Trevsky
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Posts posted by Trevsky
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This is more of a fun quirky topic for you guys to answer the inquiry posted in the title. Feel free to sound away.Obviously, there is potential for this to veer into areas that are not so good for BZP. Avoid that as you normally would under the BZP rules, or the report hammer shall fall upon thee without mercy.
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Ah, yes. The Dark Knight Rises. A cinematic juggernaut so freakishly large that it dragged it me to the theater on virtue of the fact that I actually really wanted to see it, not just because my friends were watching it: a sparkling gem that stood out in a stagnant pool of trivial, deplorable releases that have become the face of the mainstream Blockbuster. These days, every time I watch a major motion picture that occasionally demonstrates that Hollywood is capable of crafting material that isn't mindless schlock (or at the bare minium, mindless schlock that passes for legitimate entertainment e.g. The Avengers, I'm not that much of a cultural elitist) I feel rather comforted, as if the movie itself is a reassuring pat on the back to make me temporarily forget our decrepit cultural state. It's nice to have the medium of cinema partake in the reinforcement of the ever weakening barricade in my mind against the flooding idea that America has it's feet entrenched in a cesspool of rotting insipid, vapidness that is in danger of drowning what few silvers of artistic beauty, exigency, and integrity that have yet to be exploited and maligned by the singularity that exists as the modern entertainment complex.However, we are delving too far into my inner nerd psyche, and that is a truly scary place indeed. I must bring myself back onto track, or else my presence in this topic will be nothing more than somewhat over exaggerated ramblings. I saw Rises a week past, and the reason why it continues to stake a decent plot of ground in the evolving countryside that strings together my collective thoughts for one reason. It has nothing to do with the plot points, (which despite functioning excellently as a cohesive narrative, suffers from a minor myriad of problems that one could nitpick to no end) or the varied performances, which are largely phenomenal (Am I the only one who thought that Michael Caine completely stole the show?) or even the brilliant score. (nothing short of fantastic) No, it's themes and larger purpose which perpetually force their way into my reflections, and raise me to the following conclusion.The Dark Knight Rises, is by no means a perfect film. In fact, in my opinion it somewhat pales in comparison to its predecessor . It is, as the successful conclusion to Nolan's trilogy, an important film, one that merits discussion on the place of Blockbuster cinema and the Superhero genre in our society.
Rises is a continuation of The Dark Knight in terms of plot. However, it provides closure and completion of themes and motifs that were introduced in Batman Begin. In a manner that I can only describe as absolutely brilliant, Nolan's trilogy is cemented the biggest and most relevant trilogy in modern popular culture since The Lord of The Rings. I'm hesitant to even call this a Batman movie, as the cape and cowl as donned by a man who punches bad guys in the face repeatedly receive only a marginal amount of screen time. This is a Bruce Wayne movie, and it is wonderful because of that. For the first time ever, Wayne is finally a fully relatable character. Although acknowledged by the comics and animated series,' I think this movie touches on the idea that Wayne is actually a human being more completely than any other piece of Batman fiction I have seen. No longer is Batman an unreachable avatar of vengeance and justice, but a deeply flawed individual who needs to learn how to live again. Not only does add a fresh side to a character who has fascinated the public for over 70 years, it creates the most interesting character arc of any Batman movie, period. The beginning and end of the film, the first thing the writing team worked on in the creation of the story, are extremely personal. We first see a Wayne already broken by the black hole of raw emotional dysfunction that is required to become The Batman, the disappearance of his alter-ego bringing about a similar absence of will to simply exist in a state of happiness. This is completed when Bane breaks his back, bringing Wayne in a position where he must rise. This is how Rises connects so beautifully to Begins, which demonstrated the complex that created Batman. That movie is all about the fall and rise. Batman was created by the metaphorical and literal descent into horror and evil, and the subsequent rise to hope and justice. Not only that, Begins as well as Dark Knight establishes that it is not the man behind the mask who matters for the safety, but the symbol, which Rises resolves by having Blake take up the mantle. While Dark Knight focuses on the contrast between order and chaos, and of the ramifications that are required to preserve hope and purity in the face of that chaos and insanity, Rises is the completion of this rendition of Batman. When Wayne climbs out of the prison and recalls the well, the arc of the scared young boy who became Batman and the arc of the mentally and physically broken Batman are tied together in a simple visual parallel that is nothing short of brilliance. When Wayne (presumably) marries Selina Kyle and hangs up the mantle of the Bat, both arcs are completed.One could compare and contrast the three films to no end, but the point remains. Rises and in turn the entire trilogy serve to remind us that superheroes can stand for something greater in our culture then punching bad guys in the flashiest way possible. That is something truly brilliant.
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Do you know if it is a common, uncommon, rare, or ultra-rare? I really want those upgrades, so I'm wondering if its better to spend my average 120,000 credit daily income on a Premium Spectre Pack and Jumbo Equipment or maybe try getting two Spectre packs instead, or some other combination.EDIT: And does anybody know if Bioware nerfed the geth infiltrator melee build? and made the female quarian engineer not suck?You mean increasing max amount you can carry into missions? It's a drop in crates. -
Well, she's a fully realized Avatar now, which has been defined as having complete control over the Avatar state. It irritates me that she was bestowed that and energybending, just for making a connection. If your connection is strong to receive that much chock free in an universe where powers are earned through hardwork, it annoys me. I thought that Korra would have to go full circle, and have to learn patience and spirituality, while struggling with only Airbending. Rather, the finale teaches us only of convient instant gratification, nothing else. Whether she still has more to master on the spiritual doesn't matter, the inconsistency with the theme of earning these kind of things is pretty damaging. Granted, Aang was pretty much given energybending, but that worked because his character had already had such a strong arch. Korra lacked that due to the plot oriented focus of the shorter season.Also, I wouldn't worry about the latter two books yet. I'm sure whatever they got, it isn't too contrived.
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oh god, I need that New Friends poster. Not because I like the design, no just because I adore that Bolin doodle. However, I have a Book 3 Disk 3 poster that I got signed from Bryan and Mike at NYCC '08, so I should be happy.I ordered The Promise: Part 1 off Amazon roughly a month or two ago and enjoyed it profusely. Its a worthwhile continuation of the original story. I'm just too stingy right now to pick up the second one, but I will someday. Mainly, I'm excited about The Search. I was extremely happy with the Book 2 news until I thought and realized it was exactly what I originally wanted from Book 2, except for the particular character development and energybending mythos that would have arose had the finale cut two minutes earlier. It just makes me more confused and baffled as to why they decided to perform that bait and switch and in the process topple one of the core themes of the series through; I'm not that excited for Book 2 anymore, because I hate to say that this is the first time I've ever been let been down in Avatar or Korra. :lEDIT: Actually, I was wrong. I was disappointed when the mechs were reveled in 'The Aftermath' and I remember saying to a friend that had the potential to hamper the quality of the series if they were used to the same extent as the Fire Nation tanks, but the last three episodes proved me wrong. So I could very wrong about the next book.
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Hey, I was wondering how do you get more then 2 supply bonuses (medi-gel, missile launchers, ammo packs, op packages) in co-op. I know you can get five, even in Silver, which strikes me as slightly overpowered, but handy. Do you need a certain amount of each type in stock? If so, how many?
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the different font displayed below is coming straight from Bryan's tumblr. basically, a book is still a season from the viewers standpoint, as it still has the complete story arch and the first two Books have the same production and release schedule as a normal season (I don't know if Book 3 and 4 will follow that pattern, it's possible that they won't) it's simply that the studio considers them as seasons for some reason that doesn't quite make sense to me...while more Korra is indubitably awesome, I'm not sure I like the shorter Books, for one simple reason: character development, or rather lack of thereof. I accepted all of the new main characters when they were introduced because expecting them to have the same depth of personality right off the bat as the original Team Avatar would be insane. However, I was expecting development over time, which really seemed obvious seeing how well the original series did it. I did enjoy the tightly woven plot, however I'd point to Book 2 of Avatar as the epitome of having both character development and a tightly bound plot on a television series. The problem is the lack of breathing room. In an interview Bryke once justified the season length by comparing it to shows like Mad Men and Breaking Bad, however those programs have 48 minutes running time. There isn't enough room to show the characters when you're shoving all that plot in that amount of time. Legend of Korra needs. character. development. badly. I can't believe I'm even saying that.anyways, below lies Byran's post –Book 1 = 12 episodes–Book 2 = 14 episodes–Book 3 = 13 episodes–Book 4 = 13 episodes–TOTAL = 52 episodesInitially, Nickelodeon picked up Korra as a 12-episode miniseries. Their idea was to do 12-episode arcs that were more standalone than the original Avatar series. Mike and I were cool with this idea, as we had originally wanted the seasons to be 12 episodes long instead of 20, and creatively we liked the idea of doing tighter story arcs.The original plan was that if Nickelodeon wanted more episodes, they would order them 12 episodes at a time. But while we were in production on Book 1, Nickelodeon decided to change their season lengths from 20 episodes (like Avatar had) to the more standardized international length of 26 episodes. They liked how Book 1 was coming out and decided to round out the order to fit their new 26-episode mold, and we got a 14-episode pick-up, which became Book 2.Then, the network wanted even more Korra, so they picked up another order of 26 episodes. Mike and I wanted to stick with the shorter “books,” so creatively we are splitting the second order of 26 into Books 3 & 4, 13 episodes each.What makes this even more confusing is that the network considers each block of 26 episodes a “season,” which is another reason we try to stick to calling these Korra arcs “books.” So for the network’s purposes, Books 1 & 2 are Season 1, and Books 3 & 4 are Season 2.
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moar extended cut dlc spoilers following
also, why did they keep the breath clip in the destroy ending? To quote the glorious Plinkett, "that don't make no sense." I always considered that clip to be the biggest piece of evidence to the indoctrination theory, as that theory is the only thing that explains that clip. What, are we supposed that Shepard fell through the atmosphere and survived? Why is this only possible if you pick the ending where the God-Child tells you'll die? So to add to his completely paradoxical logic, he's a liar too? It only makes sense if you assume the clip is your Shepard waking up from being hit with Harbinger's beam of death, and the reason that the destroy ending is the soul means to survival is because it is the only one that allows Shepard to resist the indoctrination. So by not confirming exactly why the breath clip is included at all, Bioware basically proves the indoctrination, even though every other single aspect of the Extended Cut basically contradicts that theory. Why? Why, Bioware?
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I have a question for anybody who has played the Extended Cut and made the relevant decision, as I am a PS3 player and have only watched a few videos on the DLC.
Is it possible to win if you select the refusal option? All I have seen is the option where the cycle is completed.I feel like the way the game should have ended with the refusal option as the only choice, if Bioware insists with sticking with the deux ex machina abomination that is the Crucible. Instead of the three space magic choices, the God-Child (who should have manifested in a different form, imo, if they insist on including him)instead tells you that the cycle will continue, and that the Crucible was a trap to lure the armed forces of the galaxy to one spot_ instead of giving the responsibility of to doing with the galaxy for inexplicable reasons. (I also like the dark energy expansion ending, but that's another discussion) So from there, in typical Shepard fashion, you tell the God-Child that you gathered the strength of the galaxy and you know that you can beat the Reapers. So from there, you sit back and watch the battle unfold. If your war assets were too low, the galaxy is harvested and the cycle continues. The middle ground should bring a victory with heavy sacrifices, and the extent of the losses depends on your war assets. From Commander Shepard herself, Garrus, the other crew members, a significant portion of the fleets and ground forces, these are all losses that would have weight in such a context. The better the war assets, the better you lose, similar to how you could save your entire crew in ME2 if you made the right choices and did everything that was required beforehand. If ME3 gave you similar choices in how you attack Harbinger and subsequently the other Reapers would have given some of the most powerful and inhuman antagonists within a fictional medium proper justice, instead of hitting a button, you win. Imagine a scenario where Reapers zerg the Crucible, and your actions and war assets decide whether or not Commander Shepard survives. Finally, with a perfect war asset, you suffer minimal losses, Commander Shepard lives guaranteed, as well as your crew and a majority of the united fleets. From there, you get to see your choices did on the galaxy, similar to what they did with the extended cut with the expansion. Then I would have been happy, even if I would preferred that the campaign of ME3 played out in a radically different way, with a few exceptions.All in all, the extended cut proved to me that Bioware came stupidly close to a good ending, but ultimately failed. At least they elevated it from being horrible to somewhere between bad and halfway decent. If it turns out that you can win if you refuse to make a choice, then I would personally try to forget that you had to option to pick your favorite explosion and except that as the only canon ending, but as it seems, the refusal option was only there to appease some of the fans' request for such an option with the least amount of effort or change to the ending they envisioned.
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2/5, used to love that song back in the day, sadly it doesn't have the same effect on me now. Hypnotize by The White Stripes
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I do agree with you to a certain extent. I think the martial art forms are extremely important to note, particularly when considered how much effort goes into making them authentic. However, I refuse to support such a hypothesis that the lack of the second creates a major difference because I do not see the purpose. A scrambling effect would completely dissolve the dramatic tension that the series has built up, make the sheer, palpable feeling of dread whenever Amon is in a scene with a bender meaningless, and significantly lower the stakes. Your theory is somewhat believable, but it would lead to Lin's sacrifice being meaningless (the most emotional moment of the series, thus far) and lead to a victory that is much less meaningful then if it was false, which is not something I think the writer's of this show would pull.However, Amon's use of only one hand is kind of a big difference. While the physical and spiritual sides of bending may not me entirely concrete, I think how the physical world affects the spiritual aspect is rather strict. Aang's last chakra got locked when he was killed by Azula, and was only unlocked when a rock hit him in the exact same spot. I wouldn't think a person's energy could be bent without touching the necessary points. Reposting image for relevance.I still think Amon may have some sort of "energy" power, but is simply using it to scramble other people's chi flow so they can't bend, similar to paralysis.
What? You offered literally no basis to substantiate those claims. Without evidence, you're claim comes off as delusional, as if your desperately scrambling for a hint of evidence that could prove your theory correct even though it should have been laid to rest in episode 9. First off, nobody claimed that was a fist, so I fail to see how that proves your point. There's nothing in that hand that resembles any form of bloodbending, except for Yakone's inexplicably bulgy eye powers, but once you assume that, you could say that any character is bloodbending in any given screenshot. As for the Mako picture, again, you provided no context to make it a compelling case. Litererally the only thing that substantiates your claim is his outstretched hand. Not to mention that Mako spoke without any hint of a stutter or weakness within his voice, unlike anybody else under the influence of bloodbending. And why would Amon bloodbend him, when chi-blocking could produce the same result? Furthermore, if he was Amon, why would Tarrlock hire somebody to dress up as him and fake the loss of bending, and then have that imposter capture the avatar and risk losing her? Nobody in the show suspected he was Amon, so he could have handled the situation in a much more straightforward manner. I've seen some convoluted theories in this topic, but this is pretty extreme.Ah, but here's what I find truly intriguing. Look closely at Mako's scene in the finale teaser. He's not qiblocked. He's being bloodbent.Now look further at Amon when he says, "I--will-destroy you." He's not clenching a threatening fist. That's not a fist at all. He's bloodbending.
Amon isn't Bumi, unless Bumi happens to be a racebender or something.As for Amon, I'm in the group that he's really Bumi, Aang's non-bender son. That's pretty petty motivation for his character, but it does fit. After all, bending has been shown to be determined a lot by genetics. If Tenzin got airbending and Kya got waterbending, perhaps Bumi got the ability to energybend? That would explain why he can remove bending. Honestly though, I hope it's someone that no one expects.
I'm not inclined to believe that "leaked" picture, but if it is true it'll be a major disappointment for me.
I think you're referring to this picture, which was most likely faked by a troll, someone with a grand total of two brain cells, or somebody who isn't a fan of Avatar. If it's true, I'll likely end up hanging up myself, because that's how seriously I take this show. <,<
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that might be the stretch I need to get back into RPing, if only for the summertime.Just don't screw it up...Anyone still interested in an Avatar: The Last Airbender RPG? I have a few ideas, but I'd need someone to host it. -
have you gotten your cloning license? Those tanks look rather ominous.
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You need a bigger font when you scream Melvin, or else you might not attract the attention that you need for an obscure movie quote.
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The Legend of Korra, in a fashion not unlike its predecessor, has continually disproved my theory of Critical Mass Within Fictional Mediums. The idea is that, once a franchise or a story hits a certain level of awesome, it must either plateau, decline, or end, because it simply cannot maintain the momentum as there is no room for it to get better. I thought that this series couldn't top itself twice now, and I have been proven wrong both times.
That twist they introduced in this episode has precipitated an interest in Amon's identity that was not present at any time prior. I'm typically not one to endorse convoluted theories , but I'd like to point out that when Yakone was bloodbending Aang, when he triggered the Avatar state, he became immune to the effects of the bloodbending. This struck me as particularly perplexing, and as possibly connected to the similar ability that Amon clearly possess. Now, the Avatar State has been defined by Roku as a "defense mechanism, designed to empower you with the skills and knowledge of all the past Avatars." Now, I don't know what knowledge could resist an outside force that would otherwise have complete control of the very blood in your body (however, in a word with spiritual concepts such as jing and chakras, it remains a viable plausibility) so I am a bit doubtful that's what gave Aang the immunity, mainly because of the immediate way he assumed a rigid position. No I think the derivative is more likely caused by, as Roku said, "the combination of all your past lives focusing their energy through your body". There's the key word, energy. As I stated previously, it is highly improbable that the two forms of energy that we have seen are the only forms. Perhaps Amon has learned how to control the very energy in his own body, and as such has more sovereignty then that of a bloodbender. I also believe that it may be possible that it may have spiritual aid that gave Amon the ability to defy Tarlock's attempts to control him, however I have little evidence to substantiate such a claim, other than an assumption of the validity of Amon's previous statements pertaining to spirits. All in all, that twist was a brilliant way to escalate the greatest mystery we have seen thus far in the Avatar world. (On a bit of a tangent here, but in response to Nuile I doubt that Amon’s will is stronger then Toph’s, seeing as she invented a new form of bending by punching metal until it bent. No I suspect that Katara resisted, because as she said, her bending was stronger than Hama’s ) Now this creates a segue to discuss another point of discussion that has been perpetrating in this topic and other parts of the internet. Is Amon energybending in the first place? I believe he is. It is has been brought up by the great Bfahome and as well as by others that what Amon does is different in form that what Aang has previously done. I beg to differ. Granted, each instance of energy bending has it's variables, but they are united by one common denominator, the thumb is on the space in between the eyebrows (there's likely a name for that, but it alludes me). I would wager my life that the only required prerequisite for the physical side of bending is the proper placement of the thumb. In fact, the only real difference Amon's and Aang's technique is the lack of glowing, the fact that Aang uses two hands, and that Amon's soul seems to be unbendable (unlike, what almost happened to Aang when he first tried it). Oh, and the glowing is easy to explain as well. The first example was simply a visible representation of the conflict between the souls of Aang and Ozai, the second was Aang in the Avatar State, which Amon would have to be the Avatar to mimic. There's another thing I can't help but mention (other then the fact that Lin busted three 'criminals' out of prison unquestioned) is that I don't fully understand how Amon knew where Tarlock's hideout was. Is it because Amon followed Tarlock as he fled the city? I feel like that would have been explicated by dialogue. I have begun to suspect that perhaps the conspiracy theories are true, and Tarlock and Amon were once working together, and Tarlock was simply a pawn of Amon, which he decided to remove once the time was right. A possibility I am willing to consider. Yakone being Amon, however, is a possibility that I am not willing to consider, for a multitude of reasons. Another theory I am compelled to discuss is Humva's. I believe it’s quite viable, especially considering how dark ‘Crossroads of Destiny’ was as a Season finale, and how it showed how low the writers are willing to bring these characters. Aang being on the verge of death, Zuko betraying Iroh, and the city of Ba-Sing-Se being conquered by the Fire Nation is comparable to Korra losing her bending. My previous statements pertaining to energybending as expressed in this post also substantiate my faith in the plausibility of this theory. However, there are three things that I believe are in conflict of it. The first of which is the statements by Mike DiMartino that that I have previously mentioned. Second, is the fact that they showed the actual clip, which would be a major spoiler if that theory is correct and huge disappointment for me personally. The final thing is a tiny detail in the clip itself. Notice that her eyes close. In every other clip we’ve seen of someone having their bending taken away, the eyes do not close. It is my hypothesis that is tiny detail is imperative, and that her closing her eyes could mean that is about to enter the Avatar State, or otherwise fight back as Nuile suggested. Just a theory, of course.
Those are my two cents, which I’m sure nobody actually cares about. Unfortunately for you guys, I have another rant cooking in the back of my mind, but that will have to wait.
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It's been confirmed in an interview with Mike DiMartino that each book has its separate story and subsequent resolution, and that Amon is only sticking around for the first season.and yeah, Amon shouldn't be somebody we already seen. That type of plot twist doesn't suit this show well and would come across as either extremely contrived or horribly predictable, despite the fact that the show is being helmed by some of the best writers in television. when I first watched the show, I wasn't thinking of who could behind that mask, doing so simply ignores the more interesting things that personify the character and his intentions.
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I have made a few conclusions from this year's e3.1. Nintendo has gone completely insane. Or has gone insaner, I guess. 2. Every other company involved in this is convention has become placid and complacent and aren't worth paying attention to at this juncture. Except Naughty Dog. Naughty Dog is amazing. However, we knew that already, so it really doesn't count.
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if I hear another "Amon is..." theory I'm going to bash my head against a concrete block repeatedly.
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the fact of the matter is that there is no reason for Korra to learn metalbending other then the fact that it is cool and we need a name for Book 2.and I'm pretty there is more to energybending then just taking away bending and sharing knowledge. It be pretty strange if the original form of bending was only useful for taking away people's ability to take other people's abilities away (remember, there was a time when there were only energybenders) Also, technically speaking it is not deus ex machina, because the writers' planed it from the start, but they gave it so little explication that I can see why some people see it that way. either way, I want answers about energybending.
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I have also been hoping for Book 2 to be Energy... Ever since the series finale, I've always wanted to more about the time before the Avatar, and I've always been clamoring to know more about the mythology of the show, which was one of my favorite parts of the original series and something that I would like to see more of in Legend of Korra. It's been hinted in the DVD commentary, where either Bryan or Mike said "You can bet that we have some ideas about that." Not to mention, with Amon knowing energybending, it's an area that we need to explore, and would be a logical step forward for the series.Now for me, bloodbending always walked a thin line between 'completely lame plot point that breaks the fiction' and 'totally awesome new tenet of the mythology that opens the path for dark character development and plot lines.' I'm glad they're developing it past the point where it seems like a cheap idea invented for the sake of a halfbaked Halloween episode, but if they overuse it they are in horrible danger of losing what it makes it cool, in that it is a esoteric form only masterable by the best waterbenders in the world, and in rare circumstances. Would Korra learn it easily? I doubt it, but it doesn't really matter because it simply isn't an interesting direction for the series to go.While Metalbending is unquestionably awesome, it suffers the same problem in that it really just isn't interesting or necessary in terms of plot.
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nice! some deduction skills! the answers are yes and yes, and the name of the song is Take Me With You When Go by Jack White, incase you were curious. there two women and a crowd of people cheering (?) them on with lack of an explicit cause.
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Jack White is a male. I'm curious to know, have you crashed yet?
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flaming wings aren't very practical, now are they?
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is that a crossover of doctor who and My Little Pony? How does even work? O_o
Describe The Avatar Of The Member Before You!
in Completely Off Topic
Posted
The mask of strength has gained psychic powers!