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Topics - mrganondorf

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The White-Luck Warrior / TUC pt 1 BLURB ANALYSIS

« on: October 16, 2015, 07:21:59 pm »

Not sure if there is much to see here..

Quote

Praised by fans and critics worldwide, R. Scott Bakker has become one of the most celebrated voices in fantasy literature. With The Great Ordeal, Bakker presents the long-anticipated third volume of The Aspect-Emperor, a series that stands with the finest in the genre for its grandiose scope, rich detail, and thrilling story.

As Fanim war-drums beat just outside the city, the Empress Anasurimbor Esmenet searches frantically throughout the palace for her missing son Kelmomas. Meanwhile and many miles away, Esmenet’s husband’s Great Ordeal continues its epic march further north. But in light of dwindling supplies, the Aspect-Emperor’s decision to allow his men to consume the flesh of fallen Sranc could have consequences even He couldn’t have foreseen. And, deep in Ishuäl, the wizard Achamian grapples with his fear that his unspeakably long journey might be ending in emptiness, no closer to the truth than when he set out.

The Aspect-Emperor series follows Bakker’s Prince of Nothing saga, returning to the same world twenty years later. The Great Ordeal follows The Judging Eye and The White-Luck Warrior, and delivers the first half of the conclusion to this epic story. Returning to Bakker’s richly imagined universe of myth, violence, and sorcery, The Aspect-Emperor continues to set the bar for the fantasy genre, reaching new heights of intricacy and meaning.

- What do you bet Esmi witdraws all of her forces from the Scylvendi frontier and lets the shrieking mob run straight into the approaching Fanim. That would be very Kellhus of her.

- Maybe Kelmomas goes on being missing? I hadn't thought of that. Esmi is unwilling or unable to send troops into the Shadow Palace? I know she doesn't want to give it's secret away, but I assume she would want Kelmomas back even more.

It could be that Kellhus has told her that it is a life and death issue that the Shadow Palace remain a secret? Or maybe she needs to make use of it in order to hold the empire together, so she can't risk secret getting out. I bet Theli could find him, but I'm not sure that she is willing.

- Consequences of eating sranc that Kellhus hasn't forseen? Please. He's probably had outposts of dudes eating sranc for years to see what happens. And yet...I am still worried that the Consult will use the Great Ordeal's new food source to deliver poison or plague. What do you bet we get some humor about the men cooking sranc in different ways? On the menu tonight: Sranc stuffed with sranc. Cooked sranc. Uncooked sranc. Sorcerer cooked sranc (market price). Cooked sranc with salted sorcerer (limited availability).

What do you think?

General Earwa / What We Know For Sure

« on: October 13, 2015, 01:41:05 pm »

Thought it might be useful (in terms of pissing away the time before the Apocalypse) to scribble down those predictions that have just got to be manifest in The Unholy Consult. Please add!

The Unholy Consult must contain:

- some kind kneeling moment because that was foreshadowed at the end of TTT

- some revelations about the Dunyain because Ak47 and Mims are going into Ishual. there's still plenty of room for A/M to misinterpret/be mislead about what they see, but they will learn *something*

- some revelations about the Nonmen since Serwa, Moe jr, and convenient narrator, are headed for Ishterebinth

- some revelation about the character of Meppa

- some moment(s) where a very clever character is blindsided by a revelation. Bakker makes so much of ignorance that there must be a moment when someone makes a terrible mistake because of it. a Dunyain could plan for some ignorance, but even they can't forsee everything. in fact, Bakker will get the MOST mileage from his ignorance theme by showing the smartest people being exposed by their unknown unknowns

General Earwa / The False History of Earwa

« on: October 06, 2015, 09:38:26 pm »

It is strongly suspected that Bakker has included some events into the accepted history of Earwa that are inaccurate. Possibilities?

- the nonmen have doctored their history for human consumption. They are so crazy now that they may even believe the lies they've told--the nonman viramsata.

- Seswatha edited his tale to steer the Mandate

- the Dunyain backstory delivered to Kellhus is specifically engineered to make him be what he is do

Literature / Short Stories on the Information Superhighway

« on: September 01, 2015, 06:16:59 pm »

thought it might be nice to share links to miscellaneous short stories out there. here's a real (and real short) tear-jerker from David Foster Wallace:

http://www.esquire.com/entertainment/books/a500/incarnations-burned-children-david-foster-wallace-0900/

parents beware!

The Thousandfold Thought / Kellhus vs Conphas

« on: August 08, 2015, 07:04:01 pm »

One of my favorite bits in TTT is near the end when Kellhus gives the "We Are War" speech to the Holy War and then Conphas discusses a similar topic with his sorcerer. IMO, Conphas is more correct diagnosing as humans as fundamentally violent rather than fundamentally war-like, however, Conphas reveals his own shortcomings by stating his view out loud.

Kellhus of course cares nothing about any formula of "humans are X," he only wants to say whatever will maximally motivate his troops. Conphas by contrast risks lowering the morale of anyone who might hear or hear of his reprimand of his sorcerer. Conphas is smart enough to see the truth, but not smart enough to manipulate like Kellhus.

I feel like this episode is emblematic of their contrast over the course of PON. Conphas is kind of like the most Dunyain thing that a non-Dunyain society can produce. He's smart, powerful, proud, ruthless, focused, unrelenting, conniving, and worshiped by his subordinates. All of these traits make him similar to Kellhus, especially the pride: Conphas has an almost toxic level of it, but it is the conventional sort, Kellhus affects to have none, regarding his own point of view as unquestionably superior to anyone else's.

I think it's a clever move by Bakker, because he successfully creates an Alexander the Great-like character in Conphas and then shows us how much that character is surpassed by another, cementing the idea of Dunyain superiority in the reader's mind. Could it be that this is part of the great set up? Surely part of The Unholy Consult will involve someone who is very very smart getting totally blindsided because of an unknown unknown.

What do you think?

Literature / Weird Books

« on: May 21, 2015, 11:11:06 pm »

Here is a link to Abe Books weird bookshelf--they have some strange ones

http://www.abebooks.com/books/weird/?cm_sp=home-_-right-_-discover

Do you have any weird books?

General Misc. / Funny Video Thread

« on: May 06, 2015, 02:29:15 am »

An all time favorite and so so true about travel, Kafka's Airport from The Onion: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEyFH-a-XoQ

Key and Peele "Yo Mama" sketch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KzelrlH_pjQ

Whitest Kids U Know "Slow Jerk"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I62_Kf9615k

Clickhole, father wants his daughter's first memory to be of his smile:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nv2OhZphINw

And here is a peculiar Obama video from the 2015 Correspondent's Dinner, he is both funny, sarcastic, and angry and there is a surprise appearance by Key (from Key and Peele) as an Obama anger translator:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oi86E5GgawY

General Earwa / A Benjuka Proposal

« on: March 23, 2015, 03:13:07 pm »

Benjuka, as it is presented in the text, seems practically impossible. Whether that is true or no, my meager intellect can't begin to approach Benjuka-as-it-is, so an alternative maybe? I was wondering if TSA could crowd-source the brains for something like Benjuka, so I'll start with some ideas i've had and maybe order will emerge.

As I read Bakker, the chief thing that makes Benjuka Benjuka is the ability of the players to make a move and thereby swap the current set of rules for a different set. To facilitate that feature in a game I think it might be idea to start with a checkers set. Why? Because it is simple, and so will let us crystallize the exact features of gameplay AND it's goddamn democratic--checkers is probably one of the most universal and universably available games which is good if we ever end up making something like Benjuka.

A chess set is also a good option, but I am hesitant to run with that idea since the differently shaped pieces imply unique functions and we might get bogged down in define a single nuanced set of rules when really Benjuka is about swapping rule paradigmns. However, if the checkers thing is a no-go, maybe a version of chess could be worked up where a certain move could change a specific rule. In other words, you could do X and then all bishops behave like knights. This Benjuka version of Chess could be promising, what do you think?

Ok, so back to the checkers set. Here's at least three kinds of rules, so game play could switch between them without being deterministically set switch back and forth between only 2 kinds of rules:

1) War - rules for a game where the goal is to diminish you opponent's number of pieces
2) Escape - rules for a game where the goal is to diminish the number of your own pieces
3) Pilgrimage - rules for a game where the goal is to cross the board

maybe also?

4) Noose (I can't remember what Cnaiur calls this) - rules for a game where the goal is to envelope your opponent's pieces
5) Kiyuth - rules for a game where you attempt to trick your foe into enveloping you
6) Ascension - rules for a stacking game?

WHAT DO YALL THINK?

P.S. Bakker's inspiration for Benjuka? Obviously Calvin Ball
https://gusandcodotnet.files.wordpress.com/2013/01/calvinball1.gif

Literature / Remembering Pratchett

« on: March 16, 2015, 06:28:20 pm »

Just thought I'd post up about Terry Pratchett because he was so amazing. My first Pratchett book was Making Money and I've read/listened to it several times. Damn, TP knew how to write, how to make people laugh, how to make a story extraordinary.

My daughter has been raised on the Tiffany Aching books and they are just wonderful, featuring a strong, intelligent, resourceful female lead without wading into corrosive sexual politics.

Pratchett will be missed, no one's like him. Every Christmas my family watches the BBC film version of Hogfather and we agree that there's no better Christmas movie. I think the only other author to be so woven into my family's day to day life is JK Rowling. So cheers to you Sir Terry! It is completely true to say that Death greeted you as an old friend.

General Misc. / Fantasy/SciFi Art

« on: March 16, 2015, 06:13:44 pm »

was looking for dune funny stuff, also came across some really cool pictures of Wurm-Leto

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs32/f/2008/227/e/1/God_Emperor_of_Dune_by_NathanRosario.jpg

http://www.tapology.com/system/competitions/logos/134/profile/134-111-competition.jpg?1383095060

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2013/214/1/b/leto_ii_by_agrbrod-d6gckqg.jpg

https://s3.amazonaws.com/patreon/726f51a95788d08419e15dbb32714eca.jpg

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/69/2f/9f/692f9fe35143ec1fcfdd1bb85b6fccd9.jpg

http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2014/175/5/9/god_emperor_of_dune__emperor_leto_ii_by_anthonyjamesrich-d7nugci.png

http://fc09.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/231/3/2/wip___step_1___dune__leto_ii_by_grosnez-d5bno0l.jpg

http://fc01.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2011/141/4/3/walk_to_the_golden_path_by_kristele-d3gwtt3.jpg

http://kellymclarnon.com/gallery/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=92&g2_serialNumber=2

and then this awesome one of Dune Messiah

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/f/2012/303/3/3/dune___messiah_by_darkdux-d5jff2x.jpg

post ur cool fantasy/scifi pics here! lord knows there's a boatload of amazing lotr images out there, share!!

General Misc. / Math Game: Four 4's

« on: March 16, 2015, 12:02:55 am »

so my kid told me about this game that i think is so cool. what you do is you try to create numbers by using exactly four 4's. for example:

1 = (4+4)/(4+4)
2 = (4*4)/(4+4)
3 = 4 - (4^(4-4))

So you can use + - * / ^ square root and these things 4! and 4 with the sideways M.

it's pretty fun and challenging the further you go!

General Earwa / Sorcery (II)

« on: February 26, 2015, 03:39:34 am »

Quote from: The Sharmat on February 25, 2015, 09:29:53 pm

Wheel of Time has a fairly fleshed out magic system but I'm hesitant to recommend it.

all i remember is that i gave up

General Earwa / What would you like to ask Bakker?

« on: January 02, 2015, 05:14:11 pm »

The editor at Grimdark Magazine has asked me for some input on the questions that will be used in the interview with RSB in the April issue of the magazine. So what are some good questions? I guess you could just ask him on his blog, but maybe he will be more inclined to answer in the interview. idk i have never done this before is it logic or nursing or something i can fry and eat with cheese?

is this a good question (or at least one RSB would be willing to flap his gums at)?:
"What is the relationship between your Blind Brain Theory and your fantasy fiction?"

General Earwa / Twins!

« on: December 22, 2014, 09:05:00 pm »

Kiampas, how have we avoided this topic for so long! We definitely need a comprehensive list of twins in Earwa and a theory of them. List:

Aurang/Aurax
Celmomas/twin
Kelmomas/Samarmus
Psatmah/twin
Oirinas/Oirunas (nonmen heroes)
who else???

As far as the nonmen go, I have no idea about twininess. As for A/A, i think that they are twins for purely narrative reasons. One is on the outside of the ark and the other is inside. Bakker can kill one and still have one for revelations later.

As for humans, i think twins is a magic way of concentrating strength into one and weakness into the other. So Celmomas maybe the one child of Kellhus with the greatest potential, since the weaknesses were filtered into Samarmus.* Thoughts?

*CELMOMAS WILL BE METAPSUKARI HAVING BOTH INTELLIGENCE AND DESIRE!!!

P.S. would be just fucking awesome if Kellhus, unbeknowst to him (or knownst???) has a twin! This guy has been with the Dunyain all along, or working with Kellhus to double his presence, or has or will replace Kellhus at some point!

The White-Luck Warrior / Let's Play Who Is The Ciphrang Possessed Character?

« on: December 10, 2014, 01:58:00 am »

We have a general Ciphrang possession thread:

http://www.second-apocalypse.com/index.php?topic=909.0

but I thought it might be fun to have one dedicated just to guessing the one or more ciphrang possessed characters who will be revealed in The Unholy Consult. Bakker has been dropping so many hints in TJE and WLW, surely at least one character will be revealed as possessed, so WHOOOOO?

i'm betting it's KOSOTER and we'll be hearing that dead head growl again!

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