What is your retro video game spirit animal?

[Ziggy]

J T, please tell me what my retro video game spirit animal is!

[noiseredux]

I feel like I have to know mine now.

[Michi]

I feel like JT is going to be spending a lot of time meditating in the desert.

[noiseredux]

I feel like JT is going to be spending a lot of time meditating in the desert.

[Key-Glyph]

I found that I could not sleep tonight, so I decided to crawl out of bed and crash one of Dhalsim's solo meditations. Ever eager to take on a new pupil and help them achieve enlightenment, Dhalsim cued up Tim and Geoff Follin's Equinox soundtrack, cranked the thermostat, and instructed me through a yoga routine until I entered a trance-like state.

I was suddenly alone in a wide desert expanse, standing on the edge of a calm lake. "What is J T's spirit animal?" I asked no one and everyone. "He is doing this wonderful thing for all of us, and he should have the fun of experiencing his own insight!"

At first nothing happened; the purple sky was silent and dotted with stars. But then, something in the lake stirred! It was an axolotl. It gave me a gigantic, confident grin.

"Oh no," I said to this adorable creature, thinking the cosmos had misunderstood me. "You are very sweet, but I meant..." I stopped. Realization hit me: the universe knew exactly what it was doing. J T's video game spirit animal is...

Dr. Shrunk is a rare combination of wonderful things: compassion, humor, intelligence, quirky hair, and unabashed, delightful goofballism.

J T's gigantic heart has motivated him to pursue a career in health professions, and one can often find him wandering about, checking in with all manner of people as both doctor and friend, offering genuine emotional support. Deeply interested in the personal growth of others as well as himself, he enjoys challenging conversations and their intriguing results.

One might expect such a person to be deeply serious, and although J T certainly respects the gravity of many situations, he also manages to be a comedian in his own right -- and not an ironic or cynical one, either. This is the kind of guy who embraces a lighthearted dance or ridiculous suit jacket if it offers the chance of brightening someone's day. Gifted with intelligence, unburdened by ego, and possessing a spirit resilient against the upsetting circumstances he's seen, J T is driven by the hope that people can come together in a community and create something better together. And they often do, in fact, as J T himself functions as a sort of joyous community glue.

Even his interest in music is a vehicle for bringing folks together. Just as the real Dr. Shrunk builds Club LOL to bring a musical nightlife to your town, J T drops recommendations and generates discussions in numerous music-focused threads and PMs. He then presumably shakes his funky little axoltol tail to others' selections, but we're not really sure. No one here has actually confirmed the tail.

Funny, bright, caring, silly -- and J T asks nothing of you for all the cheer he brings. That is what Dhalsim, I, and the Follin brothers saw.

[pierrot]

I might have a few, potentially.

Rez

-(Obnoxiously) esoteric, and stylized.
-Interfacing mainframes.
-Louder the more people pay attention.
-Vibrating unit sold separately.


Pouch

-Intrepidly investigating an 'alien' world.


Selkie

-Ruggedly individualistic.
-Value self, first.
-Agile, and athletic.


Amigo

Image says it all.

[J T]

Mine too please wise exalted one.

Dhalsim and I were having breakfast this morning. I had a cup of coffee and a bowl of granola. Dhalsim had apple slices, nuts, and raisins, which he had carefully laid out into a complicated mandala design on the table.

"Why do you spend all this time making art out of your food when you're just going to eat it?" I asked.

"Because it honors the impermanence of life."

"Oh. I get it." I said, though I really didn't get it at all.

"You eat too fast." Dhalsim said to me, as he picked up one solitary raisin between his forefinger and thumb, then gently placed it on the tip of his tongue before rolling it around in his mouth.

"What?! What's wrong with eating fast? I love this granola!" I replied defensively.

"You think you like it, but you barely taste it. Slow. Notice. Be mindful. It is the path to enlightenment, to seeing the ever-present oneness of being. All is connected. Even jmbarnes101's spirit animal can be found in a bowl, but only if you slow. Notice. Be mindful."

I sarcastically pantomimed a slow motion run to my bowl, with an exaggerated slow downward thrust of the spoon and an eager expression unfolding on my face. Dhalsim's face remained flat. Tough crowd. That guy's a rock.

I stopped being a smart ass and put the spoon in my mouth and chewed as deliberately as possible. At first, I just tasted the sweet granola clusters that I love. As I spent more time observing though, I noticed the milk between the clusters. I had never thought of that in-between space before. Then I noticed, the taste of almonds. I've been eating this brand of granola for a month and somehow never noticed there were almonds!
"Nuts and milk!" I shouted. "Nuts and milk!"

Dhalsim smiled and nodded. "See. I told you all is connected."

"Huh?" I really don't understand Dhalsim sometimes.

"The spirit animal." he said to clue me in.

"Uh... wu... I don't.... OH MY GOSH! You're right! Nuts and Milk! Jmbarnes101's spirit animal is Nuts and Milk!"



If you don't see the NUTS in that image, heed Dhalsim's advice. It is there.

The main character in this game is named Milk. Milk is friendly, hard working, polite, and caring. Milk spends his day running around collecting fruits and exchanging them for money. Basically, he's a collector and a trader, just like jmbarnes101. If milk gets enough fruits and money, then the door to his home opens and his fiancee, Yogurt, comes out to greet him with love. For you, jmbarnes101, this is metaphorical as you seek a less literal sense of home and love and family. Milk is very giving of his fruit collection to Yogurt, as jmbarnes101 is very giving as racketboy's #1 Secret Santa, though it's never quite clear whether he more enjoys the giving or the receiving.

Milk, however, is pursued by his nemesis, Nuts, who trails his every move in an attempt to throw off his collecting or prevent him from going home to his love. Again jmbarnes101, this is metaphorical. Nuts is actually anything that haunts you and tries to get in the way of your collecting your family or your love. Sometimes it is the burden of personal responsibilities, sometimes it is self-doubt and self-criticism, sometimes it is an actual nemesis too. Just keep in mind the colorful joyousness of Milk and his love for Yogurt and you will find happiness.

[jmbarnes101]

Lol, actually appropriate. I enjoyed the story and description. Thank you, not at all something I would have guessed. Your spirit path gets clearer with every vision.

[J T]

Key-Glyph, I love your spirit animal choice for me! What a great write up too, though I'm blushing with the flattering portrayal. I really need to play Animal Crossing. I had to watch some Dr. Shrunk videos on YouTube and they all made me LOL. I have always loved axolotl's though. Thanks.

[J T]

Oh yeah, and I LOVE the Equinox soundtrack!