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Season 2 villain:

NEGATIVE PUBLIC SENTIMENT

Let's see the avatar state help with that.

At 6/9/12 12:54 PM, mrty wrote: Cole Phelps (L. A. Noire): I completely disregard his actions at the war for a moment, but dumping your wife for a jazz singer (who is, by the way, quite ugly in my opinion, but I guess the definition of beauty changes over the decades)? What's even more disturbing is that his wife and daughter finding out and getting a big demotion was not enough for Cole; he kept seeing her.

One of the best-written characters in videogames in probably the best written videogame of all time.

At 6/22/12 12:51 AM, EtchASketchClock wrote: So, who didn't predict this when the 3DS was first announced?
I'm hold out for a 3DS lite myself, maybe even the 3DSi.

Maybe you shouldn't

That would be awful. The direct competition between Sony and Microsoft forces them to cater to consumers in ways they would not if there was only one hardcore console.

At 6/21/12 07:16 PM, deathink wrote: VVVVVV an ad I put in Pico Radio. Now that's proactive :D

So uncalled for and Sooooo appreciated

At 6/21/12 04:37 PM, kakalxlax wrote: what im not liking about this show:

1) the new drawing style

2) that the technology jumped like a gazillion years

3) powers (bending) were considerably reduced to the point that even the avatar can be taken down by a random henchman

I think the drawing style is pretty consistent with the second and third seasons of The Last Airbender. The first season was little more cartoony and non-anime, and now they're pretty much going full-on anime. And with regards to the powers, Korra hasn't even learned the Avatar State yet, so let's not quite say she's shown all her power. Also all the villians are basically firebenders with their electric weapons.

As for the technology, I would actually say this is one of favorite differences between the two shows. Not because I like steampunk more or something, but I feel like it gives the story an interesting moral twist influenced by changes or the potential of cultural change in the real world. Amon as the villain is pretty awesome because basically he is the villain for the same reason that Aang was the hero. The changed circumstances of the story make you question: Was Aang really a hero?

What I'm getting at, is...

Amon is Zombie Aang

At 6/21/12 12:27 PM, starwarsjunkie wrote: So what are you gonna do when the 30 days is up and you have like an extra $5,000 raised?

Well, at that point we rent a big ol' bus and go on tour. I stop being personable with people who contribute to our cause and only communicate with them through autographs.

Actually, the scenario where we make $6,000 involves me sobbing uncontrollably over how many personalized short stories I'll have to write. $5,000/$50 = 100 short stories............... AGHHHHHH!!!!

At 6/20/12 07:39 PM, Deathcon7 wrote: Misogyny is a systematic problem. As an aspiring writer, I aim to create female characters that are more than just two dimensional, sexual center pieces. Unfortunately, not everyone with the capacity for creation is as progressively minded as I am. The mass consumption of such material; of such blatantly misogynistic, narrow-minded, and ignorant media; by creators whose intellectual reach is stunted by laziness, mass appeal, and traditional business sense (vis-a-vis sex); must stop. I look forward to the day when heroines can safely retire the leather bodysuit and high-heeled combat boots.

I know of a lot of writers that gripe when it comes to writing women as their story's lead. To this I ask, why? If you have capacity enough to write female supporting characters, then surely you have the capacity to write a female lead. I think the issue is with the traditional, inbred ideas of women in our culture. It's okay to make a woman the damsel in distress, but try to make her the knight in shining armor and suddenly society devolves into savagery.

As a growing group I think this is something we should strongly encourage. The fair treatment of women in fiction. As exciting as it originally was, Mass Effect 2 really let me down in this regard, and I was extremely disappointed with Bioware. They usually do a good job, but ME2 was packed full of outlining camera pans and zooms that focused in, on and around the female casts' body. This was especially the case with Miranda.

Anyway, that's my rant. Discuss and appease my ego.

Well, in my opinion, there is nothing wrong with accentuating and emphasizing a characters' good looks as part of the narrative. In your example case of Miranda in particular, I have to disagree because not only is her beauty a part a character strength of hers, it's also a vulnerability. As someone genetically engineered to be superior in all areas (including looks) Miranda realizes she has awesome advantages, but is plagued by the knowledge that her life is part of someone else's design. It's part of what makes the relationship between her and her sister interesting. Rather than try to figure how to make her sister more like her "superior, more beautiful self" she wants her sister to lead a normal life, by her own terms.

I will not deny, however, that misogyny, is occasionally rampant in media (videogames is a huge culprit). But I think we need to make sure that there is a distinction between misogeny and conveying the sexuality of women as a part of culture. Women enjoy seeing beautiful women be badasses in movies, even if at the same time they are admired by men for their tits and asses. Those same women would love to be admired for their bodies as well. But what misogeny is, such as the recent controversial Hitman trailer, is the debasement of women through what can also be considered their character strength. In the trailer, the women are not only badass assassins, but they're also hot. But as the trailer plays out, Hitman defeats them in both avenues. Notice how the trailer seems to send the message that the violence against women is what is ultimately sexy about the scene.

At 6/20/12 06:01 PM, sweet21 wrote:

At 6/20/12 03:03 PM, JonnyEarthquake wrote:

Limbo
Another one of those pretentious, artsy endings. Doesn't make sense? 2deep4u

Braid does this as well.
Yeah I got the ending but C'mon...thats it? I was expecting more. Also yeah I know about the easter egg ending. The princess explodes when you find her. Big de- OH C'MON! That doesn't make any sense at all! Fuck you developers! How was I suppose to figure that out?

You guys must not have liked the Sixth Sense, then.

Limbo and Braid have two of the best endings in games in my opinion, mainly because they so beautiful use their own game mechanics to expose the story, where as so many games rely on cutscenes that aren't related to the gameplay at all.

I'm not going to judge your teacher's instruction, because there's value in it, but perhaps there's a good way of understanding it.

The truth is that no matter how hard a writer tries to make a character seem real, he will always end up being a caricature. Real people aren't writable, at least not interestingly. Think about all the words we say in a day. It would be crazy to think we could have a single character emulate that routine. Dialogue is therefore the highlights of what a real person would say in a day that best conveys the overall character. That's what makes it a caricature.

That said, sometimes a summary or illusion of a real psyche is more telling than a bland transcript.

At 6/20/12 08:32 AM, Coop wrote:

A few fast paced games on the PS3 tend to kick me into action, such as Dynasty Warriors or Wipeout. That works well and distracts me from potential writer's block. Then it's away, with a fresh brew and the keyboard lights up.

Totally opposite, videogames just want me to fall over when I'm done. Maybe I shouldn't play for four hours at a time.

Also, don't get me wrong, I'm no druggie. I've been taking meds for my ADHD since 5th grade and have begun using it less and less. And I definitely can sometimes feel like the concentration I'm achieving through it is a bit forced and artificial, which never feels good. But damnit there just isn't time to wait sometimes.

At 6/20/12 12:53 PM, 4urentertainment wrote:

Haha, it's alright :P

I've just pledged, which hopefully would give me another chance to be part of this historic part of Newgrounds.

Thanks! This is awesome. Second day and we're 60% golden.

At 6/16/12 04:24 AM, BigPen wrote: Hi guys.
Have you ever heard the word: surrealistic? It's short called surreal and it means that the story background doesn't make sense when I make it with the rest.

Well, I'm working on a surrealistic novel called Fool's Adventures.
Fool is a eleven years old boy (just to say: his name is Fool) and he lives on a world without a name, which is, in fact called so: Nameless World.

Fool's best friend is a talking donut, an ex-wizard and emissary of the Raspell kingdom, Choco. He's very sweet.

The archfiend of this novel is an outlaw wizard Hibnob (Hibnob-Hexen Wizard from the northsouth is his full name) who started his plans to siege the entire Nameless World after the writing of the absolute piece.

Hibnob went to a vacation to an another dimension, so Fool will have much time to prepare to kick Hibnob's butt!
Meanwhile, Fool and Choco will have much adventures: cross the swamp, have a frog rain, hunt chairs (oh, did I mention that Fool's job is a chair hunter?) etc.

I have started my first book: Fool's Adventures: How to hunt down the chairs?
The intro and the first chapter are finished, now I'm knotting the situation of the second chapter.

If you have any questions about Fool, Choco, Hibnob or the Nameless World, PM me. You know, the Nameless World has a very long list of history and much plants and animals that I must remember.

If you also have some recommendations, I'll be glad to hear 'em.

I'd say that the most surreal thing about this premise is the fact that Fool is a chair hunter, which is both entertaining and potentially telling of his character. What does it mean to live in a world where the animals and plants are creations of man?

The wizards and donut beings sound fantastical and funny, but not surreal at all. It sounds a lot like Adventure Time, which is surreal first and foremost because Finn and Jake are such unexpected characters in their world.

I recommend reading some of Julio Cortazar's short stories if you really want to understand what surrealism is.

At 6/18/12 09:25 PM, Deathcon7 wrote:

At 6/18/12 02:05 PM, The-Great-One wrote: Staring at a blank piece of paper or a blank computer screen and I can't get the words out. Already went through my different remedies for writer's block. What are some of yours?

Coffee.

Also, what are you trying to write? Usually doing some level of planning gets me going. It gives me a place to start, and ideas to bridge any pauses.

I've always felt like stimulants (ritalin or methylphenidate in my case) are great for when you know exactly what you want to say and just need the energy to say it and for pure creativity it's better to just be as relaxed as possible while stick having the problem at the front of your mind. I don't know which writer's block falls under.

At 6/19/12 02:28 PM, 4urentertainment wrote: And I have been so patiently awaiting this since its very first conception!

now where's my credit card..

Sorry for deleting your response on my teaser blog post. I got so mad when you figured it out.

This is it!

Come Support the NEWGROUNDS WRITING ANTHOLOGY on KICKSTARTER!

Over two years in the making, The Newgrounds Writing Anthology was conceived by Newgrounds user gumOnShoe, who posted a thread on the BBS, proposing to create an anthology of literature authored by writers frequenting the Newgrounds Writing Forum. That post eventually took on a life of its own, and the anthology continued even when gumonShoe became to busy to see it through to completion (Life, it happens).

Composed of fourteen stories and seven poems, the combined effort of seventeen talented authors has resulted in Newgrounds' first-ever publication of written fiction. This anthology will be printed through Lulu and the print and e-book copy will be purchasable through the Newgrounds store.

The kickstarter is designed to fund and support the full not-for-profit publication of this anthology, which I and the rest of the authors believe will encourage yet another untapped resource of the internet, aspiring writers of the digital age, to bring the potential for creativity on the internet full circle. We don't want this just to be a vanity project (though we are very proud of it, to be sure). Through this book, we hope to introduce just how much opportunity lies in online collaboration and how much power the new age of publishing has been transferred to the artist.

I myself am a writer and animator and have been a member of Newgrounds since 2003. I cannot overstate the impact the website has had in fostering my own personal creativity and passion for collaborating with individuals online. But I also know I am not alone in this sentiment. Over the years, Newgrounds has helped give exposure and, more importantly, ultimate creative freedom to literally thousands of aspiring creators and artists. Newgrounds as a haven for creators and their fans has been ahead of the curve since the beginning, and everyday it is on Newgrounds that we witness the potential rise of the next big thing whether it be in the form of animation, music, art, or now, literature.

I want to let the stories speak for themselves, but at least I'd like to stress that these stories are all varied, exciting, funny, and intense, exactly something you would expect of a Newgrounds effort.

About those rewards... we're putting forth a lot of effort to make sure these rewards are worthwhile to each individual. That's why with the higher tier awards, we want you to get involved with creative process by helping us craft your own ideas into works of fiction and offer advice on where you could end up taking your writing. As always, we hope that some of that will involve the Newgrounds community.

Why We Need Your Support!

In light of this mission we decided that the funds incurred from this kickstarter would go towards making this collection as accessible as possible, supported on as many devices as possible, while still retaining the spirit of a passion project, something that is in common with pretty much everything seen on Newgrounds.

In addition to tablets and e-readers, we also want to see a tangible book come out of this, both for Newgrounds enthusiasts and those who are just fond of the old trade paperback or dust-jacket. This is where the majority of the funding will go towards. Remember, this is a not-for-profit project. Money is needed to buy pre-order copies and send them right to your door so they arrive the day of the official release.

Thanks all backers in advance! Get ready to be entertained.

That's all for now! Please don't hesitate to message if you have any question at all!

At 6/14/12 02:06 PM, shandude wrote: Trials Evolution is AWESOME! I recently bought Rayman Origins so that could be a thing I play a lot
Once I get Gold for Xbox I'll probs play L4D 2

Raymans Origins is best played with four people IMO. One player is fun, but is nowhere near as good as co-op.

I'm playing Just Cause 2... Really fun.

At 6/14/12 02:10 PM, shandude wrote: I don't mean who's the better company, I mean a LITERAL FIGHT between the characters of Sony and Nintendo.
Also, just because you like one better, doesn't mean you should just immediately pick that one (Although you probs will)

Well, let the debate begin!

I'm thinking it has to be Sony.

Most of Nintendo's characters are grounded in a 1950s sense of morality of good vs. evil, but this is also reflected in their fight styles. Mario's most violent attacks are fireballs, jumping and bopping, and punching. That may be enough to disable his universe's enemies, but not enough to defeat characters designed to specifically be killing machines. Kratos, for instance, not only defeats enemies, but is a sadist. He tortures his victims using brutal and creative methods of dismemberment.

Overall this paints a good picture of how a literal fight would go down. Particularly since many of Sony's characters also use a cover mechanic, while many of Nintendo's have no need of one.

Really great documentary about Indie game development just came out for digital download. You can get it through iTunes or through the movie website. It focuses on the personal hardships of game development as experienced by four individuals. Jonathan Blow of "Braid", Edmund McMillen and Tommy Refenes of "Super Meat Boy", and Phil Fish of "Fez".

Indiegamethemovie.com

At 6/5/12 03:51 PM, noisyassassin wrote: This is the first thing I have posted in a long time. I put a lot of work into this story. I hope you enjoy it.

http://creepypasta.wikia.com/wiki/The_Tale_of_Robert_Elm

At a glance the story looks good. But I'd rather you post it on this thread, so I can critique it piece by piece.

At 6/9/12 05:32 PM, TidalH2 wrote: Walk out, slam door
Reach into pocket, need one more
It's raining, step into downpour

Great opening

Shield Cigarette, flick fire
Cars pass, probably going somewhere dire
Not ready to turn around, just to be called liar

first line is great, "probably going somewhere dire" and "just to be called liar" are both lines that stretch what the poem is capable of. You've already set a tempo for nice, abrupt sentences, stick with those.

Inhale slowly, breath in
Try to figure out where it went wrong, where she met the other men
Exhale quickly, go to car, start engine

I would cut out "try to" and the "the" in "she met the other men"

Turn car off, ash remains
Walk to door, this isn't in vain
She starts to yell, this isn't a refrain

Again, you're at your best when your being concise and avoid clumsy rhymes. "isn't in vain" is fine, but "a refrain" with the extra syllable just doesn't roll off the tongue as smoothly.

Step forward, tears in eyes
Hug her, Apologize
Promise her, no more lies

Great great.

Sun comes out, clouds part
Sitting with her, the rays look like art
Smile on your face, for at least a little while, you'll have each others hearts

"the rays look like art" is a little cheesy. Don't you think? The "your" is a little weird since you're introducing a "you" for the first time in the last stanza. Otherwise, fine.

This was written on a whim, I'm not depressed or sad or anything, just figured i'd see how a 5 minute poem would do far as critiques would go on this forum

Great poem that's best when it's at its simplest.

At 6/11/12 05:30 AM, Gladysvere wrote: Ever since humanity mastered how to collapse time, we have been traveling throughout the known universe, transforming colonized planets into reflections of Earth. As more galaxies were found, the original earth faded into obscurity. It had become forgotten by its previous inhabitants. After four hundred years the humans found themselves unknowingly returning to their original solar system, no habitable planets were found. Earth Prime had turned into a toxic gas ball whose sickly green color awarded it the name of Vulgaris. When a research team landed they found something truly unique, a race of creatures who could only survive in the arid climate of Earth. These beings possessed an immense level for cognitive thought which unfortunately led to their isolation. Humanity feared the creatures and labeled Vulgaris as a "Dead Planet". It would never appear on any solar map nor be mentioned in any pre-planned routes.
It was never questioned how earth became the gas planet it is known as today, for none remember where the original Earth had been.

I think this is an intriguing storyline, and I often don't say that about space sci-fi. The problem is that I find your writing style a bit lacking, which shouldn't be taken as an insult if you're not that experienced of a writer.

It might be worthwhile to set this story aside, because right now it may be too epic or ambitious, and the last thing you want is for yourself to get tired of your own ideas, particularly if they are good ones. I do this all the time with my stories. I get an idea, but just don't feel like I'm ready yet, skillwise or for another reason, to try to create the best piece of writing that the storyline can produce.

At 6/12/12 07:28 PM, Deathcon7 wrote:

At 6/12/12 05:42 PM, egg82 wrote:

At 6/11/12 09:30 PM, Gambit wrote: Police: Times New Roman 12
Single lined
130 pages

12-point times, single-spaced, and it comes out to 130 pages?
Wow, that's a hell of a book.

Fiction? Non-Fiction? Genre? Title?

Not to pick nits, but book-length should be measured by word count. At nearly 70k words, it's mid-field length-wise. If the story is Sci-Fi or Fantasy, you'll want to add at least another 30k words. Anything else, and you're probably okay, if not a bit over length. Editing should sort those kinds of issues out.

I can hardly imagine writing a novel. My girlfriend did at about 115k words and I just shook my head. I'm sure I'll think of a novel-length idea someday, but for right now I like the word-intimate nature of the short story.

In other news, has anyone here read The Ask by Sam Lipsyte. Take it from me, it's the funniest and darkest modern take on the great American novel.

Take the little thought-of sea cucumber:

When defending itself, it spews its internal organs out of its anus (regenerates them later).

Also when trying to get into tight spaces, it can LITERALLY LIQUIFY ITS OWN BODY!!! What!? Talk about pulling a Senator Kelly!

Anyway, YEAH! The Magic of the Animal Kingdom, baby.

I said it once, I'll say it again.

ANIMALS ARE SO FUCKING INTERESTING!

Hey guys.

I'm looking for some games that have a really good story and a deemphasis on shooting people, so no FPS.

Some of my favorite games are:

Portal 2
Shadow of the Colossus
Journey
Flower
L.A. Noire
Heavy Rain
Okami

I'm really looking forward to the upcoming Ni No Kuni

That should give a good picture of what kind of gamer I am, any suggestions?

At 6/4/12 03:38 PM, II2none wrote:

At 6/4/12 03:36 PM, majormelthesackboy wrote: My mother was crying to the part in MGS4 when Old Snake is getting microwaved.

You mean burned alive right?

no, it's a microwave.

See photo

Apparently, clouds make shapes.

See: Cloud-gazing.

Or it might just be Sweet Tooth from Twisted Metal

Um... Well, I got my first straight "A" in a college course. Probably my last as well. Only took til the end of my third year. Analysis of Animated Cinema. Appropriate, I think.

Now to start on my twelve-minute animated thesis *starts crying at the prospect*

It's pain and pleasure.