Entries for the November Fan Art compeTITion (and you thought I was joking about the boobs) have come to an end. It's time to let democracy decide who shall create the theme for the obligatory Christmas themed December FAotM thread. Or who made the best entry, whatever.

The mission was to produce any information at all about the upcoming Leisure Suit Larry game, regardless of accuracy.

Let's take a look at our fine entries, for varying definitions of "fine".

minute55 (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showpost.php?p=677272&postcount=7) - Here we have a startling rendition of a long, slender.... pencil and a display of incredible artistic ability. Remember, a vote for minute55 is a vote for having someone whose ability to make a new thread has been removed.

Paul.Power (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showpost.php?p=677391&postcount=18) - 6 months too late for an Olympics spin-off, Paul's outstanding novelisation of a sweaty man doing exercise is about as exciting as it gets and pretty similar to the sort of films I watch, except with men. And clothes.

Gardy Looo (http://forum.team17.co.uk/showpost.php?p=677681&postcount=23) - As we all know, any game with maths teachers is a guaranteed sure fire hit. No doubt this mission is where things really start getting hard. I'm sure the difficulty increases too.

Voting ends at the end of Friday, GMT time.
EDIT: Or it would, if I could count. I guess it ends on Saturday then.

Gardy Looo. His was the reason I didn't bother to do my cheap idea.


Which was to take into account T17's tendancy to go back to the roots, the increase in graphics for next-gen games, and T17's signature stuff.

Or, to put it another way: take a screenshot from the first game, add a brown tint and loads of bloom, and give everyone novelty hats.

I voted Gardy again.

Ah damn, it's december already isn't it?
Shoot! I actually wanted to submit an entry. :(

And no I hadn't even started it. But I did planned to start it. :p

But I did planned to start it. :p
Is that the same as saying I planned to plan an entry?

oh just start the next one already, gardy :p

Gardy Looo's is the only one that's even remotely sane (and yes I include my own entry in the "insane pile" :p)

EDIT: wow, someone actually voted for mine.

Is that the same as saying I planned to plan an entry?
No.
It's "I planned to make an entry"
The contents of the entry itself were already planned.

Gardy Looo's is the only one that's even remotely sane (and yes I include my own entry in the "insane pile" :p)

EDIT: wow, someone actually voted for mine.

And someone actually voted for minute!

I'm guessing that was minute55 himself, though.

And someone actually voted for minute!

I'm guessing that was minute55 himself, though.
Nope. Being Watched people cannot vote.

Paul Power doesn't have a image for this FAotM o_o unless you think his story is Fan "Art"?

Paul Power doesn't have a image for this FAotM o_o unless you think his story is Fan "Art"?
Read Melon's rules at the start of the FAotM thread - passages of text were allowed and were considered "art".

There's more to the Arts than just picture art, you know. The Arts include Drama and Prose as well. And, some people say, Games too now.

The Arts include Drama 20 uber cool points for the first person who's entry is an interpretive dance! :cool:

That certainly would be interesting.

Oh, and I forgot Music, which is one of the Arts.

Oh, and I forgot Music, which is one of the Arts.
Except for some genres.

Rap

Also, I voted Paul because his was just cooky.

Rapmost of it may not be music, but it would still fall under poetry.

not necessarily GOOD poetry half the time, but still poetry :p

most of it may not be music, but it would still fall under poetry.

not necessarily GOOD poetry half the time, but still poetry :p

Rap is not art. Rap is... a condition. Like verbal diarrhea or something.

Rap is not art. Rap is... a condition. Like verbal diarrhea or something.there are a few legitimate songs. granted, for every legit one there are about 397 horrible ones, but the legitimate ones DO exist :p

even those aren't exactly good music, but hey, whatever.

Rap is not art. Rap is... a condition. Like verbal diarrhea or something.This quote is committed to my memory for all time.

Rap is not art. Rap is... a condition. Like verbal diarrhea or something.

Rap with a capital C.

There's nothing wrong with Rap that a well-placed atomic bomb wouldn't fix.

there are a few legitimate songs. granted, for every legit one there are about 397 horrible ones, but the legitimate ones DO exist :p

even those aren't exactly good music, but hey, whatever.

I feel sorry for your loss. :(

I have nothing against rap* in theory. I just tend to dislike most of it. :)

There IS some good stuff around, though it depends on what you are looking for, and I suspect for many people it would not really matter how "good" it was, the whole style and such would completely turn them off. Which is perfectly understandable - at its core it is poetry to a beat, and it is just something that is very easy to find annoying. Because honestly there is only so much you can do with rap, at least before it really becomes something else. It is not for everyone. But it is oh so easy to write it off just because there is a lot of really stupid stuff, in the same way one might never read a webcomic because of all the really stupid ones out there. Whether it is worth the effort to go digging through the crap heaps to find the gems buried underneath is another matter, but I think at least keeping a reasonably open mind can do wonders. A problem with this though is that at first listen the good and bad stuff can sometimes sound the same, again why it is so easy to write it all off.

I would say an example of a fairly good mainstream rap song is Handlebars by Flobots. While obviously beat oriented, it also has actual instruments and melodies, and most importantly, the lyrics actually mean something beyond the inane drivel of licking someone's lollipop or using circular logic to explain why you are "hot" and everyone else is "not." I fear it could be seen as somewhat of a novelty song, but if you examine it you realize it is a lot deeper than 90% of the stuff you see (Which includes "underground" stuff. Seriously, often that stuff is just as bad as "mainstream."). Then again, maybe that just tells us what a poor state are in, who knows. :p

The sad fact is though that much of it is for people who just do not want to think. As long as it has a reasonably catchy beat, sort of rhymes, and a good enough "flow" then they are happy because there will always be raves and clubs where everyone is too stoned to care. But it all just seems so...ugly. You would think with an art form so heavily depended on vocals you would get people thinking about their lyrics. But all too often it is not the case. Ironically,** this can make novelty and parody rap songs a lot more enjoyable than the "real" thing. But I still think good things can (And have) be done with it, and sometimes they do have something to say that makes it worthwhile.

Of course, all this is highly subjective. Your mileage may vary, no accounting for taste, et cetera. But it is fun to talk about.

*I use the term rap broadly, as it is technically just the vocal delivery.
**Did I just *******ize that word? I have no idea how to use it "properly" anymore.

Eminem is standable to a degree... but that's about it.
White and Nerdy all the way, segueway.

what grim said.

when did Fan Art change to Off Topic? :p

what grim said.

when did Fan Art change to Off Topic? :p

Wow... it's too blent in to say were it started.

I would like to point out that if we track this to its roots it started with franpa. :D

...wait, since when does franpa visit Fan Art? HE IS DONE POISONING THE W:A FORUM AND NOW HE HAS COME HERE TO SPREAD THE PAIN! RUN!

Cough. In any case, since Gardy Loo has obviously won in a landslide of slidingness, he should hurry up and create the obligatory Christmas themed thread. Which will be the last of these because nobody participates anymore. :p

I have nothing against rap* in theory. I just tend to dislike most of it. :)

There IS some good stuff around, though it depends on what you are looking for, and I suspect for many people it would not really matter how "good" it was, the whole style and such would completely turn them off. Which is perfectly understandable - at its core it is poetry to a beat, and it is just something that is very easy to find annoying. Because honestly there is only so much you can do with rap, at least before it really becomes something else. It is not for everyone. But it is oh so easy to write it off just because there is a lot of really stupid stuff, in the same way one might never read a webcomic because of all the really stupid ones out there. Whether it is worth the effort to go digging through the crap heaps to find the gems buried underneath is another matter, but I think at least keeping a reasonably open mind can do wonders. A problem with this though is that at first listen the good and bad stuff can sometimes sound the same, again why it is so easy to write it all off.

I would say an example of a fairly good mainstream rap song is Handlebars by Flobots. While obviously beat oriented, it also has actual instruments and melodies, and most importantly, the lyrics actually mean something beyond the inane drivel of licking someone's lollipop or using circular logic to explain why you are "hot" and everyone else is "not." I fear it could be seen as somewhat of a novelty song, but if you examine it you realize it is a lot deeper than 90% of the stuff you see (Which includes "underground" stuff. Seriously, often that stuff is just as bad as "mainstream."). Then again, maybe that just tells us what a poor state are in, who knows. :p

The sad fact is though that much of it is for people who just do not want to think. As long as it has a reasonably catchy beat, sort of rhymes, and a good enough "flow" then they are happy because there will always be raves and clubs where everyone is too stoned to care. But it all just seems so...ugly. You would think with an art form so heavily depended on vocals you would get people thinking about their lyrics. But all too often it is not the case. Ironically,** this can make novelty and parody rap songs a lot more enjoyable than the "real" thing. But I still think good things can (And have) be done with it, and sometimes they do have something to say that makes it worthwhile.

Of course, all this is highly subjective. Your mileage may vary, no accounting for taste, et cetera. But it is fun to talk about.

*I use the term rap broadly, as it is technically just the vocal delivery.
**Did I just *******ize that word? I have no idea how to use it "properly" anymore.
I'm sorry for your loss. :(
Eminem is standable to a degree... but that's about it.
Yours too. Particularly yours. :(:(

and most importantly, the lyrics actually mean something beyond the inane drivel of licking someone's lollipop or using circular logic to explain why you are "hot" and everyone else is "not."
Compared to the pop equivalent of continuously repeating "I am hot, eveyone else is not"? (at the best of times. Britney's latest song is essentially her repeating the word 'womanizer' over and over again)
In my opinion, rap would generally be one of the music genres that would be brilliant, if it wasn't for the trend of ditching instruments and keeping the themes to crime, drugs, sex, or some other "mature" theme.
Like the rap sections of Gorillaz songs, they were always good. And some of Eminem's songs too (emphasis on some).



Umm... songs are art. We are getting inspiration for future fanart competitions. Totally on-topic.

Compared to the pop equivalent of continuously repeating "I am hot, eveyone else is not"? (at the best of times. Britney's latest song is essentially her repeating the word 'womanizer' over and over again)
In my opinion, rap would generally be one of the music genres that would be brilliant, if it wasn't for the trend of ditching instruments and keeping the themes to crime, drugs, sex, or some other "mature" theme.
Like the rap sections of Gorillaz songs, they were always good. And some of Eminem's songs too (emphasis on some).

I am not sure what point you are trying to make that differs at all from mine, except possibly that these afflictions are not limited to rap. Which is true. You have all those pop and rock acts (Or pop rock ones :p) that also have inane lyrics, like Britney Spears as you said. But A: we are talking about rap, not that, and B: this is a far bigger and more widespread problem for rap than it is for other genres. In general with other genres you have SOMETHING to fall back on. Rap is supposed to be solely about words, both in their delivery and what they actually are. A pop or rock song could have completely stupid lyrics but you just like the way it sounds (A band I like a lot, Kings of Leon, are a good example of this - most of the time it just does not make sense or is ridiculous, but you can forgive it because the music is good* and his voice SOUNDS great no matter what he is singing). And if the music is good enough you can forgive a lot of inanity, even if it sometimes makes you wonder why there are lyrics in the first place.** With rap, this is not the same at all. It most cases I can think of it is practically IMPOSSIBLE to appreciate it on that level. You have to appreciate it on what it is trying to say, and since much of the time it has NOTHING to say, you have to appreciate it because it has "dope beats," or is catchy. Which is the problem, and the reason most people do not call it "music." Because you cannot appreciate it on a musical level.

Eminem as you mentioned is a good example (Though not all the time). Even when he DOES tackle said subjects, he does so in a relatively fresh and clever manner. Gorillaz is...harder to say.*** They tiptoe a fine line between genres, between meaning and inanity, between catchy and deeper than that. Having said that, it is preferable by miles to most of the other stuff. *Now attempts to get Feel Good Inc. out of his head* Another good example I would give is Fort Minor, who, while not revolutionary, have fairly good/meaningful lyrics, and actual instruments other than a drum machine. :p


*Good and bad subjective, yadayadayada.
**On a side note, this is why it annoys me when people try to group bands like My Chemical Romance (The Black Parade in particular) with bands like Metrostation or Paramore or such. It is just...no. It is not the same at all. Find it unpleasant all you like, but there is a difference in what these bands are doing.
***I have only heard Demon Days, not their first album, so that makes it doubly so. Then again, I have heard none of Eminem's albums to the full, so meh. >.>

I'm sorry for your loss. :(

I am sorry for your FACE! Ohhhhhhh snap. :cool:

I am sorry for your FACE!

Yeah you're sorry it's not yours. You wish you were as handsome, manly and sexy as I am. :cool:

I would say an example of a fairly good mainstream rap song is Handlebars by Flobots. While obviously beat oriented, it also has actual instruments and melodies, and most importantly, the lyrics actually mean something beyond the inane drivel of licking someone's lollipop or using circular logic to explain why you are "hot" and everyone else is "not."I never said that I liked inane drivel either :p. Actually, I think the only two contemporary bands I listen to are The Kaiser Chiefs and The Feeling (and Oasis. Sort of), so...

There are a lot of annoying songs on the radio at the moment. I know this because I spend a lot of time in Reprographics (because there are computers there) on my current school placement, and they have a radio. Glod damn that one song where there's a saxaphone that plays a lick every so often and nothing else seems to happen. Glod damn it to hell. Nothing against saxaphones in principle (well obviously, given I like Madness, The Feeling, a fair amount of rhythm and blues and the theme from Casino Night Zone), but this one sax in particular... aargh.

EDIT: *listens to Handlebars* Fair enough, that wasn't bad at all.

Yours too. Particularly yours. :(:(

I said some, and by some I mean less than 5. I think the only ones I liked were Just Lose It (AHH AH AH AH AHHH!) and Mockingbird.

You know, I like Biggie Smalls quite a bit.
If only because he's spoofed in this: WARNING: NSFW OR CHILDREN http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHDYGbsBIQo

Glod damn that one song where there's a saxaphone that plays a lick every so often and nothing else seems to happen. Glod damn it to hell. Nothing against saxaphones in principle (well obviously, given I like Madness, The Feeling, a fair amount of rhythm and blues and the theme from Casino Night Zone), but this one sax in particular... aargh.

Yeah, it's an annoying prospect (it's called Infinity 2008 by Guru Josh Project if nobody else can tell).
But that's why I listen to progressive rock.
Because it actually progresses. :p

Yeah, it's an annoying prospect (it's called Infinity 2008 by Guru Josh Project if nobody else can tell).

the music video for this is so hilariously exploitative and european

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w9KnuJZkBjg