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2 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2011 - 3:21PM
#1
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This thread is for discussion of this week's Savor the Flavor, which goes live Wednesday morning on magicthegathering.com.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2011 - 9:10PM
#2
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Date Joined:
May 18, 2002
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Why is Jace saying "I am the Korean language"?
Um... because Jace is an arrogant prick?
I dunno.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2011 - 10:36PM
#3
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Date Joined:
Dec 13, 2008
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There need to be more articles like this. Although it little to do with Magic, at least on a surface level, this stuff is probably very applicable to the vast majority of this column's readers. I'm a sophomore writing major who spends a large chunk of his time doing creative writing in some form or other, so I think about this kind of thing all the time, and I'm still trying to figure this stuff out. Thanks, Doug.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2011 - 11:16PM
#4
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Date Joined:
Apr 16, 2007
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Yeah, kinda awkward knowing that what he's saying doesn't actually make sense.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 08, 2011 - 11:26PM
#5
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Date Joined:
Feb 26, 2004
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Great article, Doug. I recognize all these bad habits in myself to varying degrees, and no doubt many of the rest of the audience does as well. This stuff definitely needs to be said.
And if you want an easy answer to the language question, drop me a line. My Unifying Theory of Planeswalkers answers this one along with many other persistent puzzlers.
My New Phyrexia Writing CreditsMy M12 Writing CreditsAs far as the benefit of the rest of Magic is concerned, gold cards in Legends were executed perfectly. They got all the excitement a designer could hope out of a splashy new mechanic without using up any of the valuable design space. Truly amazing.
--Aaron Forsythe's Random Card Comment on Kei Takahashi 
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2 years ago ::
Nov 09, 2011 - 12:16AM
#6
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Date Joined:
Jul 10, 2010
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It just shines a spotlight on the language problem in general. It's a common issue in fantasy, and the general solution is: just leave it alone and get on with your story about werewolves and wizards.
This lesson is golden. Know what story you actually want to tell, know what you can take for granted in your medium, and stay away from stories that just don't need to be told.
Superhero comics are particularly horrible for this sort of thing. For example, X-Men member Cyclop's eye beams never cut or burned like lasers, so they became "blasts of concussive energy". Where does this energy come from? Absorbed solar power. How, if he can't possibly absorb that much energy from the sun in a day? His eyes are actually portals to another dimension where the energy originates. This web of exotic sub-powers goes on and on as more questions crop up. Eventually fans came to derride this as "punches from the punch dimension." And rightly so. There will never be satisfactory "real-world explanations" for inherently fantastic elements.
I find the best answer for fans who insist on trying to turn a comic book into a physics dissertation or fantasy into anthropology comes from the Princess Bride: "yes, you're very smart. Now shut up."
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2 years ago ::
Nov 09, 2011 - 12:43AM
#7
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Date Joined:
Jun 21, 2010
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But it's a lesson that doesn't need to be taught. We should be embarassed any of us need this explained to.
Anyway, the article is interesting but I think it's unrelated to flavor. Also, the question is really weak compared to the ones we still haven't answered.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 09, 2011 - 3:42AM
#8
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Date Joined:
Aug 20, 2003
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I could be mistaken, but didn't Urza have this power to learn a language very fast in some of his old book? I remember Xantcha or Barrin saying something about that...
BTW, I do agree with this implementation. The spark don't just allow you to planeswalk, it gives you some sort of high understanding about magic. All walkers are mages of some sort, even if they weren't before becoming one. A "higher understanding of languages" is ok to me for then to have. Add to their mystique.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 09, 2011 - 5:24AM
#9
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- Jawsome UnCon Prizewinner
Date Joined:
Sep 22, 2003
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Thumbs up for the James Joyce reference, although I personally see Garruk as more the Malachi Mulligan of the tale.
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2 years ago ::
Nov 09, 2011 - 5:38AM
#10
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Why is Jace saying "I am the Korean language"?
Um... because Jace is an arrogant prick?
I dunno.
I am the law!
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