Ghibli’s unsung hero
-Studio Ghibli are a powerhouse of storytelling and masterful artwork. Their films often have sweeping vistas of painted backgrounds that would look right at home in gilded frames, and their story pacing is unhurried compared to many American animated films. But the true, unsung hero of Studio Ghibli films is the music and soundscapes. Many of my favorite Ghibli soundtracks come from movies for which Mamoru Fujisawa (also known as Joe Hisaishi) was the musical director and composer. Going in-depth into Joe Hisaishi’s brilliance…
Pathfinder: all the tools
-In the world of tabletop roleplaying games, Dungeons & Dragons is king. However, there are plenty of alternatives out there. Just what is Pathfinder, you might wonder? You’ve heard your tabletop roleplaying game-obsessed friend talk about it, and you’re pretty sure they’re not referring to the long-running Nissan utility vehicle. Just what is Golarion? You don’t want to mix it up with the Galarian region of the newest Pokémon games. The Pathfinder tabletop roleplaying game (TTRPG) and its home setting of Golarion, despite struggling…
Classics of science fiction: Foundation
-This is the semi-regular feature in which we look back at the seminal works of science fiction. The stories that outraged, baffled, and appalled; the books that posited answers a generation before anyone thought to ask the questions; the novels that bent society’s collective consciousness around them and seeded popular culture and humanity’s vision of itself to this day. From Frankenstein to Foundation, these are the books that blew our minds and created our genre. ‘Psychohistory’ is the fictional science and central conceit of…
It’s gorram over, Cap’n: why Firefly being cancelled was a good thing
-Firefly, the 2002 US TV series took the idea of a space western literally by putting cowboys on a spaceship, was cancelled after just one season. Firefly later became something of a viral success and a groundswell of support from an organised group of fans petitioned Fox TV network to recommission the series for a second season, without success. Most fans of the show consider it a tragedy that the story was never finished, that such potential was left hanging. But perhaps Firefly was…
Canon: exploring consistency in storytelling
-Fantasy and science fiction is expected, and almost required, to possess an internal continuity, especially across some of the most extensive and multimedia stories. The idea of ‘canon’, elements of a franchise which are officially considered ‘true’ by the creators or publishers, is often hotly debated by fans. When a single writer or team has created the majority of a work, canon is fairly easy to define; a line can easily be drawn between what is true to their world and what is not.…
Misereri Mei
-I met Emily on my first day in the office. She had a smile like a blackout, like a switch got flipped and all above London the stars shone clear for the first time since the Blitz. She shook my hand like a man, teeth and eye contact, and my tongue stuck skin-dry to the roof of my mouth. I felt a familiar lurch and to my mortification, a deep, creaking growl rumbled out from my stomach. I cringed, cheeks burning, but Emily just…
