Yeah, you should look into that. The Spanish were merciless adventurers and exploiters, but the people they fought were probably more savage, with horrible and abusive generational monarchy and human sacrifice. They were not "Noble Savages" as the 19th century romantics termed them. They were just savages, honestly.
And Berkley is not America. Generally, any city that needs a phone app to trace where to go to avoid human excrement is not a good place to use as an example. Unless its in Germany, where poo is a hobby.
- Negator_402
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Member for 9 years, 7 months, and 28 days
Last active Wed, May, 23 2018 23:03:12
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Mar 8, 2018Negator_402 posted a message on Finding Orazca and One's Self in the Story of IxalanPosted in: Articles
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Mar 8, 2018Negator_402 posted a message on Finding Orazca and One's Self in the Story of IxalanIt is funny, because in hindsight, it actually IS a well-written block as a farce. The Dinosaur People and their ludicrous no-killing mantra while riding a flesh eating monster. Vampires who wear ornate armor in 105 degree sun. Wood merfolk. Instead, I read it as a brown-washing with evil Spanish Vampires and Noble Aztec people. I wish I knew.Posted in: Articles
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Mar 7, 2018Negator_402 posted a message on Finding Orazca and One's Self in the Story of IxalanI wish I had known that Ixalan was written as a Shakespearean farce of sorts. It was not the strongest story if taken 100% seriously, but entertaining now, in hindsight.Posted in: Articles
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Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the Problem1. You said "abusers." Abuse is a crime. Therefore, this is a criminal issue.Posted in: Articles
2. Claiming that the burden of proof does not apply to your public lynching is a great way to belie how disgusting your methods are. You know what? I think you are a pedophile. No proof, but I think it. Now, I will not speak to you, because you are a pedophile. Did that work?
3. It does work in Court. Because I am organized, and can see through poor arguments, realizing they signal weakness. You are so very poor at arguing because you either cite to non-existent proof, or to misquotes, as you did above.
4. Again, no personal attacks. I just stated that I do not need to convince you I am an attorney, or anything else at all.
5. The true measure of my success in Court is not you, but the amount of money and accolades it garners me, no? As to the former, I can only say that this awesome tax bill benefits me even though I live in New York City. Take that for whatever you want. -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemPlease, point out to me when I labeled your ill-wrought opinion "Islamist" or "Socialist."Posted in: Articles
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Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemType less, read more. The quote from me you yourself quoted above states "the 4th Amendment applies to government." I then went on to discuss the concept of the burden of proof in the public sphere.Posted in: Articles
I do not need you to believe I am an attorney. Your approval is not important to me, or to many other people, I venture. -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemSJW is in fact a term. Its a term adopted by the people who are labeled it.Posted in: Articles
And the difference is, the word "bigot" means "no matter what his opinion, it does not count to me, regardless of the topic." I do not label someone a "socialist" when I argue with them about police or immigration. -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemPosted in: ArticlesQuote from ISBPathfinder »Part of the problem is also that we are a two party system. To some degree its a choose your poison and to be totally honest, it didn't matter who else it was I was not voting for Hillary. Some of this problem comes back to issues with the electoral college and how our presidential elections are held but why would the established parties want to change that because they have all the power in the current system.
I am still a republican at the end of the day and while Trump might not be my "ideal" situation I will still probably end up voting for a republican candidate because of the things that I find important tend to be more republican concepts. I am a moderate because when it comes to social issues I disagree with republicans but when it comes to financial and military issues I am a conservative.
The real problem in my opinion is that there are only two parties to choose from and really you can point at either party and the extremists are totally bat ***** crazy. I actually suspect the average US citizen is more of a mix of the concepts of both parties. The problem is they take ridiculous extreme views on everything as a party.
I am on your side of the aisle, but on this point (which I do hear a lot), I disagree.
The two-party system requires conformity towards the middle. If the US is split into, lets say, 10 different regions with their own sub-culture, to carry the nation, you need...6 of them? 7? That requires Big Tent thinking, and prevents extremism, in theory.
In Europe and Israel, even, they have multiple parties. This results in not only extreme parties to both ends of the spectrum, but horse trading. Party A and C make an alliance. But B is able to bring F, G, and H together, and now THEY have the power. And what if B's voters hate what G and H stand for, but its too late, they voted people in who now blame this game of political musical chairs. -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemUnfortunately, this is the new normal. I have tried to avoid terming any opinion I do not agree with as "Socialist" or "Islamist" or "Intersectionalist Nonsense" to not fall into this trap myself.Posted in: Articles
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Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemYou quoted me (an attorney, no less) and then stated "only stupid people think the constitution..." Surely, you are joking?Posted in: Articles
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Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemISIS is a self-claiming "state" which calls for the destruction of the West. We are at war with ISIS.Posted in: Articles
Nazi Germany is (thankfully, thanks to people like my grandparents who fought in the Red Army) a dead state. The alleged "Neo-Nazis", of which there are actually quite few, do not swear allegiance to this state because it is not in existence.
There are in fact people in the US who advocate for a race-based fascist state. Some of them are Neo-Nazis and other "Alt Right" factions. Others still are BLM, various Islamic proliferation movements, and all sorts of Socialist groups. Socialism, as advocated by Bernie Sanders and such, is support of a form of governance alien to ours. Does THIS not bother you? -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemYou need to learn to write without personal attacks or invectives. Your voice is so weak.Posted in: Articles
No, the 4th Amendment applies to government search and seizure. However, absent a burden of proof, the public opinion pillory becomes a witch hunt. Gee, did we ever have a history of people being black-balled due to empty allegations on a sensitive subject? Oh yes, the MCCARTHY ERA!
I ask you, on the topic of harassment: who marches in our streets and claims to punch people who are "Nazis"? Is it the "Alt-Right?" No sir, its the Alt-Left. There is no "Punch A Communist" or "Punch A Mujahideen" movement in the US, is there? -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemI ADORED this opinion: the Liberal telling Conservatives what a Conservative should and should not be. How dare we elect someone who wants to seal the borders or bring back corporations? No, we MUST instead select a weak, soft, and easily media-broken moderate like Marco Rubio! After all, you, oh SJW, know what a Republican is! What you want is a weak, beatable Republican.Posted in: Articles
Wake up to your own party. Your leadership is on the Far Left. Your "rising stars" are Keith Ellison, a Jew-hating, white-hating Muslim convert with extremist connections. Your party darling is a 75-year-old self-hating Jewish socialist with no job history outside government and a low-iq former VP who likes to grab asses and give his kids cushy jobs. Find your next Bill Clinton, while we sweep up the Senate in 2018. 10 Democratic Senators up for re-election in Trump states.
And stop misusing the word "bigot" so much. Far-Left screeching in the 1920s and 1930s in Italy and Germany helped the ACTUAL Far-Right (and not Trump) rise to power. -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemYou are RIGHT, there are consequences! Like men not dating a girl because you are a portly feminist (or outright a man stating he is a woman), NFL fans not watching because you kneel for the anthem, or people not buying products of a comic book company because it went SJW.Posted in: Articles
Do you agree, then, that the slow death spiral of Marvel Comics is their fault, and not the fault of "bigots who refuse to accept non cis white male heroes"? -
Dec 2, 2017Negator_402 posted a message on If You Can't Take Criticism of Jeremy Hambly, You're Part of the ProblemOh how terribly rich! The irony of the Alt-Left: you invade a fandom, demand acceptance, and then, once accepted, demand that everyone not sharing in your believes or willing to mold to your "I love everyone" cover lie leave.Posted in: Articles
But here is a thought: if we conservatives are so oppressive, so odious, and so evil... then should we not, instead of leaving this community, use our evil and oppressive powers to push YOU, oh victim of the patriarchy, out of our community? Who on earth gave you, the person claiming to be part of the weak and oppressed, the ability to tell the so-called oppressor what he shall do?
Or maybe, is there really no such imbalance of power as you claim, and you are simply lying to gain power and pillory your enemies? Does that sound familiar? Oh yes, RIGHT...its what Sprankle did to Hambly.
Bye Felicia. - To post a comment, please login or register a new account.
And I actually have presented evidence of decline. Hasbro's own numbers for one. The amount of loud discontent another. The rising cost of product (which is not a product that has actual rarity like diamonds) a third. $80 for a Grand Prix as an amateur? Come on!
And your cancerous "we don't need those fans!" view is sick for many reasons, but particularly because it is NOT YOUR HOBBY! See, you are proving my point by stating that "you" don't need "them" in your hobby. The only way this is possible is if you are in the driver's seat, which you actually almost are, because people with your worldview work at Wizards. So you admit then that you will keep pushing your worldview, and "they" (meaning me) can leave. There is a reason Dominaria has been the most flavorful and well-designed block in a while: "we/you" did not lead the design exclusively, Richard Garfield was involved. He tried to, dare we say, Make Magic Great Again?
And the argument that AlphaInvestment's Rudy knows nothing because he is in a basement is moronic. They guy makes quite a bit of money on the game, meaning he both knows quite a bit, and also has a bit to lose if the game tanks. So maybe, on this one, lend him your ear?
No, most of Europe was white. Your lack of proof is not because there was a lack of evidence back then. There was evidence, it just does not favor you. Let me guess, Abraham was black too? As were the pharaohs?
The issue is not even than Lyria or Benalish Marshal is black; its that this is an ACTIVE attempt to force-feed a certain worldview. It's not natural diversity, like "hey draw some guy on a horse." The instructions are "black man on a horse."
I think Ravnica is a wonderful plane. I think 3 sets blocks are great as well, I think that paradigm worked. I am puzzled why we abandoned it for a 2-set paradigm, and then abandoned that for a large sets only, and then did this, which would have worked best as a small-small-big block.
And yes, Europe was overwhelmingly white. The trope is based on a pink washing of Medieval Europe, without the rape, plague, and generally toothless broken people. But yes, overwhelmingly white. Unless you count the Moors of Spain (who were outright invaders, and eventually expelled as a politically relevant people) or Jews, who were traders and merchants (I would know, my ancestors were amongst them.)
Better question is how has MTG's price risen relative to cost of production. shipping, and cost of running local gaming stores. I remember in the early 2000's, when all PTQs were $20 entry fee. Maybe $25 for Sealed, unsure so many years later. What are they now? I know the cost of GP's has risen absurdly.
And no, actually, nice try, but I did not say that people who "look different" are part of a leftist tilt. I have loved the Teferi character for 20 years. Shanna, Huatli, Saheeli, all characters that make sense. The sets were set in those cultures, it does not feel forced.
But half of Benalia, including its Marshall (highest ranked military order) being randomly black after 25 years of it clearly being a white feudal society? Forced. Lyra, the leader of Serra's angels, randomly black? Forced. A transexual elf? Jesus freaking christ forced. These characters were not asked for by the community. They were asked for by a smattering of people, some of whom are not even players, and the rest of push came from inside WOTC.
And I do not think the decline is a coincidence. The same is happening (happened) in comics. I also think its hilarious how much uglier the female characters got, but that is besides the point. If I had the time, I would compare the number of busty women and muscular men in artwork in say Ravnica 1 versus Dominaria. One day maybe.
Today, we had an announcement that everyone was expecting: Ravnica again! On its own, this is fun, because Ravnica is fun. However, the announcement that two (TWO) more large sets will be set in Ravnica as well (meaning that the Fall 18, Winter 19, and Spring 19 are all Ravnica) disturbs me. Here is why:
1. This is yet another flip-flop on the blocks versus single large sets change. Yes, each is a large set, but they are basically 3 sets conjoined by setting, theme (two-color combos) and plot (Bolas, again). In essence, this is a three-large-set block released over a full year.
2. This suggests that they do not have any new ideas. They stated that they want to layer new and old settings like bacon, 1 new, 1 old. This is a breaking of that promise. Ixalan was for children. Dominaria was fun but watered down power-wise. Surely they have a Viking world or Western world or post-apocalyptic world they can use in the next 12 months?
3. Each set will be drafted separately, as they are large sets. This leads to the stupidity of unevenly-colored limited play. This is why I did not enjoy Ixalan draft: the color combos are not balanced. Now, each of the first two large sets will have only have the guilds. Dragon's Maze was the most fun Ravnica to play in limited, and that will not happen this time around.
4. The beauty of Ravnica is that it never needed a top-down plot of theme; the color pie, and the two-color guilds were the plot, and their identity and interrelationship was what made it fun. It was world-view tribal, rather than race type tribal. Now, it will be overshadowed by the serialized cartoon style of Gatewatch v Bolas, and only two years after Amonkhet (less really), which already did this.
However, there is a larger problem. The Battlebond set disclosure released with this makes me wonder what direction WOTC is moving with the game. They are trying to market to a casual audience, but if that is there focus (rather than being like Dota, and building around a popular professional scene with millionaire players), why invest so many resources into pro points, e-celebrity, and perks for Magic's "elite"? There is a lack of focus. They are releasing too much supplemental product, and the main product is suffering, Dominaria aside.
What makes this more disturbing is that Ravnica is a precious resource that should be tended to with care. It's a setting that is always going to be enjoyable, unless its milked to exhaustion. This, combined with the casual-and-pro-at-once shotgun approach, makes me feel almost like WOTC is strip-mining its own IP for short-term gain.
Ironically, where this can be seen is a product quite opposite to MTG and its player base: the UFC. Under Zuffa and the Fertitta brothers, the UFC was built around a theory that the best should fight the best, and that the sport was for warriors. Each weight class was tended to in order to set up compelling challengers to the belt whether the present champion defended or was dethroned. Great matchmaking and fighter development produced stars like Ronda Rousey, Georges Saint Pierre, Jon Jones, Brock Lesnar, and eventually, mega star Conor McGregor.
However, when WME-IMG (a Hollywood management company far removed from the Italian mobster sons that ran Zuffa), the sport began experiencing a similar strip-mining. "Money fights" rather than compelling top-notch fights became soup dejour. Michael Bisping defended his belt against his old rival in #13 ranked, 44 year old Dan Henderson. Ronda Rousey took a title fight immediately upon her year-long absence ending rather than a tune-up (and being soundly smashed by a girl who punches like a dude). McGregor took leave of planet earth and fought Mayweather in boxing, halting the sport's biggest star for 2 years, while holding up 2 weight classes. Brock Lesnar came back for one fight, won, failed a steroid test, and left again. All short-term gain, all long-term loss.
The attitude has landed the UFC, 2 years later, with aging and fading stars, few rising heroes, a roster of fighters using trash talk to sell a possible money fight with an irrelevant opponent, and dropping numbers. UFC 224 was so horrendous they did not market it, and the PPV numbers are looking hideous. They did not develop their product, or use their on-hand resources wisely. They planned around today and tomorrow, not next year. Using Ravnica 3 times, in three separate stand-alone sets, while making the plot Bolas-v-Gatewatch centered, bothers me. It is the same as the UFC since July 2016.
This, combined with the far-left tilt of the virtue signaling in Magic, makes me feel like the current team lacks both creativity (right brain) or business sense (left brain). Or did I get that backwards? Anyway, this is my take, and its too long, but it is what it is. I feel like the IP is being wasted, and ideology and culture is overshadowing ideas and logic.
Having read Jay's various pieces, as well as Multiverse In Review, the feeling I seem to get is that people liked the skeleton of the story, but maybe not some of the filled-in pieces. When I first read these, I did not dare question canon, but now, years later, I feel the same way.
I think that the setup to Invasion was really great, and things could not have been better at the moment the first planar gate opened and plague ships started pouring out. I also think the aftermath, where Freyalise dedicates the Tomb of the Fallen/Martyrs in front of many thousands (millions?) was great. But in between, what would you guys change? I will give my own ideas later.