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insertdisc5 · 1 month ago

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TIMELOOP GAMES REAL!??!??!!

hi i made a timeloop game called In Stars and Time and this is a whole post about other timeloop games you can also play.

some i liked. some i loved. some i didnt like. all are worth playing and like also listen the second friends and family heard i was making a timeloop game, i got bombarded with timeloop media recs. so here is a sampler in no particular order! NOTE: knowing some of those games are timeloop games is a spoiler. but. you are here. for timeloop games. so timeloop games you shall have

Outer Wilds

If you need to play one timeloop game, it's this one. Please play it blind. I swear to god you won't regret it. it's timeloops in space!!! it makes you think!!! there are so many "HOLY SHIT WAIT I GET IT NOW" moments!!! please just go play it please please please. some of the best environmental storytelling in a game. so many hints in plain sight. JUST PLAY IT

[way more timeloop games under the cut]

Oxenfree

I didn't actually like Oxenfree very much. But also it stayed in my mind for weeks after I finished playing it. that's how you know it's a good game. I really enjoyed the dialogue system in this, and how much the loop affected the characters. and it got so spooky!!!

Hikeback

i'm in the credits for this one because i was one of the inspirations heehee <3 i loved playing it… short little game about trust, self-sabotage, and never-ending cycles. highly recommend it

The Stanley Parable

Listen babes it absolutely counts. I replayed it a bunch while making ISAT, and I got immensely inspired by the dialogue, and how it catches you off guard sometimes? You get SO SO used to the narrator's "All of his coworkers were gone. What could it mean?" at the start of every game, and then for no reason instead it says "A soft wind blew outside and perhaps rain started, and if it did it stopped shortly after. Stanley hoped that he would one day see weather." like WHAT THE FUUUUCK IM GETTING CHILLS JUST THINKING ABOUT IT

12 minutes

ok i know we all made fun of this game when it came out because the story is batshit insane HOWEVER!!!!!!!! i REALLY REALLY LOVED how doing the same actions multiple times would have slightly different outcomes. If you battle someone, the first time you get knocked out in one hit and the loop restarts. the second time you try, you evade the first hit, but get knocked out. the third time, you last a little bit longer, and a little bit longer, until you can pretty much hold your own against your enemy. And it applies to so many things in this. Retrying different things to see how they would change was a delight.

this game is also so bad its almost good, and if you're interested you HAVE to play it with friends so you can yell about how bad it is together.

Zero Escape

it's just a good series ok. escape rooms, and also time loops! the 3rd game in particular goes deep into The Math of how timeloops would work, which i think is interesting. sometimes timeloop games just go "yeah you can timeloop dont worry about it" and others go "OK HERE'S THE HOW AND WHY IT WORKS" and both are interesting!

START AGAIN: a prologue

this game has almost everything i could wish for in a timeloop game. depression. lines repeating. dying brings you back. you get new levels and skills because you're aware of the loops but your party members don't. so you get overpowered next to them and they Notice. just. party members who dont know about the loops still noticing something is wrong. you are acting differently than yesterday. you look sad. you are acting weird. you know too much. how did you know where the keys were? how did you know this would happen? what's wrong? talk to us. and oh my god this game has a sequel? which will probably have Actually Everything i could wish for in a timeloop game? i can't wait. who made this? (its me i made this)

Ghost Trick

ok its not really time loops and more time travel and only for 4 minutes HOWEVER!!!! you should play it. you know you should play it because everyone says so. so go play it

Elsinore

im sure its a great game but ive never seen/read hamlet. so thats a failing on my part. because. you absolutely need to know hamlet to understand this game lol i did like the whole "make sure to find out which events are Important and which ones aren't so you can have The Perfect Loop"! very fun. or it would be. if i. knew. hamlet

The Forgotten City

a friend kept recommending it to me and i didn't like it. its good! just not for me. but if you like to think a lot you should play it. another "make sure to find out which events are Important and which ones aren't so you can have The Perfect Loop" game

Gnosia

Gonna be real. I didn't like the story very much, in part because the game lets you choose your gender but still acts like youre a straight dude. HOWEVER the gameplay was very inspiring to me. Every loop is pretty much just an among us meeting, and you have to find out who the imposters are or everyone dies and you loop again. and sometimes you ARE the imposter, so you need to make sure no one finds out. or you loop again. rules get added as time goes on too. i REALLY loved how quickly the loops stacked up. seeing "loop 100" was such a nice moment. ive been here so long! i tried to recreate that somewhat for my own game…

Loop Hero

Technically not a timeloop game, but a loop game. It still absolutely counts because it's about loops and memories, and what are loops and memories together if not a timeloop. You have your little guy going through a closed loop, battling enemies, getting cards, and making the world whole again by using those cards to make forests, towns, lakes come to life. I am famously a Story First Gameplay Second kinda player, but I did play this 45h for the gameplay alone. I learned a lot about battle balancing and randomness by playing this!

You and Me and Her: A Love Story

you know doki doki litterature club? this came before. and one might say. it's. better. in some parts (and i say that as someone who LOVED ddlc!) i won't say much except it's a dating sim but with timeloops. with a lot of what it implies. why are you dating this girl a second time? a third time? a fourth time? choose another one already! it was such a fascinating game to play, and is incredibly meta in the way it talks about dating sims and visual novels. had a lot of very impactful moments however, i played the hentai version. some of the worst, most cringy sex ive ever read and heard. however, one might say the sex is an integral part of the game and its deconstruction of hentai/dating sims…? no. just play the steam version which doesnt have the horrible sex scenes and you will have a great time i think (or play the hentai version. if you like. to watch. horrible sex scenes???)

Higurashi

knowing this is a timeloop game is a massive spoiler. however, this game is more than a decade old, so,,, honestly if you havent played higurashi what are you doing. i know i just spoiled you on it but i was also spoiled on it and i can GUARANTEE YOU that you will still have an amazing time. one more thing. you gotta play with the original sprites or you're a fake fan

I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

starts as a visual novel/management sim/dating sim kinda thing, until you realize that every replay is a new timeline. so the main character can save people, because they remembered about them dying in a previous one. i wish the timeloop would affect the game/story more (let me find a certain character quicker once ive found them in a previous playthrough!!!), but timeloop aside, it's a very fun game to play!!!

that's it! hope you will find a nice timeloop game you like

#timeloop #game recs #timeloops #in stars and time

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majormeilani · 1 year ago

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What are your thoughts on the DLCs and Mafia Town? I know that you also think that Battle of the Birds is the best chapter and that you're not too fond of Alpine Skyline.

hattytime thoughts.... okay.

on mafia town:

i think it's an alright chapter? i mean, i think it's full of a lot of character and environmental storytelling that helps you put everything together about what happened on the island. it also leaves you to wonder a lot about it too. the only thing that kind of disappoints me about it is that we don't really learn that much about mafia boss and his intentions are left extremely vague as well. i also kinda wish the acts had a more cohesive purpose to being there and didn't seem all over the place and random. like the race one is just there for no reason it seems like lmao okay? i know that was probably a leftover from cut content tho (riding a rocket)

i know a lot of people think that mafia town is an 'ugly' level but personally i think it's rather nice looking and i think its kind of 'gummy' look really adds to the degradation of the island.

i do really kind of wish that we got more out of it or some resolution that was properly set for mu as well because i feel like there's so much more we need to know about her.

one underrated part of the level that is probably my favorite is heating up mafia town. not only is the concept really funny but it's actually a nice and light little challenge for the early-midpoint of the game. i love what it tells us about mu and her knowledge of the island as well, so again some rather nice environmental storytelling. i also thought the little feast that the mafia goons had made for her was kinda sweet, even if they were assholes to her and what they did to mu sucks 😔 but the statues that are there and them calling hat kid their "hero" really makes me think......................... like augh.

on the arctic cruise:

i liked this chapter but i wouldn't say it was one of my favorites. i wish it were a little bit longer but tbh i don't know what else i would have personally expected from it in terms of gameplay. it was rather challenging to do ship shape and i remember having such a hard time playing it the first time. i played that level for like over an hour before i got it. i think part of it is really nailing the layout of the level and knowing all of the shortcuts, which is really hard to do in your first time around.

i liked rock the boat however, even if that one was also really challenging. i mostly liked it though for what it told us about hat kid and her character. that instead of just abandoning everyone for how rotten that they treated her, she makes the effort to save everyone. and you could tell that hat kid really regret her decision and felt remorse like idk i love that a lot. esp bc some people took hat kid to be the type to not care about any of them but it goes to show that she did, at least a little bit.

i think walrus captain does deserve some more attention too but it's kind of sad that he doesn't play all that big of a role in the dlc. but he seems like a good guy just very depressed to the point that he can't really find the energy to be more involved in things. also his little backstory is really tragic and you can tell he used to care deeply about everything until he experienced loss. i think grief is one of the most interesting things to have a character endure and i'm kind of thankful that they had a character in ahit going through it. it's also really sad to me that he wanted to go down with his ship, like he didn't have anything else to live for at that point but hat kid still pulled him out of it and carried him to safety. even if that part is played off like a joke kind of, like everything else serious in the game really, it's still very. sad.

there's also the deep sea rift that was like the worst fucking thing ever, at least first time i tried to figure it out. that level genuienely made me turn on assist mode for the first time ever playing ahit it was that bad for me LMAOOOOOO. like aesthetically it's very pretty but augh. very unforgiving level for sure. HOWEVER i will say that i've gotten much better at that level and the trick for those who are struggling: collect as many pons as you can on the first levels and you should have enough to skip one of the really difficult ones.

deathwish itself since it's a part of the dlc i have many thoughts on it. i'm probably in the minority in that i actually think a lot of the deathwishes were lots of fun! my favorites were wound up windmill and killing two birds. wound-up windmill is just a lot of fun for how fast paced it is and i've always really liked a lot of the platforming for the windmill. and for killing two birds, y'know as a dead bird studio enthusiast that's kind of a given. but more because that deathwish actually makes me laugh hysterically to play, especially since dj grooves and conductor can actually damage each other with their attacks. and that deathwish is prone to the funniest glitches i've ever seen. i don't even mind dying a thousand times because i'm just laughing my ass off. also both of those deathwishes have the best osts too like i can unironically listen to both of those for hours.

though in general i think all the deathwishes are really cool. i like the bonus storybooks too they mean a lot to me tbh. the only deathwish i cannot for the life of me beat is the 'no jumps' candle for trainrush like i've tried so many times and i don't think i'll ever get that one...

we also can't forget that deathwish also brought us the peace and tranquility smug dance which is iconic LOLLL

on nyakuza metro:

ABSOLUTELY ADORE THIS DLC. i think it's genuinely gfb's best work on ahit thus far. i think the animations are gorgeous, especially empress' animation like holy fuck? i love love love the environment design and i think they applied the concept they intended with the free exploration well and in a creative way, much better and less confusing than what they did with alpine. i just think everything about the environment and level designs were so good! and the ambience and character of the npcs also added so much life to the level. it's just. there's so much to praise.

i also love that the finale level instead of being a face off against empress is you escaping the metro with her chasing you. it broke away from the mold but in a good way to where it actually. it told you a lot about empress as a character too in that she usually has others handle her dirty work instead of acting on it herself and that when she has to she's rather ruthless about it, though even a little reckless because she ends up having some fallout to her own detriment in the end. empress also seems to know the metro like the back of her paw as well, seeing as she beats you to the elevator and confronts you which makes her really intimidating.

i also looooovvveeeee all the outfits and hat flairs that you can get from the metro cats and the buying food mechanic was cute and unique, i love the little voice acting with it too. i also love the stickers and the charm they add and how fun they are to collect. the badges are also lots of fun ever though they're cosmetic mostly. also it kind of gave end game players a way to spend their pons, which i think is really awesome because you always end up with so many of those lmao.

in regards to the storybook for the dlc i'm a little bit disappointed we don't learn all that much about empress or any of her background from it. but that timerift was really unique and fun to explore. i like to believe that the rift taking place in a rumbi factory tells us that empress used to work in one as a mechanic but that's just me.

by far my favorite dlc though!

on vanessa's curse:

this one was one i was very excited for when they made an announcement for it. it kind of was a little less story than i was expecting to come from it but it think despite that it was really impressive for a creator dlc.

when it first released it was so cool to explore all the corners of the manor and figure out the mechanics of it. even though it still can be glitchy at times, it does run rather well despite that and i play on a laptop LOL.

i think what they tried to do with it was a cool concept as well. it took the collect-a-thon aspect and built off the multiplayer concept that was implemented in an earlier addition to the game and made those work in a real time environment for challenging collaborative play.

i think that the level design is very pretty and well thought-out too, even though i often still get a little lost sometimes. i've especially a fan of the interior design and decor.

i think my favorite thing about the dlc though was all the cosmetics. i loveee how there's hat flairs that actually did unique things with hat kid's powers. like how the ice hats give you a different ice sculpture and the brewing flairs add unique splatter and explosion effects. i think my favorite flairs have to be the dweller mask glasses, the crown, the donut and the lampshade. the dyes were also really pretty and i loved that we got another unique weapon variant. i'm a sucker for the cosmetics they make me happy. ALSO i love hat kid's little pigtails for the punk dye. it's about time that she got another unique hairstyle.

overall i think vanessa's curse is fun but idk. sometimes i wish there were a little more? but i suppose what we have is good too.

thanks for asking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#not readmoring this bc i don't want to #i'm sure i have many more thoughts but these were brewing in my mind at the time of typing this #long post #🎩⏳#answered asks #crescentblossom66

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marypsue · 2 years ago

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Full caveat I am the anon from earlier (and the one frequently in your inbox 😭😭) but One of the reasons I think S4 S3 fall so flat to me is that (as many people have pointed out) the main antagonist feel goofy. Part of why ST had a environmental tilt to it was this sense of nature is not wrong, it’s those that exploit it at other’s loss which is a familiar bedrock of a lot of good media both fiction and nonfiction. But the inclusion of the Russians is so over the top xenophobic and combined with the mind flayer apparently wanting dominion for reasons unknown so much of the show falls apart. Also I forgot how off putting all the Murray Hopper Joyce scenes are, it’s such a betrayal of who the characters could be to instead cheapen their dynamic to bickering. I will forever die on the hill that the season four subgroups were a disservice to all the characters!! I know you’re still only part fo the way through but are there any groups you would reorganize in S4/S3?

Lastly the Robin and Jonathan snippet has made me very intrigued and also lmao Jonathan really is committing to his powers and the inherent nosiness of them. But ooh very curious what the dynamics of the lab are now and what the negotiations between superpowers and ~authorities~ look like. That and I love Robin being so confused about Jonathan and Steve. ( I am sadly always a little bit SteveandRobin brain rot) lastly, I’m curious if Erica Sinclair will have her moment ( I love her but I also have many many qualms with the fact that the writers made an incredibly patriotic sassy Black girl (absolutely did not defy damaging stereotypes) and then had her be the youngest and showed her facing increasing violence with somehow no characters expressing regret or concern about her (if you make it to the end of S4, I would love to discuss which characters are shown hurt and bloodied and why it’s so icky)

Hello anon, I figured you might be! :) You have good thoughts, and I'm sorry it took so long to respond to this.

And yeah. Murray...the problem I have with him is that his whole shtick is being a smug, abrasive asshole, and that he's Right, all the time, about everything, and the narrative always takes his side. If it were one or the other, or even one only some of the time and the other the rest of the time, he could be a fun character! As it stands, I find him beyond extremely punchable.

I generally found season 3 really showed the characters (and, really, everything about the show) at their flattest. It's such a Saturday-morning-cartoon version of the show's whole premise (which is an insult to some of the Saturday-morning cartoons I've watched), and it was so disappointing. The first half of season 4, at the very least, seems to be trying to lean back in the direction of what I liked about season 1, but it just gets so undermined by its own thoughtlessness and appeals to its own name recognition and black-and-white spectacle-focused storytelling. It's really just. Disappointing.

But! I have dwelled upon my disappointment in great detail. Let us instead dwell upon what might have been.

I actually think that Nancy and Robin (season 3 Robin, the OG Robin, the one, the only, the true, the original) would have been a really fun and interesting pairing, especially if they bounced off of a Steve who still isn't totally over Nancy. Robin would get so many opportunities to judge him so hard, and probably also, eventually, an understanding of just why Steve's still not over Nancy. However, I think it might have been you, actually, who proposed Jonathan and Nancy each going to surprise visit the other over spring break and crossing paths in the air, and I love that and think it's hilarious and delightful, and I want to see Jonathan and Robin get to interact, so. Somehow I would want both of these things to happen.

I also think the Byers family + El grouping was criminally underused/badly used, but in concept, it's so so good. I especially want to see more of El and Joyce! And El and Will! And honestly, also El and Jonathan, if Jonathan's allowed to have the Big Brother Energy that was such a fundamental part of his character from the jump. I don't know how to combine that with the previous idea, but I'm not the one trying to come up with a coherent TV show season.

Also I would like to see Steve and Erica get more screentime together. As of the end of season 3, she's a little would-be queen bee who's been trying hard to hide her loser tendencies but just had a horrific monster-alternate-dimension-government-conspiracy experience that's blown her popularity-obsessed persona wide open. He rode that particular roller coaster in seasons 1-2. Also it would be hilarious to see how she'd react to him trying to position himself in that big-brother-mentor role that Dustin kind of shoved him into, for her. I don't think she'd be having any of it. She has a big brother. Even if he is a nerd.

Speaking of which. This isn't season-specific. I just always want more of the ST sibling squads.

As for what's going on in former heroes...I don't want to get into too-spoilery territory, but Barb surviving the events of season 1 means that Nancy and Jonathan didn't go on a crusade to shut the lab down in season 2, which means that its crimes (or a watered-down version of its crimes) aren't widely known. And that it hasn't been forced to shut its doors in disgrace. This absolutely has an effect on the plot.

Erica, too, is definitely going to get her Moment! Honestly it did bug me, after percolating on season 3 for a while, how the show said she was ten and then never really seemed to honour that. If I'm being generous and applying Watsonian logic, I'd say that everything with her constantly jacking up her 'price' for sneaking into the vents is a way to save face, to not look like a scared little baby while still getting out of doing the scary dangerous thing, and she never expected that Steve and Dustin would be serious enough about it to actually meet even her most absurd demands. And the yelling about all the social things she's going to miss and how her mom is going to kill everyone in the elevator if she doesn't get back in time is a cry that people care about me, people will miss me if I'm not where I'm supposed to be, people will notice if something happens to me, so don't let anything happen to me because it'll have consequences for you, too, even if you don't care for my sake. It's a heartbreaker, actually.

If I'm being generous from a Doylist standpoint (which. rare), maybe they were angling for a kind of The Goonies-esque Fun Cartoonish Adventure Where Nothing Really Bad Is Ever Actually Going To Happen To The Kids? If so, I wouldn't say it worked. The whole season has a really uneasy footing with the Scoops Troop storyline, like it can't decide whether it wants to be outsized and silly and not to be taken seriously or if it wants to be nail-bitingly life-or-death dangerous (especially with the Russian basement supposedly killing Hopper in the end), and it ultimately kind of succeeds in being neither. But now we're back to complaining about the show that gave me the characters I'm gleefully dressing up and parading around like Barbie dolls, so.

And is there anything 'sadly' about SteveandRobin brain rot? I think not. That friendship was easily the best thing to come out of season 3 and I will not apologise for loving it.

#chatter #stranger things

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bearpillowmonster · 5 months ago

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The Acolyte

I first heard about this series because of the main people involved before they even gave it a title, just the time period, probably had no idea for a plot but the time period was interesting and of course it seemed like forever ago that they showed footage at D23 and Dafne Keen came on stage. It sounded cool, different colored lightsabers and a dark-side sensibility. I didn't watch any trailers but it was definitely different enough to peak my interest from how samey a lot of the other Disney Star Wars stuff has felt.

So, it's not really what I expected or wanted.

That first episode skips an opening crawl and just opts for the text on screen, a little less romantic and got me off on the wrong foot. But it talks of an assassin which sounds promising, darker, then we see her and they kind of flub it because there's no real mystery or air about her, we dive into her and her past pretty much the first episode, not menacing enough for me, they make it about twins which is a little less graceful. Especially since I heard Carrie Ann Moss was going to be in it, yeah, well they kill her in the first (10?) minutes so it really put a damper on it, why even cast her? She'll be in flashbacks but come on! Money!

Besides that, the money is actually double that of Obi-Wan and it shows, the CGI is much better and you can tell there's some care put into it. However, I still complain that lightsabers still look like light bars like the other shows and the way its shot left me desiring more, there were points where I thought "Oh, something cool." like the camera spinning then she wakes up but that was about it. It's still a tv show so it falls into the same trappings because I found myself noting where I would place cuts because of how unnecessary and pace-breaking it could seem at times because of the extended runtime to fit episode formats. You saw me complain about Andor, and this isn't quite as bad so we see more of the characters but the order of events is a bit janky, we could get a lot more relevant scenes than just talking and more near the scene it becomes relevant rather than at the beginning of the episode and waiting for it to catch up.

But no, it doesn't cut from person to person, the twins ARE the mains and yeah, like I said, it's not graceful. There's no environmental storytelling, it's just "do you ever wonder what's out there?" then see Jedi threatening to take you and you say yes, she had no reason to say much of anything, she didn't even want to step out. Now she knows how to hotwire a chimney- wait, why? You can't just open it? This wasn't established to be broken or anything. I get that she's mechanically inclined later in life but peetz, throw me a bone as to a reason or something. Same with her separation theory, ok, she wants to be different but I also wonder how this is all she knows and yet, it doesn't give us any sort of extra push as to why she doesn't want this life. And they make the two out to be these secret sacred twins that have all this power already (but deep inside). Remember that force conception from the AU comic? Well...

Let's divy it up because Leslye Headland is a controversial person that I won't talk about her reputation because it's too easy but she brought in so many people that didn't seem to know a lick of Star Wars, which how she got the job, I guess she was a personal friend and really I think you can make a good story out of very little but with Star Wars specifically, fans are going to chew you up and spit you out for it because you probably don't deserve it. But you can see from the credits that it doesn't start with the Based on George Lucas, it has Leslye, then Leslye then Leslye, then George then Leslye. Ok, now I know who to blame.

But from interviews of cast members, they know about just as much so it leads me to believe some are also personal friends or just actors they liked.

I saw a lot of people defending the series, saying that if you liked the novels they've been putting out, you'd appreciate it a lot more and that may be but from the other side, they also have an argument because it's just not good. And the side defended it often likes to say "it's a lie, don't believe what they say. Even the cast interviews" but like- that's the cast and I'm watching it and I'm seeing things that people have rumored so I don't know what you're mysteriously alluding to. This show is even labeled as a mystery, never did I feel that way.

So yeah. I dropped it, even beside the stupid plot points which you can argue as to how much it retcons or not- The way it's structured isn't appealing, I was never excited, never felt like coming back for the next episode, we're only on episode 3 but we're also on episode 3. You could argue that it might not matter if it was a 21 episode season but it's 8 or something. But even so, if nothing good happened for 3 episodes let alone the first three then its not going to change your mind, it can't be redeemed. I dont think anyone's opinion will be changed, there's no punch waiting at the end, just like so many of the other series. Dafne Keen shows up? Maybe I'll skim her parts but I'm just not interested anymore.

#star wars #acolyte #the acolyte #sw

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aviculor · 1 year ago

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A film that came out this year, simply titled Blood. A child is bitten by the family dog after it went missing for several days in the woods, giving him a...condition. One with an....unorthodox treatment. That's all I know ahead of time, and anything further will be under a read-more just like before.

Oh, I guess I can say one other thing before I dive in. I didn't intend things to work out this way, but it's fitting that I'm watching this after Birth/Rebirth since this is also a film about what lines a mother will cross to save her child. We got a theme this week.

Oh, this one comes with subtitles, nice.

As much as I like environmental storytelling, I think we need a little more details about this family where the dad already moved on, implying the divorce was because he was having an affair, yet the mom is such a stranger to her kids that she didn't know the son doesn't like olives. And what do you mean the dad used to pick them off? Wouldn't he just not put them on the plate in the first place? Anyway, point being, I think it might be a bit selfish for Jess to want sole custody. I suppose it's a thematic "I wasn't there for my son before, so now I need to do whatever it takes to keep him" type of thing. I mean, I'm not going to sit here nitpicking the plot's setup. I do get the point. It's just that I don't know if I'm actually rooting for Jess as the protagonist here. But that could make what happens next more interesting.

...Ah, I see that was the intended idea after all.

Okay, so it's not rabies but like slow-onset vampirism. I'm not sure if that makes the situation better or worse than Birth/Rebirth which had a strictly mundane reality where it just happened that a doctor found a way to successfully resuscitate someone from brain death...and stage 1 decomposition. But the supernatural begets a certain suspension of disbelief that softens the impact of the horrors you're witnessing. Like, it's definitely more painful to imagine yourself in Lila's shoes than Owen's because her condition is more grounded in reality.

Damaging out the blood bag in the hospital's inventory while stealing it, that's smart. Didn't see Rose or Celie do that in Birth/Rebirth, they just filled up a luggage case with whatever they needed and ran when anyone called out to them. Although, I think Jess might raise a few eyebrows by saying their whole supply of O- was bad. I don't mean to keep comparing the two films, there's just a lot of overlap in the plot and themes. Jess and Celie are even both nurses.

The tissue sample didn't show signs of any known viral infection. That's very...specific wording.

Oh my god, the sudden shot of Owen with tapetum lucidum is great. Ooh, this is what I'm here for.

You know, I really don't think a cancer patient who's been continually having blood drawn for days would be capable of ripping apart the metal scaffolding of a bed or shoving open a padlocked door. Very impressive display of her newfound will to live, someone should call up John Kramer and tell him about this. Wait, what? How long? Since Saw 3?

Oof, right on the barbed wire. That's rough. For a second I thought Owen was going to go full predator mode on her. Given Jess' reaction to what she walked in on and what happened next, maybe that's what should have happened.

"Something in the tree"? Maybe this lore development could have happened sooner instead of it coming out of nowhere when something more pressing is actively happening.

You know, for a second I thought we were leading up to Owen eating the baby as the last shot before credits roll. Although this still is its own brand of Unfortunate. At least Patrick didn't walk in on it, that would have been a little hard to explain. But also another missed opportunity for a gut-punch ending.

Prosecuting Jess for negligence because the kids were (allegedly) playing near a known water hazard? Buddy, you already took them away from her. This literally happened on your watch.

I liked it. Two different sites refused to buffer properly which made actually finishing it a chore, but the film itself was very good. A couple criticisms about the writing, but that's just because I can see the vision. Everything else about it was solid. I did like Birth/Rebirth more.

WAIT, PATRICK IS SKEET ULRICH!?

#horror #blood #blood 2023 #blood 2022 #its theatrical release was in january but it premiered at a film festival before that

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button-mash · 2 years ago

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What I played last week #12

I've been fucking up keeping on top of this, so here we go. A frankly ludicrous amount of games this past week or so, so I think I'll split the 2 games I actually finished into a separate entry, cos it'll just be even more of a fucking mess Panzer Dragoon Orta [Xbox] Brilliant game that still looks absolutely beautiful even today - I actually kinda forgot how the original Xbox was quite a bit more powerful than the PS2 and just looked ludicrously nice on the right setup. This feels a little bit dated in some ways, but I still think the combat system itself is really fun and original, and I'm surprised it hasn't been used more. I think I'd love a boss rush version of this game, cos those are the best bits by miles

Breakdown [Xbox] Bought this on a whim having never heard of it before, and thought it looked really interesting. Although it has guns, its essentially an FPS melee game at it's core, and has some really unique and interesting movement mechanics, including a fairly complex array of moves you can combo into each other, on top of dodge and traversal movement. Also one of those games in that era that was experimenting with allowing you to intereact with everything around you, which gives it a certain charm. Game seems bonkers too, it's turn of the millenium Namco which should tell you all you need to know. Unfortunately is a bit too difficult and janky to be truly fun, but still a compelling time

Overwatch 2 [PC] Used to play OW1 loads and then just never played it for years and years. Have gotten back into playing it with a mate, forgot how much personality the different characters and moves have. Not really my sort of go-to game, but still a lot of fun when you get in a good lobby

The Last of Us Part 2 [Playstation 5] My wife said she wanted to watch me play through TLOU2 after watching the TV show, so we started playing it after RE4 Remake kept crashing for me - I finished TLOU2 at launch and absolutely loved the game at the time, and it somehow feels even more astonishing in it's level of quality and detail the second time around. We stuck it on and thought we'd maybe play a chapter or two and flew through 5 hours of it. The quality of environmental storytelling in that game is at a level that few games even attempt, let alone manage. Everywhere you go in that game feels like it tells some level of story, and every room feels so unique and distinct - I find myself just looking around the houses and checking the shelves and stuff like I would in no other game, just cos the level of unique detail is off the charts. My one regret playing the last game was that I didn't replay the original first, and having just watched the TV show, it definitely made everything feel more connected and the various story beats hit much more vividly, even though I obviously already know the story. Also, I found Dina pretty forgettable the first time around - I didn't dislike her or anything, but I just never felt that attached to her. Dunno why, but I think she's brilliant this time around, she just has so much to her and really compliments Ellie. Also I don't know if it's something they tweaked over time, but she seems way more competent than I remember any of the companions being in the game the first time round - to the point where you can really rely on her to do her part in a firefight. Maybe it's just always been like that and I noticed it more this time, but it definitely helps the immersion compared to games where your companions stand there and a firefight would go on foreever unless you finished everyone off.

Saying that, one thing I didn't remember at all is the control bindings for this game feel absolutely bonkers, maybe it's just coming off other games, but I feel like loads of things are mapped weirdly in that game. The PS5 performance boost is awesome too - tbh I never really felt like it played horribly at 30fps or anything, but I feel like the combat and stealth really sings with the improved framerate

Just a phenomenal game. I very rarely replay games, especially ones like this, but I've been really glad I've restarted it. Also, my wife plays a decent amount of games here and there, but I wouldn't say she's massively into them or anything - I find it always gives stuff a new layer when you're kinda vicariously watching something through someone else's fresh eyes, and it was cool seeing how impressed she was with the level of acting and how cinematic it was, like she couldn't believe the quality of storytelling and the pacing/dialogue, etc. To be fair it probably helps that she was watching me play the RE4 remake before that, which isn't exactly There Will Be Blood in terms of dramatic performances

My wife selfishly went back to Australia for 2 right after we started playing this, so sadly had to stop just as my joy for it got reignited

Fifa 23 [PC]

I only ever play this when people come over. I actually don't mind it, its a perfectly playable game that is always good for a couple of matches when a mate fancies a few

Golden Tee 2K [Arcade]

Played a lot of golf games this past couple of weeks. I couldn't give a shit about golf, but I always thought it makes for a pretty fun game when it lands, and Golden Tee is about as good as it gets for a party game. Was having the match of my life with my mate on this one, only for my trackball to inexplicably stop working on the last hole. Annoying

PGA Tour Golf 2K23 [PC]

Played a lot of 2K1 with a mate on boozy weekends, so gave the free trial of this a go. Really liked the new 3 click mechanic they've got and the putting is really fun, but the presentation of this game is abysmal and it just runs like shit. Shame, because there is a good game there

EA Tour Golf [PC] This was the opposite to the above, where the presentation is out of this world, but nothing about the game itself feels as intuitive or fun. To it's credit, I think it's because it's a much deeper, more complex game that demands a bit more knowledge of actual golf, but I prefer my experiences on the Arcadey side. Probably an objectively better game, but not as fun for me

Golden Tee Fore! 2006 Complete [Arcade] This one has been a long standing hassle to get working on my machine but with ytrackball settings that felt refined, and playable in both approach play and putting. It's still not perfect, but I've finally got it to a playable point now where it feels a lot of fun, and the increased number of courses along with their ramped up personalities is a lot of fun.

Money Puzzle Exchanger [Arcade]

One of the best arcade games, such a simple concept, but so fun. Hardly anybody I know seems to know this game, but one of those ones where if I can get someone to play it, they always get proper gripped by it. Great fun 2 player, probably my favourite puzzle game

Windjammers [Arcade] This has been on this list this year already and it'll be on there again. One of the best ever multiplayer Arcade games

Neck N Neck [Arcade] See above, a true Arcade hidden gem

Cyberpunk 2077 [PC] I desperately want to like this game, but I just don't. The atmosphere and game world are so cool, but everything else about it just makes my dick soft

Escape Simulator [PC] Play this with a mate occassionally when he comes over. It's a bit clumsy, but the puzzles are really fun. Always follow a consistent logic, and they toe that line between being easy enough to get and hard enough to make you feel smart

Ruiner [PC] Liked the visuals and feel of this, but something about it just didn't do it for me. Felt a bit mindless and I didn't really like how it controlled

Huntdown [PC] Cool game with a lot of visual personality and it really nails what it's going for, but it's pretty limited gameplay wise. Decent little arcade style shooter though

Gauntlet [PC] Actually played this ages ago and forgot to add it on here. Pretty fun game 4 player, although some classes felt way better than the others, and it felt like it took way too long to earn any of the upgrades that made it more playable

Rocket League [PC] Another one I forgot I played with people at work. Not something I'd usually play, but it was actually pretty fun. I guess you could say that about a lot of multiplayer party games really, but it was way more enjoyable than I was expecting, even if I was trash

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fadebolt · 6 months ago

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Personal room ranking:

1 - Sky Islands: D06 (9/10) 2 - Farm Arrays: D04 (8/10) 3 - Garbage Wastes: A11 (8/10) 4 - Challenge #42 Rivulet (7/10) 5 - Drainage System: C03 (7/10) 6 - Looks to the Moon: UO3 (6/10) 7 - Outskirts: A40 (6/10) 8 - Icy Monument: A23 (6/10) 9 - Shoreline: WALL06 (4/10) 10 - PAST Garbage Wastes: C03 (3/10)

Extra comment: I'm gonna be real with you, WALL06…. ain't that good. Don't get me wrong, it is pretty cool to see the Shoreline version of the top of LttM's Wall, especially with how neatly it ties into the entrance of the subregion being the bottom of it. But outside of the cool world building/environmental storytelling, I really don't care at all about this one, especially because you only really visit it as Saint, but their version gets counted as a separate room in the tournament, so yeah. At least, the fruits are neat, I can give you that.

Since we didn't get any other rooms from the request list for this one, it's about time we're doing some more failed ones as bonuses. Starting with:

A19 from Drainage System, which I'm kind of surprised to see failing. It's a pretty neat and unique room, all things considered, offering an alright layout design, some Mushrooms, and the occasional Batflies. Not to mention, it doesn't really have spawns either, until the region turns into the plant-filled Undergrowth, after which, you get the awful Centipede horde. I think not having any creatures here was probably for the best, cus you could easily end up in positions where you couldn't really do much. Unfortunately, that also resulted in this place being somewhat forgettable, but again, I do love it for its neat layout and lighting. So for me, it's probably on the low end of 7/10.

Then there's EDGE02 from the past, which apparently didn't fare much better than the present version. And that was even more of a surprise than A19's performance, because this thing is actually really awesome. The dark vibes of this place are immaculate, making for just the right balance to be placed in-between Past Garbage Wastes and Shaded Citadel, especially with Overcast playing in the background. The platforming is also very good, making for the perfect area where people can practice and get comfortable with Artificer's bomb jumping, without having to worry about predators and Scavengers. The Leeches are whatever. They don't realistically pose any threat, but they do add a neat bit of flavor. It's kind of like how some Metropolis and Looks to the Moon rooms use Coalescipedes. And I think that's a pretty neat way to make an area feel creepy, without actually putting the player's Slugcat in danger. To conclude, this place is fantastic, and it's easily a 9/10. I really don't know why people slept on it, when it does so much to make the beginning of the Artificer campaign so great (unless you're one of those maniacs that goes left after the intro.... but at that point, there's no room design that can help you xd)

And to end things on the ending campaign, we've got A06 from Icy Monument, a room that was surprisingly tricky originally, but still kind of dangerous, even with Saint's movement being quite solid here. This version does kind of loose its interesting parts, thanks to the Slugcat's abilities that can visit it, buuuuut you still have a Strawberry Lizard here (one of the funniest, that we really should have had more of), as well as a color palette that I find to be superior to the original (I know IC is good and beloved and all, but I just can't vibe with its colors, sry). Overall, while this one is not exactly a masterpiece, my opinions on it are a little more positive than negative, so a 6/10 would make sense, though it's very much on the low end of it.

Pick Your Favorite Rain World Room, Day 234 R2

This is not single elimination! Every room with at least 15.0% vote will move on to the next round.

There is a hidden slugcat in one of the rooms (they can be in any color). If u can see it comment or reblog with where they are and if u are first, u get a cookie!

Credit for game screenshots goes to: Rain World Interactive Map, Rain World Wiki and me

Congratulations for day 233 winners!

#rain world room ranking #rain world opinions

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incorrect-dishonored-quotes · 3 years ago

Note

Do you have a favorite level within each game or even one out of all games / is there a specific level that stuck in your mind since you first played it?

Mine would be the second to last I think in DH1. The one, where you walk over a bridge and it's all orange light on one side and deep shadows on the other. In daud's dlcs it would be the boyle mansion, because I love the flooded building. I've loved the edge of the world in DH2 because Karnaca's atmosphere is such a breath of fresh air and the trail of whale blood through the bright and sunny district reveals very much about the game's world. For DOTO it would either be the bank job or the royal conservatory. It may sound pretty weird but the atmosphere within the bank job gives me vacation vibes lol. Also the moment you take the twin bladed knife feels amazing every time. I also really like the hidden features in the royal conservatory.

Thank you for running this blog, it really means a lot to me. Happy Pride! 🏳️‍🌈

Honestly all the levels in the DH series has a lot of personality in them, and so much visual storytelling. Each one has a different feeling to it while all matching up to eachother perfectly. Never do I feel like one doesn't belong with the others, they all feel part of the same world, and they feel so lived in too.

Everyone has their favorites, and you picked some good ones. I think youre refering to Kaldwin's Bridge which is a very well done level and is certainly pretty to look at, but its rather big with a lot of loading points, and it's a bit choppy and tedious for me. I do like the area around Sokolov's house though. The test subjects imprisoned in the streets and the crumbling buildings around his perfect apartment is great environmental storytelling. Personally my favorite in Dh1 is The Flooded District. The reflection it paints for Corvo, that after everything, things can still get worse and there's still a light at the end and he can't give up. That even after hating Hiram Burrows and wishing death on him, Daud hides there, in the mass grave Burrows made, protected by the rats, flood waters, rivercrusts, and weepers. It's just *chef's kiss*.

I think the one in Daud's dlc's is actually Brigmore Manor, which is one hell of a level. We learn that Daud and Delilah have a lot in common just by the way they work. They both have large followings they share their power with, hidden under everyone's nose. Dispite this, the difference in atmosphere tells the player that Daud is trespassing here. He's met someone who can match him, maybe even best him, and he has to be careful not to lose what little he has left. Brigmore is probably my fave too, but The Surge comes very close. Being in Daud's base, cutting up Overseers, and freeing his Whaler kids is very satisfying.

Edge of the World is a great intro to Karnaca. You get a feel for the atmosphere, learn about smaller power struggles (Howlers vs Overseers), and get a feel for just how bad things are there. I love taking my time in this level, finding the runes and talking to Mindy Blanchard just because it is a very pretty level that's fun to explore. I also like how it ironically leads you to Addemire, which is dark and claustrophobic. My fave in DH2 though is Crack in the Slab. Going between timelines wasn't something I'd done in a videogame before, and it made learning about Aramis Stilton and the rest of Delilah's allies extremely interesting. I love the little details you can mess with in the past to convenience you in the present too. There's a lot to go though twice over in that level, and I always find something new each playthrough. Also, in the ambience music in the present, you can hear a rhythmic banging, and I theorize you can hear the miners being overworked from Aramis' home.

And then there's DOTO... DOTO, my beloved. This game really brought Billie Lurk's character to life and I enjoy every second of it. My fave here would be Follow the Ink, for reasons similar as to why I like Edge of the World. It's nice to explore and there's so much to do story-wise, and even more to just find or interact with. I do wish the story flowed from one point on the map to the other, like how Edge of the World slowly lead you to the black market, wall of light, overseer outpost, then to Addemire Station. I find I'm going back and forth a lot in Follow the Ink, but that's nit-picking. If anything, it gives me time to stumble across things more. I will say though, The Bank Job is probably the strongest level in the game, and the writing is the best there. Billie getting a hold of the knife, pointing a finger in The Outsider's face and telling him she's coiming, no matter what it takes, only for The Outsider to look her in the eyes and tell her that Daud, the closest Billie had ever come to family, is dead?... Heartbreaking. I'm racing back to the ship. I know he's lying, and he has to be, right? But nope, he wasn't. Billie burning her ship called Dreadful Wale, an anagram for Farewell Daud, as his pyre hurts so much. I love the very ending too and how Daud is low chaos option, and to be honest, I shouldn't have been surprised by that. Ironically, mercy and forgiveness were themes in the background of Daud's dlcs.

Some honorable mentions would be:

-Bottle Street/Holger Square: Learning about Overssers, Slackjaw, Granny Rags and you get to see my man Geoff Curnow! Please switch the poison btw.

-Lady Boyle's Last Party: You fuck around with guards and rich ppl bc they think you're one of them and that's quite the critique on the upperclass huh. Don't forget to sign the guestbook as The Empress' alleged assassin!

Return to The Tower: Hiram Burrows is finally his own undoing, and his worst nightmares have come true! What a satisfying downfall. How poetic. Bitch deserved everything he got.

-Light at the End: In high chaos, Martin shoots Pendleton after calling him inbred and that's hilarious to me. Also in low chaos. Emily will scold Havelock and tell him to "sit in the corner and think about what [he's] done!" In honesty, it's a good climax.

-Eminent Domain: Timpsh's downfall in low chaos is one of the most poetic and well written eliminations in the games. Seeing him faint in front of a General of the City Watch always makes me laugh.

-Coldridge Prison: Revisiting the place as Daud and seeing how it's changed since Corvo's escape was very interesting. There's a lot of details to interact with like other prisoners, executions, and doomed escape attempts.

-Addemire Institute: The Crown Killer was an interesting antagonist, and there's a lot of notes and clues to what Addemire was like before The Duke ruined it. The entire situation is very tragic, but not all is lost!

-The Dust District: It's just really fun to explore Karnaca ok? Also Corvo's old house is there.

-Hole in the World: I love how it hints that there's a low chaos option, but you don't realize it until you talk with Daud’s spirit and all the hints come together. I like wandering around the place too since we don't get to see The Void this much anywhere else.

Sorry this was so long, but I really love how well thought out these game are, and I really rambled! Happy pride to you too!

#mod tad #doto spoilers

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destiny-smasher · 3 years ago

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Life is Strange: True Colors

Leading up to the release of Episode 1 of TellTale's The Walking Dead game, I was working freelance for GameRevolution at the time, lived in the area, and had the chance to play a build of the game to write a preview on it. I remember comparing it to Mass Effect because, at the time, there just...weren't games of that subgenre. Of course, by now we've seen an explosion of this type of game - the 'narrative/choice-driven game,' spearheaded and even oversaturated by Telltale to their own demise.

Out of all of the games that have come from that initial boom, Life is Strange by DontNod was and still is the most influential on my life, but I also have always harbored really conflicted feelings about it - especially with how it resolved its narrative. Hell, if you're reading this, you're probably aware that I spent a few years of my life creating a sequel fanstory which I even adapted a chunk of into visual novel format. Hundreds of thousands of words, days and days of life spent essentially trying to process and reconcile my conflicted feelings about this game's conclusion(s). Since then, I've been experimenting with interactive fiction and am currently developing my own original visual novel using everything I've learned from both creating and playing games in this genre. It's a subgenre of game I have a lot of interest and passion for because, when handled well, it can allow a player to sort of co-direct a guided narrative experience in a way that's unique compared to strictly linear cinematic experiences but still have a curated, focused sense of story.

Up until this point, I've regarded Night in the Woods as probably the singular best game of this style, with others like Oxenfree and The Wolf Among Us as other high marks. I've never actually put any Life is Strange game quite up there - none of them have reached that benchmark for me, personally. Until now, anyway.

But now, I can finally add a new game to that top tier, cream of the crop list. Life is Strange: True Colors is just damn good. I'm an incredibly critical person as it is - and that critique usually comes from a place of love - so you can imagine this series has been really hard to for me given that I love it, and yet have never truly loved any actual full entry in it. I have so many personal issues, quibbles, qualms, and frustration with Life is Strange: with every individual game, with how it has been handled by its publisher (my biggest issue at this point, actually), with how it has seemingly been taken away from its original development studio, with how it chooses to resolve its narratives...

But with True Colors, all of those issues get brushed aside long enough for me to appreciate just how fucking well designed it is for this style of game. I can appreciate how the development team, while still clearly being 'indie' compared to other dev teams working under Square-Enix, were able to make such smart decisions in how to design and execute this game. Taken on its own merits, apart from its branding, True Colors is absolutely worth playing if you enjoy these 'telltale' style games. Compared to the rest of the series, I would argue it's the best one so far, easily. I had a lot of misgivings and doubts going in, and in retrospect, those are mostly Square-Enix's fault. Deck Nine, when given the freedom to make their own original game in the same vein as the previous three, fucking nailed it as much as I feel like they could, given the kinds of limitations I presume they were working within.

I'm someone who agonizes every single time there is news for Life is Strange as a series - someone who essentially had to drop out of the fandom over infighting, then dropped out of even being exposed to the official social media channels for it later on (I specifically have the Square-Enix controlled channels muted). I adore Max and Chloe, and as a duo, as a couple, they are one of my top favorites not just in gaming, but in general. They elevated the original game to be something more than the sum of its parts for me. And while I have enjoyed seeing what DontNod has made since, it's always been their attention to detail in environmental craftsmanship, in tone and atmosphere, which has caught my interest. They're good at creating characters with layers, but imo they've never nailed a narrative arc. They've never really hit that sweet spot that makes a story truly resonate with me. Deck Nine's previous outing, Before the Storm, was all over the place, trying to mimic DontNod while trying to do its own things - trying to dig deeper into concepts DontNod deliberately left open for interpretation while also being limited in what it could do as a prequel.

But with True Colors, those awkward shackles are (mostly) off. They have told their own original story, keeping in tone and concept with previous Life is Strange games, and yet this also feels distinctly different in other ways.

Yes, protagonist Alex Chen is older than previous characters, and most of the characters in True Colors are young adults, as opposed to teenagers. Yes, she has a supernatural ability. And yes, the game is essentially a linear story with some freedom in how much to poke around at the environment and interact with objects/characters, with the primary mechanic being making choices which influence elements of how the story plays out. None of this is new to the genre, or even Life is Strange. But the execution was clearly planned out, focused, and designed with more caution and care than games like this typically get.

A smaller dev team working with a budget has to make calls on how to allocate that budget. With True Colors, you will experience much fewer locales and environments than you will in Life is Strange 2. Fewer locations than even Life is Strange 1, by my count. But this reinforces the game's theming. I suspect the biggest hit to the game's budget was investing in its voice acting (nothing new for this series) but specifically in the motion capture and facial animation.

You have a game about a protagonist trying to fit in to a small, tightly knit community. She can read the aura of people's emotions and even read their minds a little. And the game's budget and design take full advantage of this. You spend your time in a small main street/park area, a handful of indoor shops, your single room apartment. It fits within a tighter budget, but it reinforces the themes the game is going for. Your interactions with characters are heightened with subtle facial cues and microexpressions, which also reinforces the mechanic and theming regarding reading, accepting, and processing emotions. And you get to make some choices that influence elements of this - influenced by the town, influenced by the emotions of those around you, which reinforce the main plot of trying to navigate a new life in a small town community.

When I think about these types of games, the conclusion is always a big deal. In a way, it shouldn't be, because I usually feel it's about the journey, not the destination. And as an example, I actually really dislike the ending of the original Life is Strange. I think it's a lot of bullshit in many ways. The setpiece is amazing and epic, sure, but the actual storytelling going on is...really hollow for me. Yes, the game does subtly foreshadow in a number of ways that this is the big choice it's leading up to, but the game never actually makes sense of it. And the problem is, if your experience is going to end on a big ol' THIS or THAT kind of moment, it needs to make sense or the whole thing will fall apart as soon as the credits are rolling and the audience spends a moment to think about what just happened. When you look at the end of Season 1 of Telltale's The Walking Dead, it's not powerful just because of what choice you're given, but because through the entire final episode, we know the stakes - we know what is going to ultimately happen, and we know the end of the story is fast approaching. All of the cards are on the table by the time we get to that final scene, and it works so well because we know why it's happening, and it is an appropriate thematic climax that embodies the theming of the entire season. It works mechanically, narratively, and thematically, and 'just makes sense.'

The ending of Life is Strange 1 doesn't do that, if you ask me. The ending of most games in this genre don't really hit that mark. When I get to the end of most game 'seasons' like this, even ones I enjoy, I'm typically left frustrated, confused, and empty in a way.

The ending of True Colors, on the other hand, nails everything it needs to. Handily, when compared to its peers.

If you're somehow reading this and have not played this game but intend to, now is probably where you should duck out, as I will be

discussing SPOILERS from the entire game, specifically the finale.

Firstly, since I don't know where else to put this, some criticisms I found with the game. And honestly, they're all pretty damn minor compared to most games of this type.

Mainly, I just wish the whole Typhon thing was handled a bit more deliberately. It's a bit weird to do the 'big evil corporation' thing (especially when a big corporation like Square Enix occupies as much as or even more of the credits to this game than the people who actually MADE it?) without offering more explanation and subtlety. The game certainly makes some efforts but they're mostly small and mostly optional, like background chatter or a handful of one-off bits of documentation/etc. you can find in the environment. I feel like Diane in particular needed to be fleshed out just a little bit more to really sell us on how and why things like this happen, why corporations make decisions that cost people their happiness, security, and lives and they just get to keep on doing it. I think just a little bit that is unavoidable to the player that puts emphasis on maybe how much the town relies on the money/resources Typhon provides would've helped. Again, this is minor, but it stands out when I have so little else to critique.

I would've liked to get more insight on why Jed is the way he is. No, I don't think we really needed to learn more about his backstory, or even really his motivations. I think we get enough of that. I just think it would've been great to somehow highlight more deliberately how/why he's built up this identity overtop of what he's trying to suppress. Maybe even just having Alex internally realize, "Wait, what the hell, Jed has been hiding these emotions and my powers haven't picked up on it?" or something to that effect could have added an extra oomph to highlight how Jed seems to be coping with his emotions by masking/suppressing them. Also really minor complaint, but again...there's not much else here I can think to really improve on within the confines of what's in the game.

The game doesn't really call Alex's power into question morally. Like. Max has an entire meltdown by the end of her story, second-guessing if she's even helped anyone at all, if she has 'the right' to do so, how her powers might be affecting or expressing her own humanity and flaws...this story doesn't really get into that despite a very similar concept of manipulating others. There's like one bit in a document you can choose to read in Alex's 'nightmare' scene, but that's really it. I feel like this sentiment and how it's executed could have easily been expanded upon in just this one scene to capture what made that Max/Other Max scene do what it did in a way that would address the moral grayness of Alex's powers and how she uses them, and give players a way to express their interpretation of that. Also, very small deal, just another tidbit I would've liked to see.

When I first watched my wife play through Episode 5 (I watched her play through the game first, then I played it myself), I wasn't really feeling the surreal dreamscape stuff of Alex's flashbacks - which is weird, because if you're read my work from the past few years, you'll know I usually love that sort of shit. I think what was throwing me off was that it didn't really feel like it was tying together what the game was about up until that point, and felt almost like it was just copying what Life is Strange did with Max's nightmare sequence (minus the best part of that sequence, imo, where Max literally talks to herself).

But by the time I had seen the rest of the story, and re-experienced it myself, I think it clicked better. This is primarily a story about Alex Chen trying to build a new life for herself in a new community - a small town, a tightly knit place. Those flashbacks are specifically about Alex's past, something we only get teeny tiny tidbits of, and only really if we go looking for them. I realized after I gave myself a few days to process and play through the game myself that this was still a fantastic choice because it reinforces the plot reasons why Alex is even in the town she's in (because her father went there, and her brother in turn went there looking for him), and it reinforces the theme of Alex coming to accept her own emotions and confront them (as expressed through how the flashbacks are played out and the discussions she has with the image of Gabe in her mind, which is really just...another part of herself trying to get her to process things).

By the time Alex escapes the mines and returns to the Black Lantern, all of the cards are on the table. By that point, we as the audience know everything we need to. Everything makes sense - aside from arguably why Jed has done what he has done, but put a pin in that for a sec. We may not know why Alex has the powers she does, but we have at least been given context for how they manifested - as a coping mechanism of living a life inbetween the cracks of society, an unstable youth after her family fell apart around her (and oof, trust me, I can relate with this in some degree, though not in exactly the same ways). And unlike Max's Rewind power, the story and plot doesn't put this to Alex's throat, like it's all on her to make some big choice because she is the way she is, or like she's done something wrong by pursuing what she cares about (in this case, the truth, closure, and understanding).

When Alex confronts Jed in front of all of the primary supporting characters, it does everything it needs to.

Mechanically: it gives players choices for how to express their interpretation of events, and how Alex is processing them; it also, even more importantly, uses the 'council' as a way of expressing how the other characters have reacted to the choices the player has made throughout the game, and contributes to how this climax feels. We're given a 'big choice' at the end of the interaction that doesn't actually change the plot, or even the scene, really (it just affects like one line of dialogue Alex says right then) and yet BOTH choices work so well as a conclusion, it's literally up to your interpretation and it gives you an in-game way to express that.

Thematically: the use of the council reinforces the game's focus on community; and the way the presentation of the scene stays locked in on Alex and Jed's expressions reinforces its focus on emotion - not to mention that the entire scene also acts as a way to showcase how Alex has come to accept, understand, and process her own emotions while Jed, even THEN, right fucking at the moment of his demise, is trying to mask his emotions, to hide them and suppress them and forget them (something the game has already expressed subtly by way of his negative emotions which would give him away NOT being visible to Alex even despite her power).

Narratively: we are given a confrontation that makes sense and feels edifying to see play out after everything we've experienced and learned. We see Alex use her powers in a new and exciting way that further builds the empowering mood the climax is going for and adds a cinematic drama to it. No matter what decisions the player makes, Alex has agency in her own climax, we experience her making a decision, using her power, asserting herself now that she has gone through the growth this narrative has put her through. Alex gets to resolve her shit, gets to have her moment to really shine and experience the end of a character arc in this narrative.

Without taking extra time to design the game around these pillars, the finale wouldn't be so strong. If they didn't give us enough opportunities to interact with the townspeople, their presence in the end wouldn't matter, but everyone who has a say in the council is someone we get an entire scene (at least one) dedicated to interacting with them and their emotions. If they didn't implement choices in the scene itself, it would still be powerful but we wouldn't feel as involved, it'd be more passive. If they didn't showcase Alex's power, we might be left underwhelmed, but they do so in a way that actually works in the context through how they have chosen to present it, while also just tonally heightening the climax by having this drastic lighting going on. If they didn't have the council involved, we'd lose the theming of community. If they didn't have the foil of Alex/Jed and how they have each processed their emotions, we'd miss that key component. And if we didn't have such detailed facial animations, the presentation just wouldn't be as effective.

Ryan/Steph are a little bit like, in this awkward sideline spot during the climax? Steph always supports you, and Ryan supports you or doubts you conditionally, which is unsurprising but also ties into the themes of Ryan having grown up woven into this community, and Steph being once an outsider who has found a place within it. They're still there, either way, which is important. The only relevant characters who aren't present are more supporting characters like Riley, Ethan, and Mac. Ethan being the only one of those who gets an entire 'super emotions' scene, but that also marks the end of his arc and role in the story, so...it's fine. Mac and Riley are less important and younger, as well, and have their own side story stuff you have more direct influence on, too.

But damn, ya'll, this climax just works so well. It especially stands out to me given just how rarely I experience a conclusion/climax that feels this rewarding.

And then after that we get a wonderful montage of a theoretical life Alex might live on to experience. Her actions don't overthrow a conglomerate billionaire company. She doesn't even save a town, really. If the entire council thinks you're full of shit, Jed still confesses either way - because it's not up to the council whether he does this, it's because of Alex, regardless of player choice. Honestly, even after a playthrough where I made most choices differently from my wife, there weren't really many changes to that montage at the end. It'd have been great if it felt more meaningfully different, but maybe it can be. Even if not, the design intent is there and the execution still works. It's a really nice way to end the story, especially since it's not even a literal montage but one Alex imagines - again, her processing what she's gone through, what she desires, expressed externally for us to see it. And for once, the actual final 'big decision' in a game of this type manages to be organic, make sense, and feel good and appropriate either way. You choose to either have Alex stay in Haven Springs and continue building her life there, or you can choose to have her leave and try to be an indie musician, with the events of the game being yet another chunk of her life to deal with and move on from (I haven't really touched on it, but music, especially as a way to express and process emotions, is a recurring thing, much like photography was in the original game, or Sean's illustrations in LiS2). For once, a climactic 'pick your ending' decision that doesn't feel shitty. It's pretty rare for this genre, honestly.

I could - and already have, and likely will - have so much more to say about this game and its details, but I really wanted to focus on touching upon a main element that has left me impressed: the way the entire game feels designed. It feels intentionally constructed but in a way that reinforces what it is trying to express as a story. It's not just trying to make people cry for the sake of 'emotions.' It is a game literally about emotions and it comes to a conclusion in a way that is clearly saying something positive and empowering about empathy and self-acceptance.

Storytelling is a craft, like any other, and it entails deliberate choices and decisions that can objectively contribute to how effective a story is for its intended audience.

A good story isn't something you find, after all.

It's something you build.

#Life is Strange True Colors #Life is Strange #Haven Springs #alex chen #lis true colors

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pulim-v · 2 years ago

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My hand slipped and I made another

And just after I made a post about it, I'm going to run out of stuff to say about him

I love Asgore, I think he's really well-written, shows a great deal of environmental storytelling, has some amazing music and might end up as some super good mlm rep for Deltarune!

First off, his writing is considerably different from the other characters. Instead of meeting and then knowing him, you get to know him before even seeing his face, by seeing the opinions of most other characters and going through his home. This includes, among other things, the initial dichotomy between "Asgore", the mean murderer who will take your soul, and "King Dreemurr", the fuzzy pushover who will happily let you cross the barrier. This difference is cleared up by Undyne, who clarifies that both are the same person, and that the player can most likely get him to let them go through. However, the absolute bombshell that is the nature of the barrier is dropped at the end of the CORE section, which makes conflict with him inevitable, and this is only exacerbated by New Home, which deserves its own entire comment but let's just talk about it for a bit.

New Home is a fascinating window into Asgore's personality and almost every single object in it is cleverly put there to show insight into the Dreeemurr family, so let's go through every individual object with any sort of relevance. You asked for this.

The Worn Dagger is a christmas gift either from or to Chara, and shows their great relationship. Chara might have been interested in gardening, as their one wish before dying was to see the Golden Flowers, and they're pretty much omnipresent in New Home;

Speaking of that, the Golden Flowers are the only part of New Home with any color other than the ribbons in the gift boxes. This shows Asgore's interest in gardening, along with implying that the absence of his family stripped all color from his life, after all, the only colorful things in there are heavily associated with his children;

The empty reading chair signifies Toriel’s absence and shows that Asgore isn’t as into reading as her;

The locks show that he is open to interactions with the other Monsters, as he lets everyone just go to his house and talk to him, along with having the gameplay purpose of making the player go through his entire home;

The clothes drawer, macaroni art, and calendar also show his relationship with Chara, as he still keeps their sweater even after more than a hundred years, they made a drawing for him and he keeps a constant reminder of their arrival. As such, they were most likely his favorite child;

The Santa outfit is like 3 cans of worms in one, but basically Asgore compares himself to Santa and fills his role in the Underground, to the point where he addresses multiple gifts to Snowdin’s residents under his name. It also ties into his relationship with Rudy, but I’ll get there later;

The trophy and snail containers show how much Asgore misses Toriel, and give a little glimpse of their relationship;

The pie recipes in the garbage show that he is garbage at baking, or at least he isn’t as good as he would like, which coupled with the much more vibrant plants in NH than in the Ruins (like damn girl that flower patch was literally bigger in a garbage dump are you ok?), show that he and Toriel complemented each other with their skills;

The diary is something that I have never seen ANYONE talk about and that is an absolute travesty holy shit. He keeps up a public facade of positivity, down to his diary, meaning he doesn’t even get to confide in his own possessions, all because if his subjects might look there and realize that there really isn’t any hope;

The coffins show how much he respected the humans he took the lives of, as they’re put there along with Chara, who has already been established to be someone he loved very dearly. That comparison also shows how traumatized he was by killing the children;

The family photo. That is it;

The second throne, covered with a white sheet, is one of the many signs of there being a queen, which is something I haven’t really touched on, but that’s not confirmed until a neutral run with the Toriel Queen ending is done, which might be one of the later endings achieved;

Ok I think that’s it in New Home, so let’s get going, now about the music because it is very good. Determination is the first Asgore-related track and it’s a little sad, but pretty simple. Then there’s Memory, which is more of an Asriel track, but appears on Undyne’s monologue about Asgore, and it is one of the most beautiful leitmotifs in the game. Then there’s Small Shock, which is fairly simple, but had an amazing glow up in the Undertale 5th Anniversary Concert that turned it into one of the best tracks in that concert. Bergentrückung and ASGORE are fitting tracks for his battle that also serve as a little exposition dump by confirming that he’s the guy from the Game Over screen and that Toriel has a relation to him;

Now, last thing, the ‘mlm’ part. Asgore is most likely bi or pansexual! This is shown both in the Undertale Alarm Clock app and implied in Deltarune, as his relationship with Rudy seems romantic in both. In the Alarm Clock, there seemed to be an allusion to them kissing with Rudy saying “don’t forget the mistletoe”, they were really important for each other, and Rudy’s marriage not impacting their relationship implying that poly relationships are acceptable in the Underground’s society. A lot of that is also present in Deltarune, but at an earlier stage of relationship, with Rudy questioning Asgore’s gift of flowers, Susie questioning the mere presence of flowers, and the Addisons seemingly implying that poly relationships are also acceptable, as the gang doesn’t question them offering Marriage Shoes to a group of three. This implies that, with proper communication, they could still date each other while married to their respective wives.

Also this conversation, when you go back to the Hospital after going to Sans’s shop, deserves a mention:

Rudy: * 'Sides, your dad ain't much without his main man!

Susie: * Yeah he... had to ask the store guy for free pickles.

Rudy: * Dammit man! You know I would give you free pickles!

Rudy: * I'll kick that store guy's bony little ass!

Susie: * Yeah, me too!

Rudy: * We'll make him into a goddamn xylophone!

(credits to @arturiteprsnl on Twitter for finding this line)

As an Asgore fan who has written three separate essays on why I like him, yes liking him does count as freak shit

i need to see these essays NOW

#wtf is wrong w me lmao #undertale #deltarune #asgore #asgore dreemurr #asgore undertale #asgore deltarune #utdr

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lilydalexf · 4 years ago

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Old School X is a project interviewing X-Files fanfic authors who were posting fic during the original run of the show. New interviews are posted every Tuesday.

Interview with Mary Ruth Keller

Mary Ruth Keller has 42 stories at Gossamer, plus her stories are at AO3. She's written a number of short standalone stories, but she's thought through the X-Files mythology and written about it probably as much as anybody ever has. So if you want to dive into the mythology and all its drama, you need to go read her mythology fics ASAP. (But read this long, interesting interview first!) Big thanks to Mary Ruth for doing this interview.

Does it surprise you that people are still interested in reading your X-Files fanfics and others that were posted during the original run of the show (1993-2002)?

Quite frankly, yes. The Kuxan Sum Cycle branches off the actual series following the Third Season episode Syzygy. I took the myth-arc as it stood at that time, post Nisei-731, and the agents in mid-Rift. Although I didn’t quite realize it when I started out, I was most interested in moving the myth-arc forward in a continuously unfurling narrative, one where Scully and Mulder became an effective investigative team who support each other as partners and friends again. After I started writing in my little corner of the X-F universe in 1996, there was a lot of stuff on the show that just happened, with no real storytelling logic to it I could fathom, but that seemed to be popular. I stopped writing in 2000 because I was frantically busy at my new job (which consumed far too many twelve-plus-hour workdays and weekends) and because my sister and I were trying to take care of my elderly, increasingly frail, Mother. So, I never expected, when I started writing in 2018 and posting again in 2019 (I reposted all my stories, in order, to AO3 and fanfiction.net, because Chermera would never have made sense without them) for readers to take an interest in myth-arc and character issues that the series writers had simply abandoned to go chase, well, anything else, especially if it made no coherent sense whatsoever. What do you think of when you think about your X-Files fandom experience? What did you take away from it?

The fandom was a lot of fun. There were many interesting, engaging discussions I took part in with other fans of the show, some of whom I am still in touch with.

Social media didn't really exist during the show's original run. How were you most involved with the X-Files online (atxc, message board, email mailing list, etc.)?

All of the above. I spent a lot of time discussing writing and characters with other writers on ATXC, except when I was actively working on my novels. Since I was doing basic research into microwave remote sensing of the Earth while working at the Naval Research Laboratory at the time – yes, I was one of those dreaded Department of Defense scientists the show had a love/hate relationship with – my writing happened at night and on weekends. Novels, especially the longer ones, take me about a year from first words on disk until release, which meant I didn’t have all the time to participate on-line as I would have otherwise. But, I enjoyed chatting with the fellow denizens of the Endies Board, and on the EMXC, Scullyfic, and Je Souhaite mailing lists. I’ve saved some of those posts and conversation threads on my older computers, where it’s fun re-reading them from time to time. What did you take away from your experience with X-Files fic or with the fandom in general?

There were a lot of generous, funny, very intelligent fans involved with X-F back then (not that there aren’t now; there are, of course). I started writing because I wanted to get the myth-arc and the characters back on-track, the long-term story moving forward and the agents again being the smart investigators I loved hanging out with on Friday nights. But, outside of having read a lot of myth, literature, fiction, and non-fiction, I didn’t know enough about the mechanics of writing fiction. Several authors were willing to help out, some explicitly through E-mail conversations, and some from general comments about crafting stories that were posted to ATXC. I had a real problem with how I initially handled dialog, which I had some E-mail guidance on, that was very much appreciated. I also had two quite diligent beta readers, one an on-line fan, and one a real-life friend, both male, who helped me with the direction of the Scully-Mulder half of Anath. I was, at the time, utterly exasperated with how the pair of them had become such complete morons on the series, both totally incapable of investigating anything successfully, which was affecting my writing the characters in that story. What was it that got you hooked on the X-Files as a show? Ooh, boy. I’d like to say I started watching with the show with the Pilot, but I didn’t, quite. Tom Shales was the Washington Post TV critic at the time the Pilot aired – yes, not only was I a government scientist, I was living in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1992. He was intrigued by the characters and premise and found Duchovny and Anderson engaging while playing their roles. At the time, I was wrapped up trying to work on a PhD while still employed at NRL, so I tucked the review away, waiting until I had Friday nights free to check it out. I’m a great lover of science fiction, so I thought to give the show a try, eventually. [Lilydale note: I found a couple things Tom Shales wrote about The X-Files premiere in 1993: Fall 1993 TV preview article and a “Pilot” episode review.]

The first episode I sat down to watch was the First Season Darkness Falls, where Mulder and Scully get trapped at the logging camp with the Earth Firster, Doug Spinney, the logging executive, Steve Humphries, the Forest Ranger, Larry Moore, and the gooey green bugs. I was amazed by that story. It was as perfect a little piece of science fiction as I have seen on TV (except for one bit toward the end), with an environmental moral to it as well, where all the characters make good and bad choices, and they all suffer or succeed because of them.

What hooked me, really hooked me, were the first/second acts, specifically, Dana Scully’s actions, once they find the desiccated logger in the tree. The investigation is handled logically, in that it’s not the big male agent who goes shinnying up the trunk to look at the evidence while everyone else stands around watching and wailing, “Whatever shall we do!” No, it’s little Dana Scully who takes the ride to the upper branches. This made oodles of sense, in that she was this tiny woman whom two men could lever up that far with a rope, a hand winch, and pulleys. When she gets there, after grimacing (who wouldn’t, considering what she saw), she starts investigating. She does an on-the-spot post-mortem exam, while Mulder makes an ooky male-body-parts joke, but everyone takes her results seriously. I was thrilled. Here was a female character I could really relate to, someone who could hold her own in a difficult situation, unlike most of those on the tube, then or now.

I made a point, over the following summer, of watching as many re-runs as I could, catching up on the episodes and characters. The stories ran to science fiction and horror, which are my preference. Further, although there was an emphasis on the paranormal, several of the first season episodes were written so both Mulder’s wanting-to-believe-but-needing-proof intuitive, emotional approach and Scully’s logical, scientific, justice-oriented viewpoint each got the narrative coherently from initial crime to identifying and apprehending a suspect. It was some spectacular, complex writing, and I was hooked, hopelessly hooked. I discuss this some on my old author web-page, which still exists, courtesy of the Wayback machine), so I won’t belabor it. What got you involved with X-Files fan-fic? The shenanigans within the Third Season, quite honestly. The myth-arc wasn’t moving forward, as it had during the Second Season, which I really couldn’t understand. Carter had given us this bang-up start in the ABC Trilogy with all these new fictional possibilities to explore, but instead, bupkis. The MOTW’s were retreads with no depth or moral/ethical weight to them, except for Darin’s stories. The intelligent agents I had enjoyed spending time with while they pursued their oddball investigations were evaporating before my eyes. Mulder had always been this deeply intuitive character who cared about others and knew he could get it wrong, so needed Scully’s logic in their investigations, even if he didn’t always want to hear her observations and questions. But that character was being replaced by a cookie-cutter misunderstood anti-hero, who wasn’t thinking, just running off to chase butterflies, who was always right because he was The Guy. Scully, as an investigator, the little agent who could, was simply being sidelined. Sure, she’d argue with Mulder, but the writers had stopped giving her and her logical viewpoint a real role in their cases, Darin excepted, again. As the series went on, the Agent and Doctor Dana Scully I respected was replaced with this snappish little female whose only notable skill was running in high heels, who spent her time standing around with her arms crossed, and made pruney faces at Mulder if she were required to do any actual investigating. I hated that character, but, apparently, the all-male writing staff just loved her.

I knew about the on-line fandom, so I thought to check out if anybody else had noticed these “improvements.” First, I spent time at ATXF, discussing the changes with the series, that disturbed a lot of folks, not just me. Eventually, I tripped onto ATXC. There were writers there who understood the two characters, quite well, but weren’t that interested in the other problems with the show that bothered me deeply.

Like many fan-fiction writers, I decided to try to bring in, or in my case, bring back, what I was missing in what was being aired. Sins of the Fathers was the result. As I mentioned above, it was a far from perfect story, but I learned much putting it together, and it got a lot of positive feedback. So I kept writing and trying to improve what I wrote. Folks appreciated it, then and now, surprisingly, which was endless encouragement to keep going. What is your relationship like now to X-Files fandom? With work and my Mom, as I mentioned above, I dropped out for a few years. My new job is still microwave remote sensing of the Earth, at a University-affiliated laboratory, not working directly for the government, but the NASA/NSF-type funding for the research I like to do is much harder to come by, so it takes up a lot more of my time to keep funded and working. Adding to that, I haven’t found places like ATXC in the 90’s or the Endies Board, but I suppose lightning only strikes once. Were you involved with any fandoms after the X-Files? If so, what was it like compared to X-Files?

Not really, no. I’ve enjoyed other TV series, but, I never felt those shows were just throwing away essential parts of themselves as X-F did, or, if they went bad, I simply stopped watching them. A fandom is, or can be, a huge time commitment, which, as I’ve noted, I don’t have that much of. I discuss this quite extensively in my author’s notes at the end of Chermera, so I won’t repeat myself. [Lilydale note: the long author notes are at the end of the story’s last chapter, not in the AO3 notes section.] Who are some of your favorite fictional characters? Why?

As a child, I loved reading myths and legends from many different cultures. So many amazing stories, so much that touches on truth. Greek myth, Norse legends, Islamic tales, Celtic fables, all of them. It goes without saying that discovering Tolkien’s fully-realized Middle Earth in my early teens was like falling into an river of endless delights.

In literature, perhaps the character I enjoy most is Sherlock Holmes. On television/in movies, I’d have to say: Beverly Crusher, (early) Dana Scully, Susan Ivanova of Babylon 5, Pa’u Zotoh Zhaan and (early) Aeryn Sun on Farscape, Samantha Carter on Stargate SG-1, Hermione Granger, and most recently, Lagertha on Vikings. Dunno, there might be a pattern there. Possibly. Do you ever still watch The X-Files or think about Mulder and Scully?

Yes, absolutely. I started rewatching the series when it ran on BBC America, enjoying the first two seasons again. I’d actually never stopped thinking about Mulder and Scully; I just lost the time to write about them, until two years ago, when I managed to land some long-term funding so I wasn’t staying up nights writing proposals every few months. I’d have a thought about how to advance the story that became Chermera, so I’d make a mental note and play with it in my head. I also have two more novels and a satyr play left to go in the sequence of stories I want to write, so I’m turning over plot-lines and potential arcs in my head all the time. Do you ever still read X-Files fic? Fic in another fandom? I do read X-F fan-fic. Since the series has wandered so far away from what engaged me, and most fan-fic keeps up with that, I don’t read very much. As far as other fandoms, one was enough. Do you have any favorite X-Files fan-fic stories or authors?

Reaching back into the dark ages, I’d say Pellinor and Nascent. They may both be available on Gossamer. [Lilydale note: Fortunately, they are!] What is your favorite of your own fics, X-Files and/or otherwise? Zurvan is the favorite of my older stories. It, like Twelfth Night (Denha on AO3 to avoid confusion with another X-F story named Twelfth Night), builds on the past stories in their trilogies and brings the overall arc to new places. It’s fun to uncover surprises when writing and develop challenges to address in the future, which both of those stories did. Do you think you'll ever write another X-Files story? Or dust off and post an oldie that for whatever reason never made it online?

I’d certainly like to. I had planned to write three trilogies with their satyr plays, each of them focusing on an aspect of the mythical Triple Goddess: Maiden, Matron, and Crone, in the X-F universe. Only, being me, I turned it around. Sandra Ann Miller (Samantha) is the Maiden, but I’ve just started telling that part of the arc with the transitional Anath and the first trilogy story Chermera. I’m approaching this trilogy as a coherent tale spread across the three novels, which is different from the other two. The Caroline Lowenberg Trilogy didn’t really get organized until Twelfth Night. It was only the third story I’d ever written, so perhaps I can be excused. The Dana Scully Trilogy was all interconnected, but that was more of an organic, rather than a pre-planned and deliberate, effort. I didn’t really grasp the full arc of what I was creating there until I was writing Chermera and looked back over the threads running from Rustic Suite through Anath. The next story in the Sandra Ann Miller Trilogy involves the exposure of the Japanese arm of the Consortium, but, I need to read up on Japanese history, myths and legends, and world view before I write it. After finishing and posting Chermera, that’s what I’ve been doing. The conflict between Amaterasu, the Sun goddess, and her ne’er-do-well brother Susanoo-no-Mikoto, the god of, among other things, storms, marriage, and love, as told in the Kojiki and the Nihongi (both written down in their near-final forms at the same time as we in the West were just recording the first skeletal versions of the Arthurian Legends), will definitely get worked into the Sandra Ann Miller Trilogy. I’m starting to put the arcs and plot-lines together, but, I’m not ready to begin writing yet. Do you still write fic now? Or other creative work? As I’ve discussed, I do. Part of why I take my time is because Mulder and Scully are owed real, challenging cases to solve - the two intelligent agents with their own approaches, strengths, and weaknesses, remember. Partly, because I have original fiction ideas I’d like to pursue. Trying to do the best I possibly can in the sheltered world of X-F where I attempt to create stories with universal themes, well-realized settings, coherent plot-lines, and original characters who resonate with my readers is practice for the original fiction. I’ll never write the Great American Novel (whatever that is), but I’d like to write stories that are as good as I can make them and fun for my readers, so I keep plugging. Where do you get ideas for stories? Reading and thinking, mostly. I try to look for ideas that haven’t been done to death, or different approaches to old themes. I have four original novels I scribble mental notes on. After I bring this myth-arc I’ve been working on to its (to me) logical resolution, I hope I’ll be able enough of a writer to get started on them. What's the story behind your pen name? Actually, it’s my real name. At the time I started writing, I didn’t think to do anything else. On ATXC and Gossamer, I wrote several of the shorts that are separate from the Kuxan Sum Cycle under the pen name Lise Meitner. She was a Twentieth Century theoretical physicist who explained nuclear fission, then was cut out of a Nobel prize because the judges of her day thought Marie Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie were “enough” women physicists working in radioactivity to be so honored. [Lilydale note: here’s her Wikipedia page. Among many other fascinating things talked about there, she was nominated for the Nobel Prize 48 times in two different categories and had the 109th chemical element, meitnerium, named after her. She also escaped Nazi Germany in a plot involving trains, boats, planes, and an emergency diamond ring. You really ought to read about her.] Do your friends and family know about your fic and, if so, what have been their reactions?

I’d shared the first five of my novels with my family back in 1996. They liked them, my sister especially. I’m not sure they knew what to make of them. I haven’t shown them to my in-laws, but, I think my sister-in-law found them on her own. We haven’t discussed them, as they aren’t her usual preference, which is Romance. One distant blood relation was thrilled to discover them on-line and wrote me about them. My sister, though, is my (self-admitted) biggest fan. When we were kids, she and I shared a bedroom, where I’d make up stories to tell her at night so she could fall asleep. She and I correspond regularly by E-mail (she’s in Florida and I’m in Maryland). Back while I was working my way through Chermera, she asked out of the blue if I was ever going to write any more. She was thrilled to hear I had been but she doesn’t have regular Internet access other than at her job. I made printed, bound copies of all my stories to mail to her last Christmas. She loves them, bless her. Is there a place online (tumblr, twitter, AO3, etc.) where people can find you and/or your stories now?

I’ve sent Chermera to Gossamer, but, it hasn’t been updated since July 2018. All the rest of the stories are there.

At AO3, my stories are under: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mrkeller. The Kuxan Sum Cycle is linked together at: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1555492.

I’ve published the Lise Meitner stories under my own name there: Faustus Mulder; Late Night Thoughts on Evolution, Hard Times, and Lost Pets; You Just Don’t Understand; and Lux Perpetua. Since I could separate out the trilogies into their own cycle, it just made sense.

At fan-fiction.net, they’re under: https://www.fanfiction.net/~maryruthkeller

Again, the Lise Meitner stories are under my own name. Since fanfiction.net doesn’t have a linked series option like AO3, I’ve added a header to all eleven of the stories in the Kuxan Sum Cycle so far explaining the order. The novels all are tagged with thumbnail versions of the covers I made for them. Also, the literary quotes I started each chapter and begin and end each story with, are kept in the AO3 versions, but are removed at fanfiction.net to avoid potential copyright issues. Shakespeare, Christine de Pisan, the Popol Vuh, the Ugaritic myths around Anath, and others are all long out of, or never were in, copyright, of course, but, just to be on the safe side, I’m following fanfiction.net’s rules.

If folks care to write, I’m still at my old eclipse address: [email protected]. Is there anything else you'd like to share with fans of X-Files fic?

Enjoy it, use it as an opportunity to make connections and expand your horizons as a storyteller. Fan-fiction was much more of a home-grown effort back in the 90’s than it is now, when there are how-to books, of all things. But, don’t get so wrapped up one forgets about real life. That’s where all the best stories are.

(Posted by Lilydale on October 27, 2020)

#new post #old school x #xfiles fanfic #xf fanfic #xf fanfic author interviews #mary ruth keller

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mostgeckcellent · 3 years ago

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6, 22, 23, 29 :)

Thank you for the ask!!

6. what professors do you ship? Magneto and Professor X. lol look, I have like 4 professors in my program and those are real people. no, you know what, I actually ship Michelle and getting enough sleep. That's what I ship. you menace <3

22. what is your favourite scientific theory? I mean my thesis is based on bibliotherapy theory, which I've talked about a bit on this blog before, so I'm a little contractually obligated to say that, but I'm gonna pick Hein's Learning Quadrant. There's a bunch of theory on free choice learning, basically, learning that's done willingly, not in a classroom, not workplace mandated, but just because you want to. Hein's Quadrant is a way to categorize types of learning experiences on a quadrant, and tumblr looooves quadrants lol.

It goes like this:

So if you've got learning where you're given information just straight up, that's didactic. The information exists out there, and it is being given to the learner. Think reading a wall of text at a museum.

Discovery is when the information exists out there, but the learner is active in the process, they're doing something to discover that information. Think doing a thing for the purpose of learning, and finding an objective correct answer.

Stimulus-response is like a quiz. You're asked a question, and when you get it right, you get a reward. You produce the information yourself, but it's still being fed to you a little at a time.

Constructivism is when you are doing something for the sake of learning, and there's no right answer, you're just generating knowledge.

None of these quadrants are inherently better than another; they're all useful for different things. If you go to a science centre, and every exhibit is constructivist, that's a lot of work, it's a lot of effort, it's exhausting. If everything is didactic, that's boring pretty quick, exhausting in a different way. The trick to a good free-learning experience is a mix of all four, to some extent, and in order to create a good free-learning experience, it's important to know what components you're working with.

23. Is a scientific mind attractive to you? What even is a scientific mind? I think most of us are programmed with a bit of a scientific mind, we have to be. We all learn and process information and make conclusions about it, right? That said, I do appreciate curiosity and an open mind.

29. What are your strengths in your field of study? oooh. so my field of study is science communication specifically, I'm doing my masters. My thesis is on storytelling and environmental theatre, specifically how environmental theatre helps its audience form their own voice for environmental advocacy. My program is interesting because it recruits from STEM undergrads, and I actually did my degree in English Literature, not science. (I took some bio, some chem, some psych, some math, I avoided physics like the plague tho, so I have some science background from my undergrad, but I'm not their usual target, right). Sometimes that's a weakness. I have to work harder to learn the science I'm communicating. On the other hand, I think it's more often a strength. I know exactly what a person not in the field will comprehend, and what jargon will go right over someone's head. I know what explanations make sense, and which ones are just nonsense words to me. And I think that helps me figure out how to communicate these complicated things, because I have to go from lay person to expert, and then translate it back, in order to do my job, rather than starting as an expert and having to guess at what another person might know. Also, it means I'm pretty good at writing.

These were fun!! the answer got absurdly long, but am I really answering an ask if it's not stupidly long by the end?

Ask me science questions

#ask game #answered

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zachsgamejournal · 4 years ago

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PLAYING: Resident Evil 7

I know I'm about 3 years late to the party, but I was hesitant to trust that Capcom could get back in touch with their Survival Horror roots.

My very regrettable mistake...

So: Resident Evil for PS1/Saturn was great!

Cinematic Storytelling: The game could be completed in under 2 hours (if you knew what you were doing). So that means you're not spending days to get through a feature-film level story (unlike SOME games). It makes the plot and characters a more crucial part of the experience.

Puzzles: Sure, the puzzles are little wacky: like clicking buttons under pictures in chronological order or you get attacked by well-trained zombie birds. But it made the game more than moving from point-a-to-b. It's about exploring and understanding your environment. Speaking of which...

The Environment: The Mansion (and it's other areas) was a character unto itself. It had secrets and a past. And since the game wasn't designed as a series of sequential levels, you really get to know the environment.

Zombies: Zombies were not the mainstream success they are now. Hell, Vampires were just barely getting attention through Interview the Vampire. I became obsessed with zombies and bought all 3 major films in existence.

Such a different time...

Anyway, the point, RE1 was great, RE2 was better, RE: Code Veronica was pretty good, and RE4 is stupid.

Well...not stupid, but it completely changed Resident Evil, and not for the better. While folks loved RE4, it really was the start of a new franchise, which RE5 and RE6 followed. And that's fine--except they sacrificed what Resident Evil was to make way for this new product.

Succinct, mystery-driven storytelling was replaced with nonsensical twist and turns that did little to grow the overall world or its characters. They just stretched contrived cliffhangers across overlong campaigns of mass murder.

Puzzles, as best i can remember, were sacrificed for challenge rooms filled with enemies while the player looked for the exit switch.

The environment, as great as the graphics were, simply became battle zones meant to offer shallow context to the bloodbath gameplay. RE4 did have a strong aesthetic, but you don't get to know each room and hall like you do in the classics. Nothing but well-dressed strangers to high-five as you pass by.

And what happened to the Zombies. I mean, they still had zombies--but they weren't zombies. Whatever. Resident Evil has always had a diverse set of monsters. They didn't have to sacrifice zombies...

All this to say, Resident Evil 7 is awesome!

The opening was a little cheesy with poorly synced dialog and a helicopter shot of Louisiana swampland I'm sure they stole from True Detective stock footage.

But once I took over the character, I was hooked. The game looks great on my phone and TV via Stadia. I enjoyed walking through the woods and house, looking at every little detail the artists meticulously placed.

I've seen most of a playthrough on Youtube (though I was distracted). So I kind of knew what to expect. It's way more intense when you play. Having dialog and cutscenes playout without leaving the first person camera is great at making you feel "there". So all that goes down and I end up in the house for dinner.

Watching this bit on YouTube, I was a little turned off by the obvious Chainsaw Massacre connections: but original RE was heavily influenced by horror films, why not this? (I also have a better understanding of this family cause I know some things.)

Once I gained control, roaming around the kitchen/dining/living room area was great. I was seeing hints to future puzzles, scavenging for supplies, and finding notes giving clues to events that were happening. Very Resident Evil.

I struggled a bit trying to get away from Jack. Since they gave me a hiding spot, I assumed stealth was gonna be a major component. Nope. Not really. Eventually I get to the save room (A SAVE ROOM!!) and then on to the garage fight.

I wasted all my ammo when I probably just needed to grab the car keys. Lesson learned. Jack trying to run me over was kind of crazy, and maybe a little laughable since I was just swiping at him with a pocket knife for five minutes.

After that, more of the house opens up. It's insanely huge and illogically designed. While it creates some great hallways, and helps the designers break the home up into controllable sections: there's no house build like this: wtf...

Going into the basement reminded me of RE2. The molded, I think, are people the family has kidnapped and infected with something. Some change and some don't. Know they've turned into very lethal zombie-esque creatures. Since they're infected people stumbling about, I'm gonna say they've rekindled the zombie. Kinda.

To fight these guys, I've resorted to my pocket knife. Saves ammo. I basically dance around them like I did guards in Thief, wacking where I can. Eventually I chop off their hands, often without taking damage. But the crab guy in the incinerator required a shotgun blast.

One of the fights, he cut off my leg and I was crawling around. I thought it was a scripted scene (I mean, I lost my arm already). Nope. You're supposed to pick it up and reattach it. Ah-well.

Jack wandering around the new area was frustrating. It seemed I could never lose him, so wasted a lot of health and ammo stunning him. His boss fight was pretty rough. I nearly gave up. It took some time getting used to the chainsaw. Right as I was about to switch to easy, I had a near perfect run and defeated him. My wife laughed at the way I was squirming on the couch trying to get a hit in without being cut in half!

Made it to the old house with the bugs. This went way faster. It reminded me of the guard house from RE1, which also had giant wasps. Without Jack or molded zombies, it was actually really easy to explore the house and solve its secrets. Once the old lady showed up, I thought I could lure her away from the exit room. She didn't buy it, so I just ran past her.

When it came to her boss fight, it reminded me a lot of Laughing Octopus in Metal Gear Solid. Which that boss was practically a horror movie in of itself. I thought the flame thrower was gonna be the way to go, but a guide suggested focusing on her belly. And I kept running out of fuel, then being harassed by flies. So I opted for the shotgun and had a successful run.

About a year and a half ago, I played through the original RE as Chris. I remember there was a point about a third of the way through that I had about seven rounds of pistol ammo, and a single green herb--yet several zombies stood in my way. I wasn't sure I was going to make it. But then, I unlocked the shotgun and the game became a breeze. Suddenly I had too much ammo, and too many healing items!

That has kind of happened here. I'm doing well on healing items (though I've used up my shotgun). Still, I feel confident sprinting around and doing quick searches of spaces. I don't even fight the molded much anymore.

Getting into Zoe's trailer was interesting, but you can interact with her bra. I thought that was kind of pervy. I'm guessing Zoe is a part of the family? I imagine she's some how the source.

I think it's great they keep putting the grandma in different places without explanation. The way she looks at you sometimes is creepy...

I'm not a huge fan of the VHS flashbacks. Often, they have you play areas you've either already played or will play. While it's inspired some game ideas of my own, it just feels like a cheap gimmick to get more playtime.

Anyway, this really does feel like a reboot of Resident Evil. It's capturing the strong environmental storytelling of the originals, and making it more about the horror, less about the action. I'm actually getting into the plot and mystery. I look forward to getting my answers.

#Zach's Game Journal #PLAYING #Resident Evil 7 #Stadia

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kinkymagnus · 4 years ago

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20, 21, 25!!! for the ask game, please 💖 [also, hiii!!!]

thank you!!!! (also hii!!) i fuckign love video gaem im nerd

20 and 21. Book that would make a good game + Show/movie that would make a good game?

FUCK uhhhh first some reason my first thought was Artemis Fowl but I.... don’t think that would actually work.

Okay, what’s really interesting is storytelling in different mediums, and one problem with taking a story that is written for a book or a show or a movie, is that it is written for that format. There are some that would make the transition pretty well, even though it might sacrifice parts of the story. Like, it’s harder to get thoughts or feelings a character has without awkward narration, and usually impossible to get good facial expressions or subtle body language cues and that kind of thing.

I’m mostly talking written/screen to video game, but there are also notable differences between books and tv/movies that are probably why most adaptations are so infamously bad. Things like the amount of information that can be compressed for consumers of the media, the type of information such as inner thoughts/feelings and random worldbuilding details, and pacing. Both mediums have their strengths and weaknesses--the screen can be more immersive, and show you really cool ways of looking at things, and also allow for certain silent dialogue like body language or just more subtle implications (such as background characters behaving a certain way or expressions gone unmentioned) but also they can’t really do things that books can.

Video games have their own strengths and weaknesses, too. The interactive medium allows for all sorts of cool things you just absolutely cannot do in the same way in these other mediums. My favorite is probably environmental storytelling and the ways you can get stories across both purely from the setting around you (like in the Fallout game I forget the name of with the underwater city, or in Breath of the Wild with the ruins scattered around Hyrule, or basically all of Hollow Knight’s storytelling) and from little bits of scattered lore that you have to piece together into your own interpretation of what happened. (Again, Hollow Knight does this amazingly.)

So like, some stories can benefit from that, particularly either stories with a strong setting with good worldbuilding to base that on, or stories that would benefit from adding that yourself (although people might argue on whether it counts as canon or not).

So the question is to really think about what kind of books, tv shows, and movies can benefit from being directly interacted with and even changed by the player, what ideas can play out through simple environments a player can move around or in small boxes of flavor text to be pieced together, what stories can be conveyed that can benefit from being actively sought out rather than directly fed to the person consuming them. Something like Artemis Fowl doesn’t work, because there’s a set linear narrative and the choices that are made rightfully should be set. While a game completely separate from the Artemis Fowl stories with its own characters simply set in Haven City could be really interesting (such as the life of a LEP officer who isn’t famous and tangling with humans constantly, or even the life of a dwarf or a goblin or whatever, perhaps even with multiple choices of class and species--?) it wouldn’t really be an Artemis Fowl adaption so much as a spin off or addition to the universe. It could be really interesting, as for a cool as fuck city of fairies Haven City isn’t really discussed or explored all that much, but it wouldn’t be a true adaptation. It’d be inspired by, if anything.

I honestly can’t think of any books/movies/tv shows off the top of my head that necessarily would make a good game.

There are a few I could see being mildly fun--perhaps a sci fi survival game based on The Martian, a Mission: Impossible spy game, or (and I think this would be fun, tbh) a fantasy/mystery retrieval game based on The Librarians or Warehouse 13. I wouldn’t even mind seeing what a skilled game designer could do with A Series of Unfortunate Events, although I’d have no idea where to start.

The problem is mostly those stories being kind of linear and set. The player can’t really affect them, so to be effective it’d be better if it was a new story entirely merely in that universe, rather than just an adaptation of the original canon. For example, playing Lord of the Rings simply would not be the same as watching it or reading it. There’s no way to really make it organic or have that same amount of emotion.

While it’s not impossible to have a linear set story for a player to follow (See The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, which has issues, but is definitely playable and enjoyable) it’s not really the same if you not only know the whole story but feel like you’re not actually part of it. You can have quick time events to see if Bilbo really got the the ring, or a sequence where you play as Legolas mowing down orcs, but it won’t really be the same.

Sorry for the long and unnecessarily pretentious answer, this is just something I’ve been really interested in lately so I overthought it like hell.

25. What power-up or ability would you want irl?

Real answer: shapeshifting. This is cheating as it’s more superpower than actually video game related, but like, still.

But answering more properly to the spirit of the question... The things that come to mind for me are Revali’s Gale (just fucking whooshes into the air lmao), Shape of Unn charm (turns into snail and wiggle lol), and Shade Cloak (nyooms through things by becoming a shadow).

Wait, actually, forget all that. I want to be Link from Link Between Worlds, turning into a painting and shit for fun. That sounds rad as hell. Look at me, I’m a cool funky little crayon drawing. Sike! I’m 3D now!

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paperanddice · 5 years ago

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Ragnar’s Keep Review

Recently I was approached by Ian Brockbank (who runs the blog Melestrua’s Musings) with a request to take a look at his published setting location Ragnar’s Keep, available on DriveThruRPG. Despite never having done a review like this before, we learn by doing and so I accepted the free copy he offered and I’m determined to give it as fair of a look as I can offer.

Ragnar’s keep is a 36 page document that details a fully realized and established location for low level adventurers to visit or interact with. It’s not designed as an adventure itself; while plot hooks are provided it doesn’t come with a specifically intended storyline or goal for players to approach. It is a setting location, written to be usable in a wide variety of ways, and to provide a map and location for GMs who are looking for some hard details to build off of. Ian specifically contrasts it to the more generic d100 plot hooks style design, offering up something that requires less improvisation and gives the GM a cast of characters with fully established character motivations, flaws, and relationships with one another and the location. This may limit the use of it in some ways if the specific dynamics don’t fit within the setting already planned, but aspects of it can be picked up or dropped as fits within a specific goal the GM has in mind. The material works for any “standard” fantasy setting based off of medieval Europe with magic, but the given mechanical rules are designed for 5th edition Dungeons and Dragons.

The titular keep is a three and a half level fort with a basement, ground level, second story, and a half third story, along with some extra details in a path leading down to the nearby waterfront. Two different maps are provided for each castle level, one with grid and annotations and the other a detailed illustration created by Heroic Maps. The illustrations are simply gorgeous, and provide a wonderful and deeply immersive location on their own, and are available for purchase as a separate product on DriveThruRPG from the artists directly (link here). Every room is given a detailed description, and a cast of over 20 NPCs fill in all the major roles needed to keep the castle running (along with the castle’s own personal haunting ghost).

The keep and the country around it are given a 1 page backstory detailing how the lands came to be and the political situation it exists within. This information is very specific, creating and naming specific people, locations, gods and a loosely detailed empire that all come together and define many of the keep’s inhabitants and their relationships with one another, and while renaming these details is possible it does keep this from being able to be inserted into any setting without rewriting. The established setting relies heavily on colonial activity to set up tensions between different people, and this could be an aspect of the writing that creates the largest obstacle in using the keep as written. The empire of Thraesya and their goddess Tenesia invaded a formerly independent land by sea, conquering settlements and laying claim to the countryside for its rumored silver deposits and bountiful natural abundance. The native groups were subjugated and made vassals of the empire, but of course it was an unsustainable position as the expected riches were never found. Nearly 80 years after the invasion the empire handed the territory over to a young nobleman who titled himself Grand Duke, named the territory Melkantor and set about ruling it himself. The present day situation is the Grand Duke attempting to forge Melkantor into a unified country, and Ragnar’s Keep itself, overlooking the town Ragnarston and its important position in the only passable trading rout back from Melkantor to Thraesya.

The full description of the castle grounds and rooms takes up 12 pages, and goes into great detail. Every room gets at least a paragraph of description, listing any important details in the design and layout of the room along with its use. Specific inhabitants are described in how and when they may be found in this room. As the castle is meant to be usable for more than just an invasion based adventure, there is more detail on the daily schedule of non-combatants than I’ve typically seen for castles in premade adventure modules, which is useful for games where the characters may integrate themselves deeply into the castle’s life. While few groups will encounter many of these details, those that do will have plenty of fun little secrets and interesting bits of environmental storytelling to reward them. The options here allow a much greater depth of verisimilitude in a wide range of story opportunities, from infiltrating the keep as a member of the serving staff to entering as a guest of the lord or lady to fighting through the halls… either for or against the lord.

The castle is actually incredibly well stocked with magic items, giving a huge reward to groups who have motive to assault or rob it. From the lord’s +2 longsword to the cleric’s staff of healing, new magic items such as the scales of identification and the ring of clairvoyance, plus a large number of uncommon magic items and magic potions scattered among the important NPCs, magic equipment is quite prevalent. It’s enough to well stock a full adventuring party if they clear the place out thoroughly. It’s not necessarily a game breaker, since characters are only likely to gain these items if the GM sets up a reason for them to fight the entire castle, but if a low level group does have reason they’ll come out potentially quite far ahead of the curve, item wise. I do enjoy that one of the junior clerics has a cursed rapier though. He’s a thoroughly unlikable person, and the perfect target for such a thing.

The largest section of the PDF is actually the character roster. Twenty-three NPCs over 13 pages, it details every character who has a hand in running the castle, and those most likely to be relevant in a wide range of stories. The Lord and his family, the heads of the serving staff, captain of the guard, the assigned cleric and his students, the local bard, the castles ghost, and a number of other roles within the castle are detailed. Not every inhabitant is detailed, the regular guards, cooks, cleaning staff and such going unnamed and not even clearly counted. The GM has some leeway in deciding the numbers and composition of these groups, depending on the way they’re making use of the material (though the easiest way would be to just assume that every bed mentioned is filled). The characters that are detailed though cover a wide range of different archetypes and personalities, allowing plenty of opportunities for interesting role playing. Characters could make friends or enemies out of many of the different characters, and several have very forward present story hooks to take advantage of, from the local bard who wants to attract the Lady’s attention, to the wererat butler with a history of theft, to the maid who was aged thirty years by the castle ghost. Most NPCs get unique stat blocks, many built using PC classes, though a number are functionally similar enough that they may have simply pulled from the same one. There’s three level 4 fighters whose stats mostly only differ in a few small ways that don’t necessarily benefit greatly from the space spent on different stat blocks. In this case, the method used in a lot of adventures of taking a more generic stat block and indicating the differences in the text may have been more useful, especially if the text and the generic stat block are kept on the same page.

The plot hooks provided are all solid enough to work off of, mostly positioning the keep as a neutral or friendly force to the players to function around. It could be a home base for the group, a location to collect missions to defend the pass or surrounding countryside, or simply a place that exists nearby and rarely directly influences the characters. Of course, the keep could pose a threat to the group, either if they stand against the colonizing force of the region or other reasons. Breaking in or laying siege to it could be a climactic set piece to a lower level adventure. There’s a few character based plotlines that can function well if the group establishes a notable enough presence within the keep as well.

Two new magic items round out the document, and look fine to me. I will admit, magic item power levels are one part of 5th edition where I have nearly given up attempting to understand the balance of it, but the provided ones are fun, flavorful and interesting to work with. Neither is particularly powerful for a rare item, instead providing information in some capacity. The ring of clairvoyance, well, allows the user to cast clairvoyance at will, though each use after the first in a given day forces a saving throw against exhaustion, and the scales of identification are a weaker 3/day identify spell. A group without access to the spell would definitely appreciate having the scales, even with the weaknesses it has built in.

Overall, I think the castle itself is fantastic. The design is good and the rooms and areas within it have plenty of potential to explore in a wide range of stories and situations. The characters are detailed and many are interesting, with plot hooks easy to build off of the major ones. Where I personally have trouble is with the backstory, and the way that plays onto the NPCs. To put it simply, I have a lot of trouble with using colonial stories within my games, and I do not feel that the material provided gives a strong enough weight to the implications it sets up with that narrative. This is, by my estimate, more meant to be an example of Roman colonization of Britain than Europe to America, but similar implications are still built into it. The colonizing force’s culture and religion are given far more relevance to the setting than the natives’, who exist mostly as scared and nameless servants. The prejudice of the lord and many of the keep’s inhabitants are the driving force of much of their characterization, and the few native characters who are given real merit and weight in the castle are those who have assimilated into the dominant culture or literally died to it. I don’t know if this was intentional as well, but all named native characters are women. Just a weird fact that caught my attention.

Having these narratives in a game is not bad entirely in and of itself. Many people want to examine these stories, whether to overcome that aspect of history or as part of building a world that mirrors our own. But it requires a lot of careful consideration to use them without being harmful towards people who still live under the results of colonization. I am not the best person to make the decision of what is and isn’t good use of these narratives. And so, I personally choose to largely avoid them, along with other examples of real world oppression, unless actually directed there by a member of such a group who wants to explore it in a game I’m running. This means that a large portion of the implied background of this environment and a big part of the character motivations and relationships do not fit within a situation I would use. I feel the specific background set in place by the keep would exclude it from my game, but I would absolutely use the map with a different background.

I don’t have a number out of 10 to give this product, as I feel there are some very strong elements within it that keep me from being able to define it so clearly. There is a lot to enjoy with it, from the artwork to the well realized characters to the excellent design of the castle itself. If you are just looking for a good castle map with detailed interior descriptions and at the minimum a good starting point for the inhabitants, it fills that perfectly. I think beyond that it’s up to you to decide whether the backstory elements that bothered me are a breaking point for you as well. If you are interested in checking out Ian’s work, you can purchase it here, which will get you $2 off of the standard price. This link is valid until the end of 2019, so you have two and a half months to act on this deal.

#review #Ragnar's Keep #D&D #DnD #Dungeons and Dragons #5th edition #D&D5e

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