“Good artists copy, great artists steal.”  ~ Pablo Picasso… supposedly…

I’m what you might call an “improv DM.” Others might depend heavily on fully-realized storylines, but not me–I like to fly by the seat of my pants, writing only a bare-bones outline of a story and seeing where the PCs take me. My groups have had some great results doing this, because it allows the PCs to choose their own path with very little interference from me in the way of denial and railroading. However, telling a really loose story takes even MORE preparation than a very tight story, because I have to account for any situation that might arise. And they have arisen! I’ve had players take other players hostage, random orgies, oxygen tanks filled with gravy, and, once, in a D20 Modern campaign, I had a player jump off a building and land chest-first on to a fire hydrant.

Nothing unifies characters behind a common goal like great storytelling. A vast world with compelling characters and terrifying monsters… there’s nothing like it! But sometimes it feels like the greatest stories are formulaically told and retold and rehashed and rebooted until they don’t mean anything anymore. This is why I, as a vigilant DM, am always on the lookout for fresh story elements to throw into campaigns where they’re called for. I could just make them up out of my head, but why bother? Many brilliant, creative minds are out there in the world today. They make art or direct movies or write stories that endure for longer than they could ever imagine. It is from this wealth of knowledge–from the dawn of time until now–that I draw exciting and interesting story elements for D&D campaigns. This way, I don’t get tired of writing, and my plots don’t go stale because there’s always something for my characters to do and see if they get tired of their current undertaking.

In this article, and others like it, we’re going to take a look at a common fantasy plot point from TV, pop culture, or wherever. Then, we’ll examine where it might have been used before, and consider ways to alter them to make them useful to our own campaigns.

THE RIP

Let’s use a practical example. Better, let’s use an example that we’re all probably familiar with in some capacity or another: the epic poem, Beowulf.

Beowulf is a story about an ancient badass who only knew how to be awesome. Essentially, he was the Dos Equis spokesman; except, instead of beer, the bottles were filled with basilisk blood spiced to perfection with rare herbs and powdered swords. He didn’t think weapons were sporting to use against an unarmed man-eating troll-beast. He let his own men get eaten so he could sneak up on a monster. His bathing suit was full plate, and his birthday suit was studded leather. And, when he died, he ordered that a dragon’s hoard be buried with him rather than given to the people he ruled. AND THEY DID IT. Because he was just as scary dead as he was when he was alive. Beowulf is the quintessential warrior-king.

VARIATIONS ON THE THEME

Now, where might we have seen this Beowulf story-type spun before?

Grom Hellscream, Warcraft series. Enslaved by demons, freed of demons, re-enslaved by demons, and, in a battle witnessed by the next Warchief of the whole Orcish nation, sacrificed himself to destroy the demon prince who held his people captive. Totally badass, but so much more! A historical figure with in-game locations dedicated to him–the armor of Mannoroth in Orgrimmar and his tomb in Ashenvale, to name a few. He’s the subject of gorgeous in-game cinematics, and his demon-slaying ax drops in a dungeon! But best of all, his son is the new Warchief of all orcs. History, myth, AND legacy. You can’t ask for more in an epic hero, except for maybe a kick-ass hat. Speaking of which…

Robin Hood, English history and lore. A crusader turned rebel, he used guerrilla tactics to fight his way into and out of trouble in order to restore his family property and land.  Along the way, he finds time to romance his true love (a fair maiden, of course), attract an army to fight with him, and free his people from the yoke of tyranny. As a bonus, he lives happily ever after… according to most sources. The strength of this type of hero must be tremendous, given that the story is constantly retold, changed, and rewritten by every culture on earth. Also, kick-ass hat. William Wallace was also a hero, but he had no hat to speak of. Is it any wonder he was martyred while Robin Hood lived?

THE SWITCH

Of course, I can’t rip off an idea like Beowulf or use his story exactly as it happens in the poem. Most people know it, and bringing his story into your campaign runs the risk of making Beowulf the focus instead of the players.  If the players aren’t the focus, the whole campaign falls flat.

But there IS something to be said about using the archetype of a strong, powerful hero in a position of authority. They can be quest givers, sure, but for a savvy DM, they’re capable of so much more!

They can be a historical plot point in the story, where the characters delve into his or her past to unravel a current mystery. “My old nemesis lives?!  Adventurers, I am on in years now, and can no longer fight him. For the good of the Empire, you must find a way to reforge my spear and take up my quest!”

If the PCs act rashly and get themselves in a jam, heroes can swoop in on white horses and save the day (and your campaign, too). “I thought you might get yourselves into trouble, and what do you know? Looks like someone got their stupid asses captured by gnolls! Rough Riders… ATTAAAACK!”

And, in the right situation, they can be used as the ultimate betrayers, unexpectedly forcing the PCs to make very tough, very scary decisions. “Don’t you see?! With the spear reforged, we can use its power to clear the entire valley of gnolls! You’d risk the safety of the continent for one border town?! THEY ARE ALREADY CASUALTIES OF WAR!”

If your current story doesn’t really use a powerful NPC in this fashion, the presence and absence of one can serve smaller purposes. A DM who wants to put their players on track might put an evil champion on their tail. That might scare them enough to get in gear, or (after a sound thrashing) make them realize that they need to get stronger to survive. The DM might also use a good hero for the same reason, except the hero is placed where the character should be heading. That might give them incentive to follow their paragon with the intention of meeting him or her. Of course, the quickest way to intercept said hero is through the Swamp of Unholy Blight (or whatever locale suits your campaign best). Jus’ sayin’.

If the group makes it out of the swamp, you can decide if their hero was worth the trouble it took to meet him. He could be everything the legends say (if he’s tall, sexy, wise, etc.), or the stories might be exaggerations or complete lies (if he’s alcoholic, womanizing, vain, etc.). These set-ups can be used later on in our story, too. Over the course of the campaign, the mighty might fall, and the low may rise up to their former glory.

WORDS OF WARNING

Powerful characters, whether they offer assistance or hindrance, are great to have around. My favorite way to use them is as giants on whose shoulders the PCs might stand until they start to forge their own way in my world. Some people like using anti-heroes, but something about the purity of a genuine hero appeals to me. Either way, the Beowulf type is used to its fullest for me when they’re seen for what they are–EPIC. They should have a long history, many successful campaigns, a regiment of true and loyal friends, and a cabal of enemies who can and should crop up to take bloody vengeance on the wards of their old foe.

And the PCs should never ever know the hero’s whole story! Heroes start out as mere mortals, after all, and are prone to having tragic flaws that run the gamut from greed to pride to just being too damn good. Let the PCs take on the legacy of a champion and see if they can separate the myth from the man.

Nevertheless, the task was to complete the game and that is exactly what we are continuing to try.  This episode is a lot of exploration as I attempt to figure out where everything is.

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 19.

• Gameplay: Running up the pillars to continue progress | 01:20
• Gameplay: Time for a tightrope walk | 02:20
• WTF?!: The architect of Anor Londo is dumb | 05:00
• WTF?!: That gargoyle is glitching out … let’s kill it! | 06:15
• Gameplay: Figuring out where the levers take you  | 08:15
• Gameplay: Slaughtering would-be assassins | 09:00
• Gameplay: Up the stairs in front of the Cathedral | 15:55
• Gameplay: Attempting to fight harpies | 19:30
• Death: Don’t fight two harpies at a time | 21:00
• Gameplay: Killing Cathedral guards | 23:20
• Gameplay: Finding a new bonfire | 26:00
• Gameplay: Gah, getting invaded for PVP. I hate being in human form | 33:00
• Death: Never stood a chance | 33:50
• Gameplay: Getting revenge on the harpies | 38:50
• Gameplay: Crazy powerful Black Knight long bow | 41:00
• Gameplay: Found the back entrance to Black Knight & Mimic central | 42:20
• Loot: Havel’s Armor Set | 50:30
• Gameplay: Finally find that next bonfire | 53:00

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 53

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Acquire the Lordvessel
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher (2 of 2)
  
• Giant Cat (3 of 3)
  
• Giant Rat
  
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (6 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon

As I keep moving forward in this game, I continue to be filled with a very deep satisfaction of my progress.  I know it’s just a game, but as the game is very difficult, when you are able to make a lot of progress it all feels a lot more rewarding.  Situations and fights that would have meant instant death for me before, are now becoming easier and common place.  Sure, there are still some very difficult parts, but I feel like I have the tools necessary to continue and succeed.  This kind of feeling is definitely a tad bit different than other games that I play, so it’s very refreshing to go through this and document it.

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 18.

• Boss Fight: Iron Golem | 00:25
• Death: Overhead axe smash to the head | 02:20
• Boss Fight: Iron Golem | 04:35
• Death: Only a pixel of life left and rolled off the platform | 07:45
• Boss Fight: Iron Golem | 10:10
• Gameplay: Golem destroyed, on our way to Anor Londo | 13:25
• Gameplay: Wait these giant guards are NORMAL enemies here? | 16:00
• Gameplay: New woman to improve your Estus Flasks | 17:15
• Gameplay: Fighting giant guards and mimics | 19:50
• WTF?!: The noise that a mimic makes is nightmare worthy! | 22:40
• Gameplay: Area that requires the Lordvessel | 24:45
• Gameplay: Off to explore more of Anor Londo | 26:30
• Mini-Boss Fight: Gargoyle | 27:25
• Gameplay: Going to level up and rest up | 30:50

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 51

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Acquire the Lordvessel
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher (2 of 2)
  
• Giant Cat (3 of 3)
  
• Giant Rat
  
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (5 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon

Dear Pink Hair Girl,

I’ve developed a crush on a guy friend of mine, and over the past month I’ve been flirting with him like crazy. Or at least, I’ve been trying to flirt with him. Every time I make a pass or try an innuendo, it’s as though it goes way over his head. He doesn’t ever flirt back.  I wonder sometimes if maybe he’s just not interested, but he doesn’t avoid hanging out with me, and he’s still friendly around me. When I ask my friends about it, they say that all geek guys do this–they can never tell when a woman is flirting with them.  But at this point, I’m not even sure if I should try to be more forward, because if he’s this oblivious, he might just miss every signal I give him in the future.  Do I have to beat him with an “I like you” stick every time I wanna convey my feelings? Or does this just sound like a matter of him not being into me?

Sincerely,
Future Mrs. Clueless

Dear FMC,

What’s funny about this is that, when I talk to my geek guy friends, they tell me that they often have no idea when a woman is flirting with them.  This is partially confirmed when I talk to geek girls about it; what I generally hear from them is that A) boys have no idea when girls are actually flirting with them, almost as much as B) they take friendly gestures as sexual advances.  It’s as though they’re living in Bizarro Land, where trying to attract a mate is some sort of cruel joke.

According to a study recently conducted by Indiana University, men on average scored much lower than women when detecting social cues. (SURPRISE!!!!) They showed the men images of women being friendly, seductive, sad, or rejecting. Men mixed up seductive and friendly a whole bunch, apparently. So instead of this notion we have about men wearing sex-colored glasses when talking to women, the study suggested that “men seemed just to have blurry vision of sorts, overall.”

The study looked at average university-aged students and not just geeks. But my theory is that geeks in general tend to have an inhibited sense of social cues compared to their non-geek counterparts. This is just a generalization, of course–I’ve met geeks who are amazingly empathetic, but not nearly as many as those who have the emotional observation skills of a rubber chicken.  On top of this, geeks tend to have lower self-esteem, an unfortunate side effect of regularly being picked last for dodgeball in elementary school (and other such traumatic events). As a result, many claim that they just have trouble imagining a scenario in which a girl would actually want to hit on them. So, when the reality of this situation is upon them, they can’t even see it. Like a muggle who misses it when wizard children walk through platform 9 & 3/4, it’s too implausible for them to even consider the possibility.

(Don’t even get me started on the geek guys who go in the opposite direction–the ones that think that the 3 girls dressed as Yoko at the anime con are doing so because they all want to go out on a date with him, and desperately want him to keep asking them out.)

But this is the truth we face. My guess is that your love interest is likely a victim of blurry boy-vision.  If you want to move it forward, you will have to bust out the “I like you” stick.  And here are some things to consider while you’re doing it:

• See if it’s enough just to break the ice.  While you’re making your next attempt at flirting (for our purposes, we’ll say your crush’s name is Garrus), bust out something obvious. You know, something like, “Garrus, you do realize I have a really big crush on you, right?”  This might shock him, and he might still imagine you’re kidding; so if he seems unsure or brushes it off, don’t back down. ”I’m serious, I really like you (and I totally dig your scars).”  After you’ve made it clear in his mind that the way you’re acting around him is because you like him, that might be all it takes for him to kick into “flirt mode.”  Occasionally, sending the obvious “I want you to flirt back to me” signal is the kick in the pants a guy needs in order to pick up the slack.  But if, after you put it bluntly, he’s still talking about how he’s gotta go do some calibrations, then you may have to try harder.

• Ask him flat-out if he’s interested in dating you. Actually, now that I think about it, maybe he’s not interested in dating, or in women.  Make sure. The best way to do that is to be forward and ask him frankly. (Well, you can ask him frankly about whether or not he’s interested in dating you. You may want to be a bit more gentle when asking if he’s gay or not. Some boys are touchy about that question if they are indeed straight.)  The point is, some men will just be terrible at picking up the ball and running with it when it comes to conveying their interest or affections, and the only way to confirm them at the beginning will be by asking.  Yes, this means setting aside your romantic notions of him sweeping you off your feet. He’s not Edward Cullen. (Actually, now that I think about it, have you ever seen him step out into the sunlight? Make sure.) At the very least, most men aren’t quick to actively gush about their feelings and undying obsession with how good you smell, or spend all night watching you sleep while writing piano sonatas to try and capture the essence of your beauty.  You’re gonna have to let go of the idea that men will read your mind and automatically understand your body language and hints. You will have to tell them what it is you want before they can even begin trying to give it to you. This is a fact of life, for all women.

• Decide how much affection you need from a guy. You mentioned your worry about his oblivious nature being an indicator of future behavior, and you may be right to have that concern. It’s possible that your needs and his abilities don’t match up. Even if it turns out that he does like you back, and even if it happens that you guys start dating, his lack of response to your flirting might just be a matter of his style. Perhaps he’s not an affectionate or flirty person. But really, the only way to find out is to try.  Maybe it just takes him a while to warm up; and once he’s confident that you’re into him, he opens right up and showers you with affection in return, without you prompting him or beating him with an “I like you” stick. That’s not an uncommon phenomenon in geek guys; they’re protecting themselves emotionally until they feel secure enough to invest in the relationship, because they’ve been let down before.But it’s also possible that his quiet reservation is how he behaves all the time, and that no matter how much you want to be a cuddly or cute couple, it’s just not his thing. If you guys manage to start dating, just make sure to be aware of your needs. If you start to feel like his daily way of showing affection leaves you wishing for more, then it’s probably best to just admit that you have different styles of showing love, and go separate ways. Ending things might seem extreme, and it’s tempting to just ask a guy to be more affectionate, but in practice it rarely works long-term. Asking him to show more love is just as valid as him asking you to be happy with getting less. It doesn’t work that way. It doesn’t necessarily mean your feelings for each other aren’t there, it just means you have incompatible ways of expressing them. No one’s fault. It sucks. Move on.

I won

To some extent, any girl who grew up watching Disney movies has been expecting a guy to know what it is that makes us happy without actually telling him what we want. The phrase “You should just know!” rings in my memory as something I believed when I first started dating. And instead of saying what we want out loud, we have a tendency to drop hints–imagined, blatant or otherwise. But having a successful relationship with another human being requires that we let some of this go. We have to tell them explicitly what we want, and ask them to tell us how they feel about us if we want to know. And for the record, no, staying together for a long time doesn’t cause a man to eventually figure you out and gain the ability to read your mind. To some small extent, you will have to beat them with an “I like you stick” for the rest of your romantic life. That’s not to say they won’t return affection of their own volition. Some men will just be better at this than others, and you have to decide how important this skill is in a mate for your own happiness.

So go ahead, tell Garrus in no uncertain terms that you’re nuts for him and see where it goes. Sure, you may have to hand him a manual to outline the things that make you happy, but crazier things have happened.

Sincerely,
Pink Hair Girl

Regardless of all of the logistical issues with Sen’s Fortress, watch as Joey V tries to navigate the numerous traps and maze like paths on his way to fighting the Iron Golem.  There is also some great information on items, mini-bosses, and farming locations that you can utilize in your own playthrough!

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 16.

• Gameplay: Going over some things that weren’t recorded | 00:15
• Gameplay: Giant Mushroom monsters & Gold Pine Resin | 01:30
• Gameplay: Enchanted Ember location | 03:35
• Gameplay: Tips on killing the Giant Cat mini-bosses | 04:25
• Gameplay: Finding the Crystal Golem mini-boss | 06:55
• Gameplay: Back into Sen’s Fortress | 08:40
• Gameplay: Pulling the mob through the gauntlet | 11:45
• WTF?!: That guy fell through off a ledge and ambushed me! | 12:30
• Gameplay: Recreating Indiana Jones | 16:35
• WTF?!: Way to run into a boulder! | 16:45
• Gameplay: Fighting my first mimic | 17:40
• Gameplay: The boulder direction device | 19:30
• Gameplay: Finding a new sorcery merchant | 22:00
• Gameplay: Going to talk to the Fat Onion Knight | 25:20
• Gameplay: Dodging boulders to get phat loot | 28:40
• Loot: Covetous Gold Serpent Ring | 28:50
• Gameplay: The most narrow of bridges | 33:15
• Gameplay: Woo, found the roof! | 34:55
• Gameplay: Who the fuck is throwing fire bombs?! | 35:15
• Mini-Boss Fight: Tower Knight | 36:00
• Mini-Boss Fight: Ricard the Archer | 37:15
• Mini-Boss Fight: Fire Bomb Giant | 41:40
• Gameplay: Need to find a bonfire | 43:35
• Gameplay: Joey V is terrible at jumping | 44:25
• Gameplay: Found the bonfire & leveling up | 47:00

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 49

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher
• Giant Cat
• Giant Rat
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (5 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon

Thankfully, this episode I made some progress and downed Sif.  With all the souls that I received from him, I was able to level up substantially and now am feeling confident about Sen’s Fortress and my travels in Anor Lando to come.

I’m going to miss you Sif … I wish we could’ve been best friends.

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 16.

• Boss Fight: Great Grey Wolf Sif | 00:10
• WTF?!: Joey taunts and Sif injures leg | 06:35
• Loot: Hornet Ring | 07:45
• Gameplay: Off to upgrade before Sen’s Fortress | 02:40
• Loot: Stone Armor Set | 10:25
• Gameplay: Sen’s Fortress | 17:00
• Gameplay: Running the gauntlet | 19:40
• Gameplay: Through the window, over the blades, nothing but archery | 20:30
• WTF?!: Where did that rock come from?! | 23:25
• Gameplay: So many traps! | 27:55
• Death: Whoops, bottomless pit! | 28:15
• Gameplay: Upgrading Uchigatana to +8 … the long way | 29:25
• Gameplay: Back into the fortress | 32:00
• Gameplay: Sniper battle and fighting on a narrow plank | 34:00
• Death: Reminder, do not fight on a narrow plank | 37:10

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 49

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher
• Giant Cat
• Giant Rat
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (5 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon

Every once in a while, we get presented with amazing stories of geekery that must be told.  During your daily travels around the Internet, you may have seen the picture on the right.  With all of the attention that The Avengers movie is receiving, seeing a picture of a young boy wielding a Captain America toy shield on the shoulders of Loki, played by Tom Hiddleston, is a very cool thing.

The image has reached a viral level of popularity, with people all over the country sharing it on Twitter, Facebook, and every other form of social media imaginable. While the Internet loved the picture, a very simple question started to arise: “Who is the kid on Loki’s shoulders?”

Some had speculated that it was the son of Mark Ruffalo, who portrayed Bruce Banner (aka The Hulk) in the film.  Others thought it might be the son of one of the crew members who worked on the film.  Conspiracy theories started to form, with some believing that Loki might have gone back in time and captured Captain America as a child.

The truth of it all?  The boy on Loki’s shoulders is none other than Edison, son of our good friend Erin, who directs the web series, CASTERS. The story of how Edison got his picture taken with Tom Hiddleston is a great case of “right place, right time” that Erin was kind enough to write about for us.

We hope that you enjoy this epic tale of how a young boy got to meet his favorite superheroes and become an Internet sensation. If you want even more details, you can also hear Erin give the full story on the “But, I Digress” Podcast. Now all we need is to get the photos autographed for Edison!

How It Happened

Ladies and gentlemen: the story you are about to hear is true, told from the point of view of proud father, Erin.
The names have not been changed to protect the innocent.

August 31st, 2011 – My wife, Jill, 5-year-old son, Edison, and I return to New York City from vacation.

September 1st, 2011 – My wife goes to work, while I have the day off. My son and I go to see Captain America: The First Avenger. It was my third time seeing the film, while it was the second for Edison.

September 2nd, 2011 – I have work, but get to leave early since a three day weekend is coming.  I go home and kick back while my wife and son are spending a fun mother-son day in the city.  I, being the nerd that I am, go online to see what’s up in the world of comic book movies and discover that The Avengers is filming in Central Park right now.  I immediately call my wife.

So my wife, carrying four bags of school supplies, makes her way to Central Park East with Edison in tow. I should mention at this point that my son, having seen Captain America the day prior, is carrying his Captain America shield around with him (as any good, superhero-loving youngster would).  My wife had been annoyed that she had to carry it for him throughout the day, wondering why on earth he brought it with him.

Luckily, it’s a good thing he did.

They walk around a bit, seeing various trailers and film equipment.  Then, Edison sees a car–and, recognizing the insignia on the side, exclaims, “That’s Nick Fury’s car!”  Indeed, it’s a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle! So my wife tells him to stand next to it while she takes a picture. Immediately, grips and guys in suits run over. “Excuse me! You can’t take a picture of this car without—” Upon seeing my son with his shield, the crew members kind of shrug and acquiesce, “Oh, okay. Go ahead.”

They walk around some more. My wife notices that grips are telling gawkers that they’re shooting a commercial. She gives the nearest grip a look that says, “Really? That’s the story you’re telling?”  The grip shrugs, giving her a knowing smile. “Yes, it’s The Avengers.”  Suddenly, about fifty feet away, two very tall, colossal men walk out, having a conversation and minding their own business.  That’s when all hell breaks loose:  Fifty feet away are Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston in full Thor and Loki costumes, respectively.

Cameras come out, flashes go off, and the grips go in to panic mode trying to shoo everyone away.  My wife (who is about 5 foot even) puts my son on her shoulders to get a better look.  The grip who talked to my wife is pushing the crowd in one direction, shouting, “Go! Go!” Then, he turns and gives my wife a look, motioning over his shoulder in the other direction. “Go!” he says. Taking the cue, Jill walks past him and heads towards the Norse Gods.

By this point, Chris Hemsworth is walking away, so my son shouts out, “Thor!”  Thor turns around, smiles and waves, then continues on his way.  But there is Loki, the God of Mischief. He sees my son, and smiles.

“Hi, Loki!” my wife says (100% sure she didn’t know Tom Hiddleston’s name).  “Can my son get a picture with you?” she asks.

“Can I put him on my shoulders?” Loki asks.

“Um…okay?” is Jill’s response, and she hands Tom Hiddleston our son.  He hoists him up on to his shoulders (I should mention that this guy is like 8 feet tall), and my wife takes out her Blackberry, only to find that it’s on its last battery leg.  Nonetheless, she manages to get a couple of shots.  Hiddleston puts Edison down, shakes his hand and says goodbye.

All in all, a good day.  But wait…there’s more.

My wife and son begin to head towards Bethesda Fountain, where they come upon barricades, camera crews, and a whole lot more security.  This is where the action’s at.  Once again, my wife puts our son on her shoulders.  Remember to keep in mind: Jill is 5 feet tall, carrying four bags of school supplies. They look around and see this massive set-up.  Cameras on cranes, tons of lights, lots of crew.  By this point, the cat is out of the bag – everyone is aware that “Group Hug” is actually code name for The Avengers.  So my wife and son watch them prep a shot, looking around when suddenly my wife exclaims—

“Look! There’s Tony Stark and Bruce Banner!  They’re talking to that stunt guy.”  Sure enough, there’s Robert Downey, Jr., Mark Ruffalo and a stunt man in a brown jacket, all chatting.  When the stunt man turns to the side, my son responds with excitement and shock: “Mom! That’s Chris Evans!”

“Buddy, I don’t think that’s him,” she responds incredulously. (In her defense, she wasn’t wearing her glasses and my son’s vision is freakishly great.) My wife squints and, sure enough, it’s him–Captain America himself.

The production crew film a couple of things–Stark and Banner getting in to a car, Steve Rogers on a motorcycle. The security guard in front of Jill and Edison smiles, walks around a bit, and comes back again.  My wife asks, “Do you think we might be able to get a picture of my son with Chris Evans?”

The security guard responds with, “Oh, your son likes Captain America?”

“Do you NOT see the shield he’s carrying?” my wife says jokingly.

To which the security guard replies, “Well, look at what you’re wearing.”

My wife looks down, realizing for the first time that day that the shirt she chose to wear says “I Only Date Superheroes” with pictures of Spider-Man, Thor and Captain America.  As she said to me later on: “I have never felt more like a nerd in my life.”

The security guard has a laugh and then looks back at the filming.  They’re in between shots when the guard moves the barricade and says, “Walk with me and we’ll see what we can do.”  My wife takes my son off her shoulders, and they proceed on to the glorious side of the barricade we all wish to be on: The Set!

They walk over, Jill’s heart is pounding.  Who is that walking right by her?  Why that’s Jeremy Renner and Scarlett Johanssen, who play Hawkeye and Black Widow!  Initial impression?  They’re short!  Oh look, there goes Mark Ruffallo!

There’s a lot of crew walking around, looking at this strange woman with four jam-packed bags from Staples and the little boy with the Captain America shield.  The Security Guard stops my wife and son, a mere 10 feet away from Robert Downey, Jr. and Chris Evans.

“Wait here for a second” the guards says, then takes a few steps forward, waiting to see if he can interrupt the talent.  There is a woman standing next to my wife and son. She looks at Edison, shield in hand, staring in awe at his heroes, and then turns towards the stars.

“Chris!” she shouts. Chris Evans stops, mid-sentence, and turns to the woman.  Robert Downey, Jr. looks over, frowns, but seeing a little boy with a Captain America shield, gets it and shrugs.

This woman that called to Evans has got his attention. She points to my son and exclaims, “Look at this! Look at how adorable he is!”

This woman?  Chris Evans mother.

Chris Evans starts walking towards my son and says, “Now I bet you’re thinking, ‘That doesn’t look like Captain America.’”

“Oh no, he knew it was you from waaaaay over there,” my wife assures him.

Edison, face-to-face with the man he saw on the big screen merely 24 hours earlier, does what any self-respecting five year would do in front of his hero of the hour: he holds his shield up in front of his face, overcome with a case of The Shy.

“Edison,” my wife says, “put the shield down and shake his hand like a gentleman.”

Evans crouches down next to Edison, who extends his hand and shakes the hand of The First Avenger.  “Can I see your shield?” Evans asks and Edison hands his battered toy shield over.  “Wow, you’re getting a lot of use out of this. You fighting a lot of bad guys with this?” he asks.  Chris Evans and Edison proceed to have a conversation about the finer points of shields and fighting the enemy.

“Would you mind if I got a picture of you?” my wife asks.

“Not at all!” Evans says.

My wife pulls out her Blackberry, aims it and…it goes black.  Dead.  It’s possible that she begins to pee herself a little bit, I just can’t be sure.  She frantically pushes buttons and manages to get it to come back to life.  Meanwhile, Chris Evans’ mom is having a little fun, busting my wife’s chops on not being able to work a Blackberry.  Jill gets the phone up and running and snaps a picture.  “To be safe, can I get one more?”

“Sure,” Evans says, and my wife manages to get one more picture.

Just then, a quiet-spoken gentleman walks over. “Chris, sorry, I need you for one more shot.”  The gentleman looks at my son and apologizes. “Sorry, little buddy, I need Captain America for a minute.” This is the only time during the entire story that I am jealous of my son and beside myself that I wasn’t there. One of my writing idols, Joss Whedon, has just spoken to my child.

My wife apologizes for taking up their time, with Whedon and Evans smiling and assuring her that it is fine.  Then she takes a picture with Chris Evans’ mom, who was instrumental in making this meeting happen.

My wife and son watch the crew film a couple of shots and then decide to leave. Thus ends their trip to the set of The Avengers.

September 6th, 2011 – I return to work with my son, who didn’t start school until the next day.  A co-worker (whose son is also at work) says she saw my Facebook status, saw the pics and thought they were cool.  Our kids sit together for the day, drawing and playing.  Later, my co-worker pulls me aside and says, “You know your son is on the Internet?”  Fearing that I’m in some sort of Clive Owen interwebs scandal flick, I ask her to clarify. Lo and behold, there is a professional picture of my son with Chris Evans on socialite life dot com or something or other.

This continues for the next few days, with new pictures of him springing up on various sites.  I even broke down and went to a Chris Evans fan page to see if there were pics.

There were.

Side Note – I now have access to screen caps from The Nanny Diaries if anyone needs those.

Fast forward to New York Comic Con 2011

I surprise Edison and tell him we’re going to go to The Avengers panel at NYCC 2011.  I tell him Chris Evans and Tom Hiddleston are going to be there signing and we’ll try and get his pictures autographed.  We arrive and make our way to where The Avengers panel line is, only to find out that Evans and Hiddleston are signing at that moment!  So we hurry over there and discover that you need a ticket handed out earlier in the day to get on line for autographs.

I make my way to the side of the stage and call someone over.  I show him the 8x10s we got made up with hopes of having them signed.  I don’t even finish my sentence before the guy goes, “That’s the kid!  Yeah, I remember when he came to the set!”  He gets security to OK us to get in the autographs line.

So we’re in line, waiting…waiting…waiting…realizing that the window of opportunity to get these pics signed AND make our way to the line for The Avengers panel is slowly closing.  That’s okay, though, because while we’re in line there are these five women dressed up in various Thor character costumes. One of them turns around, sees the 8×10 in my hand, looks at my son, then back at the picture and exclaims, “Oh my god! It’s the kid!”

They all freak out and begin to tell me how my son is all over tumblr. They ask if they can take a picture with him.  ”If he wants to,” I say. Edison agrees and they take pictures with him, and then more people start gathering around and taking pictures. The one girl says to me, “You don’t understand, his picture is all over the Internet!”  She goes on to explain tumblr and how the pictures got liked and linked all over the interwebs.

We’re five feet away from making it to the signing when someone’s publicist decides they want the talent off the stage, and they are whisked away.  Alas, we didn’t get the pics signed. But, we ended up walking around, taking in the sensory overload that is NYCC 2011, and having a great time.

All in all, the entire experience was a good adventure for a cool, five-year-old geek–if I do say so myself.

[Show as slideshow]

[View with PicLens]

The Avengers

There was a lot of speculation and predictions to be made after comic book movie talk died down.  The only other topic on the Podcast this week are our thoughts on what we may or may not see at E3 2012 that will be taking over the Los Angeles Convention Center in June.  It’s an odd time for the gaming industry, as there are rumors going around of what Microsoft and Sony will have in store for their next generation of consoles, but both companies have said they won’t be displaying anything this year.  Do we believe that statement?  What will Nintendo show us for the WiiU?  What game developers will come out of hiding to show us what they have been working on the past few years?

All these questions, and a whole lot of tangents on this week’s episode!

Show Topics By Time

• Weekend News – Mass Effect Marathon 2.5 update and impressions! | 00:04:50
• Movies – We discuss Avengers, the Marvel film universe & what DC Comic should do | 00:11:04
• Games - What will we see at E3 this year? Our predictions! | 00:54:23

g33kWatch Reminders

Mass Effect Marathon 2.5

To celebrate the release of Mass Effect 3 and the conclusion of Commander Shepard’s epic journey across the galaxy, the Mass Effect Marathon team is proud to be bringing viewers a live playthrough of Mass Effect 3 for everyone to enjoy. The event will be broken up into three Saturdays in May, allowing people to watch as little or as much of the playthrough as they want.

Viewers and fans will also have the choice of determining whether we continue the story of our Male Shepard from MEM1 or our Female Shepard from MEM2. Additionally, there will be polls determining class, alignment and much more!

As always, the Mass Effect Marathon team will be on hand to interact with you in chat, play multiplayer games of Mass Effect 3, and perform various challenges in return for donations to Child’s Play Charity. We are willing to sing, dance and generally embarrass ourselves for your entertainment! Oh yeah, and you can win prizes by donating and watching!

http://www.memarathon.com/

Part 2 – May 12, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET until 10:00 PM ET
Part 3 – May 26, 2012 at 10:00 AM ET until 10:00 PM ET

Or just guess by the way that my highlights end down below, either way. Be warned that there are WAY more swearing in this episode than in previous ones

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 12.

• Gameplay: Showing off upgrades, and going into the forest again | 00:25
• Gameplay: Kicking a priest off a cliff | 02:40
• Gameplay: Where you can join the forest covenant? | 04:40
• Gameplay: Grave area that hosts the Sif fight | 07:55
• Boss Fight: Great Grey Wolf Sif | 08:30
• Death: So close to beating him, dammit! | 17:55
• Gameplay: Back through the forest on my way to Sif | 14:55
• Death: Gah, can’t fight multiple forest protectors at the same time! | 14:30
• Boss Fight: Great Grey Wolf Sif | 22:45
• Death: Seems to be input lag on my Estus Flask? | 26:00
• Boss Fight: Great Grey Wolf Sif | 32:05
• Death: Killed trying to use humanity to heal | 37:00
• Gameplay: Back through the forest on my way to Sif | 37:50
• Death: Reminder, do not fight more than one guy at a time in the forest | 40:05
• Boss Fight: Great Grey Wolf Sif | 45:50
• Death: I need to put the game down for a bit, getting too frustrated | 54:30

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 47

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher
• Giant Cat
• Giant Rat
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (5 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon

Yet the answer is that you can, and that the Hydra isn’t that difficult of a boss once you just focus on it.  I also make some progress in the forest, showing off just how much the forest defenders are worth soulwise, and pointing out the location of the Eastern Armor.

The concept of the full game playthrough is that a new video will be uploaded every weekday, Monday thru Friday. I will continue to do this until I have beaten the game in question. For my first time out, a poll was administered on our Facebook Page, and our fans determined that I would be playing the punishing, but entertaining game, Dark Souls.

To keep up with the Full Play, you can continue to come back to the main website, or you can Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for constant updates.

Here are some of the highlights of Episode 12.

• Gameplay: Headed into the Forest for some armor & secret bonfire | 02:55
• Gameplay: How Snuggly the Crow works | 02:30
• Gameplay: Fighting stronger tree demons | 05:45
• Death: Surrounded by tree demons, I need weed killer | 07:40
• Gameplay: I want that armor! | 08:15
• Death: Ambushed by more trees | 13:00
• Gameplay: Going to get it this time I swear | 13:45
• Gameplay: Far away look at the Hydra | 18:50
• Loot: Eastern Armor | 19:10
• Gameplay: Let’s go fight that Hydra | 20:00
• Gameplay: Crystal Golems are slow | 25:00
• Mini-Boss Fight: Hydra | 31:00
• Death: OK so I was a little intimidated | 31:20
• Mini-Boss Fight: Hydra | 38:20
• Death: I somehow forgot I could block | 38:50
• Mini-Boss Fight: Hydra | 44:55
• Gameplay: Victory! | 52:50
• Loot: Very good caster ring | 52:55

Dark Souls Full Play Checklist

Total Deaths for Dark Souls Full Play: 41

Major Tasks

• Leave the Asylum
• Ring the First Bell
• Ring the Second Bell
• Survive Sen’s Fortress
• Return to the Asylum
• Enter the Painted World
• Defeat Gwyn

Major Bosses

• Asylum Demon
• Taurus Demon
• Bell Gargoyle
• Capra Demon
• Moonlight Butterfly
• Gaping Dragon
• Chaos Witch Quelaag
• Ceaseless Discharge
• Centipede Demon
• Stray Demon
• Great Grey Wolf Sif
• Pinwheel
• Iron Golem
• Crossbreed Priscilla
• Ornstein and Smough
• Dark Sun Gwyndolin
• Four Kings
• Demon Firesage
• The Bed of Chaos
• Seath The Scaleless
• Nito
• Gwyn Lord of Cinder

Mini Bosses

• Armored Boar
• Black Hydra
• Black Phantom
• Butcher
• Giant Cat
• Giant Rat
• Golden Crystal Golem
• Havel The Rock
• Hydra
• Parasitic Wall Hugger
• Ricard the Archer
• The Black Knight (5 of 7)
• The Bridge Wyvern
• The Channeler (2 of 3)
• The Tower Knight
• Titanite Demon
• Undead Dragon