Another month, another member honoured. Enjoy.

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Silly posts, great eccentric humour, and a bit – maybe a lot – of weirdness. jml has been with AoMH for quite sometime, and his unique style of posting has always made him stand out in a positive way. The great guy from France now reveals a bit of his live in this interview.

So, I took a look around at your site, and you make photographs right? Is that your job or a hobby?
It's my job. Actually it was.
i don't do this anymore.
You won't believe it but... I got into the gaming business. But this should be saved for later. And it's kind of secret.
I still teach photo? And I will never stop doing it I hope.

Later in the interview, or just later?
Up to you. I don't mind talking about it. You lead the game.

Let’s put it in the end then
What kind of photo do you like taking the most? I saw a lot of people in your albums? Is that what you do the most?
Absolutely! People! All I care about. Same with AoM. People, forumers... and triggers.

So you don't care about landscapes while you live in France?
The beautiful mountains and fields and stuff? or Paris?
People again. I live in France... because I'm born here. So I got used to the population, after all these years.
I lived in a couple of places around the world, for quite some time even. But I always wanted to come back here. And spend the rest of my life in this country. Maybe a bit more down to the south part of it. I'm starting to like sun.
Beside landscapes don't matter if you have them in front of your eyes everyday.
I didn't even miss them when I lived in New-York.
That city is just so unbelievable.
But it's not that important.
People are.
I'm not saying I don't like Americans. Some of them are my friends for ever. And I hate some Frenches.
People matter, countries don't.
America is one of the most surprising country if you're into landscape kind of stuff!
I traveled everywhere there because of my job. One of the greatest side of it.
But in Paris, I just barely move, like if I've seen it enough. But always looking at it. Still.
It's just around. I don't care but this is why I came back.
To move onto something else.

So do you take pictures of your family? Other then just family photos or something?
No. This is one of the reason I quite the photo business.
I lost the fun, the envy of it.
I don't take photos anymore. About the family now. I feel if I take pictures of my kids it means I don't look at them anymore. And I do look at them. No time for photos. I never look at family photos, I mean mine actually. Other families? I'm polite!

So how many kids do you have actually? And do they like your photographs?
2! 1 of each. girl and boy.
They like me. Therefore they're probably the worst photo jury ever. They don't look at mine. They're 4and 3 in the first place. But they starting to use my cameras... very interesting when you see a kid taking a picture... against the rules.
Why didn't I do it? :---( hé,hé!

So could you tell a bit about how your day looks like?
Wouhaha!
I get up early. Always did. Even before my kids, meaning before I have kids, and now before they get up. They're early birds as well.
7 am.
Everyday. Even week-ends.
The I'll take them to school.
And café time. Terrace, café, croissant. So french? No! So good. They do the same in New-York. And it's sunnier. Only not that many cafés though.
No I'm a sort of writer. So my time is up to me.
But it works better if I keep a certain schedule. 9 to 2pm.
But never without taking a fast look at what's going on at HG. Funny isn't it?
Before I forget...
I work with a couple of guys so mostly, the afternoon is about meetings. Lots of politics involved. My girl picks up the kids at 4. And family time. I work again at night a bit. And I go to bed late. 2am or some. I never thought of that.

You always show up at HG. The forumers you seem to know best are The Vandhaal, King Jared, mostly the older members. Any special favorites? And why?
Well I think I know loads of HG guys actually... and some girls.
I know your country man quite well. Never saw each other but I know him more than a few people I see everyday... without looking.
I know nothing about KJ really, beside his designer job. We had a little argument even. But he helped me greatly after that. Style.
I have no favorite. They all are. Truly.
The same unknown reason brought us to HG. I can't be far away from any one of them. Not one of us can.
I like the game but the forums even more.
You know why?
Because when the most of my life was about AoM designing, HG and HG guys never let me down.
Of course some names could come faster to my mind. But I even like the guy who hasn't showed up yet.

You did make a scenario with King Jared in it. And The Vandhaal, so I thought all of you where good friends, your other project is Regi's Way, how did you get the idea for that one?
Only because they are AoM.
It's like casting Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for a movie. With KJ as Brad Pitt, of course. Who else? They knew each other, even countrymen I think.
And when I showed up they were Kings!
I had to do it.

Now about the idea?
I had none! Wouhahaha!
If you remember one thing of tonight, this is the one! Just start designing, then only think about thinking.
Just started playing with the editor, picked Reginleif right away, the only one... beside Amanra. And then I had to come up with some story, but it went almost automatically... and learn triggers... cinematics... mods... everything. Day after day. 2 years.
The reason why I made that story.
Because there were the 2 Italian guys with some great stuff I couldn't play, some mess, I don't know. So I decided to do a little clean-up, trigger after trigger. And learned, easily because i had too, what was a trigger. Mostly the Italian school. Maggo Merlino.



Indeed the story was kind of random. The dancing polar bear was cool. Was that just another thing that just came, or did have a form of inspiration?
The AoM editor is full of wonders. Actually this isn't true. Your brain is. The thing I want any new AoM designer to know is that this beautiful editor will never let you down. Never. Impossible is not AoM.
I'm very much like that. It depends on the day. I'm very optimistic in a certain way. Since I know everyone is pretty black, I can only be nicely surprised.
I believe sometimes if you let yourself go, that's the only way to do what you're meant and capable to do.
I have no idea why this polar bear came up all of a sudden.
But let me tell you one thing, if I knew why, or had known at the time, there wouldn't be no polar bear.
Of course I got wonderfully inspired by other guys. This world is old. And so new at the same time. Maggo Merlino was the first one with this rotating effect. And what about the music? I loved that music. This is not inspiration. A way better than this. It's love. I love music. So music had to be involved into that piece.

So what kind of music do you listen to normally?
Actually I think music was more surprising than the twisting bear itself in this AoM world.
There are not so many funny scenario's in AoM.
I'm funny, when I don't think of killing myself because my parents divorced... because of me.
So my AoM simply went... funny! As simple as that.
AoM could be just you... but you have to let both go with your flow.
The only rule, I mean condition, sorry.
Music? Black. Anything that comes from pain. When your body moves before you realize it.
I'm 49 and I still go clubbing. Alone. Dance all night. I need it. I can't live without it. My body is also me. And music tells me all about it. I love house music. For ever. Well love is always for ever.

Hmmm.... Thx a lot for this all....I think we only need to conclude it now? So what do you do in the gaming business now?

26 minutes pass.

It must have a long job description

4 more minutes

You're really part of AoM now.
It's like you've always been.
See, that's amazing what a game can do. You've changed a lot along the way.
This is mostly the purpose of my game. Growing up.
But fun!
Good night.

As such was the end to our conversation. A weird one, but interesting.