Some of My Favourite Media:
JOP
Welcome to my curator page!
Like most people on this funny, little planet do, I struggle my way through life on a daily basis. Between (and if I’m very honest, also during) these struggles, I keep myself sane by dreaming. Dreaming about far off places, cultures and worlds. About wonderful and unique stories, and the possibility that, one day, my own writings will pave the way for other dreamers.
When I immerse myself in a story, I love it when I can lose myself in the thoughts and feelings of well-developed characters. Ideally, the story of these characters is supported by a clever plot and world building that is well thought out. Bonus points if the story has themes that are completely intertwined with the plot and characters. However, the balance may be slightly different, as long as most of the building blocks are in order. Bad writing is something I can never overlook. When it comes to games, I find narrative and/or atmosphere more important than game elements. Also, I like dragons.
When I’m not creating stories myself or living life, I read, game or watch movies and TV series to satisfy my eternal hunger for good stories.
Stories of hope against all odds
The found family trope
Character driven stories
Well-written emotions
Well-foreshadowed plot twists
Proper lgbtqia+ and bipoc representation
Diversity of fantasy species
Religious/spiritual themes and original invented religions as long as they are well executed
Good continuity
Giant creatures that wreak havoc such as dragons, krakens and the like
Flat or boring characters
When something truly devastating happens in a character’s life, but they never visibly mourn or even address it happening
When the stakes in a story grow beyond the point where it is relatableViolence and torture that are especially graphic
Lack of diversity
Really competitive games
Bad writing
Pet PeeveS
Storylines in which an (evil) imposter occurs and the main characters have to discover them
Senseless love triangles
When a writer has to tell how a character feels but can’t also show it
Plot twists without proper foreshadowing
Long-lasting mysteries that receive a lot of screen time but are poorly (or not at all) unravelled
Characters who are generally quite intelligent or capable but suddenly make stupid choices because it is necessary for the plot
Unsubtle info dumping
Recent Contributions
Review: Mortal Engines – Christian Rivers
Tom Natsworthy is an apprentice historian in the traction city of London – a mobile metropolis chasing other traction settlements across the hunting grounds to devour their resources and enslave their people. Tom’s life is turned upside down when he meets heroic explorer and head historian Thaddeus Valentine – and witnesses a failed attempt to assassinate him.
Review: Delicious in Dungeon – Yoshihiro Miyajima
When an adventure deep within the dungeon results in the death of his sister, Laios convinces his adventuring party to rely on unorthodox sources of food to try and save her before time runs out. After all, who’s to say monster parts can’t be just as tasty and nutritious as normal food?
Review: The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey – Peter Jackson
Bilbo Baggins, a respectable hobbit with no experience when it comes to world beyond his home, is invited to join thirteen dwarves on their quest to reclaim their homeland. Of course, there’s potentially a dragon to deal with first, but that’s why they need Bilbo to be their burglar. Is he willing to trade the comforts of home for a rather uncomfortable adventure?
Review: Lord of the Rings Online – Standing Stone Games
Most people know the tale of Frodo Baggins and his quest to destroy an evil ring. But do they know of the many other unsung heroes of Middle-Earth fighting against the shadows? What happened in the rest of Eriador while Frodo was travelling to Imladris? How did the common folk of Rohan, Gondor and the Dale-lands survive during the War of the Ring and thereafter? And who took control of the Dark Lord’s lands after his downfall?
In Lord of the Rings Online you embark on your own journey, discovering secrets and realms no one has ever seen before.
Review: Dune: Part Two – Denis Villeneuve
Having joined a band of Fremen guerillas, Paul Atreides, now Duke of Arrakis, needs to find a way to avenge the death of his father and friends. But how can he strike back at the Harkonnens, or even the Emperor, from the depth of the desert? His mother believes the key to lie with the Bene Gesserit prophesy of the Lisan al-Gaib, the off-world prophet foretold to lead the Fremen to paradise. But along that path lie many dangers, and Paul is reluctant to follow it.