*Cheer*

Well said, Yale. I know we fans will definitely be proud of this movie.

*turns up Andrea Bocelli’s “My Christmas”*

Oh! You said STOP playing Christmas music. I thought you said “Please, Tanya, crank that @#$% up as loud as you can!”.

Seriously, was there anyone who DIDN’T put out a Christmas CD this year? Because that seemed to be the big thing this year. Haven’t made a CD yet this year? Well, then. let’s just slap a bunch of carols on some vinyl and call it a year!

Yes, yes, I know … very pessimistic of me. I’ll just go sit in the corner over here …

-Tanya

It’s good to be able to start out the new year (sorry, the new decade doesn’t start until next year ) on such an upbeat note. (On the other hand, you may have to go to the casino to get this thing paid for, but still.)

You posted this one minute before 11:11 XD!!! You really should have waited, then it would have been a truly lucky post! I think it’s just destiny that you’re all there in South Bend. And I’m sure your novel is great! So how were you introduced to the team, Yale? I would like to know.

ETA: I’ve got a book… The Oxford Companion to the Year… and while it does state that 2001 does in fact begin the 21st century (indeed based on the Roman’s idea), I have not found any clarification on how decades should be counted. Mind you it is nearly a one thousand page book. In my opinion they should be counted the way I posted because it makes more sense because there is in fact a “0″ year (regardless of the fact that there was no year “0″ when the Romans pulled their calendar measures out of their butts, the idea of time continuing for thousands of years probably never occurred to them). What is strange in searching all over the place (reference encyclopedias and so on) that I have not been able to find a definitive answer. It seems like it comes down to personal belief.

I think when they first made the modern calender, people didn’t know how much of a fuss we would make about decades, centuries, and millennia. But hey! It’s worked so far, mostly. Maybe we should just adopt the D’ni calender…
I just thought of something! Maybe the creation of this movie could make Uru live come back. It’s a hope.
Hmmmm, “puzzle” as a tag for this post….

Man, Your optimism is contagious
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When the movie is finished and out in theaters, how long do you think it will be until people start looking for D’ni, living like the D’ni, speaking D’ni, etc. Anyone want to place bets? The starting bet is 1 reekoo

MYST was the first game I ever played. Me and a best friend bought a copy the day before the release. Needless to say, I didn’t make it to work the next day

Thanks so much and please, please, please, please, somehow bring back Myst Online !!! URU is so great, I’m lost without it. Even ages as they were would be super, and I and others would PAY money for it!

Thanks again!

Now, I’ve been thinking, if you really think about it long enough, Riven (or more specifically, Gehn) is like a forerunner of steam punk. So, here’s the thing, if Gehn sort of has steam punk tastes, is that an indicator that the D’ni were into steam punk?

Magic88889: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steam_punk Seems to fit with the D’ni to me.

Gee you’re right. I just had no idea what steampunk was. Good catch FlowerP

Steampunk is definitely very similar to the D’ni design style (especially in the more industrialized areas). There’s a couple major differences, though. The distinctly Victorian elements are less major in D’ni design (as the design is not somewhat based off Earth history, as much of steampunk is) – replaced with a more Classical touch, and some elements that seem more Chinese or Arabic (but all mashed together in ways that make it look like it came up independently from Earth history – steampunk uses lots of elements as “what if” certain things or objects made in history were used in different ways). Another difference is the focus. Steampunk focuses on the design of individual objects (for the most part – this is partly due to the fact that many designs are limited by budget for some major uses of the style, and partly due to the culture of steampunk: each individual object is its own major piece). D’ni design focuses on the connections between everything (the more industrial they get, I might note, the more they focus on objects like steampunk, though). Machines in D’ni are designed like architecture (architecture, in steampunk design, are designed like machines), and the whole design tries to form a unified expression (opposed to the diversity of steampunk objects all stuck together to form a more chaotic expression).
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“Which reminds me… why does women’s fashion seem to run the greater risk of offending people (i.e. too sexy, looks like you rolled out of bed, survived a highlighter explosion on your face, etc)? But for guys it’s a different story.”
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Guys fashion moves slower (well, some fashions are just as quick, but those – sagging pants, for example – generally have more of the risks like you mention than other men’s fashion).

Gloa is right: the franchise doesn’t have one definite style. The ruling one is the victorian steampunk- the clothing in Riven and Myst IV, the wide use of oil lamps (although many, but I suppose not all of them, are disguised as fire marble lamps). But there also, like Gloa said, some Arabic (decorated walls and doors), a little bit futuristic (many stuff in Myst and in Uru- Bevin doors and some others) and many other things we could think of.

The ages, on the other hand, tend to take one style and show it all over the age (there may be a mix of some other styles, but not too much). And that’s why the ages are different than D’ni. Myst as a Greek style, Riven has a native style, Amateria has a Japanese style, Serenia has a more spiritual and odd style- as askeyou might think Catherine’s age may look. Ahnonay has a natural style on one side, and steampunk on the other.

Perhaps we should name this Mystie – Steampunk-esque style….

How about:

Mystpunk, Dn’ipunk, Dn’isteam, Dn’io’goobo, Mypunk, Rand’ipunk, or something like that…

There really should be a book on Dn’i art history…

My secret wish is that the D’ni wears something completely different. Something that’s almost futuristic that but isn’t just a mish-mash of five different Earth-styles like futuristic clothes usually are depicted or simple geometrical shapes, at the same time though the clothes will show that it’s a people that have evolved over thousands of years with fashion that’s inspired by the people in the hundreds of Ages they’ve visited. A varied style with lots of room for the rich people to boast with more than just expensive fabric, and at the same time be comfortable and suitable clothes to work in for lower classes. And outfits for both men and women. And and and… (list goes on forever here)
Of course it’s only Atrus and his family that are wearing historical pieces that sortof matches with their time, which is about 100 years before the Victorian period I might add, simply because they lived on Earth and ran into other people from time to time. Obviously the picture of Aitrus in Riven is from the time when he was on the surface. :p
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In short, when the movie comes I don’t want people to say “Ooh wow how cool steampunky clothes they were wearing”. I want it to become a whole new style!

Huh. I don’t really know what to add to this discussion. My only experience with Steampunk is the movie Steamboy and a certain anime series named Last Exile (oh my gosh I love that series) . From what I have seen I love the mix of Victorian architecture and clothes with the futuristic machines and vehicles. Never really pictured the D’ni as Steampunk but I guess it does fit.

“Perhaps we should name this Mystie – Steampunk-esque style….
How about:
Mystpunk, Dn’ipunk, Dn’isteam, Dn’io’goobo, Mypunk, Rand’ipunk, or something like that…”
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I generally separate the styles into three categories:
Atrus punk – Atrus is a prolific inventor and builder, and he has his own specific style. This is perhaps the most steampunk of all the styles (due to similar roots – Atrus is an independent eccentric well educated inventor, like many people in steampunk society), emphasizing unique strategies for utilizing power and operating machines in ways that fit with the general Age design. Electricity is quite blatantly used all over the place, as well as light and magnetism.
Gehn’s Steampunk – Gehn has a different style. He tends to use steam or other really blatant and powerful sources of energy. He is similarly creative in finding and utilizing natural happenstance to his advantage, but tends to use a very blunt and over-the-top design. There is less care to finishing off every part of the product for aesthetic appeal (although individual details are often cared for well – he tends to ignore the whole appearance for the details), and anything that is pragmatic seems to work for him (even if there are simpler ways of doing things). This style is also seen in some of the more industrial areas of D’ni control. Kadish has a similar style, but likes to be more mysterious (so most of the machinery or power is hidden from sight).
Classical D’ni – Even more than Atrus punk, this style focuses on the whole design and the appearance of how everything looks together (especially architecture – Atrus generally didn’t have as much power [or didn't like to use the same amount of power] to control the buildings and the Ages around them to specific purposes). It also ignores many of the main scientific curiosities of Atrus’ work – while Atrus is fascinated by magnetism, light, and electricity and often uses them in ways similar to early human scientists, D’ni designers use them only when obviously necessary (and in many ways that seem unsimilar to the ways humans use them). D’ni utilizes physics mostly like Gothic or Renaissance architects – balance, weight distribution, heat, and pressure are the most important elements, and the knowledge is carefully passed down by the masters. Atrus utilizes physics like early scientists – light, magnetism, and electricity are the most important elements, and the knowledge is experimented with all the time.
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“My secret wish is that the D’ni wears something completely different… In short, when the movie comes I don’t want people to say “Ooh wow how cool steampunky clothes they were wearing”. I want it to become a whole new style!”
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I suspect that they will note the steampunkiness of the clothes nonetheless (well, maybe – clothing in D’ni is not especially steampunk – but for other things that border closer to steampunkiness, definitely). It’s used as a category to explain things, even if the things within are distinct styles (because few lone movies/styles/books/whatever are special enough to gain their own exclusive category at that level). Now, I definitely don’t want people just thinking “that was a nice lesson on steampunk” or “that was a stereotypical steampunk style” – I want people to classify it as steampunk, but then have to have long discussions about whether or not it fits in that category or not (like we’re having here), and in what ways it fits, and what the other elements are, etc. I want them to say (paraphrased mightily, of course) “It is similar in many ways to the general definition of steampunk, perhaps more than any other category, but it is not something we thought could be explored before.”
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“Although if the argument is whether or not the D’ni use a lot of steam for energy, just look at the Amateria age in Exile. the entire age uses steam to power their generators…. and how I remember that, I have no idea.”
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Um, Amateria? I really don’t remember any conspicuous use of steam in that Age. I do remember lots of magnetism and electricity used in cool ways, but not steam. Do you mean Voltaic?

What about making the film in 3D ?

Avatar was astonishing in 3D and who wouldn’t want to see the Great City in 3D !

“I’m just saying, for a people that lives underground, steam power makes a lot of sense. That along with geo-thermal energy…. ”
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I was reading through BoT today and noticed these lines, “the rock to the east was home to a stable reservoir of magma, slowly cooling over the millennia, from which they had long tapped energy”. So, their power source is clearly heat based. Human civilization would use some form of steam power to harness that into mechanical or electrical energy (like nuclear power plants, fossil fuel burning, and geothermal energy). The D’ni might use some other technique, but its quite probable that they would also use steam.

heck, if only we had a renuable energy source like that up here on the surface! No more having to worry about electirical bills or heating and the such. We’d always have energy constantly shifting and recreating itself under our feet…. Sorry for the double post, I just had to throw that out there….

I hate to be anal retentive here, but… this particular post talks about “ring out the old”, but the front page of this site still reads “2009″….

change of email address

D’ni politics factors greatly into this story as well, probably more so than many aspects of their culture. What ideas are in the making as regards politics?
Whenever I read BoT, I always get the impression of an Athenian style democracy or Roman senate. Ok, maybe they are not wearing togas, but the atmosphere projected from the book seems similar. The D’ni also seem much more selective of their political leaders than old Greek democracy.

Ohhh let’s not even get into that

But who will knit baby Gehn’s socks? I really think you’re avoiding the important questions here.

…And the guy that wrote is isn’t even born either!!

There’s a lot of debate over who the true author of Myst is. I think it’s Catherine with Ti’ana’s help. I mean, Myst is pretty fabulous/awesome. I think the Writer of Dreams wrote it.

Wasn’t it canon (book canon, at least) that Catherine went “Ta-daaaaaaah!” showing the Age to Atrus and he was surprised since it looked too normal to be one of hers and it turned out later that he was right since Ti’ana was the main Writer and Catherine had only helped?
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So, I take it that you’re not going to have the audience click on the book to start the movie?
…or bring a page?

Well Atrus says in BoA something along the lines of “I should have known at once that Myst was not Catherine’s”. So yeah, it was Ti’ana. Well Catherine still got some awesome ages

“…or bring a page?”
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Seriously, guys – MYST: The Musical (and yes, I mean Myst the game)… that would be awesome*. The first half is from Atrus’ plunge from Riven to when the brothers betrayed him (Achenar and Sirrus both get solos that merge into a duet somewhere along there). There’s the themes of Atrus’ neglect and all the wonders he makes, the brother’s slowly turning less trustworthy, and then the final plan goes into action. The last song in the half is Atrus singing as he goes to K’veer – knowing somehow that things have gone wrong, but not their scope, and wondering about that Myst book. Second half has the Stranger’s entrance. The Stranger is always concealed and ambiguous by usage of theatrical tricks. This half focuses mostly on the Stranger’s decisions with Sirrus and Achenar, and the eventual freeing of Atrus.
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*Now the books would make even better ones, especially the Book of Atrus. Ti’ana and Gehn’s arguing (“My Son”) – Gehn’s visions of conquest and glory, and his desire to see his son become a “great man” like him (“D’ni/Away from Home”) – Atrus’ dreams of D’ni and his father (“Father”) slowly being compared to reality (“So Small a Man”) – The conflict between their two philosophies (“All I Needed to Know/Ungrateful Boy”) – Katran Atrus romantic songs (“Dreams”) – Ti’ana watching over Atrus…

haven’t linked back to this site for some time. I’m excited to see that this is ever more looking to be a great accomplishment for you guys. when i e mailed the miller brothers years ago, asking if they would ever consider making a film, my thoughts on the actor to play gehn was at that time was Robert de’niro! but there are so many other good actors known and unknown who would do a great job no dougbt. since my last visit here, i have an addition to my own family, and her name Ti’ana Rose..i wonder what inspired me to call her that? good luck people