Prufrock's recent activity
-
Comment on "The book was better than the movie." How important is the medium used in the storytelling? in ~talk
-
Comment on The current problem with ~ in ~tildes
Prufrock Link ParentI feel as though it's just a Reddit holdover that submission links cannot contain text in the body of the post. It seems silly, as I've always thought including your own positions and points...I feel as though it's just a Reddit holdover that submission links cannot contain text in the body of the post. It seems silly, as I've always thought including your own positions and points appending the full submission would garner better discussion, to be honest.
Imagine submitting articles or videos with some food for thought underneath. Hell, you could make it in a similar vain to high school test questions. How do you feel about the article? Do you think the points made were clear? Etc...
-
Comment on Should lurkers make an effort to post more content? in ~talk
Prufrock LinkEh, I don't think there's much need to force anyone to post, or even otherwise encourage it. People will come here for discussion in the first place, and I doubt that those who aren't liable to...Eh, I don't think there's much need to force anyone to post, or even otherwise encourage it. People will come here for discussion in the first place, and I doubt that those who aren't liable to post much would start doing so with any kind of incentive. Karma is already easily one of the worst parts of Reddit, so I'm not sure what would be a viable alternative that would foster discussion and any actual cogency without also promoting vapid posts signifying little.
I wouldn't exactly consider myself a lurker or active poster. I definitely don't contribute much in the way of thread-making, but when I have a topic of interest I want to expound upon, I'll give a go of it when I can.
-
Comment on Heart of Glass Ending - "Island in the Sea of Time" in ~movies
Prufrock LinkFor all who have never seen Heart of Glass, it is one of Werner Herzog's best films. The film is hallucinatory and trance-like, and places the viewer in the midst of this strange miasma that...For all who have never seen Heart of Glass, it is one of Werner Herzog's best films. The film is hallucinatory and trance-like, and places the viewer in the midst of this strange miasma that haunts a town-gone-mad.
When the town glass maker known for producing the coveted red glass known as "ruby glass" dies, he takes his secret recipe to the grave. Meanwhile, the local seer Hias predicts the town's demise, among other strange visions.
-
Heart of Glass Ending - "Island in the Sea of Time"
3 votes -
Comment on What's your favorite hard science fiction novel? in ~books
Prufrock LinkNeuromancer is a classic. The whole Sprawl Trilogy is actually great. Both Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive expand on the original in a great way and offer a satisfying conclusion to the whole...Neuromancer is a classic. The whole Sprawl Trilogy is actually great. Both Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive expand on the original in a great way and offer a satisfying conclusion to the whole narrative. I can't remember which is my favorite, though. I think I remember liking Mona Lisa Overdrive the most because it had a huge scale and its characters were compelling.
-
Comment on Best of the Worst: Plinketto #6 (featuring guest star, Blair Witch 2016 writer, Simon Barrett) in ~movies
Prufrock Link ParentI'm a big RLM fan, myself. The fanbase is a little much sometimes, but on the whole I do enjoy their subreddit when most of the comments don't eventually devolve into saying "AIIIIIDDSSS" or other...I'm a big RLM fan, myself. The fanbase is a little much sometimes, but on the whole I do enjoy their subreddit when most of the comments don't eventually devolve into saying "AIIIIIDDSSS" or other one-liners from the gang.
-
Comment on What books are you reading right now? in ~talk
Prufrock Link ParentYeah, I think what Wolfe really captured were the vicissitudes of growing up among a somewhat dysfunctional family in a small town and the yearning that comes to see the world while suffering the...Yeah, I think what Wolfe really captured were the vicissitudes of growing up among a somewhat dysfunctional family in a small town and the yearning that comes to see the world while suffering the heartache of leaving behind what you've grown to know and love. The passage in particular where Gant returns to Altamont from California is particularly powerful and has stuck with me since I read it.
-
Comment on What books are you reading right now? in ~talk
Prufrock Link ParentJust a Project Gutenberg royalty free version I downloaded for my Kindle. I made it needlessly as difficult as possible to get through the book... No endnotes, intro, or footnotes. On one hand it...Just a Project Gutenberg royalty free version I downloaded for my Kindle. I made it needlessly as difficult as possible to get through the book... No endnotes, intro, or footnotes. On one hand it destroyed any kind of context, but on the other it was less distracting and forced me into a rhythm of just experiencing the prose as written without forcing myself to wrap my mind around all of it. It's a book you either have to read through multiple times or else study each chapter exhaustively over a week if you really want to understand it thoroughly.
I think there's something to be said for just diving into his writing, though. In the end this book was published to be read without any pretense, so might as well read it the same way anyone would have when it was first put on the shelves.
-
Comment on Just want to give a shoutout to whoever designed tildes for mobile in ~tildes
Prufrock Link ParentThis is actually how I designed my own website! CSS and HTML are both super powerful if you really dig into them. I wish more sites would try and use those over JavaScript wherever possible, since...This is actually how I designed my own website! CSS and HTML are both super powerful if you really dig into them. I wish more sites would try and use those over JavaScript wherever possible, since they're way lighter weight and there's less issues concerning security over unverified code running in your browser. Not to say JS doesn't have its place on the web, it could just be scaled back from the bloated behemoth it's turned into.
-
Comment on Any other film makers here? in ~movies
Prufrock LinkI work as an assistant editor. We mainly cut ads, but everyone works on their own stuff on and off work as well. Biggest thing I've learned is that if you want to do anything creative in this...I work as an assistant editor. We mainly cut ads, but everyone works on their own stuff on and off work as well.
Biggest thing I've learned is that if you want to do anything creative in this industry you just do it and put it out there. It's rare you'll work your way up to a position to then get things done. Only place where I know that's possible is the post world, where you can start out as a PA or runner and after enough years work up to full editor. But that's a long and thankless climb.
-
Comment on Picard or Kirk? in ~tv
Prufrock LinkPicard makes total sense as first choice, but come on. James Tiberius Kirk? What else needs to be said? Nimoy talked about how he embodied the physicality of the show, and it's true. When you look...Picard makes total sense as first choice, but come on. James Tiberius Kirk? What else needs to be said?
Nimoy talked about how he embodied the physicality of the show, and it's true. When you look at it from that angle you can start to appreciate what Shatner brought to the table.
-
Comment on Picard or Kirk? in ~tv
Prufrock Link ParentAw, man, TOS is great. While the writing never reaches the heights of TNG, and the acting can be a bit hammy now and then (I'm looking at you, Shatner), it's still an enjoyable show. I think the...Aw, man, TOS is great. While the writing never reaches the heights of TNG, and the acting can be a bit hammy now and then (I'm looking at you, Shatner), it's still an enjoyable show. I think the camp adds to the appeal, and the minimalism plays a huge part in the overall aesthetic.
It was basically The Twilight Zone in space. It's awesome because of that, and it scratches a whole different kind of itch than TNG.
-
Comment on What things in gaming do you not agree with or do not like that the general audience enjoys? in ~games
Prufrock Link ParentI'll admit I haven't played Halo since Reach, so I wouldn't know what all they've gotten up to since then. I agree that Cortana was changed further and further over time, though, so I can see your...I'll admit I haven't played Halo since Reach, so I wouldn't know what all they've gotten up to since then. I agree that Cortana was changed further and further over time, though, so I can see your point.
As for Morrigan, I must have assumed you were referring to her. I remember her being referred to as The Witch of the Forest or something to that effect in the earlier parts of the game. But now I see who you're referring to. For that, I can understand, but at the same time it's another one of those things where it's hard to draw the line between what is sexualization and what is attempting to ape a renaissance-like "nature and womanliness" thing. Definitely less tasteful, though, so I may be with you there.
As for celebrating the body of a woman, I don't mean to reference Twitch streamers, but simply their depiction in certain aspects of gaming. It's one of those flip-side issues where on one hand sexualizing a woman is demeaning but on the other their agency over their bodies is also empowering. The fact that men are making these things for men provides a different perspective of looking at it that has to be dealt with, and I do think the industry has a cultural onus of doing things because it's just the way they've always been done.
My point of contention about "cherry picking" isn't to say that I think there's no issue of sexualizing females in video games. Quite the opposite, in fact. I agree that there is an issue, but I do think there is a method to the madness. Sexualizing women can be both demeaning and empowering, and it all depends on the context of why and for what reason it is occurring. In most games it's simply for the male gaze, but in others there is reasoning that should be considered and noted.
-
Comment on What things in gaming do you not agree with or do not like that the general audience enjoys? in ~games
Prufrock Link ParentAren't you kind of cherry picking a few of these? Morrigan in Dragon Age is a witch that seduces men into the forest and spirits them away. Her outfit kind of fits the bill, and anyways her outfit...Aren't you kind of cherry picking a few of these? Morrigan in Dragon Age is a witch that seduces men into the forest and spirits them away. Her outfit kind of fits the bill, and anyways her outfit can change into whatever armor you want to put on her.
Bayonetta, well, that entire game is satirical hypersexualization. Hideki Kamiya also made Devil May Cry which hypersexualizes the shit out of Dante, too. It's the point of both series.
And I wouldn't exactly say Cortana is a prime example, she's a holographic AI based off of a woman. She has a full figure for sure, though. But then you approach an argument of whether or not its pro or anti-feminist to acknowledge and celebrate the body of a woman. Toning down her features is almost a damned if you do, damned if you don't kind of thing. And I wouldn't necessarily say Cortana is at all sexualized other than the fact that she is "hot".
-
Comment on What have yo been playing recently? in ~games.tabletop
Prufrock LinkI've finally taken the plunge into Gothic. I tried playing them a long while ago but never got too far, mainly because the control systems were a bit too wonky. But now I'm in the thick of things...I've finally taken the plunge into Gothic. I tried playing them a long while ago but never got too far, mainly because the control systems were a bit too wonky. But now I'm in the thick of things at chapter 2. I've joined the sect camp and just became a templar. This game is great and the progression system does such a good job of making you feel as though you're actually increasing your skills and power. Every upgrade has a tangible effect on your character and it's just delightful. This is like the Witcher before the Witcher.
-
Comment on What things in gaming do you not agree with or do not like that the general audience enjoys? in ~games
Prufrock LinkTutorials. Pop up hints. Expository menu systems in general. Every time I go back and play older games, they do nothing to explain anything to you. They just assume you've read the manual. I think...Tutorials. Pop up hints. Expository menu systems in general. Every time I go back and play older games, they do nothing to explain anything to you. They just assume you've read the manual. I think there's something to be said for this style of design, as in some way learning the game's mechanics via actual play rather than having it spelled out for you creates a far more rewarding output than most tutorial levels.
A game in particular that I think is like poetry for game design is Knock-Knock. That game takes the concept of learning by playing to the extreme. There's no manual, no tutorial, just gameplay. You barely understand what's happening, but neither does your character. You're an insane insomniac that awakes in the middle of the night to a knocking at your door. Lights go on and off throughout your house, you hear voices, creatures come and go without much logic or explanation. There are rules to the game but you're tasked with trying to figure them out for yourself, but that's the whole point. The game wants you as confused and paranoid as the character by just simply trying to play it. It's amazing. It's what games are supposed to be when they push the boundaries of the medium as an art form.
More games need to take risks and put the onus on their players.
-
Comment on What books are you reading right now? in ~talk
Prufrock Link ParentI'm not sure I'd have gotten through it in my free time. But it's a lot easier to get through it when you ride the train 40 minutes to work every day. It's definitely worth reading for its...I'm not sure I'd have gotten through it in my free time. But it's a lot easier to get through it when you ride the train 40 minutes to work every day. It's definitely worth reading for its importance, but I wouldn't call it a fun read.
If you want a taste of Joyce without as much of the headache, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man is his quintessential style while still retaining a modicum of traditional structure.
-
Comment on What books are you reading right now? in ~talk
Prufrock LinkI just recently finished both Ulysses and Look Homeward, Angel. Ulysses I'll admit was more out of a desire to have simply read the book, and having finished it I see why its consumption resides...I just recently finished both Ulysses and Look Homeward, Angel. Ulysses I'll admit was more out of a desire to have simply read the book, and having finished it I see why its consumption resides most often within the confines of academia. It's a very difficult read that requires hard scrutiny and study, but even so there were portions that were very much worth it to read, while others were dense and difficult slogs to get through.
Look Homeward, Angel I started reading because I had heard it tackles nostalgia and homesickness with grace. Overall I don't think it was exactly what I was looking for, but it had moments of genuine and passionate beauty. But man, Wolfe is a goddamn mouthful. Passages that could've been told in two pages took ten, and whole chapters could've easily been cut by 20%. Evidently F. Scott Fitzgerald worked to publish a longer, more experimental version of the novel which better captures the spirit of what Wolfe originally intended, but I'm not so certain how much I'd like to give it a try. Even so, I enjoyed the book when all is said and done. Enough so that I'm going to read its sequel, Of Time and the River at some point. But that's more than 1000 pages, so I'll come around to that later.
But to come off the slog of those two books I'm tackling To Kill a Mockingbird, as it's my mother's favorite book and I never had to read it in high school even though I wanted to. I figured a much more straightforward narrative will be a breath of fresh air over the headiness of the modernists.
-
Comment on What are some TV shows you find yourself constant rewatching? in ~tv
Prufrock Link ParentReally, War & Peace? The BBC mini series? That's fairly heavy considering the material. Have you read the book? I'm still astonished how easy it is to get through it. People see it's huge, but the...Really, War & Peace? The BBC mini series? That's fairly heavy considering the material.
Have you read the book? I'm still astonished how easy it is to get through it. People see it's huge, but the chapters are quick and filled with entertainment.
The problem with the Watchmen movie is that it fails as a film to do anything interesting as an adaptation. It's like a song cover: if you basically take the original and do the exact same thing, what is the point of the cover? That's all the Watchmen film was; it just rips pages from the comics verbatim and turns it into a movie instead.
The point of Watchmen as being a masterwork is that it dissected and completely turned the medium of a graphic novel on its head. Every page and panel is a work of art, and the process of reading the book is so essential to the experience that the actual product (not just the story, or the characters) could not exist the same in any other medium unless it was altered to fit the medium.
Kubrick's films are so masterful and yet at the same time so completely different from the works they were based off of because he understood that to make a great film means to take the nugget of what the original work was going for and expanding upon that through a cinematic lens. He knew that keeping the line "My god, it's full of stars!" would've killed the moment in 2001, whereas Zack Snyder throws everything he can into an adaptation because he has no idea how to extrapolate and make something actually interesting that can exist separate of the original work.
Anyways, Watchmen is enjoyable if you're looking to see something visually stunning and want to know that it's basically the graphic novel, but it will forever be rooted in the medium for which it was originally intended.