OT: OMG Quidditch!

[RockyMTblue2]

Scrolling through the 600s on DTV I come upon a "professional" Quidditch game on 623 (Eleven Sports Network)! Not being a Harry Potter anything, I was perplexed by the high hoops as goals and people running around with a 3/4 foot stick in their crotches (simulated broom stick I guess). Feel free to look away from this sample from YouTube:



I guess you'd call this an "emerging sport"?

 

[eebmg]

Actually, maybe not to out of place to mention here when I saw on ESPN2 women's dodge ball and the 'international' level and it looks no different than if you got a gym of 8th graders to choose up sides.

Article on all these 'sports'

Bloomberg - Are you a robot?

 

[nwhoopfan]

I can't help but think of the movie Dodgeball and the fictitious ESPN8--The Ocho. The tag line was "if it's almost a sport, it's on the Ocho." I think this qualifies as almost a sport.

 

[JordyG]

I've tried to watch that Harry Potter stuff 3 times . I couldn't get more than 10 mins. in before I either threw in the towel or fell asleep. A childs fantasy writ (too) large.

In the fantasy world, although there are many sub-genres, there are basically two categories: High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. Low Fantasy takes the planet Earth (it doen't matter the time period) and simply adds magic (it doesn't matter the form). I've found most types of Low Fantasy tend to keep its magical forms or systems rather simple, though not always. High Fantasy is different. This genre takes place on other worlds. Though these worlds usually reflect Earth it requires different politics, social forms and mores, governmental systems, religious systems etc. It is far more difficult to write because it requires world building. Neverthless, since the characters are human or human like, their actions, reactions, emotions and motivations are recognizable and relatable to us. Also most High Fantasy has very little to no magic.

Also High Fantasy's, as in real life, often blur the lines between good and evil, and tend to explore the mitigating factors which lead to perceived "bad" behavior in its characters. To write good High Fantsy one must have lived, traveled and studied both history and human behavior. None of those are requirements for Low Fantasy. To me Harry Potter is the penultimate Low Fantasy, and to me reads like a flyer or a pamphlet.

 

[CL82]

I guess you'd call this an "emerging sport"?

No that was not the phrase that came to mind actually.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Scrolling through the 600s on DTV I come upon a "professional" Quidditch game on 623 (Eleven Sports Network)! Not being a Harry Potter anything, I was perplexed by the high hoops as goals and people running around with a 3/4 foot stick in their crotches (simulated broom stick I guess). Feel free to look away from this sample from YouTube:



I guess you'd call this an "emerging sport"?

This game must take a long time to develop a proper game
The one part of this video I understood was the slapping of hands .

 

[BroadwayVa]

I've tried to watch that Harry Potter stuff 3 times . I couldn't get more than 10 mins. in before I either threw in the towel or fell asleep. A childs fantasy writ (too) large.

In the fantasy world, although there are many sub-genres, there are basically two categories: High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. Low Fantasy takes the planet Earth (it doen't matter the time period) and simply adds magic (it doesn't matter the form). I've found most types of Low Fantasy tend to keep its magical forms or systems rather simple, though not always. High Fantasy is different. This genre takes place on other worlds. Though these worlds usually reflect Earth it requires different politics, social forms and mores, governmental systems, religious systems etc. It is far more difficult to write because it requires world building. Neverthless, since the characters are human or human like, their actions, reactions, emotions and motivations are recognizable and relatable to us. Also most High Fantasy has very little to no magic.

Also High Fantasy's, as in real life, often blur the lines between good and evil, and tend to explore the mitigating factors which lead to perceived "bad" behavior in its characters. To write good High Fantsy one must have lived, traveled and studied both history and human behavior. None of those are requirements for Low Fantasy. To me Harry Potter is the penultimate Low Fantasy, and to me reads like a flyer or a pamphlet.

I write Ultra high fantasy: A supreme entity, accepts everything punishes nothing--humanoids have free (absolutely free will). The problem is since there is no good or no evil there is no control humanoids have complete freedom. Humans reject the premise of free will or complete freedom for humans or humanoids. Humans must have punishment; free will, total freedom is contrary to all they know. It is the tug/pull between what they have acquired and what humans believe they want their lives to be so humanoids are forced to reject their entity that allows full freedom for humanoids or humans. But shall they??
The book is scheduled for next Chrismas.

 

[cohenzone]

I've tried to watch that Harry Potter stuff 3 times . I couldn't get more than 10 mins. in before I either threw in the towel or fell asleep. A childs fantasy writ (too) large.

In the fantasy world, although there are many sub-genres, there are basically two categories: High Fantasy and Low Fantasy. Low Fantasy takes the planet Earth (it doen't matter the time period) and simply adds magic (it doesn't matter the form). I've found most types of Low Fantasy tend to keep its magical forms or systems rather simple, though not always. High Fantasy is different. This genre takes place on other worlds. Though these worlds usually reflect Earth it requires different politics, social forms and mores, governmental systems, religious systems etc. It is far more difficult to write because it requires world building. Neverthless, since the characters are human or human like, their actions, reactions, emotions and motivations are recognizable and relatable to us. Also most High Fantasy has very little to no magic.

Also High Fantasy's, as in real life, often blur the lines between good and evil, and tend to explore the mitigating factors which lead to perceived "bad" behavior in its characters. To write good High Fantsy one must have lived, traveled and studied both history and human behavior. None of those are requirements for Low Fantasy. To me Harry Potter is the penultimate Low Fantasy, and to me reads like a flyer or a pamphlet.

If you want fantasy worth your while, try any of the many books by Sir Terry Pratchett. High satire of everything and everything, politics, religion, life in general, in a world of wizards, witches, elves, dwarfs and spells. Laugh out loud funny.

 

[JordyG]

I write Ultra high fantasy: A supreme entity, accepts everything punishes nothing--humanoids have free (absolutely free will). The problem is since there is no good or no evil there is no control humanoids have complete freedom. Humans reject the premise of free will or complete freedom for humans or humanoids. Humans must have punishment; free will, total freedom is contrary to all they know. It is the tug/pull between what they have acquired and what humans believe they want their lives to be so humanoids are forced to reject their entity that allows full freedom for humanoids or humans. But shall they??
The book is scheduled for next Chrismas.

More like a release on April 1st.

 

[JordyG]

If you want fantasy worth your while, try any of the many books by Sir Terry Pratchett. High satire of everything and everything, politics, religion, life in general, in a world of wizards, witches, elves, dwarfs and spells. Laugh out loud funny.

Pratchett's work always seemed a puzzlement to me. Most high fantasy is by its nature, often a deep exploration, at least commentary and often satire, of human events, past and present. Pratchett's work then seemed to me at best a fluff meta-satire, and someone unwilling to take even his own self worth, nonetheless his subject, seriously. Although he enjoyed wallowing in the world that Tolkien created it always felt he didn't have the courage of his own convictions, perhaps even a bit of contempt, for the genre of fantasy. That repelled me.

 

[cohenzone]

Pratchett's work always seemed a puzzlement to me. Most high fantasy is by its nature, often a deep exploration, at least commentary and often satire, of human events, past and present. Pratchett's work then seemed to me at best a fluff meta-satire, and someone unwilling to take even his own self worth, nonetheless his subject, seriously. Although he enjoyed wallowing in the world that Tolkien created it always felt he didn't have the courage of his own convictions, perhaps even a bit of contempt, for the genre of fantasy. That repelled me.

Lighten up.

 

[JordyG]

Lighten up.

I'll keep your recommendation in mind.

 

[Adios]

Nerds find a reason to exercise thanks to Harry Potter role playing? Holy cow.

 

[BroadwayVa]

Pratchett's work always seemed a puzzlement to me. Most high fantasy is by its nature, often a deep exploration, at least commentary and often satire, of human events, past and present. Pratchett's work then seemed to me at best a fluff meta-satire, and someone unwilling to take even his own self worth, nonetheless his subject, seriously. Although he enjoyed wallowing in the world that Tolkien created it always felt he didn't have the courage of his own convictions, perhaps even a bit of contempt, for the genre of fantasy. That repelled me.

The Entity tells Humans and humanoids that the Entity has no gender, no pigment and to be referred by the term The Entity. The Entity will not guide them their path is any path they choose. The entity once again tells them words are of Mankind not the Entity. The Entity reminds them All shall be welcome in his home, without exceptions--to be continued.

 

[BroadwayVa]

I'll keep your recommendation in mind.

If you get any looser or to lighten more--you'll float away.

 

[tomcat]

If you want fantasy worth your while, try any of the many books by Sir Terry Pratchett. High satire of everything and everything, politics, religion, life in general, in a world of wizards, witches, elves, dwarfs and spells. Laugh out loud funny.

Pratchett is amusing, but never better than when he collaborated with Neil Gaiman in Good Omens. A fine book.

 

[cohenzone]

Pratchett is amusing, but never better than when he collaborated with Neil Gaiman in Good Omens. A fine book.

t
Aside from Tolkien, I’ve never been into fantasy. I read one chapter of the original Harry Potter and was bored. I tend to read much more non-fiction, history and political stuff, than fiction even though I like to write fiction. I like Pratchett because he spoofed fantasy while making more serious points. I have no problem with Jordy’s take, I just see Pratchett as having had a different purpose. I have to say that Pratchett had me with his character Cohen the Barbarian and his band of dementia afflicted cohorts. I identified in every which way.

 

[tomcat]

t
Aside from Tolkien, I’ve never been into fantasy. I read one chapter of the original Harry Potter and was bored. I tend to read much more non-fiction, history and political stuff, than fiction even though I like to write fiction. I like Pratchett because he spoofed fantasy while making more serious points. I have no problem with Jordy’s take, I just see Pratchett as having had a different purpose. I have to say that Pratchett had me with his character Cohen the Barbarian and his band of dementia afflicted cohorts. I identified in every which way.

I can only imagine. I found it hard to take Pratchett's stuff seriously at all, though he clearly wowed some folks. I got through one Potter book and thought it read live a TV show, which was enough for me (though I did enjoy one of the movies). Beyond Tolkien, I never cared for fantasy books. I generally stick with science fiction, with Neil Stephenson and John Scalzi being among my current favorites.

 

[nwhoopfan]

John Scalzi being among my current favorites

Ditto. I've really enjoyed almost everything I've read by him.