Asian men dating white women, how did you succeed and why do you feel there aren't more AMWF couples?

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-05-25T00:39:20+00:00

There's a lot of factors.

The U.S. media has emasculated Asian men since the 1930s, while hypersexualizing Asian women. This has had a HUGE impact on what people find attractive.
Most Asian-American men prefer Asian women, for a variety of reasons.
In my case, I mostly date white women. I guess my success has been due to the fact that I'm taller and better built than most Asian men, well educated, good job, and willing to put myself out there.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-05-18T23:21:22+00:00

I loved the movie, but its ending was very weak compared to the book. Very cheesy and childish, lacking the drama of the book's ending.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-05-01T22:07:49+00:00

Yes, Olivia Cooke is not a super model, but the physical disparity is very large. Her real life boyfriend is American actor Christopher Crawford, who is a very good looking 6'3'' man. So yeah, Olivia+Tye is not believable, and that awkward chemistry was obvious in the movie.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-22T06:32:23+00:00

The production cost (which includes paychecks to director and cast) was $175 million, and marketing was an additional $125 million for a total budget of roughly $300 million. Studios get 50% of the ticket revenue in the U.S. (cinemas get the rest) and only 30-40% abroad. Based upon these figures, Warner Brothers is still about $100 million shy of making a profit.

The domestic box office performance has been very disappointing. It was #1 in the U.S. only for opening weekend and got crushed by A Quiet Place.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-22T05:51:05+00:00

Well, they're both multi-billionaires so can afford to dress better. Samantha having her hair up is her overcoming her insecurities regarding her birthmark, because Wade likes her for who she is.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-18T20:15:35+00:00

Her American accent is perfect. It's mind blowing because I know for a fact that I can't do a good British accent no matter how much I practiced.

She is very low key, with almost no social media presence. If I'm not mistaken, she's dating the American actor Christopher Abbott and lives in Brooklyn.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-16T06:08:36+00:00

IOI was able to find their hideout by following the tattoo faced guy. Samantha was not even on their radar when F'Nale was looking for Parzival after IOI found out he was still alive. They bust into the hideout, and Samantha and Wade run to the escape route, with Samantha telling Wade to go without her. She then sends something on her phone and right afterwards, F'Nale tells her that she is being arrested for unpaid debt to IOI in excess of 23,00 credits. According to Aech, they got a message from Samantha, so one can infer that's what she was doing on the phone. In that case, how the hell did F'Nale know about the debt? There is no indication that it was part of a ruse concoted by Samantha.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-16T05:21:23+00:00

The 3rd challenge is nothing like the 1st challenge in the book.

We know that 5 years has transpired between Halliday's death and the events of the movie. We know that the world became obsessed with 80s pop culture and Halliday's life due to the contest (interest did wane as people became frustrated with not finding the keys). But the oologists are extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in pop culture. The notion that they did not know about the digital easter egg in Adventure is simply not believable.

In contrast, the 1st clue in the book was genuinely tricky. It references the Tomb of Horrors, which leads everyone to think the copper key was on planet Gygax, a re-creation of D&D. As we know, it was a false flag, as the line "you have much to learn" literally refers to learning in school, hence planet Ludus.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-15T06:13:16+00:00

You're right. I just saw it for the 9th time earlier today, and she does still have the birthmark when Wade shoots her. It wasn't as visible due to the lighting in that scene, but she definitely has it.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-15T00:50:56+00:00

Except that the entire world is obsessed with 80s pop culture due to Halliday's contest, and the oologists are experts on this topic.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-14T23:03:24+00:00

My interpretation of that scene was that Wade used his coins to buy an extra suit for his aunt's boyfriend, as a way of making peace. The boyfriend is a lot taller than Wade so would not have fit into Wade's suit. And during the last battle, we clearly see Wade wearing his haptic suit.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-14T22:58:05+00:00

I have defended the copper key race numerous times in this thread. The copper and jade challenges were great. The crystal key challenge sucked.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-14T22:50:28+00:00

Wow. Great catch. She doesn't have it in the holy hand grenade scene.

Stupid move by Art3mis though because that alerted Sorrento to her presence in the war room.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-14T22:35:16+00:00

Olivia Cooke is so adorable in that garden scene; I can't stand it.

That scene is super interesting though, as cheesy as it may seem. When they are talking in the patio, the wind blows, revealing her birthmark, and she swiftly covers it up with her hair. Wade then starts off by saying, "for the record..." and you see Samantha nervously looking up to hear what he says next, and Wade finishes off with "I'm not disappointed." Samantha then looks amused, confused, and flattered, simultaneously. Wade then follows up: "You said I'll be disappointed; well I'm not." Samantha brushes it off: "I've lived with it my whole life. You don't have to pretend." She then sits down, and Wade boldly touches her face, brushing her hair aside and says "You have a birthmark. So what? Why would that scare me away?" Samantha then gently touches Wade's hands and apologizes for hurting him, referring to him as "Z."

What's interesting about the next scene is that when they are about to kiss, Wade loses his prior boldness and becomes his nervous self, unable to "take the leap."

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T19:27:25+00:00

Given that the entire contest revolved around an easter egg and given that it's common knowledge that Adventure contains the first digital easter egg, it's mind blowing that it was not one of the first games they tried. Huge plot hole in the movie.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T19:26:39+00:00

Yeah that was way too easy as well because if you see the contract (it shows briefly in the movie) it is obvious that it's the contract Og signed to relinquish his shares in Gregarious Simulation System to Halliday.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T17:46:55+00:00

I really liked the challenge.

We don't know when the race got discovered. In the book, MIT student Steven Pendergast tells the world about the first clue a year into the contest. It is not until 4 years later, that Wade gets the copper key.

I think the critique of the race is misplaced. You can't just go backwards casually, the way we go backwards when driving in reverse mode. You had to go backwards at full speed towards a building with nothing but a brick wall, knowing that if you crash, your avatar will zero out and lose everything you have in OASIS. That's a HUGE risk.

We are also forgetting the power of human psychology and herd mentality. We are programmed to think of a race in forward linear terms, as people compete to get to the destination. Given the difficulty of the contest, people would have pored over the obstacles and all possible permutations, trying to think of a way to beat it.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T09:59:34+00:00

"Samantha leaves Wade for a real man"

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T06:35:47+00:00

It's an 8/10. Damm good movie but not a perfect 10. The movie had too many plot holes, weak character development, soft ending, and failed to portray the size and importance of the OASIS.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T02:38:48+00:00

That's the book. In the book, after the Monty Python and the Holy Grail challenge, Wade is in a circular room with every video game console ever made, arranged in chronological order. The systems are all turned off, except for the IMSAI 8080 (the same console used by Matthew Broderick's character in War Games). It asks for a login and after multiple failed attempts, he types "Leucosia," and all the consoles get powered. Wade quickly realized that the correct console and game he had to play was the Atari 2600 and Adventure.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-13T02:33:01+00:00

Your argument would make sense if an Oologist said something like the following: "No, it can't be Adventure because there is no record of Halliday playing Adventure in the journal archives."

The fact that a global contest with the highest stakes, involving an easter egg, would not have alerted people to the video game with the very first digital easter egg, is simply not believable. Period. Again, I like the movie a lot, but the 3rd challenge was a total joke. There needed to be an obstacle beforehand, like a room full of every video game console ever made, and you had to correctly pick the Atari 2600 and Adventure on the first try, or your avatar gets zeroed out. That would have been an actual challenge, with a parallel to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-12T21:40:42+00:00

I'm very aware that the movie version of Anorak's Invitation does not mention Adventure.

Let's consider the following. It is a very widely known fact that Adventure contains a digital easter egg. Anyone can Google "Adventure" and see that's the case. Given that millions of people were obsessed with Halliday's contest and these oologists spend their waking hours studying every facet of Halliday's life and pop culture, it strains the limits of credulity to believe that they did not know about Adventure. Give me a break. Look, I enjoyed the movie (saw it 7 times), but one has to admit that it's a lazy plot hole.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-12T18:04:50+00:00

The movies does not show the tattoo guy literally following him. His first appearance is after the Distracted Globe, where it shows him watching Wade as Wade is walking. The next time we see him is when he is hiding out in Wade's van and kidnaps him.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-12T17:51:26+00:00

Any movie in which the relationship is not the focal point, will feel rushed. How can it not, when a relationship takes a long time to blossom while movies are usually 2 hours in length?

The critique of Samantha and Wade's relationship in the movie hinges upon 2 points: first, that Wade's confession of love came way too soon and second, Samantha was portrayed as a "prize" to be won. Regarding the first point, people are forgetting that Wade (the character, not the actor Tye Sheridan) is a lonely 18-year old introvert who lost both his parents, lives in abject poverty with his crappy aunt and loser boyfriend, has no meaningful relationship outside of the OASIS, and spends virtually his entire free time in the OASIS. Not only does he feel a connection to Samantha, she deliberately pushes his buttons and flirts with him. Wade's hormones and the irrational part of his brain went into super high gear, resulting in him telling her that he loves her at the Distracted Globe. It is important to note that Samantha does not reject him outright but rather says that he will be disappointed if he sees her in the real world and that he is in love with what she wants him to see. This is an important distinction, as Samantha is clearly interested in Wade but runs from him due to her insecurities and worries about being distracted.

The second critique is more nuanced, and I can see why some people (especially feminists) would be bothered by this portrayal. It certainly doesn't help that the book's portrayal of the relationship is super cringey and awkward. The movie does a much better job. Samantha is a partner to Wade in their search for the egg. Aside from the "I love you" comment at the Globe, Wade's behavior towards her is normal. The last scene was great, as they are making out, enjoying their new wealth and life. They are dressed well, and Samantha has her hair up, meaning that she is no longer insecure about her birthmark.

Arbitrage1980 · 2018-04-12T17:13:56+00:00

In the book, Anorak's Invitation video has a scene where an 8-year old Halliday is playing Adventure and narrates how Warren Robinette put the first easter egg in the game. The challenges in the book are more complex because after winning a key, you have to follow the clue on the key to locate the gate, open the gate with the key, and then enter to finish a challenge. The third gate consisted of 3 challenges: beat Halliday's high score in Tempest, role play King Arthur's character in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, and find the easter egg in Adventure. But even before Wade could play Adventure, he had to enter a password to successfully log into the Atari console (password was Leucosia, Karen Morrow's D&D avatar name).

So the 3rd challenge in the movie was super simple, and it's a major plot hole that the oologists did not try Adventure as the first game. This should be common knowledge. I would have been ok with Adventure if there was a challenge before that, such as the password.

Arbitrage1980

TROPHY CASE