When Vivian Folkenflik was a professor and lecturer at UC Irvine, she walked into classrooms with pieces of multicolored chalk. She believed that the various hues on the chalkboard would help engage her undergraduate students in complicated ideas.
“If you have multicolored chalk, you could teach students anything,” John H. Smith, emeritus professor at UC Irvine, recalled her often saying, half in jest.
For more than 30 years, Folkenflik taught thousands of UC Irvine students a core humanities course that weaved together history, literature and philosophy. She also mentored hundreds more graduate students, lecturers and early-career professors.
Folkenflik’s life ended suddenly on Oct. 28. She was struck by a pickup truck while she was crossing a street in Montclair, N.J., according to her son, David Folkenflik. She was 83. While confirming his mother’s sudden, tragic death, he spoke of her accomplishments and the legacy she left in academia.
“She played a truly important role in the growth of the humanities at the campus, and she did it not just through the buildings and the institutions, but the people,” said her son, National Public Radio’s media correspondent. “So many generations of cohorts of undergraduates and graduate students and aspiring professors, and even the full faculty members, were influenced by her insights, coaching and encouragement.
“Universities can seem like impersonal places at times, but it’s people like Vivian who make them a breathing organism with a beating heart,” he added.
Vivian Folkenflik was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1940 to a cardiologist and a school librarian who instilled in her a love of museums, music, literature, history, travel and Jackie Robinson.
After graduating from high school at 16, she attended Radcliffe College in Massachusetts before earning her master’s degree at Cornell University, concentrating on French literature.
That’s where she met Robert Folkenflik, whom she would marry two years later. They had two children and, in 1975, moved to California, where they made Laguna Beach their home for 45 years.
In the 1980s, Folkenflik began teaching UC Irvine’s humanities’ core course to undergraduate students. Smith, who was director of the course for some time, said that — in addition to the impact she had on students — Folkenflik helped other instructors who were struggling to teach the complicated curriculum.
“Vivian was dedicated, absolutely dedicated, to teaching critical thinking,” Smith said.
But her relationship to her students and the humanities took on a new meaning following the death of her daughter. Nora, 28, was riding her bike in Seattle one night in 1995 when she was struck and killed by a drunk driver, Smith said.
“She used the material and her students in many ways to get through it … and she showed students that this was not just stuff that they were learning for an exam, but that the humanities offered us the kind of materials that we could use to get us through the difficulties in life,” Smith recalled. For Folkenflik, Homer’s epic poem “The Odyssey” helped her navigate the profound loss.
When she wasn’t teaching, Folkenflik and her husband loved to travel, watch films, go to concerts, and walk along Reef Point Beach. “But she really loved, loved intellectual pursuits,” said her son, David. “She had a ferocious intellect … and she liked to find ways to connect with people. … To be in a conversation with Vivian is almost to invariably come away amused, made to think, and also affirmed in oneself, and she certainly sought to do that.”
She retired in 2012 but continued to substitute teach. Following her husband’s death in 2019 after a battle with lymphoma, she moved to New Jersey, where she was closer to family. She passed the time at her grandchildren’s soccer games, dance recitals and drama performances. She wrote poetry and studied the Talmud.
Folkenflik is survived by son David; daughter-in-law Jesse; sister Judith; and grandchildren Viola, Zella and Eliza.
Some guy is currently suing Tolkien and Amazon to the tune of $250 million. That alone takes serious bravery. But what’s notable about this lawsuit is the reason he’s suing: Copyright infringement over his Lord of the Rings fanfic. Specifically, he’s arguing that Amazon lifted elements of his fan-fiction for its own Tolkien adaptation TV series, The Rings of Power.
This New Series Completes Studio MAPPA’s Dark Trilogy
Demetrious Polychron wrote a book, a work of fan-fiction set in J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, called The Fellowship of the King, which he copyrighted in 2017 and which later were published and made available for sale, including on Amazon. According to PC Gamer, Polychron sent a letter to the Tolkien Estate asking for a manuscript review. That’s right: This man asked J.R.R. Tolkien’s grandson Simon to sign off on his fanfic. Unsurprisingly, he did not get a response.
In September of 2022, the month that Polychron published The Fellowship of the King, Amazon also began airing its extremely expensive Lord of the Rings spin-off series, The Rings of Power. hundreds of millions of dollars on developing an adaptation called Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. Now, Polychron is arguing that the Amazon TV show lifts elements from his novel.
According to RadarOnline, which has seen documents pertaining to the suit, Polychron alleges that characters and storylines he created for his book “compose as much as one-half of the 8-episode series,” and that in some cases the show “copied exact language” from his book. However, the claims seem spurious. For instance, the lawsuit purportedly points to the fact that both his book and the show feature a hobbit named Elanor, with the Elanor in his book being the daughter of Samwise Gamgee, while the Elanor featured in The Rings of Power is a Harfoot. Images purporting to be the lawsuit circulating online include a host of other circumstantial connections or similarities to back up Polychron’s argument that the writers of Rings of Power lifted ideas from his fanfic for their own story.
Polychron’s lawsuit for copyright infringement, filed on April 14, names Amazon and the Tolkien Estate as defendants in the U.S. District Court For The Central District of California. Polychron claims that his novel was “inspired” by LOTR, but is an “original” work. Nobody is convinced, not even the reviewers who had kind things to say about it. “While unabashedly derivative, The Fellowship of the King offers LOTR fans a fun, appropriately epic return to Middle-earth,” wrote Edward Sung for IndieReader. Ouch. It doesn’t sound like the book scores any points for originality, even if it’s a fun enough read.
At the time of writing, it appears that Polychron’s book has been delisted from Amazon. Kotaku reached out to Amazon to ask when it was removed, but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
While no one believes that Polychron will win against the Tolkien Estate, there are concerns that the lawsuit might negatively impact the legality of fanworks in general. Hopefully, fanfic writers will be fine as long as they’re not trying to extort Tolkien’s grandson.
We looove decorating Easter eggs. And we like experimenting with egg decorating methods even more. There are so many ways to pretty up those little eggies. So, here are 7 cool ways to decorate Easter eggs:
– Plain ol’ paint. Put on a smock, cover the table in newspaper or a plastic disposable tablecloth, break out some paints and brushes, and go at it the old-fashioned way.
– Add easy details: Use elastic bands around the eggs to create lines. Apply stickers to keep certain silhouettes. Colour the egg with a white crayon before dying it and watch your design shine through.
– Shaving cream eggs. Spread an even layer of shaving cream on a baking sheet, add drops of food colouring, and swirl gently with a toothpick. Then, very carefully “roll” the eggs over the surface of the coloured shaving cream for a cool tie-dye effect.
– Wrap the eggs in a damp paper towel and, using an eyedropper, apply drops of colouring. You’ll see the lines and streaks created by the folds of the paper towel.
– Decoupage your eggs. Cut out your favourite (little) comic book or other cartoon characters and, using a mixture of glue and water, apply them to the eggs.
– Glue googly eyes to your eggs for some funny characters. You can hand-draw the rest of the face with permanent markers. Add feathers, pipe cleaners, stickers, glitter or glitter glue, and more.
– Once you’ve hardboiled your eggs and they’re still warm, use a crayon to melt wax over your eggs. The dripping effects look really cool!
A full-time work-from-home mom, Jennifer Cox (our “Supermom in Training”) loves dabbling in healthy cooking, craft projects, family outings, and more, sharing with readers everything she knows about being an (almost) superhero mommy.
WASHINGTON—In a social media post sharing his predictions, former President Barack Obama revealed Friday that the winner he had picked for his NCAA basketball tournament bracket was Song Of Solomon by Toni Morrison. “March Madness is here, and this season, my money’s on Song Of Solomon—though I’m certainly keeping my eye on Emily The Criminal and the musical stylings of singer-songwriter Maggie Rogers,” said Obama, whose selections for the Final Four also included the Hulu miniseries Mrs. America, Beyoncé’s Renaissance, and Bob Dylan’s entire songwriting catalog. “Song Of Solomon is an underdog, that’s for sure, but with a National Book Critics Circle Award under its belt, this may be its year. I’m predicting it crushes Nomadland in the second round, easy, but it will still need to get past Jason Isbell if he makes it to the Sweet Sixteen again. As for the women’s tournament, I’m rooting for the National Park System.” At press time, Song of Solomon had been knocked out of the tournament by Gonzaga.
Two weeks after its release, Hogwarts Legacy has become one of the fastest-selling video games of all time, despite controversy surrounding Harry Potter creator J.K. Rowling. The Onion takes a deep dive into everything you need to know about Hogwarts Legacy.
Q: What is the plot of the game? A: A Hogwarts student tries to prevent a race of greedy hook-nosed goblins from vanquishing Christendom—er, sorry, the “wizarding world.”
Q: When is the game set? A: In an alternate timeline not yet tainted by Rowling’s transphobia.
Q: What is it based on? A: The magical desire for maximum returns on intellectual property investments.
Q: What is the gameplay like? A: For all its controversy, Hogwarts Legacy boasts an undeniable ability to transport players to an immersive world of walking down a hallway or sometimes through a field.
Temperature-controlled Hook up to both your hot and cold water so you can control the temperature plus it comes with a heated seat. Now that’s doing your business in luxury.
Q: Are there any ties to the Harry Potter franchise? A: One of the teachers in the game is British.
Q: Can you choose your Hogwarts house? A: Your house is assigned at birth based on your genitals.
Q: Will the game have a player-versus-player format? A: Developers are still unsure if wimpy Harry Potter fans can stomach even a few minutes of direct conflict.
Q: Will there be any sequels? A: Far more than anyone could ever predict or want.
Q: Is it transphobic to play Hogwarts Legacy? A: No, only to enjoy it.
The kids are off of school, the weather is cold, and it’s the perfect time to curl up with a great book. Here are some of the best reads for all ages.
Disney Princess Baking. Bake like a Disney princess with this adorable cookbook inspired by your favorite animated heroines, such as Belle, Ariel, Moana, and more!
Cat Kid Comic Club. This is the new graphic novel series by Dav Pilkey, the author and illustrator of the internationally bestselling Dog Man and Captain Underpants series.
The Fabled Stables – Willow The Wisp. This is the first book in a magical chapter-book adventure series by the Governor General Award-winning author of Sweep.
Gurple and Preen. This wildly imaginative, crayon-inspired picture book shows that with a bit of teamwork and a universe of creativity, anything is possible.
In The Half Room. With inventive flair, Caldecott Honor winner Carson Ellis explores halves and wholes in an ingenious and thought-provoking picture book.
The Stink Moody series. Stink Moody gets into all sorts of fun and funny antics in his series of books, where he hangs with his sister Judy Moody (who also has her own chapter series), his best friends Webster and Sophie of the Elves, and many other colourful, delightful characters.
See The Cat. Illustrator Mike Wohnoutka hilariously depicts the pup’s reactions to the narrator and to the wacky cast of characters who upend Max’s – and readers’- expectations as the three stories build to an immensely satisfying conclusion.
This may come as a surprise to the players who abandoned the game long ago and assumed this time had come already, but Crystal Dynamics and publishers Square Enix have announced the impending end of online support for Marvel’s Avengers.
After two-and-a-half years and introducing twelve of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes, following Update 2.8 on March 31, 2023, we will no longer add new content or features to Marvel’s Avengers. All official support for the game will end on September 30, 2023.
Even after official support ceases on September 30, 2023, both single- and multi-player gameplay will continue to be available…
…As a show of our appreciation for our community, starting March 31, 2023 we will make all the game’s Marketplace, Challenge Card, and Shipment cosmetic content available to all players for free. Every single Outfit, Takedown, Emote, and Nameplate from the Marketplace, Challenge Cards, and Shipments will be free for all players from this date onwards if you own a copy of the game.
Gifting the full library of Marketplace cosmetic content is a way to thank our community by letting everyone experience the breadth and depth of content in Marvel’s Avengers.
We know this is disappointing news as everyone in our community has such a connection to these characters and their stories. We’re so, so grateful that you came on this adventure with us. Your excitement for Marvel’s Avengers – from your epic Photo Mode shots, to your threads theorizing who our next Heroes would be, to your Twitch streams – has played a large part in bringing this game to life.
We hope you continue to play and enjoy Marvel’s Avengers. We can’t thank you enough for your support and for being part of our super team.
As the note says, this doesn’t mean the game is disappearing off the internet entirely. You’ll still be able to play it, even in multiplayer; there just won’t be any further updates or even technical support for it after September 30.
Reserve the next gen Samsung device All you need to do is sign up with your email and boom: credit for your preorder on a new Samsung device.
If you’re a player and want to see the specifics of what’s shutting down when, and what this means for individual updates, you can check that out here in a series of charts and FAQs. One of which contains the deeply funny reminder that Spider-Man must remain a PlayStation exclusive, even in death.
Almost 30 years ago, my mom took me and my sister to see a movie that was meant to be a mild Saturday diversion, but ended up sticking with me my entire life: The Secret Garden. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and directed by Agnieszka Holland, it was of many film adaptations of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s novel (the latest adaptation being Mac Murden’s 2020 film). Out of all those films, though, Holland’s is my favorite—and rewatching it as an adult, I’m struck by how much the movie holds up.
The story is deceptively simple. Mary (Kate Maberly) is a young British girl growing up in colonial India. When her cold and unloving parents are killed in an earthquake, Mary is sent to England to live with her uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch). Mary is a stony and difficult kid, and she finds that she’s in good company among the brooding and dysfunctional residents of Misselthwaite Manor. But then Mary makes two discoveries. The first is the key to a mysterious garden, its door hidden behind an overgrown hedge. The second is Colin (Heydon Prowse), a cousin she never knew about, who suffers from an unknown illness and has never walked or left his room.
On the surface, the story is about the friendship that forms between Mary, Colin, and a boy named Dickon (Andrew Knott). Together, they clean up the garden and use it as a sanctuary from the harsh housekeeper Mrs. Medlock (Maggie Smith), where they teach Colin to walk.
Within that story, though, is a tender contemplation of grief, trauma, and healing. Mary gradually opens up to Dickon and Colin, realizing that she’s not unwanted. Colin learns that his body is stronger than he thought it was, and he and Lord Craven are able to form a relationship. The story is told against the backdrop of the English countryside, the forbidding manor house, and the breathtakingly lush garden itself. Maggie Smith is superb, as always, and Maberly makes you want to reach through the screen to give her a hug. Holland makes some interesting directorial choices, like echoing dream sequences and time lapse photography, and they seem like they shouldn’t work, but they do. The Secret Garden is a perfect, delicate little story, with the garden acting as a lovely metaphor for Mary setting down roots and blossoming.
Of course, the movie isn’t perfect. Colin miraculously leaving his wheelchair behind was surely just as tired and ableist in 1911 as it is now. But overall, it’s just as moving now as it was when I was 12.
What has followed me around the most over the past 30 years, though, is the film’s music, composed by Zbigniew Preisner. One song in particular, unfortunately titled “Shows Dickon Garden” on the soundtrack, is a melancholy piano piece that’s only one minute long. It’s simple enough to lend itself to endless embellishments and variations, some of which you hear throughout the movie, and I’ve spent my whole adult life suddenly finding myself humming it while doing chores. The soundtrack won the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Music, and Preisner has composed the soundtracks of dozens of films since then.
The Secret Garden isn’t a Christmas movie, but I’ve always vaguely felt like it should be. My brain slots it in with Christmas movies, in any case. Maybe it’s because The Secret Garden does what some of the schlockier Christmas fare tries and fails to do. It shows us how to find tenderness in a world that’s so often hard and unforgiving. It shows us how to look into the darkness, and find unexpected light.
If you’re thinking about buying a book or two for the budding readers in your life but unsure where to start, we’ve got some great suggestions for you. I’m sure there’s something for everyone in this roundup of great children’s books.
The Sour Grapeby Jory John and Pete Oswald (Harper Collins) – The Sour Grape knows how to hold a grudge. Without waiting for an explanation, Sour Grape will hold a grudge if it feels wronged by friends. When the tables are turned however, can this sour grape turn sweet? This is such a fantastic book, like all of John and Oswald’s others. I was volunteering in our school’s library recently when the teacher read this book to several classes and the children (and adults) all loved it. (Ages 4-8)
The Cool Bean Presents: As Cool As It Getsby Jory John and Pete Oswald (Harper Collins) – Finding the perfect gift is hard, especially when you pull the name of the coolest bean. Join our little Cool Bean as he discovers that sometimes the best gift is one from the heart. Once again the author’s hit it out of the park with another great book. With a story that carries a great life lesson and wonderful illustrations, parents and kids alike will love this book. (Ages 4 to 8)
Santa ABCby George Fewster (Harper Collins) – A quirky book with bold colours and illustrations, Santa ABC brings you through the alphabet as Santa tries on different personalities. Some are bound to make the kids laugh, like Ninja Santa, while others will provide a good chuckle for the parents (Ennui Santa anyone?). (Ages 3-7)
Creepy Crayonby Aaron Reynolds (Simon and Schuster) – From the team that brought us our favourite creepy carrot, comes a story about a young rabbit and his new sinister crayon. Jasper Rabbit is feeling down about his bad test scores when he finds a purple crayon lying in the gutter. Suddenly with his new crayon in hand he’s acing everything in school. As time goes on however, the crayon becomes more and more sinister and Jasper has to find a way to dispose of it once and for all. With eye catching illustrations by Peter Brown, Creepy Crayon is bound to be a hit. (Ages 4-8)
Meanwhile Back on Earthby Oliver Jeffers (Harper Collins) – Oliver Jeffers has long been a favourite in our house and Meanwhile Back on Earth is no exception. A father takes his children on a road trip through space, looking back at Planet Earth’s history as they tour the cosmos. As the siblings fight in the back seat of the car, the father takes a look at all the conflict that has taken place over land on our planet. This is a great, informative book with the usual beautiful illustrations that we come to expect from Jeffers. (Ages 3-5)
Your Life on Earth; A Record Book for New Humansby Oliver Jeffers (Harper Collins) – This is the baby record book that I wish I had when my kids were born. This would be the perfect gift to give any expecting parents. The book is beautiful in Jeffers’ unique illustrative style and includes envelopes and space to record all of baby’s firsts. (Ages 0-5)
Dear Black Childby Rahma Rodaah (Harper Collins) – An inspiring and affirming book, Dear Black Child is a lyrical book about taking up space and belonging. Illustrator Lydia Mba’s gorgeous and colourful illustrations brings this book to life. With such a positive and powerful message, this book is bound to life spirits. (Ages 4-7)
The Way Champs Playby Naomi Osaka (Harper Collins) – Tennis superstar Naomi Osaka brings us a rhythmic book about what it takes to be a champ. There’s more to being a champ than being good and having fun. Osaka teaches the value of teamwork, kindness and mindfulness in this inspiring book. Kamala Nair’s illustrations pop to life with pages full of eye-catching pictures. This is a great book for any budding champ in your life. (Ages 4-8)
Burt’s Way Homeby John Martz (Penguin Random House) – What happens when an intergalactic trans-dimensional time traveler gets trapped on earth? Meet Burt and his adoptive earth mother Fiona as he tries to sneak around the find a way home and she tries not to let on that she knows what he’s doing. This is a fun a quirky book about caring for others and the meaning of home. It’s a great graphic novel for early readers. (Ages 6-9)
Meredith is a Disney obsessed stay-at-home mom. When she’s not planning a trip, you’ll find her with her nose in a book. Follow her on Instagram.
Books make for a wonderful present, whether the recipient is into cooking, biographies, sports, video games, and more. Here are some of the best books to gift this holiday season.
The 2023 edition of the Guinness Book of World Records takes readers on a journey that’s out of this world, revealing the latest and greatest record-breaking achievements here on Earth and across the vast distances of space. A wonderful book for all ages, and something that will become a collectible in the future.
A Ballet of Lepers: A Novel and Stories offers an unprecedented glimpse into the formation of the legendary talent of Leonard Cohen. In A Ballet of Lepers, readers will discover that the magic that animated Cohen’s unforgettable body of work was present from the very beginning. The pieces in this collection offer startling insight into Cohen’s imagination and creative process, and explore themes that would permeate his later work.
The Series: What I Remember, What It Felt Like, What It Feels Like Now by Ken Dryden is the new book by the Hall of Fame goalie and bestselling author. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the 1972 Summit Series that is considered one of the most important moments in hockey history. Dryden says it changed the game, on the ice and off, everywhere in the world, and became one of the most significant events in all of Canada’s history.
The Trapped In A Video Game series is a fantastic collection for chapter readers who love both books and video games. Getting sucked into a video game is not as much fun as you’d think – there might be jetpacks, hover tanks, and infinite lives, but what happens when the game starts to turn on you? In this best-selling series, 12-year-old Jesse Rigsby finds out just how dangerous video games – and the people making those games – can be.
Down And Out In Paradise: The Life Of Anthony Bourdain is the first book to tell the true and full Bourdain story, relating the highs and lows of an extraordinary life. Author Charles Leerhsen shows how Bourdain’s never-before-reported childhood traumas fueled both his creativity and the insecurities that would lead him to a place of despair.
The Lonely Planet guides are must-have travel books for anyone who loves the sport of globetrotting. Whether you’re buying a gift for someone who has a specific destination in mind, or a wanderlust that flies by the seat of their pants, there’s a Lonely Planet book designed specifically for them.
And while you’re curled up with a great book, be sure to have a Glade candle or plug-in nearby. Their incredible scents for the holiday season are warm, inviting, and homey, including Apple of my Pie, Snow Much Fun, and Pine Wonderland, to name just a few.
Welcome to 16th-century Europe. You are Andreas Maler, an artist living among the people of the fictional town of Tassing, where things are about to change in the wake of a murder. How will they change? That’s what you’ll decide in Pentiment, a narrative adventure game that brings together evocative art, roleplaying elements, and a low barrier to entry thanks to its point-and-clicky gameplay. The individual elements that make up Pentiment all tie together so seamlessly and effortlessly that they combine into a rich tapestry of game design and storytelling. To be sure, there’s more story and reading here than there is anything else, but it’s hard to put this mystery and its engaging cast of characters down.
Developed by Obsidian Entertainment, Pentiment (available on Windows and Xbox, standalone or via GamePass) is a wonderful blend of historical fiction, point-and-click adventure, and roleplaying-esque decisions that have branching narrative consequences. With a 2D art style inspired by medieval manuscripts, you’ll guide Andreas about Tassing as he unravels the details behind a shocking and suspicious murder. Who you talk to, what you do with what you learn, and how you choose to roleplay as Andreas all assemble in unique and unexpected ways. I haven’t yet arrived at the ultimate conclusion of this game, but the characters and story have me so hooked, I’m certain I’ll give this another play once I’m done.
Don’t worry, I’ll spare you the details of any spoilers here so you can dive into this delightful work of historical fiction yourself–trust me, you’ll want to go into this blind. If you want to know a bit of what you’re getting into, know that Pentiment can be a little dark–there’s discussion of murder, sexual assault, and mental illness to name a few. But one of the most important things this setting and these characters bring to mind is how relatable and real they feel.
And I’m saying that as a trans woman living in New York City in the 21st century about the portrayal of fictional characters in the 16th century living in rural medieval Europe. After spending a number of hours living in the shoes of Andreas, Pentiment is shaping up to be one of my favorite games this year–if not my favorite, full stop.
You and me both, Amalie.Screenshot: Obsidian / Kotaku
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While I’ll leave those with far more education than I to weigh in on just how true to history Pentiment is, as someone who took a pretty intensive medieval studies course in college and was raised Protestant, it certainly feels accurate. It also never feels like it’s just running down a checklist of historical terms. This is a story set in history; not a story larping with old words. It’s also not taking historical signifiers to tell a completely fictional story with the illusion of realism—more on that point later.
As a narrative alone, Pentiment a lovely work of historical fiction. If you are at all into medieval history, there’s a lot to appreciate here, be it artistic depictions of the Danse Macabre, the history and cultural significance of saints’ relics, the history of Christianity and paganism in Europe, the class dynamics between clergy, peasants, and nobles, and more. It’s filled with wonderful details and references that sit naturally within the narrative and together weave a setting that the characters fit nicely into.
Screenshot: Obsidian / Kotaku
Unlike other games and works of media that proclaim to base their fiction on historical realities, particularly those that allege they’re borrowing from the very period Pentiment is set in, humanity feels far more real and far more true to history here than in other games that claim to base their fiction on this point in history and in these kinds of geographical spaces.
Pentiment isn’t trying to portray a might-makes-right pseudo-historical fantasy where everyone’s accepting of a dark, miserable cynicism about the brutality of the world, filled with perfectly white, straight, and Christian folks and no one else. The diversity of human appearance, sexuality, thought, and belief, are a part of this narrative. They serve as a contrast to the rigid class structure and hierarchy that the world wishes humans would neatly slot into.
That said, the game does take place in Europe in the 16th century. The story is set in a mostly white town where people are largely pursuing heterosexual lives in accordance with Christian values and there are clear divisions of labor and life among men and women. But it has both a direct and indirect awareness of the broader world and the broader reality of how diverse humans are in appearance and behavior, especially under systems with strict delineations of power and control. And that has the effect of making these characters feel real—not just projections of the writers’ idea of a certain kind of ideal.
Screenshot: Obsidian / Kotaku
Since you spend so much of the game reading, it helps that the writing is both concise and descriptive. Characters speak memorable lines of dialogue that you will often find yourself quoting or stopping to think about. On more than a handful of occasions, I paused for a lengthy period of time at certain statements, lines of dialogue, and various exchanges. Some lines of dialogue are worth sitting with for a little while, be that because it relates to the plot in an interesting way, or because a character says something that I’m relating my personal life to.
However, perhaps my only real criticism concerns the style of the dialogue boxes themselves. While I appreciate that Obsidian spent time to add the details of dialogue text animating and filling in with ink, even at the fastest setting I found it to still be a bit too slow for my reading speed and started to grow tired of the scratchy “writing sound” that accompanies it. The accessibility settings do allow you some malleability and comfort, including voice assist to read off any words on screen, including dialogue, menu, and action prompts (characters don’t have voice actors). The only setting I would’ve liked is to be able to turn off the writing sound. There it is: The only point of criticism I have about this game.
Your dialogue choices in Pentiment allow for a decent amount of freedom when it comes to filling in Andreas’ backstory. Who Andreas is, which peasant class he lives with, and his areas of expertise are all up to you as well. You have the choice of how to respond to delicate situations, who you wish to break your fast and have supper with, and (when it comes to the murder mystery you have to unravel), which angles of investigation you’ll persue.
Pentiment is played with simple direction and action commands. On mouse and keyboard, it feels like a point-and-click game—and you can play it with either just a mouse, just a keyboard, or a gamepad. While most of my playthrough has been on a desktop PC, Pentinment works very well in portable format. I can’t speak currently to its verified status on Steam Deck, but the review copy provided by Microsoft worked on my Deck with little issue. I also enjoyed playing it on a reversible, tablet style laptop (I had to flip back to the keyboard to get out of a specific menu instance once, so it’s not completely tablet-safe). Given the art style, if you can get this game into your hands and off a fixed screen, I highly recommend it.
And the art style is no gimmick. All of the game menu elements feel like a genuine manuscript; pages turn when you step into a new area, you can jump back to the margins to recall a quick fact of history that’s underlined in the dialogue, and there’s a beautiful balance of animation and stillness that gives life to the environment and characters without ever feeling exaggerated or out of place. The characters in particular convey a wonderful sense of personality through elegant, simple animations and excellent dialogue.
I’d recommend Pentiment not only to history buffs, but also to anyone who enjoys medieval fantasy or other works that aim to capture the spirit of medieval times. It’s striking how a game set in a time and place many other works claim to take inspiration from lacks many of the strange, stubborn commitments to painting inaccurate depictions of humanity that other works attempt over and over again while claiming to be historically or reality-based. Pentiment in some ways sets the record straight about a time and place that many works of media claim to get, but clearly fail to.
If you’re looking for a clever murder mystery with interactive narrative decisions, beautiful 2D art, and a wonderful historical fiction treatment, you owe it to yourself to check out Pentiment.
While Amazon’s big Lord of the Rings show probably wasn’t the success anyone involved in bankrolling or promoting it might have been hoping for, there was still some good stuff there, and one of the big things that I wanted to focus on for this post was the work that went into designing its world.
While we’ve seen Middle Earth a bunch of times on the screen, from 70s cartoons to Peter Jackson’s six films, there were a bunch of places in this prequel series that we’d only ever heard of. From the island kingdom of Numenor to the Southlands to the Harfoot’s travelling village, the team of artists—headed by Rick Heinrichs and Ramsey Avery—working on Rings of Power were tasked with taking a world we thought we knew and showing us, well, you haven’t seen all of it, or at least not when it was this old.
In this slideshow you’ll find a selection of works from some of the artists responsible for this, primarily the ones working in 2D on stuff like concepts and environment design. There are links to each artist’s portfolios in their names, displayed at the top of each slide.
My son is very anxious. I think even if he hadn’t been born with autism this would have been the case, as his family tree is ripe with worriers, shall we say. All that aside, over the years I’ve learned that change is hard for him, harder than for most kids. He needs a little more time to process things than other children due to some sensory processing issues very conducive with autism, and transitioning from one activity to another has been challenging for him. He, and his father and I, have learned over the years how to help him in this regard, to make change less stressful, less unknown.
Parents, has you experienced difficulty with transitions with your special needs children? This week is the return to routine, with many children going back to school after Spring Break and parents going back to work. It can be challenging to get used to school structure after a week of being at home with a different kind of structure or return. Here are some tools that have helped me help my son with transitions, back to school being one of them:
4 Ways to Help Special Needs Kids With Transitions:
1) Talking prep work: Talk to your child about what will be happening, one, two or a few hours in advance, depending how much notice they need before they move from one activity to another. My son used to need to know two days in advance, now one day to a few hours is fine. Of course, it also depends what we are talking about. Spring Break, we plan a few days in advance. A big family wedding and what will happen I read up to two to three weeks in advance.
2) Use a Social Story: Depending on how well your child communicates, a short story written in simple language describing what will be occurring. http://carolgraysocialstories.com/. It demystifies some of the unknown and helps them have a concrete grasp of what to expect. You laminate it, or put it in a folder if they need to carry it with them, and they have the events of the day in schedule form. I put it up on the fridge to read too.
3) Pictograms: Yes, even stick figures work! I’m no Renoir or any kind of artist when it comes to drawing, but little diagrams to go with the story can help them have a visual to go with the story if you want to join them together. You can also print out some great ones on sites like Pinterest and use this as a tool alone too.
4) Tool box to handle anxiety: I have learned that giving my son tools to cope with his anxiety, tools that he chooses, is what sometimes works best too. He chose a little “kit” in three rooms in our home, squeeze toys, thera-putty, stuffed animals or figurines, his trampoline, fitness ball or rocking chair. I will gently remind him to use it when he’s feeling stressed and to use it to best articulate his feelings to himself and to me.
I think as long as you tell your child that being anxious about change is part of being human and give them tools to learn to handle it, you and they will be able to get through many stressful transitions together successfully.
