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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Lit MACLUNKY -- The Lit Forum Maclunky Thread, v3

Discussion in 'Literature' started by Point Given , Sep 12, 2015.

  1. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Well, that is exactly what the NRA is, the gun industry lobby.
     
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  2. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    @Charlemagne19

    It is against forum policy and etiquette to post links for selling items. We understand you're an author, you can continue to link in your signature. However, we cannot allow you to link for sales in your posts. [face_peace]

    --Adm. Nick
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 4, 2018
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  3. Ulicus

    Ulicus Lapsed Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2005
    THANK ****.
     
  4. Barriss_Coffee

    Barriss_Coffee Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Jun 29, 2003
    I rarely talk to my sister these days now that we're srs bsns adultz, but she just sent me a message about her visit to the parents. Apparently my mom just made a comment about how all the new SW aren't as good as the originals, etc etc, or 2001 Space Odyssey and whatever, and that the Golden Age of Sci-Fi ended with the OT in the early 80s. So my sister introduced them to the Holiday Special.

    Apparently they're about halfway through and my dad's one comment has been “I mean it’s better that they made it than it not exist” (???)

    And apparently the Wookiees have attracted the cat:

    [​IMG]
     
  5. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    Is possible there's some kind of subliminal messaging edited into the background of your copy of the Holiday Special?

    That seems like the kind of logic that would be present in a curse linked to the Holiday Special.
     
  6. JediBatman

    JediBatman Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 3, 2015
    The Star Wars Holiday Special was not made by man. (Why do you think George Lucas disavows it so much?) The Star Wars Holiday Special was made by the secret machinations of the Elder Gods, those Great Old Ones, to spread madness and terror across the land. (It's no coincidence that the main characters all put on cult-like blood red robes and walk into a portal to space at the end). Their ultimate goal was an entire world of thralls mindlessly chanting "fighting the Frizzies at 11! fighting the Frizzies at 11!"

    . . . But then it turned out Star Wars was still popular in spite of their efforts, so Cthulhu sold out and got a royalty check for every time Chewie's family appeared.
     
    Last edited: Jul 3, 2018
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  7. Senpezeco

    Senpezeco Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Apr 27, 2014
    Agreed for anything featuring Bea Arthur. [face_love]
     
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  8. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    VAMPYR - A Clunky but Fun Video Game

    http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/2018/07/vampyr-2018-review.html

    VAMPYR is the third game from DONTNOD entertainment, which had the somewhat missable (arguably forgettable) Remember Me and the video game classic LIFE IS STRANGE. It is a pseudo-Victorian (technically Edwardian) story about a vampire created during the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918 where 500 million people died. That's roughly ten times as many people died during the Black Death, by the way.

    The protagonist, Jonathan Reid, is a brilliant blood specialist who is transformed into a vampire and left to rot on top of a mass grave of Spanish Flu victims. Awakening, Jonathan Reid kills his sister in a blood-crazed frenzy then botches a suicide attempt in an attempt to atone. From there, Jonathan struggles to find himself a new life as he investigates vampire society, the vampire race's relationship to the Spanish Flu, and why there's a huge number of blood crazed psychopaths wandering the streets.

    One thing I will appreciate about this video game is that it is a heavily storyteller-driven game and there's not a smack of multiplayer about it. The gameplay isn't great, feeling like a dumbed down Dishonored crossed with Arkham Asylum, but it is fueled by a deep devotion to the characters as well as a desire to tell a classic vampire story. In short, I have very mixed feelings about this game but I suffered through the worst parts to finish it, which means I mostly liked it. Mostly.

    Unfortunately, the game suffers from the fact Jonathan Reid is not the most interesting of protagonists. He's a somewhat snooty upper class intellectual who is disdainful of religion even when crosses repel him and he's walking around as an explicitly supernatural being. It's a bit like playing Sherlock Holmes when Watson remains the emotional heart. As such, a lot of times I couldn't help but be more interested in the countless well-written NPCs around the game.

    The biggest star of the game is undoubtedly London itself. I'm not sure how accurate the depiction of the city is but it is a dark and fascinating place ravaged by both the Great War as well as the Spanish Plague. There's a bit of an immersion breaker in the fact the streets are full of vampire hunters, murderous ghouls, werewolves and worse.

    The fact none of the public seem to comment on the horrible monsters routinely being killed around them is also troubling. Despite it being 1918 and cars spread around, you can't fast travel across the monster-filled streets either. Instead, to get anywhere in the setting, you have to wander around on foot slaughtering people like you're crossing Skyrim.

    The travel issues of the game are also troubling because they have each district full of people who fall sick with a variety of ailments like fatigue, cold, or headaches that need to be treated in order to prevent the districts from falling into "Chaos." This means you're running up and down the map all the time, fighting the same respawning enemies over and over again.

    There is a clever gameplay element that I do appreciate, which is the fact that murdering NPCs results in Jonathan Reid getting a massive boost to his experience. The actions cause the district to become less healthier, more suspicious, and dangerous. If they fall to chaos, the NPCs disappear and they become full of vampires and monsters with all quests failed.

    The problem of this is the morality of these actions takes a hit with the fact Jonathan Reid can avoid "murdering" people but kills dozens, if not hundreds, of vampire hunters as well as his fellow undead. While there's a distinction between murder and killing in self-defense, it's kind of weird to have Jonathan Reid's pacifism lauded as well as no effect from killing hunters versus slaying the NPCs that include gangsters as well as the occassional serial killer.

    Gameplay-wise, you mostly wander around the city streets and fight a small variety of enemies that get progressively tougher the more you progress in the story. You can use firearms, melee weapons, and your vampiric powers. Though, in practice, the only thing which really worked for me consistently were melee weapons that stunned characters so I could drink their blood. There's some minor bugs, especially when coming from the map section, that often causes Jonathan to moonwalk backwards or be unable to move forward for a few seconds.

    I do like how cosmopolitan London is depicted as being with black, Indian, homosexual, Jewish, communist, and Christian characters. Jonathan Reid is a bit too tolerant for his time period to be believable but I'm not going to complain about that. I'm also quite fond of Jonathan's love interest Lady Ashbury, though they're both so reserved I didn't realize they were in love until the end of the game. Really, the standout character of the game is a mid-game boss that I can't talk about for risk of spoiling.

    Combat is clunky and pretty unforgiving unless you are overpowered due to murdering everyone on the map and absorbing their power. The leveling system in the game is also broken with your character usually half-a-dozen levels underneath whatever you're fighting. I think if they'd removed the leveling system and kept everyone without hit points like Dishonored or Batman: Arkham Asykum, it would have worked better. Its serviceable at best and not as enjoyable as either of its inspirations.

    The vampire lore in the game is a bit like the game's treatment of England. Overdone but not bad. If I'm going to be honest, this game feels a LOT like The Order: 1886 crossed with a laymen's version of Vampire: The Masquerade: Bloodlines. There's the upper crust vampires (Ekons), the deformed sewer-dwelling vampires (Skals), the brutish thug vampires (Vulkod), werewolves (Great Beasts), and the Inquisition (the Priwen Guard) which hunts them. They're also all tied to King Arthur because, of course they are.

    In simple terms, Vampyr is okay. It's not a great game and this is coming from an undead fanatic. I actually think this game probably would have benefited from being reimagined as a 5 episode Life is Strange-esque storytelling adventure. Not to pigeonhole DONTNOD Entertainment but I think they do those better than action games.

    7/10
     
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  9. Vthuil

    Vthuil Force Ghost star 5

    Registered:
    Jan 3, 2013
    Barriss, the more I think about it the more your family's cat terrifies me.
     
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2018
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  10. Charlemagne19

    Charlemagne19 Chosen One star 8

    Registered:
    Jul 30, 2000
    NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

    *weep*

    I BROKE THE RULES!

    *ignites lightsaber in chest*
     
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  11. JediBatman

    JediBatman Jedi Master star 4

    Registered:
    May 3, 2015
    [​IMG]
     
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  12. Ulicus

    Ulicus Lapsed Moderator star 7 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    Jul 24, 2005
    Broken? This is a pillar of the game. The longer Jonathan goes without a full course meal, the weaker he and his powers become. That's what the enemies outlevelling you (thus hitting harder and being able to shrug off what you're throwing at them) is supposed to represent.

    It's an inspired bit of gameplay/story integration that actually creates a sense of Jonathan's bloodthirst in the player themselves. It's one of the things that really sets the game apart. Without it, there would be no temptation to have Jonathan feed at all.

    Could combat itself be better? Sure. I had fun with it, but it's functional at best.
     
  13. cthugha

    cthugha Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 24, 2010
    This guy gets it:
     
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  14. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    I'm pretty sure that is @GrandAdmiralJello. He loves fancy hats...

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  15. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    I like that person.
     
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  16. AdmiralNick22

    AdmiralNick22 Retired Fleet Admiral star 6 VIP - Former Mod/RSA

    Registered:
    May 28, 2003
    If I knew that all it took was a fancy hat to get you on the side of liberal democracy in the GFFA, I would have petitioned for that YEARS ago during the EU. :p

    --Adm. Nick
     
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  17. MercenaryAce

    MercenaryAce Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2005
    Anyway, the answer is obviously this kind of hat:
    [​IMG]
     
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  18. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    You really should have known, though. :p
     
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  19. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    What hat typifies modern Western liberal democracy? The answer is simple:

    [​IMG]
     
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  20. MercenaryAce

    MercenaryAce Chosen One star 6

    Registered:
    Aug 10, 2005
    Ah, but you are defined by your love of Rome, and they didn't wear hats in the Roman Empire. Even the Emperors just had some laurel leaves.
     
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  21. Dr. Steve Brule

    Dr. Steve Brule Jedi Grand Master star 4

    Registered:
    Sep 7, 2012
    I started watching the Channel 4 show Toast of London, written by and starring Matt Berry as a failed, overly-dramatic West End stage actor. A few episodes in, he's hired by a wealthy Arab to star in his propaganda piece where Prince Phillip is put on trial and executed for being a scoundrel. Last few minutes of the episode, a pre-TFA Daisy Ridley appears as a stage hand and they have a conversation about an actor who died on the street after his career collapsed for doing a laxative ad (ironically the brand of which was called Lax-a-Daisy).
     
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  22. Senator Wan

    Senator Wan Jedi Knight star 2

    Registered:
    Aug 13, 2017
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  23. CaptainPeabody

    CaptainPeabody Jedi Grand Master star 3

    Registered:
    Jul 15, 2008
    Nein! In the later Roman Empire, the Emperors often wore crowns designed to look like the sun's rays, like this:
    [​IMG]
    And court officials wore Phrygian caps, which were the ancestor to the modern-day hats worn by Bishops:

    [​IMG]
    (They looked fairly different from this, but I just wanted to get in a picture of the Pope).
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2018
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  24. GrandAdmiralJello

    GrandAdmiralJello Comms Admin ❉ Moderator Communitatis Litterarumque star 10 Staff Member Administrator

    Registered:
    Nov 28, 2000
    Not to mention that once the bureaucracy stopped being the enclave of freedmen and became akin to a service nobility, the late antique/early byzantine court cape became an insignia of honor, basically a court uniform. There's a direct throughline from the freedmen to the court bureaucracy to church officials.

    (And it gets more fun when you consider the rest of their fashion!)

    I really, really hate the radiate crowns though. And the barracks emperors in general. :)

    Jeweled wreaths like Hadrian or Severus wore is as far as I'll take it. The crowns are ridiculous, who do they think they are -- Sol? :p
     
    Last edited: Jul 6, 2018
  25. Gamiel

    Gamiel Chosen One star 9

    Registered:
    Dec 16, 2012
    Stop teasing us and just post pictures of the fashion!
     
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