Author Topic: EP273: Death’s End to Middleton  (Read 19359 times)

eytanz

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Reply #25 on: January 12, 2011, 04:39:15 PM
I enjoyed this story for the "fun" western-style romp that I took it to be. *note to self: learn to recognize steampunk, stat!*

However, I was very confused by the last sentence or two. What was the significance of the handkerchief and why did its presence mean that hope had wings? The only plausible explanation I can think of is that Nathaniel thinks Cassandra left it for him, but I'm not sure there is actually anything in the story to support that?  ???

There was a reference to it being Cassandra's handkerchief earlier in the story (I think she wiped away his sweat with it when he showed up or something like that).



Devoted135

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Reply #26 on: January 12, 2011, 04:49:23 PM
There was a reference to it being Cassandra's handkerchief earlier in the story (I think she wiped away his sweat with it when he showed up or something like that).


Ahh, okay that makes more sense since I had totally forgotten that detail. Thanks! :)



ajames

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Reply #27 on: January 13, 2011, 12:59:24 AM
If I've told the townspeople once, I've told them a thousand times -- DO NOT make jewelry out of space alien eggs, no matter how pretty they are.  If you do, you'll not only hurt yourself, but you'll end up eating your kids and spouse to boot!  But do they ever listen?  Nooooo!  Every time its the same, with those tentacles coming out of poor Mrs. so-and-so's chest, and some poor kid finally running away to find those orphaned sisters, who with their long skirts, tanks, and dirigibles just put all sorts of ideas into an innocent young boy's mind.  Now how is he supposed to settle down to a respectable job in the city without running after those women to join them in their never-ending quest to kick alien butt? <end rant>

I'm kind of surprised by all the negativity on the boards - I had a lot of fun listening to this one.  A little light, yes, but nothing wrong with that.



blueeyeddevil

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Reply #28 on: January 13, 2011, 12:43:35 PM
I listened to this story right when it first dropped, and I've had difficulty getting a toehold on it, in terms of commentary.

It's a fun and light story, yes. Gruesome and titalating: check. Campy and worthy of a joint moist-dream from Joss Whedon and Neil Gaiman (a teenaged seven-girl steampunk alien-hunting team?): oh yes indeedy.

(I've also been trying come up with an amusing play on 'Men in Black' but 'Chicks in Chaps' just sounds like a particularly sweaty Google search[I just tested that theory and came up with a rodeo-based breast cancer awareness group. I am both humbled and pleased.])


I've finally put my finger on it.
      What this story lacks is Lore. The protagonist knows where to go when this sort of trouble strikes, which means that people at large know that this sort of thing happens. As such, I think there was an opportunity lost to add little details that would be present in a world where people are aware, at least obliquely, of the being Something Else out there.  I think this would fill out where the story otherwise lacked substance.



Void Munashii

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Reply #29 on: January 13, 2011, 03:55:40 PM
  For some reason iTunes did not catch this when it first dropped, and I only realized it when I saw the topic on the forums. It's weird because that hasn't even happened before.

  I liked this story, about five minutes into it I found myself thinking "Wow, this would probably make a great anime". Is it flawed? Sure, but it's also awesome, and picking it apart would, to me at least, be akin to picking apart the story in "The Expendables". Why ruin something awesome by nitpicking?

  Note: I am not attacking people for looking at the story critically, just saying that, to me, it's just not that kind of story.

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kibitzer

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Reply #30 on: January 14, 2011, 01:58:20 AM
Is it flawed? Sure, but it's also awesome, and picking it apart would, to me at least, be akin to picking apart the story in "The Expendables".

Hoo, boy. Interesting parallel. It is story and the way it's done that carries off the illusion of reality, or perhaps the suspension of disbelief. For mine, "The Expendables" was utter tripe because the story was so very poor; the action simply couldn't carry the weight of leaden dialogue and poor plotting. Contrast that with, say, "Die Hard". DH is also highly improbable but the story is good enough to make you forget that.
« Last Edit: January 14, 2011, 02:04:54 AM by kibitzer »



FireTurtle

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Reply #31 on: January 15, 2011, 11:44:06 PM
Fun. My prejudice for loving it when girls kick ass instead of run away screaming overrode some of the less good aspects outlined by everyone above. I find fun adventure less cringe-worthy as whole than pieces that are trying to be serious. Well, yeah, I had a few questions like why the big skittery things, if they need people for food, keep landing so far from big cities. Things like that. It was fluff, but good fluff.  :)

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Unblinking

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Reply #32 on: January 17, 2011, 03:18:47 PM
My prejudice for loving it when girls kick ass instead of run away screaming overrode some of the less good aspects outlined by everyone above.

Yay for girls who kick ass instead of running away screaming.  That reminds me of a scene in season 1 of True Blood.  Sookie (the main protagonist) is being pursued by someone who is trying to kill her.  She grabs the shotgun and tries to shoot him, but realizes he's already unloaded the shells.  Instead of just panicking (like most female characters would do) she has the presence of mind to swing the empty shotgun like a baseball bat and clock him one to the head.  I cheered.

(Okay, digression is over)



CryptoMe

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Reply #33 on: January 19, 2011, 05:44:43 AM
I'm surprised no-one has mentioned Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. This was kind of the same for me.
  1) Lots of Jane Austen-type women kicking butt.
  2) Fun, but don't really want any more of it after you're done.



washer

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Reply #34 on: January 19, 2011, 05:22:41 PM
My girlfriend insists we watch Jane Austen movie marathons whenever she's in a funk, and we'd just gotten done watching the BBC Sense and Sensibility when I listened to this.  I got a good chuckle from the characters' names and the location, but I was glad there weren't more overt nods.

I think the commentary on here is both right and wrong.  It was a good, quick story with an abundance of explosions, perhaps at the expense of plot/exposition and fully realized characters.  However, I think the criticisms characterizing the story as not very moving or serious are inherently wrong.  This story by its tone and pacing makes it clear from the get-go that this is a rollicking adventure, not a piercing look into the human condition.  Also, to anyone who used the word "little" in their descriptions: c'mon, that's just mean.  It drips with condescension, and makes it very clear that you consider the author's efforts beneath you.  If you look at Guernico and say it's "a nice little mural" you'd be wrong and get roundly rebuked.  But even if it's just your kid scribbling on the wall, don't call it a "little" anything; it's big to them.



eytanz

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Reply #35 on: January 19, 2011, 06:36:44 PM
However, I think the criticisms characterizing the story as not very moving or serious are inherently wrong.  This story by its tone and pacing makes it clear from the get-go that this is a rollicking adventure, not a piercing look into the human condition.

So, because that story wasn't meant to be very serious, it's "inherently wrong" to say that it is not serious? Or just because the story wasn't trying to move people they souldn't say they weren't moved?

It seems to me that you're insisting that people only comment on the aspects of the story that you found important in it. That's only a small step removed from telling people that they can only express opinions that match yours.

Quote
Also, to anyone who used the word "little" in their descriptions: c'mon, that's just mean.  It drips with condescension, and makes it very clear that you consider the author's efforts beneath you.  If you look at Guernico and say it's "a nice little mural" you'd be wrong and get roundly rebuked.  But even if it's just your kid scribbling on the wall, don't call it a "little" anything; it's big to them.

You seem to be reading a particular tone into the use of the word "little", which I don't think is meant by most of the people using it here. When I say something is a "charming little story" (which I didn't say about this one), I mean it in the same way I would say that I spent my holiday in a "charming little cottage". I don't use "little" to mean "insignificant", I mean "modest and unassuming".

Also, authors aren't children and I don't feel anyone here should treat them as such. Everyone here is supposed to be polite and respectful - indeed, it's my job to ensure that that is the case - but part of being respectful towards the authors means that we don't handle them with kid gloves.



Scattercat

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Reply #36 on: January 19, 2011, 07:27:54 PM
Quote
It was a good, quick story
...
Also, to anyone who used the word "little" in their descriptions: c'mon, that's just mean.

So by calling it "quick," you meant to imply that it was rushed, hasty, and not well-thought-out?

Two can play the "reinterpret the words" game, my friend.  ;-)

This story is "little" because, as you said, it is not attempting to address deeper issues or explore important questions, but simply to blow up monsters.  It is, as eytanz more accurately summed up, little in the sense of modest and unassuming.  If you take offense at me calling it a "cute little romp," then frankly you could find fault with anything I said.  (Why not ding me for comparing it to "Giant Spider Invasion"? Which actually was a terrible movie that I think this story is much better than, but the monster-spiders-from-meteorites motif was strongly reminiscent of the film.)



washer

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Reply #37 on: January 20, 2011, 03:42:11 PM
Alright, you guys got me.  I still maintain that I don't like the connotations of the word "little" when used as a descriptor of someone's work, but that might just be me.  As far as the wording "inherently wrong," yeah, too strong.  My bad - I established too firm a line in the sand.  People are allowed to take away from the story whatever they do, and I won't stand there with my arms crossed double-checking.  So um, I oppose "little," but I'm not asking the masses to take my banner up any longer.



Max e^{i pi}

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Reply #38 on: January 24, 2011, 08:04:10 PM
I know I'm late with this one, backlog and all...
I just want to say that the story was a fun monster-killing romp, but the reading left a little to be desired. My brain kept segfaulting when Jason had to reread a word. I admire the man for doing it all in one take, but a little cleanup in post would have gone a long way.

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Listener

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Reply #39 on: January 26, 2011, 04:33:35 PM
the reading left a little to be desired. My brain kept segfaulting when Jason had to reread a word. I admire the man for doing it all in one take, but a little cleanup in post would have gone a long way.

Agreed. This one seemed to have more audio hiccups in it than the usual EA 'cast, which was distracting. And because I was listening while I was working, the hiccups were the only thing that I really remember.

It may be because I have difficulty following stories when I listen at work, but this story didn't really stick with me. They were fighting aliens using steampunk? This dude is looking for someone to save his town? I don't know. To be fair, I'll probably read this one in Soundproof when it comes out in a week or so, see if I still feel the same, but right now, it didn't capture me. Which is weird, because I do enjoy steampunk.

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niallmor

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Reply #40 on: February 03, 2011, 11:48:49 PM
Am I the only person who loved this story? Its air of comic book unreality was precisely what I loved about it--a cross between "Wild, Wild West" and Starship Troopers. Cowgirls with big guns and bug-eyed monsters! Yee hah!



niallmor

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Reply #41 on: February 04, 2011, 12:01:29 AM
I must be the only person who liked this story, precisely for its air of comic book, pulp fiction unreality. Beautiful cowgirls with great big guns and giant bug-eyed monsters? A cross between "The Wild Wild West" and Starship Troopers? What's not to love?



LaShawn

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Reply #42 on: March 17, 2011, 03:49:02 PM
Light fluff. Pass the popcorn.

In the meantime, where can i get a hold of that Steampunk Jesus story?

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