LAST EDITED ON Mar-09-10 AT 11:02 AM (EST)
 
...I feel obligated to keep posting these commentary threads.

...OTOH, it's 4am.

Blah. Will read and edit in the morning.

Rest'a y'all, enjoy.

*passes out*

ETA:

Right!~ So.

> Gryphon came to and briefly had no idea where he was or how he'd
> come to be there. His first thought was that this was a damned peculiar
> place for a cuddle.

This is an excellent opening line.

> "Something's not right," Gryphon murmured. He felt a strange
> vibe in the cool, crisp air of this deserted landscape. It put his
> nerves on edge, though he couldn't say why. He reached into the storage
> compartment, took out his scattergun, and offered it to the quarian.
> "You know how to use one of these?"
> "Bryar Seventeen, cut down. Sure," she replied. Then, tilting
> her head in puzzlement, she said, "You're giving me a weapon?"
> He nodded. "Something about this place I don't like," he said.
> "You might need it."

That's an effective device, I think - a combination of genre-savvy and the fact that a three-hundred-year-old fugitive from justice will damn well know when a situation is not only eyeing his backside, but be able to gauge the sharpness of its teeth from the prickles in his neck.

> The Gallant's full-power mode was intended as a desperation
> setting, for use when a Cyclone rider was in a very tight corner. It
> burned an entire one-megajoule ammo capacitor in a single shot, but the
> effect was worth it, because the tightly collimated particle beam
> punched straight through the gunship's armored window, and its armored
> pilot, and his armored seat, and the armored engine bay, and went
> straight out the back. The vehicle rocketed past overhead, its
> slipstream nearly blowing Gryphon over, clipped the top of the ridge
> behind them, and tumbled out of sight with a grinding scrape of metal on
> stone that ended in a satisfying THOOMP.

Goodness. That's a quite considerable amount of gun.

> "Heh, no, I think I'll make it. How are you doing in there?"
> "I'm good."
> "That's good. -I- need a bath."
> "Yes. You do."
> "Why don't you?"
> "The miracle of nanosanitation technology."
> "I don't think I want to investigate that more closely."
> "Good."

*gigglefit*

>...I feel obligated to keep posting these commentary threads.
>
>...OTOH, it's 4am.
>
>Blah. Will read and edit in the morning.

Well, I certainly don't expect people to stay up all night. I actually figured if I did that, it'd be waiting for people in the morning. Oops...

--G.
sry
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

It being morning where I am at present, could I just say a few words:

1) LOVING the World Service, and I didn't know you got Front Row on it. That said, I didn't think it'd survive to 2356 but there you are.
2) I will now have to outlay money on Mass Effect 2 (never played either ME - the acronym has too many bad, Windows-based memories... *shudders*)
3) As ever, fantastic work, lad. Keep at it!

---
"Together we will build an empire of a million shining suns." -- Dave, Dictator of Utopia.

>2) I will now have to outlay money on Mass Effect 2 (never played
>either ME - the acronym has too many bad, Windows-based memories...
>*shudders*)

Play ME1 first. Trust me.

>>2) I will now have to outlay money on Mass Effect 2 (never played
>>either ME - the acronym has too many bad, Windows-based memories...
>>*shudders*)
>
>Play ME1 first. Trust me.

Admittedly, it's a bit of a slog. I could go on about the Mako all day; it got to the point where I tracked down those Canyonero ads from The Simpsons to keep myself sane through driving bits. That and the inventory system feels like someone spent all of five minutes on it.

But the payoff of the whole continuing story is well worth it, believe me.

-- Slider Da Feral
As for the Windows ME memories, do what I do: call the game ME1.

>Admittedly, it's a bit of a slog. I could go on about the Mako all
>day; it got to the point where I tracked down those Canyonero ads from
>The Simpsons to keep myself sane through driving bits.

They just announced the other day that the next major Downloadable Content pack for ME2 will include the Hammerhead, a hover tank that takes the place of the Mako, plus five side missions that utilize it. At least the upside is that they're optional now, and the whole "impossible physics" headbanger will make a bit more sense.

>That and
>the inventory system feels like someone spent all of five minutes on
>it.

I always found that it wasn't the armor or weapons that were a problem, it was all the mods, which made up the bulk of your "treasure" during every mission. Then again, turning a sniper rifle into a man-portable rail cannon by equipping two scram rails and high-explosive rounds was pretty fun.

>But the payoff of the whole continuing story is well worth it, believe
>me.

Especially if, as it seems, some of the major decisions made in ME1, along with those in ME2, will pay off in ME3.

It's only 8:30 in the evening here - perfect timing, really!

Bloody good piece, too. Tai and Gryph have real chemistry. And there's something about her name...

>It's only 8:30 in the evening here - perfect timing, really!
>
>Bloody good piece, too. Tai and Gryph have real chemistry. And there's
>something about her name...

Hmm, I noticed the same thing in a post a browser crash ate on me. Kythera would be her ship name, assuming that the Quarian naming system is the same as in the core ME-verse. Which gives her a different middle name. Ancestor perhaps?

Matrix Dragon, J. Random Nutter

>Hmm, I noticed the same thing in a post a browser crash ate on me.
>Kythera would be her ship name, assuming that the Quarian naming
>system is the same as in the core ME-verse. Which gives her a
>different middle name. Ancestor perhaps?

I reckon. This is going in some very interesting directions.

>And there's something about her name...

A couple of quick notes on Tali's name:

Shukra, her clan name, is the Sanskrit for "pure" or "clear" (or "brightness" or "clarity" if used as a noun). It's also the Vedic name for the planet Venus or the god thereof (I'm not real clear on Vedic things in general), which has astrological significance as a benificent influence, which is how I came across it; I was looking around for foreign-language names of the planets and that one caught my eye.

Kythera, the name of the ship she comes from, is one of the Ionian Islands of Greece, which were in ancient times the wellspring of what we now think of as the Western way of thought and the scientific method (per James Burke's The Day the Universe Changed and Carl Sagan's Cosmos). A short distance away is another island, Antikythera; if that name is familiar to you, you've probably heard the story of the Antikythera Mechanism, a mechanical astronomical computer discovered some years ago in a shipwreck there. This fiendishly complicated little device was something like a thousand years ahead of its time, assuming archaeologists have dated it correctly.

See, I don't just make this stuff up without thinking about it a little first. Sometimes. :)

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

When your job involves being up all night, this is much appreciated entertainment to keep one awake.

Time to read. 8)

-----
It would have been an accidental shooting, had he not reloaded... twice.

>"They still think we can go back and take it from the geth."

Oh ho, the plot thickens. In more ways than one overall.
And is there any particular reason Gryph isn't carrying his swords? Left them at home mayhaps?

>And is there any particular reason Gryph isn't carrying his swords?
>Left them at home mayhaps?

Yup. It really is as simple as that.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Not many thoughts on this one, except in the very final bit it's suddenly gone all Western (as in the cowboy movie genre).

There is one thing that I have been thinking.

What happens if the Quarians meet up with the Colonials? Will they swap notes?

"It's difficult keeping up with the cross-continuity, but I think Cosmouse just gave The Saturnian Scraphunter his Ultimate Pacifier to use against Galactapuss..."

>There is one thing that I have been thinking.
>
>What happens if the Quarians meet up with the Colonials? Will they
>swap notes?

Not all that much to talk about, really. The Colonials were driven from their homeworlds by malevolent alien invaders (the Cylons use a lot of robots, but they're actually lizards), not their own colossal cultural screw-up. They might have some tips to share regarding keeping crocky old technology working on a long road trip, but that's about it.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

Well, that's me put straight.

I always thought that the Cylons were made by the Colonials as well...

"It's difficult keeping up with the cross-continuity, but I think Cosmouse just gave The Saturnian Scraphunter his Ultimate Pacifier to use against Galactapuss..."

>I always thought that the Cylons were made by the Colonials as well...

They were in the new show, but in the classic one they're aliens.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>Goodness. That's a quite considerable amount of gun.

The Gallant is the standard sidearm in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA (aka Robotech: The New Generation), and it is indeed quite a piece of hardware, capable of engaging in a sustained firefight with human-class opponents (SDC damage, if you remember the old Palladium Robotech RPG) or taking a shot or two at mecha (MDC damage). It's also got a shoulder stock/barrel extension attachment set that make it a proper MDC weapon, but Gryphon left those in his other pants.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Goodness. That's a quite considerable amount of gun.
>
>The Gallant is the standard sidearm in Genesis Climber MOSPEADA
>(aka Robotech: The New Generation), and it is indeed quite a
>piece of hardware, capable of engaging in a sustained firefight with
>human-class opponents (SDC damage, if you remember the old Palladium
>Robotech RPG) or taking a shot or two at mecha (MDC damage).
>It's also got a shoulder stock/barrel extension attachment set that
>make it a proper MDC weapon, but Gryphon left those in his
>other pants.
>
"MDC Structures, MDC Structures..."

Sorry, couldn't resist :P

offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>

>"MDC Structures, MDC Structures..."
>
>Sorry, couldn't resist :P

In and around Boston, there used to be parking spaces reserved for the official vehicles of the Metropolitan District Commission, a now-defunct state government agency having to do with parks and stuff. They were marked with standard red-bordered rectangular "reserved parking" signs that had the logo of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and "MDC VEHICLES ONLY" on them.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>"MDC Structures, MDC Structures..."
>>
>>Sorry, couldn't resist :P
>
>In and around Boston, there used to be parking spaces reserved for the
>official vehicles of the Metropolitan District Commission, a
>now-defunct state government agency having to do with parks and stuff.
> They were marked with standard red-bordered rectangular "reserved
>parking" signs that had the logo of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
>and "MDC VEHICLES ONLY" on them.
>
Oh, yeah - I remember those... I grew up in Newton & Brookline, so I'm familiar with the MDC. Didn't know they were defunct, IIRC they still ran the Stone Zoo when I visited it 5 years or so ago, but I could be misremembering that part...

offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>

>Oh, yeah - I remember those... I grew up in Newton & Brookline, so
>I'm familiar with the MDC. Didn't know they were defunct, IIRC they
>still ran the Stone Zoo when I visited it 5 years or so ago, but I
>could be misremembering that part...

They got conflated with some other agency a couple years ago, so there's still an agency carrying out those functions, but it's not called the MDC any more.

--G.
-><-
Benjamin D. Hutchins, Co-Founder, Editor-in-Chief, & Forum Admin
Eyrie Productions, Unlimited http://www.eyrie-productions.com/
Ceterum censeo Carthaginem esse delendam.

>>Oh, yeah - I remember those... I grew up in Newton & Brookline, so
>>I'm familiar with the MDC. Didn't know they were defunct, IIRC they
>>still ran the Stone Zoo when I visited it 5 years or so ago, but I
>>could be misremembering that part...
>
>They got conflated with some other agency a couple years ago, so
>there's still an agency carrying out those functions, but it's not
>called the MDC any more.
>
OK, thanks for the info - I haven't lived in the Boston area "officially" for nearly 15 years, and in all practicality for almost 20...

offsides

[...] in order to be a realist you must believe in miracles.
-- David Ben Gurion
EPU RCW #π
#include <stdsig.h>

>Tali leaned forward, the ghosts of her eyes narrowing as she
>squinted at the wrapper. "'Lemon Surprise'," she read. "What's lemon?"
>"It's a fruit from Earth. But this doesn't taste anything like
>one. That's the surprise," Gryphon replied.
>"Does it taste like rat?" she asked impishly.
>"Even after 67 years as a galactic fugitive, I'm pleased to say
>that I have no way of knowing," said Gryphon. He peeled the wrapper off
>the bar, revealing it to be a slightly crumbly but mostly waxy yellow
>substance, bit the end off, grimaced, chewed, and swallowed. "Ugh. Our
>Salusian friends used to claim that people would eventually choose to
>starve to death rather than keep eating these things."

I'm reminded of a passage in John Ringo's The Last Centurion in which emergerncy rations are being discussed, and the new type they concocted to keep a large portion of the population from starving were deliberately designed to taste as bad as possible, so that people didn't try to eat them unless they were REALLY, REALLY desperate. Which might be the original intent, if rat bars were first created to be survival rations. Someone along the way just forgot to improve the taste.

>I'm reminded of a passage in John Ringo's The Last Centurion in
>which emergerncy rations are being discussed, and the new type they
>concocted to keep a large portion of the population from starving were
>deliberately designed to taste as bad as possible, so that people
>didn't try to eat them unless they were REALLY, REALLY desperate.
>Which might be the original intent, if rat bars were first created to
>be survival rations. Someone along the way just forgot to improve the
>taste.

Make me think more of the D-Rations of WWII, which were created based upon the following guidelines:

1. Weigh 4 ounces
2. Be high in food energy value
3. Be able to withstand high temperatures
4. Taste "little better than a baked potato."

They made them out of chocolate, sugar, oat flour, cacao fat, skim milk powder, and artificial flavoring. The final product was so gooey that they couldn't pour them into molds, so every bar had to be individually kneaded and hand pressed. And because the Army Quartermaster had specified they be so unappetizing, in order to prevent soldiers from snacking on them, most threw them away due to the horrid flavor. Didn't help that you stood the chance of cracking your teeth if you tried to bite into one.

> Dear Zoner: Please tell
> Eris to back the fuck off a little. Love, G.

Best line YET!