Botcollector:  So, Crizl, describe your personality a little bit for us.

Crizl: Geez….There’s a lot to me….but I don’t want to bore anyone to death with a 100 page biography.  I’ll try to keep it short and sweet.  I really don’t like talking about myself….it makes me feel like an egomaniac.

What made me what I am today? Well, let’s put it this way, my past has made me a very appreciative person.   I live every day like it’s my last.  I’m just happy to have a roof over my head, food to eat, and a chance to do something with my life.  I run hot and cold, meaning I can be totally nice or a big ol’ bitch, it really depends on the situation.  I like to be a good person, but I don’t let anyone take advantage of my kindness or push me around. 

A lot of people try to label me as punk or goth, but I really don’t fit those lifestyles.  I really can’t be classified….I can’t even be labeled as an artist because I don’t fit that mold either.  I practice no religion at all, I live a multi-cultural lifestyle, I’m always trying and learning new things….there’s really no category for me.  I’m just Crizl.

Botcollector:  What does Crizl do for fun?

Crizl:  Well, I’m one of those weirdos that tries to make everything fun!  You could stick me in a room with nothing but a box of toothpicks and I could put on a show with them for hours.  My biggest source of fun is just being able to create.  I like to sew (mainly clothes for myself, costumes, and UFO dolls) , draw, paint animation cels, color my artwork, cook, make websites, and shop on-line (mainly for new collectibles and art supplies!).  I also like to play video games, but I rarely have time.  I watch a lot of anime, Animal Cops, anything about haunting, and action/suspense/horror movies.

Botcollector:  What kind of things do you NOT like?

Crizl:  I have a huge list of pet peeves…but I’ll try to keep it short.  I hate spoiled brats of all ages, old and young.  I have zero tolerance for racism (being Indian and Native American has subjected me to a lot of discrimination in my past) and I will also not tolerate reverse discrimination.  I hate people who sit around crying feeling sorry for themselves and do nothing to make their lives better.  I can’t stand preachy holier-than-thou vegetarians/vegans who try to tell others what’s right and what’s wrong….I like meat and I’m gonna eat it, damnit! I also believe that violence DOES solve a lot of problems….peaceful solutions are great in theory, but punching people has solved a lot of my life problems, so I’m all for violence.  I also really hate that so many people take art for granted, they don’t realize how much energy and devotion goes into it.

Botcollector:  What things do you think are most important?

Crizl:  I’d say that’s for me to be true to myself.  I will never do anything or be anything I am not.  I wear what I like because I like it.  I say the things I say because that’s really how I feel.  The way I present myself is not to impress anyone or a show….I gotta be me or I’ll hate myself.  Right now, I live in this really upscale Chicago suburb where I get treated like crap every now and then because I don’t conform to how everyone else here lives.  But I don’t give a sh**; Crizl does what the hell she damn well pleases.  If you ever see me in a Burberry scarf, be assured I am either joking, lost a bet, or had a lobotomy.

Botcollector:  So, we know you collect Transformers now.  When did that start?

Crizl:  I liked robots since I was like 4! So people always tried to give them to me.  I got my first Transformer from a grade school friend, Brandi.  I went to her birthday party and she ended up giving me Windcharger.  I think I was either 7 or 8 then.  Actually, most of my Transformers were ‘hand-me-downs’ from other people who either got bored with them or just figured I’d enjoy them more than they did.

Besides Transformers, I have other bots! I have Voltron, Kikaida, Tekknaman, and SD Gundams.

Botcollector:  What is that got your started collecting these guys?

Crizl:  You know?….I’m not sure? But maybe it’s hereditary? Apparently, my mother and sister have always like robots and creatures since they were little…and I didn’t really grow-up around my family much.  To this day, my mom and aunt still collect robots and sci-fi toys…..Creepy!

Botcollector:  Is there any focus from the Transformers toyline that you are most interested in adding to your collection, or that you have spent the most time/money on to collect (for example, mostly G1, G2, Beast Wars, specific vehicle types, etc.)?

Crizl:  The re-issues, for sure.  I actually lost my childhood Transformer collection.  When I left college, I stashed my old toys in my Dad’s attic.  Sadly, he passed away in 2001 and his house had to be sold.  I didn’t bother to try and get my things from the house because I felt that would be ‘tacky’….like disrespectful.  I love my toys, but they are just material possessions that can be replaced!  So to answer your question, I’ve spent the most money on the G1 re-issues.  Now I can finally have the old skool bots that are NEW!  I rarely got brand-spankin’ new G1 Transformers (like I said before, I mostly got ‘hand-me-downs’), so the re-issues rock my socks! I can finally have a Tracks with BOTH arms!

Botcollector:  What is it about this specific type of Transformer that you like over the rest?

Botcollector:  What is it about collecting that is turning these girls off (the, uh, petty b**** ones)?

Crizl:  I gotta be diplomatic in answering that one.  Girls can have good, legit reasons or petty, selfish-b***h reasons. 

It’s very true that some really serious collectors of Transformers (or anything else) can get to the point where their hobby hurts themselves and/or others.  Someone can let their hobby get so out of control that they ignore their personal hygiene, isolate themselves from their family and friends, spend all their money and go in debt, etc.  No girl is going to dig that….Nor should they.  But that also goes for guys who don’t want to date girls who have an obsession with something….so it works both ways.

But I’d like to believe that a lot of collectors are responsible and don’t let their hobby control their lives in negative ways.  If this is the case, and girls still consider these responsible 'Bot Collectors to be ‘undateable’ just because of a hobby, then those girls are [expletive deleted].  Most likely, those girls just want to be the center of a guy’s world and don’t want to share it with anyone or anything else, 'bots or otherwise.  Those girls could also just be gold-diggers who only want a guy’s money…if a guy is spending money on toys then he won’t have as much cash for presents for his girlfriend.  Boo-hoo….

Really though….if you’re a guy who has been turned down by a chick just because she doesn’t like your hobby, good fricken’ riddance.  You don’t need a shallow b***h like that. 

Botcollector:  Are you now, or have you dated/been involved with a male who has a fanaticism for collecting something?

Crizl:  You bet! My guy, Tach, collects toys too.  We pi** on anyone who doesn’t like toys….people who hate toys have no souls. 

Botcollector:  Was the collecting part of your personalities ever a problem?

Crizl:  I’ve personally never had a problem.  But they biggest indication that someone is letting their habit get out of hand is if they spend too much money on their hobby and not enough on the things they need.  If someone is buying a lot of toys and don’t pay their rent or bills, then the habit is going too far. 

Botcollector:  Are you now, or have you dated/been involved with a male who has NO
interest in toys or collecting anything?

Crizl:  Why would I date a lame wad like that? I might as well ask out a ham sandwich.

Botcollector:  What would you have to say to or about a woman who automatically dismisses a guy as "updateable" when she sees that he obviously is crazy about something like Transformers?

Crizl:  Get over yourself, b****.  ( flips the bird ) Like you don’t have obsessions….

I seriously hate girls like that….  I’ve even told off a few here and there.  They usually cower away and never say anything to me again…..*expletive deleted*.  Girls who say those things usually don’t know what the hell they’re talking about, so when you prove them wrong, they have no idea how to back up their statements.  I rule.  

Botcollector:  We're beginning to think you DO rule.  Have you ever met anyone who collects that you think is OVERLY into it?
If so, what would you say is THEIR problem?

Crizl:  Well, I’ve never personally encountered any psycho Transformer collectors, but I have seen other types of psycho fanatics of other collectibles.

I think the collectors that bother me are the ones who make their favorite series into a competition and don’t do it for fun.  For example, I’ve gone to several anime and comic book conventions over the years and I have seen plenty of psychos for particular series.  Some people feel the need to let other fans know that they own and know everything about their chosen series…they can be quite nasty and competitive about it.  This just gets bitter and very unpleasant.  I don’t think I want to even touch the subject of the fans who are in love with fictional characters….that can get downright ugly.  Seeing 2 people fight over who is more ‘worthy’ of a fictional character’s ‘love’ is just sad….

Most likely, those people have nothing else in their lives to be proud of, so they pick something that is ‘their thing’ to excel in.  If someone else excels in that hobby as well, that collector feels threatened, like someone else will steal their thunder….then they turn into Grade A a**holes.

Botcollector:   What is the main cause of the whole "Barbies are for girls, 'Bots (or whatever warlike toys) are for boys" understanding in society? Is it legitimate?

Crizl:  For sure, yeah.  Toys are essentially learning tools for children to develop with.  The old fashioned mentality is that girls need to train to be pretty, cook, clean, and take care of babies.  So girls are initially given tools to train in those areas, they get Barbie to learn to be pretty, play dishes to cook, a mini-vacuum that looks just like mommy’s, and baby dolls.  Boys mainly are taught to be strong and defend their family, so they get a variety of warriors and role models to look up to.

Now days, though, times are changing.  Women are very liberated and try to make sure their daughters don’t get stuck with just being trained to be housewives.  I dunno though….I still see a lot of parents still pampering their little girls to be wimps with no imagination….it’s sad, really. 

Botcollector:  What's different about girls like yourself who DO like 'bots better than dolls and pink/oven/nurture/furry toys?

Crizl:  I have an imagination, and from what I can tell, other girls who like bots/boys toys also have good imaginations.  Take a good look into the stories utilized in boys toys and then look at girls toys.  Transformers, for example, all had different personalities.  They had extraordinary problems to face, wars to fight, and lives to live in a world we can only imagine.  To ‘play’ Transformers, you need a lot of imagination and energy to create a world that is not like what we see everyday.

To play with girls toys, not much imagination is required.  There are specific things you can do with a Barbie, a baby doll, toy kitchens, etc.  which imagination is limited.  Sure, Barbie could go on adventures, but doesn’t it always seem that her adventures end up with her being naked on the floor? (That’s always been an enigma to me, why do little girls always strip Barbie to nothing? Can’t she stay clothed? )

I actually really like some girly toys, mainly plushies.  I just love animals but I don’t have time for real pets.  I also like Chobits which are pretty girly, but they are also robots with AI, which has always been a fascinating topic for me.  Chii could kick Arcee’s ass anyday.