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Comments
I like to pretend I'm still fifteen. I certainly haven't matured past that age.
My birthday was the seventh, 20 years. How can somone forget how old they are?
Anyone else watching the Grammys this Sunday?
...Damn I'll be in for a shock when I reach middle age
Icalasari is older than me? What sorcery is this?
You just want me to die
I'm still mentally 12.
So I got another book. This one's In The Name Of Saint George, by Christian Tobler. It's for the intermediate to advanced student in the Liechtenauer tradition of medieval Germany. Rather than being a strict "how-to" (and while it does have some elements of that), it's more a discussion on the relationship between techniques, weapons and the historical context of these things.
The latter element is particularly interesting, as it delves into a study of the four primary guards of the Liechtenauer tradition, equating each with a medieval tetragonal element. In medieval scientific, artistic and philosophical theory, aspects of discussion and practise were often separated into four major topics. It's a number that forms a cornerstone of medieval thinking, and it's a neat coincidence (or possibly not) that the most influential and heavily written-upon tradition separates itself into four guards -- four "nodes" from which all techniques flow.
Vom Tag, or "the roof guard", is fire. It strikes from high, with the sun at its point.
Ochs, or "the ox guard", is wind. It flows with strength, whipping around.
Pflug, or "the plough guard", is water. It wraps around resistance, striking low.
Alber, or "the fool's guard", is earth. Its strength is unbreakable, but it doesn't attack well.
Langenort, or "longpoint", is heart Aether, the secret element. All strikes and thrusts pass through it, and it represents the climactic point of all standard attacking techniques. It's the guard that is never entered by conscious choice, but used for just an instant by all true swordsmen. False knights do not know it.
vandro: The sorcery that should be making me never age
I'd better stop aging no later than my late twenties so I can reap the benefits of immortality >
Oh, also I had a mini panic attack today due to my fear of the dark
Well, there it is.
happy birthday, on
Happy birthday Don!
Happy birthday to you!
Happy birthday to you!
yeah i forget the rest of the song
I only know the spanish version.
Madass: That's pretty much the song, except the third line is, "Happy birthday dear ____", and the fourth (and last) line is, well, those two lines
Nobody ever remembers the guy's name. That part's always mumbled.
Saddest line in The Dresden Files yet
I dreamt I was banned from here...and Juan was picked to replace me as moderator.
What a horrible nightmare.
You wish you were good enough for me to replace you.
I had a dream where I was working in a coffee sho and Donald Trump was a regular.
Everytime he came in the Cheers theme would play. I don't even.
Makes sense.
I don't remember my dreams. And today I slept only six hours, so I don't think I even dreamt.
More likely you just forgot them. Strange thing that subconscious.
It's unconscious, IIRC
Maybe, possibly? It's not like I care much for my dreams. They're either long, almost-Freudian nightmares or involve horrible puns such as a black mare galloping around in the night.
Okay, so influenced by the game design book I'm reading, I've started to think about how I'd do a game based on King Arthur. Not in terms of "holy shit, you can do this with the gameplay!", but in terms of how I'd theme the interactive processes and draw the player's attention in a narrative sense.
I think there'd be three overriding, major themes:
1. Kingship; what it means to be a monarch and the responsibilities laid upon you.
2. The duality between Celtic paganism and Catholicism; how each perspective shapes England (and, for the purposes of action sequences, the nature of the powers that Excalibur gives you).
3. The nature of mythology and legend.
The idea is that Excalibur is a conduit of Arthur's spiritual beliefs. Designed like a Celtic cross in the hilt with other design elements borrowed from late Scottish claymores, it's supposed to be the central, thematic, visual representation of where your iteration of Arthur stands. The interesting thing about the Arthur myths is how they've undergone change with each society that picks them up, becoming more Christian along the way. And as that happens, and undercurrent of subtle conflict with the pagan version of the tale emerges.
As you make choices, these change England and Excalibur. Christian choices line England with white stone and marble churches, epitomising Christian artisanship. Celtic pagan choices instead make buildings more naturalistic, lined with ivy crawling up and around their shapes. And as you make those choices, the game takes that information and becomes a truer iteration of one of the potential myths moreso than the others. A heavily Christian run makes it Le Morte D'Arthur; a balanced run makes it The Matter Of Britain; a Celtic run makes it most heavily embody the original tale. Excalibur becomes white steel and lined with gold if Christian influence overtakes Celtic, but its linings become a pale, metallic green otherwise.
Essentially, the way you play and conduct Arthur alters not only the environment of England, but the tale itself. These choices aren't supposed to be telegraphed, but to fit in naturally with the player's values. There is no clearly lined "Christian path", "Celtic path" or "balanced path", but only the conscious choices of the players and the invisible calculations behind the game. All in all, it's designed as a celebration of legend, literature and metafiction.
Thoughts?
Also, this would be the theme song.
I had a dream where me, my ex and her smoking hot best friend had a threesome.
That was fun.
Evidently U2 is the highest paid band in the world. I presume this is because we're paying them to never ever make another superhero musical again?
...
[obligatory fanboy post], I guess
Good policy?
What if the book's awesome? :< Like American Gods?