“I’m in this photo and I don’t like it.”

HBO’s Carnivale felt like it was literally written for me. The period, it’s view of magic, the writing, the acting. The opening speech gave me chills:

“And so it was until the day that a false sun exploded over Trinity, and man forever traded away wonder for reason…”

Shame we never saw the end.

“Someone believes God exists because a book tells them he does; they believe the book is true because lots of people have told them that it’s the word of God. Plus they like what the book says—that’s the most important thing. If they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t believe it.” - Thomas Ligotti

Six pence none the richer? In this economy?

I love LeGuin. Reading her is the intellectual and psychological equivalent of touching grass: centering, grounding, and something one should probably do at least once a week.

The irony is that, some 45+ hours on, FFXVI might be my favorite in the series since XII. Gameplay- and story-wise it’s solid “What if Gams of Thrones but FF?” with all the good and bad that entails. Love how grounded it is even as insane stuff is going on. It’s just the opening hours were terrible…

Finally got around to playing Final Fantasy 16. Its opening is everything wrong with video games. If we use “what the player does” as judgement of what’s actually happening — as Jordan Mechner does — it’s 20 minutes of barely interactive cutscenes, hallway walking and watching characters…

I LOVED this game and am sad I can’t play it because the light gun requires a CRT.

Triage from Slouching Towards Bedlam was inspired by the floating black box in the anime opening scene which follows the figure reading/experiencing the game’s events via the magical reading of ancient runes.

“We would rather be ruined than changed / We would rather die in our dread / Than climb the cross of the moment / And let our illusions die.”

- WH Auden, The Age of Anxiety: A Baroque Eclogue

I find it fascinating what one can get away with once one is An Established Writer. I’m 10% into a new (enjoyable!) work by one such and it commits a sin the first draft of The Duchess of the Shallows did: a long sequence of the main character marinating in the atmosphere. No sign of an inciting…

BODIES was everything DARK should have been,managed in only eight episodes. It didn’t collapse under the weight of its own purposeful obfuscation or pretentiousness. A- show. Not perfect, some contrived situations/characters required to get it to the end point, but all in all I rather enjoyed it. :)

A 1983 ad for Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin, a dungeon crawling RPG for the Intellivision by APh Technological Consulting

The text warned players that "These dungeons are going to give you the creeps. Getting rid of them is your problem."

I remember being so angry after finishing The Last Battle. I'd read them on my own and rather enjoyed them, but surprisingly given I was the curious, questioning member of a Catholic family, I'd never seen the religious metaphor until the end. I recall saying something like "You mean he's JESUS?!"