Anime/Manga/Manhwa/Whatever

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Well, I know this isn't manga, but has anybody read the Marvel Comics version of Anita Blake: Vampire Hunter- Guilty Pleasures?

If so, tell me what you think. I kinda wanna make sure I'm not being unfair or overly accepting of the story.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

It's a middling to average urban fantasy series that took a nosedive into absolutely terrible. That may just be the books, but I think I'll stick with Hellboy to scratch that particular itch.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Well, dang, tell us how you really feel.

I mean, really, is it just me, or does everybody here have a better literary palate than me? This really scares me about publishing. What if I simply don't have good literary taste? What I find interesting, you guys tend to think uninteresting, or uncreative, or confusing....

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Have you ever read Hellboy? Because you would dig it.

[Zaleramancer]

Go to your local library and check out a Terry Pratchett book.

Read it.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 I don't exactly have access to books like that. Next time I get around to the library, I'll see if I can't pick one up. Never seen the movies, so fortunately, my perception of the series hasn't been marred by a failing of the movie industry.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Warn me ahead of time. Is she one of those folks who writes poignant and stirring fiction, that just happens to covertly discuss topics against my religious beliefs, or which place religion/divinity as the main/only villain? If she is, you should let me know right now, which books to avoid, so I won't have to rain on your Terry Pratchett parade, later on, with a me-style rant.

Mmkay?

[Ericus Europaeus (Bug)]

CONTENTS DELETED

The author has deleted this message.

[Zaleramancer]

Terry is a sir, Wulf.

He writes funny and interesting novels that often explore certain aspects of culture.


I'd recommend, say, Maskerade. I liked that one.

You may not enjoy Small Gods though, since it's about a god who wakes up as a turtle because people started caring more about the clerical hierarchy than the god himself.

I thought it was an interesting exploration of dogmatism within religion, and I'm sure you would appreciate the ending.


Maskerade is one that plays with various theatrical tropes. It includes the infamous Granny Weatherwax.

I love the witches.

Honestly, the main villains are rarely gods. It's usually strange occurances or the Auditors (Anthropomorphic Personifications of the laws of Physics, essentially).

Death is a protagonist, but gods are usually portrayed in the Greek manner, with heavy helpings of Gods Need Pray Badly.

[Zaleramancer]

GV can probably give a better description than I though.

Read this over.

He has a sword forged from meteorites.

Meteorites!

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 Fascinating. On looking at his little bio there, I guess I could take a look at his works, should I get the chance. Anyone who knows me should know just how much I love cleverness and word-play, especially for the sake of intelligent psychological, political and philosophical commentary.

Even if I don't agree with any underlying principles, I'm sure he'll be an interesting read.

And pardon my skepticism, but surely you know from where it stems.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

Seriously, read Small Gods. Om is reduced to the form of a turtle because his Church, as an institution, replaces him as the objects of worship. To the point where he only has a single legitimate follower left.

Small Gods is the best book he's ever written.

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 I may, but I repeat. Do you think there are any themes or scenes I would find offensive? That is, is it heavy-handed on the anti-religious sentiment?

[Zaleramancer]

If anything, it's anti-dogmatism.


But you're so damn thin skinned I can never predict what'll set you off.

You might find the part set in expy-greece entertaining.

We get that in here some nights, when someone's had a few. Cosmic speculation about whether the gods exist. Next thing, there's a bolt of lightning through the door with a note wrapped round it saying, "Yes, we do" and a pair of sandals with smoke coming out.

“He says gods like to see an atheist around. Gives them something to aim at.”
― Terry Pratchett, Small Gods

“What have I always believed?
That on the whole, and by and large, if a man lived properly, not according to what any priests said, but according to what seemed decent and honest inside, then it would, at the end, more or less, turn out all right.”
― Terry Pratchett, Small Gods

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 I'm not thin skinned, you're insensitive about my religious faith, or really religious faith in general, for your own personal reasons. I don't know how many times I've said it. I can take religious jokes; I see them all the time, and some I ignore and others I laugh at. I even make some light religious humor myself, in the right circumstances.

And there's a difference between those three Terry Pratchett perfectly harmless statements you just quoted, and something that makes atheists out to be the voice of reason and religious folks out to be crazy or narrow-minded or stupid. The first statement is clearly humorous, and intended as a joke. The second one, another joke. The third, a secular statement about being good, whether or not the divine exists. What harm could there be in that?

But apparently, in wanting some secular medium, or some peaceful coexistence between belief and unbelief, I'm thin-skinned. Okay, so fine. You just remember that next time you show up on the forum to voice complaint, after nosing about on Conservapedia for no good reason, and finding something there disparaging gay people.

[Philote]

@Wulf/Zale:  Sigh

[Celadon's Penultimate]

 *sigh*

 ANYWHO...can I get back to my original question. You suggested Terry Pratchett, and a couple of his works. Any others, pretty please with a cherry on top? Any other works by Pratchett? Any other authors? Please?

[Zaleramancer]

Forget it.

You're painting me out to be the one being the bad guy here.

Don't deny it. I am hardly insensitive. I try very hard to avoid screwing with your religious sensibilities a great majority of the time.

I don't even complain when people pepper their signatures with bible quotes, despite being a caustic arrogant soulless atheist.

I keep my damn mouth shut all the time. There are so many entertaining things that I'll never post here because you'll go up in flames about this anti-religious conspiracy against Christians.

[Philote]

Both of you are thin skinned! You're getting angry at the other for the same reason the other is becoming angry at you! The subject matter is almost irrelevant in this argument because neither of you are taking the time to step back, look at your own words, and see how they are causing the other to act. Now, before this escalates any further as it easily could, why don't one or both of you message me on Facebook so that this does not turn into something neither of you want.

@Zale: Does my signature truly bother you?

[Zaleramancer]

Not really.

But I'm sure Wulf would explode if I made my signature, say..

“Human decency is not derived from religion. It precedes it.”
― Christopher Hitchens, God Is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything

or

“After coming into contact with a religious man I always feel I must wash my hands.”
― Friedrich Nietzsche

Fine, you want to prove this to me? That I'm overreacting? You know that webcomic I posted, the one about the Dinosaurs?

Did that offend you?