Really worried about what's gonna happen with the dog, though
Gonna take a bet that the cop is abusive to the dog as well. I don't know if him getting put to sleep is less humane that the daily abuse he went through as a police dog.
Maybe going out in a blaze of glory and putting some holes in the thin blue line ain't that bad after all.
I don't even remember what Neverending Story is about
I just remember it scaring the crap out of me as a kid
I saw it for the first time when I was a little older. I remember nothing about it except
kid reading in the attic
what kind of dumb dragon has no wings and a dog face
oh so this is Wizard of Oz style screwball fantasy where nothing makes any sense and everything in the magical wonderland is trying to kill and/or eat you
The Neverending Story is one of my absolute favorite books. I'm currently reading it for my nephews.
The Neverending Story is a book by German author Michael Ende. The first half of it was (fairly closely) adapted to the movie you're talking about; the second half was very loosely adapted to the second movie. (Ende hated the first and loathed the second with the burning passion of a thousand flaming suns.)
The book starts as an adventure story (adapted into the first movie), but the second half is the heart of the story. It is a tale about loss and hardship and pride and self-destruction, and what we need to be humans (imagination, and the ability to love and be loved).
Summary of the book, absolutely containing spoilers:
Bastian Balthasar Bux is a short, fat, un-intelligent kid who's bullied at school by kids and teachers alike, whose mother just died, and who is ignored by a father locked into his own grief at his wife's death.
Bastian loves to read and make up stories though, and one day he steals a book from an antique bookstore: The Neverending Story.
He hides away in the school attic, and reads a story of the realm of Fantásia, whose infinite realms and people are being consumed by Nothing. This is caused by the Childlike Empress, ruler of Fantásia, being deathly ill, because she and her realm are linked.
In the story Bastian reads, he reads of Atreju, a boy about his age who is sent on the Great Quest to find a cure. After many adventures and hardships, it transpires that the Childlike Empress and Fantásia are dying because humans have stopped using their imagination, and the only thing that can save both Fantásia and the human world is a human child giving the Childlike Empress a new name (Fantásians cannot come up with new things).
At the end of Atreju's journey, Bastian learns that he can give the Childlike Empress a new name, and when he does so is transported to Fantásia.
But all that is left of that infinite realm is a single grain of sand, and the Childlike Empress. (The movie ends here, with Bastian re-creating Fantásia, traveling to the human world on the back of Falcor the luck dragon – Fuchur in the book – and scaring the shit out of his tormentors).
In the book, Bastian realizes that the grain is a seed, from which grows the Night Forest Perelín. The Childlike Empress disappears, but leaves him the AURYN, symbol of her and with the power to grant his wishes. On the back of the medallion is inscribed "Do What You Will", which he takes to mean "do what you want".
He journeys through a Fantásia re-created by his passing, using the wishes to make himself strong, and handsome, and wise… and feared. And for every wish, he loses one of his memories. On many occasions he is told by Fantásians that he is mis-understanding the inscription on the AURYN: he is to seek his True Will, not squander his wishes on self-indulgence.
Bastian no longer wishes to return to his world, but desperately wants to meet the Childlike Empress again – he never does. This comes to a head when he tries to crown himself Emperor of Fantásia, strikes his friend Atreju a mortal blow with his sword – Atreju was trying to make him come to his senses – and burns the imperial palace to the ground.
Then Bastian comes to the City of the Old Emperors, filled with humans who could not find their way home. They are mindless husks in frantic activity, unable to stop doing things and unable to accomplish anything. He must return to the human wold with his last handful of wishes or he will become like them. And to do that he must find his True Will, and the Water of Life, which he must bring back to the human world.
Bastian's last memories are his home (he loses this wishing to be loved), his parents (which he forgets when he does learn his true will, which is to love) and his name, which he loses trying to find his way home.
The boy without a name is rescued by Atreju and Fuchur the luck dragon, who have not given up on their friend, and take him to the Water of Life, which restores Bastian's memories. But he cannot return until he finishes all the stories he has started in Fantásia, but Atreju promises to do it in his stead even if it takes forever.
Bastian wants to bring the Water to his father, who needs to learn to love and be loved again. But the Water runs through his fingers as he is transported back to his school's attic. Devastated that he lost the Water, he none the less returns home, and realizes that he was successful after all: he and his father re-connect and both love and are loved for the rest of their days.
Some choice quotes (my translation). Major spoilers from the second half.
From Chapter 24, "Mrs. Aiuóla":
Bastian is at the Changing House of Mrs. Aiuóla, where he came because he wished to be loved.
"Mrs. Aiuóla," Bastian said quietly, "you promised to tell me, when the time was right, what I had to forget to find my last wish. Is this the right time?"
She nodded. "You must forget your father and your mother. Now, you have nothing left but your name."
Bastian thought.
"Father and mother?" he said slowly. But the words did not mean anything to him any longer. He could not remember what they were.
From Chapter 25, "The Picture Mine":
Bastian wants to find his way home. But he cannot remember his home, or anyone there, including his parents. He finds the Picture Mine where he spends months in darkness and silence digging up stained-glass pictures, hoping one of them will help him find his way home. Bastian's father is a dentist.
The fragile stained-glass picture he had just put down in the snow was not large – no bigger than a page in a book – but the picture was very clear. It showed a man in a white coat holding a pair of dentures. He just stood there, and his bearing and the quiet, worried expression on his face touched Bastian to the bottom of his heart. But what made the strongest impression was that the man was frozen in a crystal-clear block of ice. He was completely enclosed by the ice, it was impenetrable, but completely transparent.
While Bastian studied the image in front of him in the snow, a longing grew in him after this man he did not know. It was a feeling that sort of came from far away, like a tidal wave, that you barely notice in the beginning but comes closer and closer until it grows into an enormous wave that tears with it everything and washes it away. Bastian almost drowned in it and gasped for air. His heart wanted to explode; it wasn't large enough for such a colossal longing. This tidal wave also washed away all his memories of himself. And he forgot the last thing he had left: his name.
Two pages later.
The boy without a name knelt in the snow. In front of him lay the picture, crushed into dust. Now all hope was lost. Nothing could bring him to the Water of Life.
When he looked up, through his tears he saw a hazy image of two figures standing in the snow some paces away. One was large, the other small. He dried his tears and looked again.
It was Fuchur, the white luck dragon, and Atreju.
From Chapter 26, "The Water of Life":
Bastian has returned home. His father, who has been so locked in his grief over his wife that he has barely acknowledged Bastian previously, has been terrified for his missing son and embraces his as soon as he enters. Bastian tells his father of his adventures.
Night had fallen by the time he got to the Water of Life and told how he had tried to bring a handful of it to his father, but that it had disappeared.
The kitchen was almost dark. His father sat motionless. Bastian got up and turned on the light. And now he saw something he had never seen before.
He saw tears in his father's eyes.
And he realized that he had managed to bring him the Water of Life after all.
Without a word, his father pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
When they had sat like that for a long while, his father inhaled slowly and looked Bastian in the eyes. He smiled, and it was the happiest smile Bastian had ever seen on his face.
Sic transit gloria mundi.
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
It's suddenly very dusty in here...
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
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jungleroomxIt's never too many graves, it's always not enough shovelsRegistered Userregular
I don't even remember what Neverending Story is about
I just remember it scaring the crap out of me as a kid
I saw it for the first time when I was a little older. I remember nothing about it except
kid reading in the attic
what kind of dumb dragon has no wings and a dog face
oh so this is Wizard of Oz style screwball fantasy where nothing makes any sense and everything in the magical wonderland is trying to kill and/or eat you
The Neverending Story is one of my absolute favorite books. I'm currently reading it for my nephews.
The Neverending Story is a book by German author Michael Ende. The first half of it was (fairly closely) adapted to the movie you're talking about; the second half was very loosely adapted to the second movie. (Ende hated the first and loathed the second with the burning passion of a thousand flaming suns.)
The book starts as an adventure story (adapted into the first movie), but the second half is the heart of the story. It is a tale about loss and hardship and pride and self-destruction, and what we need to be humans (imagination, and the ability to love and be loved).
Summary of the book, absolutely containing spoilers:
Bastian Balthasar Bux is a short, fat, un-intelligent kid who's bullied at school by kids and teachers alike, whose mother just died, and who is ignored by a father locked into his own grief at his wife's death.
Bastian loves to read and make up stories though, and one day he steals a book from an antique bookstore: The Neverending Story.
He hides away in the school attic, and reads a story of the realm of Fantásia, whose infinite realms and people are being consumed by Nothing. This is caused by the Childlike Empress, ruler of Fantásia, being deathly ill, because she and her realm are linked.
In the story Bastian reads, he reads of Atreju, a boy about his age who is sent on the Great Quest to find a cure. After many adventures and hardships, it transpires that the Childlike Empress and Fantásia are dying because humans have stopped using their imagination, and the only thing that can save both Fantásia and the human world is a human child giving the Childlike Empress a new name (Fantásians cannot come up with new things).
At the end of Atreju's journey, Bastian learns that he can give the Childlike Empress a new name, and when he does so is transported to Fantásia.
But all that is left of that infinite realm is a single grain of sand, and the Childlike Empress. (The movie ends here, with Bastian re-creating Fantásia, traveling to the human world on the back of Falcor the luck dragon – Fuchur in the book – and scaring the shit out of his tormentors).
In the book, Bastian realizes that the grain is a seed, from which grows the Night Forest Perelín. The Childlike Empress disappears, but leaves him the AURYN, symbol of her and with the power to grant his wishes. On the back of the medallion is inscribed "Do What You Will", which he takes to mean "do what you want".
He journeys through a Fantásia re-created by his passing, using the wishes to make himself strong, and handsome, and wise… and feared. And for every wish, he loses one of his memories. On many occasions he is told by Fantásians that he is mis-understanding the inscription on the AURYN: he is to seek his True Will, not squander his wishes on self-indulgence.
Bastian no longer wishes to return to his world, but desperately wants to meet the Childlike Empress again – he never does. This comes to a head when he tries to crown himself Emperor of Fantásia, strikes his friend Atreju a mortal blow with his sword – Atreju was trying to make him come to his senses – and burns the imperial palace to the ground.
Then Bastian comes to the City of the Old Emperors, filled with humans who could not find their way home. They are mindless husks in frantic activity, unable to stop doing things and unable to accomplish anything. He must return to the human wold with his last handful of wishes or he will become like them. And to do that he must find his True Will, and the Water of Life, which he must bring back to the human world.
Bastian's last memories are his home (he loses this wishing to be loved), his parents (which he forgets when he does learn his true will, which is to love) and his name, which he loses trying to find his way home.
The boy without a name is rescued by Atreju and Fuchur the luck dragon, who have not given up on their friend, and take him to the Water of Life, which restores Bastian's memories. But he cannot return until he finishes all the stories he has started in Fantásia, but Atreju promises to do it in his stead even if it takes forever.
Bastian wants to bring the Water to his father, who needs to learn to love and be loved again. But the Water runs through his fingers as he is transported back to his school's attic. Devastated that he lost the Water, he none the less returns home, and realizes that he was successful after all: he and his father re-connect and both love and are loved for the rest of their days.
Where's the part where Jack Black comes in and they have to fight the Nasty
(I really wish I knew this was a book when I was a kid)
All this sounds great, but I doubt it has a bangin' soundtrack
....I would've devoured this. Was there a sequel?
This was the only book Michael Ende wrote in that setting. (He wrote many others books, though this is easily his magnum opus.) Between 2003 and 2004 a German publishing house commissioned six spin-off novels, but I don't know if they have been translated from German. (And I have not read them.)
But the Neverending Story does have an English translation, and it is well worth reading even as an adult (despite ostensibly being a children's book).
Michael Ende's second best book is Momo, translated twice into English as The Grey Gentlemen and Momo.
One day, when you are musing that you just have too little time to do the things you want to do, a gentleman dressed immaculately in a grey suit and smoking a small cigar pays you a visit. He knows of your problem, he says. And he wants to bring you a solution.
We all have too little time, and yet we also have those little moments of wasted time that serve no purpose. A second here and a second there, but they add up.
You nod slowly. You wave a hand to clear away the cloying smoke of the cigar, unsuccessfully.
But what if you could save those seconds up, says the grey gentleman. Store them for later. Maybe earn interest.
Interest? you ask.
The grey gentleman nods enthusiastically. He brings up a small whiteboard. Talking fast and writing furiously, he shows you how much time you could be saving, how it would add up, and how much time you would have then, especially with a handsome interest.
It's gotten really cold in here, hasn't it. His fast words and the cloying smoke makes it hard to follow exactly, but what he says does make sense. You do want that extra time. And those small seconds are inconsequential, on their own.
But how would they collect the time? you ask.
The grey gentleman smiles. Don't worry about it, he says. They'll take care of it. Do you have a deal?
You shake his hand. It is very cold.
As he leaves, and the smoke clears, you forget the visit, and the grey gentleman. But you remember that you have to save time. All the time.
You start doing things faster, more efficiently, more sloppy if it saves you a second or two. Why craft something if you can buy it pre-made and pre-fab. Why cook food when you have fast food and TV dinners. Your neighbors, who cannot remember their visits from the grey gentlemen think the same way, and soon your town is grey slabs of concrete wasteland, you don't spend time on things you enjoy or your loved ones. You gotta save those seconds.
And spending the time you have saved? There will be time for that later. You are late for work.
The grey gentlemen are time vampires. They have no intention of giving your time back, and are in fact eating it.
But the world with the grey gentlemen is eerily familiar…
Some choice quotes (my translation). Major spoilers from the second half.
From Chapter 24, "Mrs. Aiuóla":
Bastian is at the Changing House of Mrs. Aiuóla, where he came because he wished to be loved.
"Mrs. Aiuóla," Bastian said quietly, "you promised to tell me, when the time was right, what I had to forget to find my last wish. Is this the right time?"
She nodded. "You must forget your father and your mother. Now, you have nothing left but your name."
Bastian thought.
"Father and mother?" he said slowly. But the words did not mean anything to him any longer. He could not remember what they were.
From Chapter 25, "The Picture Mine":
Bastian wants to find his way home. But he cannot remember his home, or anyone there, including his parents. He finds the Picture Mine where he spends months in darkness and silence digging up stained-glass pictures, hoping one of them will help him find his way home. Bastian's father is a dentist.
The fragile stained-glass picture he had just put down in the snow was not large – no bigger than a page in a book – but the picture was very clear. It showed a man in a white coat holding a pair of dentures. He just stood there, and his bearing and the quiet, worried expression on his face touched Bastian to the bottom of his heart. But what made the strongest impression was that the man was frozen in a crystal-clear block of ice. He was completely enclosed by the ice, it was impenetrable, but completely transparent.
While Bastian studied the image in front of him in the snow, a longing grew in him after this man he did not know. It was a feeling that sort of came from far away, like a tidal wave, that you barely notice in the beginning but comes closer and closer until it grows into an enormous wave that tears with it everything and washes it away. Bastian almost drowned in it and gasped for air. His heart wanted to explode; it wasn't large enough for such a colossal longing. This tidal wave also washed away all his memories of himself. And he forgot the last thing he had left: his name.
Two pages later.
The boy without a name knelt in the snow. In front of him lay the picture, crushed into dust. Now all hope was lost. Nothing could bring him to the Water of Life.
When he looked up, through his tears he saw a hazy image of two figures standing in the snow some paces away. One was large, the other small. He dried his tears and looked again.
It was Fuchur, the white luck dragon, and Atreju.
From Chapter 26, "The Water of Life":
Bastian has returned home. His father, who has been so locked in his grief over his wife that he has barely acknowledged Bastian previously, has been terrified for his missing son and embraces his as soon as he enters. Bastian tells his father of his adventures.
Night had fallen by the time he got to the Water of Life and told how he had tried to bring a handful of it to his father, but that it had disappeared.
The kitchen was almost dark. His father sat motionless. Bastian got up and turned on the light. And now he saw something he had never seen before.
He saw tears in his father's eyes.
And he realized that he had managed to bring him the Water of Life after all.
Without a word, his father pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
When they had sat like that for a long while, his father inhaled slowly and looked Bastian in the eyes. He smiled, and it was the happiest smile Bastian had ever seen on his face.
Some choice quotes (my translation). Major spoilers from the second half.
From Chapter 24, "Mrs. Aiuóla":
Bastian is at the Changing House of Mrs. Aiuóla, where he came because he wished to be loved.
"Mrs. Aiuóla," Bastian said quietly, "you promised to tell me, when the time was right, what I had to forget to find my last wish. Is this the right time?"
She nodded. "You must forget your father and your mother. Now, you have nothing left but your name."
Bastian thought.
"Father and mother?" he said slowly. But the words did not mean anything to him any longer. He could not remember what they were.
From Chapter 25, "The Picture Mine":
Bastian wants to find his way home. But he cannot remember his home, or anyone there, including his parents. He finds the Picture Mine where he spends months in darkness and silence digging up stained-glass pictures, hoping one of them will help him find his way home. Bastian's father is a dentist.
The fragile stained-glass picture he had just put down in the snow was not large – no bigger than a page in a book – but the picture was very clear. It showed a man in a white coat holding a pair of dentures. He just stood there, and his bearing and the quiet, worried expression on his face touched Bastian to the bottom of his heart. But what made the strongest impression was that the man was frozen in a crystal-clear block of ice. He was completely enclosed by the ice, it was impenetrable, but completely transparent.
While Bastian studied the image in front of him in the snow, a longing grew in him after this man he did not know. It was a feeling that sort of came from far away, like a tidal wave, that you barely notice in the beginning but comes closer and closer until it grows into an enormous wave that tears with it everything and washes it away. Bastian almost drowned in it and gasped for air. His heart wanted to explode; it wasn't large enough for such a colossal longing. This tidal wave also washed away all his memories of himself. And he forgot the last thing he had left: his name.
Two pages later.
The boy without a name knelt in the snow. In front of him lay the picture, crushed into dust. Now all hope was lost. Nothing could bring him to the Water of Life.
When he looked up, through his tears he saw a hazy image of two figures standing in the snow some paces away. One was large, the other small. He dried his tears and looked again.
It was Fuchur, the white luck dragon, and Atreju.
From Chapter 26, "The Water of Life":
Bastian has returned home. His father, who has been so locked in his grief over his wife that he has barely acknowledged Bastian previously, has been terrified for his missing son and embraces his as soon as he enters. Bastian tells his father of his adventures.
Night had fallen by the time he got to the Water of Life and told how he had tried to bring a handful of it to his father, but that it had disappeared.
The kitchen was almost dark. His father sat motionless. Bastian got up and turned on the light. And now he saw something he had never seen before.
He saw tears in his father's eyes.
And he realized that he had managed to bring him the Water of Life after all.
Without a word, his father pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
When they had sat like that for a long while, his father inhaled slowly and looked Bastian in the eyes. He smiled, and it was the happiest smile Bastian had ever seen on his face.
Jesus H
The dragon’s name is Fucker!
Fu-chur, not Fuch-ur. But that's why they changed it in the movie, yes.
Some choice quotes (my translation). Major spoilers from the second half.
From Chapter 24, "Mrs. Aiuóla":
Bastian is at the Changing House of Mrs. Aiuóla, where he came because he wished to be loved.
"Mrs. Aiuóla," Bastian said quietly, "you promised to tell me, when the time was right, what I had to forget to find my last wish. Is this the right time?"
She nodded. "You must forget your father and your mother. Now, you have nothing left but your name."
Bastian thought.
"Father and mother?" he said slowly. But the words did not mean anything to him any longer. He could not remember what they were.
From Chapter 25, "The Picture Mine":
Bastian wants to find his way home. But he cannot remember his home, or anyone there, including his parents. He finds the Picture Mine where he spends months in darkness and silence digging up stained-glass pictures, hoping one of them will help him find his way home. Bastian's father is a dentist.
The fragile stained-glass picture he had just put down in the snow was not large – no bigger than a page in a book – but the picture was very clear. It showed a man in a white coat holding a pair of dentures. He just stood there, and his bearing and the quiet, worried expression on his face touched Bastian to the bottom of his heart. But what made the strongest impression was that the man was frozen in a crystal-clear block of ice. He was completely enclosed by the ice, it was impenetrable, but completely transparent.
While Bastian studied the image in front of him in the snow, a longing grew in him after this man he did not know. It was a feeling that sort of came from far away, like a tidal wave, that you barely notice in the beginning but comes closer and closer until it grows into an enormous wave that tears with it everything and washes it away. Bastian almost drowned in it and gasped for air. His heart wanted to explode; it wasn't large enough for such a colossal longing. This tidal wave also washed away all his memories of himself. And he forgot the last thing he had left: his name.
Two pages later.
The boy without a name knelt in the snow. In front of him lay the picture, crushed into dust. Now all hope was lost. Nothing could bring him to the Water of Life.
When he looked up, through his tears he saw a hazy image of two figures standing in the snow some paces away. One was large, the other small. He dried his tears and looked again.
It was Fuchur, the white luck dragon, and Atreju.
From Chapter 26, "The Water of Life":
Bastian has returned home. His father, who has been so locked in his grief over his wife that he has barely acknowledged Bastian previously, has been terrified for his missing son and embraces his as soon as he enters. Bastian tells his father of his adventures.
Night had fallen by the time he got to the Water of Life and told how he had tried to bring a handful of it to his father, but that it had disappeared.
The kitchen was almost dark. His father sat motionless. Bastian got up and turned on the light. And now he saw something he had never seen before.
He saw tears in his father's eyes.
And he realized that he had managed to bring him the Water of Life after all.
Without a word, his father pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
When they had sat like that for a long while, his father inhaled slowly and looked Bastian in the eyes. He smiled, and it was the happiest smile Bastian had ever seen on his face.
Jesus H
The dragon’s name is Fucker!
Fu-chur, not Fuch-ur. But that's why they changed it in the movie, yes.
The name changed, but there's no denying that Falcor fucks.
No matter where you go...there you are. ~ Buckaroo Banzai
The Picture Mine and the outcome absolutely fucked me the hell up, I haven't read that book in 30 years and the instant ED mentioned it I got a vivid flash recall and grief chills
It's an extremely good book, I love Michael Ende. Would recommend Momo for something a bit easier for kids (though still very Real)
knitdanIn ur baseKillin ur guysRegistered Userregular
I recall finding a copy in the library and it had a really cool cover but I did not enjoy reading it precisely because it kept going after the events of the first film, which I loved, and covered the events of the second film, which was terrible.
“I was quick when I came in here, I’m twice as quick now”
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
My impression, from reading the NBC article, is that Loving County embodies the worst stereotypes of Texas.
Rural, corrupt and nepotistic with an economy dependent on cattle and oil.
P.S: The corruption would also explain why a county judge over basically nothing (Loving county has 64 people) earns 133k a year. Most likely he doesn't even have a law degree (only some 17% of Texas County Judges do).
Fiendishrabbit on
"The western world sips from a poisonous cocktail: Polarisation, populism, protectionism and post-truth"
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
How do you even have a county government with that few people? Like half the people would be just the government!
edit: they have 16 people and a 20 million/year budget. So 23% of the population is government and that's assuming no town government and no unlisted employees. Also a budget of $300k/person in the county and 1.25 million per employee
My impression, from reading the NBC article, is that Loving County embodies the worst stereotypes of Texas.
Rural, corrupt and nepotistic with an economy dependent on cattle and oil.
P.S: The corruption would also explain why a county judge over basically nothing (Loving county has 64 people) earns 133k a year. Most likely he doesn't even have a law degree (only some 17% of Texas County Judges do).
In Texas, County Judge, despite the name, aren't judges. They are the chief executive of the county.
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BlackDragon480Bluster KerfuffleMaster of Windy ImportRegistered Userregular
The Army now has nine new potential namesakes to consider for Army bases originally named after the Confederacy. Among them are Gen. Dwight Eisenhower, Lt. Gen. Hal Moore and Mary Edwards Walker, the only woman to ever receive the Medal of Honor.
At a press conference Tuesday afternoon the Naming Commission, comprised of eight retired general officers and historians, announced the new names, which will replace some of the Army’s most notable forts. The recommendations by the Naming Commission will go to Congress and ultimately to the Secretary of Defense.
The commission had previously reviewed thousands of names, eventually settling on 87 finalists, among them Alwyn Cashe and Audie Murphy.
Personally think they should have still named Bragg after someone. Ft. Murphy would have been nice, and the 82nd would have been thrilled with Ft. York.
Before following any advice, opinions, or thoughts I may have expressed in the above post, be warned: I found Keven Costners "Waterworld" to be a very entertaining film.
Kane Red RobeMaster of MagicArcanusRegistered Userregular
edited May 2022
I'd try it if it was the cheese spread instead, not a fan of peanut butter.
Kane Red Robe on
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Ninja Snarl PMy helmet is my burden.Ninja Snarl: Gone, but not forgotten.Registered Userregular
I don't think this even the first time Oreo has done something like that. I could swear that years and years back, there was a run of Oreos with peanut butter frosting in the middle of the Oreo frosting. It was quite good.
I'd try it if it was the cheese spread instead, not a fan of peanut butter.
As much as I think Salty-PeanutButter-Cream-Choclate is a fine flavor progression; yeah, putting cheese in there instead of peanut is something intriguing.
Posts
Gonna take a bet that the cop is abusive to the dog as well. I don't know if him getting put to sleep is less humane that the daily abuse he went through as a police dog.
Maybe going out in a blaze of glory and putting some holes in the thin blue line ain't that bad after all.
The Neverending Story is one of my absolute favorite books. I'm currently reading it for my nephews.
The Neverending Story is a book by German author Michael Ende. The first half of it was (fairly closely) adapted to the movie you're talking about; the second half was very loosely adapted to the second movie. (Ende hated the first and loathed the second with the burning passion of a thousand flaming suns.)
The book starts as an adventure story (adapted into the first movie), but the second half is the heart of the story. It is a tale about loss and hardship and pride and self-destruction, and what we need to be humans (imagination, and the ability to love and be loved).
Summary of the book, absolutely containing spoilers:
Bastian loves to read and make up stories though, and one day he steals a book from an antique bookstore: The Neverending Story.
He hides away in the school attic, and reads a story of the realm of Fantásia, whose infinite realms and people are being consumed by Nothing. This is caused by the Childlike Empress, ruler of Fantásia, being deathly ill, because she and her realm are linked.
In the story Bastian reads, he reads of Atreju, a boy about his age who is sent on the Great Quest to find a cure. After many adventures and hardships, it transpires that the Childlike Empress and Fantásia are dying because humans have stopped using their imagination, and the only thing that can save both Fantásia and the human world is a human child giving the Childlike Empress a new name (Fantásians cannot come up with new things).
At the end of Atreju's journey, Bastian learns that he can give the Childlike Empress a new name, and when he does so is transported to Fantásia.
But all that is left of that infinite realm is a single grain of sand, and the Childlike Empress. (The movie ends here, with Bastian re-creating Fantásia, traveling to the human world on the back of Falcor the luck dragon – Fuchur in the book – and scaring the shit out of his tormentors).
In the book, Bastian realizes that the grain is a seed, from which grows the Night Forest Perelín. The Childlike Empress disappears, but leaves him the AURYN, symbol of her and with the power to grant his wishes. On the back of the medallion is inscribed "Do What You Will", which he takes to mean "do what you want".
He journeys through a Fantásia re-created by his passing, using the wishes to make himself strong, and handsome, and wise… and feared. And for every wish, he loses one of his memories. On many occasions he is told by Fantásians that he is mis-understanding the inscription on the AURYN: he is to seek his True Will, not squander his wishes on self-indulgence.
Bastian no longer wishes to return to his world, but desperately wants to meet the Childlike Empress again – he never does. This comes to a head when he tries to crown himself Emperor of Fantásia, strikes his friend Atreju a mortal blow with his sword – Atreju was trying to make him come to his senses – and burns the imperial palace to the ground.
Then Bastian comes to the City of the Old Emperors, filled with humans who could not find their way home. They are mindless husks in frantic activity, unable to stop doing things and unable to accomplish anything. He must return to the human wold with his last handful of wishes or he will become like them. And to do that he must find his True Will, and the Water of Life, which he must bring back to the human world.
Bastian's last memories are his home (he loses this wishing to be loved), his parents (which he forgets when he does learn his true will, which is to love) and his name, which he loses trying to find his way home.
The boy without a name is rescued by Atreju and Fuchur the luck dragon, who have not given up on their friend, and take him to the Water of Life, which restores Bastian's memories. But he cannot return until he finishes all the stories he has started in Fantásia, but Atreju promises to do it in his stead even if it takes forever.
Bastian wants to bring the Water to his father, who needs to learn to love and be loved again. But the Water runs through his fingers as he is transported back to his school's attic. Devastated that he lost the Water, he none the less returns home, and realizes that he was successful after all: he and his father re-connect and both love and are loved for the rest of their days.
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From Chapter 24, "Mrs. Aiuóla":
"Mrs. Aiuóla," Bastian said quietly, "you promised to tell me, when the time was right, what I had to forget to find my last wish. Is this the right time?"
She nodded. "You must forget your father and your mother. Now, you have nothing left but your name."
Bastian thought.
"Father and mother?" he said slowly. But the words did not mean anything to him any longer. He could not remember what they were.
From Chapter 25, "The Picture Mine":
The fragile stained-glass picture he had just put down in the snow was not large – no bigger than a page in a book – but the picture was very clear. It showed a man in a white coat holding a pair of dentures. He just stood there, and his bearing and the quiet, worried expression on his face touched Bastian to the bottom of his heart. But what made the strongest impression was that the man was frozen in a crystal-clear block of ice. He was completely enclosed by the ice, it was impenetrable, but completely transparent.
While Bastian studied the image in front of him in the snow, a longing grew in him after this man he did not know. It was a feeling that sort of came from far away, like a tidal wave, that you barely notice in the beginning but comes closer and closer until it grows into an enormous wave that tears with it everything and washes it away. Bastian almost drowned in it and gasped for air. His heart wanted to explode; it wasn't large enough for such a colossal longing. This tidal wave also washed away all his memories of himself. And he forgot the last thing he had left: his name.
Two pages later.
The boy without a name knelt in the snow. In front of him lay the picture, crushed into dust. Now all hope was lost. Nothing could bring him to the Water of Life.
When he looked up, through his tears he saw a hazy image of two figures standing in the snow some paces away. One was large, the other small. He dried his tears and looked again.
It was Fuchur, the white luck dragon, and Atreju.
From Chapter 26, "The Water of Life":
Night had fallen by the time he got to the Water of Life and told how he had tried to bring a handful of it to his father, but that it had disappeared.
The kitchen was almost dark. His father sat motionless. Bastian got up and turned on the light. And now he saw something he had never seen before.
He saw tears in his father's eyes.
And he realized that he had managed to bring him the Water of Life after all.
Without a word, his father pulled him onto his lap and hugged him.
When they had sat like that for a long while, his father inhaled slowly and looked Bastian in the eyes. He smiled, and it was the happiest smile Bastian had ever seen on his face.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
Where's the part where Jack Black comes in and they have to fight the Nasty
(I really wish I knew this was a book when I was a kid)
....I would've devoured this. Was there a sequel?
This was the only book Michael Ende wrote in that setting. (He wrote many others books, though this is easily his magnum opus.) Between 2003 and 2004 a German publishing house commissioned six spin-off novels, but I don't know if they have been translated from German. (And I have not read them.)
But the Neverending Story does have an English translation, and it is well worth reading even as an adult (despite ostensibly being a children's book).
One day, when you are musing that you just have too little time to do the things you want to do, a gentleman dressed immaculately in a grey suit and smoking a small cigar pays you a visit. He knows of your problem, he says. And he wants to bring you a solution.
We all have too little time, and yet we also have those little moments of wasted time that serve no purpose. A second here and a second there, but they add up.
You nod slowly. You wave a hand to clear away the cloying smoke of the cigar, unsuccessfully.
But what if you could save those seconds up, says the grey gentleman. Store them for later. Maybe earn interest.
Interest? you ask.
The grey gentleman nods enthusiastically. He brings up a small whiteboard. Talking fast and writing furiously, he shows you how much time you could be saving, how it would add up, and how much time you would have then, especially with a handsome interest.
It's gotten really cold in here, hasn't it. His fast words and the cloying smoke makes it hard to follow exactly, but what he says does make sense. You do want that extra time. And those small seconds are inconsequential, on their own.
But how would they collect the time? you ask.
The grey gentleman smiles. Don't worry about it, he says. They'll take care of it. Do you have a deal?
You shake his hand. It is very cold.
As he leaves, and the smoke clears, you forget the visit, and the grey gentleman. But you remember that you have to save time. All the time.
You start doing things faster, more efficiently, more sloppy if it saves you a second or two. Why craft something if you can buy it pre-made and pre-fab. Why cook food when you have fast food and TV dinners. Your neighbors, who cannot remember their visits from the grey gentlemen think the same way, and soon your town is grey slabs of concrete wasteland, you don't spend time on things you enjoy or your loved ones. You gotta save those seconds.
And spending the time you have saved? There will be time for that later. You are late for work.
But the world with the grey gentlemen is eerily familiar…
Jesus H
The dragon’s name is Fucker!
Fu-chur, not Fuch-ur. But that's why they changed it in the movie, yes.
I think it would destroy me now.
The name changed, but there's no denying that Falcor fucks.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
It has been very challenging to read it to my nephews.
The Picture Mine and the outcome absolutely fucked me the hell up, I haven't read that book in 30 years and the instant ED mentioned it I got a vivid flash recall and grief chills
It's an extremely good book, I love Michael Ende. Would recommend Momo for something a bit easier for kids (though still very Real)
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
What year is it again????
-Indiana Solo, runner of blades
They should rebrand it to Grand Theft Bovine.
It does in fact happen to have a 'bangin' soundtrack.
Rural, corrupt and nepotistic with an economy dependent on cattle and oil.
P.S: The corruption would also explain why a county judge over basically nothing (Loving county has 64 people) earns 133k a year. Most likely he doesn't even have a law degree (only some 17% of Texas County Judges do).
-Antje Jackelén, Archbishop of the Church of Sweden
edit: they have 16 people and a 20 million/year budget. So 23% of the population is government and that's assuming no town government and no unlisted employees. Also a budget of $300k/person in the county and 1.25 million per employee
I also gave them each an AURYN pendant (book version, not movie version) I made out of polymer clay.
Next up is Jeff Smith's Bone comic.
In Texas, County Judge, despite the name, aren't judges. They are the chief executive of the county.
You're doing great work, keep it up.
~ Buckaroo Banzai
This is long fucking overdue.
I remember reading the never ending story and thinking Bastian was a complete dick the entire time
Gone right:
.......okay fuck it, I'll try this
Hold on, I have to go borrow some vomit, I didn't have enough on me for this.
Oh he definitely was. Total little shit.
As much as I think Salty-PeanutButter-Cream-Choclate is a fine flavor progression; yeah, putting cheese in there instead of peanut is something intriguing.