The Journal Writer

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The Journal Writer

Posted By: Forrest (term5-39.vta.west.net)
Date: 5/29/1999 at 4:17 p.m.

Once again, from the archives of the original Asylum, hereís a nice big summary of a particularly popular topic. This time, weíve got one of the most long-lasting and annoyingly pointless discussions of all times, ìWho Wrote The Myth:TFL Journal?î!
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MESSAGE: (#6) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=6>
AUTHOR: Joshstar
DATE: 12/13/98 at 10:51 p.m.
Reply To: (#3) Who wrote the journal?
Author: Waffle
Date: 12/13/98 at 2:34 p.m.
: Who wrote the journal of Myth?
:
: Anyone think differently?
Umm, ya. Quite a few people think differantly actually. In fact it seems the
majority think it was a fir'bolg, but no one can present a solid case to
settle it once and for all. There is an entire delusions article dedicated to
this topic at http://myth.nontoxic.org/legends/delusions/narrator.shtml btw.
So go read that first if you havent found your way to it yet.
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MESSAGE: (#18) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=18>
AUTHOR: Waffle
DATE: 12/14/98 at 6:36 p.m.
Reply To: (#6) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Joshstar
Date: 12/13/98 at 10:51 p.m.
:::grunts in frustration::: I wish Bungie would stop fumbling with their own
plots when they make games...
Okay, after reading that article, I conclude that the journal writer is either
a warrior or a journeyman.
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MESSAGE: (#24) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=24>
AUTHOR: Agonar
DATE: 12/14/98 at 11:10 p.m.
Reply To: (#6) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Joshstar
Date: 12/13/98 at 10:51 p.m.
: Umm, ya. Quite a few people think differantly actually.
: In fact it seems the majority think it was a fir'bolg,
: but no one can present a solid case to settle it once
: and for all. There is an entire delusions article
: dedicated to this topic at
: http://myth.nontoxic.org/legends/delusions/narrator.shtml
: btw. So go read that first if you havent found your
: way to it yet.
After read all the theories in the delusions section about the narrator, I've
thought about something they've forgot to put to support the theory of the
Fir'Bolg.
In the scenario The Watcher, the narrator says:
"Turned out I was right about those arrows: Alric had been working on them
since we entered the marsh two weeks ago, and they were tipped with fragments
of bone from the Watcher's arm. I sure wouldn't have wanted to get stuck with
one, but apparently they turned the Watcher into stone, leaving him paralyzed
and helpless."
The important part is: " I sure would'nt have wanted to get stuck with one,"
And who can use arrows? Fir'bolg only.
We can say It's just a plain warrior happy to be human and not been born
Fir'bolg, but I clearly think it's another good point for the Fir'Bolg theory.
Any other opinions?
Agonar Remok
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MESSAGE: (#37) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=37>
AUTHOR: Knightmare` ~Po
DATE: 12/15/98 at 6:34 a.m.
Reply To: (#26) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Agonar
Date: 12/14/98 at 11:10 p.m.
Well this is a veried topic, alot of differnt ideas and speculation on who the
author was of the journal. If I had to guess I would say that no perticular
unit wrote it, I would tend to think that you, the player is the author, in a
strange way this makes sense. writing what you know before the battles that
take place, so the player has a clue to whats going on, i will get back to the
reason for this in a few. take a look at this, on the levels where "you" the
player get somthing important, lets take the total codex for instance, you get
it, sure you conrtol a journeman to pick it up, but whos to say that your
journl writer is a journey man, i mean come on, people think just cause the
author is carring the book means he is a journymen, think about it, even a
lowly warrior could carry something, i mean he packs a sword and sheild,and on
the first cut sceen a apple. just casue he is unable to pick stuff up when
your playing doesnt neccisarally mean that he couldnt carry it. People are
looking at this from a game point of veiw, what units can do while you control
them, maybe bungie intended it to be more of a "book" type part of the game
where anything can happen.
just to say that "i'm glad i didnt get stuck with one" doesnt mean he is a
archer, there is 2 ways to look at the word "stuck" in this case.
a) to be picked to carry the arrows and use them, (not likley i dont think
this what they ment)
b) stuck to be hit, or nailed with one of those arrows on accident, aka
friendly fire anyone can be hit with a arrow. this is what i think it ment.
the writer knows that the bone of the watcher is probably powerful and he
conclued being hit with one of those arrows would mean instant death. this is
what i figured when i heard about bone tipped arrow heads
basically you can say it was any unit, and you could go by who can pick it up,
but whats the point? but if you are the author, then you are you, no one else,
not a archer journyman, warrior, dwarve or whatever. look at the prolouge, it
is writin just like the journel is, but who was the author of that? he/she is
talking about history and when he was a child, so it doesnt mean he/she is any
certin unit, anyone can write a journl, not just a archer or journeymen.
here is my reason why you are the author. "haveing a reputaion of being a
bunch of hardasses" this is ment that you the player are the actual gerneral
of this divison of troops, since you control them all and tell them where to
go, what to do, who to kill ect... so you have complete control over them this
means you are in command of this "bunch of hardasses" this is my opinion, and
i know alot of people will disagree, but if you look at the facts and come to
the conclusion that the author is a archer, then thats fine. but very unlikly
in my opinion. becasue anyone can write a story about myth, this has been
proven on the net, and in those stories sometimes dwarves have knives, and
things to that like, so this is what i think the journels format is like, a
story nothing more. a story that some guy at bungie wrote to tell the player
what is going on and what the next level will consist of, and making it sound
as if you wrote it. though if you the are player and general of the men you
control, why would some archer write a journel that tells you whats going on?
no i think it is you the general that is the author of this journel. so in
turn, you are the general reading back to you the player what you wrote.
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MESSAGE: (#38) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=38>
AUTHOR: henry, villager
DATE: 12/15/98 at 9:34 a.m.
Reply To: (#18) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Waffle
Date: 12/14/98 at 6:36 p.m.
I think a warrior wrote it. First of all it says "I was one of the ones chosen
to hold the stand against soulblighter at the Ghjol" and the warriors' voices
sound pretty much like the one writing the journal.
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MESSAGE: (#60) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=60>
AUTHOR: Josh (orange)
DATE: 12/16/98 at 4:58 p.m.
Reply To: (#47) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Forrest Cameran
Date: 12/15/98 at 2:31 p.m.
: He's a general. Not any unit. He is you.
Quoting the entry from Crow's Bridge:
"Our officers seemed unsympathetic until the people returned with nine young
pigs and ten dozen loaves of bread."
If the player is a general (or at least the CO) he would be making the
decisions. This contradicts that however because someone else is making the
decision.
The debate surrounding the identity of the journal writer goes in circles.
There is no answer to the question because many journal passages are ambiguous
regarding who the person is that is doing the writing.
-Josh
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MESSAGE: (#132) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=132>
AUTHOR: The black death
DATE: 12/22/98 at 12:26 p.m.
Reply To: (#38) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: henry, villager
Date: 12/15/98 at 9:34 a.m.
The journal writer was a warrior. All of the facts point to him being a not
just a warrior, but an important one as well(possibly a captain). I will list
2 facts that show his importance, and 2 that show he was a warrior.
Importance
1. He seems to have some kind of higher education, evidence, he keeps a
detailed journal. If so the armies of The Province would probably want
educated men for command positions early in the war and that would give him 17
years to rise in rank.
2. Several times in the journal he mentions carrying important objects such as
the Codex, or the Watchers arm. He would have to be important to be allowed to
carry those vital artifacts simply because the commander of the group would
have to know exactly where the man carrying them was.
Warrior
1. In every journal entry that mentions other units he never refers to
warriors as warriors, but every other unit he addresses by name, sometimes not
in the most flattering way. EXAMPLES-"A mad Journey man÷" that one can be
found in the manual introduction. This one can be found in the entry for
Ambush at Devils Overlook, "the dwarves are running about like delirious
children÷" There are several mentions of archers in various entrees, and sense
zercs are also referred to as such they can be discounted as well.
2. He had been fighting for 17 years. That definitely rules out the Berserks,
and the archers (I can never get there real name right) would not have been
arriving in large numbers at the beginning of the war in the west and a
journey man would have said he had been fighting longer than 17 years.
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MESSAGE: (#299) Re: Who wrote the journal?
<http://myth.nontoxic.org/cgi/asylum/index.pl?review=299>
AUTHOR: Kyrix
DATE: 1/31/99 at 1:17 p.m.
Reply To: (#64) Re: Who wrote the journal?
Author: Forrest Cameran
Date: 12/16/98 at 11:18 p.m.
My, this is a little dated....
I am inclined to believe that the journal is being READ to the player in an
age long after the War. The journal has been uncovered (buried before "The
Great Devoid").
While I'm on this, perhaps it is a collection of entries from seperate
soldier's journals. A fir'Bolg here, general there, a warrior captain,
perhaps. Perhaps one of the Five Champions wrote some.
That seems to be the most logical answer. It solves inconsistincies between
journal entries and game play.
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I seem to recall there being a whole lot more discussion than just this, but I canít find it anywhere. Oh well, most of the arguments are presented in the corresponding Delusions article. My personal theory is that he is no particular unit type, but is instead a low-level commanding officer, a captain or some such. That would explain why he has access to things like the Total Codex or The Watcherís arm, but is still taking orders from his own commanding officer. Then, the actual action we see in the game is an extention of the journals, a visualisation of action he is describing.
On levels where he is present, we donít see him as a unit in the game because he is describing it from his point of view - ìI ordered siíGowal and his men to arrange themselves in a row along the left flank of our main phalanx, and to keep a keen eye out for wights which may emerge from the swamp. Meanwhile, Eitri and Yari kept front and read guards, respectively, while Five Wind Smoking Cougar stood protected in the middle of out phalanx.î That would be a scene we see from ìFlight from Covenant,î with the archers in a Long Line facing the swamp, the warriors and Journeyman in the middle, and one dwarf guarding front and rear. The narrator himself, the commander, could be anywhere in there, it doesnít matter.
On levels where heís not there, like ìThe Five Championsî or ìPools of Ironî we donít need to where he is on the map, because heís not there! Weíre simply playing the actions that he would describe, how Truan delivered the killing blow to the last of a dozen Ghols, or how Alric stoned a Trow with his daggar just, stopping itís kick just inches from his face.
In Myth II, fortunately, Bungie just about came out and told us who the narrator is, though weíre never given a name.

Messages In This Thread

The Journal Writer
Forrest (term5-39.vta.west.net) -- 5/29/1999 at 4:17 p.m.
- Re: The Writer (Page Correction)
  Mesklin (nrwc-sh10-port160.snet.net) -- 5/29/1999 at 4:25 p.m.
  - Re: The Writer (Page Correction)
    ArcAngel (1cust35.tnt1.houston.tx.da.uu.net) -- 5/29/1999 at 7:43 p.m.
    - Re: The Writer (disagreement)
      Drunken Ghol (pm24ak.icx.net) -- 6/1/1999 at 5:32 p.m.
      - Re: The Writer (disagreement)
        ArcAngel (1cust29.tnt6.houston.tx.da.uu.net) -- 6/1/1999 at 10:47 p.m.

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