Monte Cook's Blog, page 140
October 10, 2010
Do We Need Origin Stories Anymore?
Do We Need Origin Stories Anymore?
I recently read that they're going to be starting the Spider-Man movie franchise over with a new actor. OK, fine. Toby Maguire's getting a bit old to be Peter Parker, I suppose. But I also read that they'll be starting over, and representing his origin story.
Come on.
We've seen him get munched on by the radioactive spider already. At this point, most people going to see a Spider-Man movie know the story, at least vaguely. And if they don't, it could be covered in a brief intro during the opening credits or a quick flashback. Heck, even a expository word-crawl could sum it up quickly and nicely, so we can get right to the super-villain punching, wall-crawling, web-swinging action, which is why we've gone to the movie in the first place.
Plus, I'm going to argue a strange point. I don't think that we even need origin stories anymore. Sure, in the 1960s, superheroes were still strange enough that if you were going to have a character with the ability to climb walls and sling webs, you needed to provide some kind of explanation or no one is going to understand what's going on. But superheroes are so ingrained in our culture now that I don't think it's needed. Not that origin stories are bad or superfluous. They're just not critically necessary. We can just accept that there's a guy in a suit with powers nowadays. (Look at the Incredibles, for example. Who cares what the origins of those characters are?) We're more interested, I think, in what happens after they get the powers.
This is particularly true of big name superheroes. Take the most obvious one as an example. Superman. Everyone in the Western World, and a great deal of the rest of the world, knows that they guy in red and blue with a cape and a big S on his chest can fly, lift cars, and bullets bounce off his chest. Some of those people know why, and some don't, but unless his Kryptonian origins are actually germane to the rest of the story, we don't really need to know his whole life story. Superman just does those things, that's who he is and what he does, and we don't actually need to know why.
You don't get James Bond's backstory in every bond film, for example. Or Sherlock Holmes'. Because it's not the point. In fact, Bond and Holmes aren't the point. The things they do (spy action and solving mysteries, respectively) are the point. You don't need to know where Ripley went to school in order to enjoy an Alien movie.
I recently read that they're going to be starting the Spider-Man movie franchise over with a new actor. OK, fine. Toby Maguire's getting a bit old to be Peter Parker, I suppose. But I also read that they'll be starting over, and representing his origin story.
Come on.
We've seen him get munched on by the radioactive spider already. At this point, most people going to see a Spider-Man movie know the story, at least vaguely. And if they don't, it could be covered in a brief intro during the opening credits or a quick flashback. Heck, even a expository word-crawl could sum it up quickly and nicely, so we can get right to the super-villain punching, wall-crawling, web-swinging action, which is why we've gone to the movie in the first place.
Plus, I'm going to argue a strange point. I don't think that we even need origin stories anymore. Sure, in the 1960s, superheroes were still strange enough that if you were going to have a character with the ability to climb walls and sling webs, you needed to provide some kind of explanation or no one is going to understand what's going on. But superheroes are so ingrained in our culture now that I don't think it's needed. Not that origin stories are bad or superfluous. They're just not critically necessary. We can just accept that there's a guy in a suit with powers nowadays. (Look at the Incredibles, for example. Who cares what the origins of those characters are?) We're more interested, I think, in what happens after they get the powers.
This is particularly true of big name superheroes. Take the most obvious one as an example. Superman. Everyone in the Western World, and a great deal of the rest of the world, knows that they guy in red and blue with a cape and a big S on his chest can fly, lift cars, and bullets bounce off his chest. Some of those people know why, and some don't, but unless his Kryptonian origins are actually germane to the rest of the story, we don't really need to know his whole life story. Superman just does those things, that's who he is and what he does, and we don't actually need to know why.
You don't get James Bond's backstory in every bond film, for example. Or Sherlock Holmes'. Because it's not the point. In fact, Bond and Holmes aren't the point. The things they do (spy action and solving mysteries, respectively) are the point. You don't need to know where Ripley went to school in order to enjoy an Alien movie.
October 7, 2010
Autumn!
Autumn!
I love autumn. I love the cooler temperatures, the change of colors, and the crunch of leaves under my feet. Autumn even smells good. Because of the fact that school starts in the fall, I've always thought of this time of year as a new beginning, even though traditionally it's seen as an ending (harvest time, birds migrate away, animals hibernate, and so on).
For that same reason, the onset of autumn also makes me want to go to the store and buy new notebooks, pencils, and a protractor.
I love autumn. I love the cooler temperatures, the change of colors, and the crunch of leaves under my feet. Autumn even smells good. Because of the fact that school starts in the fall, I've always thought of this time of year as a new beginning, even though traditionally it's seen as an ending (harvest time, birds migrate away, animals hibernate, and so on).
For that same reason, the onset of autumn also makes me want to go to the store and buy new notebooks, pencils, and a protractor.
October 1, 2010
Gliese 581d
Gliese 581d
I've been very intrigued by the recent news that an extrasolar planet has been discovered in the so-called Goldilocks zone of a nearby star. The Goldilocks zone is the region around a particular star (based on its size and type) where the radiation (heat and light, essentially) would be right for Earth-like life. Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star "only" 20 light years away, and 581d is tidally locked in its orbit, meaning that--like our moon's relationship with Earth--the same side of the planet always faces its star.
Lots of people are calling Gliese 581d "Earth-like" or potentially so. I think that's true in some respects, but not others. Since it's a rocky planet in the Goldilocks zone, it's pretty likely there's liquid water there. Plus, it's not so much larger than Earth that gravity would be too crushing. Unlike much more hostile worlds, you don't have to come up with extraordinarily exotic life form ideas to imagine life on such a planet. Liquid water and moderate temperatures in certain regions make it a place that we can wrap our minds around--sort of. It's still pretty weird and wild there, most likely.
The side facing the star would be far too hot to be hospitable. Likewise, the dark side, gripped in perpetual night, would be too cold. In between, however, there would be region of perpetual twilight where temperatures might be reasonable, if not downright comfortable, to creatures like we're used to. There are regions of our own planet, for example, that experience long periods of twilight, for example, such as northern Canada.
As my friend Bruce Cordell was quick to point out, however, because you've got a hot region right next to a cold region, that in between area is going to be wracked by storms. Storms that never stop, and are likely far, far worse than any storm known on Earth. But maybe all that potential liquid water is held in deep Gliesean seas. Deep down under the surface, it might be pretty comfortable for aquatic life to flourish. Perhaps that life would not just adapt to the situation (as life does), but would go a step further and use it to its best advantage.
For example, imagine an organism with different life stages, each needing and flourishing in a different environment. A larval stage that needed warm waters and exposure to sunlight to grow, dwelling on the edges of the day side of the planet, staying near the surface of the water that eventually matures into a different stage that needs cool temperatures (maybe to aid in reproduction), so it migrates to the night side.
The fact that Gliese doesn't have a daytime and nighttime would make for a very alien intelligence that looked at time very differently than we do. Day and night wouldn't be related to time, they'd be related to place. Our migratory multi-stage organism, if intelligent, would think of "day" and "night" as the first and second halves of its life. Shorter spans of time might be measured in terms of sleep periods or periods between needing to eat, although the strange nature of the planet and the creature might make those things very different from what we're used to as well. For example, because there's no natural light-dark cycle force upon it, perhaps our intelligent aquatic being wouldn't have a sleep or eating cycle anything like ours. Perhaps it would hibernate for long periods and then awake to eat after a long fast. Maybe in its larval stage it would never sleep or eat, deriving all of its energy from sunlight, but in the adult stage it would sleep and eat a lot to survive in the cold.
It's fun to speculate. I've got even more ideas, but now that my creative juices are flowing I'm starting to think about putting them into a story.
Yay, science!
I've been very intrigued by the recent news that an extrasolar planet has been discovered in the so-called Goldilocks zone of a nearby star. The Goldilocks zone is the region around a particular star (based on its size and type) where the radiation (heat and light, essentially) would be right for Earth-like life. Gliese 581 is a red dwarf star "only" 20 light years away, and 581d is tidally locked in its orbit, meaning that--like our moon's relationship with Earth--the same side of the planet always faces its star.
Lots of people are calling Gliese 581d "Earth-like" or potentially so. I think that's true in some respects, but not others. Since it's a rocky planet in the Goldilocks zone, it's pretty likely there's liquid water there. Plus, it's not so much larger than Earth that gravity would be too crushing. Unlike much more hostile worlds, you don't have to come up with extraordinarily exotic life form ideas to imagine life on such a planet. Liquid water and moderate temperatures in certain regions make it a place that we can wrap our minds around--sort of. It's still pretty weird and wild there, most likely.
The side facing the star would be far too hot to be hospitable. Likewise, the dark side, gripped in perpetual night, would be too cold. In between, however, there would be region of perpetual twilight where temperatures might be reasonable, if not downright comfortable, to creatures like we're used to. There are regions of our own planet, for example, that experience long periods of twilight, for example, such as northern Canada.
As my friend Bruce Cordell was quick to point out, however, because you've got a hot region right next to a cold region, that in between area is going to be wracked by storms. Storms that never stop, and are likely far, far worse than any storm known on Earth. But maybe all that potential liquid water is held in deep Gliesean seas. Deep down under the surface, it might be pretty comfortable for aquatic life to flourish. Perhaps that life would not just adapt to the situation (as life does), but would go a step further and use it to its best advantage.
For example, imagine an organism with different life stages, each needing and flourishing in a different environment. A larval stage that needed warm waters and exposure to sunlight to grow, dwelling on the edges of the day side of the planet, staying near the surface of the water that eventually matures into a different stage that needs cool temperatures (maybe to aid in reproduction), so it migrates to the night side.
The fact that Gliese doesn't have a daytime and nighttime would make for a very alien intelligence that looked at time very differently than we do. Day and night wouldn't be related to time, they'd be related to place. Our migratory multi-stage organism, if intelligent, would think of "day" and "night" as the first and second halves of its life. Shorter spans of time might be measured in terms of sleep periods or periods between needing to eat, although the strange nature of the planet and the creature might make those things very different from what we're used to as well. For example, because there's no natural light-dark cycle force upon it, perhaps our intelligent aquatic being wouldn't have a sleep or eating cycle anything like ours. Perhaps it would hibernate for long periods and then awake to eat after a long fast. Maybe in its larval stage it would never sleep or eat, deriving all of its energy from sunlight, but in the adult stage it would sleep and eat a lot to survive in the cold.
It's fun to speculate. I've got even more ideas, but now that my creative juices are flowing I'm starting to think about putting them into a story.
Yay, science!
September 28, 2010
The Value of Scarcity
The Value of Scarcity
When I was young, and found a new band (or an old band) that I liked, or an author I enjoyed, I would try to track down their past work. And pre-Internet, it was hard. Very hard.
It wasn't just hard to find old Miles Davis albums, for example, it was hard to even find out Miles Davis' complete discography. I could go into a store and find an album I'd never heard of. And that was really the main way you could hunt for what you were looking for--just going to the store and seeing what they have in stock, or maybe what they can order for you, assuming you knew what to ask for.
Likewise, finding old Philip K. Dick books, for example, while most were long out of print, was a Herculean challenge then. Scouring used book stores was really the only way to get what you wanted, and it was easy for such a trip to end in disappointment.
It's all different now, of course. A few keystrokes entered into a search engine and viola, everything you ever wanted is right there, available for you to click on and buy, assuming you've got the money. There's no hunt. No footwork. Everything's available for you, all the time. Which is great, of course.
Except when it isn't.
See, I actually liked the hunt. It was rewarding and thrilling to find something you'd been looking for over the months or even years of your quest. Thrilling, even. A triumph. I can remember where and when I found some of those old albums and books, for example. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm no Luddite. I appreciate having the selection and availability of modern times. Mostly. But I do wonder what it's like for those younger than me who never didn't have access to everything they wanted. Is it harder to value something? I don't know. It certainly runs the risk of not being as excited about something, I would imagine.
Today, I subscribe to Rhapsody, and thus essentially have instant access to most music. Netflix offers pretty much the same thing for movies. Some savvy ebook service will soon start up and give people every book. This, I truly believe, is the way of the future. Not only will there be no acquisition, but no ownership, either. And that's fine.
But in a way, I think there is value in not being able to have anything and everything you want, exactly when you want it. The anticipation, the the dedication, and the resolution of wanting something, looking for it, and finally finding it are--in retrospect--wonderful experiences.
When I was young, and found a new band (or an old band) that I liked, or an author I enjoyed, I would try to track down their past work. And pre-Internet, it was hard. Very hard.
It wasn't just hard to find old Miles Davis albums, for example, it was hard to even find out Miles Davis' complete discography. I could go into a store and find an album I'd never heard of. And that was really the main way you could hunt for what you were looking for--just going to the store and seeing what they have in stock, or maybe what they can order for you, assuming you knew what to ask for.
Likewise, finding old Philip K. Dick books, for example, while most were long out of print, was a Herculean challenge then. Scouring used book stores was really the only way to get what you wanted, and it was easy for such a trip to end in disappointment.
It's all different now, of course. A few keystrokes entered into a search engine and viola, everything you ever wanted is right there, available for you to click on and buy, assuming you've got the money. There's no hunt. No footwork. Everything's available for you, all the time. Which is great, of course.
Except when it isn't.
See, I actually liked the hunt. It was rewarding and thrilling to find something you'd been looking for over the months or even years of your quest. Thrilling, even. A triumph. I can remember where and when I found some of those old albums and books, for example. Oh, don't get me wrong. I'm no Luddite. I appreciate having the selection and availability of modern times. Mostly. But I do wonder what it's like for those younger than me who never didn't have access to everything they wanted. Is it harder to value something? I don't know. It certainly runs the risk of not being as excited about something, I would imagine.
Today, I subscribe to Rhapsody, and thus essentially have instant access to most music. Netflix offers pretty much the same thing for movies. Some savvy ebook service will soon start up and give people every book. This, I truly believe, is the way of the future. Not only will there be no acquisition, but no ownership, either. And that's fine.
But in a way, I think there is value in not being able to have anything and everything you want, exactly when you want it. The anticipation, the the dedication, and the resolution of wanting something, looking for it, and finally finding it are--in retrospect--wonderful experiences.
September 26, 2010
Blogging (About Blogging)
Blogging (About Blogging)
One weird thing about blogging for quite a few years now is that you risk repeating yourself. When you're like me, and you blog about topics near and dear to your heart, those things remain near and dear to you even after you've written about them. You feel strongly about them a year or two later and get the urge to write about them. Sometimes, you forget that you wrote about them before.
Of course, many readers now reading this probably weren't reading a few years bac...
One weird thing about blogging for quite a few years now is that you risk repeating yourself. When you're like me, and you blog about topics near and dear to your heart, those things remain near and dear to you even after you've written about them. You feel strongly about them a year or two later and get the urge to write about them. Sometimes, you forget that you wrote about them before.
Of course, many readers now reading this probably weren't reading a few years bac...
September 6, 2010
Geek A Week
Geek A Week
A while back, I mentioned that I was a part of the Geek A Week project that Len Peralta is putting together. Well, he's finished the first half of the year (26 geeks!) and has started off on the second half with none other than Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak. What amazing company I've found myself in--I'm quite humbled. Check out the line up so far.
A while back, I mentioned that I was a part of the Geek A Week project that Len Peralta is putting together. Well, he's finished the first half of the year (26 geeks!) and has started off on the second half with none other than Apple Computers co-founder Steve Wozniak. What amazing company I've found myself in--I'm quite humbled. Check out the line up so far.
August 29, 2010
RetroBlog: Star Wars and Me
Star Wars and Me
[I wrote this in 2005, but it's still pretty meaningful to me.:]
Sometimes I think about what it would have been like to have been a science fiction fan back in the 1950s and '60s. I like the idea of the genre being so small that you can take for granted that you and all your geek friends have read the same books, and can thus talk about them as a shared experience. Back then, it seems, science fiction fandom was quieter, more niche. You could imagine that...
August 18, 2010
Movie Review Rundown
Movie Review Rundown
Short and sweet, here are some thoughts on the movies I've seen lately, either in the theater or on DVD.
Inception: Without a doubt, the movie of the year. Huge, complex, well-thought-out, and beautifully produced. I won't spoil any of the plot for those who haven't yet seen it (get out to the theater, already!) but be prepared for a movie experience unlike any movie you've likely seen in years. Can you tell I liked it?
Dinner for Schmucks: This Steve Carrell/Paul Rudd comed...
Short and sweet, here are some thoughts on the movies I've seen lately, either in the theater or on DVD.
Inception: Without a doubt, the movie of the year. Huge, complex, well-thought-out, and beautifully produced. I won't spoil any of the plot for those who haven't yet seen it (get out to the theater, already!) but be prepared for a movie experience unlike any movie you've likely seen in years. Can you tell I liked it?
Dinner for Schmucks: This Steve Carrell/Paul Rudd comed...
August 10, 2010
Back Home
Back Home
I'm back from GenCon. It was a great trip, and I got to hang out with great friends and do very fun games.
Some highlights include:
1. My first foray into True Dungeon. Now I finally understand what everyone's been raving about. So much work and creativity goes into this event that I almost think, in a way, it's too good. I mean, you get so caught up in solving the puzzles and dealing with the challenges that you almost don't have enough time to appreciate the lovingly crafted details....
I'm back from GenCon. It was a great trip, and I got to hang out with great friends and do very fun games.
Some highlights include:
1. My first foray into True Dungeon. Now I finally understand what everyone's been raving about. So much work and creativity goes into this event that I almost think, in a way, it's too good. I mean, you get so caught up in solving the puzzles and dealing with the challenges that you almost don't have enough time to appreciate the lovingly crafted details....
August 4, 2010
Off to GenCon
Off to GenCon
I leave in an hour or two for GenCon in Indianapolis. I'm mainly going for fun and friends, but I'll try to stop by the Paizo booth a few times where they've got my new adventure, Curse of the Riven Sky. I'll also be a presenter at the ENnies this year (held on Friday night). Hope to see some of you there!
I leave in an hour or two for GenCon in Indianapolis. I'm mainly going for fun and friends, but I'll try to stop by the Paizo booth a few times where they've got my new adventure, Curse of the Riven Sky. I'll also be a presenter at the ENnies this year (held on Friday night). Hope to see some of you there!
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