Wreck-It Ralph's Origins Revealed?
Aug. 11th, 2025 07:22 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
amphobetWe know from established lore that Ralph's backstory is that he was minding his own business and living in a tree stump, and then the Nicelanders basically showed up and did a colonialism. I mean it seems weird that he's the bad guy, right? They literally bulldozed his home and built an apartment building on top of it.
But consider: he's the villain of "Fix-it Felix, Jr."
But what if he was the HERO of the original arcade game, Fix-It Felix?
This would follow the pattern of the Donkey Kong and Donkey Kong Jr. arcade games. In the original, Jumpman/Mario is the hero and DK the villain. But in Jr, Mario is the bad guy and DK jr is the hero.
So I would argue that in the original Fix-It Felix arcade game, you likely played as Ralph, and the bad guy was Fix-It Felix, Sr.
to be honest ...
Aug. 11th, 2025 05:46 pmkossaiwell , later is now and uh , suddenly have another game already - and twine version to boot , which mostly make just for easier playtest . to be fair , second guess system is system which already establish , do not need to spend hours on balance - and one-page system , specifically , so there is much less to have to write .
still , um , oops ? want some time to settle though ! and just because this new game is done do not mean absolute best state , should have at least 1 good night of sleep on this game , and then maybe set to release next week or something just to give some time .
The Devil's Punchbowl
Aug. 11th, 2025 10:56 amyourlibrarian posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
common_nature
Not far from our hotel was a rock feature that had an interesting look to it. What was especially interesting to me were its walls.
( Read more... )
Fish-People
Aug. 11th, 2025 02:00 pm![[syndicated profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/feed.png){kind=small}
70s_sci_fi_ghost_feed
Sea monsters are an enduringly popular subject for speculative fiction stories, and they come in a few different general categories: Huge serpents, Loch Ness-type plesiosaurs, or Krakens with masses of tentacles.
I could do an entire post on each of those, and probably will, but right now I want to focus on the smaller, humanoid kind.
I almost named this post after the most famous example, the Creature From the Black Lagoon, but the truth is that these types of monsters – typically green, with gills and a fish-face –turn up in a far wider range of different stories, from Innsmouth to Hellboy and a bunch of retro sci-fi illustrations like these.
Jack Gaughan depicts some helpful creatures saving some Vikings on the 1967 Ace Books cover of King of the World's Edge, by H. Warner Munn.
Dean Ellis has one of the best fish-person designs, done for his 1975 cover to Red Tide by D. D. Chapman and Deloris Lehman Tarzan. This one's in my art book!
Frank Frazetta has a more famous example. This version appeared on the 1978 cover to Creepy #97, although it's a revision of a piece he original did in 1966.
Boris Vallejo tackled a fish person for his 1977 cover to Philip José Farmer's The Gates of Creation.
The brothers Hildebrandt did a straightforward troll-like fantasy Creature for their 1977 cover to Jack Vance's Eyes of the Overworld.
Some artists leaned more into the horror of a fish-like humanoid than others.
Sebastià Boada's June 1974 cover to Nightmare #19 introduces a fin-heavy mask-like appearance from a bloodthirsty fish-person, complete with a gothic castle and lightning in the background.
Vicente Segrelles has a creepy and very large take for his June 1979 cover to Das Ding ist da! by Georges Gauthier, the 329th installment in the German horror paperback series Vampir Horror-Roman.
It's true, too... Das ding ist da.
The most upsetting horror version of this trope is probably Melvyn Grant's 1978 cover art for L. Sprague de Camp's The Fallible Fiend (later reused in a couple of Steven Caldwell/Stewart Cowley's lesser art collections).
It's not the flesh being rent from the arm that makes this one so unsettling... it's that "caught doing something I shouldn't" expression this catfish-whiskered demon is giving the viewer. I feel like I'm five seconds away from parting with my jugular.
Not into bloodthirsty monsters? Try another popular micro-genre: The nuturing fish-person.
Jack Gaughan delivers a cheeky spin on the classic fish-person with this 1968 cover to the very first issue of Worlds of Fantasy magazine, just a year or two after he featured similar creatures helping those Vikings.
Vic Prezio's July 1969 cover for Eerie #22 delivers a great variation on the standard fish-person appearance, with unique attributes that include pincers, lengthy seaweed-like hair, and very sad eyes. This Creature even appears to have an irritable child with her.
This next one is another favorite of mine... Darrell K. Sweet's strange 1977 cover art for Robert A. Heinlein's Red Planet packs in so many odd details including a truly alien fish-person complete with three legs and four (at least) eyes.
Klaus Bürgle’s 1979 cover to Der Wasserplanet, by Lothar Streblow, introduces a missing-link-looking fish-person on a dolphin steed.
When it comes to official 'Creature From the Black Lagoon' art, this backboard art for a Black Lagoon-branded pinball machine has some great colors.
I'd be remiss not to mention that science fiction artist and long-time monster movie fan Vincent Di Fate did a few concepts in 2006 for a never-finished Creature From the Black Lagoon reboot. (According to this Twitter source, at least!)
I'll wrap up with the funniest example of a fish-person sci-fi illustration: Jack Kirby’s concept art for a futuristic uniform for the Green Bay Packers, done for a feature in the October 21, 1973 issue of the NFL's own Pro! magazine.
I'd definitely watch a game featuring a team of these guys!
Cool Links
I'm gonna try something new, where I share one or two interesting links I might have come across recently here – I'll probably mostly stick to art, fiction, or pop culture topics.
Rollercoaster Tycoon (or, MicroProse’s Last Hurrah) - The Digital Antiquarian
A little history of the surprising success of the Rollercoaster Tycoon game.
This guy gives away free one-shot microRPGs. I might try hosting this one for some friends... it's about a group of linguist-assassins, each of whom can modify the rules of the game during gameplay in a variety of ways.
I’ll probably never read it but I’m glad this book exists - Fraser Sherman
You gotta click to see what the book is, sorry.
Music rec: I'm proud to say that I've reached a place with my YouTube algorithm that it has seen fit to show me "DJ Bill Gates plays the windows error remix," a video which debuted 9 years ago and therefore is definitely not generative AI, even if it feels like it. Is it good? Not relevant.
I've long held that featuring weird internet mashup/remix shitposts like this would go far towards giving modern blockbuster movies the innovative edge they sorely need. Granted, the best options are more digestible ones – imagine randomly hearing this one – but that Windows Error one should be the club music in a cyberpunk setting.
Next Time: Book Notes on "The Art of NASA"
release ~ faerie thorns, faerie roses
Aug. 10th, 2025 11:54 pmkossaicome look at faerie thorns, faerie roses , journal game about faerie in love with human :)
play troubles
Aug. 10th, 2025 05:18 pmkossaia faerie court visitation : prompts really beautiful . unfortunately because of how kossai words , can not really think of any way to play with these prompts . sort of consider maybe do little collage scenes ? but that is also extra physical pain and effort .
fey court chaos : really want to fuck around and find out . this one is multiplayer design though , need to pre-make things in order to have playable game , and for some reason really have trouble with that .
ugh . what to do ...
Full Moon blu-ray release imminent
Aug. 9th, 2025 11:12 pmstepnix posting in frillsofjusticeAnimEigo's edition of Full Moon o Sagashite (Looking for the Full Moon) is about to release! Part 1 in just a few days, Part 2 coming later. This series intrigues me first as a post-Sailor Moon throwback to the idol genre, and second as, well...
Mitsuki's a normal 12-year-old girl who dreams of becoming an idol singer... except she's dying of cancer. With a surgery looming that could damage her vocal chords, and a grandmother completely against Mitsuki's dreams of showbiz, it seems like her wish will never come true. But when she's visited by two shinigami - Takuto and Meruko - Mitsuki makes a promise. If they can help her fulfill her dream, then she will part with her soul willingly when the time comes.
...a much more melancholy premise than you'd expect from a magical idol throwback!
This is the first time the whole English dub will be released, after its original release plans were interrupted. Exciting times!
Otakon licensing announcements
Aug. 9th, 2025 10:50 pmstepnix posting in anime_mangaDiscotek and AnimEigo both announced new licenses at this year's Otakon!
From Discotek we have...
Megaman (USA series)
Shin-chan (English dubbed version)
Urotsukidoji: Sequels of the Overfiend
Goldenboy
Lupin the 3rd: Castle of Cagliostro redubbed
Sgt Frog: The Movies
Zegapain
Digimon Movies 406
Monster: The Complete Series
Higurashi: When They Cry Kai
Higurashi: When They Cry Rei
Project ARMS
Zone of the Enders: Complete Collection
New Aim for the Ace
...and toku series like Kamen Rider Amazon and Kikaider 01
From AnimEigo we have...
Hotori: Simply Wishing For Hope
Alien Nine
...and updates on their release of Looking for the Full Moon, a magical girl series that's intrigued me for a while now.
oops
Aug. 9th, 2025 08:13 pmkossaisome of these also larger campaign settings , or supplements for other settings , so should really try and organise ...
oops
Aug. 9th, 2025 04:34 pmkossai... OK , so sure , some of these might literally be kossai playtest characters . shhh .
is plurality alterhuman ?
Aug. 9th, 2025 12:45 pmkossainotice there is now some discussion of whether or not plurality is or should be inherently alterhuman , with argument that this dehumanise . but think there is some really important context that need to consider , especially if make these arguments as singlet ( literally stop that ) or strictly dissociative plural .
alterhumanity do not mean experience is literally and inherently nonhuman - this is misconception that lead to exclusion of certain experiences and discussions , for one thing . but beyond that , alterhumanity is also about relationship to societal standards of typical ( earthly , mundane ) humanity .
think about how many people and cultures over time have stories about things like demonic possession , spirit channelers , even mimics and body double replacements . whether or not regard these stories to be true , and some of these might even be positive , these people still break norm . one human body should have one inhabitant - to have more is either to be exceptional , or meet with terrible circumstance . in any case , out of ordinary , noteworthy .
and truthfully , these stories and standards did not end centuries ago . how often do these things come up in media , where characters live plural lives through these circumstances , yet never really call plurality ? how often do these things need some sort of fix , trick , exorcism , banishment ?
this is egregious enough that even when real life people explicitly have diagnosis of DID or OSDD and fit near perfectly into psychiatric framework , some people consider that to be literal demonic or spirit possession in modern times , speak as if uncontrollable monster , believe correct kind of faith will " fix " . even in recent history , some psychiatrists treat plural patients in ways not very far off from exorcists .
hard to argue that singlet identity is not current societal standard of humanity , and that many people - both historically and currently - consider deviation to be inherently inhuman . people just do not always say in those exact words .
beyond that , some plural experiences actually do follow explanations of spirituality , religion , and non-earthly worlds . this is main perspective that terms like gateway come from : there is earthly world here , other non-earthly worlds out there , and this body act as vehicle for inhabitants of such worlds to explore earth . even human inhabitants may have perspectives and experiences that do not line up with societal standards of humanity here , in at least some part because plurality inherently break those standards .
would love to see world in future where there is no standard of which humans really human after all , but in meantime , standards do still exist . so , alterhuman is open to all who feel experiences do not line up with societal standards of what typical human can or can not be - and by design , this can include plurals , especially of gateway and spiritual experiences .
to round off , would suggest to read this post by x-rds ( coiners of alterhuman ) about this very same discussion . everyone have right to choose whether consider personal plurality as alterhuman , however , important to understand why some might want to in first place .
Narrativism Simulationism Dramatism Simulationism
Aug. 9th, 2025 11:36 amstepnixwhen i actually went back and read posts from Forge alumni, i started realizing that I had the wrong idea of what "narrativism" meant there. It's not actually about producing the dramatic arc of conventional fiction via play or using rules to enforce/produce genre conventions in general, it's about a specific kind of doing that.
Bankuei calls it "player characters freely make choices and actions based on human issues." Forge narrativism wants well-defined protagonists who can confront Big Questions and Important Themes, whether those Big Questions come from a systems' specific thematic anchors, or whether they emerge from characters' personal thematic anchors. This is strongly reminiscent of a specific genre, but it's the genre called literary fiction. Interest in the conventions of horror, fantasy, and other "genre fiction" was called simulationism, another term that often gets used in very different ways than the Forge's definition.
By drawing this kind of contrast between "narrativism" and "simulationism," GNS reiterated the classic divide between literary and genre fiction that's caused so much nerd resentment of "serious" literature and academic contempt for "popular" literature historically. This is helpful for understanding what was going on back there, but is nearly useless for understanding the ways the terms get used now.
For that we have to go even further back!
John H. Kim has some fascinating firsthand accounts of the RGFA usenet group, an early outpost for TTRPG theory and/or flame wars and the origin point for an earlier three-part theory of play. Not gamism, narrativism, simulationism, but gamism, dramatism, simulationism.
Mary Kuhner's description of the Threefold Model brings us much closer to the modern ttrpg discourse version of "simulationism," while "dramatism" seems to have survived under the new name "narrativism"... kind of. There's some odd assumptions about the GM's power to direct the story that don't seem to have survived transmission. If I had to speculate: vulgar narrativism combines the dramatist emphasis on Interesting Story more generally with the Forge narrativist emphasis on player-driven play. But in most cases, the boundaries between terms in common discourse seem much closer to Mary Kuhner's model than Ron Edwards'.
apparently RGFA developed this whole model to explain to a writer for Theatrix why Theatrix wasn't the game for them. Simulationism was first described by self-identified simulationists, rather than just being an appendage to the Forge narrativist theoretical project as some may assume based on other accounts.
worries and woes
Aug. 9th, 2025 01:27 amkossaidifferent journal games have different prompt styles . some games take very short prompts which intend for player to combine by random shuffles - pull 4 cards to meet up with 2 characters , in this 1 place , while this 1 strange event occur . some games write prompts to evoke poetic scenery , intend for player to generally follow path - different players will have different branches , but game do not try to throw twists or interruptions . others still write simple prompts , and follow those up with questions for player to work through that may indeed throw twists .
kossai use this last style . as example :
did any strange objects grab attention? if so, which ones and why?
did faerie provide enough guidance to avoid accidents, magical and mundane alike?
but feel like this seem to be less common style of prompts . maybe just look in wrong games or something ? tending write prompts like these , though , and absolutely love tending . not play singö yet , but that is another one with similar prompt style .
still not sure if every individual prompt is good enough , but might just need to rip bandaid and publish sooner rather than later . there is one in particular that think might be kind of weak as is , but apart from that , really do not want to get all perfectionist .
What Makes an Erotic Book Cover
Aug. 8th, 2025 04:46 pmlb_lee( this is the horny comic book equivalent of a bunch of wine aficionados talking in snooty Boston accents about the fine details of their stale grape juice and how great it is. )
aughhh
Aug. 7th, 2025 09:05 pmkossaibut like , playtest and patience is not fun ! waaah .
dream journal ~ journal games
Aug. 7th, 2025 11:36 amkossaibut sort of curious now if any dream journal-based journal games exist , whether framework to play with real dream journal , or just create some weird dreams and then analyse . :P
