Which hat are you? - Page 2

CardenIAntauraNauco · 01-05-2002, 01:40 AM

All right.

Churl · 01-21-2002, 06:55 PM

This is an interesting thread — especially in the context of Tolkien's work. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings would obviously fall into the "white hat" category, but as others have pointed out in other threads, the history of Middle-earth is decidedly "gray hat," possibly even leaning toward "black hat."

Think about it: read Appendix A of The Return of the King … or The Silmarillion … or most of Tolkien's other work: too often, victories of the "good guys" are fleeting, and often a brave warrior or king is struck down, cruelly and treacherously, in his moment of glory. For me, this gives the stories a resonance; it's a melancholy feel that used to rankle me as an unwelcome downer, but which I now recognize as a strong infusion of reality and relevance.

In other words (in Middle-earth and reality both), the bad times make the good times all the sweeter, because few of us can expect to "live happily ever after, to the end of [our] days."

Lady Midnight · 01-21-2002, 07:17 PM

I'm a bit of both really. I like the good guys to win.......but not all the time!

I don't like characters to be wholly good or wholly bad either. When I watch TV or a film it's the same. I'm never attracted to good guys as a general rule. Bad guys certainly in film and TV tend to be so much more interesting.

That said there's something to be said for a flawed hero or anti-hero. The best thing to be really is either a reformed bad guy or a good guy who has failings and has done wrong at some point in the past. I just can't stand these whiter than white characters who never do anything wrong. IMHO people like that just don't exist.

Laurelyn · 02-07-2002, 06:44 PM

Grey. Laurelyn the grey . . .

B/c sometimes the bad guys are the good guys, if you know what I mean. The protagonist of the story could be a burglar trying to escape, and the antagonist could be the detective working to catch him. You would most likely end up rooting fot the burglar to stay safe if the book was well written.
Oh, and in regard to the Olsen twins . . .
GAG ME W/ A SPATULA!!!

markedel · 02-07-2002, 10:33 PM

Black hat books are rare but interesting

The Draka series for instance-scary as hell but a good read

Legolas_BowKing · 02-10-2002, 05:01 AM

for sure black hats

Bregalad · 02-22-2002, 11:51 PM

I deffinately like white hat stories. Just like Anduin, I'm a sucker for happy endings. But, like Desdemona, I don't want my good guys to be TOO good! Goody-two-shoes people are boring! I also hate it when a story doesn't tell you what happens at the end. If I don't like an ending, I can change it in my head, but I want to know what they think the ending is! That's why I have no desire to see the movie K-pac. I want an ending at the end!

**crickhollow** · 03-07-2002, 06:09 PM

Some books aren't clearly white or black. I think in general I'm a white hat person (gotta love the happy ending).

What about something like "Tale of Two Cities"? My favorite book. I don't know if y'all are familiar with the story line, but you have one main character (Darnay) who has lived a good life, is a fine, upstanding citizen yada yada yada. Then you have Carton, who has basically wasted his life, and is in general an ill-reputable man. Carton, whom the reader tends to identify with, gives his life for Darnay, the obvious hero. It leaves a bitter sweet taste in my mouth.

So, what do you think, Black hat, or white?

Khadrane · 03-22-2002, 11:29 PM

I like white hat. Books stink when the bad guys win. The ending can't be cornily happy either though. The ending of Lord of the Rings is perfect.

FrodoFriend · 03-23-2002, 12:17 AM

I don't care, as long as it's a good book. I like black hats once in a while, and white ones and gray ones, and black and white polka-dotted ones.

snoopy · 03-23-2002, 01:32 AM

I tlike to read mostly white hat books. Every once and a while though I enjoy black hat.

BeardofPants · 03-23-2002, 02:26 AM

Black hat, I always felt sorry for Wile E. Coyote... I know, I know, not a book...

FrodoFriend · 03-23-2002, 02:33 AM

LOL, BeardofPants (interesting sn, by the way), know what you mean. I always wanted Tom to eat Jerry.

BeardofPants · 03-23-2002, 02:43 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by FrodoFriend
LOL, BeardofPants (interesting sn, by the way), know what you mean. I always wanted Tom to eat Jerry.

Not to mention poor Sylvester... Thanks! I came to this site and saw the pants game, so I thought I would apply it to my own sn - which is usually BeardofEvil.

Black hat all the way: with some gray spotty things to make it interesting.

Jadera · 04-04-2002, 05:38 PM

A white hat with a black brim and a few purple polka-dots for variety. I mean, if a book is really different, it can make you like the bad guys.

And what in the world color hat would you give The Picture of Dorian Gray ?

Imladris · 04-07-2002, 07:20 AM

What if you are colour blind?
White with grey spots I'd say.

elf_princess · 04-07-2002, 01:46 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by CardenIAntauraNauco
I like white hats...unless the heroes are obnoxious like... the Olsens twins. Then I always hope that they get strangled or somthing of the kind. Not...that i've seen any...Olsens twins movie
*nervously walks away*

lol... i've never seen any either...

elf_princess · 04-07-2002, 01:48 PM

I would have to say a majority of white hat books but once in awhile a good black hat book isn't so bad I guess. If you always read the same type of book over and over again I think they become predictable... and I like books that surprise me!

**crickhollow** · 04-15-2002, 02:27 AM

*sniff* no one answered my question.
*looks around sadly* Aren't there any good Dickens fans left in the world? Hasn't anyone read Tale of Two Cities?

Is it white or black hat?
[*psst* see my previous post for a brief synopsis of the book]

01-05-2002, 01:40 AM	#21
CardenIAntauraNauco Elven Warrior Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: rural oklahoma Posts: 324	All right. __________________ "We will have peace","Yes we will have peace...we will have peace when you and all your works have perished - and the works of your dark lord to whom you would deliver us. You are a liar,Saruman,and a corrupter of men's hearts. You hold out your hand to me and I percieve only a finger of the claw of Mordor. Cruel and cold! Even if your war on me was just - as it was not,for were you ten times as wise you would have no right to rule me and mine, for your own profit you desired-even so, what will you say of your Torches in westfold and the children that lie dead there? And they hewed Hama's body before the gates of Hornburg, after he was dead. When you hang from a gibbet at your window for the sport of your own crows, I will have peace with you and Orthanc. So much for the House of Eorl. A lesser son of greater Sires am I, but I do not need to lick your fingers. Turn elsewither for I fear your voice has lost it's charm.

02-07-2002, 06:44 PM	#24
Laurelyn Elf Lord Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Valinor, right next to Telperion . . . what did you expect, Michigan? Posts: 1,315	Grey. Laurelyn the grey . . . B/c sometimes the bad guys are the good guys, if you know what I mean. The protagonist of the story could be a burglar trying to escape, and the antagonist could be the detective working to catch him. You would most likely end up rooting fot the burglar to stay safe if the book was well written. Oh, and in regard to the Olsen twins . . . GAG ME W/ A SPATULA!!! __________________ The Third Age of Entmoot has begun. Angel of music, guide and guardian! Grant to me your glory! The country I eat and spend the day in is by no means the country I sleep and dream in. Define patriotism. Hold the boat, you spastic monkey! ~ Elenka

02-07-2002, 10:33 PM	#25
markedel 'Sober' Mullet Frosh Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Queen's Posts: 1,245	Black hat books are rare but interesting The Draka series for instance-scary as hell but a good read __________________ "Earnur was a man like his father in valour, but not in wisdom"

02-22-2002, 11:51 PM	#27
Bregalad Elven Warrior Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: KY Posts: 217	I deffinately like white hat stories. Just like Anduin, I'm a sucker for happy endings. But, like Desdemona, I don't want my good guys to be TOO good! Goody-two-shoes people are boring! I also hate it when a story doesn't tell you what happens at the end. If I don't like an ending, I can change it in my head, but I want to know what they think the ending is! That's why I have no desire to see the movie K-pac. I want an ending at the end! __________________ "They have called me that ever since I said yes to an elder Ent before he had finished his question" -Quickbeam This post property of Entmoot.

03-07-2002, 06:09 PM	#28
crickhollow The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Washington State again (I miss Texas). Posts: 1,345	Some books aren't clearly white or black. I think in general I'm a white hat person (gotta love the happy ending). What about something like "Tale of Two Cities"? My favorite book. I don't know if y'all are familiar with the story line, but you have one main character (Darnay) who has lived a good life, is a fine, upstanding citizen yada yada yada. Then you have Carton, who has basically wasted his life, and is in general an ill-reputable man. Carton, whom the reader tends to identify with, gives his life for Darnay, the obvious hero. It leaves a bitter sweet taste in my mouth. So, what do you think, Black hat, or white? __________________ A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.

01-21-2002, 06:55 PM	#22
Churl Elven Warrior Join Date: Oct 2001 Location: Pennsylvania, USA Posts: 128	This is an interesting thread — especially in the context of Tolkien's work. The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings would obviously fall into the "white hat" category, but as others have pointed out in other threads, the history of Middle-earth is decidedly "gray hat," possibly even leaning toward "black hat." Think about it: read Appendix A of The Return of the King … or The Silmarillion … or most of Tolkien's other work: too often, victories of the "good guys" are fleeting, and often a brave warrior or king is struck down, cruelly and treacherously, in his moment of glory. For me, this gives the stories a resonance; it's a melancholy feel that used to rankle me as an unwelcome downer, but which I now recognize as a strong infusion of reality and relevance. In other words (in Middle-earth and reality both), the bad times make the good times all the sweeter, because few of us can expect to "live happily ever after, to the end of [our] days."

01-21-2002, 07:17 PM	#23
Lady Midnight Elven Warrior Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: only after 11pm and in an altered state of conciousness Posts: 176	I'm a bit of both really. I like the good guys to win.......but not all the time! I don't like characters to be wholly good or wholly bad either. When I watch TV or a film it's the same. I'm never attracted to good guys as a general rule. Bad guys certainly in film and TV tend to be so much more interesting. That said there's something to be said for a flawed hero or anti-hero. The best thing to be really is either a reformed bad guy or a good guy who has failings and has done wrong at some point in the past. I just can't stand these whiter than white characters who never do anything wrong. IMHO people like that just don't exist.

02-10-2002, 05:01 AM	#26
Legolas_BowKing Banned Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Australia Posts: 115	for sure black hats

03-22-2002, 11:29 PM	#29
Khadrane Elf Lord Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Middle Earth (I wish) Posts: 670	I like white hat. Books stink when the bad guys win. The ending can't be cornily happy either though. The ending of Lord of the Rings is perfect. __________________ Few know whither their road will take them till they come to its end. -Legolas FRODO LIVES! ABORTION IS HOMICIDE

03-23-2002, 12:17 AM	#30
FrodoFriend Halfwitted Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Eryn Vorn Posts: 1,659	I don't care, as long as it's a good book. I like black hats once in a while, and white ones and gray ones, and black and white polka-dotted ones. __________________ Fingolfin lives! ... in my finger! The Crossroads of Arda - Warning. Halfwit content. Not appropriate for people with IQ of over 18. The Fellowship of the Message Board Nyáréonié - The Tale of Tears

03-23-2002, 01:32 AM	#31
snoopy Hobbit Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: oregon Posts: 18	I tlike to read mostly white hat books. Every once and a while though I enjoy black hat. __________________ "Curse it! curse it! curse it!" hissed Gollum. "Curse the Baggins! It's gone! What has it got in its pocketses? Oh we guess, we guess, my precious. He's found it, yes he must have. My birthday-present."

03-23-2002, 02:26 AM	#32
BeardofPants the Shrike Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: San Francisco, CA <3 Posts: 10,647	Black hat, I always felt sorry for Wile E. Coyote... I know, I know, not a book... __________________ "Binary solo! 0000001! 00000011! 0000001! 00000011!" ~ The Humans are Dead, Flight of the Conchords

03-23-2002, 02:33 AM	#33
FrodoFriend Halfwitted Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Eryn Vorn Posts: 1,659	LOL, BeardofPants (interesting sn, by the way), know what you mean. I always wanted Tom to eat Jerry. __________________ Fingolfin lives! ... in my finger! The Crossroads of Arda - Warning. Halfwit content. Not appropriate for people with IQ of over 18. The Fellowship of the Message Board Nyáréonié - The Tale of Tears

04-04-2002, 05:38 PM	#35
Jadera Elven Warrior Join Date: Apr 2002 Location: Somewhere out there Posts: 205	A white hat with a black brim and a few purple polka-dots for variety. I mean, if a book is really different, it can make you like the bad guys. And what in the world color hat would you give The Picture of Dorian Gray ? __________________ Whaaaaaaaaaat?? ~Chivalry isn't dead, it just transferred to women~

04-07-2002, 07:20 AM	#36
Imladris Elven Warrior Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Manchester, UK Posts: 146	What if you are colour blind? White with grey spots I'd say. __________________ "A truth that's told with bad intent beats all the lies you can invent."

04-07-2002, 01:48 PM	#38
elf_princess Elven Warrior Join Date: Feb 2002 Location: la dee da Posts: 275	I would have to say a majority of white hat books but once in awhile a good black hat book isn't so bad I guess. If you always read the same type of book over and over again I think they become predictable... and I like books that surprise me!

04-15-2002, 02:27 AM	#39
crickhollow The Buckleberry Fairy/Captain Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Washington State again (I miss Texas). Posts: 1,345	sniff no one answered my question. looks around sadly Aren't there any good Dickens fans left in the world? Hasn't anyone read Tale of Two Cities? Is it white or black hat? [psst see my previous post for a brief synopsis of the book] __________________ A day will come at last when I Shall take the hidden paths that run West of the Moon, East of the Sun.