And somehow putting a name of a friend as a SL poster instead of making up a meaningless name turns it into "unimaginitative chatter"?
If the SL poster in question isn't an already defined character, what does it hurt?
What gets my eyes rolling is usually the opposite. Because "witty" or "creative" names usually aren't.
Full Version: Shadows of Europe
Well, i try to invisage each STalker as a character and adopt that character's personal attitude about the text they're replying to. Just like if I'm reading through , oh say, posts on Dumpshock. 
Each and every one has there opinions, some are imformative and try to help instruct others, some are disinformation, others just can't keep the wisecracks out or just want to boast in the usual "Me-Me-Me!" fashion. Unfortunately, the wordcount limits some of the characterisation of the STalkers and all you're left with after editing is the raw facts/comments. *Sigh* Such is the Way of the Writer.
Anyhow, the street names that stick and cross-over from one sourcebook to the next are usually those with the most character. My favourites are the ones with a good dose of humour - they make reading the text fun.
Each and every one has there opinions, some are imformative and try to help instruct others, some are disinformation, others just can't keep the wisecracks out or just want to boast in the usual "Me-Me-Me!" fashion. Unfortunately, the wordcount limits some of the characterisation of the STalkers and all you're left with after editing is the raw facts/comments. *Sigh* Such is the Way of the Writer.Anyhow, the street names that stick and cross-over from one sourcebook to the next are usually those with the most character. My favourites are the ones with a good dose of humour - they make reading the text fun.
Most of the times the Shadowland users have "clever" names, they're just bad puns. I'd rather see a Synner or AncientHistory or whoever post.
The Abstruse One
The Abstruse One
What I preferred was when I had a feeling that individual posters had some sort of personality or existence outside of being a poster in a sourcebook. These days I just get the feeling they're all faceless ciphers, there to provide some information that anyone could have, and to make some reader smile. It's sort of breaking the fourth wall. The punny names aren't really much better though.
I do miss a bit of the banter between characters, and stuff that carried over -- the things that come to mind are the Nightfire/Neon Samurai conflict. More personality and opinions and less bare facts with the shadowtalk would be more fun to read -- but admittedly, that takes away space from the content you might rather see squeezed in there (I mean, come on....SoE is already huge, by most standards).
| QUOTE (Skeptical Clown @ Jul 8 2004, 10:33 AM) |
| What I preferred was when I had a feeling that individual posters had some sort of personality or existence outside of being a poster in a sourcebook. These days I just get the feeling they're all faceless ciphers, there to provide some information that anyone could have, and to make some reader smile. It's sort of breaking the fourth wall. |
Exactly.
And creative names don't have to be puns. Neon Samurai, Laughing Man, Orange Queen, and Slamm-O are all interesting and largely original names for largely original characters within the setting. And for at least two of them, they're pretty creative.
That said, I'm infinitely more interested in seeing what they have to say, both on the topic and in reference to other posters, than just seeing some bland nobody (whose name was stolen/an homage to a real-life poster) just spouting some fact about the preceeding paragraph, especially since those comments could usually have been added to the actual text instead.
| QUOTE (Misfit Toy) |
| I'm infinitely more interested in seeing what they have to say, both on the topic and in reference to other posters, than just seeing some bland nobody (whose name was stolen/an homage to a real-life poster) just spouting some fact about the preceeding paragraph, especially since those comments could usually have been added to the actual text instead. |
I don't have a problem with an author including a Shadowtalk post with the moniker of someone on Dumpshock who is known for a vast array of knowledge on a particular topic as a tip of the hat -- a shadowtalk post by "Ancient History" on a historical event comes to mind as something I wouldn't be overly upset about seeing; I'm pretty sure this has actually been done before too.
Like you said though, if the shadowtalk is just stuff that could have been stated in the actual "textbook" part, skip it and just put it in there. Make the shadowtalk interesting.
That said, I am still waiting for the copy of SoE I have had on preorder since last September, so I don't know if any of this is applicable to that particular book.
<crosses fingers> I wanna be a shadowposter too!
The elves and dragons would have you killed. You know to much about the fourth world, they can't have everyone knowing about it.
| QUOTE (Misfit Toy) | ||
Exactly. And creative names don't have to be puns. Neon Samurai, Laughing Man, Orange Queen, and Slamm-O are all interesting and largely original names for largely original characters within the setting. And for at least two of them, they're pretty creative. |
I'll give ya Slamm-O, but the rest of those screen names (not the characters behind them) aren't exactly what I'd consider original. And Orange Queen and The Laughing Man are puns.
But my point is, for every Slamm-O there's ten Antiflags or other disposable screen name that appear once, maybe twice, and then are never used again. It wouldn't hurt anything if instead of these disposable names the writer threw out a nod to someone.
| QUOTE |
| That said, I'm infinitely more interested in seeing what they have to say, both on the topic and in reference to other posters, than just seeing some bland nobody (whose name was stolen/an homage to a real-life poster) just spouting some fact about the preceeding paragraph, especially since those comments could usually have been added to the actual text instead. |
I agree in that what the shadowland posters say is most important, but I disagree that a dumpshock handle has to be spouting some fact that should have been in the actual text. One does not follow the other.
| QUOTE (tjn) |
| And Orange Queen and The Laughing Man are puns. |
Okay....clue me in here, what is the pun with Orange Queen and the Laughing Man?
If the pun with the Orange Queen is the one I am thinking of, her name is Hestaby and she is associated with Mt. Shasta.
Going from memory here, Shasta cola's tagline back in the day (early/mid 80's) was "It Has to Be Shasta"....get it...Hestaby Shasta...???? Orange Shasta etc etc... A little nod to us old fogies out here!
Is this the right one I am thinking of?
Going from memory here, Shasta cola's tagline back in the day (early/mid 80's) was "It Has to Be Shasta"....get it...Hestaby Shasta...???? Orange Shasta etc etc...
A little nod to us old fogies out here!Is this the right one I am thinking of?
I feel really old now, even though I'm 23, that I actually remember that.
Don
Don
| QUOTE (Ancient History) |
| <crosses fingers> I wanna be a shadowposter too! |
Unless you've been edited out after the final edits of SoE was approved, you will be/allready are (ScU-chapter).
Adhoc
I don't know if "Laughing Man" is a pun, per se - but it does reference Harliquinn.
-Siege
-Siege
Go AH.
BTW, I want this book.
Don
BTW, I want this book.
Don
| QUOTE (Adhoc) | ||
Unless you've been edited out after the final edits of SoE was approved, you will be/allready are (ScU-chapter). Adhoc |
| QUOTE (Adhoc) | ||
Unless you've been edited out after the final edits of SoE was approved, you will be/allready are (ScU-chapter). Adhoc |
Danke, Adhoc.
I didnae want tae jinx it. And now:
I'll never be a shadow talker. 
Your name is too long, takes too much space 
They might use it if they do a wrestling report.
I don't see any real problem with writing a post with a real-guy's handle on it. It makes the player happy (usually), plus it offers a personality behind that name that is partially crafted out already. Besides, often, such handles are the same that their characters had (at least, that's my case) and many of those characters have/had been good enough to inmortalize them.
I think I'm going to excise the quote and put it on my website somewhere.
| QUOTE (Ancient History) | ||||||||
Danke, Adhoc. I didnae want tae jinx it. And now: |
Ancient History:
"Danke" = german
"Tak" = danish
...bu you're welcome.....
Adhoc
| QUOTE (Sepherim) |
| I don't see any real problem with writing a post with a real-guy's handle on it. It makes the player happy (usually), plus it offers a personality behind that name that is partially crafted out already. Besides, often, such handles are the same that their characters had (at least, that's my case) and many of those characters have/had been good enough to inmortalize them. |
The harm is purely aesthetic, of course. I don't think it adds personality, because even if I recognize the name, I rarely know much about the person or the character, and that rarely comes up in the text.
| QUOTE (Adhoc) |
"Danke" = german "Tak" = danish ...bu you're welcome..... |
Pfft. German, Danish, what's the difference? Denmarks the lumpy bit that sticks out the top of Germany right?
Hey. Don't be knocking my old Motherland (to talk with my ancestors)!
That place is my second home (Germany I mean).
Besides, check out the official shadowrun site.
Don
That place is my second home (Germany I mean).
Besides, check out the official shadowrun site.
Don
Of course, it ain't cool when F-Shop announces that it hopes to get the English one in sometime this month. But the German translation is at the printers this week.
Arrr.
Don
Arrr.
Don
Christian Lonsing and the FanPro D crew made the translation a high priority and they've managed to get it done in record time (kudos guys). It'll still take a few weeks before hitting the shelves but it'll likely keep to the release date Christian announced a couple of months ago on the FanPro D boards.
The F-Shop is probably just playing it cautious so as not to disappoint anyone, specially since I hear they have a rather large pile of standing orders to get through as soon as the book comes in.
The F-Shop is probably just playing it cautious so as not to disappoint anyone, specially since I hear they have a rather large pile of standing orders to get through as soon as the book comes in.
My problem is rather that I'm flying home to America on August 4th and would like to have the book before then. That's more or less my major concern.
Plus I can see that they have a large hill of orders to cut through, given how long people have waited on this book (for a long time. It's noted as a sourcebook for Shockwaves which has been out since 2003)
Don
Plus I can see that they have a large hill of orders to cut through, given how long people have waited on this book (for a long time. It's noted as a sourcebook for Shockwaves which has been out since 2003)
Don
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