Evil Genius

papasith wrote:middle ages =/= fantasy middle ages

still the only way i would want to is if i could somehow be associated with some form of magic. that would be badass to be able to use real magic. otherwise it would kind of suck

I'd still prefer to be in a present day fantasy world. That way I could have magic and technology both.

I would prefer the real historical times of darker,simpler days without magic.

There are several historical periods i would enjoy living in the harder life they had.

Today we are too soft. People has trived long before fast food,technology etc

Maybe its because i have lived with somali nomads as a kid and was a goat herder, taking camels. Being out in the wild is much more fun than things that we think we need like internet,technology.

Istvan wrote:

papasith wrote:middle ages =/= fantasy middle ages

still the only way i would want to is if i could somehow be associated with some form of magic. that would be badass to be able to use real magic. otherwise it would kind of suck

I'd still prefer to be in a present day fantasy world. That way I could have magic and technology both.

Good point.

Someone mentioned that in the past they could have had more freedoms. I beg to differ.
What you had on the past were "liberties", you could do lots of stuff simply because they weren't regulated, even acknowledged as activities at all.
On the other hand, freedoms, such as freedom of speech and the like, practically didn't exist back then.
They are inalienable rights we are entitled to have simply because we are humans, and the countries we belong to have the obligation to make sure we are allowed to enjoy them.


I don't give a flying fuck about technology.

What I do care about is my right to express my opinion and access the information I find interesting.
That's why I think the past sucked (that and the ridiculously deficient medical care, which means I would die way too early)

Istvan wrote:

papasith wrote:middle ages =/= fantasy middle ages

still the only way i would want to is if i could somehow be associated with some form of magic. that would be badass to be able to use real magic. otherwise it would kind of suck

I'd still prefer to be in a present day fantasy world. That way I could have magic and technology both.

well with out technology magic would probably be a more dominate power with little to oppose it so being a user of it would elevate your status no dout ^^ meaning you have more pull in society, and such.

granted alot of technology would be missed but could be replaced with magic... all this depends on how the said magic works, ect. of course, im kind of thinking along the lines of d&d magic which is amazeing.
anything less and technology might start becoming higher priority

Libaax wrote:I would prefer the real historical times of darker,simpler days without magic.

There are several historical periods i would enjoy living in the harder life they had.

Today we are too soft. People has trived long before fast food,technology etc

Maybe its because i have lived with somali nomads as a kid and was a goat herder, taking camels. Being out in the wild is much more fun than things that we think we need like internet,technology.

Um. If all you want is to live in a world without much technology/modern convienences, why don't you? There are still a number of places in the world were you could go live on your own in the wild...

papasith wrote: well with out technology magic would probably be a more dominate power with little to oppose it so being a user of it would elevate your status no dout ^^ meaning you have more pull in society, and such.

granted alot of technology would be missed but could be replaced with magic... all this depends on how the said magic works, ect. of course, im kind of thinking along the lines of d&d magic which is amazeing.
anything less and technology might start becoming higher priority

In every system I've seen, magic has strengths and weaknesses, things it does better than technology and things it does worse. That's why I'd want both.

Mind you, in some systems of magic my desire for technology would be stronger than in others. As you say it at least partly depends on the nature of the magic system we're talking about.

The best example of this I could find would be from an old game called Arcanum: Of Steamwork and Magick Obscura.
This game takes place in a magical world that is currently in the middle of an industrial revolution. Magick and Technology are utterly incompatible. It's entirely possible to do both though, as long as you don't try shooting a mage, or casting on a technologist. How it works, is a person who's aptitude towards one rating or another determines it's effectiveness. For example, if you are a mage, you will find that technological gadgets tend to not function. If you are so powerful, you won't even be allowed to ride the train. Wheras, if you are a technologist, the elves will behave very badly towards you.
It's a fairly lopsided system though, as it's much easier to simply use guns than it is to use magic. A dwarven magician will play easier than an Elf technologist. It's a very cool game, you might could download it if you search using the words "torrent"....
It's a very deep game, everything is important. From race(human, elf, dwarf, half orc, half ogre, half elf), to gender (male/female). But the concept of magic vs. technology is very pertinent to the game. I made it sound like magick is weak, but it isn't. One of the first spells you learn(Harm) can become a near-instant kill once your aptitude with magick gets so high. The quests can be solved multiple ways. There is even one where if you kill the guy you need for the quest, you can summon their spirits to get what information you may need. There is one guy who's already dead that tricks you into a quest, once you solve the quest his spirit disappears, you can summon him back and taunt him. It's very cool.
When I think of magick on a realistic level, I think more of native american shamanism, and perhaps the rituals groups like the Golden Dawn preform(google Key of Solomon). I even wonder if some of that stuff really is real or not. Geronimo was shot many many times, and then died of old age. People still practice occultism, and if you're in the right circles, you can listen to people talk about very weird(supernatural/paranormal) experiences they've had. My ultimate conclusion on that kind of stuff is that there's still a lot we don't know about this universe we're thrust into at birth, so it's entirely possible that stuff is real. I myself have had weird stuff happen to me that just defies logic and reasoning.

Istvan wrote:

Libaax wrote:I would prefer the real historical times of darker,simpler days without magic.

There are several historical periods i would enjoy living in the harder life they had.

Today we are too soft. People has trived long before fast food,technology etc

Maybe its because i have lived with somali nomads as a kid and was a goat herder, taking camels. Being out in the wild is much more fun than things that we think we need like internet,technology.

Um. If all you want is to live in a world without much technology/modern convienences, why don't you? There are still a number of places in the world were you could go live on your own in the wild...

papasith wrote: well with out technology magic would probably be a more dominate power with little to oppose it so being a user of it would elevate your status no dout ^^ meaning you have more pull in society, and such.

granted alot of technology would be missed but could be replaced with magic... all this depends on how the said magic works, ect. of course, im kind of thinking along the lines of d&d magic which is amazeing.
anything less and technology might start becoming higher priority

In every system I've seen, magic has strengths and weaknesses, things it does better than technology and things it does worse. That's why I'd want both.

Mind you, in some systems of magic my desire for technology would be stronger than in others. As you say it at least partly depends on the nature of the magic system we're talking about.

The thing is I would want a wild, free of modern humans waste. Today you cant live simpler life in the wild in my home country cause of wars and people leaving cities ruining the wilder places. I dont to live in an old school way in another country. Thats my problem. Im happy enough living a modern life in Sweden. But not having a country to go back makes you romantic for simpler days.

Thats why i dream about my homelands before the wars,colonisation days. Living as a nomad in the steppes when there werent many humans around.

Sure i know there werent as much freedom in earlier times but there were simpler in ways if you live in places that arent worth conquering.

You can't do that in the USA either, 'cause the Government owns everything. You'd get arrested for poaching if you tried that. You'd have to "buy" some land that had enough ground to hunt in. And then, you'd have to pay your rent(taxes), or they'll arrest you. To own land, or even hunt(which requires a permit that costs money), you have to have a job(which you have to pay taxes for too) with some kind of tax.
Of course, it would be entirely possible for you to sell the hides and some of the meat for money, but if you do it too much and un-officially, you'll get arrested for income tax evasion.
Life in this 'modern' age just cannot be simple.

Someone far wiser than me once said: "Life's tough isn't it?....yeah............WRONG! Life's easy! YOU SUCK!"

Nah, just kidding.

Seriously though, why would you prefer a simple life over a more complicated one? Aren't all those complications the ones that make it worth living?
The simpler your life is, the duller it is as well.
More diversity means more complications. Or thats the way I look at it.

On an unrelated note: Is it just me, or Tv-Tropes has been mentioned (and used as reference) more and more lately?

Rolos wrote:On an unrelated note: Is it just me, or Tv-Tropes has been mentioned (and used as reference) more and more lately?

Yes, I think so. It seems that way to me as well.

Istvan wrote:I'd still prefer to be in a present day fantasy world. That way I could have magic and technology both.

Yeah, that would be completely awesome. Though, any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.

Rolos wrote:On an unrelated note: Is it just me, or Tv-Tropes has been mentioned (and used as reference) more and more lately?

Indeed. Dunno when that started but it seems some people here found that site almost at the same time through different means. And it's an awesome site that I surf whenever I am bored usually. And then I can't stop surfing it for hours on end!

I have always liked trying to mix magic and technology in my stories. I'm currently tapping away on a story that's about an ancient war involving magic in the modern world. You got things like demons and angels smashing it out with eachother and possessing people to smash it out. The main character, i made from the early 1700's who was a simple soldier who ended up being possessed by a demon, and an alchemist trapped and confined the demon within his right arm. The demon is trapped there and confined by the seal, but the guy had gained many different powers from it, for one he doesn't age, i'll add a few others later. I'm still in the early stages of the story, and I really have no idea where it's gonna go, except the guy has become some sort of focal point in the war. The demons want to kill him to set the demon in his arm free, the angels wants to kill the demon in his arm, and i got some netural forces in there that just want to survive without either side gaining the advantage.
I also put all kinds of monsters in it and stuff, like vampires and werewolfs(I call them vargulfs in the story). I also decided to expand the world into multiple worlds dimensions and plains of existence, which I think will add more scope to the story. Honestly... when I think about it.... It's more like Supernatural vs. Constantine. Man.... I can't wait for September 1st. I'm going to get the season DVD set and watch them in a marathon with a neighbor girl(meow!)
Anyways. If you guys are interested in any of the stories or fragments of stories(they are all almost short stories or just story fragments), I'd be more than happy to post them for you to enjoy. Understand they are mostly rough drafts, but I love to tell a good story. I honestly wouldn't even mind if other writers borrowed the story pieces or ideas from me. I never plan to publish anything, ever, so i don't care. If you're interested, i'll share, if not, I wont be offended. I'll just cut myself in the cold dark place within my mind and silently curse the universe in a rant advocating a stateless society. Also, many of my stories are very adult, not quite X rated, but i put my characters through hell. Rated R, pretty much. Hellraiser on Steroids, "It's Uncle Frank, come to daddie!"
Peace!

Does anyone here post at or read Skullknight.net?

Though I appreciate and respect the moderator's (Aazelith I believe) dedication and passion, and would put up his expertise of Berserk against anybody.......Is it me or does the guy there come off as a dickhead of sorts.

I never really read through their forums before but I'll give them some props for having an active and ongoing community for Berserk discussion that has persisted even during the current wave of droughts.

does anyone know when was the first release?

The Prince wrote:Does anyone here post at or read Skullknight.net?

Though I appreciate and respect the moderator's (Aazelith I believe) dedication and passion, and would put up his expertise of Berserk against anybody.......Is it me or does the guy there come off as a dickhead of sorts.

I never really read through their forums before but I'll give them some props for having an active and ongoing community for Berserk discussion that has persisted even during the current wave of droughts.

Never really posted on there before, though I have used their site as reference for certain things. They also have a pretty good amount of berserk related merch/statues on their site. I kinda want to buy a statue kit and paint/modify it myself but I don't have all the necessary equipment to do that yet.

The Prince wrote:Does anyone here post at or read Skullknight.net?

Though I appreciate and respect the moderator's (Aazelith I believe) dedication and passion, and would put up his expertise of Berserk against anybody.......Is it me or does the guy there come off as a dickhead of sorts.

I lurk around more than post there (same as here), but it's a very good forum too. About Aaz, despite the great respect I have for him for all the things you said above, yeah, I might say he takes his geekness too far sometimes. Not a big deal, though.
Anyway, that's not the place to talk about Sk.net's moderators or whatever

Starnum wrote: but anyway, the spelling of Casca is important to me because that's what I named my daughter. I think using the C's instead of a "c" and a "k" is more consistent. Also, some people say her name like, "Cah-sca". Which is okay cuz that's how they say it in the anime, but I believe it's actually pronounced "Cass-ca", with a long "a" sound, and that's how my friends and I say it, so that's how we say my daughter's name.

Sorry for quoting that fairly old post, but i just read it now (looking for something interesting..)
It's really cute that you called your daughter Casca, in English it sounds very good. But I can't help to find it weird (I'm just got used to the character's name some months ago, in spite of the couple of years I've been following the manga), 'cause in portuguese "casca" means literally "shell" like in eggshell (casca de ovo) or nutshell (casca de noz). Here it gives the impression of something empty, shallow and/or artificial. So whenever I say her name I pronounce the "s" a little bit different (like in "ask", same as in Japanese, while by my Rio's accent it'd be more like in "cash") not to get caught by this silly "prejudice". Thinking about it now, fits neo-Casca a bit.
Anyway, since it's your daughter's name, I found it interesting for you to know

The way I figure it, in America the J in my name ("Benjamin") is a hard J, but I drive south for a couple hours and all of a sudden it's pronounced the way I would pronounce an H. So I figure you can pronounce Casca's name however you like, within reason, and it's not wrong, it's just said with a different accent.

hbi2k wrote:The way I figure it, in America the J in my name ("Benjamin") is a hard J, but I drive south for a couple hours and all of a sudden it's pronounced the way I would pronounce an H. So I figure you can pronounce Casca's name however you like, within reason, and it's not wrong, it's just said with a different accent.

Yeah, when names get appropriated into a different language they change the pronunciation, usually cause of grammar rules and available vowels and consonants (and because of unintended meanings or mistakes). It's bound to happen, so it's hard to go wrong when pronouncing names.

My name, Daniel is pronounced Dah-nee-eh-l in Spanish, with enphasis on the las E instead of the A as you would pronounce it in English. In Japanese, since they don't have an L sound, my name then becomes danieru (ダニエル). You choose how you want people to say your name, that's pretty much how it goes.

War Machine wrote:You choose how you want people to say your name, that's pretty much how it goes.

oh, yeah, I agree completely.
I guess my post may have sounded other way, but the point of it was more at the meaning of Casca's name in portuguese than its pronounce - and that changing it from japanese to the way we say this word here in Rio (just the bit different "s") would be giving her a bad nickname. For other states, it's even worse, as the pronounce is the same as in jap.

Btw, I read somewhere Casca in Russian means helmet (another fan having trouble getting used to the name). Do you know if it means anything else in other languages?

Is there any likelihood that Berserk may have inspired Cloud and Sephiroth from FFVII?

Hey guys.
I just wanted to say that the last chapters are really boring. I must say that Kentaro Miura somehow lost the direction of Berserk.
Just watched an episode of that anime (also read the manga to the latest chapter) and i remembered that the anime's aim was that Griffith wanted to fullfill his dream. The story mainly based on that dream (also on the dream of Gutts) but now i do not know what Griffith's aim is and why there are so many Apostels surround him.
I think to many new characters are getting involved with every new chapter. In my opinion the latest chapter (and so the latest story) somehow lost the spirit of berserk. What do you think?

PS:Sorry for my bad english, i am german.

Why is it that when I read volume 13 of the manga, Neurosis's Through Silver in Blood reverberates inside my head?