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Messages - MJZ
1
« on: July 26, 2007, 01:23:14 pm »
Aw now, don't misunderstand me here, I didn't mean to insult the appreciators of fantasy - considering we all are, no less! I've only survived this long because of fantasy and sci fi. And you left out my qualifier - I said "seemingly mindless, unwarranted following." Seemingly! Not certainly.  And I was referring to the fact that it seems people are tagging along to fantasy because of hypes and fads lately, not because they would actually appreciate it individually - which is what happens with mass audiences, and this worries me. I hate to see something be turned into a multi-million dollar public fad: that's when it gets abused and distorted, generally. I'd rather be geeky and lonely in my preferences, heh. I think the very nature of "escapist" literature speaks for itself. But if fantasy and formulaic have become synonyms - that's terrible. At least I think so. It's fantasy - it should be inventive. I think the reason for so much formulaic fantasy out there is precisely the fad-factor, as Nehetsrev said, The publishing industry tries to sellect stories based on what seems to sell best at the time. Hence when something unexpected does make bigger ripples and grabs the attention of more readers than the last fad, the publishing industry is quick to promote to excess that success, and attempt to duplicate it with as many other stories of similar content as can be gotten away with. I don't think it's mindless and unwarranted at all, if you appreciate the genre. I think it seems mindless and unwarranted in a mass market - come on, we spent years hiding in the basement with our pencil and paper, and now suddenly it's cool because everyone else is doing it. Seems mindless and unwarranted. That sort of thing. Anyhow, there's a lot of good info for writers and books on this thread. I'm looking into things! And yes, Terry Pratchett can be brilliant. Wen the Eternally Surprised. Heh.
2
« on: July 24, 2007, 06:20:19 am »
Hehe, that's a great one, isn't it? Angry video game nerd! This one makes me laugh so hard, I cry. A lot. Mind the swearing! Unsanctioned NES "Bible" games
3
« on: July 24, 2007, 04:56:17 am »
Eh heh, confused young heroine receives advice from requisite father figure?  Well, if you're talking about originality of plot, there is no such thing in any writing genre. ... That doesn't mean that writers can't be creative in defining their fictional worlds and characters that inhabit them, nor does it limit nescessarilly their creativity in writing possibly unexpected twists. Definitely! In literature, as in science and well, pretty much any other field, everyone is standing on the shoulders of those who preceded them. And in 2007 - that's a lot of shoulders! There's always, always room for personalization - styles, characters, insights that are unique to an author, no matter how tried and tired the genre. Anyways, thank you for writing that post, Nehetsrev, it really made ME feel a lot better.  Very true about the reviews/commentary on the back of books and in some magazines and such things. They're all just carbon copies of one another, too - "a grand epic on a grand epic scale from a new voice.... not since [insert famous name here] has an author so captivated readers... a stunning tale of love, loyalty, war, and betrayal..." heh. You're right, comedic fantasy/sci fi can be near genius, and such a light-hearted (and well, brilliant) way of dealing with the aggravating elements of genre I was complaining about. Ah yes, Robert Jordan - reviewers and fans tend to be quite a bit ignorant in their accusations and assumptions (but then, who isn't), and very few seem to have thought of the possibility that writers can have contracts for a full series, like you say. Nevertheless, I guess nothing's stopping one from enjoying the earlier works, if they feel the latter ones fall short, right? And the library! I spent a lot of time there as a child/teenager. I agree, it's there for a reason - and it's probably a perfect place for genre books, seeing as how there are dozens and dozens and dozens of them, and it can take some time for you to find an author/series you really enjoy. Without spending lots of cash. :B Ooh, Stephen Donaldson. Heh, while "The Mirror of Her Dreams" did have overall very high scores (as did nearly all the bigger titles... as I've said... should stop repeating myself...), the 3-1star reviews pounded it into the ground so hard, it made me laugh... ha ha I should get my hands on something of his, and see which side of the fence I'm on (though I can take a guess). Heh perhaps I should say, that as a rule, I have never loved, and only on very rare occasion liked the "main character" in fantasy. Brr. So, leper does sound much more intriguing than... what... 18-35 yr old brown-haired boy becomes man? Brr. Sci Fi tends to make some more creative main characters, I think, though it's still common... And yes, this would be a good place for people to post titles of books/authors of fantasy (and sci fi) that they felt broke the so-called mold, offered something new, or a new take on something old, or even was extremely well-done despite adhering to the mold, what have you. I'd really appreciate that.
4
« on: July 13, 2007, 07:26:27 pm »
Crying? *cringes* I hope it was a baby.
Otherwise.. that's just disturbing.
Edit: And there are five movies now? Yeesh!
5
« on: July 01, 2007, 05:59:10 pm »
WINE always worked very nicely for me, after a bit of reading for certain programs/issues. Never tried NWN with it, though. Congrats on the switch, and happy birthday!
6
« on: July 01, 2007, 05:54:51 pm »
For celebrating the existence of the place, "glorious and free." Ex-Canadianite paying her respects here - happy Canada day.
7
« on: June 24, 2007, 06:27:09 am »
Happy Pride Week! Cheers all
8
« on: June 22, 2007, 11:02:00 am »
Well in any case, it makes good sense to me that a masterful spellcaster, or venerate cleric (read: high-level) should have powers superior to a guy with a sword, even if s/he has trained to the point that the weapon is an extension of their own body. Mind over matter! The powers of faith! It's maaagic.
And well, so what if they can solo whereas a fighter couldn't, I doubt anyone joins a community such as this and builds their character for a year solely to solo (hah). As has been mentioned, it's not very much fun after the ego-rush the first time around - because we come here to roleplay, and you can't quite do that on your own!
But just as a point of interest, I have nearly always played either spellcasters or clerics. :B
Edit: But as long as we're talking about imbalanced classes.... high level monks? heh
9
« on: May 22, 2007, 08:58:40 pm »
Please please please! No more spaces! Gaah the characters that are named " . . Logan DeHuge . " drive me nuts!!!
Edit: Multiple spaces are getting cleaned up when I post, therefore the first two periods denote spaces. However, the last one is a real period, which people also use. Brrr.
10
« on: May 21, 2007, 04:40:12 pm »
I would love that.
11
« on: May 20, 2007, 02:34:44 pm »
Ah yes, quite true, quite true.
12
« on: May 20, 2007, 02:27:28 pm »
Yes, because you see, there's the BIG ROAD. The BIG ROAD will tell us where to go! What, High Skull-Bone Creek? Well, that's what the map says! Next stop! You see, they can either go forward, or back, and since they've already been back (and there's nothing beyond the place "where the hero has spent his entire life," just the road leading out), well, where else can they go? Super Mario-plot!
13
« on: May 20, 2007, 01:50:17 pm »
(I love this thread) Politics. There should be a severe lack of politics, societal organization, or functioning governments. If any "wise elven councils" are present, they have little or nothing to do with the other 98% of the population - ie, they sit there and be wise. No real administration is involved. In fact, the Villain seems to be the only one with any idea of how to rule - hey, maybe that's how he/she got to take over most of the world in the first place? Too bad he's got mindless brutes under his command though, that sort of puts a wrench in the gears. Roads. You gotta love this. There's always this big road that connects yon "Swamp of Stench" to yon "Pass of Drudgery" to yon "Village of Deformed Curse-Victims" in a nice little pathway, usually leading right to the Villain's lair. And, whether on foot or on horseback, it never takes very long to travel between these aforementioned locales. It's pretty much a copy of the Super Mario in-between-levels layout, is what it is. Except with less forks in the road. Boy, I wish it were like that in real life. Severe Underpopulation. Basically already covered in the excellent points about no viable economy being present, but well, it's true. You've got your hero, and his/her family. Then you've got your hero's pals, who basically have no family or no prior association to anyone on the planet whatsoever (except for, perhaps, with the Villain?); wise elders, a useless guide, an old crone residing in isolation in one of the locales joined by yon big road, a prince, a chancellor, and a handful of peasants. Versus the Villain's slavering hoardes of a thousand-fold deformities. Thank the gods he doesn't know about that Prophecy/Ancient Sword/Secret trick. Religion. Reli-what? I don't have time to make this up! Spiritual beliefs be damned, who has them, anyways? No one in this world, that's for sure! (Which is why I like D&D, deities manual, anyone?) Unbreakable Will-power. Our characters CANNOT succumb to mental anguish, no matter HOW gory, gruesome, torturous, confusing, manipulative, or hopeless things get. They can watch their mothers be melted, their lovers be violated, be stuck in a cube-like mind-prison created by yon Villain, stretched on the stretching-rack for weeks, utterly humiliated, despoiled, deflowered, lied to and betrayed by the very one they held dearest - and yet they WILL NOT have a breakdown, develop paranoia, anxiety attacks, depression, bipolar disorder, mania, crippling insomnia, or any other logical reaction to all the psychological trauma. In fact, the only possible mental issue at hand is amnesia. Someone's gotta have amnesia.
14
« on: May 05, 2007, 07:05:04 pm »
I have been receiving tells that criticize my RP. ... Wow, now that I find strange. I've always enjoyed hunting with Nya, I've always enjoyed his vernacular and his hunting skills - I've even seen a player trying to emulate it (though nothing beats the original, of course). I don't see how a character who searches for a "strong pack" can be thought of as not a team player. But in any case, what you've said about Kithairien pretty much sums things up. And even if things were that way, not every character is or should be a "team player." Pfah. Go Coyote! Well in any case, I couldn't agree more with this thread - I've received more than one tell from a player making sure I wasn't OOC offended by their character's actions. And I can assure you, this sort of precaution is completely unnecessary when dealing with me. If your character is evil, please, by all means, role-play them as evil! I want to see it, feel it, and know it's there as part of the world! Just don't expect a good fellow, or neutral kid with a proud streak and a veiled superiority complex to sit around and be insulted, or threatened by the likes of you. Even if your character isn't evil - again, no need to make certain with me. Let's not pretend as though all our characters are going to trust each other with their lives in battle if they can't even sit down to tea together in a civil manner - even if they are of the same alignment, or the same race, or what have you. No one wants to spread negativity, and we all want to have fun, but some (controlled) clashes of personality are unavoidable and even enjoyable; and I personally don't think people should force their characters into certain company that they logically wouldn't be in, simply to join a battle foray. In any case, yep, I hope people aren't offended OOC by IC personalities - especially when it comes to things like druidic dogma. You can *really* smell some people's political bents through RP and when that starts happening, well, that's bad.
15
« on: May 05, 2007, 06:54:37 pm »
Yes, the earth goes through it's own periods of warming and cooling, ice ages, and the like. It is difficult therefore to tell precisely what climactic changes are due to human pollution - but I think we can all agree that if cities in America have "smog alert" days, our contribution isn't exactly a positive one. You know I'm in Atten's boat, Kindo. But I just LOVE when people go on as if humans were entirely separate entities from ALL other existence and all other life. Obviously never studied human origins or well, biology, for that matter. But oh well. They'll be feeding daisies soon enough. lo, I actually do love your response - words of wisdom, words of wisdom.
16
« on: May 05, 2007, 06:30:48 pm »
and its really strange that they somehow manage to make nearly every superhero movie suck, I mean considering how many they've made, the normal human would learn at some point, wouldn't it? Hear hear. The only comic-book-based movies that were well-written, well-cast and enjoyable I thought were X-men and the Batman flicks from the 90's (though more for camp value there, I guess). I disliked both Spiderman installments (for reasons that I could rant and rant about, but to spare my time and everyone else's eyes, I won't), and I won't be going to see the third. On that note, my friend, who is a fan of both previous movies, was disappointed with 3. So... maybe they should stop trying to suck money out of existing fan bases and put their creative efforts together to try and make some new ones. Eh? Or, you know, just try and slap together another Godzilla show. Whatever.
17
« on: May 02, 2007, 04:09:16 pm »
Respect has gone out the window, and it's unfortunate. What was once a community of people with a common interest in RP and this game world for most has degenerated, and now has significant pockets of gossip, rumors, hateful (yes, hateful) behavior toward other players (not characters, but players), questionable RP, constant pushing and walking of that "thin, grey line".
For one, I haven't come across any of this negativity in my time here, and upon asking some of the friends I've made here, neither have they. Now, they're choosing not to voice their own confusion here, but still I feel if there are many people completely unaffected by these issues, who haven't even come across them, the bushel can't be just about spoilt. Saying that the server has become a place of hate and bickering is boggling to me. I can't seem to track such behaviour down on the forums and as I've said, I haven't seen it in game. To be frank I'm still at a loss, and I know others who are, too. In any case, I know that not all respect has gone out the window. I know very well that I'm not on any of the teams and I'm not dealing with these dirty issues, but everyone who's responded here certainly has nothing but respect for the staff, and so are those who haven't posted yet, but soon will. Doesn't it seem as though the respectful still outweigh and outnumber the disrespectful?
18
« on: May 02, 2007, 03:49:04 pm »
I agree with Serissa, pharms are always eager to push drugs, and they can cause much harm. Of course the last thing you or your family probably feel like doing now is hunting around for more opinions, but still. Be careful with meds, people with diplomas don't always know exactly what's best. A friend of mine lost someone close to them because of suggested medications - just keep both eyes open when ingesting crazy chemicals.
19
« on: May 02, 2007, 01:51:54 pm »
Hey now, it's not so thankless! All the many dozens of posts and discussions and IRC chats, and, needless to say, players online at all hours of the day are all silent thanks in themselves, thanks for allowing us to meet and greet and roleplay like mad and bash critters till our robes are torn and bloodied.
This is really starting to sound like a farewell thread. That worries me.
Like lonarrin implied, I think donations would be as good a way as any to help. But I can understand if after all this time and all the trouble and money, it isn't fun any more for Leanthar. If a server is no longer fun for a player, they leave it, too.
But must it come to that? What if L could distance himself a bit from the hustle and bustle of the nagging players, and just consult more with his mods and team-members, thereby reducing the amount of trolls and nasty players he has to deal with personally? Leave some less exhausted fellows to do the more dirty policing, and just keep L informed as to any more pressing matters? May be a bit autocratic, but better perhaps than having our campaign creator dreading to handle his campaign any longer. Nothing could be worse.
20
« on: May 02, 2007, 01:09:34 pm »
I don't suppose it's much use to pry into this matter, but I've been absent from gameplay for a bit and this is very confusing to me. I hadn't come across this on the forums on in game - is it occurring on quests? Within certain circles of people? It's very alienating to hear about an issue so troubling that it's sucking the life out of the campaign creator and the team, when I (and the handful of players I've consulted with) don't know what's going on. In any case, I assume it's pretty extensive to be causing this much damage, I just wish I knew exactly what was happening.
I hope this can be worked through - people can request to have their CDTs be private, but really, making all of the threads private would be a sad loss, and I don't think all the players would be as motivated if they knew no one was going to look at them. *Sigh*
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