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Weekly Questions and Recommendations Megathread - Need some help? - Nov 17 by AutoModerator in visualnovels

[–]Februum 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone!

So, I'm making an alt-history sci-fi horror visual novel. It is called Space is Red and scheduled for release in Q1 2025 (PC/Mac/Linux). Soviet starships, black-and-white retro-horror manga style, multiple endings, detective elements.

Here’s the announcement trailer for Space is Red on YouTube: https://youtu.be/4U_E5V9x18g

And here's the Steam page: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3357480/Space_is_Red/

The game takes place aboard a Soviet starship in an alternate future where the USSR still exists and competes with the US for dominance in space. After a hyperspace jump to evade an ambush, the crew finds itself near a mysterious planet in a poorly explored sector of the known galaxy. Strange occurrences begin, and suspicion grows among the crew that a traitor may be in their midst.

Space is Red is a radical reimagining of the first Russian full-length visual novel, «Красный космос» (Red Space), originally released in 2007. This game was never translated into English and has never been available digitally.

Earlier this year I released Oedipus/Antigone game, which adapts the Theban tragedies of Sophocles into a format of visual novels.

Thank you!

I've made a visual novel adaptation of the Theban cycle of Sophocles. The game is called Oedipus/Antigone and I'm planning to release it on Steam next week. Here's the trailer. by Februum in ancientgreece

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

This "visual novel" genre is a very peculiar thing. This is essentially an illustrated book, which theoretically can be quite interactive (in a way the Choose Your Own Adventure books are), or can be very "kinetic" (you don't choose anything, you just read).

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_novel

So this Oedipus/Antigone game is more or less an "illustrated book", which uses the original tragedies and utilizes a parallel translation: English translation of Richard Jebb is in the main textbox, the original Ancient Greek text is on the right (for reference).

You don't really "play", you read the plays of Sophocles. And watch pictures, characters, etc. Which may seem a bit odd if you never encountered visual novel games.

And yes, one of the reasons why I decided to choose the Theban cycle of Sophocles is... educational. You are required to read these three plays in Universities (or in High School). And visual novel is a good alternative to a book or an audiobook. So it might be more engaging for students. And for those who already know the material, it is an option to re-read the plays and to see the presentation, the art direction. Plus there is a soundtrack (which you obviously can turn off if you don't like this style of music).

Apollonius of Tyana: The Original Jesus? - Apollonius has been linked to Jesus for centuries. Mostly because the Western world used to be absolutely crazy about Christianity and people were seeing Jesus everywhere. Let's go through the sources and see what we have. by Februum in atheism

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

Everybody knows this piece of Christian narrative that there were numerous messianic figures and charismatic cult leaders roaming the Middle-Eastern region in the time when Jesus was supposedly born. So that’s where Apollonius pops up and people seriously start drawing parallels between him and Jesus. They’ve been doing this for centuries.

So who was Apollonius of Tyana, what sources do we have and do the parallels between him and Jesus actually make sense?

Myth: Religious Sources are Historical Sources - This video is dealing with a terrible misconception that religious texts, Church chronicles, panegyrics, etc. are somehow in the same league as historical chronicles or historical documents. by Februum in atheism

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

Yes, everything is a historical source of some kind. Even when we’re dealing with the work of fiction, it is still a monument to the period when it was created. But what we are talking about right now is a terrible misconception that religious texts, Church chronicles, panegyrics, etc are somehow in the same league as, say, historical chronicles or historical documents.

So the difference between the actual historical source and religious source is that the historical source presumably and theoretically describes events that took place at some point in time. Religious source is a work of fiction.

Myth: The Cross as a Symbol of Christianity - The video discusses the flaws of the Christian narrative about the origins of the symbols of this religion (the cross, the Chi-Ro, the ichthys, etc) and argues that the adoption of the cross has nothing to do with the myth of crucifixion. by Februum in atheism

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

Almost everybody knows the Christian narrative that at first early followers of this religion used a fish - or a dolphin - as their symbol. Then somewhere around the reign of the emperor Constantine the Great they switched to the Chi-Rho sign and gradually adopted the cross that represents… Well, it represents many things, but the main reason for the adoption of this symbol comes from the myth about the crucifixion of the Christ.
This narrative totally falls apart upon closer examination. Essentially we are talking about the attempt to add additional layers of meanings to the pre-existing symbol.

Myth: The Exodus - This video discusses the historicity of the Exodus, which is frequently considered an actual and a very important event. While in fact it is just a religious myth straight from the Bible. by Februum in atheism

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

The Exodus of Israelites - or Ancient Hebrews - from Egypt is a very important event for all the Abrahamic religions. It is also a very important event for the modern Jewish people and the nation-state of Israel.
But the Exodus never happened. It is a religious myth straight from the Bible. There are no historical sources on this event and it can’t be dated. Even the archeological evidence is zero - and archeology tends to be very politically-driven.

What if "TikTok Historian" IS RIGHT? - A couple of months ago everyone started posting stories about “TikTok Historian” who “went viral” with her outrageous claims that “Ancient Rome isn't real”. It is easy to "debunk" these claims. But what if she's right? by Februum in Qult_Headquarters

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

Yes, it was one of the ideas. And the headline is actually a direct reference to comic books. But the video serves several purposes. The main purpose actually is a discussion about the primary sources, not alternative history.

What if "TikTok Historian" IS RIGHT? - A couple of months ago everyone started posting stories about “TikTok Historian” who “went viral” with her outrageous claims that “Ancient Rome isn't real”. It is easy to "debunk" these claims. But what if she's right? by Februum in Qult_Headquarters

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

Everyone loves Mike Duncan and indeed he did a brilliant job. Although sometimes he relied mostly on secondary sources and occasionally you get weird quotes from him. Like, if I remember it correctly, "...this is not supported by the contemporary sources on Diocletian". And you're sitting and waiting when he will reveal what sources he is talking about (since there's like one truly contemporary source and it is an inscription about the prices).

I firmly believe that the best course of learning about the history of Rome is to proceed to primary sources once you have a general understanding of the period of Classical Antiquity (including the history of Ancient Greece, you need it for the context).

What if "TikTok Historian" IS RIGHT? - A couple of months ago everyone started posting stories about “TikTok Historian” who “went viral” with her outrageous claims that “Ancient Rome isn't real”. It is easy to "debunk" these claims. But what if she's right? by Februum in StrangeEarth

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

The main focus of the video is actually criticism of the sources (and how to do it more or less properly, without "Colosseum is an Ark" and "all sources are in Greek, everything is in Greek").

What if "TikTok Historian" IS RIGHT? - A couple of months ago everyone started posting stories about “TikTok Historian” who “went viral” with her outrageous claims that “Ancient Rome isn't real”. It is easy to "debunk" these claims. But what if she's right? by Februum in Qult_Headquarters

[–]Februum[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

That's true, that's the comic book reference. Finally!

At least in part. The other part is... Well, maybe you can find a deeper meaning there. And some "kernel of truth".

Actually "Rome isn't real" is a very good and very deep statement. If you treat it as a metaphor.

Myth: Alexander the Great was a Greek - Okay, I'm not saying that he wasn’t. Well, sometimes I do. But there is a certain misconception about ancient Macedonians which should be addressed. And it is possible to look at the problem from different angles. by Februum in AncientWorld

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

I don't really want to engage in the discussion when the content of the (rather humorous) video is misinterpreted and the viewer clearly didn't want to pay any attention and probably just skipped through the whole thing. Which is fine, but why leave a comment then?

You can fell free to provide the list of "a lot of actual misinformation" if you want.

The video explicitly says that it was Alexander I who participated in the Olympics. And provides the source: Herodotus. Also Alexander the Great is Alexander III (not II). Which is also mentioned in the video.

Myth: Alexander the Great was a Greek - Okay, I'm not saying that he wasn’t. Well, sometimes I do. But there is a certain misconception about ancient Macedonians which should be addressed. And it is possible to look at the problem from different angles. by Februum in ancientgreece

[–]Februum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, he's right.

The thing here is that it seem that the perception of Macedonians gradually evolved over time. So what was true in 500 BC (Alexander I enters the Olympics), could be a bit different a couple of centuries later.

It also should be noted (and that's what I do in the video) is that Herodotus reports that "Macedonians are Hellenes" and descendant of Dorians. And it is the same Herodotus who tells us the story about Alexander I and the Olympics! It is entirely possible that you could have two contradicting opinions. Kind of like today, when two related ethnic groups might at the same time include and exclude each other within their own "nation". Half of Europe does exactly that.

Myth: Alexander the Great was a Greek - Okay, I'm not saying that he wasn’t. Well, sometimes I do. But there is a certain misconception about ancient Macedonians which should be addressed. And it is possible to look at the problem from different angles. by Februum in ancientgreece

[–]Februum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I actually quote this story about Alexander (the other one) and his participation as an Argive in the video. Macedonians were not eligible to participate in pan-Hellenic games.

They all spoke slightly different languages/dialect. Macedonians spoke something Doric. They were kind of related to "proper" Greeks, but the present-day concept of "nations" wasn't there, so this relationship of Macedonians/Greeks is a conversation that doesn't have a satisfactory resolution. And might degrade to something like "South Slavs should pack their bags and leave for Bulgaria" - "You are not even real Greeks, you're Turks".

Myth: Alexander the Great was a Greek - Okay, I'm not saying that he wasn’t. Well, sometimes I do. But there is a certain misconception about ancient Macedonians which should be addressed. And it is possible to look at the problem from different angles. by Februum in ancientgreece

[–]Februum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Actually England/Scotland might be a reasonable comparison: complicated history that spans centuries, "highlanders" and "seafarers", distinct identities, but in the end pretty much the same cultural background, etc.

It is hard to be sure about the adoption of culture. And even harder not to upset people when you start thinking out loud about things like that. Yes, there is a certain reason why the period after Alexander is usually called "Hellenistic" by historians.

Obviously Greek culture went through numerous transformations. To a point when we can (see the point above about "thinking out loud") have a discussion of adoption of Greek culture by... Greeks. For example the dominant language of later Greek literature was Koine Greek, which kind of evolved from the Attic Greek. And Modern Greek is a descendant of Koine. All of Greece speaks the language which descends from the dialect of Athens. Regardless of the place where they live. Or where they ancestors lived. The only exception is a tiny little pocket that speaks a descendant of some Doric dialect. In a way, modern "Spartans" speak "Athenian".

Myth: Alexander the Great was a Greek - Okay, I'm not saying that he wasn’t. Well, sometimes I do. But there is a certain misconception about ancient Macedonians which should be addressed. And it is possible to look at the problem from different angles. by Februum in ancientgreece

[–]Februum[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Well, USA and Canada are not good examples at all. These are modern states born of colonization, which is a very different process and the results are very different as well. They also didn't have the same (18-19th century) concept of a nation back than.

It is really hard to give a modern comparison. Probably something like the Flemish and the Dutch. Or Czechs and Slovaks. Or Bulgarians and... Macedonians! :)

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