terranigma, a cool game

Thoughts on Even More Games

[vague, unspecific spoilers for Heaven’s Vault, Later Alligator, and Life is Strange 2]

Thoughts on Heaven’s Vault

Heaven’s Vault is a game about archeology, which means it’s also a game about incompleteness. This is very clever. Inkle - also the developers of 80 Days, which I will play someday! - specialize in deep narratives that can be explored many, many ways, allowing for a lot of player choice. You make a lot of small decisions - do you share a discovery with the trader in exchange for a valuable item, or hide it so he doesn’t plunder it? do you go looking for your missing friend, or let her stay missing in case there are people trying to follow you to her? These all have their own little arcs and resolutions, and there are so many of them, and so many ways they can play out, that the game can never be played the same way twice. The overall story begins and ends in the same place and theoretically hits the same major beats, but the journey is tailored broadly and finely to each player; it’s a style of design Aaron A. Reed refers to as “not... a branching tree but a braided rope.”

Making a narrative about archeology is how you dodge the exponentially complicated nature of that design: if there are dozens of locations, characters, plot threads, bits of color, which can be engaged with at many points in time, or ignored, or dropped by the player halfway through, how do you avoid telling a story full of gaps and dead ends? Well... you don’t. Having only partial information and having to infer the rest is what archeology is.

The protagonist of Heaven’s Vault, Aliya, is digging up the secrets of an ancient civilization, having been sent by her academy to find a researcher who’s gone missing, and stumbling into his incredible discovery. Everywhere she goes, there are holes: she has partial understanding of the researcher’s journey and motives; he, in turn, had partial understanding of the mystery he was uncovering, and Aliya has only fragments of his knowledge; the ancient texts she translates are usually fragments of larger works, and she is guessing at the meanings of many of the words; the game’s constantly updating historical timeline has entire centuries with nothing but question marks. Aliya arrives in a new location and wonders aloud to her robot companion about what this place was, when it was founded, when it was abandoned, how her predecessor found his way her and where he went next and what he took with him.

The constant feeling of discovery - of unearthing - is magnificent. Site after site, I asked, “What is this place?” Always thinking, if the eventual answer is any good, this is going to be one of the best games I’ve ever played. And, in the end, it doesn’t give you an answer, it just give you enough to make the story feel complete. It answers by not answering.

Also, translating alien texts is just extremely my jam. I’m the weirdo who enjoyed the ending of Arrival but secretly wished the whole movie had been about xenolinguistics like the first half. I guess Inkle felt similar.

The game’s by no means perfect. I think I enjoyed the sailing between worlds more than most - it’s slow, but very pretty - but it’s going to discourage a replay. I don’t think the relationship between Aliya and her robot, Six, ever gets terribly interesting. Some of the archeology is a little too obviously game-y - sail around, wait to find a random ruin, beam Six down to grab an ancient doodad, translate a bit of text, lo and behold it’s from one of the sites you’re looking for and it’s narrowed your search radius somehow. (It gives Star Trek explanations the first few times - e.g. “it has radiation that only exists in one part of the nebula” - and then stops bothering.) And the game sags a little in the middle; it could’ve hacked out 3 or 4 dig sites and still given me the same experience.

But, all told, there’s magic in it, and it just feels good to be there. Do not sleep on this one.

Thoughts on Later Alligator

There’s not a ton to say about this game except that is charming as hell. Lindsay and Alex Small-Butera have build a beautifully animated world of cute alligators, one of whom is having a birthday party where he’s convinced he’s going to be murdered. He wants you to run around getting information out of everyone who’s going to be there, which you get by completing minigames. It’s a cast of weird and funny characters with weird and funny dialogue and there’s not much more to it than that.

The design can be a little frustrating. Some minigames, if you lose, you don’t get to try again. Some are annoyingly finicky. You need to complete them all to get the true ending, which means, in my case, playing the game three times to complete all the bits you missed or got locked out of. The ending was a little different each time, so it wasn’t a total wash, but the game’s on a timer that only advances when you play a game or take the bus, and once you’ve completed most of the games there’s a lot of traveling back and forth from one nowhere to another just to advance time to the next unskippable plot beat.

(It’s also a little unclear what you’re missing as you try to get the final ending, as some of the ongoing puzzle are optional.)

But I can’t get mad. The game is too damn cute! Each character is lively and unique, with tons of personality, and the dialogue is just clever enough not to fall into empty adorkability.

It good.

Thoughts on Life is Strange 2

Somewhere, early in the development of Life is Strange 2, some Dontnod employee wrote in a design document “Episode 4 - cult?” (but in French) and nobody told them “no.”

I will not forgive them for this,

After twenty minutes of LiS2, I was ready to yell at everyone who had reported it was boring. It has one of the most powerful, gut-punching openings of any game I’ve played in recent memory. And all through the first, second, and third episodes, I was in love. Unlike Before the Storm, this was its own creature, willing to make dramatic departures from the original game’s template. Instead of controlling a character with supernatural powers, you play as the superpowered character’s older brother. The one with the magic is a 9-year-old, unable to fully understand or control his abilities, suffering a recent trauma, and needing to be guided through a dangerous and racist world. All the ambition missing from Before the Storm is back, and this time the animation isn’t creepy and the writing is wildly improved (thanks to some journeyman script work from Fullbright’s Steve Gaynor) and I even have a computer able to play it on higher graphical settings.

But nothing good lasts.

Everything good about the series screeches to a halt in Episode 4, the one where some asshole said “cult?” and didn’t get a Nerf football thrown at their head. And it’s not just that it’s a terrible idea; it’s actually sort of amazing how much the game relies on an alchemy of plot, tone, theme, and writing, and how a slight imbalance can throw the whole thing off. Episode 4 has scene after scene that are powerful in their conception - brothers reunited after a violent rift; a boy having his first conversation with his estranged mother in nearly a decade; getting interrogated by the feds for a crime that can’t even be explained by physics - fall flat because the writers can’t think of anything interesting for the characters to say. (Steve Gaynor’s name stops appearing in the credits as of this episode.)

And here the game’s rickety bits, kept delicately together for three episodes, start to shake apart. Dontnod’s overly-earnest voice direction, which I didn’t notice in the early episodes, started to wear me down. (”Could you sigh mid-syllable, like you’re slightly overwhelmed with emotion?” “Sure, on which line?” “All of them.”) The thinness of the secondary characters, most of whom pop up for one episode and disappear, became more noticeable. The lack of a mechanical hook like the time rewinding of the original game, and the attendant commentary on choice-based games and power fantasies, made the game feel less substantial. The surreal imagery of the original, obligatorily evoked in the prequel, is sensibly absent, but there’s nothing equally striking that replaces it. Even the branching path decisions become less clear: the end-of-episode stat screens for the final episodes mentioned at least a dozen choices I didn’t even know I’d made, some of which were critical in shaping my younger brother’s morality and were not necessarily the choices I’d have made if I’d known I was making a choice at all.

Come the final episode, I got An Ending that seemed right for the way I’d played, but much of the way I’d played felt accidental.

So what are we to make of this? Life is Strange is a beautiful disaster, an ambitious disaster, where Life is Strange 2 is almost less interesting for being  more competent. It has a huge mess of charged topics - American racism, teens losing their virginity, raising a child outside the nuclear family, grief and trauma - and, while it handles them without the gracelessness and sledgehammer subtlety of the original, it doesn’t come to any conclusions about any of them. LiS1, for all its jank, had some opinions, where LiS2 falls into the category of “this sure is some shit, innit?” games.

It starts with a powerful premise, deeply relatable characters, fine writing, beautiful art, but can’t even manage, in the end, to be a disaster. It is the only game in the series so far to be forgettable.

P I C K (S)  O F  T H E  M O N T H: M A R C H

Shades of Magic series by V. E. Schwab

Make Me Bad by R. S. Grey

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

Text series by Teagan Hunter

Shades of Magic series by V.E. Schwab

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Magic

Synopsis:

Kell is one of the last Antari—magicians with a rare, coveted ability to travel between parallel Londons; Red, Grey, White, and, once upon a time, Black. Kell was raised in Arnes—Red London—and officially serves the Maresh Empire as an ambassador, traveling between the frequent bloody regime changes in White London and the court of George III in the dullest of Londons, the one without any magic left to see. Unofficially, Kell is a smuggler, servicing people willing to pay for even the smallest glimpses of a world they'll never see. It's a defiant hobby with dangerous consequences, which Kell is now seeing firsthand. After an exchange goes awry, Kell escapes to Grey London and runs into Delilah Bard, a cut-purse with lofty aspirations. She first robs him, then saves him from a deadly enemy, and finally forces Kell to spirit her to another world for a proper adventure. Now perilous magic is afoot, and treachery lurks at every turn. To save all of the worlds, they'll first need to stay alive.

Why we love it:

thief turned pirate badass heroine

great premise with a storyline that felt very different

fabulous world-building with an interesting magic system

if you love London like us, there are four of them instead of one xD

full of morally gray characters!!!!!

don’t get attached to anyone

Trigger warnings: mind control, (mentions of) homophobia, character death

Make Me Bad by R.S. Grey

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

I was issued a warning: stay away from Ben Rosenberg. As Clifton Cove’s resident “king”, he thinks he’s entitled to anyone and anything. The trouble is, I’ve spent my whole life following the rules and playing it safe. I know what it feels like to be the good girl. I’m the police chief’s daughter and a librarian—for adorable children, no less. An all-nighter with a fictional hunk is about as exciting as my life gets until one day, fate decides to take pity on me and shove me straight into the path of Mr. Off-Limits himself. Just as I suspected, every inch of him promises to be my demise. Up close, he’s tall, menacing—a lawyer who looks like he’ll bite. A well-behaved girl would do as she’s told and avoid him at all costs, but I’m overdue for a little rebellion. So, I ignore the warning and throw caution to the wind. But Ben doesn’t just nudge me out of my comfort zone—he thrusts me into a dark corner and presses his hard body against mine, covering my mouth with his hand to ensure we don’t get caught sneaking around. In that moment, I finally understand why everyone thinks he’s going to ruin me. To him, this is all a game. He wants to tempt me with his dares and taunt me with his words. I should play along. After all, I asked him to make me bad. I just never thought he’d take his job quite so seriously...

Why we love it:

honestly the cutest thing ever

entertaining characters

friends to lovers done well

pretty angst-free (in a good way)

reading this book just makes you feel good

Trigger warnings: assault (one scene)

Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

Genres: Fantasy, High Fantasy, Adult

Synopsis:

In a world where ash falls from the sky, and mist dominates the night, an evil cloaks the land and stifles all life. The future of the empire rests on the shoulders of a troublemaker and his young apprentice. Together, can they fill the world with color once more? In Brandon Sanderson's intriguing tale of love, loss, despair and hope, a new kind of magic enters the stage — Allomancy, a magic of the metals.

Why we love it:

amazing world-building

unique and interesting magic system

lots of unexpected twists

the story follows different characters and their POVs

amazing, quality writing

Trigger warnings: violence, sexual assault (mentioned/suggested)

Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Regency

Synopsis:

A Devil's Bargain Easily the shyest Wallflower, Evangeline Jenner stands to become the wealthiest, once her inheritance comes due. Because she must first escape the clutches of her unscrupulous relatives, Evie has approached the rake Viscount St. Vincent with a most outrageous proposition: marriage! Sebastian's reputation is so dangerous that thirty seconds alone with him will ruin any maiden's good name. Still, this bewitching chit appeared, unchaperoned, on his doorstep to offer her hand. Certainly an aristocrat with a fine eye for beauty could do far worse. But Evie's proposal comes with a condition: no lovemaking after their wedding night. She will never become just another of the dashing libertine's callously discarded broken hearts—which means Sebastian will simply have to work harder at his seductions... or perhaps surrender his own heart for the very first time in the name of true love.

Why we love it:

our favourite book from the Wallflower series

Sebastian with his fallen angel looks has amazing growth in this book and he isn’t quite the villain he led us to believe

Evie, our shy timid Wallflower really comes into her own in this book when she decides to take her future into her own hands with an offer that Sebastian can’t refuse

wickedly sexy dialogues

their chemistry is off the charts !!!

LK is the reigning Queen of historical romance

Trigger warnings: (mentions of) domestic violence

The Winner’s Trilogy by Marie Rutkoski

Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Romance

Synopsis:

Winning what you want may cost you everything you love... As a general’s daughter in a vast empire that revels in war and enslaves those it conquers, seventeen-year-old Kestrel has two choices: she can join the military or get married. But Kestrel has other intentions. One day, she is startled to find a kindred spirit in a young slave up for auction. Arin’s eyes seem to defy everything and everyone. Following her instinct, Kestrel buys him—with unexpected consequences. It’s not long before she has to hide her growing love for Arin. But he, too, has a secret, and Kestrel quickly learns that the price she paid for a fellow human is much higher than she ever could have imagined. Set in a richly imagined new world, The Winner’s Curse by Marie Rutkoski is a story of deadly games where everything is at stake, and the gamble is whether you will keep your head or lose your heart.

Why we love it:

angsty AF

awesome world-building

best character development

enemies to lovers trope YASSS

one of the best but underrated YA series

heroine who is written as both badass and feminine

Trigger warnings: slavery, violence, racism, attempted sexual assault

Text series by Teagan Hunter

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, New Adult

Synopsis:

A wrong number is supposed to be just that—a wrong number. Delete. Done. Do not continue to text. Do not flirt. A wrong number shouldn’t be the first person on your mind in the morning, or the last at night…and you’re definitely not supposed to talk them into buying a baby goat. Because that would be weird. When Zach Hastings and I get into a wrong-number mix-up, we don’t follow the rules. We keep texting and flirting, because he’s wicked funny and perfectly nerdy and a wonderful distraction. I’m not looking for love, and Zach definitely had the wrong number. But maybe… Maybe he’s the right guy.

Why we love it:

a series of four books but can be read as standalones

cute, funny and sexy aka the best romance combo

original formatting - lots of dialogue in text messages (which can be annoying to some but we found it refreshing)

roommates, second chance romance, forbidden romance - a mix of our fave tropes all in one series

Trigger warnings: n/a

FFX Relivebloggening Part 3

Meanwhile, back in Kilika...

What was Dona intending by coming back to the Cloister? She was apparently looking for Yuna, and it's not like she knew Tidus wasn't an official guardian. Did she finally think of a comeback and actually have the guts we all wish we had to actually go back and say it? The Kilika Cloister of Trials is always the hardest for me. Every time, I forget a step or get one out of order. This time I forgot which type of sphere needed to go into the pedestal for the Destruction loot. Tidus, as usual, is the only one who finds the fayth creepy. Also, "willingly" may be a stretch - or an outright lie. It's not like there are release forms on file. They seem relatively chill with it now, but then again, they are also asking for help with dying. I'm not talking to Lulu as much as usual, because I want to keep my affection with her low. It's odd, coming off playing Tales of Symphonia where Colette gets a massive affection boost at the start, that it's so easy for the canonical romance to not be the person you get the optional dialogue with. At least for me, it's usually Lulu. (It's because she has so much interesting dialogue in the early game. I often go straight to her to chat, and up goes that affection value.) It's not that Tidus craves being the center of attention, exactly, but he's used to it, it's part of the world-as-he-knew-it, and seeing everyone focused on Yuna reminds him of how that's not the way anymore. I always save like crazy on this boat ride, because I will get the Jecht Shot. Tidus is learning to take the easy route of saying he's toxin-brained, but Yuna has never taken the easy route in her life and doesn't mean to start now. She's also...the only person in the world who actively says she believes in Tidus and his Zanarkand. (Also, flirting again. That's how people flirt, right? Say they'd like to see your home and stuff?) (Tidus definitely wants to flirt back, but unfortunately, well, "As if I had a place to show her.") It's possible to miss that conversation with Yuna entirely, or not go up the stairs to listen to Wakka and Lulu. I did the former last time I played, so I made sure to do it now. Lulu wants someone to complain with, but Wakka's too easygoing to get a good kvetch session going with. I don't entirely blame her; a lot is happening, and she's under a lot of stress what with Yuna's impending death and all. "Be discreet." Lulu, this is Wakka you're talking to. No, that's not fair, Wakka can be discreet...ish...sometimes. "Sin just takes everything away from us." And of course he's not just talking about their parents, but about Chappu, and Yuna, and everyone else they've lost or are expecting to lose. An NPC says "Sin's attacked Besaid so many times I lost count"; they've probably lost friends then too. And back to Jecht, as I flex my proto-QTE fingers. This is a straight-up memory, and he does not come off well, even though I think he's...trying, or upset that he doesn't know how to try. I think Jecht is the kind of father who thinks he must be doing okay because he's not hitting his kid the way he was hit. He doesn't realize that emotional damage also fucks people up. One reset later: meanwhile, Tidus has recognized more fully that the way he was treated was wrong, and his response is to avoid it in how he treats others. In contrast to Jecht saying no one else could do the Jecht Shot, Tidus says, "Anyone can do it if they try." Even though in blitzball, only Tidus can in fact ever learn the Jecht Shot. I checked. Yuna remembers a lot about Jecht for someone who was seven - but then, she was probably trying as hard as she could to remember the last time she would ever have with her father. All this time, and so few people have ever known that guarding a High Summoner is a death sentence. Yuna still assumes gossip would have told her if Jecht were dead - and Auron, even though neither of them have been seen in Spira since Braska died. Tidus feels like something bad's going to happen. Buddy, this is Spira. Something bad is always going to happen. Tidus is so happy to finally be in a place with a lot of people. He's a city boy at heart. I really love the announcers; they make the world feel so lived-in and "normal". I love patter like that. I mean, I also want to glare at them for badmouthing my Aurochs, but you know. Different parts of the brain like different things. Introducing: the Zombie Space Pope! And not one of your modern popes, either. One of your serious kingmaker popes. Although, I guess he's just fully king, since the maesters appear to be the holders of all temporal power in Spira as well. (Except for the Al Bhed.) Nothing will ever make Seymour's clothing make sense. Nothing. Somehow, Seymour could tell that Yuna's a summoner in the midst of the crowd. At least, he seemed to zero in on her very intently. Creep. When I was a kid, I thought he was creepy, but I didn't have a sense of the age difference. As a 30-year-old, someone who's around 27 professing interest in a 17-year-old is double creepy bad. I mean also he's planning to use her death to destroy the world, but. You know. There is only one Auron, Tidus. No one has double names in fiction. It's against the rules. The Psyches Tidus talks to definitely understand him, but pretending not to means they don't have to respond to people, especially if they're rude. Yuna is clearly angling to hold hands here, and Tidus just does not notice. "Hey what if you whistled for me like a taxicab?" "...Not what I had in mind but okay." (Of course they manage to make this heartrending later.) To Tidus, this is "a pretty big town"; to Yuna, this is a city, the second-largest in the world. Cultural context is everything. Yep, Tidus, you thought you were famous before. Back there, there were still plenty of people who didn't care about blitzball. Here, it's this or studying scriptures. Forever amused by how the building they walk into is clearly labeled, "Bar", while the building next door is labeled "Cafe". Maybe there's a reason you didn't find Auron there... I assume Yuna got "kidnapped" by someone overhearing her asking about Auron, saying they knew where he was, and leading her off. I assume she was too polite and didn't want to kill anyone, or she could definitely have Valefor'd them to smithereens. (Maybe a Silence Attack was involved. Does Silence cut off summoning?) Don't ask about blitzball physics. Or biology. Or...anything, really. Just destroy your opponents. Was claiming to be holding Yuna hostage for the game a cover to avoid admitting that they were really kidnapping the summoner for her own good? Seems weird. I have to assume the "Psyches" in this game are ringers relying on "all Al Bhed look alike", because there's no way the Aurochs got that many goals on Nimrook at level one without their best forward. Lulu just fucking. teleports onto the boat. She has no feet and therefore cannot jump. Among my favorite exchanges in this game: "I hope you hurt them." "A little." There's definitely something to be said about Yuna being mixed-race with the complicated way actual mixed-race people are treated in Japan (and the US, for that matter). Buttttt I am not the person to say it. I'll just gently whisper that Yuna is matrilineally Space Jewish. One of Lulu's flaws that she has to get over during the game is that she's dealing with her grief over Chappu by comparing everyone, especially Wakka, to him. Maybe Chappu was a better blitzer than Wakka, or would have been fine after having what I assume are several cracked ribs from illegal tackles, but the fact that Lulu says it in no way means that it's true. #WakkaDefenseSquad2k19 That said, what Wakka has to get over is his racism. Which is obviously a much bigger issue. It seems almost benign here, since it was in fact Al Bhed who just attacked Yuna, but...it gets worse. I'm probably going to have to see this cutscene several times. But I will be victorious. I am, however, impressed that Lulu can catch Wakka when he collapses (Yuna plz heal his ribs) without going down with him. He's a big guy and most of it is muscle. And the inscription actually says, "To the memories of childhood - farewell," which is particularly touching and, of course, sad. If this were fencing, a decent referee would give Bickson a black card for unsportsmanlike conduct. (For those of you who are unaware, a black card means you have to leave not merely the event but the venue. Non-participants such as coaches can also be black-carded.) First try: kept the score tied 2-2 in the first half, got Tidus the requisite level so he can use Jecht Shot. Got off a Jecht Shot early in the second half and kept the Goers from scoring until Wakka came in. Aaaaand I got Wakka the ball at the four-minute mark for our fourth goal and victory! I AM SUPREME! I'm not saying I would have realized I was gayce a lot sooner if not for that FMV of Auron slipping his arm out of his coat, but I'm also not not saying that. So cool! Auron is not cool. This is an important fact to know about him. He seems cool, but internally he is panicking 50% of the time and sad and gay the other 50%. But I was a teenager and didn't know that competence is fake actually. Spiran ecology count: another dog, happily observing the Aurochs' farewells. Speaking of said farewells, they're kind of unnecessary as I will be getting Wakka back on my team the very second I have an opportunity. Tidus is...not entirely wrong about this all being Auron's fault. I mean, on a macro level it's not since he's just doing the best he can with this shitty situation, he didn't create the situation, but on a micro level he definitely did toss Tidus into Sin's magic traveling sphincter. Like, this was definitely in the plan, although it goes much better than he has any right to expect - he was probably expecting to pick up Tidus and Yuna separately, not find them already buddy-buddy. I really respect Auron for telling the protagonist some facts at least earlier than your average protag gets to know what their father has become. Which is a chronic protag problem. He's also gently patting Tidus on the back, which is about the limits of his emotional support skills. He tries, but... Auron, when he's done being a cagey bastard, correctly identifies Lulu as the One To Talk To if he wants to receive information. She has the map, the color-coded notes, and the safety pins stuck to the inside of her purse. She's the big sister I wish I could be. "I understand. I think." Tidus does not understand, because Yuna is deliberately not telling him the important part: she needs to practice smiling when she's sad about how she's going to die soon and people are so encouraging and happy to see her do it. And now, the scene that everyone loves to make fun of. Look, people, it's not bad. If the ha-ha-ha were supposed to sound like normal laughter, that would be comically bad, but it's not. It's a couple dumb trauma babies fake-laughing badly until they give themselves the giggles while their friends watch in confusion! "I want my journey...to be full of laughter." She may not have much time, but Yuna wants to pack in as many good things as she can, while she can.

I Visited the Mormon Temple Square and it Really Reminded Me of BioShock Infinite

I don’t go on a lot of (read: any) religious touristy sort of adventures, so maybe the Mormon Temple Square isn’t all that weird in the grand scheme of things. But I’ll be damned if it didn’t give me hints of Columbia, the city in BioShock Infinite. Hear me out on this.

I want to caveat before I go further that it’s probably gonna seem like I’m really picking on Mormons here. I’m not. Mormonism is absolutely no weirder than any other religion, and there are plenty of Mormons (probably most of them) who are much smarter, more hardworking, successful, and better to their fellow man than I am. If you roll your eyes at scripture of Moroni, but turn around and worship Jesus or Vishnu or Odin or Buddha, and follow the World of God as explained to you by Muhammad, then your cognitive dissonance is so thick, so dense, that it must throw off compasses. I don’t think religious or spiritual people are stupid for being that way.

Anyway.

I was in Salt Lake City with a few hours to kill, and figured the Mormon Temple Square would be the one thing I couldn’t get anywhere else, so why the hell not? Let’s get my Mormon on. Many of the buildings in the Temple Square are made with this gorgeous white granite that pops up nearby, and so to the eye a lot of it looked like the White City of Gondor.

The visitors centers are small museums that lay out the history, scripture highlights, and current tenants of Mormon theology.

As a kid, I was raised Catholic-lite, but I’ve never been to the Vatican, and I wonder if there’s similar stuff anywhere else among worldwide Christian churches. That Noah’s Ark museum in Kentucky, maybe? The tone of much of this stuff seems to be to reassure outsiders that hey, Jesus is still just the best! He’s the best, you guys. We’re not any different from your local bake sale-having church people at all! In fact, there doesn’t seem to be much that explicitly tries to contrast with other Christian sects whatsoever, until you get to the Book of Mormon (the actual Book of Mormon) stuff that takes place in the Western Hemisphere.

A lot of this stuff came across to me as a “here’s how to be” kind of children’s book in museum form. It’s not really propaganda, I guess, because conduct prescriptions are what religions are supposed to do. However, the exhibits and artwork they had showing important people in Mormon scripture and the paramount religious events in their lives started giving me weird, familiar vibes.

A 19th century New Yorker who has some sort of religious awakening, begins to preach, gathers a cadre of like minded true believers, establishes a hyper-ardent offshoot Christian sect in the U.S., insists upon racism as one of the pillars of this new theology, is revered as a prophet to his people, gains power and respect (which he abuses), and begins an exodus of his followers out of American society to found their own civilization which will eventually prove hostile to the U.S.? Oh, you thought I was describing Joseph Smith or Brigham Young? Well, surprise, it’s (also) Zachary Hale Comstock, villain of Bioshock Infinite.

I’m not the first to draw this comparison. Here’s a much better article than I could hope to write from an anonymous blogger who claims to be an ex Mormon. And Bioshock creative head Ken Levine mentioned in a Mother Jones article:

There’s a bit of Joseph Smith in [Comstock], a bit of Teddy Roosevelt…Roosevelt was a very progressive figure in many ways. But he was also what you’d probably call a neoconservative in his view of America’s role in the world. So I have trouble comparing Comstock to him directly. Also, I’d have trouble just comparing Comstock to Joseph Smith or Brigham Young. I mean, the American-centric nature of the religion that he forms has some similarities to Mormonism, but there’s nothing in the Mormon church that approached the level of sinisterness you’d find in a Comstock.

In the game (where the next bunch of linked images are from), Comstock is a religious figure with a hyper-nationalism for his own vociferously racist vision of America, which never actually existed and is more twisted than even our own real history. There’s a part of the game where you play through a museum dedicated to the history of Columbia, the city-state Comstock founded, and it puts a very religious sort of spin on the founding of the United States and points in its history. Abraham Lincoln is called “The Apostate” and is remembered as an insidious Satan figure, while John Wilkes Booth is a saint. The Confederate Army, being the true soul of America to these zealots, is led by the angelic spirit of George Washington. The locals are generally hostile.

All of this stuff is understandably batshit, because they were trying to write a villain in Comstock. I’m not saying Mormons are or were evil like this guy. I’m saying it seems pretty likely that the devs took Mormon lore, cranked the evil and steampunky sci-fi up to 11, and out came Comstock and Columbia.

The American founding fathers appear in Mormon religious works, notably in writings by Wilford Woodruff, fourth president of the LDS Church, describing religious visions:

The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them ... These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence ... I thought it very singular, that notwithstanding so much work had been done, and yet nothing had been done for them ... I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon brother McCallister [sic] to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence.

The LDS Church is extremely PR conscious and has left doctrinal, institutional racism behind, but it’s a poorly kept secret that the early days didn’t look too good. Unlike the populations of other Western Territories (Colorado and California in particular), the Mormons mostly took a pass on the Civil War, though to their credit, there isn’t much evidence to suggest explicit sympathy for the Confederacy. However, here’s Brigham Young:

Shall I tell you the law of God in regard to the African race? If the white man who belongs to the chosen seed mixes his blood with the seed of Cain, the penalty, under the law of God, is death on the spot. This will always be so. The nations of the earth have transgressed every law that God has given, they have changed the ordinances and broken every covenant made with the fathers, and they are like a hungry man that dreameth that he eateth, and he awaketh and behold he is empty.

And now here’s Comstock:

What exactly was the Great Emancipator emancipating the Negro from? From his daily bread? From the nobility of honest work? From wealthy patrons who sponsored them from cradle to grave? From clothing and shelter? And what have they done with their freedom? Why, go to Finkton, and you shall find out. No animal is born free, except the white man. And it is our burden to care for the rest of creation.

The Mormons flirted with armed rebellion but eventually backed down when the United States and local native nations made it clear they were not fucking around. Joseph Smith, a 100% legit, honest to God prophet to his people, had some pretty dark things to say about the U.S., especially the godless northeast cities:

Nevertheless, let the bishop go unto the city of New York, also to the city of Albany, and also to the city of Boston, and warn the people of those cities with the sound of the gospel, with a loud voice, of the desolation and utter abolishment which await them if they do reject these things. For if they do reject these things the hour of their judgment is nigh, and their house shall be left unto them desolate.

And here’s Woodruff again, in a prophesy “confirmed” by Young:

While you stand in the towers of the Temple and your eyes survey this glorious valley filled with cities and villages, occupied by tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints, you will then call to mind this visitation of President Young and his company. You will say: That was in the days when Presidents Benson and Maughan presided over us; that was before New York was destroyed by an earthquake. It was before Boston was swept into the sea, by the sea heaving itself beyond its bounds; it was before Albany was destroyed by fire; yea, at that time you will remember the scenes of this day.

Well, here’s a scene in Bioshock Infinite that shows a time-travel flash forward to the future year 1984, what Comstock will do if not stopped. He floats Columbia right over New York and starts bombing:

How the hell do they not get shot down? Sci-fi weapons or shields, I’m guessing. Columbia imagines if a civilization of religious secessionists hadn’t decided to chill out in the end, the way the Mormons did.

If you need any more convincing of the connection here, in BioShock Infinite, one of the protagonists who the player spends a lot of time with and who drives the story is Comstock’s daughter Elizabeth. She is kept a gilded-cage prisoner and wants out of Columbia, and much of the action is about helping her to escape. SPOILER ALERT FOR A 5-YEAR OLD GAME: Elizabeth’s parentage isn’t what it seems, she was actually given the name Anna at birth. Well, there was a famous ex-wife of Brigham Young, one of 55, who decided she wasn’t about that life, alleged domestic abuse against Young and filed for divorce (both a huge deal for their time), and ultimately wrote an autobiographical account called Wife No. 19. This woman’s name? Ann Eliza Webb.

No doubt you could substitute any other religion and find similar parallels to BioShock Infinite in art and lore, but the Americanness of the LDS Church is what sells this idea to me, how both the real life Mormon church and the fictional characters and civilization draw from the cultural fundamentals of this country, as well as our absolute worst elements. The obvious difference is the Mormons wrestle with the racism and violence in their church’s past, and for sure try to do good works in the world today. Not so for Comstock and Columbia. But that’s part of what made them such compelling villains.

V/Taehyung's Natal Aspects

Planets in Houses*

Sun House 8

Moon House 12

Mercury House 9

Venus House 9

Mars House 9

Jupiter House 7

Saturn House 11

Uranus House 9

Neptune House 9

Pluto House 6

Node House 5

Positions of Houses

House 1 6°21' Gemini

House 2 0°13' Cancer

House 3 21°51' Cancer

House 4 15°35' Leo

House 5 15°31' Virgo

House 6 24°29' Libra

House 7 6°21' Sagittarius

House 8 0°13' Capricorn

House 9 21°51' Capricorn

House 10 15°35' Aquarius

House 11 15°31' Pisces

House 12 24°29' Aries

* Planet/ * *Aspect * * Planet/ * * ORB *

* Point * * Point#2 *

Mars Conjunction Neptune 1°48'

Mercury Conjunction Uranus 2°14'

Mercury Conjunction Neptune 2°23'

Mercury Conjunction Mars 4°11'

Venus Conjunction MC 5°06'

Mars Conjunction Uranus 6°26'

Sun Conjunction Jupiter 8°58'

Pluto Opposite AS 4°27'

Moon Square Neptune 0°34'

Moon Square Mercury 1°49'

Moon Square Mars 2°22'

Moon Square Uranus 4°04'

Moon Trine Jupiter 3°53'

Venus Trine AS 4°07'

Uranus Trine AS 7°05'

Uranus Sextile Pluto 2°38'

Mars Sextile Saturn 3°31'

Mercury Sextile Pluto 4°53'

Saturn Sextile Neptune 5°20'

Sun Inconjunction AS 1°42'

Mars SesquiQuadrate AS 1°27'

Sun Quintile Saturn 0°46'

Moon BiQuintile Pluto 0°42'

Here, the aspects with the smallest orbs will be the most prominent in influencing V's personality and life, ofcourse as I stated earlier major aspects like the conjunction hold more effect at 10° than an exact(less than 1° orb) minor aspect like a quintile. The most important thing would be the aspects that a planet forms in a birthchart, then the house that the planet occupies and then the least important is the zodiac sign in which the planet is situated. For example-Someone with a Pisces moon(often regarded as a soft and whimpy moon sign) square Mars and conjunct Pluto(Both of them co-rulers of the dangerous and manipulative Scorpio sign/8th house) in the 1st house(ascendant, our image projected towards the outer world) at 0° exact would not be soft and wimpy like other Pisces Moons, if not at all. Ofcourse, it could retain some of the characteristics of a Pisces moon but on most occasion, that person would show Mars and Pluto more often than Pisces.

Also Important is the chart ruler or the ruler planet of the ascendant sign, for V it would be mercury since mercury rules Gemini, his ascendant. All aspects formed to Mercury would be much more prominent

.

Astrology is withheld to no single human being or entity. As we go on, we gather knowledge from others, but that knowledge is not ours to keep so we cannot put restrains on it.

Of course we ought to respect someone's intellectual property and not demean it via unlawfull use and plagiarism.(I am not going to sue you don't worry)

All of us are human and have fallacies, I or you,my reader are no better a person than my subject.

So off we go-

Mars Conjunct Neptune

(My sister has this too, exact. I know)

People with this aspect have delusions about themselves and their life, they often fantasise about accomplishing their dreams but fail when they have to put it into action, because they give up before they can complete it. Procastination is also a possibility, so is the possibilty of extreme passiveness, they are often late when meeting deadlines. If you told them they have weird fantasies and/or that they are delusional, they are rarely going to accept it. Self-deception is quite common. These people should be carefull not to engage in occult phenomenon or with mediums and psyshics, they can quite easily come under psychic attack by negative entities, they lack physical boundaries and their physical space is often invaded by other people without their consent. On the plus side, they can have great artistic talent and could be good at water sports including swimming. Since this conjunction occurs in the 9th house, we will see V behaving like this in an educative environment(he probably wasn't a dilligient student who always did their home work on time. Lol everybody is like that)or while travelling. Their is some danger from water while travelling.

Mercury Conjunct Uranus

A sharp mind, lightning sharp wit. He always comes up with the quirkiest of ideas and since Uranus(the planet of innovation and progress) is conjunct his chart ruler mercury, this aspect is very integral to his personality. He hates old or conventional methods of thinking. (Like if some man shaves with a razor, our V is going to shave with a scissor. Chill its an example.) He has many original ideas and his mind cannot stay still for more than a few seconds. He has the ability to comeback with witty one-liners in a conversation much faster than most people. He has a brilliant mind but needs to channelise his ideas into productive endeavours instead of just thinking 'em. He has a good sense of humour. He is a progressive thinker. Someastrology sites call this the genius aspect, the moniker is not undeserved as these people are brilliant at coming up with solutions a lot faster than me and you can. Their over-active brains however often result in distorted speech. They might think that they cannot express the ideas that they conceive, as they tend to forget them as quickly as coming up with them.

Mercury Conjunct Neptune

Another aspect for distorted speech, he has trouble accepting his insecurities and other people's criticism in favour of living in his own reality, this results in avoidance of telling on the truth in lieu of making up false stories or half-truths.( A friend with this aspect is incredibly insecure when voicing her opinion and often tends to take a diplomatic stance on every issue for fear of being ignored, she doesn't even notice this at times. )

On the plus and plump, he more likely than not has a good taste in artistic pursuits. This aspect also makes him sensitive to psychic phenomenon. He could even develop telepathical skills.

These people should be checked for going around a topic, avoiding a conclusion as they can have problems coming up with the exact thing they want to articulate.

Mercury Conjunct Mars

These people can be very aggressive when talking, especially when they feel someone has challenged them. They feel challenged most of the time BTW. You don't want to be around them when they are angry, with their scathing words they are going to make you feel like a total piece of shit... You cannot win a debate against them, they will run over you with a bulldozer. Shouting, Screaming and Swearing(for some) are extremely common occurances. They have the proverbial "mercurial" temper. Often the moniker "mercurial" is used to describe Guns n Roses frontman(lead singer) Axl Rose, famous, aside from his very talented singing ability, for leaving the stage whenever anyone did ANYTHING to displease him. He has a video on Youtube where whilst singing a man disturbs him. He is quick to jump off the more-than-7 feet tall stage into the crowd saying "Okay then Goddamnit", why? Because (In his words-"Thanks to to the lame ass security I am going home" ) *Throws Mic* he has this aspect too(at an10° orb)

Venus Conjunct MC-

The MC is our image to the public/our profession according to some astrologers, people with their Venus conjunct Midheaven or MC would express their sense of beauty, their taste in art and their values to the outside world or even integrate these into their workplace. They are likely to be preceived as beautifull and talented. In his case, he is precieved as knowledgeble in the industry's undertakings due to his sense of astistry. Industry insiders probably think he is an expert in the idol game. He likes to maintain an ambivalent environment and since his Venus is in Aquarius, he comes off as a mediator to his friends. He holds his values to himself in professional settings. Some people may find him somewhat of a do-the right-thing kind of person

Mars Conjunct Uranus

Very short-tempered but his temper falls down as soon as it rises up. You will never know when he would go off into a rage. He is extremely unpredictable, you will keep guessing but never know what he would do next. He is very progressive sexually and probably isn't quite okay with homophobia and racism on a sexual level.

At the same time, he tends to very erratic when using his energy. His drive to accomplish tasks at hand comes and goes at an unhealthy pace. He could at times experience severe bouts of hypochondria, doing one thing after another and then regressing like a sunflower at twilight.

Sun Conjunct Jupiter

This aspect makes V extremely optimistic, and LUCKY. Just when everybody is down with sorrow, he will light up the atmosphere with his positivity and confidence. Although, this aspect is mostly positive , we do observe some narcissistic tendencies here or even an inflasted sense of self. Overconfidence is more common however.

Pluto Opposite Ascendant/Pluto Conjunct Descendant

When a planet is opposite your ascendent, it is immediately conjunxt your descendant. The descendant is our behaviour is romantic or nonromantic committed relationships and partnerships. The descendant also provides a clue to the kind of partner we are attracted to or what kind of person is attracted to us. His descendant is conjunct Pluto, making him extremely Scorpionic in a one-on-one relationship. He is very controlling, like to know where you are at, what you are doing, manipulative to get what he wants from his business or romantic partners. He is extremely suspicious and its not easy to attain his trust but once you do, he will stand by you come rain and thunder. He is also very jealous and possessive of his romantic partners. He is a Scorpio in relationships or he could attract these kind of partners and relationships. He is the kind that will have your hair cut if some other guy compliments your hairstyle.😲 There is also the possibility of attracting dangerous and violent partners that want to control him, he could attract stalkers, obsessed people and/or criminals

Next time, we will be looking on to the other aspects .

Till then. ZoSo~♤

New on Sports Illustrated: MAQB: Rookies Are Way Behind on Signing; Justyn Ross's Surgery Is Big NFL News; More

An inability to get physicals means many NFL rookies haven't signed contracts or been paid a dime. Plus, Justyn Ross's injury is not just a Clemson story but a major 2021 draft story.

With more important matters ongoing in our world, here’s some football for you guys …

• Want a motivator for teams to get some players back in before the end of June? A lot of rookies still haven’t gotten paid a dime yet, for obvious reasons relating to their inability to take physicals. Only guys who are close enough to team doctors to go in or with teams willing to do third-party physicals are signed, and that has the number of rookie deals way down. By the end of May last year, 204 of 254 draft picks (80.3%) were signed, including 20 of 32 first-round picks. This year? As of June 1, just 51 of 255 draft picks (an even 20%) are signed, with only two of 32 first-rounders (Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa and Panthers DT Derrick Brown) inked. Even many undrafted free agents who agreed to terms back in April haven’t actually signed yet. And so there is a reason for teams and players to find a way to get rookies in at some point over the last two weeks of June. The idea of teams getting some players back before the end of the offseason program has been discussed for weeks, in part to allow teams to start testing their protocols and create a sort of soft opening so it’s not just an opening-of-the-floodgates in July. Maybe that is put into action with rookies coming in first.

• Another group of rookies that’s hurt—the tryout guys. Normally, those guys would get their shot by filling out rosters for rookie minicamps, but the uncertainty over what form those will take puts those guys in peril. Not too many tryout guys make it, but there have been some pretty incredible success stories, like Adam Thielen and Malcolm Butler.

• The news that Clemson WR Justyn Ross will have surgery after learning, via a spring injury, that he has a congenital fusion, isn’t just big college football news. It’s big NFL news too. The 6' 4", 205-pound 20-year-old was one of the heroes of the national title game in January 2019, and he had 112 catches for 1,865 yards and 17 touchdowns through two collegiate seasons. Going into his junior year, he was widely considered by NFL folks as a better prospect than his old running mate Tee Higgins, who was drafted 33rd overall by the Bengals in April, and a potential top 15 pick. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney told reporters on Monday that he’s hopeful that Ross will get healthy and have a decision to make on declaring for the pros in seven months, but there’s no guarantee of anything (even that he’ll play again) at this point. It’s hard not to feel for Ross, who was so close to making a fortune in the pros. I touched base with a few evaluators on Monday that hadn’t studied him yet, but mentioned him as a guy who was impossible to miss when studying other guys. “Every bit as good as Higgins (already), probably, with a higher ceiling,” said one college scouting director. “Would’ve been a first-rounder.”

• For what it’s worth, while we’re there, next year’s receiver class may actually be better at the top (though not as deep overall) than this year’s historic group was. LSU’s JaMarr Chase, and Alabama’s Jaylen Waddle and Devonta Smith enter the season with a shot to be top 15-20 picks. Ross would’ve been battling those three for position in the fall.

• Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer allowing for pro sports teams in the state to practice is a big deal for the NFL—because Michigan has been one of the more restrictive states throughout (Whitmer has flat out said they won’t be packing fans into stadiums in the fall)—but there’s also a flip side there, and that’s the cap on people allowed under the order and the requirements on social distancing. Both would make it tough for a football team to function, given the nature of sport and number of people it takes to run even a practice. Again, the clock’s ticking. June 26 is the end of the window for players to come in as part of the offseason program.

• While we’re there, keep an eye on the NHL’s daily testing protocol, and how that gets set up. It’ll be more complicated for NFL teams to have the capacity to pull that off, given that they’ll each be bringing 90 players and around 20 coaches to training camp.

• Vic Tafur of The Athletic wrote a nice story the other day on Raiders WR Clelin Ferrell, and in there was the news that Ferrell has bulked up, from 262 pounds to 275 pounds. And that underscores the fact that Year 1 to Year 2 is when a lot of guys make their biggest gains as pros (it’s something Bill Belichick says routinely every year). The obvious piece of that is that players simply get their footing in the NFL. Less obvious is this: Going through the grind from a final college season, to combine prep, to pro days, to private workouts and travel for visits, to rookie minicamps, to OTAs and veteran minicamps, to training camp, to finally reaching that actual first season … is a grind. Simply having the chance to reset and focus on areas to improve on is valuable. Guys like Ferrell certainly have gotten that this offseason, amid weird circumstances.

• Throw Redskins WR Terry McLaurin in that group, too. He’s stayed local this offseason in D.C., which has allowed him to get work in with Dwayne Haskins (fellow sophomore WR Kelvin Harmon has been in that group, too) the last couple months. Which is one reason why Ron Rivera spoke so highly of him the other day.

• I did want to make sure I got this, from Falcons president and competition committee chair Rich McKay, out there: I asked him if he was impressed with all the work the coaches have done on the SkyJudge concept (which we detailed last week), and he couldn’t answer that question fast enough. “I’m always impressed by it,” McKay said. “Listen, the coaches have always, forever been very involved in the rules process. What I’ve been impressed with in this one is how they’ve been passionate, committed and yet rational about the steps necessary to do it. That’s what I’ve been impressed by. To me, you just can’t just throw the two words out, Sky Judge. You gotta define what you mean by it. The idea that the official sitting up there, call him an official, whatever want to call that individual, could have a bigger impact on game and help us with officiating makes perfect sense. The way in which that’s going to be done and executed is really going to take some time. And to me, it’s required to be baby steps as we try to get that right.” The coaches, in their work, acknowledged that, which is why the league is going forward with the preseason test. (We got more on all that in the Monday morning column, if you’re interested.)

• And given where we are as a country, we’ll leave you with Colts coach Frank Reich’s comments from this morning, which were well-delivered on a call with the local media in Indy: “Injustice, few things, few things stir the human heart and soul like injustice. When we see it, feel it, experience it, it’s heart wrenching. It’s not enough for a person who looks like me to say, ‘I’m not racist.’ This kind of talk and thinking, it typically lends itself to a posture of neutrality, indifference, and passivity. It’s easy to be silent and do nothing, when it doesn’t directly impact you. This attitude simply doesn’t evoke any conviction about doing what is right, and standing up for the inherent dignity and rights of all people, no matter the color of their skin. I stand firmly behind the Colts statement, and in particular, the phrase that says, ‘We abhor racism.’ Racism is vile, deplorable, detestable. There’s no form of it that is acceptable, and in no way can it be justified. Our black community has bore the brunt of this injustice far too long. I believe that I—we—all have a personal responsibility to speak up, and to act in ways that build each other up, not tear each other down. I believe each one of us can make a difference if we’re willing to grow personally and display the courage necessary for us to take steps of progress in this most important of issues. Just wanted to, just felt compelled to make a statement I’ve spent some time writing and just wanted to share personally. I know we issued an organizational statement, but spent some time thinking and writing a statement that would reflect my own personal views. And just cannot be silent. Want to be proactive and so want to do my part and feel responsible.”

• Question or comment? Email us.

June 02, 2020 at 05:23AM MAQB: Rookies Are Way Behind on Signing; Justyn Ross's Surgery Is Big NFL News; More from Blogger https://ift.tt/3cr6ocR

The Black Gate: Making Britannia Great Again

This is taken out of context, but it amuses me to pretend it happened right after I said. “Hello, Lord British! It’s good to see you again!”

           I thought I remembered that The Black Gate’s plot leads you around Britannia on a leash, and for the purposes of my second session, I was willing to follow. For role-playing reasons alone, I wanted to see Lord British as soon as possible and get his take on recent events. All the clues from the murder in Trinsic also pointed in that direction, including the fact that there was a similar murder there a few years ago and that the Trinsic murderers–a gargoyle and a man with a hook for a hand–had likely escaped on The Crown Jewel, bound for Britain.

              It’s a little unnerving that the Guardian approves of my choice of route.

             A few years ago, I tried to calculate the “real world” size of Ultima IV. I came up with figures ranging from 4 square miles (if you go with 10 feet per square, which made sense in relation to houses and furniture) to around 75 square miles (if you go by in-game travel time) to 144 square miles (if you go by the practical average size of landscape features). Even at its most generous, Britannia is the size of a large town or a small county. That is (somewhat disappointingly) felt more keenly in this game, where the developers significantly expanded the ground size of the cities but not the size of the world. The Serpent Mountains are now basically the rear wall of Lord British’s castle, with no open plain between the two. Paws is a twist in the road up from Trinsic, and Britain continues immediately from Paws. All of this to say is that “a ship bound from Trinsic to Britain” is more than a little silly since the entirety of the ocean is about the size of a municipal reservoir, and the distance from the dock of Trinsic to the dock at Britain is maybe a dozen boat lengths. You could walk it before the ship’s crew had a chance to finish hoisting the sails.

          As I said, the village of Paws is a twist in the road north of Trinsic, and there’s something at that twist in the road: a theater where three characters named Paul, Meryl, and Dustin perform a “passion play” about the Fellowship. We paid to see it. I was a bunch of melodramatic nonsense about how a man loses his wife but rises out of his despair through the inner strength he finds through the Fellowship. He pledges half his wealth to the Fellowship and somehow receives a bundle of gold in return, at which point he declares:

The voice came to me in a dream

‘Twas mine ‘inner’ voice so fair

I now have a companion and provider

And a master about whom I care.

          Are you fourteen or four?

         If you’d been paying attention, you’d note that the terms “companion,” “provider,” and “master” are what the Guardian calls himself during the game’s introduction, but in case you weren’t paying attention, the game calls attention to it for you:

             Why not just provide a flashback while you’re at it?

          So only a few hours into the game, not only is it clear that the Fellowship is rotten, but that there’s some connection between them and the Guardian whose face keeps taunting you. Maybe that’s okay, but I’m not sure that for storytelling reasons it was a good idea to show that many cards that quickly.

           It’s called “intelligence-gathering,” Iolo. Look it up.

          If the Fellowship’s basic corruption isn’t already obvious to the player, it becomes more so in Paws, where the organization runs a homeless shelter but only lets you stay there if you join. A couple of proud beggars panhandle in the north of town and refuse to join the Fellowship, speaking contemptuously of a fellow beggar who did the opposite and now recruits for them. One of the beggars is on crutches and the other has no legs below the knees

                I guess magical healing doesn’t restore limbs.

          (The beggar on crutches is either a peeping tom or the programmers didn’t bother to restrict the opening-the-shutters-on-a-sunny-day animation to NPCs who actually own the structure in question.)

             Pervert.

          The shelter is run by a married couple, Feridwyn and Brita. They’re skeptical that I’m the Avatar. Other than Merrick, the beggar, there’s a widow named Alina staying there with her baby. Her husband, Weston, has recently been jailed in Britain for “stealing fruit from the Royal Orchards”–based on the testimony of a Fellowship member. She’s hung up on the irony of being forced to join the organization that ratted on her husband, but I’m wondering how stealing fruit from the Royal Orchards could possibly be a crime, let alone one that carries a prison sentence. One more thing to talk to Lord British about.

        Back in Trinsic, I had found some scroll from the “Britannian Purity League” demanding that someone “Keep Britannia clean — send the gargoyles back!” I had suspected that there might be a connection with the Fellowship. Feridwyn and Brita had the same scroll prominently on a table in the shelter, right next to the Book of the Fellowship. I guess that removes all doubt. It’s just weird to see an organization striving for legitimacy so open about their racism.

            Send them back where? Isn’t the other side of the world gone?

         Feridwyn and Brita have a son named Garritt. They insist he’s a master of the pan pipes and will one day study at the conservatory in Britain. The only other child in town is a boy named Tobias whose mother, Camile, runs a farm. The two don’t like each other but are forced to hang out sometimes because of their age. Tobias hates the Fellowship. Feridwyn and Brita judge Camile for being a single mother. They hope that the behavior of their perfect son rubs off on Tobias.

            The social commentary in this game is 30 years old but, depressingly, not out-of-date.

                        Camile was delighted when she saw me in the inn. She somehow recognized me immediately.

         How?!

          The source of her delight soon became apparent:

          If George Washington ever steps out of a portal in my yard, I’m going to ask if he wouldn’t mind cutting down some trees before he moves on.

             In 200 years, the legend of the Man from Another World who shows up to Do Menial Errands and Solve Small Problems has clearly grown strong.

             Meanwhile, the butcher, Morfin, is reporting that someone has recently stolen a quantity of serpent venom from him–serpent venom being an extract from silver serpents, a creature that has only appeared in one previous Ultima game, Exodus, where it was unique. According to Morfin, serpent venom causes increases in strength, endurance, and euphoria, skin necrosis after repetitive use, and fatality at high doses. The government is close to regulating sales of it. Morfin coyly reports that he “keeps a small stock” of it and occasionally sells it to “the apothecary in Britannia.” (I assume he means “Britain.”) The owner of the abattoir, Andrew, tells me that Morfin hides a key in his shop. I spend some time moving things around before I find it under a plant. It opens not the locked door in his shop but a chest in his home, where I find some gold but refuse to take it.

        I identify a key under a plant.

           But I do find a key in his house that opens the door in his shop. It opens a door to a small room with an unlocked chest. Here, I find several vials of silver serpent venom, five gold bars (indicating he’s been making a lot from his side-business), and a ledger showing dozens of sales over the last year–clearly not just a “small supply” going to some apothecary. When I confront him with the ledger, he confesses that he sells the venom to the Britannian Mining Company, which uses it to make gargoyles work longer hours.

         Pro-tip: Any time you argue that what you’re doing isn’t “technically” against the law, you’ve already lost the argument.

          Anyway, you’ve probably already solved the mystery from what I’ve told you. Feridwyn and Brita are quick to blame Tobias–a blame that grows stronger when a vial of venom is found among Tobias’s things. But Tobias says that Garritt was hanging around his place, supposedly “looking for a ball,” and indeed I soon find a vial of venom among Garrit’s belongings. Moreover, Garritt soon displays symptoms of using the venom. This revelation causes Feridwyn and Brita to realize their own arrogance and selfishness and to re-dedicate their lives to . . . Sorry, I can’t even finish.

                       Paws has a few other things going on. The register at the only inn in town, the Salty Dog, shows that someone calling himself “The Avatar” has been there recently, as has Dupre. I buy some bread there for my party members’ bottomless maws. The innkeeper, Polly, is the object of affection of the miller, Thurston, and I get the two crazy kids together after a couple of dialogue back-and-forths. Both refuse to join the Fellowship for their own reasons, which is as close to anything as a virtue test in this game.

        The miller confesses his unrequited love to a complete stranger.

           There’s an antique dealer in town who sells a sextant for 20 gold pieces, a lot less than the guy in Trinsic wanted. When you use the sextant, it tells you your coordinates. But when you use the map while in possession of a sextant, it shows your position in the game world.

           If only this could be called up with a single keypress.

              I realized with a start that I’d lingered in Paws too long. An obviously-evil organization with a connection to an extra-dimensional demon is gaining power; the gargoyles, whose home we accidentally destroyed, are being exploited and denigrated; there’s a booming drug trade; a serial murderer is at work; we just had an ominous earthquake; people are being jailed for stealing fruit; maimed farmers are begging in the streets; and someone said she’s not even sure that the shrines are around anymore. Surely, Lord British must have something to say about all of this. It was time to head to the castle and get an explanation.          

Face-palm.

          Okay, I’m guilty of a little selective screenshotting here. In truth, Lord British seems to realize–      

You’re not helping.

              No, seriously. When pressed a little bit, Lord British admits that–         

I think I’d advise you to take the Fifth from now on.

         I really am somewhat kidding but, as we’ll soon see, not entirely. The way Lord British is written in both VI and VII is curious. The character has never had a lot of depth, but for many games that was largely due to a sparseness of dialogue inherent in the limitations of the game engines. Here, as in Ultima VI, he has a lot of dialogue, just hardly any that conveys any of the things that we are repeatedly told about Lord British in the game materials. He shows little wisdom, little nobility. He seems bored, unengaged, uninterested. And of course he’s just wrong about many things, including the Fellowship and its founder:           

Really?!

             It’s not like Batlin has been particularly crafty, either. Lord British just isn’t paying attention. Now I’m all for having complex NPCs with flaws, and perhaps it is time to introduce some complexity into the tired trope that TVTropes calls “The Good King.” It just still seems a bit weird that the owner of the company allowed his avatar to be treated this particular way. I’m trying to imagine the meeting at which this dialogue played out:          

Developers: “We think Lord British needs some flaws to balance out his wisdom and nobility.”       Garriott (thinks for a moment): “Make him well-meaning but wrong about everything.”       Developers (nodding): “That’s good.”       Garriott (catching a glimpse of one of the custodians bending over to empty the trash): “Also, maybe he’s boning the domestic help?”       Developers: “Ooh, even better.”       Garriott: “Also, make sure you really put the screws to Electronic Arts again. It’s not like we’re about to sell them the company.”        Everyone: [roars laughter]

         I’ll cover my full dialogue with Lord British (as well as his nighttime proclivities) next time. For now, a few notes about the small things that the developers programmed into the game:

        Double-clicking on a sundial gives you the current time. 

              Not very precise, but still . . .

         Clouds pass overhead and temporarily darken what you can see on the ground. 

You have to be careful walking through or near swamps. The very second your character strays into the swampy terrain, he gets poisoned and glows green. I assume swamp boots prevent this condition.

         A cloud passes overhead, rain falls, the swamp burbles.

          If you double-click on a chair, the Avatar sits there while the entire party tries to find seating nearby. Sometimes it produces comical arrangements.

        Wow, they are really mad that I made them watch that play.

             Double-clicking on a cow causes all the party members to yell, “Moo!” at it. This reminds me of how every time we drive by a field of cows, I’m compelled to roll down the window and yell “Moo!”

           Irene, meanwhile, is compelled to say, “Chet, can we please not this one ti—“

            According to the ledger in Morfin’s shop, the current Britannian year is 360. I can’t remember if specific numbered years have ever come up before. I assume the numbering is from the re-creation of Sosaria into Britannia between Ultima III and IV.

The members of the Fellowship all use the exact same words to describe the organization and its philosophy. At first, I thought this was lazy re-use of dialogue, but now I’m thinking that it’s deliberately meant to suggest that they’re just parroting what they’ve been told.

      It’s not many games that allow you to get 2,500 words out of a couple of hours of walking and dialogue. I’m three entries into The Black Gate, and I’ve still yet to fight a single combat, level up, or do anything that you would expect from an RPG. And yet, the developers have managed to create an intense urgency upon the part of the player to get out there and fix this place. This desire is particularly acute to a repeat visitor–someone who is making the trip to Britannia for the fourth time. I imagine that players who came to the world for the first time in Ultima VII didn’t feel that same angst. They might have enjoyed the game for its plot and mechanics, but lacked the sense that a place they loved was in serious danger.        Well, one thing at a time. Today, the Mystery of the Stolen Venom. Tomorrow, the world.          Time so far: 5 hours

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/the-black-gate-making-britannia-great-again/

The Ravens got me thinking ... if the royal family were NFL teams, which teams would they be?

All the major British royals matched up with their most similar football teams.

The Baltimore Ravens tweeted out a very weird and slightly disturbing picture of Queen Elizabeth II with the team logo painted on her face this week. While the tweet from Tuesday night aimed to get fans excited for the Ravens game this weekend in London, it backfired and was quickly deleted.

I hate to break it to the Ravens and their social media strategists, but the queen isn’t really a match for the Ravens. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a British royal out there ready to be adorned in purple.

To show that Baltimore just poorly executed a good idea, I decided to match members of the monarchy with the NFL teams that best fits their statures and personas.

There are only two parameters I gave myself:

The NFL teams must have traveled across the Atlantic to actually play a London game.

The British royals included are only the most prominent members of the extended family, otherwise this list would have taken forever.

So, you won’t find out below why Autumn Phillips is a good fit for, say, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Prince Edward, Earl of Wessex makes for a solid Chargers comparison. But, I will gladly converse with you elsewhere on those choices because I have thoughts.

Queen Elizabeth II: Cowboys

Dear old Liz has been rumored to be a fan of both West Ham and Arsenal in recent years, and both of them match up with the Cowboys. Their peak periods of success are in the past at this point, whether two decades gone by or twice that, and all of these teams are hoping for a resurgence with varied results.

The Queen’s preferred soccer teams aren’t the only things that match up with the Cowboys; she does too. Like “America’s Team,” QEII is beloved by many, with steadfast support despite any missteps, bad PR, or mismanagement over the years. She and Dallas have significant detractors, though, because not even the most valuable football team or the figurehead leader of the UK can win everybody over.

Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh: Washington’s Football Team

This one was easy, because of all the racism. So much racism.

Washington’s Football Team has a more malicious brand at this point, but there are enough racist statements over the years from both parties that they’re two peas in a pod in that respect.

Charles, The Prince of Wales: Browns

Despite waiting forever to do so, neither Prince Charles nor the Cleveland Browns has ever ascended to their respective peaks — whether that’s sitting on the throne or winning a Super Bowl.

Despite never being at the top, both Charles and the Browns have a small set of dedicated fans who hope they will, with plenty of people being totally fine if that never comes to fruition.

Camilla, The Duchess of Cornwall: Saints

Camilla had a truly rough stretch where nobody wanted to be associated with her and she just couldn’t get a win no matter what. Sound similar to New Orleans’ longtime plight with their fans? They’ve both had their share of scandals too!

Then, finally, things turned around for the most part — she finally married Charles and the Saints finally won a Super Bowl.

That doesn’t mean things have been smooth sailing since then. The Saints are struggling again and public sentiment for Camz is still not stellar. But compared to how things used to be? Goodness, this is above and beyond better than years ago.

Anne, The Princess Royal: Jets

As the internet’s own Fug Girls have pointed out many a time, Princess Anne constantly looks like she’s solving mysteries and unearthing shenanigans. As any NFL fan will remember, the Jets be snitchin’.

Anne and the Jets both had great stretches in the 70s too, even though Anne has held up far better than whatever the Jets are doing these days.

William, The Duke of Cambridge: Colts

For the past 20 years or so, both William and the Colts have had things relatively easy. The Colts had Peyton Manning as their quarterback and then completely tripped into getting Andrew Luck right after him. Wills is the heir to the throne, and one that everybody can’t wait to have as a leader which is more than his father can say right now.

Could they both be doing more, in the public’s opinion? Oh, sure. But overall things have been free and easy compared to those around them who deal with more constant troubles and accusations.

Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge: Patriots

Kate Middleton would have been just fine in life if she never married into the royal family. She came from an upper-middle class family that was, and is, successful enough to live well and have the finer things.

Similarly, the Pats were decent and had fair support in the seasons before Brady and Belichick came along, and it’s fair to say that the New England fan base didn’t absolutely require five Super Bowls to be happy with their team. Some moderate success and maybe one big win would have probably been just fine.

But both, in a matter of years, suddenly had all the success in the world and more — with few people having seen the Patriots becoming a juggernaut like this or Prince William marrying Kate. Fans of Kate and the Pats are fervent, intense, and like to live vicariously through them (whether it’s via clothing choices or wins on Sunday).

That hasn’t stopped controversy from bubbling up or name calling (i.e. the Wisteria Sisters, Spygate/Deflategate) from swirling, but they’re both still on the top of the world so how much are those types of things even affecting them at this point?

Even more, they both look great in navy blue.

Prince Harry of Wales: Bengals

Both prominently feature an orange color scheme. While they are more or less harmless on balance, they’ve certainly both had their controversial moments over the years. Whether that involves ill-advised draft picks or Nazi uniforms. On top of that, there’s constant talk lately of who their long-term partner will be.

They’ve also both had some nudity unexpectedly caught on camera.

Prince George of Cambridge: Giants

Well, he was born into a family of success and has a really pouty face sometimes. Will make the Hall of Fame/become king one day pretty much in spite of anything he does to indicate that shouldn’t happen.

Also known for throwing tantrums in public if he’s sleepy, like a certain Giants wide receiver we all know.

Princess Charlotte of Cambridge: Texans

The newest addition to the royal family, and the newest addition to the league. Neither has done much of consequence yet, but the expectation is that they will eventually make their mark.

And neither will be the latest arrival for long.

Vogue: What It’s Like to Be Black and British in Trump’s America

"Vogue Magazine's" Fashion News Editor, Chioma Nnadi takes on the cross-intersectionality of being Black and British under a Trump Presidency. 

It was the weekend after the presidential election, and what had to so many felt unthinkable had actually happened—bolstered by waves of misogynist and isolationist rhetoric, Donald Trump had actually won. After the initial rush of protest rallies, the atmosphere throughout New York City was somber. A friend had invited a small group of similarly downtrodden souls for dinner at his partner’s apartment on the Upper East Side, aiming to lift our spirits. “Creative solidarity is essential for the most urgent matter,” read the email. “Looking forward to seeing. Supper at 6:00 p.m.” The idea of commiserating over wine and home-cooked food seemed particularly soothing. It was an unseasonably warm Sunday evening, and so I made a pit stop at the Met Breuer on my way from Brooklyn before I continued walking uptown, buoyed by the mood-brightening effects of Kerry James Marshall’s paintings. Against the stark white walls of the museum, his colorful, noble scenes of black American life had an optimism that was thoroughly uplifting and felt universal, one that seemed to suggest to me that the future might not be so bleak after all.

That positive thinking came to an abrupt end some 20 blocks north, when I arrived at my friend’s building and was pointed in an unfamiliar direction, away from the wood-paneled elevator banks, toward a small door at the opposite end of the lobby. Moments later, I found myself in the bowels of the building, not my friend’s warm, comforting apartment. It took a few minutes for me to realize that instead of directing me to the dinner party on the ninth floor, the doorman had sent me to the service entrance. I looked down at my clothes under the flickering florescent lights—plaid Junya Watanabe jacket, fire-engine red leather boots, and turquoise statement earrings—kooky art dealer, maybe—but delivery person? And then, of course, it dawned on me: It was because of the color of my skin.

I am lucky. It had been a long time since I’d experienced discrimination on such a rudimentary level in New York, though, of course, this minor incident paled in comparison to the grim hate crimes and police shootings that have been making headlines lately. Ultimately, it was further confirmation of what I already knew: that the bubble on our so-called post-racial society had burst long ago. Trump wasn’t even the needle that popped it—he was the grim residue.

Granted, as a black British woman, I am in some ways already at a distance from the complicated racial politics of this country. Though I have a deep connection with and admiration for the African-American experience, I can’t claim to know all of its complexities firsthand. I recently heard comedian Gina Yashere, a black woman who was born and raised in the U.K., jokingly tell the BBC in an interview that her English accent had gotten her out of a lot of trouble in America; that resonated with me. I know that I can change the course of a first impression with my voice, disorientating those with preconceived notions of blackness. My Britishness can offer an escape route from the insidious little boxes that have formed over centuries to stifle African-Americans. I am “other” in a way that is nebulous to some, and so considered to be more exotic than threatening. Throw the fact that I’m also half white into the equation, and my identity becomes even more difficult to contain.

The complexities of being biracial were something I navigated relatively easily as a child. The central London community in which I grew up was like something out of a Zadie Smith novel; the neighbors in our government housing block were all first- or second-generation immigrants like us—Irish, Portuguese, Ghanaian, Jamaican, Indian; most of the kids at my public elementary school were Bengali, and so we celebrated Muslim holidays like Eid along with Christmas and Easter in class. My parents encouraged me and my brothers to see our mixed heritage as a blessing, and made sure we socialized with other black and brown kids; my two best friends in the neighborhood were both mixed—one of Dutch and Nigerian origins, the other with Greek Cypriot and Barbadian roots.

It was only when we stepped outside of that working-class, multicultural safe zone that things got weird, like the time my older brother was chased by skinheads on his way back from a soccer game in the East End. London in the late ’80s wasn’t always a friendly place, but then neither was Continental Europe. I remember traveling to see my Swiss grandparents with my mother and younger brother, and the stares we got there were like nothing I’d ever known. Few could believe that our mother was really our mother, assuming that we’d been rescued from an orphanage in some faraway land by this dark-haired white lady. And when we said we were from London, the next question was always the inevitable: “But where are you really from?” We were welcomed with open arms in Nigeria, my father’s homeland, though still as something of a space oddity, especially in rural parts of the country. I remember one woman at the local village market running up to me with a huge smile on her face, excited to tell me that I was the first white person she’d ever seen: in her mind, all Westerners were essentially one and the same, regardless of color.

It’s perhaps why I’ve sought out safe zones of a similar kind to those of my childhood as an adult. Moving to Bed-Stuy in Brooklyn—what had been pitched to me as “the Brixton of New York” 14 years ago—was somewhat of a survivalist move on my part. Sure, it helped that the rooms for rent were then within my modest price range as a young writer working at a downtown magazine, but beyond the practicalities, this was a place that felt like home. It was comforting to hear both church bells and the prayer song of the local mosque on my morning coffee run; my favorite Senegalese hair-braiding spot downtown was only a short bus ride away; and whether I was in the mood for jollof rice or jerk chicken, I could satisfy my craving within a matter of blocks.

While gentrification has displaced some of my favorite spots, the most imminent threat to diverse, vibrant neighborhoods like mine are the racism and bigotry that has drifted this way in the past year. When I once openly envied the Americans who’d been lucky enough to have Barack Obama for a president, the outcome of the last election had me instinctively reaching for my European passport and plotting an escape. That said, returning to the U.K., and Brexit, a referendum that has exposed all kinds of a xenophobic fault lines in British society, wasn’t exactly a welcoming thought; outside of London, the very idea of England as my motherland never had much meaning to me anyway.

Those initial feelings of panic and despair have dissipated for the most part in the three months since, and deepened into a new resolve. Now more than ever, I’m determined to stake my claim here, to deepen the roots I’ve already planted. Some might call me naive for clinging to the old New York clichés—the place where you can be whoever you want to be, where everything is possible, and all weirdos great and small are encouraged to let their freak flag fly—but shouldn’t we all have our own set of keys to this city?

It’s a thought that crossed my mind when I found myself at a friend’s holiday party uptown a few weeks ago, at the same Upper East Side address I’d visited back in November. This time around the doorman on duty rushed over to welcome me with cheery salutations as I hovered nervously in the lobby, barely giving me a chance to name-check the host before he ushered me toward the elevators I’d been denied before. It was somehow strangely empowering to know that I’d been given access to both the basement and the upper floors of the building, two totally different strata. Being temporarily locked out of one was jarring, but it hadn’t taken away from the sense of belonging I felt in New York as a whole. Nor should it deter the young dream-chasers of every color and creed who come here from all corners of the world. This city—this country—would be incomplete without them.