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Dienes posted:The real issue for me with Locked Tomb was 95% of the second book being written in second loving person for no good reason. Second person is cool and good and, like footnotes, I would like to see more books using it. 
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Oct 2, 2021 00:17
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 12:47 |
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Sham bam bamina! posted:It sounds loving epic, actually. I could just be oversensitive to be fair, so you be the judge; The main character is a cop who has been touched by magic, and has infiltrated a bar frequented by the magicially sensitive community of london. The main plot is about a bunch of murders that may or may not be related to the ghost of jack the ripper and/or an occupy type protest movement. I'm not being coy about the plot here, I just never finished the book.     And if it was that I'd be like "well that was an awkward and wholly unnecessary cameo from a real life person in what has frankly been so far a slightly disappointing british urban fantasy novel" and move on. It was kind of out of loving nowhere, this was the second in a series, and the first wasnt great or anything (I believe it was based on a script cornell had written for a pilot episode of a show which never got made, and it really showed in places) but I was willing to give the second book some room to improve. The first had as far as I remember zero breathless fanboying over a real person. But wait, 20 pages later theres more. Did you know that Neil Gaiman, author and apparantly magical sight haver, also is a GIANT loving EXPOSITION MACHINE? Because writing your characters (who are supposed to be accomplished investigators) actually working things out about the magical abilities they gained in the first book is hard compared to having Neil Gaiman tell them things halfway through the second book. And also mentions Neverwhere, which, dont get me wrong was a good (albeit very low budget) TV show and a pretty good book too, but it again goes back to my rule of "dont remind people they could be reading a better book right now". I would spare you the second appearance because it really does drag on, but I want other people to suffer too, so I'm not going to.     Theres another 4 pages of this, and it doesnt get any more interesting, so I'm not going to screenshot all of it, just this snippet which amused me a little.  Okay, thats as far as I read in the book. Deleted it off my kindle (hence screenshots from the cloud reader here) but I have literally just now post found out while making this post that in fact HE COMES BACK AGAIN. When I searched the book for "Gaiman" I expected to find the first scene, a second scene where the main character tells his wife that he met him (the line about his wife being a big fan is in fact a lie as he himself is the big fan) which I actually cant find (presumably he doesnt call him by name in that scene) and the third scene at the hotel. But in fact he turns up again 90 pages later and from what I can tell is heavily involved in the plot. At this point its essentially real person fan fiction.
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Oct 2, 2021 00:22
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explicit references are a sign of weakness and insecurity. the kind of writers who would die in a harsh winter
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Oct 2, 2021 01:10
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Sham bam bamina! posted:I don't think you could have mangled that name any harder if you tried. Eh, could have tried harder, but then I would have had to look up the spelling. Phoneposting, and my autocorrect also changed 'Tory' to 'try', so something just went horribly wrong with that post.
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Oct 2, 2021 02:39
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Speaking of Stephen King isn't Flagg Nyarlathotep too?
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Oct 2, 2021 03:00
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References are fine if it's just a quick throwaway joke. If they stand around gawking HEY IT'S FAMOUS PERSON FROM FAMOUS THING then it gets insufferable.
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Oct 2, 2021 04:44
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Sobatchja Morda posted:Eh, could have tried harder, but then I would have had to look up the spelling. Almost like an avatar of chaos would ensure happened... 
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Oct 2, 2021 04:47
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Kaiser Mazoku posted:References are fine if it's just a quick throwaway joke. If they stand around gawking HEY IT'S FAMOUS PERSON FROM FAMOUS THING then it gets insufferable. Don Delillo really lost me for a while in Underworld. But seriously, then you get famous adjacent characters when you (I) know very little about a time and place and the fictional gets blurred in a way that's intended to be easy to grasp for a certain demographic.
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Oct 2, 2021 05:24
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As I was made my way up through the main section of the mall, I saw two vaguely familiar-looking figures walking towards me. I squinted as they approached. When they were nearly in front of me, I laughed aloud; of course they were familiar. Carrot Top and Wayne Newton grinned when they saw me, and I couldn’t help but let a smile spread across my own face as I stopped to greet them. “Hey, guys,” I said, still chuckling. “I have to say you two are the last people I would think I’d see walking through a mall together.” “We had to do a charity event here today,” Wayne said, shrugging. “We just finished.” “We just had someone come up to Wayne and ask him when he started dating Reba McEntire,” Carrot Top said, pointing at himself. I laughed. “You guys coming to the premiere in a few weeks?” I asked, brushing a strand of hair from my forehead. “Wouldn’t miss it,” Wayne said, and I detected the genuineness in his voice. “Besides, you know Scott will show up anywhere with a red carpet.” He rolled his eyes. “Including the opening of an envelope.” My brow furrowed slightly in confusion. “Scott?” “My mom didn’t name me ‘Carrot Top,’ you know,” he quipped, just as Wayne was gesturing with a thumb to point at him. “Got it. Scott. Real name. Okay,” I said, trying not to blush. “So, Scott,” I continued, rushing to change the subject, “congrats on winning comedian of the decade. That’s a big deal.” “Thanks,” he said. “Come by the Luxor and see me anytime.” “I will,” I said gratefully. “Well, it was great seeing you both! Later.” I gave each of them a quick hug before walking away. I can only stand the mall for so long, before I’m shopped out. I hit my wall and decided it was time to head home and start getting ready for my night out.
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Oct 2, 2021 05:32
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please continue posting the wayne newton/carrot top erotica
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Oct 2, 2021 06:02
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is carrot top a top or will the author subvert genre expectation
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Oct 2, 2021 06:07
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Dienes posted:The real issue for me with Locked Tomb was 95% of the second book being written in second loving person for no good reason. It's written in second person because the narrator is actually Gideon describing what has happened to Harrow because Harrow can't remember and Gideon can. Note that the times that Gideon ISN'T describing the past events are in actual first person - either Gideon herself acting, or Harrow in the little multiverse bubble thing. In other words, it's in second person because second person is actually the grammatically correct tense for the narrative - it's your first hint that something weird is going on with the structure. Antivehicular posted:I kind of hate cutesy references to nerd media in other nerd media in general (this is the major reason I haven't read the Locked Tomb books yet despite many friends saying they're great), but that really sounds next-level irritating. Let me suspend disbelief for a minute! The Locked Tomb isn't references to other nerd media, it's internet meme poo poo that's sometimes taken from other media. Like the opening of the first book is literally "while you were busy messing around with necromancy i studied the blade and now you come to ME for help" quoted more or less straight directly in the text. So it's just catchphrases and jokes, not "gee don't you wish you were reading Homestuck right now". Arivia has a new favorite as of 06:16 on Oct 2, 2021 |
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Oct 2, 2021 06:13
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I uh think references would be better than that
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Oct 2, 2021 11:24
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CharlestheHammer posted:I uh think references would be better than that you would think so but then an accurate summary of the entire second book that is actually directly quoted in the text (GIANT SPOILERS FOR HARROW THE NINTH DO NOT READ IF YOU DO NOT WANT TO BE SPOILED) is literally "hi gay, i'm dad"
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Oct 2, 2021 11:35
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If you put a gun to my head and forced me to choose between "elaborate puzzle-box narrative whose punchline is a meme reference" and "urban fantasy novel where Neil Gaiman shows up to explain the plot repeatedly," I, uh, might be forced to go with Neil Explains It All
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Oct 2, 2021 11:57
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Arivia posted:It's written in second person because the narrator is actually Gideon describing what has happened to Harrow because Harrow can't remember and Gideon can. Note that the times that Gideon ISN'T describing the past events are in actual first person - either Gideon herself acting, or Harrow in the little multiverse bubble thing. In other words, it's in second person because second person is actually the grammatically correct tense for the narrative - it's your first hint that something weird is going on with the structure. I...I read the book, dude. I know. Something that's 95% of the book no longer qualifies as a "hint" and what was going on was so painfully obvious I guessed it right away. Just because it can make grammatical sense if you force it doesn't mean it was a good choice.
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Oct 2, 2021 12:29
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Captain Monkey posted:please continue posting the wayne newton/carrot top erotica if you want more, check out this year's greatest hit, Handbook For Mortals, now in talks to become a Major Motion Picture!!!!!
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Oct 2, 2021 18:21
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Arivia posted:The Locked Tomb isn't references to other nerd media, it's internet meme poo poo that's sometimes taken from other media. Like the opening of the first book is literally "while you were busy messing around with necromancy i studied the blade and now you come to ME for help" quoted more or less straight directly in the text. So it's just catchphrases and jokes, not "gee don't you wish you were reading Homestuck right now".
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Oct 2, 2021 19:20
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Arivia posted:It's written in second person because the narrator is actually Gideon describing what has happened to Harrow because Harrow can't remember and Gideon can. Note that the times that Gideon ISN'T describing the past events are in actual first person - either Gideon herself acting, or Harrow in the little multiverse bubble thing. In other words, it's in second person because second person is actually the grammatically correct tense for the narrative - it's your first hint that something weird is going on with the structure. Gotta say this all sounds really bad.
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Oct 2, 2021 19:39
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yeah that all sounds insufferable
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Oct 3, 2021 15:50
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For some reason I've always found even offhand references to contemporary pop culture to be really offputting in written media. I dunno, it just feels cheap. Stephen King is really bad at this. Like, why the hell does the manic drumming that drives the citizens of Ludd to kill each other have to be the drum beat from Velcro Fly? Why the gently caress is the futuristic superweapon a loving Harry Potter reference? What loving purpose does that serve? Goddammit!
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Oct 3, 2021 21:38
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Mr. Sunshine posted:Harry Potter reference Excuse me? What?
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Oct 3, 2021 21:45
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Skulk Hogan posted:Excuse me? What? In book 5 of the Dark Tower the bad guys are robots in Dr Doom cosplay who use lightsabers and throw exploding Snitches.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:19
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Skulk Hogan posted:Excuse me? What? In Wolves of the Calla, the Wolves have gotten their terrible weaponry by just raiding some lost, high-tech gadgets based on pop culture and weaponizing them. So they wield light sabers from Star Wars, wear Dr Doom masks and their flying flying ball with knifes is a Quidditch toy-drone. EDIT: Beaten like a farmer in a Stephen King book.
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Oct 3, 2021 22:37
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SiKboy posted:So its entirely probable that they know each other (british comics isnt that big a world) and I'd hope that Gaiman gave his okay to it, but that doesnt make it actually read any better. Given that the end of the book reveals Gaiman is an agent of Satan I am certain that he knew and gave his OK to it. You can tell that readers reacted badly to the whole thing though, the next - last - book has characters who are obviously meant to be Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbach, and Jonny Lee Miller but with all the obvious details removed (the Miller character is a woman, even)
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Oct 4, 2021 16:05
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Neil Gaiman once wrote Tori Amos into a book. TBF she wrote him in a song first.
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Oct 4, 2021 17:44
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the King references are funny as a millennial because I have no idea what the gently caress he's talking about and it really brings down whatever passage it's in
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Oct 4, 2021 22:29
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Anthony Burgess invented nadsat and milk bars and the other weird bits of youth culture in A Clockwork Orange specifically so that the teenagers in it wouldn't sound like out-of-touch grown-ups a few years down the line.
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Oct 5, 2021 02:34
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Sobatchja Morda posted:In Wolves of the Calla, the Wolves have gotten their terrible weaponry by just raiding some lost, high-tech gadgets based on pop culture and weaponizing them. So they wield light sabers from Star Wars, wear Dr Doom masks and their flying flying ball with knifes is a Quidditch toy-drone. That sounds more like a Phantasm reference. 
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Oct 16, 2021 19:25
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Kchama posted:That sounds more like a Phantasm reference. It might be a cross reference, but they're specifically called Sneetches (which I'm only just now realizing isn't quite the same name as in Harry Potter). They're also exploding weapons, I can't remember if they also have blades.
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Oct 16, 2021 19:34
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Captain DIEgiene posted:It might be a cross reference, but they're specifically called Sneetches (which I'm only just now realizing isn't quite the same name as in Harry Potter). They're also exploding weapons, I can't remember if they also have blades. Funnily that's basically how Turok portrayed the Orbs. They drilled out your brain then exploded. Doing some looking, apparently they're named after a race of cats from Dr. Seuss books, which I guess just completes the 'it is every reference at once' aspect.
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Oct 16, 2021 19:51
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Sneetches weren’t cats, they were just Suess Things. It makes me genuinely sad that someone out there never read about the star-bellyed Sneetches. To your local children’s library, quickly!
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Oct 16, 2021 21:18
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Domus posted:Sneetches weren’t cats, they were just Suess Things. It makes me genuinely sad that someone out there never read about the star-bellyed Sneetches. To your local children’s library, quickly! This is some star-bellied supremacist poo poo and I won't stand for it.
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Oct 16, 2021 21:21
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I forgot the name was the same, but that was one of my favorite Dr Seuss stories as a kid. Since it wasn't full of creepy surreal poo poo like disembodied pants walking through scary woods at night 
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Oct 16, 2021 21:25
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You’re just jealous I have stars upon thars.
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Oct 16, 2021 21:25
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Kchama posted:Doing some looking, apparently they're named after a race of cats from Dr. Seuss books, 
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Oct 16, 2021 22:06
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Captain DIEgiene posted:I forgot the name was the same, but that was one of my favorite Dr Seuss stories as a kid. Since it wasn't full of creepy surreal poo poo like disembodied pants walking through scary woods at night WHY WERE THOSE PANTS SO GENUINELY SCARY
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Oct 17, 2021 19:27
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 You all be nice to the Fresno Nightcrawler. He's doing his best.
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Oct 17, 2021 19:38
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RoboRodent posted:WHY WERE THOSE PANTS SO GENUINELY SCARY They're full of milk. Witch milk.
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Oct 17, 2021 20:43
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| # ? Jun 6, 2024 12:47 |
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https://twitter.com/lise_andreasen/status/1450932623879122951   This won a Hugo.
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Oct 21, 2021 07:30
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