Hey there,
I would have had this finished already but I had day job stuff getting in the way as usual, gotta make that bread.
So this to me is one of the most important scenes in the film and one of the most important relationships in the book. Because in the film his teacher who is called Mr Radchek tries to teach him about what it means to be a soldier and a citizen and then later on he returns to active duty when war is declared.
But in the book the teacher and Raczek as he’s called in the book are two different characters entirely but Mr. Dubois, his teacher in the book still plays an active role, writing him letters and just having faith and pride in him a father might have when Rico lost his parents that didn’t approve of him joining the service.
I really liked what they did in the film because in the book he just stays on earth and presumably keeps teaching as this intergalactic war that threatens humanity is raging whereas in the movie he throws his armor back on and gets back in the fight. It adds a level of scale to the war the book does not convey. There is a missing sense of urgency in the book and that’s also what lends so much realism to it. It just seems like the day in the life of an average soldier instead of the ultimate conflict for humanity. It almost makes fighting giant bugs on pluto in mech suits seem like the most normal thing on earth and that’s what I love about it.
But at the same time there needs to be a sense of urgency and threat for it to function as a movie and not just a weird documentary. My goal essentially is to somehow combine those two things. Have the urgency but also keep in the mundanity for the sake of realism and immersion. Sure humanity is at stake but you’re just one man doing his job who wants to get home and play space xbox haha.
Perfect subway into talking about shitty games on xbox, I got gamepass because it was on sale and I’ve been messing about with shitty microsoft games. I mainly wanted it for Mutant year zero which was this fun little strategy game like xcom but where you play a mutant pig and duck person and it was really good. Then played some crackdown 3 which is just bleh, which is why people are pissed about it because it took ages to come out only to be another generic crackdown game.
Then I attempted to play shadow warrior 2 because I loved the first one, it was a classic fps with great action but then they decided to turn it into a shitty borderlands clone and get rid of the crafted levels and replace it with randomly generated free roam sections with hordes like a shitty mmo. Total garbage.
Then I tried to play Gears of War 4 because I forgot why I stopped playing that franchise only to be reminded by this game after the first act. It’s because it’s the most boring action series ever. Just run from shooting gallery to chest high wall shooting gallery to fight boring enemy after boring enemy with guns that sound like nerf guns.
I can’t believe that series is getting a fifth entry. The gameplay is supposed to be the draw in these games because it sure as shit isn’t the story or characters but it gets tiresome within the first hour. I don’t have a problem with cover shooters as long as they have a gimmick. One of my favourite games of all time is a cover shooter. But in Dark Sector you also have a giant glaive that shoots out of your hand you can direct with your mind and throw it over cover and its basically a hybrid between resident evil 4 and gears that works so well.
Gears of war is like the most bog standard shooter ever, no gimmicks, just run to cover, shoot over cover, move onto the next shooting gallery. Even games like Cod can be enjoyable just for the gameplay but this is just drek. I just couldn’t be fucking bothered to grind through it, the combat is just so rigid and unfun. The guns aren’t satisfying or varied enough, the characters and the world aren’t interesting. This is console generation apart from the original games and all that’s changed is the graphics. The game plays and feels exactly the same. I can’t believe this series still exists. This is the last microsoft console I buy, their exclusives when there are any just blow.
I’m playing the tomb raider game before last and it’s ok, but it’s basically budget uncharted. It has better more interesting combat and stealth than gears but it isn’t as exciting or interesting as the last uncharted game was. It amazes me that gears has gone on so long and they haven’t used a stealth system and at least attempted to switch up the formula and stay relevant. I guess they just couldn’t be bothered. So glad I didn’t actually pay full price for that crap. I remember enjoying the original games but I think that’s because they had splitscreen co-op and I played them with a friend so it was more fun.
Anyway yeah so I haven’t been reading as much of the shadow which has been really fucking boring but I’ve been lead to believe from a reliable source that the next book is the best one. I mean I’m not surprised these books are so boring apparently two were released every month and they’re not that short, two hundred pages average. It’s not a full length novel but still they were churning these things out so it’s sort of surprising they’re worth reading at all.
On the writing side of things I’m kinda struggling for what to do next, I don’t know if I should do a sequel to Diana or Cur. I could keep going with Diana, although I got a response from an agent saying it was fucking derivative, fuck me right. You could just say you’re not interested, don’t need to add insult to injury. I mean wtf isn’t that the point, if it’s similar to something people like and that was popular, oh ‘the market is saturated’ bitch what the fuck do you know about markets?
So yeah, bit salty over that one, just waiting for some inspiration to hit or someone to give me some advice, I dunno. I’m gonna put up the last chapter of Cur and get some feedback from inkitt and others and see what I should so next.
I might do something completely different. I still need to look into what to do with this screenplay if I do anything with it. I want to do my like tween fantasy story but I guess that would be derivative too and I don’t really feel that inspired to write it. I need to think about it more. I’ll probably finish Loverman and hell if that podcaster like 3 ring I’ll do another part for him I guess, I dunno.
See you…
(I tried to post this yesterday and it didn’t work for some reason, I’m lying, I probably just got forgot haha.)
–
INT. Class room. Terra. Day
Mr. Dubois
RICO!
Rico awakes with a start as his teacher Mr. Dubois shouts at him.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Although you’re not required to pass history and moral philosophy you are nevertheless required to stay awake.
The class including CARMEN and DIZZY and KARL laugh at him. He’s
embarassed
but his attention is suddenly drawn to a bright blue light in the sky. He tries to warn the others as the light get closer and closer but his voice is muted and the light is growing.
InT. ClASS ROOM. TERRA. DAY
RICO wakes up on his own accord and looks over at DIZZY who poked him and then at CARMEN who’s silently gigging at him.
- DUBOIS is still lecturing not having noticed RICO dozing during class.
DiZZY
My mother says violence doesn’t solve anything.
- DUBOIS
So?
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
I’m sure the city fathers of Hiroshima would be happy to hear that.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Why doesn’t she let them know, you?
- DUBOIS prods CARMEN with his stump.
Carmen
There’d
be nobody to tell, Hiroshima was destroyed, everyone knows that.
- DUBOIS
Wouldn’t you say violence ‘solved’ them rather thoroughly?
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
The doctrine that violence doesn’t solve anything is historically untrue and immoral.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Napoleon and Wellington could debate on the subject with
Hitler
as a referee. The audience made up of the dodo and the passenger pigeon.
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Violence, naked force is the only thing that ‘solves’ anything.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Anyone in doubt about this fact can be accused of wishful think at best.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
A people who forgets this fundamental truth have always paid for it with their freedoms and their lives.
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
Forget not the old ills of ‘liberal democracy’ a weak ideology no better than communism that thrust our society into division and chaos, ultimately tearing it apart.
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
It was the veterans who saved us and created a new world snatching us from the brink of extinction.
- DUBOIS prods RICO with his stump.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
You, what’s the moral difference between the soldier and the civilian?
RiCO
The difference…
RicO (
CONT’D
)
…
lies
in the field of civic virtue.
RICO (
CONT’D
)
A soldier accepts personal responsibility for the safety of the body politic of which he is a member.
RICO (
CONT’D
)
Defending it, if need be, with his life.
RICO (
CONT’D
)
The civilian does not.
Mr. DUBOIS
The exact words of the text.
- DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
But do you understand them?
RiCO
Sir?
Mr. DUBOIS
Do you understand them or not son?
Rico
I… I don’t know sir.
The bell rings.
Mr. DUBOIS
Of course you don’t.
- DUBOIS returns to his desk.
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
And that is all, a final all.
Mr. DUBOIS (
CONT’D
)
I hope we all meet again under happier circumstances.
The class is dismissed.
Darkly Dreaming Demographic. 
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