Welcome!

[Joop]

Hi everyone, great to be a VIP!

I was just thinking.
You know that this is the Freelance Police dispatch.
You know what would be the coolest thing ever?
If you get a REAL Freelance Police badge as a pre-order perk!
I bet everyone would sign up immediately then! I know I would! (If I hadn't already!)

(Just don't give 'm away with the Deluxe Edition again)

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by GozzoMan

Not related with French, but for the Fun With The Languages Of The World Section

I'm not surprised, at the very least for Africa. We're talking about a continent that was randomly cut into countries with no consideration to the existing tribe and cultural borders.

I don't know much about South America but I wouldn't be too shocked if some of the same thing happened there too. Europeans tend to go to new places and decide what countries will be like.

In Europe it's much "weirder" since borders happened over centuries, so one might think that countries would be more "logically divided". And still you have people who want Belgium to separate into two countries nowadays for instance.

[moronic50]

@ Joop

Now the idea of a S&M Freelance police badge... That would be pretty sweet. But it'd have to be well made, not some cheap plastic thing. Genuine metal in a faux leather wallet thing. with maybe a bullet hole and a bite mark in it.

[Remolay]

or a bottle cap with ribbon like Max's badge in The Second Show Ever

[Avistew]

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

Man, this is gonna take a loooong time to reply to. I appreciate the insight though; the more you know.

Here also is a good link BTW on French stereotypes; it basically sums up a lot of other things Americans think the French are or about the French.

You're welcome!
That link you sent lists the 112 questions about the French but I'm not sure if it listed the answers... So here you go, the explanations/answers for all of these stereotypes:
http://www.e-rcps.com/gripes/ published in 1945, destined to the US troops in France.

Most of the stereotypes are apparently the same to this day.

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

Well, I like foreign movies done in English. That way I can understand them without having to go looking for subtitles.

That makes sense, although simply by being made in English with English-speaking actors and for English-speaking audiences, they're less foreign already, I find. In many ways, they don't feel much like "regular" French movies.

I hope you'll enjoy the movies I mentioned. If you do then I'll name more, you just need to ask.

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

It's never seemed to me that French food has a lot of meat to it, it seems to be very thin.

It doesn't have a lot of meat in it, proportionally and compared to North America, but what I meant is that dishes that don't have meat at all in them are very rare.
[EDIT] also, it's about the attitude, I think. When someone in North America learns that I'm vegetarian, they tend to be like "well, it's your choice, and it's just food". A French person would be more like "What do you mean, JUST food??!!!" [/EDIT]
Also, since we're talking about food, you should know that the idea of eating meat or eggs for breakfast seems completely foreign in France. And that there are 4 main meals: breakfast around 8 am called "petit-déjeuner", lunch around noon called "déjeuner", a meal at 4 called "goûter", and dinner at 8 pm called "souper"
Other French speaking countries start with "déjeuner", then "dîner", "goûter" and "souper".
Only lunch and dinner have meat/eggs in them. Breakfast and goûter are more focused on grains and fruit.

I have to go right now so I'll answer the rest later.

[GinnyN]

Originally Posted by avistew

I don't know much about South America but I wouldn't be too shocked if some of the same thing happened there too. Europeans tend to go to new places and decide what countries will be like.

Here, in a way, the limits were done using the natives knowledge mixed with the fact Portugal also send some conquerors =P.

Spain send some people to conquer and colonize America in the way if they can stay in the place and make a living, they are the owners of that land until they die. If they conquer a tribe in the process, they are also owners of the tribe's lands. Roughly.

Now, Bolivia, they probably has the biggest natives compared to the people which Spanish roots rate. Since almost all those natives are from diferent "tribes" (I don't know a better word in english, sorry!), they also speak a diferent dialect, so, Bolivia took the chance and make official all those dialects.

By the way, about the limits, they are different now of how they were in the past. It's there the Pacific War which change the limits again: Chile anexed some territories from Perú and Bolivia, while Argentina demanded at the same time the part of the Patagonia the other side of the Andes, and Chile agreed, just because we were in the middle of the said War.

Edit: My sister also told me the biggest diference were the fact with Africa, they discovered the map at first, while, with America, they discovered the land while they were explore it.

[Avistew]

Thanks for the explanation, Ginny!

Originally Posted by Secret Fawful

Okay. I know someone from the Dutch side of Belgium, but he doesn't like to talk about the French side; he doesn't like French Belgies so I know absolutely nothing about the French side of Belgium.

Yeah, it seems they're a bit "at war" sometimes.

About stereotypes: the French stereotype of Belgians is that they're stupid, but it's not a serious stereotype. Just think about every blonde joke you've heard, the French version would have a Belgian instead. But you know, everybody realises it's not fonded on anything.
Philippe Geluck, a Belgian cartoonist and humorist who offen appears on TV or on the radio, makes Belgian jokes all the time. It's how I've heard most of them.
It's not like he suddenly goes "a Belgian walks into a bar", it's more small comments like "he must have been Belgian" when talking about other stuff.
I don't usually found that funny, but when it's a (clever) Belgian guy making these jokes it's funny for some reason.

The stereotype about the Swiss is that they're extremely laid bad, nonchalant, not worried about anything. If you want to pretend you're Swiss, you talk slowly and say things like "the lake isn't on fire" (meaning "no need to rush"). There are also jokes about them being neutral and bankers.

Hmm, the jokes about the Brits are mostly food-related. Things about how delicious British food is as long as it's not originally from Britain, and things like that. Otherwise the stereotype is that they're either super-shy, the type not to hug people and where married couples sleep in different beds, or super-eccentric.

The vision of European people from the south of Europe is that they're more hot-blooded. As in, they're better lovers, but you're probably going to argue and break up pretty fast as well.
For some reason, there is a stereotype about Portuguese women not shaving their legs. Not sure where that comes from.

Hmm, that's all I can think of right now.


About the US towards nudity and sexuality: well I think the US is always (or close to always) divided, and a country of extremes. When I went there I was surprised by the amount of unhealthily overweight people, but I was equally surprised by the amount of unhealthily skinny people, for instance. And I quickly realised that clothes stores didn't seem to have clothes made to fit the average consumer.
I think it's a bit of the same here. Both coexist. You have the extremely puritan people who wouldn't ever wear something as unmodest as a swimsuit, and you have the whole hidden part. In a way, I think it's because the "morality" of it has been so hammered on people that they end up doing things in secret. As a result there is a huge market for stuff like pornography, and at the same time it's considered to be a bad or wrong thing.

I personally find pornography as natural as reading a romance book. It's just not meant to arouse the same part of you. And of course there can be an appeal or not. I find just as stupid people who feel they need to hide that they watch it than people who feel the need to hide that they don't.

I think the problem might be that it's so much said and repeated that sex is wrong and evil and stuff that a) people who want to say "no, it's not" end up overdoing it too and b) people who wouldn't feel bad otherwise end up feeling bad about sex period, even if they wouldn't otherwise.
For instance a religious woman who is married would feel bad about the idea of doing things that she takes pleasure in because it's been repeated to her that it's wrong so often. Even if she's married so it's okay with her religion anyways.
Well, I guess some religions think pleasure in itself is wrong, but... I can't imagine living like that.

I read once that the most repressed cultures produce the most extreme behaviour as a response. Look at Japan, culturally even holding hands seems very unusual, let alone hugging or kissing to say hi, and there are the weirdest perverts out there. I think it's a natural response, when you're refused something too much, that some people will just start being extreme the opposite way. Actually, it's the same with food, too, come to think of it. That's why so many diets fail.

[Remolay]

this thread has been around for a day and it already has over 200 posts. can I get a collective We're obsessed of which I will totally be a part of?

[Icedhope]

Obessed no, wait...maybe...I think you might be right...

[The Highway]

Can we get to the talking to Steve Purcell and Jared and the design and web teams and stuff now? the anxiety is driving me InSaNe! AnD i'M gOiNg To AnNoY pEoPlE lIkE tHiS!

[GinnyN]

Going off topic is part of want to do something, and had nothing to do. I just posted something about some important Chilean War.

I'm doomed

[Avistew]

Actually, even when I do have something to do I ramble about stuff I don't know anything about.

[Icedhope]

I ramble, then I write things and get over excited...then I annoy people by poking them or convincing people to go Highway surfing.

[Born2bwire]

Originally Posted by The Highway

Can we get to the talking to Steve Purcell and Jared and the design and web teams and stuff now? the anxiety is driving me InSaNe! AnD i'M gOiNg To AnNoY pEoPlE lIkE tHiS!

Does this supercede any standing restraining orders?

[jekaboom]

cool cool

[GinnyN]

Originally Posted by Icedhope

I ramble, then I write things and get over excited...then I annoy people by poking them or convincing people to go Highway surfing.

In fact, I want to find somebody which play some Fizzball. But, I can't, because now we have limited supply of Evil Smelling Beer, somehow =P

[Icedhope]

Originally Posted by GinnyN

In fact, I want to find somebody which play some Fizzball. But, I can't, because now we have limited supply of Evil Smelling Beer, somehow =P

Is it sad, that I actually want to play fizzball and post it on youtube? Because it's going to be Spring, and well....yeah.

[Joop]

Originally Posted by moronic50

@ Joop

Now the idea of a S&M Freelance police badge... That would be pretty sweet. But it'd have to be well made, not some cheap plastic thing. Genuine metal in a faux leather wallet thing. with maybe a bullet hole and a bite mark in it.

Yeah, the bullet hole and bitemark are a great idea.
I don't know how much it'd cost to make something like that though.
I bet it's more then a slipcase.
But the deal would be pretty great.

I would buy it if it was available from the shop, but it's more exclusive as a pre-order bonus.

[zmally]

Does anyone know if TTG will put the hardcover/signed comic back up in the store? I've been waiting ages til I could afford to buy it and it's gone

[GinnyN]

Originally Posted by Icedhope

Is it sad, that I actually want to play fizzball and post it on youtube? Because it's going to be Spring, and well....yeah.

It's going to be Fall here =P.

Now I wonder, has never the Telltale Fans from USA do some sort of meeting or something? That would be a perfect moment to play some fizzball too =P

Do you want post on you tube the fizzball play or you wanted to play some fizzball?