What makes a good story? Answer: characters | Film Courage

via: Film Courage channel on YouTube

Many people want to experience a “good story.” But when I ask my friends to explain what exactly makes up a “good story”, they can’t give me a good definition.

This video’s answer is simple: CHARACTER.

“Character creates plot. Plot creates the story.”

“If your story doesn’t have a character that people can relate to, your story isn’t going to be enough.”

“I don’t think there’s a single writer out there that will tell you that character doesn’t matter.”

I’ve consumed some fiction where the entire story that unfolds is character-driven, rather than plot-driven (Gunslinger Girl is the best example that I can give of a purely character-driven series). It’s unconventional, but the end result is that you have created a memorable character that will stay fresh in your mind forever.

I look back at all of the fictional series that I’ve dropped over the years, due to my frustration with how poorly their stories have progressed, and it always relates back to CHARACTER:

Ruby Rose (from RWBY) has no character growth or character arc. She’s bland and uninteresting, there’s no tension or stakes whenever she’s involved.

Sylvanas Windrunner (from World of Warcraft) has transformed into a completely unrelatable and unlikable tyrant, where she willingly commits acts of genocide. Her actions and rationale are not explained at all, there is no development to SHOW us WHY she behaves like this.

Think back to all of your favourite fictional stories, be it in videogames, visual novels, movies, or books. All of them are enjoyable because of the CHARACTERS. This is a basic staple of storytelling that Hollywood and the rest of the entertainment industry have completely forgotten about. It’s why you get so many crap movies with crap stories these days.

Having said all of that, there are some exceptions to this rule: the most notable ones I can think of come from the horror genre, especially the works of H.P. Lovecraft or Junji Ito. Their stories are interesting because of the set pieces and alien horrors that are unfolding — the characters are just there at the wrong place at the wrong time. Videogames with a silent protagonist, like Half-life and Half-life 2, also fall under this category.

As a general rule however, you really shouldn’t stray too far from having well-written, interesting characters.

AI-scripted Batman comic | iSola7ion channel

via: iSola7ion channel on YouTube

I’ve never laughed so hard in my life, I almost cried tears of delirium like the Joker.

This comic proves once again that some jobs in this world — stuff like writing fiction or stories — can never be replaced by an AI. The computer’s syntax, grammar, and spelling were all 100 per cent perfect… but the entire story makes zero sense, apart from giving you a good laugh at the utter nonsense. Literary concepts like themes, nuance, and emotional empathy can only be conveyed properly by humans.

The Sociology of Dungeons & Dragons | Matthew Colville

Matthew Colville, a videogame developer and dungeon master for tabletop Dungeons & Dragons, has a YouTube series called “Running the Game”, where he tries to analyse and vocalise his thoughts on how running a tabletop game as the DM can be fun and easy (although it requires a lot of preparation).

In episode 8 of his series, “The Sociology of D&D”, I came across a very interesting quote at the 4:09 mark. Matt says:

I think new players, overwhelmingly, tend to play characters that act like them and look like idealised versions of themselves.

My first character that I ever played in my current campaign is a female Lawful Good fighter. It caused my DM some worry at first, because many people have this warped misunderstanding of how a Lawful Good aligned person should act — eg. a lawful goody-two-shoes who points their blade at any and every injustice that they see. It’s not like that. It could be someone who has very strong ideals of justice, order, and how society should function for the greater benefit of all.

I have been described by friends and family as being kindhearted and good willed, but quick to anger when I encounter something that violates my beliefs. “Your righteous fury in upholding your morals and principles is both admirable, and very scary at the same time,” said one of my friends.

Maybe Mr Colville is right. Or maybe I just want to have fun, in my own way, inside an imaginative fantasy world. One of the primary reasons why I play games is for escapism — to experience new things that are impossible in the real world. The current state of the world is pretty messed up as it is.

Five ways to preserve your eggs | DBS Bank

My dad posted this infographic on WhatsApp. I had no idea eggs could be preserved using apple cider vinegar… and I have no idea why DBS, a bank, decided to share all this trivia on eggs. Eggstremely interesting!

DnD 3.5e Sundays: Light and darkness (part two)

Continued from part one…

The DM spends the next couple of minutes describing the reactions of the nonhuman prisoners in the cell blocks. Many of them look at us with hopeless resignation, accepting their fates.

Random NPC: “How I wish I had taken up the sword…”

Our group is presented with a serious moral dilemma. We spend the next 5-10 minutes discussing any possible alternatives, but none of them will work. If we do not carry out the Innovator of Pain’s instructions, EVERY nonhuman in the cell blocks will die, including the women and children. Damned if we do, damned if we don’t.

Mercy and Ingrid both understand elvish, and they begin conversing with the elf prisoners. Cenarius does the same by conversing with the dwarves in their own language. Everyone eventually comes to a mutual agreement — the family heads will enter the arena and duel us willingly.

Random NPC child: “Daddy… what’s going on?”

“Time is not your enemy. Forever is.”

– Fall-from-Grace, Planescape: Torment

Music is like a movie — don’t spoil yourself

Our Melty Blood Discord had an interesting discussion recently, where the conversation suddenly became about the Fire Emblem series. I just casually asked, “which Fire Emblem games have you played?” and got this reply:

Chatter: “I’ve played most of the GBA and NDS/3DS games. Once I get a Switch I can’t wait to start Three Houses.”

Me: “That’s great. I hope you haven’t been spoiled too much for 3H, because there was a MAJOR spoiler recently in Fire Emblem: Heroes regarding 3H…”

Chatter: “Don’t worry I hate spoilers too. But I spoiled myself the 3H soundtrack, ‘God-Shattering Star’ is awesome!”

Me: …

My heart sank with disappointment. I strongly believe that listening to music, especially videogame music, is like watching a movie or reading a novel. If you decide to listen to the OST of a game without any context from the story or characters, then you have forever spoiled yourself of that musical moment.

Can you imagine listening to “Dancing Mad” (all EIGHTEEN minutes of it!) without having played Final Fantasy VI? Or “Take Control” without any context from Control? Or how about listening to the entire OST from Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, without watching any of the three films?

Music has the power to tell stories. Don’t skip the story before you get to it.

DnD 3.5e Sundays: For the greater good in Hillsfar (part one)

My current DnD 3.5e campaign is set in the Forgotten Realms. I’ve decided to post one of our session adventures here for posterity, because the entire party was suddenly forced to make a difficult choice for the greater good.

Note: due to the current pandemic, all of our tabletop sessions are done digitally via Zoom.

Cast

– Ingrid, LG female human fighter 7 (played by me)
First time playing tabletop DnD, but I’ve played CRPGs like Neverwinter Nights and Baldur’s Gate II before. I’m familiar with how the 3.5e system works and have some general knowledge about the Forgotten Realms. Roleplaying a young noble from Cormyr who aspires to become a Purple Dragon Knight.

– Mercy, CG female half-elf ranger 7 (played by Scarlet)
Total beginner playing tabletop DnD. Has a bit of difficulty calculating her attack and damage rolls, but our DM is patient as he wants his players to learn how to resolve all dice rolls by themselves. Tries her best to roleplay the “chaotic” portion of her alignment when appropriate.

– Tenshin, male human monk 7 (unsure of his alignment, but definitely not Evil) (played by JR)
Total beginner playing tabletop DnD, but she has played plenty of fantasy videogames like the Warcraft series. Roleplaying a monk with only 8 Intelligence (-1 modifier), much to the party’s amusement. We like to call Tenshin the “brain damaged” member of our group.

– Hakuren, male human cleric 7 (unsure of his alignment, but definitely Good) (played by Henry)
DM’s friend of 20 years and the most experienced player in the group. Roleplaying a cleric who doesn’t wear armour (even though 3.5e clerics are proficient in heavy armour), and who doesn’t keep any material possessions. Gives away all of his gold to charity… much to Mercy’s dismay.

– Cenarius, TN male tiefling rogue 6 (played by Daryl)
Second most experienced player in our group, with about 20+ sessions under our DM. Keeps bungling important rolls during combat and has failed every Will save I’ve seen thus far — turning him into the bumbling comic relief of the group (sort of lol). Has a principal backstory and connection to a few crucial characters in the Forgotten Realms, therefore making him an important party member for Knowledge checks and dialogue.

– DM (played by Terence)
Has been playing DnD for over 40 years since 1e. I would describe our DM as a lore-faithful storyteller — he will craft encounters based on the region and location the party is in, and give us the chance to interact with vital FR characters. We’ve already met up with Elminster, Storm Silverhand, and Lady Alusair Obarskyr. The DM has also found a way to link all of our backstories together — all party members are connected one way or the other, based on their history and/or affiliations.

Why Dungeons & Dragons is popular and timeless | Fandom Uncovered

via Fandom Entertainment on YouTube

My dungeon master (DM) shared this video with us, and it’s a great introduction to why tabletop Dungeons & Dragons has remained popular for almost 40 years. It’s a game about creativity, imagination, and roleplaying. It’s something that can be enjoyed by anyone of all ages, even if you’re a non-gamer who has never played tabletop games before. It’s an experience that creates memories and camaraderie.

Our D&D group has two total newbies (three if you wanna count me in — but I’ve played D&D cRPGs before and I’m familiar with the Forgotten Realms setting and ruleset for combat and character creation — so I’m not a complete beginner), and yet they’re the two most entertaining players in our sessions, performing wacky and unpredictable things with their characters that even caught our DM by surprise.

This is why I love games in general. Not just videogames, but all types of games — card games, board games, tabletop games, traditional sports and games too. I try my best to play everything across different types of genres.

2021: Happy birthday Edelgard von Hresvelg

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I celebrated Edelgard von Hresvelg’s birthday on 22 June again this year. This time, I actually walked around my neighbourhood for about one hour, stopping by all the bakeries and confectioneries to find a suitable cake.

In the end I settled for a black forest cake — black forest for Black Eagles, and the red strawberries also help to fulfill the red and black motifs of the Adrestian Empire’s insignia. And yes, I decided to place Edelgard’s Figma figurine on top of the damned cake, which drew a lot of curious reactions from my friends.

“Are you going to eat the Figma?!”

Well, I discovered only several hours later, that the Happy Birthday sign provided by the confectionery (Four Leaves at Serangoon Nex, in case you’re wondering), is fully edible. I suppose I should be grateful that Good Smile Company makes high quality toys that are sturdy, sugar resistant, and they all come with a stand to help pose your figurine. On top of a cake.

Next year, maybe I’ll try baking my own cake. It’s been ages since I used my oven to bake something.