POOHEAD189

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

Everyone knows life starts at divorce!

<Snipped quote by Penny>

Mine too. I don't even HAVE a husband yet.

@mdk

Well at least you got lesbian down?

The Book Club

I decided I was going to do a big reread of R.A. Salvatore's Legend of Drizzt series (which I still recommend to people) but before that I wanted to try something new, so I picked up 'The Name of the Wind' since about everyone else here read it.

---

I quite liked it. It's not usually the type of fantasy I'm into, but it was enjoyable. The prose was well done, and honestly reminded me of Salvatore's work somewhat. I can also tell Patrick Rothfuss knows his celtic and imitation magical lore. From what I know the whole magic system is pretty much the same as real world occult sympathy magic practices (yep, just wiki-ed it to make sure and at the bottom of the page it says this magic is prominent in the Kingkiller Chronicles).

I think my favorite part of the novel was Kvothe dealing with the teachers and him getting slack jawed whenever he bumped into Fela. Also his studies with Ben. I was very much expecting Ben to show up again later but he didn't. I also didn't expect Ambrose to be such a problem with the way he was introduced just being some shitty librarian. I thought Kvothe would take him out verbally and never talk to him again, or maybe turn him into a friend, but Ambrose is just a terrible person I guess.

Oh, one of my truly favorite characters was Auri, and I loved every interaction Kvothe had with her. Particularly the last dinner he had with her, when he asked her if she would show him the 'underthing' and she said "I thought you were a gentlemen. Imagine, asking a girl to show you her underthing." And Kvothe is just dumbfounded for a moment before he asks if she's joking and she says "yes, isn't it wonderful?" I lol'ed at that, and when he jumped off the building to prove to Elodin he wasn't crazy, and then Elodin thought him crazy for jumping off a fucking building lmao.

I'm going to address some of the things y'all said about the novel as well, and whether I do or do not disagree.

Is Kvothe a Mary Sue/Marty Stu?
Somewhat. Not to a huge degree, and it's only really in musical talent and how intelligent he is. But he's no great warrior and not even an incredible magician. Just pretty good. Plus he doesn't get all of the women. He has Fela interested in him, the wealthy blonde girl he beat in the musical competition, and probably Denna. Two/Three is not a lot for a regular dude over the course of a few months, much less a Mary Sue.

Is Kvothe lying or exaggerating in his story?
I know you guys said he was, but as someone who literally just put the book down I do not recall him admitting he would exaggerate to Chronicler. In fact, there's a lot of evidence to the contrary.

• He tells Chronicler that while he can ramble, he wants him to write down every word Kvothe says so exactly so the true story can be told.
• We know he really is an extremely intelligent person and he is not lying about his learning ability because he decodes Chronicler's secret writing language within a few minutes of Chronicler showing it to him, much to Chronicler's chagrin.
• He admits he lies and fails a lot in his story, where he honestly did not need to do that. I can't count how many times Kvothe tells he said something, adding in "I lied" at the end of it.

The only two times in the book that might be considered for evidence that he exaggerates or lies is 1) when Bast interrupts him and tells him that Denna is good looking, but she does have a crooked nose and Kvothe is like "beauty is more than the sum of our parts" or something like that, implying he might be telling a somewhat biased story on a few things. And 2) when he, Willam, and Sim are sitting at a table and he's telling them how he spent 6 hours with Denna and they ask if he kissed/slept with her, and he says no they just talked, and one of them (I forget which) doesn't believe he spent 6 hours talking, and the other believes him because Kvothe "sounds more sincere when he lies" which can imply he can lie to Chronicler and be believed easily enough.

P.S. Also when Kvothe begins meeting the Dracchus with "it was a Dragon" and waits for Chronicler's response, though since the beast being a Dracchus and not a Dragon was pretty important to how they dealt with the creature, he couldn't keep up that as a lie or exaggeration so I would think that would be more of an exception than anything.

The only real problems I had with the book was him treating Denna in such a legendary fashion. I did like how she was introduced, and she's somewhat of a prodigy like he is because she's sharp and can sing with the best of them. But her sleeping around with a lot of 'patrons' keeps him from asking her to be with him, even when it becomes clear with the Dracchus attack that she does like him. I kinda felt sympathy for Kvothe at first, because he didn't want to be just another conquest. But even after that when it was clear she wouldn't treat him that way, he still couldn't believe she would take him and it kind of reminded me of the woolheadedness of some WoT guy characters. That and, I do enjoy Denna as a character, but before they went after the Dracchus I couldn't tell her and Denni apart very well character wise, since they were both young, dangerous, rogusih, yet charming women that Kvothe described as "the woman" when he introduced them both. I was glad she (Denna) got a lot more character development later.

Anyway, I haven't rambled on a book in awhile. I'm glad I picked it up.

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

leaked jpeg, Nunes about to release another memeo

get it, because it's a MEMEo instead of a MEMo, because they're similar words but different, do you get it,
do you get the joke about the memeo

@mdk

No can u explain plz

Anglo-Saxon Culturally Homogeneous Game of Politics atop Thrones

Perhaps if I got the time.

The Sorceress and the Slave

Rhaak moved with a deadly precision, chopping and severing Ghul limbs and spines. Moving as if he had one hundred eyes and the strength of a bull. He sidestepped a leaping Ghul, the apparition instead finding a blade to meet it, the momentum of its hurtling body causing it to be sliced in twain. Rhaak crushed another's skull with a mighty stomp, and though he was bleeding from a dozen different cuts, he destroyed the five remaining monsters in moments, protecting Amira, and by happenstance the frightened bandit.

The man watched Rhaak in awe, thinking the skilled man stupid until he destroyed the last of the Ghuls, to which he then thought of Rhaak as a brave Mamluk or a Eunech servant, for who else could fight with such valor?

"Oh thank you, thank you, thank you for saving me, praise Hayashim!" He cried, prostrating himself at the feet of the cooly imperious Amira, lathering her feet with kisses before she rebuked him of such nonesense. "I am your humble servant!" the man named Ma'kum claimed, a wet spot on the sand revealing his soiled trousers. His thoughts spoke as well. Images of a tomb's entrance among the hills, and the hopes of treasure and power beyond measure hidden.

Rhaak returned with a bloodied Scimitar, and he knelt down somewhat more nobly beside the man, announcing the threat is now slain, and asking if he could then now proceed to finish his meal.
@Penny

Grim Galaxy: Shots and Chances

Neil had a similar experience, having been taken by one of the local women to the bathing area. He'd learned his lesson about attempting to seduce anyone, but he did have to admit it was nice getting a good hot bath from a pretty woman. He hadn't felt it, but his body had been quite tight and dirty. He felt himself lose much of the tension he'd gone through the past...over two years apparently. The crack pilot groaned enough that anyone listening-in would have thought he was having a go with her, but that was just him finally relaxing.

Once out of the tub, he didn't bother to hide his naked body from anyone. The servant simply handed him an odd thong looking thing, and he snorted and shook his head.

"Nothing is going to ride up my ass." He said, and put his boxers on even though there was an insistence for him not to. However, he did accept the odd bone and obsidian necklace, as well as another one made of sea shells. His upper body was bare, and the wet along with the wind gave his hair a wavy quality to it. Once the tribe woman gave him two bracelets he swore were made of gold, he was escorted to the great plaza where the ziggurat, upon closer inspection, was made level by level with spaces small enough to sit. It dawned on him how clever the entire structure was for it to be made for observing games as well as a dwelling space.

He was shown to his stone seat, which was located near the very top center of the ziggurat next to a somewhat similarly clad Sayeeda and Taya, along with Wetumpkah and what looked to be like a few of the elders.

"Think they'll have drinks?" He quipped once he sat down with the other two. Taya seemed to be wearing less than Sayeeda, not having the stomach to quite refuse her servant their request. Neil made sure to only look at her face, if he ever even turned toward her at all. She did seemed to look a bit less scared today, and as the horns blared to announce the beginning of the day, she even seemed cautiously elated at what was to happen next.

Wetumpkah began to speak in his native tongue to the crowd below. A group of about twenty strong and fit young men stood in a column together, gazing up at Junebug, Neil, Taya, and Wetumpkah as he addressed them. Sayeeda would hear him announce that they perform well for their Starmen guests, and even Neil could somewhat tell what he was saying by the way he gestured towards them. The sun was hot as the field turned into a competition.

The first game was a game called Totoloque, where a player would throw five solid gold balls across the plaza into a pure gold ring. The precious metal glinted off the sun as it was tossed, and Neil shook his head when a few of the balls would get thrown wide and lost among the throng of trees. Such wealth could pay for the drinks of the crew for months, or help repair their ship. The third contender managed to get four out of five into the hole, making him the victor at the end. He was then rewarded with what Wetumpkah said was merely a ceremonial trinket, but it was a diamond the size of Neil's fist. The 5 in last place were unceremoniously held down and publicly beheaded, causing Neil to cringe a bit.

"Jeez..." he breathed, his days as a thief making his fingers wiggle in anticipation. But he was just fidgeting. He wasn't planning on committing any sort of crimes here. Not until the ship was fixed at least.

Once the balls and circle were taken off the field, what was next looked like a chakram throwing contest. Wetumpkah turned to Sayeeda and Neil, asking them if they were enjoying themselves.

"What is the prize for whoever wins this one?" Neil asked, hoping Junebug would translate.
@Penny

Warhammer Fantasy: The Guild of Esteemed Sellswords - An adventure in the Warhammer Fantasy world!

Present, Herr Cool.

The Sorceress and the Slave

The wind brought a thrum to the horizon, and the desert sands began to flow as the moon rose. The rustle of leaves, and the tickle of bits of sand along Rhaak's skin gave him goosebumps, and he cursed to Allah under his breath. There was only a minute or two left on the fish once Amira the Sorceress spoke, and the slave twitched a bit at her stirring. Her voice had an alluring yet commanding quality.

"Your thoughts are like rice upon a drum."

"It is...not my place to question you, master." He said, and briefly he felt like lying. Before the thought passed through his head entirely, he dismissed it. He did not know if she could read minds, but he would not risk such a thing. And as his father had told him many years ago: El Kidb Maloosh Reglein, lying has no legs.

He fell down onto his rump, placing his strong hands on the ground to hold himself up. He had been rowing all day, and though he was strong, he was also famished. Rhaak had not been given the best of treatment in the pit arena, but his previous master had usually made sure he was well fed to keep himself able to fight for his greed. "The Sultan's ire will follow us to the western sea or the city of Raghba Shahar." He said. "My family was killed by the Sultan for embarrassing a guest. If we evaded his Jannissaries, he will be as angry as a wrathful Ifrit."

He didn't seem particularly fearful. But he felt as if he should speak aloud his thoughts, as she had bade him. The sweeping shadows of the sparse trees danced along the clearing floor. Rhaak turned from the fire, and handed her his master's portion of the fish. "These hills are cursed as well, I feel." He told her, a cold chill having settled into his spine as they had landed. There were reasons much of the desert was not settled, and it was more than just the heat. Ancient secrets and dangers lurked in the wilderness.

Just before Rhaak took a bite for himself, he heard the most bone chilling screech crack through the silence and shatter his hopes for a peaceful meal. It was passed the brush, among the hills to the south. "By Allah!" The voice cried, carrying a wail that was followed by shouts and curses. The Pit Fighter flung himself up between his master and whatever was occurring, and what he saw past their meager camp was gruesome. Four men, or three now, held their swords and hacked at creatures out of nightmares.

Loping corpse-beasts with jagged teeth and skin mottled grey feasted on the still warm corpse of a bandit, as the other bandits fought for their lives, swords glinting in the darkness as desperately tried to drive away the Ghuls. There was little mercy from Hayashim this night, for even as the Ghuls were hacked down, the others advanced without a care of injury and leaped upon the men with gnashing teeth, mounting the bandits in a lustful parody as they tore their throat out.

Only one bandit managed to escape the circle of doom, sprinting towards the only safe haven he could see and calling for help, promising anything if the two would save him from these beasts...
@Penny

Frokane's Mildly Politcal Hangout Thread

“They made it up to suit their own nasty, snake-filled heads,” he said. “Men and women are different and gender-bending word games by a goofy nest of drugstore academics aren’t going to change anything — except the fantasy life of those confused people in ivory towers.”

...What does this even mean.

The Sorceress and the Slave

That night...

Upon the banks of the Tagria, the two figures settled in for the night. While Amira the Sorceress intoned her occult mysticism and meditated, Rhaak performed the tasks he was meant for. He hauled the skiff onto the soft shoreline, and went to retrieve whatever wood he could find for their food that night. Before the sun had lowered, he had been ordered to catch some fish, and the slave had managed to spear two stout perch.

As if by divine providence, Amira had seen where best to land, and once he had captured the fish, he found a smooth stone near the center of this small clearing for him to clean and gut them in. There were trees and brush around, but not nearly enough to be considered a forest. The foliage was merely the life the Tagria sated at its edge. Other than some birds, he heard no animals save the baying of jackals in the distance, for he could see the dunes of the sand as the sun began to lower.

Within minutes of Rhaak finishing the fish, he began the fire. It gave satisfying crackles as he began to cook the fish.

Rhaak kept silent, but he wished to speak. There was something about this place that brought a chill to his normally confident spine. He was not certain what it was, and he was surprised his master could not perhaps feel it too.

---

"A man and a wealthy woman?" the bandit leader mused, temptation glinting upon his face.

It had been several weeks since the small group of men had left the pilgrim road and settled for raiding near the Tagria. The five thieves had not been lucky for days, only gutting a short, fat merchant, with a purse as empty as his promises. They had not even a camel or horse to their name, and some days they found their blades looked tasty enough to chew upon. But if what Ma'kum said was true, they might have found someone who knew their way around the area.

"We cannot! They have landed too close to the fabled hills of Vathek" one bandit said, fear in his eyes. He received a dagger to his hand for getting upon the leader's nerves, his scream stifled by his throat being slit. Blood dribbled into the sand as the remaining three stepped back, wary at the sudden deadly display.

"You fool," the leader, Alra'heer muttered. "Would you have us starve? The hills are bound to have riches! Perhaps these travelers know of a way in."

"You would have us go into the tomb of Vathek? It is cursed, by Allah!"

"The tomb is filled with the treasure of a Sultan." Alra'heer sneered. He lifted up one of the meager coins they had recieved from the merchant. "Mountains of gold..."

Superstition was evident in their eyes, and yet...yet their hunger and desire for riches weakened their doubts and fears. Before the hour was out, the four thieves stalked the dunes to the north, ever watchful for the fire of the sorceress and the slave.
@Penny