#the witcher soundtrack was going off in the background

[whining-ylthin]

Ylthin's Media Thread thingy for the tail-end of 2023 and 2024:

Normally I'd do it on Twitter but I fully expect that site to collapse in 6 months.

Glen Cook, "Czarna Kompania"/"Cień w ukryciu" ("Black Company"/"Shadows Linger") (Rebis, 2009 Polish edition, 2022 reprint)

I'm starting this list somewhat off the curb - I've finished the 2nd novel from this omnibus release just now, but I've also read the first one earlier this year... and I don't have much to say about either, honestly.

The prose is kind of clunky and awkward in a way that takes a moment to adjust to, and without directly comparing the Polish translation to the English original I can't tell how much of this unwieldiness is due to poor translation job and how much of it is just inherent to Cook's style. You're not reading this book for its characters, either - most of them are memorable only because of constant exposure, as names that you eventually learn to map to a broad role in the story or one, maybe two vague personality/appearance traits. What carried me through was what I can broadly describe as "vibes" and long-term significance of Black Company books - or maybe the wave of genre-fiction they were a part of. It certainly wasn't the first grim and gritty fantasy series out there, and the backside blurb's boasts about how Cook "brought the fantasy genre down to the level of common men" are very overblown (the books are literally about an evil sorceress' plan for world domination clashing against her messy divorce with her Dark Lord husband and a prophecy about the "divine savior" figure coming back to further piss into her breakfast), but I can still notice the seeds of interesting ideas being planted here and there, and the grit (while going for a very predictable "everyone is utterly miserable and the whores will give you all the STDs" route, and feeling more like catnip for 14-year-old boys rather than genuine "maturity") fortunately doesn't cross the line into unbearable edgelord territories yet. It was a part of the same wave of dark fantasy that either molded me directly (through Sapkowski's The Witcher novels and "Berserk"), indirectly (through a thousand imitators years down the line, from local fantasy authors of the 2000s to video games - Heroes of Might & Magic 5 in particular was retrospectively very blatantly inspired by Warhammer Fantasy), or infected me with sudden-onset brainrot in my mid-20s (Warhammer 40.000), and I can definitely feel and appreciate it even if I find these books to be rather mediocre so far.

I just wish I could get my hands on Moorcock's Elric books without going through a dozen hoops, but I guess I'll make do with Cook, Erikson and the odd Warhammer novel for the time being.

Oh, and this cover art? That tattered "dashing rogue" look, that borderline fractal leather-and-cloth patterning, the random spiky structures in the background? The long bob hair and goatee look straight out of the music video for "Imperium" by Machine Head? A cover that makes you think not even of actual early 2000s buttrock, but of Stuart Chatwood emulating it for Prince of Persia: Warrior Within's soundtrack? Hillariously mismatched with the actual novels. I haven't seen a choice this baffling since reading my dad's faded mid-90s pulp booklet edition of Ursula LeGuin's "Rocannon's World" paired up with either Vallejo or Frazetta sword-and-sandals artwork.

#ylthin media thread

[majjiktricks]

OOOH a tag meme >:)

tagged by @thelocalmuffin

Favorite Colors: red, neon green

Currently Reading: dracula via dracula daily, the devil may cry books/manga, rereading the dresden files books, the witcher: lady of the lake (in the middle of half of these because i cant finish a book anymore apparently 😭)

Last Song I Listened To: something off the devil may cry 5 soundtrack, its been playing in the background. ive had devil trigger (nero's battle theme) stuck in my head for a week LOL

Last Series I Watched: bosch: legacy, which is a sequel series to bosch. would recommend both if you like crime dramas but it does get pretty dark ngl

Last Movie I Watched: UHHH.... i dont watch movies very much but i think it was the new batman. either that or the first kung fu panda, im not sure.

Cravings: i could really go for a burger right now...

Currently Working On: wow i dont have anything going right now 🤔 i havent drawn anything in so long whoops... i am going to start learning how to sew and make clothes soon tho! so theres that! i wanna get back into making costumes ^u^

ill tag @coffeemakesmeahappybean @oursidae @quincyanthemum @milktrician-hell @noniez @implodingcacti and anyone else who wants to do it :D

#jazz noises #thelocalmuffin #tag meme

[dragonologist-phd]

Saw this and of course I had to do it! Categories and Games are listed under the cut in case that’s easier to read or you just wanna listen to me ramble a bit (no spoilers!):

Favorite Game of All Time: Pillars of Eternity. Kind of obvious if you follow me, lol. A close runner-up was Pokemon Emerald, just because I’ve spent so many hours in that game I know it like the back of my hand. But pokemon is more nostalgic, while PoE I really appreciate the writing and worldbuilding and characters. Which brings us to...

Best Story: Pillars of Eternity again!

Favorite Art Style: This is really hard, because game art styles are all so different and it’s hard to compare! I reserve the right to change my answer many times, but for now it’s Afterparty because I love the colors and it actually makes Hell look like a cool place to hang out.

“I’ll Finish It Someday”: Divinity Original Sin 2. There are a lot of things I’m liking in it but damn it is so long.

Big Personal Impact: Pokemon Emerald! Like I said, I’ve played it countless times, my best friend and I were obsessed with it as kids, and I just really really love it.

Best Combat: So just looking at this list you can probably tell I’m not much for combat heavy games. I ended up going with Superhot- a ‘fighting’ game where time only moves when you do, which turns combat into a sort of logic puzzle. The premise is really cool and it’s one of the few ‘combat’ games that was the perfect mix of difficult and fun for me.

You Like, But Everyone Hates: “Everyone hates” is probably a bit of an overstatement, but Mass Effect: Andromeda did get a lot of hate when it came out and...I think it’s a good game? I think the story and the characters and the combat is all pretty well done? But it had a messy launch and now it seems like nobody cares about it

You Hate, But Everyone Likes: Again, “hate” is a strong word, but their was so much Witcher hype and I just...don’t get it. ~to be fair~ I only played the first one, and I guess Witcher 3 is the one everyone talks about, but I was so bored by Witcher that I will probably never play any sequels. Ironically enough, I do enjoy the Witcher tv series. Maybe if Yennefer was the protag of the games I’d like them more *shrug*

Underrated: Tyranny. No long ramble here, it’s just an enjoyable game that nobody seems to know about.

Overrated: Dragon age: Inquisition. Does this make me a hypocrite? I have played it multiple times and I love my DA OC’s, but DAI is definitely my least favorite in the franchise. They sacrificed writing quality for open world exploration, and I would rather have strong writing.

“Why Do I Like This?” I don’t like Life is Strange. I don’t hate it- it’s a cool premise and there are some good emotional moments. But it employs tropes I don’t like and has a lot of awkward dialogue and is kind of pretentious. All of those things are also true of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, and yet I like it so much more and I don’t know why. Maybe Chloe is just more fun than Max.

Game You Always Come Back To: Dragon Age: Origins. The first actual rpg video game I played, and all of the different backgrounds means it has good replay value. I have an OC for each origin and I love them all! For all of DA’s (many) flaws I still really enjoy this game

That Astmosphere...: Transistor. the art...the music...the conveyance of deep and meaningful relationships with very little dialogue...it’s good

Bad Day Cure: Tales from the Borderlands. I adore the ‘Rivals to Reluctant Allies to Found Family’ trope, and the soundtrack slaps. It’s all I need for a game that just cheers me up

Favorite Protagonist: This one was tought, but there’s no beating Commander Shepard. They’re just pure badass.

After Work Relaxation: Stardew Valley. Extremely relaxing.

Biggest Letdown: The Blackwell Epiphany. Oh man...I would talk about Blackwell a lot more because I do really like it (solving mysteries! talking to ghosts! family drama! inheritance of ghostly platonic soulmates!) But the ending to the series...ugh. I do still recommend the series overall if you like point-and-clik mysteries, just...maybe don’t play the last ten minutes or so.

“Back In The Day” Game: Pokemon Yellow. I still adore this game!

Not the Best, But Having Fun: Dragon Age 2 and Outer Worlds tied for this one, because neither are really the best in any particular category but I do thoroughly enjoy them

Criminally Overlooked: Tacoma. If WALL-E made you cry, you’ll like this game.

Depressing Game: The Walking Dead. Jeez, if I think about it too much I’ll start crying (in a good way!). No knowledge of the show needed- I’ve played all the games and have never watched a single episode

Favorite Active Franchise: Pokemon!!

Indie Pick: Oxenfree. It’s! So! Good! Very atmospheric, wonderful characters, fantastically creepy. I played it for the first time in my room with all the lights off during a thunderstorm and it was an experience

Not Usually My Thing, But...: Borderlands. Like I said, combat focused games aren’t really my thing. But this is one of the few fps games that doesn’t just stress me out and I actually have fun with!

#video games #rambling #feel free to ask me more about any of these im in a talkative mood today #mmm now i wanna replay so many things again #q

[moonsugar-and-spice]

Do you tend to write with music playing? Or in complete silence? What are three of your favourite fic tropes?

That depends! On the one hand, I think I write most productively when it's quiet, but I do use music a LOT as inspiration in my writing. I have a playlist for Storms of Ice and Fire that could very well be its soundtrack for how many songs have helped to inspire/enrich scenes I imagined (or vice versa, how many scenes I wrote that corresponded perfectly to a song), and in those cases I will often play them while writing those parts. It catapults me deeper into the narrative and helps breathe extra life into what I see in my head.

A fun little detail for anyone who's read/ing it and interested, the scene in Storms at the first portal, when Katara is performing the bloodbending ritual, was written while listening to Child of the Elder Blood from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. It paired up with what I envisioned and embodied the whole tone so well.

As for three favorite tropes:

1. My first and foremost has got to be enemies to lovers. I'll devour just about every version of that ever. I love that it often forces you, as a writer, to develop the two characters as individuals - how they see the world and why; their values; what they do when those values are threatened, allowing the reader to resonate with both, and then know why they could work well together.  I really love the push-and-pull effect of how one character plays off another. Bonus points if they have to rely on each other to make it through.

The slow burn and sexual tension, and all the buildup, is my jam! It makes the payoff so worth it in the end, because you've seen them at square one, where they can barely be in the same room so to speak, and watch the progression of small changes over the course of the story - the moments of understanding, the lingering gazes and the small smiles, them meeting each other half-way to show that they're learning why they want the other person around. It stretches out the journey so we get to experience every small moment with them.

2. One bed. So much potential - you can go all out with sexual tension or write some cute fluff. Either way, I'll never get tired of it.

3. The Adventuring Party Trope. A motley crew of characters from different backgrounds, with unique skills, coming together as unlikely allies to combat a common threat? Sign me up, every time.

#thanks for the ask! #thank you anon! #this was longer than I intended it to be #ask game #writing #tropes

[im-fairly-whitty]

My friend has been trying to get me into Witcher for forever, what do you like about it? My friend is trying to rope me in on the basis of music and soundtrack (feel free to take this as a ramble/gush XD)

For me the biggest draw is a complex fantasy world building that feels fresh, there’s so many familiar elements to it from the fairy tales the series pulls from, but with real twists and weight to it. Too often fantasy series either go out of their way to shallowly reinvent every single mythos element from scratch and end up oddly detached feeling (aka the cheap summer YA trilogies that are stuffed with oddly spelled vocabularies the author came up with for everything) or end up feeling overly specialized and pretentious in how unwieldy their own lore is (like LOTR, which I do not hate but which is definitely not to my personal taste). For me the Witcher universe hits the sweet spot of being entertaining but grounded, comfortingly familiar but still surprising.

In the Netflix show I loved the serious but not actually gritty story telling, aka the female characters were as well developed and treated as the male ones and there was real humor and heart in it. I’d been told it was the new game of thrones which nearly turned me off but was pleased to discover it was nothing at all like it, doing everything right that GOT got wrong. And also Jaskier of course, good hearted romantic disaster boys are simply My Brand (see: Ruy, Klause, etc.) That said though I haven’t gone back to watch the show again outside of fanfic research, the fandom is definitely my lifeblood as far as continued interest goes.

I really really love the Witcher games, I’ve played The Wild Hunt (a full story) and Gwent (a competitive action game you can play on mobile that features the card game found in the wild hunt). In both games I’m enthralled by the stunning art quality and overall design in the backgrounds/characters/cards which is exactly the kind I aspire to someday reach in my own work. The story itself in TWH is also excellent and the creature design is fantastic in balancing realistic and intruiging. TWH is hands down the best video game I’ve ever played and so so pleasing even just to look at.

I’m currently working my way through the books which are their own flavor of entertaining, even though there are so many parts where it’s PAINFULLY obvious it was written by a man in the 1980’s. Basically everything involving Yennefer and/or sex is horribly outdated in both writing style and current feminist theory. But it’s still good and all the best Geralt/Dandelion interactions are there as well as plenty of clever trope flipping that’s really fun to see. I listen to them on audiobook since my reading brain evidently shut off the moment I graduated with my English degree for anything that isn’t ao3.

My favorite Witcher medium is definitely The Wild Hunt game, followed by the books and then Netflix, I was fortunate to discover them Netflix first meaning each discovery is better than the last. It’s definitely not a perfect series that’s for everyone, especially people who tend to shy away from more mature content, but it’s kept me happily hyperfixated for a couple months now with several decades of built up lore and content for me to dig through like an unsupervised kid in a candy shop.

Whether or not you end up getting into it yourself is definitely up to your personal tastes, but I at least am a very satisfied customer.

#and when i say hyperfixated i mean /hyperfixated/ #my ridiculous adhd self has been wearing my witcher cat school medallion with my pjs everyday of quarentine just because i realized i could #that and ive been playing competitive gwent every day for like a month now #i used to like LOTR a lot #i actually used to live in new zealand and thus have been to the shire and everything #but them i dated a guy who was a crazy intense LOTR and after he dumped me it left a real bad taste in my mouth #plus being an english major makes you either love or hate the series since its so mainstream and overglorified that its been taken out of #the literary canon as much as scholars can manage because its now the ‘dumb series that any layman has ripped apart already’ #aka its not fun to pull it apart with literary critisism anymore because its been yanked from the literary realm into the fandom one #someday i need to write an essay on how the academic litreary world and the fandom world are exactly the same except one considers itself #white collar and the other blue collar #setting up a kind of literary class war of sorts #answering asks at midnight because none of us are really asleep are we

[breakingarrows]

Stealing this from twitter, one of those 1 like = 1 video game answer

1. Very first video game

I have hazy memories of playing Sonic on the Genesis and if not that then most likely Pokemon Red? Twisted Metal is the oldest game I own that I didn’t buy myself and just always had so maybe that one.

2. Your favorite character

God gotta be Geralt. It is hard to separate his Witcher 3 iteration from the books, which is probably the best compliment I can give CDPR’s adaptation as the more I read the books the more I appreciate how faithful that game was. Geralt’s the typical grumpy dad who puts on a show of having no emotion but really does care about others and frequently acts on that (no need to read into how that reflects myself).

3. A game that is underrated.

Tough because underrated as in metacritic or just in general like mass audience reactions? I think overrated would be an easier pick for metacritic but for mass audience underrated I would say something like Disco Elysium since it was PC only and even there seems to have found a small but dedicated niche audience. I would also say Rain World but honestly need to play more.

4. Your guilty pleasure game.

LA Noire, Alan Wake, Alien Isolation, games people are mostly either like, that was okay or didn’t like but I really love.

5. Game character you feel you are most like (or wish you were)

Damn guess its time to admit how Geralt reflects myself.

6. Most annoying character.

Got some classics like Navi (OOT), Dutch/Micah (RDR2), Ryder (GTASA), I feel like there are more good ones but I can’t find/trigger their memories.

7. Favorite game couple.

Geralt and Yennefer (Witcher), Red and her unnamed lover (Transistor), Harry and Kim (Disco Elysium)

8. Best soundtrack.

Fuck. Hyper Light Drifter, Final Fantasy VII, DOOM, Transistor, Halo Reach/ODST, Red Dead Redemption, Kingdom Hearts, Alien Isolation, LA Noire. Licensed: Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, Fallout 3/New Vegas (even if they repeat way too often).

9. Saddest game scene.

Ending of Crisis Core, death of Avalanche members in Final Fantasy VII, ending of Red Dead Redemption, ending of Transistor, saying goodbye to Clementine in The Walking Dead Season 1.

10. Best gameplay.

Titanfall 2, DOOM, Hitman, Halo 5 (Arena multiplayer only), Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 (revert is king), Metroid Prime (on Wii).

11. Gaming system of choice.

PS4/3/PC in that order

12. A game everyone should play.

Disco Elysium, Bioshock 2, Rain World, Yakuza 5, Final Fantasy Tactics (either PSOne Classic or War of the Lions)

13. A game you’ve played more than five times.

lol full playthroughs Uncharted 2: Among Thieves, DOOM. Games I’ve started and made significant progress in so many times: Final Fantasy VII, Modern Warfare 2, Alan Wake, Red Dead Redemption, Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, LA Noire, Halo Reach, Final Fantasy Tactics The War of the Lions

14. current (or most recent) gaming wallpaper.

Wallpapers on phone have been Evangelion for years now. The rotating desktop wallpaper folder only has Alien Isolation because of how much it looks like Alien and Breath of the Wild because of how much it looks like Ghibli landscapes.

15. Post a screenshot from a game you’re playing right now.

It would be something from Apex (a win screen) or Red Dead Redemption 2 (landscape)

16. Game with the best cutscenes.

God most games have cutscenes that are really boring (shot, reverse-shot, in-game engine puppets, black bar zoom ins, economical choices because of how often they’re going to be used but so boring) so I guess Control because its got styyyyyyle.

17. Favorite antagonist.

uhhhhh the greater structure of the world in Disco Elysium? Human opponents in Apex Legends. The rain in Rain World. Tenpenny in Grand Theft Auto San Andreas. Xenomorph in Alien Isolation.

18. Favorite protagonist.

I mean Geralt (Witcher), Alan Wake (the titular Alan Wake), Harry Du Bois (Disco Elysium), Red (Transistor), John Marston (Red Dead Redemption), CJ (Grand Theft Auto San Andreas), DOOMGUY (DOOM), Jesse Faden (Control)

19. Picture of a game setting you wished you lived in

Most of video game worlds are trying to kill you but Breath of the Wild, San Andreas, Kingdom Hearts, Morrowind

20. Favorite genre

Seems to be shooters, some open world if the angle is good.

21. Game with the best story.

Story as in fiction? Disco Elysium. Story as in the thing its trying to sell you on as you play? The Last of Us, Bioshock 2, Transistor.

22. A game sequel which disappointed you.

Not technically a sequel but Bioshock Infinite, Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 4, Metal Gear Solid V, Uncharted 4, Halo 5, Infamous Second Son

23. Game you think had the best graphics or art style

Persona 5, Disco Elysium (those portraits jesus so good), Shadow of the Colossus (PS2 version, the fog and unfocused edges make it such a #mood), Morrowind (I love the fucking early 2000s 3D graphics), Final Fantasy VII (the pre-rendered backgrounds, I could star at them for days), Control, Hyper Light Drifter, any of those Yoshi art games (crayon of Yoshi’s Island and fuzz of Wooly World are standouts)

24. Favorite Classic game

Pokemon Gold, Link’s Awakening, Doom, Final Fantasy VII/Tactics, Spider-Man

25. A game you plan on playing

boy I have a whole spreadsheet for this on but the one on my mind is Okami, Alpha Protocol, Madworld

26. Best voice acting

uh idk the expensive games, Red Dead Redemption 2, The Last of Us?

27. Most epic scene ever

when I get a win in Apex Legends with like 8+ kills overall

28. Favorite game developer

Remedy Entertainment, Respawn, uh hard to find consistency, most of my favorites have been one-offs where I either haven’t played or don’t really like the rest that developer made.

29. A game you thought you wouldn’t like, but ended up loving.

I usually don’t play games I don’t think I would like because I know my tastes and don’t waste time but I guess something like Hitman was a surprise because I had heard all the praise about it long before I finally sat down to play it myself and it was fucking great.

30. Your favorite game of all time.

God uh I mean I’ve been returning to games like Uncharted 2, Final Fantasy VII, San Andreas for like a decade now. Pokemon Gold too if I would finally buy the stuff to replace the battery in it. So I guess one of those since they’ve been part of my life the longest.

[littlestsnicket]

the witcher: the end’s beginning

Whenever I hear the netflix noise, I automatically start singing Look Away. Doesn’t matter that I haven’t actually rewatched ASOUE that many times.

i very much appreciate how they make this first monster fight look difficult (it gives such scale to how dangerous these monsters are when you compare it to Geralt fighting Renfri’s posse later). And Geralt’s not at all human eyes. The spidering poison is super unnerving and feral looking. Great introduction to the character. (per my understanding of the video game, he absolutely ate that deer raw, when he tells Renfri he’s full later, he is FULL OF RAW MEAT.)

so that paper 100% says kikimora on it. important a scene or two later. 

some of the costuming decisions aren’t 100% but I am a big fan of the set design. especially all of the candles. 

i want to squish renfri’s cute little face! (her costuming is also on point, i really love the specific red color of her shirt. Although on further examination, the fit is actually a little strange? Or the pleating doesn’t read right on screen all the time.)

“more and more i find monsters wherever i go.” yup... early introduction of *theme*

“I killed a rat this morning with my breakfast fork.” Got to love Marilka!

“You don’t scary me”/“That’s too bad.”

(Geralt will be a good adopted father to Ciri, he’s good with violent, headstrong teenage girls.)

Marilka lied there, the flier was absolutely for a kikimora. She is very deliberately intercepting him to take Geralt to Stregobor. And Geralt is just like, fuck fine? You do sort of get the impression that people refusing to pay him as contracted is something he deals with ALL THE TIME!

“I think that makes you a hero.” (aww, Marilka!)

Marilka and Geralt are so cute together (I think he likes people who will talk at him)

Geralt’s little smile when she says “girls can’t be witchers that’s the stupidest thing i’ve ever heard”

Gratuitous nudity? Nah, we’re establishing something about Stregabor with this. Also, it’s just sort of there... in the background, like we should barely pay any attention to it. (So, per the timeline, Stregobor has already tried to prevent Yennefer from going to the court she wants for no apparent reason. Stregobor is a bastard.)

“I seem to remember that Witcher’s don’t feel anything”

Aw, Ciri dressed as a boy handing out with some rascals. She’s wearing normal pants here... 

”Gross”, yes Ciri your horny grandparents are gross.

“Wizards are all the same. You talk nonsense while making wize and meaningful faces. Speak plainly.” Geralt is so done with everything. That’s how we meet him. I question the received fan wisdom that Geralt doesn’t talk very much. He’s just surrounded by people who talk A LOT.

How full of shit is Stregobor? It’s very difficult to tell. Does he actually believe his bullshit? What evidence did he actually have of these internal mutations? How did they die so he could autopsy them? Difficult to say. Also, there is something super weird about how Stregabor talks to Geralt, the way he’s moving and the tone of voice he’s using--like he’s trying to get in his head. Is it strictly psychological or is he attempting to do what he accuses Renfri of and manipulate him with magic? Make him kill Renfri?

“Pretty ballads hide bastard truths.” (Rewatching, this makes me think of episode 4, they’ve met Jaskier. I wonder if Jaskier wrote anything about Calanthe — there are so many references throughout the series of the power of song to change perception of the past, which changes the present.)

I can’t unsee how the bodice of Crir’s dress doesn’t lay quite right and the fabric is weirdly modern looking. (Her face when she is doing the kicky part of the dance--she’s so right, what the hell even is that.)

GERALT’S FINDING SHIT TO MAKE A POTION! 

“Queen Calanthe of Cintra, she just won her first battle” — if you are paying attention, the timeline stuff is actually pretty clear, the clues are all there. I was explaining to a friend that i have trouble watching things that are of midrange complexity; i can follow this and i can follow a sitcom, but I often have trouble following things inbetween. 

“Because then I am what they say I am” — Geralt is morally incapable of rehabilitating his own reputation, he’s too concerned he might deserve it

renfri says “no more princess” and then Geralt calls her a princess. He is SO DELIBERATE with words. 

The violence in this battle is something. The visuals are weird; it’s not torture porn, it’s frantic and horrifying. There is this unbelievable level of squelching and bits flying around, but very little blood. And I don’t think i’ve seen a battle sequence that is washed out in that precise way--the overcast sky reflects the sun everywhere until you can hardly see. That’s got to be a horrible circumstance to fight under. 

I hope we see Ciri comfortable enough to be this impetuous again. 

Does Mousesack know Stregobor? Why does he choose to tell Ciri a story where a wizard systematically kills young girls? There’s no real moral relevance or connection to what they are talking about, unless it is the cruel callousness of fate. 

Calanthe is so devastated when Eist dies :(

Ciri looks so scared and like the world is ending, talented actress, she’s wonderful!

Geralt’s giant monologue talking to his horse. Yeah, perceived fan wisdom isn’t quite right. He talks. He’s pretty verbal and good with words. He’s just so very careful around people and cultivating this very specific image.

“She took one look at me, screamed, vomited and then passed out. Yeah I thought the world needed me too.” I bet he is still thinking about Marilka calling him a hero. 

Back in Cintra... the color has shifted so drastically from the glaring white to the orange burning. 

Geralt is THERE, right NOW. escaping from the prison cell Calanthe put him in. DESTINY! But why?!?

The way Mousesack looks at Ciri when she does the magic yelling thing for the first time. He does not look surprised. 

“Find Geralt of Rivia, he is your destiny.” I should have counted how many times the word Destiny is said. I’m sure it’s off the wall. 

Note to self: Mousesack and Calanthe know that Nilfgard is here for Ciri. They say so. Were they too in denial about it to take appropriate action? Cause strategically, if they knew that, nothing they do makes any sense. And they could not have gotten new information since Calanthe went off to battle. 

Cintra doesn’t have a court mage, and hasn’t for ages. Pretty sure Mousesack is a druid, but is it hard to convince Calanthe to let him stay? (should get back to this train of thought in episode 4)

This bit with the soldiers handing out the poison drives home how scary Nilfgard is so much more effectively than seeing them graphically torture people. (Not that what we see of the slaughtering people isn’t graphic enough.)

Calanthe just tipping out the window gets me every time. The soundtracking is great, the way is gets quiet and picks back up again. 

Geralt is so fucking close to Ciri in this moment, but not close enough!

What is Renfi’s intent in sleeping with Geralt? Is it just because she wants to or does she have some ulterior motive? Does she think it will sway him? They both look at eachother so softly though. The way it is done in this weird prophesizing flashback is so strange. 

“You have to choose the lesser evil.”

Geralt goes from resigned fuck to snarling so so fast when it becomes obvious that Renfri’s posse is not going to back down.

“They created me just as they created you, we’re not so different.” — what does she mean by that? Does she mean it philosophically that they have both been badly mistreated by society, or is she implying that her mutations are deliberate. And she was created, like a Witcher. Not a coincidence of being born during an eclipse. If that was the case, Stregobor would know, possibly even have been the one to do it, that creepy fucking bastard. I don’t have easily searchable transcripts handy, but I *think* Geralt mentions something in another episode about how he’s found mutations to be deliberate. Going to keep an eye out for that. I’m proposing that Stregobor was out to create an army of female witchers and it went... badly and he killed them all off. Maybe he was even doing it to replace Tissaia and Aretusa. This could be a *thing*. 

I am 90% sure Geralt just grabbed the blade of the sword. Yup, he’s definitely holding the sword in his off hand by the blade when he kills Renfri. The fuck Geralt? Does that not hurt your hand?

Renfri’s giant eyes when she’s dying. God. 

So Ciri legit causes a giant crevice to form in the earth. WHAT IS SHE CAPABLE OF?!?

The way Stregobor looks at Renfri’s corpse. So upsetting. He doesn’t look at her like a person. Stregobor is definitely using the idea of Renfri’s mutation manipulating people to turn the crowd against Geralt; make him seem more untrustworthy and shut down any attempt for him to defend himself. Protecting Renfri’s corpse from horrible wizard dude is 100% in character for him. 

Shit. Geralt’s resigned but completely devastated face when Marilka tells him to leave and not come back. And she is so soft and quiet about it too, that must make it so much worse. And Marilka looks like she’s about to cry too--she’s lost something: her innocence, her chance to escape, both. What does she really, deep down, think of Geralt here? Will she lie awake at night wondering if she should have said something else? I wonder what becomes of her. What does she think about Stregobor after this? Her face though, she has to know something is wrong here. Does she leave Blaviken? Does she hear tales of Geralt the White Wolf as an adult? What does she think of them?

Close up shot of the pin he took from Renfri.

And then the clear visual cue that Ciri is the girl in the woods. If you just roll with it and assume things will get explained a little better later, this really isn’t confusing. You just need to let go a little.

#the witcher #mayo blogs the witcher #this was fun/easy--will totally do all eight episodes

[sol1056]

so that happened

I ended up watching The Witcher (mostly because I was bored while waiting for the translation team to finish the last batch of Joy of Life episodes). 

the only reason I’m not complaining about getting those hours of my life back is because I spent most of the time actually being productive doing other things while it streamed. like winning fifteen consecutive games of yukon solitaire.

somewhat cynical commentary behind the cut. if you loved the show/story, skip this. if not, feel free to wallow in the shared pain. or to rejoice in your wise life choices that led you to pass on this one.

story: it made more sense (in that it made sense as to why it made no sense at all) once I found out this season is based on a series of prequel stories to the novel series, giving the background for the three protagonists. years and dates (or at least some segue styles) would’ve been immensely helpful to indicate what was ‘past’ vs ‘present’ because the chronology was all over the map and frankly I lost track of what jived with what-else, story-wise, a number of times. 

characters: the core concepts were born in the mid-80s (short stories, apparently, with the novels growing out of those) and boy does it show. it’s not bad, it’s just really, really, dated. I suppose at the time it was phenomenal for a native Polish writer to create such a massive (and popular) franchise, but after all the years of gritty grim grimdarkey grimdark Game of Thrones, a lot of these characters are now straight out of central casting. 

not to mention, when you introduce a disabled/physically-marked heroine, it was pretty much an instantaneous assumption that at some point she’d shed that disability and become mainstream beautiful. I would’ve been delighted to be wrong, just once, but no luck. I just skipped the ‘no beauty without pain’ transition scene because I hate what that’s saying: that to be disabled is such a horrific experience that unspeakable agony is a price worth paying to be free of that disability. 

or the follow-up idiocy of having freely chosen to be sterile now renders the character ‘unable to have a legacy’. now, it is a neat flip on the usual that the male protagonist is also sterile and was bothered by it at some point (although he enters the story mostly accepting of this). but this position completely negates the other methods of creating a legacy -- adoption is a thing, after all. hell, we even see in-story characters freely offering a home and family place to the young protagonist. hell, teaching is a way of leaving an indelible print on younger minds, and the one time we see the female protagonist in anything like a teaching capacity, she positively sucks at it. 

at no point does the female character actually demonstrate a maternal instinct, which makes the whole ‘able to have a child’ thing hollow, and the ‘leave a legacy’ downright uncomfortable. there’s a distinction similar to that of being in love vs being in love with the idea of being in love.  

(and I’m not even going into the bullshit where female power and maternal ability are inversely proportional.)  

that said, it does get major points for having a variety of non-white actors all over the place with none of the usual in-story justification. hell, it doesn’t even do the thing where “this tribe is all ___” and “this other tribe is all ___” -- there are black actors all over the place, in every race and location. that is cool, but that might’ve been one place the producers felt they could ‘update’ the story w/out radically changing the rest (ie that whole mommy-obsession crap). 

music: the incidental music sounds like they desperately wanted the composer (or at least the soundtrack) from The Last Kingdom, and the closing instrumental track is eerily reminiscent of the opening credits track for Black Sails. the characters and story might’ve been landmark for Poland in the 80s and 90s, but this far along, they just feel derivative -- and the knock-off music didn’t help that impression. 

and don’t even get me started about the bard. look, I find that character annoying (when he’s not just plain boring) for a variety of reasons, but I could’ve forgiven that if the so-called bardic songs were actually any good. instead they sound like, idk, amateur-written community theater musicals. no hook, no internal consistency, awkward transitions, idk, can’t put my finger on it but by dog if the household monster insists on dragging us to this year’s ren fest, I’m punching the singer the instant I hear those opening lines. 

#come for the sugar stay for the salt

[kyrie-silverwings]

Never Ending Survey: Kyrie Silverwings

Rules: Repost, do not reblog. Tag 10 blogs!

Tagged by: @blood-of-the-dragons, @under-the-blood-moonlight (you gets a Kyrie!)

Tagging: @kael-haustefort-xiv, @resistance-ranger, @lavender-hemlock, @bookbornexiv, @spotofmummery, @herohikara-wol, @lady-dusk-balmung, @cahli-tia, @seina-kurokiba, @of-sea-and-forest

BASICS.

FULL NAME: Kyrie Silverwings

NICKNAME: “Banshee”, “Mistress”

AGE:  ~28

BIRTHDAY:   5/26

ETHNIC GROUP: Hyur Midlander (in appearance)

NATIONALITY: not of Hydaelyn

LANGUAGE/S: Common, some understanding of others due to Echo

SEXUAL ORIENTATION : Pansexual

ROMANTIC ORIENTATION : Panromantic

RELATIONSHIP STATUS:  In a relationship

HOME TOWN / AREA:  a small forest village of hardly any note

CURRENT HOME:  Valorem Tenebris company house, personal apartment (both in Lavender Beds)

PROFESSION: Adder Captain, secretary / accountant (VT), information agent

PHYSICAL.

HAIR: White, usually shoulder length. Formerly a chestnut brown

EYES: Vibrant green, with an unsettling glow at times. When turned, the sclera is black

FACE: Slender, good bone structure, considered a dark beauty

LIPS: Medium-sized, usually with lipstick

COMPLEXION: Pale

BLEMISHES: An odd “birthmark” left on her left shoulder blade, a discoloration of the skin

SCARS: Few, mostly small faded ones from her childhood

TATTOOS: Purple patterns over her eyes and forehead, of unknown design

HEIGHT:  5′8″

WEIGHT: Average

BUILD: Slim, athletic, leans slightly pear-shaped

FEATURES:  Inconsistent hair growth, occasional eye patch, dark make-up. When turned, black veins across her body

ALLERGIES:  None.

USUAL HAIR STYLE:  Shoulder-length, feathered style. When long, it’s kept loose.

USUAL FACE LOOK :  An intrigued, bemused smile. Lidded eyes that cast about.

USUAL CLOTHING:  Prefers dark clothing, coats if travelling heavy, otherwise tends to wear moderately revealing attire

PSYCHOLOGY.

FEAR/S: Her past, falling back into old habits, apathy

ASPIRATION/S:  To commit to a peaceful existence, but still desires the strength to keep her allies safe

POSITIVE TRAITS: Adaptive, cunning, accepting of others, tenacious

NEGATIVE TRAITS: Callous, antagonizing, violently self-protective, prideful, reckless

TEMPERAMENT:  Phlegmatic

SOUL TYPE/S:  Warrior

ANIMALS:  fat cat tasmanian devil, black widow, hawk

VICE HABIT/S: soul harvesting, morbid curiosity, attracted to danger

FAITH: Next to none

GHOSTS?: Yes, unfortunately.

AFTERLIFE?: No

REINCARNATION?:  Not sure

POLITICAL ALIGNMENT: Unconcerned with politics, whether local or far-reaching. Willing to work with most clients.

EDUCATION LEVEL:  Self taught

FAMILY.

FATHER : Ewan of Astora (alive)

MOTHERS :  Nylea Silverwings (alive)

SIBLINGS : none

EXTENDED FAMILY: Naveia (grandmother), Yanne (aunt), Cyneric (grandfather)

NAME MEANING/S: comes from the Greek word for “lord” because... Dark Lord ending yes

HISTORICAL CONNECTION?: Nope.

FAVORITES.

BOOK:  History, reference material

DEITY: Gods already dead, thanks

HOLIDAY:  Closest would be All Hallow’s Eve

MONTH: November

SEASON:  Autumn

PLACE: A cozy cabin in the wilds of Limsa

WEATHER: Light rain

SOUND / S: Cat’s purring, the wind in the trees

SCENT / S:  Books, leather, faint perfume

TASTE / S:  Tea, blood in the mouth

FEEL / S:  Cold metal, soft black fabric, the whisper of shadow magic

ANIMAL / S:  Cats, snakes

NUMBER: 6

COLORS: Black. Purple. Green

EXTRA.

TALENTS: Good hunter, excellent tracker, excels in stealth 

BAD AT: Letting go of rivalries, giving up before overstepping boundaries

TURN ONS: Mysterious demeanor, height differences, strength, kindness, soft lingering touches, ruggedness, rough handling, beautiful eyes

TURN OFFS: Boorish manners, zealous attitudes, close-mindedness / bigotry

HOBBIES: Scouting across the Shroud, reading, collecting valuables for her company

TROPES: More Deadly than the Male, Double Agent, Silk Hiding Steel / Femme Fatale, Mysterious Woman, Wild Card (many more)

QUOTES : “I can handle this. Just watch, but don’t you dare interfere.”

MUN QUESTIONS.

Q1 : If you could write your character your way in their own movie,  what would it be called, what style would it be filmed in, and what would it be about?          

A1 :  I’m thinkin’ like how Interview with the Vampire was. Starts with her relating her story to, probably, another Adder and it goes over her life beginning with her curse and ending where she is now. May or may not kill the poor sod afterwards.

Q2 :  What would their soundtrack/score sound like?          

A2 :  Quiet, expressive orchestra. Ambient foreign vocals. I frequently listen to Dark Souls and Witcher music for background inspiration for her.

Q3 :  Why did you start writing this character?          

A3 : I used my Dark Souls oc and reworked her to interact with the story of FFXIV. She started out a bit “lighter and softer” than what she is now, but has grown quite a lot.

Q4 :   What first attracted you to this character?          

A4 : The theme of a girl who had to grow up very quickly in a bleak, hostile environment but pulls through due to support from friends and family. She has a dark side that I get to express that I don’t have in other characters. Unlike the rest, she’s hit the bottom before; writing her is a reminder of just how much worse things can be.

Q5 :  Describe the biggest thing you dislike about your muse.

A5 : She’s borderline antisocial and very bad at judging dangerous situations. Sh will walk into fights and will disregard whether she can win or lose, so she might come off as a liability...

Q6 :  What do you have in common with your muse?          

A6 :   Not much, but we love cats very much!

Q7 :   How does your muse feel about  you?          

A7 :   She’s probably surprised someone so nice could think of these terrible, horrible things to put her through.

Q8 :  What characters does your muse have interesting interactions with ?        

A8 :   Those with secrets or are similar to her. She’s slow to trust and that makes regular interactions difficult because of her aloof nature, but anyone who can break through her shell tends to find a good friend. Or...perhaps a rival should she desire to test your strength.

Q9 :  What gives you inspiration to write your muse ?        

A9 : DARK SOULS, but also anime and literature, anything thematically related to her

Q10 : How long did this take you to complete ?          

A10 : Several hours, since I was playing at the same time =v=;

#character prompt #kyrie silverwings #i got tagged again so kyrien is next...

[witcherhunterbros]

8 people I’d like to know better

I was tagged by @orontes quite a while ago...thank you and sorry for the late post...better late than never, right?

Birthday: March 2nd

Zodiac Sign : Pisces

Last Song I Listened To: I often have the radio on as a type of background noise - so I don’t remember what the last song was - but the last music I really listened to was The Witcher: Wild Hunt Soundtrack

Hobbies : Yoga, reading, playing video games

Favorite Color : red - like the hair dye I’ve been using for ten years now

Last Film I Watched: Suspiria (2018) - well, at least the first hour than I switched it off because I didn’t want to spend two more hours of my life on this crap

Fave Book: I read a lot so it’s hard to pick just one - but I guess it has to be The Martian by Andy Weir - it’s my go-to-feel-good-book

Dream Job: I don’t think I have one anymore - my current position is not my dream job but I’m pretty satisfied right now with where I am currently

Meaning Behind My URL: well, I guess it’s kind of self-explanatory as my blog is a Supernatural blog

It’s too late to think of 8 people, but whoever wants to do it feel free to tag me in your post

#personal stuff #tag games #orontes

[ocarinrin]

11/11/11 Tag Game! 🧡

I was tagged by @kidsarentallwrite ❤️ tyvm

I tag @problematicprocrastinator @wandaxscarlet @delphwrites @incandescent-creativity @i-am-poetrying @inky-duchess @futureauthor-mabye @focusdumbass to answer my questions at the bottom!

1. While you’re writing, do you need some kind of background noise? If so, what?

Usually an instrumental game soundtrack like The Witcher 3 or Animal Crossing

2. Did/do you enjoy writing for school or do you enjoy it for recreational purposes?

Both, technically! It started off as a hobby but I'm studying creative writing at uni at the moment

3. If you were to be published, who would you put in your acknowledgements?

Probably my dog

4. Favourite source of inspiration?

Literally anything fantasy related! Games, books, movies, artwork, they all give me ideas for my wip

5. What is your go-to writers block destroyer?

I write down every thought that comes to my head without thinking hard. Usually getting my fingers moving helps to straighten out my thoughts

6. Do you keep track of your word count?

I try not to because otherwise I begin to focus on nothing but how many words I'm writing instead of what I'm writing about

7. Word or Google Docs?

Word

8. Do you read fanfiction?

I used to but I don't have a fandom I like enough to read fanfiction of

9. Would you ever write in a collaboration? 

I'd love to at some point!

10.Do you read poetry? Who is your favourite poet?

I've read Rupi Kaur but I'm hesitant to class her as a favourite... most of my poetry comes from unpublished poets on instagram

11. Would you ever want your work to be adapted into a film or television show?

I certainly wouldn't be against it if it were to happen but it's not a goal for me

Here are my 11 questions!

1. First person or third person? Which do you prefer to read/write?

2. What qualities win you over when choosing a book?

3. Which genre do you prefer to write?

4. Do you have any pet peeves when it comes to writing?

5. Do you prefer standalone books or a series?

6. What is your favourite book-to-film adaptation?

7. Is there an underrated book you'd encourage others to read?

8. What is your favourite piece of writing advise?

9. On average, how often do you find yourself writing per week?

10. What is your longest work in progress?

11. Who is your favourite author?

Happy writing!

#tag game #writing meme

[sugapop-rp]

for the habit meme, number 10and number 16?

 yay someone sent me something *happy dances*

10. how much do you proof-read as you are writing vs. proof-read at the end?

ooohhh good question! tbh quite honest…i don’t proof read really at the end XD like post writing, after posting my reply to a thread i just assume for the best lmao. i try my best to do proof reading as i type (i.e. double checking i am spelling something correctly because i have the i.q. of a 🥜 or seeing how my writing sounds when i read it to myself). sadly i do allow some mistakes to slip past but it’s nothing too drastic or i like to think. feel free to call me out on my mistakes :) i like to improve myself!

16. do you first get in the “zone” when writing, or do you start writing and “enter” it that way?

to answer your question, i hope what i explained makes sense lmao. i go about my writing by this. start off with the replies that aren’t too heavy in writing aka my more novel length replies. some that require more in depth focus then just have youtube casually be playing in the background when writing a reply ya know what i mean? when doing those replies, i first read what the reply is and focus on finding the right gif icon to represent that reply i am giving (idk why but i am VERY picky with my gif icons that i pick out i.e. does it have the right hair color for my muse because if not, i will not use it unless it’s well hidden lmao so that makes me take a bit to reply) from there, i just start writing and post away. sometimes i may have music on during this time but for these replies it’s nothing specific. it’s just whatever album i feel like listening too so i can be listening to chewing gum while writing about a mafia rp xD

now for my more in depth replies, that’s when i do get into the “zone” quote on quote. i give my attention to those at the very end. they are never specific on what the context is but they are more lenghty or just very plot heavy that’s happening. for those, i am a bit more strict with myself by not getting myself too distracted (but i fail sometimes lol). for example, i have a gang/mafia rp going on with @astr-phorical so for that rp, i may look up a playlist that may fit that theme (not always but sometimes i like to have that playing when in being focused) or my rp with my vampire hunter with @starxstorm i may look up some music that fits a vampire aesthetic (my favorite is to play the witcher 3 soundtrack which helps get me going for our vampire and mythology rp c;). this is when i’m feeling more stuck on the reply and go to music to help me get in the mood though. 

tldr; i do both going by the flow and getting in the zone xD

come and ask me about my rp habit’s!

#trcvias #{ thanks for sending le ask :) } #{ bunny anna's answered shiz }

[rpgmgames]

July’s Featured Game: SLARPG

DEVELOPER(S): Bobby "ponett" Schroeder ENGINE: RPGMaker VX Ace  GENRE: RPG, Fantasy SUMMARY: SLARPG is a short, turn-based RPG following the story of Melody Amaranth, a kindhearted but meek transgender fox who’s decided to learn healing magic and become a paladin. She’s joined by her adventurous girlfriend Allison, as well as their friends Claire (a sarcastic, rule-bending witch)(she is also trans) and Jodie (a dependable, somewhat motherly knight). Over the course of the story, our inexperienced heroes will meddle with forces beyond their control and find themselves responsible for the fate of their quaint little hometown. They’ll also fight some spherical frogs, travel to a forgotten land in the sky, befriend a robot or two, and anger the local librarian. But that should go without saying. 

Introduce yourself!  Hi! My name's Bobby "ponett" Schroeder. I have a background mainly in visual art and writing, and I've been working in RPG Maker VX Ace since 2013 after being inspired to try making my own game by Splendidland's masterpiece Megaman Sprite Game. I'd always wanted to go into game development, but this was the first time it felt like it was actually feasible for me to make something fun on my own. By the end of that year I released a much rougher freeware version of SLARPG, originally known as Super Lesbian Horse RPG.

I do most of the work myself, but I have several people helping me with some NPC and enemy design work including my boyfriend Anthony Field (@exclamationpointman on Tumblr) and my friends Thomas Landon (@schloogywoog), Gee (@fattoads), and Thom (@sidewalkwitch). My lead composer is the incredibly talented BEATR!X @neutralnewt) with more music contributed by other friends such as internet pop icon blacksquares (@blacksquares).

What is your project about? What inspired you to create your game initially? *Bobby: Super Lesbian Animal RPG is primarily about a timid transgender fox named Melody. At age 22 she's sort of coasting along on autopilot with no clear idea of what she wants to do with her life. One day, she and her girlfriend Allison get roped into a new adventuring guild founded by their friends Claire and Jodie. Melody sees this as an opportunity to impress Allison and to make herself useful by becoming a paladin and learning healing magic.

At its heart, the game is about the relationships between four girls in their early 20s. They're all trying to define themselves as people, they all have their own personal baggage, and they all have their own motives for seeing this dinky little adventurer's guild as a life-changing opportunity. And now, thanks to the trouble they get themselves into, they also have to figure out how to be heroes. It's also a game where you can have an anthropomorphic rabbit with a mohawk kiss her girlfriend and then swing a sword made of zircon at a magic tumbleweed

As I said, the game was originally released in a much rougher form under the title Super Lesbian Horse RPG. It started out as a cute, goofy little game where Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash from My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic were dating (of course) and went on a bizarre adventure, but it soon turned into a genuine RPG with a more sincere story. It also got much, much more attention than I ever expected. My use of copyrighted characters made the game difficult to distribute, though, and in hindsight I was holding myself back by presenting it as a fangame. So in 2015, I decided to radically overhaul and flesh out the game with a new, expanded cast that I have full creative control over. And now here we are today, with a game that's probably got more new material in it than old, but still hopefully has the same charm if you enjoyed the original.

How long have you been working on your project? *Bobby: Work on the original project lasted the entirety of 2013, with me foolishly releasing the 1.0 version on Christmas 2013 (my 20th birthday—I spent most of the day frantically squashing bugs). I returned to the project in 2015 and have been working on the new version on and off for about two years now.

Did any other games or media influence aspects of your project? *Bobby: The humor is definitely inspired in part by Mother and Paper Mario, although my talkative protagonists might make it closer to something like a point-and-click adventure game. I've also always loved really casual comedy that skews towards normal conversation in stuff like Home Movies or Homestuck. Adventure Time has undoubtedly been a big influence, too, as one of my favorite shows, with its "anything goes" fantasy world and colorful cast of characters—but also because of its focus on grounded, introspective character moments in a surreal, fantastical setting

Gameplay-wise, early Final Fantasy titles are a big influence for sure, and I'm trying to take a page out of Zelda's book when it comes to exploration and level design. But tabletop RPGs like Dungeons and Dragons are also having an impact on the way I design encounters. I think tabletop games are still the gold standard for RPG battles, because they're often less about stats and repetition and doing what the designer wants you to do and more about improvising a fun story. Of course, an RPG Maker game can't compete with having an actual DM there to run an encounter, but I'm trying to give players lots of fun little "hey, what if I tried this?" moments with unexpected consequences.

Have you come across any challenges during development? How have you overcome or worked around them?   *Bobby: Honestly, the big thing for me is always time management. As development continues and my skills improve, I often find myself polishing areas and assets I'd already worked on before. If I didn't force myself to work on new stuff too I'd probably spend three years just polishing Greenridge to a mirror shine.

Have any aspects of your project changed over time? How does your current project differ from your initial concept? *Bobby: Developing the protagonists further has really broadened my horizons writing-wise. I always wanted the game to have a nice emotional arc on top of all the jokes and surreal dungeons, but over time I've fleshed out Melody, Allison, Claire, and Jodie more and more, making everyone feel less like charicatures and more like real people with relatable motivations. The graphics have also gotten a lot better after several years of pixel art practice, and the level design has gotten less linear.

What was your team like at the beginning? How did people join the team? If you don't have a team, do you wish you had one or do you prefer working alone? *Bobby: It started out as just me. Friends on Tumblr quickly showed interest in contributing designs and music to the game just because they liked the project, and before long a lot of different people were putting their own little mark on the game. Some of my favorite characters in the game have been designed by friends, and I don't know where I'd be without the absolutely phenomenal soundtrack.

What was the best part of developing the game? *Bobby: I love designing characters, and writing in all these little details to make them feel real, and figuring out how they talk to each other, and seeing my audience pick out their favorites. It's a very rewarding process for me. The second best part is getting to listen to the soundtrack and realize "Wow... this is gonna be in a game that I'm making. And it's gonna be SICK."

Which character in your game do you relate to the most and why? (Alternatively: Who is your favorite character and why?) *Bobby: Without a doubt, Melody. She differs from myself in a lot of major ways, so I wouldn't call her a self-insert, but she was created to give myself the relatable fat bisexual trans girl protagonist with anxiety that no other piece media was ever going to give me. A lot of her insecurities in the game are even loosely inspired by stuff I've been through in real life.

I also have a ton of fun writing the villains, but they're spoilers.

Looking back now, is there anything that regret/wish you had done differently? *Bobby: I wish I'd been more consistent about my work ethic in the past. I worked EXTREMELY inconsistently on SLARPG throughout 2015, and I probably could've gotten a lot more done back then. But hey, live and learn.

Once you finish your project, do you plan to explore game's universe and characters further in subsequent projects, or leave it as-is? *Bobby: Oh, I'm absolutely hoping to revisit this world! Part of the reason I'm putting so much effort into revamping a game I already released is so that I can work with this new cast and setting again in the future. I'm not planning too far ahead right now, but I do have some vague ideas for more games I'd like to make in this world, possibly through the eyes of characters other than Melody.

What do you look most forward to upon/after release? *Bobby: I'm looking forward to being able to play some longer games in my backlog without feeling guilty about it, haha. I've been dying to play stuff like The Witcher 3, NieR: Automata, and Final Fantasy XV, but I'm always worried it'll just take time away from my work. It's a wonder I managed to finish Breath of the Wild this year.

Is there something you're afraid of concerning the development or the release of your game?  *Bobby: This answer is gonna be a bummer, but I'm worried about is the harassment I'll have to deal with for putting out a game about LGBT characters. I've already dealt with this on several occasions, although thankfully it hasn't progressed past slur-filled anonymous messages. This toxic state of the gaming community is why I'm currently planning to release the game exclusively on itch.io, rather than exposing myself to Steam's hostile userbase. But it's a story that I think is worth telling, and for every piece of hate mail I get 20 messages from people telling me how excited they are, which is why I haven't given up.

Question from last month's featured dev: Is there any portion of your development that's gotten you outside your comfort zone? *Bobby: I think it's easy to say that most of it has been outside my comfort zone, actually. Working on SLARPG has really pushed the boundaries of what I previously thought I was capable of as an artist. When I first started I literally made a dungeon that was just a straight line with one 90 degree turn because I had no idea what else to do with the canvas. Now I can make dungeons that are actually slightly fun!

Do you have any advice for upcoming devs? *Bobby: Study the games and stories you love, and find out what really makes them tick. Don't just mimic surface level things, but study the mechanical, structural, and thematic elements that make them so memorable. Oh, and don't put too much effort into a fangame if there's even the slightest chance it'll get taken down, haha. Make something original loosely inspired by the things you love instead.

We mods would like to thank Bobby for agreeing to our interview! We believe that featuring the developer and their creative process is just as important as featuring the final product. Hopefully this Q&A segment has been an entertaining and insightful experience for everyone involved! 

Remember to check out SLARPG if you haven’t already! See you next month! 

- Mods Gold & Platinum 

#rpg maker #rpgmaker #rpg #game dev #rpg maker games #game feature #games #gotm #game of the month #interview #dev interview #slarpg #super lesbian animal rpg #pixel games #pixel art

[enterinit]

New Xbox One Games for May 5 to 8

New Xbox One Games for May 5 to 8.

Pushy and Pully in Blockland – May 5

Pushy and Pully in Blockland is a cooperative arcade game with a retro feeling. Pushy and Pully are travelling through space when their spaceship breaks. They end up falling into Blockland, a planet full of blocks and monsters. The only way for them to escape is to move from room to room while defeating the monsters, until they find a boss that has a piece of the spaceship. Help Pushy and Pully get back their spaceship on their trip across Blockland. Push blocks to defeat the monsters, join blocks of the same colour to get power ups and defeat the bosses to recover the parts of your broken spaceship. Features: Play solo or with a friendClassic gameplay with never-seen-before twistsCombine blocks of the same colour to create the power up you need or the bonus points that will bump up your position in the leaderboardsEnd the stage by defeating all the enemies before time runs outDefeat more than one monster at the same time or pop more than two blocks to get extra combo points.50 lovingly handmade levels5 unique bosses to challenge youLeaderboards and stage rating. Can you make more points than your friends?

Emma: Lost in Memories – May 5

Poetic, surrealistic and melancholic, EMMA: Lost in Memories offers a unique experience in a strange and dangerous world where walls fade away as you touch them. The main character, Emma, is young, vibrant and intriguing: she leaves her home following an owl, and soon loses herself in a world which she slowly finds more and more dangerous. Features: One fast and simple mechanic: all the platforms and walls start disappearing when you touch them!The character runs automatically at a fixed speed! Control her special abilities (double jump, dash and climb) and do your best to react at the correct time.Minimalistic 2D artistic style completely drawn by hand.Dynamic gameplay in a poetic and eccentric world.Single-screen levels which combine skill and ingenuity with planification and strategy.Two game modes: Main Story and Memory Chest. Complete the Main Story first to enjoy the levels in the Memory Chest!Delicate reflexion on memory loss.

Reed 2 – May 6

Reed awakens… to the memories of the old supercomputer… Reed failed. The reboot failed and now the digital world is once again breaking down. Before the old supercomputer malfunctioned, it gave Reed backup files that must be delivered to the Developer. Collect information cubes once again in a desolate version of the last remnants of the digital world. Dodge floor spikes, razor blades, enemies, and wall arrows to reach the next stage! Find hidden survivors trying to escape from the new horrors of the corruption. The virtual world is now doomed, can you get to the Developer? Features: 52 levels to conquerDesolate pixel art graphicsAmbient chilling OST

Task Force Kampas – May 6

Arcade space shooter action reimagined! A team of outcasts who happen to be in the wrong place during an evil invasion must contain the breach, save their friends and defend the universe from corruption! Drawing inspiration from the golden age of Japanese shoot‘em ups, Task Force Kampas combines retro action with modern conventions, adding new mechanics and randomly generated stages with hand-crafted bosses. In a unique twist, the game can be finished, but skilled players will find a way to continue past the ending and claim even higher scores! Rhythmic gameplay and a pulsing soundtrack work together to create an intense audio-visual experience. Features: Blast through randomized stages with high-intensity gameplay!Challenge a variety of hand-crafted bosses.Test your skill in endless runs to claim the high score on a single credit.Kill enemies to boost your power or stop shooting to repair your ship.Get in the mood with a punchy techno/synthwave soundtrack!Unlock alternate color palettes and extreme difficulties.Save the stranded cocos for unlimited happiness!

Zombies Ruined My Day – May 6

This is the story of how the best day of your life can become a nightmare full of zombies. Survive in a hostile environment using all sorts of weapons. Defend your position with barricades, blow up groups of zombies with grenades, sweep the area away with a Gatling and more! All in a fully action packed game with colorful backgrounds and fearsome monsters. Show us that you're more than a snack for zombies! Features: 27 challenging levels across 3 distinct zones6 zombie types and 3 huge bosses8 weapons to unlockColorful cartoony graphicsAnd an amusing background story! Professional Farmer: American Dream – May 6 Live the “American Dream” on your ranch in the USA. Professional Farmer: American Dream – the latest spin-off from the Professional Farmer series – takes you to a ranch set in the captivating landscapes of the Midwest. Surrounded by towering mountain ranges, build your dream as a rancher in America with lush fields as far as the eye can see.

Infinite: Beyond the Mind – May 7

Infinite - Beyond The Mind is a slick 2D action-platformer where you take on evil Queen Evangelyn Bramann, ruler of The Beljantaur Kingdom as she works towards her dream of world domination. Play as either Tanya or Olga, two girls who have the power to stop the Beljantaur Kingdom’s growing army and take down the evil Queen. Take on a range of different bosses in either single-player or co-op across a variety of stunning chibi pixel art style backdrops as you explore the Beljantaur Kingdom. Your agility is the key to your survival on the battlefield and your strength is what will prevent the Queen's reign of terror from taking over the world… Do you stand a chance against her Majesty?

Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes – May 8

A classic reborn! Casual, turn-based strategy in a land of fantastical creatures and deadly machines! In the aftermath of a great flood, a vengeful leader threatens to conquer the world with the aid of a once lost technology, and only a small but determined army stands in their path. Mecho Wars: Desert Ashes is the definitive release of the 2009 turn-based strategy classic, Mecho Wars. Fully remastered in high definition, it features new hand painted art, new visual effects, an expanded single-player campaign and six previously unreleased multiplayer maps.

Fury Unleashed – May 8

Fury Unleashed is a combo-driven rougelite action platformer - each kill you make increases your combo. Hit certain thresholds and your damage resistance and healing powers will kick in! It's a game you can even beat in one ultimate combo. Are you up to the task? ABOUT FURY UNLEASHED Fury Unleashed was created by combining inspiration from modern roguelite platformers, like Dead Cells and Rogue Legacy, with nostalgic memories of old-school platformers, like Contra and Metal Slug. We have spent five years polishing our creation to make sure that your experience with the game will be as memorable as the aforementioned titles and we wholeheartedly believe that you won't be disappointed. MAIN FEATURES • Ever-changing comic book – Explore the pages of a living comic book where ink is your most valuable resource and each room is a comic panel. Find out why is John Kowalsky, creator of acclaimed Fury Unleashed series, having a creativity crisis and see if you can help him deal with it. • Gameplay-impacting combo system – Kill enemies quickly enough to unleash your fury and rip through everything in your way without getting injured. Learn to play flawlessly and beat the entire game in one, epic combo! • Game customization options – Choose either challenging Hard mode, which will put your skills to the test - or Easy mode, where you can adjust the difficulty parameters any way you want. Beat the Hard mode to unlock access to even harder Incredible and Legendary modes. Disable blood and gore if you don't like it, or if there are young children around. Go solo or bring in a friend for a local co-op session. • Choose your hero's skills to match your playstyle and modify their appearance to your liking! • Roguelite with soft permadeath – Discover worlds created by a mix of hand-designed levels and procedural generation algorithms. Choose the best items to assist you in your playthrough and unlock permanent upgrades when you'll die for your subsequent runs. • Ravishing environments – Play through the pages of visually distinctive comic books and dive into the creator's sketchbook. Master each enemy's behavior patterns and overcome a total of 40 bosses. All that accompanied by epic soundtrack composed by Adam Skorupa and Krzysztof Wierzynkiewicz, the creators of music for The Witcher, Bulletstorm and Shadow Warrior.

SuperMash – May 8

SuperMash is a game that makes games! Mash together two game genres to get a completely unique new game each time, then challenge your friends to see how they do! Jume’s game shop is in trouble, and she needs her brother Tomo’s help to save it! Mash together iconic genres to create never-before-seen gaming experiences. Jump through classic Platformer levels with a tactical Stealth character, fight as spaceships in engaging JRPG battles, and more! Anything is possible with SuperMash’s emergent game system, which creates a unique game every time you play. You can even customize your Mashes with the help of Dev Cards! Think the Mash you made is impossible? Share its MASH Code with a friend or streamer and see if they can beat it! Features: The Possibilities Are Endless! – Pick two genres (or the same genre) and watch the game create a completely unique game each time!Six Classic Genres to Mix and Match – Platformer, Action Adventure, Shoot ‘Em Up, Metrovania, Stealth, and JRPG, but stay tuned for more genres in the future!Customize Your Games – With Dev Cards, you can customize elements of each Mash you make, like enemies, players, mechanics, and environments. Complete Mashes to collect them all!Sell the Next Big Hit! - Win Mashes requested by customers to unlock the mysteries of the PlayType machine and save the game shop from a nefarious threat.Challenge Your Friends – Every Mash generates a unique MASH code. Share it with a friend or streamer and see if they can succeed where you failed—or impress your friends by completing someone else’s!Let the Game Decide! - Glitches and dozens of goals and obstacles change up the gameplay to make every jump and shot meaningful. Plus, with three difficulty modes, you can choose the challenge!

Sin Slayers: Enhanced Edition – May 8

Sin Slayers is an RPG with roguelike elements set in a dark fantasy world, where your choices determine how challenging the fights and enemies will be. Create, equip and lead a team of heroes. Each unit will have its own abilities and weaknesses, so plan your combat strategy accordingly. You’ll journey through stinking primeval forests, boneyards riddled with crypts and the graves of fallen warriors, and other places even the bravest adventurer would fear to tread. Battles, traps, and bizarre enemies… Everything and everyone wishes to take your life, but don't succumb to despair. Between fights your party can take their rest at a fountain, or while on the road in an old church which leaves its doors open to the weary and wounded. Travel every path and byway of the Valley, obtain new weapons on the field of battle or by fulfilling quests, gather ingredients for magical elixirs and resources to craft armor and amulets. If a certain item is beyond your crafting ability, ask the blacksmith in the Old Church for help. The best gear will allow you to challenge the deadliest monsters.

Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 – May 8

Ultimate Ski Jumping 2020 is an oldschool, pixelart sports game in which you play as a ski jumper. Compete in tournaments, beat your hi-scores. You can play in campaign mode or challenge others in multiplayer. Have a competition with AI jumpers on 5 difficulty levels! GAME MODES · Campaign – a set of ready to play competitions with a brief plot · Tournament – events taking place on selected ski jumping hills · Quickplay – you choose the hill, number of opponents, difficulty level, and start playing · Multiplayer Online – play with your friends and fight for a position in direct online games · Training – a place to hone your skills FEATURES · Old school graphics · Different types of ski jumping hills from summer and winter to jumping on the Moon and beach · Simplified and advanced jump models · Personalized jumpers · Multiplayer mode to play with players from all around the world! Features: Campaign – a set of ready to play competitions with a brief plotTournament – events taking place on selected ski jumping hillsQuick play – you choose the hill, number of opponents, difficulty level, and start playingMultiplayer Online – play with your friends and fight for a position in direct online gamesVarious types of ski jumping hills from summer and winter to jumping on the Moon

Duke of Defense – May 8

Get ready for a tower defense game that takes an uncommon approach to player interaction. Slash goblins with your sword, roll through waves of enemies, and build towers as fast as you can. Collect coins from fallen foes, but be careful not to get hurt when maneuvering through the action! Use nine powerful towers to build a strong defense, each tower more unique than the last. Upgrade your character as you advance through the story with a plethora of game-enhancing abilities. Anything unlocked in your skill tree will also apply in co-op mode, so everybody benefits! Unique towers, exciting abilities, and planned future game modes ensures you'll be back for more. Discover a world brimming with humor, interesting characters, and adventure. Interact with overly observant villagers and egotistical wizards. You'll find yourself in a role more significant than a knight could ever dream of!

Ghost Files 2: Memory of a Crime – May 8

The life of a private detective is tough, and no one knows it better than Arthur Christie – an ex-cop, effective and tough as a nail. This time he will face an investigation in which not only truth is at stake, but also his life in this hidden object puzzle game. Read the full article

#Games #XboxOne

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Everything We Know (So Far) About Cyberpunk 2077

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/everything-we-know-so-far-about-cyberpunk-2077/

Everything We Know (So Far) About Cyberpunk 2077

After the critical success of The Witcher 3, developer CD Projekt Red is eager to take you on your next massive adventure full of futuristic mercenaries, cybernetic implants, hackers, and more. After receiving IGN’s Game of the Show at E3 two years in a row, Cyberpunk 2077 is shaping up to be one of the most ambitious games ever created.

We’ve rounded up all the important information you need to know about the upcoming game including:

Updated: 62 Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay Details

Cyberpunk 2077 Release Date

As we learned at E3 2019, Cyberpunk 2077 has a release date of April 16, 2020 as a PlayStation 4 game, an Xbox One game, and PC game.

Cyberpunk 2077 Gameplay

Cyberpunk 2077 is a single-player open-world RPG.

Unlike The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, which featured a specific hero in Geralt of Rivia, Cyberpunk 2077 will feature a robust character creation tool that allows you to customize V’s appearance, gender, tattoos/scarring, as well as their childhood hero and “Lifepath“.

As you progress through the game, decisions you make will affect the story and world around you. There is apparently no morality system in Cyberpunk 2077, and the entirety of the story can be played without killing anyone. Although “to complete [the game] non lethally, you have to be very good at stealth,” according to quest director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz. Depending on your choices, the game will feature multiple different endings.

Cyberpunk 2077 doesn’t have “Classes” in the traditional sense – in that you pick one and stick with it throughout the game – rather, there are three different skill pools that you can pull from: Solo, a combat-focused lone wolf class, Techie, focused on various gadgets, and Netrunner, allowing you to hack into computers, drones, robots, and even other people’s minds to manipulate them. You can focus completely on one of these classes, or play a combination of the three of them.

Additionally, the game will not feature any game over screens if you happen to fail a mission. According to quest designer Philipp Webber, “quests have been designed to allow all kinds of player behavior, ensuring that the game never fails players for engaging in unconventional activities.”

Character progression also won’t be possible to max out during your first run, implying that the game will get a New Game Plus mode that allows you to continue refining and building out your character. Cyberpunk 2077’s lead quest designer Pawel Sasko said, “most likely it won’t be possible to max out everything on [one] playthrough, as it would have little sense to have a game that is about replayability and choices, while in the same time allow the players to max out all the stats on the first run.”

The core gameplay will feature futuristic cars and motorcycles that you can use to get around Night City. There will be a heavy emphasis on hacking drones and robots, which you can do to avoid combat scenarios and get a leg-up on your enemies. You’ll be able to augment your character with different cybernetic modifications that give you unique abilities like seeing enemies through walls, showing your damage per shot, slowing down time, and more, many of which alter your character’s HUD. During your playthrough, you’ll encounter many different characters, many of which can become romantic relationships.

Cyberpunk 2077 Story

Cyberpunk 2077 is the video game adaptation of Mike Pondsmith’s popular tabletop RPG, Cyberpunk 2020. Players will be able to select from three different origin stories, which CD Projekt Red has referred to as “Lifepaths.” You will be able to select Nomad, Corpo, or Street Kid, with each beginning in a different starting location and containing unique background stories.

The game’s story centers around V, an up-and-coming mercenary in Night City who is trying to survive amongst the various gangs and megacorporations. There is violence, drugs, and poverty surrounding you as you complete various jobs for people, earning money along the way. In this dystopian future, everyone is obsessed with augmenting themselves with cybernetic implants, something you’ll become very familiar with.

We also learned at this year’s E3 that Keanu Reeves is officially part of the cast, playing the character Johnny Silverhand, a key component of the Cyberpunk 2020 tabletop game. It’s not clear exactly how Reeves��� character fits into the story of Cyberpunk 2077, but in a recent interview he said, “My character Johnny interacts with the role-player,” Reeves said. “So I interact with whoever is playing that and I’m part of their journey, but they’re also part of mine, so you know, you’ll see what happens.” Johnny Silverhand will definitely be a significant part of the final game, however, as co-founder of CD Projekt Red Marcin Iwiński has revealed that Keanu has recorded “something around 15-ish days of voice recording in the studio.” For comparison, the only character to have more voice lines in the game is your protagonist.

Cyberpunk 2077 Setting

In Cyberpunk 2077, you’ll explore the bustling Night City, a fictional location set in the Free State of Northern California in the year 2077. The city is comprised of six districts that you’ll be able to explore: City Center, a commercial district home to many of the skyscrapers we’ve seen in the trailers, Watson District, a run-down section that is home to many immigrants and also the setting of the entire E3 2018 demo, Westbrook, home to many wealthy elites, Heywood, another wealthy district with a growing gang influence, Pacifica, an urban slum that’s riddled with gangs, and Santo Domingo, the city’s industrial district.

After playing a session of the tabletop RPG Cyberpunk 2020, we learned that the original setting of Night City is a little sillier than some might expect – though we’re not sure if that will carry over into 2077.

Cyberpunk 2077 Collector’s Editions and Preorder Bonuses

Cyberpunk 2077 will have two editions of the game, as well as preorder bonuses that can be obtained. The physical edition will retail for $59.99, and contain a compendium that details the game’s settings and lore, postcards from Night City, a map of Night City, and some stickers. In addition, you’ll also receive some digital in-game items including the full game soundtrack, an art book, the Cyberpunk 2020 sourcebook, and wallpapers for desktop and mobile.

Certain retailers are offering preorder bonuses for the game as well. Best Buy is offering a $10 reward certificate that can be used on future purchases, GameStop will include a Samurai Medallion, and GOG features an exclusive digital game booklet, some additional wallpapers and avatars, print-quality posters, and 30% off the official Cyberpunk 2077 merch store.

The game’s Collector’s Edition will retail for $249.99 and contains a slew of Cyberpunk goodies. You’ll get a Collector’s Edition box, a collectible steelbook, a 25cm x 10” statue which features V, the game’s protagonist, firing his weapons while jumping from a futuristic motorcycle, a hardcover art book, metal pin set, Quadra V-tech metal keychain, annotated copy of A Visitor’s Guide to Night City sealed in a special NCPD Evidence Bag, embroidered patches, and everything in the physical edition of the game. Hurry up though, because they are selling out quickly!

Cyberpunk 2077 Trailers

There have, somewhat surprisingly, only been three official trailers released for Cyberpunk 2077 so far:

The first teaser trailer, released in 2013.

The re-reveal trailer from E3 2018.

The cinematic story trailer (revealing Keanu Reeves) from E3 2019.

But the E3 stage presentation during Microsoft press conference featured some additional gameplay footage leading up to the release date reveal.

And there were better looks at some key characters in an announcement trailer for an official cosplay contest.

Cyberpunk 2077 News and Rumors

It’s no surprise that Cyberpunk 2077 is going to be a massive game, but based on the game’s digital preorder page on PS4, the minimum requirement for installation is expected to be 80GB, which is twice as big as The Witcher 3.

Similar to The Witcher 3, Cyberpunk 2077 is also expected to receive multiple DLC packs according to the game’s UI Coordinator, Alvin Liu, that will expand on the game’s base story. If it’s anything like their previous game, you can expect full game-sized campaigns that bring you deeper into the Cyberpunk universe.

Speaking of more of the Cyberpunk universe, Mike Pondsmith, creator of the Cyberpunk franchise, has hinted at a possible movie that would offer up a different side of Cyberpunk, saying that, “you have to adapt to the medium to make it effective.” He also mentioned that, “with Keanu Reeves being tied up in things, [the movie becomes] much more of a possibility.”

Although the behind-closed-doors demo at E3 was not made public this year, we can expect more information during PAX West—which begins in late-August—according to CD Projekt Red’s global community manager in an interaction on Twitter.

Cyberpunk 2077 Development

While Cyberpunk 2077 has technically been in development since at least 2012, development on the massive sci-fi RPG didn’t start in earnest until after The Witcher 3 expansion Heart of Stone had launched.

During that development time, CD Projekt Red has developed an entirely new engine to create a world that is “more ambitious” and “far bigger” than The Witcher 3, even opening a third studio to do so, and has worked hard to maintain secrecy on many aspects of the game (despite early design documents having been stolen) so that they could reveal gameplay mechanics and story details to the players when they’re ready.

What will you be doing first when you get your hands on Cyberpunk 2077? Let us know in the comments below! For all your other Cyberpunk 2077 coverage, stay tuned to IGN.

Matthew Adler is a freelance video game journalist and Host of In Your Element—A Gaming Podcast. You can follow him on Twitter @matthewadler.

Source : IGN

#Game News #Game Reviews

[doublehex]

This is made in reference to a post on THE BIG ACTION MUSIC ORCHESTRAL THREAD @ FFShrine

So I want to talk a bit about Vinphonic’s opinions on The Witcher 3. Spoilers, I disagree completely! First off, let’s tackle how Vinphonic stated that Marcin Przybyłowicz considers himself more of a sound designer than a composer. The dude graduated from the F. Nowowiejski Academy of Music in Poland. His web site profiled him as studying jazz there. I did some quick research on it, and it’s Wikipedia page (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bydgos...Nowowiejski%22) is pretty lengthy. So I am pretty sure that the dude considers himself a composer, aspired to be a composer, studied for the profession. Unless you have proof that Przyblowicz thinks of himself more of a sound designer than a composer, don’t bring up unverified claims. But let’s make this about the music. I like the music to The Witcher 3. I could go on and say I enjoy the music to the series as a whole, but for the sake of discussion I am going to focus on The Witcher 3. Also, when I am referencing to specific cues from it, I will be using my complete soundtrack. Because I am a lazy fuck, and I don’t really feel like having to download the original OST and extended OST and cross referencing between these three albums. So, to me personally, I love the uniqueness of Witcher 3. It sounds so cool and interesting! I have never heard a soundtrack quite like it. I mean, just start off with The White Wolf (aka the main menu theme). We have these very harsh, almost folkish strings playing in dominance, front and center. There are lusher, more orchestral instruments in the background, but the harsh folkish sound is right in our face. Przybyłowicz is practically SCREAMING AT US. He is saying, in our face, just what kind of music we can expect – not the usual fantasy score. Sure, the what he is saying is what we have treaded before a thousand times. But the HOW of it is totally new and strange, and I love it! The Wicther 3 is drowning in something that I think is lacking in so much music, and that is STYLE. Przybyłowicz just fills the score with personality, with a really unique sounding landscape, and I fucking love it! I mean, “The Trail” is a good showcase of this. It starts off with vocals. Female vocals even. We’ve heard that before. But something is immediately off – the vocals are harsh and sharp! In ways that a male chorus tends to be. Our minds are instantly split between these two foundations – the fact that a woman is singing in a way that men are usually told to is wrecking with our brains. And the rest of the music matches with this strange beat. We don’t’ get stuff like horns, but a really harsh string instrument that pushes the cue along. And halfway through, the chorus is practically screaming. This is stuff we don’t see a lot of, and I think that is so cool. Przybyłowicz didn’t want to just do the same old fantasy thing. I mean, for the most part. He falters a few times (I think the only good cinematic cues are “Wake Up, Ciri” and “The Source”), and the fact that he has to compose six hours of music definitely wears on him, but overall this is a solid score that had PERSONALITY. It’s unique! Like, when Przybyłowicz is in his element, I don’t think there is an epic score that sounds anything like it. It feels incredibly worn down, like the edge of a blade that hasn’t been sharpened in months. It caters to the weary world view of the setting, a world that has seen shit after shit, and it just won’t let up. With that said, it is not nihilistic. It’s not drowning us in percussions and so many notes that we can’t make sense of it. It’s edgy, but not grimdark. Listen to “The Royal Palace in Vizimia”. Nilfgaard has just steamrolled over Temeria and has taken the royal palace as the center of their invasion. Przybyłowicz could have easily done a depressing theme, and it would have worked. But there is a certain cherriness to it, because Geralt has a history with this place. Foltest was probably the only king that Geralt could almost call a friend, and so much of Geralt’s rise as a Witcher was tied to not just Temeria’s king, but Temeria itself. Geralt had fought on behalf of both Temeria and its king several times before. Walking through the Royal Palace is almost like strolling through home to him. Not home home, because that honor rests with Kaer Morhen, but it’s close. And the theme that Przybyłowicz wrote reflects that. And how about “A Village on the Outskirts”? That’s not dark or grim at all. A little frayed to be sure, but this is a cue Przybyłowicz wrote for the countless villages that Geralt will travel through in the game. There is the sense of small life here, of people that work day in and day out, who are bothered needlessly by the stupid politics of the big players. But there is beauty here as well – the small lives these people live do have meaning. Not to the rest of the world, but to them. It’s a good cue. Of course I need to give mention to the fight music. There are a few times it falls short – but more often than not, Przybyłowicz nails it. They are the most outlandish moments in the score. We have people singing in Polish, in a harsh rhythm that meets the frantic pace of the band. Sometimes, the vocals sound downright raspy, like as if their lungs have been scrapped by sandpaper. Vinphonic, the music you have in your custom soundtrack is good. I have ZerA and Age of Pirates already, and I like both! But they are very usual scores – the usualness of written wonderfully, but we know what we are getting into. The Witcher 3 is, beyond anything else, unique. It has a personality and flair that I have not heard anywhere else. That has value. Not to mention the fight music if rad as fuck.

#the witcher 3 #music #orchestra is rad as fuck