Subject: High five!
Author:
Posted on: 2014-03-04 23:19:00 UTC
I haven't yet read the finishing school books, and have been trying to track down some Lord Darcy. Thanks for telling me about the Clayton Rawson ones, I'm a sucker for short mysteries. :D
Is there a comic/ Tv show/ book you like that not many people know about? If so here is the place to talk about it. And if you like anything posted here please feel free to check it out. My pick has two titles but I know it best as Arata the Legend. It's a manga about a boy from a fantasy land,and a boy from modern Japan who switch places( both are named Arata). Twist comes into play when one of the Aratas have been framed for a crime he didn't commit, leaving the other to clear his name, and stop the real criminals. The design of the mystical world were quite good, and the story arcs for supporting charcters kept me interested. There is a love triangle in later chapters, but that's kind of a staple for this author.
it's Baroque, I'm talking about a game published by Atlus, it's confusing but is still interesting. the problem is, the story is scattered all around the game, litteraly, you might see the end befre the climax of the story and this basically block almost any way of writting something to this game.
there's also the manga Zekkiou Gakkiuu, which is basically a manga that tell some creepy stories at each chapter.
Phantasy Star Online and Universe don't seem to have very many fanfics about them at all. Same with Terraria.
Let's see: A.J. Raffles, Master Cracksman is one,
Parasol Protectorate, The Enchanted Forest Chronicles (for which I will probably eventually write fanfiction because Morwen,) Chrestomanci Chronicles... okay, just the entire works of Diana Wynne Jones, really. And Patricia Mc. Killip, especially the Sunshine universe and The Hero and the Crown universe.
I'm re-watching code Lyoko, but don't know if there's a huge fandom for it... I'm kind of scared to find out, actually.
I've written fanfiction for the works of Edgar Allen Poe too. :D
Another Parasol Protectorate fan :) . Have you read the Finishing School books, in the same universe (about 25 years earlier)? They're Young Adult, so they're in a different section of the bookstore. The second one felt a bit rushed at the end, though.
The Lord Darcy books/stories by Randall Garrett are quite good. I don't think there's any fanfiction in that universe. At least, all I get from the Pit's search function is Pride and Prejudice fanfics.
If you like mysteries, Clayton Rawson wrote four novels and several short stories in the late 1930s-early 1940s featuring the Great Merlini, a stage magician turned amateur detective. They're out of print, but available on Kindle.
I haven't yet read the finishing school books, and have been trying to track down some Lord Darcy. Thanks for telling me about the Clayton Rawson ones, I'm a sucker for short mysteries. :D
They're even harder to find than the Great Merlini, but if you've got a decent used bookstore in your area see if they've got any of Isaac Asimov's "Black Widowers" collections. (Out of print and not available in e-format that I've seen.) I made the mistake of loaning some of mine out, and never got them back :( .
I think that it also counts as a tiny fandom. Sucks that there is actually a Season 5 airing...
but it's live action...
and only available in France...
Patricia Mckillip's books and Robin McKinley's books. Sunshine and The Hero and the Crown are Robin McKinley.
Robin McKinley's worldbuilding. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only person ever who liked Chalice. And the Damar universe is wonderful (Aerin Dragonslayer! Also I find it funny that their legendary hero was half-Northerner, but let's not get into that.).
But I really, really loved her Pegasus, and was rather miffed when it cut off practically in the middle of a scene and I found out that the sequel was coming out in two years. (This year!)
But gods, her worldbuilding.
-Aila
I'm gonna throw one out here. Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, a book by Jesse Andrews about a couple of high school students who double as amateur filmmakers. One's mother forces him to make friends with a girl who has leukemia. Hilarity (and more foul language than you can shake a stick at) ensues. Oddly, I don't think I've ever found any fanfiction for it, but it's definitely one of my favorite books and I really wish it were more popular.
Although I do prefer the Dresden Files.
Once I've finished the Dresden Files that is. Currently can't find Proven Guilty anywhere though so I'm a bit stuck.
...but I sort of read them illegally off the internet, 'cause I was impatient and they were delicious. If you want a link, I can give you one.
(I love Proven Guilty. My favourite character is introduced there.)
-Aila
I'm on the second book, so no spoilers.
Also The Dresden Files. So, so much. (Although admittedly the fandom isn't tiny precisely.)
And an absolute ton of random fantasy books that are lovely and no-one has ever heard of. *goes back to trying to get people to read Susan Cooper*
-Aila
Kinda lost track of them from thereon but I like it a lot too!
My dad even picked up a signed copy of the eleventh book when he was in Australia! It's definitely my third favorite series of all time. :3
An interesting note is that John Flanagan wrote a classic Mary Sue in the twelfth book. I'll try to avoid spoilers, but you have been warned. Anyway, she's a princess, she becomes the first female Ranger apprentice, and she thinks she can get her own way all the time. But by the end of the book, you can definitely tell there's been some character development in her. She no longer thinks she's the best thing since sliced bread and definitely learns a lesson in humility.
Also Will totally schools her. It's awesome.
...but remember, a core trait of a Mary Sue is the fact that the plot revolves around them. Everything exists to serve them, nothing is earned, everything is given.
Madeline however, nothing is given. Everything is earned. She EARNED her bronze oakleaf, she EARNED Will's respect, she EARNED her skills.
The Emperor Protects!
What is FTL, you ask?
FTL: Faster Than Light is a roguelike game in which you are the commander of a warship carrying secret data essential to the survival of the Federation, which has been beaten back by a fanatical humans-before-aliens Rebellion. The goal of the game is to cross eight space sectors (maps composed of randomly generated waypoints with one exit beacon to the next sector) to reach the last Federation armada and to deliver the data. You don't have time to explore the universe freely however: the Rebel fleet is in hot pursuit and is much too powerful for you to fight.
Aside from that, there's no actual plot to the game. Sure, there are quite a few nuggets of lore to be found when you land on certain beacons, but the main attraction is the story you create as you gain or lose crew, fight enemy ships, upgrade your ship, find new weapons, help civilians, perform daring boarding maneuvers, fight demonic giant spiders, elude the Rebels, discover strange new worlds, and turn hopeless situations around with your peerless tactical cunning:
Source: Virtual Shackles
Plus, its title theme music is pure awesome.
It's so addicting. Still haven't won yet, though ...
Fly the Kestrel for your victory run. It's one of the best-balanced ships in the game and you can install all the subsystems on it.
Spend as much time exploring: don't rush the exit beacon. The goal is to maximize the scrap collection from each sector. Watch your fuel, though.
Upgrade shields to level 2 no later than Sector 3, level 3 by sector 6, and level 4 by the final sector.
Upgrade engines all the way up to two levels under maximum by the endgame. You don't really need the last two.
Make sure your weapons system can handle your current loadout-- and a bit extra. Getting shot in the weapons bay is never fun, and extra power bars can act as a buffer against damage.
Upgrade scanners to lvl 2 only.
Spend money on doors. It helps contain boarders and the blasted boarding drones. Don't forget that you can vent people out into space if need be; turn off O2 to speed up the process. Don't screw up like me and forget to turn it back on afterwards.
Upgrade Life Support, Helm, and Medbay to lvl 2 when you have the cash. As mentioned above, having an extra bar (even unpowered) helps you shrug off a shot that would have otherwise crippled those subsystems.
Prepare a boarding party and buy the Crew Teleporter. Killing off enemy crews gives you a bigger scrap haul than blowing up a ship. It will also help you for the final fight, hint hint.
Buy the Cloaking Device, but only use one bar of cloak for a faster recharge time. Only use it when shields are down and shots are incoming or whenever a missile has been fired.
The Drone Bay isn't worth your scrap, IMO. It's a drain on reactor power anyways.
Stay the heck away from the Giant Killer Spider event unless you have an Anti-Bio beam. Same thing for the travelling Zoltan Planet.
Kill those filthy Rebels, even if they beam aboard and surrender.
Spacebar is your friend. Use the pause function to plan your next few shots.
Always fire everything you got in a single volley: you'll make sure you can deplete the enemy's shields and do some hull damage.
Does your opponent have an ion/missile/bomb weapon? Shoot their weapons bay first. If not, go for their shields.
Are your shots going wide? Shoot the enemy's Helm. Most ships only have 1 point in Helm, so destroying it makes sure all of your hits land.
Pray to the RNG god and hope you don't get bad events.
Source: 40+ hours of gameplay experience.
None. Now, books or TV shows or such that nobody knows about that I enjoy, those I have plenty of. To me, a fandom refers to a community of fans, and to be honest, except for MLP, Dr. Who, and the occasional dabble into Sherlock, Portal, or Elder Scrolls, I don't interact with any fandoms. Oh well.
One book that I'm really into right now is Feed, by M. T. Anderson. Be warned, this book has a lot of swearing. It has a point for existing, but if you don't like that
I would explain what it is about, but part of the thrill of the book is when it hits you what is going on, and to spoil it would rob you of a fantastic experience. Give it a few chapters before judging it though, trust me on this one. You may be confused but, really, just read it. If you can, get the audio book, it's even better through this medium. Really. It's good as a book, but brilliant as an audio book. But however you will, just read/listen to it. it's great. Should be mandatory reading for high school students.
I tend to get into the more obscure/underrated/less publicized iterations of popular fandoms.
The Wizard of Oz. L. Frank Baum wrote 14 books, and the fact that so few people know that has been a source of great pain to me ever since I read them all as a little kid. If anyone wants me to give you reasons to read them, ask. I'll gush.
Star Trek. I like TNG, DS9, and Voyager better than TOS or reboot, and I'm slowly coming to the realization that I think DS9 is the best series. TNG has a special place in my heart, so it's still my favorite, but DS9 is so well-written and complex. And it's probably the most underrated of the Star Trek series besides Enterprise. Again, if anyone wants me to gush, ask.
I prefer the Heroes of Olympus series to Percy Jackson, because while I absolutely love and adore Percy Jackson and please don't ever get the impression I don't, the second series has a lot more characters with a lot more development because instead one first person narrator most of the main characters have some third person limited narration. Plus, more representation and an queer character in a children's book series.
I've also watched a bit of Classic Who (First and Second Doctor) but none of New Who.
An actual obscure fandom, though...Magic School Bus. Yep.
... When I had to do a biology "creative presentation," I elected to do a mockup magic school bus episode. It was kind of awesome.
There was a show I used to love when I was a kid... but there's only one problem. I remember almost nothing about it- title, characters' names, the channel- but I remember it was awesome. It was about these dragon racers, and the dragons were wingless, and the main character and his dragon were kind of like vigilante superheroes. There was an armband or something that the guy activated to give the duo their powers.
If anyone knows what I'm talking about, that would be so amazing; I've been unable to find it for a long time. But yeah, that's my rare fandom.
You're looking for Dragon Booster. Used to air on Saturday mornings when I still had cable.
-Phobos
I just found it on YouTube. You're the best!
*twitches* Could I glomp you? Pretty please? You just made my day. :D
...between fandoms that are simply small, and fandoms that seem to be held together by those who utterly disregard the canon.
Assuming I'm meant to write about the former, it's Arcanum for me.
Personal favourite points, in short: Steampunk-fantasy hybrid (aesthetics to match), magic and tech don't get along (gameplay- and plot-relevant), dev team thinks of everything, story has twists, side-dungeons have little clues that you can discover.
Remarkably open.
This is very much my jam.
---
Skulduggery Pleasant
It's a pretty simple chosen girl narrative of the kind we here at the PPC often end up writing missions about. However, it's done with its tongue shoved firmly in its cheek: the stupid names are there because if someone has your given name, they have power over you; the magical powers are well thought-out and well developed (for instance, an Elementalist can create a fireball with a snap o' the fingers because it generates friction and heat, which blossoms into flame); the teenage female lead does not always need the good guy to rescue her; and the good guy is pale and thin and interesting on account of being a skeleton. It's planned to be a nine-book series, it's really bloody funny, check it out.
Hyperdrive
Often seen as a direct successor of the more famous Red Dwarf by people given to spectacularly missing the point, Hyperdrive does share some traits with that series but is very much its own thing. For one thing, it makes space travel seem normal and almost banal in places. For another, it relentlessly mocks that era of sci-fi where the sets were cheaper than Nollywood films made by people I will charitably describe as mental (Baby Police, anyone?). However, the real strength of the show lies in the central trio of Nick Frost, Kevin Eldon, and an early TV showing for Miranda Hart as the bridge crew of the HMS Camden Lock. Highlights include a glorious spoof of Kirk and Spock playing chess together... involving Ker-Plunk.
The Thick Of It
In the States, the archetypal political drama is The West Wing, which featured important, noble, upstanding people doing important, noble, upstanding things to bring a bright new future to the good ol' US of A. In the UK, it's a toss-up between House Of Cards (the original, not the Kevin Spacey one), State Of Play, and The Thick Of It, which is my personal favourite of the lot. Shot like a fly-on-the-wall documentary, it features incompetent, dishonest ministers in a dead-end job bickering with each other and doing nothing of worth. This probably says a lot about both our respective nations. The director, Armando Iannucci, has also made In The Loop and Veep on similar premises, so feel free to check them out if the idea of fascinatingly baroque swearing coming from the mouth of the 12th Doctor puts you off.
The Binding Of Isaac
I've talked about this game before - in fact, it was one of the first things I ever talked about on the Board - but The Binding of Isaac is one of the most fascinating games I've played from a story standpoint. Its use of mechanics as metaphor is deep and incredibly rich, and the central story is told entirely through the game with only minimal cutscenes bookending the experience. If you like hard-as-nails top-down rogue-lites with story chops and a very interesting take on childhood, check it out. Actually, check out the remake that comes out this year. It'll probably have more stuff to analyse to death in it.
---
There's lots more I could talk about, but you're probably sick of this already. I'll take my leave. =]
It was a UK children's TV show that got cancelled about two decades ago. It involved a team of four - one 'dungeoneer' and the other three guiding him/her through a dungeon drawn with a mixture of hand drawing and early CG. It was almost like a sort of Dungeons and Dragons setting, except it was based around puzzles, skill, answering questions correctly etc.
In addition, due to the method of producing the rooms, the dungeoneer wore a helmet that allowed him/her to only see around their feet, meaning the rest of the team had to give them navigation instructions (potentially avoiding traps and pits, requiring timing etc.).
It was also known for being very hard, with only a handful of the many teams actually passing through the three levels of the dungeon and completing their quests. One might say is was analogous in difficulty to other children's gameshows as Dark Souls is to other modern computer games.
I managed to sneak my agents a visit to the Knightmare continuum during the HQ Blackout (http://cyba-zero.livejournal.com/3065.html, http://cyba-zero.livejournal.com/3204.html), and Knightmare still has a fan site (http://www.knightmare.com/). At the time of the Blackout visit, I think only two or three PPCers recognised it, so I'd say it counts as a rare fandom.
As one of those few people who recognised it, I'd say that it counts as a rare fandom. There are still episodes up on youtube, as well as clip compilations(some of which are funny, and some of which just go to highlight how absurdly difficult it was).
I seem to remember another show with a similar set up, I think it might have come later, that was sci-fi themed rather than fantasy. The kids had to travel up through a series of floors with Knightmare style traps/puzzles, and I think they were trying to get to the penthouse (and then maybe escape?). No idea if it was actually related to Knightmare in any way.
Your agents' trip into Knightmare is still one of my favourite Blackout pieces.
I won't say I remember it, I'm too young for that. However for Youtube Geek Week last year there was an episode of it with a team of youtubers trying to complete it. I remember watching it and liking it.