After years and years of looking out for this one I finally, with the help of a friend, was able to add The Incomplete Zavant Konniger to my shelves.
When the Black Library released the Incomplete Zavant in their Print on Demand range back in 2008 I held off on buying it for a while, foolishly believing that Print-on-Demand meant -Print on Demand- and that I could pick up a copy whenever I wished. Besides, I had already read the novel, and all this edition did was add a single extra short story to the package so I figured there was no real need and no rush to make quick work of obtaining it. I did want it though. I mean, look at that cover and tell me you don't think it looks fine as hell.
So when I eventually tried to get the novel I was rather annoyed to find that the book had gone out of print, out of stock and that it wouldn't be reprinted any time soon.
Because of course.
Anyway, I've got it now, and I read that short story I hadn't read before, and as expected it was a fun one. The Case of the Scarlet Cell, or the Reikerbahn Butcher follows Zavant and Vido as they track down a brutal killer in the streets of Altdorf.
I don't have much more to say because even though it is a fun tale, there's not much more to it. There's not really a mystery to solve, as all the clues, and pretty much the answer to the whole thing ends up being practically tossed into Zavant's lap on page 2. Good crime fiction this isn't. But what it is is enjoyable, good, enjoyable Old Warhammer fiction. Back from the days where the setting didn't take itself too serious and where everything felt much more adventurous.
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As a bonus here's the completed collection.
I've read all of these, barring Marks of Chaos and the Fleischer omnibus.
I'm actually looking forward to reading the first as I've only recently learned that the novel uses Valten, the supposed reincarnation of Sigmar, in its story. I was a big fan of the character and I would avidly read the battle reports in the White Dwarf issue that introduced him, so knowing that Marks of Chaos might be the one to actually focus on him, even if it's just a little bit, I have to say, it makes me rather eager to dive back into the Old World.
I've been drinking, and in this period of bliss I seem to have stumbled on the realization of how much Sapkowski's Witcher (Hexer) novels have already been brought to the awareness of the audience at large. The CD project Red games and now the upcoming Netflix Witcher tv-series have managed to elevate this, really quite sub-par series of fantasy novels, to a level of fame that in a different age, an age not immedia-fied by the existence of the internet, would never have come about. It certainly isn't as popular as it is just by the merits of Sapkwoski's writings, which are quite frankly fucking dismal (see the Ciri Quintet), but despite of this, the Witcher Universe is definitely more popular now than any work of fantasy has been since a Game of Thrones was announced to be adapted to the small screen.
I was listening to Malukah's rendition of Priscilla's song, said original rendition which one can stumble on when one does the Novigrad questline in the Witcher 3 when looking for Dandelion, and I was struck at the level of passion this one thing has inspired.
And indeed, the long-running 'love' storyline of Geralt and Yennefer is likely one of the most compelling things the books have offered. I remember being quite taken by it when reading the short stories.
For your pleasure; Malukah's rendition of Priscilla's Song.
As I might've mentioned before I've been playing a whole lot of the insanely cool Darkest Dungeon, which is a dungeon-crawling strategy game that takes its inspirational cues (mainly) from Lovecraft. I mean, listen to the narrator in the clip, and if you're familiar with the gentleman from Providence's work, you easily get what I'm talking about. Also, note the beautifully !singular! art style. grimdark as all hell.
The strangely familiar melodrama, the foreshadowing, the characters that inevitably succumb to insanity and death. It's absolutely lovely. It's like Pokemon, except this time, whenever Pikachu gets hit with a water gun he might just end up stressing the fuck out, and you'll find that the only way to reduce that stress is to let him drink himself into a mindless stupor, or to satisfy his needs in the nearest brothel, provided he hasn't become known around the town for his 'deviant tastes', and it's indeed very advisable to keep the furry critter's stress levels down, because if you don't he might just start hurting himself, or swear at and criticize every single one of Charmander's flamethrower attacks, which will end up stressing the fuck out of that little bugger too, which is a problem because Charmander doesn't want to drink, gamble or pray to relieve his stress, and in fact, he will only calm down with a good bout of flagellating or something. Let's just hope they'll actually make it to the end of the dungeon, and that they don't suffer heart attacks from too much stress and anxiety, like Metapod and Jigglypuff before them. Let's also hope we don't incur Rabies or the Red Plague either, because the Swinub that hide in these warrens don't have too great a hygiene at the best of days. And all the while, with every mis step, every trap triggered, every body slam from an enemy Snorlax, Ash just keeps on narrating in doom-laden tones, filled with dread and disdain, slowly sapping the will to fight from the creatures that duke it out amongst themselves, until the very end, when they inevitably all end up brutally murdered and devoured or in gibbering madness, weeping into the filthy, dark corners of whatever dungeon they've foolishly ventured into...
Ahem... I got off track a little bit there...
So. Great game, but a lot of patience is a must. Its gameplay mechanics requires a high degree of attention and forethought, frequently requiring you to make sacrifices and make the best out of absolute clusterfuck situations, where everything just keeps going wrong, again and again.
I can't tell how much fun it really is, and also how frustrating it can be.
I held off on sharing anything about it untill now because it's not something I can easily show gameplay of, as most viewers would find it boring and unrewarding and because most clips I have would only show parts of long battles, where I'm constantly just waiting, deliberating what action next to take.
It's a very big game and there's so much to do that it's quite improbable to finish up all that it offers. But having had a look through the trophy list, I ended up having a few 'definite' picks, amenable to just one hugely long play-through, wherein I just explore all that the game has to offer (and so that I don't have to worry about finishing the game on some insane difficulty level or within arbitrary time frame or something). And I at the very least wanted to beat all the bosses, the story, including the various dlc's, and obtain a few select trophies, of which one of the trophies from the Color of Madness dlc stood out to me because of the level of commitment that it would demand from the player to obtain it.
And here's the reason for this post because: today I finally did it! I got it!
Ashes to Ashes
in the
ENDLESS HARVEST!
The Endless Harvest is sort of the endgame mission for veteran players, for special rewards, pitting your characters against endless waves of monsters and bosses, with a few breathing points every so often. It's got special parameters, a changing landscape and it's quite possible for the party to meet pretty much every single monster that the game has to offer, even though most of them are actually unique to the various dungeons the game has on offer.
I've been attempting it for the last week, on and off, pretty much just running away every time before I met a boss past the Miller. Those runs were more just of a preparation for this one; me feeling out the mechanics of the thing so that I could make a decent effort at it in the future.
And then I began playing that mission again yesterday evening, and it just kept going well enough that I, in the end, just decided to keep going.
And here is the finale of that long slog.
I bailed as soon as I could, because this mission had been going on for 7 or 8 hours already at this point. I've seen videos of people going in the thousand kills on this thing, which is not something I wanted to get even close to.
I just wanted enough shards to make some buildings, buy some stuff, and to have at least 300 kills; I'm certainly not here for the glory.
It was also my first encounter with The Sleeper, who could've given me a much harder time than he did, and who I got immensely lucky against.
So yeah, I'm very satisfied to have this trophy done. At the time of playing it's got a 0,1 percent unlock rate, so I confess I'm feeling pretty good about that.
I guess up next is plowing through the Crimson Court dlc and do some odds and ends along the way.
or maybe I'll just throw caution to the wind and continue
right into the
DARKEST DUNGEON!
... where I'm sure my characters won't all go insane this time...
or end up dying to hold off the teeming hordes as the rest of their party make their escape...
Farewell sweet, innocent Bosier... you were diseased, stressed out and had a nasty tendency to miss when you couldn't afford to, but nonetheless; you are missed.
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Bonus my first fight against the Shrieker, who I also had to face in the Endless Harvest dungeon there at the end. he was much harder back then, in week 55, though he still isn't a pushover here in week 126. You don't get any special quirks for kicking his ass in Endless Harvest though, which is a real bummer; I could've done with more dodge or accuracy for some characters.
Aah, there's Bosier again. Yeah that's something I forgot to mention. It's quite common for players to actually get invested in characters that are really supposed to be expendable; they're just arrow fodder on the road to conquering the darkest dungeon. There's no downsides or anything when hiring new recruits as they're always in great supply, but you just can't help getting attached to these characters as they gain quirks and level up, or when you witness them toughing it out on Death's Door time and again. It's quite a strange experience.
Abdul is still alive though, beast of a mad Arab that he is.
I gave him his name, but his class is obviously also inspired by the writings of Lovecraft, specifically the fictional writer of the infamous Necronomicon; Abdul AlHazred. Lovely class to play with, very versatile.
Here's a bit I've been wanting to share since I first read it.
From The Goon: Once Upon A Hard Time.
Do yourself a favour and go read the Goon.
It's a beautifully drawn comic that has made me laugh out loud more times than I remember (though that was mostly in the first omnibus) and, at times, it had me in tears as well (see omnibi three to five). There's not a lot of comics that can do that, off the top of my head I can think of Saga having gotten the same response out of me, but overall this one's nothing like Stars Wars for perverts (guilty!).
This is comedy-horror, with a little bit of everything thrown in.
The Goon is outrageous, it's funny and silly, but it goes to some really dark places too. Tonally, it starts out in a very different place than where it ends. It's got a very satisfying overarching narrative with a good conclusion, which will nonetheless be continued on from in some way, shape or form later this year. What that means I'm not sure but I do trust Eric Powell to deliver the goods.
Oh man, I've been waiting for this one for a while.
It's eh... not what I expected...
Granted, the comedic value might just be a little too present because of the odd choice of the song (somebody really fucked up there) but... hmm... I don't know about this...
This was supposed to be darker and have a more 'horror' vibe. It's very odd to be focusing on the humour. Again though, that might just be the song.
Harbour isn't Perlman, obviously, so we'll need to adapt to that. But it's got some ways to go yet. At this point Perman's voice just is Hellboy for me, especially since I've also seen sword of storms and blood and iron, where he also does the part of Hellboy, further cementing a warm, gruff and yet understated quality that was perfect for the character. This one also looks very unlike the comics and rather more like somebody's idea of a superhero Devil. All bulk and none of the dejected quality we got in the comics. We'll see I guess.
I've never liked Ian McShane, and for me he's a total miss as Trevor Bruttenholm. He's just always come off as sleazy and I can't reconcile him with the caring Bruttenholm.
No idea who the girl is but regardless, she looks too young to be here, and the dreadlocks suggest a tone I wasn't expecting. More than that, if you look online, you'll see that this lady is supposed to be Alice Monaghan, which is baffling, since everything surrounding that character is to do with Ireland.
Maybe they'll just be using 'The Corpse' story as a springboard though. It makes sense; take the most beloved of the short stories (which works well on its own) and use it as (maybe) a sort of prologue in the movie. It's got comedy and darkness, which would also fit in with this trailer. I'm just speculating though. Corpse Prologue, fast-forward 18 years, and you've got a great, believable friendship between her and Hellboy.
And even though I have questions with all of these characters, Daniel Day Kim as Ben Daimio looks fucking spot on. He's a favourite, but the fact that he's here suggests a highly rewritten grander scheme of things, a mix and match of the BPRD and Hellboy.
I spotted the Baba Yaga and Gruagach which, to be honest, I wasn't expecting... the Baba Yaga sure, But Gruagach? Isn't it a little early to be introducing him already?
The fact that Nimue is here also points to a very strict focus on the central Hellboy storyline.
For fans this can't be anything but jarring. Dragons, that white monster... There's simply too much endgame stuff here. I'm very much wondering where exactly this movie will end...
Even though the trailer itself is getting a bit of a negative reception, and it's easy to see why, it's best to keep in mind that the movie itself screened to high praise, which doesn't mean dick, of course, but hey, I'm trying to be positive here...
Everything is horrible, life is the worst! Here, take this picture, it might help!
Oh, and, as I realize I've been remiss in my sharing, here is another picture or two of our new resident, the common quadruped scallywaggus, not her real name but it's not as if she listens to that one either...
In a few words, because seriously, the medication is wreaking havoc on my days right now:
Boundless energy. Lovable. Very friendly. Alert and very clever.
The dog's coming tomorrow and I'm more than a little nervous.
This is her last day before she is welcomed into her new family.
Saffy she's called and Saffy she'll be. It's a fine name and there's no need to complicate things and upset what'll already be a difficult and taxing day.
I've had these on my desktop for such a long time as they're both fascinating to me. But as I'm clearing a lot of the excess pictures, I'm just going to dump them on here now.
This is the (partial) body-paint job that led to the conception of the Lord God Wick.
Obviously, due to the nudity it's the face only. I do not have the rest of the photograph so don't ask.
I gather it was a private thing.
All rights obviously go to Clive Barker.
Please don't sue me.
And then here, Barker's own religious views, which I originally kept around for Cabal, then Weaveworld, then Next Testament, and which I just never ended up using.
As I said: I find the dude infinitely fascinating.
Here's a link to his official site where you can find his views on spirituality.
Haha, I do apologize for that bad joke, and I admit it's in poor taste, but I still remember the time when I heard Yahtzee make it in one of his Zeropunctuation videos, and I still crack up whenever I think of it so...
So, yes I've been playing God of War quite a bit this past week and a half. It's helped a lot with the various problems I've gotten stuck on, in the way that time heals and diminishes the looming immediacy of various aches to plague heart and mind. Time, and escapism.
It might've been exactly what I needed: something to fill in the empty moments of the in-between time between relevancy and what is(/was)) relevant to my mind; a game so anticipated which proved to be so all-consuming, so new and interesting, so present and all-pervasive that I ended up dreaming of it: hours and hours of immersion a day will do that to anyone, I guess.
I played it a lot. Everything got shoved aside for this thing. And as is is usual for the things I enjoy, I took my time with it, getting every little thing on the road to the end.
It is done now though. And as an added benefit: I feel a lot better myself now.
So, if only for that, if not thanks to God of War, then definitely thanks to director Cory Barlog, who really did an amazing job.
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God of war (2018) takes place an undetermined time after the cataclysmic ending of God of War 3 and follows Kratos and his son, Atreus (but colloquially more known as; "Boy!") as they embark on a journey to scatter the ashes of Kratos's late wife on the highest mountain of all the realms.
The Greek mythology has been left behind, and as we are in northern realms now, it doesn't take long for the Norse mythology to come knocking on your door. And it knocks with arrogance and with violence, and swiftly manages to draw out our recalcitrant anti-hero into a new and interesting adventure.
And here's where I'd show you, but everything about this part is just perfect enough that I ended up deciding that I'm not going to spoil it at all. That and the fact that because the scene is over 2 minutes enough, which means that I can't upload it here in its glorious entirety.
And I do mean adventure here, because where the previous God of War games were all about spectacle, sensationalism and brutal and shocking no-holds-barred violence, this one is pretty much a hero's journey: one where an all-time villain regains his humanity along the way, with the help from, and for, someone he loves.
Before playing the game I had my doubts about what it would be like, and if the franchise could make its way forward by making such a radical change in its combat mechanics. But I never even imagined how the storytelling would be changing along with it. I took the brutal god-slaying that the franchise had already established itself with as the be-all end all for my go-to story expectations; all I expected was just new and inventive ways of killing gods.
But damn. I never expected anything like this.
It honestly is incredibly amazing; the depth and complexity of character, the emotional resonance and how much it ends up being genuinely touching.
I've played all of the six God of War games before this one to platinum-completion so, and as of a few hours ago this one as well, so as you can imagine, I'm pretty invested in this series, and in the main character especially.
So every time Kratos shows the slightest bit of emotion I'm practically bawling: To see him evolve from unrepentant murderer and genocidal rage-monster to someone who actually cares, who reaches out, who pushes past massive emotional barriers in order to open up, is just... before now it was just inconceivable.
This doesn't mean that the sensational violence and brutality that the series earned its fame and notoriety for has gone away though, oh no; it's just been tempered and doled out pretty much only where it matters.
Though the combat system has changed, and though I still have my reservations, and an idle 'what-if?' whenever I wonder how this game would be if it had stuck closer to the earlier more cinematic button-mash-enabling formula, it has definitely grown on me and has managed to establish itself as a pretty damn good combat system all by itself.
I've kept all the gameplay within the first few hours or so, because I definitely couldn't show you any of the later game stuff due to spoilers. It means you get pretty much no story line information or any of the epic stuff that the game has hidden up its quite voluminous sleeve. Those things you can find on the internet quite easily if you take even a minute to look it up but I'm not the one who's going to go and spoil things. I also don't have any footage of the game's many puzzles, because truth be told I've never been a fan of those, even if I can appreciate that they offer up a change of pace from the constant bloody carnage.
Long story short: If you're a fan of the franchise, you need to be playing this game already, and there's definitely some hair-raisingly good moments here for long-time fans, and of course provided you have a PS4.
If you don't have a PS4?
Is it a system seller; is this the game to buy a Playstation for?
No, in my opinion, it isn't. The story, though very good, isn't closed enough to leave one with the kind of satisfaction that only the greatest stories give you. And though the story will continue, it's a little too soon to be celebrating this thing-yet-to-come.
But then, the 4 has Bloodborne, The Last of Us, Horizon, Uncharted and a host of other stuff, so there's enough to go around.
So yes, I've finished the main story now, and though I feel a little unsatisfied, I figure that's more of a result of this game being clearly part of a larger tapestry; one that we'll have to wait for a little while yet to continue to unfold, unfortunately.
But despite that niggle, the tale told in this game; and with that I mean the evolving relationship between father and son, and how they deal with the slow revealing and updating of the mythology most relevant to the fights leading up to and especially including the final jaw-dropping battle, which punctuates this particular gaming installment, is actually really well done. with clues and elements sneakily seeded in throughout the game in a very unobtrusive and organic way. Stuff and scenes that you'll look back on with awe-struck comprehension when that final confrontation has played out.
I've a recording of the last few minutes of that fight and the scenes that come directly after, and watching it again just now I'm struck with how impressive it is and how well the game has been building itself up for everything present in these scenes. Themes and intent coming into perfect clarity because of how well they've been strengthened beforehand.
There are layers of ideas and meaning here that are whole levels above anything the previous God of War games delivered.
I'm also sure that although there might be a little too much foreshadowing for what's coming next, or for how this journey will ultimately end, it'll be okay because this really makes it seem as if this story has been planned out beginning to end already.
The wait won't be as long between this one and the next one either, as the next games will continue on from the same system and same mechanics that were introduced here.
Did Barlog say there might be as much as 5 more coming in his particular vision???
In any case, they better come soon though, as some of those final hours and final questions and answers just need to be followed up on.
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Some Bonus clips:
Rotunda waterfall.
Because the location is nice.
Introduction of an ally.
Headphones on.
Yeah also, this reminds me; here's a good tip: The game's music is beautiful but doesn't get enough time in the spotlight at all.
You're well served by changing the audio settings to its benefit.
Though that bastard's beard is still a great deal better than mine,
or anyone's for that matter...
Fucking genes...
... Anyway, what's Dyngus day you ask?
Dyngus day, or Smigus Dyngus day takes place on Easter Monday and its customs and traditions are apparently a teensy bit different to what we (read: mostly Ruben) do in this house: Between 8 and 12 in the morning we try to drench each other with a garden hose, buckets, glasses of water, water balloons, water guns, and so on... you get the idea. It was introduced some years back into the household through my mother, to her infinite regret, who is Polish on her parents side, and who still speaks a smattering of it besides.
Looking over the Wikipedia entry though I get the sense that someone around here severely limited the hours of mayhem (and it is mayhem) that a certain wild temperament might have made optimal use of, and certain of the activities have also been scrapped, which can only be a good thing. I mean; whipping girls with palm leaves, oh dear... and processions and recitals I can also very much do without.
Now normally, I don't get much involved in the *ahem* festivities, being a much more reserved sort. Not to mention the anxiety and the general awkwardness of my interactions with any crowd larger than 2, even if that crowd consists only of my family.
But this year, in the spirit of self-improvement, I, with the use of some helpful Vecchia Romagna, did join in. More than that though, because this year I also decided to implement some damage control and instead went out to beard the creature in its den.
It was fun, but we did apparently scared the pants off of a man and his dog.
No pictures of the battle itself, though here is one of the aftermath.
As I'm the one who's still wearing his short pants (because if you're gonna be soaked, better that it be in short pants even if the day is uncomfortable cold), this picture doesn't leave much doubt as to who the winner was on this particular Dyngus day. Yes yes, you can't really tell, but really; I won. Which is not something I thought I'd be saying this morning when at 5 past 8 I raced nervously out my front door.
Though I don't have a doubt that I'm going to be regretting having done this post by next year...
... and yes, I also realize that this constitutes somewhat of a challenge.
Nothing too special, but interesting enough to fill the doldrums with wind while I continue exploring Annihilation and Time and the Gods: some cool Warhammer posters I found while cleaning out some closets:
The awesome Beastmen, when they were still terrifying and cool.
The Chaos Warriors' most tenacious hero;
Harry the Hammer.
Pre- Dark Imperium map of the Eye of Terror and its surroundings
And the 25 years of Warhammer celebration poster from back in 2008.
It's good to occasionally just post something less meaningful.
I did promise I'd show you which story I was talking about in the second Warhammer Anthology post. It took me a while and even though the label states fun, scanning these pages was an absolute bitch to do.
Turns out it's rather hard to scan whole pages of a book with a hand-scanner without wrecking the spine, the edges of the pages, or the last shreds of my patience. And the big scanner we have around here was absolutely no help at all either.
But hey, good quality or not, I did get it done.
The story served as some introductory background fiction for the original Lizardmen release in 2003 and follows the short chronicle of a captain of the Imperial Cathayan fleet who shipwrecks and in his journeying stumbles on the ancient Lizardmen civilization.
Besides of course being a good story it also is one of the few times the fiction actually gets to touch on the Cathay civilization, which normally is only visited in the rulebooks and the rpg handbooks, and even then, fleeting, and not as the heart of the matter.
Imagine a small room. It is the room of a young boy yet dreaming of adventure. But it's a specific kind of adventure, one of journeying and of mysteries. Of seeing, and discovering. A boy's dream of the world's hidden places and as yet undiscovered wonders.
There are plants and greenery throughout the room, some imitation and used in your brother's odd war-panorama displays, and some, real, still wet with the day's moisture. There's a bubbling mist-fountain in a glass bowl, the mechanism creating the mist hidden in an almost motionless sea of white, spilling occasional tendrils that vanish as soon as they tumble over their enclosing rim. The room, despite its active light sources, is largely in shadow, cast for the most part by the top half of the bunk bed, in the lowest bunk of which your older brother is reading this tale aloud to you. You are sitting in the farthest corner from him, in the deepest shadows. It is a favourite spot, because the light from besides the bed, the light your brother needs to read, doesn't reach you, and you are near the buzzing heat of the terrarium, the light of which spills out away from you, into the heart of the room. The lizards are quiet, but the crickets are not. Those tucked away in a little cabinet are in darkness, and chirp only on occasion. The ones being eyed by the lizards, chirp for all they're worth, as their time is running out with every self-satisfied rasp of leg on leg. Every once in a while, the lizards jolt into action, and scamper and rustle in their private undergrowth, and then, one by one, the crickets fall silent.
There are all sorts of strange and mysterious things in the room, not the least of which is the ornate pirate gun, tucked away on the high shelf of a bookcase, the shelf which you can't quite reach yet. But maybe you're holding it, maybe your brother, mindful of the feel of it and of the wonderful immersion that it brings, gave it for you to hold on this special occasion. Strewn everywhere are knives, feathers, glass bottles, drippings of candle-wax, bits of wood, tattered clothes and the usual old rubbish; the carefully hoarded collection of a boy not yet caught by life's stale drudgery. There's the tiny smell of paint dripped on the warm wooden floor, dripped on the cabinets and on the large desk piled with books and magazines. It should by now have been on the models of the warriors, on the monsters and the aliens, which are also strewn everywhere, but the boy has always been impatient, and creativity doesn't lend itself to colouring inside the lines anyway.
The one-sit is soft and comfortable, pliant, it smells of your brother and of safety, and you are small enough yet to have it envelop you still. Covered in blankets, you listen to your brother and to his tale of a hot and steamy jungle, in which mysterious lizards roam, lizards far larger than the ones beside you, basking in the heat of an artificial sun. These other lizards roar and chant, and have no need of man. Their realm is one of mystery, rite and horror.
As your brother tells the tale, you begin to drift and almost dream, but you snap awake and back into awareness, because the story's not yet done, and it is so important yet. But soon, you will sleep, right where you are sitting, huddled still in comfort and safety. And maybe you will dream, like he does, of adventure and mystery, and of wonders undiscovered.
But for now, you'll hold off sleep with the desperation of a child, because you know that here, on this couch and in this moment, is the best time of your life and that once it's gone, all you will be left with is a memory, incomplete and oh so fleeting.
