Clear blue water surrounding the island. Ocean waves crashing in the distance. A large piece of heavy-duty plastic washes up on the beach. Someone and his pet rock regard this unfamiliar (and yet somehow familiar) object as they contemplate the significance of its arrival. "Bakersfield..." The sound of a seagull passing overhead as the tide ripples across the sand. Pet rock, as usual, says nothing. Somewhere in the back of the mind a light bulb turns on... "Bakersfield!"
I know. What in the heck have you been doing all this time!! no one asks. Huh. I'm not even sure. But this much is true sure enough, developing a simple yet actually rather complicated rpg boardgame is, as the Hauflins would say, "Nothing to shake a bobble at and no mistake." One has to have time to play the game, and think about stuff, and then write stuff down (boring), talk about it for a while, go make another cup of coffee, play video games because Breath of the Wild is just that good, come back and talk about stuff again only more serious this time. And theeeeeen, if something's going to change well I don't know but all these files have to get updated and then you have to do a funny blog post -- who said that? okay blog post to get everyone up to date. Then print out new cards and stuff. It's ... alot of work okay. And also our sailing ship the "Endless Horizon" was caught in a storm and we ended up washed ashore with nothing but shoes that wouldn't fit and a talking volleyball that, frankly, kind of made us uneasy so we had to toss it out to sea ...only it keeps coming back and it just sits there, and we just sit there and we're like "...the volleyball is back again. What should we do now" and then the other person is like, "well we need food could we maybe just ignore it" and the other person is like, "no." So we have to take it with us. Okay that story is not entirely true ...sometimes the volleyball is kind of amusing. Where was I going with that? Oh yes. Delays. delays. keep typing the word delaaaaays just to make a point. So there we were. Stuck on a remote island, far from civilization and it's really hard to keep the computer up and running (I mean you should see the contraption we got going just to keep it humming, and don't even ask about connecting to the internet...) and yet somehow, trying to work on a game that, at best can only be played by the most dedicated of quite very special people willing to put ever so much time into building a set. Who would do it? Why would they do it!? You'd have to be pretty much bonkers to think that you could make such a thing (let alone share it with the world on a shoestring budget). But then, maybe not knowing quite what you're getting yourself into can be its own sort of benefit. Hang on. If we're connected to the internet then maybe we could just, ask for help? Eh?! What's that? "Hey mister Hobgoblin, whatcha doing there next to the elaborate contraption? Em, that part there is a rare one-of-a-kind transistor thingy (that we had to go on an epic quest just to find and there's only one and our computer can't work without it, let alone the coffee maker which is like, super important to us)." "Hey! Please don't take that! Stop! You there! I said .... .... ...." End transmission.
In the previous post we looked at some of the films and characters that have been a source of inspiration for us. It got me thinking about some of the others and then I came across a video featuring the title track for "The Neverending Story." A good find as it gives the perfect opportunity to share a few other sources of inspiration and (more specifically) two magical films with memorable theme songs. In this one scenes and music are blended nicely into a montage but you'd want to possibly skip it if you've never seen the film (or minimize the screen and listen only). The Neverending Story (1984) is a film adaptation Directed by Wolfgang Petersen based loosely on the original story written by Michael Ende (published 1979) and Illustrated by Roswitha Quadflieg. This movie has many notable qualities, among them the title theme song composed by Giorgio Moroder with lyrics by Keith Forsey, and performed by Christopher Hamill. Credit for the song is usually given simply as "Limhal" which I had often thought was the name of a group, but apparently refers to Christopher Hamill's nickname or pseudonym. Of course, one cannot write about memorable theme songs without mentioning... The Princess Bride (1987) is a film adaptation Directed by Rob Reiner. It is based on the novel by William Goldman (published 1973) that takes place in a charming world populated by the most rich assortment of characters. The story has touched the hearts of readers and viewers alike and, for those who grew up watching the film version, become one of the most quotable movies of perhaps an entire generation. A few samples from different moments in the film.
Of course, the magic of the film is made all the more complete thanks to an amazing piece titled "Storybook Love," written and performed by Willy DeVille, produced and accompanied by Mark Knopfler. Was able to locate two versions... The official music video version at Mark Knopfler's channel, featuring Willy and Mark with a few snippets from the film. A lyrics only version, if you just want to close your eyes and listen. Also a good choice for those who've never seen the film and want to know as little as possible.
Excerpt from scene four courtesy of https://stuff.mit.edu/people/davidmac/princess_bride.html Sources: YouTube, Wikipedia, the happy places of our childhood
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