tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post1767645378301963114..comments2024-02-26T20:52:27.680-08:00Comments on Thinking Inside the Box: General RPG Characters' Preoccupation with Hand WarmthThe RPGeniushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02752937839502693108noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-75382079911901838072018-03-15T18:57:26.435-07:002018-03-15T18:57:26.435-07:00Tbh, i always tought it as a metaphor "warmth...Tbh, i always tought it as a metaphor "warmth of the hand = warmth of the soul." I don't know exactly how the concepts of "ki" or "life force" work exactly in japanese culture, but based on anime and videogames, the idea that having a certain kind of soul has effects on the body seems common. Most rpg seem to imply the soul as a source of magic power, so it may also be a source of body heat. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-69683985374530425712018-03-15T13:28:37.698-07:002018-03-15T13:28:37.698-07:00I suppose. I´m honestly not too keen on investigat...I suppose. I´m honestly not too keen on investigating specific cases to see if they fit my interpretation or not either way, it was merely an attempt to rationalize the trope as a whole, farfetched though it may be.<br /><br />As for astrology, unfortunately there are still more than enough people who actually believe in it (though I´m hoping most writers don´t). Some of which I know and have talked to. Including a college student studying biology, bafflingly enough. That said, astrology does have an incredibly storied history, so I guess that, much like many other superstitions, it is hard to get rid of.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173245499884395504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-38089066274277253752018-03-14T19:25:22.248-07:002018-03-14T19:25:22.248-07:00That's a nice take on it, and I can respect yo...That's a nice take on it, and I can respect your perspective on it, but I think it's still just too straightforward, basic a thing to read this much metaphorical meaning into it--it's never been, to my experience, approached and treated in a way that implies that the character was judging someone else on a more meaningful level beyond the literal warmth of their hands, save perhaps, at times, sheer blind faith, which still might only have existed because of the hand warmth.<br /><br />I suppose that it's quite likely that the writers who use this trope don't usually actually believe in this nonsense themselves, given how obviously bogus such reasoning is. They're probably more using it because it's just an idiom of their culture (or they've seen it in enough anime to assume that it is), the way that writers here might, say, reference romantic compatibility based on astrological signs, even though they know perfectly well themselves that it's a bunch of nonsense. So you don't necessarily have to buy into this trope having any halfway decent meaning in order to keep a decent opinion of game writers. They're probably not dumb enough to actually believe in the hand warmth foolishness--they're just dumb enough to use it anyway. But it's all conjecture, really.The RPGeniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02752937839502693108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-17400868248950822732018-03-14T04:50:28.006-07:002018-03-14T04:50:28.006-07:00It´s certainly a bit too popular a trope, but I do...It´s certainly a bit too popular a trope, but I don´t think it´s necessarily bad. While I obviously can´t speak for all of its iterations, I do think it is often meant to be symbolic of something else rather than just about body heat.<br /><br />It may be used to convey loneliness on a character´s part, and desire to be comforted through the presence of another, and it may also serve as a roundabout way of saying that one character gets a warm feeling from somebody else. Expressed by having them touch the other´s hand and commenting on the perceived warmth.<br /><br />Which brings me to my point that you may have it backwards: it is not that having warm hands means you have a good heart, it is that having a good heart would make others perceive you -and your touch- to be warm, comfortable and soothing. I´d wager this might even -though very sappy- work on a cold-blooded individual, by way of having the one touching them say that, though they should be cold, they feel far warmer than anybody else.<br /><br />As for why anyone would use such roundabout words, it may be out of a lack of honesty or shame, similar to the motivation behind the iconic "it´s raining" scene from Fullmetal Alchemist (which I assume you have watched?). <br /><br />It may also be out of a desire not to burden the one the words are said to with a confession or any other unwanted responsibility, while still comforting them in a time of doubt by displaying their own trust.<br /><br />Naturally, this only works if the two individuals in question already know each other to some degree or infer the other´s nature through some other shown means, not if the grasping of hands is literally the only thing that matters. But that *should* cover a good portion of the instances where this trope is evoked. <br /><br />Whether or not you find that to still be shitty and nonsensical is up to you, but I do want to think writers aren´t quite that ignorant and naive. But what do I know.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01173245499884395504noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-10927537029882148472018-02-19T06:39:27.085-08:002018-02-19T06:39:27.085-08:00My good man, if we could truly understand how any ...My good man, if we could truly understand how any part of the perfection of Grandia 2 could get, in a single jump of a series, to the ludicrous monstrosity of Grandia 3, then I daresay the universe's mysteries will have opened themselves in totality to our comprehension.The RPGeniushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02752937839502693108noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-268660459652553228.post-64196785465240036442018-02-19T00:09:41.625-08:002018-02-19T00:09:41.625-08:00Pretty sure most RPG writers missed 4th grade ever...Pretty sure most RPG writers missed 4th grade everything, and most grades after that. I'm not too familiar with this cliche, but boy does it sound annoying.<br /><br />The Grandia 3 mention calls to mind the superior Grandia 2, where Ryudo actively hides the fact that he's decent, and is inevitably outed against his best efforts. No temperature check nonsense to be found. How do you go from that to Alfina's palm reading?Ecclesiastesnoreply@blogger.com