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So I was really bored earlier, and since I'm current on most of the good-ish works I gave how to avoid death on a daily basis a try, since I heard it was a weird and creepy trainwreck, and holy crap. It's not really worth rehashing, since others have already covered all the major areas where critique/criticism applies, but before I gave up I was genuinely wondering if the author was trying to double down on Worm-esque unreliable narrator, and write a main character who is a sociopath that thinks they're a goofy anime protagonist.
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Jul 12, 2018 19:48
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I read The Daily Grind this week, and it's great. I'm confused on one part though, what happened to the giant orb that Lilly analyzed as Jerome?
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Jul 12, 2018 19:55
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Omi no Kami posted:So I was really bored earlier, and since I'm current on most of the good-ish works I gave how to avoid death on a daily basis a try, since I heard it was a weird and creepy trainwreck, and holy crap. It's not really worth rehashing, since others have already covered all the major areas where critique/criticism applies, but before I gave up I was genuinely wondering if the author was trying to double down on Worm-esque unreliable narrator, and write a main character who is a sociopath that thinks they're a goofy anime protagonist. That would actually make interesting reading, but alas
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Jul 12, 2018 19:56
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navyjack posted:That would actually make interesting reading, but alas Speaking of which, I have a friend reading Worm now who's gotten through the bank robbery and still thinks that Taylor is on a trajectory to join the wards and become an upstanding hero whose triumph over adolescent hardship inspires others. It's gotten to the point where I practically double-check any comments I have about the story, to make sure I don't tip her off to the rationalizations.
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Jul 12, 2018 20:03
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So pretty much everything I posted earlier about Catherine is no longer relevant in Book 4. Catherine is now a pretty decent person and seems to have genuinely done some self-evaluation. Prior to Book 4 she had this arrogance about her, where even if she acknowledged her flaws it was still super obvious she considered herself top dog, but I don't get that impression from her at all anymore. Like Juniper said, it's obvious she doesn't have that raw aggression to the same degree anymore, and I think that's a good thing. She isn't even invested in her being the one in power anymore, and is totally fine with leaving as long as doing so is viable (since she's unfortunately the only thing holding Callow together right now). She also seems to have lost the "win at all costs" attitude she used to have, and at least attempts to reduce collateral damage when possible and isn't fast to make decisions that involve killing. It's been very interesting seeing her personal development; she's like a more mature version of Taylor from Worm. I also like the way her Winter powers work; the trade-off where she can acquire great power (enough to seemingly easily deal with any hero who isn't absolute top tier like Saint of Swords) but at the cost of her personality totally changing works well as a narrative device. As a side note, I loved her comment to Saint of Swords about how she's just Ranger but with a morally acceptable pretext for killing.
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Jul 13, 2018 02:49
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You know, if I'm reading that chapter correctly, the Bard - asides from having been around since the dawn of names - has basically implied she's been bestowed by neither above nor below - but both.
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Jul 13, 2018 09:21
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tithin posted:You know, if I'm reading that chapter correctly, the Bard - asides from having been around since the dawn of names - has basically implied she's been bestowed by neither above nor below - but both. That was my take as well. She's there to make sure everything goes as planned, to intercede. Thus, the Intercessor. Or in the modern day, the Bard, who tells stories. Seems Black's theory that the Bard was what Good got for the Dead King was wrong though.
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Jul 13, 2018 09:56
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quote:Akua pondered her understanding of Catherine’s temper. I am angry, the sorceress decided, because I am disappointed as I have mystifyingly failed to grasp that the Heavens prefer their pawns powerful yet rather dim. I must now protect the venerable sanctity of farms and countless peasants everywhere, as I am very concerned with their fate even though they are ignorant and full of lice. hahaha this part is great
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Jul 13, 2018 22:53
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Akua is great in general tbh, especially the parts from her perspective.
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Jul 13, 2018 23:17
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Ytlaya posted:hahaha this part is great I think she's got a solid grasp of it.
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Jul 14, 2018 00:08
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The kind of interesting thing is that Akua actually isn't that much more immoral/amoral than most of Catherine's other friends; it's just that her particular ambition and strategy involved a bunch of people dying. But it's not like Archer, Masego, Robber, etc give a gently caress about civilians dying; Thief is probably the only Named member of her cohort who has any sort of moral boundaries like Catherine's own.
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Jul 14, 2018 02:15
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Mother of Learning updated!
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Jul 16, 2018 09:07
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Even though Catherine is really angry, I can sort of sympathize with what Grey Pilgrim is saying here (Book 4 Chapter 27). Catherine is thinking of things in terms of Callow always being hosed over by invasions from Praes/Procer, but Procer has its own garbage situation with its non-stop civil wars (not to mention having the Hunger Chain on their border), so it's not that strange for someone who is from that region to view unification in the same way Callowans view independence and preventing Praes/Procer invasion. Like, their interests are still 100% at odds, and there's a lot of unfairness at play with Procer's self-interest being viewed more positively simply because it's technically aligned with Good, but I don't see what's so reprehensible about it. To Catherine, Cordelia's refusal of her joining the Crusade seems absurd and pointlessly combative, but in reality her accepting the deal would end up leading to Procer collapsing into civil wars again (because she'd be removed for the reasons Pilgrim mentioned). Pilgrim is still a bit of a poo poo for not just being upfront with the fact that he's putting the interests of the region he's from above the interests of the "Greater Good," though.
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Jul 16, 2018 20:09
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i think pilgrims not from procer
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Jul 16, 2018 20:29
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He's Levantine, I think? Also: one thing I've never been entirely clear on is whether the Titanomachy is inhabited by actual giants or not.
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Jul 16, 2018 20:58
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Pilgrim is from Levant, a nation that historically been at odds with Procer- to the tune of having the Giants construct an animated gently caress you wall that can be awakened to destroy Procerian invasions. Catherine is angry at Cordelia for castigating Cat for being an evil warlord that fought her own country (while Cordelia conveniently ignores her own bloody hands), and then turning around and saying that she is willing to sacrifice Callow for the greater good. Cat acknowledges that she is evil, so Why does Cordelia gets to ride the moral high horse? Why does Callow being vassalised/occupied by Procer is considered an acceptable sacrifice, while being controlled by a Callowan figure under nominal Praesi authority is considered a sin? (And as Thief noted, twenty years after the fact when it coincidently became politically desirable to invade Callow).
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Jul 16, 2018 21:18
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^^^ It's not really clear if Cordelia doesn't realize this, though. There's an actual tangible benefit to portraying yourself as being on the side of Good in their world (in the sense that the Heavens will actively help you out), but that doesn't mean Cordelia isn't fully aware that she's loving other people over for the sake of her own.violent sex idiot posted:i think pilgrims not from procer He's from Levant, but from what I understand that borders Procer and Levant was included in the alliance under Cordelia, so it also would benefit from the peace.
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Jul 16, 2018 21:18
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Ytlaya posted:^^^ It's not really clear if Cordelia doesn't realize this, though. There's an actual tangible benefit to portraying yourself as being on the side of Good in their world (in the sense that the Heavens will actively help you out), but that doesn't mean Cordelia isn't fully aware that she's loving other people over for the sake of her own. Cordelia does truly believe that her Grand Alliance will be a for good, she mentions as part of the agreement conflicts will be brought forth to the GA council to be solved diplomatically instead of invasions and war. Like, she could be playing her part when she talked with Cat and went on a diatribe about how Cat butchered her own people (since apparently Cordelia suffered a long term amnesia regarding the last 20 years of Procerian history); but that doesn't excuse the Pilgrim backing Procer up and sounding sorrowful about what will happen to Callow. Cat nixed the bonfire plan in part because of how Talbot regarded the death of Procerian citizens as 'regretful, but far better for Procerian lives to be lost than Callowan lives', and according to the Pilgrim, that notion came about because of her villainous nature warping her countrymen. So why does the Pilgrim gets to espouse the same rhetoric and be viewed as a Hero?
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Jul 16, 2018 21:36
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Ytlaya posted:Even though Catherine is really angry, I can sort of sympathize with what Grey Pilgrim is saying here (Book 4 Chapter 27). Catherine is thinking of things in terms of Callow always being hosed over by invasions from Praes/Procer, but Procer has its own garbage situation with its non-stop civil wars (not to mention having the Hunger Chain on their border), so it's not that strange for someone who is from that region to view unification in the same way Callowans view independence and preventing Praes/Procer invasion. Demonizing foriegners to stabilize a political body is certainly a well-worn solution to internal strife but I fail to comprehend how it's sympathetic. Isn't killing people who are not harming you generally considered murder? Brain Candy fucked around with this message at 22:25 on Jul 16, 2018 |
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Jul 16, 2018 22:04
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Worth the Candle put out a few more chapters.
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Jul 17, 2018 06:27
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NAH might overtake Pact this week.  edit: Turns out might is will. Top 16. Milkfred E. Moore fucked around with this message at 11:53 on Jul 17, 2018 |
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Jul 17, 2018 07:05
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Megazver posted:Mother of Learning updated! We're really ramping up to a conclusion of some variety, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out.
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Jul 17, 2018 11:16
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Milkfred E. Moore posted:NAH might overtake Pact this week. Nice, congrats!
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Jul 17, 2018 12:11
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I'm caught up with PracGuide now, by the way. I liked the scene with Thief and Akua. Thief basically (spoilers because I can't remember if this was the most recent chapter) totally reading Akua's intentions and "winning" in their conversation caught me off guard, because I didn't get the impression Thief was that savvy.SITB posted:Cat nixed the bonfire plan in part because of how Talbot regarded the death of Procerian citizens as 'regretful, but far better for Procerian lives to be lost than Callowan lives', and according to the Pilgrim, that notion came about because of her villainous nature warping her countrymen. So why does the Pilgrim gets to espouse the same rhetoric and be viewed as a Hero? Pilgrim's words about her being a villain are effectively a weapon, since selling Catherine as a villain and himself as a hero is a tool (probably the strongest one) in his arsenal against her. If he sells the story of "he's part of a heroic band trying to save Callow from a villain queen" it basically gives him the favor of the heavens. It also isn't necessarily unreasonable for him to believe that Callow under a villain is doomed to failure, given his experiences (even if he ends up being wrong). From his point of view, leaving Callow alone might just be delaying the inevitable. It's still extremely hypocritical of him, but there's a plausible reason why he might say that even if he knows deep-down that it's not true. Brain Candy posted:Demonizing foriegners to stabilize a political body is certainly a well-worn solution to internal strife but I fail to comprehend how it's sympathetic. Isn't killing people who are not harming you generally considered murder? I think one could maybe argue that current Catherine actually does have the moral high ground over Pilgrim/Cordelia and wouldn't be willing to do something like invade a non-aggressor for the sake of Callow, though I doubt pre-Book 4 Catherine would have had a problem with doing so. Namely, Book 4 Catherine wasn't willing to do Bonfire, and while Black gives a perfectly pragmatic reason for that (it would have basically ensured her defeat at the hands of heroes), I don't get the impression that was Catherine's motive.
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Jul 17, 2018 21:58
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Ward 8.5: On the plus side, we get the return of Victoria, merciless superhero fashion critic. On the very, very minus side:not an actual spoiler posted:If there was a waver or a pause a tenth of a second longer, it was because of my aura. Only fear, these days, with exceptions for someone like Kenzie. Goddamn it Vic, don't use your aura on Kenzie! Don't you remember what happened last time?
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Jul 18, 2018 05:50
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I've been getting a few emails from sites and/or app developers who want to work with me to put NAH on their platforms and or translate it into another language. You can probably guess where this will be heading, but the terms always include something sneaky like they get to publish it and change it how they want (and that you can't remove it without their authorization) or something like if you publish it in the future, they get a significant cut. It's all pretty shady.
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Jul 18, 2018 09:46
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sunken fleet posted:We're really ramping up to a conclusion of some variety, I'm looking forward to seeing how it all shakes out. Yeah, me too. It kinda weirds me out that neither of them has made much of an attempt to solve the mystery of who (if anyone) mind-whammied Zach and what red robe's plan was. I don't really want this to be true, but the only real explanation I can come up with is that Zach is either explicitly red robe, or the simulacrum theory is correct, and either way Zach is intentionally playing Zorian and subtly keeping focus away from what actually happened. Structurally there's nothing that would make this impossible, but we've spent so much time with both characters that if it's true, I feel like it's kind of out of the blue and a real bummer.
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Jul 18, 2018 13:03
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Omi no Kami posted:Yeah, me too. It kinda weirds me out that neither of them has made much of an attempt to solve the mystery of who (if anyone) mind-whammied Zach and what red robe's plan was. I don't really want this to be true, but the only real explanation I can come up with is that Zach is either explicitly red robe, or the simulacrum theory is correct, and either way Zach is intentionally playing Zorian and subtly keeping focus away from what actually happened. Structurally there's nothing that would make this impossible, but we've spent so much time with both characters that if it's true, I feel like it's kind of out of the blue and a real bummer. I mean it's possible that there won't be an eleventh hour twist and it actually is just Veyers somehow tampered with a temporary marker to loop along with Zach. He's the one who did the mind fuckery and then attempted to bug out and escape the loop before Zach and Zorian. My pet theory is that he somehow failed to actually escape because of some sort of Guardian fuckery / confusion. As in, he could have initiated his escape attempt and thus been ejected into "real world" time only to then be somehow blocked from actually exiting - getting trapped in the "real world" in the process and allowing the loop to continue without him for years and years while only seconds or microseconds pass in his "real world" time. That would allow there to be no direct betrayal and also allow for some sort of final confrontation between the three at the end. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part but I really hope it doesn't end with Zach just being like "mwhaha I was evil all along!" because that would be a terribly unsatisfying climax.
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Jul 18, 2018 13:49
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sunken fleet posted:I mean it's possible that there won't be an eleventh hour twist and it actually is just Veyers somehow tampered with a temporary marker to loop along with Zach. He's the one who did the mind fuckery and then attempted to bug out and escape the loop before Zach and Zorian. My pet theory is that he somehow failed to actually escape because of some sort of Guardian fuckery / confusion. As in, he could have initiated his escape attempt and thus been ejected into "real world" time only to then be somehow blocked from actually exiting - getting trapped in the "real world" in the process and allowing the loop to continue without him for years and years while only seconds or microseconds pass in his "real world" time. That would allow there to be no direct betrayal and also allow for some sort of final confrontation between the three at the end. Yeah, like, this is disorganized and off the cuff, but there are a few really critical questions that I feel Zach and Zorian should have been prioritizing finding an answer to ages and ages ago: How did they get stuck in the time loop? All indicators point to Zach being the originator of the loop, which is set off as a very intentional training thing, but he was just a lazy rich (well, seemingly rich) kid with a jerkass guardian; it doesn't seem like he has the resources or connections to get this all set up. Who mind-whammied Zach and why? Presumably it's because he knows (or knew) something that could completely screw red robe over. (Unless he is red robe, le sigh) What the heck was red robe's goal in awakening the... crap, I forget what it's called; the giant eldritch horror monster. Was it an attempt at some sort of hack? We know they're inside the body of one of those things (was it actually the one under the academy? I forget), maybe red robe was trying to turn the world inside-out to do something weird with the loop? Anyway, he kept at it for a really long time and ignored Zach's increasingly effective attempts to screw it up, but abandoned the entire play immediately once it became clear that there was more than one person in the loop with him. Why? Edit: Oh yeah, I genuinely can't figure out what could be possibly be going on with the restarts, but it seems really suspicious to me that no matter what he does, Zorian can't find a way to make himself wake up until six hours after the loop begins. It might be nothing, but I can't help but wonder if it's not something super-duper nefarious, like his mind getting tinkered with, or him being the one who's a golem. It's conspiracy BS of the highest order and probably nothing, but it seems super-duper significant. Omi no Kami fucked around with this message at 15:39 on Jul 18, 2018 |
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Jul 18, 2018 13:56
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I'm catching up on Ward (at X.4 now) and I find it hilarious how Damsel is such a huge fan of "Deathchester" as a nickname for an area.
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Jul 18, 2018 19:56
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PracGuide: Another good atmospheric chapter. The laughing woman at the end of the chapter is probably Bard, but what are the odds it's actually Triumphant in some way? Maybe she made the same drat journey and added a bit to the shard. Or something. Or maybe it's Triumphant chilling in the actual Keter as Cat & Crew crosses through, and we are going to be getting into the Evil Overlord of Evil Meeting of all the greatest Villains of Calernia, past and present (this one is mainly a joke).
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Jul 18, 2018 22:08
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Pracguide I’m trying to predict what’s going on with Akua. It seems like her sudden prominence fortells her imminent departure to become a foe again. After all, she’s dead, and they’re visiting the greatest necromancer in recorded time. I can’t imagine she won’t be raised as undead or co-opted somehow. It seems a bit obvious for this story though.
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Jul 18, 2018 22:46
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I’m actually going to be a little disappointed if Akua steals the Winter mantle from Cat. It’s almost too obvious at this point. She’s already been shown to be very good at controlling it (and very compatible with it while doing so), has been co-opting it from inside, and has now been sculpted to look like a fae. All of Cat’s big milestones have involved her powerset dramatically being altered by some big addition/removal, too, so her losing the Winter mantle as part of a big pivot would be a pretty predictable twist.
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Jul 19, 2018 00:08
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It would also cheapen the sacrifice of her accepting the full mantle (and its accompanying near-complete inability to experience pleasure, etc).
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Jul 19, 2018 16:40
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I can't see the Winter status quo staying forever - since it seems to be sidestepping a lot of the Name business by being essentially a third party that doesn't quite follow the rules when combined with the fact that she broke the Squire Name and possibly has no concrete Name at all right now, and Prac Guide is all about Names. I could very easily see Akua taking the mantle at a key moment, even if the end result of doing so doesn't undo all of the changes it inflicted upon her. Her tendency towards self-mutilation for power reminds me of Blake from Pact a lot - fortunately it doesn't seem to have the same depressing vibe of chipping away at themselves until there's nothing left and they pretty much don't even exist any more. Pact overdid it with the inevitable, repeated Pyrrhic victories. Catherine has a lot of costly victories but they don't all feel Pyrrhic, at least. Wolpertinger fucked around with this message at 11:47 on Jul 20, 2018 |
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Jul 20, 2018 11:40
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This doesn't seem at all likely, but I wonder if keeping Akua alive wasn't an intentional backup plan so she had someone to foist the mantle off onto if she needs to get rid of it? I can't see her wanting to work with it forever, given the severe drawbacks.
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Jul 20, 2018 13:58
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PracGuide isn't all about Names, it's about Roles.
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Jul 20, 2018 17:27
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Pracguide chapter titles are a bunch of thematic things and then Chapter 33: Keter
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Jul 21, 2018 07:00
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I'm already completely fascinated by what little we've learned of how Keter operates.
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Jul 21, 2018 14:16
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The Shortest Path posted:I'm already completely fascinated by what little we've learned of how Keter operates. It reminds me a little of Palawa Joko in Guild Wars 2, taken to a much bigger extreme. He had the same sort of north-korea esque cult worshipping him with the reward/payment for a life in service being an immortal unlife in service after, with the all the grueling physical labor and farming and armies manned by the dead, leaving the live with relatively pleasant lives as long as you were totally loyal.
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Jul 21, 2018 16:40
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