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1408 and stuff about Stephen King and God.
I went to see 1408 this afternoon, and enjoyed it. It is not the greatest horror movie ever, but let's face it...you've got essentially an hour of a guy in a hotel room, for the most part by himself. It's not an easy set up! But they did a respectable job with it.
It does remind me, however, of something I have noticed about the God of Stephen King's stories. The SK God is definitely old testament; he believes in the power of sacrifice, and he wants blood in tribute, and nothing less. It's not that he's not a benevolent figure...in a way he is. The White works for the good, and that's indisputable. But it's a bloody good, and that's what makes it horror. You cannot stop the darkness without losing your life. It's only when you're willing to go forth, and bleed, and hurt, and die, that God can intervene on behalf of the world; or that's the only time that he /will/ intervene. Other benevolent figures, though they may love and watch humanity, such as the Turtle, do not ask sacrifice, and therefore are powerless to actually step in and do something about what they see.
Power comes from blood, freely given or forcibly taken. It can perhaps be argued in the cosmology that blood freely given is by far the stronger, but it's also comparatively rare, so the Bad Things in The Night have supremacy over most situations, and it's only when someone is willing to truly, honestly, walk into the mouth of the beast and let it choke on them that Good is able to win.
It's the kind of feeling that I want to invoke in RPGs, really, but it's harder there.
It does remind me, however, of something I have noticed about the God of Stephen King's stories. The SK God is definitely old testament; he believes in the power of sacrifice, and he wants blood in tribute, and nothing less. It's not that he's not a benevolent figure...in a way he is. The White works for the good, and that's indisputable. But it's a bloody good, and that's what makes it horror. You cannot stop the darkness without losing your life. It's only when you're willing to go forth, and bleed, and hurt, and die, that God can intervene on behalf of the world; or that's the only time that he /will/ intervene. Other benevolent figures, though they may love and watch humanity, such as the Turtle, do not ask sacrifice, and therefore are powerless to actually step in and do something about what they see.
Power comes from blood, freely given or forcibly taken. It can perhaps be argued in the cosmology that blood freely given is by far the stronger, but it's also comparatively rare, so the Bad Things in The Night have supremacy over most situations, and it's only when someone is willing to truly, honestly, walk into the mouth of the beast and let it choke on them that Good is able to win.
It's the kind of feeling that I want to invoke in RPGs, really, but it's harder there.
no subject
On RH, though, characters frequently found elaborate methods of avoiding death, or flat-out insisted they shouldn't be killed for things that logically could've resulted in said death -- and more than one player cried "unfair!" for a death that others said was logical.
I've met other gamers who believe that killing a character without, practically, the express written consent of the player of the character is a horrible thing, and should never be done.
no subject
Perhaps it's also a matter of the type of game. In a Sci-fi type of game you don't really expect God to swoop in and magicly heal a character because they've done something incredibly sacrificial for the good of humanity.
no subject
Not saying it always happens -- not by a long-shot -- but still.
no subject
mmMMmm.. Paranoia. 8)