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Message: <blockquote data-quote="EzekielRaiden" data-source="post: 9045783" data-attributes="member: 6790260">Separately from the above, I have been thinking about what might go in "my" Appendix N. It...wouldn't really be the same kind of thing. Not a "you should digest these pieces of media to understand what's going on," but rather..."these are what shaped how I do things, and why."It's a bit more eclectic than the original Appendix N, which was mostly literature, and much of it from the foundations of the science-fiction and fantasy genre. But it seems a worthwhile thing, to consider the kinds of media that fed into...how I do not just D&D, but roleplaying in general.In no particular order:Babylon 5 (TV), J. Michael StraczynskiStar Trek: the Original Series, Next Generation, and Deep Space Nine (TV), many creators, but originally, Gene RoddenberryThe Lord of the Rings (books), JRR TolkienIndiana Jones (films and TV), George LucasKing's Quest and Space Quest series (video games), Roberta Williams, Scott Murphy, and Mark CroweSabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen (books), Garth NixDoctor Who (TV), many creatorsStar Wars (films), George LucasThe Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (books, film, etc.), Douglas AdamsKnights of the Old Republic II (video game), Obsidian EntertainmentThe Bible (the Book), many creators (and one Creator!)The Tempest (book, play), William Shakespeare -- though honestly several other bits qualify tooThe Iliad and Odyssey (books), HomerAvatar: the Last Airbender (TV), Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan KonietzkoA Princess of Mars (book), Edgar Rice Burroughs (though TBH I read it when I was very young so I barely remember it)Conan the Barbarian (film; I haven't read much of the written works), originally Robert E. HowardOf all things, Heavy Metal (film), specifically the final segment regarding Taarna*, not sure who credit goes to thereBelow the Root series (books), Zilpha Keatley SnyderThe Left Hand of Darkness (book), Ursula K. Le GuinThe Lathe of Heaven (book, TV movie), Ursula K. Le GuinThe Chronicles of Narnia (books), C.S. LewisDragonriders of Pern (books), Anne McCaffreyThe Seven Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor (book), unclear original authorship (and the related, but distinct, Thousand and One Nights)The Foundation and robots stories (books), Isaac AsimovI Sing the Body Electric (short story), Ray BradburyBabar (TV), adapted from the works of Jean de BrunhoffRupert (TV), the 1990s series, adapted from the works of Mary TourtelThe collected works of Beatrix Potter (books)The Sherlock Holmes stories (books), Sir Arthur Conan DoyleThere's probably more I'm forgetting. All these things, over the years, have been inspirational to me. Some are on the darker side, but many lean toward hope and the potential for better things, if we but strive to make it happen. It's part of why I don't really have a lot of patience for much fiction today. It's all a race to the bottom, a rejection of the possibility of moral exemplars and thus a world where no one bothers trying to be good. I don't shy away from dark or horrible things, of course, I just...prefer fiction where it is genuinely possible for good to win, albeit perhaps with mighty struggle along the way.*My father showed this to me as a very young child, roughly four or five years old. Given the graphic content, my mother was pissed. She was, however, somewhat mollified when he told her that, afterward, we had discussed the film and I said to him, "Daddy, I know the difference between good and evil." He was rather surprised, and said, "What is that?" "Evil would never sacrifice itself for other people." So...yeah. As weird and dark as it is--stuff I'm usually not into--it left an impression.</blockquote>

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