Festivus Vacation – Basement X Site

Taking a cue from Random_Guy’s excellent post, I’ve decided to do a little breakdown of my favorite BSF moments of 2013, as well as echo his compliments on the new style, which I’ve previously lauded you for…it’s a subtle change, but it’s added a LOT to the look of the BSF. A softness, a texture, that wasn’t there before. Every new entry looks better than the last!

Now my favorites of 2013:

Melanie/Caribe/Paul – Sweet not Fattening (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1595)

It was a great year for the BSF’s development of it’s own cast of characters separate from the goings on of the BWL proper. Part of what I like about the BSF is that it’s developed it’s own cast of colorful side characters, and 2013 saw a lot more development of those characters…but the best of this new crop is undoubtedly Melanie, who got a LOT of great stuff this year, including her own story arc and a great foil in Caribe, all of which was established in this story.

Melanie brings a lot to the BSF. She’s as beautiful as any BSF girl, but unique in that she doesn’t adhere to the usual League body-type, being more voluptuous and curvacious. Now, that would be enough to make her stand out on itself, but Entropy and Sherlock brilliantly tied that into her character, exploring her body image issues, giving her an endearing arc by making her a sympathetic underdog in a League full of super-fit amazons, with Caribe representing all the “mean girls” that have picked on Melanie for her plus-size body.

Of course, part of the brilliance of the storytelling of the BSF is that Entropy and Sherlock consider ALL the characters and keep their motivations and reactions firmly in mind…Melanie’s revenge on Caribe also did wonders for her character, bringing out a vulnerability that we had not previously seen her demonstrate. I love the final image of this particular episode…it looks like something straight out of a Roy Lichtenstein painting and recalls the romance comics of the 50’s.

Caribe/Melanie SHOULD’VE SEEN THIS CUMMING/AGAIN (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1712 and basementxsite.com/home/?p=1716)

Continuing on from the establishing of the rivalry, Entropy and Sherlock delivered on the promise of that arc with a brilliant two-parter that built up anticipation and established stakes in the first part, and paid off with an excellent and unpredictable battle in the second. This was on of Entropy’s most ambitious pieces of storytelling this year as he used multiple sets and split the narrative between Caribe and Melanie to establish both characters motivations and POV’s firmly in the first part, building the anticipation of the second part and casting doubt on who would triumph as both characters were justified in their actions.

Caribe demonstrates her sexual mastery in the second, establishing herself as an ongoing rival for Melanie, and allowing Melanie’s arc to continue as she re-dedicates herself her training, realizing that she has a long way to go in her evolution from talented amateur to sophisticated sexfighter.

MacKenzie/Megan TRAINING MEGAN (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1591)

I’ve made it no secret that Megan is my favorite character in the BWL/BSF, and this entry into her continuing evolution is a great demonstration of why. Megan stands out in among the BWL/BSF characters in that she is the most complex and conflicted character in the League. Story comes from conflict and a good character study is one that challenges the characters worldview. In such stories there are only ever two paths a character can take: adapt or stay resolute. We’ve seen both from Megan…we’ve seen her stubbornly refuse to adapt to her new normal, and stay true to her puritan, prudish, upbringing, but this year has been a year of violent change for Megan as we’ve now seen her beliefs challenged and, with this particular episode, we’re seeing her take a new approach…she has begun to ADAPT to the new normal.

The pairing of Megan and MacKenzie is a welcome surprise, but makes perfect sense. Both appeared in the League around the same time, and both are considered outsiders among the long established regulars of the BWL; upstarts and invaders. But both characters are also opposite but complimentary…Megan is a successful athlete, and something of a bombastic Amazon, while MacKenzie is ambitious but struggles to gain respect, tiny, lithe, and young. Both characters offer something to the other, so it makes sense that they would gravitate towards each other.

Here we get to see how that relationship plays out, as one of Megan’s training sessions turns into one of MacKenzie’s training sessions, the student becoming the teacher and the teacher the student. This does WONDERS for Megan’s growth as it allows her to enter more fully into the world of the BSF, while being careful to not betray her core character. Megan will ever be dragged kicking and screaming, full of doubt, towards sex. She will never fully admit that she enjoys sex and sexual competition, particularly not to herself. This is what makes her such a compelling character to me…she is always conflicted.

Megan/MacKenzie/Theo PROMISES/TOO (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1809 and basementxsite.com/home/?p=1864)

These two represent what, in my opinion, were the best two stories of the BSF this year. Firstly, I LOVE it when Sherlock and Entropy do crossover stories with the BWL, using the matches to establish stakes and then pay them off on the BSF. This gives the matches weight because there is something at stake other than pride or glory, and it gives depth to the BSF stories because it allows them to explore characters more deeply as they either deal with humiliation or triumph.

PROMISES is one of the most intricate and well written BSF stories to date, giving us VOLUMES about Megan’s character, but also more clearly establishing Theo as a character. Previously Theo has been something of a Tabula Rasa, a blank slate, who served a simple function as a representative of authority, but now he’s a CHARACTER, and this story has deep resonance throughout the BWL because it establishes that Theo is human and subject to human needs and desires, which means that he is also subject to BIAS. Theo can be influenced…he can be bribed, he can be tricked, he can be blackmailed, etc etc. This opens up a ton of story potential on both sites, and adds a layer of politics to the BWL that previously didn’t exist.

On Megan’s side of things, these two stories moved her character forwards exponentially and we’re now on the verge of a breakthrough for Megan. The first part has firmly established that Megan is now open to the idea of sex with different partners, something that she previously had to be coerced into having sex with anyone but her husband (or, brilliantly, fantasizing about it in my favorite story “The Head at Wears the Crown”). Now it’s been established that Megan has been seeing Theo fairly regularly and enjoying the thrill of a secret tryst. The second story plants the idea that the ever competitive Megan, shown up and blown away by her younger protege, is now entertaining the idea of entering into a new arena of sexual competition, which bodes well for 2014 (and, dare I dream, my long held hope of seeing a Megan/France titfight!).

As a small addendum to this particular arc, I love the beat in Kim’s tryst with Theo to even the playing field in her fight against MacKenzie where Megan is shown outside the hotel before Theo is confronted by Kim. I love that Sherlock and Entropy can keep so many ongoing plots straight and use them to reinforce other plots and characters. Brilliant stuff!

Cindy/Jennifer/David BACKFIRE (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1722)

One of the BWL/BSF’s greatest rivalries, without a doubt, is Jennifer and Cindy. Blond and Brunette, black and white, oil and water, no two characters are as repellent to each other as these two have been. Their rivalry is so compelling that even when it seemed as if it was over and done with, it just had to come back…it makes them both better characters to live in constant conflict, going back and forth constantly trying to one up each other…but obviously, it could not go on as it had, retreading the same story beats over and over, and just passing David back and forth as the token of their contempt for each other…so Entropy and Sherlock took their rivalry to a shocking and unique new plateau with this story that no one could have predicted, with the surprise, but completely logical, revelation that their bitter hatred for each other was a way of masking deep affection and mutual attraction!

I also argue that this was one of the more strangely romantic episodes in the BSF, despite David being thrown away like an old shoe (but he really was the least important part of their rivalry…it was never about him). As a testament to Entropy’s every increasing skill with manipulating his characters in Poser in the subtlest of ways, Jenn’s expression in that final image is beautiful and surprisingly the first real emotion we’ve seen form Jenn that wasn’t bitter nastiness. This was also an empowering beat for Cindy who finally realizes that she does not need a man for fulfillment and extracts herself from the shitty, emotionally abusive, relationship with her shitheel husband, David. A great bit of character writing all around!

Cindy/Jennifer/Eduardo AWESOME THREESOME (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1841)

An aptly titled story, this was incredibly nuanced piece of writing and brilliant use of first person narrative, as the entire story is told from the perspective of Cindy, as she struggles with feelings of inadequacy and mistrust in her new relationship with Jenn. I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that we didn’t get to live with Jenn and Cindy as a couple for at least a little while, but this really was the only way that relationship could have gone…as much as I believe there was real affection there, particularly from Jenn (her dialogue in this was some of the best ever written for the BWL, as it revealed her own story even without the benefit of though balloons or interior monologue…she was really invested in her relationship with Cindy and went out of her way to laud her and include her in the threesome that would inevitably ruin her new relationship with Cindy), it was always going to end like this, sooner or later. They’re just too competitive for their own good. But, on the plus side, this allows their rivalry to be taken to a new level, this time with Cindy as the antagonist and Jennifer as the slighted hero, because she was the one who was hurt here. It also helps to re-establish Jenn as the League’s Ice Queen because we now have context for why she’s so cold and distant…the one time she puts herself out there and shows any sort of vulnerability, she is betrayed and deeply hurt. This humanizes Jenn in a way that she previously was not. Great stuff!

Prudie/Desiree (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1737)

The entire Desiree arc has been fantastic and full of great stories, and it’s going ramifications have been entertaining and compelling, but I think my favorite entry on that saga was this subtle confrontation with Prudence. It was a unique type of battle for the BSF in that it was not overt, but very quiet and personal. They didn’t even take their clothes off, yet it was one of the most erotic episodes to take place this year! It was also a great story for one of my favorite characters, Prudence, who had a lot of good stuff this year, proving that she’s a character worth pursuing. My only complaint is that it was never fully paid off with Prudence either betraying Tanya or helping her. Prudence is a mostly interesting character because of her conflict with her mother, and this could have been a great opportunity to either take the conflict further or to have Prudence redeem herself in Tanya’s eyes by helping her to win her bar back. Hopefully we will see more of Prudie in the next year and get a clearer take on where she is in her ongoing evolution from child to adult. Will she get out from her mother’s shadow by becoming an enemy, or will she earn her respect as an ally? Time will tell!

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

ClimaXX: The Preliminaries (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1599)

Entropy’s first superheroine, ClimaXX was a stand out standalone story for 2013 introducing a new and unique character and offering up a welcome diversion from the BSF’s usual style to change things up. I can only hope we get to see more of this character in the next year!

PINUPS (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1833)

People always like the new. People appreciate routine, but it can get tiring to see the same thing all the time, so it`s always exciting to see something new. Although this was really just a series of still images of characters posing, it`s still a testament to Entropy`s ability to create characters that people were excited about the prospect of potentially seeing these new characters fleshed out and explored on the BSF. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but Entropy certainly made a good argument in favor of potentially having a few new characters drop by, even if only for a single shot. My personal favorite was the aggressive MILF Claudia…I`d love to see her match up with my other favorite MILF, Tania!

3 throughts on "Festivus Vacation"

random_guy says:

December 28, 2013 at 18:20

Well seeing how this will be the last update for 2013 I would like to take this opportunity to share some my favorite updates of 2013 such as:

Megan in her first Sexfight against Mackenzie.

The Nature vs. Nurture Tournament (specifically the final match Mackenzie vs. Tania).

The potentials new girls in Tania’s “waiting list”.

Cindy leaving David for Jenn (then quickly dumping her).

and lastly Tania losing the No Holds Bar to Desiree.

Of course let us not forget to mention the new textures and lighting effects that Entropy has introduce and last but not least the new collaborator G_Money who did a great job with France and Caribe.

In conclusion I would like to wish Entropy and anyone reading this a Happy New Year!!

ForeShadow says:

December 30, 2013 at 03:21

Taking a cue from Random_Guy’s excellent post, I’ve decided to do a little breakdown of my favorite BSF moments of 2013, as well as echo his compliments on the new style, which I’ve previously lauded you for…it’s a subtle change, but it’s added a LOT to the look of the BSF. A softness, a texture, that wasn’t there before. Every new entry looks better than the last!

Now my favorites of 2013:

Melanie/Caribe/Paul – Sweet not Fattening (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1595)

It was a great year for the BSF’s development of it’s own cast of characters separate from the goings on of the BWL proper. Part of what I like about the BSF is that it’s developed it’s own cast of colorful side characters, and 2013 saw a lot more development of those characters…but the best of this new crop is undoubtedly Melanie, who got a LOT of great stuff this year, including her own story arc and a great foil in Caribe, all of which was established in this story.

Melanie brings a lot to the BSF. She’s as beautiful as any BSF girl, but unique in that she doesn’t adhere to the usual League body-type, being more voluptuous and curvacious. Now, that would be enough to make her stand out on itself, but Entropy and Sherlock brilliantly tied that into her character, exploring her body image issues, giving her an endearing arc by making her a sympathetic underdog in a League full of super-fit amazons, with Caribe representing all the “mean girls” that have picked on Melanie for her plus-size body.

Of course, part of the brilliance of the storytelling of the BSF is that Entropy and Sherlock consider ALL the characters and keep their motivations and reactions firmly in mind…Melanie’s revenge on Caribe also did wonders for her character, bringing out a vulnerability that we had not previously seen her demonstrate. I love the final image of this particular episode…it looks like something straight out of a Roy Lichtenstein painting and recalls the romance comics of the 50’s.

Caribe/Melanie SHOULD’VE SEEN THIS CUMMING/AGAIN (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1712 and basementxsite.com/home/?p=1716)

Continuing on from the establishing of the rivalry, Entropy and Sherlock delivered on the promise of that arc with a brilliant two-parter that built up anticipation and established stakes in the first part, and paid off with an excellent and unpredictable battle in the second. This was on of Entropy’s most ambitious pieces of storytelling this year as he used multiple sets and split the narrative between Caribe and Melanie to establish both characters motivations and POV’s firmly in the first part, building the anticipation of the second part and casting doubt on who would triumph as both characters were justified in their actions.

Caribe demonstrates her sexual mastery in the second, establishing herself as an ongoing rival for Melanie, and allowing Melanie’s arc to continue as she re-dedicates herself her training, realizing that she has a long way to go in her evolution from talented amateur to sophisticated sexfighter.

MacKenzie/Megan TRAINING MEGAN (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1591)

I’ve made it no secret that Megan is my favorite character in the BWL/BSF, and this entry into her continuing evolution is a great demonstration of why. Megan stands out in among the BWL/BSF characters in that she is the most complex and conflicted character in the League. Story comes from conflict and a good character study is one that challenges the characters worldview. In such stories there are only ever two paths a character can take: adapt or stay resolute. We’ve seen both from Megan…we’ve seen her stubbornly refuse to adapt to her new normal, and stay true to her puritan, prudish, upbringing, but this year has been a year of violent change for Megan as we’ve now seen her beliefs challenged and, with this particular episode, we’re seeing her take a new approach…she has begun to ADAPT to the new normal.

The pairing of Megan and MacKenzie is a welcome surprise, but makes perfect sense. Both appeared in the League around the same time, and both are considered outsiders among the long established regulars of the BWL; upstarts and invaders. But both characters are also opposite but complimentary…Megan is a successful athlete, and something of a bombastic Amazon, while MacKenzie is ambitious but struggles to gain respect, tiny, lithe, and young. Both characters offer something to the other, so it makes sense that they would gravitate towards each other.

Here we get to see how that relationship plays out, as one of Megan’s training sessions turns into one of MacKenzie’s training sessions, the student becoming the teacher and the teacher the student. This does WONDERS for Megan’s growth as it allows her to enter more fully into the world of the BSF, while being careful to not betray her core character. Megan will ever be dragged kicking and screaming, full of doubt, towards sex. She will never fully admit that she enjoys sex and sexual competition, particularly not to herself. This is what makes her such a compelling character to me…she is always conflicted.

Megan/MacKenzie/Theo PROMISES/TOO (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1809 and basementxsite.com/home/?p=1864)

These two represent what, in my opinion, were the best two stories of the BSF this year. Firstly, I LOVE it when Sherlock and Entropy do crossover stories with the BWL, using the matches to establish stakes and then pay them off on the BSF. This gives the matches weight because there is something at stake other than pride or glory, and it gives depth to the BSF stories because it allows them to explore characters more deeply as they either deal with humiliation or triumph.

PROMISES is one of the most intricate and well written BSF stories to date, giving us VOLUMES about Megan’s character, but also more clearly establishing Theo as a character. Previously Theo has been something of a Tabula Rasa, a blank slate, who served a simple function as a representative of authority, but now he’s a CHARACTER, and this story has deep resonance throughout the BWL because it establishes that Theo is human and subject to human needs and desires, which means that he is also subject to BIAS. Theo can be influenced…he can be bribed, he can be tricked, he can be blackmailed, etc etc. This opens up a ton of story potential on both sites, and adds a layer of politics to the BWL that previously didn’t exist.

On Megan’s side of things, these two stories moved her character forwards exponentially and we’re now on the verge of a breakthrough for Megan. The first part has firmly established that Megan is now open to the idea of sex with different partners, something that she previously had to be coerced into having sex with anyone but her husband (or, brilliantly, fantasizing about it in my favorite story “The Head at Wears the Crown”). Now it’s been established that Megan has been seeing Theo fairly regularly and enjoying the thrill of a secret tryst. The second story plants the idea that the ever competitive Megan, shown up and blown away by her younger protege, is now entertaining the idea of entering into a new arena of sexual competition, which bodes well for 2014 (and, dare I dream, my long held hope of seeing a Megan/France titfight!).

As a small addendum to this particular arc, I love the beat in Kim’s tryst with Theo to even the playing field in her fight against MacKenzie where Megan is shown outside the hotel before Theo is confronted by Kim. I love that Sherlock and Entropy can keep so many ongoing plots straight and use them to reinforce other plots and characters. Brilliant stuff!

Cindy/Jennifer/David BACKFIRE (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1722)

One of the BWL/BSF’s greatest rivalries, without a doubt, is Jennifer and Cindy. Blond and Brunette, black and white, oil and water, no two characters are as repellent to each other as these two have been. Their rivalry is so compelling that even when it seemed as if it was over and done with, it just had to come back…it makes them both better characters to live in constant conflict, going back and forth constantly trying to one up each other…but obviously, it could not go on as it had, retreading the same story beats over and over, and just passing David back and forth as the token of their contempt for each other…so Entropy and Sherlock took their rivalry to a shocking and unique new plateau with this story that no one could have predicted, with the surprise, but completely logical, revelation that their bitter hatred for each other was a way of masking deep affection and mutual attraction!

I also argue that this was one of the more strangely romantic episodes in the BSF, despite David being thrown away like an old shoe (but he really was the least important part of their rivalry…it was never about him). As a testament to Entropy’s every increasing skill with manipulating his characters in Poser in the subtlest of ways, Jenn’s expression in that final image is beautiful and surprisingly the first real emotion we’ve seen form Jenn that wasn’t bitter nastiness. This was also an empowering beat for Cindy who finally realizes that she does not need a man for fulfillment and extracts herself from the shitty, emotionally abusive, relationship with her shitheel husband, David. A great bit of character writing all around!

Cindy/Jennifer/Eduardo AWESOME THREESOME (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1841)

An aptly titled story, this was incredibly nuanced piece of writing and brilliant use of first person narrative, as the entire story is told from the perspective of Cindy, as she struggles with feelings of inadequacy and mistrust in her new relationship with Jenn. I can’t help but feel a little disappointed that we didn’t get to live with Jenn and Cindy as a couple for at least a little while, but this really was the only way that relationship could have gone…as much as I believe there was real affection there, particularly from Jenn (her dialogue in this was some of the best ever written for the BWL, as it revealed her own story even without the benefit of though balloons or interior monologue…she was really invested in her relationship with Cindy and went out of her way to laud her and include her in the threesome that would inevitably ruin her new relationship with Cindy), it was always going to end like this, sooner or later. They’re just too competitive for their own good. But, on the plus side, this allows their rivalry to be taken to a new level, this time with Cindy as the antagonist and Jennifer as the slighted hero, because she was the one who was hurt here. It also helps to re-establish Jenn as the League’s Ice Queen because we now have context for why she’s so cold and distant…the one time she puts herself out there and shows any sort of vulnerability, she is betrayed and deeply hurt. This humanizes Jenn in a way that she previously was not. Great stuff!

Prudie/Desiree (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1737)

The entire Desiree arc has been fantastic and full of great stories, and it’s going ramifications have been entertaining and compelling, but I think my favorite entry on that saga was this subtle confrontation with Prudence. It was a unique type of battle for the BSF in that it was not overt, but very quiet and personal. They didn’t even take their clothes off, yet it was one of the most erotic episodes to take place this year! It was also a great story for one of my favorite characters, Prudence, who had a lot of good stuff this year, proving that she’s a character worth pursuing. My only complaint is that it was never fully paid off with Prudence either betraying Tanya or helping her. Prudence is a mostly interesting character because of her conflict with her mother, and this could have been a great opportunity to either take the conflict further or to have Prudence redeem herself in Tanya’s eyes by helping her to win her bar back. Hopefully we will see more of Prudie in the next year and get a clearer take on where she is in her ongoing evolution from child to adult. Will she get out from her mother’s shadow by becoming an enemy, or will she earn her respect as an ally? Time will tell!

SPECIAL MENTIONS:

ClimaXX: The Preliminaries (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1599)

Entropy’s first superheroine, ClimaXX was a stand out standalone story for 2013 introducing a new and unique character and offering up a welcome diversion from the BSF’s usual style to change things up. I can only hope we get to see more of this character in the next year!

PINUPS (basementxsite.com/home/?p=1833)

People always like the new. People appreciate routine, but it can get tiring to see the same thing all the time, so it`s always exciting to see something new. Although this was really just a series of still images of characters posing, it`s still a testament to Entropy`s ability to create characters that people were excited about the prospect of potentially seeing these new characters fleshed out and explored on the BSF. Whether it happens or not remains to be seen, but Entropy certainly made a good argument in favor of potentially having a few new characters drop by, even if only for a single shot. My personal favorite was the aggressive MILF Claudia…I`d love to see her match up with my other favorite MILF, Tania!

Chazlamborghini says:

January 2, 2014 at 10:34

Well put Foreshadow. Considering how thin Entropy and crew are spread developing persona’s and story lines for twelve or so characters on the roster, he does a great job. I used to do fiction and characters with story arcs and artwork to boot, its a lot of work.

3 throughts on "Festivus Vacation"

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