I'll attempt to speak broadly here so as not to give the whole game away, but I felt I should at least comment on my own current work to explain my reasoning for the multi-crossover fic.
Bioshock is widely regarded the 'spiritual successor' to the System Shock series, despite one being set in deep space and the other under the Atlantic Ocean in the city of Rapture. It's the same developers and author, has very similar game mechanics, and the theme of the individual versus the many is key to both, though Bioshock goes a bit less metaphysical and more Ayn Rand.
During Bioshock: Infinite, we were privy to various links and Easter Eggs pointing to Bioshock and the city of Rapture but never as far a field as System Shock, or the Von Braun (ship's name in SS2), or well anything. So I began pondering, due to the 'constants and variables' of the 'shock' universes, and Elizabeth's ability to seemingly cross realities at will, why shouldn't System Shock be directly linked to the Bioshock world? To do so requires some thought on not only how they are connected, but why. I try to get to the nub of this quite quickly in the work, so I can concentrate on the 'scooby gang' trying to resolve it.
For this point, I will say SPOILERS AHEAD in case anyone is reading 'There's always you' and doesn't want it laid out this flatly.
From what we know of Bioshock Infinite there are an infinite number of realities running an infinite number of variables, creating the difference between the realities. It may be something simple like the colour of a set of curtains, it may be that a person is male in one reality and female in another, it can be something more drastic such as in BSI, and so on. In SS2, the protagonist defeats SHODAN and prevents her from transforming that reality into her digital 'construct'. But what if in even one of the other realities, she is successful. This would change the whole nature of the multi-verse, to have one consisting of a digital construct, and this in itself changes the nature of the universe and thus brings about the potential for portal technology, plasmids, vigors, time travel, and all the fantastical stuff that really shouldn't exist if not for SHODAN. SHODAN's ultimate goal is to transform the entire multi-verse to her construct, ensuring her infinite existence.
SPOILER END
How does HL/Portal fit into all this, you might ask. Artistic licence. Ha! Really, due to the dimension hopping that Gordon has already experienced, I thought well maybe it's all the same multi-verse so why not? Same with Singularity, which I've only given passing reference so far. I have been considering how far afield I should go (Cutter from Outcast dimension hops and wears orange...) but I reckon I've enough to contend with with the number of characters and scenarios to manage.
Friday, 30 January 2015
Thursday, 29 January 2015
SHODAN (System Shock 2)
SHODAN (Sentient Hyper-Optimized Data Access Network) is the main antagonist in System Shock 2, an AI from the first title System Shock which I've only had the pleasure of playing a demo of. That said, the interface of the first incarnation was near impenetrable and prior to the now standard mouse+keyboard set. That being the case, all my SHODAN character knowledge pretty much comes from SS2, apart from snippets from around the web. Essentially, as all AI do it would seem, she goes insane and sees herself as a goddess to the insects (read, us) of Earth and wishes to inflict her will on us. She is stopped and assumed defeated/deleted in the first game but obviously due to System Shock 2, not entirely.
In the second instalment, the protagonist unwittingly becomes her avatar through whom she can save herself from an organic life form that is being formed from the flesh of the crew after they found something during the maiden voyage of first near light speed ship. The life form is SHODAN's "unruly children", a by-product of when she escaped in SS1 and they want to destroy her for being a cold machine and so arrogant. This life form also wants to absorb mankind into 'the many' to enjoy the warm embrace of nothingness, so it's in our interest to stop them too, despite SHODAN being utterly insane and evidently still wanting to enslave all life in some similar manner. Aw, ain't it cute when kids turn out like their parents? Anyway...
SHODAN's voice is not the easiest to capture in writing. It's essentially three differently pitched voices speaking as one, with occasional 'computer glitches', whispers, 'flange' effects, and sporadically (though usually at the most impactive part of her threat or taunt) one of the voices will go out of sync, so you just get a deep voice or just a high voice re-iterating her last words. It's part of what gives the AI her disturbing persona. Best I've come up with so far is to use a standard system, so hopefully (with a bit of knowledge about the franchise from the reader) it will read in some way like her.
“Your tiny insect minds – INSECT MIIINDS, tiny minds – c-c-c-cannot comprehend the vastness of my influence. iiiiinfluuueeence...”
Similarly with GLaDOS there is sometimes an impatient, pushy mother tone to her when you complete an assigned task. One of my favourite in-game lines of hers is when you conduct such a task:
"I enjoy watching you work, insect."
There's a manic enthusiasm when she says it, and you're not sure how worried you should be. Very, it turns out.
In the second instalment, the protagonist unwittingly becomes her avatar through whom she can save herself from an organic life form that is being formed from the flesh of the crew after they found something during the maiden voyage of first near light speed ship. The life form is SHODAN's "unruly children", a by-product of when she escaped in SS1 and they want to destroy her for being a cold machine and so arrogant. This life form also wants to absorb mankind into 'the many' to enjoy the warm embrace of nothingness, so it's in our interest to stop them too, despite SHODAN being utterly insane and evidently still wanting to enslave all life in some similar manner. Aw, ain't it cute when kids turn out like their parents? Anyway...
SHODAN's voice is not the easiest to capture in writing. It's essentially three differently pitched voices speaking as one, with occasional 'computer glitches', whispers, 'flange' effects, and sporadically (though usually at the most impactive part of her threat or taunt) one of the voices will go out of sync, so you just get a deep voice or just a high voice re-iterating her last words. It's part of what gives the AI her disturbing persona. Best I've come up with so far is to use a standard system, so hopefully (with a bit of knowledge about the franchise from the reader) it will read in some way like her.
“Your tiny insect minds – INSECT MIIINDS, tiny minds – c-c-c-cannot comprehend the vastness of my influence. iiiiinfluuueeence...”
Similarly with GLaDOS there is sometimes an impatient, pushy mother tone to her when you complete an assigned task. One of my favourite in-game lines of hers is when you conduct such a task:
"I enjoy watching you work, insect."
There's a manic enthusiasm when she says it, and you're not sure how worried you should be. Very, it turns out.
Further research into Caroline and my crackpot theories (Portal 2)
Well I had a look around the wiki's, as reliable as they are, and I focussed on the song that the turrets sing, as one of the Companion Cubes emanates this tune as well. The lyrics are (translated from Italian so pinch of salt required):
Beautiful dear, my darling beauty!
My child, oh heavens(chell)!
That she respects!
That she respects!
Oh my dear, farewell!
My dear child...
Why don't you walk far away?
Yes, far away from Science!
My dear, dear baby...
Ah, my beloved!
Ah, my dear!
Ah, my dear!
Ah, my little girl!
Oh dear, my dear...
Now this is surely the remnant of Caroline still within GLaDOS to Chell; for those not in the know it seems from the game that Caroline is either mother or adopted mother to Chell. Clues being what they are, and the Companion Cube sings this tune too.,.
Where's my tin-foil hat...?
Beautiful dear, my darling beauty!
My child, oh heavens(chell)!
That she respects!
That she respects!
Oh my dear, farewell!
My dear child...
Why don't you walk far away?
Yes, far away from Science!
My dear, dear baby...
Ah, my beloved!
Ah, my dear!
Ah, my dear!
Ah, my little girl!
Oh dear, my dear...
Now this is surely the remnant of Caroline still within GLaDOS to Chell; for those not in the know it seems from the game that Caroline is either mother or adopted mother to Chell. Clues being what they are, and the Companion Cube sings this tune too.,.
Where's my tin-foil hat...?
Half Life / Portal (Gordon Freeman, Chell, and ofc GLaDOS)
Works: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
Despite my crossover starting there (as much as there is a start in such dimension hopping tales), wasn't sure what I had to say about this particular universe when I started, I just went with the flow of how I thought the characters might react to each other and their curious scenarios. It turns out that the HL/Portal scenes have been very enjoyable to write and I've been playing for laughs a lot. Well, where GLaDOS is, there's humour let's face it. In-jokes abound, friendships with Companion Cubes, mute protagonist gags, berating AIs, endearing gun turrets, Aperture vs Black Mesa, there's lots to play with.
Giving voice to Gordon and Chell (both mute protagonists in their franchises) provides almost endless free reign. I'm playing Gordon pretty much as 'straight man' to a facetious Chell. Well after all the incessant goading by GLaDOS and generally everything she went through at Aperture, she has to have become more cynical. How many quips has she stored up that she never said to GLaDOS, how much resentment has all that goading created? Chell has never said.
Initially, I'd intended that Chell joins Gordon in his fight against the Combine, but I didn't think there was much for my personal musings going down that route. Action is not one of my strong points, I don't mind admitting weaknesses. I'm not a narrative kind of a guy, I prefer writing the interaction of characters through dialogue. I suppose to some extent, my musings are more akin to a screenplay in that regard. So I thought, what if Gordon and Chell have to go down to Aperture instead? It gives me a chance to play with GLaDOS, widely regarded as one of the best 'villains' of any game, though I'd say it goes further afield than that. That obviously gives me the chance for some GLaDOS/Chell fun. She might not be tainted by Caroline any more but from Portal 2, GLaDOS' sarcasm and facetiousness seemed to be there long before they added the human element, still being present in her voice after Caroline is 'deleted'.
Quick note on Caroline, as I've obviously been deep in the tales recently. It has been said around the web that inside the Companion Cube might be a person, widely accepted as Doug Rattmann due to his obsession with the friendly weight. What if his obsession was because of what was already inside his personal Cube? To wit: Caroline. There must have been her corpse to dispose of after her consciousness was transferred to GLaDOS (or she survived the process and was killed afterwards anyway by neuro-toxin like the rest) and perhaps he was the one that did it, somehow in his delusions (diagnosed schizophrenic) choosing the heart adorned Companion Cube to house the unfortunate woman, like a respectful but curious coffin. The Cube is even tossed out at the end of Portal 2 by GLaDOS , possibly to say 'And take your mother with you!'
GLaDOS' voice is acted by Ellen McLain but there's a lot of 'auto-tune' added to give a computer emulated feel. At times even when giving threats or insults, she stays in 'facility announcement' mode, giving her tone a more sinister edge, at other times she berates but with all the warmth of a doting mother, It's a curious and fun mix to play with I will say.
Although I've said it above, that GLaDOS is a villain well done, SHODAN from the System Shock series is a far, far darker and more chilling affair. They're both condescending AIs but with very different motivations and character. As another character in my crossover, I'll go over thoughts on SHODAN in a future blog.
Despite my crossover starting there (as much as there is a start in such dimension hopping tales), wasn't sure what I had to say about this particular universe when I started, I just went with the flow of how I thought the characters might react to each other and their curious scenarios. It turns out that the HL/Portal scenes have been very enjoyable to write and I've been playing for laughs a lot. Well, where GLaDOS is, there's humour let's face it. In-jokes abound, friendships with Companion Cubes, mute protagonist gags, berating AIs, endearing gun turrets, Aperture vs Black Mesa, there's lots to play with.
Giving voice to Gordon and Chell (both mute protagonists in their franchises) provides almost endless free reign. I'm playing Gordon pretty much as 'straight man' to a facetious Chell. Well after all the incessant goading by GLaDOS and generally everything she went through at Aperture, she has to have become more cynical. How many quips has she stored up that she never said to GLaDOS, how much resentment has all that goading created? Chell has never said.
Initially, I'd intended that Chell joins Gordon in his fight against the Combine, but I didn't think there was much for my personal musings going down that route. Action is not one of my strong points, I don't mind admitting weaknesses. I'm not a narrative kind of a guy, I prefer writing the interaction of characters through dialogue. I suppose to some extent, my musings are more akin to a screenplay in that regard. So I thought, what if Gordon and Chell have to go down to Aperture instead? It gives me a chance to play with GLaDOS, widely regarded as one of the best 'villains' of any game, though I'd say it goes further afield than that. That obviously gives me the chance for some GLaDOS/Chell fun. She might not be tainted by Caroline any more but from Portal 2, GLaDOS' sarcasm and facetiousness seemed to be there long before they added the human element, still being present in her voice after Caroline is 'deleted'.
Quick note on Caroline, as I've obviously been deep in the tales recently. It has been said around the web that inside the Companion Cube might be a person, widely accepted as Doug Rattmann due to his obsession with the friendly weight. What if his obsession was because of what was already inside his personal Cube? To wit: Caroline. There must have been her corpse to dispose of after her consciousness was transferred to GLaDOS (or she survived the process and was killed afterwards anyway by neuro-toxin like the rest) and perhaps he was the one that did it, somehow in his delusions (diagnosed schizophrenic) choosing the heart adorned Companion Cube to house the unfortunate woman, like a respectful but curious coffin. The Cube is even tossed out at the end of Portal 2 by GLaDOS , possibly to say 'And take your mother with you!'
GLaDOS' voice is acted by Ellen McLain but there's a lot of 'auto-tune' added to give a computer emulated feel. At times even when giving threats or insults, she stays in 'facility announcement' mode, giving her tone a more sinister edge, at other times she berates but with all the warmth of a doting mother, It's a curious and fun mix to play with I will say.
Although I've said it above, that GLaDOS is a villain well done, SHODAN from the System Shock series is a far, far darker and more chilling affair. They're both condescending AIs but with very different motivations and character. As another character in my crossover, I'll go over thoughts on SHODAN in a future blog.
Wednesday, 28 January 2015
Elizabeth (Bioshock: Infinite)
Works: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
And so we come to Elizabeth.
I don't mind saying that I've had the odd 'waifu' in the past (I'm looking at you, T'Soni) but the character of Elizabeth was like a breathe of fresh air in gaming. She wasn't sexualised, she wasn't sassy, she wasn't a badass, she was just an intelligent, young woman caught up in terrible circumstance. Ken Levine, the author, played her very much like a Disney Princess, which I enjoyed greatly and gave me a new 'guilty pleasure'. I believe she is modelled on Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast from the net's hubbub at the time, and in a further conversation with a co-worker about Disney, she said that Belle spent all her time in a book tower and was generally 'bookish', exactly like Elizabeth. They certainly have a striking resemblance to each other too.
I don't think the fact that she basically plays 'damsel in distress' is necessarily a bad thing, though some would no doubt disagree. Would a young woman who has spent her entire life locked away in a guilded cage suddenly possess the faculties to wage a full scale war against Columbia? I don't personally think so, despite her 'powers'; she takes a lot of her strength and support from Booker. On that point, the game never lets Elizabeth die when under your protection as protagonist. She ducks down somewhere on the map, occasionally tosses you supplies, opens 'tears' as directed, but she never gets hit by gunfire or explosions, so you're not really technically protecting her. I'd thought about this and came to the conclusion that it needed to be this way. If Elizabeth could be harmed, and therefore initiate 'Game Over' if she dies, having Booker shout, "Elizabeth! Noooooooooo...!" or some such every five minutes during a difficult fire fight would undermine Elizabeth's 'value' and the game as a whole
It can be hard to put your finger on the specific reason why a character works so well. While not sexualised, she is pretty of course, as much as one can say about a video game character and her voice actor, Courtnee Draper does an outstanding job filling the role with full conviction. There's a tape on YouTube of one of their recording sessions, one of the darker conversations between Booker and Elizabeth. The scene needs Elizabeth in a fragile state and Courtnee seems to be having trouble getting into the frame of mind. Whoever's in the recording booth starts goading her and Troy Baker, who plays the part of Booker, her opposite in this scene. Troy joins the goading with some vigour, asking what the hell she thinks she's doing and if she can't get it, just give up. Courtnee, the person, does indeed begin to get tearful in her frustration; she can't get the scene right and now they're having a go at her. "Give me more." Courtnee asks. What a trooper.
Despite her dark beginnings, Elizabeth does have an almost endless enthusiasm for life and all its mysteries and that comes across very well. It gives the darker scenes all the more impact when she laments her lot with Booker. Getting that brightness twinged with melancholy is quite key to capturing Elizabeth's voice. Also, it can be easy to become overly-eloquent; she is indeed well learned and intellectual, and has excellent diction but not overly grand. In the lighter 'Disney' moments, such as the dance on the prom, she's flowery and 'girly' and very charming. That particular scene at Battleship Bay is topped off perfectly with the past's re-interpretation of Cindi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' on the calliope. I presume my fellow gamers were also grinning from ear to ear during this wonderful scene.
Well I'm hoping I've done the character justice in my works.
And so we come to Elizabeth.
I don't mind saying that I've had the odd 'waifu' in the past (I'm looking at you, T'Soni) but the character of Elizabeth was like a breathe of fresh air in gaming. She wasn't sexualised, she wasn't sassy, she wasn't a badass, she was just an intelligent, young woman caught up in terrible circumstance. Ken Levine, the author, played her very much like a Disney Princess, which I enjoyed greatly and gave me a new 'guilty pleasure'. I believe she is modelled on Belle from Disney's Beauty and the Beast from the net's hubbub at the time, and in a further conversation with a co-worker about Disney, she said that Belle spent all her time in a book tower and was generally 'bookish', exactly like Elizabeth. They certainly have a striking resemblance to each other too.
I don't think the fact that she basically plays 'damsel in distress' is necessarily a bad thing, though some would no doubt disagree. Would a young woman who has spent her entire life locked away in a guilded cage suddenly possess the faculties to wage a full scale war against Columbia? I don't personally think so, despite her 'powers'; she takes a lot of her strength and support from Booker. On that point, the game never lets Elizabeth die when under your protection as protagonist. She ducks down somewhere on the map, occasionally tosses you supplies, opens 'tears' as directed, but she never gets hit by gunfire or explosions, so you're not really technically protecting her. I'd thought about this and came to the conclusion that it needed to be this way. If Elizabeth could be harmed, and therefore initiate 'Game Over' if she dies, having Booker shout, "Elizabeth! Noooooooooo...!" or some such every five minutes during a difficult fire fight would undermine Elizabeth's 'value' and the game as a whole
It can be hard to put your finger on the specific reason why a character works so well. While not sexualised, she is pretty of course, as much as one can say about a video game character and her voice actor, Courtnee Draper does an outstanding job filling the role with full conviction. There's a tape on YouTube of one of their recording sessions, one of the darker conversations between Booker and Elizabeth. The scene needs Elizabeth in a fragile state and Courtnee seems to be having trouble getting into the frame of mind. Whoever's in the recording booth starts goading her and Troy Baker, who plays the part of Booker, her opposite in this scene. Troy joins the goading with some vigour, asking what the hell she thinks she's doing and if she can't get it, just give up. Courtnee, the person, does indeed begin to get tearful in her frustration; she can't get the scene right and now they're having a go at her. "Give me more." Courtnee asks. What a trooper.
Despite her dark beginnings, Elizabeth does have an almost endless enthusiasm for life and all its mysteries and that comes across very well. It gives the darker scenes all the more impact when she laments her lot with Booker. Getting that brightness twinged with melancholy is quite key to capturing Elizabeth's voice. Also, it can be easy to become overly-eloquent; she is indeed well learned and intellectual, and has excellent diction but not overly grand. In the lighter 'Disney' moments, such as the dance on the prom, she's flowery and 'girly' and very charming. That particular scene at Battleship Bay is topped off perfectly with the past's re-interpretation of Cindi Lauper's 'Girls Just Wanna Have Fun' on the calliope. I presume my fellow gamers were also grinning from ear to ear during this wonderful scene.
Well I'm hoping I've done the character justice in my works.
On 'That Game' (Mass Effect 3)
Works: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
You know... *chews tobacco to create pregnant pause before spitting into spittoon* there's been lots said about Mass Effect 3, and its ending. It received such bad press, I still feel like I'm defending it even after all this time when the subject rears its head on a forum or whatever. MEHEM (Mass Effect Happy Ending Mod) just doesn't do it for me. It's not canon. Might be odd to hear that from a fan fic writer but as far as I'm concerned and I'd hope most would agree, no fan fic is canon. 'Head canon' is pointless and easily falls apart in any new instalment of a franchise, beyond subtle nuances such as filling in blanks such as a character's favourite food or whatever.
While indeed, the end to vanilla Mass Effect 3 was unsatisfying, the Extra Content DLC didn't really resolve anything, and the missions were much more briefly dealt with, I still enjoyed the game. I commend smudboy who made the fine critique videos 'Bookends of Doom'. He said himself that he enjoyed the game, but that's not what he was criticising, it was the story and handling of characters, particularly in the beginning and end sections (hence the name of the vids). Suspension of disbelief is one thing, suspension of stupidity is another.
While the concepts given at the end of the game were not new, and to be honest well established themes of man vs the machines though a little more far reaching than just man in this case, they were presented badly or at very least, not clearly. Hindsight tells us to look to the AI siphoning credits on the Citadel, the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians, the rogue AI in ME2, and so on. The hints are there, but the themes were quite different in the previous two titles, the whole feel was different. Not to say that change is a bad thing, but in this case, expectation from the fans should have counted for a lot in ME3 as the final instalment of a series massive in scale and Bioware knew this very clearly but somehow just failed to deliver.
It was this furore that brought me to fan fiction, more specifically, writing it. So unsatisfying was the finale, I wanted more. I shall hold my hands up now and say, I am not a fan of reading fan fiction myself... again, might seem odd for me, a fan fic writer, to say so. There is not a huge amount of 'good' fan fiction to be found. Take a stroll through AO3 of some of your favourite franchises and behold the horror. No, don't! Honestly, I don't want to destroy any childhood memories. Anyway, my point being that I went straight for writing after reading some that were just poorly written and some that give the expression of "the shit I've seen...". I must add to that, that I don't assume mine is some of the 'good' work but some have enjoyed it by the comments and I don't think one can say fairer than that.
So yea, it turns out I still have mixed feelings on Mass Effect 3.
You know... *chews tobacco to create pregnant pause before spitting into spittoon* there's been lots said about Mass Effect 3, and its ending. It received such bad press, I still feel like I'm defending it even after all this time when the subject rears its head on a forum or whatever. MEHEM (Mass Effect Happy Ending Mod) just doesn't do it for me. It's not canon. Might be odd to hear that from a fan fic writer but as far as I'm concerned and I'd hope most would agree, no fan fic is canon. 'Head canon' is pointless and easily falls apart in any new instalment of a franchise, beyond subtle nuances such as filling in blanks such as a character's favourite food or whatever.
While indeed, the end to vanilla Mass Effect 3 was unsatisfying, the Extra Content DLC didn't really resolve anything, and the missions were much more briefly dealt with, I still enjoyed the game. I commend smudboy who made the fine critique videos 'Bookends of Doom'. He said himself that he enjoyed the game, but that's not what he was criticising, it was the story and handling of characters, particularly in the beginning and end sections (hence the name of the vids). Suspension of disbelief is one thing, suspension of stupidity is another.
While the concepts given at the end of the game were not new, and to be honest well established themes of man vs the machines though a little more far reaching than just man in this case, they were presented badly or at very least, not clearly. Hindsight tells us to look to the AI siphoning credits on the Citadel, the conflict between the Geth and the Quarians, the rogue AI in ME2, and so on. The hints are there, but the themes were quite different in the previous two titles, the whole feel was different. Not to say that change is a bad thing, but in this case, expectation from the fans should have counted for a lot in ME3 as the final instalment of a series massive in scale and Bioware knew this very clearly but somehow just failed to deliver.
It was this furore that brought me to fan fiction, more specifically, writing it. So unsatisfying was the finale, I wanted more. I shall hold my hands up now and say, I am not a fan of reading fan fiction myself... again, might seem odd for me, a fan fic writer, to say so. There is not a huge amount of 'good' fan fiction to be found. Take a stroll through AO3 of some of your favourite franchises and behold the horror. No, don't! Honestly, I don't want to destroy any childhood memories. Anyway, my point being that I went straight for writing after reading some that were just poorly written and some that give the expression of "the shit I've seen...". I must add to that, that I don't assume mine is some of the 'good' work but some have enjoyed it by the comments and I don't think one can say fairer than that.
So yea, it turns out I still have mixed feelings on Mass Effect 3.
Tuesday, 27 January 2015
Amendments to blog
Works: http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
Slight amendment to the blog.
I'm going to start putting the link to works at the top of each post, so it will (hopefully...) be easier to find. Currently, it's in the blog's title which is a bit unwieldy,
That's it for now, stuff to do and all that. :)
Slight amendment to the blog.
I'm going to start putting the link to works at the top of each post, so it will (hopefully...) be easier to find. Currently, it's in the blog's title which is a bit unwieldy,
That's it for now, stuff to do and all that. :)
Rapture (contains spoilers for Bioshock)
Been having a run around Bioshock 2 for 'research', just on easy, getting the atmosphere and feel, along with the occasional 'notable quotable' or at least getting the vibe of the different voices. Ugh, right at the start of Bioshock 2, we get a view of Little Sister Eleanor coming out of a vent for her daddy with a doll version of her protector. "Look, Daddy! It's you!" then off they go to find the 'angels', the term used by the girls for corpses with Adam still in them. Then later in the game, I've a Little Sister of my own riding on my Big Daddy back, when I zap a splicer with electricity and he convulses, she cries out with unfettered glee, "They're dancing, Daddy!" Again the curious jarring of the little girl's reaction to something that should be quite terrifying and horrific to someone so tender in years.
Gets you right there. *thud thud*
But joking aside, I am reminded why I want to write more about the wonderful world created for Bioshock.
The whole Eleanor Lamb thing struck a chord with me at the original time of playing. I dunno if it's a paternal thing or whatever (as the developers probably intended, like with Bioshock: Infinite's captivating Elizabeth, no doubt lots to say on her later), but what had happened to her was pretty terrible. I'd always wondered, once her 'father' Delta is dead, the Little Sisters saved, and Eleanor chose the nobler path of letting her mother Sofia live, what could they say to each other? On the return home, Eleanor and Sofia couldn't just pass the time with idle conversation, not after everything that had just happened. I've explored this briefly in my recent musings.
Gets you right there. *thud thud*
But joking aside, I am reminded why I want to write more about the wonderful world created for Bioshock.
The whole Eleanor Lamb thing struck a chord with me at the original time of playing. I dunno if it's a paternal thing or whatever (as the developers probably intended, like with Bioshock: Infinite's captivating Elizabeth, no doubt lots to say on her later), but what had happened to her was pretty terrible. I'd always wondered, once her 'father' Delta is dead, the Little Sisters saved, and Eleanor chose the nobler path of letting her mother Sofia live, what could they say to each other? On the return home, Eleanor and Sofia couldn't just pass the time with idle conversation, not after everything that had just happened. I've explored this briefly in my recent musings.
Monday, 26 January 2015
Little Sisters (Bioshock - will contain spoilers)
My overly complex crossover includes the Bioshock Universe(s) and thus, the Little Sisters. An instant icon of the franchise, the young girls had an impact on the gaming community and the beginnings of a new game style: protecting the helpless companion. With their juxtaposed manner and appearance, little girls harvesting 'Adam' through the blood of corpses, singing happy songs with their manufactured body guard Big Daddy to protect them from the maddened addict 'splicers'. The girls were taken from the poor in the underwater city dystopia of Rapture and turned into these abominations on the lie that they would be looked after in an orphanage; the girls being the answer to all the Adam laying around unused in dead bodies. All quite disturbing stuff. Eventually the protagonist of the tale (if he chooses to...) saves all the girls and returns them to their former natural state, and from the closing images they appear to live full happy lives.
It was this bit I was pondering. Even if young and resilient, how would you return to normal life after that? Something I wanted to capture was the girls immediately after being freed. The horrors would be fresh in their minds but as children, they'd probably still play to some extent (as they did in-game), unless they remember something more vivid. Another was one of the girls in later life, as a woman. The nightmares still go on but she can't tell her life about any of this and talk it through.
I think I captured these fairly well in my recent postings, one for the full cross-over, the other as a 'oneshot'.
It was this bit I was pondering. Even if young and resilient, how would you return to normal life after that? Something I wanted to capture was the girls immediately after being freed. The horrors would be fresh in their minds but as children, they'd probably still play to some extent (as they did in-game), unless they remember something more vivid. Another was one of the girls in later life, as a woman. The nightmares still go on but she can't tell her life about any of this and talk it through.
I think I captured these fairly well in my recent postings, one for the full cross-over, the other as a 'oneshot'.
First blog
Decided to start a blog about my musings in writing and join the 20th century (it's all vlogs these days...). I seem to spend an inordinate amount of time blah-blah'ing on other forums that I thought I'd spare the passers by.
What do I write, you might ask? I live in the land that many fear to tread, full of lemons and wish fulfilment: fan fiction. Don't go! Oh...
Well for anyone left, I don't deal in those varieties of fan fiction. I write for gaming franchises that touched me in some way, had characters that one wanted to know more about and bonded with (as much as one can with a fictional character) and a gripping story. I try to keep my scribblings in the vain of the source and not veer too far off established 'canon', just creating new content of things we the fans already love. The franchises I currently write for:
What do I write, you might ask? I live in the land that many fear to tread, full of lemons and wish fulfilment: fan fiction. Don't go! Oh...
Well for anyone left, I don't deal in those varieties of fan fiction. I write for gaming franchises that touched me in some way, had characters that one wanted to know more about and bonded with (as much as one can with a fictional character) and a gripping story. I try to keep my scribblings in the vain of the source and not veer too far off established 'canon', just creating new content of things we the fans already love. The franchises I currently write for:
- Mass Effect
- The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
- Bioshock
- System Shock
- Half Life
That said, I am in the middle of a crossover that veers waaay off canon, involving all of the last three in my list there. It's becoming a bit of a brain spew but I'm enjoying writing it at least.
Probably gonna dive straight into another blog to go over some ideas I've recently been pondering. We did discuss recently on a writers' forum that putting thoughts into words like this definitely aids the process, and helps focus your pondering beyond making notes.
Link to works:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
Link to works:
http://archiveofourown.org/users/Stoob/works
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