TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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Everything posted by TwiLyghtSansSparkles
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Relative value of entertainment???
TwiLyghtSansSparkles replied to Delightful's topic in Entertainment Discussion
I've always been biased toward books and stories as a more deeply interactive form of entertainment, but I think all forms have their merits—and the higher the quality of an entertainment source, the more value it has. As Kobold pointed out, TV and movies beam images directly into your brain, so your mind isn't doing as much work. However, some movies manage to give the mind as much as a workout as a good book. Take Pixar movies, for example. Toy Story 3 has already created the characters, cast their voices, and added music to give the viewer subtle cues as to when they're supposed to feel what. But it also weaves a complex story about bitterness, fear, growing up, losing loved ones, and whether or not people can change, all bound up with some really sharp Orwellian political commentary. For that movie, and others like it, I would argue that having a pre-made cast and visuals only frees the mind to do even deeper thinking. Then there are radio shows. When I was a kid, I listened to a radio program called Adventures in Odyssey. I revisited it recently, hoping and praying it would be as good as it was in my childhood—and it was even better than I remembered. There were musical and soundtrack cues to accompany the dialogue, but aside from that, the story was all dialogue. And it worked. Through conversations that move the story along at a nice clip, the Odyssey writers engage the listener and lead them to visualize the scenes, but also to consider the characters' motivations and the outcomes of their actions. Vocal cues add to the story in a way dialogue tags like "He muttered/she whispered/he said/she cried" never can. Then, of course, there are comic books, graphic novels, and other visual mediums that also utilize text. Take Calvin and Hobbes as a well-known example. Watterson conveyed so much of Calvin's motives and thought process through a single panel where he makes a disgusted face, or grins maliciously as his mother turns her back. These cues engage the reader in different ways than purely textual cues can. As I said before, I'm biased toward books. I always have been, and I think I always will be. When I read a good book, my mind is crafting its own movie for me. It's casting the perfect actors—some of whom don't exist in Hollywood—designing the perfect set pieces and costumes, scouting the perfect locations, and providing me with the perfect soundtrack. But here's the thing—all of those things are perfect for me. They wouldn't be perfect for anyone else. Books, I think, are the most personal of all mediums, because reading one is an intensely personal experience. That is what I prefer about books. But I believe that other mediums can be just as valuable as books, though in radically different ways. And, just like books, other forms of entertainment vary in quality. The worst book ever written won't compare to the best Pixar movie ever made, and the worst movie ever made is laughable in the face of a good book. I think the important thing is to be well-rounded in entertainment—read good books, watch good movies and TV shows, listen to good radio dramas, read good comics. -
Fractured States of America Map of Epics
TwiLyghtSansSparkles replied to Blackhoof's topic in The Reckoners
There are probably a few that remained standing long enough for Obliteration to find them, but I think those would be like Newcago—rare bastions of civilization with long stretches of wasteland in between. Arizona might be nearly deserted, what with non-Epics fleeing the harsh conditions at the first sign of trouble, Epics following because there was no one to rule, and a few tough stragglers coming in after the mass exodus to eke out a living in the desert. But so far as California goes, I think there were quite a few Epics who left when they saw how crowded the state was. -
Spoilered just in case:
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Fractured States of America Map of Epics
TwiLyghtSansSparkles replied to Blackhoof's topic in The Reckoners
I think there was definitely some migration there. 3,880 Epics in California? Great Noodly One, that state would be crowded. If I were a Californian Epic, I'd strike out for a less populous state pronto. -
Just dropping in to say that as soon as you guys can, you need to see Inside Out. Hilarious, tearjerking, and wildly creative—and it made me think about what this RP's characters' brains would look like, if given the Inside Out treatment. Go watch it. You will not regret it.
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Canonesque. That's what I'm calling our RP.
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Inside Out (Spoilers! Obviously.)
TwiLyghtSansSparkles replied to mail-mi's topic in Entertainment Discussion
This movie was fantastic. Firefight spoilers: But it was awesome. I'd say it's Pixar's most creative yet, from the core concept to all of the little touches. I laughed, I cried, and with the nightmare in Riley's new classroom when Joy and Sadness dress up in the dog costume and Bing-Bong makes a cameo, I laughed until I cried. And now I know what's going on when I get some stupid song stuck in my head. Thank you, Mind Workers. -
That's actually pretty close to what I had for Alaska: Khione is the only true High Epic there, and there aren't that many period, with many being transplants from elsewhere. I mean, with all those Epics in California, you'd think a few would seek less crowded pastures.
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The first one actually isn't too far off the mark: she's an engineering prodigy. RAFO means "read and find out." As for the other questions, RAFO.
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I'll take it under consideration, O Bribing One.
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I nearly downvoted that.
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Going to see Inside Out tonight after dinner.
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Yes, but it won't take me more than a post to get him back to Portland, if need be.
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Have you ever wondered what pugs think of playground slides? Wonder no longer.
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You're a brony, correct?
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Especially here, where not having AC for a few minutes is hellish. True. Actually, you know what else would help? Information about a certain slontzey Epic's hypothetical 180…. (Kidding. Goodness knows I've kept details about my plans for Funtimes under wraps. )
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I've never watched Futurama, but I'm already sure I'd rather be locked in a room with Zoidberg than with Koschei or Quota. You don't necessarily need Quota's weakness to take him down, since he has no PI and no real defensive powers. I'd definitely want Remington with me, but if I took him in, Quota would know something was up. Well, I started out by wondering what Fortuity's opposite would be like, and I got a bubbly female Epic who likes pink. Then I put that basic concept into the whoosie-whatsit with some flappity-floo and some whoopity-whee and gave it a little spunny-spinny-spin and I got…. …that. Truth be told, I'm not entirely sure how all the components of her personality and powers came to be. They just sort of…fell together for me. But that's how it is with most of my characters—they start out as vague concepts and then just….sort of….come to be. I couldn't describe the process if I tried. Her backstory, though, actually started out much differently than its current form. After Firefight was released, with its revelations about Epic psychology and patterns in weaknesses, I wound up scrapping the only backstory scene I'd written for her, rethinking the entire concept, bashing my head into a wall a lot, and finally landing on the current angle I'm pursuing. All in all, though, I think Firefight improved her backstory quite a bit. The original scene I had wasn't quite working, though I got it to the point where it almost did; but once I landed on the right post-Firefight angle, everything else in her backstory just clicked.
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Thanks. My brother showed up while I was waiting for AAA, and discovered that it was running fine. I drove it home without incident, but not before standing outside in the Arizona heat and having to reschedule my tire appointment. Oh well. I got it in for tomorrow morning, but now I'm going to worry that every little bump and stutter is a major engine problem.
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Well, this sucks. I had an appointment to get new tires today....which I'm going to miss because my car stalled and I'm waiting to have it towed. And I'm scared to go inside anywhere because I'm parked illegally. With my hazards on, but still. Everything sucks today.
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The history of plumbing. Might sound boring, but sanitation was pretty horrifying up until the last hundred years or so.
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Are you sure tearing up the town charter is the smartest move with Arsenal around?
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Eeyup. (Happens pretty often around here.)
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"See Section 8, Clause 4, the Deathwish Clause."
