#it's fascinating that he made the Prequels into the dystopian story to give even more meaning to the OT's redemptive fairytale

[the-far-bright-center]

#LUKE WAS RIGHT #everybody is like love is what made ani fall BUT NO #love is what kept anakin sane #it is what kept him in the light for the longest time #that even palpy was like i gotta remove all his loved ones from the picture and isolate him #love brought anakin back to the light #LOVE saved the galaxy #Padme was right and so was luke (via @brilliantlymad)

I think there’s something rather strange going on with all the folks who insist that the Jedi Order in the PT was right and didn’t forbid love and Anakin should just have followed their teachings when the whole point of the prequels is that they are prequels. They come before the OT, and the OT proves the Jedi wrong. They literally do not make sense if they don’t do that.

Luke, in the original trilogy, gains his ultimate triumph, his ultimate victory, because he loved in defiance of the teachings of the old Order. He quite literally had the ghosts of the past telling him, explicitly and without ambiguity, that he has to put his love for his father aside and kill him, as is the duty of a Jedi. Luke has the weight of millennia of teachings weighing down on his shoulders, telling him they knew and know better than a young, inexperienced man barely out of his teenager years. That he should follow their teachings or be destroyed. That is an immense weight to carry, and many people would and explicitly have given in to it in-universe. What are your feelings and ideals in the face of such immense legacy, after all?

But Luke doesn’t give in.

He doesn’t bend.

He says “I may be young, and I may be new, but I believe to my heart and soul that love matters more than this legacy. Matters more than your teachings.” And he says this to the ghosts of his mentors. That is such a powerful moment and one I can’t believe George Lucas didn’t create it deliberately for even a second. This young man, being told he has to kill or die trying for a system that is dead or dying itself, that couldn’t survive itself, and refusing to do so. He is the living refusing to continue the violence of a dead generation. He is the young man refusing the draft into a war the old generation started, saying “peace and love matters more than you being right.” He is the embodiment of breaking the cycle.

And the movies vindicate him.

The main villain vindicates him with his last dying breath.

Darth Vader, dying, says “You were right.” and admits he and his were wrong. The main antagonist, Luke’s nemesis, in the face of his son’s immense, defiant love, gives way and does the impossible: he comes back to the light and dies a Jedi. The very thing the old Order says was impossible.

They were wrong. They have to be. The narrative demands it, the movies don’t make sense without it.

The solution was never to continue the cycle of the old Order, or Luke would have failed there, would have failed when he said “I am a Jedi, like my father before me.” And claimed that defiant, deviant, condemned definition of being a Jedi over the one presented to him by the Grandmaster of the old Order. If the old Order was right, Luke would have to be wrong. Be wrong about love, be wrong about laying down the sword, be wrong about refusing to fight. He would have to be wrong.

But the old Order is dead, explicitly killed by a monster, in some part, of their own making. It’s members only existing as bones in the ground or ghosts speaking from beyond the grave. They did not deserve it, it should not have been inflicted on them, but the narrative is clear on this: “The old way is dead, and was dying for a long time before that. Long live the new.”

Luke is that new. Luke is the breaking of the cycle, the reforging of swords into ploughs, the extended hand. Luke says “I don’t care how much I was hurt, I refuse to hurt you back, and you don’t need to hurt me either.”

“We can end this together and choose love instead.”

And Darth Vader, killer of the Jedi, End of the Order, lays down his arms as well, and reaches back as Anakin, saying “You were right.”

It wasn’t Obi-Wan, Yoda, Mace, Qui-Gon, or even Ahsoka who achieved the ultimate victory in the end, following the tenants of the old Order. It was Luke. Young, inexperienced Luke, who saw that the age of legacy handed to him was only history, that the sword handed to him as his life was only a tool, and that the decrees of the dead were only advice. And he took it all, said “thank you for your experience, but I’ve got it from here,” and laid it all down to instead extend an open hand towards his enemy.

And his victory, his ultimate triumph, his vindication, was that he was proven right when his enemy reached back and became just another person. Just another person, just like him.

The Jedi did not deserve what happened to them, and they did not deserve to die. But the story is clear on this: the Jedi of old were wrong, and the Jedi of new, the Last Jedi, was right. No sword or death will ever end the rule of the sword or end the bloodshed. But love?

Love can ignite the stars.

[heartschoicegames]

Heart’s Choice Author Interview: RoAnna Sylver, “Dawnfall”

Find true love and family with a pirate crew at the ends of the universe, where aliens, ghosts, and portals open the space between worlds...and your heart. You are a Navigator, one who creates and guards portals from one dimension to another, wary of the liminal sea between them.

Your universe is made of two worlds: one contains the magic-infused world of Zephyria, and the other, the dystopian space station Eclipse. The worlds are balanced, until one day, an explosive disaster, a deadly energy storm, and an infamous pirate—the Ghost Queen—upend your life and plunge you into a race to save both worlds.

Dawnfall is a 232,000 word interactive romance novel by RoAnna Sylver,  one of the first set of games releasing with the launch of Heart’s Choice. I sat down with the author, RoAnna Sylver, to talk about writing interactive romance. Heart’s Choice games release December 2nd.

Dawnfall has frankly an insanely wonderful setting for a romance game. Tell me about the aliens, the pirates, the ghosts, and the alien-pirate-ghosts.

Hi there! I’m so glad you think this sounds fun! Yeah, Dawnfall is weird as heck, and that’s one of the things I love about this story. It’s weird in a way I don’t think we’ve seen much of before. I really just tried to put in everything I find fun or interesting, and that I’ve always wanted to write. Dawnfall started out as a total brain-candy project, and runs on pure Rule of Cool. Pirates? Yes. Magic? Yes. A slice of cyberpunk? Hell yes. Eerie ghosts and faerie-tale influences and memory-sharing potions? Giant bird people? The power of rock n’roll? Yes, yes, yes.

And also everybody’s dateable, and in a couple cases, dating each other. We weave a tangled web, but I think it’s a pretty badass and spectacular web.

You seem to really neatly straddle the genre fence here with a romance and sci-fi/fantasy. What was challenging about cramming all of that into one game?

Thank you so much for saying that. I’ve always adored SFF, and there’s so much in this genre-collection, so many extremes and concepts and contrasting colors, that I couldn’t limit myself to picking just one to play with. This weird game-book is kind of a love letter to fantasy and science fiction and haunted house stories and cyberpunk adventures—I thought a lot about the Disney movie Treasure Planet for its genre-blending beauty, and the Bioware game Mass Effect for its array of fascinating, multidimensional alien cuties to interact with and date… and then turned it up to eleven.

I guess you’d expect the challenge to be in making it all fit together/be “believable,” but I kind of threw that out the window. I don’t expect anyone to find it ‘realistic’ (setting-wise anyway; I tried to make every character ring true of course), and I don’t really care if someone thinks it’s silly, or doesn’t take it seriously. It is silly in a lot of ways. DAWNFALL is a giant ridiculous queer space magic pirate adventure, and the only goal is fun. If you have fun, I’ve done my job, and there should be something fun in here for everyone.

Did you have a favorite NPC you enjoyed writing most?

Honestly I love them all so much in different ways, and I know them so well by now it’s really second nature. Their voices come so easily and they’re all so much fun. The Queen’s swagger is awesome though, and her mental voice/mannerisms probably come through especially clearly. I love Zenith’s vulnerable moments when xie lets xir guard down and lets go of the need to entertain or please. I love Averis’s journey and growth from cute wibbly nerd to a confident swashbuckler (who is also still a cute wibbly nerd). I love how deeply Oz feels, how strongly he loves and remembers and honors memory, and how unafraid he is to show softness and warmth. And I love a certain spoilery ghost-babe and how they’re so full of joy at the beauty of life.

I do want to give special mention to Aeon, though. This is a story about connection, and I wanted to show that sibling bonds are every bit as important and strong as romantic or any other. I also wanted to show a complex, multidimensional antagonist figure who holds heartbreaking secrets along with authority, and is genuinely trying to do what she thinks is the best thing, and wants what’s best for you, the PC, even if you might not always agree. Her balance between being so emotionally guarded and determined and unyielding, while hopefully being extremely easy to read and tell what she wants and fears and loves—spoiler: you; she loves you!—was a challenge I hope I pull off.

…Also I enjoy any time Vyranix gets his pompous feathered ass handed to him. I think we all know a Vyranix, or at least of one, and it’s always fun to take them down, even in fantasy.

Who would you be romancing as a player?

I’m gonna say “everyone,” and here it won’t actually be cheating, because you can romance everyone! At once! In varying degrees/relationship dynamics and attractions. You don’t see a lot of polyamory-friendly games or books or anything really, and this is an incredibly important thing for me. The second I got the idea for Dawnfall I knew it had to let players romance anyone they wanted and show polyamory in a realistic, healthy light. I’m also a-spec (asexual and aromantic), and having not just good representation but being actively included and welcomed and celebrated in fiction is so huge too.

Dawnfall is a romance of course, being part of Heart’s Choice, but one of the single most vital elements for me is making it inclusive for aromantic and asexual players and player-characters. Essentially, I wanted to write a romance that didn’t penalize players for not experiencing the attractions the way we’re otherwise expected or required—and I’m so grateful that my amazing editors and community not only accepted but supported everything I was trying to do here. (It’s so refreshing not to have to fight for inclusion and freedom. It shouldn’t be, but it is.)

And that’s where the concept of “Heart-Stars” and “Same-Feathers” came from. I’ve never seen anything honor queerplatonic relationships like I’m trying to do here, and I want everyone, of every sexuality and attraction, to feel like they have a place here and can experience this adventure without limits. And I wanted to show that it’s a very normal thing, hence this being the same for the human characters as well as alien. (One of the nonbinary characters being human is also no mistake. I love me some wild alien genders, but there are tons of awesome nonbinary humans too!)

…That being said, I think I gave Averis most of my anxiety-issues, and would really just like to curl up with Oz and watch The Great British Bake-Off. That sounds like a perfect night in my books.

What were some of the things you found surprising about the game-writing process?

Coding was definitely the biggest learning curve. I’d never coded anything before in my life, and it’s such a new skillset to learn, entirely different from any kind of writing I’ve ever done. Sometimes it felt rewriting my brain, which did not at all do this intuitively—and also sometimes like I bit off much more than I could chew (first game ever being not only a huge piece of interactive fiction, but a polyamorous romance with aro and ace possibilities, and so many more variables than expected!), but it’s been worth it. Entirely. If my writing makes anyone feel seen and accepted and invited to have fun as they are, it’s worth every bit of struggle.

Also, oddly, interactive fiction is in some ways easier for me than writing a plain old book! Probably because I love AUs so much, and every choice in a game is like writing a tiny AU of the story, so I get to do the same scenes several different ways. My ADHD-brain finds something about this extremely satisfying, most likely because it somehow feels more like multitasking! Several stories in one, and if I like two ideas, I don’t have to pick just one to write!

Honestly though, I think the most surprising part is just being done, and…that I could do this at all. It was so huge, and took so long, and I learned so much, and every day I’m just kind of going “who the hell am I?” about doing all of this. I’m proud of it. I did a cool thing. And trying to get better at saying that.

And, what are you working on now?

I always have about 8 active projects going at once (which shouldn’t come as a surprise after last question!), but my next interactive fiction game is with Tales/Fable Labs! It’s shaping up to be a Dawnfall-sized project, but a little faster-moving and action-y.

It’s called Every Beat Belongs To You, and it’s a romantic thriller that feels like Twin Peaks meets Mr. Robot, with a smattering of Repo: The Genetic Opera. A creepy Pacific Northwest town with a secret (and a rash of ritualized murders), a super-slick medical research company whose flagship product is a 100% perfect synthetic heart, a mysterious new-age group, and a sister who went missing just before discovering how it’s all connected. Also five simultaneously-dateable (including ace and aro ships!) cuties of varying genders! Who will you trust with your heart?

I’m very excited about Everybeat, which should be just as queer, polyam, exciting, and weird as all my stuff! Aside from that, I’m working on Stake Sauce Book 2, its companion f/f vampire series Death Masquerade, and Chameleon Moon Book 3. I’m not always working…sometimes there are videogames, and sleep. But I really hope to have a lot more fun things to share soon!

Oh, and depending on how this weird, fun thing goes, I do have some ideas for prequel Dawnfall stories; maybe games, maybe books, but the ideas are there. The world—worlds, really—is so huge, and I’m not done playing in it yet! I also have some character art drawn, and I want to do a lot more of them. It’s another way to show love.

So thank you so much! I really hope Dawnfall is as fun to everyone to read/play as it was for me to write. I can’t wait to share it with you!

[elizas-writing]

Anime Movie April, Day 10: Akira

It’s regarded as one of the greatest anime and sci-fi films of all time, the one and only Akira. Many give this film credit for its massive influence on the entertainment industry worldwide. It boosted the anime industry in the 90s with the market finally growing outside of Japan, and numerous Hollywood films from The Matrix, Inception and the Star Wars prequels drew influence from the designs and themes. Does it grip me the same way and hundreds of other anime fans?

In 1988, a large explosion wipes the city of Tokyo and ignites World War III. Thirty years later, the newly built Neo-Tokyo is rampant with crime, government corruption, student protests, and dissatisfied youth left to fend for themselves. One night during a biker gang fight, one rider named Tetsuo crashes into a mysterious child and is captured for experimentation. The encounter seems to have awaken powerful psychic abilities within Tetsuo, but he cannot control them as they feed on his inferiority complex. As his aggression becomes more unhinged, the clock is ticking before he destroys the city, just like Tokyo all those years ago. Not only is the military on his tail to control him, but Tetsuo’s childhood friend, Kaneda, won’t stop to snap his friend out of his anger and save him.

Much like any 80s anime, it’s unapologetically intense, aggressive and violent. Nothing but action scene after action scene with fast-paced, fluid animation which is still impressive even after 30 years. There are few quiet moments, but they are short-lived with an underlying tension throughout the whole film. It also has a lot of mystery on the circumstances surrounding psychic powers, what really happened to Tokyo way back when, and the dangers of tapping into uncontrollable power.

And the city of Neo-Tokyo is fascinating as an imagining of how badly society could fall if another disaster akin to a nuclear explosion were to happen again, especially in Japan. It’s a paranoia relatable for the times of the Cold War as it is now with politicians still corrupt and youth still alienated, and it’s driven on pessimism that if society falls this way, there’s little hope to fix anything, no matter how many cults or protests rise.

While Akira has great symbolism, it can somewhat work to a disadvantage as well, especially since the manga it’s based on wasn’t finished at the time they made the film. When I first saw this, I was really confused because it felt like it was on fast-forward from one action scene to the next without much exposition as to what the hell I was watching. I had to look at some other analyses to understand what I saw. Now the story makes more sense to me, but even then it’s still lacking in character.

A lot of the backstories are glanced over, especially Kaneda and Tetsuo’s childhood which is supposed to be the core of the film’s conflict. Some parts are easy to piece together with your own interpretations, but even then, too much is left vague. It presents interesting concepts for arcs and complicated characters-- like the Colonel who’s back-and-forth between following orders and rebelling against a corrupt government-- but with how much was cut from an at-the-time still developing manga (even with the mangaka, Katsuhiro Otomo, directing), the film missed out on a great opportunity to exemplify the rift between Kaneda and Tetsuo and how they feel abandoned by society.

I can’t say with confidence that this is the greatest anime film I’ve seen, but it definitely has its mark on the industry for a reason. The animation alone still holds up today, and it presents a lot of major tropes of dystopian sci-fi while maintaining its identity. If it had tighter characterization, I would definitely like it a lot more, but it does spark interest in the manga to see what was cut out (and hey, if they ever do a live-action version of Akira with a solid cast, it’s be a great chance to expand on stuff the original film couldn’t). It still takes a couple watches to understand the big pictures, but it’s just enough action and mystery to keep you watching until the end. Even though I appreciate more than I like it, Akira is still worth all the praise it gets.

[ihramon]

BLADE RUNNER 2049

Directed by Denis Villeneuve, release year 2017, starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Ana de Armas, Sylvian Hoeks

When I first heard, a few years ago, that Blade Runner (1982) was to receive a sequel, I was cautiously excited. The original film, which was based on the book Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick published in 1968, is quite a unique one and probably the most influential work of the genre of cyberpunk, or at least the most well-known one. Personally I also hold Blade Runner in very high esteem, and even though I find it lacking in some qualities, I would say it is one of the most memorable films I've ever seen. However, reboots or sequels to older films and franchises have often led to disappointments, but as I saw the project develop and have many prestigious names attached to it, such as director Denis Villeneuve who has quickly risen to be one of the most followed working directors, and 13-time Oscar nominee cinematographer Roger Deakins, my interest grew. In the end, Blade Runner 2049 was everything I wanted it to be, and some more.

With a movie that is a sequel to a 35 year-old film, the question of how does it compare to the original one has to be asked. Blade Runner 2049 takes the themes of its prequel and expands on, delves deeper into and modernizes them. The dystopian society is now not only suffering from overpopulation and a monstrous disparity of wealth and well-being but also from irredeemable ecocatastrophies and food production challenges that followed. The miserability is oozing through the screen in the few times that it is properly shown. The question of humanity is explored through complex characters and sub-plots, and as the replicant (android) characters are suffering in their existential crises, the viewer also gets a great chance to ponder on what it is that makes a human a human.

The film starts out strong as it introduces the world and its characters, however in the middle part the film loses some steam as the plot seems to take some shortcuts and is at times hard to keep track of. Towards the finale, as the plot is unfolding, the intensity grows again, with some of the most impressive moments in film that I've seen in a while. The climax is fulfilling, despite the open-ended ending and the film setting the stage for another sequel. Sadly, in the wake of the film turning out to be somewhat of a financial disappointment, I would expect that a continuation to the story will not be seen.

Ryan Gosling gives a strong performance in the leading role as a downcast pawn of greater forces who gets a chance to be part of something bigger and greater than he ever thought he would be. It is fascinating how many similarities this role has with some of his earlier work, most notably Drive (2011) and Lars and the Real Girl (2007). After his over-acted, more or less ridiculous performance in the original Blade Runner, Harrison Ford also surprises by showing more authentic-appearing emotions than I ever thought he would be capable of. An honourable mention goes to Sylvia Hoeks, who prior to this film hasn't had any big roles in international movies, in the role of a internally conflicted antagonistic replicant.

Blade Runner 2049 doesn't quite catch the unique atmosphere of its prequel, but that can probably be credited to the fact that it was made in the 80's. Instead, the film creates a unique feeling of its own with its jaw-dropping cinematography and powerful soundtrack, which make the film an impressive spectacle to behold. It is not quite perfect, but by far the most interesting, thought-provoking and magnificent out of the productions of such large scale of this decade.

★★★★½