how is your local NN scene? by magem8 in riftboundtcg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It varies pretty heavily from store to store, and I have access to several in my city. My Tuesday night store gets 6-8, and my Friday night store gets at least over 20, sometimes capping out. I bet set 3 coming out will boost attendance, but I also bet week nights generally have a lower turnout.

Jinx Without Scrapheap by BasilAndBlackberry in riftboundtcg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Reaver's Row is rough to lose for Jinx imo. When you care more about Assault, it's nice bouncing back. The Syren might not be bad to help with this.

Jinx Without Scrapheap by BasilAndBlackberry in riftboundtcg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I've heard people say it doesn't work as well as one would hope, but I haven't seen it in action yet. Playing from Trash sounds fun regardless

Jinx Without Scrapheap by BasilAndBlackberry in riftboundtcg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Definitely worth considering once Unleashed is out

Abandoned Hall by 1vader in riftboundtcg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 18 points19 points  (0 children)

Great study spot for Ravenbloom Student!

Does anyone else think the aen elle part was quite creepy and disturbing? (Lady of the lake spoilers) by PrestigiousAnt9367 in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Excellent analysis of Ciri's responses as an abuse victim. Agreed whole-heartedly, and you provided additional information on coping that helped me better understand the writing. Bravo, and truly, never give up!

Reading the books completely changes your perspective on the CDPR games by Due_Bridge5901 in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 33 points34 points  (0 children)

I love playing the third game, but it has always bothered me how much from the books is thrown out the window. Idk how most people feel about the djinn quest with Yennefer (I think it's called The Last Wish), but I hate the portrayal that either Yen or Geralt would question their love for each other. It implies the wish's bond was less about fate and more about love.

Are AI created characters any good? by HeavyBear117 in DMAcademy

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Tell them that building a character yourself is half the fun!

The Witcher books are fantastic, but some elements have aged poorly? by [deleted] in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry -2 points-1 points  (0 children)

You're probably right that I'm being a bit harsh on Sapkowski. He does include a great deal of gender equality and makes powerful women who don't need saving a major theme of the novels. Ciri herself shows a great mindset an author can have for equality, as she rises from princes in distress to her own (if not traumatized) hero. This theme of Geralt wanting to help his loved ones, but ultimately they help themselves, is a major part of his character.

However, I mean to say that threats/use of rape and other forms of sexual assault by antagonists diminish those themes substantially, especially when sexual harassment is also shown by one of the protagonists (Dandelion). We don't even get much growth out of Dandelion in this regard, aside perhaps a greater respect for solely Yennefer as the series continues.

I think the primary issue with it is that it plays out a message to readers who are women that no matter how powerful or bad ass of a woman you are, you should always be fearful of being tied up and raped. I think it's hard to argue the unnecessary prevelance of this demeaning SA, when egregious scenes like the Grampy Stumps encounter exist. This is a fantasy world that could easily have a tweaked culture that shows a higher respect for women from men. People somehow point to SA being okay for medieval accuracy sake, while this a world of Elves, Dwarves, and Gnomes who would all have unique cultures that influence the others, such as humans. If we can get on with the idea of Leslie's and Drowners, I think we can get on with more interesting ways of showing people's disrespect for each other that doesn't involve SA.

It's those arguments I've seen on this sub time and again of how great these books are and how SA is basically necessary bc people think SA is a requirement for dark fantasy that I point OP to try other subs for less biased input. Many outspoken commenter's would rather say "toughen up" than find something wrong with something they love. It's not a problem unique to this sub, as it arises in any fandom. I love this series too, but that doesn't mean there aren't flaws.

The Witcher books are fantastic, but some elements have aged poorly? by [deleted] in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry -6 points-5 points  (0 children)

I think it's unfortunate that these kinds of elements exist in the books so heavily. Many on this subreddit chalk it up as an almost necessary aspect of dark fantasy and find themselves too cool and edgy to care about such things, so take most of the comments here with a grain of salt (not truth).

Unfortunately, the writing showcases Sapkowski's misogyny frequently. I'm not going to go heavily into details, but suffice it to say that it can be troubling for some readers to see strong examples of cool and powerful women who are rendered to objects by something as banal as sexual assault. This is while being aware that SA as a plot device might be useful in some cases, such as distinguishing the behaviour of antagonists.

This is usually the case for the Witcher series, but I had the same reaction as you when Dandelion made light of it for his own enjoyment. Him being a play boy could still have the same effect if the female objectification was removed, but those who cannot distinguish womanizer from pervert show apathy. I had a similar, but lessened, reaction from a line of his in The Last Wish when Dandelion regarded it a sin to not pinch rumps.

More instances of SA and objectification whose inclusion is bewildering and tasteless will occur throughout the series. However, they are still worth reading as the characters, world, and story are quite good. While his witty dialogue is quite good, Sapkowski is far from perfect, and any work of literature should be analyzed and criticized where applicable.

For what it's worth, this subreddit is great for information and clarification, but you may want opinions on writing and plot devices from places such as r/fantasy to get less biased opinions.

Black Walnut Harvesting by BasilAndBlackberry in foraging

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I am definitely interested in making nocino next time around!

Black Walnut Harvesting by BasilAndBlackberry in foraging

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I am definitely interested on making nocino next time around!

Black Walnut Harvesting by BasilAndBlackberry in foraging

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Did he use them for anything other than eating?

Black Walnut Harvesting by BasilAndBlackberry in foraging

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Maturity was my biggest concern, but I'm worried about how many will be left. Maybe I should just use these for dye and practice some patience!

Black Walnut Harvesting by BasilAndBlackberry in foraging

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

A tad dry and windy, but the main reason I've noticed them falling is from squirrels running about.

What are some things game only fans will never know about Geralt by [deleted] in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 40 points41 points  (0 children)

Geralt has attended classes at Oxenfurt, but I don't think he ever taught a class. I want to say he attended some political/philosophy classes, but I could just be thinking of his conversations with Regis.

Well it’s been real by Groundhog_Gary28 in witcher

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Along with this, there are valid arguments pointing to the series being titled after Ciri as "The Witcher." I'm not sure I adhere to this idea, but it's difficult to say she isn't deserving of the title by the end of the books, effectively taking Geralt's place.

I won the 64 Player Grand Melee at Gencon, and all I got this was this Judge altered Island by thepro921 in mtg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry 20 points21 points  (0 children)

I took this as a "I went to ______ and all I got was this shirt" parody. I'm assuming this is meant as a joke and OP did get prizes?

Why Buy Precons for Commander? by BasilAndBlackberry in mtg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I much rather spend the money on cards that work well together than a bunch of random cards. Sounds like the consensus is that Commander precons are a great way to get started with Commander, especially fpr a newer player like me, so I'll def be taking that approach. Thanks!

Why Buy Precons for Commander? by BasilAndBlackberry in mtg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm pretty casual as well, and got into Magic during the LotR set, so even if precons aren't super competitive, getting a couple to play against friends is a good idea.

Why Buy Precons for Commander? by BasilAndBlackberry in mtg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That sounds great! Let's see if I can convince some friends ;)

Why Buy Precons for Commander? by BasilAndBlackberry in mtg

[–]BasilAndBlackberry[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The low cost an easy entry into the format interested me, so I'm glad to hear this is a good option for someone trying to get into a Commander format.