usual) will assume Mutas and if it's a Toss (this is the best) they will go Goons and we all know what cracklings do to goons =)

Archfiend: So mass Cracklins :)

Nanogirl\"/: Ya... it's a 2v2 strat tho, I also love 6 rax marine/med/firebat, sometimes 10 =(

Archfiend: Don't Toss bust that up pretty good?

Nanogirl\"/: The 6 rax?

Archfiend: Heavy infantry..with Reavers and Templars :)

Nanogirl\"/: Normally they're dead before they get that far =), tech too early and they die, tech too late and normally they're dead already...

Nanogirl\"/: Double Toss... now there's a problem... then I have to remember faster to get the tanks out =)

Archfiend: As someone who's best race is Toss, what are the strats you have the most trouble dealing with?

Nanogirl\"/: Normally you can triple rax and hit Toss before the Templar archives warps in (if he's going fast Dtemps) and finish him off. Before he knows what's going on...

Archfiend: With hordes of medics, marines, and Firebats?

Nanogirl\"/: Yuppers, you won't have that many when he warps in the archives, but the point is that he wont have many units if he fast techs so you don't have much to take out before you hit the peon line...

Archfiend: What about if you are playing a Zerg as a Toss and you think he's going hard Muties

Nanogirl\"/: You can choose two ways...the dangerous Sair/Zealot combo dangerous if he chooses to go Hydra...you can make Templars and Zealots Get one or two Archons that is sufficient and research storm later =)

Archfiend: Because a couple of Archons will obliterate a ton of Muties attacking your peon line. What separates elite players like yourself from the masses trying to be elite?

Nanogirl\"/: ROFL, I think I'm in the latter not the former...

Archfiend: You're close enough to elite :)

Nanogirl\"/: Frankly I was told long ago that the top players have an "elite attitude"; basically they don't bow under stress and they have a tendency to think of themselves as being great. Also, elite players have many great attributes in my opinion...1) the ability to use all their units efficiently and know the power of each units 2) To be able to change their game play quickly and throw off their opponent 3) To be able to control the flow of the game so that nothing ever surprises you. You make the counter to the unit before the unit even appears... it's quite annoying to the poor guy you play

Archfiend: I can imagine :)

Nanogirl\"/: Also fun pisser tactics are great

Archfiend: Pisser tactics?

Nanogirl\"/: Like building close to your opponents base... offensive cannons...cannons outside Zerg main when he puts his second hatch in his main

Archfiend: Ugghgh..I do hate that.

Nanogirl\"/: Then you build a battery and send zealots to that position
get Templars and then storm anything that comes near it...That will normally will kill a Zerg and thoroughly messed him up... in the meantime you have 2-3 exps. Sometimes it's fun to not be so serious and just try to mess your opponent up... basically p*ss him off. If you win great... if not you had fun losing.

Archfiend: Anything you'd like to promote or anything else you'd like to say?

Nanogirl\"/: I'd like to thank all my friends and clanmates for believing in me and helping me be the best I can be =) Imports and X17 OWNZ UR BONES..hehe =)

Archfiend: (= That's a wrap Nano

Nanogirl\"/: Nod =)

Interview by Archfiend

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