tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85964280907084115802024-02-19T04:14:36.363-08:00The FabulistTimothy J. Meyer – amateur novelist, aspirant screenwriter, dread pirateAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.comBlogger247125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-4028329149416374972015-04-05T20:49:00.002-07:002015-04-05T20:53:44.682-07:00Gods and Magic<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
“<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">I
think,” he ventured tentatively, “I have a handle on this magic
thing.”</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Today, I'm
gonna discuss the magic system for my Norse setting, as it applies to
the available classes. With the wise council of both my commenter,
I've modified my previous views concerning the use of magic in the
setting and will detail, in brief, what I'm currently thinking.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">(A
disclaimer: I'm not attempting to pass off this magic system as in
any way 100% historically or culturally accurate. I'm merely inspired
by the aesthetics and mythology I've researched – much more
thoroughly, I might add – in the past few days.) </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">The world
is infused with <b>seidhr</b>, the
Norse conception of sorcery. Not native to Midgard, seidhr is the
tool and function of the gods and the denizens of the other eight
realms. Through the many portals that infuse Midgard, seidhr leaks
forward, infusing the land with its raw power. </span>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">There
are three ways a player character in this setting can wield seidhr:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Godi
(Cleric): </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">As
a direct worshipper of one god in the pantheon, a character can
attain a small portion of that deity's seidhr. Working as their
earthly vessel, the godi speaks on behalf of their heavenly patron
and wields their seidhr at their suffrage.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Druid:
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">By
tapping into the seidhr that's infused the land, a character can
bring potent magical effects to bear. Rather than learning to wield
the secrets themselves, a druid simply channels the seidhr of the
land, typically staying near and protecting a particularly area.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Völva
(Wizard): </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">To
gain a measure of seidhr power for themselves, völva trap magical
potency within runes. Serving only their own selfish desires, the
völva can entrapped seidhr power for use later and in personal
goals. Not bound to service of a god or a location, völva wander
the countryside and have a particularly foul reputation among the
common people.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">(Note:
I'm currently toying with the idea of imposing some manner of
drawback on certain – possibly all – magical heroes, to display
the dangerous aftereffects that come when mortals tamper with
seidhr.)</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">What
do you think? Does that magical breakdown make sense? Again, keeping
in mind that I'm attempting to marry a role-playing system's
flexibility with a need for both a cohesive narrative for the world.
I'm aware seidhr<b> </b>was
more concerned with prophecy and illusion but any scan across the 5<sup>th</sup>
edition spell list would see that, were I to limit the spells to
simply those from the schools of “divination” and “illusion,”
I'd be severely limiting the viability of my comparatively few
casting classes remaining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Plus, I like the idea of a <i>fireball </i>spell becoming more powerful or easier to cast the closer to a portal to Muspelheim the caster is. That's just cool to me.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Also,
somewhat unrelatedly, I narrowed down the list of gods, from the
laundry list of contradictory and relatively minor deities that
fringe the Norse pantheon, into a core eight that I'll probably use
for the setting. Whether I change names or shift their domains a
little remains to be seen but, in essence, this is the pantheon I'm
working from:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Odin
–</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
god of knowledge and war</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Freya
–</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">
goddess of fertility and love </span>
</div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Thor
– </span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">god
of storms and thunder</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Rán
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">–
goddess of the ocean</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Tyr
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">–
god of battle</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Skadi
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">–
goddess of the hunt</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Loki
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">–
god of tricksters and fire</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">Hel
</span></b><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">–
goddess of death</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">As
to which parts of the mythology (Loki being Hel's father, whether
Loki is a jotunn or a god, the Freya/Frigga debate) I'm keeping, I'm
not yet sure. I wanted to keep the genders pretty evenly distributed
and had to mine a little deeper – specifically Skadi and Rán –
to find evocative choices that could round out the number, rather
than relying on Njord or Baldr or someone.<br /><br />Baldr's one of
those few I wouldn't mind including, but I feel like I'd want a
decent counterpart. Maybe Sif or a giantess or something could
do.<br /><br />It does make me look at </span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;"><i>Banner
Saga</i></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">,
who simply invented their own pantheon, and wonder, but I think the
traditional Norse gods are integral to the setting that any poor
imitation of mine would have to work twice as hard to feel even half
as rich and textured.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Georgia, serif;">That's
all I've got for today. Next time, I'll maybe start looking at
politics? Who knows.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-51640979592496829852015-03-31T17:33:00.000-07:002015-03-31T17:41:18.501-07:00Exploring Exploration<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
Firstly,
there's an interesting discussion occurring in <a href="http://meyertimothyj.blogspot.com/2015/03/everythings-better-with-vikings.html">the comments ofyesterday's Worldblogger</a> about the Norseness and inclusion of arcane
magic and specifically the wizard in the theoretical campaign
setting. Please, share your thoughts on the matter down there!</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />A
few ideas simmered overnight. In no particular order:</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
random Yggdrasil idea has been growing on me; that the celestial
heavens are actually composed of Yggdrasil's branches. I like the
stars as glimmering fruits, maybe even have day-stars or something,
as opposed to one centralized sun, that wilt or close at the onset
of night. Maybe the tree's trunk stands over the northern pole and
its boughs reach out and encompass the entire northern hemisphere or
something. There might even be a way to combine this with the Ymir's
skull myth. Maybe the gods planted Yggdrasil's seeds in dead Ymir's
skull?</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Obviously lots of things to be hammered out, but I think that's a big, mythic, obviously fantastical set piece that could be interesting to explore further.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> (A hasty
Wikipedia search has revealed the existence of Sól, the Norse sun
deity, that striking the sun would probably remove the need for. She
doesn't seem super relevant, from a cursory glance, to the
machinations of men or the pantheon.)</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Not a
huge revelation, but I think despite prevailing cultural thought
about how the gender politics during the Viking Age might have been,
I'm gonna continue Mooncrash's 100% random sex assignment. No
trumped up “historical accuracy” is gonna justify sexism here.
Plus, <a href="http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/09/female-viking-warriors-proof-swords">this</a>.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
big thing that's been percolating, I think, is more a setting theme
than anything else. I want this setting to focus on exploration.</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> So much of
what we perceive of the Viking Age is dominated by images of plunder
and rapine. I'd be lying if I said that's not one of the main
attractions for me, at least initially, to the aesthetic – bold,
barbaric warriors, pillaging the fat lands of Europe and being
compared unfavorably to sea-wolves – but that's a very shallow read
into the accomplishments that Dark Ages Scandinavia gave European
culture at the time.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> Trade is
such a huge part of the Viking's contribution – interconnecting
nations and peoples that never would have had any contacts, shipping
goods and slaves along these routes, inter-populating the world.
Sure, they were raiders and slavers and bloodthirsty conquerors at
times, but the inroads the Vikings carved, with their superior
seafaring technology and far-ranging exploration, is way, way more
culturally significant than horns on helmets and bearded axes.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> I mean, to
get technical, I think the first real “adventurers” in the
medieval period, as a D&D player would think of an adventurer
were Norse and Germanic mercenaries, like Harald Hardrada or the
Varangian Guard.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"> In short,
I think I'm going to place a greater emphasis on the Norse people
striking out and making contact with other cultures for the first
time. Rather than extensively mapping the entire world, I think I'm
gonna map the region or small continent than the “Vikings”
originate from and imply, via the salty rumor of mythical sailors,
the distant lands and strange peoples that can be found far and away
across the ocean. In the way that previous Edge of the Empire
assumes your party is the rough-and-tumble crew of a smuggling
vessel, I feel like this setting can be constructed, assuming your
the rough- and-tumble crew of a Viking longship, bound for trade,
plunder and exploration across the sea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">More as
this stuff trickles in. Thanks for reading and lemme know – do you
think I should use arcane magic in my fictional, fantastical
Scandinavia?</span></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-54739161659248080792015-03-30T14:26:00.001-07:002015-03-31T17:07:42.768-07:00Everything's Better With Vikings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Frost
giants are cool. Vikings are cool. Norse mythology is cool.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">How come
there's no truly Norse campaign setting? Least case, not one I've
heard of.</span><br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Worldblogger
to the rescue!</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
advantage of creating a themed campaign setting comes from how
limiting I'm allowed to be. One of my biggest pet peeves with most
modern campaign settings (Forgotten Realms, Greyhawk, even Eberron)
is how many races, classes, pantheons and whole magic systems that're
shoehorned in, to allow the widest possible option base for the
potential PC. These worlds invariably end up feeling like insane grab
bags, with hundreds of sentient species, five or six competing layers
of contradictory magic and a video-game-esque sense of geography and
worldbuilding – here's the desert place, here's the snowy place,
here's the forest place, etc.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">By creating
a campaign setting influenced exclusively by Norse mythology, I can
crack down on the free-range nature of races, classes and redundant
story elements – such as both divine, primal and arcane magic –
under the auspices of adhering to my Norse theme. Not that I can't
deviate here I wish, defy expectations a little, but anyone who
willing runs or joins such a campaign knows what they're getting into
and doesn't seem as likely to demand to play a tiefling sorcerer or
whatever the fuck.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Races:
</b>D&D campaign settings have
this tendency to value race as a key determining factor in a player
character's identity. Going off the Tolkien model, that's
understandable, but there's plenty of rich and vibrant fantasy that
utterly eschews this philosophy. Two of my favorites – <i>A
Song of Ice and Fire </i>and
the Gentlemen Bastards sequence, in particular – are populated
pretty much exclusively by humans. Monsters, beasts and magical
elements are still prevalent in both, but there's no shortage of
invigorating characters or cultures because there's no cat-people,
bird-people or dog-people.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">On
the one hand, the tradition of elves and dwarves actually originates
in Nordic cultures and I think it would be totally justified to
include them. On the other hand, very rarely are Nordic elves and
dwarves the protagonists of the great sagas. They're frequently side
characters and quest givers, in most myths that I've read, and I
think that's where I'd slot them.
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">The
only playable race will be human, with elves, dwarves and giants
relegated to non-player character status. I think the bigger
question, in a Viking-themed game, is one's cultural background –
what kingdom, village or culture they hail from.</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Class:
</b>Let's
look at the 5<sup>th</sup>
edition class list and see if there's anything especially un-Norse
that leaps out right away.</span></div>
<ul>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Barbarian:
</b>Absolutely.
Berserkers all day long.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Bard:
</b>The
tradition exists, but is much less arcane trickster and more heroic
skald. Could use a little re-flavor, possibly even a name change.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Cleric:
</b>I
think so. The schism exists between the pagan-feeling druid and the
traditionally Christian-influenced cleric. That being said, I think
lumping the entire Norse religion into one class, along with nature
worship, feels off. I think a distinction could be made. Hell, maybe
even the Christianization of Scandinavia could be explored.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Druid:
</b>Druids
have a place, I think, in a setting based on northern Europe.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Fighter:
</b>The
fighter and the rogue work everywhere.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Monk:
</b>This
is the first one that really seems to clash with the aesthetic. I
think monk's are getting the axe, but like, a cool Viking axe,
though. <a href="http://armoronmyface.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/17thCenturyVikingAxe.jpg">This axe</a>.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Paladin:
</b>This
one's a toss up, too. The cleric makes sense to me, assuming they're
less the “power-of-Christ” cleric and more the Norse godi, but
there's practically no tradition of the crusading knight, the
blackguard or really even the Green-Knight-esque warden. Like, if
the Christian influence becomes a real thing, I could see something
like this, but I'm leaning towards “no.”</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Ranger:
</b>I
think so. Not a huge tradition, but I think the hunter/tracker is
generically European enough that it could fit here.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Rogue:
</b>Absolutely.
The rogue fits everywhere.</span></div>
</li>
<li><div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>Sorcerer,
Warlock & Wizard: </b>The
elephant in the room. I don't think arcane magic's got any place in
the setting at all. The existence of clerics & druids predicates
divine magic, but magic deriving from somewhere besides from the
gods feels strange and un-Norse to me. It may grieve some players,
but I think I'm gonna lose arcane magic. Maybe reflavor the bard as
a divine caster, as a skald?</span></div>
</li>
</ul>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That
being said, I don't think that necessarily means this is a low magic
setting. The Norse actually have one of the few mythologies that
stipulates extraplanar travel. It might be cool to have the Nine
Realms more accessible – have the world speckled with portals to
Jotunheim, Muspelheim, Alfheim and such. Maybe that's the
justification for monsters and magic in the world?
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">An
unseasonal winter can sweep over a country because a gate to
Jotunheim was opened nearby? A mountain becomes a volcano when a gate
to Muspelheim opens beneath the range? Elves and dwarves have only
entered the world through these gates and trade and war with mankind?</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">I
mean, this could be extended even further. What if the sky is
actually Yggdrasil's branches, the stars are fruit, dangling from
those branches? That's going a little nuts, but would defeat the idea
this is a fiercely historical world and embrace the fantasy nature of
the setting.</span></div>
<br />
<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;">That's
not bad for a lunch break's worth of worldbuilding, I think. Who
knows if I'll ever return to this, but now I'm gonna be thinking about vikings and frost giants and shit all during my afternoon shift.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: inherit;">It's a well-established fact that everything's better with Vikings.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-6944347019326169262014-07-03T02:49:00.000-07:002014-07-03T03:08:33.167-07:00Kogr<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnl-G89H-0GAFUY-CP1WzqTS8lynsmqCgz_RRWtLienD-HlI9SJke6VNPVdBOzFJKdQbJ4shwZRJ8kINfDk41EriN6ah41A2dH24-lMRUvGq1YWEcnhPMBMY8FUxoxSTXC8QUDJxlVow-/s1600/Dreeston+Surrounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnl-G89H-0GAFUY-CP1WzqTS8lynsmqCgz_RRWtLienD-HlI9SJke6VNPVdBOzFJKdQbJ4shwZRJ8kINfDk41EriN6ah41A2dH24-lMRUvGq1YWEcnhPMBMY8FUxoxSTXC8QUDJxlVow-/s1600/Dreeston+Surrounds.jpg" height="192" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Last Week's Poll:</b><br />
<i>What should I name the fortress?</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Winner: </b>Kogr</li>
</ul>
<div>
Without further ado, then, may I present...</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">KOGR</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Orc Stronghold</span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6_OVLXBE1xKqnRlttklqMLmuLpSmd5axE8T__8hPm7qp1C63drwdTiAlBaJaQnNFPBSRgcPg7Z-MEMz3BzQugM2NUVZlv0f_8UFx8plSDiRXQGrEYGiUMFgLDwvUmUjnCuykGkATQfCP/s1600/Kogr.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU6_OVLXBE1xKqnRlttklqMLmuLpSmd5axE8T__8hPm7qp1C63drwdTiAlBaJaQnNFPBSRgcPg7Z-MEMz3BzQugM2NUVZlv0f_8UFx8plSDiRXQGrEYGiUMFgLDwvUmUjnCuykGkATQfCP/s1600/Kogr.jpg" height="473" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<i>Welcome to the shattered ruins of <b>Kogr! </b>Whatever this fortress's original name may have been, it has long been forgotten by its current inhabitants. Once a stout human fortress constructed atop a strategic hillock, now loose squads of orcs patrols its crumbling walls. Now rubble is all that remains of its former master's power and its once great strategic importance has no dwindled to an obligation, upheld by savages unfit for military discipline.</i></div>
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<i><br /></i></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>History</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The history of the fortress called <b>Kogr </b>is an unsteady one. One of the dozens of human stronghold erected in this part of the world, the remnant of some petty war between neighboring fiefdoms, <b>Kogr's </b>modern history began when the <b>Shepherd</b>, his dark forces consolidated, marched on the keep. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Despite <b>Kogr's </b>amble defenses, the <b>Shepherd's </b>quick and wicked cunning made the siege a short one. Before attacking, the <b>Shepherd </b>divided the majority of his forces – orcish infantry, plus several platoons of warg cavalry – into two even sections, one stationed to the east, one to the south, both well out of bowshot of the curtain wall. The first stage of the siege involved a team of giant artillery, hurling stones at a particular section of the southern wall <b>(1)</b>. In addition to stones, however, the giants also threw the occasional "troll-bomb" – a round metal casing containing a furious live troll, designed to break upon impact – over the walls, instantly causing panic within.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With the defenders distracted by thrown stones and rampaging trolls, the second stage of the siege can progress. A team of goblin sappers burrows through the cliff face and beneath the western wall <b>(2)</b>. Once they surface, a goblin strike team quickly dispatches the crew at gatehouse garrison <b>(3) </b>and open the gate. The gate open, the eastern section of orcs and wargs charge. As soon as the giants succeed in smashing the southern section of the wall, the second battalion of orcs and wargs charge. Within short order, the keep is taken.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ever since the <b>Shepherd </b>took the fortress, it's never been repaired. The orcs were never designed for construction or masonry and so <b>Kogr</b> (its orcish name) has remained utterly ruined and dilapidated, only increasing that way over time. Even now, with the <b>Shepherd </b>long gone and an orc tribe squatting in the ruins, its less a defensible structure for its inhabitants and more an old habit.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: right;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Geography</b></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The following legend corresponds to the above map.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
</div>
<ul>
<li><b>A. Camp: </b>Here the majority of the inhabiting orc tribe has set up camp. Since the <b>Shepherd's </b>fall, the orcs have upheld a superstitious fear of the fortress. Rather than seek shelter within <b>Kogr's </b>walls, they erected their tents and a simple palisade here. The palisade's nothing impressive, little more than sharpened sticks at this stage – hardly enough to keep roving warg packs at bay.</li>
<li><b>B. Chokepoint: </b>Where once an iron portcullis spanned across the cliff walls, now only a pile of rubble and twisted iron stands. A small orcish garrison is still posted here and, in some ways, it still serves as a decent barricade, should the palisade be breached. The orcs have bolstered that barricade as best they can with more rubble and climbing over it can be treacherous.</li>
<li><b>C. North Keep: </b>The north keep, thanks to the persistent shelling of giant stones, has more or less completely collapsed. Some small shell of it remains upright, but many of its upper levels are utterly unsafe to traverse within. At present, the north keep is wholly abandoned.</li>
<li><b>D. South Keep: </b>The southern keep, on the other hand, managed to withstand the attack far better is largely standing. A smattering of orcs have taken up residence here, though there are plenty of chambers and wings they out-and-out avoid, considering how pervasive the <b>Shepherd's </b>influence still is. </li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>Tune in next Wednesday for more Worldblogger!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-51789306764395094462014-06-25T22:39:00.000-07:002014-06-25T22:39:32.180-07:00Ruin + Stronghold<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Last Week's Poll:</b><br />
<i>What should I worldbuild next?</i><br />
<ul>
<li><b>Winner: </b>Ruin or Stronghold</li>
</ul>
<div>
This week, I took the poll's advise and sketched out a ruin or a stronghold for today's Worldblogger. Because I'm an indecisive son of a bitch, I decided to actually combine them and build a ruined stronghold. There is, however, a little extra exposition that comes along with this one.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The map depicts a location (tentatively) set in a distantly future novel of mine, entitled <i>The Hog King</i>. On the surface, <i>The Hog King's </i>your typical fantasy fare; epic conquest, marching armies, political squabbles. The catch is that it's told from the perspective of orcs. The cheap elevator pitch is "What happened to all of Sauron's forces once he was destroyed?" </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In <i>The Hog King</i>, humanity has, in the distant past, thrown down a Sauron-esque necromantic evil, a great and terrible warlord with dark powers none can guess and armies of monsters marching at his command. To ensure these loosed horrors do not run rampant in the dark lord's absence, the various kingdoms of man take a sacred covenant and erect massive walls between the mountain ranges that encapsulate the Enemy's region. For hundreds of years, all the leaderless monsters – orcs, goblins, giants, trolls, wargs – have been fighting over territory and resources and, most of all, multiplying. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Their homeland is now dotted with the ruined and ancient fortresses the dark lord once conquered. One of those fortresses was the subject of this week's map. Make sense? Then, behold!</blockquote>
</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwzlCacgtLc9dlKML7KSBQTOpAC0SPwFSj4H9fGFapd76NFMwkBK2G3C1C2za1Y0rZ8AoYSILhA1WBLKVXRSAM8jmiQuPSoGqHQwREXtVJMagBSSMnH_ylABIbmLd2zaWDcGgUGnyGynQ/s1600/OrcFort.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQwzlCacgtLc9dlKML7KSBQTOpAC0SPwFSj4H9fGFapd76NFMwkBK2G3C1C2za1Y0rZ8AoYSILhA1WBLKVXRSAM8jmiQuPSoGqHQwREXtVJMagBSSMnH_ylABIbmLd2zaWDcGgUGnyGynQ/s1600/OrcFort.JPG" height="472" width="640" /></a></div>
<div>
<br />
The notion was, before the dark lord's rise, humans built many of the strongholds that could eventually come to dot his country. During the dark lord's rise, however, his armies laid siege and claimed each of the once-human fortresses within his realm. Once the humans were driven out, of course, they remained in terrible disrepair for as long as the orcish armies laired there. As orcs, I don't imagine they've any skill at masonry, stonework or architecture and, over the years and the various occupations, the building's state of repair has only gotten worse.<br />
<br />
So, the fortress consists of a curtain wall, now shattered, resting atop a high cliff. It sported eight turrets along that wall, two of which have fallen or been utterly destroyed, three of which are in serious danger of collapsing and three of which are more or less intact. One section of the southern curtain wall was smashed by thrown stones from giants and never repaired, leaving a convenient slope of rubble and skeletons leading up to the gap in the wall. In many other locations along the wall have the thrown stones from the giants left vulnerabilities; most notably, at the gate.<br />
<br />
The game is smashed, its portcullis gone and now only a pile of rubble and broken battering rams lay scattered across its choke-point. In order to access the fortress proper, its orcish garrison must clamber awkwardly through the rubble which, after a fashion, serves as an impromptu barricade in its own right.<br />
<br />
All the fortress' outbuildings have been burnt or broken; none now remain except as smoldering beams or partial walls. Much of their original purpose has been utterly forgotten by the years. Some orcs continue to lair beneath them, most prefer the comfort of their own yurts.<br />
<br />
A pair of stout keeps guard the choke-point but a heavy pelting of giant stones has all but collapsed the northern one. Orcs continue to lair in the halls and chambers of the more intact keep (I imagine their chief or leader holds power here) but the crumbling keep is often avoided or, better yet, used for some fouler purpose. Hmm. I'll need to think on that.<br />
<br />
In the absence of the gates proper, the orcs have erected the best possible defense they know how – a palisade of sharpened sticks around the perimeter of their camp. Many of the orcs that currently lair here (around 300 in total number) find the place unnerving, with too much presence of their ancient master still lurking about, corrupting the place. These orcs dwell in animal-skin yurts outside the main fortress, while a decent number do erect their own tents within the fortress walls.<br /><br />That seems a decent enough summary for the time being. Next week, I'll go into more specific details!<br /><br /><b>What should I name the fortress?</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Kogr</b></li>
<li><b>Tvek</b></li>
<li><b>Qagga</b></li>
<li><b>Mzu</b></li>
</ul>
<div>
<i>Next Week on Worldblogger: The Siege Begins!</i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-45368723079213896012014-06-21T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-21T12:00:01.306-07:00The Trouble with ClementineI gave you a shot, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cherie_Priest">Cherie Priest</a> – I really did. And you done squandered it.<br />
<br />
On the surface, <i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Clementine-Cherie-Priest/dp/1596063084">Clementine</a> </i>by Cherie Priest looks like it can't miss. During a steam-powered revisionist Civil War, a southern belle Confederate spy is sent on the trail of dangerous escaped slave turned sky pirate Croggon Hainey, his all-black crew and his stolen warship, the <i>Free Crow</i>. Along the way, she's forced to team up with the pirate crew to achieve a common goal and they make the strangest of bedfellows.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXve4mW5JJdCpDgUQ5y49_OiR6cVnwl8HCxBSo2tdMwE7ROL0dWAaxs_KmhJIHqxLQvvHHCX7RVLcquoY8OpVgtC0U2j_xMAglU5cMLT8qRQhNc4W9WMRuCV8Qcqgc4pdK-7IP7IZfrL60/s1600/Vote+in+my+poll%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXve4mW5JJdCpDgUQ5y49_OiR6cVnwl8HCxBSo2tdMwE7ROL0dWAaxs_KmhJIHqxLQvvHHCX7RVLcquoY8OpVgtC0U2j_xMAglU5cMLT8qRQhNc4W9WMRuCV8Qcqgc4pdK-7IP7IZfrL60/s1600/Vote+in+my+poll%2521.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
In one respect, <i>Clementine </i>is successful. It achieves basically what it sets out to do – a safe, predictable adventure, set during a steampunk Civil War, that features mad inventions and airship chases. That's all there.<br />
<br />
On the other hand, <i>Clementine </i>is a disatrous misstep and my final nail in the Cherie Priest, Clockwork Century coffin.<br />
<br />
The premise of <i>Clementine </i>is so rich; there's a veritable multitude of issues and baggage and opportunities to unpack there. The two protagonist factions – Boyd, the Confederate spy and the all-black pirate crew – should ostensibly have such a fascinating power dynamic, considering all the different axis on which they're unequal.<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>A: </b>Croggon is a freed black slave and Boyd is a wealthy, educated southern belle. According to the social mores of the time, she should consider him stolen property.</li>
<li><b>B:</b> Boyd is a woman during the Civil War, while Croggon and his entire crew are all male. They may be black, but there was no reason they'd respect women anymore than white men of the time.</li>
<li><b>C:</b> They're criminals and she's a law enforcement officer. This puts them at odds and, really, puts Boyd in power, as she's the authority to send them back to prison or slavery.</li>
<li><b>D: </b>There are three pirates and one woman. While a formidable customer in her own right, Boyd couldn't possibly hope to defeat three opponents, should things dissolve into blows.</li>
</ul>
<div>
It's a fascinating pairing, right, and one that seems very deliberately chosen to create a morass of tension and character drama.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Except it doesn't. Ever.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The moment they meet, barring some very initial hesitation, both parties work flawlessly together. They both very quickly assess what the more pressing threat is, cooperate fully to overcome that danger and continue to see the benefits of working together the entire book. It's kinda mind-blowing how not a big deal these two groups of people working together are.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The differences between the characters are practically non-existent. We're talking about Scalzi levels of protagonist cloning; they might as well all be the same goddamn character, talking to themselves in fucking circles. Considering the incredible pains Priest goes to separate her characters across every gender, societal, racial and economic line, it's almost hilarious how none of that is ever brought up once.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I wanna know what the fucking Wire would make of this premise.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
What's almost more offensive than that is, of the four different dynamics mentioned above, the only one that ever sees any play in the plot, is Boyd's plight as a woman. I'm certainly, certainly not attempting to downplay women's subjugation during as backwards a period as the Civil War – certainly not. But surely we can all agree that if Boyd lives in constant fear of being disregarded or treated unequally, the plight of the fucking escaped slaves maybe deserve a little plot attention, right?</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<i>Clementine</i> is very clearly written from the prospective of a modern white woman, only comfortable with the kinds of social issues she's encountered in her life. These are the sections of the book that work best, character-wise – when Boyd is attempting to convince the patriarchy around her that she's a valid, worthwhile and capable operator, regardless of her gender. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The thing is, I wouldn't know the first thing about writing a story from the perspective of an escaped Civil War slave. Me either, Cherie Priest – I'm just as white and even more privileged than you. But then, I didn't set out to write an entire goddamn book about it.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Beyond that, the plot doesn't get started until halfway through the book, contains entirely too many insipid scenes of booking passage aboard, talking to station agents and traveling to and from Kansas City, Louisville and a number of other flavorless, interchangeable cities in the middle of the country. It's poorly structured, uninterestingly written and worst of all, it's <i>cowardly</i>.<br />
<br />
There's nobody who can squander a premise quite like Cherie Priest.</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-60352616599985488962014-06-20T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-20T12:00:02.116-07:00Garme JurnalizmCraigslist is a force for neither good nor ill, but rather both. At its worst, it sends me scams, like <a href="http://www.ripoffreport.com/r/Steve-G-wwwallreaderscom/internet/Steve-G-wwwallreaderscom-scam-work-at-home-scam-elance-scam-Internet-1128988">this one</a>. At its best, it sends me great opportunities, like <a href="http://hd-report.com/2014/06/18/nintendo-microsoft-sony-e3/">this one</a>.<br />
<br />
Yes, my endearing spambots, its true – I've begun some super minor league freelance video game journalism for a few scattered websites; <a href="http://hd-report.com/">HD Report</a> and <a href="http://gameverse.com/">Gameverse</a>, mostly. I have three articles published, at present, and even raked in a little cool pile of cash for them, but it's mostly exciting to see my name at the top of a legitimate new site.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXve4mW5JJdCpDgUQ5y49_OiR6cVnwl8HCxBSo2tdMwE7ROL0dWAaxs_KmhJIHqxLQvvHHCX7RVLcquoY8OpVgtC0U2j_xMAglU5cMLT8qRQhNc4W9WMRuCV8Qcqgc4pdK-7IP7IZfrL60/s1600/Vote+in+my+poll%2521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXve4mW5JJdCpDgUQ5y49_OiR6cVnwl8HCxBSo2tdMwE7ROL0dWAaxs_KmhJIHqxLQvvHHCX7RVLcquoY8OpVgtC0U2j_xMAglU5cMLT8qRQhNc4W9WMRuCV8Qcqgc4pdK-7IP7IZfrL60/s1600/Vote+in+my+poll%2521.jpg" height="200" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
Now, be not mistaken, any of you among the accredited journalists who read this blog. I am little more than an armchair enthusiast in both the video game and journalism fields. I've done little more than watch Jimquisition, Extra Credits, Penny Arcade and read a few scattered sites in the past few years. I have lots of loud opinions on video games and their mechanics, but don't expect to see too many of those. This is strict reporting and, evidently gets a fair amount of traffic.<br />
<br />
Wanna see my articles? Well, here you go!<br />
<br />
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://hd-report.com/2014/06/18/nintendo-microsoft-sony-e3/">Nintendo Absent, Microsoft and Sony Duke It Out At E3</a></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://gameverse.com/2014/06/19/5-indie-games-i-desperately-want-to-play-but-probably-wont/">5 Indie Games I Desperately Want To Play But Probably Won't</a></span></h2>
<h2>
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><a href="http://gameverse.com/2014/06/19/no-female-assassins-on-ubisofts-watch/">No Female Assassins On Ubisoft's Watch</a></span></h2>
<div>
Nothing fancy, of course, but pretty cool! Expect more <i>fascinating </i>articles next week too!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-38222254237229005622014-06-18T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-18T12:00:03.174-07:00Nahmer, City of the Panther<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnl-G89H-0GAFUY-CP1WzqTS8lynsmqCgz_RRWtLienD-HlI9SJke6VNPVdBOzFJKdQbJ4shwZRJ8kINfDk41EriN6ah41A2dH24-lMRUvGq1YWEcnhPMBMY8FUxoxSTXC8QUDJxlVow-/s1600/Dreeston+Surrounds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWnl-G89H-0GAFUY-CP1WzqTS8lynsmqCgz_RRWtLienD-HlI9SJke6VNPVdBOzFJKdQbJ4shwZRJ8kINfDk41EriN6ah41A2dH24-lMRUvGq1YWEcnhPMBMY8FUxoxSTXC8QUDJxlVow-/s1600/Dreeston+Surrounds.jpg" height="192" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<b>Last Week's Poll:</b><br />
<i>What's the predominant religion of the city?</i><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Monotheism: </b>1 vote</li>
<li><b>Polytheism: </b>1 vote</li>
<li><b>Philosophical: </b>1 vote</li>
<li><b>Irreligious: </b>0 votes</li>
</ul>
<div>
A big tie this week. Hm. I think, for worldbuilding reasons, I'll choose "Philosophical." Thanks to everyone for voting this week and thanks to <b>deadasdisco </b>for casting the winning vote!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
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Without further ado...</div>
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<span style="font-weight: normal;">Nahmer, City of the Panther!</span> </h2>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGDt3sJR0U86Tx4G6UzYzjUEE24cSFVai4BcCiYr34QQXe4b_mCMDB2PLfZecIXvkdWGcbK_4oUJao2KJX21vOJuFVARM6iE_N5kn_MCVsP-LiX7V3g_Kpgh7t7Vj8I4hSuChARvfue7a/s1600/Nahmer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiGDt3sJR0U86Tx4G6UzYzjUEE24cSFVai4BcCiYr34QQXe4b_mCMDB2PLfZecIXvkdWGcbK_4oUJao2KJX21vOJuFVARM6iE_N5kn_MCVsP-LiX7V3g_Kpgh7t7Vj8I4hSuChARvfue7a/s1600/Nahmer.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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<i>Welcome to scheming, furtive <b>Nahmer</b>, <b>City of the Panther!</b> To many of the merchants that visit her, <b>Nahmer </b>is no more than a bustling island trading hub, somewhere to trade in silks and spices and grain. To any who venture deeper than her outward market, down her twisting, unfriendly streets, they'll find a furtive and suspicious city, its inhabitants a worry-worn people prone to stalking and scheming like their namesake beast.</i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: large;">History</span></b></div>
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<b>Nahmer </b>is an ancient city, one of the oldest in this part of the world. Much of her history is tragic, a deep scar on the psyche of its citizens. Hundreds of years ago, <b>Nahmer </b>was ruled by an iron-fisted tyrant known only as the <b>Autocrat</b>. Very little practical knowledge of the <b>Autocrat's</b> reign remains today. Some say he was a sorcerer of great and wicked power, others claim a bloody-fisted barbarian conqueror. All that is agreed upon is the <b>Autocrat's </b>legendary cruelty. His military detained, beat and harassed the <b>Nahmeri </b>people. His taxes sapped the city's wealth. His greatest endeavor, to construct a massive wall, one hundred feet high, all around his city, spelled the deaths of thousands of laborers every year. From his unassailable island fortress, the <b>Autocrat </b>ruled <b>Nahmer </b>absolutely, without rival.</div>
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Much as the <b>Autocrat's </b>rise to power is shrouded in mystery, so too is his fall. One day, the citizenry of <b>Nahmer </b>could no longer withstand the yoke of the <b>Autocrat's </b>tyranny. They arose, their hundreds of thousands, in righteous anger against their overlord and, miraculously, threw him down. His fortress was leveled, his power smashed, all traces of his name or deeds eradicated by a vengeful populace. Ever since, evoking the <b>Autocrat </b>is the foulest curse a <b>Nahmeri </b>can utter and, ever since, the people of the city have conducted their own affairs.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Politics</b></span></div>
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Since the <b>Autocrat's </b>fall, the <b>Nahmeri </b>people have strived to distance themselves as strenuously as they can from his policies. The people now cleave religiously, fanatically, to the truest expression of democracy. Every week, every <b>Nahmeri </b>citizen visit a poll and casts their vote on any number of issues – taxes, wars, municipal affairs – every conceivable legislative issue within the city. <b>Nahmer </b>elects no representatives, posts no individuals higher than any others; they're too distrustful of authority. Their courts, likewise, are extremely egalitarian and considered some of the greatest in the world in which to conduct one's affairs.</div>
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To enforce these policies and, even more vitally to the people of <b>Nahmer</b>, to enforce the voting laws, the city employs a faction of secret police called the <b>Panthers</b>. From the ages of 17-20, every <b>Nahmeri </b>citizen serves as a member of this masked police force. For the three years of their service, the <b>Panther </b>exchanges their whole identity for complete authority to enforce <b>Nahmer's </b>laws. Garbed entirely in black, save their ivory masks, the <b>Panthers </b>are anonymous, ruthless and incorruptible.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Economy</b></span></div>
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<b>Nahmer </b>is a trade state, making the majority of its income on taxes, docking fees and business licenses from the merchants who come to ply their trades within the city's diverse markets. It has few internal industries and relies heavily on trade for food and other raw materials. Economically, they're devout socialists, doling out food, medicine and services to their people with equal and religious fervor. <b>Nahmer</b> has few citizens either extremely wealthy or extremely impoverished, valuing the individual as they do, forcing their middle class to dominate the vast majority of the population.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Religion</b></span></div>
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The <b>Nahmeri </b>view gods as little more than dictators. To them, bending the kneel in reverence and obedience to any higher power smacks too much of their time serving the <b>Autocrat. </b>Rather than a traditional religion, however, the <b>Nahmeri </b>uphold <b>The Obligation</b>, the name they give the cultural importance placed upon voting. To the <b>Nahmeri</b>, voting is not a privilege nor a right; it is a responsibility. A <b>Nahmeri </b>that would squander that responsibility, from neglect or apathy, is tantamount to a blasphemer in a more religiously minded culture. Indeed, such a crime is punishable by jail time and, with enough offenses, death. The <b>Nahmeri </b>take their free will extremely seriously.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Culture</b></span></div>
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As a people, the <b>Nahmeri </b>are private and distrustful. Centuries of living beneath the <b>Autocrat's </b>heel have bred a profound and unquenchable sense of paranoia into them, causing them to mistrust the actions of others. There is no enforced curfew, but the streets of <b>Nahmer </b>are unusually, eerily quiet after dark. Doors are locked, windows are barred and conversations are few. A dislike of foreigners is common among the <b>Nahmeri </b>as well. In their eyes, the other kingdoms, cities and empires of the world have all been cowed by their rulers and are therefore untrustworthy. A visitor to <b>Nahmer </b>would find few friends, no matter their intentions.</div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Geography</b></span></div>
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The following legend corresponds to the above map:</div>
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<li><b>A. Freemarket: </b>The island of <b>Freemarket</b> is an ocean of market stalls, vendors and merchants. Here, ships from all corners of the world congregate to trade their goods within sight of <b>Nahmer's </b>looming walls. Covered shore to shore in free enterprise, the markets are constructed on the uneven ruins of the <b>Autocrat's </b>compound, mostly unrecognizable now from the ravages of time and foot traffic.</li>
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<li><b>B. Freewall: </b>During the <b>Autocrat's </b>reign, he sought to construct among the highest, most impregnable wall this corner of the world had ever seen. Its original name forgotten, the <b>Freewall </b>still stands, more or less unchanged – one hundred feet high and twenty-five feet thick, though it was never completed. It was once covered with one hundred thousand carvings of the <b>Autocrat's </b>face, now replaced with an ever-shifting representation of every single face in <b>Nahmer's </b>population.</li>
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<li><b>C. Seagate: </b>The weakest point in all the <b>Freewall, </b>the <b>Seagate </b>is where ships sailing up and down the river, the <b>Nahmoi</b>, can exit onto the open sea.</li>
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<li><b>D. Bay of Screams: </b>It's said that, when the <b>Autocrat </b>was finally seized, he was chained to a statue of himself and dropped into the center of the <b>Bay of Screams. </b>Known to be several hundred feet deep at its deepest point, people still say the bubbles that continue to rise to the bay's surface are the tyrant's endless screams of agony.</li>
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<li><b>E. The Vault of Grain: </b>Here are all the city's food stores kept, to be distributed evenly amongst its citizens. The Vault is guarded greedily, with higher security than any bank, less someone attempt to redistribute the wealth themselves.</li>
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<li><b>F. Bridge of Common Sense: </b>For some reason, this particular bridge that spans across the <b>Nahmoi</b>, has become a hotspot of political and philosophical discussion. Every afternoon, hundreds of people gather here to make arguments, advance theories and debate the mysteries of the universe, ranging in education from professors to paupers.</li>
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<li><b>G. Kahmud's Menagerie of Wonders: </b>One of <b>Nahmer's </b>few true tourist attractions, the <b>Menagerie of Wonders </b>is a public park that houses many of the world's beasts – lions, elephants, peacocks, manticores, tigers, hippocampus. Kahmud's pride and joy are a mated pair of albino panthers, whom he believe brings the city good luck.</li>
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That's all for Nahmer, folks! Hope you enjoyed it!<br /><br /><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger:</i></div>
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<b>What should I worldbuild next?</b></div>
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<li><b>City, Town or Community</b></li>
<li><b>Major Geographical Feature</b></li>
<li><b>Ruin or Stronghold</b></li>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-7180276640047910482014-06-17T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-17T12:00:03.209-07:00Grimdark Fatigue<b>WARNING: </b>The following blog post contains massive spoilers for last night's <i>Game of Thrones </i>finale. If you've neither read the books nor seen the show, you may wish to skip this week.<br />
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<b>SECONDARY WARNING: </b>I did very much enjoy the final episode, "The Children." It's marvelously crafted, expertly acted and (with a few little missteps – here's looking at you, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_Fi7x93PY">Harryhausen skeletons</a>) I don't necessarily know how else you could better represent the events of the book, the events that conclude <i>A Storm of Swords</i>.<br />
<br />
Never before have I required a break from <i>Game of Thrones </i>this badly. The television show, mind – watching the show has really, really ignited my desire to re-read the actual novels. After watching the Season Four finale, I'm just emotionally drained, head-to-toe.<br />
<br />
Watching the fantasy pendulum swing has been an interesting experience, growing up immersed in the genre. When I was a child in the 90s, "<a href="http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/DarkerAndEdgier?from=Main.GRIMDARK">grimdark</a>" fantasy world was just blossoming in the <i>Song of Ice and Fire </i>series, a series I was much too young for. No, I grew up reading Brian Jacques, R.A. Salvatore and, of course, Tolkien, where fantasy was pulpy, mythical and formulaic.<br />
<br />
As I grew older, <i>Ice & Fire </i>grew in popularity and the aesthetic of a gritty, realer, more authentic fantasy experience grew on me like a fungus. Much of my early writing and D&D – particularly the story that would eventually become <i>Cutthroat Ragtime </i>– was influenced heavily by Martin, Lynch and Abercrombie's wave of gross, vile and profanity spattered fiction. These were shocking, brutal world, ripe with murder, rape and institutional cruelty. <i>Ice & Fire</i>, particularly, thrives from floating between tragedy after tragedy for its characters.<br />
<br />
While I'd openly admit that <i>A Storm of Swords </i>is probably the best book in the series, I remember reading the thing to be an absolute slog. Everything was becoming bleaker and more hopeless and more desperate for the few remaining characters that struggled through the narrative. Thinking about all that happens in the book – Jamie's hand, Mormont's death, the Unsullied, Tyrion and Sansa's wedding, the Red Wedding, Joffrey's death, Tyrion's trial, Jorah's banishment, the Mountain versus the Red Viper, Lysa Arryn's death, the battle at the Wall, Tywin's death, the Hound's death, Shae's death – it's kind of ridiculous.<br />
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In the show, however, all of these events climax much, much more rapidly. There's no padding in between them. You slalom between shocking twist to shocking twist and, while all the scenes in and of themselves, are compelling and well-executed, you begin to be weighed down beneath the sheer tragedy and blood and gore of everything.<br />
<br />
This also doesn't take into account the show's obsession with the more violent, sexual or scatological aspects of Martin's narrative. Westeros is a violent, cruel and disgusting place – absolutely it is, but it's also a world of wonder and complexity and nuance and all too often, the show chooses only to highlight what's mean or gross or raunchy about the world. There's a way to show texture without being vulgar and Martin does this expertly in the books; you want a good afternoon? Go fuck around <a href="http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/Main_Page">this place</a> for an hour or two. Actually, start someplace random, say, <a href="http://awoiaf.westeros.org/index.php/House_Qorgyle">here</a>, and in one hour, see where you end up. It's never, ever boring.<br />
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That's what I love about the books. The sex and shit and guts enhance that, but it's the goddamn depth that's what make those books so great. The depth of character, the depth of world, the depth of storytelling.<br />
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What I need now, from my fantasy, is a little more fun, a little more joy and a little more positivity, weirdly. I've <a href="http://meyertimothyj.blogspot.com/2013/07/stick-before-carrot.html">spoken in this vein befor</a>e and, ironically, the place I'm getting the most of that is from Scott Lynch, another pee, vomit and penis-laden fantasist. The missus and I are re-reading <i>The Republic of Thieves</i> and several of the play-within-a-play stuff was like a balm to our shellshocked consciences following the GoT season finale.<br />
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Also, it's maybe a good thing that my NaNo this year is a young adult fantasy epic about talking gorillas. Yeah, <i>you heard me.</i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-78924172243480735752014-06-12T12:12:00.000-07:002014-06-12T12:51:38.013-07:00Go Home, Screenplay, You're Drunk: Pacific RimFollowing in the footsteps of my international sensation "Scenes I'll Never Write In Screenplays," I've decided to start a new segment here on The Fabulist, wherein I take the basic storytelling elements of movies I enjoy or admire (usually big blockbusters) and attempt to restructure or slim them down into more understandable, more digestible versions thereof.<br />
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I'm calling it "Go Home, Screenplay, You're Drunk" and, for my inaugural post, I'm starting with a very popular movie from 2013, especially among the "Timothy's girlfriend" demo. That's right, it's time to do some unasked-for script work on:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLSShKbGagqvOKyHnHmrnLRjT_1s4btlhb8lhAIOUtVzQXgeHwg21GiDutBpJ1MLyafKS0i0V-vc6Zh8e-ThjmCHz4iXWX7dK7sjEi5MM8MSSusaW69ni5fjTuakZnHYhx5vbjoFdsVqs/s1600/Main-Title-Treatment-Rift-PRM.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYLSShKbGagqvOKyHnHmrnLRjT_1s4btlhb8lhAIOUtVzQXgeHwg21GiDutBpJ1MLyafKS0i0V-vc6Zh8e-ThjmCHz4iXWX7dK7sjEi5MM8MSSusaW69ni5fjTuakZnHYhx5vbjoFdsVqs/s1600/Main-Title-Treatment-Rift-PRM.jpg" height="118" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So, spoiler warning, obviously.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCDvxcAu5maTYzUVsjhE68XKUL-LUOLVEDPcb2aXCrDF1E6uEq9BTn2nuXfht5Mj8vL53Q6tzrceInuDcOWiO9NuWDoJkowuxj3xGUobH2wgeG2mAhY1O6bqDwO6yyumRa6fEZgDE70de/s1600/Onibaba.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSCDvxcAu5maTYzUVsjhE68XKUL-LUOLVEDPcb2aXCrDF1E6uEq9BTn2nuXfht5Mj8vL53Q6tzrceInuDcOWiO9NuWDoJkowuxj3xGUobH2wgeG2mAhY1O6bqDwO6yyumRa6fEZgDE70de/s1600/Onibaba.jpg" height="168" width="320" /></a>The film opens in Tokyo, 2016. We follow a 10-year-old Japanese girl as she runs frightened and crying through the streets, pursued by an enormous, building-destroying monster. As she does, we hear voice-over narration from an unknown voice (Charlie Hunnam), explaining the film's basic premise; massive monsters, known as kaiju, started appearing out of a portal in the Pacific Ocean, attacking coastal cities. We were defenseless against them.</div>
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As the little girl hides down an alley, suddenly a massive robot appears, which the V.O. describes as a Jaeger – a weapon designed by humanity to finally start battling the kaiju back. We watch a brief, exciting tussle between machine and monster, while the child cowers beneath a dumpster. Finally, when the monster is defeated, the girl emerges from hiding and is summarily rescued.</div>
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Title drop.</div>
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Flash forward to the Shatterdome, the headquarters of the underfunded Jaeger progam in Hong Kong. Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), now an adult, works to repair on a decrepit old Jaeger by the name of Gipsy Danger. She's summoned by her superior, Stacker Pentecost (Idris Elba), to report for physical compatibility training. As she hustles to the training room, we see her cross the Shatterdome, revealing its three massive Jaegers. Along the way, she briefly banters with the crews of Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha, the Chinese and Russian Jaegers, respectively, hoping today will be the day she finds a co-pilot for Gipsy Danger.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vxw16-L5iJd0k6_Fqt7wVpClaY5iSe-6drC4S-2NoyWe685zzXSvTBCsu8VZTZ8EDqd4L83AQc42dFS6RxZOfQYbx91-xpbsSKfBQBUqbdk3mZnz-ygO7YyP4kPDDy9RtYbUXSHlZK1v/s1600/Rinko-Kikuchi-pacific-rim-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vxw16-L5iJd0k6_Fqt7wVpClaY5iSe-6drC4S-2NoyWe685zzXSvTBCsu8VZTZ8EDqd4L83AQc42dFS6RxZOfQYbx91-xpbsSKfBQBUqbdk3mZnz-ygO7YyP4kPDDy9RtYbUXSHlZK1v/s1600/Rinko-Kikuchi-pacific-rim-2.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a>In the training room, Mako roundly defeats all her challengers in unarmed combat. Pentecost is not pleased, however, explaining that the purpose of the training isn't to best your opponent, but to anticipate their moves. He explains that piloting a Jaeger takes teamwork, requires a partner who's drift compatible and who shares some underlying experiences. Pentecost claims to have rounded up other survivors of that initial attack on Tokyo for her to train against, but none of them seem to be compatible with her. She's technically proficient, but very emotionally walled-off. This seems to give him an idea.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sO8BFmYL4Lfv2mWsU546dsO_HWiWWPTg1D0ZKU0GZFVD0MA6dXjkr94PApiRI_LtmuDR-87H1SfDfxE0ItGc6XMVRlGTtXKHqHP3PYTDqhgskXbbhvh_3QuDUad1Q4Y0Z23Pk0ehjHom/s1600/Charlie-Day.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4sO8BFmYL4Lfv2mWsU546dsO_HWiWWPTg1D0ZKU0GZFVD0MA6dXjkr94PApiRI_LtmuDR-87H1SfDfxE0ItGc6XMVRlGTtXKHqHP3PYTDqhgskXbbhvh_3QuDUad1Q4Y0Z23Pk0ehjHom/s1600/Charlie-Day.jpg" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
Pentecost is quickly accosted by a pair of scientists, Newton (Charlie Day) and Hermann (Burn Gorman), who present their competing theories about the kaiju's origin. Hermann explains the physics of the Rift and his theory that a properly placed bomb would succeed in severing the link between the dimensions. Newt's theory, however, is deemed substantially more dangerous – using the technology that allow Jaeger pilots to meld minds to drift with a kaiju. Pentecost dismisses this idea, tells Hermann to begin development on a bomb and flies off to Alaska to follow a hunch.</div>
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In Alaska, Pentecost unearths Raleigh Becket, a scruffy, partially crazed former Jaeger pilot, revealed to be one of Gipsy Danger's original pilot. Raleigh's exact past is kept mysterious, but he's offered a life rope and a chance to once again pilot a Jaeger. Raleigh is skeptical, claiming that no one on earth could possibly drift with him again. Pentecost says he's got someone in mind.</div>
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Pentecost and Raleigh arrive back at the Shatterdome and he's introduced to Mako and the other pilots. Upon returning, Pentecost learns that, against his orders, Newt went and drifted with the kaiju anyway. He explains what he learned – the kaiju are merely weapons, tools of colonization used by their intelligent designers in the parallel dimension. Claiming he could learn more, Newt is sent on a side mission; locate a man named Hannibal Chou, acquire a second kaiju brain and gather what intelligence he can.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN04I_UzviREvNG4dKgOp_EuiJdiuEjIJZjuxprrCjvaT0qun_3ilGYWGcXoII0rPHsbMQrApOFimtdpWX5BjKfxjv5wOTH7eRp4LN2STZqjgtypawtpBYx_Gwrjm4QmnmVrq85q_cBKAC/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN04I_UzviREvNG4dKgOp_EuiJdiuEjIJZjuxprrCjvaT0qun_3ilGYWGcXoII0rPHsbMQrApOFimtdpWX5BjKfxjv5wOTH7eRp4LN2STZqjgtypawtpBYx_Gwrjm4QmnmVrq85q_cBKAC/s1600/hqdefault.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
After a short series of tests, Mako and Raleigh are proven to be physically compatible. During a dry run aboard Gipsy Danger, however, Raleigh loses his cool and Mako is given a glimpse of his flashback; during his last run in Gipsy Danger, Raleigh's brother Yancy was killed mid-drift. In this heightened emotional state, Raleigh nearly destroys the whole Shatterdome, but Mako manages to calm him down. Afterwards, they have a conversation about his past, about how there's a hole in Raleigh's mind that, with the tragedy Mako's also suffered, only she can fill. They talk about grieving and moving on and some real emotional shit.<br />
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Newt travels through the scummy streets of Hong Kong, seeking out Hannibal Chou. When he finally <br />
locates the gangster, we learn a little bit about the kaiju black market and Newt must convince Chou to help the war effort by lending him a brain. Fortunately for Newt, there's about to be a kaiju attack – a powerful motivator.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQP-LNuVDWvrQ12DdyyLIPkCA_Z9FsOxqRu3JO2DW67fSiPhGEoBMugkRn1E2v7X5C5ecVnv5PDkG1eMKRq0FukqKFa58Yyd719IosnTU95gIwep3koHT27K77d4gykS1stzPZ0zjm6Z7/s1600/Otachi_leatherback_vs_Cherno_ALpha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVQP-LNuVDWvrQ12DdyyLIPkCA_Z9FsOxqRu3JO2DW67fSiPhGEoBMugkRn1E2v7X5C5ecVnv5PDkG1eMKRq0FukqKFa58Yyd719IosnTU95gIwep3koHT27K77d4gykS1stzPZ0zjm6Z7/s1600/Otachi_leatherback_vs_Cherno_ALpha.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Back at the Shatterdome, an alarm goes off – a double event! Two kaiju are coming to attack the city and all three jaegers are scrambled to defend Hong Kong. Crimson Typhoon, Cherno Alpha and Gipsy Danger all rush out to the bay's defense. The two more experienced Jaegers take point, while Gipsy Danger hangs back to defend the city. On account of their nationalistic rivalry, Crimson Typhoon and Cherno Alpha have a difficult time working together and are nearly destroyed, but Gipsy Danger rushes to their air. In the ensuing melee, Crimson Typhoon loses one of its three arms and one of its three pilots. Cherno Alpha is also sunk, its pilots drowned but its rig more or less in tact.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Alone, then, Gipsy Danger must defeat both kaiju and save Hong Kong. Scene plays out pretty much the same as it does in the film.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Gipsy Danger is victorious, but there's no time to celebrate. According to Hermann's calculations, there's a triple event due any moment. While the crews hastily repair Crimson Typhoon and retrieve Cherno Alpha, Newt returns with a kajiu brain. When he and Hermann drift with the creature, they learn an important secret – the rift will only open for a kaiju. Meanwhile, Raleigh has a brief scene with the crew of Crimson Typhoon, telling them there's life after a drift partner is killed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxcXybMwqQfgZ0XBSA5-m_YsDCHQFTatnefMpBThyphenhyphenVSIZd6baCjwnusEvZBzuXjK19Bc59WXiTLEAGDe81hFUUly5kuOJU9FRRdvJbtxHUcgfVKrrNVVFRRG5Fep_XCXtj19_uCYFzSTC/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwxcXybMwqQfgZ0XBSA5-m_YsDCHQFTatnefMpBThyphenhyphenVSIZd6baCjwnusEvZBzuXjK19Bc59WXiTLEAGDe81hFUUly5kuOJU9FRRdvJbtxHUcgfVKrrNVVFRRG5Fep_XCXtj19_uCYFzSTC/s1600/maxresdefault.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
Gearing up, the two remaining Jaegers prepare to march towards the breach and deliver Hermann's bomb. Originally, Gipsy Danger attempts to claim the responsibility for the bomb, but Pentecost reveals that he can pilot Cherno Alpha alone and carry the bomb. He's revealed to be the man who rescued Mako, back in the day when the Jaegers only had one pilot. Mako begs him not too, saying the strain will be too much and he'll die. Pentecost disregards her and climbs into the Jaeger all the same.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Together, all three Jaeger move towards the breach. Two kaiju emerge and give them battle before they can arrive however. Crimson Typhoon manages to hold both of them off long enough for Gipsy Danger and Cherno Alpha to slip past, sacrificing themselves in the process. Before they can deliver the bomb, however, a Category 5 comes through the breach, the biggest kaiju we've yet seen. It summons the one surviving kaiju from Typhoon's battle back, which Gipsy Danger slays, tosses to Cherno Alpha and Pentecost leaps into the breach.</div>
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As Pentecost and Alpha fall between the dimensions, Raleigh and Mako do battle with the Category 5. Over the course of the battle, Mako and Pentecost talk briefly on the radio, about what he sees and the life Mako should lead now that he, her adopted father, will be gone. Eventually, Gipsy Danger defeats the Category 5 and they debate leaping in after Pentecost. Suddenly, however, the breach closes!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The shockwave destroys Gipsy Danger and ejects both pilots onto the surface of the ocean. They're revealed to both be fine and are rescued by incoming helicopters.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<b>Notice:</b></div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>Mako is the protagonist, rather than another boring white American male.</li>
<li>Mako is devoid of troubling "I'll defend her honor" implications in the original.</li>
<li>The Australian rivalry is entirely removed because of its numerous plot-holes including, but not limited to: Who cares? A dog doesn't make you more sympathetic. How petty are you, random Australian tough guy, that you'd bully a fellow pilot over exactly nothing? <i>Why the fuck doesn't Leatherback just destroy Striker Eureka after its EMP knocks the Jaeger out?</i></li>
<li>The Newt/Kaiju brain plotline doesn't include that weird "hive mind" subplot that randomly dead-ends.</li>
<li>The compatibility thing isn't just thrown away towards the end of the movie when we suddenly need to have Pentecost pilot a Jaeger.</li>
<li>Also, no fucking GLaDOS. I'm glad he got permission, I guess, but the whole idea's just creatively bankrupt. I like Portal, let's put Portal stuff in my movie too, rather than coming up with my own idea? Sloppy.</li>
</ul>
<div>
Thoughts? Complaints? Angry defense of del Toro? Leave 'em below!</div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-3497563973918916992014-06-11T12:37:00.003-07:002014-06-12T09:48:36.710-07:00And Now For Something Completely Different<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i>This Week on Worldblogger:</i><br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
After my hiatus, I found myself unenergized by the world I'd previously been creating. On further reflection, I think I was approaching it from too cosmic a standpoint. What really interests me about worldbuilding are the details. I was so hopelessly far from details on my previous world that I had a difficult time dragging myself back to the keyboard each week.</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
This week, then, I've decided to do something drastically different. This week, I simply drew a map of a city and, based on that map, I'm going to brainstorm some ideas. Next Wednesday, I'll write a detailed description of the city – which you can insert, whole-cloth, into your novel, D&D setting, what have you. Let's see how this goes!</blockquote>
<b>The Map:</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagUcsLEwNvdKwPmEu5M4ByG_ZcO0GHutGphiDXGkd1RZ-_UQI8HHuwl-wZDzjkn4YgCq_7gaIeQVYMFYbhcL4GDSrMNZ3S0pmZDm46LW99KfNG0bQ-bDorLQ1B8z8yc1ltVwAceXyfEAk/s1600/CityMap1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhagUcsLEwNvdKwPmEu5M4ByG_ZcO0GHutGphiDXGkd1RZ-_UQI8HHuwl-wZDzjkn4YgCq_7gaIeQVYMFYbhcL4GDSrMNZ3S0pmZDm46LW99KfNG0bQ-bDorLQ1B8z8yc1ltVwAceXyfEAk/s1600/CityMap1.JPG" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<b>Thoughts:</b><br />
Obviously a populous city – I imagine all the interior brown boxes represent small neighborhoods, rather than actual buildings. Many criss-crossing streets, one major river that streams through the center of the city and empties into the ocean. Seven bridges cross the river and seemingly random intersections. Large walls with circular, turreted towers. It's interesting that the wall doesn't seem to encompass the entire city – does it serve some other purpose than defense? Was it never completed?<br />
<br />
The most salient detail of the map, perhaps, is the large island some distance off the shore. When I was drawing the map, I imagined it was something like neutral territory for the citizens, where they could trade and exchange goods without some negative influence – either government or societal – over their mercantile enterprises. Hence, I drew all the colored stall tops (again, meant to represent the idea symbolically, rather than literally). Lost of docks and jetties too, which probably means many people to trade with. Ostensibly, the city's not very isolated, but those high walls might disagree.<br />
<br />
When I was drawing, I'd sorta imagined a rich, populous Middle Eastern/Mediterranean city, the kind of place Fafhrd, Conan and the Grey Mouser would frequent. I imagine the place a spiritual cousin to the Free Cities in Martin's Essos, with more than a little influence borrowed from <i>Gentlemen of the Road </i>too. Maybe the land to the south is wild, expansive steppe or desert, populated by raiding hordes of nomads, who bring the goods they pillage and conquest here for trade. Perhaps bearded, red-shirted savages come down from the north, to similarly trade raided goods.<br />
<br />
As for the city itself, I imagine it teeming, crowded and full of strange and exotic goods. The smells of cinnamon, cardamon, fresh fish, stale piss, spilled wine – all mingling together. Bravos walk the streets, urchins ply the crowd's pockets, great and unusual beasts of burden trundle through the narrow alleyways.<br />
<br />
I'm currently toying with an unusual or atypical system of government. All the time, places like these are depicted as brutal dictatorships, like the Overlord of Lankhmar, where the common people are worthless trash than the nobles grind into the dust. What if this city was a democracy? Not even a republic like we are, but an actual Athenian democracy. What if voting was a regular, even weekly part of life? Imagine the more interesting corruption and graft you could play with in a democracy like that.<br />
<br />
A strictly democratic, richly mercantile desert port, where much of the city's wealth is traded outside and the citizens fiercely protect their voice in civic matters? Sounds like a good starting point!<br />
<br />
Let's maybe try one more thing – what if every week, I conclude with some question, something you spambots can vote on or suggest ideas for, that would determine some important facet of the city?<br />
<br />
<b>What's the predominant religion of the city?</b><br />
<br />
<ul>
<li><b>Monotheism </b>(devoted to one, all-powerful deity)</li>
<li><b>Polytheism </b>(devoted to many smaller, less powerful deities)</li>
<li><b>Philosophical </b>(devoted to an ideal, a concept, a way of life)</li>
<li><b>Irreligious </b>(devoid of higher beliefs, an atheistic or even blasphemous state)</li>
<li><b>Other </b>(leave your suggestions in comments)</li>
</ul>
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Feel free to vote or suggest ideas in the comments!<br />
<br />
<i>Next Week on Worldblogger: The City Is Named!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-55936362018131185642014-06-06T11:38:00.003-07:002014-06-06T11:38:45.386-07:00The Banner Saga Review<b>Name: </b><i>The Banner Saga</i><br />
<b>Developer: </b>Stoic Studios<br />
<b>Negative Review Title: </b>The Banner Slog-a<br />
<b>Porn Title: </b>The Boner Saga<br />
<b>Rating: </b>6 / 10<br />
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<br />
I purchased The Banner Saga as a post-<i>Galactic Menace </i>reward for finishing the book. For me, personally, a $25 sticker price represents a huge investment on my part. The promise of bleak, sprawling, turn-based Viking epic, however, was more than enough.<br />
<br />
In the end, I got my money's worth. Just barely.<br />
<br />
<b>The Game:</b><br />
Humans and giants struggle for survival in a forbidding frozen landscape. Steeped in Norse mythology, The Banner Saga is a ponderous, plodding game of moral choices, turn-based-combat and rich worldbuilding, with a heavy dose of resource management and tactical deployment.<br />
<br />
<b>The Pros:</b><br />
The art is unreasonably beautiful and the first thing everyone mentions. The 60s-era Disney movie aesthetic really, really translates to this setting, with vibrant colors and sharp, storybook characters that only help to enhance the epic quality of the narrative. For me, though, it was the landscapes that were the most breathtaking part. Since so much of the game is spent in travel, you're really treated to a wide array of fucking <i>gorgeous </i>Nordic vistas and frosty mountainsides.<br />
<br />
The worldbuilding, similarly, is nearly as rich and vibrant. The narrative plops you into a textured world that, in many ways, specifically recalls Middle Earth and Tolkien's Nordic influence, detailing the ancient work of gods now absent and the strained relationships between two similar, but diametrically opposed races. For all the exposition there is, it's hardly ever dumped on you; you're simply placed in the midst of all the swirling political tension. For not being Martin, they sure manage to facsimile a decent Westerosi vibe.<br />
<br />
It's the map, for me, that's really the strength of the worldbuilding, though. A sprawling, Jackson-era film nod, it's immense and filled with hundreds of locations, nations, geographical features and names, each one outfitted with a tiny slice of lore. I loved whenever I could make an excuse to pour over the map. (That gives me an ideal, actually...)<br />
<br />
The combat, having played my fair share of <i>Banner Saga: Factions</i>, I continue to enjoy, mostly for its extreme difficulty. It's very punishing to lose and has set me swearing and stomping angrily around the apartment more than once but, when you do win, you feel clever – you feel like a tactician.<br />
<br />
There are elements of the narrative that I enjoyed. I legitimately felt for many of the supporting cast (supporting cast exclusively – the main players bugged me) and I was heartbroken when many of them died, partially because of how unfair their deaths seemed to me. I do think, for the cast of thousands aesthetic they're going for, the game really succeeds at distinguishing the individual characters.<br />
<br />
Hakon is a bodyguard thrust into a leadership position. Ubin is a world-weary tax collector. Oddleif is a chieftain's wife, never given the opportunity to shine until her husband's death. Some of the side characters – Ekkil and Ludin, specifically – are shockingly complex, I thought, considering how little they're used in the story. Overall, the character sketching was excellent, if the narrative less so.<br />
<br />
<b>The Cons:</b><br />
I found Rook, the game's painful Aragon-meets-William Wallace protagonist, to be a bore and I found the game's main relationship, between Rook and his daughter Alette, to be even more boring. The game warns you early on that moral choices will define the scope of the story (more on this later), but then plants you into a character with a predefined set of principles – help people, most of all his daughter.<br />
<br />
The empty vessel character really works best in games where I'm expected to insert my own ethics and reflect on them. If I'm trying to accurately play Rook – who only comes with half a personality – I can't really explore or address how I'd face these problems.<br />
<br />
And that's the real tragedy of <i>The Banner Saga</i>; there are no moral choices. The game seems to pride itself on its divergent narrative, on the freedom it gives the player. I understand <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=45PdtGDGhac">the illusion of choice</a> as well as anyone, but not since that absolute horseshit "decision" at the end of Arkham City have I observed a game dangle choice meaninglessly out of my reach.<br />
<br />
At one point in the game, all my forces were sequestered in a stronghold, accessible only by a narrow bridge, Khazad-Dûm style. A massive enemy army was marshaling on the opposite side of the bridge and the characters were uncertain how to proceed. At the time, there were two opposing factions within the stronghold; those who wished to blow the bridge and those who wished to preserve it. Personally, since the king of the stronghold wanted the bridge in tact and I was his guest, it was my inclination to keep the bridge in tact.<br />
<br />
I therefore refused to destroy the bridge and, instead, waded out into what I expected would simply be a much harder battle. On its face a good choice; preserving your good reputation with the king requires a harder battle, whereas an easy victory costs you points with the king.<br />
<br />
However, instead, the game informed me in a cutscene that a valuable member of my party was slain in battle because I refused to destroy the bridge. It then asked me a second time: wanna blow up the bridge now? Fearful of losing more characters, I complied and the train continuing chugging down the railroad it always intended to lead me down.<br />
<br />
It only adds insult to injury, then, that battle is actually the safest place for your characters. While they can become wounded and require rest, the act of fighting the enemy won't ever actually endanger your characters. If a character dies in <i>The Banner Saga</i>, they die unexpectedly in a cut-scene, as an unforeseen consequence to one of your decisions. This always, <i>always </i>feels like punishment for choosing the wrong path, is never communicated to be inevitable and worst of all, it's telegraphed as the worst option.<br />
<br />
The game, at points, is uninterestingly, unimaginatively bleak. There's a long stretch where your wounded and demoralized caravan is trekking through a succession of burnt and destroyed towns, all identical, all filled with more enemies and all lacking anything more interesting to do that starve. The fifth time I arrive hopeful to a village, expecting some story or at least a refueling station, only to find the place ransacked and filled with enemies, grows old very quickly.<br />
<br />
Beyond this, the stakes of resources and morale are more or less pointless. There doesn't seem to be any real consequence to morale beyond player guilt and there's no more consequence to lack of resources than the starving of several unnamed extras, literally relegated to numbers flashing on your screen. The notion of dragging a massive caravan around is an interesting one but, if there's no enforcement of the consequences, I guess I don't really care if they die, especially when I could be using the money I would've spent on resources to outfit the heroes, the characters that actually deserve names.<br />
<br />
My final grief is how abrupt the ending comes. Maybe I'm naive, but $25 for 10 hours of playtime is pretty egregious, in my opinion. Plus, the game simply throws up a title at the end of a pivotal battle, makes no point of suggesting any further episodes or games and doesn't conclude 90% of the story lines introduced. I was frankly shocked and appalled to see rolling credits, since I honestly felt the game was merely beginning.<br />
<br />
<b>Overall:</b><br />
For all my griping and its serious narrative issues, <i>The Banner Saga </i>is a singular, enjoyable and addicting game. Even describing its flaws, I want to neglect the rest of my chores for the day and run off to play again. I eagerly await the next installment and my earliest opportunity to explore more of the game's rich tapestry.<br />
<br />
Recommended, but with serious reservations.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-8499039992715097012014-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-05T12:13:53.673-07:00Do Us A KindieSo, <i><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/galactic-menace-timothy-j-meyer/1119673863?ean=2940045981484">Galactic Menace</a></i> is up on Barnes & Noble today. Huzzah!<br />
<br />
And, in light of this, I was wondering if you might be able to help a fellow out.<br />
<br />
Currently, Amazon is selling <i>Galactic Menace</i> for $0.99 since they, a business, refuse to market free ebooks. They will, however, price match other websites who sell the book for free. The only way they'll do this, of course, is if you send them links.<br />
<br />
Here's what I need everyone reading this to do:<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>1. Copy each of these links</b><br />
<u><a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/443789">https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/443789</a><br /><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/galactic-menace/id885272338?mt=11">https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/galactic-menace/id885272338?mt=11</a><br /><a href="http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/galactic-menace-timothy-j-meyer/1119673863?ean=2940045981484">http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/galactic-menace-timothy-j-meyer/1119673863?ean=2940045981484</a></u><br />
Each of these links takes you to a different site (Smashwords, iBooks and Barnes & Noble) where <i>Galactic Menace </i>is available for free.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Go to the <i>Galactic Menace </i>Amazon page and scroll to "tell us about a better price" link</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvUNGXIybtgsU_Hkf-4uzvNiBeoxVhYkBtI-bvXZa-EY-ZEopX10jlTQWW2cdimuX5A22a7cmOTv5NnF4XRiZ0Cl8F3ek_KZP9DNd0sWc0e8BQj_mQpwH8Mmfo2Co8Mt6liDnKV57wSPj/s1600/LowerPrice.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguvUNGXIybtgsU_Hkf-4uzvNiBeoxVhYkBtI-bvXZa-EY-ZEopX10jlTQWW2cdimuX5A22a7cmOTv5NnF4XRiZ0Cl8F3ek_KZP9DNd0sWc0e8BQj_mQpwH8Mmfo2Co8Mt6liDnKV57wSPj/s1600/LowerPrice.png" height="196" width="400" /></a></div>
<b><br /></b>
On the <i>Galactic Menace's </i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Galactic-Menace-Space-Timothy-Meyer-ebook/dp/B00KP9I3Z0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401987135&sr=1-1">Amazon Page</a>, scroll down, find the "tell us about a lower price" link at the bottom of the product details section and click.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<b><br /></b>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>3. Fill out the form</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE2Q3S6xjDfhT7J6qiPNSTwgulm-YISIxS90Bagi85EkiCMT4Zs40uzYcP0CSVdSJJShsz8EGTlSvvTKKs7p2CESZ6zNBUyC7B4bwfNmpHtTebqnpB15Ru0y1ta1NNHGqcnB0hoDbfmRV/s1600/Lower+Price+2.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGE2Q3S6xjDfhT7J6qiPNSTwgulm-YISIxS90Bagi85EkiCMT4Zs40uzYcP0CSVdSJJShsz8EGTlSvvTKKs7p2CESZ6zNBUyC7B4bwfNmpHtTebqnpB15Ru0y1ta1NNHGqcnB0hoDbfmRV/s1600/Lower+Price+2.png" height="320" width="310" /></a></div>
<br />
Choose the <b>Website (Online) </b>option, paste each address into the URL box, fill out the price info as "0.00" and the shipping also as "0.00" and click submit feedback.<br />
<br />
And that's that! If you wouldn't mind submitting all three addresses – Smashwords, iBooks and B&N – that would make a galaxy of difference to me!<br />
<br />
Thanks, space pirates and spambots! With your help, we can make <i>Galactic Menace </i>free for everyone to read!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-86964193690214691362014-06-04T07:21:00.001-07:002014-06-04T10:20:56.821-07:00Back to Tatooine<b>Disclaimer: </b>If you're wisely attempting to avoid leaked footage from <i>Episode 7</i>, you may wanna skip this week. I should probably take your advise, but they got me right where I'm weakest – scummy Tatooine spaceports.<br />
<br />
As an avid Star Wars fan, I'm exhilarated at the prospect of more films. As heart-rendingly terrible as the prequels proved, as universally despised as they are and as much as I agree with all those sentiments, they still expended the Star Wars universe an incredible amount, adding planets, species, organizations and ideas to the setting's rich tapestry.<br />
<br />
Gungans? Can be interesting. Jango Fett? Parsecs more interesting than Boba. Kashyyyk? Where were you my whole life? Dugs, podracing, Geonosis – much as I love to rag on them, there's some solid stuff for the worldbuilder in me.<br />
<br />
Therefore, I don't share many people's skepticism about Abrams. I'm frustrated that <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Trek_(film)">he effectively called out Lucas' name while in bed with Rodenberry</a>, but that doesn't mean that, when reunited with his true love, he won't still make the film everyone wanted Episode One to be.<br />
<br />
And everything I've seen suggests that's exactly what's gonna happen. Puppets, practical effects, real costumes. It's all there.<br />
<br />
Naysayers, your opinions been noted, but you may wanna leave, 'cause this grown man's about to squee over some blurry leaked set photos.<br />
<br />
Everybody else? Wanna check deez out with me?<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO3BL4UM3XY5PPCKjQLwQji6lG-FmWEmWfksPm1J4hVw8XIr-lvRCgHSmjtiIqjao_82abKtSeZGhNUJCWhfMQvqr-NC9Jza6Ry4qy2ZlgoH0VmidVqlNEd7HIcJ2SAMXYsMpEx-Bbqme/s1600/Tatooine1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXO3BL4UM3XY5PPCKjQLwQji6lG-FmWEmWfksPm1J4hVw8XIr-lvRCgHSmjtiIqjao_82abKtSeZGhNUJCWhfMQvqr-NC9Jza6Ry4qy2ZlgoH0VmidVqlNEd7HIcJ2SAMXYsMpEx-Bbqme/s1600/Tatooine1.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The main action seems to be encircling this massive bowl-like structure.<br />
Open-air bazaar? Pitfighting arena? Uncertain</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJs_2EO_THWbpgYpHfDijV1p_INmxWX_0Z1bw_sCvwr1w4qutCCaCLD0Nwn5q1r6X0FVeQB3uTIwMsFRgoHALlH9snaxZeErDblYgUtPFxS9Gdda2anzIbRsDK_DbdRHEWT74gKOGYPOWp/s1600/Tatooine2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJs_2EO_THWbpgYpHfDijV1p_INmxWX_0Z1bw_sCvwr1w4qutCCaCLD0Nwn5q1r6X0FVeQB3uTIwMsFRgoHALlH9snaxZeErDblYgUtPFxS9Gdda2anzIbRsDK_DbdRHEWT74gKOGYPOWp/s1600/Tatooine2.jpg" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everything seems to be fenced into this one circular area, but the interior<br />
is mostly empty. It's like a vacated junkyard or something. Weird.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoprKSd-A2iaS287sgQD1EmXXNUarpd_FZJV143Ekt-D55tYyjasFK5IX5Olzxnz3bgTfxAT4Ct_7s1rZ0X9TfSyKdEISwWRWjzqmdUWumNabik3JokoGhlit7_Ty6kaQA3jzl4nq3nEvk/s1600/Tatooine7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoprKSd-A2iaS287sgQD1EmXXNUarpd_FZJV143Ekt-D55tYyjasFK5IX5Olzxnz3bgTfxAT4Ct_7s1rZ0X9TfSyKdEISwWRWjzqmdUWumNabik3JokoGhlit7_Ty6kaQA3jzl4nq3nEvk/s1600/Tatooine7.jpg" height="178" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's wholly possible this says "Warning" in Aurebesh.<br />
I may have translated that myself. Reports vary.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRjDgYF19FP-SzRKuVZHiIi0MXipJFmobirzOWMpbTJfhiqRMwrQEqOqBG0GnmekjXaqZW1aDbAnNBRAxCvAxL69cG9ouYzkW-shgvWSTBz0TwhrIz2-_N72ARAuoaFWUqmC1af6uPHGZ/s1600/Tatooine3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRRjDgYF19FP-SzRKuVZHiIi0MXipJFmobirzOWMpbTJfhiqRMwrQEqOqBG0GnmekjXaqZW1aDbAnNBRAxCvAxL69cG9ouYzkW-shgvWSTBz0TwhrIz2-_N72ARAuoaFWUqmC1af6uPHGZ/s1600/Tatooine3.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Surrounding the arena is a makeshift bazaar, complete with<br />
flapping tents, animal cages and hooded locals.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MUSUCzK45cA2S9U3whtt0djJ15n2rEOSmG79b72W5QkVJf2GiuqPtnxCXAKTfrRSQWiFQuaUQeGM73dh-VXAjCDO6gZrsbhI2w9bEZBxnfVMNYmdGk4j0PylxoK6PniCTojBXKjF_Rmf/s1600/Tatooine4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7MUSUCzK45cA2S9U3whtt0djJ15n2rEOSmG79b72W5QkVJf2GiuqPtnxCXAKTfrRSQWiFQuaUQeGM73dh-VXAjCDO6gZrsbhI2w9bEZBxnfVMNYmdGk4j0PylxoK6PniCTojBXKjF_Rmf/s1600/Tatooine4.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Is that a fire?<br />
My theory, at this time, is actually a demolition derby.*</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1aBXRqOqg2kLGwOZamIzzkyq663g5zA5qVybL_3Xs4e6JqkdJiOaZFjsmrSVHcdcOP4GW4ugWrhXPqCRrad65W_-02Mgo59eHHhZPgo5H5-7tTGflNNjs3OIJ4z60U9TqebDJN1hbBW7/s1600/Tatooine5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1aBXRqOqg2kLGwOZamIzzkyq663g5zA5qVybL_3Xs4e6JqkdJiOaZFjsmrSVHcdcOP4GW4ugWrhXPqCRrad65W_-02Mgo59eHHhZPgo5H5-7tTGflNNjs3OIJ4z60U9TqebDJN1hbBW7/s1600/Tatooine5.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Could the podracer engine support that theory?</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><b> And, of course, the p<span style="background-color: white; color: #252525; line-height: 22.399999618530273px;">ièce de résistance:</span></b></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYP8w1cSQAOS22n-5KmE8VXBo_wbng33spfTPvJvzihMeQ-9JlZUBec9enPzEEdCtd2L3sbD-XkOXIPMsBvxlbdK1-FNizrlgGVkb8sUK5QYtzRWbb-nWu16Pu6h59u8p6oe3ux7vXEVW/s1600/Tatooine6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPYP8w1cSQAOS22n-5KmE8VXBo_wbng33spfTPvJvzihMeQ-9JlZUBec9enPzEEdCtd2L3sbD-XkOXIPMsBvxlbdK1-FNizrlgGVkb8sUK5QYtzRWbb-nWu16Pu6h59u8p6oe3ux7vXEVW/s1600/Tatooine6.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Reports indicate this giant alien pachyderm is a full-size puppet, featured in two scene and, that's right, crewed by five individual people, riding around inside its belly. There's literally never been a better sign that Episode VI will return to form than this goddamn puppet.<br />
<div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbM-T4Kwm5XYpTL3X6hX0ngGo_zm5onufUBSb_2diPfTQDkNFuf5eiscIXDGP90yPJDDxyfUADfthr7-0n6TC8zMbGCqxg46uIhylHtDbjFi6OK4HGIz_ZjI4gtRH2czdHACV_fecuek7E/s1600/1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbM-T4Kwm5XYpTL3X6hX0ngGo_zm5onufUBSb_2diPfTQDkNFuf5eiscIXDGP90yPJDDxyfUADfthr7-0n6TC8zMbGCqxg46uIhylHtDbjFi6OK4HGIz_ZjI4gtRH2czdHACV_fecuek7E/s1600/1.jpg" height="160" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Well, maybe except for this.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
*I suddenly hoping it's not a demolition derby because <i>how have I never even thought of a demolition derby in Bad Space<br /></i><br />
<i>Psst! You downloaded <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/443789">Galactic Meance</a> yet? Go now, while everyone's distracted!</i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-7188010959728580852014-06-03T12:00:00.000-07:002014-06-03T12:03:38.931-07:00Galactic Menace Released!Greetings, neglected readership!<br />
<br />
I'm posting today to inform all your spambots that Galactic Menace, Book II of the embarrassingly popular Bad Space Trilogy, was released on June 1st! It's currently free for download from <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/443789">Smashwords</a>, the <a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/galactic-menace/id885272338?mt=11">iBookstore</a> and our own humble website (<a href="http://www.badspacebooks.com/">www.badspacebooks.com</a>) and shall soon be free from both <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Galactic-Menace-Space-Timothy-Meyer-ebook/dp/B00KP9I3Z0/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1401802783&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and Barnes & Noble.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
We're off to a pretty good weekend, with 100+ downloads on Smashwords alone and about a dozen generous purchases on Amazon. Please, spambots, go forth – read, rate and review!<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNKsIgVyUWLnepNfyJfDTKUR72E215zdzLjEffIznyd8KEBaCMREQ49t0bSBpfmsiC67ULDU6njUAZ-5tpJEi7qG4qDlw5uVbMv6kmrD9ZaDNzK-VSq8pXGbbloegg3VyH_y3nuIEEjR0/s1600/galacticmenace_FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiNKsIgVyUWLnepNfyJfDTKUR72E215zdzLjEffIznyd8KEBaCMREQ49t0bSBpfmsiC67ULDU6njUAZ-5tpJEi7qG4qDlw5uVbMv6kmrD9ZaDNzK-VSq8pXGbbloegg3VyH_y3nuIEEjR0/s1600/galacticmenace_FINAL.jpg" height="400" width="250" /></a></div>
<b><span style="font-size: large;">GALACTIC MENACE</span></b><br />
<b>Book II of the Bad Space Trilogy</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Their
coffers are comparatively full. Their spaceship is actually in one
piece for a change. Their bounties, however, remain astronomically
high.</span><br />
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">During
the explosive events of the previous book, the monomaniac Captain
Nemo and his crew of spacefaring swashbucklers were plucked from the
ranks of criminal obscurity and into the crosshairs of the
underworld's high and mighty. Gone from surviving to thriving, the
wanted space pirates now hatch a plan to collect one quiet payday,
cover their tracks and go to the mattresses until the heat dies down
some.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br />
</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;">All
that changes with the "piracy is pointless" gaffe. Those
three little words, when spoken by an official Imperium mouthpiece,
threaten to flip Bad Space on its head.</span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black;">Before
they can entirely react, the crew of </span><span style="color: black;"><i>The
Unconstant Lover </i></span><span style="color: black;">find
themselves unwittingly set back onto a collision course with galactic
politics, underworld intrigue and, most surprisingly, interstellar
celebrity. Where once they sought a means to slink into the shadows,
they're instead thrown quite spectacularly into the limelight.
Standing at the swirling center of all this danger and destruction
is, predictably, Captain Nemo.</span></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-31136880235838755922014-04-16T12:11:00.002-07:002014-04-16T12:11:13.064-07:00Heavenly Bodies<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This, sadly, is really becoming more of a biweekly thing. A shame, I suppose. I need more excuses to blog.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This week we're meant to talk about the <b>Exodus</b>, the possibly exiled, possibly self-exiled, possibly sinister group of religious extremists who came to the Underworld, looking for a new paradise where they could practice their religion uncontested. What, thus far, do we remember about the <b>Exodus?</b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Primarily, they were the second group to arrive here and they have the closest relationship to the <b>Brethren</b>. Back on the Overworld, the<b> Exodus</b> were the blokes responsible for casting the criminals and heretics who would be the <b>Brethren</b> in barrels over the edge of the world. Probably isn't gonna go a long way towards endearing those two groups any.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Indeed, we even know that, prior to the <b>Exodus'</b> arrival in the Underworld, the castaways and refugees who would later adopt the <b>Brethren</b> mantle weren't even organized. It was the emergence of these, their hated enemies, that made the predatory instincts arise in these dissolute and isolated hermits.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">What could be so terrible about the <b>Exodus</b>, besides revenge, that could inspire such vitriol?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I'm not sure if they're going to end up related, but I think I'm about to embark on an astronomy tangent. I've been reading the exceedingly relevant<i> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quintessence-David-Walton/dp/0765330903">Quintessence</a></i><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Quintessence-David-Walton/dp/0765330903"> by David Walton</a> (overall, a meh book, but has some fascinating pseudo-science packed in there) and it also features, coincidentally, a flat world. The way he goes about handling this flat world is especially fascinating and led me to wonder whether or not the cosmology would work in a similar way.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In Walton's alternate history earth, the world is a flat disc and the sun continues to rotate, but in an ovular orbit. This means, when the sun rises, it's enormous to anyone on the eastern side of the disc and tiny to anyone on the western side. When the sun sets, it's enormous to anyone on the western side of the disc and tiny to anyone on the eastern side. This creates this exceedingly bizarre life cycle for creatures living on the either extreme.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In thinking about this model, I think I too would wanna majorly adapt the cosmology, but in a substantially different direction than Walton's. I think, as opposed to the sun orbiting the earth, I think the sun remains stationary, rotates and possesses a dark side. When the bright side of the sun shines down on the earth, it's daytime. When the sun is waxing, it's morning and when the sun is waning, it's evening. When the dark side faces the earth, it's nighttime.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I enjoy the effect this creates – sorta combining both heavenly bodies – moon and sun – into one celestial entity.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In a setting where the world's flat, however, a stationary sun would basically require a counterpart. I imagine the Underworld probably has it's own sun, following pretty much the same, if perhaps inverse rules. When it's daytime on the Overworld, it's nighttime on the Underworld. That seems to read.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Is there a way this could map to the <b>Exodus</b> faith? Historically speaking, the sun and moon are enormous figures in folklore and would probably factor prominently into whatever religion the <b>Colonist </b>cultures bring with them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The obvious choice, here, would be to describe a binary religion, similar to Christianity, where the sun's bright side represents good, virtue, honor, righteousness and the sun's dark side represents evil, vice, deceit, corruption. That's definitely too on the nose. One step further would be the sorta Griffindor/Slytherin angle – the bright side represents bravery, passion, anger while the dark side represents cunning, wisdom, wit. Again, maybe closer, but too surface level, not quite interesting enough.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The few choices about the <b>Exodus</b> that I do like are the notion of a self-exile. Similar to the Puritans, where they voluntarily fled the nation of their birth to seek religious freedom elsewhere. I also like the implication they're less than virtuous themselves. There's something about their faith that's even outwardly bizarre or outlandish, something the average <b>Colonist </b>may not accept. Something with maybe even a vaguely cultish vibe.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Hm. This is proving difficult to pin down. My other instincts all run towards the supernatural but, again, we're attempting to avoid magic in this setting. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I may need to come back to the specifics of the actual religion later. Maybe attempt to paint a surface level on their culture, particularly how they interact with other powers and cultures.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The <b>Brethren</b>, as I said, I think despise them. The <b>Nations</b>, meanwhile, are probably more or less indifferent to them – I feel as though they've adopted a much more mainstream religious view than whatever the <b>Exodus</b> practice. For the most part, I imagine the <b>Kingdoms</b> ignore them too, possibly regarding their beliefs as an academic curiosity, largely depending on which <b>Kingdom</b> we're talking about.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Early on, I'd had the idea that the <b>Exodus</b> did manage to convert one group – one of the <b>Kingdoms</b> in particular – to their faith and, in some ways, made much more fervent converts from them than they necessarily expected. The idea of the raiding <b>Kingdom D</b> culture absorbing whatever religion the <b>Exodus</b> brings them intrigues me and seems to suggest a few things about the core tenets of that religion – something that could permit the wanton raiding and pillaging <b>Kingdom D's</b> culture revolves around.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Again, all these clues with very little practical solutions. I'll probably have to percolate more on the specifics of the <b>Exodus'</b> actual religion before I can make that many concrete decisions about culture. Damn.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Well, whatever the case may be, next installment (hopefully next Wednesday), I'll be talking about <b>Kingdom B</b>, the mercantile center of the undersea world.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: Mermerchants!<br /></i></span></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Worldblogger</span> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.</span></i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-9629360092207262462014-04-03T13:39:00.002-07:002014-04-03T13:39:33.828-07:00Poetic Translation: The Art Assignment Ep. #4The most recent episode of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/theartassignment">The Art Assignment</a> spoke to me.<br />
<br />
It said "Why not? You're not releasing your second novel, a short story every month and running a weekly D&D campaign, are you? Good."<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/slCnZzsETVM" width="560"></iframe><br />
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Since I'm not really visual artist, I decided to take the assignment in a somewhat more literary direction – in fact, I incorporated it with my weekly Worldblogger!<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"Articulate something that you know exists but you've never seen it and you very likely won't see it in your lifetime."</blockquote>
My idea was to take words whose meanings I didn't know – French words, in this case – and devise new definitions for them. Once I started, I quickly realized how much context these words needed and decided to set them against the backdrop of my Worldblogger world.<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/ikejNTi86JY" width="560"></iframe><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheX0yI5KxfOJgiIbn2qQNV_LiNSRgqJYvdJ9-RmBU8P2u-uIbR-f0Bz35XubaNDqjiBZLQq6OxAE10LWYUuLjwGlqOv3HarwefwdhyphenhyphenUCAXJuorWU2YPn4Z_nyG787MuZtELpQOUwrS5FAD/s1600/Colossus+Cover1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheX0yI5KxfOJgiIbn2qQNV_LiNSRgqJYvdJ9-RmBU8P2u-uIbR-f0Bz35XubaNDqjiBZLQq6OxAE10LWYUuLjwGlqOv3HarwefwdhyphenhyphenUCAXJuorWU2YPn4Z_nyG787MuZtELpQOUwrS5FAD/s1600/Colossus+Cover1.jpg" height="320" width="233" /></a></div>
But, wait – that's not all! I have a new short story out!<br /><br />
<b>The Colossus in Clay: A Mountebank Mystery</b><br />
<b><br /></b>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">A fiendish terror stalks the streets of Augusta by night, a monster stronger than a dozen men combined, a daemon unpierceable by even the sharpest sword, a horror who pursues its ghastly ends without need of food, drink or respite! While the ordinary townsfolk quail and cower, it is not they who need fear the wrath of...The Colossus In Clay!</span><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><br style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;">The Colossus in Clay is a Victorian-era superhero story about the Mountebank, a masked vigilante prowling the streets of Augusta, a radically alternate history London. Written in the style of a 19th century penny dreadful, the Mountebank combines the tone and aesthetics of Sherlock Holmes with the danger and derring-do of The Shadow.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.31999969482422px;"><br /></span>
This one's a little closer to my heart than most, as it's a precursor to a future collaboration with the missus.<br />
<br />
Only $1 on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Colossus-Clay-Mountebank-Mystery-Horse-ebook/dp/B00JF37M0Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1396557486&sr=1-1">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/425229">Smashwords</a>!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-76813872399986754692014-04-02T10:35:00.000-07:002014-04-02T10:35:51.516-07:00The First Kingdom<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
<br />
(Housekeeping: I missed last week. This week, let's do a double, fully flesh out the First Kingdom, and that should keep us on track. Apologies, hypothetical readers.)<br />
<br />
A little refresher course on our <b>People</b>, the inhabitants of the undersea kingdoms. They're ten feet tall, live on the bottom of the ocean, can spread bioluminescent bacteria with a mere touch and have a bizarre ecology, wherein instead of reproducing, they're simply reborn at the end of their life cycle with a new consciousness.<br />
<br />
A little refresher course on the <b>First Kingdom (</b>or <b>Kingdom A</b>). Their rough analog of is the nation of Japan; isolated, self-sustaining, traditionalist, militarist and opposed to the influx of these Colonists. To the eyes of the <b>First Kingdom</b>, the Overworlders are invaders, trespassing on their sovereign territory.<br />
<br />
In order to specify how and why the <b>People </b>would have fractured into these diverse ethnicities and political entities, we'll need to know a good deal more about their actual racial history. In keeping with their life cycle, let's assume, at some future point, there was some massive event that all the extant <b>People </b>originated from. Where they came from, I'm not sure, but I even like the idea that there's a nice round number of them. Wanna say a million? Let's say a million.<br />
<br />
So, at the beginning of their recorded time, one million <b>People </b>are brought into existence. Well, let's say one million eggs that will eventually hatch into the first generation of <b>People </b>are brought into existence. Eggs are interesting, actually, because it precludes the idea that they're immigrants or something. If the <b>People </b>all began as eggs at the same moment, they couldn't have been responsible for their own creation.<br />
<br />
Really actually reminds me of like, fish or sea turtles, that lay dozens or thousands of eggs at once.<br />
<br />
Hmm.<br />
<br />
What about like, a patron animal? What if the <b>People </b>were legitimately <i>spawned </i>from some manner of sea creature, one they now revere as effectively their god? Would answer some religion questions and creates an interesting bond. My brain is imagining some massive leviathan, whale-meets-world-serpent creature. I like this direction.<br />
<br />
So, a massive sea creature spawns all the <b>People </b>X number of generations ago. Imagine they begin as one big happy family, all hatching at once, all exploring their environment at once, all children at once. Well, maybe some eggs didn't hatch right away. You wouldn't want everyone to be the same age. if they're all one cluster of eggs they all would have hatched at precisely the same time.<br />
<br />
That's exactly it. They're different clusters of eggs.<br />
<br />
The four kingdoms were hatched out by different massive sea creatures, different patrons to each nation. Each kingdom reveres a different member of the same god-like species, one that lays these strange eggs that hatch into <b>People. </b>They even potentially all hatched at different times and their corresponding life cycles would be somewhat off-set. Maybe while everyone in the <b>First Kingdom </b>is a teenager, everyone in the <b>Second </b>is a venerable elder. That's interesting to me.<br />
<br />
Rolling a d4 (I use dice to randomize worldbuilding details all the goddamn time), I've determined that the <b>First Kingdom </b>were the most recent to hatch. It makes a certain degree of sense – so isolated, maybe their clutch of eggs was hidden or presumed nonexistent by the other <b>Kingdoms. </b>(Side note: The<b> Fourth Kingdom </b>is located deep, deep within a sinkhole, I've just decided.)<br />
<br />
How would hatching last, when presumably these other societies have already arisen, have shaped the <b>First Kingdom </b>into the traditionalist, warlike people they would become?<br />
<br />
I mean, it still makes sense to me that they'd be extremely isolated anyway. If the three eastern <b>Kingdoms </b>more or less assumed that there was no civilization to the west, they wouldn't go exploring in that direction and both societies could more or less arise without knowledge of each other. (Natural barrier would help that – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariana_Trench">Mariana Trench</a>, maybe? The same fucking trench the <b>Fourth Kingdom </b>lives at the bottom of? BOOM.)<br />
<br />
So separated from the rest of the world, it only makes sense they'd blossom in a different direction. In this case, a more Japanese direction.<br />
<br />
Japan classically adopted a feudal caste system and, on the surface, that seems to make sense. I want military authority to be supreme, which would seem to favor the dictatorial approach. The Japanese equivalent would a shogon, the Mongolian equivalent would be the khan.<br />
<br />
They'd need a martial tradition, which would seem odd, unless there's an enemy for them to fight against. Isolated as they are, it would seem to suggest inner conflict more than external conflict. The classic example, the Temujin example, is that they were once fractious nobles, fighting against each other for territory, until a great and warlike leader united them. This could easily be repurposed and work for my <b>First Kingdom. </b><br />
<b><br /></b>
A powerful military, possibly the most powerful military in the Underworld, led by a strict, authoritarian shogunate who views all outside influences as corrupting and invasive. How come they haven't annihilated in the incoming <b>Colonists </b>by now?<br />
<br />
The immediate suggestion seems to be that they lack the technology. Maybe they've enough technology to know of the existence of the <b>Colonists</b>, but actually lack any real means to engage in a "shallow war", where they'd fight a landlocked enemy? Hell, I imagine the other <b>Kingdoms </b>have that technology, but the strictly isolationist <b>First Kingdom</b>, much as they'd like to make war on the <b>Colonists </b>can't bring themselves to trade with the other <b>Kingdoms </b>to achieve that?<br />
<br />
I actually like that. The feeling that, right below the <b>Colonists</b>, there's a massive military force, spying on them, unable to strike but swiftly innovating towards the right technology that could bring war upon them. Very ominous.<br />
<br />
How's that for a catching up? There's obviously tons more to develop (like a name), but I think that's probably good for now!<br />
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<i>Next Wednesday (I Promise) on Worldblogger: The Exodus!</i><br />
<i><br /></i>
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<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/88x31.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border: 0px solid rgb(192, 192, 192); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Worldblogger</span> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.</i></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-39868026183051035432014-04-01T18:12:00.000-07:002014-04-01T18:16:44.471-07:00Drumroll, PleaseI neglected blogging Monday to make way for this all-points bulletin:<br />
<br />
<i>GALACTIC MENACE, </i>the second book in the Bad Space Trilogy, is coming out June 1st, 2014!<br />
<br />
Here's the cover (designed by <a href="http://www.chrisallio.com/">Chris Allio</a> of <a href="http://www.thehydrilla.com/">The Hydrilla</a> fame)!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwX1tB1go7Z-x8V05PpshXhyTkXbSCE92otUhNdkIUzbxIDi6e3Utc2bK_N4qRpPIO3T18VN9emTocBDBbeNotxyga-WXmaREBP_ey1YUxRvffr2Xk9gpiHx59yzmhx7MXqk5ZZm4p_UbM/s1600/galacticmenace_FINAL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwX1tB1go7Z-x8V05PpshXhyTkXbSCE92otUhNdkIUzbxIDi6e3Utc2bK_N4qRpPIO3T18VN9emTocBDBbeNotxyga-WXmaREBP_ey1YUxRvffr2Xk9gpiHx59yzmhx7MXqk5ZZm4p_UbM/s1600/galacticmenace_FINAL.jpg" height="640" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Here's a link to <a href="http://www.badspacebooks.com/">the new website</a>!<br />
<br />
Here's the new synopsis:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><i>Their
coffers are comparatively full. Their spaceship is actually in one
piece for a change. Their bounties, however, remain astronomically
high.</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><i>During
the explosive events of the previous book, the monomaniac Captain
Nemo and his crew of spacefaring swashbucklers were plucked from the
ranks of criminal obscurity and into the crosshairs of the
underworld's high and mighty. Gone from surviving to thriving, the
wanted space pirates now hatch a plan to collect one quiet payday,
cover their tracks and go to the mattresses until the heat dies down
some.</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: inherit;"><i>All
that changes with the "piracy is pointless" gaffe. Those
three little words, when spoken by an official Imperium mouthpiece,
threaten to flip Bad Space on its head.</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><i><br />
</i></span></div>
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">Before
they can entirely react, the crew of </span><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">The
Unconstant Lover </span></span><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">find
themselves unwittingly set back onto a collision course with galactic
politics, underworld intrigue and, most surprisingly, interstellar
celebrity. Where once they sought a means to slink into the shadows,
they're instead thrown quite spectacularly into the limelight.</span></span> </div>
</blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<div align="LEFT" style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="color: black; font-style: italic;">Standing at the swirling center of all this danger and destruction
is, predictably, Captain Nemo.</span></span></div>
</blockquote>
Stay tuned until June 1st for tons of cool content! Are you excited yet?Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-70856087833384631542014-03-28T00:00:00.000-07:002014-03-28T02:31:16.312-07:004 LaborsIt's reasonable to assume you've seen this by now:<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/4JZhGYrgCPg" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />
I first saw this, I was excited.<br />
<br />
I could care less about half the cast, I have some <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hamvx0huBzs">choice words for Brett Ratner</a> and, in all actuality, this movie was destined to be little more than a steaming sack of crap, equivalent to say, <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0816462/">the 2011 Conan</a>. That said, the sight of a muscle-clad hero wading through a Hydra-infested swamp, skinning an enormous lion, thwacking a snowbound boar with a massive club, is something the Greco-Roman geek in me has been waiting to see since <a href="http://boyslife.org/wayback/#issue=9_4DAAAAMBAJ">this May 1997 issue</a> of Boy's Life magazine.<br />
<br />
With the slew of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clash_of_the_Titans_(2010_film)">bizarre</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wrath_of_the_Titans">inexplicable</a>, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immortals_(2011_film)">weird-ass</a> movies "based" on Greek Mythology gracing our screens lately, it's puzzling why these films are so eager to ditch the myth and construct, ostensibly, elaborate fanfics instead. It's not that I expect these films to be anywhere approaching faithful – in point of fact, that's pretty much impossible anyway, considering how <i>all over the place </i>those myths were to begin with – but, nine times out of ten, the actual, original myth is that much cooler and more cinematic than whatever tepid actioner bullshit their bevy of unrelated screenwriters have dredged up.<br />
<br />
Thusly, seeing actual depictions of Heracles myths in the Rock trailer, I was actually pretty stoked! Finally, someone took the myth to heart!<br />
<br />
Unfortunately, this ain't that movie.<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdry9qEMoU1ZMOcgT6CViolCp7k1joL0_5VpQhtJBS1vGtG5wZa_uCxa39477Baom4Drho2cr_6Je2rC0rTRzj0tacyjiYvZOMkrCQyN4MDQQqXyp0N1sLITfARYL-DC7cVWLKoubksqS3/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-27+at+8.30.13+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdry9qEMoU1ZMOcgT6CViolCp7k1joL0_5VpQhtJBS1vGtG5wZa_uCxa39477Baom4Drho2cr_6Je2rC0rTRzj0tacyjiYvZOMkrCQyN4MDQQqXyp0N1sLITfARYL-DC7cVWLKoubksqS3/s1600/Screen+shot+2014-03-27+at+8.30.13+PM.png" height="179" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
Evidently, it's based on <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hercules_(Radical_Comics)">a Steven Moore graphic novel</a> series. Which is all fine and dandy, I suppose. One assumes that the Labors presumably feature into the opening sequence or flashbacks or some shit. (Plus, the absolutely insane decision to cast The Rock as Hercules, Zeus and fucking Achilles, of all people? Flashbacks? To what?)<br />
<br />
I was so disappointed to learn this that, in a huff, I outlined, to the very patient missus, how you'd structure a Heracles franchise actually based on the original myth, his best myth – the 12 Labors.<br />
<br />
A few stipulations before we begin.<br />
<ul>
<li>First and foremost, I'm going to deviate from the myth probably a substantial amount, but only in superficial ways. At the core of the story, this will be Heracles and his 12 Labors. All 12 Labors will be present, all the major players will be there and all I'll be doing is possibly Hollywoodifying a little of the narrative, to help sell the idea.</li>
<li>Secondly, I'm not making promises for artistic quality. I'm not attempting to craft a masterpiece here. What I'm doing, instead, is attempting to show the feasibility of the actual myth. The 12 Labors pretty much contain (or easily could contain) everything you'd need to make a successful and compelling fantasy franchise. (I have a similar theory about Conan, but that I'll save for an HBO pitch.)</li>
</ul>
<div>
With that, let's crack on.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The first is what I assume will be a franchise of three films, the Heracles Trilogy, is entitled Heracles: 4 Labors.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
The film opens with our muscular hero, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heracles">Heracles</a>, visiting the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oracle_of_Delphi">Oracle of Delphi</a>. Recognizing him as the son of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zeus">Zeus</a>, the Oracle asks what he's come to see her for. Heracles confesses that he's committed a great evil and that he needs purification. The Oracle tells him to travel to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiryns">Tiryns</a> (or <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thebes,_Greece">Thebes</a>, who gives a fuck?) and perform ten great Labors for its people and, specifically, for his cousin, the King. Gratefully, Heracles accepts this judgment and ventures to Tiryns.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As he's departing, we see the Oracle change shape into a beautiful, sinister looking woman – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hera">Hera</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Opening titles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Arriving in Tiryns, Heracles finds a city in great distress. Famine, crime and corruption have all struck the city. Rumors of a war with the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amazons">Amazons</a> of <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Themiscyra_(mythology)">Themiscrya</a> abound in the streets. When he arrives at the King's acropolis, he's greeted by his cousin, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eurystheus">King Eurystheus</a> and his wife, Queen Antimache. Eurystheus, a weak and ineffectual King incapable of ruling his people effectively, is instantly jealous of Heracles and his valor. The moment he hears that he's been sent by the Oracle to perform Labors, he's secretly pleased and promises to devise suitable methods Heracles can aid the city.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Before he departs, Heracles shares a moment with Antimache, possibly even just a look of mutual attraction.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
That night, Eurystheus is visited by the goddess Hera, who convinces him to send Heracles to defeat horrible monsters, into great dangers that will surely claim his life. Initially reluctant, Hera manages to ensnare the King with her charms and he complies. Heracles' first task is to slay the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nemean_lion">Nemean Lion</a>, a blight on the hinterlands of his kingdom, near a small town called <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cleonae_(Argolis)">Cleonae</a>.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Venturing to Cleonae, Heracles meets a young child, a boy named Iolaus (mythology nerds, I just BLEW your mind). <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iolaus">Iolaus</a> informs Heracles that the lion's been plaguing their village, so much so that, should the town's hunters fail to kill in the lion in three days, the boy himself will be sacrificed to appease it. Climbing into the hills, Heracles tracks the lion and unsuccessfully attempts to kill it with arrows, which break off on the creature's hide. Tracking the beast to its lair, he manages to strangle the creature to death with a large wooden club, which he keeps as a weapon, in addition to the lion's pelt.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
When he returns to the village, the townsfolk are overjoyed, calling him a great hero. Iolaus, in particular, idolizes him and even follows the demigod back to Tiryns as his kid sidekick. (You'll fucking <i>see</i>, people!)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Returning to Tiryns, King Eurystheus, furious his plan didn't work, immediately sends Heracles off on another Labor – capture the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erymanthian_Boar">Erymanthian Boar</a> alive. Heracles commands Iolaus to stay behind, much to the boy's chagrin. (Perhaps leaving him in Antimache's care?)</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Arriving at <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Erymanthos">Mount Erymanthos</a>, Heracles meets <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiron">Chiron</a>, the wise <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur">centaur</a> teacher, and rescues him from a band of his drunken centaur relatives, though Chiron is wounded in the battle. Already a paternal bond growing between them, Chiron informs Heracles about the boar's location and gives him sage advise on how best to take the creature down. Chiron's explanation is intercut with Heracles following these instructions and taking the boar down – driving the creature through thick snow – perfectly.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
As he does this, however, a distant, ethereal female shape watches from afar. Hera? We'll find out.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Returning to Tiryns with both Chiron and the live boar in tow, King Eurystheus is nearly attacked by the live beast and Heracles saves his life in front of the whole court, earning him more favor and still more affection from his wife, Queen Antimache. Heracles, ever merciful, releases the boar, who tromps back to its Mountain home. Ever more furious, King Eurystheus storms off, heading into his palace to devise new labors.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
While Heracles trains with Chiron [WHO IS TOTALLY A CENTAUR AND NOT <a href="http://openbooksociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Phil-hercules.jpg">A GODDAMN SATYR</a> YOU FUCKS], King Eurystheus schemes with Hera about the next Labor. He wishes to send him on some humiliating errand, something that won't bring Heracles renown. Hera dissuades him of this thought, implying she has a plan. She orders him to send Heracles after the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceryneian_Hind">Golden Hind</a>, the fastest deer in the world. He resists and Hera uses her womanly charms to convince him. Queen Antimache walks in at an indelicate moment, is scandalized and pushed even closer to Heracles.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<div class="p1">
Send after the Golden Hind, Heracles, now coached by Chiron, departs. He chases the deer for a year, up and down the world, until it finally tires and he catches the beast. The moment he does, however, he's confronted by the shadowy figure from before, who's revealed to be the goddess <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemis">Artemis</a>, who watches over all the animals of the world and the Golden Hind is her especially favorite deer. They have a tense conversation, wherein Hercules explains that he's only performing these tasks on behalf of King Eurystheus. Artemis warns him that something else is afoot, that all is not right on Olympus and that he may be being manipulated. </div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Together, they hatch a plan to free the Golden Hind from King Eurystheus' menagerie, where the animal was doomed to head. Once again, the King is infuriated by this and Hera summons an especial Labor for him this time – the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lernaean_Hydra">Lernaean Hydra</a>, a monster from the ancient world. Before he departs, Heracles has a scene with Queen Antimache, where he reveals what he's done – in a drunken madness, he slew his wife, <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Megara_(mythology)">Megara</a> and his young son. With blood on his hands, he went to the Oracle of Delphi to seek retribution.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
Trekking off into the swamp, he brings a sword and a sickle, thinking to cut off the creature's head and return it to the King. When this proves <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGkHgeO1zWQ&t=1m52s">unsuccessful</a>, he retreats and ponders a new strategy. Iolaus, having followed Heracles, arrives, learning the truth of the Hydra from Chiron – only fire can be used to burn the creature's stumps and prevent the heads from growing back. Working together, they nearly manage to defeat the creature before a giant crab – <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cancer_(constellation)#Mythology">YUP</a> – summoned by a fuming Hera surfaces and slays the valiant Iolaus. Now guilty of leading two young men to their deaths, Heracles leaps into the fray and slays both hydra and crab with panache.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
He probably returns to Tiryns and has a denouement and all that. Maybe he just screams in the swamp while Hera cackles with delight. Kinda dark, I guess.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
The point is, all of this information I got from an afternoon on Wikipedia. In total, I made very superficial changes. About four times, I had an idea of how to mold the story in a more acceptable narrative direction, only to find, in some versions of the myth, it was already like that. Trust me – not that hard, Hollywood.</div>
<div class="p1">
<br /></div>
<div class="p1">
<i>Next Friday: Heracles: 8 Labors!</i></div>
</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-66573375787083617082014-03-19T07:04:00.002-07:002014-03-19T07:04:29.401-07:00More Pirates! Avast!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">First conclusion about the <b>Brethren </b>that seems foregone that didn't occur to me last week: it's specifically the religion of the <b>Exodus </b>that executes their criminals by sending them over the edge of the world. In my brain, initially, I'd imagined that it was simply the standardized execution method for the Overworld, right, possibly favored by one or both of the <b>Nations? </b>On further reflection, it's much more interesting to have been a means to execute, say, blasphemers, iconoclasts or, frankly, anyone who violated whatever the <b>Exodus </b>holds dear.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Especially when those same people who exiled them start coming over the edge of the world on their own.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>(Note: This does raise some interesting theology about the <b>Exodus</b>, what they believe in, how their religion has changed over the years, etc., which will get into on their spotlight.)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">That out of the way, today, we're talking about the <b>Brethren's </b>culture. We talked history last week, time to talk culture this week.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">First things first, we can probably safely assume that, during the castaway period, there was little unified culture amongst the <b>"Brethren"</b>, who certainly hadn't adopted that name until much later. No, what we're talking about today is the <b>Brethren </b>proper – the culture that arose following the emergence of both <b>Nations </b>to the Underworld and how, precisely, a "pirateocracy" would take shape.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It's conceivable that they'd refuse any centralized leadership, particularly since they'd have the least established infrastructure on this side of the world. I don't imagine a Pirate King or anything like that. They seem scrappier, less likely to kowtow to authority or rules or any such.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">With a name like the <b>Brethren</b>, it makes me think they value equality above anything else. In their eyes, any man cast over the side was their brother – any outlaw, any reject or criminal – could find fellowship among the <b>Brethren. </b>I like that – kinda a reverse Night's Watch. Rather than being sent off to take the black, people here could conceivably run away and join the <b>Brethren, </b>who would accept anyone, no matter what their crime, as long as they foreswore their previous life.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>(Likely wouldn't take too long for the <b>Nations </b>to start hanging as opposed to exiling their criminals.)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The idea of forsaking their old lives, even their identity, is kinda interesting. Could be a handy way to achieve the classic criminal nickname I love so much – when you join the <b>Brethren, </b>you're rebranded, your old life is abandoned. Maybe even all your earthly attachments are severed – your marriage, your children, your parents – are all forsaken. Joining the <b>Brethren </b>is effectively a death sentence for the person you used to be. You'd be expected to take a <b>Brethren </b>spouse, raise <b>Brethren </b>children.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I mean, if you wanted. That seems key too – they're all about freedom. There's no faster way to inequality than rules, restrictions and who they apply to. GRRM's wildlings seem a good parallel – fiercely independent, almost impossible to control, with equality and chaos being their primary virtues. Unlike the wildlings, however, I imagine they're somewhat more idealistic, even for a robber culture – once you join the <b>Brethren</b>, you uphold the <b>Brethren </b>values, the <b>Brethren </b>way or life or you're dealt with. Whatever that might mean to them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">A democracy, possibly the only one on the Underworld, would make <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piracy#Pirate_democracy">historical sense</a>. A true democracy, however, with all its logistical nightmare, is kinda more interesting than the republic we have. I could see a massive Congress or something, right, where every single <b>Brethren </b>is granted a vote. It could takes weeks and be a huge hassle, involving all the <b>Brethren </b>ships who can be bothered to attend to attend, before they can agree on anything.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>(Side Point: This is sorta beside the point, but I like the idea that assiduous records are kept as to who attended and who didn't. Anyone who didn't vote or wasn't present is considered, in the rare event of a legal matter, exempt. I love taking their fierce independence to absurd extremes.)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">They would seem to be very autonomous, then, sailing around in their own ships and maybe small fleets, occasionally convening in trading towns where they could sell their pirated goods. There are probably <b>Brethren </b>friendly ports and hidden <b>Brethren </b>fortresses, but I don't imagine they elect leaders to those places – they're just occupied and ruled by whomever is currently present. <b>Brethren </b>goods being a taboo but essential part of the Underworld economy seems interesting to me – I could see the <b>Nations </b>putting a moratorium on any independent citizen caught with <b>Brethren </b>goods, but both accepting weapons and goods sold to them by <b>Brethren </b>who stole them from their enemy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Every once in a great while, I could see the <b>Brethen </b>summoning a great moot, or thing, or whichever term you'd like to use, where every single <b>Brethren </b>ship is summoned to a certain port and a massive matter is voted on. I would also imagine that every decision on a <b>Brethren </b>ship would be carried out democratically as well. I suppose they'd need a captain. Hm.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The classic "mutiny is acceptable if the public will turns against the captain" is probably fine. I like the idea of mutiny taking the opposite position than it does in Bad Space – it's considered the sacred duty of the crew to throw overboard any captain who becomes too tyrannical. I imagine it's a pretty common occurrence. Serving as a <b>Brethren </b>captain would appear to be unhappy, short experience.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>(It occurs to me, I may need a role in <b>Brethren </b>society for the tiebreaker. That seems like a position of incredible power.)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">They need some physical traits, some identifying colors and sigils. Maybe let's stick with colors for now, since those are pretty simple? Though I reserve the right to reform the shit out of this, but I think I'm gonna go with the <a href="http://zuts.files.wordpress.com/2013/03/gangs-of-new-york-new-war.jpg">Dead Rabbits</a>/<a href="http://media.tumblr.com/c873bcedfe375d76d280a8d5feaa17fa/tumblr_inline_mlgz09H1Pg1qz4rgp.jpg">Vox Populi</a> revolutionary red for the <b>Brethren. </b>Which, you know, seems like a pretty good pitch to hit. (Imagine pirate sails painted that way.) Maybe red is a </span><span style="line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">sacrilegious color to the <b>Exodus? </b>That I will ponder.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: Power to the People!</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;"><img alt="Creative Commons License" src="http://i.creativecommons.org/l/by-nc/4.0/88x31.png" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; border-bottom-left-radius: 5px; border-bottom-right-radius: 5px; border-top-left-radius: 5px; border-top-right-radius: 5px; border: 0px solid rgb(192, 192, 192); box-shadow: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2) 0px 0px 20px; padding: 8px; position: relative;" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Worldblogger</span> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-84529130431961418442014-03-12T21:32:00.002-07:002014-03-12T21:32:18.326-07:00Pirates! Yarr!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDmV-z5dTQF5Prh1TYsAyuqddS2tmSZ0mBjA35X_TsgwCBUgezH26gh6phyphenhyphentz1IPy4oTtDbe7WLmdN0Tr5a5UuPIFTbWUOA3NXgzujRZ-ID20IvX58XEf25IBFeg4ZuIlJhvBP9yM5oWdg/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">You know what's a cool, evocative name for a culture of pirates? The <b>Brethren.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Obvious historical call back aside, what I like about the <b>Brethren </b>for <b>Colonist Culture A</b> (our exiled and presumed executed criminals) is that it suggests unity, unity so close it requires a familial term to properly define. Rather than these criminals being fractious and prone to in-fighting, I vastly prefer the idea that there's something about dropping off the edge of your world and onto the edge of another that would smelt rabble into a unified culture.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">So, let's call them the <b>Brethren.</b></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b><br /></b></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Now, despite being criminals, I don't imagine the <b>Brethren </b>began initially as pirates. With no other ships to pirate and, in such small numbers originally, precious little contact with the <b>People</b>, I imagine they began merely as survivalists, attempting to eke out a meager existence in this harsh and inhospitable land they suddenly discovered themselves in, a land they likely assumed was the underworld for many, many years.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>(Note: Underworld is a surprisingly fitting name. At least for the Colonists. It is, from their perspective, under their world.)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I suppose we should probably determine a few things about the manner of their "execution." While I think, after wars or other political turmoil that would generate high levels or prisoners, they were maybe pitched over in massive funeral barges, I think the majority of the prisoners that were sentenced to "dropping off" were sent over the edge in a barrel, Niagara Falls style. Sending entire ships to their destruction is expensive and more symbolic. Tossing a barrel and its intestine asshole over the edge wouldn't cost any more than a coffin would to us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">A little research into Niagara Falls suggests, of course, that most of the people sent over this way would die a horrible death. Well, on further research, more like half. Assuming the distance is much higher, let's say one third. Approximately one third of the people pitched off the edge of the world survived, most with injuries. Many of these individuals probably ended up marooned on islands, became madmen or, more likely, food for the local animal populace. Whenever a barge would go over, however, its conceivable that its surviving crew would band together, attempt to make a civilization.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This, I imagine, is how the <b>Brethren </b>were initially formed. An island civilization, possibly with limited ship travel capability. They most likely would have staked out territory on islands and continents in the <b>First Sea</b> exclusively, not daring to venture much further into this unknown hellscape. Maybe they, lacking the skills, equipment or wherewithal to obtain resources more entrenched than say, wood, hide and leather, would've constructed fortresses and strongholds from the wreckages of their ships? Whatever they could cobble together.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It's conceivable they might have encountered <b>Kingdom A </b>somewhat, but I imagine with all their august might, the miltaristic <b>Kingdom A </b>would never have considered these bizarre bipedal landwalkers as any true threat, anymore than we would if dolphins suddenly declared themselves a sovereign nation.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">They existed this way, one assume, for some time – isolated, clinging to survival, barely enough food, weapons and supplies to stay afloat. A civilization of castaways.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">When the other <b>Colonists </b>arrived, however, it became a substantially different story.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It seems to read to me that the pilgrim/zealot/missionaries (<i>right, </i>I called them the <b>Exodus</b>) would've been the next <b>Colonist Culture </b>over the edge, especially if they were fleeing religious persecution. I think, at the first sight of another ship on these strange seas, a ship flying a flag the <b>Brethren </b>would recognize, things would change <i>substantially. </i>As more and more people began coming over by choice, the <b>Brethren</b>, I imagine, react hungrily, eager for the supplies and goods these new <b>Colonists </b>bring with.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">It doesn't take long, then, for them to make the transition to pirates; preying on the <b>Exodus</b>, stealing their goods, very much becoming the devils the <b>Exodus </b>might have expected in the underworld. For a while, I imagine they're living large on these spoils. (<i>Note: The <b>Exodus </b>maybe make alliances with <b>Kingdom D </b>to protect themselves from the <b>Brethren's </b>predations.) </i>It's not until the other two groups – <b>Colonist Culture C </b>and <b>D </b>arrive that the <b>Brethren </b>are faced with their true and hated enemy.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">For the sake of simplicity and logistics, let's assume that the exiles, criminals and prisoners who would've been sentenced to death over the edge came from either <b>Colonist Culture C </b>or <b>Colonist Culture D </b>originally – both civilizations commanding position near the Edge. This automatically ingrains a certain predisposed hatred towards the sudden and august arrival of either <b>Culture </b>into the Underworld, plus offers weapons, goods and materials of much, much higher quality than even the <b>Exodus </b>can give them.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Maybe this, actually, is where the <b>Brethren </b>takes shape. They need to ally in order to defeat these tougher opponents. They begin to unite their forces, they begin to fly flags, declare captains and kings and more or less organize themselves into a scattered and floating nation of marauders and raiders, commandeering ships, cannons and converting crews to their cause. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Motivated by revenge and a need for survival, lacking any means to replenish these supplies save by pillage and now trapped in an endless war of resources with both <b>Cultures</b>, their existence is tenuous but insidious, always threatening to collapse utterly under their foes impressive military might, but proving damnably hard to extinguish completely.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This seems a solid springboard (or should I say, <i>plank</i>) from which to start with the <b>Brethren</b>. Next time, let's delve a little more into culture, social structure and the like.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: More Pirates! Avast!</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
<div style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18.200000762939453px; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span property="dct:title" xmlns:dct="http://purl.org/dc/terms/">Worldblogger</span> is licensed under a <a href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/" rel="license" style="color: #0b5394; text-decoration: none;">Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License</a>.</span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-80880385640942359332014-03-05T21:56:00.003-08:002014-03-05T21:56:26.052-08:00Undersea Races (Part Deux)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFcPZf9nHwUK5gr4xNjIrkoBpd7PmVaFB-Cm7UWKXCWDWenMoKRRlToEwtoJuGxSa1PFGAUqL6u0qg31CtVAKoqVh90JxRb2SAc8GsThLkqEthtzn5WiGdK3AxT7sbV3umSGhcWHtZH0C6/s1600/worn_graph_paper-1.jpg" height="160" width="640" /></a></div>
<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;" /><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"></span><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></i>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Super late blog post wheeeeeeee.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Last week, we discussed a few traits of the <b>People</b>, the dwellers of our New World's undersea kingdoms. We settled on them being disproportionate to humans (comparable to Barsoom's Tharks) and we settled on their having the fantastic biological ability to spread bioluminescent bacteria wherever they touch, allowing them to create handy illumination for their dark, undersea homes.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">These week, we'll <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K8E_zMLCRNg">illuminate</a> a few more bizarre and inhuman traits for these undersea dwellers.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">[INSERT 80'S CARTOON-STYLE OPENING CREDITS HERE]</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The first major hurdle I thought deserved attention was, of course, the matter of swimming. As an undersea race, our <b>People </b>will need some method of navigating their aquatic kingdoms. The traditional methods include mermaid tails, fins and flippers and these are all viable, if somewhat uninspired, options. Slightly less obvious options would be the octopus Ursula model or even Mieville's <a href="http://www.curufea.com/games/crobuzon/craypencil.jpg">cray</a>, both of which are interesting, but essentially just weirder deviations from the core model. Hm.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Since the ecosystem of my underside ocean is hopefully going to deviate as far as possible from the actual ecosystem of our actual oceans – with its own food chain, organisms and biodiversity – it strikes me that simply slapping the nethers of an established species of fish onto my undersea <b>People </b>would maybe be disingenuous? I mean, sure, I'd be hard pressed to create a believable marine ecosystems without drawing to the fin/flipper/tentacle well over and over again, but I think, with something as fundamental as the only sentient species below the waves, I'd wanna find a more creative solution.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In thinking about it, it honestly doesn't make sense to me that a <b>People </b>who dwell on the bottom of the ocean would actually be able to swim to its surface via their own anatomy and physiology. I mean, using life on land as an analog, that would effectively presume that humans, the baseline race of most settings, can fly into space. No, the more I think about this, the more I start to appreciate that maybe the <b>People </b>simply live their entire lives on the bottom of the ocean and don't have anything necessarily built into their bodies to allow swimming.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">That said, I will need the <b>Colonists </b>and the <b>Kingdoms </b>to interact. Maybe that's one of the mysterious technologies of the <b>People</b>? Whether some manner of craft or personal transport, it's a technological development, rather than a biological one, that allows them to reach the surface.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I like that. That's in.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This leads me to think about what life must be like for a civilization at the bottom of the ocean, about how durable and practically fucking immortal they'd need to be to withstand the intense pressure. Immortal makes me think of life cycles, which makes me think of reproduction. Are they mammals? Fish? Birds?</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">My first instinct is none of the above; what if their life cycle is one of the most bizarre things about them? Imagine a technical immortality. Imagine if, rather than aging, becoming more decrepit and eventually dying, if they – phoenix-like – were simply born again? I like the idea of them repeating these cycle, ad infinitum, over and over again for millenia. Effectively re-incarnation, the successive newer versions could vary completely in physicality, gender, personality. they probably wouldn't even remember their previous lives.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I think they maybe hatch from eggs, right, some simply genetic base block. The <b>People </b>are born like normal fish, birds or reptiles – they hatch from eggs that're presumably cared for by their society. Over time, they grow, mature, learn and eventually reach full adulthood at some point in their life, standing nearly 10 feet tall and all that. Then, they enter the third and final stage of their lives, where they shrink and shrink – they don't wither or wrinkle like humans – but they become smaller, more compact, less physically able than they once were. I like the idea they keep their mental faculties, though, so they get wiser and more astute as they shrink. Eventually, at the end of their life, they, caterpillar-style, cast an new egg around themselves that serves as the old <b>Person's </b>coffin and the new <b>Person's </b>womb. In a certain amount of time, a new <b>Person </b>is born.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Maybe they have like, a tadpole-esque larval form? I think that might help separate out the three stages. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">What's interesting about this idea is that they theoretically don't need to reproduce. If none of them die of old age, there's no reason for mating. There was maybe some event in their history, with some grandiose name like The Spawning, in which all the tens of millions of eggs were laid and began to hatch. Since then, they've all been hatching a various times and, in theory, diminishing. I imagine they can still be killed, right, they aren't actually immortal – just functionally so.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I think that works. It's very weird, but I think it works. I'm curious to see what that kind of lifestyle might so, theoretically, to one's psychology and outlook.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Next week, a complete change of subject!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: Pirates! Yarr!</i></span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-73110453609578426532014-02-26T14:42:00.002-08:002014-02-26T14:42:53.806-08:00Undersea Races<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><b>The World So Far: </b>The world is flat. On one side of disc is the exhaustively explored and urbanized home of humans, where cities, countries and nations vie for too little land to support their expanding populations.</i><i> On the other side of the disc is an uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty.</i><br />
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<i>An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 15th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their world and come to colonize the world below. Some have come to seek asylum, refuge or more converts to their maligned faith. Some have been exiled over, punished for crimes committed in the world above. Still, others come over to set down stakes in a new world, to exploit the natural resources and expand their conquest.</i><br />
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<i>The new world's inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might. With cultures far older and far more intricate than those of the human colonists, the undersea kingdoms are as unprepared for this sudden clash of cultures as the unawares humans are.</i><br />
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One of the themes I'd like to play with, concerning the underside of the world, is that absolutely nothing, biologically, is replicated from the topside of the world. The trees are different, the birds are different, the sea life is different, pretty much everything. This, of course, would include the underside sentient inhabitants, as well, better known as the <b>Kingdoms.</b><br />
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The biggest challenge with making an ultimatum like this is, however, is that, without Earthlike animals to draw from, my supply of quick analogs is virtually nil. Can't simply say they're dolphin or octopus people, dust my hands off and call the whole thing good. Gotta dig a little deeper.<br />
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A series I really respect for applying this rule, rather than simply using anthropomorphic animals, is Scott Sigler's GFL series. With the <a href="http://siglerpedia.scottsigler.com/wiki/images/f/fd/Quyth.jpg">Quyth</a>, the <a href="http://siglerpedia.scottsigler.com/wiki/index.php/Image:KiLineman.jpg">Ki</a> and the <a href="http://siglerpedia.scottsigler.com/wiki/index.php/Sklorno">Sklorno</a>, you can really tell Sigler put in the time, crafting alien species that would, in this case, be ideal for playing football. There's no easy way to look at any of these races and make an immediate comparison. This is, to perhaps a somewhat less bizarre length, what I'd like to achieve with the <b>People of the Kingdoms.</b><br />
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The first thing I'd like to establish as a primary difference are proportions. With no concept as to what, exactly, their anatomy will consist of, I like the idea they're on a different scale to humans. Rather than going the traditional fantasy route and the making the <b>People </b>smaller, I think I'll go bigger. Much bigger – more in line with Edgar Rice Burroughs' <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyyYtyAF6Jw5cQLS4gQisQTkELzm2UevPt65UCxiy49URWql_BEhaftR4PbN0hIWgV0DfEgD2MYmARYgXIw4Q5Hsw2mYXtKY52ZPHrIQ2vkDf8hjEor4AX7q4Bsbcgyy-BHXe6T5JrZos/s1600/Thark+and+Princess+by+Thomas+Denmark.jpg">Green Men</a> than anything else. (I keep citing aliens are inspiration). Let's say 10 feet. I think 10 feet, even assuming they can stand, is a good estimate.<br />
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Secondly, I always imagined their cities occupying the bottom of the ocean, so I wonder if they don't sport some manner of bioluminescence. They could obviously have lanterns and devices instead of or in addition to their own natural glow, but I kinda like the notion of some appendage, whose function is specifically to provide light. I mean, it's equally conceivable that they don't even require light to see, but assuming I want human adventurers (if this becomes a campaign setting) to visit these underwater cities, the more light the better.<br />
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The notion of a bioluminescent skeleton occurs, but I'm kinda stuck on this appendage idea. To borrow from some earthlike creatures in a very general way, I actually think an anglerfish-style angler, which dangles pendant over their heads might be cool. Maybe a little too similar to Avatar's weird sex ponytail.<br />
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Wait, instead – how about they have the ability to inspire luminescence in other things, like rocks and plants and even other animals, with a mere touch. That immediately makes several things fall quickly into place; different <b>People </b>might project different colors or patterns of light, like thumbprints, I could see bioluminescent art becoming huge for their culture and architecture and it would potentially give them a commodity that the <b>Colonists </b>would covet. Scientifically, it could be a bacteria that grows on their skin that attaches to foreign objects and glows briefly as it dies or something. The rules of how it works aren't especially important at this stage. What is important is glowing handprints and finger-painting.<br />
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Ten foot tall, glowy finger-painters. There's definitely more the plumb here, but perhaps it should be saved for another time? Let's do a Part Two. Lemme percolate on this a while. Any ideas? Feel free to comment.<br />
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<i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: Undersea Races (Part Deux)!</i><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743116016599162873noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8596428090708411580.post-52396988101762136602014-02-19T20:41:00.000-08:002014-02-19T20:41:07.861-08:00Colonist Cultures<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<br />
<i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; font-weight: bold; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">The World So Far: </i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An uncharted and largely oceanic world, dotted by islands and coastlines, full of strange wonder, abundant resources and tropical beauty. </i><i style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">An incoming force of humans, from a number of distinctly 16th century-feeling cultures, have sailed over the edge of their flat world to arrive here, to begin colonization and eventual exploitation of these resources. The local inhabitants, however, are four powerful undersea kingdoms, full of dynastic struggle, ancient tradition and military might, and are quite unsure how to react to the presence of these foreign colonists.</i><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Nearly forgot again. Not an encouraging sign.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">This week, we're talking about the cultures of the various Colonists that've come to inhabit this new world. (Thought: What I really need is a world name, so I can stop shirking around it all the time. Knowing me, it'll probably end up with like, five goddamn names.)</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In keeping the symmetry up, I think we'll go with three different Colonist cultures. Or, rather, let's say four, since I've decided I want four undersea Kingdoms. What makes the Colonists interesting and different from the Kingdoms is that they've all emigrated here, to the underside, for a particular reason and I think that reason would be a key way we could distinguish them from each other. Maybe one group is fleeing religious persecution, maybe another group is after resources, like a traditional conquistador, hell, maybe one group is actively seeking converts to their current faith.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I like the idea of combining those two notions, actually. Followers of a persecuted, misunderstood or even potentially sinister religious belief fled their established society on the disc's upper side and came to the underside, looking for a safe place to practice and, what's more, to preach. I like the idea that they're maybe not ethnically similar; people of various appearances and creeds have maybe converted to this Faith and joined the Exodus. (Note: Biblical language is cool there. Hell, the <b>Exodus </b>is a cool name for them. You know what else is cool? <b>Bolding </b>relevant nouns.)</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Has the <b>Exodus </b>been successful in their attempt to convert any natives? My instinct is to say no, but I actually kinda like the idea that they have. Maybe some group (<b>Kingdom B </b>or, more interestingly, <b>Kingdom D</b>) has really taken to this strange foreign religion, the faith as spread in a big way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">That all came rather startling fast. I think we have one <b>Colonist</b> culture down. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">I think before we can advance, however, we should look at what the upper side of the disc thought of underside. Punishing criminals was my original thought – they assumed sailing over the edge of the world meant you were going to hell, Odysseus-style. However, if it was possible to simply flip, that creates an interesting situation on the disc's underside.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">What happened to all those criminals, you might say?</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Sure, many of them are maybe marooned hermits or straight-razor-wielding murderers, but I imagine they had children, particularly if the <b>Colonial Powers</b> have been punishing people in his way for a long time, centuries even. I think a civilization that's been trapped on this side of the disc, sent there against their will or descended from people sent there against their will is totally worthy of a culture.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">They might as well be our pirates.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">In watching a few episodes of Black Sails, the plotline I was most attracted to was the pseudo-political pirate democracy one, wherein a (extremely fictional) plucky nation of pirates and marauders attempt to fight the naval powers by preying on merchant ships and harming the colonial process. Imagine a civilization of raiders and pirates, disgusted at the sudden influx of the people who sent their ancestors over the falls to die, sailing around in the same funeral or prison barges they were pitched over in, swearing vengeance on the <b>Colonists </b>and forced to eke out a living without all the funding and resources. I think that's <b>Colonial Culture B</b>.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">That leaves two more. One obvious choice seems to be the conquering nation, while the other would seem to be enterprising business. All my current ideas regarding these two are, I think, too stereotypical. I mean, there's probably some use of the Spanish Armada and the East India Trading Company, but I can't think of anything to separate them any. Hm. They could maybe be one power, but I don't know, that seems far too monolithically evil.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Explorers are also a possibility, but I can't imagine you'd end up with an entire explorer <b>Culture. </b>Plus, if we had people actively running amok, attempting to map everything, wouldn't they have mapped more things by now? No, I think the explorers are an underclass, the equivalent to artists in Elizabethan society, academics who want to learn more, want to create maps of this new land, but can't convince the powers that be to lend them the crews to do it unless they can convert some natives or mine some gold.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; font-family: 'Droid Serif'; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">What about two warring nations? Rather than simply and an evil company? A sorta France and England vibe or, better yet, England and Spain – two large and powerful nations on the topside, attempting to put down stakes in this new world. I like this better; extremely superficial differences between them, possibly even geographical or political ones that only apply to the Old World, but enough to make them feel like bitter, bitter enemies. That's much better.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">There does need to be a greedy guild running around in there somewhere as well, but that could be figured out. Hm. A topic for a future installment, I imagine.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;">Next week will be much more punctual, I promise.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i>Next Wednesday on Worldblogger: Nonhuman Races</i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Droid Serif;"><span style="background-color: white; line-height: 18.200000762939453px;"><i><br /></i></span></span>
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