"...a realignment of company focus"

[Vulpy]

You know what's bad... BARBIE IS MORE BELIEVABLE!

We've essentially been playing with virtual Barbie and Ken dolls for years. Okay, customizable Barbie and Ken dolls with powers. CoH isn't entirely blameless--we affectionately refer to Desdemona as "Captain Hotpants" for a reason--but even our scantily-clad female characters aren't typically put on crass display like that. Captain Hotpants' press pictures aside, the closest thing we have to that sort of objectification is the Carnival, and that's subversive.

And deliciously creepy, when you think about all that it implies about the Carnies, and about modern America. If America had a better track record vis a vis women's rights, the Carnival of Shadows would lose a lot of their narrative power. They're able to beguile men and women alike precisely because we're willing to accept attractive female figures--even (and perhaps especially) those deprived of identity--at face value. They gain power over people precisely because of an imbalance that has historically existed in our culture. We need to take that moral to heart.

You know, if I had experience with video-editing software, I could make that point--the Carnival of Shadows as a po-mo reconstruction of the "demon lover" fables--into a vlog post.

[Rotten Luck]

I'm talking about the Barbies physical Proportions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/08/06/barbie-real-woman-proportions-mildly-terrifying_n_1749204.html

Compared to a real human the barbie is freakish.  Compared to B&S figures Barbie is not so freaky.

[Knightslayer]

I've always LOVED the Carnival! Along with Malta they are my favorite enemy group lore wise.

[Turjan]

The laughable thing to me is that while yes, it's perfectly possible to make completely nude toons (male or female) in CoH (brown skin works), and it's also perfectly possible to make nude toons in Champions Online (little easier than CoH as it happens, more colour options), in BOTH cases, they end up looking like plastic dolls because (of course) that's effectively what they. The figure meshes in CoH and CO are smooth.

However, the same CANNOT be said of the female figure meshes in Blade and Soul - even CLOTHED the meshes display...bits. Bits which really shouldn't be visible on a clothed figure.

I remember some while ago when I was part of the Morrowind modding community and tangentially involved with the Better Bodies mod (I actually worked on texturing Khajiit heads, but I digress), there was quite the debate about whether the boob meshes should have nipples or not. In the end, the mod was eventually released in 2 forms : 1 with smooth bits and permanent underwear, and the other with anatomically accurate boobs (and male tackle) and naked skin because naked is, after all, naked.

Point is, this was a modding community whose purpose was to make more realistic "better bodies" to replace Morrowind's rather naff ones, and we chose ultimately to leave it to the player as to whether they wanted PG or full on bits.

In Blade and Soul, half the costumes look to me like they've been sprayed on to those bizarre knobbly lemon boobs...seems Barbie bodies aren't even a choice offered by the game's developers.

[dwturducken]

Can someone smack me over the head with Segev's press release? I have a few places I want to send it, and I could swear it was somewhere in this thread.

Thanks.

[Adrenalin]

Major thought... why not The View? The ladies over there would have a Field Day with this. Not sure how to contact them, but Whoopi has a Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whoopi-Goldberg/181582881853740

[Victoria Victrix]

Can someone smack me over the head with Segev's press release? I have a few places I want to send it, and I could swear it was somewhere in this thread.

Thanks.

Last time I found it it was by searching "Segev press release"

[dwturducken]

Last time I found it it was by searching "Segev press release"

Wait, you mean I don't have to scan through whole threads page by page? <facepalm>

Sorry. It'd been a long, strange day. :)

[Rotten Luck]

Major thought... why not The View? The ladies over there would have a Field Day with this. Not sure how to contact them, but Whoopi has a Facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Whoopi-Goldberg/181582881853740

Idea heard and wrote a Facebook message to Whoopi.  Might want to try the others as well.  Flood the inbox!

[Moonfyire101]

So I have to do a Q&A flash assignment for school that has to keep score. I was thinking of doing something along the lines of....Do you like NCSoft? –yes- -no- answer yes ....question2: Have you heard of or played City of heroes/villains? –yes –no-....etc...the purpose is to give facts about the shutdown of ncsoft titles and how to help coh/v. it will keep score of your hate for ncsoft through answering questions and give a percentage at the end as well as the links for how to help save coh.

The thing I need help with is the questions. Can anyone come up with questions? I'll post this on titan when I'm done with it. this would be good for informing people who don't know as well as swaying people who love ncsoft to our cause...

Oh, if you have links for graphics to use with your question or questions let me know, I can use pictures in this assignment also. Like the inappropriate B&S pics for one of the questions geared toward changing people's minds about liking ncsoft.

I need to have this done by tuesday so any suggestions will help. Thanks! :)

[HarvesterOfEyes]

We've essentially been playing with virtual Barbie and Ken dolls for years. Okay, customizable Barbie and Ken dolls with powers. CoH isn't entirely blameless--we affectionately refer to Desdemona as "Captain Hotpants" for a reason--but even our scantily-clad female characters aren't typically put on crass display like that. Captain Hotpants' press pictures aside, the closest thing we have to that sort of objectification is the Carnival, and that's subversive.

And deliciously creepy, when you think about all that it implies about the Carnies, and about modern America. If America had a better track record vis a vis women's rights, the Carnival of Shadows would lose a lot of their narrative power. They're able to beguile men and women alike precisely because we're willing to accept attractive female figures--even (and perhaps especially) those deprived of identity--at face value. They gain power over people precisely because of an imbalance that has historically existed in our culture. We need to take that moral to heart.

You know, if I had experience with video-editing software, I could make that point--the Carnival of Shadows as a po-mo reconstruction of the "demon lover" fables--into a vlog post.

My battle cry when fighting carnies: "For pity's sake.... EAT SOMETHING!!"

[Colette]

I'd like to compliment the moderators. I was just about to report a creature-that-lives-under-the-bridge post, but it vanished before I could finish. Well done!

[Kheprera]

Now is the time.

Misogyny Speech

Between the video I linked to above, and Romney's "Binders Full of Women", it is time to push the Blade and Soul debacle further into the spotlight.

The cause for CoH being shut down in lieu of a grotesquely sexualized and demeening parody of women should resonate well  in the current mindset.

From Malala Yousufzai (prayers for her continued recovery) to Pauley Perrette (NCIS's adorable Abby) getting punched in the face for trying to stop a man from beating a woman (she's okay, she is very much against bullying/violence of any kind), there is a current running through the mindsets of everyone... we should try and touch it.

[Atlantea]

Khep? Your link above doesn't work.

[Kheprera]

Love those copy/paste from mobile phone errors... :P

The link has been fixed.  Sorry about that.

I had no less than 4 phone calls and a text message while trying to write that.

[Segev]

edit: Before reading my off-topic rant below, let me add something useful: http://stormlord.us <--- both press releases I've made are here. The one about media day is a little out-dated; I will see about making a new version that isn't doubling as an invitation to the 20th./edit


*resistance to political bait failed*

Normally, even when I think somebody is blowing something out of proportion in order to justify taking offense because they want to be offended by something, I can at least see the logic chain (even if I find the premise faulty) that gets them from what actually happened to "that's offensive!" But I literally cannot see how this is in any way offensive, other than "Mitt Romney said it, and I am professionally obligated to take offense at anything the Republicans say."

How else do you review candidates than by getting piles, stacks, sheafs, reams, or files full of potential people to fill roles? Is there something about arranging this information into binders - I'm assuming of the three-ring, loose-leaf variety - that makes it more offensive than, say, if he'd gotten "CDs full of women?"

If anything, the fact that Obama apparently never gets binders full of applicants for jobs and just divines them from thin air is more frightening, to me. It indicates he doesn't take the job seriously. (Of course, I think he and Biden are lying about their methods, if only by omission and implication that they do NOT do something similar, but that's beside the point.) I mean, what, are Obama's more-golf-games-than-any-other-president actually divination rituals, with candidates' pictures on the golf balls and each hole labeled for a particular job?



...sorry. The professionally offended crowd really annoy me, as does anything that smacks of total illogic. And this is both. I'll shut up now. ^^;

[Rotten Luck]

Must resist.... must..

As for the Romney thing... why would he need to request applications of woman?  Wouldn't he have go at least ONE possible female applicant before asking for "Women Only" records?  In a way it's this to much like...

We need to show we aren't against (insert race here) so get me any (Race term) we can find so the voters know we aren't races.  In this case it would be sexist.

We need to show women we are fair to women.  Quick get me a binder of women we ignored before!  Hurry we got an election to win. 

So the question is why didn't those women get the job in the first place.  Why NOW when he was going to run for office did he need to make sure he filled a spot with a woman? 

Wouldn't a better thing to say "I don't take sex in account when hiring an employee.  Simple as that."  But then people would look at who he employed.

[eabrace]

https://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y38/eabrace/th_im-watching-you-focker.jpg
As long as you guys keep it civil in here, we'll keep the thread open.  But tread lightly.

[Rotten Luck]

Forgive me I am weak.  Okay Focus people only NCsoft Bashing!  Political stuff go outside!

[Segev]

Taking this to private messages.