#“bad final fantasy game” from 2016(?) my beloved ...

[v-rtue]

⠀Aranea Highwind Layout.

For @lavendergalactic &&. @llocket's event. Prompt : your fictional childhood crush.

This is F2U with Cred. RB Appreciated.

The joke headers were for real my honest to god live reaction to her boss fight when I first ever played FFXV.

[runicmagitek]

tagged by the lovely @wingsyouburn - thanks bb! 💕

How many works do you have on AO3? 209?? I'm sorry what????

What’s your total AO3 word count? 958,942??? HOW????????????

How many fandoms have you written for and what are they? *cackles* Oh sweetheart, sit down. We're gonna be here for a while.

According to my AO3 account, I have 54 different fandoms tagged. Most of them are for video games, but the occasional anime sneaks in now and then. I also have a few MCU fics, one book fic, and a podcast fic. My most prolific fandom is Final Fantasy VI with 50 fics.

What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Wings of Valor and Compassion (Pharah/Mercy - Overwatch)

No Safety in Desire (Urbosa/Zelda - Legend of Zelda)

Give Them Something to Talk About (Dina/Ellie - The Last of Us)

Finally, Beautiful Stranger (Aeris/Tifa - Final Fantasy VII)

Don't Bring Your Black Heart to Bed (Thanatos/Zagreus - Hades)

Glad to see everyone enjoying my quality gay shit. Also very amused that out of these five, three of them were from last year.

Do you respond to comments, why or why not? I do! Or I at least make a solid effort to do so! I usually can't really sit down to properly reply until the weekend, unless it's something super quick I can shoot off on my phone, so I hope people don't mind the wait.

What’s the fic you’ve written with the angstiest ending? Depends on the flavor? For straight-up Bad Ending vibes, absolutely Limbo (I really need to crack out another horror fic, because I love those, even if the majority of fandom doesn't). For right-in-the-feels vibes, Waiting for the Dust to Settle was a recent one I did that just sucker punches you with bittersweet Oh No goodness. It also reminds me of In Another Perfect Life, which ends on a similar note. *squints* actually, these are all for Final Fantasy VIII, which is saying a lot about... something lol

Do you write crossovers? If so what is the craziest one you’ve written? Um... not really? I don't think I have? At least not in the traditional sense where characters from Fandom A interact with characters from Fandom B. I have written some fusion crossover stuff. If You Had Life Eternal comes to mind, where I took Jaina and Kael from WoW and plopped them in Diablo's setting, because reasons.

Have you ever received hate on a fic? I had someone leave a super homophobic comment on one of my Pharmercy fics back in the day, which like... dude, are you lost?? I've also gotten some general weird comments that have little to nothing to do with the fic. I do remember someone on FFN commented saying that I needed Jesus on one of my witch-y fics. Sigh.

Do you write smut? If so what kind? Yes. The delicious kind (I hope).

Have you ever had a fic translated? Probably?? I've had a handful of people over the years ask to translate my stuff, but I haven't seen anything pop up on AO3.

Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope.

What’s your all-time favorite ship? LIKE JUST ONE???? My brain fluctuates when it comes to this, but I definitely have a type or two I always gravitate towards. The most recent addition is Keitaro/Natsuno (13 Sentinels), which lives in my head rent-free from now until I die. I also always find myself coming back to Celes/Setzer (FFVI) and Aeris/Tifa (FFVII).

What’s a WIP that you want to finish but don’t think you ever will? A bunch of 2016 drafts I started and then dropped when my life imploded. I've yet to revisit any of them and I'm not sure if I ever will at this point :\

What are your writing strengths? Apparently sneezing out 7k words without breaking a sweat.

What are your writing weaknesses? Sneezing out 7k words without breaking a sweat *sobs in a corner* ALSO TITLES I HATE TITLES

What are your thoughts on writing dialogue in other languages in a fic? I'm... not sure I fully understand what this means? Like having characters speak in another language randomly? I did this sparingly in Darkness/Starlight, where I had Jidoor be a blend of French and Italian, thus giving Setzer an appropriate accent and the occasional French comment. I didn't translate those into English, because the POV character (Celes) wouldn't have understood what was being said. Plus any time Setzer did dip into it, he was speaking from the heart, but was too afraid to actually TELL her. So if anyone had half the mind to translate those bits, they'd find out Setzer said the most touching things to her in French.

ANYHOW. I honestly don't really do this much, especially when a handful of my fandoms are Japanese and I'm writing in English and we're just assuming everyone's talking in Japanese so... yeah. Take it or leave it, I guess.

What was the first fandom you wrote for? Like when I was 10??? A crossover between Sailor Moon and Final Fantasy VII because FUCK YOU I DO WHAT I WANT.

What’s your favorite fic you’ve written? You're killing me, smalls, and I ain't picking just one.

Darkness/Starlight is forever near and dear to my heart for being a labor of love for such a small, old fandom and my beloved rarepair.

Learn to Fly is one I love for the amount of research I put in (I replayed Pyre and took so many notes on both Ti'zo's and Rhae's speech patterns to get them just right) and the delightful, yet bittersweet messages it exudes.

Long Journey Home is another favorite, because I poured my heart into it and it's got one of my favorite lines and ending.

Of What's Left of Us and Who We Used to Be was my attempt at evoking the surreal, yet heartwrenching vibes from the series and again, I also poured my heart into it.

Before We Have Another Chance to Go Loving was me cramming a massive longfic idea I had in my head forever into a small triple drabble series and it's forever canon in my heart.

The Lies We Tell Ourselves is my most recent fic I've published, which I wrote/edited/polished in four days, but I'm tickled pink with how it turned out.

tagging: @dvske @deemoyza @rosemochi @fury-brand @aliatori and any other writers who feel like swiping this! No pressure, as always 💕

[temporoyales]

I got tagged in two get-to-know-me memes from @ooowyn!

Text below cut:

🎵 first 10 shuffled songs 🎵

Pride of a Nameless Hunter - Monster Hunter World

Waiting for Love- Avicii

Bad Cinderella- Andrew Lloyd Webber

Code Vein

The Top- Ken Blast

Forever Young- Symbol

Daughter of the Dark God- Octopath Traveler

I See Fire- Ed Sheeran

The Maker’s Ruin- Final Fantasy XIV

This is Gospel- Panic! At the Disco

30 Questions

1. name or nickname: deb

2. gender: no <3

3. star sign pisces

4. height: 5′1

5. time: EST

6. bday: nope

7. fav band(s): fall out boy im sorry idk any other bands

8. fav solo artist(s): nope

9. song stuck in your head: one hour long relaxing animal crossing music

10. last movie: The Two Towers (watched this together with friends in a discord call!)

11. last show: the mandalorian season 1 (mando my beloved)

12. when did i create this blog: haha. this was a hoarded url from around 2016 so yeah, it’s that old. my original one is turning 10 this year.

13. what do i post:  my extremely self indulgent art! it’s originally meant to be used as an archive for my LOTR/Hobbit works. also for reblogging other artworks I like and funny memes

14. last thing i googled: freezer tickets monster hunter world

15. other blogs: too freaking many. my main is @andurile​ but it hasn’t been updated in almost two years

16. do i get asks: yes! most of them are for art requests... i’ve got to get to work on them ._.

17. why i chose my url: extremely obscure but it used to be the name of one of the best melee form mods in warframe and went for a very high price. idk anything about the game now this was years ago 

18. following: 32 blogs !

19. followers: 72 (hello…………)

20. avg hrs of sleep: around 8-9 hours

21. lucky no.: 15

22. instruments: i was a professional pianist and played in orchestras with the violin! I quit though

23. what i’m wearing: hoodie

24. dream job: artist and teacher (scored half of them irl)

25. dream trip: going back to Japan and exploring it at my leisure

26. fave food: my mum’s cooking <3

27. nationality: none

28. fav song: the OST of Your Name rn

30. top 3 fictional universes i wanna live in: none

[doneses]

Final Fantasy Influences in RWBY

So it’s no secret that Monty Oum was a huge fan of the Final Fantasy series. As someone who’s also a huge fan of the series I thought it’d be fun to explore a lot of the things I think RWBY drew inspiration from. There’s not really much of an order to this, just various things I’ve noticed. This is also just my opinion on things so don’t take it too seriously. (I won’t be including stuff from FF15 since that was not out yet at the time RWBY was started and the stuff similar to it are most likely coincidence.I’m also only counting the stuff from the core series as those are the ones I am the most familiar with.)

Gardens/Seed- Academy/Huntsmen & Huntresses

In both FF8, and in RWBY, the main characters start their journeys at an academy that specializes in the training of powerful mercenaries: SeeD and Hunters. They have a similar age range (15-19 in FF8. 17-21 in RWBY), and both schools have rigorous and dangerous exams that the main characters have to survive and pass in the beginning of the story. They both also have a dance in the relatively beginning of the story. They also both have a uniform that the characters wear on occasion.

Shinra Electric Power Company- Schnee Dust Company

Now I actually noticed something neat that I never noticed with Shinra, that they can be abbreviated to SEC, similar to how the Schnee Dust Company is commonly abbreviated to SDC.

In both RWBY and FF7, these two companies are powerful and villainous and have made their fortunes by mining a natural resource that is used for fuel, and to give people magical abilities. Both the SDC and SEC engage in military action (Turks and SOLDIER with the SEC and providing/developing mechs for the Atlesian military for the SDC), and experimenting on monsters (the Armored Gigas in the White trailer being a Geist Grimm experiment according to the manga).

Materia- Dust

It’s a naturally occurring resource in the world that is used to give the characters magical abilities and is crystalline in design. Materia is name dropped by Monty when explaining what Dust is.

AVALANCHE- White Fang

A terrorist group with a white and red banner that has a history of warfare with the evil megacompany of their worlds. Main characters from both series are members (or former) members of the group, and both had/have a large burly man as their leader. Only major difference is AVALANCHE is an eco-terrorist group and presented as heroes while the White Fang are a racial terrorist group and presented as villains.

Crystals- Relics

Four powerful macguffins that the protagonists and antagonists are both after that can give them a ton of power and can change the world.

Al Bhed/Viera- Faunus

Al Bhed are a minority group who face persecution and have a unique genetic trait. In FF10 and in RWBY one of the main characters is secretly of this ethnic group and has to deal with racist behavior from one of their team mates.

Viera are literally bunny girls. While the al bhed have more in common with the faunus in story, the viera are closer in appearance.

Summoning- Schnee Semblence

Now there are a lot of Summoners in FF but Monty was known for his love of FF10 and of Yuna and I think that’s who’s summoning ability Weiss’ abilities are based off of. Yuna is capable of summoning dead spirits that take the form of Aeons and uses them in battle. Weiss, and other Schnees, can summon enemies that they have killed and have them aid in combat. Yuna’s summoning and Weiss’ also seem a lot more of a closer bond then say, Rydia or Eiko’s  were or the ones were summoning is just a job class.

Aerith’s Death- Pyrrha’s Death

An extremely shocking and brutal death scene of a beloved female character that is used to spur the protagonists to action and kick start the larger segments of the story.

Sin-  Ancient Grimm

Not a lot of similarities, other then they ‘shed‘ smaller enemies and are huge and capable of decimating cities if they want to.

Uncomfortable Laughing Scene

Yeeeeeaaaah, those scenes are cringey. I took from it that Ruby was struggling to keep her composure at seeing something that reminded her of Pyrrha after watching her die and started to laugh obnoxiously to cover up her issues, similar to how Tidus had his uncomfortable laughing scene to cope with his own issues. Or maybe that Ruby scene was meant to be funny and bunny jackets are hilarious, who knows.

Auron- Qrow

Red and gray color scheme, drunks, and a father figure to the main character, alongside using a similar weapon as the character they watch over.

Tifa- Yang

A bare knuckle brawler who’s a childhood friend of the main protagonist, is the team mom, and objectively considered the ‘prettiest‘ character of the main cast. Both are also fans of butt capes, given Yang’s timeskip outfit and Tifa’s Advent Children outfit.

Kefka- Tyrian

Now this one’s a bit of stretch and I really hope they don’t pull a Kefka with Tyrian late on in the story but here we go.

They’re both the insane right hand of the (apparent) big bad of the story, both have a flair for the dramatics (Tyrian’s theatrical behavior during his fight scene and well, just look at Kefka). Both also have an insane laugh and boy do they like to laugh.

Quistis- Glynda

A blonde, glasses wearing combat instructor at a school for specialized mercenaries. Both wield a bdsm style weapon (whip/riding crop) and are proficient mages.

Zidane- Sun

A blonde monkey man who breaks the law a lot, has a sunny personality, and fights alongside a dark haired princess.

Ruby- Iris

Now I said I wasn’t going to bring up FF15 but this is a unique case. I think this is an instance of RWBY serving as inspiration for FF.

FF15 was in production between 2006-2016. Red Trailer came out in 2012, with Vol1 coming out in 2013. RWBY is very popular in Japan, and I don’t know if there is a way to learn when Iris was added to the game’s production.

Iris is the younger sister of the stronk fanservice character of the game, wears black and red, has a red hood, short black hair, is 15 years old, and grows up to be a famous Hunter; a daemon slayer after the time skip. She’s cheery and happy, and has an interest in mechanical things (her fascination with Lestallum and how it’s maintained). Iris is a hopeless romantic and fights with her fists.

Ruby is the younger sister of the stronk fanservice character of the show, wears black and red, has a red hood, short black hair, is 15 years old, and dreams of being a Huntress; a Grimm slayer. She’s happy and bubbly, and is mechanically inclined, alongside loving weaponry. Ruby doesn’t have an interest in romance and can’t fight without a weapon.

Weaponry

Weiss literally uses a gunblade, and Raven has an odachi. But other then that, most of the weapons in RWBY line up more with Lightning’s style of weaponry in FF13; a melee weapon that transforms and can take a gun form and also collapse for easier storage.

Costumes

Both FF and RWBY thrive on amazing looking costumes that are hella impractical and use way too many belts for a rl person to wear. But damn do they not look amazing.

Setting

Both RWBY and (most) FF have a science fantasy setting, with continents that look really silly.

Soundtrack

Both RWBY and FF love their hard rock and piano’s, and have amazing scores and soundtracks.

Fight Choreography

Saying Advent Children was a big influence on Monty would be an understatement. RWBY’s fight scenes are fast paced, hectic, and make gravity and the laws of physics its bitch. This is hard to explain in written format, so I’d recommend watching a fight scene from Advent Children and then compare it to one from RWBY to see what I mean.

Light v Dark Themes

Recurring theme in a lot of the older FF games, the forces of Light against the forces of Darkness. RWBY has the Light and Darkness Brother Gods myth, and they will most likely play a larger role in the future.

Party of Four

FF games traditionally have 4 (or 3) party members and oh hey would you look at that, RWBY has 4 members. Iirc Monty also said he based the team’s fighting styles off of his preferred rpg team line up. (If anyone has figured out what class Ruby is, let me know ^^)

Strong female characters

I think it’d be easier to name FF female characters who aren’t strong in their own ways. And the entire premise of RWBY is four strong women living their lives and stopping evil, alongside the slew of other notable female characters in the show.

Moon

The moon plays an important role in the stories of FF4 and FF8, and although the moon hasn’t done anything of plot importance, the fact it’s shown so frequently in scenes and is a prominent image in RWBY (alongside how its brought up space travel is still being developed in Remnant) I’m pretty sure it will play an important role in the future.

Parent Issues

A lot of the characters in FF have really bad parents, parent issues, or are orphans. A lot of the important characters in RWBY have really terrible parents, and their issues with their parents playing a role in each member of Team RWBY’s personal storylines. Jecht and Tidus’ relationship being the most famous example from FF of a strained child-parent relationship, and given Yang’s obsession and hatred of Raven, it seems the most likely place of inspiration (alongside Raven and Jecht being antagonists and being involved in the Deeper Lore of their respective universes, and of being members of a team with the parents of one of the other main characters).

So yeah, those are my thoughts about all the stuff I‘ve noticed in RWBY that could have been inspired by Final Fantasy. Hope you enjoyed reading this ^^.

RWBY FF style poster done by digitaleva- https://digitaleva.deviantart.com/

[pioneergender-blog]

Queer Visibility in Critical Role

For a while now Critical Role, a Dungeons and Dragons web series, has been my kind of comfort media. I just lose myself in a fantasy world that's really centered around the friendship of the cast both in and out of game. One thing it really love about CR is the amount of queer visibly in the show. One of my favorite pieces of representation is J'mon Sa Ord, a genderfluid NPC (non-player character) from the first campaign. This was the first genderfluid character I had seen in any kind of media. Especially within the D&D community, which unfortunately can be toxic. CR has always tried to make their community as open and accepting as possible, and part of that is queer visibility. J'mon is among many strong queer characters in Critical Role. From player characters like Mollymauk Tealeaf (Long may he reign) and Beauregard Lionett to other beloved NPCs like Gilmore, Allura, and Kima. All of these characters have been shown to be incredibly powerful and curisatal to the campaign they are in. All around positive representation, but one character that I feel does not get talked about as much is J'mon Sa Ord.    

J'mon is the ruler of the city of Ank'Harel and is also known by the name Devo'ssa, the protector of Ank'Harel, when they assume their true form of an ancient brass dragon. J'mon was first introduced into the narrative when the party was trying to gather enough strength to fall the now three chromatic dragons that had laid siege to their home continent. Originally approaching J'mon for help in the form of in army, once the party learns Devo'ssa is a metallic dragon, which are the natural enemy of chromatic dragons, they ask for the help of J'mon themself. They agreed to join the party's fight and give the heroes a means to call them.

From then on, J'mon because a strong ally of the party's. They helped the party weaken Raishan, the green dragon who was perhaps the most villous of the chromatic dragons. J'mon also gifts the party with resources for their fight and flies them towards the lair of the "Big Bad Evil Guy" of the campaign, Vecna. Finally, J'mon flies in during the final battle with Vecna and from a gameplay standpoint, deals serious damage to Vecna and even makes him use his second to last Legendary Resistance. Since their first introduction, J'mon radiated pure power and always answered the call of the party when they were in need. J'mon was really the first truly powerful genderfluid character I had seen in any sort of media, let alone in D&D. J'mon is never portrayed as evil or having any ill intent towards anyone, always coming in to help the party when they can. Though, part of this is by design as metallic dragons are generally good aligned.

Rebecca Taylor

Sources:

Geek & Sundry. [Geek & Sundry]. (2016, October 18). The Streets of Ank'Harel | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 65 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-Od2lnsiHs&feature=youtu.be&t=15004

Geek & Sundry. [Geek & Sundry]. (2017, February 1). Raishan | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 80 [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jc1pbOVUX0&feature=youtu.be&t=6615

Geek & Sundry. [Geek & Sundry]. (2017, September 13). The Ominous March - LIVE | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 109 [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t7oLhv6HKl4&feature=youtu.be&t=10325

Geek & Sundry. [Geek & Sundry]. (2017, October 18). Vecna, the Ascended | Critical Role: VOX MACHINA | Episode 114 [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-SMrG0QLc0&feature=youtu.be&t=5985

[burgermiester]

My favorite games of 2017

2017 was one of the most exciting years ive ever had in terms of video games.  My two favorite series’ both had releases that I was highly anticipating, a new Nintendo system came out, and I generally discovered a bunch of games that I wound up loving enough that they broke my personal top 20 favorite games list. 

5. I am Setsuna

Whats that you say? This came out in 2016? Well the Switch version came out this year and thats the one I played, so I am counting it.  Anyway, I dont have a ton to say about this game that I havent said already.  It’s greatest strength it its atmosphere.  Between the somber piano pieces and the cold winter setting and the general topics covered by the main and side plots and character arcs, the game is very much pushing a main theme of sadness.  But the game is never really miserable either, its a very mellow sadness that I have never seen another game really go for.  If its spiritual sequel Lost Sphear (coming out next month) has as good of an atmosphere of its predecessor I expect it will be on my list for next year too. 

4.  Valkyria Revolution:

This is not just the most hated game on my list of favorite games of this year but its probably the most hated game I have ever put on a game of the year list.  Even though I love the game I totally understand why its hated.  It committed the cardinal sin of being a part of a cult classic series beloved for its one-of-a-kind combat system yet completely abandoning said combat system in favor of a boring action-rpg battle system.  On top of that, it feels like it has a budget of about 45$ the way it constantly reuses models and environments.  But I still loved it, and if you want to know the secret to my enjoying the game its that I treated it like a visual novel that occasionally wants you to hack and slash.  and I do mean occasionally, theres probably one minute of gameplay for every 25 minutes of story.  So at the end of the day I dont have a lot to say other than it was a story that I personally loved.  I’m a sucker for interesting framing devices in fiction, and I really liked how the story here is told many decades later as a discussion between a teacher and her student where the broad strokes of the narrative are told to the player right off the bat: the good country beats the bad country, the valkyrie gets defeated, but the protagonist and his friends’ plotting is uncovered and they are all executed for treason.  Seeing how these things unfold is exciting in its own way, and watching how the characters’ relationships grow and change with the ending always in mind is quite bittersweet.  If you like visual novels I cant recommend this game highly enough.

3. Fire Emblem Echoes: Shadows of Valentia

A new Fire Emblem game came out this year, so its obviously going to be on my list.  Surprisingly (to me at least) not at number one, but I was always going to be particular about this game considering how much I love Gaiden.  The art, characters, animations, music, and story are all phenomenal, easily my favorite of the 3DSFE games in these regards, but the mechanical changes from Gaiden aside from quality of life stuff like game speed and the turnwheel are all, to me, for the worse. On the spectrum of 3DSFE games I think I liked it more than Fates but less than Awakening.  But even though I dont like it as much as Gaiden, its still amazing and close to the best game I have played this year.

2. Xenoblade Chronicles 2:

Ive started to get the impression that this game is a bit divisive among Xenoblade fans so I apologize if this ruffles some feathers but I think Xenoblade 2 is a real triumph of a sequel that takes almost everything that the original classic did well and builds on it to make it even better.  I loved the story, I loved the main characters, I loved the music, I loved almost all of the rare blades and finally after 3 games I finally really enjoyed the combat.  I do have a few complaints, namely in regards to the weird gatcha system it uses to acquire most rare blades, but overall I cant really quite express how much I enjoyed this game.  And at almost 210 hours, its easily my most played game of 2017. 

1. Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

Oh boy oh boy.  A game that came out in its original form back in 2006 is my game of the year in 2017.  One thing that I need to make clear is that I did not enjoy the original XII.  At all.  I wont get into a whole tirade here but in general I felt that the things it did well were eclipsed by things that were boring and/or frustrating.  Then I heard about the International Zodiac Job System and the massive changes it made to the game, all of which seemed like they would make me love the game.  So I waited for the international version to be released...internationally.  And I waited.  And I waited.  I waited all the way till 2017 when it finally came out in English with the addition of a shiny coat of HD paint on top.  And it was totally worth the wait.  Never in my life have I waited for something for close to a decade and not feel even an ounce of overhype backlash or disappointment except for this game.  So for delivering on hype in a way no game ever has or probably will again, for taking one of my least favorite Final Fantasies and making it one of my favorites, and most importantly just being the most fun game I played in 2017, The Zodiac Age is my game of the year.

[lacquerware]

2017 Recap Part 1: LTTPs

::UPDATE:: Added DARIUSBURST: Chronicle Saviours! 

It’s time we acknowledged there are too damned many games, and too many of them are spectacular. If nuclear war breaks out tomorrow and all video game production ceases permanently, I’ve still got a mountain of unplayed masterpieces high enough to keep me entertained until death, even if I manage to immigrate to an underground survival vault and only die of natural causes many decades later.

Unless that happens, I fear I’ll never even come close to playing ‘em all. I certainly didn’t play all of 2017’s must-plays in 2017. I did, however, catch up on a few greats from years past. Here are my favorite non-2017 games I played in 2017. 

The Last Guardian

Despite spending the better part of a decade acting like an absentee father, The Last Guardian so splendidly averted disappointing me—and on the heels of a year whose running theme was disappointment—that it almost mended some deep, long-broken thing inside my soul—the part that is always whispering, “Expect the worst.” My 2016 sure could’ve used TLG at the end of it, but as it stands, it made for a strong start to 2017. I could follow that sentence with a lot of cynical things about how 2017 turned out, but as far as gaming is concerned, 2017 was one of the most triumphant years in recorded history.

I already wrote at length about my experience with The Last Guardian, but I’ll just reiterate the main takeaway: the game made me feel a personal connection with an in-game character. This is something almost all modern games attempt and fail at (for me). In TLG, connecting with Trico is the game. You achieve the connection through doing and experiencing—not through watching conversations unfold or making superficial dialogue selections. In this way, it demonstrates a base understanding of the merits of the video game medium that I feel many modern games miss. Fumito Ueda’s oft-noted influence from Another World is clear to see here; the action is the story, and Trico and the Boy’s evolving relationship is almost a wholesale recreation of that between Another World’s protagonist and alien buddy (Ico of course did this as well, right down to the hanging cage escape). The Last Guardian and Another World should both be required playing for aspiring designers or anyone who wants to better understand the medium.

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Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag

Ubisoft, to me, is the headquarters of Western game design. I can’t believe how big and feature-rich and user-friendly their games are. They are less “games,” more comprehensive simulations of specific identity fantasies, like “assassin” or “hacker” or “Italian.” They want to let you do everything. 

But also, they want to be the user’s best friend. They will betray their own painstakingly achieved immersion if it means letting the player cram a little more fun into the two hours a week they have to dedicate to gaming between work, parenting, studying, and such. 

That is why in Ghost Recon: Wildlands—ostensibly a game about US grunts gittin’ ‘er done and surviving the Bolivian wilderness—still lets you teleport anywhere at will, or change your loadout or upgrade your arsenal at any time, from anywhere, with no explanation. The explanation is understood: “It’s supposed to be fun.” I respect these decisions. Games are fun when they’re fun.

The problem is that many of their games are peppered with shallow activities which employ the cheap but powerful thrill of checklist psychology, and after awhile all their different franchises start to feel like one ongoing subscription to Highlights Magazine. How many Ubi games are going to challenge me to climb a tower that was designed only to be climbed? Is this any more a challenge than connecting a series of numbered dots in the order they’re numbered?

And yet, part of me still loves climbing those damn towers.

Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag is very much a Ubisoft Highlights Magazine game, but it’s also gaming’s quintessential pirate simulator and as such, one of gaming’s most distinct and necessary sandboxes. Pirates, like cowboys and ninjas and sneaker hedgehogs, were just meant to be a video game premise, and just as Red Dead Redemption did for cowboys, Black Flag lets you live out just about any pirate fantasy Hollywood might have planted in your childhood brain. Until Ubi makes a sequel, that makes Black Flag THE pirate game, as well as Assassin’s Creed’s most deviant installment (full disclosure: it’s the only one I’ve spent significant time with, but I am pretty sure I’m right). Your being an assassin feels like merely a convenient side effect of being a bloodthirsty pirate, leaving you free to focus on more thrilling pursuits like sieging island fortresses and rope-swinging onto enemy ships to singlehandedly thin out their crew to the point of surrender. What a joyous fantasy they have created here.

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Yakuza 5 (and 4)

I bought Yakuza 5 in Japan in 2014 after hearing part of the game takes place in my beloved Nagoya. (Go Dragons!) Well, I sat on that copy of Yakuza 5 until PlayStation Plus subscribers received both Yakuza 4 and 5 for free, and then I sat on it some more. At the start of 2017, as Yakuza 0 released and the series finally started to get the praise it probably deserved in the West, I suddenly remembered that these games were supposed to be good, and that part of 5 takes place in Nagoya, and finally I vowed to play through 5 before the end of 2017. 2017 is ending now, and I still haven’t done that. If I were a yakuza, I guess I’d have to like, lose a pinky joint or something.

I did try. But I figured I should start with Yakuza 4 to minimize my knowledge gap, and then it turned out that these games are tremendously long. Yakuza 4 was pretty fun sometimes, and also malevolently tedious at others. I found myself annoyed with the things I expected to like and quite taken with the things I expected to find insipid. Though the combat had its charms, it also had lots of annoying shit that made it feel bad. Lots of things knock you down, and getting up takes one thousand real-life years. Grappling is almost completely useless after the first couple hours. Critical elements which shouldn’t be locked behind an upgrade wall, are.

On the other hand, the hostess club minigame, which I fully expected to be an embarrassing blemish on the experience which ensured I would never be able to play the game with my wife in the room, turned out to be weirdly tasteful and compelling. I started the tutorial mission with my eyes rolling, and five minutes later my wife and I were having an earnest, spirited discussion about how we should do so-and-so’s makeup.  

Unfortunately, Yakuza 4 suffers from some pretty severe obtuseness. By the time I took control of the third protagonist, I was more interested in pursuing the hostess club subplot than the main storyline (which was surprisingly engaging but simply too long and twisty). But early on in the hostess club questline, a colleague sends you to the streets to hustle for new customers, giving you only the vaguest hints about where to go and what to do. After a full hour of fruitlessly patrolling points A, B, and C in search of anything worthwhile, I just gave up on the whole thing and ended up rushing through the rest of the game. When I finished, I was bewildered to learn that I had only completed “2%” of the game. Two percent?! Welllll fuck it.

Anyway, I did start Yakuza 5 and was delighted at how immediately better it looked and felt than its predecessor. I’m still in the first area with the first protagonist (of freaking FIVE), but the fighting is already more fun, and the dumb side stuff more readily accessible. And above all else, it does something I’ve never seen in a video game: it gives you a car, but demands that you follow the rules of the road. I don’t understand the science or the psychology here--but it’s fun.

Maybe in 2018 I’ll see Nagoya.

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(Image courtesy of Mobygames)

Castlevania Chronicles

I distinctly remember this game reviewing kind of poorly in certain publications, for the crimes of being too hard and too old-fashioned. The reviews also mentioned it was a port and a reworking of a remake of the original Castlevania which had first appeared on something called the X68000, and that was all convoluted enough to scare me away for the next sixteen years, despite very good box art.

I finally checked it out this year after grabbing it on a PSN sale for between one and two bucks, and now it seems to me that the “Arrange Mode” version of the game is actually one of the more fair and visually attractive moments in Classic Castlevania. A nice way to fill the ongoing Castlevania void (though I’m pretty sure that void is permanent).

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DARIUSBURST: Chronicle Saviours

Shoot-‘em-ups are the jazz of video game genres. Without ‘em, none of the other stuff that followed would’ve happened, but you still sound like a boring old dinosaur when you start name-dropping the old hits, and to be any good at them you have to be some kind of crazed savant with a mechanical brain and clockwork fingers. Or at least that’s the image.

Like jazz, shoot-‘em-ups still occupy a tiny, neglected corner of the party like obligatory chaperones. Most of the time they cost too much to convert anyone who isn’t already a fan of the genre, or even secure a sale from anyone with less than a hardcore personal investment in saving them from extinction. At least jazz has public-funded radio to work with. Shmups come out about once per decade per franchise, but the new ones still slip onto shelves at a full $59.99 price point as though they’re just like any other modern gaming franchise. To borrow a jazz lyric, something’s gotta give something’s gotta give something’s gotta give.

DARIUSBURST first came out on PSP, where I guess it was just a standard Darius, meaning you were a spaceship that shot exclusively at flying robot sea creatures. The Vita/PS4/PC upgrade, Chronicle Saviours, is by far the most justified shmup I’ve played of the last couple generations. It is fun, visually slick, digestible, and brimming with fan service for your shmuploving grampa.

I’ve only bothered with the Chronicle Saviours version of the game, which divides everything into little bite-sized branching missions on a progression tree, and every attempt you make awards points which can be used to buy ships, each of which changes the core gameplay mechanics in some way.

I like that the missions are so tiny and boss-centric. Many of them are just bosses, and although you repeat the same bosses over and over, they are such awesome sights to behold and so challenging to master that I am game for the repetition. The bosses also all seem to have variant types similar to Monster Hunter, and come to think of it, this is sort of the Monster Hunter of shmups. Lots of games are now the Monster Hunter of something.

Chronicle Saviours also introduces the “Burst Counter,” a risk-reward mechanic which challenges you to time a beam shot in sync with the enemy’s beam shot. When you succeed, your reward is a clash of beams that makes you feel like a ninja dueling atop a tightrope.

The thing that first sold me on the game—and I’ve never said this before ever—was the DLC. What Taito has done is just released a bunch of content packs which pay homage to beloved shmups of old, divided by publisher. There’s a Sega pack, a Capcom pack—even a Taito pack. Each one gives you access to old ships inspired by all the games that made me a shmuploving dinosaur in the first place—Layer Section, Space Harrier, Section Z, and on and on. And when I say “inspired,” I mean they use the actual names of the games and ships and stick those other games’ shooting mechanics into DARIUSBURST. It’s an unexpectedly explicit and thorough ode to some decades-old classics. Something about seeing a Layer Section logo in HD in 2017 (though Chronicle Saviours came out in 2015) feels like a triumph over the odds, like hearing your favorite unknown band on the soundtrack to a summer blockbuster or hit TV series.

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Earth’s Dawn

In a year in which I failed to play several of the most lauded games which released, including several that I already owned, it is downright silly that I made any time for Earth’s Dawn, which is an indie Japanese niche action title, but on second thought, I’m exactly the person who should’ve made time for Earth’s Dawn. That said, I only played it for a single session. Still, it’s weird and cool enough to deserve mention here, especially since it has been completely invisible since its release to PSN in 2016.

Earth’s Dawn is a 2D action game with bite-sized, quest-based progression and a loot and crafting system, all of which echo games like Monster Hunter. I keep seeing it compared to Metroidvanias, but this is a superficial comparison based solely on its being 2D and having a map. Metroidvanias are about exploration of unknown terrain. Earth’s Dawn is about fighting different enemy types and formations on a series of quickly learnable, compact boards, and getting resources for your trouble. It’s Monster Hunter. More accurately still, it's Mercenary Kings. It's really not Metroid at all. 

The combat feels like many of the recent wave of 2D “jugglers” like Odin Sphere or Shank or The Dishwasher. Honestly, I don’t ask for much more than that, but the game also has some pretty slick, colorful art, and a compelling cherry-on-top twist on its familiar structure: a countdown timer sits at the top of your mission and upgrade hub (just a set of menus), clicking down as you attempt to upgrade your character through missions and crafting. Once the timer expires, you must attempt a “Counter-Offensive” mission, which is a little meatier than your standard missions and culminates with a boss fight. So the game becomes a race to strengthen yourself enough to take on the boss before the timer runs out. This is reminiscent of one of my all-time favorites, Valkyrie Profile, and a clever way to give the entire experience a greater sense of importance and purpose, and also help prevent endless grinding.

Earth’s Dawn is just pretty enough, slick enough, and weird enough. Decidedly Lacquerware.

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Mitsurugi Kamui Hikae

Two things are true of all my favorite combat-driven action games: 1) they give me an actual, literal adrenaline boost, and 2) they would be just as fun in a blank chamber with no such thing as level design.

MKH tests and supports this claim. It makes me wonder if games like Devil May Cry are actually any better for all their exposition and exploration and platforming. MKH is much like other "stylish action" or "character action" games, but dispenses entirely with the levels. All you do is cut suckas on a flat circle of terrain. But the combat is so fun and satisfying, the minimalism just means a faster track to that adrenaline kick. I played through MKH in one sitting and immediately began another. 

2017 was a great comeback year for flashy melee action, but MKH may well have been the only respectable installment in the genre in 2016 (PS4 release). Any fans of the genre would be remiss not to play it.

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Lost Planet 2

I’ve been a vocal LP2 fan since shortly after its release in 2010, so I'm technically not late to this party at all, but I need to toot its horn again. It is one of Capcom’s more misunderstood titles and came right at the brink of Capcom’s several-year-long identity crisis, which caused shit like Operation Raccoon City and DmC to happen (for the record: I love DmC). But I maintain an assertion that much of the game’s criticism was the result of misplaced expectations; people thought they were getting a space marine shooter—instead they got Monster Hunter with rad future shit, but in 2010 everybody here still hated Monster Hunter. I suspect the world is a lot more ready for LP2’s wild ride now than they were then, and the about-to-be-massive-success of Monster Hunter: World is all the proof you need.

I replayed LP2 in its entirety this year. Twice. I’m still unlocking new stuff, and most of it is cool: most recently, I got some grenades that let you open portals where you throw them (kind of like the portal gun in Portal), a shotgun that shoots confetti (and does more damage than any other shotgun), and a whole bunch of goofy dance emotes. I could (and eventually will) gush at great length about LP2, but for now I’ll just say that, yet again, it was one of the most enjoyable gaming experiences of the year. The Lost Planet games are the only internally-developed Capcom games of the previous generation that haven’t been rereleased, so, uh, we can probably expect an eventual rerelease. Yay! If I'm right, this time don’t miss it.

Next up: Bests of 2017!

[weekendwarriorblog]

WHAT TO WATCH THIS WEEKEND August 30, 2019  - Labor Day Blahs

I was trying to decide whether to do one of these this week, because it’s Labor Day weekend, and this is likely to be a particularly short column because I HAVEN’T SEEN ANYTHING! In fact, I’m not even doing my regular Box Office Preview column over at The Beat, because there just doesn’t seem to be much point to it. There used to be a time when studios would release movies over the four-day holiday weekend but not so much anymore, and this is a particularly weak Labor Day with no new movies opening in 1,000 theaters or more. No, it’s more about reexpanding movies already in theaters like Spider-Man: Far from Home in order to try to make more money before the summer is over.  But if this is boring, you can also read my 2019 Summer Box Office wrap-up over at The Beat.

The only new “wide” release is BH Tilt’s latest release DON’T LET GO, a thriller directed by Jacob Estes (Rings) and starring David Oyelowo and Storm Reid from A Wrinkle in Time, and it’s not even opening in 1,000 theaters. It might not even get into the top 10.  Apparently, BH Tilt is now going as “OTL Releasing” but I don’t think this movie has as much buzz as Leigh Whannell’s Upgrade, released by Blumhouse’s distribution branch in June 2018 to make $4.7 million opening weekend and $14.4 million total domestic. I don’t see Don’t Let Goopening that big as its plot is far vaguer, and I think if this make more than $4 million over the four-day holiday, it would be considered a coup since it’s only playing in less than 1,000 theaters. Who knows? I might even go see it on a lark.

Interestingly, there are two foreign language films from other countries (because as hard as it might be to believe, they speak other languages in other countries!) getting moderate releases this weekend: Sujeeth’s Bollywood action-thriller SAAHO (Yash Raj Films) and from Mexico, Ariel Winograd’s Spanish language TOD@S CAEN released by Lionsgate’s LatinX division Pantelion Films. I will be the first to admit that I’m not the best person to gauge interest in either movie because they’re not my communities, so I rarely see much marketing for these films.

Opening on Thursday, Saaho actually looks pretty cool, and if I can find three hours of time over Labor Day, I might actually check it out. It’s being released in three languages versions: Hindi, Telugu and Tamil, all with English subtitles, and that seems very groundbreaking, and it will also be in IMAX theaters. This could be another hit for Yash Raj ala the “Dhoom” series—Dhoom 3 opened with $3.4 million in 239 theaters in 2013 -- and possibly the studio’s widest release since 2018’s Thugs of Hindostan.

Check out the Hindi trailer below:

(Oddly, Saaho was supposed to be released on India’s Independence Day August 15, but then was pushed back to American Labor Day. Bollywood films tend to get day and date releases nationwide to avoid piracy.)

Tod@s Caen (pronounced “todos caen” – don’t yell at me! It wasn’t my idea!) stars Omar Chapparo, the hot Mexican star from Pantelion’s hits No manches Frida and its sequel plus How to Be a Latin Lover. No manches Frida grossed about $11.5 million after its $4.6 million opening over Labor Day in 2016 while the sequel opened slightly bigger this past March but grossed less. Latin Lover was a huge crossover success for Chapparo and Pantelion, grossing $32.1 million.  This is likely to be more in the former category and opening in 365 theaters, it probably can make around $3 million or more.

STREAMING AND CABLE

There aren’t many movies I can recommend, but at least I can recommend the new Netflix series THE DARK CRYSTAL: THE AGE OF RESISTANCE, which is a prequel to the 1982 Jim Henson movie that was made quite lovingly using the same puppeteering techniques as well as some of the same designers from the original movie. Plus the series has an absolutely brilliant voice cast that includes Taron Egerton, Helena Bonham-Carter, Anya Taylor-Joy, Alicia Vikander, Sigourney Weaver, Natalie Dormer, Lena Headey, Jason Isaacs, Theo James, Mark Strong, Toby Jones, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Simon Pegg and many, many more. As someone who wasn’t really a fan of the original movie, I found myself quite wrapped up in this series, having watched the first five episodes so far, and I think fans and non-fans alike will dig it.

You can read my interview with the writers over at The Beat.

(Netflix is also releasing a movie called Falling In Love, starring Christina Millan and Adam Demos... but that title... I just can’t!

Amazon Prime will begin streaming its own fantasy series, the very different Carnival Row, starring Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne, on Friday. It’s a steampunk noir crime series in which Bloom is an inspector trying to solve some Jack the Ripper style murders of the city’s fae and puck population, fantastical creatures who act as the city’s slave labor. I didn’t enjoy this nearly as much as it just doesn’t feel like my kind of thing even though I do love Victorian era stuff usually. I think it just hasn’t found its footing in the couple episodes I’ve seen. I also interviewed a few of the actors which will be on The Beat later today.

LIMITED RELEASES

Okay, I definitely lied as I’ve also seen Kim Farrant’s ANGEL OF MINE (Lionsgate), an amazing psychological drama starring Noomi Rapace as a woman whose daughter died but whom thinks that her neighbor’s daughter is actually her own. Also starring Yvonne Strahovski, Luke Evans and Richard Roxburgh, this mostly Australian film is actually a little like the recent After the Weddingin terms of the strangeness of its premise but it’s handled more like a thriller and Rapace gives another stirring performance. It will be in select cities starting Friday, and I recommend checking it out, especially if, like me, you’re a long-time fan of Ms. Rapace.

Never got around to seeing Gavin Hood’s new movie OFFICIAL SECRETS (IFC Films), because I’m such a fan of Keira Knightley, and in this one she plays Katharine Gun, a British intelligence specialist handling classified information in the lead-up to the Iraq War in 2003. She receives a shocking memo from the NSA seeking help in collecting information on UN Security Council members to blackmail them into supporting an invasion of Iraq.

Hannah Pearl Utt’s BEFORE YOU KNOW IT (1091) stars the co-writer/director as stage manager Rachel Gurner who lives in her childhood apartment with her sister Jackie (Jen Tullock), father Mel (Mandy Patinkin) and preteen niece Dodge (Oon Yaffe) above the theater they own and operate. After a tragedy, the two sisters find out their mother, long thought dead (Judith Light) is still alive working on soap operas and they need to come to terms with that. The movie also stars Mike Colter and Alec Baldwin and it opens in select cities.

Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst also has a new movie as director, a thriller called THE FANATIC (Quiver Distribution), starring Devon Sawa from Final Destination and John Travolta. Travolta plays movie fan Moose who is obsessed with his favorite action hero Hunter Dunbar, played by Sawa. With the help of his paparazzi photographer friend Leah (Ana Golja), Moose tries to find Moose as his interactions with the celebrity become more dangerous as Moose becomes more obsessed.

Liam Hemsworth from “The Hunger Games” stars in Malik Bader’s Killerman (Blue Fox Studios) as a New York money launderer who wants to find answers after waking up with no memory and with millions in cash and drugs, as he’s chased by a team of dirty cops. The movie also stars Emory Cohen, Diane Guerrero (“Orange is the New Black”) and Suraj Sharma from Life of Pi, and it’s getting a small theatrical release in select cities.

Now playing at New York’s Film Forum is Marjoline Boonstra’s doc The Miracle of the Little Prince (Film Movement) which looks at the sustained global popularity of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s The Little Prince in the eight decades since it was first published.

Opening in IMAX theaters Thursday and then nationwide Sept 6 is the Chinese animated film Ne Zha (WELL Go) about a young boy with superpowers who must decide between good and evil.

There’s a couple other things but I’m so behind for the weekend that I’m done.

REPERTORY

A few rep things to mention before we get to the regular theaters. The Wachowski’s original The Matrix will be celebrating its 20thanniversary with a rerelease across the nation in Dolby theaters, so I’ll be seeing that Thursday night. The Alamo in Brooklyn is also screening a special 70mm print of Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo, and that’s where I’ll be on Saturday.

METROGRAPH (NYC):

On Friday, the Metrograph will begin screening a 35mm print of Eric Roehmer’s 1986 film Le Rayon Vert, but there lots of series continiung through the weekend including the “Shaw Sisters” series which is fairly interesting so far. Angie Chen’s Maybe It’s Love (1984) plays again on Thursday evening –that’s a weird one—and Ann Hui’s Starry Is the Night (1988) will play tomorrow and Sunday and a few others. If you want to see a weird and really bad but very funny horror film, you have to check out Angela Mak’s The Siamese Twins on Saturday night, plus there’s a few more I haven’t seen. The Metrograph has also expanded its “Godard/Karina Late Nights” series so that you can see Alphaville (1965) and Pierrot Le Fou (1965), both beloved classics, through the weekend, as well as this weekend’s offering to the series, 1962’s Vivre Sa Vie. This week’s Late Nites at Metrograph  is Leo Carax’sHoly Motors (2012) and Satoshi Kon’s Perfect Blue but you can also see the late Japanese filmmaker’s excellent Paprika (2006) through the weekend, as well. This weekend’s Playtime: Family Matinees  is another Ray Harryhausen classic, 1963’s Jason and the Argonauts.

THE NEW BEVERLY (L.A.):

The New Bev ends its month of mostly showing Once Upon a Time … in Hollywood before returning to repertory fare next week, but its Weds. matinee is the 1953 Western comedy Calamity Jane, this weekend’s KIDDEE MATINE is Disney’s The Ugly Dachsund (1966) starring Dean Jones, and then on Monday, you have two chances to see Michael Mann’s 1995 crime-thriller Heat, although you’ll have to see it at 9:30AM cause the usual 2pm matinee is sold out.

AERO  (LA):

Thursday begins a “Sellers and Southern Double Feature” series (?) of Dr. Strangelove (1964) with The Magic Christian (1969), Friday is a double feature of 1999’s Office Space with Kevin Smith’s Clerks(1994) and then on Saturday is a Mad Max TRIPLE Feature of the first three movies: Mad Max (1979), The Road Warrior (1982) and Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome (1985). Sunday is a special screening of Thom Anderson’s 2003 film Los Angeles Plays Itself, and Monday begins Aero’s “Heptember Matinees” series as in Katherine Hepburn, and it kicks off with 1940’s The Philadelphia Story.

FILM FORUM (NYC):

Marty and Jay’s Double Features runs through next Thursday and there are one or two of these double features every day with a mix of classics and esoteric and rare stuff. You can click on the link to see all that’s playing.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER (NYC):

“Make My Day: American Movies in the Age of Reagan” continues up at Lincoln Center through Tuesday with highlights like Robocop, David Cronenberg’s Videodrome, Scorsese’s The King of Comedy and The Last Temptation of Christ, Conan the Barbarian, First Blood and more.

IFC CENTER (NYC)

This week’s Weekend Classics: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is the original, classic King Kong, while Waverly Midnights: Staff Picks Summer 2019 is Office Space (1999) and Russ Meyers’ Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970). Late Night Favorites: Summer 2019 is Aliens, Suspiria and Eraserhead, just in case you missed any of those the dozen other times they’ve been shown.

BAM CINEMATEK (NYC):

Saturday’s “Beyond the Canon” offering is a double feature of Haifaa Al-Mansour’s Wadja from 2012 and Wim Wender’s 1974 film Alice in the Cities. BAM is also showing the second part of its “Programmers Notebook: On Memory”  with offerings like Terrence Malick’s The Tree of Life, Christopher Nolan’s Memento, Kurosawa’s Rashomon, Sarah Polley’s Stories We Tell, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (of course) and more!

MUSEUM OF THE MOVING IMAGE (NYC):

“See It Big! 70mm” will screen Steven Spielberg’s Ready Player One on Friday and Saturday evenigs but ALSO, they’re showing one of my favorite comedies It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World (1963) in 70mm on Saturday afternoon.

ROXY CINEMA (NYC)

Tonight and Sunday, the Roxy is showing the 1965 film Juliet of the Spirits. On Saturday, the theater is showing Agnes Varda’s 1965 film Le Bonheur.

LANDMARK THEATRES NUART  (LA):

This week’s Friday night midnight film is Miyazaki’s Spirited Away.

This weekend, the Egyptianin L.A. is taken over by the Cinecon Classic Film Festivaland you can find out what that consists at the official site.

Next week, New Line releases It: Chapter Two, which I probably will have seen by the time you read this but probably will still be under embargo.

[alonebadman]

Dark Souls Trilogy: World-building, Story, and Rendition

Dark Souls is an incredibly popular dark fantasy action RPG series. Created in 2011 as a spiritual successor to niche hit, Demons’ Souls, the game garnered a cult following. Dark Souls II, released in 2014, became the game that put the series on the map with solid first year sales, mixed reviews, and a suitable DLC story/addition. Dark Souls III, released in 2016, combined the best elements of I and II, returned to the original setting, and for now, closed out the story of the Dark Souls Universe.

More than its brutal gameplay, fancy armors, and quality memes, Dark Souls is considered one of the best “stories” in recent games history. Many fans, myself included, attribute this to its extensive item descriptions, visual storytelling, and quiet but whole character arcs. The game’s lore presents a fully fleshed out Germanic style dark fantasy world. The games all together tell countless millennia of an entropic cycle of forces, sacrifice, and the spectrum of good and evil.

But does Dark Souls as a whole tell a good story? Or is it simply an illusion of clever world-building and the game’s visual experience? I would say yes and no. I’ll break this down game by game.

Dark Souls (2011): The first game in the series. A Twilight of the Gods style story where a millennia ago, strange humanoids discovered the powerful Lord Souls, became walking gods, and overthrew the Dragons. As the gods carved up the world, one race (humanity) was subject to become their servants and vassals. The game’s world follows a relatively traditional dark/high fantasy golden age that lasts for a thousand years. Unlike most fantasy settings though, things go from bad to oh shit by the time the game begins. A hundred years have passed since the appearance of the Darksign, a swirl like mark that brands humans and curses them with undeath. These Undead, soul devouring monsters, are shepherded away to various prisons around the world. The First Flame fades, and you, a nameless undead, are tasked with saving the world.

Dark Souls has a pretty standard 90s fantasy plot: kill several powerful figures, collect a macguffin, and then fight NotOdin/Zeus at the origin of life. That’s simplifying it but that’s the core of DS’s story. As a whole, DS is light on actual narrative but heavy on lore, world-building, and little subplots. There are very few elements that are original (basilisks, skelly men, necromancers, dragons? Pretty much your standard DND setting). However, the game’s rendition of those familiar elements is what makes it relatively unique. You play an Undead, you’re not expected to succeed, the world is dying, and your allies are as crazy or shady as you are. The game doesn’t provide much roleplaying other than yes/no responses, and what people you can attack/kill. Most subplots are quiant and sad but don’t have as much impact as hardcore fans would believe. Some characters have no resolution (Quelaan?), and it becomes irksome. Artorias of the Abyss is actually more satisfying given your role in the world, the supporting cast having small arcs/resolutions, and a genuinely satisfying ending to a standalone story that provides massive setup for the second game. The original game’s two endings are ambiguous and led to fan theories for three years...

Dark Souls II (2014): My favorite of the trilogy. Many fans find II a mixed bag gameplay, lore, and storywise. The reason why Dark Souls II I believe is the best of the trilogy is because it tells its own take on the core myth, develops an interesting setting influenced indirectly by the previous game’s sidestory, and expands upon certain world building elements (The Curse, The Abyss, The Cycle). II follows the story of the latest kingdom to rule the current age. Drangleic is ruled by King Vendrick, a beloved human king who used his strength to subdue foreign giants and claimed a foreign woman as his bride. He built a great kingdom, gained great insight into the soul, and he reigned well. Like before, the Undead Curse arises. Unlike I, the gods are oddly absent. Humans are the dominant race of the age, and it reflects in its setting. Drangleic is built on the ashes of previous kingdoms. Most locations you visit/traverse, are ancient kingdoms conquered, controlled, or left to rot by Drangleic. Most of the enemies are humans twisted by the curse, became demons of their own accord, with a mix of traditional setting enemies like dragons and chaos demons. II’s story is all about humanity, what it means to be human, and what it takes to break the curse. II isn’t perfect. The NPCs are slightly blander save Benohart, Lucatiel, and the memey Gavlan.

However, II’s best NPCs are easily Vendrick and Aldia. Unlike in I where you fight Gwyn, II allows you to meet and actually form a relationship with Vendrick that leads to a pleasant lore/story resolution. Unlike in I, Vendrick is cursed by the time you meet him. He is pitiful and there’s no grand battle like Gwyn. In the Crowns DLC, you mentally travel back in time and meet Vendrick before he hollows. Vendrick is an incredibly sympathetic and nuanced character. Prideful, remorseful, and despondent, he provides a ton of information, commentary, and essentially guides your character to become his successor. Aldia, his elder brother, is very much the same but ties back to I’s plot. He tried to escape the cycle Gywn created but failed. Immortal and undying, he challenges you to look beyond the cycle and perhaps find another path. In the updated ending, Aldia is the final boss of the game. While not a particularly great boss fight, thematically, Aldia is a threshold guardian. He’s curious why you do what you do. You’re not of noble blood, of great fame, you’re a nobody. But as the game reinforces its primary theme, you stand before him, slayer of the Kings of your age, and conqueror of Dark, a man or woman with no great claim, has the potential to inherit the throne. There are two endings: inherit the world’s order (link the fire or become the new dark lord), or, like Aldia and Vendrick, the game’s second ending is one of the best endings I’ve seen in a story, regardless of what medium. It encapsulates the game’s story and themes in a fitting narration by Aldia. There is no real path to breaking the curse, others have tried and failed, but like your mentors before you, you endeavor to seek what lies beyond humanity’s cursed fate. It is a bittersweet ending to a story that does not need a sequel.

Dark Souls III (2016): Set in the final Age of Fire, you are an Unkindled, an Undead who linked the First Flame but was reduced to ashes. Reborn in an unmarked grave, it’s your task to kill and retrieve the ashes of the most recent Lords of Cinders. III is interesting. It feels like what II should have been and II feels like what III should have been. Unfortunately, II’s story is largely downplayed/ignored in favor of I’s Gotterdamung plot. As a whole, III has a slightly better cast of characters but a somewhat weakened plot compared to I and II. While the game returns to the conflict of the gods and humans, it borrows liberally from II’s elements, themes, and conflicts. It feels like Miyazaki took what he wanted from II and repurposed them for III.

III’s cast is a quirky bunch of outcasts, expies, and returning characters from previous games. They are interesting but some have rather boring outcomes, repeated plot elements, and dead end stories like II’s weaker NPCS. The best npc is the game is Yuria of Londor. A founder of the Sable Church, she helps guide you to what is either the best ending or worst, depending on your interpretation. Yuria is a Darkwraith, a follower of Kaathe from I. Despite her ominous personality (killing a would be rival with little evidence doesn’t exactly inspire confidence), she is surprisingly well meaning. If you complete her questline, she becomes devoted to you and implores you to free humanity by becoming a new type of Lord. What III excels at is its final conflict and four different endings. While II still remains my favorite thematic ending, III provides four different satisfying conclusions to the trilogy as a whole. The first in the traditional link the fire, and keep the world running. Same as before, but the flame is very weak. The second ending splits between two endings. One, you let the fire flame finally die, and darkness settles in. It is implied a new flame will ignite one day born of the dim ashes left behind. Some people interpret this as you and the Firekeeper being the only two characters left in the world, which makes zero sense, given humans can and have survived close to the Dark. It is a somber ending but a rather fitting one. The other is the dickhead ending. You kill the Firekeeper, steal the First Flame, and essentially enjoy the end of the world.

The final ending is arguable a conclusion to II’s break the cycle. The Sable Church has weird connotations (true monarch? spouses? It all sound similar to Vendrick and Nashandra’s story but who knows?). After defeating the final boss, you literally become a vessel for the first flame, absorb its power, and stand over the ashes of the first flame. The dying sun turns a dark sun with a white ring, reflecting the Dark Sign. Yuria, your spouse, her sister, and various reused Hollow NPCs bow before you. She implores you to make Londor whole. It is supremely badass and ominous but unfortunately doesn’t give you much closure. It’s clear you’ve broken the cycle Gywn created but at what cost? Once again, Souls’s often ambigious endings are great food for thought but can be frustrating for what was advertised as the final entry in a series.

The two dlcs tell a standalone story that connects back to I’s world myth. It recontextualizes many characters, the history of the world, and provides an explanation for the origin of the curse. The final battle of the DLC is arguable a perfect end to the end. Two nobodies fight each other, both seeking the same goal, at the end of the world. Honestly, it is a very good thematic end to the series as whole.

Dark Souls as a whole is flawed story. It often lacks proper closure, introduces dangling elements never explored, and it’s fill in the blanks storytelling can lead to wonderful headcanons that are none the less fan-fiction. However, Dark Souls is a monomyth. It is extremely similar to the Legend of Zelda. Each game is a sequel to the previous but essentially tells a different interpretation of the monomyth. And this is why Dark Souls exceeds its flaws. Each game tells a different version of the core story. It is similar to traditional myths from antiquity. Dark Souls is not a perfect story but it is an interesting one that tells three different versions of the same story. It is also a great rendition of high fantasy juxtaposed with the Dying Earth.

[entergamingxp]

The 10 Games You Shouldn’t Miss in 2020

January 10, 2020 10:30 AM EST

With releases like Cyberpunk 2077, Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon, and Doom Eternal, 2020 will be a solid year to end this console generation.

New year, a new list of game releases to look forward to. With 2020 being the last year that the PS4 and Xbox One are the industry leaders, the games that release in the coming months will push each system to its full potential. Heck, some of these games may possibly be the best we’ve seen since this console generation started in 2013. As such, here’s a brief list of games you should not miss when they launch this year. That is if we don’t see any delays…

Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon

If there is one thing the DualShockers staff learned during our game of the year deliberations for 2019, it is to not sleep on Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio. Yes, the makers of Judgment, our surprise game of the year winner for 2019, is making the next iteration of its popular Yakuza franchise: Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon.

However, unlike past Yakuza games, this will not feature the action-adventure gameplay you’ve become accustomed to since the first entry launched back in 2005. Instead, it completely deviates from its action-heavy roots, featuring turn-based mechanics. It will also star a new protagonist, Kasuga Ichiban, rather than Kazuma Kiryu. If you haven’t played any of the previous Yakuza entries, Yakuza 7: Like a Dragon may be a perfect introduction since it is seemingly wholly different than its predecessors.

Granblue Fantasy Versus

If you’ve followed my ramblings on DualShockers, you will know I am a fighting game nerd. Mortal Kombat 11, Samurai Shodown, Dragon Ball FighterZ, and Tekken 7 are among my favorite games of the generation. So, it makes sense I would add Granblue Fantasy Versus to this list.

It’s hard not to be excited about a new Arc System Works fighting game. Between Blazblue: Cross Tag Battle, Guilty Gear Xrd, and Dragon Ball FighterZ, the Japan-based developer have put out some bangers in the fighting genre. With its 2.5D animation, at the very least, it will be a gorgeous game as you get stomped during all those online matches. I’m not speaking from personal experience. Not at all…

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Okay, this wouldn’t be a DualShockers list without a Square Enix RPG. So, I present to you Final Fantasy VII Remake.

To be quite frank, the game speaks for itself. Final Fantasy VII Remake is a retelling of one of the most beloved and influential games of all time. However, rather than the turn-based gameplay of the original, this remake will be much more action-oriented. This will allow you to control Cloud Strife and his fellow rebels more deliberately. Along with its gorgeous visuals, this will surely be one of the biggest titles in 2020.

This first release will not cover the game in its entirety. Yes, there will be multiple parts to Final Fantasy VII Remake. Where this first entry will leave off is still unknown. However, if I were a betting man, I would say it ends when you escape Midgar. (Sorry to spoil a game that is over 20 years old.)

Doom Eternal

Remember when I said this wouldn’t be a DualShockers list if it didn’t include a Square Enix RPG? Well, it also wouldn’t be a DualShockers list if a new Doom game was not on the list. There is an unusual amount of love for the first-person shooter at DualShockers. By ‘unusual,’ I mean totally warranted since Doom (2016) is arguably one of the best games this generation and the Doom franchise is the most influential shooter ever created. This is not bias. This is a fact.

Joking aside, Doom (2016) is a technical marvel. It is such a brilliant showcase with great graphics and frenetic gameplay that rarely hitches, even on consoles. Along with its killer soundtrack, it is one of the best shooters of this console generation. A follow-up to that game is incredibly exciting. Also, who doesn’t want to slay demons to the sweet sounds of Mick Gordon’s rippin’ and tearin’ metal riffs?

Animal Crossing: New Horizons

On the same day the demon-slaying first-person shooter Doom Eternal releases, Nintendo Switch players may opt to commit to an entirely different hell. I’m talking about forkin’ over that cash to Tom Nook in Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

Nintendo’s Animal Crossing series may not be on the same mainstream popularity level as the Super Mario or The Legend of Zelda franchises. Still, it is immensely popular among Nintendo players. Perhaps it’s because it allows the player to escape from their real-life woes by living a second, more carefree life. Maybe it’s just because they like interacting with cute animals, even if that means having to pay a massive debt to a raccoon. With Animal Crossing: New Horizons being the newest mainline entry since New Leaf (let’s not count the mobile version), along with some cool new features, Doom Guy may have finally found his match.

Dying Light 2

This is actually the game I think people are going to sleep on, and regret not picking it sooner once they play it in 2021. Out of any game on this list — maybe except for Cyberpunk 2077 — Dying Light 2 has to be the most ambitious game on this list.

I liked Dying Light, but it didn’t really leave a lasting impact on me. Just from the footage I saw at E3 2018, I am still excited to see how Techland’s newest zombie adventure pans out. Games have had branching paths before, but Dying Light 2 seems to be taking this to the extreme. From the looks of it, depending on the outcome any given quest can change the world significantly. Not just from the look, but how these last remaining groups of survivors interact with one another. It really does look incredible.

Axiom Verge 2

The first Axiom Verge was such an awesome surprise when it launched back in 2015. Even within a crowded genre, developer Thomas Happ not only managed to make a great “Metroidvania,” he arguably made the best one released this generation. It’s H.R. Giger inspired art, fun gameplay, and exciting sci-fi world made Axiom Verge so much fun to play.

With a sequel now slated for this year, this is definitely a game to look forward to. Axiom Verge 2 was revealed during Nintendo’s Indie World showcase with a new trailer. Deviating from its 8-bit inspired art style in the first, the sequel will have a much brighter look and a completely different pixelated art style that still impresses. If Axiom Verge 2 is equally as good as its predecessor, this will be a game you will not want to miss.

Ghost of Tsushima

The last time we saw a proper game from Sucker Punch was in 2014 when the studio launched inFAMOUS: Second Son for the PS4. Depending on who you talk to, it was either a solid showcase for the PS4 at the time or not the studio’s best work. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be excited about their next game: Ghost of Tsushima.

This is the first time Sucker Punch will be working on a new IP since inFAMOUS launched back in 2009. While there isn’t much known about the upcoming game, Ghost of Tsushima looks incredible. Just look at that trailer above. It is unreal that those visuals will be coming from a PS4. The same way The Last of Us was sort of the pinnacle of PS3 titles, I think Ghost of Tsushima will be that for the PS4.

Session

Look, beggars can’t be choosers. The much-demanded follow-up to EA’s Skate franchise doesn’t seem to be skating its way to consoles any time soon, if at all. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t great alternatives to the beloved skateboarding simulator. That is where Session comes in.

Developed by Creature Studios (stylized as creā-ture Studios), Session really embraces its simulation gameplay. While Skate is more approachable, with a control scheme that takes about 30 minutes to get comfortable with, Session can be incredibly challenging to play. However, that doesn’t make it bad, by any means. From the few hours I’ve played, every moment is a learning experience. The real-life grind of skating a single spot for hours to hit a line perfectly is exceptionally exemplified, which will either entice or scare people. As someone who used to skate regularly, this is what I’ve been looking for.

Cyberpunk 2077

Last, but certainly not least, we have Cyberpunk 2077. Developed CD Projekt Red, the Polish studio’s newest adventure looks unbelievable. In many ways, this is the game I’ve been waiting for since I first watched Blade Runner. Dingy dystopian setting? Check. A protagonist with a cool jacket? Check. Androids? Also, check. And that is really all you need to intrigue me.

Cyberpunk 2077 seems so vast. And if it’s any larger than The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, it will be almost intimidating for me to even start. That being said, this game is going to be a spectacle and something I cannot possibly miss. If Cyberpunk 2077 can maintain the quality the studio is now known for, it will be a solid “swan song” for this current console generation.

Of course, these are just a few games you may not want to miss in 2020. Essentially, once March begins, we are going to be bombarded with a ridiculous amount of potentially quality titles. Some of which may have been exempted from this list. Which begs the question, what games are you looking forward to this year? Let us know in the comments below!

January 10, 2020 10:30 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/01/the-10-games-you-shouldnt-miss-in-2020/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-10-games-you-shouldnt-miss-in-2020

[benrleeusa]

[Ilya Somin] The Politics of Game of Thrones Revisited

The imminent start of the final season of Game of Thrones is a good time to consider the series' political message, and reprise some of my work on that subject. Plus, a discussion of the political economy portrayed in George R.R. Martin's recently published prequel to the series.

The final season of the of the hit TV series Game of Thrones begins this weekend, on April 14, ending a long wait that began when Season 7 ended in 2017. One of the many interesting aspects of the series and the books by George R.R. Martin on which it is based, is the attempt to address a variety of political issues. While some might consider it frivolous to assess the political message of a fantasy show, it's worth remembering that far more people consume science fiction and fantasy media than read serious nonfiction analyses of political issues. And social science research indicates that science fiction and fantasy, such as the Harry Potter series, can even have a significant influence on fans' political views. At the very least, discussing the politics of Game of Thrones is less painful than analyzing the much grimmer politics of the real world! Valar morghulis - "all men must die" - is all too true. But at least we can have some fun with fictional political economy first!

Over the last several years, I have written a good deal about the politics of Game of Thrones. My most extensive analysis is a 2017 article focusing on what it might take to fulfill Daenerys Targaryen's vow to "break the wheel" of Westeros' awful political system:

In a famous scene in Season 5 of Game of Thrones, Daenerys Targaryen compares the struggle for power in Westeros to a spinning wheel that elevates one great noble house and then another. She vows that she does not merely intend to turn the wheel in her own favor: "I'm not going to stop the wheel. I'm going to break the wheel."

In the world of the show, Daenerys's statement resonates because the rulers of Westeros have made a terrible mess of the continent...

Daenerys's desire to "break the wheel" suggests the possibility of a better approach. But, what exactly, does breaking the wheel entail?...

Even in the late stages of... Season 7, Daenerys seems to have little notion of what it means beyond defeating her enemies and installing herself as Queen on Westeros's Iron Throne....

Unlike most of the other rulers we see in the series, Daenerys has at least some genuine interest in improving the lot of ordinary people. Before coming to Westeros, she and her army freed tens of thousands of slaves on the continent of Essos. She delayed her departure from Essos long enough to try to establish a new government in the liberated areas that would — hopefully — prevent backsliding into slavery.

Nonetheless, it is not clear whether Daenerys has any plan to prevent future oppression and injustice other than to replace the current set of evil rulers with a better one: herself. The idea of "breaking the wheel" implies systemic institutional reform, not just replacing the person who has the dubious honor of planting his or her rear end on the Iron Throne in King's Landing. If Daenerys has any such reforms in mind, it is hard to say what they are....

Daenerys's failure to give serious consideration to institutional problems is shared by the other great leader beloved by fans of the show: Jon Snow, the newly enthroned King in the North. Perhaps even more than Daenerys, Jon has a genuine concern for ordinary people....

Perhaps to an even greater extent than Daenerys, however, Jon does not have any real notion of institutional reform....

But in Medieval Europe, on which Westeros is roughly based, parliaments, merchants' guilds, autonomous cities, and other institutions eventually emerged to challenge and curb the power of kings and nobles. These developments gradually helped lead to the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, and the economic growth that led to modern liberal democracy. Few if any such developments are in evidence in Westeros, which seems to have had thousands of years of economic, technological, and intellectual stagnation.

The characters in the books and the TV show are not the only ones who largely ignore the need for institutional change. We the fans are often guilty of the same sin.....

Most of us read fantasy literature and watch TV shows to be entertained, not to get a lesson in political theory. And it is much easier to develop an entertaining show focused on the need to replace a villainous evil ruler with a good, heroic, and virtuous one, than to produce an exciting story focused on institutional questions..... Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire is comparatively unusual in even raising the possibility that institutional reform is the real solution to its fictional world's problems, and in making this idea one of the central themes of the story.

However understandable, the pop culture fixation on heroic leaders rather than institutions reinforces a dangerous tendency of real-world politics. The benighted people of Westeros are not the only ones who hope that their problems might go away if only we concentrate vast power in the hands of the right ruler. The same pathology has been exploited by dictators throughout history, both left and right.

It is also evident, in less extreme form, in many democratic societies.....

For all its serious flaws, our situation is not as bad as that of Westeros. But we too could benefit from more serious consideration of ways to break the wheel, as opposed to merely spin it in another direction. And our popular culture could benefit from having more stories that highlight the value of institutions, as well as heroic leaders. However much we love Daenerys and Jon, they and their real-world counterparts are unlikely to give us a better wheel on their own.

Back in 2016, I discussed Game of Thrones/Song of Ice and Fire in an article on the politics of several science fiction and fantasy series where I highlighted the series' skeptical view of political elites. In this 2013 post, I discussed the significance of the "Red Wedding," one of the most shocking and controversial episodes in the history of the series. Back in 2011, when the series first began, I commented on some of the political issues raised by the struggle for the Iron Throne, building on an Atlantic symposium about the series.

In August 2017, I participated in a panel on the politics of Game of Thrones, sponsored by the R Street Institute and the Cato Institute, along with Alyssa Rosenberg (Washington Post), Peter Suderman (Reason), and Matthew Yglesias (Vox). We are hoping to reprise our discussion during the final season.

During the long interregnum between the end of Season 7 and the start of Season 8, George R.R. Martin published the first volume of Fire and Blood, the history of House Targaryen's rule over the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. The book predictably divided fans, many of whom would have preferred that Martin finish the long-awaited Winds of Winter instead. But I thought it was fascinating. At the very least, it did provide a lot of information about Westeros' political system. Here are a few examples (with spoilers largely avoided):

1. Even when the king is both competent and relatively well-intentioned, the political system doesn't function all that well. When he is either malevolent or incompetent, all kinds of disasters happen. And badly flawed kings seem to be more common than good ones. The high frequency of bad kings and the inability of good ones to make much progress is a strong sign that the monarchy's flaws are mostly systemic, rather than the fault of a few flawed individual rulers.

2. Like the Roman Empire, Westeros under the Targaryen kings never developed any generally accepted rules of succession. Thus, civil war breaks out over such issues as whether male offspring of the king take precedence over female ones who are older and/or more closely related. It is also not clear whether the king has the right to designate his own heir, or whether there are laws of succession that he cannot set aside (and if so, what they are).

3. Despite the above, Fire and Blood actually deepens the mystery of why Westeros has had so many centuries of economic stagnation. It shows that the kings invested in useful infrastructure (e.g. - ports and roads) and that there are many sources of investment capital other than the Iron Bank of Braavos. Plus, several of the great houses engage in extensive trade with other parts of the world. All of this should stimulate considerable innovation, growth, and technological progress. Yet very little seems to occur.

4. Fire and Blood makes clear that the stagnation probably is not caused by dragons, despite speculation to the contrary by commentators on the earlier books and TV show. There are never more than about 10-15 domesticated dragons in Westeros at any one time, and they don't seem to be used for anything but warfare and transportation for their riders (mostly members of the royal family). They clearly do not substitute for labor-saving devices or provide transportation for trade. And, while they are powerful battlefield weapons, they are clearly not invincible and their presence should stimulate military innovation, not stifle it.

5. Based on what we see, it is far from clear that Targaryen blood is actually necessary to become a dragonrider. If it is, only a tiny bit seems to be enough. This suggests that the number of domesticated dragons and dragonriders could be greatly expanded. If so, dragons could actually help jumpstart the economy! There is a lot they could do to increase Westerosi productivity, if they started to take on jobs other than killing people and transporting VIPs.

6. Women are clearly second-class citizens in Westeros. But they seem to have higher social status and more autonomy than their real-world medieval equivalents. We even see a number of cases of them entering male-dominated professions, including warfare. This further deepens the mystery of Westerosi stagnation, as relatively freer Westerosi women should be more productive than those of medieval Europe, yet this does not seem to result in much increased growth.

Perhaps we will get more insights on the politics of Westeros from Season 8, and George R.R. Martin's long-awaited Winds of Winter. Until then, don't forget that political chaos is a ladder!

[adambstingus]

Magical Summer Has Cubs Fans Hoping For A Curse Reverse

At a crowded Starbucks in downtown Chicago, theres a buzz in the air, and its not just caused by caffeine.

Did you see the game last night? one excited fan said to his friend. Oh yeah, the Cubs crushed the Dodgers! I couldnt sleep the friend responded. A third coffee drinker nearby overheard the conversation, nodded and gave a thumbs up.

  As the Chicago Cubs baseball team battles its way toward the World Series, emotions in the Windy City are on fire.  White flags with blue Ws, signifying win fly from highrise building windows and are posted in businesses across the region. The team logo can be seen in every direction of the city.

“I was born and bred a Cubs fan and I bleed Cubbie blue,” declared 61 year old Blake Deboest, a self-described lifelong fan who works in advertising in Chicago.

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Everyone in my office is talking about the Cubs. It dominates our staff meetings, and a lot of us are wearing blue every day for good luck, added Sheldon Donor, an accountant who works just outside the city.

While its no surprise that fans of a baseball team doing so well would be excited, in the city of big shoulders, the thought of the Cubs even playing in the World Series is almost a fantasy.

Just a few years ago, most people wouldve laughed at someone suggesting it would happen. Wait until next year became a common slogan at the end of every baseball season, for the last several decades.

“True fans live and die by the team, the constant ups and downs are part of being a fan of the team,” Deboest said.

But fans are hopeful that 2016 just might be next year.

“I’m ecstatic, Im truly happy,” exclaimed Deboest. “I really want to see them in the World Series in my lifetime and now I might get the chance.”

Seats in Wrigley Field have become the hottest tickets in town, with some going for thousands of dollars.

Longtime Cubs fan and season ticket holder Lori Boukas set up a shrine in her living room for the Cubs, which includes her World Series tickets, a foul ball she caught at a game, an American Girl doll wearing Cubs gear and other fan memorabilia. She lit candles around it, hoping it will channel positive energy and bring the team luck they havent necessarily had in the recent past. 

While the team has come close to the big series some years, often the Cubs would falter at the end. There wasnt much consistency and fans learned not to expect it. 

What makes this year different is that the Cubs have repeated their dominant playing form all the way through the season.

 Fans are feeling faithful again.

The curse of the billy goat that many blamed on years of losing baseball seasons, may finally be over.

As the story goes, in 1934 a baby goat that had fallen off a truck at Chicagos stockyards wandered into a nearby tavern owned by Greek immigrant Williams Sianis. The goat became a constant companion of Sianis, who considered the animal his lucky charm and named his business The Billy Goat Tavern.  

“He took it to different sporting events, it was his pet,” said John Sianis, who is Williams Sianis great nephew and a bartender at the original Billy Goat Tavern.

In 1945, when the Chicago Cubs last played in a World Series, the older Sianis bought two game tickets, one for himself and one for his goat.   

“Because it was raining the goat smelled extra bad…they would not allow the goat in the ballpark” the younger Sianis explained.

Williams Sianis “was so insulted and hurt he proclaimed the Cubs would never win the World Series again,” John Sianis added. The Cubs lost that 1945 series and have never played in one since, which is considered a record drought in Major League Baseball. 

At first, nobody paid any attention to the tavern owner with the goat, but after so many years of struggling baseball seasons, fans started to believe the curse had actually taken hold.

Over the years there have been several attempts to reverse the curse. 

In 1994, after Sianis death, his nephew Sam, accompanied by Cubs alum Ernie Banks, brought a goat to the ballpark.  The two walked the goat clockwise around the bases, in reverse of the way batters run, hoping the effort would reverse the curse. 

How to change the hometown teams luck is a regular conversation at the original Billy Goat tavern, a gritty, rustic, burger and beer place located in a secluded corner on the lower level of Chicago’s downtown streets. 

The restaurant is best known nationally as the place comedians John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd would hang out, and who later went on to make it the subject of a popular Saturday Night Live skit in the 1970’s.

On Oct. 6, which is the 71st anniversary of the day the curse was made, the Billy Goat Tavern threw a Reverse the Curse party for fans which included a live goat. 

Whatever it takes! shouted diehard Cubs fan David Bonn.

“We have definitely reversed the curse” John Sianis assured devotees. 

But unlike many superstitious fans, the young Sianis doesnt give all the credit for this year’s premier playing year to the goat, “Cubs management is kinda also a big reason.”

For Chicagoans, all the years of waiting for the beloved team to make it to the World Series has made them very energized and hopeful, but cautious.

I have this feeling inside of me like a bunch of fireworks want to go off, but I have to control myself because of the years and years of disappointments, Boukas said.

Well, this year, it actually could be our year, she added with a smile.

Ruth Ravve joined the Fox News Channel (FNC) in 1996 and currently serves as a Chicago-based producer.

from All Of Beer http://allofbeer.com/magical-summer-has-cubs-fans-hoping-for-a-curse-reverse/ from All of Beer https://allofbeercom.tumblr.com/post/169369110812

[fashiontrendin-blog]

How to Wear Knee-High Boots If You Hate Knee-High Boots

http://fashion-trendin.com/how-to-wear-knee-high-boots-if-you-hate-knee-high-boots/

How to Wear Knee-High Boots If You Hate Knee-High Boots

Ten years ago, knee-high boots were so popular you just called them “boots.” They were everywhere, and I hated that, perhaps because I’d developed an impossible-to-explain insecurity about my perfectly-fine calves, and therefore didn’t participate, or maybe because I had an aversion toward their preppy/equestrian aesthetic. Either way, when ankle boots, which I deemed more “city,” finally entered my purview, I was relieved. And when they appeared to replace 90% of tall boots around me within a few years, I was gratified.

Unfortunately, that last 10% persisted a decade on, and my bitterness deepened (a resentment I blamed solely on the boots, not the women who wore them; I loved the women!). But when I started getting sick of my ankle boots some time in 2016, I was shaking in them, so to speak. What could be next? I set my sights on lace-up boots and high top sneakers — anything to ignore the whispers of renewed affection for knee-high boots I heard from the lips of my beloved colleagues (not to mention the runways).

But at a certain point, it became impossible to deny: knee-high boots were back. And probably would be for a while. So, in anticipation of them infiltrating my New York and internet horizon, and to conquer my Pavlovian-like shudder when I see them, I enlisted the help of our Fashion Editor, Harling, who may be the biggest tall boot fan of them all. When I see her wear them, I feel my hateful grasp loosen…but still, I couldn’t begin to imagine them on myself. Below, she found three ways to help me do that, and offered some styling tips, too.

Wear them with a midi skirt

Harling: “I’m a big fan of knee-high boots and wear them with some frequency. Right now, my favorite way to do so is with midi-length skirts and dresses, which is why two of the looks I proposed for Haley incorporate that pairing. That’s my main tip for wearing knee-high boots: Try a midi-length skirt or dress with them. I think it’s less expected than mini-length and also a less abrupt transition if you’re new to the knee-high boot rodeo.”

Find a pair that speaks to you

“If you’re not a knee-high boots person because you don’t identify with their preppy/equestrian connotations, consider a color or pattern or style of knee-high boot that speaks to your personal proclivities, be it purple faux-snakeskin, per above, or slouchy suede with a slight heel. I firmly believe there’s a knee-high boot for everyone.”

Embrace THE LOOK

“The third outfit came about as a result of Haley’s request that I use pants in one of the looks. In the post-skinny jeans era, I’d never really considered wearing pants with knee-high boots because of the baggy knee factor, but Haley reminded me that princess Diana styled herself in this manner on many occasions and not only made it work but made it look EXTREMELY COOL.

So I called in a pair of trousers from Rachel Comey. My advice for styling pants with knee-high boots is to embrace the inevitable billowing. Pretend you’re on the English countryside, or in this case, a Southwestern version of that fantasy courtesy of the oversized jacquard sweater and cowboy-esque boots…”

I never would have put these outfits together! I liked them all, especially the first one, which made me feel like Harling’s evil twin. Now I’m eager to see them in a more boyish/Brooklyn context, too: maybe black leather boots with high-waist vintage Levi’s, a hooded sweatshirt and a blazer? I don’t know if that would work, but the fact that I’m even thinking it feels like personal boot growth.

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Photos by Edith Young.

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[cherita]

11 Sci-Fi & Fantasy Deluxe Edition Books for Gift Giving

Books make for great gifts, don't you think?

Except . . . book lovers have probably already bought or read most of the books they want. Enter the deluxe edition: those fancy, illustrated editions designed especially for gift giving — I mean, I assume that's what they're for, with their gilded edges, pretty pictures, and fall release dates.

If you're searching for the perfect book to give your favorite sci-fi or fantasy reader, elevate your giving with a deluxe, anniversary or collector's edition of a beloved book. Or a hardcover edition instead of a mass market paperback, or a series collected into one volume. Here are 11 such deluxe edition books to get you started in these trying holiday shopping times...

Jump to: Sci-Fi Books || Fantasy Books || Young Adult Books

For Science Fiction book lovers...

Area X: The Southern Reach Trilogy

Jeff VanderMeer

In time for the holidays, a single-volume hardcover edition that brings together the three volumes of the Southern Reach Trilogy: Annihilation, Authority, Acceptance — perfect for fans of dark sci-fi films and books alike, as the Annihilation movie adaptation starring Natalie Portman is set to hit theaters in February.

SYNOPSIS: Area X — a remote and lush terrain — has been cut off from the rest of the continent for decades. Nature has reclaimed the last vestiges of human civilization. The first expedition returned with reports of a pristine, Edenic landscape; all the members of the second expedition committed suicide; the third expedition died in a hail of gunfire as its members turned on one another; the members of the eleventh expedition returned as shadows of their former selves, and within months of their return, all had died of aggressive cancer. This is the twelfth expedition.

Their group is made up of four women: an anthropologist; a surveyor; a psychologist, the de facto leader; and our narrator, a biologist. Their mission is to map the terrain and collect specimens; to record all their observations, scientific and otherwise, of their surroundings and of one another; and, above all, to avoid being contaminated by Area X itself.

They arrive expecting the unexpected, and Area X delivers — they discover a massive topographic anomaly and life forms that surpass understanding — but it's the surprises that came across the border with them, and the secrets the expedition members are keeping from one another, that change everything.

Ender’s Game (Hardcover Reissue)

Orson Scott Card

This engaging, collectible, miniature hardcover of the Orson Scott Card classic and worldwide bestselling novel makes an excellent gift for anyone’s science fiction library.

SYNOPSIS: Once again, Earth is under attack. An alien species is poised for a final assault. The survival of humanity depends on a military genius who can defeat the aliens. But who?

Ender Wiggin. Brilliant. Ruthless. Cunning. A tactical and strategic master. And a child.

Recruited for military training by the world government, Ender's childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School. Among the elite recruits Ender proves himself to be a genius among geniuses. He excels in simulated war games. But is the pressure and loneliness taking its toll on Ender? Simulations are one thing. How will Ender perform in real combat conditions? After all, Battle School is just a game. Isn't it?

Old Man’s War (Hardcover Reissue)

John Scalzi

A perfect gift for an entry-level sci-fi reader and the ideal addition to a veteran fan’s collection, John Scalzi's Old Man’s War will take audiences on a heart-stopping adventure into the far corners of the universe.

SYNOPSIS: John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it to the stars. The bad news is that, out there, planets fit to live on are scarce―and alien races willing to fight us for them are common. So: we fight. Far from Earth, the war has been going on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Responsible for protecting humanity, the Colonial Defense Force doesn’t want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You’ll be taken off Earth, never to return. You’ll serve two years in comb

For Fantasy book lovers...

The Broken Earth Trilogy

N.K. Jemisin

For the Kindle lover, get the complete New York Times bestselling trilogy that began with The Fifth Season (2016 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel) and The Obelisk Gate (2017 Hugo Award Winner for Best Novel), and concludes with this year's highly acclaimed The Stone Sky.

SYNOPSIS: This is the way the world ends...for the last time.

A season of endings has begun. It starts with the great red rift across the heart of the world's sole continent, spewing ash that blots out the sun. It starts with death, with a murdered son and a missing daughter. It starts with betrayal, and long dormant wounds rising up to fester. This is the Stillness, a land long familiar with catastrophe, where the power of the earth is wielded as a weapon. And where there is no mercy.

Edgedancer

Brandon Sanderson

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Brandon Sanderson, a special gift edition of Edgedancer, a short novel of the Stormlight Archive (previously published in Arcanum Unbounded).

SYNOPSIS: Three years ago, Lift asked a goddess to stop her from growing older--a wish she believed was granted. Now, in Edgedancer, the barely teenage nascent Knight Radiant finds that time stands still for no one. Although the young Azish emperor granted her safe haven from an executioner she knows only as Darkness, court life is suffocating the free-spirited Lift, who can't help heading to Yeddaw when she hears the relentless Darkness is there hunting people like her with budding powers. The downtrodden in Yeddaw have no champion, and Lift knows she must seize this awesome responsibility.

The Name of the Wind 10th Anniversary Edition

Patrick Rothfuss 

This deluxe, illustrated edition celebrates the New York Times-bestselling series, The Kingkiller Chronicle—a masterful epic fantasy saga that has inspired readers worldwide.

The anniversary hardcover includes more than 50 pages of extra content; a beautiful, iconic cover by artist Sam Weber and designer Paul Buckley; gorgeous, never-before-seen illustrations by artist Dan Dos Santos; detailed and updated world map by artist Nate Taylor; and more.

SYNOPSIS: My name is Kvothe. I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep. You may have heard of me.

So begins a tale unequaled in fantasy literature—the story of a hero told in his own voice. It is a tale of sorrow, a tale of survival, a tale of one man’s search for meaning in his universe, and how that search, and the indomitable will that drove it, gave birth to a legend.

Neverwhere Illustrated Edition

Neil Gaiman

The #1 New York Times bestselling author’s dark classic of modern fantasy, beautifully illustrated with strikingly atmospheric, painstakingly detailed black-and-white line art by award-winning artist Chris Riddell, and featuring the author’s preferred text and his Neverwhere tale, “How the Marquis Got His Coat Back.”

SYNOPSIS: Richard Mayhew is a young London businessman with a good heart whose life is changed forever when he stops to help a bleeding girl—an act of kindness that plunges him into a world he never dreamed existed. Slipping through the cracks of reality, Richard lands in Neverwhere—a London of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels that exists entirely in a subterranean labyrinth.

Neverwhere is home to Door, the mysterious girl Richard helped in the London Above. Here in Neverwhere, Door is a powerful noblewoman who has vowed to find the evil agent of her family’s slaughter and thwart the destruction of this strange underworld kingdom. If Richard is ever to return to his former life and home, he must join Lady Door’s quest to save her world—and may well die trying.

For Young Adult book lovers...

City of Bones 10th Anniversary Edition

Cassandra Clare 

Celebrate the tenth anniversary of Cassandra Clare’s City of Bones with this gorgeous new edition, complete with new cover art, gilded edges, over thirty interior illustrations, and six new full-page color portraits of everyone’s favorite characters! Also includes the Clave’s official files on some of the series’ most beloved characters, written by Cassandra Clare.

SYNOPSIS: This is the book where Clary Fray first discovered the Shadowhunters, a secret cadre of warriors dedicated to driving demons out of our world and back to their own. The book where she first met Jace Wayland, the best Shadowhunter of his generation. The book that started it all. A perfect gift for the Shadowhunter fan in your life.

A Darker Shade of Magic Collector’s Edition

V.E. Schwab

A stunning collector's edition of the acclaimed novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author V.E. Schwab. With an exclusive metallic ink cover and reading ribbon, this edition will feature: end papers of London, fan art, a glossary of Arnesian and Antari terms, an interview between author and editor, and original (never before seen!) tales from within the Shades of Magic world.

SYNOPSIS: Kell is one of the last Antari―magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black.

Kell was raised in Arnes―Red London―and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see.

Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand.

After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure.

Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

The Language of Thorns: Midnight Tales and Dangerous Magic

Leigh Bardugo

Inspired by myth, fairy tale, and folklore, #1 New York Times-bestselling author Leigh Bardugo has crafted a deliciously atmospheric collection of lavishly illustrated short stories filled with betrayals, revenge, sacrifice, and love.

SYNOPSIS: Enter the Grishaverse...

Love speaks in flowers. Truth requires thorns.

Travel to a world of dark bargains struck by moonlight, of haunted towns and hungry woods, of talking beasts and gingerbread golems, where a young mermaid's voice can summon deadly storms and where a river might do a lovestruck boy's bidding but only for a terrible price.

Perfect for new readers and dedicated fans, the tales in The Language of Thorns will transport you to lands both familiar and strange―to a fully realized world of dangerous magic that millions have visited through the novels of the Grishaverse.

This collection of six stories includes three brand-new tales, each of them lavishly illustrated and culminating in stunning full-spread illustrations as rich in detail as the stories themselves.

Red Queen Collector's Edition

Victoria Aveyard

A beautifully designed collector’s edition of the #1 New York Times bestselling Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, featuring exclusive content, fan art, a redesigned cover, printed case, stained edges, a never-seen-before look behind the scenes of the Scarlet Guard, and more!

SYNOPSIS: Mare Barrow's world is divided by blood--those with common, Red blood serve the Silver- blooded elite, who are gifted with superhuman abilities. Mare is a Red, scraping by as a thief in a poor, rural village, until a twist of fate throws her in front of the Silver court. Before the king, princes, and all the nobles, she discovers she has an ability of her own.

To cover up this impossibility, the king forces her to play the role of a lost Silver princess and betroths her to one of his own sons. As Mare is drawn further into the Silver world, she risks everything and uses her new position to help the Scarlet Guard--a growing Red rebellion--even as her heart tugs her in an impossible direction. One wrong move can lead to her death, but in the dangerous game she plays, the only certainty is betrayal.

The perfect gift for anyone looking to add this beautiful edition to their collection, and for new readers eager to discover the lush, vivid fantasy series where loyalty and desire can tear you apart and the only certainty is betrayal.

[nevinitambay-blog]

Close Reading *Kubo and the Two Strings* (2016), or: Parting is such sweet sorrow.

Hey, everyone! I hope you all had a nicely productive week looking into guiding philosophies and how they can help you create dramatic conflict. Before we get into close reading Kubo and the Two Strings, I have some bad news: I’m suspending this blog until further notice. I will still be reachable in general and if you have questions about any of my previous posts, but I won’t be posting new content in the foreseeable future. My life is undergoing a bit of a major shift, and my attention is needed elsewhere. Please, keep writing. If you get stuck, please revisit some of my older posts about writer’s block, writing exercises, or story creation. You got this! Now to Kubo.

 “If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem. And please be warned: if you fidget, if you look away, if you forget any part of what I tell you, even for an instant, then our hero will surely perish.”

 In modern fiction, direct address is usually frowned upon due to its frequent and historic use in authorial moralizing. This quote from Kubo is one of the few prime examples on how to use a direct address to the reader well. In this introduction, there are no life or character judgements of the audience. There are no references to current or past events. There are no instances of trying to correct behavior. This quote, this moment in the film has one job: to let you, the reader, know what is at stake (if you don’t pay attention, the hero will die). At that point, you make the decision you will, with the burden that your action has a different set of consequences than just leaving on a sitcom as background noise, closing a book ten pages in, or stopping that song you were listening to before the end. You are involved now. You have a job to do.

 In other beloved stories, I can only think of two other works that use direct address well: “Peter Pan” and Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events. In “Peter Pan” (the play), Peter usually implores the audience to clap to show that they believe in fairies in order to save Tinker Bell’s life. In A Series of Unfortunate Events, Lemony Snicket constantly warns the reader away, to turn from the horrible story to find a better one or else to bear the anguish of learning the unfortunate story of the Baudelaire children.

 All three of these examples are profoundly honest with the reader in a way that most other direct addresses aren’t: the characters need something from the reader and ask for it, then respect the reader enough to accept whatever decision that they make. It is a really vulnerable and intimate exchange in a relationship that usually has a strict power structure, where the reader is at the will of the author’s story, and the author is at the will of the reader’s attention. Most other media tries to leverage this power. Social media leverages the power of the reader over the author. This creates scenarios where news sites must be entertaining over being a good source of news. Traditional media (textbooks, art galleries, video game companies) leverages the power of the author over the reader. This creates cult followings in the case of authors like J.K. Rowling, Neil Gaiman, and James Patterson, in the case of video game companies like Blizzard, Valve, and Bioware, and in the case of other companies like Apple and Netflix.

 The direct addresses from Kubo, “Peter Pan”, and A Series of Unfortunate Events reduce this power structure to the point that neither side really leverages its power over the other. In these statements, your power as the reader is recognized along with the implication that that power is restricted (you can change the story by participating or not, but in a limited way dictated by the author).

 In addition to using direct address, this film also utilizes a prologue, another out-of-fashion storytelling tool. Prologues are rarely done well, because they are usually used as world-building info dumps that have very little to do with the story. Differing perspectives of certain events are interesting, but, when those are so far removed from the anchor points of the actual story, it just becomes expositional word vomit. The prologue in Kubo, though, doesn’t make this mistake, because it does a specific job: it informs us that, before the events in Kubo’s story, Kubo’s mother was powerful and was running from something (why else would she be in a canoe in the middle of a storm?). Without this prologue, we wouldn’t have really known either of these things until Kubo is told about them later, at which point they wouldn’t be very believable (first impressions are powerful things). From this, I’m inclined to think that prologues work best when creating a different first impression than what the story provides, instead of trying to be a tantalizing appetizer or narrative appendix. I’ll have to remember that for my own writing.

 Speaking of remembering, let’s move right along to the next literary device that this film makes ample use of: repetition. Every major aspect of the story is repeated, some more times than others. We are told “If you must blink, do it now.” three times. We are told many times over about Kubo’s grandfather, the moon king, taking his eye and wanting the other. We are told about the set of armor several times. Each repetition makes the essentials of the story easier to remember and the outcomes of the story more obvious. Unfortunately, as writers, we don’t have access to all of the visual repetition used in the film, but we do have other anchors for repetition within language, such as common phrases used by individual characters (that even correspond to the themes of the story) and names of cities or items. Another linguistic repetition tool available to us is the repeated evocation of certain themes, like the desire for power and the loss of a sister that Kubo’s aunts bring up.

 Which brings us to theme. Kubo and the Two Strings has very focused themes pertaining to stories, family, memory, and sight, and that is reflected in multiple places (which makes the theme stronger and more apparent). One person telling a story makes storytelling just that person’s profession, but each character telling their own story, sometimes conflicting with those of the others, makes storytelling a theme. You can interpret this how you wish, but I think that the desire of each character to hear and tell their stories speaks to the human desire to be understood and heard, or to understand and know others. Can you see where the other themes pop up in the movie? What do you think the movie is saying about those things?

 Finally, Kubo does one thing very well that I absolutely love: it makes magic from the mundane. In other fantasy stories, people can shoot lightning out of their hands or read peoples’ minds. That is all well and good, but it makes meaningful conflict difficult (unless everyone else is also at that same power level, which is difficult to do well, since not all powers are created equal). Kubo, on the other hand, can strum a guitar to make a wake of light and bring origami to life. The Aunts have mundane weapons, the ability to fly, and a magic pipe that creates force-smoke. The Moon King can turn into a flying bug thing and has above average strength. Each of these abilities is grounded in something directly familiar to us (with the exception of shapeshifting): origami paper, a guitar, a pipe, strength, and flight. You know how they behave, what they look like, what they feel like, so when they do something new, like move on their own or emit light, they become exceptional yet still attainable. The magic becomes less about power and more about possession (in the case of magical objects) or skill (in the case of weapons or instruments).

 In most fantasy and science fiction, power is a slippery thing to deal with narratively and logistically. It can nullify some conflicts or potential stories entirely, depending on the difference of power, while also occasionally setting up a winner-take-all scenario where the person with the most power becomes a tyrant. Think about it: If there is a being in the universe that can eat planets, how can our hero possibly defeat them using a ring that makes them invisible? In a more recent example: How can Hawkeye and Black Widow be on the same team as Captain America and Thor? Even if we ignore all of that, how we would use power is an incredibly personal thing. For some people, it makes perfect sense for Darth Vader to serve Palpatine, while it makes no sense to other people. This sort of disagreement can be fine, but it runs the risk of pulling focus from your story all together (which defeats the purpose of storytelling, in my opinion).

 As writers, we each have to opportunity to tell good, well-crafted stories, where we can anticipate and encourage certain interpretations. This can be done by using literary devices like repetition and diction as well as keeping up on the etymology of words you frequently use (to keep up with the current connotations). I look forward to reading your stories, too, one day. Happy writing!

 Sincerely,

 Nev