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I SUMMON YOU TO RESPOND TO MY LEGITIMATE CRITICISM, ONSTAD! I have used the appropriate words of power and incantations. I have spoken your true name, Onstad. You cannot deny my power... SPEAK, ONSTAD, SELF-PUBLISHED AUTHOR! RESPOND TO YOUR CRITIC! Haters be hatin
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Oct 16, 2009 13:38
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The latest CH arc wasn't of the caliber of the GOF obviously, but it made me think of it while I read it. I only started reading within the last year, so I ran through the old material like a freight train.. but the new stuff I'm obviously getting in real time. What reminded me of the GOF is that the arc started and developed from entirely unrelated things that should not lead where they lead. The eventual book with the arc in it will start with Cornie writing trashy harlequin novels and somehow lead to Roast Beef in the karma machine, just like Todd pitching nuts lead to the GOF. I guess what I'm saying is.. nobody puts out a solid diamond every time they open their mouth, but I haven't found a comic that I have enjoyed anywhere near as much as I enjoy achewood, and I am still excited every time there is an update or a fanflow update (like the latest note from Nice Pete, even though I thought the fellow was dead). edit: faulty memory, but I think he still should've made the hat. http://achewood.com/index.php?date=01182007 glug fucked around with this message at 13:52 on Oct 16, 2009 |
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Oct 16, 2009 13:50
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Wow, came in expecting dozens of post about Juche and how it will lead North Korea to triumph over vicious imperialist aggressors, not some ramblings about... something. Juche realism lead Todd to glorious victory by getting his slant on with Kim Jong Il!
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Oct 16, 2009 15:54
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Here is some *legitimate* criticism (because it uses capital letters I guess?) I think it would be wonderful if more of the strips were one-off gags like the good old days. Now that the characters are fairly established and we've seen them under duress, it would be nice to let them off the hook for a change and just living the quirky, mundane lives we're used to from the archives. When was the last time the gang sat down to watch some porn? Or have a few brews in the backyard? Achewood has easily established itself as a place where anything can happen, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything particularly impossible has to happen on a consistent basis. Maybe the fanflow contains strips that cater towards this. I don't know. Personally, I think it's great that the characters have a persistence. They have depth, character, personalities we can relate to. But even when their lives are changed drastically (Bensington Butters and Ray finding Lonis Edison), those things don't seem to persist. Ray comes back not much more changed for the experience, and we never hear from Butters again. On the flip side, Chris should feel free to alter the state of the characters and have it *not* be a big deal. Perhaps Lyle manages to scrape enough cash together to move out, but nothing drastic happens because of it. All in all, Achewood is still marvelously drawn, characterized, and written. Part of what makes me come back is never knowing where any particular strip is going to lead. It may be a set-up for a pun or it may alter the fates of the characters forever. Take this all with a pillar of salt :-) We are, in the end, arguing about cartoon cats on the Internet.
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Oct 16, 2009 16:02
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While I disagree with you on many counts, you're entitled to those opinions and even if I argued against you neither of us would be right.
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Oct 16, 2009 16:21
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Grilldos posted:While I disagree with you on many counts, you're entitled to those opinions and even if I argued against you neither of us would be right. What is this bizarre meme I see that opinions can't be wrong? There are particular devices that are used in every kind of writing, from stage plays to cartoons to comic books. If those devices are employed too frequently, or too sparingly, the effect it has on the entire work can be anything from bad to horrible. If I were to say my opinion is that Romeo and Juliet should have survived at the end of the play, my opinion would be wrong, because Romeo and Juliet is a dramatic tragedy. I say this with full knowledge that webcomics as a medium are still being mapped out, but it's wholly unreasonable to say that no opinion on the direction they take is wrong. Everything Onstad employs in his work: conflict, rising action, resolution, denouement, comic relief, dry humor, are tools with explicit uses, benefits, and drawbacks. Creative work is not immune from correctness or incorrectness, and saying that no opinion is wrong is completely meaningless. Opinions certainly can be valid or invalid depending on the context of the work, especially when they are informed from prior work, historical convention, and so on.
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Oct 16, 2009 16:28
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Todd + North Korean Magical Realism sounds pretty drat funny to me, but whatever, here's my essay about cartoon cats:
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Oct 16, 2009 16:41
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I understand what you're saying, but onstad's in a storytelling mood. I don't think we'll see a return to gags until he wants that to be the focus. It may be that the gags turn into these storylines instead of just ending after one strip.
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Oct 16, 2009 16:43
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Panic! at the Fist Jab posted:Maybe the fanflow contains strips that cater towards this. I don't know. What I like in the fanflow is when there's basically a script of some situation or interaction between some of the characters. It's the kind of thing that could easily be a multi-comic small arc of sorts, but with more depth and all at once. Rather than seeing a few months worth of one story play out, you get a little mini story like a movie scene in one go. Usually they are just the kind of mundane things you're talking about.. Ray walking in on Teodor cooking, guys sitting at the bar, etc.
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Oct 16, 2009 16:47
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Vaporware posted:I understand what you're saying, but onstad's in a storytelling mood. I don't think we'll see a return to gags until he wants that to be the focus. It may be that the gags turn into these storylines instead of just ending after one strip. Personally I'm expecting the action to cut away from Todd completely, with whatever happened to him being mentioned in a quick throwaway line/panel, if at all.
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Oct 16, 2009 17:20
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If we're all sitting around bitching about comics then I just want to say I want more Phillipe stories. 
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Oct 16, 2009 19:32
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Gravitas Shortfall posted:Personally I'm expecting the action to cut away from Todd completely, with whatever happened to him being mentioned in a quick throwaway line/panel, if at all. if that happens I'll gladly shut up
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Oct 16, 2009 19:42
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glug posted:Honestly, the point isn't that you are wrong. The point is.. what the gently caress is your point?   Oh yo Onstad you should do three months of just molly like molly doing the dishes or molly working at starbucks or molly going to the mall but it turns out the dress is an axis mundi into the time world where she can shop for clothes in 16th century wales, it really doesn't matter how you do it more molly though please.
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Oct 17, 2009 00:08
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I, too, want to get mad about things that are free on the internet.
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Oct 17, 2009 03:01
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pseudosavior posted:I, too, want to get mad about things that are free on the internet. If something is free its also free of any and all criticism, awesome 
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Oct 17, 2009 05:00
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Oct 17, 2009 08:14
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no discussion in the discussion thread i guess v v
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Oct 17, 2009 08:34
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Discussion is fine, being a douchebag isn't.
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Oct 17, 2009 09:53
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 Hey guys a new stripOh no it's continuing the plot with Todd this is the worst strip ever I am so sad 
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Oct 18, 2009 05:54
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I like how "peel out" is the only thing Todd can think of doing with a van.
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Oct 18, 2009 06:04
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I like that not knowing how to operate it does not stop him whatsoever and that that is probably his ticket out of the general rules of the game.
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Oct 18, 2009 06:05
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I wonder if the illegal van is accompanied by any illegal ghost bikes.
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Oct 18, 2009 06:08
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Something tells me there's no getting one's slant on in a Distant Town, either.
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Oct 18, 2009 07:03
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Mrs. Badcrumble posted:I like that not knowing how to operate it does not stop him whatsoever and that that is probably his ticket out of the general rules of the game. Knowledge is power but ignorance is absolutely unstoppable.
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Oct 18, 2009 09:25
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gently caress you achewood criticizers, this strip was motherfucking amazing
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Oct 18, 2009 10:22
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robot roll call posted:gently caress you achewood criticizers, this strip was motherfucking amazing I don't think you "get" the point spillane and I were trying to make. Also, yes, this strip was pretty good. Probably not going to post in this thread much anymore, have fun reaffirming your own opinions off of each other
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Oct 18, 2009 16:04
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Muffin Loaf posted:I don't think you "get" the point spillane and I were trying to make. You are impressing no one. I suspect not even yourself.
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Oct 18, 2009 16:23
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Another reference to aglets. That's the second time in five years. How many times can you go to the well, Onstad? Panic! at the Fist Jab posted:Personally, I think it's great that the characters have a persistence. They have depth, character, personalities we can relate to. But even when their lives are changed drastically (Bensington Butters and Ray finding Lonis Edison), those things don't seem to persist. Ray comes back not much more changed for the experience, and we never hear from Butters again. On the flip side, Chris should feel free to alter the state of the characters and have it *not* be a big deal. Perhaps Lyle manages to scrape enough cash together to move out, but nothing drastic happens because of it. I think this is one criticism I can get behind. It made a special kind of sense when Pat emerged from his coming out more or less unchanged, but I was surprised at how little Ray was changed after the GOF. I didn't expect him to turn into his father, but he still seems like A Guy You Don't Want to Have Lost a Fight To. And he's still desperately seeking Rodney's approval, even after winning the fight and burning the acres to the ground. I guess one possible answer is that this is just something about the character: even though he's super-successful and popular, for some reason he's also fairly insecure. Look at the progression of his love life: he got all kinds of rear end in high school, did a chick while smoking a cigarette, and once got his bone on six times in one weekend. Yet these days he's resorting to hiring hookers, calling sex lines, and posing as a Saudi prince to hook up with his ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile, his depressed friend and octogenarian friend are both in relationships with hot women. I'd love to see more discussion of how Ray lost his mojo after being the coolest kid in school.
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Oct 18, 2009 16:41
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Muffin Loaf posted:I don't think you "get" the point spillane and I were trying to make. The point was, Spillane decided to use his/everyone's retarded LF posting style to try to criticize something in a non-LF thread. If he had brought his criticisms about in a way that was thoughtful and coherent, not LF-style lazyposting, with no usage of any punctuation, capitalization or anything resembling intelligent discussion, then maybe people would have given a gently caress. But he was so hardcore into the LF mindset that he actually used the "post someone's avatar ironically" schtick. Therefore, gently caress him. Personally, I AM tired of the magical realism arcs, and the super-serious stuff that takes about three weeks to wrap up. I agree that Onstad goes to that well too often, and it would be nice to see more continuity-free silliness. However, that isn't to say that Achewood has become a webcomic I Will Not Read. In fact, Achewood is, and will continue to stay the only webcomic in my bookmarks toolbar, so I can open it with one button click. I love Achewood and don't think that it's gotten worse. I'd just like for a little more time spent on silly Phillippe jokes, Teodor being a nerd, maybe some more of Charley and Ray and Beef and all that... But for a free webcomic that I haven't bothered paying anything for in about a year, I'm pretty satisfied with my "investment" in the comic. It's good, free entertainment.
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Oct 18, 2009 17:33
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I wonder how many of these text adventures Onstad played as a child. Hell, maybe he's playing them now...
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Oct 18, 2009 22:14
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My grandfather was taken to a distant town once for speaking out against Chinese communism. Luckily for him he was friends with their cook.
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Oct 19, 2009 03:14
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Soylentbits posted:My grandfather was taken to a distant town once for speaking out against Chinese communism. Luckily for him he was friends with their cook. This is both funny and incredibly sad.
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Oct 19, 2009 04:34
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I... like the magic realism arcs? A lot? One of my favorite parts of the strip? I like that we've had a few lately? I like the extended storylines whose content per strip made up for their sporadic posts? I like that it still manages a roughly 3-days-of-the-week update schedule even if regularity has become an issue (at least I have MSPaint Adventures for regularity)? Maybe I'm just weird.
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Oct 19, 2009 08:51
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TombsGrave posted:I... like the magic realism arcs? A lot? One of my favorite parts of the strip? I like that we've had a few lately? I like the extended storylines whose content per strip made up for their sporadic posts? I like that it still manages a roughly 3-days-of-the-week update schedule even if regularity has become an issue (at least I have MSPaint Adventures for regularity)? It's okay, I'm a freak/mindless fan that's obviously blind to all of the horrible, horrible parts of this comic too. 
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Oct 20, 2009 00:02
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Doggs, I honestly don't see a drop in quality at all. Y'all might as well be saying that the sky is green or some poo poo, but taste is subjective so...
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Oct 20, 2009 00:07
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the thing is with the longer arcs if you don't like what's going on you're stuck with it but when it's a bunch of one or two strip gags if you get one that's not for you there's something new right around the corner. There's plenty of sub-par stuff all through the archive but it's less memorable because it didn't drag on. But just about everything has some fans and even more vocal haters. I hated magical sheep realism but I love Todd, text games and flowcharts so I'm happy as hell right now.
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Oct 20, 2009 02:07
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Related tangent: What are some good free text games that I can get right now?
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Oct 20, 2009 03:41
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ProfZoom posted:Related tangent: What are some good free text games that I can get right now? You can play the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy one online http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game_nolan.shtml
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Oct 20, 2009 04:04
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Dacap posted:You can play the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy one online http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game_nolan.shtml May God have mercy on his soul
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Oct 20, 2009 04:47
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Dacap posted:You can play the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy one online http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/hitchhikers/game_nolan.shtml Hitchhiker's is great fun to play with a step-by-step walkthrough, where you can understand and appreciate the humor in the puzzle solutions, rather than playing it by yourself where you'll be too frustrated to laugh. Some of my favorite relatively modern IF works include Anchorhead, Slouching Towards Bedlam, and Varicella.
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Oct 20, 2009 04:55
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