Random Thoughts of Members (anything goes...well with in forum rules)

[PsychoSith]

Now I actually do agree with logos on principle.  Just not in this case since there is an explanation abeit one not just given to you on a silver platter.


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It’s always been my idea that unless stated otherwise fantasy worlds play by their own rules. I mean there’s plenty enough in Star Wars, like why fighters move like they’re flying through an atmosphere in all the fight scenes. The real answer is because it was a style choice that looked good, but for in-universe it’s just something we as the audience have to accept as part of the fantasy.

Now obviously there’s limits and some explanation is expected, but In a high fantasy world if you tell me there’s a dragon created by a higher beings so large it blots out the sun and crushed mountains underfoot, yeah I’ll roll with it.

[Master Seblaise]

Hey .... what a discussion about the Silmarillion here

I have been a big fan of Arda since the first time I read Bilbo (Bilbos in French) when I was 9.

I read every books by JRR countless times. In recent years, it was a pleasure to read what I call the Christopher Tolkien Trilogy : Beren and Luthien ; Children of Hurin ; Fall of Gondolin.

I played countless times to Middle Earth Role Playing .... and now, I play to The One Ring ...

I was SOOOOOO happy, late in the 90's when we learned about the movies by Peter Jackson (By the way, I remember a rumor announcing Sean Connery as Gandalf) ... And, except for some little details, these movies were great ...

Then came the Hobbit Trilogie ... and Christopher Tolkien felt betrayed by Peter Jackson and that put an end to my dream to see the Silmarillion on big screen.

Now that Christopher Tolkien (this GREAT man) is gone ... who knows ...

Amazon bought the LOTR (including the Appendixes) for a TV show and they will propose a show about the 2nd Age ... Is this a first step to a live action adaptation of the Silmarillion?? I hope

The Silmarillion is too complex to become a movie (too many characters and too much millenium) ... But a TV show will be a very great idea

HOPE.

[Darth Tepes]

Hey .... what a discussion about the Silmarillion here

I have been a big fan of Arda since the first time I read Bilbo (Bilbos in French) when I was 9.

I read every books by JRR countless times. In recent years, it was a pleasure to read what I call the Christopher Tolkien Trilogy : Beren and Luthien ; Children of Hurin ; Fall of Gondolin.

I played countless times to Middle Earth Role Playing .... and now, I play to The One Ring ...

I was SOOOOOO happy, late in the 90's when we learned about the movies by Peter Jackson (By the way, I remember a rumor announcing Sean Connery as Gandalf) ... And, except for some little details, these movies were great ...

Then came the Hobbit Trilogie ... and Christopher Tolkien felt betrayed by Peter Jackson and that put an end to my dream to see the Silmarillion on big screen.

Now that Christopher Tolkien (this GREAT man) is gone ... who knows ...

Amazon bought the LOTR (including the Appendixes) for a TV show and they will propose a show about the 2nd Age ... Is this a first step to a live action adaptation of the Silmarillion?? I hope

The Silmarillion is too complex to become a movie (too many characters and too much millenium) ... But a TV show will be a very great idea

HOPE.

Christopher Tolkien felt betrayed by the first films and disassociated himself from them...even practically disowning a family member in the process.  Honestly many of us who consider ourselves Tolkien purists have little to no love for the films as adaptations.  I've said here before as films they are masterpieces but as adaptations they fail.  It all depends on which one of those is more important to you as a viewer.  The Amazon show is already shaping up to be a crap show.  They have put out a casting call for a "younger" Galadriel....while of course she was chronologically younger physically she would have looked the same in the 2nd age as she did in the 3rd.  The real kicker is the two Tolkien scholars walked off the project due to differences.....that doesn't instill hope.  As for Sean Connery....that wasn't rumor. He was offered the role but said he had no idea what the hell it was about and declined.

[Infinit01]

Good Morning, everyone!

[Master Seblaise]

Christopher Tolkien felt betrayed by the first films and disassociated himself from them...even practically disowning a family member in the process.  Honestly many of us who consider ourselves Tolkien purists have little to no love for the films as adaptations.  I've said here before as films they are masterpieces but as adaptations they fail.  It all depends on which one of those is more important to you as a viewer.  The Amazon show is already shaping up to be a crap show.  They have put out a casting call for a "younger" Galadriel....while of course she was chronologically younger physically she would have looked the same in the 2nd age as she did in the 3rd.  The real kicker is the two Tolkien scholars walked off the project due to differences.....that doesn't instill hope.  As for Sean Connery....that wasn't rumor. He was offered the role but said he had no idea what the hell it was about and declined.

Maybe I am not a Tolkien purist but there are many things that disappointed me in the movies. Tom Bombadil, the Galgals, Glorfindel, Theoden's behavior, the end of Saruman .... just to cite few example ... But any way, I really liked them.

It is not true for the Hobbit .... that are bad movies as they are bad adaptation.

I have still hope for the amazon show.
Regarding tho the characters, We have to keep in mind that it is disconnected to Peter Jackson movies and the associated teams ... so it is logical that they cast different actors and actresses. If Galadriel looks younger, it is just because the actress is younger than Cate Blanchett ... not because they want to figure a younger one ...
Regarding to the scholar ... well, it is not a good news but as Tolkien scholars are no always agree with each others ...

We will see ....


And Netflix wants to make a D&D adaptation ....

[Darth Logos]

You're not entirely wrong, though it is really more of the creation of Middle-Earth, and everything leading up the the Lord of the Rings. It has been described as the Bible for Middle-Earth, and that is actually a pretty apt description of it.

I enjoy watching the Hobbit movies because they are fun, but when you look at them as anything more than that (adaptions of a Masterpiece), they fall utterly short. I absolutely recommend reading the book sometime, because it is incredible. If you don't like/have time to read, I recommend listening to it. Andy Serkis narrated it this past year, and though I haven't listened to much of it, he did an incredible job (no surprise there). Definitely worth checking out.

They're all on my hitlist, by lately I've not had much drive to read.

Let me expand on my brief answer now I'm in front of my computer.  First, The Sillmirillion is not a story in the like of LOTR or The Hobbit.  As was stated before it is very much written like The Bible.  Some things are described in great detail..some are left vague....just like real history.  This was done on purpose of course.  So you can't look at the world building in the way we do Star Wars or Star Trek where things eventually get explained.  Tolkien never said how big Ancalagon actually was...only that he blacked out the sky and crushed the volcanos when he fell.  It's enough to give us an idea this bastard was a big (in every sense) threat.  Those measurements were made by a fan based on drawings by Tolkien so its all speculation.
                 Second, when considering things like this... don't even attempt to use natural laws...because they didn't exist there.  At least yet.  Anacalagon lived and died during the First Age of the Sun...called as such because the Sun was created then.  This is also when man first appeared.  Before the world was lit by two large Lamps...then when those were destroyed by Morgoth it was lit by two trees....which were also destroyed by Morgoth and Ungiloant (Giant Spider and mother of Shelob).  The world (Arda) was different..... natural laws were in flux.  Rage and powers of creation were being thrown around.  No rules basically until  Morgoth was defeated (well..temporarily.  He is supposed to return one day).  As well the structure and size of Arda were larger and was even Flat in the beginning.  It was made to accommodate those larger beings.  Anacalagon's death was a major catalyst in not only the War with the Dark Powers but how the world itself worked.

I can't completely argue with your earlier statement. It is a widely held theory that the Earth used to be bigger as well. The theory speculates that the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs resulted in a significant displacement of mass that ultimately resulted in the formation of the moon.

This. This is my default when talking about fantasy unless explicitly stated otherwise.

It’s always been my idea that unless stated otherwise fantasy worlds play by their own rules. I mean there’s plenty enough in Star Wars, like why fighters move like they’re flying through an atmosphere in all the fight scenes. The real answer is because it was a style choice that looked good, but for in-universe it’s just something we as the audience have to accept as part of the fantasy.

Now obviously there’s limits and some explanation is expected, but In a high fantasy world if you tell me there’s a dragon created by a higher beings so large it blots out the sun and crushed mountains underfoot, yeah I’ll roll with it.

My default is Earth standard. Unless explained or adequately shown enough to formulate workable theories, go with what you know. Two of my favorite examples are from SW Ep.2 and ST: Generation. In ATC Slave I launched "seismic" charges. The sight, sound, and result was awesome to see, BUT 'seismic' refers to quakes and vibrations within the crust of a planet's surface. In Generations, every time a star pops it results in a catastrophic "shockwave". Shockwave - "a sharp change of pressure in a narrow region traveling through a medium, especially air, caused by explosion or by a body moving faster than sound." Both depict spectacular effects that are designed to give our heroes a bad day. But going off the names, they are dependent upon a medium to travel through. There is NO media in space. BUT I try not discount the idea that these misnomers might be attributed to the lack of suitable vernacular to accurately describe the phenomena to the layman.

As for Sean Connery....that wasn't rumor. He was offered the role but said he had no idea what the hell it was about and declined.

Which was probably for the best, as far as actor continuity is concerned. RIP 007.

[Taegin Roan]

I've got to say, this makes me very happy. Discussion around LOTR taking place on a Star Wars platform?!?! My two favs in one!

It’s always been my idea that unless stated otherwise fantasy worlds play by their own rules. I mean there’s plenty enough in Star Wars, like why fighters move like they’re flying through an atmosphere in all the fight scenes. The real answer is because it was a style choice that looked good, but for in-universe it’s just something we as the audience have to accept as part of the fantasy.

Now obviously there’s limits and some explanation is expected, but In a high fantasy world if you tell me there’s a dragon created by a higher beings so large it blots out the sun and crushed mountains underfoot, yeah I’ll roll with it.

Pretty much my opinion as well. The thing about magic, is it changes the rules and laws. There are countless examples of magic systems that defy gravity or any of the many other scientific laws. Dragons are known to be magical creatures, they are never not considered so (I'm not talking about Comodo Dragons here, I'm talking about big, flying, firebreathing [or ice] dragons). So it seems very likely to me that the natural laws would not apply to dragons in the same way they do to normal humans.

Good Morning, everyone!

Mornin' Infinit!

Maybe I am not a Tolkien purist but there are many things that disappointed me in the movies. Tom Bombadil, the Galgals, Glorfindel, Theoden's behavior, the end of Saruman .... just to cite few example ... But any way, I really liked them.

It is not true for the Hobbit .... that are bad movies as they are bad adaptation.

I have still hope for the amazon show.
Regarding tho the characters, We have to keep in mind that it is disconnected to Peter Jackson movies and the associated teams ... so it is logical that they cast different actors and actresses. If Galadriel looks younger, it is just because the actress is younger than Cate Blanchett ... not because they want to figure a younger one ...
Regarding to the scholar ... well, it is not a good news but as Tolkien scholars are no always agree with each others ...

We will see ....

Of course I want the LOTR show to be amazing, but I don't have super high hopes.

I would consider myself a "near purist". Small changes can be made in adapting something (very hard to adapt something without them), but they need to stay as faithful as possible. I love the LOTR movies, but I cannot see them as great adaptations. They are merely okay adaptions. The fact that they left out huge characters and events such as Bombadil, Glorfindel, the Scouring of the Shire, etc. is what really drops them so low in my opinion.

They're all on my hitlist, by lately I've not had much drive to read.

The best way to get out of a reading slump is to start something new (and different) from what you last read.

I can't completely argue with your earlier statement. It is a widely held theory that the Earth used to be bigger as well. The theory speculates that the meteor impact that killed the dinosaurs resulted in a significant displacement of mass that ultimately resulted in the formation of the moon.

I don't buy into this theory at all, but that is a discussion for somewhere else.

My default is Earth standard. Unless explained or adequately shown enough to formulate workable theories, go with what you know. Two of my favorite examples are from SW Ep.2 and ST: Generation. In ATC Slave I launched "seismic" charges. The sight, sound, and result was awesome to see, BUT 'seismic' refers to quakes and vibrations within the crust of a planet's surface. In Generations, every time a star pops it results in a catastrophic "shockwave". Shockwave - "a sharp change of pressure in a narrow region traveling through a medium, especially air, caused by explosion or by a body moving faster than sound." Both depict spectacular effects that are designed to give our heroes a bad day. But going off the names, they are dependent upon a medium to travel through. There is NO media in space. BUT I try not discount the idea that these misnomers might be attributed to the lack of suitable vernacular to accurately describe the phenomena to the layman.

I think the suitable vernacular thing is definitely true for ST, but in SW, we can chalk it up to translation issues. They do not technically speak English in SW, it is Galactic Basic. By making movies on Earth about a Galaxy Far Far Away where they speak Galactic Basic, you would have to translate it, or else nobody would understand it. As such, it is literally just a translation issue. It is quite possible that the official name for "seismic charges" is something different, but seismic is the closest English translation we have. This type of thing happens all the time, even between the languages of Earth, so why wouldn't it happen between the languages of space and earth.

[PsychoSith]

My default is Earth standard. Unless explained or adequately shown enough to formulate workable theories, go with what you know. Two of my favorite examples are from SW Ep.2 and ST: Generation. In ATC Slave I launched "seismic" charges. The sight, sound, and result was awesome to see, BUT 'seismic' refers to quakes and vibrations within the crust of a planet's surface. In Generations, every time a star pops it results in a catastrophic "shockwave". Shockwave - "a sharp change of pressure in a narrow region traveling through a medium, especially air, caused by explosion or by a body moving faster than sound." Both depict spectacular effects that are designed to give our heroes a bad day. But going off the names, they are dependent upon a medium to travel through. There is NO media in space. BUT I try not discount the idea that these misnomers might be attributed to the lack of suitable vernacular to accurately describe the phenomena to the layman.

Ooh! I have trivia for this! In fact, the scene where Q'oNoS' moon, Praxis, explodes and causes a horizontal "shockwave" became a trope in many sci-fi franchises. So much so that the visual effect in question is now known as a "Praxis Shockwave" for whenever you see a 2-dimensional "shockwave" in space.

[Infinit01]

Mornin' Infinit!

Hey there, Taegin!


Good Morning, all!

[Master Seblaise]

Hey there, Taegin!


Good Morning, all!

Already sunset here 

[Darth Logos]

Pretty much my opinion as well. The thing about magic, is it changes the rules and laws. There are countless examples of magic systems that defy gravity or any of the many other scientific laws. Dragons are known to be magical creatures, they are never not considered so (I'm not talking about Komodo Dragons here, I'm talking about big, flying, firebreathing [or ice] dragons). So it seems very likely to me that the natural laws would not apply to dragons in the same way they do to normal humans.

Yeah, but if it is explained within the text, that because oh magic, shell doesn't work in a manner that you would deem as common, then deviations stand. It's like without explanation, would you expect someone within the story to catch fire from being stabbed with a sword? No. You expect them to bleed to death. Now there was a wicked incident where a specific TYPE of blade, even making a non-fatal wound, was poisoning its victim.

The best way to get out of a reading slump is to start something new (and different) from what you last read.

Perhaps. Might have to give it a shot. But then comes the big question: where do I start?

I don't buy into this theory at all, but that is a discussion for somewhere else.

Discussed somewhere else.

I think the suitable vernacular thing is definitely true for ST, but in SW, we can chalk it up to translation issues. They do not technically speak English in SW, it is Galactic Basic. By making movies on Earth about a Galaxy Far Far Away where they speak Galactic Basic, you would have to translate it, or else nobody would understand it. As such, it is literally just a translation issue. It is quite possible that the official name for "seismic charges" is something different, but seismic is the closest English translation we have. This type of thing happens all the time, even between the languages of Earth, so why wouldn't it happen between the languages of space and earth.

It's a nice idea, BUT something I forgot to point out yesterday is that explosions in space general are sphereical, not circular. It was cool to see, and there may actually be a mechanic within the design of the ordinance that can deliver that effect, but it wasn't explained. Give me ALL of the knowledge.

Ooh! I have trivia for this! In fact, the scene where Q'oNoS' moon, Praxis, explodes and causes a horizontal "shockwave" became a trope in many sci-fi franchises. So much so that the visual effect in question is now known as a "Praxis Shockwave" for whenever you see a 2-dimensional "shockwave" in space.

You mean Kronos? Yeah, yeah. Praxis was the first time I think we had ever seen that effect on the big screen. And for the time, HOLY $#!% was it KEWL. I tried to attribute the circular nature of that "shockwave" to the idea that perhaps the equatorial reigion may have had the greatest concentration of fault lines, resulting in the explosion concentrating in a ring. I first started questioning this when the pyramid ship get nuked in Stargate. And then Georgie ripped it for the "special ed" releases. Traditional in ROTJ, but vertical in ANH.

But now that I think about it, I highly doubt that the Praxis "shockwave" would have traveled that far from a source as small as a moon. Star going supernova, perhaps, but not a moon.

[Taegin Roan]

Yeah, but if it is explained within the text, that because oh magic, shell doesn't work in a manner that you would deem as common, then deviations stand. It's like without explanation, would you expect someone within the story to catch fire from being stabbed with a sword? No. You expect them to bleed to death. Now there was a wicked incident where a specific TYPE of blade, even making a non-fatal wound, was poisoning its victim.

Agreed, but Dragons are a bit of a special case.

Perhaps. Might have to give it a shot. But then comes the big question: where do I start?

Depends on what the last thing you read was. I'm more than willing to give ideas if you wish (book stuff is kind of a hobby for me).

Discussed somewhere else.

 

It's a nice idea, BUT something I forgot to point out yesterday is that explosions in space general are sphereical, not circular. It was cool to see, and there may actually be a mechanic within the design of the ordinance that can deliver that effect, but it wasn't explained. Give me ALL of the knowledge.

Sure. I would like to point out though that it is Space that has a whole lot of extremely advanced technology. They've mastered space travel, energy weapons, and a giant space station that can destroy entire planets. I'd say it is possible to have a space bomb that sounds awesome when it explodes (I know, sound doesn't travel through a vacuum), and is blue, and looks awesome, and explodes outward in a more shockwave type exlosion.

[Darth Logos]

Time for an aside...


So, I not only did a thing over the weekend, I did THE Thing.



So I would have been steadily keeping y'all apprised of this development, but she semi-frequents this forum, and I couldn't show my hand.

It all started as usual with one of my hairbrained schemes.

Step one: Find a holocron.

This was a task in itself. Googled custom glass ring boxes, and all hits pointed to Etsy. Stranger still, everyone that I reached out to for this project is in Russia. Systematically went from shop to shop, asking

"Do you take custom orders?"
"Yes we take custom orders."
"Can you make something that resembles a Sith holocron?"

And I got answers from "No, we can only do what we have listed," to "Yes, but we can't do red glass." GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Then I found KirillKenzan. He was totally cool. He already knew what I was looking for. Even had a sample pane. 



So, after about 2-3 weeks of going back and forth on design ideas, we eventually came up with this...



He said he thoroughly enjoyed this build. I told he is more than welcome to continue selling this design, and even suggested making blue cubes as well. Figured there is a definite niche market for the SW nerds looking to propose. He was thrilled.


Step 2: Get the ring

Funny story behind this. One Saturday in September, we had gone out ring shopping. Not for engagement rings, but for wedding bands, so that we knew what we wanted. Later, that day I was hit with an idea about a princess cut with marquees framing the corners. We even sketched it out.



No bullshell, I went shopping online the following Monday, and THIS was the first thing I see.



This was it.

Step 3: Do the thing

It just wouldn't be one of my schemes without an elaborately staged setup and lots of personal meaning poured into it. Because cosplay is a significant thing in our lives (it was a cosplay event that brought us together) and I always thought it would be exceptionally awesome to propose at a con, that's how I was going to do it. Then 2020 happened. #$%&!!! No cons, no nothing. #$%&ing cooties. So I decided to adapt. My church always does a Trunk-or-Treat event. There's my chance.......NOPE. Someone caught it, and all church functions are shut down for the last 2 weeks.  Went digging, looking for other such events in the area. MOAR NUTHIN. So I said screw it, I'll just ask on Halloween. Then I get a call. -_- Her brother wants to go all the way to Pennsylvania to look at a car because frell me, he just HAS to have this one. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but it left Kath with no one to babysit her cockatoo while she's out with me. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF#######################################################################!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point I am about to declare all out war on the universe for throwing everything and the kitchen sink in my way. Fortunately, thanks to powers beyond my full comprehension, things started smoothing out. She made it out. Good thing I didn't lose my cool.

So, Halloween comes about. The day is going good. I have my buddy swing by on the sly to get the ring from me. Trick-or-Treat is commencing, and we're getting ready to go out in high Sith style. WE were "going to go for a walk in costume."  While walking I decide to go "bug" my buddy. We stop at his place. After a little friendly banter, he hands me the box. I take a knee and ask


"Lady Agana Kath, will you rule the galaxy with me as my wife?"

[Beeblebrox]

He did THE thing!  
Congratulations to both of you!

[TheDutchman]

Time for an aside...


So, I not only did a thing over the weekend, I did THE Thing.



So I would have been steadily keeping y'all apprised of this development, but she semi-frequents this forum, and I couldn't show my hand.

It all started as usual with one of my hairbrained schemes.

Step one: Find a holocron.

This was a task in itself. Googled custom glass ring boxes, and all hits pointed to Etsy. Stranger still, everyone that I reached out to for this project is in Russia. Systematically went from shop to shop, asking

"Do you take custom orders?"
"Yes we take custom orders."
"Can you make something that resembles a Sith holocron?"

And I got answers from "No, we can only do what we have listed," to "Yes, but we can't do red glass." GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Then I found KirillKenzan. He was totally cool. He already knew what I was looking for. Even had a sample pane.  



So, after about 2-3 weeks of going back and forth on design ideas, we eventually came up with this...



He said he thoroughly enjoyed this build. I told he is more than welcome to continue selling this design, and even suggested making blue cubes as well. Figured there is a definite niche market for the SW nerds looking to propose. He was thrilled.


Step 2: Get the ring

Funny story behind this. One Saturday in September, we had gone out ring shopping. Not for engagement rings, but for wedding bands, so that we knew what we wanted. Later, that day I was hit with an idea about a princess cut with marquees framing the corners. We even sketched it out.



No bullshell, I went shopping online the following Monday, and THIS was the first thing I see.



This was it.

Step 3: Do the thing

It just wouldn't be one of my schemes without an elaborately staged setup and lots of personal meaning poured into it. Because cosplay is a significant thing in our lives (it was a cosplay event that brought us together) and I always thought it would be exceptionally awesome to propose at a con, that's how I was going to do it. Then 2020 happened. #$%&!!! No cons, no nothing. #$%&ing cooties. So I decided to adapt. My church always does a Trunk-or-Treat event. There's my chance.......NOPE. Someone caught it, and all church functions are shut down for the last 2 weeks.   Went digging, looking for other such events in the area. MOAR NUTHIN. So I said screw it, I'll just ask on Halloween. Then I get a call. -_- Her brother wants to go all the way to Pennsylvania to look at a car because frell me, he just HAS to have this one. Normally this wouldn't be an issue, but it left Kath with no one to babysit her cockatoo while she's out with me. FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFF#######################################################################!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point I am about to declare all out war on the universe for throwing everything and the kitchen sink in my way. Fortunately, thanks to powers beyond my full comprehension, things started smoothing out. She made it out. Good thing I didn't lose my cool.

So, Halloween comes about. The day is going good. I have my buddy swing by on the sly to get the ring from me. Trick-or-Treat is commencing, and we're getting ready to go out in high Sith style. WE were "going to go for a walk in costume."   While walking I decide to go "bug" my buddy. We stop at his place. After a little friendly banter, he hands me the box. I take a knee and ask


"Lady Agana Kath, will you rule the galaxy with me as my wife?"

CONGRATULATIONS Logos (and Kath!)  

Now THAT is a fantastic story to tell the family!  May you both be happy for the rest of your lives (together!)  

Oh, and the holocron/ring is just genius