What are you reading?

Started by Dracos, June 20, 2005, 03:55:57 PM

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Arakawa

#705
January 25, 2012, 06:37:47 AM Last Edit: January 25, 2012, 06:43:21 AM by Arakawa Seijio
EDIT: The basic upshot of below comment would be that I didn't particularly enjoy Methods of Rationality.

Wait... less bland?? You're saying rationalist!Bella is less bland than the novel version?

How bland are these Twilight novels, anyways?

That said (I've been over this) I've really soured on the whole "toss rationalist into fantasy universe, watch them discover things that the superstitious locals have never found out despite having incentive to study the topic for thousands of years" notion. It feels about as plausible as tossing Yudkowsky into a Medieval monastery and watching him invent an improved crop rotation scheme from first principles and teach it to the monks.

Does Luminosity play this same angle, or does it somehow subvert the basic template as seen in Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality?

I like the angle in Dungeon Keeper Ami a bit more; there, Ami is able to use knowledge of physics and chemistry to spectacularly bamboozle the locals (to some extent); however, the societies in the magical world have had every incentive to study the world around them, just that, with so many obviously useful magical effects in the world around them to attempt to replicate, studying more obscure and less-immediately-useful things like magnetism and electricity was never a priority.

Even there, unless you believe Ami is a teenage genius of caliber she never demonstrated in Sailor Moon, it takes a bit of suspension of disbelief as you start to realize that the local priests and warlocks are themselves no slouches in the area of researching the heck out of something when they realize it's useful. (The Avatar even seems to
Spoiler: ShowHide
find someone who figures out that Ami was using magnetism to get around his holy protections
.) Sure, Ami might know some science, but there's an awful lot of other things she'd have to learn to deal with these people on their own terms.

But most importantly: the fact that Ami knows science or doesn't know science, or even uses science and magic to kick everyone's behinds to Jupiter or whatnot, isn't the central basic story device. It's used in service of a balanced story.

Back to Twilight and rationalist!Sues: I don't know, "let's turn character X into a Sue of a particular variety that's already sort of annoying in real life where they're without ridiculous Sue powers" just seems like a really weak premise to hang a fic on. Perhaps I'm just letting my bad impressions of Harry Potter and Methods of Rationality ruin my taste for  other fics with rationalist main characters.

Is this basically "Methods of Rationality" except for Twilght, or does it have some mitigating element that Yudkowsky just never managed to grasp about writing?
That the dead tree with its scattered fruit, a thousand times may live....

---

Man was made for Joy & Woe / And when this we rightly know / Thro the World we safely go / Joy & Woe are woven fine / A Clothing for the soul divine / Under every grief & pine / Runs a joy with silken twine
(from Wm. Blake)

Grahf

#706
January 25, 2012, 02:12:35 PM
QuoteWait... less bland?? You're saying rationalist!Bella is less bland than the novel version?

How bland are these Twilight novels, anyways?

I've only read the first Twilight novel, but believe me when I say that the fact that Bella has roughly any personality at all and isn't just a doormat means that she's less bland than her regular version. Same with Edward and the rest of the cast.

Here, let me show you Bella's introduction from the actual novel itself:

QuoteI was ivory-skinned, without even the excuse of blue eyes or red hair, despite the constant sunshine [in Phoenix]. I had always been slender, but soft somehow, obviously not an athlete; I didn't play sports without humiliating myself - and harming both myself and anyone else who stood too close.

It mostly goes on giving vague details like how she doesn't fit in well with people, without actually going into any real concrete details. Of course any sort of focus that Bella might have gotten is thrown out the window when she meets Edward, who seems to only ever be described in the most sickeningly purple prose you could ever imagine.

QuoteThat said (I've been over this) I've really soured on the whole "toss rationalist into fantasy universe, watch them discover things that the superstitious locals have never found out despite having incentive to study the topic for thousands of years" notion. It feels about as plausible as tossing Yudkowsky into a Medieval monastery and watching him invent an improved crop rotation scheme from first principles and teach it to the monks.

Does Luminosity play this same angle, or does it somehow subvert the basic template as seen in Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality?

I'd love to say it does, but that'd be a lie. Bella does quickly figure out that there's something amiss with the Cullens while everyone else just thinks they're eccentric. I did think it was a nice touch that Bella actually is reluctant to have anything to do with Edward after roughly the same introduction as the actual book (he seems to hate her for some reason) this freaks rational!Bella out, whereas normal!Bella is just like "he's so pretty, what did I do to make him hate me? I wish he wouldn't".

Once Bella figures stuff out there's some justification given for the various things like why Edward is so attracted to her, the various powers that vampires and even some humans have, and even vampire physiology. That I found interesting because it's not just handwaved off like in the original.

Still, if you're looking for any sort of real subversion of the rational-rewrite, you won't find it here. The sequel doesn't even maintain this really, becoming it's own AU story without really bothering to continue a rationalist perspective once the plot bomb drops late in the first story.

Dracos

#707
January 26, 2012, 04:44:31 PM
I liked Methods of Rationality for a while.  What bothered me on it was less Harry doing basic investigations and acknowledging that the real world would frag the crap out of the wizardry world (Even if I think Delende Est did that part better with it being a subtext acknowledged by wizards that lived through world war 2 stomping over a portion of the wizarding world).  There really is room in that universe for playing off religiously convicted blind fantacism.  The lack of open dialogue with figures of intelligence when doing things of absurd scale was what blew me away.

"Really, you're going to break into a prison and rescue someone on the trust with some teacher?  And nothing on this raises the I'm Doing Something Wrong vibe?"
Well, Goodbye.

thepanda

#708
January 26, 2012, 08:24:36 PM
Chaos Theory has updated. I'm really enjoying this one.

thepanda

#709
January 27, 2012, 05:33:26 PM
Souls Light has updated.

Brian

#710
January 27, 2012, 05:45:54 PM
Quote from: thepanda on January 26, 2012, 08:24:36 PMChaos Theory has updated. I'm really enjoying this one.

Every time this is announced, I cheer, and run over to the Ranma 1/2 section ... only to find out it's an entirely different, significantly less Ranma/Ukyou fic than the one I'd been hoping for an update on. >_<
I handle other fanfic authors Nanoha-style.  Grit those teeth!  C&C incoming!
Prepare to be befriended!

~exploding tag~

Anastasia

#711
February 01, 2012, 01:35:08 AM
http://www.fanfiction.net/u/364323/

Been reading his fellow's stuff (yes yes, I know) and it's pretty good. He has a bad case of stopping just when it gets good, but the stories are all really good.
<Afina> Imagine a tiny pixie boot stamping on a devil's face.
<Afina> Forever.

<Yuthirin> Afina, giant parasitic rainbow space whale.
<IronDragoon> I mean, why not?

Sinom Bre

#712
February 01, 2012, 01:44:20 AM
Never heard of him. :D
"If there is anything the nonconformist hates worse than a conformist, it's another nonconformist who doesn't conform to the prevailing standard of nonconformity." -Bill Vaughan
"Why do you have to be a nonconformist like everybody else?" -James Thurber
"Never appeal to a man's 'better nature'. He may not have one. Invoking his self-interest gives you more leverage." -Robert A. Heinlein
"Civilized men are more discourteous than savages because they know they can be impolite without having their skulls split..." –Conan the Cimmerian, The Tower of the Elephant by Robert E. Howard
"Well, it's like the man says... Never take life too seriously; you'll never get out of it alive." -Bugs Bunny, Rabbit's Feat, 1960

Merc

#713
February 01, 2012, 01:46:27 AM
That line would work better if your name on this board was DFRoeder or AnimeRain =p
<Cidward> God willing, we'll all meet in Buttquest 2: The Quest for More Butts.

Anastasia

#714
February 01, 2012, 01:59:20 AM
Quote from: Sinom Bre on February 01, 2012, 01:44:20 AM
Never heard of him. :D

I'm obligated to look at you and hope you update again someday. Alternately, I'll take it out on Merc.
<Afina> Imagine a tiny pixie boot stamping on a devil's face.
<Afina> Forever.

<Yuthirin> Afina, giant parasitic rainbow space whale.
<IronDragoon> I mean, why not?

Brian

#715
February 01, 2012, 02:28:45 AM
I'm re-reading an oldie, but a goodie.

Heart's Healing.

Man.  The world would be so much better a place if that were to somehow get an update.

Somehow.
I handle other fanfic authors Nanoha-style.  Grit those teeth!  C&C incoming!
Prepare to be befriended!

~exploding tag~

Anastasia

#716
February 01, 2012, 02:50:49 AM
Maybe if we all believe, a miracle will happen?
<Afina> Imagine a tiny pixie boot stamping on a devil's face.
<Afina> Forever.

<Yuthirin> Afina, giant parasitic rainbow space whale.
<IronDragoon> I mean, why not?

Merc

#717
February 01, 2012, 12:10:07 PM
Quote from: Anastasia on February 01, 2012, 01:59:20 AMI'm obligated to look at you and hope you update again someday. Alternately, I'll take it out on Merc.
You keep me out of this. That'd just give him more excuse to slack anyway =p
<Cidward> God willing, we'll all meet in Buttquest 2: The Quest for More Butts.

Anastasia

#718
February 01, 2012, 08:14:51 PM Last Edit: February 01, 2012, 08:52:14 PM by Anastasia
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6892672/6/Haigeki

Haigeki update. Edit: Take opinions to the Haigeki thread, thanks.
<Afina> Imagine a tiny pixie boot stamping on a devil's face.
<Afina> Forever.

<Yuthirin> Afina, giant parasitic rainbow space whale.
<IronDragoon> I mean, why not?

Anastasia

#719
February 11, 2012, 01:52:06 AM
http://www.fanfiction.net/s/4220331/1/Splintered_Dreams

FF7 AU fic, centering on the premise of 'What if Cloud died saving Zack outside Midgar, instead of Zack dying?' Basically Zack takes Cloud's place in FF7 and things go from there.

Spoiler: ShowHide
It stays mostly on track without too much divergence, though it is a slow moving fic. It's mostly fun, though I'm of the opinion that Zack gets too mopey in it at times. It's certainly justifiable with all the shit he's been through, but it's overdone I think. Also, Aeris/Zack is resolved too quickly and Tifa/Zack is pushed a little too hard and fast. None of these problems are insurmountable so far (Chapter 27 out of 40 as of this post), but they do drag a bit. Then again, with the pace of the fic I'm not sure dragging things out any more is a good answer.

The main upside is that there's no nutso Cloud and no layers of bullshit from Cloud's immense level of psychological fuckups. Even at his mopiest, Zack is far more together and fun than Cloud is.
<Afina> Imagine a tiny pixie boot stamping on a devil's face.
<Afina> Forever.

<Yuthirin> Afina, giant parasitic rainbow space whale.
<IronDragoon> I mean, why not?
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