Okay, I think I'm finally in proper condition to write something about the latest story.
But first, a few random comments on web design. Or, even before that, a few thoughts on fantasy art. I have some personal problems creating engaging fantasy art, and that's because fantasy art requires attention to detail. So, creating an interesting-looking web site for fantasy literature would require making artwork with a bunch of details.
But first, a few random comments on web design. Or, even before that, a few thoughts on fantasy art. I have some personal problems creating engaging fantasy art, and that's because fantasy art requires attention to detail. So, creating an interesting-looking web site for fantasy literature would require making artwork with a bunch of details.
Anyhow, the new Avarthrel site look is shaping up somewhat,
mostly because the "realistic-ish" part of the site is simply rendered
in 3D software - I usually associate 3D with "massive big graphics",
and never stop to consider using 3D for something as simple as web
graphics. I got the idea from Ultima VIII, which is a
sprite-based game using a very low screen resolution (320x200), but
which nevertheless uses pre-rendered graphics based on 3D models.
On the story, then. The Sweet Side of Death was a very weird story to write, as I had been recently toying with images of grim beauty. It was inspired, obviously, by works of fiction that depict chaos as a benefical force; Ophidians of Ultima VII Part Two was one source, as was goddess Eris of Discordianism.
The biggest inspiration for the story, however, was obviously The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but in a way that was probably completely different from what most people would even consider. I've currently clocked some 80 hours of game time and I've been playing - surprise, surprise - a good thief lady, a fine and upstanding member of the Thieves' Guild.
Yet, despite having a stellar, good reputation, some random passer-by handed her a deed to Deepscorn Hollow.
You could say this is what inspired the story more than anything: At least as far as I know, in real life I'm a person with perfectly mundanely ordinary moral values, and I like to play good characters in games, too - and yet, here I am, a proud owner of a rather evil-looking place.
Heck, I just went and joined the Dark Brotherhood in the game and I'm still a good guy. (Well, a gal, in game world. =) This gives us interesting moral dilemmas: Can good people use pure evil as a force that can be ultimately benefical? Can good people just sit around and watch evil things unfold and just admire the beauty of it all? (Especially in a medium of fiction, like a computer game - none of this is real, after all.)
And most remarkably of all, can it be discussed without sounding like an evil person or a complete fruitcake?
This is what I was trying to ponder in this particular story through Faira's writing.
This story has been one kind of a turning point for me. It's a bit funny: I'd never thought this would even be needed, but here I am, trying to make room in my head for "not writing what I always think". I've never needed to put very big disclaimers in stories, aside of the usual, more or less implied ones - "warning: newbie writer on board", "warning: yes, I'm a computer geek and not getting any, but my characters are"... but now I need to add a specific disclaimer here: I am, for the first time, writing about potentially horrible things and I wish to say that I'm not really condoning any of bad things in real life.
But hey, this is fiction - surely you knew that already. If someone complains, by all means, copy-and-paste it to FSTDT or something. If spoofing Jack Thompson generated no response whatsoever, let's see how this one fares. =)
On the story, then. The Sweet Side of Death was a very weird story to write, as I had been recently toying with images of grim beauty. It was inspired, obviously, by works of fiction that depict chaos as a benefical force; Ophidians of Ultima VII Part Two was one source, as was goddess Eris of Discordianism.
The biggest inspiration for the story, however, was obviously The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, but in a way that was probably completely different from what most people would even consider. I've currently clocked some 80 hours of game time and I've been playing - surprise, surprise - a good thief lady, a fine and upstanding member of the Thieves' Guild.
Yet, despite having a stellar, good reputation, some random passer-by handed her a deed to Deepscorn Hollow.
You could say this is what inspired the story more than anything: At least as far as I know, in real life I'm a person with perfectly mundanely ordinary moral values, and I like to play good characters in games, too - and yet, here I am, a proud owner of a rather evil-looking place.
Heck, I just went and joined the Dark Brotherhood in the game and I'm still a good guy. (Well, a gal, in game world. =) This gives us interesting moral dilemmas: Can good people use pure evil as a force that can be ultimately benefical? Can good people just sit around and watch evil things unfold and just admire the beauty of it all? (Especially in a medium of fiction, like a computer game - none of this is real, after all.)
And most remarkably of all, can it be discussed without sounding like an evil person or a complete fruitcake?
This is what I was trying to ponder in this particular story through Faira's writing.
This story has been one kind of a turning point for me. It's a bit funny: I'd never thought this would even be needed, but here I am, trying to make room in my head for "not writing what I always think". I've never needed to put very big disclaimers in stories, aside of the usual, more or less implied ones - "warning: newbie writer on board", "warning: yes, I'm a computer geek and not getting any, but my characters are"... but now I need to add a specific disclaimer here: I am, for the first time, writing about potentially horrible things and I wish to say that I'm not really condoning any of bad things in real life.
But hey, this is fiction - surely you knew that already. If someone complains, by all means, copy-and-paste it to FSTDT or something. If spoofing Jack Thompson generated no response whatsoever, let's see how this one fares. =)
Huh? Jack Thompson
Well, I wouldn't say it was actually a *spoof* per se, merely a character who was extremely, extremely vaguely based on real life.
The character who appeared in the novella "Shadows Over Nothross" (published on this web site and the Internet Archive) was called Jaxtomsyn. He was a wizard who is part of a group called the Unrepentants and was far better at talking than actually doing magic.
(According to some haphazard notes of mine that so far haven't been revealed in the actual stories, the character was also an author of an autobiographical book titled "Being the Harm in the Way". I thought that was too obvious a clue, so I've left it out so far.)
So you see, if I wouldn't spell it out and drop particularly blatant clues like this (carefully revealing unpublished notes years after the fact), no one would have probably noticed. =)