fantasy – Page 3 – Co-Geeking

Theatrical Adaptation of LotR in Tampere

September 27, 2024September 15, 2024Eppu1 Comment

Our fall is forming up to include a bit more J.R.R. Tolkien than usual: besides seeing The Art of John Howe in Tampere, we have tickets to see a theatrical adaptation of Taru sormusten herrasta (The Lord of the Rings)—also in Tampere.

There is a short but handsome trailer:

Taru Sormusten herrasta – Tampereen Teatteri & Tampere-talo by TampereenTeatteriTT on YouTube

(Note: There’s no captioning, and it’s only in Finnish, but mostly the trailer is non-verbal. In the beginning, the text reads Experience the world’s best-known adventure. At the end, while raising his staff Gandal says You cannot pass!)

Tampere Theatre, Tampere Hall, and Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra, among others, have worked for four years to create the adaptation. I haven’t heard the reason why the play runs only about two months (Aug 22 to Sept 21, 2024 and Dec 18, 2024 to Jan 11, 2025); you’d think a slightly longer run might be warranted for such a large production. I do know it’s staged at Tampere Hall instead of Tampere Theatre’s own, beautiful historical building because the latter is under renovations. I also know that the production team had to make their own Finnish translation from scratch and that no songs were allowed due to limitations posed by The Tolkien Estate.

The sets and props look fantastic, as does the lighting and video projections. I’m not sure I agree with the Elven costuming, though; their profiles look a little too much like the female Hobbit / villager Hobbit profiles. Otherwise the wardrobe looks fabulous. You can’t tell about the soundscape on the basis of the trailer alone, but I have high hopes. I hope the Hall also works for the adaptation as a performance space.

We can’t wait to see it!

Out There highlights intriguing art, places, phenomena, flora, and fauna.

The Art of John Howe in Tampere

September 13, 2024August 18, 2024Eppu2 Comments

Last month we saw an exhibit of fantasy art by John Howe in Tampere-talo, Tampere, Finland. Titled The Art of John Howe: Journeys through the worlds of J.R.R. Tolkien, the exhibit is the first time that Howe’s work has been comprehensively displayed in Finland.

Over 250 original works were presented, from pencil drafts to finished color paintings and sculpture, along with sketchbooks and even some metal armor belonging to Howe. Some images were also enlarged into murals or banners, and a number of video screens scattered around the exhibit looped captioned interviews.

Apart from various illustrations of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, on display were for example works on mythical topics or sagas, like Beowulf and Arthurian legends. Also various architectural or creature studies were included.

The exhibit space was partitioned into irregular areas. Walls framed your route in interesting ways, and the murals created striking views. In one corner there was even a video with flying dragons projected up on the wall high above the framed artworks so that the dragons were visible from a distance. The art pieces had enough room, and no area was too small—clearly accessibility was planned in.

There was no predetermined loop, merely a path suggested by the layout, which made it easy to pick your preferred viewing order and to avoid the occasional crowd. It was also easy to double back without first having to finish the whole route.

Color and lighting were used in a fascinating way. Most spot lights were warm orangey-brown or in the blue-purple range. Otherwise the hall was surprisingly dark, but not unsafely so. It was very interesting from a mood point of view.

Visitors were encouraged to take photos. Unfortunately, the ceiling lights reflected on the glass, which made photographing individual framed artworks difficult.

It was great seeing the complexity, detail, and vividness of Howe’s art in person, not to mention the variety of his work. We were absolutely delighted to be able to visit!

Images by Eppu Jensen

In Making Stuff we share fun arts and crafts done by us and our fellow geeks and nerds.

Some Cozy Fiction Favorites

August 7, 2024August 4, 2024Eppu1 Comment

Recently I’ve been very drawn to cozy fiction. I focus on SFF and mystery for the most part, but not exclusively; my consumption also tends to (but doesn’t exclusively) fall under fantasy. (I do also continue to read and watch other kinds of stories like competence porn). But regardless of genre, the works I enjoy the most share a certain element of comfort in them.

Thematically I need:

lower stakes—the problems must be smaller. (They can be large-ish for the characters, however.) No cataclysms or world-enders (i.e., quests that only the protagonist can complete before the looming threat will irrevocably ruin life in the whole universe), and absolutely nothing gloomily post-apocalyptic. Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldree amply fills this criterion. (Although if L&L had had any more faffing about with coffee than it already did I might have screamed.) His Bookshops and Bonedust was good, too.

protagonists who either already have or within the story make at least one reliable, supporting connection. The Earthsea world by Ursula K. Le Guin has quite a few characters like this. (Nostalgia does also help.) A found family counts for me, too, of which the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers is a delightful example. (The Monk & Robot duology, however, I emphatically bounced off of.)

antagonists who form reasonable obstables, but aren’t too far-out or vile. I might mention The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison.

things to eventually settle into a comfortable state. If not an outright happy ending like in The Princess Bride movie, then at least a kind of a happy ending. As Erik put it, as happy an ending as possible under the circumstances. Thornhedge by T. Kingfisher comes to mind.

and last but not least, protagonists who know themselves and are comfortable with themselves and their place in the world, like Ellis Peters’s Brother Cadfael stories. (Sadly, you can’t binge read the series without quickly noticing what a boring copy-paste job Peters does with the featured young women—they tend to be perky and pretty and often strong-willed. That’s all fine and good, in itself, but there are already enough Smurfettes, thank you.)

As always, learning to work together is a huge bonus for me. Plus, the focus characters need to come across as rounded personalities, not paper dolls being carted around delivering plot-advancing lines. The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells handsomely fit these two criteria (even if some of the problems are larger), as does T. Kingfisher’s The Saint of Steel paladin series (even if there’s a little more romance than I’d generally care for).

There are also a number of works that fill some of the wishlist points but not others. Katherine Addison has added to the fascinating world of The Goblin Emperor in the excellent duology The Witness for the Dead and The Grief of Stones, which I’d count cozy otherwise (or cozy enough, like Christie’s mysteries), but the protagonist Thara remains troubled throughout, with just the tiniest glimpse of contentment at the end of TGoS.

The Keeper’s Six by Kate Elliott also follows a protagonist with a number of established allies, but the problem was too grand and some of the characters too snide to fit it into my comfort reads category. And the otherwise excellent Thorn by Intisar Khanani has a very nice but ultimately helpless human who remains far too helpless for far too long.

In the visual media, if possible I would like to pull everything concerning the village of Ta Lo in Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings into its own story; there isn’t too much of it in the Marvel Cinematic Universe version, but what there is is lovely. Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit show snippets of the ultimate cozy setting, the Shire, but, alas, they don’t amount to a long sequence either.

Character-wise, the Disney+ Obi-Wan Kenobi series features a delightful growing friendship between young Leia and Obi-Wan, but I couldn’t call the series cozy otherwise. To venture into the historical, most Jane Austen adaptations and the Miss Marple series with Joan Hickson always deliver. In fact, we just finished a most satisfying Miss Marple rewatch. 🙂

Unsplash Mariah Krafft Hygge Essentials Sm

There is, however, something elusive about my sense of cozy fiction which I haven’t yet been able to quite put my finger on. Oddly, as much as like tea, taking a mystery and slapping in ample servings of tea doesn’t necessarily cut it. For instance, Malka Older’s The Mimicking of Known Successes and The Imposition of Unnecessary Obstacles were complete misfires for me.

Some commentaries on the rising popularity of cozy fiction talk about foregrounding sensory details. That might have something to do with the appeal, although I think an overload is an overload regardless of what you’re overloading. (Hello there, Legends and Lattes, faffing about coffee.) I suspect, though, that the crucial factor for me is the protagonist’s sense of comfort with their situation; a comfortable amount of self-knowledge or self-awareness. I’ll have to think about it some more.

Apart from this mystery ingredient, it seems the works I enjoy most right now are basically about recognition of the ordinary. They have ordinary people persevering, or, in case of people with extraordinary skills, characters who nevertheless know how ordinary they are in other respects. Quite ordinary motives behind even the most elaborate murder plots. Or perhaps simply the enjoyment of commonplace situations and routines—but in a SFFnal setting, because I do still want a little bit of a twist in my fiction. 🙂

With the past three years having been very trying, I don’t wonder at taking comfort in a slower pace, lower-stakes challenges, more familiar burdens, and happy endings. With tea and yummy noms, if possible.

I may, in fact, be turning into an old cat, LOL! 🙂

Unsplash Sebastian Latorre Cat Sleeping Sm

Anything you could recommend along these lines? Do chime in! Also, if you have any cozy gaming experiences, I’d love to hear about them.

Images via Unsplash: Hygge essentials by Mariah Krafft. Cat sleeping by Sebastian Latorre.

Story Time is all about story-telling and how stories work, and what makes us love our favorites.

A Homebrew Alchemy System for Dungeons & Dragons

July 15, 2024July 16, 2024Erik

In one of the Dungeons & Dragons games I DM for, there is a player who is very into the idea of gathering herbs and brewing magic potions. The base game as written doesn’t have much in the way of rules for alchemy, so we’ve just been winging it for the better part of a year. That worked, but it wasn’t as satisfying as either of us would like, so I finally sat down and brewed up a set of rules for herb-gathering and alchemy. Here’s what we’re playing with now. Feel free to use this or adapt it, if it seems like it might be a fun addition to your own games.

Alchemy

An alchemical system for Dungeons & Dragons, 5th edition.

Harvesting herbs

To collect herbs, you must be in an environment where wild plants grow. The DM will determine whether there is anything available for you to gather. Specific environments may give you advantage or disadvantage to your roll, at the DM’s discretion. Gathering herbs takes an hour.

Roll a Nature check to see whether you successfully collect herbs and how much. If you have an Herbalism kit and the proficiency to use it, you may add your proficiency bonus to the roll

Once you have harvested an area, whether you successfully gathered herbs there or not, the plants need a month to regrow before you can harvest the same area again (unless they are affected by magic that causes plant growth).

Nature check	Herbs collected
Less than 11	None
11 – 15	1 batch
16 – 20	2 batches
21 – 25	3 batches
26 or more	4 batches

For each batch of herbs you collect, roll 1d6 to determine what type of herbs you find. (You can also choose to target a specific kind of herbs when you harvest. If you do, you make your harvesting roll at disadvantage, but all herbs you collect are of the kind you want.) Keep track of how many batches of herbs you have of each type.

1d6 roll	Herb type
1	bark
2	berries
3	fungi
4	leaves
5	roots
6	seeds

Making potions

To make potions, you must have enough herbs of the right types (1 batch of each type listed on the table below, unless the chart calls for more). Some potions require special ingredients, to be determined by the DM. Each brewing attempt consumes the given amount of herbs and takes one hour.

Roll an Arcana check to attempt to make each potion. If you have proficiency with Alchemist’s supplies, you may add your proficiency bonus to the roll. If you do not have alchemical equipment, you have disadvantage on the check. Whether the check succeeds or fails, the herbs are consumed. The DC for the check depends on the rarity of the potion you are trying to make:

Potion rarity	Arcana DC
Common	10
Uncommon	15
Rare	20
Very rare	25
Legendary	30

If you succeed on your Arcana check by 4 or less, you make 1 potion of the chosen type.
If you succeed on your Arcana check by 5 to 9, you make 1d4 potions of the chosen type.
If you succeed on your Arcana check by 10 or more, you make 1d6 potions of the chosen type.

(A DM might also allow a Medicine check in place of an Arcana check, or let proficiency with a Poisoner’s kit apply to the roll, depending on what kind of potions the character is brewing.)

Potion	Rarity	Herbs required
Antitoxin	Common	Bark, berries, seeds
Oil of Etherealness	Rare	Bark, leaves x3, roots
Oil of Sharpness	Very rare	Fungi x4, leaves x2, roots x2
Oil of Slipperiness	Uncommon	Bark, leaves, roots, seeds
Philter of Love	Uncommon	Berries, fungi, leaves, roots
Potion of Animal Friendship	Uncommon	Berries, leaves, roots, seeds
Potion of Clairvoyance	Rare	Fungi, leaves x2, roots x2
Potion of Climbing	Common	Bark, leaves, roots
Potion of Diminution	Rare	Fungi, leaves x3, roots
Potion of Flying	Very rare	Bark x2, leaves x4, roots x2
Potion of Gaseous Form	Rare	Bark, leaves 2x, roots, seeds
Potion of Giant Strength (Hill)	Uncommon	Bark, leaves 2x, roots
Potion of Giant Strength (Stone/Frost)	Rare	Bark 2x, leaves 2x, roots
Potion of Giant Strength (Fire)	Rare	Bark 2x, leaves 2x, roots
Potion of Giant Strength (Cloud)	Very rare	Bark 3x, leaves 3x, roots
Potion of Giant Strength (Storm)	Legendary	Bark 4x, leaves 4x, roots, special
Potion of Growth	Uncommon	Bark, leaves 2x, seeds
Potion of Healing	Common	Berries, leaves, seeds
Potion of Greater Healing	Uncommon	Berries 2x, leaves, seeds
Potion of Superior Healing	Rare	Berries 2x, leaves, seeds 2x
Potion of Supreme Healing	Very rare	Berries 3x, leaves 2x, seeds 2x
Potion of Heroism	Rare	Bark, berries, leaves, roots, seeds
Potion of Invisibility	Very rare	Leaves 3x, roots 2x, seeds
Potion of Invulnerability	Rare	Bark 2x, leaves, roots, seeds
Potion of Mind Reading	Rare	Fungi, leaves, roots 2x, seeds
Potion of Poison	Uncommon	Fungi 2x, roots, seeds
Potion of Resistance	Uncommon	Bark, berries, roots, seeds
Potion of Speed	Very rare	Fungi 2x, leaves 2x, roots 2x
Potion of Water Breathing	Uncommon	Bark, berries, leaves, roots
Restorative Ointment	Uncommon	Bark, berries, seeds 2x
Sovereign Glue	Legendary	Bark 2x, fungi, leaves 2x, roots 4x, special
Universal Solvent	Legendary	Berries, fungi 3x, leaves, seeds 2x, roots 2x, special

The table above includes only items listed in the Systems Reference Document released by Wizards of the Coast under Creative Commons. If you want to expand this table to include other potions and items, you can apply the following principles:

Determine how many ingredients the potion requires. The number of ingredients depends on the rarity of the potion.

Rarity	Ingredients
Common	3
Uncommon	4
Rare	5
Very rare	6 – 7
Legendary	9 plus a special ingredient

Determine which ingredients are needed. The table below gives some general suggestions, but feel free to choose whichever ones feel right for the potion in question.

Ingredient	Function
bark	protection, endurance
berries	healing, strength
fungi	harm, power
leaves	transformation, deception
roots	creation, discovery
seeds	restoration, growth

Images: Algorithmically generated images made with Night Cafe: alchemist’s workshop, forest, potion bottle

Of Dice and Dragons talks about games and gaming.

DIY Illusionary Labyrinth Wall from the Movie Labyrinth

July 10, 2024April 7, 2024Eppu

This is so epic and ingenious! Jen and John at Epbot built in their home a DIY version of the illusionary labyrinth wall from the movie Labyrinth for a theme party. You remember, the one with the worm? “Come inside, meet the missus!”

Here are a couple of behind-the-scenes photos:

Epbot Jen John Labyrinth Wall Behind Scenes1

Epbot Jen John Labyrinth Wall Behind Scenes2

As you can see, they built a small temporary wall to make a small hallway to step into. The opening between the rooms was partially covered with faux brick panels. Careful painting and lighting complete the illusion. (They even added the worm! Squee!)

Go ahead and visit Jen and John’s post for a video of John stepping through the opening—it’s really impressive! And other posts document the build process (one, two, three), the guest costumes, and a final reveal.

Such commitment – not to mention planning and building skills. Kudos!

In Making Stuff we share fun arts and crafts done by us and our fellow geeks and nerds.

Someone Liked Our Rohan Recipes

July 8, 2024June 30, 2024Erik2 Comments

Well, how about that!

We just discovered that our recipes for the Riders of Rohan were referenced in a piece of Middle Earth fanfiction over on Archive of Our Own. The story is called “she had a spirit and courage at least the match of yours” by shOokspeared, and it’s a lovely little slice-of-life tale following Éowyn on a visit to the Shire in the days of peace after the War of the Ring. In a letter home to her husband Faramir, Éowyn mentions enjoying the familiar tastes of braised beef and saffron and cream pancakes for lunch with her Hobbit friends one day.

We’re astonished and delighted to see that our work is still interesting and useful to others!

Announcements from your hosts.

A Wondrous Jaina Proudmoore by Ibelinn Cosplay

June 12, 2024March 24, 2024Eppu

Ibelinn Cosplay from Norway made an absolutely astoundingly accurate cosplay outfit of Jaina Proudmoore. Take a look:

Everything looks like an exact match: the layers, the embellishments, the shading, the shapes—down to the stupid-awkward blocky shape of the World of Warcraft cloaks. It’s almost uncanny!

She shares more photos of her version of Jaina on Imgur, including the staff for the outfit, and more Ibelinn cosplays on Instagram. I highly encourage you to visit and admire!

Image by Ibelinn Cosplay via Imgur

In Making Stuff we share fun arts and crafts done by us and our fellow geeks and nerds.

A Fantastical Mancave Reno

March 6, 2024February 18, 2024Eppu

Most often, nerdy and geeky home decor is the work of enthusiastic fans channeling their love of the genre into their spaces. Sometimes, though, you do see a mainstream professional hired for the work. One such is the case of a fantasy-loving family in Finland, who hired interior designer Minna Haapakoski to plan a reno of their bland basement mancave. And she pulled out all stops.

Entry to the space is now hidden behind a tall, ornate mirror. Visitors are greeted at the door by an armor-wearing figure. In addition, decorative arches were added to divide the space into two working / gaming spaces separated by a tv / lounge area with a large built-in seat.

Both open shelving and cabinets provide storage. Surface materials have been cleverly used to change the feel of the room. Wall paneling is made from reclaimed wood, and the faux tiles are made with plaster and painted. All the lighting is on dimmers, and sound-proofing was applied to the door as well as walls.

Now, the room looks fantastic, doesn’t it? (No pun intended!) It houses not just one but two desks plus the lounging area, which is great for versatility. The design elements all work towards creating a harmonious whole, the colors are nicely balanced, and details like faux bois plant pots add to the illusion.

Even so, I’d have a hard time picking useable ideas for a potential reno of my own. First of all, many of the surface materials would be out for me for health reasons, but to each their own. Secondly, the entry with the armored dummy is merely there for looks, which means it’s basically a wasted area. (Then again, if you have a home of 200+ square meters / 2,150 sq ft or so—I’m wildly guessing here—and money to burn…)

Furthermore, there’s a pragmatic issue with the floor plan that would drive me absolutely nuts. There doesn’t seem to be open floor between the two desks. Say what?!?

While I love spaces that indicate that some thought has gone into making them look nice, I absolutely, utterly, ardently must have function first. Especially if it’s my home, it has to work for me; having to battle hindrances every single day is simply unacceptable. If this mancave were in my home, having to clamber over (or through?) the built-in lounge to get to the far side would JUST. NOT. WORK.

I guess it just goes to highlight how unique individual wants and needs can be. This family loves their new mancave, and good for them. 🙂

There is one final thing that I’d kinda like to know. The dummy seems to be from the game Dark Souls II. (If you look carefully, you can see writing on the riser below his step.) Now, where does one buy a life-sized dummy from a ten-year-old gaming franchise, and how everloving much does it take in effort and cost to a) freight it in, AND b) install it into your basement mancave? That’s some serious fan action!

Images by Johanna Myllymäki via Meidän talo

In Here highlights interesting spaces created by our fellow geeks all over the world.

Quotes: The Roman Custom When Clearing a Stand of Trees

September 18, 2023April 9, 2023Erik

At least since Tolkien’s Ents smashed up Isengard, the idea of resurgent nature rebelling against those who would destroy it has been a theme in modern fantasy. The idea seems to be a product of modern industrialization and environmentalism. There is no comparable trope in the literature of the ancient Mediterranean, but the idea that humans exist in a relationship with nature that must be properly observed and maintained does find echoes there. The early Roman writer and politician Cato the Elder included this advice in his handbook on farming for those who wanted to cut down trees to clear land:

This is the Roman custom when clearing a stand of trees. With the sacrifice of a pig, use these words: “Whether you are a god or a goddess to whom this wood is sacred, since it is fitting for you to receive the sacrifice of a pig for the clearing of this wood, therefore for these reasons, whether I do it myself or someone does it at my command, let it be correctly done. Therefore with the burnt offering of this pig I pray the correct prayers, so that you may look kindly on me, my family, my household, and my children. For these reasons, therefore, may the burnt offering of this pig be worshipfully made.”

If you wish to plow the ground, make another sacrifice in the same way, adding the words: “for the purpose of doing this work.” As long as the work is ongoing, the same ritual must be done every day in some part of the land. If you miss a day, or if public or family celebrations interrupt the work, you must perform an additional sacrifice.

Cato the Elder, On Agriculture 139-40

(My own translation)

Cato does not elaborate on what might befall a farmer who failed to perform the correct ceremonies. Given what we know of Roman religion, it is more likely that bad luck or a poor harvest was the feared consequence, not angry spirits coming out of the woods to wreak havoc. Still, the idea that interfering with nature is something to be done carefully and with a good purpose is an ancient one.

Serving exactly what it sounds like, the Quotes feature excerpts other people’s thoughts.