Quite a turnout

[Kitwulfen]

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And perhaps I shouldn't have said "consistently mediocre." Ralph's art has improved over the years. So it's escaping mediocrity, and the quality isn't consistent in that the quality is getting better. Otherwise, I stand by my statements.

[EdBecerra]

Even before the gun came along, the Welsh Longbow proved to be a very cost-effective way of taking down Knights and led directly to the Magna Carta, the first time an English king agreed to bow to the rule of law in 1251.

The Welsh longbow wasn't in general use in England at the time. The Magna Carta happened because John was a weak king. Understand that it benefited no one but his barons; the common people had nothing to do with it. But England has never had an absolute monarchy.

You're making a common error here, Accy..

Yes, I agree with you that the Magna Carta only benefitted the barons - AT FIRST!

But keep in mind that if you see YOUR boss planting a dagger in the back of HIS boss, remember, it'll tend to give you ideas. Even the barons present at the signing recognized that, and in mere weeks began to fear that they'd given their own knights "ideas above their station".

And when the first knight tried something like that, it later occured to HIM that hey, if the baron could do it to the king, and he, the knight, could do it to the baron, what's to prevent the squire from doing it to the knight? Or the peasant from doing it to the squire?

In the long run, the act of the Magna Carta undermined the 'heaven-sent' authority of the nobility, putting huge cracks into the foundation it rested on. Cracks that eventually spread, and helped bring down monarchies and nobilities.

[Earl McClaw]

And perhaps I shouldn't have said "consistently mediocre." Ralph's art has improved over the years. So it's escaping mediocrity, and the quality isn't consistent in that the quality is getting better. Otherwise, I stand by my statements.

How much of Ralph's non-comic work have you seen? (For those who are curious, try here or his space on Yerf.)

As someone struggling just to make himself draw, I've read enough about drawing to realize that sequential art (like the strips) has an intrinsic difference from single-piece art, not the least of which is time. Many (possibly most) of the artists you've listed wouldn't be able to produce a monthly strip let alone the once-strip-a-day schedule Ralph used to maintain. And Ralph can draw single pieces of exceptional quality. (Photographic? No, but he can get as much or more expression and story out of what he does than any photo-realistic piece.) I have a friend who's a fine artist in her own right, but she knows she can't do sequential.

(Gad, I just made myself wish Ralph was on a regular schedule again. Even a slow once-a-week-per-strip.)

Personally, I think Ralph's work has settled in to the tone and pace of his strips very nicely. The extra effort to color TotQ meshes well with the epic nature of the story, and the styles used in N&T and GH are as much a part of the setting as the characters.

So I guess it depends on your definition of "mediocre".

[Acolyte]

You're making a common error here, Accy..

Can we stay on-topic please? The point is that the longbow did not lead to the Magna Carta, which was not enacted for the benefit of the archers! That it later led to expanded freedoms all around is indisuptable. It's also not under discussion.

[Acolyte]

But the question is, would the English have won without the longbows?

Maybe...

But the French had an overwhelming numerical superiority, and even under the prevailing conditions they managed to reach Henry and engage him personally. Any force outnumbered by a 6-1 margin must have everything go just right if it's going to prevail. Even if the revisionist view that the English were outnumbered by only 3-2 is correct, that's a significant advantage for the French.

Most sources I've seen make the longbows out to be rather more effective than you're saying here anyway, at least against the armored dismounted force.

[StrangeWulf13]

And perhaps I shouldn't have said "consistently mediocre." Ralph's art has improved over the years. So it's escaping mediocrity, and the quality isn't consistent in that the quality is getting better. Otherwise, I stand by my statements.

How much of Ralph's non-comic work have you seen? (For those who are curious, try here or his space on Yerf.)

As someone struggling just to make himself draw, I've read enough about drawing to realize that sequential art (like the strips) has an intrinsic difference from single-piece art, not the least of which is time. Many (possibly most) of the artists you've listed wouldn't be able to produce a monthly strip let alone the once-strip-a-day schedule Ralph used to maintain. And Ralph can draw single pieces of exceptional quality. (Photographic? No, but he can get as much or more expression and story out of what he does than any photo-realistic piece.) I have a friend who's a fine artist in her own right, but she knows she can't do sequential.

(Gad, I just made myself wish Ralph was on a regular schedule again. Even a slow once-a-week-per-strip.)

Personally, I think Ralph's work has settled in to the tone and pace of his strips very nicely. The extra effort to color TotQ meshes well with the epic nature of the story, and the styles used in N&T and GH are as much a part of the setting as the characters.

So I guess it depends on your definition of "mediocre".

Earl, you just said everything I was thinking. Why aren't we comparing Ralph to other comic artists? 'Twould make more sense. And to be honest, art isn't everything. If you don't have a good story, you won't have a good comic. I know of at least two comics that have good cartoony art... but their plots are two shallow and ridiculous for me to stomach. Might have to do with their focus on pornographic stuff, which always seems to suck the creativity out of any story or comic, with few if any exceptions.

Ralph may not be the next Leonardo Da Vinci, but he has good art, and has come a long way. Couple this with his awesome story-telling skills, and you've got some of the best dang comics on the net.

I only wish I had half his skill... it'd help me with my own ideas!

[Wanderwolf]

Lux can be a pretty good weapon. We know it can do telekinesis at a distance. What if a Racconnan were to reach inside your brain or heart and SQUEEZE?

Distance is one thing, penetration another. Larry Niven's "Gil the A.R.M." aside, telekinesing someone's heart or brain requires being able to sense those parts to aim at them. It's much faster, and a whole lot easier, to work with something already visible: Throwing rocks or knives at the enemy, or (if you have enough power) your enemy at a tree, for example.

Conversely, Lux is almost universal in Rac Cona Daimh society (excepting Lux-blind individuals like Linnaeus), so your opponent has the means to deflect your assault once he understands what's happening. And all of this, naturally enough, takes energy.. anyone but me read the "Pegasus" books by Anne McCaffrey? Using Lux to pick something up and throw it requires exertion.

A "wizard classic", of course, is turning your foes' weapons against them... not because it's useful, mind you, but because it's dramatic. It shows you've got power and control to spare. You grab their weapon and swing it against them with your power. It does little damage, not having the fulcrum of the shoulders and hips to work with... but it's very dramatic, and might get rid of the fainthearted ones before they get close enough to put a crossbow bolt through your ribcage.

There's another reason it's not very popular, too...

---------------

Maxwell reached out with his Lux, found his target, and...

... was thrown to the ground by the Guardsman's wooden practice sword, his head reeling as blood seeped from a shallow cut above his left ear. "Stand up, boy", the Guardsman ordered... Gilroy, his name was, as Maxwell's battered brain slowly remembered. "What possessed you to stand there and die, then?"

"I... I was...", stammered Maxwell, his head aching almost too much to form a coherent thought. "I was... trying... Lux, I..."

The Guardsman nodded. "I see. Heh." A smile curled around his muzzle. Gilroy nodded again. "Well, before I send you off to get that cut doctored, let me give you a piece of advice."

Maxwell nodded and sat down, unsteady as before. Gilroy continued.

"Magic's fine an' good, boy, all fine an' good. But it takes time, hard work, and attention... an' if you take those things away while you're standin' there facin' an enemy, y'might as well have slit your own throat." He leaned down and tilted Max's head back to look in the boy's eyes. "I know it hurts, lad, but try to remember this: Lux takes time. A sword takes a lot less. 'S why wizards stay back an' throw spells like an archer throws arrows, or a slingman stones. Tricks are fine if your enemy isn't right up in your face, sharing breath with you; but if he is, the most powerful spell in the world won't help if y'don't live t'cast it. Understand?"

Maxwell nodded, his mind simplifying it to, Standing around casting spells when someone's swinging a sword at you is stupid... a good, and rather accurate representation of the lesson.

"Now go an' get that cut looked at. Practice's done for t'day."

------------------

Yours truly,

The imaginative,

Wanderer

[Anthony Lion]

Conversely, Lux is almost universal in Rac Cona Daimh society (excepting Lux-blind individuals like Linnaeus), so your opponent has the means to deflect your assault once he understands what's happening. And all of this, naturally enough, takes energy.. anyone but me read the "Pegasus" books by Anne McCaffrey? Using Lux to pick something up and throw it requires exertion.

That would be 'to ride Pegasus' or 'Pegasus in Space', Prequels to her Tower and Hive series. (The Tower books are very good, the Hive... Not so great)

They are using Telepathy, Telekinesis and Teleportation, but it's a good comparison. (And some very good books)

[Wanderwolf]

Conversely, Lux is almost universal in Rac Cona Daimh society (excepting Lux-blind individuals like Linnaeus), so your opponent has the means to deflect your assault once he understands what's happening. And all of this, naturally enough, takes energy.. anyone but me read the "Pegasus" books by Anne McCaffrey? Using Lux to pick something up and throw it requires exertion.

That would be 'to ride Pegasus' or 'Pegasus in Space', Prequels to her Tower and Hive series. (The Tower books are very good, the Hive... Not so great)

I've read both, so I just call them "the Pegasus books". I agree on the later chunks of the timeline, though... with Hive, it seemed like all the life drained out of the series.

They are using Telepathy, Telekinesis and Teleportation, but it's a good comparison. (And some very good books)

Agreed. Of course, the Talented can also use Precognition, which seems to be a no-show in Lux work. (Unless there's something on the CDs I don't know about... like anything on the CDs that isn't here.) Conversely, just as the Rac Cona Daimh have Lux generators, the Talented have the Reidinger effect, whereby they can use electrical power to augment their abilities.

Yours truly,

The ever-reading,

Wanderer

[RHJunior]

even a primitive form of genetic engineering to produce new types of stock
Primitive? What you have shown of biomancy is beyong anything but wild science fiction. It certainly leaves 2006 genetic engineering in the dust.

Yes. But the difference is that they have the ability to poke around and instigate mutagenic changes in the DNA..... but (comparitively speaking) an only rudimentary knowledge of what they are changing, or ability to control it.

Look at it this way. IRL, we-- or our geneticists, anyway--- have an intricate knowledge of genetics and how they operate, but very little technical ability to manipulate genes effectively. We are starting from the pure sciences side, and working towards the applied.

Their biomancers on the other hand have discovered means to manipulate genes and chromosomes... but are still learning their way around, "hands on" style, like a mechanic tinkering under the hood of a new car. One might consider their technique the "hopeful monster" method--- reach in, give a chromosome a yank, stick the result in a test tube and see what happens. They've made some very sophisticated discoveries.... 500 years is a good long time for research, not even counting what centuries of Mad Science took place beforehand... but their developmental path has been different.


If this sounds ludicrous, do keep in mind that breeding, crossbreeding and hybridization are all, essentially, slow-motion "genetic engineering--" isolating and combining ideal traits, one generation at a time.

But suppose you could do it faster--- by hand?

[Shyal_malkes]

But suppose you could do it faster--- by hand?

I'd rather not touch any DNA with my bare hands. they dirty up too easily when I do that.

[Tom Mazanec]

Wanderwolf:
IIRC, precognition is a no-no, and Free Will would likely alter it if it DID exist, knowing Ralph's religious background.

[Madmoonie]

I'm quite aware that there are plenty of artists who are better than me--- and who, in their turn, have others better than them. Such is life.

As to whether I'm an asshat, at least I don't go to other people's forums and make posts about how they're asshats. So make of that what you will.

Racconan society..... really has no parallel with medieval society.

First of all, politically It's a mix of several different democratic/representative governments--- largely the American system, with a smattering of parliamentary england, even a bit of the Nordic <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thing_%28a ... >Thing,</A> and a few other ideas that (I would like to think) are original.... certain things--- the Rule of Law, equal rights, rights of property, speech, press, religion, assembly, petition of grievance, bearing arms--- coming about due to their religious background and political pressures unique to their history.

Technologically, they're a grab bag as well. If it helps, try and picture a society that has, among other things, advanced electronics technology and medical knowledge... but has, due to various resource handicaps, not yet implimented the steam, stirling, or internal combustion engine.

Still, don't mistake the absence of tractors for a lack of agricultural advances. They may not have motorized plows, but they do have, among other things, advanced plant and animal husbandry, a controlled growing climate, better veterinary medicine, an innate ability to directly analyze crops or livestock for their health, and means to repel pests, predators, and parasites.... even a primitive form of genetic engineering to produce new types of stock.

Industrially, they're a good ways along in developing things like mass production, interchangeable parts, and the assembly line... though again they are limited in that area by resource shortages. Most factories have to be either run entirely by lux or built along the river, in order to make use of millwheels for power. Still, the concept of mass production, distribution (via wagon or luftship) and specialization means for more reliable quality goods.... and the advantage of "economies of scale." (bulk goods at low prices.)

All this-- plus the sheer blind luck of a nearly pollution free technology. (They have SOME pollution.... that seems inescapable with a civilization of any size... but at least they aren't BREATHING it. And they're fastidious enough to tend to the rest.)

Ever herad of a genre called steam-punk? It seems as though this is almost what this is, although a tad bit early for that though. It is basically considered to be the Victorian Era, with advanced technology. Movies like Steamboy and comics like girl Genius are good examples of this. TOTQ seems soething like this, (and probably not intentially) but predating it by something like decade. So....take the early Victorian Era and go back ten years.

[Doink]

How much of Ralph's non-comic work have you seen? (For those who are curious, try here or his space on Yerf.)

Snip.

So I guess it depends on your definition of "mediocre".

Yeah, I saw those. They're pretty good, especially the 'raccoon triplets' pic (I'm a raccoon junkie, thanks to Ralph and Tiffany Ross ). I think Ralph could be a decent political cartoonist, should he choose to give it a shot.

I never considered to Ralph to be mediocre, just in favor of a simpler style than other artists. I don't care how skilled he is, myself; even if his comics stop production, I'll still have fond memories of our strong-willed friend's work.

Now if only I can get less uptight about my own artwork...

[Shyal_malkes]

I've been meaning to ask, but do they have chocolate in the seven villages?

[Jaydub]

Doink, I like your new Avatar...

[The JAM]

[...unWARP!!!]

Good evening.

Their biomancers on the other hand have discovered means to manipulate genes and chromosomes... but are still learning their way around, "hands on" style, like a mechanic tinkering under the hood of a new car. One might consider their technique the "hopeful monster" method--- reach in, give a chromosome a yank, stick the result in a test tube and see what happens. They've made some very sophisticated discoveries.... 500 years is a good long time for research, not even counting what centuries of Mad Science took place beforehand... but their developmental path has been different.

Which would explain all the weird creatures in the swamp.

I've been meaning to ask, but do they have chocolate in the seven villages?

During the first days in Sanctuary City, there was a store sign that said "confectionaries", which, by the Spanish definition, made me assume that the Rac Cona had somehow got their hands on chocolate, which, by extension, made me assume that either the Rac Cona originally had very extensive overland/overseas trade (cacao trees only grow in the tropics), but after a few forumites expanded the definition of "confectionaries" I came to see that they do not necessarily include chocolate products.

So I would say that no, they don't know chocolate.

Hmmmm.....rather than an artificer, I could make a fortune being a cacao farmer with lux-controled tropical weather for the trees......


¡Zacatepóngolas!

Until next time, remember:

I

AM

THE

J.A.M. (a.k.a. Numbuh i: "Just because I'm imaginary doesn't mean I don't exist")

Good evening.

[WARP!!!][/img]

[Madmoonie]

Confectionaries could also mean things like Turkosh delights, cakes, all sorts of baked sweet things......well, anything that is sweet can be in one. It doesn't have to be chocolate.

Time for my question: Is that Quentyn's parents off to the left there? In the foreground?

[Shyal_malkes]

actually, another question I have is, "do the Rac-cona have that baggy skin that some mamals have?"

the baggy skin feature I notice in dogs, cats and a few other chreatures but I haven't done enough research on raccoons to know if they have it, and whether they do or not may not have any bearing on whether the Rac-cona have it or not.


is there anything that the Rac-cona as a race on a whole, are alergic to?

even humans find some things poisonous, and we're supposed to be omnivores.


are there any Rac-cona equivelent to either what we would call 'furries' or what we would call 'anthropomorphic fans'? (I believe the difference was covered in another thread, I think)

I know figure that when I ask "I wonder what it would be like to be a fox" iit's probably different then if a Rac-cona asked "I wonder what it would be like to be a bogey)


in my own stories there is a certain ammount of annimossity (a kind of "I am not an animal!" if you will) between the anthro characters and the true animal beasts. does such an animosity occur within the Rac-cona lifestyle. is it the opposite of annimosity? do they just not care either way?


I think that's mostly it for now

[RHJunior]

I would consider steampunk a rather bad comparison, actually.

In fact, the Seven villages is about the exact OPPOSITE of steampunk as you can get.

Steampunk is, by definition, heavy in what I call "gross mechanics"--- nuts, bolts, pistons, gears, levers.

The Seven Villages is, by contrast, heavy in "aetherial effect"--- energy fields, crystalline structures, unseen (but noticeable!) circuitry and spell effects.


Steampunk is, of course, heavy on the metal. Also heavy on the steam, fire, smoke, and (unsurprisingly) pollution.

The seven villages has little metal. And the factories they do have are powered by either waterwheels or by lux. They thus have far LESS pollution. You're very unlikely to see a chugging smokestack anywhere other than a smithy's.

Steampunk is generally set in a pseudo-victorian era--- complete with the rather obnoxious and fossilized social heirarchy of the period, if not an outright regimented caste system under a rather unpleasant tyranny....

The seven villages again could not be farther from that. They do have status, "upper crust" peoples and the like, but position is a matter of meritocracy--- wealth and prosperity rather than inherited title, or in the case of the Elders, fruit of long-livedness---and the government is a representative democracy.