Games and societal taboos (no spam)

[Anaximander]

I just wanted to make pefectly clear the reason I removed the link to the video which I originall posted. The author of the video had re-skinned his Malkavian female character so that her pelvic region was completely exposed. Furthermore, he switched camera angles at the very beginning and end of the video so his character could be viewed from the front. Thus, there were brief glimpses of frontal female lower body nudity. Anatomically correct, at that.

I have absolutely no problem with this. However, the forum in which it was posted is essentially rated PG-13, so I went back and removed the link.

[Tricky]

I always liked how KOTOR was able to present one gay character (Juhani) without any kind of positive/negative discrimination, prejudice and bias. In the SW universe, no less. Best thing of all is that they didn't make a big deal out of it, which is exactly how it should be treated. Just a person with a crush on someone.

[fable]

Anaximander, the board policy on links to sites with nudity is uniform across all its forums, so I had to remove your link. This isn't a matter of personal preference on my part; quite the opposite. But as our site owner points out, we're on a US server which has already closed down some sites due to angry net nannies. It's better to avoid giving them ammunition.

Although there's a mental disconnect between the idea of a board decorously discussing a game that considers many taboo subjects. Fuel for dada, I suppose.

[Celacena]

of course, on the subject of taboos, blood features quite highly - there are sects within the Christian church which disagree with blood being used in any medicinal way and it has a sanctity in most religions. I put it down to the symbolism - blood is both the symbol of life and death - we come into the world bloody and many leave the world the same way. the primordial myth of the supernatural vampire must be an extension of that cyclical view of blood. drinking 'blood' or to Protestants wine as a symbol of blood is symbolic of rebirth - hence a vamp drinking it is indefinitely postponing death.

as sexual orgasm and and death are also linked - orgasm was, I believed known as "le petit mort" (the small death) in French - there is a strong symbolic interaction going on - conceived after the menstrual flow, born in blood, bleed when virginity is lost and have many "tiny deaths" (if you're lucky) before an actual one. blood contains the oxygen that gives us animation and the chemicals that govern our moods - drinking another's blood takes in their life. in the case of a vampire, there appears to be a choice - drain or not drain, embrace or not embrace - a direct power over life and death of the target. there would also be ying-yang concepts, but my understanding of oriental philosophy is probably not up to discussing how a vamp would fit in with chi and karma.

I'm not sure where that takes us, but it has moved the discussion on from lady-gardens.

[Jhereg]

Thanks for branching it, Fable. It greatly increases the scope of what I can talk about. Back to Celacena's point (No offense, Fable), but I see that this thread is headed down the path of cultural taboos and norms, and as Celacena has so astutely noted, VTMB walks proudly down a great many of those paths.

Darn near all of them, as near as I can tell. I went over Celacena's list. Short of necrophilia, I don't believe she missed much, but, inasfar as necrophilia goes, Romero can do the nasty with your putatively dead PC. I'm not actually certain if that qualifies - it's a bit around the bend.

To address Celacena's issues, I believe that oriental philosophy is quite tightly bound to the concept of vampirism, both inside and outside of the game's fundamental constraints. Inasmuch as Chi essentially identifies with 'llife-force', and hence with blood, and Kharma fundamentally identifies with fate in the prototypical sense that the cab-driver uses when he says, "The blood of Caine makes our fate". Just exactly how that shakes out in the world of buddhism in general, I"m not certain. There are a great many flavors out there.

I'm Ch'an Buddhist. So paradoxically, I should be, and do portray, a good vampire. If you encounter Evil, destroy it. My PC, however, is a vampire. An essentially evil being. One that feeds off the life-force of other beings. So, philosophically, I should destroy myself.

Yet, I would take that one step further. As a person in the real world, how do you stay alive? You eat things, yes? Are they rocks? No. Even if you are the most stringent vegan on the planet, you eat other living beings, be they so humble as cabbages and carrots, to stay alive, yes?

All creatures on the upside of scavengers are guilty of this. Bacteria, fungi, and the like feed off dead things, but still, they feed of dead things that were once alive. Only plants feed off the non-living (and that's arguable). They feed off water, soil, and sunlight. They are the purest form of life, in that they do not require death to live (which is also arguable).

We, however, do. Even in the real world. All of us feed off death. We are all vampires in essence, if not in function. This is the essential cycle of which Celacena speaks. I eat a carrot to stay alive. I kill the carrot to stay alive. In the fullness of time, I will die. When I have died, the elements of my body will go back to the earth. They will, in turn, become food for something else. Maybe another carrot.

I'm a part of them, as they are a part of me. The universe is entwined. The merest pebble is worthy of respect, because it, too, is alive. We are not adversaries in this relationship. We are partners. The carrots feed me, and I in my turn will feed them. We are all brothers.

[Tower_Master]

Originally Posted by fable

There's real potential, here, at least if we can beat off the innuendo artists with a large stick.

Artists, Fable? We're touched. A true artist might reference your use of "large stick" in some fashion, but since the thread creator requisted no spam...

Originally Posted by Celacena

of course, on the subject of taboos, blood features quite highly - there are sects within the Christian church which disagree with blood being used in any medicinal way and it has a sanctity in most religions. I put it down to the symbolism - blood is both the symbol of life and death - we come into the world bloody and many leave the world the same way. the primordial myth of the supernatural vampire must be an extension of that cyclical view of blood. drinking 'blood' or to Protestants wine as a symbol of blood is symbolic of rebirth - hence a vamp drinking it is indefinitely postponing death.

I'd be interested to know exactly what "sects" you reference, Celacena, sarcasm aside.

[fable]

Originally Posted by Tower_Master

Artists, Fable? We're touched. A true artist might reference your use of "large stick" in some fashion, but since the thread creator requisted no spam...

Honi soit qui mal y pense, pal.

I'd be interested to know exactly what "sects" you reference, Celacena, sarcasm aside.

Depends I guess on how far you define Christianity away from mainstream divisions. I've spoken to Christian Scientists who believe that prayer is more efficacious than medical attention, but the extent to which every CS practices this depends on the individual.

[Hematic]

Originally Posted by Coruel

... And secondly you can get your firearms skill up at minimum three without spending an XP (book at Trip's place twice + freebee from Romero), so if you have 0 in firearms at that point... you're not taking the cheese.

You may have been too distracted by the hootchie mamma to notice this, but the video said she was using the ninja history. This ups melee at the expense of never being able to raise your firearms above zero. The malkavian ninja abhors guns almost as much as ducks.








... stoopid ducks!