#for the worms and not much else; dune verse

[sohelish]

For the worms and not much else. Dune AU

Helena is a daughter of a concubine and a redacted nobleman. She wasn't supposed to be born, an accidental result of an almost-love act, a moment of weakness, if you will. Helena's mother, the concubine, was meant to be a casual entertainer to the nobleman, nothing more. The mistake was, however, begrudgingly forgiven. In secret, the youngster was graciously accepted as a ward to the nobleman and treated as an equal among other children, her half-siblings. They grew up together and became close like a family should. Yet, when the opportunity to be educated by the Bene Gesserit presented itself, it was Hel who showed the most promise, having found her conniving Voice early. Unbeknownst to herself, she'd turn into an unintentional rival to her siblings. That, combined with her mother's sudden ambition, resulted in the unfortunate and untimely demise of the latter. Hel was sent farther away to train in secret. A Bene Gesserit with Hidden rank.

Trouble is brewing. If you do as we say, you'll get to see your family again. Lies - Hel could tell right away. They claimed enemies plotted against her mother, but she knew that other members of the Bene Gesserit, along with her father, removed the unnecessary complications. The girl was spared only for her potential usefulness, no reason to waste skill.

Helena absorbed as much training as she could, paying for it with atrocious acts of seduction and manipulation in the game against other Houses. Then, having festered connections with the Spacing Guild, she performed one last assignment at their request. They assisted Hel in return as the woman masterfully orchestrated her death and fled. She was an asset under their wing until she began to consume spice in such quantities that her mind transformed and visions began. Something was beckoning her to Arrakis. The sandworms were calling out to her.

[adamczykowy]

Journey. On this road. Where nobody else travels.

“I played this game and cried. I let my best friend play it while I was silently watching and he also cried. My wife teared up just hearing me describe the game and how the online component works through silent companionship. Make no mistake, this game is a unique experience and a true masterpiece.” - random YTB comment 

If you look at my blog, the inescapable fact is that I am a sunset lover, but I also (sometimes) play video games. One of them happens to be Journey - a short game-experience which tells you a lot about life.

I thought this title deserves a special mention, despite that I’ve never done a video game review in my life, I simply owe it to the game and its creators - thatgamecompany.

Also, funnily enough it’s the 5th anniversary of Journey, so now I have motivation to write this review.  

Let’s go back in time to 2012, Cracow. Just starting an afternoon shift at Empik ( well known by everyone in Poland ). It was the middle of summer, my friend who I used to work with, in the music, movie & video games department approaches. He tells me that there's this game which is going to be released later in the year, which I may be interested in. He then shows me Journey’s trailer:

To be honest with you, I don’t really know what I’m looking for in video games. Just to kill some spare time? A way to relax? Interaction with other people online? Problem solving? Exploration of exotic environments we wouldn't normal see? Or maybe to learn/understand something…? 

I remember the day when I played Journey for the very first time - a few days before Christmas, my friend bought the game and invited me for his first launch of Journey. Sitting on the floor, in a dark room, in the front of the big TV. Our Journey was about to start. We didn't know what to expect. 

You wake up completely alone. You don’t really know where to go and what to do in the first few minutes of the game. Your mesmerized by sandy hills, warm colors and beautiful ambient music in the background. You then realise, there is some sort of a horizon in the distance, which you have to reach. Intrigued, you walk towards the horizon, you see this glowing mountain in the distance and you immediately know that it is your destination. Also, you can sometimes notice a single spark coming out from the peak of the mountain, although you don’t understand what it is yet. You can only figure out that's the place you should be, so you head straight towards it!

Because it's a fairly short and simple game, you can pick up the controls very quickly. You learn very early on in the game, that collecting the flying pieces of cloth can make you jump for a longer period of time. There is also something magical happening to your scarf - if you collect tokens, your scarf get's longer and longer, meaning, you can charge it with the pieces of cloth for longer jumps. You start finding yourself fluidly floating across the desert, it gives you a sensation of absolute freedom. It is very relaxing too. You also discover that pressing one of the buttons make you glow, it looks like you're ‘tagged’ with your own symbol. Is it your name? You can hear a melodic tone, what is that for? Oh, it calls floating pieces of cloth to charge your scarf! The land is changing as you explore.  You travel from the desert, through temples, ending in caves. Everything is so beautiful you just want to stay in the moment forever. Visual effects in this game are just a pure ‘chef d'oeuvre’. I usually tend to play during the evening when it gets dark, so I can focus on the visual details better. I can really feel that I’m in the dessert. Also I just thought - I don’t expect anything like Journey 2, but maybe some VR developers are reading this article? Not that I am suggesting anything :3. 

Your adventure is enjoyable, discovering tokens which make your scarf longer, solving puzzles to access new areas. Sometimes you just stand on the edge of a huge sandy dune to admire the view, breath taking.

And then… all of the sudden, you can spot the edge of your screen starting to gently glow, you turn around and you see someone. The same character. You discover that the same melodic tone you use to summon floating pieces of cloth can also be used for a way of communicating with other players. You don’t know who the other player is, you can’t see their username, anything apart their own symbol. You are not alone anymore. Someone wants to experience the journey with you - waiting to help if you struggle to jump on to a rocky platform, show you interesting places and keep you a company. 

In my opinion this is one of the greatest elements of the game.

They don’t know anything about you and you don’t know anything about them, but you still grow to care for each other. Without any extended communication (dialogues, speech), you communicate with someone in the simplest possible level, and you understand each other perfectly. And believe me or not, but you will never forget the time spent with your companion. No matter how many times you will be playing the game. 

I’ve read some people’s comments on the web and my heart shed a tear:

“At the end when I had played for 3-4 hours with the same player and we finally reach the top of the mountain and we know its about to end so we sit at the top for a minute with each other and drawing hearts in the snow before letting each other go, that was a moment I will never forget, then watching the credits roll with this song and its all over.” - SpartanUruk

“I remember the first time I played. I got to the snowy area and met a similarly lost soul, as we both hid from the giant flying worm things. Then we reached the final stretch, saw the mountain. We were getting weaker. Then I saw them fall. And I collapsed next to them. I never felt anything like that sense of hopelessness in any other game. I lost them on my way to the top. I hope they had a good one. That experience was beautiful.” -  Dayne Fishwick 

It also makes you realize that as much as a single-journey is a beautiful experience, it is good to have someone by your side. Someone who will understand you, without telling a single word and keep you company - while sand surfing or keeping you warm during the tremendous snow storm.

I haven’t mentioned the music in detail yet. The soundtrack has been written by Austin Wintory and to be honest, it's a journey of its own. You would need to experience the game for yourself to truly understand it, but even as standalone music - it's a masterpiece. I listen to it again and again:

https://austinwintory.bandcamp.com/album/journey

So, you eventually reach the peak of the mountain, and as much as I want to share what it is all about, I just can’t. I think you should experience it on your own, I don’t want to give any spoilers away, that would be unfair. The only thing I’m going to share is the lyrics of the song at the end of the game. Each verse of the song is a phrase taken from various poems from all around the world… (How cool is that ?) 

Stat sua cuique dies To each his day is given (Latin, Aeneid)

Stat sua cuique dies To each his day is given (Latin, Aeneid) Mæl is me to feran (Maél is mé tó féran) 'Tis time that I fare from you (Old English, Beowulf)

Aleto men moi nostos (ὤλετο μέν μοι νόστος) I gain from our time here (Greek, Illiad)

Aleto men moi nostos (ὤλετο μέν μοι νόστος) I gain from our time here (Greek, Illiad)

C'est pour cela que je suis née I was born for this (French, Joan of Arc) Kono michi ya (この道や) On this road (Japanese, Matsuo Bashô haiku)

Yuku hito nashi ni (行く人なしに) Where nobody else travels (Japanese, Matsuo Bashô haiku)

Kono michi ya (この道や) On this road (Japanese, Matsuo Bashô haiku) Aki no kure (秋のくれ) Autumn Nightfall (Japanese, Matsuo Bashô haiku)

C'est pour cela que je suis née I was born for this (French, Joan of Arc)

Ne me plaignez pas Do not pity me (French, Joan of Arc)

C'est pour cela que je suis née I was born for this (French, Joan of Arc)

I want to believe the purpose of video games is more than just entertainment. And most people will not see it this way. Society very often sights computer games as a source of violence and nothing more than wasting time. Also mainstream media pictures video games as the lowest form of art. Journey proves that they are wrong. This particular title pushes the boundaries of what a video game can convey in the respect of visual effects, music, communication and gameplay. It’s amazing how every aspect of the game touches your mind and soul, very deeply. 

Even after reading this article, you may think you know what the game is going to be about, but believe me - you won't know until you experience it for yourself! 

Toodle-oo! 

[sohelish]

Dune verse; first draft.

Helena is a daughter of a concubine and a redacted nobleman. She wasn't supposed to be born, an accidental result of an almost-love act, a moment of weakness, if you will. Helena's mother, the concubine, was meant to be a casual entertainer to the nobleman, nothing more. The mistake was, however, begrudgingly forgiven. Though in secret, the youngster was graciously taken in and treated as an equal among other children, her half-siblings. They grew up together and became close like a family should. Yet, when the opportunity to be educated by the Bene Gesserit presented itself, it was Hel who showed the most promise, having found her conniving Voice early. Unbeknownst to herself, she'd turn into an unintentional rival to her siblings. That, combined with her mother's sudden ambition resulted in the unfortunate and untimely demise of the latter. Hel was sent farther away to train in secret. A Bene Gesserit with Hidden rank.

Danger is brewing. If you do as we say, you'll get to see your family again. Lies - Hel could tell right away. They claimed enemies plotted against her mother, but she knew that other Bene Gesserit along with her father removed the unnecessary complications. The girl was spared only for her potential usefulness, why waste such skill?

Helena absorbed as much training as she could, paying for it with atrocious acts of seduction and manipulation in the game against other Houses. Then, she masterfully orchestrated her death and ran, travelling from planet to planet until she found herself on Arrakis. The sandworms were calling out to her.