44 replies to this topic

[Faenwulf]

Thorn Hallis, on 24 August 2012 - 10:10 AM, said:

Probably exactly that. Which disqualifies the FRR, as their represantation isn't viking at all.

If a Capellan says so, it must be true.

[Otto Cannon]

Welkin Gunther, on 24 August 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

What about the FRR being part Finnish?
http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Winter_War

That seems both more FRR and way more awesome than vikings.

Sure, but I was really making the point that many or most of the American majority of players are not going to have an accurate idea of what Swedish (or to an even greater extent Finnish) culture is like, and won't know much about the Winter War. So if the FRR is going to be stuck with some sort of grossly oversimplified and inaccurate stereotype in the eyes of many players, it might as well be the relatively most awesome one from the small selection they do know.

Of course, within the FRR I think a lot of us are well aware that we're much more awesome than mere Vikings, but a longship carrying raiders is a reasonable parallel to a dropship carrying mechs and let's face it- if you say 'Nordic warriors' to most people they are only going to think of one thing...

[Welkin Gunther]

Faenwulf, on 24 August 2012 - 10:43 AM, said:

If a Capellan says so, it must be true.

We're about as viking as Capellan is fair, so yeah, the cap is right.

[DragonsFire24SS]

I love swedish chef!!!

[Dirus Nigh]

Welkin Gunther, on 24 August 2012 - 10:37 AM, said:

What about the FRR being part Finnish?
http://en.wikipedia....wiki/Winter_War

T
hat seems both more FRR and way more awesome than vikings.

The Fins gave Stalin a real fight. It was heroic and totaly bad ***.

However do you really want peaple to remember that Finland was an ally of **** Germany? The winter war was just another front in the greater conflict of WW2.

[Welkin Gunther]

Dirus Nigh, on 24 August 2012 - 09:08 PM, said:

The Fins gave Stalin a real fight. It was heroic and totaly bad ***.

However do you really want peaple to remember that Finland was an ally of **** Germany? The winter war was just another front in the greater conflict of WW2.

*sigh* You have a point, but to be fair, vikings weren't heroes either. I'm kinda surprised that the filter blocked that 2nd word that was blocked out :/

[Faenwulf]

The Filter is very strict. It even blocks other languages than english. Nobody can abbreviate my name for example. Just because 'f-aen' means d-evil ( yeah, thats blocked, too) in norwegian. O_o

That said: No, the vikings weren't 'heroes'. But really, who was? The hero is the person who wins a war, but that doesn't make him innocent.
Real heroes only exist in myths and legend, and just because we want them to.

[Teh Hobo]

http://en.wikipedia..../Cnut_the_Great
http://en.wikipedia....lphus_of_Sweden

"Viking" or "swede", it doesn't really matter does it?

[tommilator]

I think the Viking concept translates well to future MechWarriors being ferried by jump and dropships, to wreak havoc, raid, pillage and salvage.

[Alex Wolfe]

Sat. Aug 25, 3049:

First Elected Prince Haakon Magnusson publicly refutes claims of the Free Republic's alleged "vikingdom", calling them "just malicious foreign propaganda".



The prince also took a moment to invite foreigners to "visit the peaceful Republic, to experience for yourself the beauty of the Rasalhague fjords, ride one of the Republic's famous DrakkarShips and taste the exquisite hollowed-skull-served ale with SPAM".

Edited by Alex Wolfe, 25 August 2012 - 01:33 PM.

[tommilator]

http://www.youtube.com/v/Uc9lTR_OV2M

Warriors of Genghis Khan. Now If old Genghis hadn't been landlocked he would have made a great viking. At least they sport the historical accurate helmets in this video.

[Kelb]

Okay, first this is a game, meant for fun. If I wanted to go historically accurate I would go Marik because I'm an American.

In the game mythos The FRR is the most conquered nation in the IS, would you rather be known as Space Vikings or Poland?

I am not trying to insult Scandinavians or Polish peoples here. Just trying to put things in perspective.

[Viper123_SWE]

I'm okay with us being space Vikings, as a Swede i find being called Viking 100% more cooler then having someone that says "Oh look, IKEA!"

[Kelb]

You know I never put that together. The decedents of Vikings came up with IKEA. You guys really are mean to everyone aren't you?

[Viper123_SWE]

Depends, will you buy our furniture?

[firequill]

Rovdjuret, on 31 August 2012 - 01:44 PM, said:

I'm okay with us being space Vikings, as a Swede i find being called Viking 100% more cooler then having someone that says "Oh look, IKEA!"

Or how about the one i was slapped with the other day by an aussie: "socialist,limpwristed, genderless ultrafeminist!"


I'm neither of those myself, but most would fit several or all parts of that description.
(or maybe that's just the journalists, hehe)


Can't really argue though, if half the crazy stuff that happens here would get noticed abroad the rest of the world would prolly wall us in and call it the largest looney-bin on the planet.


So i'll just stick to Space-viking TYVM.

Oh, and to tie in to the OP's question, it's a romantic stereotype of any nordic folks..
vikings, mead, beer, helmets (with horns, GRRRR) , badasses and beautiful women.

I'll gladly be stereotyped as such.. except for the horned helmets....



p.s i demand a profile option that says "viking from space" instead of sweden.

Edited by firequill, 31 August 2012 - 02:43 PM.

[Speed84]

When we think of Scandinavians and fighters. Vikings is often the first that comes to most minds.

I to want the "viking from space" profile option.

[Strum Wealh]

Welkin Gunther, on 23 August 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

I've been reading a lot of the FFR forums, and I've noticed a rather odd trend, that is to say, almost everyone thinks that the FRR are a bunch of space vikings. I personally don't get where this mentality came, mostly because the FRR is the most passive and neutral state; we are even more passive than Steiner. The FRR always seems more like space Sweden to me. I'm really just curious, and am wondering if anyone could explain to me how this view came to be. Is it just from the Nordic background of the state? Or was there something in the lore that I missed? Or does it have to do with the Kurita background?

Personally, I think the FRR was actually based more on the Swedish Empire (given the latter's Nordic background, form of government (a constitutional monarchy), and both having Lutheranism as their predominant religion) than on the Vikings (or, rather, the romantic (mis)interpretations thereof).

Though, I suspect that the "space Viking" issue comes from most people not realizing that there was a Swedish Empire (from 1611 to 1721), but many, many people are at least passingly-familiar with who and what the Vikings (from 793 to 1066) were, so anything that invokes Nordic imagery tends to be more readily associated with the latter than the former.

Your thoughts?

[Aodr Arnarson]

I'll admit, I know very little of the Swedish Empire that you just mentioned.

Although if someone calls another person a viking or any variation of, it's hard to imagine how that would be a bad thing. Being that from my experience, it's reserved for big, burly, blond folks. Or burly gingers. So the FRR and Scandinavians in general being associated with it doesn't at all seem to be a bad thing.

Edited by Aodr Arnarson, 10 September 2012 - 08:40 AM.

[Alex Wolfe]

Aodr Arnarson, on 10 September 2012 - 08:37 AM, said:

I'll admit, I know very little of the Swedish Empire that you just mentioned.

Here's basically everything you need to know about the Swedish Empire, contained in this set of ancient viking runes:

내 호버크라프트는 장어로 가득 차 있어요

Edited by Alex Wolfe, 11 September 2012 - 03:32 AM.