Other Story Formats

[White Masquerade]

Hello all. So, last discussion before the site goes down for a few days. I was speaking with @The One Eyed Bandit a short while ago and it got me thinking. About stories in general, and how we take them in the forms they're presented to us. From novels to video games, movies to plays, audiobooks and whatever else, they come in many ways. What I want to know, is which way is best, in your opinion. Or better said, which format you say is the most you enjoy. What is it about that format that gets you like nothing else? Is it something you can maybe replicate in RP? Have you ever thought of taking pieces from that format and using it as your own? Have you already done something like it before? I'd appreciate all your thoughts and experiences. It'd be good to see what makes a well presented and interesting story to you.


I will include a poll up top with the broad category of formats. If you love one not on the list, please feel free to specify it below.

 

[Birdsie]

I do not believe a story should be locked within the boundaries of formats or limitations. A roleplay should be just as flexible as it's players, but each one to their own I suppose!

 

[Paranoid Android]

Video Games > Movies > Novels


I prefer stuff that have some kind of visual identity (best way I can find to explain it). For example, a Clockwork Orange (the movie) has a pretty distinct and unique visual identity, while if I had read the book instead, I'd just picture everything in my head as any other book, nothing very special.


And games have the aspect of interactivity. You can't change the outcome of a story in a movie or a book, but in a game like Mass Effect you can.


I guess I can replicate that in an RP just by adding images together with the text. RPs with a few images instead of pure text always feel better to me.

 

[White Masquerade]

I do not believe a story should be locked within the boundaries of formats or limitations. A roleplay should be just as flexible as it's players, but each one to their own I suppose!

Lol. What? Come on. I'm gonna call you out. That answer made no sense.

Video Games > Movies > Novels


I prefer stuff that have some kind of visual identity (best way I can find to explain it). For example, a Clockwork Orange (the movie) has a pretty distinct and unique visual identity, while if I had read the book instead, I'd just picture everything in my head as any other book, nothing very special.


And games have the aspect of interactivity. You can't change the outcome of a story in a movie or a book, but in a game like Mass Effect you can.


I guess I can replicate that in an RP just by adding images together with the text. RPs with a few images instead of pure text always feel better to me.

Ooh la la! We've got an INFP here  :smile10: . Yes, yes. Hopefully before the site goes offline I'll get around to posting my own answer, but basically it follows the same feeling as you. I'm not sure yet exactly which format I prefer BEST, but it's a real close race between everything (lol) except auditory things.

• Books let you imagine how the scenes are going down. That's cool.
  
• In RP, you're writing out a scene you're imagining yourself in hands with other people. You get t live your imagination out. That's amazing.
  
• Yet there are some TV shows & movies when they throw in the music, the dramatic shots, the in-depth acting, it just floors you.
  
• But at the same time, video games have been stepping up their narrative game and using that medium to truly bring players a gripping experience. Like, imagine what they can do when things start moving to pseudo-Virtual Reality?
  

I don't know. There are just amazing pieces and positives to all of them. I'd really have to think about it a little more. Comparing the best work I've discovered from each medium would be very difficult. I've read some awesome books and I've seen some kick-butt movies! Dunno. I'll see what come up with soon.

 

[Bone2pick]

The greatest expression of storytelling imo is the novel.  Other formats have their merits, but only great novels have ever changed my life.  There's just so much wisdom, poetry, and experience that can be transmitted by virtue of reading a masterpiece—everything else pales in comparison.


Btw, I've read A Clockwork Orange, and I'd argue the book is far superior to the movie.

 

[Paranoid Android]

Lol. What? Come on. I'm gonna call you out. That answer made no sense.


Ooh la la! We've got an INFP here  :smile10: . Yes, yes. Hopefully before the site goes offline I'll get around to posting my own answer, but basically it follows the same feeling as you. I'm not sure yet exactly which format I prefer BEST, but it's a real close race between everything (lol) except auditory things.

• Books let you imagine how the scenes are going down. That's cool.
  
• In RP, you're writing out a scene you're imagining yourself in hands with other people. You get t live your imagination out. That's amazing.
  
• Yet there are some TV shows & movies when they throw in the music, the dramatic shots, the in-depth acting, it just floors you.
  
• But at the same time, video games have been stepping up their narrative game and using that medium to truly bring players a gripping experience. Like, imagine what they can do when things start moving to pseudo-Virtual Reality?
  

I don't know. There are just amazing pieces and positives to all of them. I'd really have to think about it a little more. Comparing the best work I've discovered from each medium would be very difficult. I've read some awesome books and I've seen some kick-butt movies! Dunno. I'll see what come up with soon.

Yeah, movies/games can make climax much more exciting and gripping with music and all. Like Mass Effect 2's final mission. I usually can't get such a powerful experience with books (music influences me a lot - I usually only cry when there's music that goes perfectly well with the sad moment - so the lack of it in written media makes it less exciting and emotional for me).

 

[Paranoid Android]

The greatest expression of storytelling imo is the novel.  Other formats have their merits, but only great novels have ever changed my life.  There's just so much wisdom, poetry, and experience that can be transmitted by virtue of reading a masterpiece—everything else pales in comparison.


Btw, I've read A Clockwork Orange, and I'd argue the book is far superior to the movie.

What I liked the most about the movie were the visual aesthetics (together with the music in some specific scenes), so I'm not sure I'd enjoy the novel as much as the film.

 

[White Masquerade]

@Bone2pick


Bone! I still haven't figured which format I like best and I'm starting to get sleepy. You will luckily be spared from a long-winded answer to your response =P. Really though, thank you for the answer. I understand your love of novels and want to go into that with you, I really do =).


@Paranoid Android


Definitely. Long story short before I doze off. Music paired with a good cutscene after hours of playing through to build it up...almost nothing like it. You have some sense of achievement like you were the one who did it. Doubly better if it's a game you get to play through with a partner. And the interactive component is why I think stories through games have the most potential for being something great. if it can really get you to insert yourself into the story - watch out -  it's going to be good! Thank you for your answer as well.

 

[AtlannianSpy]

Every medium has something compelling about it that no other medium can deliver. Something I really enjoy is hearing someone really passionate about a particular form explaining what makes their favourite example of it special.


having said that I have been a book nerd since reading Harry Potter at the age of six. Even though I don't read as often as I should these days nothing comes close. The way a bunch of symbols arranged on paper can get inside my brain and transport me somewhere else entirely is the closest thing human beings have to magic.

 

[Birdsie]

Lol. What? Come on. I'm gonna call you out. That answer made no sense.


Ooh la la! We've got an INFP here  :smile10: . Yes, yes. Hopefully before the site goes offline I'll get around to posting my own answer, but basically it follows the same feeling as you. I'm not sure yet exactly which format I prefer BEST, but it's a real close race between everything (lol) except auditory things.

• Books let you imagine how the scenes are going down. That's cool.
  
• In RP, you're writing out a scene you're imagining yourself in hands with other people. You get t live your imagination out. That's amazing.
  
• Yet there are some TV shows & movies when they throw in the music, the dramatic shots, the in-depth acting, it just floors you.
  
• But at the same time, video games have been stepping up their narrative game and using that medium to truly bring players a gripping experience. Like, imagine what they can do when things start moving to pseudo-Virtual Reality?
  

I don't know. There are just amazing pieces and positives to all of them. I'd really have to think about it a little more. Comparing the best work I've discovered from each medium would be very difficult. I've read some awesome books and I've seen some kick-butt movies! Dunno. I'll see what come up with soon.





 

I thought that by RP format you meant something as in:
"Character A is Character B's friend and [...]"


But now I understand this a little more in-depth. This isn't just about roleplay.


As far as narratives go, I think The Elder Scrolls series always had good stories for them. Each one has one thing in similar, though. The Daedra are doing something behind the backs of Gods that endangers mortals.

 

[Soz]

I enjoy all forms of storytelling.  I think I enjoy reading them the most, but at the same time I'm about as dyslexic as I am a fast reader so it a bad combination.  Sometimes I'll go back and re-read a chapter, and if it happens too often I become less motivated to read it if I have to make more than two passes.   I get pretty irate if something makes me put the book down before a chapter is done.   

When I was younger I loved video games, but in the last few years I've not played much outside the realm of Nintendo 3DS.  There are many games I've yet to touch from the Sony realm.  

At the end I think I'd have to say I enjoy writing them the most.   There are few things that match the gratification of writing for me, except maybe reading... and I've went over the pitfalls of that with me. lol  I do agree very much with @Bone2pick though.  Anthony Burgess shouldn't be compared to the movie.  It's very unfair to the movie.  

I would have to say a masterpiece animation does come VERY close to a masterpiece novel.  There are just very few of these that exist in comparison to the near infinite amount of novels.

 

The greatest expression of storytelling imo is the novel.  Other formats have their merits, but only great novels have ever changed my life.  There's just so much wisdom, poetry, and experience that can be transmitted by virtue of reading a masterpiece—everything else pales in comparison.


Btw, I've read A Clockwork Orange, and I'd argue the book is far superior to the movie.

 

[White Masquerade]

I enjoy all forms of storytelling.  I think I enjoy reading them the most, but at the same time I'm about as dyslexic as I am a fast reader so it a bad combination.  Sometimes I'll go back and re-read a chapter, and if it happens too often I become less motivated to read it if I have to make more than two passes.   I get pretty irate if something makes me put the book down before a chapter is done.   

When I was younger I loved video games, but in the last few years I've not played much outside the realm of Nintendo 3DS.  There are many games I've yet to touch from the Sony realm.  

At the end I think I'd have to say I enjoy writing them the most.   There are few things that match the gratification of writing for me, except maybe reading... and I've went over the pitfalls of that with me. lol  I do agree very much with @Bone2pick though.  Anthony Burgess shouldn't be compared to the movie.  It's very unfair to the movie.  

I would have to say a masterpiece animation does come VERY close to a masterpiece novel.  There are just very few of these that exist in comparison to the near infinite amount of novels.

 

:smile4:  I keep thinking the site is going to shut down and update RIGHT in the middle of a lengthy post, lol. I'll give full thoughts later if I remember this thread was put up. Here is an excerpt for you - 


You bring up an excellent point. The volume of material coming from these different mediums varies. Very good. Written work has been around a LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT longer than say video games/movies, so you can say that medium has an unfair advantage in this. Written work has had a longer period to grow with writers across history having more time to practice their technique, reference past novels from those that came before, and master their craft. Aside from oral stories passed down from generation to generation, written word has been around longer than these other formats. Excellent, excellent, excellent point Soz. I love that.


If you look at the poll up top, it just goes to show you how powerful video games are & how powerful they can become. Video games are a very recent thing compared to written work. And video games with actual STORIES, is even more of a recent thing starting to happen. Maybe in the last 15-20 years? It's crazy when you think about it. Video games have not tapped the full potential of their medium or are really focused on delivering "novel-like" narratives. Imagine 1000 years down the road though? Even 100. Video games are quickly going to surpass books if you ask my honest opinion.

 

[White Masquerade]

@Soz


Also, don't discount movies! To certain people, the physical stimulus of seeing actual pictures/movement and feeling the music, is much more powerful than reading words and imagining a scene. It's about equal for me, but I can understand if somebody would prefer a movie-version of a book, to the actual book. Of course this depends on other goodies like if the movie stayed true to the novel, if the person even liked the full novel, if the movie captured action better than the novel, etc. Wonderful.

 

[EredtOgon]

Hmm... interesting question. I feel that asking which format is best is like asking what whether one definition of a word is better than another. It doesn't make sense, because ultimately the different format provide different base structures upon which to create a narrative. Regarding any story, the real meat and potatoes of said story isn't the format. As a matter of fact, having specific formats is very important, because ultimately sticking to only one would drastically limit the types of stories that could be told.

 

[White Masquerade]

Hmm... interesting question. I feel that asking which format is best is like asking what whether one definition of a word is better than another. It doesn't make sense, because ultimately the different format provide different base structures upon which to create a narrative. Regarding any story, the real meat and potatoes of said story isn't the format. As a matter of fact, having specific formats is very important, because ultimately sticking to only one would drastically limit the types of stories that could be told.

No, no. Which format do YOU like best. Yes, none is better than they other, but people certainly do have one they lean toward for certain reasons. That's what I want to know. Later today I'll post my full thoughts on it. Hopefully that'll clear things up with the opinions and discussion I'm looking for.

 

[TrumpCard]

I am a gamer at heart but it is a close tie between novels and video games. I've been reading and gaming for as long as I can remember and there are so many great pieces in each category. While it is all personal preference, I have to say that any kind of visual storytelling, done right, is probably better than written work.

 

[EredtOgon]

No, no. Which format do YOU like best. Yes, none is better than they other, but people certainly do have one they lean toward for certain reasons. That's what I want to know. Later today I'll post my full thoughts on it. Hopefully that'll clear things up with the opinions and discussion I'm looking for.

Ah! I see. Well now, I suppose that a tie between prose and graphic novel, then. The information density of prose works is utterly unmatched. There's just so much depth and quality and detail that can be achieved with text. Yet visual formats have the added bonus of, well, amazing visuals, lol. The problem is that extremely visual mediums like tv and animation really can't match the depth needed to justify their visuals, in my opinion. Graphic novels, I feel, do allow enough depth and detail richness to justify the drawbacks of visual elements, however.

 

[White Masquerade]

Okay. So I have a good moment to answer this! Let's get to it. I will try to answer back everyone I skipped in a second post. This 1st post will be my opnion and my choice in this. To begin, this a topic I'm really interested to explore in-depth. After much-much though, I voted for an option. It was really hard, but the option that's given me the most joy in regards to story-telling, has been the TV & Cinema Category. More specifically T.V and I will explain why.

My Response
Seasons. That is the single biggest factor for me that puts story-telling in the TV format right over the top. It's nothing any of the other formats have. It's unique to TV and how it goes. It is freaking amazing. Why do seasons matter so much? One word: growth. This is why TV for me, kicks movies' @ss. Only in the TV format can you have a season that's...12 or 24 episodes long. And the great thing is, you can even have 2-3 on top of that! Bite-size episodes all connected together in a chain called a season. That gives characters PLENTY of time to grow. And isn't growing/changing what good stories nowadays are about? Twelve to 24 episodes allows a creator let their character grow organically. From 0 to 7. And when season to comes, can take those next 12-24 episodes to really spend a good, detailed time on growing that character from 7 to 10. With that span of time, you can truly bring a cohesive and gripping narrative to a person in visuals. Say one episode sucked? That's okay. You have a ton more to shift tone and get things right. With a movie, you don't have that luxury. You don't have that flexibility. If a movie is off...there's no hope to get back on track (or get a sequel done, lol).

As a diss to books and auditory works, I believe visual format is far superior to them both. Don't quote me on this, but sight is the sense that takes the most attention from our brain. It makes sense that engaging your sight, is what's going to have the most powerful effect. I won't lie, I've read books that were wonderful. Absolutely fantastic. Made me want to lay on my bead and pray I had a dream where I was in it, but it's hard...because you can't quite imagine what everything looks like. Sure your brain will fill in the blanks, but it's always some distant, just-out-of-focus, just-out-of-reach utopia you can never really put a hand on. With that said, imagining a location is much funner than being shown what it actually looks like. Hence why I feel some movies really do the book injustice. It's just not the same experience on the big-screen. Or in some instances, not quite as cool as you would have wanted =/.

Moving on, RP and its kin kind of fall in the same vein as written work, where you get to imagine what you see (And that is so fun), but the work, talent, and technique you need express what you see in your mind is DIFFICULT! You want to frame and write out a sexy and dramatic action scene, but your vocab and sentence structure just doesn't cut it, lol. I try my best but I find myself at times thinking, "Oh damn. What I just wrote sounds really, really, boring and stupid." If everybody was a master-class writer, then RP would take the cake because you have ownership of what you want to do (and having a bunch of others write with you ain't such a bad thing), but it's rare to get there . Still. Even when it goes semi-right...there's nothing better than writing a grand story with a good group of friends. LARP...uhhh. I don't quite understand it, but I know it's nowhere near the top of my list.

Choice # 2. My, my, my. It'd have to Video Games in the graphical format. Anybody here can debate me on this, but I feel a good TV show does edge out a good video any day. Yes, games let you insert yourself into its process...but, eh. It's not fully IMMERSIVE and that's my problem. You have a controller in your hand and you're interacting with the game, but you're not really IN the game. And that's what breaks the connection to the story-line for me (just a tiny bit). That's pushes in into 2nd place instead of 1st. Cut-scenes are freaking brilliant. They're beautiful. But after a few minutes they're over and you're back to controlling things fully again. That little back and forth is now sharp enough in my opinion. I'm not aware of any, but those games that play like a cut-scene from start to finish...those are the best. They are a step up. Ones that fluidly move you from controlling your character into cinematic scenes, and back again. I could be off but some the Batman Arkham games do this? The Assassin Creed Games? Mirror's Edge? Quantum Break? (Some gamers, help me out here =P). Those are stunning. However, I believe when full virtual reality comes rolling around, it's going to blow everything miiiiiiiiiles out of the water. I can't wait!

So back to my pick. TV. The best TV shows I've seen, at the moment, have elicited the most genuine responses from me. Visuals, music, length, flexibility, and chances at good variation, all come together to make this the format the one I really enjoy most. Goodness. It's so powerful to see somebody you've known from Season 1, grow into an entirely different person come season 3 or 4, and the new relationships that form, as well as the old ones that fall away or get destroyed. AMAZING!

 

[White Masquerade]

Responses To Others!

Paranoid Android
Same. Same. When I first started RPing, my favorite part was picking the picture for the CS . My actual love/interest for actual writing came after I saw this collaborative story-making felt like a little journey you took with others. However, I still use pictures routinely, and will delay a post if I can't find a good visual for it. I've taken to inserting and using music as well in my RPs. It started off as a very, very, small thing, but as I'm growing and doing more and more roleplays, I've seen it evolving. My use and dependence on it has grown. I love it. I like visceral experiences and music is just one aspect to making it happen. So in a sense, I've already to copy the TV & Movie format in my roleplays. That's what I've been leaning to and it really does make a cool and unique experience. I've had story arcs in my roleplays and Theme Songs for each storyline too, haha. Gah. Paranoid, it felt so good. I can't describe. Inside the roleplay, you feel like you're watching something good unfold. I will vouch for taking the RP + TV approach to a roleplay. Nothing like it.

Bone2pick
Tell me Bone. I really am interested. Tell me one that changes your life and describe how if you can please? I ask because while I enjoyed books, I was never really...moved by any, if you get what I mean. Simply, "Wow-wow, I wish I was there!" Never, "I'm keeping this forever."

I don't quite know what the feels like. Maybe it's the lack of sensory experience I get from formats like TV/Movies? I am a sensory person that probably has a bit to do with it. Do you try to imagine what you read, or are in books for the story. Take the words for what they are?

AtlannianSpy
Same question from Bone to you. Can you describe how a book exactly gets you going? Like, what is it about words on a page? Is it the plot? The simply joy of turning a page? Seeing ink on paper? The feel of the book in your hands? Is there something you do in your head that just takes it to level 99? . I don't understand, please help me out here.

TrumpCard
Bam! There you go. I came to the same conclusion as you, my photon-loving phenom. Visual work it's just more engaging. When done right, it hooks you and it hooks you hard. Thrown in some ambient music and there's no getting out. I've spent a lot of time re-watching emotional dramatic moments in all kinds of visual works. It's beautiful. I want to ask though since I love the TV show format...what don't you like about it? Soap Operas. Reality Shows. Dramas. Action. Adventure. Real. Cartoon. Anime. None of those gets your fire going like games and books?

EredtOgon
Finally, Druid. Lol. You do bring up a good point. I really like that. Thanks for pointing it out. This is true. No other format can beat books in terms of density. You can seriously jampack a lot of deep content into one. . I'm still grinning like an idiot because that was an excellent point. It is an advantage indeed I did not consider. And you point something out good again. Yes, there are some TV shows and animation that do...nothing in the episodes they are given. Or it's so irrelevant, so nonsensical, and so not powerful, you wonder how the work got such intense production. I do find myself wondering sometimes watching shows and being less than amused at the less "thoughtful" ones. That's a fair point, Druid.

 

[TrumpCard]

White Masquerade

Well, actually, I believe TV shows/anime can be amazing. I was merely stating my personal favorites in the genres of storytelling. That being said, there are only two things in the entirety of storytelling that have made me actually shed tears. One would be the movie "Act of Valor", and the other would be the anime short "Shelter". Of course, I am considered by many to be a hardass so...

Anyway, I suppose it is worth note that no video game or novel has gotten such a reaction from me. Also, I am a huge fan of TV shows and anime. I just feel that a lot can be messed up in the middle of making them.

 

[White Masquerade]

White Masquerade

Well, actually, I believe TV shows/anime can be amazing. I was merely stating my personal favorites in the genres of storytelling. That being said, there are only two things in the entirety of storytelling that have made me actually shed tears. One would be the movie "Act of Valor", and the other would be the anime short "Shelter". Of course, I am considered by many to be a hardass so...

Anyway, I suppose it is worth note that no video game or novel has gotten such a reaction from me. Also, I am a huge fan of TV shows and anime. I just feel that a lot can be messed up in the middle of making them.

TrumpCARD! Shelter!? I know what you mean! I'm not a hard-ass XD, but I maybe did get a little wet around the eyes. I won't blame you, when you realize what happened, it seriously hits you deep. I don't even know what I would do in that situation. That is a phobia of mine. Act of Valor I have not seen, but I see it's a military movie. Those are always powerful when they get into the meat of the story for sure.

As for the rest of your answer, understood. I just wanted to see how TV Shows/anime ranked on your list is all.

 

[glowworms]

I rank books/written stuff the highest because I can consume them the fastest and because I think they can do some really weird stuff. Not saying that animation/television can't do the same but mainstream tv is constrained by production costs and needing to be sellable, (I guess experimental theater though, can be fun but not always, but there isn't much of it).

 

[Bone2pick]

Bone2pick
Tell me Bone. I really am interested. Tell me one that changes your life and describe how if you can please? I ask because while I enjoyed books, I was never really...moved by any, if you get what I mean. Simply, "Wow-wow, I wish I was there!" Never, "I'm keeping this forever."

I don't quite know what the feels like. Maybe it's the lack of sensory experience I get from formats like TV/Movies? I am a sensory person that probably has a bit to do with it. Do you try to imagine what you read, or are in books for the story. Take the words for what they are?

Great books not only move me, they transform me. They're like exercise for the mind and soul. They offer so much perspective and wisdom that I can't help but grow as a person from consuming them. And as far as I can tell, there's no other story format around today that is its equal.

I can name many that have changed my life: The Catcher in the Rye, as the preeminent story of adolescent fear and rebellion. I recommend that book to every young person struggling to find their way into adulthood. 1984 changed the way I view governments, the media, those who record history, and the powerful changes torture can produce on man. Go Down, Moses changed the way I viewed racial relations in the south as well as the concept of land exploitation. And it would take an essay to describe how my favorite novel, All The King's Men, changed how I see the world.

I'm going to include a passage below from one of my top five favorite books, Farenheit 451. I reread amazing passages from great novels often. Works from master authors are nothing short of treasures imo.

Spoiler: F451

"Listen," said Granger, taking his arm, and walking with him, holding aside the bushes to let him pass. "When I was a boy my grandfather died, and he was a sculptor. He was also a very kind man who had a lot of love to give the world, and he helped clean up the slum in our town; and he made toys for us and he did a million things in his lifetime; he was always busy with his hands. And when he died, I suddenly realized I wasn't crying for him at all, but for the things he did. I cried because he would never do them again, he would never carve another piece of wood or help us raise doves and pigeons in the back yard or play the violin the way he did, or tell us jokes the way he did. He was part of us and when he died, all the actions stopped dead and there was no one to do them just the way he did. He was individual. He was an important man. I've never gotten over his death. Often I think, what wonderful carvings never came to birth because he died. How many jokes are missing from the world, and how many homing pigeons untouched by his hands. He shaped the world. He did things to the world. The world was bankrupted of ten million fine actions the night he passed on."

Montag walked in silence. "Millie, Millie," he whispered. "Millie."
"What?"
"My wife, my wife. Poor Millie, poor Millie. I can't remember anything. I think of her hands but I don't see them doing anything at all. They just hang there at her sides or they lie there on her lap or there's a cigarette in them, but that's all."
Montag turned and glanced back.
What did you give to the city, Montag?
Ashes.
What did the others give to each other?
Nothingness.

Granger stood looking back with Montag. "Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there. It doesn't matter what you do, he said, so long as you change something from the way it was before you touched it into something that's like you after you take your hands away. The difference between the man who just cuts lawns and a real gardener is in the touching, he said. The lawn- cutter might just as well not have been there at all; the gardener will be there a lifetime."
Granger moved his hand. "My grandfather showed me some V-2 rocket films once, fifty years ago. Have you ever seen the atom-bomb mushroom from two hundred miles up? It's a pinprick, it's nothing. With the wilderness all around it.

"My grandfather ran off the V-2 rocket film a dozen times and then hoped that some day our cities would open up and let the green and the land and the wilderness in more, to remind people that we're allotted a little space on earth and that we survive in that wilderness that can take back what it has given, as easily as blowing its breath on us or sending the sea to tell us we are not so big. When we forget how close the wilderness is in the night, my grandpa said, some day it will come in and get us, for we will have forgotten how terrible and real it can be. You see?" Granger turned to Montag. "Grandfather's been dead for all these years, but if you lifted my skull, by God, in the convolutions of my brain you'd find the big ridges of his thumbprint. He touched me. As I said earlier, he was a sculptor. 'I hate a Roman named Status Quo!' he said to me. 'Stuff your eyes with wonder,' he said, 'live as if you'd drop dead in ten seconds. See the world. It's more fantastic than any dream made or paid for in factories. Ask no guarantees, ask for no security, there never was such an animal. And if there were, it would be related to the great sloth which hangs upside down in a tree all day every day, sleeping its life away. To hell with that,' he said, 'shake the tree and knock the great sloth down on his ass.'"

 

[Devious Dilbert]

I'm a gamer at heart, and a very visual person in general. My favorite format would obviously be video games, LOL. Tv and cinema would come next, but nothing could beat games.

With games, you get visuals, text, and interactivity all in one and all of that works in unison to express whatever the game is all about. You don't really get that in the other forms of media. Personally, I love the little breaks of mindless action or exploration in between important story scenes just as much as the story itself. Of course, I'm mainly talking about narrative driven games since those are the ones I like the best. But games also don't really need a masterfully written story to be good or amusing.

My favorite, Shadow of the Colossus, by far the best damn video game I have ever played, the animation, visuals, characters, theme, all flowed together perfectly to tell such a simple story. But every element and detail of the game worked together to present such a memorable and beautiful experience. I've never played another game like it. Never even had a similar experience or have felt the same about any other game as I played it.

Cinema is second because you still get the visual aspect that I crave, but it's just not the same. A goddamn well directed movie though can still amaze me. I don't really like t.v. shows though tbh. They just... I don't know...

The other forms of media... eh... just don't really appeal to me. Rp'ing still gives me interactivity, but I still prefer games.

 

[wonderandawe]

I'm all about the written Word. I even turn on subtitles in movies/TV, so I can read the Dialogue.

RP is a close second. I love being able to customize the story to my players.