Chapter 17
Julia took an indeterminate amount of time to rest. She did not know if she slept or not. It may have been 5 minutes, it may have been 5 hours, she'll never know. The unending darkness outside the window and the absence of any working clocks inside the building gave her no help. She proceeded with her plan.
Julia walked at an average pace, but took care to be more quiet than normal. The first ghast, as she had taken to calling the creatures, since the cafeteria was hunched over in an office space. She opened the door connecting to the hall to see if it was a survivor, and the sound made it lunge. Their bodies seemed to be fragile, even if they continued to live after suffering grievous wounds. This one was so resilient there wasn't anything left of its head except black goo on the wall before it finally died.
Julia was numb to the horror by now, killing the ghasts seemed like nothing more than a dangerous chore. It wasn't human bodies she was killing, in her head they were just animals. Julia passed by and killed 3 more ghasts. She was happened by her fourth, curled up in the corner of another office. She held it against the wall with her hand on its shoulder and raised her dripping right fist. Then... It cried out in pain?
"Please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't kill me please don't." Julia let go and stumbled back, surprised. For what seemed a long while, the man curled up in a tighter ball in the corner. Julia issued her first real words since she had... become this.
"Are you okay?" The voice sounded scratchy, like hers, but filtered and changed through the suit's exterior speakers.
"I-I.. Uh yeah I'm... Alright."
"What's your name?"
"Carson."
"Well Carson, you're the first one I've found in this hell."
"Oh."
"Care to leave?"
- By Ashton
The Grey Jack Frost
Sunday, May 29, 2016
Sunday, May 22, 2016
Dungeons and Dragons
Hello. Today I’m writing about Dungeons and Dragons.
The past couple years or so I’ve had a growing interest in D&D. I had seen a couple YouTube videos, listened to some podcasts, and browsed a few websites online that had me very interested. It was a game like nothing I had ever really seen before and a storytelling medium that I hadn’t ever seen before either. However, it never really came up in conversation with my nerd friends and I never ended up voicing interest in it. Playing it would require a couple expensive books, at least three people, and a large amount of time, which were all things that initially dissuaded me. Recently, I’ve been very lucky to find a group of people willing to play with me. It came up among conversation with one of my oldest guy friends and before too long I had a group of people including: that friend I talked to, one of his friends, my girlfriend, her Dad, and one of my newest guy friends and possibly his Dad. From what I’ve seen and heard it’s always the most fun to play D&D with good friends or people you’ve known for a long time. Don’t be dumb like me, don’t hesitate to ask your friends, your girlfriend or boyfriend, and your family if they’re interested in playing because you may be surprised. Another thing to mention that may be helpful is that the expensive couple books you need to play are probably available online. I downloaded the Player’s Handbook for fifth edition D&D to my phone as a PDF for free, and I don’t doubt that the other books are available that way as well.
Here’s a small summary of D&D for those of you that don’t know what it is. D&D is a game where a group of at least three and up to twelve or so friends can sit around a table with some paper and a pencil and weave together epic tales in a high fantasy setting. D&D has no pieces or game boards (although you could easily use a map to represent where the characters are at any moment) instead you play with just some paper containing the details about your character, a pencil, and access to a couple rulebooks. D&D is a roleplaying game, but it doesn’t require a ton of imagination as you may think. The backstory for a character might be as short as saying your race, class, where they come from, and their motivation for adventuring, or it could be as long or detailed as you like, with many different influences from their past affecting the character’s choices in the game. Each player has their own personalized character, with their own race, class and backstory, and no two characters are exactly alike. One player instead of having a character will be the Dungeonmaster. The DM describes in detail the different places characters may go and what happens to them, they’re the general orchestrater of the storyline, however players can greatly affect the story as well by making drastic or unexpected decisions that could greatly alter your small band of adventurers, or the entire world you’re inhabiting. As the adventure goes on your character gains experience points and starts to level up; doing so can cause their ability statistics to go up, and their access to more powerful skills. It’s this way that not only does the story constantly progress, but so does the power of your character and their personality development.
It is possible for your character to die in a tragic fall off a cliff, or in battle with a group of demons, but it isn’t the end for the player. In a high fantasy world like D&D it’s entirely possible to have your character magically resurrected, but a player could easily just join the same group of remaining companions as a new character, in the same storyline. I’ve created two characters so far that I’m interested in playing at some point. Eogis is a Blueveined Tempest Knight. Being a blueveine means that you’re human, but you have a noticeably large or glowing blue vein that flows with magical blood. You gain magical powers from it, but the vein spreads as you age and will kill you long before you reach sixty. As a Tempest Knight, Eogis is proficient with weapons like swords and battleaxes, but also fights with the powers of lightning and thunder. He’s haunted by a great monster that killed his family and the order of knights he was trained in, so he’s started adventuring to maybe find this beast and kill it, but he’s a protector to all the races against monsters, and ultimately a force for good. My second character is Ignatius, a Phoelarch Untouchable Blade. A Phoelarch is a humanoid that’s descended from the phoenix, giving him bright orange skin, feathers for hair, and the ability to burst into light and fire. If he dies, he leaves a small black egg which will eventually hatch into a Phoera, a bird similar to a phoenix wit all his memories and his personality. As an Untouchable Blade, he is very skilled with using one handed slashing weapons, and has learned skills like parrying an attack, and counterattacking, making him a very quick and useful force on the battlefield. He’s come from the Plane of Fire, hoping to find adventure and something to fight for.
As you can see, the possibilities for your character are endless. D&D is very unique that way, it put’s unique characters in a unique setting and let’s them do whatever they want, creating an epic fantasy tale that could last for a day, or months. If you’re at all interested in playing, I recommend reading the Player’s Handbook online and of course, don’t be afraid to ask those around you if they’re interested. Bye.
Sunday, May 15, 2016
Chapter 16
Chapter 16
There were a few moments of silence before all hell broke loose. All of the bodies starting yelling and screaming. They were whooping and shrieking, it all sounded like some sort of demented zoo. Then they charged Julia. Julia ran as fast as she could towards the far exit, metal feet slamming on the ground. At the same time, she pulled her pick off of her back and half turned- preparing to strike. The things moved like animals, long lanky limbs propelled them forward, almost as if their hands and feet barely touched the ground. In her minds eye Julia gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes when she swung at the first thing to reach her. The metal serrated pick tore through it's skin like rice paper, and blank and white goo poured from the lower chest wound. Thin black tubes fell from the thing's wound where its intestines should have been. The creature did not even flinch, it kept moving forward just as fast with the black tubes animatedly reaching towards her and the tentacle at its back attaching it to the spire moving freely.
Hopelessly she turned back towards the exit and tried to find more of what little speed the suit would run. It wasn't a body, but she felt the exertion as if she had lungs and the wear and tear on her joints wracked her head. The door was close now. The things were all very close, and raked at her sides and head with long fingers. They looked almost completely normal, but she could only guess at the literal corruption that filled their deceased bodies. Light shone from the other side of the door, like the light at the end of the tunnel. She was incredibly grateful that the door wasn't high security and didn't require a handprint, she just had to hit the release button and the door would slide open quickly. Ten feet. Seven. Three! She slammed her metal fist against the panel beside the door and it slid into the wall with a woosh. The sound from the things behind her was unbearable. She darted inside and slammed her hand against the door, only letting one in with her. Only one.
She reacted numbly, but fast enough. Foregoing the pick in her right hand, she slammed the thing into the left wall, turning the pick around in her right hand she began slamming the top end of the pick into the thing's head. It shrieked and pawed at the wall and at her arm and torso, it was the same one she had earlier injured, and the internal tentacles attacked her stomach. They started making small tears in the metal, and she even felt pain. Finally, the screaming stopped when the pick smacked through the creature's forehead with a thock. More black goo and light blue colored brain tissue poured from it's broken skull. The tentacle that was attached to it's back stopped straining towards the door where the spire was, and instead fell limply to the ground. Julia slouched standing up in weariness, and looked towards the door. All of the bodies were lying on the ground again, the spire pumping more evil into their veins.
Julia stumbled, exhausted through the hallway and into the next one. She found a bench there, and sat down to rest. In her mind, she closed her eyes and sighed.
- By Ashton
There were a few moments of silence before all hell broke loose. All of the bodies starting yelling and screaming. They were whooping and shrieking, it all sounded like some sort of demented zoo. Then they charged Julia. Julia ran as fast as she could towards the far exit, metal feet slamming on the ground. At the same time, she pulled her pick off of her back and half turned- preparing to strike. The things moved like animals, long lanky limbs propelled them forward, almost as if their hands and feet barely touched the ground. In her minds eye Julia gritted her teeth and squinted her eyes when she swung at the first thing to reach her. The metal serrated pick tore through it's skin like rice paper, and blank and white goo poured from the lower chest wound. Thin black tubes fell from the thing's wound where its intestines should have been. The creature did not even flinch, it kept moving forward just as fast with the black tubes animatedly reaching towards her and the tentacle at its back attaching it to the spire moving freely.
Hopelessly she turned back towards the exit and tried to find more of what little speed the suit would run. It wasn't a body, but she felt the exertion as if she had lungs and the wear and tear on her joints wracked her head. The door was close now. The things were all very close, and raked at her sides and head with long fingers. They looked almost completely normal, but she could only guess at the literal corruption that filled their deceased bodies. Light shone from the other side of the door, like the light at the end of the tunnel. She was incredibly grateful that the door wasn't high security and didn't require a handprint, she just had to hit the release button and the door would slide open quickly. Ten feet. Seven. Three! She slammed her metal fist against the panel beside the door and it slid into the wall with a woosh. The sound from the things behind her was unbearable. She darted inside and slammed her hand against the door, only letting one in with her. Only one.
She reacted numbly, but fast enough. Foregoing the pick in her right hand, she slammed the thing into the left wall, turning the pick around in her right hand she began slamming the top end of the pick into the thing's head. It shrieked and pawed at the wall and at her arm and torso, it was the same one she had earlier injured, and the internal tentacles attacked her stomach. They started making small tears in the metal, and she even felt pain. Finally, the screaming stopped when the pick smacked through the creature's forehead with a thock. More black goo and light blue colored brain tissue poured from it's broken skull. The tentacle that was attached to it's back stopped straining towards the door where the spire was, and instead fell limply to the ground. Julia slouched standing up in weariness, and looked towards the door. All of the bodies were lying on the ground again, the spire pumping more evil into their veins.
Julia stumbled, exhausted through the hallway and into the next one. She found a bench there, and sat down to rest. In her mind, she closed her eyes and sighed.
- By Ashton
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Hello. Today I'm doing another blog on Bastion, because that game is seriously amazing. Obviously there are gonna be a lot of spoilers, so if you're interested I highly recommended. He king it out on Playstation, PC, or iOS.
The narrative says so much about human civilization. The Caelondians came east and invaded another people's land, fought with them, and attempted to obliterate them. No side is without fault, Ven, an Ura, set the device that created the Calamity to backfire, destroying the entire continent. After the damage from the Calamity was done, Zulf still convinced his people to attack the Bastion for no reason other than hatred towards Caelondia. There's so much hatred and racism. This game speaks about what would happen if we let hate and war and greed go to far. We already have a Calamity, nuclear weapons are just as capable at destroying a people as the Calamity, and with an equal chance for worldwide destruction. It tells a story that is a vibrant colorful adventure, but shows us where our ways will lead us if we do not become better.
The ending of the game is very interesting. The Bastion was meant to be a safe haven for all the people of Caelondia, but was not finished before the Calamity, leaving it the size of a small island. However the main functions of the Bastion, were completed. In the game, an Ura you bring back to the Bastion named Zulf finds Ven's journal and learns that the Calamity was a Caelondian attempt at the destruction of the Ura. He breaks the Monument in the Bastion, and sets off to find what's left of his people. To restore the Monument and set things right the Kid has to find energy crystals called Shards. When he's about to reach the last shard, Zulf tells him that what's left of the Ura is assaulting the Bastion. The Kid beats them back, but not before they've severely damaged the Bastion. Another shard is needed to complete it. The Kid carves a path of destruction through the Ura, fighting as hard as he can to retrieve the last shard. Necessity forces him to nearly complete what the Calamity was built to do. When he finally does, there are two things left between him and his way back to the Bastion. The first, is Zulf, lying nearly dead in the snow. It's at this point in the game that you are presented with two options, you can abandon your weapon and try to save Zulf, or you can keep your weapon and leave him to die in the snow. He's betrayed you, but you know it's the right decision to save him. The second thing between you and the way back to the Bastion, is a veritable army of Ura. You slowly plod towards the skyway that will take you back, with Zulf on your shoulders. Bullets and crossbow bolts assail you from every direction from the Ura soldiers. You know you aren't gonna make it, but you keep pushing. All of a sudden they just.. Stop. They spare your and Zulf's life. With you're last strength, you ride the skyway with Zulf back to the Bastion.
With the last shard the Kid completes the Bastion. The Monument is ready. It descends down inside the Bastion and creates a staircase down to it. It has two functions, and Rucks and Zia want the Kid to decide which to do. You can use the Bastion to reverse time to before the Calamity occurred. All the death and destruction the Calamity caused, and that the Kid has done, will be undone. The only thing is, there's no way to know whether or not the Calamity will occur again. There's no way to test a machine that rewinds time for everyone. On the other hand, you can shatter the cores and shards that power the Monument, creating an immense amount of energy that makes it so that they can fly the Bastion, wherever they wanted, indefinitely. Sometimes the easy decision, is not the right one. It would be easy to choose Restoration. Easy to undo all the death and pain and absolve yourself of all blame. But to do so would be restoring a society rapt with greed, racism, and hatred. Who knows if doing so would even stop the Calamity? The right decision is Evacuation. Destroy the cores, fly the Bastion and instead of trying to erase the mistakes of your people, work to seek redemption. Work to make something out of this shattered world.
There's my narrative and moral analysis conclusion on Bastion. The week after the next, I'll write about my own ideas for a continuation of the story post-Evacuation. Bye.
- By Ashton
The narrative says so much about human civilization. The Caelondians came east and invaded another people's land, fought with them, and attempted to obliterate them. No side is without fault, Ven, an Ura, set the device that created the Calamity to backfire, destroying the entire continent. After the damage from the Calamity was done, Zulf still convinced his people to attack the Bastion for no reason other than hatred towards Caelondia. There's so much hatred and racism. This game speaks about what would happen if we let hate and war and greed go to far. We already have a Calamity, nuclear weapons are just as capable at destroying a people as the Calamity, and with an equal chance for worldwide destruction. It tells a story that is a vibrant colorful adventure, but shows us where our ways will lead us if we do not become better.
The ending of the game is very interesting. The Bastion was meant to be a safe haven for all the people of Caelondia, but was not finished before the Calamity, leaving it the size of a small island. However the main functions of the Bastion, were completed. In the game, an Ura you bring back to the Bastion named Zulf finds Ven's journal and learns that the Calamity was a Caelondian attempt at the destruction of the Ura. He breaks the Monument in the Bastion, and sets off to find what's left of his people. To restore the Monument and set things right the Kid has to find energy crystals called Shards. When he's about to reach the last shard, Zulf tells him that what's left of the Ura is assaulting the Bastion. The Kid beats them back, but not before they've severely damaged the Bastion. Another shard is needed to complete it. The Kid carves a path of destruction through the Ura, fighting as hard as he can to retrieve the last shard. Necessity forces him to nearly complete what the Calamity was built to do. When he finally does, there are two things left between him and his way back to the Bastion. The first, is Zulf, lying nearly dead in the snow. It's at this point in the game that you are presented with two options, you can abandon your weapon and try to save Zulf, or you can keep your weapon and leave him to die in the snow. He's betrayed you, but you know it's the right decision to save him. The second thing between you and the way back to the Bastion, is a veritable army of Ura. You slowly plod towards the skyway that will take you back, with Zulf on your shoulders. Bullets and crossbow bolts assail you from every direction from the Ura soldiers. You know you aren't gonna make it, but you keep pushing. All of a sudden they just.. Stop. They spare your and Zulf's life. With you're last strength, you ride the skyway with Zulf back to the Bastion.
With the last shard the Kid completes the Bastion. The Monument is ready. It descends down inside the Bastion and creates a staircase down to it. It has two functions, and Rucks and Zia want the Kid to decide which to do. You can use the Bastion to reverse time to before the Calamity occurred. All the death and destruction the Calamity caused, and that the Kid has done, will be undone. The only thing is, there's no way to know whether or not the Calamity will occur again. There's no way to test a machine that rewinds time for everyone. On the other hand, you can shatter the cores and shards that power the Monument, creating an immense amount of energy that makes it so that they can fly the Bastion, wherever they wanted, indefinitely. Sometimes the easy decision, is not the right one. It would be easy to choose Restoration. Easy to undo all the death and pain and absolve yourself of all blame. But to do so would be restoring a society rapt with greed, racism, and hatred. Who knows if doing so would even stop the Calamity? The right decision is Evacuation. Destroy the cores, fly the Bastion and instead of trying to erase the mistakes of your people, work to seek redemption. Work to make something out of this shattered world.
There's my narrative and moral analysis conclusion on Bastion. The week after the next, I'll write about my own ideas for a continuation of the story post-Evacuation. Bye.
- By Ashton
Sunday, May 1, 2016
Chapter 15
Chapter 15
In the half-light Julia puzzled what to do. She could make her way towards the outside of the ring that is 1A, get to the tram station. It was directly across from where she had entered and would only take a couple minutes to reach. Hopefully it would still be in working condition, and capable of taking her to Installation 1. Installation 3 was communications, if she had to contact the outside that was the surefire way to do so. She could get to Installation 2 and then 3 from getting to 1, but what if they were still people in 1A? People that are trapped and helpless like she was? She shuddered and thought about what she had to do save herself. If other people were there, maybe she wouldn't have had to...
Julia cursed herself as she stomped heavily around in 1A. Eventually she would have to get used to her new weight and metal form, right now she was not the quietest. Julia had decided she would go around 1A one time before returning to the tram, that way she could look in nearby offices and rooms for anybody that might need help before she left for Installation 1. She wasn't happy about the potential danger she might be facing and the loss of time, but she couldn't leave people here to die... like she had. 1A was in bad shape. She could see Heliogel creeping along the walls. Sometimes it splayed out randomly like veins, other times it conformed strictly to lines or circles. In some places it bubbled up in wrinkled parcels of blue-white light. It didn't seem to be doing the structure of the building any favors either, the walls were wrinkled and torn to the outside in some places, and the floor occasionally rose or fell. Julia entered the Mess Hall to the left of the tram station.
The mess hall had high ceilings that went all the way up to the roof of 1A. The flat surface had rows of skylights strew across it vertically. On top of the skylights were small snowflakes, and blackness. She could not discern whether the blackness was the night, or something worse. It was unbearably dark in the cafeteria. She switched on the lights on either side of her head and gazed at a spot in the center of the room where her light did not hit the far wall. Heliogel oozed upwards and downwards from the floor and ceiling to form a knotted bulging shape in its midsection. It twitched and moved. There were no little parcels of light this time, only blackness. Julia's second discovery was worse. Along the floor, almost as if they had just stopped and fallen out of their seats, were bodies. They all lay down and inky tendrils shot out from the pillar and wrapped around their faces and skullcaps. The tendrils writhed on the ground with complete and utter silence. Towards the base of the pillar she saw different shoes and lower legs being pulled into the mass. Julia calmed herself and was almost grateful she did not have breathing to control. She shifted uncomfortably. If she needed to defend herself she could shoot grapple hooks from her palms. Wouldn't do much to a person, much less the things that she saw down in the Hole. Attached to her back was a medium sized climbing pick. She went over her options. If she backed out of the cafeteria and went back to the station, she could either take a tram or continue to look for people in the right side of 1A. She knew that the people on the ground were meager in comparison to the amount of people working at 1A, and that there could very well be more survivors. If she did explore right, she would either have to backtrack once she reached a certain point, or go through the cafeteria again to reach the tram. Julia was half way across the cafeteria, almost closer to the left side entrances than the tram station. She looked towards the left and started moving quietly. Julia had to pass near a body on the floor to reach the far end. Almost past it, metal feet moving quietly, quietlyyyyyy... Not quiet enough. Every body in the room sat up.
- By Ashton
In the half-light Julia puzzled what to do. She could make her way towards the outside of the ring that is 1A, get to the tram station. It was directly across from where she had entered and would only take a couple minutes to reach. Hopefully it would still be in working condition, and capable of taking her to Installation 1. Installation 3 was communications, if she had to contact the outside that was the surefire way to do so. She could get to Installation 2 and then 3 from getting to 1, but what if they were still people in 1A? People that are trapped and helpless like she was? She shuddered and thought about what she had to do save herself. If other people were there, maybe she wouldn't have had to...
Julia cursed herself as she stomped heavily around in 1A. Eventually she would have to get used to her new weight and metal form, right now she was not the quietest. Julia had decided she would go around 1A one time before returning to the tram, that way she could look in nearby offices and rooms for anybody that might need help before she left for Installation 1. She wasn't happy about the potential danger she might be facing and the loss of time, but she couldn't leave people here to die... like she had. 1A was in bad shape. She could see Heliogel creeping along the walls. Sometimes it splayed out randomly like veins, other times it conformed strictly to lines or circles. In some places it bubbled up in wrinkled parcels of blue-white light. It didn't seem to be doing the structure of the building any favors either, the walls were wrinkled and torn to the outside in some places, and the floor occasionally rose or fell. Julia entered the Mess Hall to the left of the tram station.
The mess hall had high ceilings that went all the way up to the roof of 1A. The flat surface had rows of skylights strew across it vertically. On top of the skylights were small snowflakes, and blackness. She could not discern whether the blackness was the night, or something worse. It was unbearably dark in the cafeteria. She switched on the lights on either side of her head and gazed at a spot in the center of the room where her light did not hit the far wall. Heliogel oozed upwards and downwards from the floor and ceiling to form a knotted bulging shape in its midsection. It twitched and moved. There were no little parcels of light this time, only blackness. Julia's second discovery was worse. Along the floor, almost as if they had just stopped and fallen out of their seats, were bodies. They all lay down and inky tendrils shot out from the pillar and wrapped around their faces and skullcaps. The tendrils writhed on the ground with complete and utter silence. Towards the base of the pillar she saw different shoes and lower legs being pulled into the mass. Julia calmed herself and was almost grateful she did not have breathing to control. She shifted uncomfortably. If she needed to defend herself she could shoot grapple hooks from her palms. Wouldn't do much to a person, much less the things that she saw down in the Hole. Attached to her back was a medium sized climbing pick. She went over her options. If she backed out of the cafeteria and went back to the station, she could either take a tram or continue to look for people in the right side of 1A. She knew that the people on the ground were meager in comparison to the amount of people working at 1A, and that there could very well be more survivors. If she did explore right, she would either have to backtrack once she reached a certain point, or go through the cafeteria again to reach the tram. Julia was half way across the cafeteria, almost closer to the left side entrances than the tram station. She looked towards the left and started moving quietly. Julia had to pass near a body on the floor to reach the far end. Almost past it, metal feet moving quietly, quietlyyyyyy... Not quiet enough. Every body in the room sat up.
- By Ashton
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Bastion part 2
Hello. Today I'm writing more about one of my favorite games, Bastion.
Today I'm writing mainly about the entire plot and ending of Bastion so skip this blog if you haven't finished the game or are interested in playing it. Like I said in my last blog, the Kid and Rucks are two Caelondians. Caelondia was a society that existed in the west of the continent. It was rich and successful and turned almost entirely into a sprawling city, surrounded by the Rippling Walls. What you aren't told early in the game is that the Rippling Walls isn't a simple border or way of keeping out animals, it was the main defense in a war against the other society on the continent, the Ura.
Long ago the Caelondians migrated across the boundless sea to the west, from the Motherland. When they got to this continent, they spread fast westward and pushed farther and farther into Ura land without permission and sometimes violence. The ever rapid expansion and resource depletion is what sparked the Ura-Caelondian war, 50 years before the Kid's time. The war was over before too long, and the Ura lost. After the war, Caelondian expansion slowed down but relations between the Ura and Caelondia were nonexistent. There were almost no Caelondians at all underground in the Tazal Terminals where the Ura lived. Ura refugees from the war living in Caelondia were not permitted to return to their homes so they would not disclose city secrets. Racism and discrimination was rampart against the minority and Caelondian's lived happily in their "perfect" society.
It's revealed late in the game that this racism and hate lead to the game's starting event: The Calamity. The Calamity was a plan developed by the Caelondian Mancers. The Mancers were a group of scientists that worked to protect the city. They believed that the answer to never having another war was to completely eliminate the opposition. The Calamity was meant to wipe out the Ura, killing thousands. However the Mancers were nowhere near close to developing something capable of this, until they recruited a brilliant Ura living in the city, named Ven. Ven was forced to create the Calamity, an instrument he knew would be the death of his people. When Ven was finally forced by the Mancers to set it off, he made it backfire. The Calamity ripped through the entire continent, killing almost everyone.
It's these events that lead to the main themes of the game, genocide, war, hate, and redemption. It has parallels to American expansion, the nuclear bomb and many other real-world problems. Next blog I will discuss these points and the very end of the game. I highly recommend checking out Bastion.
- By Ashton
Today I'm writing mainly about the entire plot and ending of Bastion so skip this blog if you haven't finished the game or are interested in playing it. Like I said in my last blog, the Kid and Rucks are two Caelondians. Caelondia was a society that existed in the west of the continent. It was rich and successful and turned almost entirely into a sprawling city, surrounded by the Rippling Walls. What you aren't told early in the game is that the Rippling Walls isn't a simple border or way of keeping out animals, it was the main defense in a war against the other society on the continent, the Ura.
Long ago the Caelondians migrated across the boundless sea to the west, from the Motherland. When they got to this continent, they spread fast westward and pushed farther and farther into Ura land without permission and sometimes violence. The ever rapid expansion and resource depletion is what sparked the Ura-Caelondian war, 50 years before the Kid's time. The war was over before too long, and the Ura lost. After the war, Caelondian expansion slowed down but relations between the Ura and Caelondia were nonexistent. There were almost no Caelondians at all underground in the Tazal Terminals where the Ura lived. Ura refugees from the war living in Caelondia were not permitted to return to their homes so they would not disclose city secrets. Racism and discrimination was rampart against the minority and Caelondian's lived happily in their "perfect" society.
It's revealed late in the game that this racism and hate lead to the game's starting event: The Calamity. The Calamity was a plan developed by the Caelondian Mancers. The Mancers were a group of scientists that worked to protect the city. They believed that the answer to never having another war was to completely eliminate the opposition. The Calamity was meant to wipe out the Ura, killing thousands. However the Mancers were nowhere near close to developing something capable of this, until they recruited a brilliant Ura living in the city, named Ven. Ven was forced to create the Calamity, an instrument he knew would be the death of his people. When Ven was finally forced by the Mancers to set it off, he made it backfire. The Calamity ripped through the entire continent, killing almost everyone.
It's these events that lead to the main themes of the game, genocide, war, hate, and redemption. It has parallels to American expansion, the nuclear bomb and many other real-world problems. Next blog I will discuss these points and the very end of the game. I highly recommend checking out Bastion.
- By Ashton
Sunday, April 17, 2016
Chapter 14
Chapter 14
Julia stumbled forward in disbelief. Looking at the Hole she saw the 4 catwalks that led to the elevator, twisted and broken from the elevators collapse into the hole. It unnerved her immensely to see all the Heliogel. It slithered out of the hole and intertwined with the catwalks, some strands were as thing as a spiderweb, others as thick as her torso. The lip of frozen ground she was standing on was only a few feet wide before the ring of Installation 1A jutted upwards.
Windows were rather sparse on this side, but what ones she could fine were too dark to see inside. The only doors were the large bay doors at the entrance of each catwalk, so she began to trek through the light snow towards the nearest one. She looked upwards towards the dark, deep blue sky. Against the Antarctic sky she could see the black hexagons that made up the dome covering the Hole and Installation 1A. Near the center, they broke and exposed the installation to the 6-month night sky.
Julia could not see any of the corrupted Heliogel up on the dome, but she couldn't imagine how anything else could have damaged it so. She shuddered at what she thought could drip down on her. The tear in the dome explained the light snow coming down. She sadly thought about how if her head wasn't inside this suit, the cold would quickly kill her. She finally made her way to the large bay door at one of the catwalks. It was hard to orient herself, but she believed it was the same one she had used to enter the hole with the investors and tourists. Julia stepped inside 1A.
It was very dim, so she switched on the lights on her head. Strands of Heliogel crept up the stairs and wandered throughout the halls. Julia had no idea what to do, her whole plan was that here would be people up here that could help her. What was even the point? Technically, she was completely dead. Her body and brain had been either obliterated or absorbed into those... things down in the Hole. What's the point of looking for help when you are already dead? No recorded incident of somebody living in a machine past their death has ever been recorded. She had no way of knowing if she could permanently stay in this suit. Or if she wanted to. With grim resolve, she began to explore Installation 1A.
- By Ashton
Julia stumbled forward in disbelief. Looking at the Hole she saw the 4 catwalks that led to the elevator, twisted and broken from the elevators collapse into the hole. It unnerved her immensely to see all the Heliogel. It slithered out of the hole and intertwined with the catwalks, some strands were as thing as a spiderweb, others as thick as her torso. The lip of frozen ground she was standing on was only a few feet wide before the ring of Installation 1A jutted upwards.
Windows were rather sparse on this side, but what ones she could fine were too dark to see inside. The only doors were the large bay doors at the entrance of each catwalk, so she began to trek through the light snow towards the nearest one. She looked upwards towards the dark, deep blue sky. Against the Antarctic sky she could see the black hexagons that made up the dome covering the Hole and Installation 1A. Near the center, they broke and exposed the installation to the 6-month night sky.
Julia could not see any of the corrupted Heliogel up on the dome, but she couldn't imagine how anything else could have damaged it so. She shuddered at what she thought could drip down on her. The tear in the dome explained the light snow coming down. She sadly thought about how if her head wasn't inside this suit, the cold would quickly kill her. She finally made her way to the large bay door at one of the catwalks. It was hard to orient herself, but she believed it was the same one she had used to enter the hole with the investors and tourists. Julia stepped inside 1A.
It was very dim, so she switched on the lights on her head. Strands of Heliogel crept up the stairs and wandered throughout the halls. Julia had no idea what to do, her whole plan was that here would be people up here that could help her. What was even the point? Technically, she was completely dead. Her body and brain had been either obliterated or absorbed into those... things down in the Hole. What's the point of looking for help when you are already dead? No recorded incident of somebody living in a machine past their death has ever been recorded. She had no way of knowing if she could permanently stay in this suit. Or if she wanted to. With grim resolve, she began to explore Installation 1A.
- By Ashton
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