nprbooks:

“If you don’t know the Ancillary series by now, you probably should,.” says reviewer Genevieve Valentine. “Anne Leckie’s sociopolitical space opera almost singlehandedly breathed new cool into the stereotype of spaceships trundling through far-off systems amid laser battles.”

Read Genevieve’s full review here. (And seriously, if you haven’t at least read Ancillary Justice yet, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!)

– Petra

tombraider:

Dev Blog: Building the Myths of Rise of the Tomb Raider

John Stafford: Senior Narrative Designer
Cameron Suey: Narrative Designer 

[Leading into the launch of Rise of the Tomb Raider, we’ll feature a variety of developer blogs that lift the curtain on the creation of Lara’s first great tomb raiding expedition.] 

Building the world and mythology of Rise of the Tomb Raider started with Lara Croft. After surviving the events of Tomb Raider (2013), Lara was filled with questions about what she had experienced. She emphatically states in her final monologue of the first game, “I need to find answers… I must understand.” We wanted to be true to her character and create a sense of continuity in the overall story of the franchise.  With her motivation in mind, we thought about it from her perspective. What exactly did Lara see? What would that experience drive her to seek out next? 

On Yamatai, Lara encountered what she could only describe as “evidence of the immortal soul.”  With that concept as our starting point, we began a phase of research into myths concerning immortality and the human soul. To create a compelling and unique story with roots in reality, we borrow from real myths and legends, but then add our own twist – perhaps a different interpretation, or a way of looking at it that is missing from the records. This allows us some freedom to come up with fresh ideas and play in our own space, as well as allow Lara to use her academic knowledge and intuition to put pieces of a new puzzle together.

We like to think that if elements of our game entice players to explore real mythology and history, we’ve done our job! Many of us here at Crystal Dynamics are history nerds, and on the narrative team specifically, our goal is to weave a connected tapestry of layered history and mythology across the entire game - from the environment, to the collectibles, and through the main storyline.

Armed with the findings of our research, and avoiding previously explored territory from the extended Tomb Raider universe, we began a process of elimination that involved a number of factors. 

Was it already explored in popular media? Then it’s probably something we wanted to steer away from. We looked at movies, TV shows, and other games… and soon enough, we distilled our ideas to a solid initial list.
Survival is also a central theme in Lara’s journey, so we wanted to make sure she found herself in the most remote and dangerous locations - places that could have remained hidden for many years, and that she was uniquely capable of discovering. Additionally, the art team was drawn to a cold environment in order to contrast with the lush, tropical setting of the first game. This narrowed the focus even more until we were left with our strongest concepts.

In the end, we examined two intriguing stories, both based in Russian mythology: The Lost City of Kitezh and Koschei the Deathless.
In the original story, Kitezh was a mythical city that rested on an island within Lake Svetloyar in Central Russia. The legend says that on the eve of an invasion by the Mongol Horde, Kitezh sank beneath the waters of the lake, never to be seen again. As a destination, Kitezh seemed like a fantastic setting for us to build the signature “tombs” of Tomb Raider and to create a rich blend of myth and history. 

But we also needed a reason for her to go there. This is where the myth of Koschei the Deathless comes in. Though we don’t specifically name this myth in our story, it’s absolutely the inspiration for the artifact that both Lara and Trinity are racing to find. In the myth, Koschei is a dark figure who achieved immortality by hiding his soul within a series of objects akin to a nesting doll. We took inspiration from this myth when creating the mythical object at the heart of Lara’s adventure: The Divine Source.

Once we had found a compelling way to merge the two myths, we had a framework that could be feasibly inserted into existing history. Next, we set about creating connections to real history, specifically the Byzantine Empire, which, like the myth of Kitezh, is also largely unexplored in popular culture.
Merged with real history, and the lines between fact and fantasy blurred; our version of the myth began to feel mysterious, fresh, and totally plausible. We hope that you get as much enjoyment uncovering the history and legends of Kitezh and the Deathless Prophet as we did in interpreting them.

- John Stafford and Cameron Suey

huntingtonlibrary:

Today we launch STAFF PICKS, a new series wherein we ask Huntington staff members to select something here at The H that they want to share with you, Tumblr followers. Picks (and reasons for picking) will run the gamut, and we hope this will be a fun new window into our collections, galleries, and grounds—and introduce you to some of the people who keep it all running.

For our inaugural week, we’re going all out and putting up one post per day, today through Friday. After that, look out for these one a week. Ish.

First pick coming later today!

idwcomics:

Next week, IDW is headed back to New York Comic Con and bringing a host of captivating panels, talented signings, and essential exclusives with it! Located at booth #1844, IDW and Top Shelf will be your destination throughout the weekend!

Thursday October 8th

11:00 – 12:00 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Troy Little
12:00 – 1:00 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Larry Hama
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
12:00 – 1:00 Ragnarök – Walter Simonson
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
1:00 – 2:00 Dirk Gently, Onyx – Chris Ryall, Ilias Kyriazis
2:00 – 3:00 Jem and the Holograms – Amy Mebberson, Sara Richard, Agnes Garbowska, Arielle Jovellanos, Rebekah Isaacs
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
3:00 – 4:00 The X-Files – Joe Harris
3:00 – 4:00 Long Distance – Thom Zahler
4:00 – 5:30 King of the Comics: 100 Years of King Features Book Debut! – Ray Billingsley (Curtis,) Jeff Keane (The Family Circus,) Patrick McDonnell (Mutts,) Hilary Price (Rhymes With Orange,) Brian Walker (Hi and Lois)
5:30 – 7:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Animated Series – Brandon Auman, Eric Bauza, Greg Cipes, Ciro Nieli, Rob Paulsen
(*Ticketed signing, see employee for details)

Friday October 9th

11:00 – 12:00 My Little Pony – Agnes Garbowska, Sara Richard, Jeremy Whitley, Tony Fleecs, Thom Zahler
12:00 – 1:00 The Rocketeer At War – Dave Bullock
1:00 – 2:00 Ragnarök – Walter Simonson
(*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
1:00 – 2:00 Junction True – Ray Fawkes
2:00 ­– 3:00 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Troy Little
2:00 – 3:00 The Story of My Tits – Jennifer Hayden
3:00 – 4:00 The Infinite Loop – Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
3:00 – 4:00 Boy-1 – H.S. Tak, Amancay Nahuelpan
4:00 – 5:00 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Mike Johnson, Derek Charm
5:00 – 6:00 G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero – Larry Hama (*Check out the show exclusive variant!)
6:00 – 7:00 Transformers – Andrew Griffith, Corin Howell, John Barber

Saturday October 10th

11:00 – 12:00 Killogy – Alan Robert
11:00 – 12:00 Tet – Paul Allor, Paul Tucker
1:00 – 3:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles – Kevin Eastman, Robert Rodriguez (*Ticketed signing, see employee for details)
4:00 – 5:00 Skylanders – Ron Marz, David A. Rodriguez
5:00 – 6:00 Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Troy Little
5:00 – 6:00 The Story of My Tits – Jennifer Hayden
6:00 – 7:00 Star Trek/ Green Lantern – Mike Johnson, Elsa Charretier
6:00 – 7:00 Judas: The Last Days – W. Maxwell Prince

Sunday October 11th

11:00 – 12:00 Star Trek: Starfleet Academy – Mike Johnson, Derek Charm
11:00 – 12:00 The Infinite Loop – Elsa Charretier, Pierrick Colinet
12:00 – 1:00 My Little Pony – Jay Fosgitt, Amy Mebberson, Jeremy Whitley, Tony Fleecs, Andy Price
1:00 – 2:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Caleb Goellner, Billy Martin, Paul Allor, Cory Smith
2:00 – 3:00 Transformers – Livio Ramondelli, Corin Howell, John Barber

Don’t miss any of IDW’s panels throughout the weekend, either!

IDW & TOP SHELF: The Best Panel of All-Time
Friday October 9 | 11:15 AM - 12:15 PM | Room 1A10
This is the big one! Join IDW Chief Creative Officer/Editor-in-Chief Chris Ryall, along with VP of Marketing Dirk Wood, and Editor Sarah Gaydos, along with a host of Special Guests, as they blow away a room full of shocked comic Fans. Comic and Celebrity Guests you won’t believe! Shocking announcements! Amazing prizes! Q&A! This one will have it all.

IDW Entertainment: 2016 Sneak-Peek
Saturday October 10 | 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM | Room 1A24
Join IDW CEO & Publisher Ted Adams, along with the President of IDW Entertainment David Ozer and a host of Special Guests, as they discuss IDW’s move into the world of television. The recent announcements of Wynonna Earp and Brooklyn Animal Control took the entertainment community by storm, find out all about those projects and more! Announcements! Guest Appearances! Q&A! And maybe just a little never-before-seen footage…

Truthiness is Stranger Than Fiction: New Reality-Based Graphic Novels
Saturday October 10 | 6:45PM - 7:45PM | Room: 1A05
Sometimes comics can be the best medium to communicate about the real world — whether through science, autobiography, or wild adventures rooted in real experience. But working with “the truth” brings its own set of challenges… This fall, four of the industry’s hottest graphic novels are rooted in the real world. Now’s your chance to crack them open and see how & why. Featuring: Maris Wicks (the goofy and educational anatomy tour Human Body Theater), Derf Backderf (the raucous, stomach-churching garbageman tale Trashed), Jennifer Hayden (the riveting, funny, and wise cancer memoir The Story of My Tits), and Troy Little (the manic graphic novel adaptation of Hunter S. Thompson’s Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas).

IDW: KIDS Comics and More
Sunday October 11 | 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM | Room 1A18
IDW loves comics as much as you do, so come find out what’s new for 2016! My Little Pony, Disney, Angry Birds, TMNT, Transformers, Skylanders and more! Want to learn how to make your own comics? Come prepared with questions for the Panel, including Editor Sarah Gaydos and marketing-marvel Rosalind Morehead; plus Writers and Artists of all your favorite all-ages books! Free comics for the kids!

(Source: idwpublishing, via idwpublishing)

Hey, this post may contain adult content, so we’ve hidden it from public view.

Learn more.

thehammermuseum:

Houseguest was a series of exhibitions at the Hammer Museum in which artists were invited to curate a show of material from the museum’s and UCLA’s diverse collections. For the 2010 exhibition, Los Angeles-based artist Frances Stark chose to sift through the works in the Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, a collection of more than forty-five thousand prints, drawings, photographs, and artist books dating from the Renaissance to the present. 

This week’s #NotOnView work is one of Frances’s selections from that exhibition. Her solo exhibition UH-OH opens here on Sunday: http://bit.ly/UHOHStark

Mike Kelley, Pond Gift, 1982-83. Acrylic. UCLA Grunwald Center for the Graphic Arts, Hammer Museum. Gift of Astrid and Howard Preston. ©Mike Kelley; courtesy of Kelley Studio.

theavc:

Great Scott! Pepsi Perfect is now a real thing

The near-future date of October 21, 2015—that hallowed day on which Marty McFly and Doc Brown traveled to the future with no need for roads—will also see the release of a Back To The Future documentary. If you were wondering which beverage to pair with your own festivities, Pepsi has just made movie-prop/soft-drink fantasies come true with the limited release of Pepsi Perfect, the beverage Marty orders at Cafe 80’sin the second movie.

On October 21, fans of the movies (or Pepsi) can try to obtain one of the 6,500 bottles of Pepsi Perfect being released online; details of their availability will be released via Pepsi’s social media accounts. The 16.9 oz bottles will be distributed in a special collectible case (that includes Pepsi Made With Real Sugar) and will sell for $20.15.

More at avclub.com

theeconomist:

A photograph made available on September 30th 2015 by Global Newsroom, showing Kirby Chambliss of America, Nicolas Ivanoff of France and Matthias Dolderer of Germany over Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park in Utah, America on September 29th 2015. The pilots are ferrying their race planes to the season final of the Red Bull Air Race World Championship, which will be held in Las Vegas on October 18th. Credit: EPA/Joerg Mitter/Global Newsroom

guardian:

A story of hope: the Guardian launches phase II of its climate change campaign

With eight weeks until the doors of the decade’s most important climate change conference open in Paris, it has never been more important to make our voices heard.

That’s why today the Guardian is launching the second phase of our Keep it in the Ground campaign. Join us

pulitzerfieldnotes:

Bogdan is feeding Yegor, trying to convince Timur to eat his dinner. Kiev, 2014. 

Image and caption by Misha Friedman, via Instagram.

Misha documents the dangerous conditions the LGBTQ community live under in Russia.. See more of Misha’s images and reporting from the project, “Crimea: The Human Toll of Oppression.”

saharareporters:

SPONSORED CONTENT: FCMB’s Monumental Bank Fraud: FCMB Now Threatens Libel Lawsuit Against Fraud “Claim”

FCMB displays its arrogance and contempt for Nigerian Justice: Though FCMB is being prosecuted in Lagos High Court for crimes of theft, forgery and perjury against its customer; and despite Lagos High Court ruling that FCMB fraudulently misled its customer and fraudulently concealed its customer’s funds; FCMB nevertheless threatens to crush its customer with a libel suit for daring to complain! Why does FCMB believe it is above the Law?

READ MORE…