Good, Clean, Oldtimey Fun!

[pyat]

"...you can ride back with me. I'm going, and I'll show you what my new electric car can do."

"Good!" cried the young bank cashier. "You're just in time. I was wondering how I could kill two hours, but now I'll get in your new car and--"

"And maybe we'll kill a few chickens, or a dog or two when we get her speeded up," put in Tom, with a laugh in which Ned joined."

- Tom Swift and his Electric Runabout, 1910

Comments

[easyalchemy.livejournal.com]

I was at an antique book store in Lakefield that has an enormous collection of Tom Swift books - I nearly bought one, but then was put off by the racist stereotypes in the one I picked up to browse.
I guess I should get over my squeamishness - time and place and all that.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

In the first run of books, Swift had a "comical" black servant, yeah... In the 2nd run, the character had been replaced by a stupid/good-natured Texan cook.

[athelind.livejournal.com]

...I see Toad of Toad Hall started a driving school.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

"And to think I never knew!" went on the Toad in a dreamy monotone. "All those wasted years that lie behind me, I never knew, never even dreamt! But now—but now that I know, [Pg 48] now that I fully realise! O what a flowery track lies spread before me, henceforth! What dust-clouds shall spring up behind me as I speed on my reckless way! What carts I shall fling carelessly into the ditch in the wake of my magnificent onset!

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

Defintely a different time. I mean, I have a book of recipes and formula from... 1930? 20? Some where around then, which contains quite a few recipes for bird poison. Apparently poisoning pigeons in the park wasn't exactly satire back in the day...

[sassy-fae.livejournal.com]

The premise of the books is something I would have really enjoyed, but I'm not sure if I would ever get through that first series. I realize the casual racism is just as much an artifact of the times as the inventions are, but it ends up leaving me with a less enjoyable read.

[doc-mystery.livejournal.com]

I've actually read Tom Swift and his Motorcycle (shudder).

::B::

[eyebeams.livejournal.com]

Did'ya know that TASER is an acronym for Thomas A Swift's Electric Rifle? How many people have been electrocuted due to the inspiration of boys' adventure?

[heron61.livejournal.com]

That was also my thought.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

I did know! And was extemely surprised when I found out. Sort of a mix of "That's a bit cool" and "That's horrible and unfunny."

[thebitterguy]

Hey, if the chickens aren't safe, Mr. Toad is gonna be scraped off of electrical tires in a few minutes.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Happily, the first series doesn't have much real connection to the later series, which stand alone. Though, that said, the inventions in the first books are a lot quirkier, and sort of grounded in reality.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

That's totally the name of my emo band.

"Scraping Mr. Toad off Electrical Tyres."

I'll spell tires with a "y", too!

[pyat.livejournal.com]

The past really was a weird "place." :) Dickens writes about people buying dead kittens to throw at condemned criminals, making me wonder how they were sold... like, from a really nasty hot dog cart, or something?

"Hot chestnuts! Dead kittens! Get 'em while they're hot and inanimate, respectively!"

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Why, bless my fountain pen!

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

Fact: Domestic cats are the bane of low level adventurers in D&D.
Fact: Templates can be added to anything.
Fact: Dickens's love for the undead is well documented.
Fact: I should probably stop this line of thought before it's too late.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Really? I don't think I've ever fought a cat in D&D.

Though, once, when I GMed MERP, I killed a player with a bluejay!

[mmsword.livejournal.com]

It... was a popular pastime for some of my friends. See... D&D has a bit of a problem when it comes to balance at low level for various classes. Take a look here to see the numbers: http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/srd/srd_revised_html/MonstersAnimals.html

Essentially, the domestic cat ends up being a tiny ninja with multiple natural attacks. Sure they don't take much to take out of a fight, but actually getting to the cat and hitting it are entirely different matters. It can be a challenge for a fighter type and down right deadly to casters who don't have Magic Missile on hand. And pity the poor commoner NPC cat owner who tries to wash their cat... They haven't a prayer: http://www.darkshire.net/jhkim/rpg/srd/srd_revised_html/NPCClasses.html

Tolkien's creative process worked much the same way.

[thebitterguy]

Though, once, when I GMed MERP, I killed a player with a bluejay!

In an early draft of LotR, five hobbits left on a voyage, but then encountered a vicious thrush.

Re: Tolkien's creative process worked much the same way.

[pyat.livejournal.com]

Well, heck, Tolkien was all about low-level monsters. In "Hobbit", the world's most powerful magic user has to hide in a tree because of a dozen goblins.