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lucidpantone · 5 years ago

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Wtfock Fanfic Recommends

Hey there Fockers (see what I did 🙊)

I am doing this genre first because haters are gonna hate and I just want to dispel all the negative connotations now and sage all the bad vibes out of the tag because god knows we need to sage our household aka the wtfock/wtfam tag. Be gone, bad spirits (and before I get hate I am not talking about those critiquing the poor behavior of the tag am talking about those throwing around the “f” word when it’s not even the right word to use in this context). If you want to find out what is the right word please read this insanely articulate post from Skamsnake about the creative process around explicit fic writing.

Okay, take a seat and let's get lost in the sauce.

Let’s chit chat about some real shit. Those damn written words that are keeping us hydrated during the Wtfock drought.

**Update: Going forward I will be rating my reviews via the MPA(USA) filming rating system out. However please take in mind I am no expert and culture matters. I may be being overly cautious but the genre that follows is rated NC-17 in its entirety. **

Fanfic Genre: Erotica/New Adult fiction Tagged under Explicit in Ao3 (or known by its street name: smut) Fic count AOT (as of today): 62

Genre Definition (provided by wikipedia): Fiction similar to YA that can be published and marketed as adult—a sort of an 'older YA' or 'new adult. New adult fiction tends to focus on issues such as leaving home, developing sexuality, and negotiating education and career choices.

This tag barely makes it out of the 20’s without these next four writers so we need to put some respect on their names and spotlight their “best of”.

Skamtrash/ @vearthling (14 MotherFing fics)

Your catalog is so damn extensive its hard to choose but I have to go with my personal fav because am a sucker for an aged up celebrity rock star Sander falling in love with a dark hair boy amongst the crowd. We got plot, romance, a hot and steamy recording session. It's fluffy smut but also kinda of romantic. This one is my personal fav.

Ok and since the crowd has clearly spoken on Ao3 if you want something that puts the E in explicit and has 10k hits, check out this fic. I actually like this work too mainly because it has a pretty endearing follow-up with Milan and Jens/Aaron just embarrassing Robbe after a not so discreet quickie session during the Wtfock Xmas party.

JesseLBlack (Double digit Spanish fic Queen)

I am so excited to shout out this dark horse. She is such a machine and an absolutely amazing writer even though all her work is in Spanish. I just want people to appreciate her contributions. If you can read spanish and enjoy a good sneaking around session while the parents are at home this is the one for you.

Also I have no idea how this woman found my kink but she did and that's good punctuation especially in Spanish. Like just stop it, my eyes can’t take seeing so many virgulilla used properly in written form. I felt attacked.

Zaddy Skam/ @zaddyskam

If you haven’t connected the dots yet Zaddy is our long time Anonymous contributor to the Ao3 tag. This fic selection may seem like a random choice but I enjoy Zaddy first fic the most Woensdag 16:36.

If you’re a sucker for an in canon fic that creates a little more narrative and fills in the gaps to the original story then this is the fic for you. Plus I like that it's not super smutty mainly because it shows control and range. Its easy to reach for the usual tropes in explicit fics but this fic really turns this genre on its head with suggestive erotica then presenting the actual act itself. Its just really well crafted and also gives an option to those who want a little erotica but don’t want to dive deep into the pool.

SkamSnake/ @skamsnake (A legend amongst legends and one half of what inspired the infamous Dinsdag 14:17)

I mean what can be said when the actual wtfock writers are adopting your own ideas into their content. You gotta be doing something right. Here is it what I believe is one half of what I feel inspired parts of Dinsdag 14:17.

FYI: Snakes Omega fic counts under the ABO tag and will be discussed when I get to adoptive “world” fics.

Tokyometropolis/ @luludemauryyy (The other half of what inspired the infamous Dinsdag 14:17)

Video phone is almost eerie to read now having seen Dinsdag 14:17 & Dinsdag 23:12. They are parts of video phone that I literally feel were ripped out of the fic and put onto screen even some dialogue quirks are recognizable. Its a huge testament to the skill of this fic. Also, I truly believe the 2nd chapter of this fic is some of this writer's best fic writing. I see a ton of rhythm and play with cadence and that angsty tonality. I can’t rave enough about video phone chapter 2 its so well thought out. Give it a read and let me know what you think wtfock borrowed out of this fic for the big screen.

Midsummernightoddity

I mean is it smut? or is it just excessive fluff while making love? I think the latter. If you want gooey I mean chocolate syrup style love making gooey this is your baby. It’s Robbe’s first time and it’s wrapped up in a ton of emotions. I enjoyed it and definitely made me get a little teary it was so damn sweet. If you love, love, then this is your fic.

IcedWhiteMocha

They gave us one fic and one fic only but damn they did give us a good one. Are you a slave to in-canon writing? Ever wonder what happened in that 3 hour time slot in the infamous hotel from when Sander and Robbe entered the hotel room till the shower scene, well this fic will fill in all the blanks.

Shout Outs (IMO)

Two strangers at a party catching one another’s gaze from across the room: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22383466/chapters/53478205 by fockinglevendcliche/ @fockinglevendcliche

Tales from Quarantine: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24022276 by UndercoverTimeagent

Announcement: We need more zoenne erotica someone write some please!

Special thanks and acknowledgments to Hollyster, Sassywarlock29, sote faen, angelboygabriel and joshlerbitches. Also if anyone reads russian please send me a couple of words on this fic. If I missed anyone am sorry and up next I think I will do “worlds” fics so HP, ABO,Magic,time travel etc etc or I will do one shot enemies to lovers (chaptered Enemies to lovers will be its own thing). Let me know what tag you want more information on.

#wtfock #wtfam #wtfock fanfic #lucid wtfock fic recommends

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goron-king-darunia · 5 years ago

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Annon-Guy: Thank you Darunia. Glad you like the fanfic. What did you like? Any advise on how I can improve?

I liked that there was closure to Alice’s and Decus’s stories beyond what the game gave us. It never really addressed what happened to their bodies and that’s definitely something that bothered me about Aster, too, so that’s something nice to do for the people who like Alice and Decus and want that closure. The rhythm of speech (it’s hard to explain) was a bit stilted. Your writing style has a little bit of an amateurish feel to it. It’s not really something I can tell you how to fix other than by saying you should reflect on what kinds of things you like to read and go over them critically to see what they do and why they do it and if it’s something you want to add to your writing skillset. If it’s just for fun or for a hobby, you’re fine as you are. But to speak metaphorically for a moment, your fic does read the same way “beginner” art looks. You played around with your basic toolbox, but you have no real style yet. Practice makes perfect, so if you’re looking for tips on improvement in this department, all I can say is write more! :D Try free verse poetry (that is, non-rhyming poetry) to play with your vocabulary a bit. Short snippets that have an impact. You can also work on “setting the scene.” Part of the reason your work feels a little amateurish is that you’re telling the story flat-out. And it reads that way. I feel like I’m having something told to me by a stranger on a train trying to pass the time. Setting the scene can help you immerse readers. Try practicing this by sitting in your room or at your workstation and describing it in writing. What can you see? What do you hear? Are there any smells? Are there any physical sensations? Is there anything you taste? Example: I’m in my bed right now. The room is pitch dark except for the dim light of my faux fireplace, giving off a warm ambient glow. The breeze from my window is pleasantly crisp and refreshingly cool for a warm spring evening, and the breeze from my ceiling fan makes my hair tickle my cheeks. I still smell the soap wafting off my hands, a floral fragrance, and my lips still taste like grapefruit soda. My computer screen is the brightest thing, and the contrast with my surroundings makes everything else melt away. The keys clack under my fingers and the crickets outside are drowned out by the whir of my computer fan. This sets the scene much more than me saying “I’m in my room and typing to you.” Now obviously you don’t want to front-load all this information at once. But when you let it trickle in, especially when you first establish a location, this can help. Focus on what’s important to know about the scene. If your characters are in a cave, is it a nice cave? Show is by describing how pretty the light is, streaming through cracks in the stone overhead. Is the cave scary? Describe how scary it is by telling us that the darkness is oppressive and the damp, musty smell within is threatening to suffocate us. Focus on what characters are doing too and relate their physical sensations to us. Setting the scene works best when you break it up with dialogue. Example: Marta walked after Emil into the Camberto Caves. The plinking drip of water was welcoming, and the water reflected the sunlight that streamed in through gaps in the stone overhead. “Do you really think we’ll find rosemary here?” she asked Emil. “I hope so,” Emil replied meekly. The mud in flooded sections of the cave squelched beneath their boots, and the bitter herbaceous and earthy scents of the cave changed every time they turned a corner. This reads a lot more eloquently than just saying “Emil and Marta went to the Camberto Caves and looked around, trying to find rosemary.” Now this is general advice, but if anyone reading this is thinking “But I don’t know a lot of big words!” or “I can’t write like that! I can never think of nice words to use!” Don’t worry. It just takes practice and patience and a little bit of reading. Follow a word blog here on Tumblr and learn some new words, or have someone beta read your fiction to give you advice on word choices. Or read some of your favorite books and learn new words from that. The only thing I can say is DON’T JUST LOOK UP A SYNONYM FOR A WORD AND USE IT INSTEAD OF A SIMPLER WORD. If you want to improve your vocabulary, you can’t always trust what a thesaurus will tell you. Big and large both mean pretty similar things but muttered and whispered don’t mean the same thing. Muttered implies it was said in a low register, but still with a speaking voice. Whispered implies a shrill, breathy exchange of words. Not to mention that there are connotations for things. “Retort” for example, does mean “response” but it’s a loaded word. Response just means you said something and someone else said something back. But a “retort?” Usually, that means someone is being sarcastic. “You’re really something,” Richter responded. versus “You’re really something,” Richter retorted. In the first one, Richter is neutral. He may even be praising someone. In the second one, “You’re really something” is implied to be derisive or insulting. You will learn more by reading but just know there’s a big difference between an aroma, a scent, and a stench. The first is pleasant, the second is neutral, and the third is negative implying disgust. The aroma of a rose, the scent of salt air, the stench of dead fish. The connotation is just as important if not more important than actual definitions so look for words in context and try to master that. Finally, my main issue with your fanfic. Dialogue is hard to process when it’s all stacked together in a paragraph. It makes it easier to lose track of who’s saying what and requires clunky and repetitive taglines to even begin to understand it. The rule of thumb is that when you write dialogue and a new person speaks, you give them their own paragraph. “Is the food good?” Emil asked, fishing for a compliment. “It’s delicious!” Marta responded with a smile. When the dialogue is only two people, it can continue like this. “Pass the salt please.” He said. “Of course.” She slid the salt shaker closer to him. “Thanks. “No problem at all!” Because we established an order in the first section (Emil first, then Marta) we know that the “he” refers to Emil in the third line, and the “she” in the fourth line refers to Marta. When Emil speaks next, there is no tagline at all, but we know it’s Emil because it’s on a separate line just how we know the last line must be Marta again. If you diversify their speaking styles enough, you’ll always be able to tell who’s speaking, even when there are three or more people. However, it’s always best to introduce someone when they join the conversation, either by name or by a description of appearance, and once three or more people are conversing, it’s much easier to digest if every line of dialogue gets a tagline to remind us who’s speaking. Example. Richter took the salt shaker when Emil was done with it. “It’s weird. All of us eating together.” “Maybe.” Emil simpered. “But it’s also kind of nice.” “It would be less awkward if you weren’t always trying to kill me,” Marta said coldly. “M-Marta!” “It’s alright, Emil.” Richter patted the blond's shoulder. “It’s not like I don’t deserve it.” This is a complex bit of dialogue, but it tells us enough to understand. I start the first line with Richter taking the salt shaker. This indicates that he’s the one speaking. The second line is noticeably Emil because of the tagline. We know he says both “Maybe.” and “But it’s also kind of nice.” because that dialogue is linked to his tagline in the same paragraph. The third line is attributed to Marta in the same way. The fourth line has no tagline, but because Emil is known to stutter and because the next line is Richter, we know that it can’t be Marta and it can’t be Richter so we have both context and knowledge of Emil’s speaking habits to tell us who’s talking. And finally, we have Richter speaking again. This isn’t the only way to write dialogue, but this is one of the easiest ways to write it in a way that is understandable for most audiences. You can get away with other ways of writing dialogue, but it’s almost never a good choice to write a long string of dialogue among several speakers in a single paragraph. That’s all I really have to say! Sorry if it’s a bit long! For a first or very early fic, though, I liked your fanfic well enough! But I’ve been writing for years and this is the sort of advice that helped me improve beyond just being a hobbyist. I’ve won contests in my time and I didn’t get where I am by accident, so if you’re looking to go the distance and be the real deal? Consider my advice. If you’re just looking to have fun? Then fuck everything I just said. Forget every word. If writing for you is just for fun? Then do whatever makes YOU happy.

#Letters from Annon Guy #critique #writing critique #writing advice #Anonymous #ask GKD

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angeladoeswhat · 6 years ago

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My Thoughts on “Be More Chill” OBCR

So, I have a lot to say: Overall, i love it. It’s just going to take some time to get used to. But you know what also took some time to grow on me? The Two River Recording so yeah. I’ll start with my favwite things: Here we go

I love Tiffany Mann so much, her vocals were amazing and just everything about her makes me smile.

Britton’s parts, all of them, are just perfect, like ths actually gave Jake depth unlike the Two River version, I appreciate that.

‘Do You Wanna Hang?’ actually grew on me? At first it made me a bit uncomfortable but now, with the added dialogue, i find it more of exposing Chloe’s insecurities, and Katlyn did this perfectly, balancing the angry, drunk and comedic tone.

The additions to ‘Upgrade’ made me love this song and boost it super high up on my favorites list, these changes were smart. Jake & Christine’s dynamic is interesting too, a good type of interesting. I just wish there was still somehow the “C-C-C-Come on! Jeremy can’t you see?....” part. It was catchy.

‘Sync Up’ is a good song both with the music and the exposure of the cast’s personalities & insecurities. It makes one relate to the character or understand a character more.

I swear Michael was high during ‘The Play’. And if he is, I love it. It makes his whole “Michael makes an entrance!’ so much more understandable.

Jer Bear is a fucking canon nickname, yes.

As much as adults may think the use of slang is too cringy or a failed attempt at “being hip,” it’s actually really accurate to how high schoolers (for me anyway) talk. I’m not joking. It’s nice to see that Joe & the crew are correctly showing the mindsets of actual teens.

Everything about Lauren Marcus’ parts were great, with Brooke’s use of French in order to impress Jeremy, since she’s under the impression that he likes French girls due to Madeline. And the connection between Brooke & Jeremy about being sick of being “Player 2″ was nice.

‘Smartphone Hour’ is still one of my favorites, it’s super catchy, the vocals are great and it’s just so funny, especially with the context of the costumes.

Jason Tam is just so awesome. At first the surfer voice annoyed me but now I kind of understand it better and have grown to accept it. And Jason’s vocals... I love him so much. That’s all there is to it.

George. George Saladbar Salazar. His obvious love for the character, the show and the rest of the cast & crew is shown even just by hearing his voice. It’s incredible how he’s chosen to stay with the show, smiling and being so grateful & humble. He, as an overall person, is simply astonishing.

I’m in love with the new ‘Voices In My Head’ because the intro sounds like a video game about to load a file and it’s the final few cut scenes. And Christine’s “You ready?” is the best.

Jason SweetTooth Williams is probably my preferred Mr. Heere. His voice has a certain element that just screams paternity. (Maybe because he IS a father, I’m not very sure about Paul Whitty, I don’t keep up with him unfortunately.) And the lyric change breaks my heart but in the vest way because it shows how Mr. Heere finally takes a step back to realize how Jeremy feels.

‘A Guy I’d Kinda Be Into’ still remains to be my favorite song. The now calmer, soft acoustic guitar gives the song a more “teenage vibe”. Like it’s just a crush to others but to Christine, she’s never felt this way before, she’s curious yet cautious.

The band. They all outdid themselves. ‘Jeremy’s Theme’ is now super haunting yet mesmerizing. Every song is just so well done and my respect for them has only grown.

Okay now we come to my least favorite things, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. These are just minor things that just stood out to me.

The biggest urk for me was the rhythm change for the chorus of ‘I Love Play Rehearsal’. In the the “Be More Chillegal” videos, the actress for Christine did the same thing and I was not a fan of it. For some reason it just rubbed me the wrong way so to hear it in the Broadway recording was a bit of a turn off, but at the same time, it somehow represents Christine’s frantic & random energy sparks.

Throughout the entire recording there were some moments where a beat of silence would’ve done wonders and other times where they weren’t exactly needed. The best example is during ‘Michael in the Bathroom’ after the whole “Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!” part where Michael says “But I can’t hear knocking anymore.” It may be just because I’m used to the beat of silence in the Two River production but I just feel like it would’ve added a nice element of build-up to the song.

While we’re on the topic of ‘Michael in the Bathroom’, it definitely will take some time to get used to it. Similar to my thing with ‘I Love Play Rehearsal’, the note difference in the line, “Michael flyin’ solo!” didn’t sit right with me. I can’t exactly pinpoint what it is. But overall I think George was able to have MITB 3.0 on par with the original which is difficult to do with anything.

Last thing, it’s Michael & Jeremy’s voices. Specifically for Michael, how it’s now higher, it makes him seem more innocent which is nice. But it also makes Michael more susceptible to certain fans just throwing him under the “Soft Boi” label, not acknowledging his struggles and growth. With Jeremy, I think Will R. is a great Jeremy because of how relatable he’s able to have Jeremy be. How obviously nervous and frantic he is, but also trying not to offend anyone or make mistakes. It’s very similar to how I, personally, am when I’m anxious or on the verge of a panic attack. My issue is how whiny Jeremy can sound at times. Not characteristically, just how he either talks or sings. There’s nothing to do about it, it’s how Will sings and it doesn’t make me love him any less, it’s just my one nit pick about Jeremy. Nobody’s perfect, fiction or not.

I still love the album but I just listened to it today so it will obviously take a couple of listens to get used to it. I hope that I didn’t offend anyone in any shape or form, that’s not my intention at all. I do not intend to bash on the album either, I love it but like anything, there are flaws. Thanks for taking the time to read my sort of professional review and have a good day/night!

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sillyfudgemonkeys · 7 years ago

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Hello After the release of the PQ2 trailers, I would like to know why you like Minako / Hamuko so much?I do not understand why a lot of people like it and I do not say that in a way that bothered me, I just do not understand.

Before I can get to her, I need to give a backstory on my relationship with P3. And really just a summary of how I got into Persona in general. But yeah, in this literal essay I will (attempt to muddily, and kinda all over the place) explain how I fell in love with a character I was 100% neutral on, on a game I had a rocky relationship to begin with, and how she actually made me appreciate both that said game AND the MaleMC (who I also had a rocky relationship on) more and more as the years went by.

I should note I played the Persona games in this order: P4 (PS2, newly released), then P3FES, then Persona 1 PSP (didn’t finish tho), then P3P (and basically from the P1PSP on I roughly played them in order of release as we got them, so yeah....the thing to note is I played P4 first, then the original male P3 then years later I played the FeMC, so I did not experience her first).

Now I REALLY loved P4 when I played it, colorful cast, really loved their hijinx and chemistry, and the shadow Selves were just so much fun and dark. I thought the plot was fine, not god’s gift to this earth but it was fun. I found the characters and setting to be the biggest draw (I mean P4 is character focused not plot/story focused so that makes sense). I researched the series and found P3FES. People said it was a lot better than P4, I wanted to try and get P1/2 but.....yeah the only versions were PS1 and they were expensive, and I am but a freshman in high school with no job (too busy being an athlete and studying) and am lucky if I can beg my parents to let me get these games. And there was no way in hell I was getting P1/2EP which were both like $100 (I had to beg for P3/4 which were like $30 each).

Anyway I got my hands on P3 and......I....really didn’t like it. I liked the music, the setting, the style, and I was fine with the slightly harder combat cause of the AI (I accidentally played through all of Kanji’s dungeon with AI on not knowing I could change). But.....I didn’t like the characters. I got to Fuuka’s full moon before I had to put it down. I thought Junpei and Yukari were too mean, I hated I couldn’t SL with anyone on my team yet, Mitsuru/Akihiko were too distant, and the SLs i could SL were.....not really that great, and the MC was....really dull....like he was mostly neutral or silent (as opposed to Souji being funny, rude, neutral, silent, caring and a lot of interesting things with his dialogue options), sometimes he’d have a harsh but funny line but of course if I chose that I’d get a reverse link so that sucks. I decided to replay P4 again, trying to find what it was that really drew me to the series. By the end of that second playthrough I decided to pick up P3 again, give it a second chance (even tho Junpei and Yukari almost killed it for me).

I powered through, got into a rhythm, opened up more interesting links (such as the bookstore people and Maiko). It still wasn’t as good as P4 imo, the feel was different, but it was more I felt the cast was too distant and ridged to the plot. It wasn’t that they were there own people with their own arcs, but that I ironically didn’t find them as fleshed out as P4′s (which was more character focused so maybe that explains it). But then I got to Aigis, and the plot really picked up (years later I find that’s where some people felt like P3 started getting good). And I ended up liking it! I didn’t love it as much as P4 (and I had a lot of issues with the way they handled how the P3 kids got closer, aka I feel like they it could’ve been better), but I did like it and appreciated it despite my rocky start. I should also note I did like Shinji, like “Oh neat design” and then when he died I was like “Oh welp that sucks” but I never blamed Ken, and I wasn’t a rabbid fan shipping girl for him (I did jump on the FeMCxShinji train for a ship tho, just cause I saw other people like it and I prefered it the most out of the other options at the time, but actually FeMCxTheo was my first ship for her XD)

Then P3P was announced. Me who had a PSP for P1 and KHBBS was like “Oh ok cool.” Then I saw there was a femaleMC and I saw the opening (cause iirc they announced it with an opening) and I was like “OH no this is horrible, I can’t believe they’re making Yukari an MC!” but then I looked at it again and realized it was some new character and was like “oh phew thank god, huh I wonder how you’re gonna be handled” (which is funny, because Soejima accidentally mistook the Concept!Heroine of P3 for Yukari, like he didn’t realize those were two separate characters in like the really early days of P3, so they have very similar concept designs. I think they even share one design XD). So yeah my first impression was a false negative turned into a “Ok cool I’ll try it out.”

So months later it comes out, and I get it. And I start playing....and I don’t stop. Not like with FES. Like it had been awhile since I had played FES, and I knew if I “powered through it” to get to Aigis it get better but.....I...didn’t need to. Junpei and Yukari were a lot more tolerable, and I think that’s thanks to the SLs we got. And like WE GET TO START THEIR SLs EARLY! AND THE BOYS GET THEM TOO???? Like hot dang! Like Yukari, she’s available right at the beginning! You don’t have to wait! No like even if you are NG+ max charm, I had to wait till like Aigis joined before her SL would actually start (there’s a date restriction on top of it for the male, at least in FES I realized 2 years ago when I played it with some college friends). And Junpei, Ken, Ryoji, Koro, Shinji, and Aki (all characters that really needed a link to expand on them more) get more development! And Rio and Saori are great, Rio’s link is 1000% times better than Kazushi’s link (I hated how the only positive options is letting the guy just crumble, I felt like a horrible friend a lot of the times with the MaleMC, which is weird cause every non-main game iteration acts like he’s a great friend). Saori replacing Maya, well that and Akihiko replacing Minato’s Star guy was saddening, cause I liked them. But thankfully it was an even trade. The rest were a trade up from the MaleMC (Junpei was a lot better than Kenji, wasn’t a fan of P3!Chihiro, very creepy, and remember I saw her in P4 first and thought she was fine, I was sad about Yuko but I kinda like Koro more so...*shrugs* more or less a fair trade, Shinji was obvie a trade up, and I think Ryoji was a trade up from Mr. Fortune guy whom Yukiko would pretty much rip off his SL beat by beat but somehow do it a liiiiitle better). I also liked how Fuuka’s SL was changed....only cause I tend to remember a liiiiiiitle bit more of her FeMC link than I do the Male one (sadly I just....can never remember her whole link....). So I would say she had the “better links” because it helped expand more on the MC’s relationship with the guys and Ryoji (which I found was really lacking on the male side, esp when Junpei tries to claim us as even...normal friends). Not that the Male’s were (all) horrible, but the FeMC does replace a lot of the worst ones (namely, imo, Moon, Magician, and Chariot) with a lot better ones, and the good ones she also replaces are met with a pretty even/fair trade. Also again, Male SEES+Ryoji SLs. I mean Shinji/Ryoji’s links you need to “bust your balls” for those two, but...not really. XD I’m pretty sure (at least with Shinji, need to double check with Ryoji) as long as you say the right stuff, you get a rank up. The real ball buster was the Male’s side because you 100% need a guide to get every SL on his side, FeMC has a bit more freedom (not THAT much but a bit more).

She also had a larger range of personality options (aka it’s not her only personality, she could be a lot of different things) than the MaleMC (so she was similar to Souji in this regard). I could make her be a bitch, maker her peppy, nice, angry, conservative, a lot of things. I felt like there was a lot more to do with her (have her be emo? Sure! Have her be nice? Sure! and so on and so on). I felt like she was more than just being “there,” more than being along for the ride. I loved her anger issues and violent tendencies, the fact she was dark enough to be willing to kill someone, the fact she’s probably a stepford smiler and is actually really hurting underneath it all. I liked how she had personality you could trace and piece together and mess around with to make a different combo of FeMC, as opposed to MaleMC who is just....kinda there....his options are...there most of the time (sometimes some personality leaks out but not a whole lot)...and you have to come up with a personality all on your own instead of piecing together traces of one (they at least adapted this well into the movies by making him numb and depressed and then recovering as a means to explain this odd detachment in the game, but you probably don’t see it when you are first playing without that context). She could be more vocal at times (not all the time but times where the MC wouldn’t talk she would sometimes have an option to say something), she could also make a change as well (Shinji’s link). So yeah I liked how her side had some impact and could change some things. (I mean, in retrospect, I wouldn’t have minded if she had changed more, but I also gotta remember this is a PSP era game). But most importantly, I felt closer to the team. The SLs helped sooooooo much, I felt like the core of SEES, I connected everyone, we were all a unit. The extra events, even if they were the same as the male’s, felt deeper cause I felt like I was hanging out with an actual coworker turned friend rather than a ‘coworker who says I’m their friend but I don’t feel like we got there yet” type of feeling. When anyone was like “dang we friends” I was like “hell yeah we are.”

I also like how, while she’s a bit more upbeat and friendly, it fits with the game. The game does start off light guys, it doesn’t really get dark-dark till Oct. If anything, her being friendly (if you player her that way) and getting along with people, and the just how it feels like genuine friends really feels more impactful when the dark stuff starts to come around....since she gets more shook and has to face the harshness and overcome it. It feels like it impacts her. MaleMC it....it can feel like it doesn’t as much (again the game, not the side content, the side content it does impact him). I feel like the MaleMC had a similar detachment as I did when I first played on FES. “Oh that sucks Shinji died, pretty sad, wonder what’s gonna happen next.” So like...THAT is just...there.....

So yeah, basically....I had issues with P3, and I felt like she fixed a lot, not all but a lot. Sure she has her own slew of problems (my issues are more that she might not change enough, like she changed enough to justify her, but I feel like they could do more. Also, connecting to that point, them repeating a lot of the same dialogue....I felt like some could/needed to be changed....Like Junpei’s jealousy works really well with the MaleMC but him suddenly being friends at the end doesn’t, while the FeMC they are friends....but he still has the same jealous out spurts and like......he can have that, but I feel like they should’ve changed it a bit and added more complexity to them since they are already friends).

Do I think FeMC is the better MC of the two? (Main) Game wise....yes. Her bonds are what I feel like is what Atlus wanted to do with the MC but messed up (evident with how they handle him with the manga, movie, dramacd, and PQ/P3D). Manga/Movie/DramaCD (and PQ/P3D) vs her? They are the same tbh, the FeMC is just the stronger game equivalent (bond execution wise, which was the male’s side’ issue and one that’s fixed in side stuff) to the other iterations of Minato than his actual equivalent imo.

Anyway, as the years went on I got more attached, esp when I compared and contrast the two MCs (btw as the years went on I grew to like P3 even more as well as Minato, so all of the above is just my first impressions), wished there could be a version of P3 where they are together, later wishing for a spinoff where there together, or a spinoff where she meets P4 kids cause I feel like it’d be interesting how she’d interact with them (cause it’d be different to Minato’s). Her clashing ideals with Male cast and P4 cast, her working together, working off each other. Her dynamic was just interesting, I saw potential and what she could bring to the table and it sucked she basically wasn’t allowed (mostly cause, as it was recently revealed, they didn’t know how to do it). I saw potential, and still do see potential, in the other MCs in all of the games, it’s just as each new entry came about....the need to see the FeMC’s utilized grew more and more (cause again, they were already utilizing P3/4MC’s potentials, and P1/2 were locked behind some possible legal tape, and PTS was retconned out with the only hope of it ever coming back being for it to be retconned again to fit into the story, so she was literally the only one of this group that could be used and had yet to be used). I also really wanna see a duo of FeMC/Minato and Tatsuya/Maya, I just....I really wanna....cause P2 had a lot of duality themes, and then P3 kicked it up to 20 notches, and I’d love to see P2/3 meld together! ;w;

(oh I should note I do like P1 and P2 a lot, I really love P1′s manga tbh, just in case anyone was wondering where I stood on them. So yeah it’s not like I only love P3P and P4. I actually like P2 a lot. It’s tied with P4 as my fav, tho FemC might be my fav MC, tho possibly tied with Maya and Souji. I do think they should come back, but I’m also aware they have....a stickier situation than the FeMC or even PTS.....and we all know where I stand with P5 so ahuhuhu 8U)

So uhhhhh yeah, that’s my story....on how I kinda slowly fell in love with this character, one of which I had a neutral stance (I didn’t automatically think “Female MC? Ok I LOVE her!” or think she was gonna change the game for me, it all just kinda happened). And how she made me appreciate P3 (and the MaleMC) more. And then by the time I realized it I realized I was in drought hell with pretty much nothing. :’D

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laughingpinecone · 6 years ago

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Yuletide letter 2018

AO3: laughingpineapple

Hello dear author, I’m glad we share one of these wonderful little fandoms and I hope you’ll have fun writing for it. The sections aren’t all of equal length for one reason or another but I love them all so much, from the classics I’ve been requesting since I started doing Yuletide (can’t have enough of those!) to this year’s shiny new findings. I tried to leave both specific and non-specific prompts for each canon and, again, I wanna see the farfetched postcanon scenario just as much as the vague one-word prompt and my general likes. Pick whatever works for you, or mix and match!

Likes: worldbuilding, slice of life (doubly so if the event the fic focuses on is made up but canon-specific), missing moments, 5+1 and similar formats, bonding and emotional support/intimacy, physical intimacy, lingering touches, loyalty, casefic, surrealism, established relationships, future fic, hurt/comfort or just comfort from the ample canon hurt, throwing characters into non-canon environments, banter, functional relationships between dysfunctional individuals, unexplained mysteries, bittersweet moods, journal/epistolary fic, dreams and memories and identities, canon-adjacent tropey plots , outsider POV, UST, exploration of secondary bits of canon, leaning on the uniqueness of the canon setting/mood, found families, characters reuniting after a long and/or harrowing time, friends-to-lovers, road trips, cuddling, wintry moods, flannel, ridiculous concepts played straight, creating a dynamic between characters who never spoke in canon, sensory details, sickfic

Cool with: what-ifs, AUs, any tense, any pov, any rating, plotty, not plotty, gen, shippy, IF, nerdy canon references, unrequested characters popping up

DNW: non-canonical rape, non-canonical children, unrequested ships, canon retellings, consent issues

Ghost Trick: Cabanela, Jowd

General: platonic or romantic, loyalty kink here we go, in any shape and form. Night time and secrets. Out of town. Knitwear. Twenty years from now. Size difference. UST. Cabanela’s scarf being in the way sometimes. Cabanela’s legs being in the way sometimes. I have Final Fantasy on my mind a lot recently so any FFIV, VI, VII, T, IX, X, XII or XIII reimagining would be fantastic (Monk Jowd, dancer/red mage Cabanela...?), or indeed The Last Remnant, but also regular fantasy, space opera, sci-fantasy… anything fancy!

Canon-specific dislikes: Sissel not being Jowd’s cat in the new timeline (which ofc doesn’t shut out Yomiel’s unbreakable bond with his cat – as the saying goes, Sissel has four paws...), infidelity

Cabanela&Jowd or Cabanela/Jowd: I love Cabanela being fierce and dazzling bright and determined and loyal to the very end, dancing to his own rhythm, so sure of himself and of his ideas that he doesn’t even need to prove to anyone that he’s right. Too sure of the wrong idea, once, and everything crashed and burned. And I love Jowd being the immovable object to Cabanela’s unstoppable force, a self-depreciating asshole with a penchant for gallows humor that grows more morbid by the hour, and also incredibly smart (both jerks figured out Sissel’s powers better than Sissel did) and athletic and with an unsuspected talent for stealth.

I ship them dearly, as part of a triad (or Jowd-centered V...? Has it been explored?) with Alma with all the fun possibilities of the third party sneaking into the marriage and negotiating that relationship. Or adjusting to a life together with Kamila in a no-reset scenario or a what-if in which Alma was never around (please no breakups or noncanon deaths if you don't want her around). But I also want to read all the best friends fic with the corniest, most intense found family dynamics you can muster!

Alternate scenario where it’s Cabanela who keeps his memories, not Jowd: how does that change their dynamic in the new timeline? Or what if Cabanela stays dead in ch15 like he wished he could, joins the rest of the gang as a ghost and goes back 10 years with the others and so both of them keep their memories? (with my apologies to Yomiel, whose ch16-17 redemption has just been made a lot harder by the added stowaway)

Jowd knowing how much Cabs did for him and remembering him broken and bloodied is A Lot. especially if he’s a lil into it (and mr spotless is. not really on the same page.)

Casefic! With ghosts! There could be a new ghost created by Temsik’s shards or even by some unfortunate soul dying on top of the buried meteorite. Or with their own ghost, teaming up with Sissel! There’s so much potential for tense, death-defying situations! (with make-outs afterwards, if that’s your thing)

Deathfic, until it’s reverted. Jowd dying in Cabanela’s arms or the other way round, but one of them knows about Sissel and the other does not…

Jowd’s loyalty to Cabanela being tested for once, as a change of pace.

More detailed prompts for a few FF fusion AUs: FFX, Summoner Jowd and reluctant Guardian Cabanela. Any moment of their pilgrimage could be fun (and/or tragic and/or intense), or if you like a more detailed prompt, would Yunalesca’s truths be the tipping point of Jowd’s conviction? Would Cabanela manage to drag himself and his Summoner to safety before she killed them? What would life look for them afterwards as survivors bearing forbidden truths, would they stay away from Yevon? FFTA or XII, viera Cabanela and nu mou or bangaa Jowd. I’m sure there’s a poignant plot about magic-endowing extraterrestrial rocks and political backstabbing somewhere at the intersection of Ivalice and GT. If you can see it, I’m here to read it. But I’ll be honest here, the real point here is bunny Cabs. Please consider bunny Cabs. (viera, nu mou, bangaa visual refs for non-FFTA players who might wanna do a regular fantasy AU instead?) FFVI, Cabanela faked defecting to the Empire and is a magitek-infused officer while Jowd has Blitz and... Sketch somehow? And they meet again in the World of Ruin and things are very emotional?

The Last Remnant: Any (Pagus, Maddox, Sibal, David)

General: characterization based on battle quotes, red bubble dialogues, and even their unique stat (‘authority’ is a natural fit for David but ‘romance’ tells me something new about Sibal!) Character interaction. Bit of worldbuilding. What’s another festival they celebrate? Do they erect something else instead of the Valeria Heart? Any fun discoveries down in Siebenbur? Where the hell IS Veyriel, anyway, do they go look for it and if so what do they find out? End of an age. Old bonds.

Canon-specific dislikes: strong narrative emphasis on game mechanics. Stuff like mentioning that a character leads a unit is fine, but for example listing the materials they need for their weapon upgrade would take me out of the story.

The Qsiti bunch: just give me the deets on Qsiti worlduilding and I’ll be a happy camper. I ship these three very much but I’m also invested in their friendship and in each of them as a singular character. The fact that Pagus is a goddamn catch is one of my favorite things, and he can be a smart cookie with any of the other smart cookies in the party, or be a history buff with Glenys, or tutor Yuniver. Proud, paranoid chatterbox Maddox entrenched in his cover-up stories, finding it hard to stop being a spy and relax, maybe spending time with someone very simple, like Sheryl, or a very different kind of fellow veteran like Roberto. Self-assured Sibal who probably knows a lot about the mysteries of the underground world and is also the most romantic soul out of the entire cast, talking volcanoes with Paris or discussing the Rainbow Bond with Haruko? If you also like all three of them, either as old friends or as a ship, who of them comes up with what excuse to reconnect again now that Remnants are no more, or do they drop all pretenses and admit they just want to make up for lost time? And what do Qsiti cuddles look like?

David: Post-canon, adjusting to a life without remnants - how did it feel to be bound to one or two of them anyway, and what’s it like without, and suddenly knowing you’ll be the first Nassau in who knows how long who’ll reach old age? - and without Rush. Finding support and friendship even outside his trusted Generals. I’d be interested in seeing him get closer to any unique leader you might like, I can easily see half the characters absolutely adoring him sooner or later. From the Duke of Ghor to Roberto, to sweet Zolean who knows what it’s like to lose someone dear and hope he comes back, or Rhagoh & Remnant Kate, or Paris or Jager or, eventually, even Allan… David/Rush prompts: focus on Rush’s supernatural nature, how he was a strange boy with a good heart (Things Unchangeable meant so much to me!) who ignored human social conventions because he was not in fact human. Reunion fic more than a decade into the future, showing how David has changed and with emphasis on Rush’s Remnant nature.

David & Qsiti: basically a mix of the other prompts. David is close to all his Generals but what’s his dynamic with Pagus specifically? Is he a mentor, a friend, did Pagus stop David once when he was about to do something very stupid? And what can David learn about his dear General from people who have known him since long before David was born?

Myst: Yeesha, Jeff Zandi

General: The oddest of friendships. Road trip. Desert sunrise. Desert bird shenanigans, be it with actual roadrunners speeding by or cartoon ones. Descent. An oddly shaped rock. Strangers. Shooting stars. Any line from Words.

Canon-specific dislikes: please no Yeesha bashing?

Yeesha & Jeff: He’s definitely Team Yeesha and she could definitely do with a friend, the year is 2018 and I still want fic about this unlikely duo.

How much can he really say he gets her? When did they meet? Was it when a younger Jeff was exploring D’ni with his father Elias, did that create a rift between the two?

What do they do when they hang out? Has he played the Myst games – heck, has she? Does he play Magic the Gathering like his RL counterpart?

Do they set out on a road trip because she needs to chill for a hot minute and experience for herself that whole ‘you shall seek the journey’ thing? Late night driving and liminal places could be cool. Or does she link him somewhere cool with no travel time needed?

Do they agree to meet by his camp fire once a month or something like that, and one time Yeesha doesn’t show up? What happened?

Does he get to hang out with bahro thanks to her, in the depths of the Cavern where the DRC will never be able to reach, and what’s that encounter like for him (and for her, and for the bahro)?

Maybe some relaxing time can take place after End of Ages. He’d notice that something has changed, she’s somewhat less of a depressed wreck that she used to be...

Speaking of End of Ages, was Jeff chosen by the Tablet? If so, how did he fail his quest? I appreciate Esher a lot so if you go for an EoA plot feel free to use him too.

Anything based on Uru history is great!

The Secret History of Twin Peaks: Tammy Preston

General: Character dossiers that involve Tammy more directly. TSHOTP themes being used front and center. Owls, figurative and otherwise. Tammy Fashion™. Tammy Freeform Infodump™. The risks of staring into the void for too long. Gentle illusions. The moon. Static buzzing. Any title from the s3 ethereal whooshing compilation used as a prompt, actually. AUs and fusion AUs are great for this fandom! I have Final Fantasy on my mind a lot recently so any FFVI, VII, T, IX, X, XII or XIII reimagining would be fantastic (what would Tammy even be... scholar, fencer, mystic knight...?), or indeed The Last Remnant, but also regular fantasy, space opera, sci-fantasy... anything fancy!

Canon-specific dislikes: Gordon being a harmless, fun dad or conversely having the worst intentions. Clear explanations for canonical ambiguities.

(my Twin Peaks canon-specific likes and dislikes in the next section may also apply)

Tammy: what I find fascinating about Tammy’s positioning in the narrative of the books (and of the show, but not as markedly) is that there is this whole narrative of trauma, and the circularity of trauma, even within Blue Rose and the organizations that came before it, and she stands at the end of it and learns about it all without being directly involved. She can learn from it in a sheltered position. Maybe when her turn will come, she’ll know a little better. Her name’s anagram is Praemonstrata, “Having been guided”. She’s the new Archivist, in a way. She’s the future of Blue Rose, last woman standing as soon as Albert and Gordon retire and/or vanish (and after the show’s finale, I can’t see either of them lasting long). What does it all mean, in the context of the book’s overarching theme of secrets VS mysteries and the cost of knowledge (and the show’s connections between trauma and the fragmentation of the self, and TFD’s doubling down on the general concept of shoveling oneself out of the shit, and her moving final considerations)?

What could be a test for her, something that would involve her personally and make her risk losing her way? What makes her tick - would she cross to other worlds, how, and why?

I don’t know much about aliens, but I really enjoyed how the book wove it all into Twin Peaks lore. If you want to do the same with some other bit of UFO trivia and have Tammy draw her connections, I’m interested!

The books show that she’s not only Albert’s spiritual successor as the only other rationally-inclined soul in there, she also knows Albert personally to some extent, for example that he’s a jazz lover. Have they ever gone drinking in cool (LGBT…?) clubs with fancy live music? Are they jazz buddies or what kind of music is she into (and what does he have to say about her tastes)?

What other characters or pieces of TP history would she look into? What about that Diane dossier, for example? What about Lucy? (If you have her look into Diane, please be empathetic toward her and her tulpa)

Twin Peaks: Harry Truman, Lucy Moran, Chet Desmond, Garland Briggs

This one is an OR request – feel free to only write about some of these people and completely ignore the others. There were just too many good characters in the tagset and I couldn’t choose so, you know, to hell with matchability. The prompts are for the characters on their own or with some nominated canon mates but if you have an idea for Ruby&Lucy, Garland&Albert, Harry&Naido or any other odd combo, go for it!

General: the mystery of the woods, obviously. How do they relate to the woods, what do they gain and what do they lose in the woods. Case fic but they don’t find out jack shit, someone disappears, David Bowie was there, it’s complicated. Fragmented, shifted, mirrored identities. New Lodge spaces. Still any title from the s3 ethereal whooshing compilation used as a prompt. When in doubt, add Margaret. AUs and fusion AUs are great for this fandom! I have Final Fantasy on my mind a lot recently so any FFVI, VII, T, IX, X, XII or XIII reimagining would be fantastic (paladin Harry, dancer Lucy, fighter Chet, sage Garland...?), or indeed The Last Remnant, but also regular fantasy, space opera, sci-fantasy... anything fancy!

Canon-specific Dislikes: any singular Dreamer being the ‘source’ of canon, BOB (let alone Judy) being forever defeated in the finale, Judy being an active malevolent presence in the characters’ lives, ‘Odessaverse’ being the reality layer, the Fireman's House by the Sea being the White Lodge, Naido being nothing more than Diane but since she was nominated as her own character I'm hopeful here

(my Secret History of Twin Peaks canon-specific likes and dislikes in the previous section may also apply)

Harry: Bookhouse Boy Harry both in the sense of avid reader Harry promoting literacy and vague bastion against the evil in the woods Harry. Harry getting a sword out of a pond in the woods like he was meant to but , like, in a way that’s less random kitsch and more meaningful magical realism. Harry and Frank as actual brothers but also Frank as a projection of Harry’s insecurities. Harry, Ed and Hawk as friends. Harry finding some sense of belonging somewhere, somehow.

Lucy: Kimmy Robertson said she would like to be the color blue in Lynch’s palette, if the prompt works for you. Lucy taking her time to understand and organize the world around her. Lucy with Andy (the one functional couple in all of canon, bless), with Wally, with Maggie Brown and the rest of the new sheriff’s station cast. Lucy with people who don’t usually appreciate her (both sheriffs and Albert come to mind) but have to come to terms with the fact that she’s amazing. I also like that Hawk is a first-class gossip, apparently, and so is Lucy, so if THAT prompts works for you… last but not least, she seems to have some sort of connection with the symbolic weave of reality (picking chairs when a very important chair is introduced, wondering about bunnies and Jack Rabbit palace will be relevant, Robertson said that Lynch said that Lucy perceives a lot and needs time to sort it all out) and I’d love to see it explored one way or another. If you wanna go wild with meta Invitation to Love shenanigans, Lucy could be a good POV character.

Chet: What’s his deal? Empirically, new canon draws a hell of a lot of connections between personal troubles and being jettisoned out of reality. So why did he? A friend recalls that he was named after Chet Baker and Norma Desmond, so that could be a starting point. I like to think that he manages to pull himself together at some point and make it back – how? Does he find any familiar faces beyond the curtains, like Phil? Finally, like all Blue Rose and Sheriff’s station characters, when all other prompts fail: office shenanigans. Please. Now that they’ve all been blatantly retconned as a merry gang who coexisted at some point, please give me Chet bouncing off literally any other named character in there.

Garland: He’s a good bean, almost naive compared to Doug Milford & co in TSHOTP, and I wish him the best wherever he is... the metaphysical adventures of Garland’s floating head could be a fic (maybe Bill Hastings and Ruth Davenport could tag along). Or back when he was alive, weird occurrences at Listening Post Alpha up on Blue Pine mountain. He wasn’t born in town, so what’s HIS relationship with the woods? Or an encounter with some of the federal cast, like Gordon and Phil or a very young Albert. I’m also intrigued by his s3 narrative but I have a very negative view of The Plan(tm) so I don’t really know what to make of it. If you also think that the Fireman’s hints only ended in tragedy and that Blue Rose’s search for Judy was a monumental act of hubris, and you have a good spin for Garland’s role in all of this, I’m listening! All I got is something like "he gave his last fuck... now he's free....." (not that Garland is legally allowed to say fuck, I mean)

Albert/Harry: my main headcanon is that they got together in the aftermath of Coop’s disappearance, holding onto each other in his absence not unlike James and Donna did with Laura. Then... did they last? Or was it a terrible moment to get together (...not unlike James and Donna) and they had to go their separate ways for a while before finding each other again? Does this sad time last up until the end of s3, when Albert can finally quit the castle of lies that was his job and stay with Harry? I am also, however, open to other timelines for these two. Emotional reunions are great and so is domestic fic with a dash of surrealism. What would Harry do for Albert? For example, when would he take his side in a heated dispute with someone else? What would Albert share about his past? What could they do in town? Or do they take a well-deserved vacation somewhere else? Do they team up for a small investigation? Old men taking care of each other is very much welcome, especially after Harry gets through the worst of his treatments.

Dale/Harry: Harry seeing his Coop again... somewhere, somehow. Maybe he perceives him in the woods, maybe Coop isn't all human now. Monster cuddles very welcome. Could be canon divergence but could very well be post-s3. Harry getting closure for waiting all that time in front of Glastonbury and never giving up on Coop... they can live in the woods together...

Harry&Lucy: what could make them spend some time together outside of work (is it donuts)? Does he ask for relationship advice since she and Andy are literally the only people in town who could make it work? Does she feel loyal to him and Frank or is it just a job to her? Does she go visit him after s3 and does he tell her that she was very brave? What about Wally - Harry is the boy’s godfather after all, I don’t usually read kidfic but I can make all sorts of exceptions for my beloved Wally (maybe when he’s more of a teen than a kid). Are they all fans of Marlon Brando?

Chet/Sam: reunion fic! Chet’s been AWOL for years, Sam has fallen through the cracks, how do they find each other again and why do they choose to remain off the grid? I would also like to read about them in the present day-ish, handwaving the return and reunion. Maybe they made a new life for themselves. If Sutherland were to play Sam again, Sam would be... notably more buff. What caused that change, was it traveling with Chet, what kind of person is he now? Could they be in Buenos Aires, investigating on their own whatever that shrinking box was?

Chet&Dale: In which ways are they both real boys and in which ways are they aspects of each other? How do they work together?

Chet/Albert: whatever passes for an uncomplicated office romance around those parts, where they both know very well that they’re not the other’s One True Love, but they have a good understanding - except when Albert’s pacifism clashes with Chet‘s readiness to throw down 24/7. But then again Albert is also ready to throw down 24/7, only with words instead of fists, so there’s fertile ground for conflict and unexpected agreements. Also they’re hot.

Garland&Harry: they’re both good dogs living in a cold and cruel world, with their own partial experiences of other worlds beyond this tangible reality, and I think they should be at least a little friends. Maybe Harry found himself at Garland’s observatory one day without even knowing how he’d gotten there, maybe they chatted at the RR. Then there’s Mfrost spitballing some connection which, given how Garland ‘died’ literally on the day after s2, can only be read as Harry passing his info to Garland when Garland was already beyond this world. I’d read that in a heartbeat.

#letter #yuletide

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wellesleyunderground · 7 years ago

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Wellesley Writes It: Jane Ridgeway ‘09 (@janeridgeway), Fiction Writer and Teacher

Photo by Jane Ridgeway.

Jane Ridgeway is a fiction writer born and raised in Seattle, now living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is the current Writer in Residence at the Kerouac Project of Orlando, Florida, living and writing in the house in which Jack Kerouac wrote The Dharma Bums. Her work appears in the Cover Stories anthology from Volt Books. She has an MFA in fiction from the University of Oregon, and has taught creative writing and literature at the U of O, as well as at prep schools in California and Hawai’i. Interview by Camille Bond ‘17, Wellesley Writes It series editor.

WU: Welcome, Jane, and thanks so much for chatting with the Wellesley Underground! One of your short stories was recently published in an anthology, Cover Stories. What is the story about?

So, as the title suggests, Cover Stories’ mission was to anthologize “cover” versions of other short stories—so you take a canonical (or not-so-canonical) story that you passionately love or hate, and you riff off of it, explore some particular facet of it, or write very literary fan fiction of it, essentially. It’s an exploration of that weird and glorious phenomenon in which, over the decades, a song can be transformed through the different covers of it that are performed by artists with radically different sensibilities.

My story, “Peredelkino,” is a take on Isaac Babel’s “My First Goose,” a personal favorite and a story that definitely haunts me. Babel’s narrator, Liutov, is this gentle, nervous Jewish intellectual who finds himself embedded with the incredibly violent Cossacks and has to find a way to integrate himself to survive—and because he finds himself both drawn to the sort of sexy, robust glamour of the soldiers and terrified of their brutality. My piece updates some of the same conflicts that Liutov experienced to the era of the Soviet purges of intellectuals carried out by the KGB (which took the lives of many artists, including Babel himself).

WU: As a fiction writer, are there specific themes or issues that you feel drawn to? How do you discuss these themes/issues in your writing?

Grief, loss, sex, queerness, mortality, the sturm und drang of being a teenage girl, the way the past keeps popping its head back up throughout a life/a century/a place’s history. People who try really hard to be good but aren’t very successful at it. For some reason, religion, which is certainly not because I want to espouse any particular set of beliefs through my writing, or even something I focus on deliberately—I just can’t seem to get away from it, even if I try to. I’m really interested in the stories we tell ourselves about the afterlife, and how that shapes the way we live.

WU: As an emerging fiction writer, you’ve been accepted as one of four annual residents at the Kerouac Project in Florida. Congratulations! Kerouac residents spend a season living in Kerouac Project housing and working on creative projects. What are you working on during your residency?

I’m now one month into the Kerouac and have been using my time to generate new short story material! When I accepted the Kerouac I self-imposed some pressure to come here and bang out an entire novel draft, which isn’t what’s happened so far. The Kerouac is gloriously unconstrained: I’ve been given time to work on any project I choose, so I’m taking advantage of that freedom to play a little, write outside of my usual range, and create things that aren’t geared toward any particular publication, workshop, etc.

WU: How do you hope to develop as a writer during your time at the Kerouac Project?

I’ve been greatly enjoying finding my rhythm and discovering a creative schedule that works for me outside the constraints of my usual day job and responsibilities. It’s also been an exercise in overcoming self-doubt, because when I first arrived I was walloped by a wave of uncertainty and impostor syndrome. Through some combination of “faking it till I make it” and adopting some of the swaggering ego of the Beat generation that permeates the Kerouac House, I’ve found a way through it. (Kerouac himself said, “You’re a genius all the time!” which feels awfully audacious, but I think we could all stand to borrow a little of the audacity of a man who wrote his unedited first drafts on a single continuous scroll of paper.)

WU: You previously worked as a staff writer at the Los Altos Town Crier newspaper. How, if at all, has your journalism career informed your creative writing?

Working at the paper was one of the happiest phases of my working life! I loved having an immediate and local audience of subscribers with a clear stake in the stories I was covering, rather than a hazy sense that someone might read my fiction years in the future after I’d painstakingly revised for months, spent a year or so waiting to hear back from lit mags, then many more months before publication. I also love the precise, straight-to-the-point journalistic style. (Readers of this interview may notice that my natural tendency leans to the verbose!) Having experienced journalists and a brilliant copy editor to learn from helped me write crisper prose. Coming out of an MFA writing literary fiction, I think I also took the (unproductive) attitude that all of my stories were delicate, precious creations that I couldn’t possibly let out of my hands until they were perfect. Working at a publication that publishes weekly taught me to work with a much tighter turnaround time, much more efficiently, with less unnecessary psychodrama. There’s a deadline—just get it done!

WU: You’re currently teaching in a prep school environment, and have also taught Creative Writing at the University of Oregon, where you studied for your MFA. How, if at all, has teaching the subject changed your perspective on the act of creative writing? How has it informed your development as a writer?

I wholeheartedly love teaching, even though I can’t exactly recommend it to aspiring writers on the grounds of short hours or great work-life balance! Teaching literature means I get to spend my days hanging out with some of my favorite stories, novels, and poems, and really thinking about how to break them down for a young audience. It’s great to admire literature, but it’s even more useful to know how it ticks! On a more woo-woo level, teaching has helped me as a writer because it’s balanced out some of my edges and helped me grow into a softer, more vulnerable, caring, and patient human. Which is hard as hell, and not something I’m sure I would ever have gotten good at otherwise, because that’s not my natural inclination! I’ve always tended to be a seething ball of snark and sarcasm, and, untempered, that’s no way to go through life! The writers I admire most are all able to observe how much humankind can suck without losing their love and compassion for what a desperate, scrappy lot we all are. Teaching gives you great respect for people (young or otherwise) who are trying their hardest. Being a person is hard! We shouldn’t dismiss how hard it is, even when people disappoint us.

WU: Can you tell us a bit about your background in theater, and how this background has informed your literary career?

Some useful lessons of a theater-kid background for writers:

Better to commit to a choice than to be boring

Say “yes, and”

Don’t write any dialogue so stilted your actors would be embarrassed to say it

Read everything out loud after you’ve written it

I actually first started writing seriously after a playwriting class in my senior year of high school resulted in a festival production of my short play. Watching the actors and director in rehearsal, hearing my words, realizing how I could make the work better, was one of the most electrifying experiences I’d ever had as a young person.

WU: Are there any teachers and/or students who have been particularly influential to you?

A long and glorious lineage, starting from my absolute miracle of a second-grade teacher who made me fall in love with Greek myths, to my brilliant high school English teachers who were tremendously overqualified to be teaching me grammar and who told me I could be a writer, to Prof. Erian at Wellesley who actually taught me how to edit, to the teachers who caught me as a proper adult and really kicked my butt into writing things that an audience other than myself might care about. Also, Ehud Havazelet, the stern fiction father figure who permanently broke me of the ability to use the word “impactful” or read it without a tinge of disgust.

Hillger → Culhane → Doelger → Aegerter → Erian → Kiesbye → Brown, Bradley, Havazelet

WU: You have described your thankfulness to belong to a network of writers and thinkers. How can Wellesley students and alumnx build similar networks around themselves?

I love knowing writers and artists and readers all over the country. A lot of my writer acquaintances come not from my grad program but from an eclectic network of youngsters who were all applying to grad school at the same time as me, and joined forces to share information behind the scenes on how well-funded programs were (among other things.) I’ve always found networking in the traditional sense grotesque and repellent, but I think there’s a lot to be said for finding other people who care about the things you care about, befriending them with no regard for whether they’re currently (or ever likely to be) in a position to help you, and generously sharing information that might be helpful. Do your best to root for other people’s success even though sometimes you’re going to feel bitter and jealous because you’re a human and, like all of us, you kind of suck sometimes. Also, don’t be a dickbag. We all know who the dickbags in a given community are.

WU: What is your approach to self-care?

I take a very pragmatic approach to self-care that wouldn’t play well in a glossy magazine! To me, self-care is about doing the things that will make my life better, like doing the dishes I don’t want to do, taking out the trash, and clearing my inbox, more so than ‘treating myself’, you know? This summer, this has included writing lots of snail mail, going running even when I don’t want to, and long, slow, inefficient cooking projects.

#wellesleywritesit #wellesleyunderground #wellesleycollege #@wellesleyalumnx

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britesparc · 7 years ago

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My Unpopular Star Wars Opinion: Or, Why The Phantom Menace is Better Than The Force Awakens

Was it, though?

Were the Star Wars prequels – The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith, whose vary names have become entertainment-industry watchwords for disappointment – really, truly better than the current Disney-owned era of Star Wars, which so far has produced two widely-praised billion-dollar-grossing movies, and is about to unleash a third, about which expectation is as high as a city in the clouds? Can I really think that, for reals?

Well, yes and no.

Let’s get the obvious things out of the way: there were some very poor decisions made during the Prequel Era. Let’s not pick over the corpse of George Lucas’ story choices – the whys and wherefores of virgin births, whiny antagonists, and Jar Jar Binks – and focus instead on the filmmaking technique employed. The dialogue is wooden. The camerawork is rigid. The performances are flat. The pacing is all over the place: in Phantom, the much-vaunted podrace goes on for at least two laps too long; indeed, the whole Tatooine section of the film shoots the legs out from under the momentum. Prior to that it had been a breakneck chase from overwhelming odds, our heroes escaping Naboo by the skin of their teeth; as soon as they break down on Tatooine, they’re sheltering from sandstorms and going gambling. And, of course, there’s the whole “taxation of outlying star systems is in dispute” nonsense: doesn’t quite grab you as quickly as “it is a period of civil war”, does it?

But there’s still something about them that feels Star Wars-y. There’s still a sense, even though I know Lucas was making it all up as he went along, that this fits into the universe correctly (I mean, he was making everything up as he went along, which is why Leia kisses Luke in Empire). There’s a cyclical nature to how the prequels marry with the original trilogy that’s about more than a visit to Tatooine or the presence of a Mandalorian bounty hunter. The first films in both trilogies are, in essence, about innocence: a simple quest by simple people to prevent an immediate danger (removing the blockade of Naboo versus destroying the Death Star); the second films complicate things by splitting up our heroes on separate quests before uniting them for a finale that feels, at best, like a pyrrhic victory; before resolving their respective trilogies in an all-bets-are-off finale beset with divided loyalties and a dangerous Sith Lord. Revenge of the Sith and Return of the Jedi – even their titles are darkly mirrored – both deal explicitly with Vader and his relationship to the Force; he wrestles with his emotions and his commitment to his Order, the love of his wife compelling him to commit dark acts before finally the love of his son pulls him back into the light. The Force Awakens, whilst it does mirror aspects of Star Wars, feels more like a greatest hits package; we have another callow youth from a desert planet on a hero’s journey, another aged mentor, another cocky pilot, another tragic death, and another large object exploding in space, but it feels more consciously designed. A box-ticking exercise, rather than a thematic resonance. Or maybe it’s just because the iconography is so similar.

The First Order is basically the Empire, and the Resistance is basically the Rebellion. There are TIE Fighters and X-Wings. There are Stormtroopers and helmeted good-guy soldiers. There are English-accented characters walking around in SS outfits being glowery and evil. Whilst I’d never attempt to suggest that Amidala’s chrome-plated ship, or the wing-walking droid craft, were as iconic as what we got forty years ago, to go back to the same well is disappointing.

My wider issue, however, is how the new era seems to disregard somewhat the mythological aspects of Star Wars. I guess I’ve only seen one film in the trilogy, but despite the palette-swap nature of its craft and locations, it does feel markedly different to the Star Wars that came before. There’s a sense of destiny in Star Wars, a “balance of the Force” that was hinted at in the original trilogy and made explicit in the prequels; the yoke of inevitability pulling characters in directions that they may not wish to go. The subtle, underplayed, and often-ignored theme in the prequels of once-noble institutions slowly crumbling into irrelevance and becoming the very thing they hated speaks to the wider issue of the “will of the Force”, of the Chosen One appearing to bring balance. That Chosen One is assumed to be Anakin, and we’re left to interpret for ourselves whether the balance was actually achieved; is it when he kills the Younglings? Or is it when he topples the Emperor? This thread ties the first six films together to produce something grander and more metaphorical, even if it is a case of Lucas essentially retconning to some degree his original intentions from the seventies and eighties. The Force Awakens feels a bit different, like the preoccupations of the previous films are gone; there’s a darkness to everything creeping in around the edges, complicating matters. Whether this makes for a better narrative is moot: what I’m saying is it makes it feel less of a whole with the rest of Star Wars.

This is exacerbated by the time-jump. Obviously we were always going to go 30-40 years ahead of Jedi. But so much has happened in that time. In the 20 years between Sith and Hope, the galaxy might be fundamentally different, but from a narrative view, nothing has changed: the Empire is still victorious and the Jedi still in exile, just like we left them. But in between Jedi and Force, we’ve seen Luke’s attempt at training new Jedi falter, Ben Solo fall to the Dark Side, the rise of the First Order, and the formation of the Resistance, to say nothing of the yet-unrevealed histories of Snoke and Rey. The film features flashbacks and a cliffhanger finale. It just feels odd, out of place, not at one with the cyclical nature of Star Wars. And, furthermore, it undoes so much of the happy ending of Jedi: despite the deaths of Vader and Palpatine, the Dark Side rises again, there's a new Empire, Luke goes into exile (apparently convinced that the Jedi as an institution is a bad thing) and Han and Leia split up. It's sad! It's tragic! And whilst I'm fine with all that happening in Star Wars, I think it should happen on-camera. Not in flashbacks or spin-offs, it should be part of the saga. To introduce it as backstory complicates the rhythm of the films. It feels less of a whole. It feels like a sequel, not the next episode. And from the trailers and pre-release hype of The Last Jedi, it seems like this is the new normal for Star Wars.

None of this makes the Disney films bad. In fact, going back to the popular iconography of the original trilogy makes perfect sense. Having the heroes still be a scrappy insurgency helps us root for them. Giving us a mysterious backstory to uncover is compelling. But my argument is, all these elements feel discordant with what's gone before. The prequels, for all their faults technically and narratively, helped weave a mythological tapestry for Star Wars that is being undone by the new films. I feel they're remaining too wedded to familiar imagery and story points, whilst simultaneously moving too far away from the more conceptual, mythological underpinnings of Star Wars as a fable. I kind of wish that Lucas had completed his mooted final trilogy – his own VII, VIII, and IX – before selling to Disney (especially if he took more of an executive role, as he did with Empire and Jedi, and left the writing and directing to others). Taken as individual films, maybe they wouldn't be as good as what we've got – because despite everything I've said here, I really do think Force Awakens and especially Rogue One are pretty tremendous – but at least we'd have Lucas' complex, contradictory, rhythmically compelling vision completed. Of course, then we wouldn't have Star Wars' new Holy Trinity of Rey, Finn, and Poe – perhaps the Disney era's most important additions to the overall mythos.

Look, Star Wars is complicated. George Lucas is complicated, and his legacy is complicated. I'm chuffed to bits he sold to Disney – not because DIsney is the be-all and end-all, but because they've proven their ability to marry corporate aims with creative excellence; look at Pixar and Marvel especially. The Force Awakens has issues but it's still a great, crowd-pleasing, immensely successful movie, and already we've got BB-8, porgs, and broadsword lightsabers sitting in the popular imagination in ways that, arguably, nothing in the prequels ever really managed (apart from Darth Maul and his double-ended saber, I guess). And again, the progressive casting of the new films is long overdue and utterly fantastic. I'm still really, really excited about The Last Jedi, and Abrams' Episode IX, and Johnson's new non-Skywalker trilogy. But I can't help feeling like something quintessentially Star Wars has been lost; perhaps it's an oddness, a willingness to duck when everyone is expecting a jump. Perhaps it was Lucas' own obsessions and interests that fuelled the franchise, that gave us everything from the sublime (Vader, the Death Star, lightsabers, Yoda) to the ridiculous (midichlorians, Gungans, Ewoks, Watto). Perhaps the new films are better films, but in my heart of hearts, I'm not sure I can love them quite as much. Maybe The Last Jedi will end up being the best Star Wars experience this side of Knights of the Old Republic, but it will still feel slightly separate. Further tales. An imaginary story. The expanded universe.

Maybe it's me. Maybe it's just knowing that Lucas had more stories he wanted to tell and never got the chance. Maybe it's because I've always been a lot warmer towards the prequels than most. Maybe things will shift with time – as more films come out in the new universe, with more characters, then this will start to feel like the status quo, the new normal. I hope so, because I love Star Wars – indeed, it's worth repeating, I think the new films are excellent, and are better films, better made films, than all three of the prequels. But although my head believes we're in a golden age of Star Wars not seen since the early 80s, my heart has yet to be convinced.

Anyway. I'll let you know if I still feel the same way after The Last Jedi...

#movies #films #star wars #George Lucas #the last jedi #star wars the last jedi

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userwithnoname · 7 years ago

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ive played skyrim before and liked it an a friend recommended dragon age but i dont know which one i should pick

Hm… this is still a little bit complicated, so I’m going to put another cut here just because it gets a little long.

tl;dr Your friend was probably talking about Inquisition, and while I recommend you start with Origins, Inquisition’s not a bad game to jump in with.

If Skyrim is your only basis for comparison, then I think your friend was recommending for you Dragon Age: Inquisition. I was in a very similar place when I started playing Dragon Age: had just beat Skyrim for the thousandth time, was getting bored and didn’t know how to mod my game, so I started looking at Steam recommendations. However, I had a bit of a buffer. Steam recommended me Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which is a pretty good game, but not quite what I was looking for.

What Skyrim lacked to me was character involvement. That isn’t to say there aren’t good characters, but they are limited and of the companions you’re given, they have little to do with the actual story and almost no involvement other than one quest here or there. Kingdoms of Amalur is similar to Skyrim in terms of story and gameplay, and if you liked Skyrim’s open-world and hack’n’slash combat, you’ll like Kingdoms.

To that end, Dragon Age is a pretty logical leap from either of those. But I can see where it would get confusing. The games are both reliant upon each other, yet can contradict each other horribly. When most people talk about Dragon Age. they’re referring to Inquisition because it’s the newest game to come out in the series. But as I mentioned, there are three games in total, not counting Awakening or Heroes of Dragon Age.

There’s no easy way to do this, so I’ll do a brief description then a (personal) pros and cons to each game before talking about the flaws the series has on a whole.

(Disclaimer: I am not a games reviewer or expert in any sense, these are personal opinions so take them with a grain of salt.)

(Also: SPOILERS)

Dragon Age: Origins (DA:O):

The first game in the series, DA:O focuses on the Warden or Hero of Ferelden. Without getting too much into the story, it heavily focuses on the arc of your character and the story that unfolds, allowing you a range of choices and quests that help keep replaying the game from getting boring.

Pros:

Personalized character backstory.

Character creation is interesting.

Pretty backgrounds (for the time).

Pausing combat doesn’t interrupt the flow of combat too much.

Gameplay is pretty straightforward and intuitive (at least on PC).

A lot of dialogue options.

Just enough side quests to pad out the story without distracting from the main quests.

Quest timing options.

Gifts to fix things if you mess up the dialogue options and can’t reload a save (they have diminishing returns, so be wary).

Companion options–don’t like someone? Kick them out of the party!

Weapon and armor options–spell casting doesn’t work well for this, but most weapons and armor aren’t class restricted.

DOG. PUPPY. WHO NEEDS ROMANCE, I HAVE A DOG.

Cons:

Main character has no voice acting.

Clunky animations. Like… mages in particular just stand there and point a staff in the air and sometimes wave their hand.

Sometimes confusing leveling mechanics.

Too much Codex stuff too fast.

Focuses a little too much on Alistair romance (even if I love him) and not much on the other characters.

Dialogue options can be hard to understand–this was before Bioware got their choice menu properly sorted out.

Will probably never see the Warden/Hero ever again no matter what they accomplish.

No armor modifications, only giving runes to some weapons.

Repetitive environments.

Limited romance options.

Hats.

Dragon Age II (DA II):

As the name implies it is second in the series, focusing on Hawke, the eventual Champion of Kirkwall, and has only a little to do with Origins. Not a direct sequel, DA II is very disputed across the fandom, and could have been handled better in general. Bioware changed their story-telling rhythm in this, instead breaking it up into 3 acts rather than major quests you can pick and choose the order of.

Pros:

New main quest each Act that focuses on Hawke as a person.

Varric.

Combat animation feels involved and fluid–you’ve upgraded from a person standing to actual fighting.

Hide hats option in menu.

Main character is voice acted now–yay!

Fixed the dialogue options so it’s not as confusing.

Dog is no longer a party member, so you have a back up you can summon if shit hits the fan.

Gives you a junk slot in your inventory so you know what you can sell.

Rival and Friendship system make it so you can hate someone you need and still keep them in your party.

Rival and Friendship system make it so you can romance someone even if you don’t particularly like them.

Cons:

Rival and Friendship system also, unfortunately, can lead to weird things happening in the story unless you go all out one way or another.

Cannot have a set team you use all the time unless you’re willing to possibly lose a few companions *coughs*Isabela*coughs*. Characters must be rotated out on quests if you want to get Friendship/Rivalry where it needs to be.

Specific, limited gifts that are easy to miss.

Confusing leveling mechanics.

The fuck did they do to the elves in this one?

Almost no interaction from anything in DA:O.

The screen layout got worse.

Facial animations (specifically eyebrows and mouth) are sometimes horrifying.

Character relationships are harder to manage.

Spend more time thinking about who you want on what quest than you probably should.

Romances are weirdly broken up in this one.

Armor picked up can only be worn by Hawke.

Please. Just let me romance Varric.

Combat animations are a little over the top and unrealistic.

Story makes it feel like your actions only effect Kirkwall, but actually end up effecting the whole world.

Race options–it forces you to play as a human.

Very repetitive environments.

Background is glanced over and explained away with no interaction.

Sibling death.

Dragon Age: Inquisition (DA:I):

The baby of the series, the most recent game and prettiest overall. DA:I has way more options in just about everything in comparison to the previous two games. You play as the Herald of Andraste, eventually becoming Inquisitor.

Pros:

That character creation tho.

Armor and weapon creation and customization.

Fixed elves appearances–no longer aliens.

Races now have different body types.

Fixed the combat ratio of fluidity to excessive.

Open world.

Actually get a horse/hart/dracolisk/freakishly large nug to ride this time.

Voice options (only two, but that’s one more than DA II and two more than DA:O).

Way more companion options.

Can play as a qunari.

Interesting cameos from companions in DA:O and DA II.

Cool search mechanic.

Cole.

HUGE map.

More romance options.

DRAGON MASTER.

Don’t have to play Origins or II to get the story-type you want, just log in to Dragon’s Keep and fill out some stuff.

Screw attributes completely.

Cons:

The hair. For everyone, but mostly qunari.

Undermines other choices in previous games.

Ooh… you might wanna get that hand looked at, buddy.

Hardens companion from DA:O regardless of actual choices in game.

Cut scene animation is a little weird sometimes.

Save files corrupt so quickly.

Sudden retconning of Dalish facts and changes the way mages are handled by the Dalish.

Main character disappearances.

Needs DLC in order to get the “real” ending.

Does not mod easily.

Bugs with animation and placement.

WHERE IS MY DOG, BIOWARE??????

THE MOUNT IS NOT A REPLACEMENT, IT CANNOT FIGHT OR FOLLOW YOU.

Doesn’t feel like a solid story ending, regardless of DLC.

You know those helpful numbers and bars we had to measure friendship in DA II and DA:O? Fuck ‘em. Don’t need ‘em. Oh, but likability is still being measured by the game, just not visibly.

Fuck gifts, too.

No more healing spells.

Oh, and let’s limit the number of healing items you can carry at once.

And we can’t make it too easy to make money, either.

Random loot is incredibly buggy.

Weapons/armor now class coded.

Gameplay takes some getting used to on the PC.

Screw attributes completely.

And that’s not including Awakening and Heroes of Dragon Age, which I am not discussing in this post.

Now, despite what you might think after that, I love these games.

They just… have their issues.

They pull a “Supernatural” on us, if you will. Each game, the enemy somehow gets bigger and badder. In the first one, you’re trying to stop the Blight and save your home, which is already a big feat. In the second one, you end up causing a civil war across multiple countries (even if it doesn’t feel so big at the time). In Inquisition, you have to save at least three countries at once, and in the fourth it looks like you’re going to have to save the world.

Each game focuses on a new protagonist, which is great in that it means a fresh new take on each challenge and new characters, but it really, really sucks in that it feels like you’re leaving a story unfinished. I mentioned we’ll probably never see the Warden in-game again and it’s been confirmed by Patrick Weekes, the lead writer for DA (I’d put a link here, but I can’t find it right now). This is mainly because the story has moved on from the Warden, but also because importing a Warden from DA:O to any new DA game would be almost impossible from a technical standpoint. While this is sad, it’s understandable from a story standpoint. But this method wasn’t what fans were expecting when DA II came out.

Which is probably the biggest reason for all the hatred towards DA II. It was marketed as a sequel to DA:O, and people kind of automatically thought of it as a direct sequel, mostly because the only other RPG series Bioware had running was Mass Effect and that’s what happened there. But it didn’t happen with DA II. Instead, we were given a new hero with new goals, no familiar companions and in a place DA:O didn’t even mention. Other than a few cameos, a couple characters, and a mention every now and then, there was nothing from DA:O in DA II.

And that’s really Dragon Age’s biggest problem. Playing DA II, it makes it feel like all those choices you made in Origins were insignificant (which on a scale they were). And Inquisition didn’t fix this. In fact, in some ways, it made it worse. It gave Hawke and the Warden more stories, which isn’t a bad thing, but it took your characters and tried to generalize your Warden and your Hawke into The Warden and The Hawke. Imagine you’d been given a choose-your-own-adventure book and the first two chapters are about one character, and then the next two about another, and so on and so forth. But in each of these chapters, you get glimpses of the previous characters doing other things in the same world. No interaction, no conclusiveness, just your character doing things that your character might not do. You have no control of the character whose choices are supposed to be yours after those two chapters are done.

Basically: for the story, with the way they’ve set it up, it forces you to bond to a character that you create but only briefly glimpse into their lives before someone else takes over. Yet instead of divorcing entirely from said character, the shorter timeline forces the heroes to interact in some capacity that we’ll never get to see. Varric is the perfect example of this. DA II is set up in a way that you know Varric will have to be involved in Inquisition. But after people started really liking him and the general backlash of DA II, Bioware couldn’t kill him off and couldn’t send him away. So they gave him a minor role in Inquisition and then retired him.

They do this again with the Inquisitor. The way DA:I ends left many fans to believe DA4 had to continue as the Inquisitor; after all it didn’t feel like the Inquisitor’s story was finished and the next Big Bad had been hinted at being kind-of their fault. But we’ve already been told that DA4 will not star the Inquisitor–instead, their story is supposedly done and the only chance we have of their involvement is probably a letter, a cameo, or as an advisor. That’s if Bioware doesn’t kill them.

Once again, they put away another character when it feels like they should still be involved, thus reducing the choices made in the previous games by an even smaller margin. Bioware takes a character you made, tells you their story is over when it feel like it’s just starting, then takes control of them.

The solution?

The Elder Scrolls series actually does a pretty good job at doing the same thing–by spreading the events out. I get that the whole name of the series is focused on a hundred year margin, but that’s still a hundred years for you to spread events out. Over the course of three games, only about 10-20 years have passed. DA:O takes place over the course of 1-2 years, maximum. DA II takes place over 7. And DA:I is about 2-5 (depending on if you count Trespasser), with a short gap between II and Inquisition.. That’s a lot of shit to happen over such a short time.

Give the games space. Let them breathe. Let the actions of the Warden fade as time passes, not lie ignored by NPCs just because it’s hard to account for all the choices. Let the stories have their own weight before you stack the other on, and maybe don’t rely to much on rapid storytelling.

And that really went off on a tangent, sorry.

Simply put, the games have their own flaws. If you have the money and prefer a newer-looking game and have the system to handle it, I recommend Dragon Age: Inquisition to start off. Being able to control the world through your choices in Dragon’s Keep gives you a good idea of previous stories without having to play them, while still preserving the themes from the series.

(But oh my god save frequently. Save every few minutes. And stagger save, too, don’t just save over old files because that shit corrupts EASY.)

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firstpuffin · 6 years ago

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Spyro, Randomizers and Beam Saber.

So I do have a longer, researched piece in development but I need a bit more time for that. I want it to be as objective as I can because it’s the type of thing that brings emotions to the fore. Instead I am writing this rather more light-hearted piece out of topics that I doubt I can make a whole upload out of on their own.

It’s another multiple topics in one piece, like that writing one I did before but this one will be about video games.

If you’ve looked through my other stuff you will likely have noticed that I like video games. Modern games are like television or movies that you can interact with and for this reason are deserving of more respect than they currently get, so expect more uploads on the subject. Might actually be worth an upload to expand on this.

So I have three topics at the moment and the first is about Spyro the Dragon (1998), more specifically the series on the original PlayStation. For those not in the know, Spyro is a very child-friendly game with cheerful music, bright colours and cartoony enemies and developed quite a following. You play as a dragon who is considered small even by the game’s standards. You can take three hits before having to resume from the last time the game was saved and you know how many hits you have taken by the appearance of Spyro’s dragonfly friend, Sparx, who changes colour as you take damage.

Being a small, possibly underdeveloped, dragon, Spyro is forced to glide rather than fly, can breathe small flames and charge with his horns. As the games progress Spyro can pay to be taught more moves. This isn’t pointless information though, these abilities are used both to fight and to solve puzzles; Spyro isn’t a turn your brain off action game but a puzzle experience.

So all in all Spyro is a cute, brain training game. So why am I writing about it? It had a remaster released in late 2018 after the success of the Crash Bandicoot remaster, and that had me playing the original games (I didn’t have access to the remaster) and I realised that Spyro is freaking terrifying.

At the beginning at least, the enemies who you kind of have to kill are terrified of you. They run and they cower so Spyro is just running around murdering people. Sure, in the first game you might be able to justify it through the fact that I believe the enemies are magical creatures made purely to attack you so maybe it doesn’t count, but in order to recover from taking hits you need Sparx to eat butterflies, which you get from murdering the local wildlife who are just as scared as the enemies. In the second game though, the enemies might well be the local wildlife and are just as scared of Spyro as in the first game.

So what else? Is that all I’m going to talk about? Nope. This occurred to me as I was playing the second game but as you enter a new “world” (I didn’t cover this, did I? Basically, there are a series of worlds that give access to more worlds) there will be a cutscene showing its inhabitants and a similar one when you leave, and these reveal some disturbing information about the inhabitants.

Not only do the enemies show a callous or even sadistic disregard for life, but those that Spyro is working to save also show a light-hearted cruelty that is played for humour. Man-slaughter and torment are commonplace on all sides; Spyro’s murder-spree almost seems tame in comparison.

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I don’t want you to get me wrong though, the games are great. Even for children. The first game can be monotonous but the second one improves on it greatly. The reason why the enemies run and cower actually makes sense, particularly at the start: it gives the player a safe place to get used to playing the game with minimal danger. A slow start. And the dark humour? Well that’s common everywhere in human society. Jokes about death and harm are common and the games count on children not quite understanding what’s happened. This may not be ideal in children’s media, but it’s not too unusual and whether or not it is harmful is not a debate for here.

So which of the two subjects do I want to continue with? I think the semi-“review” that I have planned will be easier to end things on so I’ll leave that for last.

There is a certain type of game, I’m not sure if it has a name, but it kind of relies on discovering specific items to progress the story. The Legend of Zelda series is well-known for this: in the entry Wind Waker you need to approach a dungeon that has a strong wind blowing at you and in order to get close you need a specific item that allows you to approach it. This specific item is always at a specific place and it is the same in most of the games.

The Metroid series is the same. You need a specific item (say, the Spider Ball which allows you to climb walls) from a certain place in order to get to another certain place (up a wall). So where am I going with this?

Well someone figured out how to take these items and make them random; as in, they are not where they should be but are still needed. Naturally there are certain safeguards to make sure that you can actually complete the game but it adds an almost realism to a game you know well. An unpredictability.

And it’s not just items either. The avatar you play as can be random, the colour of your clothes and even the dialogue spoken. These Randomizers (nice name; exactly what it says on the tin) give the player the choice of what is randomised and to what degree.

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-she is not the usual character-

So I guess the question is “What’s the point?”. Yeah, heaven knows I’m too intimidated to try it myself, but it takes an old game that you’ve played a score of times and makes it new. You’re playing the game you love, but not how you’ve played it before. On top of that, random dialogue can be hilarious. But, as with all things video games, someone inevitably took things up a level and combined two games with items randomly spread between the two.

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Even if you are not interested in playing these Randomizer games, maybe you’ll find them interesting enough to watch a few on YouTube.

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And finally, my semi-review. A few weeks back I was able to visit my friend and he was insistent that I put on his VR headset and play a game called Beam Saber. Using two remotes that detect movement you swing them like swords at targets that come towards you. Maybe I should have mentioned earlier but Beam Saber is what is called a rhythm game: music plays and you have to interact with the targets that the game shows you, and always to the rhythm of the song.

-you might remember an old game called “Guitar Hero”; that’s the same premise-

Beam Saber has you swinging your arms as though you were using swords to hit the targets, hence the name Beam Saber.

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-I don’t personally watch this guy’s videos, but he at least guarantees a certain quality-

The thing about Beam Saber is that it is great fun. A lot of games that try to use motion controls like this are willing to let you wiggle the control unenthusiastically to get the same results, but Beam Saber encourages you to really put your all into it. You get better results for putting some umph into your swings while being punished for being too wild. It uses challenges, some of which are optional, to challenge you to measure and hone your movements.

Co-ordination, motor skills, memory and more are tested and practiced as you play; quickly wiping off sweat to avoid flinging the remotes at your bud’s nose (he didn’t have wrist straps so I really had to focus on not throwing them) as you flail about like an enthusiastic madman to a roster of catchy songs. On top of this, play for long enough and you will be feeling the burn for days so you can hardly be accused of sitting around all day playing games.

I would like to add here that people who are particularly weak like myself might benefit from this game. See, if you have weak muscle tone for whatever reason, exercising is particularly difficult; it is noted that dyspraxics are often quite weak (we’re clumsy so sports are not only unappealing but off-putting of exercise in general) and have to start any exercise menu at a lower level. Heck, in my attempt at getting stronger I am beginning with lying down and standing up again and again because I just can’t do push ups; that’s the sort of level I am talking about here. So having fun, with time just flying by, might be a good way to gain the minimum strength needed to really start working out.

-some of us have to make up for wasted time with the most basic of basics-

And even if it isn’t enough for strength gain, it most definitely will help dyspraxics with motor skills, grip strength (but might be best with wrist straps), proprioception and all the other multitude of things we struggle with. On a similar note, video games are great for us who struggle with reactions and the above issues.

So in summary, Beam Saber is great fun and is has any number of benefits.

#first puffin #opinion #review #spyro the dragon #spyro reignited trilogy #beam saber #randomizer #video games #vr #dyspraxia #guitar hero #legend of zelda #metroid #goldeneye #thosetagswilldofornow

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buytabletsonline · 7 years ago

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Enlarge / The boss fights stand out as easily the best sequences.

It’s an inarguably great time for 2D platformer fans, particularly those who prefer the Metroid and Symphony of the Night-inspired variety. Steamworld Dig 2, Dead Cells, Sundered, and many more all bring something different to the loose genre’s table. So too does the recently released Iconoclasts, even though I’m not sure I’m picking up absolutely every idiosyncrasy it’s putting down.

None of that uncertainty applies to the game’s look and feel, though. Iconoclasts is set in a lovely, colorful dystopia, with expressive sprites and bombastic effects to match. Traversing the splashy jungles, caves, seascapes, and sci-fi fortresses feels just right, too—no pixel feels wasted; no jump or attack too unwieldy. There’s a sense of meticulous technical perfection to Iconoclasts that likely reflects its 10-year production by solo developer Joakim “konjak” Sandberg.

As Robin, the unlicensed mechanic player-character, you begin with just a wrench and a rapid-fire stun gun, but slowly, inevitably, gather new tools like bombs and an electric overcharge for melee attacks. These unlock new areas and upgrades in the finest Metroid/Castlevania style, though the find-items-to-progress concept is stretched a bit thinner here than in, say, last year’s Metroid: Samus Returns. New equipment is few and far between, and entire multi-hour zones center more or less on a single item.

So while the game is certainly structured around finding new items to explore previously visited areas, there’s greater breathing room for things like a wide selection of bosses and a heaping helping of story.

The biggest, bestest battles

Iconoclasts’ 20-odd bosses are the real treat at the heart of the quality run-and-gun gameplay, blending the grandiose art and hefty feel of the combat nicely. My personal favorite battle was against a multistage, underground train. The fight had me juking its lunging attacks at high speed while being dragged around the circular arena on grind rails. Getting through was a matter of exposing and tearing down the train’s weak points with the help of an assist character, one of many that pops up to help with the biggest bad guys. Beating most of the game’s bosses involves getting into the rhythm of bouncing between those assistants’ skills and Robin’s, and that back-and-forth tug could easily be the basis for an entire separate game on its own. It’s just that fun.

The game’s one-off puzzles are unique and brief enough to give it a good bit of variety.

Fast-paced action fills time other Metroidvanias would dedicate to lots of new abilities.

Smaller, more common puzzles, like moving boxes, are a little fiddly.

There’s quite a variety in the zones you explore.

There’s a heady story about religion–among other things–struggling to be heard here.

Some of the of the writing just feels… off.

Break out your graph paper. It’s one of those games.

Riding rails and ziplines is also fiddly, but feels cool when it works.

Iconoclasts isn’t difficult, but there’s something weighty and satisfying about its generous combat.

Most of the game’s upgrades are conveniences, rather than game-changers.

Some enemies can’t be bested by weapons alone.

There are a handful of technical quirks that plague the game’s otherwise smooth flow, though. The aforementioned rail-riding, for instance, requires Robin to latch onto specially marked points with her wrench. But Iconoclasts is very picky about the angle of her swing. Sometimes you’ll watch her chosen weapon swing right through the latch point, without actually making contact, because the game wants you to hit it perfectly horizontally.

This, and a couple of imprecise crate-stacking puzzles, might feel like rather small pieces to nitpick in such a polished overall package. But since the whole game is built around just a handful of abilities, those small issues build up to legitimate gripes. If there were more upgrades and puzzle types to enjoy between the heavier action scenes, there would be less chance to really focus on these few technical imperfections.

A missing pillar

Less quibbling, and more outright damning, is the story. There’s a lot more of it than the retro aesthetic would imply, and it’s not the easiest thing to follow. That’s in part because, true to its name, Iconoclasts wades in the complicated waters of religion and rebellion. Robin’s unauthorized occupation as a mechanic sounds innocuous on its own, but it’s an offense punishable by death in her world. A villainous theocracy, under the thumb of a messiah called Mother, is hot on her heels throughout the game.

Complication after complication follows that fairly basic premise. There’s conflict over a vanishing fuel source, a cadre of semi-immortal super-humans, pirates, space travel, natural disasters, familial drama, ideological debate, and more. With enough technique and the proper pacing, these disparate elements might have come together nicely. In Iconoclasts, they’re a jumble of half-formed opinions–a stream of consciousness loosely tied together through overly obvious metaphors for real-world issues.

Maybe if Iconoclasts just seized on or two of these motifs with the same meticulous focus as the rest of the game, it could have given them the time and attention to give them weight. Instead it’s just confusing. Some dry, oddly stilted dialogue does not help matters, either—every fifth line feels like it was inexpertly localized into English (which may indeed be the case, as Sandberg is based in Sweden).

Unlike my minor technical carps, these aren’t isolated issues. This is a very talkative game with not much to actually say. So its melange of hard-to-parse messages is harder to overlook than a couple of imprecise box puzzles. Which is a shame, because a dense, character-heavy plot is what should set Iconoclasts apart from its recent competition.

Dead Cells looks and plays just as well as Iconoclasts, in its own way. Steamworld Dig 2 has more to discover and a lot more charm. Search for “Metroidvania” on Steam right now and you’ll find and you’ll find half a hundred more games with similar arguments in their favor.

That’s not to say Iconoclasts is bad. The wonderfully well-tuned bosses alone might be worth your while. But in a currently crowded pantheon of exploration-heavy 2D platformers, Iconoclasts is one that doesn’t fire on every cylinder. That alone might be an excuse to check out your other options.

The good:

A cleanly colorful dystopia to explore

(Mostly) pitch perfect combat and platforming.

Big, bombastic bosses with a lot of fun moving parts.

The bad:

Lots of clunky, jumbled story without a consistent tone

Dry and stilted dialogue.

A handful of imprecise puzzles.

Not much variety among upgrades.

The ugly:

I can’t decide if I agree with the game’s politics, because I can’t quite tell what they are through the messy writing.

Verdict: If you’ve already burned through your pile of Metroid-likes, Iconoclasts is solid fuel for the fire. Try it.

http://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); http://ift.tt/2Dx7VNZ January 24, 2018 at 09:08PM

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chrismroyce · 7 years ago

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Sports Night – Episode One – Pilot

Season One: Episode 1: Pilot

Original Air Date: 22 September 1998

Written By: Aaron Sorkin

Directed By: Thomas Schlamme

Starring: Josh Charles, Peter Krause, Felicity Huffman, Joshua Malina, Sabrina Lloyd, and Robert Guillaume

Also Starring: Kayla Blake, Greg Baker, Timothy Davis-Reed, Ron Ostrow

Guest Starring: Robert Maihouse, Bernard Hocke, Nina Jane Barry

Spoiler-Free Summary

Sports Night is show that takes place at the New York Headquarters of a sports show called– appropriately enough–Sports Night. The pilot episode–the first episode of television the Aaron Sorkin ever wrote–does a more than adequate job of introducing the setting and characters, and setting up the primary conflicts for the run of the show. We have our two stars, Dan Rydell & Casey McCall (Charles & Krause), who anchor the show from NYC (later we'll be introduced to some of he show's on-air analysts and field reporters) and the production staff led by Managing Editor Isaac Jaffe (Guillaume), Executive Producer Dana Whitaker (Huffman), and Senior Associate Producer Natalie Hurley (Lloyd). Joining the show-within-a-show is Jeremy Goodwin (Malina,) who has a rather awkward but very verbose interview in the third act of the episode.

In the pilot episode there is immediately a major problem to solve that has ripple effects throughout the personal and professional relationships of the ensemble. Casey is recently divorced and, as a result of not dealing with his issues surrounding his marriage, his job performance is suffering. His friends & coworkers attempt to help Casey return exercising his full potential behind the anchor desk. Casey's performance on the air–or lack thereof–catches the attention of the representative of the Network, J.J. (Mailhouse), who wants to replace him.

As we kick off the first entry in the Sports Night portion of the Rewatch, try not to be too distracted by the now-preciously-ancient laptops & other electronics, and enjoy what Sorkin himself refers to as "the redemptive power of sports."

The Breakdown

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

The first thing that needs to be addressed is the incredible distraction that is the artificial laugh track. The ABC executives weren't sure that the audience would know that the show was supposed to be funny without the artificial laughter added, even though Sports Night "doesn't have the rhythms of a

regular sitcom," Sorkin explains on the DVD commentary. The laugh track will gradually fade through the first dozen or so episodes, so we won't have to deal with it for the entire run of the series. On to more relevant things...

The pilot introduces the six principle members of the ensemble by setting up an immediate conflict to pit them against each other, and make them find reasons to unite. The storyline of the pilot episode is not so different from A Few Good Men or The American President. Our protagonist has some deep-seated emotional issues that he cannot deal with alone, and performs uncharacteristically poorly at their job until pushed to greatness by those around him.

Casey

Here we see Casey McCall in the Dan Kaffee/Andy Shepherd role, unable to process the frustration and loss and confusion of his recent divorce. His writing partner Dan and his producer Dana try to hold his hand through this personal transition, while preventing him from doing to too much damage to the institution of the show itself. Much like any other personality-driven television program, the face of the show is the show in the public eye, so Casey not being Casey is a big problem for Sports Night–one that cost people their jobs.

Peter Krause, doesn't have enough time in this first episode to completely flesh out Casey's brilliance and complexities, but cracks open the door for the audience to peer through. His transformation at the end of the episode ("Ntozake Nelsen's got something' to say about a world record!") is truly a thing to behold, especially given his lackluster reads at the top of the show.

Dan

Dan's main function in this episode is comic relief, as the audience adjusts to the interplay of the characters and Sorkin's unique dialogue style. He is having a "New York Renaissance," and gleefully pesters everyone in sight with his epiphanies about the city. Josh Charles never allows us to think that Dan is vapid or insubstantial, however. When J.J.-the-suit tries to get Dan to turncoat on Casey in favor of another partner, he responds with singular pith and intensity, "My future is writing and anchoring a sports program with my partner, Casey McCall. Now if it's here, it's here, if it's not, it is someplace else."

His loyalty and passion are expressed even more forcefully at the end of the episode, when he confronts his writing partner head-on about his issues. Danny's is easily the best speech of the night, as he refutes the petty problems objections Casey is hiding behind.

I've been here every day Casey, every day. And I have kept my mouth shut, because that's what you asked me to do. But if you'd've asked me, I'd've told you that Lisa is an angry, unhappy, punishing woman, and in ten years there's never been a single moment that has suggested to me that she has any affection for you at all. And I have no patience for people like that. Now the people here, they like you. Isaac, Natalie, Kim, Elliot... I don't know who the new guy Jeremy is, but he seems to like you just fine. Have you even noticed that Dana's been keeping J.J. and the network away from you with a whip and a chair? Huh? Have you noticed that she's been risking her job for you every day? And do you really think, my friend, that it has that much to do with your talent? These are people who like you, okay? They know what you've been going through, and for three months now, you have shown us nothing but the back of your hand–and now you're gonna show us the door? Well excuse me, but the wisdom of your decision isn't entirely clear to me here, okay?

This is the critical moment for Casey–and by extension, the show as we know it. Without this moment of confrontation, maybe Casey really does leave, and who knows what Sports Night becomes without the Dan-Casey-Dana partnership at it's heart. Danny doesn't single-handedly solve the problem, but he provides a crucial setup for the finale.

Dana

"You're screwing up my show," Dana tells Casey during the first heart-to-heart Casey experiences in this episode. This is just one in a series of management-level decisions and conversations that Dana, as Executive Producer, is called upon to conduct in the pilot, alone. She rides herd over the office shenanigans of her producers and the many myriad departments necessary to run a live nightly television show.

Like Dan & Casey, her personal loyalties are just as important as her professional connections. She stands up for Casey not just because it's her duty as a boss, but because it's her role as a friend, telling Isaac, "I owe it to him... We all do."

And also like Dan & Casey–and basically everyone else in the Sports Night cast/family–sports isn't just Dana's vocation, but her passion. We'll learn more later about her personal connections to the world of professional athletics, but during this episode it's easy to see that this woman loves what he does.

Isaac

There is no question from the way Robert Guillaume walks that Isaac Jaffe is in the man in charge. He is the leader of the ensemble, managing his staff and their corporate bosses with confidence and a plainspoken eloquence. We'll get more of his backstory in a few episodes, and hear about the incredible career in journalism and broadcasting he has had. Isaac is far more than just another suit, and Sports Night will never stop reminding us throughout the run of the series.

Natalie

The character that may be the most underdeveloped in the pilot is Natalie Hurley. Sabrina Lloyd will be given far more to sink her teeth into in subsequent episodes, but for now, Natalie seems rather similar to Samantha Mathis's Janie Basdin from A Few Good Men: a person playing an exceptionally professional and dedicated supporting role. Natalie clearly has substantial responsibilities on the show, given her position as Dana's right hand in production and management, but we have yet to see her at her strongest. For now, she is depicted as being confident and passionate, but still a bit of a goof.

Jeremy

Our introduction to Jeremy Goodwin comes four and a half minutes (& an entire act break) before we actually see him on screen.

Dana mentions to Isaac that she'll be interviewing the "finalist" candidate to fill an open associate producer slot that afternoon, and Natalie (the only staff member who has met Jeremy thus far) describes him in perhaps a less than professional way. "You guys, he is so totally cute and intense, with a dark mystery about him that says: 'this is not a technician, this in an artist.'"

When the time finally comes for his interview, he is crippled by anxiety brought on by breathless enthusiasm. What follows is his spectacularly eloquent and impassioned freak-out.

SORKINISMS

This being just the series premier, we're a bit light on proper Sorkinisms, but we do have a few fun examples of the characteristic, Sorkin-esque dialogue. When Isaac and Dana are headed into their daily rundown meeting, they briefly discuss Casey's on-air performance, and Isaac tells her, "I know all about his problems. You know, the network knows about his problems, too. As a result of which, they become my problems, and I'm saying at the very most, I want them to be your problems." Additionally, we have the sequence in the rundown meeting, where Casey continually insists–interjecting into the conversation of those around him–that "he can't kick."

THE MIGHTY SORKIN PLAYERS

The role that Joshua Malina plays in Sports Night is the first of his television career. Malina had originally read for the part of Dan Rydell, but after losing out to Josh Charles, the part of Jeremy Goodwin was rewritten so that Malina could play it as a series regular. Another tidbit on the 10th Anniversary DVD Commentary: Sorkin and Felicity Huffman knew each other from "coming up together" doing theater in New York in the 1980s. Huffman was a member of Atlantic Theatre Company when it did the first "out-loud reading of A Few Good Men." Peter Krause and Aaron Sorkin tended bar together before they were able to work full time in their respective disciplines.

Greg Baker, who plays Eliot, will have a small role in an episode in the first season of The West Wing in the episode entitled "Ellie."

All three control room techs later portray reporters in the WH press corps on The West Wing, but only two of those actors actually appear here in the series premier. Timothy Davis-Reed plays Chris, and Ron Austria plays Will. They both have stand-out moments sparring with Press Secretary C.J. Cregg (portrayed by by the brilliant and talented Allison Janney) in the first few seasons of that show.

We've got a few new additions to our list of recycled character names:

Andy – II

Charlie – I

Dana – II

Daniel – II

Jed – I

Leo – I

Lillianfield – I

Matthew – II

McCall – II

Pennybaker – I

Samuel – I

Stackhouse – I

Whitaker – II

William – II

DYNAMIC DUO

Dan & Casey, of course, with their lefty-righty, side-angle desk high-five move, are the quintessential example of this type of relationship. As we will learn in subsequent episodes, they have written together for years, and have an immense reservoir of personal loyalty.

Sports Night also has another twosome, Dana & Natalie. Their interplay in the control room is the obvious example of how hey work effectively together, but a less obvious display is during their interview with Jeremy. Lloyd & Huffman already seem very comfortable together, with an established big sister-little sister relationship. We'll learn more about each of them in a few more episodes, and why they're not on precisely as equal of footing with each other as Dan and Casey are.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON

Much like The American President, the pilot of Sports Night features father issues in the inverse: one of our characters dealing with being the father, himself. We will come to learn over the course of the series that the only other parent in the cast (as explicitly stated, anyways) is Isaac, but the first episode features Casey talking to his seven-year-old son, Charlie. At the climax of the story, Casey has returned to form ("I like getting people to like sports") and feels compelled to call up his son, despite the lateness of the hour, and share with him the incredible race that he is watching. One of the best parts of this scene has to be the "WTF" expression/gesture that Krause makes when Casey asks his son "Did you finish your homework?" This glimpse into one of the pro forma aspects of parenting rounds out Casey's character in a very specific way. In only a brief moment, we get a window into his internal monologue; I'm supposed to make sure he's done his homework right? That's what the father's supposed to ask... His intent is clearly sincere–but watching Casey's parenting experience develop is an important aspect of his character.

THE MAGNIFICENT BICKERSONS

The pilot of Sports Night moves fairly quickly, so we are only treated to brief glances at Kim (Kayla Blake), Eliot, Chris, Will, and Dave. Also, not all of the members of the comic relief team are yet in place: Bernard Hocke portrays Dave in this episode, his one and only appearance on the show.

(Dave will of course be played throughout the rest of the show by Jeff Mooring, as the only member of the supporting ensemble to be credited with 44 episodes rather than 45.) In the premier, the only shenanigans that the Sports Night team get up to is having trouble figuring out where Helsinki is (Finland.)

WRITERS BLOC

"I like writing about writers who are struggling with writing," Sorkin says (again on the DVD commentary,) "especially when I'm struggling with writing." If the primary through line in Sports Night is the relationships (romantic and otherwise) between the members of the ensemble, one of the secondary through lines is Dan & Casey's writing process, and their efforts to create content for their live broadcast each night.

In the pilot we get a brief glimpse of their interaction, towards the end, right before Danny's earth- shaking speech calling out Casey's selfishness. Dan is at the desk, refining his script longhand and out loud (and about 15 minutes before airtime, by the way) when Casey helps him miss a bit or a verbal pothole in the road. ("Yesterday/speedway... you don't want the rhyme.") We see that Dan & Casey are good partners with complementary skills. The premier episode covers a lot of territory, so this is all we'll see of their authorial adventures for now.

NETWORK NOTES

Sports Night has multiple layers of authority that the staff have to deal with over the years: there is Continental Sports Channel (CSC) aka "the Network," and Continental Corp(oration) the parent company. While we will see a handful of different capitalist stooges pass through and give counter-productive advice and pointless notes and generally gum up the works with their existential self-importance, in the series premier we meet our primary antagonist. He is the man known only as JJ.

Robert Maihouse plays JJ exquisitely. We are invited to hate him immediately, and without conscience. He is more concerned with ratings then objectively interesting or valuable content. He is put into conflict with Natalie–who represents the heart & soul of the show–in the rundown meeting, interrupting her passionate description of an inspirational story of... "In these meetings, mine is the voice of the Network." He's subsequently stomped on (figuratively) by Casey, and while it's obvious that it wasn't super appropriate for him to speak with such hostility and then storm out, it's also hard not to want to stand up and cheer at this arrogant suit getting knocked down a peg. But fear not: this is not the last we'll see of JJ.

SPECIAL POWERS

As of yet, the only romantic subplots revealed explicitly are Casey's divorce, and Natalie's crush on Jeremy. During Jeremy's epic freak-out, though Dana is nonplussed, Natalie's expression betrays a range of emotion: hope, delight, fascination, and the recognition of the kinship between people who share a common passion (in this case, Sports).

Casey's divorce has already happened, and the pilot represents the majority of his growth in dealing with the aftermath of a marriage that has come to an end. The next step for Casey is getting badgered by the people he works with (especially Dan and Natalie) to "get back out there" and start dating again.

This leads us to the other relationship that we get the briefest of glimpses of in the pilot: Casey & Dana. When he wrote the pilot, Aaron Sorkin already knew he was going to make them the Sam and Diane of the series, modulating the romantic tension between the two characters throughout the run of the show. One the 10th Anniversary commentary track, it is Tommy Schlamme who makes note of a throwaway line uttered by Isaac to Dana: "is there something going on between the two of you?"

She, naturally, immediately denies that there is, and the stage is set for one of the main threads of the series to come.

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juliayepes · 7 years ago

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The Sly Poetics of Terry Zwigoff

"I can't relate to 99 percent of humanity," says a character in Terry Zwigoff's perceptive cult film Ghost World (2001). That movie—an ode to alienation, loneliness, and the melancholy process of growing up—was inspired by the graphic novel of the same name by Daniel Clowes. It's a bittersweet comedy with a strange but alluring rhythm that intricately captures the peculiar moods and emotions of its characters, which include two teenage girls, Enid (Thora Birch) and Rebecca (Scarlett Johansson); Seymour (Steve Buscemi), a middle-aged record collector; and various other characters in an unnamed suburban town. Zwigoff and Clowes collaborated on Ghost World's Oscar-nominated screenplay. With its intentionally oversaturated colors, quirky characters, and offbeat dialogue, the movie bears the signature features of Zwigoff's work. Ghost World was Zwigoff's first fictional film. Previously, he had made Crumb (1995), a startling documentary about a celebrated underground cartoonist that won the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize. Zwigoff's other films include Bad Santa (2003), a wicked (but redemptive) comedy starring Billy Bob Thornton and Tony Cox that was a commercial hit; Art School Confidential (2006), a deft satire, loosely based on a short comic by Clowes; and Louie Bluie (1985), an hour-long documentary portrait of obscure musician, artist, and storyteller Howard Armstrong. Zwigoff's movies are filled with playful touches, as well as withering commentary about consumer culture. In Art School Confidential, there's an Apocalypse Now poster on a film student's dorm-room wall and a cat adoption flyer that's visible during a gruesome campus crime. In a single scene in Ghost World, we see signage for Popeyes, Radio Shack, ProNutrition, Sony Panasonic, and Budweiser, while in Crumb, we see glimpses of Payless Shoe Source, Foxy Lady Boutique, and Picway Shoes. Ahead of a film series devoted to his work at Metrograph, the Lower East Side movie theater in New York, we corresponded with Zwigoff over email. Over six days, he answered our questions—sending a batch of responses each day. He's mild-mannered, but friendly and generous, with a lightness that wasn't evident in earlier profiles. Despite his own occasional feelings of alienation, one of the reasons Zwigoff's films are so insightful is that he's empathetic and attuned to the feelings of others. "I try to relate to almost every single character in my films," he writes. "It makes them much easier to direct." JULIA YEPES: It's hard to think of a movie that, across the board, is as well cast as Ghost World. Were there actors in the film who you had the idea to cast or who you really wanted for their roles? TERRY ZWIGOFF: I was lucky enough to get my first choice for almost every single part in the film, which was a minor miracle in itself. Except for Brad Renfro. He wasn't my idea. I wanted someone much more naturally reticent and introverted [for Josh]. Brad was a rambunctious, outgoing sort. That said, he did a good job, considering the casting was so faulty. And Teri Garr did a fine job [as Maxine], but she wasn't my idea. I was having a difficult time finding someone for that part when Steve Buscemi suggested her. And she was terrific. YEPES: You've said that the first place that most films go wrong is in casting. In the case of Ghost World, Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson were not necessarily obvious choices for the roles of Enid and Rebecca. You thought Thora was better suited to play the role of the conventionally attractive Rebecca than she was to play Enid, the maladjusted one. Do you think that the casting of the two leads added a dimension to the film that wasn't in the graphic novel? ZWIGOFF: I wasn't as concerned with adding another dimension to the film as I was with maintaining a feeling of truth. I recall having a hard time convincing everyone to go along with me wanting to cast Scarlett. I'd seen her in Manny & Lo (1996) and The Horse Whisperer (1998) and I thought she was really terrific. The studio wanted a bigger name and was suggesting a number of older actresses to me, most closer to 30. I thought if this thing were to have any chance of feeling real at the end of the day, we had to hire actresses who were actual teenagers. Scarlett was actually only 15 at the time, but she certainly had the poise to play a little older. Hell, she probably had enough poise to play 35! And then the studio, in their quest for bigger names, suggested Thora after American Beauty (1999) was a big hit. I originally was wary of hiring her for the role of Enid because she played a somewhat similar role in American Beauty and I wanted to differentiate between the two parts. But Thora was really persistent and dedicated and really wanted the part and kept after me. She actually gained 20 pounds to play Enid which I think helped a little bit, but it was her acting ability that really made it work. YEPES: The theme of the two friends growing apart is at the heart of Ghost World. How much did you, Thora, and Scarlett talk about the friendship between Enid and Rebecca beforehand? How did Thora and Scarlett develop the relationship of two college-age girls who've probably known each other all of their lives? ZWIGOFF: I don't recall if we ever spoke of it directly, or anyone in the cast or crew having a hand in it. I give full credit to Thora and Scarlett for building a convincing friendship in a very few days before we had to start shooting. I'm not sure to this day how they pulled that off, but we all hit it off and had a lot of laughs together, on and off the set—I think that helped. I try to make the set as relaxed and fun and stress-free as humanly possible, while still having control over things. It's usually tension that hurts a performance or makes it seem self-conscious. YEPES: Seymour provides an interesting parallel to Enid, and in a sense, his inclusion makes the movie more poignant. Both he and Enid are lonely and both he and Enid are misunderstood. By including Seymour in the movie, Enid has to confront the notion of unfulfilled adulthood more directly. Were there other ideas or issues you wanted to introduce through Seymour's character? ZWIGOFF I wanted to make it a romantic comedy, as well as a coming-of-age story. And through his character, I was able to make it a social and cultural satire as well. YEPES: Near the end of Ghost World, there's a shot of a pensive Enid walking through town. There's a melancholy soundtrack, and a middle-aged sportswear-clad man with a soda and a bag of fast food passes through the frame. The inclusion of these weird, sad characters is the sort of personal touch of yours that adds a layer of pathos and humor, but that also serves as commentary about your view of the world. And in Crumb, there are striking sequences that show people outdoors who seem to reflect aspects of Robert Crumb's perspective. When you made Louie Bluie and Crumb, were you thinking about the kinds of details you could incorporate into fictional films that would make them seem more true to life? Had you wanted to make fictional films long before Ghost World? ZWIGOFF: Incorporating details was more of a natural inclination than a game plan in both documentary and fiction films. It layers the films in a way that allows them to hold up to multiple viewings. The thing I was up against in documentary films—and mine were both primarily character studies—was trying to get non-actors to convincingly play themselves in a way I'd come to know before the camera started rolling. And many non-actors can't do that convincingly, even if they just have to play themselves—they can't be naturalistic. And I would always want to recreate something I'd witnessed them do or say, and it just would be incredibly difficult because of the fact they weren't actors. And so I started thinking it might be more satisfying to just work with actors and get to tell them exactly what to say and how to say it. That appealed to me and led me to fictional films. You get so much more control. I think control is one of the things that appeals to me about cinema in general. You can force people to sit in the dark and focus on this story you're telling them without any distractions. In real life, people seem very distracted all the time. YEPES: The specificity of many moments in Ghost World and Art School Confidential makes them seem like they've been drawn directly from real life, like when Seymour's roommate decides the mongoose at his yard sale is not for sale one week and yet it's at his booth again the next week. Were a good deal of the details and exchanges that you and Daniel Clowes came up with things one of you had observed, and if so, can you recall a few examples? ZWIGOFF: Some were based on things we'd observed—and often disguised and exaggerated or embellished—and some were entirely imagined. Seymour's roommate Joe is based on my old friend Al Dodge. He didn't usually run a garage sale out of his house (he often sold at the Alameda Flea Market) and he didn't own the mongoose taxidermy (I used to have it before I gave it to an ex-girlfriend). But anyway, Al always had a reluctance to part with anything—especially once you made the mistake of expressing any interest in it. Then it'd always be this, "Naaaah ... I dunno ... I may have to hang onto that." Or, "That's not officially for sale." That kind of thing. I've witnessed similar behavior from many collectors over the years, actually. They have a hard time letting go of the treasures they've hoarded, or maybe they just like to play with you. Or maybe they get suspicious once you express interest in it that it must be worth more. For whatever reason, I found that trait memorable and wrote it into the script. YEPES: I watched Ghost World with my boyfriend, who's a record collector, last week. We were cracking up at the behavior and the language of the collectors in the movie—he even more than me—because we recognized so much of it. ZWIGOFF: Does your boyfriend collect 78s? That was, of course, the easiest scene for me to write in the entire film—I could have written a 30-page scene of that milieu's jargon. YEPES: No, but he only buys records that are in pristine condition—like some of the collectors in the movie. ZWIGOFF: Ha! YEPES: One of the things I'm struck by in your fiction films is the dialogue. In Bad Santa, there are quick exchanges between Santa and children that are really funny: "What do you want?" "Pokémon." "Done." ZWIGOFF: I give full credit to the Bad Santa screenwriters John Requa and Glenn Ficara for a wonderful script. YEPES: Is good dialogue one of the most important elements in that you look for in a script? ZWIGOFF: Yes. Dialogue that's distinctive, funny, peculiar, and specific is the main thing that makes me want to get involved with a film to begin with. There was a line in that script I really loved, which almost single-handedly got me to sign up for the film. "Sweet Jews for Jesus," laments the store manager as he sees Santa destroying SantaLand. That really had me laughing. You have to say it with a southern accent. The Coen Brothers are great at dialogue too, of course. Very smart. YEPES: You also devised the scenario for what's probably my favorite moment in Bad Santa. It's the scene where the mother and child approach Santa at the mall on his lunch break. For anyone who's ever had a miserable job, it's a highly relatable moment. ZWIGOFF: I was inspired by "The Santaland Diaries" by David Sedaris—I give him a lot of credit for that scene. I wanted to help make an unlikeable protagonist more sympathetic and I thought this scene helped the audience get there in a truthful sort of way. YEPES: What do you think are other strengths you have as a director? ZWIGOFF: I think I have pretty good taste in the projects I choose to take on. It's a blessing and a curse—I certainly could have worked a lot more if I wasn't as selective, but I just can't bring myself to spend two years of my life slaving away on some project I'm not really enthused about. YEPES: What was your life as an adult like before Crumb was released? And how has it changed since then? ZWIGOFF: I was plagued with a lot of back pain during the years I was making Crumb. I doubt it had anything to do with making the film, but it's since disappeared, which makes my life and outlook much sunnier. YEPES: According to his wife, Aline, you were Robert Crumb's best friend at the time you were making the documentary about him. You must have known how good the film could be as you were shooting some of it. ZWIGOFF: The very first footage I shot was of Charles Crumb and I was certain I had a great film after that very first day. I thought, "I'll just edit this footage of Charles and show potential investors a sample of it. It's so strong that no one will hesitate to give me the money to finish this." Sadly that wasn't the case. It took years to scrape together the money. YEPES: Did you have a sense it could be your breakthrough film? ZWIGOFF: I never thought in terms of a "breakthrough" film. I wasn't looking for fame or a career path into Hollywood. I was doing it for myself. I just wanted to make a film that I really loved. If other people liked it, great. But you can never guess what other people are going to like. YEPES: Roger Ebert quoted you as saying during the nine years that it took to make Crumb, you were averaging an income of about $200 a month and critic Jonathan Rosenbaum said you were in therapy during the making of that documentary. Do you think you've become better able to cope with challenges as you've gotten older? ZWIGOFF: Yes, I'm better able to cope with everything, largely thanks to that awful back pain subsiding. YEPES: I love the moment in Louie Bluie when Howard Armstrong reacts to an outdoor Picasso sculpture in Chicago, emphatically saying he can't relate to it and you should be able to relate to art. At what point during the making of Louie Bluie did you decide you wanted to shoot Howard in shops and walking down the street? The scenes of both Howard and of Robert Crumb interacting with the environments around them reveal so much about their characters. ZWIGOFF: In both films, even though they're documentaries, I had hundreds of pages of notes and ideas I'd jotted down in preparation for planning what I was going to film. I'd sat with Robert many times in cafes while he drew the world around him. I found it interesting, so I made a point to include that in the film. YEPES: Would you give your subjects prompts each time before you began filming? ZWIGOFF: Yes, I usually prompted and set up and staged scenes. Largely due to budgetary constraints—shooting film was expensive! YEPES: How involved was Daniel Clowes during the production of Ghost World and Art School Confidential? ZWIGOFF: We became such good friends writing the [Ghost World] script together, that I encouraged him to come to L.A. to watch the shooting. I thought he'd get bored (every other writer I know gets bored after a few hours and leaves), but he stuck it out and proved to be a big help and made the process much more fun for me. We'd crack each other up all day long. He helped with set dressing, wardrobe, extras, and myriad other things. He'd sometimes whisper ideas into my ear after a take. Some were even good ideas. But he'd never pressure me to take his advice and often I didn't. When we did Art School Confidential together years later, he wrote the script himself (as I was still stuck working on Bad Santa). And I never had any input into that script (I've since learned never to direct a film I don't have a hand in writing), and found it much more difficult to direct. So I leaned on his advice a lot more during that film. He was the producer and writer of it, and it was also sort of the story of his life. It was hard to find my way into it, but he was especially helpful on that one. YEPES: You've said you prefer staying home and reading to traveling or going out for beers. What do you like to read, and do you prefer fiction or non-fiction? ZWIGOFF: I read a lot of non-fiction as well as fiction. I like Charles Bukowski, Jim Thompson, Nathanael West, Camus, Dostoevsky, Orwell, Patricia Highsmith ... all the light, uplifting stuff. YEPES: Are there any recent films that made a favorable impression on you? ZWIGOFF: Recently? Hmm ... The film I liked the most last year was Manchester by the Sea. I'm misquoted somewhere as saying "you have to go back to the '30s and '40s to find any good films." That's not true—I love a lot of films from the '50' to the present. Adaptation (2002) is one of my favorite films. Vertigo (1958). Sunset Blvd. (1950). The Asphalt Jungle (1950). Dr. Strangelove (1964). The King of Comedy (1982). The Godfather (1972). Viridiana (1961). Army of Shadows (1969). Touchez pas au grisbi (1954), Le Trou (1960), Strangers on a Train (1951). I could go on and on. YEPES: I know that the studio was thinking that since Ghost World was about teenage girls, it could have a pop soundtrack. You found an effective way to counter that idea by incorporating the character of Seymour into Ghost World, in part, as a way to choose music you liked for the movie. Can you tell me how you've played with music in your fictional films? ZWIGOFF: Music is of course incredibly important in films. I remember in Bad Santa, when Marcus chops down a mannequin, cross-cutting that with Willie swinging a sledgehammer against a safe. It wasn't really funny until I tried using "The Anvil Chorus" as the music there. I used a lot of familiar pieces of music in that film like the melancholy Chopin in the opening as Willie sits at the bar alone amongst the cheerful festive crowd. It perfectly set the mood for this character study. The studio replaced it with Alvin and the Chipmunks doing "Jingle Bell Rock" and added some uninspired voice-over narration. They were afraid the audience wouldn't know it was a comedy soon enough. Jesus. That was their idea of humor. I fought and fought to get my music back in there. I was mostly successful. YEPES: Who do you think is funny? ZWIGOFF: Well, W.C. Fields, of course. Chaplin. And Laurel & Hardy. James Finlayson. John Candy. Chris Rock. Tony Cox. Will Ferrell. Will Forte. Larry David. Woody Allen. Richard Pryor. Sacha Baron Cohen. Mike Myers. And I love Kristen Wiig. Kate McKinnon. Tina Fey. And the late great Jan Duggan (she played Cleopatra Pepperday in The Old Fashioned Way.) I'm sure there are many others I'm forgetting at the moment. YEPES: Can you recall some things people have said about your movies that you particularly enjoyed or took as compliments? ZWIGOFF: Yes, one critic's review of Bad Santa said, "Bad Santa is the closest thing we have today to a W.C. Fields movie." That's about the highest praise I can imagine. If I can achieve anything even close I'm happy. And I think Roger Ebert said, "It's not what it's about, it's how it goes about it." I thought that was very wise. I miss Roger. ALL FIVE OF TERRY ZWIGOFF'S FILMS ARE PLAYING AT METROGRAPH IN NEW YORK CITY FROM TODAY, MAY 19, THROUGH MAY 21, 2017, AS PART OF THEIR CAREER RETROSPECTIVE OF THE FILMMAKER'S WORK.

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