#I don't know I feel like making it gold is a very deliberate choice especially since Leander even calls it out in his route-“look we match”

[arquinx]

I love this idea! Especially because kintsugi art is about how something broken can end up being more valuable and that definitely fits the theme of the story. The devs mentioned that Touchstarved is for people who feel like outsiders/outcasts. One could add people who feel “broken” to that. I wonder if MC's curse is actually meant to be a boon in some way. Which would be interesting if there were LI who were aware of that and intend to keep MC close for their own advantage. It would add an interesting dynamic to try an figure out who you could trust completely.

I had this thought for a while, but MC's scars look almost exactly like that japanese Kintsugi art of repairing ceramic pots/vases, could be intentional maybe?

A friend of mine @portsandstars mentioned the idea of maybe MC's hands being broken (metaphorically or not), with their golden scars being what holds everything together. Anyways I didn't think too hard about it, I want to see what the community thinks about this idea/theory :D

[theadventurerslog]

King's Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow | Part 1

The Adventurer’s Log

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today Gone Tomorrow Part 1

Release date: 1992 (1993)

Introduction

King's Quest VI puts us back in the shoes of Alexander. It's been a few months since Graham saved them from Mordack and Alexander is pining for Princess Cassima. He's heard no word of her and has found nothing to tell him where the Land of the Green Isles is.

Valanice tells him it's been months and he essentially should move on and think of other things to which he sort of reluctantly agrees and she leaves. But then the magic mirror activates! As it does.

And Cassima's voice can be heard calling for Alexander and then he gets a vision of her. She 'feels so alone and doesn't know what to do. Alexander...'

You know, the chest of infinite gold and the shield that were the other two treasures Graham got back in the first game never come up again, but this mirror is sure getting its use. It's been in every game in some capacity except for V.

I'm about to get cranky for a moment, and I don't want that to give the wrong impression because I am excited for this game and have already had a great time with my first session, but this is one of the reasons I was cranky about the ending of KQV. They were deliberately building to this game, so why did they make the meeting between Alexander and Cassima that rough with such a poor first impression of Alexander? I can suspend my disbelief for this game for love at first sight (as silly as it is), especially for this series where it's a very common thing, but from Cassima's point of view, especially with the trouble currently going on there as we'll learn about, what is there for her to think about in regards to Alexander now? Just argh.

Anyway, this is enough to get the smitten Alexander going and he gathers a crew and ship and sets sail to find the Land of the Green Isles.

After three months of sailing certain lands are spotted, but when they get close night falls and a storm starts raging. They're dashed upon the rocks and ship wreck...

Title screen! Look at the 3D text.

And the adventure begins as Alexander wakes up on the shores...

He got his men safely to lifeboats but wasn't able to make it himself. And we have text again! Voice and text thank goodness.

I poked around a bit and lifted the plank to find a broken chest underneath that contained one single Daventry copper coin. Alexander's insignia ring was also on the beach.

Then there was one tradition to fulfill. Out into the water you go, sir!

It actually warns you of the undertow when you first enter the water, so you have a chance to back off, but you know. Gotta do it once. He gets swept out to sea and...

Well, down he goes. Sorry Alexander.

Fancy death screen in this game!

And snarky narrator message. I really quite like the narrator in this game. Did I mention this game has actual voice actors now?

Once I was done drowning poor Alexander (what do you think of your choices now, Cassima?) I set off down the path to find a branching path.

I've got a town in one direction a castle in the other. I went for the town first.

We've got a pawn shoppe, a book shoppe and an old man selling old lamps for new. I talked to him and Alexander questions his business practice to which he explains that 'there's always a chance he'll find a genie and be richer than a king! And there's always a roaring business in antique illuminaries.'

Unfortunately, newly washed up and all, I have no new lamps for him, so there's nothing to be done at this point.

I went to the pawn shoppe next to a very familiar voice because the shop keeper is voiced by the same person who voices King Andre in The Curse of Monkey Island and it's a very recognizable voice. When I first heard it in the let's play I perked up like 'I know him!' It might be silly but I always get happy recognizing a voice actor. It's just fun.

Like this pawn shop is fun!

There are so many things to examine and so many good descriptions.

I love this hatchet spiel. It's just an axe lodged in the floor, but off he goes...

And then! Examining the shelves brings up all kinds of jokes relating to the past games such as:

And

And a 'golden bridle finder, for finding those nearly-invisible golden bridles', a box of 'cat-cookie mix. "Play tricks on your friends," the box says' and 'self-adhesive emeralds. "What you use when you don't have honey." and something I greatly needed: "stairs traction pads; "Stop slipping off those narrow staircases." And there were more! But I won't list every single one.

There were also potions and things like "a bottle labeled 'Owl Courage Potion," for spineless owls.' and 'a small box of "Enchanted Sorcerer's Flea and Tick Collars." Among other goodies.

The shop keeper was surprised to find Alexander didn't know where he was and explains he's landed on the Land of the Green Isles. We made it! And Alexander explains how he reached here, following the stars...

He sure is. With Princess Cassima! For the best reaction.

He has a little more information: Cassima is in a dark time, things aren't well between the islands and the ferry is no longer running. Otherwise there isn't much info to get from him but he does have items on the counter the copper Daventry coin can be used on. Get one item but able to exchange it for one of the others any time. There's a mechanical nightingale, a flute, a tinderbox and a paintbrush. None of which there is currently a known use for, but I snagged the flute for fun. There's also a bowl of free mints for customers and I grabbed one.

I moved onto the book shop next.

Books! And more information to be had! But first there was a little table with bargain books.

Of course I had to take it, especially being free and everything. What could it be?

Very very confusingly boring. When I later tried to give it back to the owner he was aghast--he was trying to get RID of it.

The cloaked man wouldn't talk but examining him notes that he seems to keep watching you. He may have refused to talk, but the fire will be friendly instead.

I tried talking to it. There's a number of things that give you some kind of response if you use the talk command. I'd tried it on the Daventry coin earlier too and being a coin of Daventry had King Graham's face on it, so the message was something like 'only if King Graham were here to ask for his advice.'

Anyway the little book on the table was about court entertainment. One shelf had some silly guide books and the next had a book of poetry that Alexander had to read. There were a few he seemed to appreciate but then one in particular 'hit close to home' and he was quite taken by it. The page falls out when putting the book back the shop owner lets you keep it because he's already had to repair it twice and doesn't want to do it.

The poem in question:

I wanted to record it because this narrator reads it with so much gravity. And this boy is truly lovesick.

The shopkeeper had some more information. He also notes the ferry no longer runs between the islands. There's been much political unrest and it's been too dangerous to travel. He also mentions at least three islands but there may be a fourth. And that the Land of the Green Isles is said to exist on the boundaries of this world and the next. He mentions a ferry man to talk to and that's all for now here. Time to find the ferryman.

Passing through the archway in town led to this house with many roses along its gates and walls. There was a lady outside tending the flowers.

Before I could talk to the lady another woman came out and berated her a bunch and she went back insider after her. Very Cinderella and evil step-mother situation there.

The screen after has the dilapidated ferry. And a boy swimming in the water who tells Alexander to come on down. He claims he can show Alexander the way to the other islands.

Surely there's nothing suspicious here and we've had no bad experiences with the water already. What could go wrong? Obviously I jumped in after.

Yeah, it goes about as well as expected. Alexander drowns.

Reload! The boy keeps nagging you to come in but if you wait just a little he'll disappear in time.

Nothing to worry about there I'm sure. Ferry time!

The ferryman is willing to talk and invites Alexander inside. We learn a little more about the seeming weirdness of this place, though he doesn't much believe some of the wilder stories. He speaks fondly of Cassima and her mother Queen Allaria and how he used to take them to the other islands to help people. The King and Queen served their people. Then things got bad between the islands and the vizier shut down travel. Even if he wanted to travel now the ferry isn't seaworthy anymore. However, there is word of a map that may help that the pawn shop owner may know something of... He also let me take his old rabbit's foot and with that I left.

I stopped in at the book shop again and this time the robed man was gone, but a newcomer was there.

He wouldn't talk at first until showing Alexander's insignia ring and he recognizes the name thanks to Cassima telling him of a Prince Alexander of Daventry. He's the clown to the royal court and had seen her briefly when she returned. Unfortunately, Cassima's parents, Queen Allaria and King Caliphim, died a few weeks before her return. They say it was due to heartbreak and he's afraid she's blaming herself. She's sequestered in mourning, an apparently outdated tradition that isn't required, but the vizier says she insisted out of respect. He doesn't trust the vizier and is only staying at the castle to keep an ear to the ground. He wishes he could get a message to Cassima, but the only way he knows to do so would be through her pet nightingale, Sing Sing, but he doesn't know where she is, so he can only wait. He'll try to come back here in the future so we can talk more.

We have information and a contact!

With that I carried on to the pawn shoppe where the robed man was also. He still wouldn't talk.

The shop keeper indeed has a magic map that will enable one to teleport to the other islands as long as the user is near the sea. He would normally want a magic item in return, but with business bad due to the islands being closed off to each other, he's willing to simply take something valuable instead. Alexander offers his insignia ring :(.

It's enough, but the shop keeper does offer to keep it for him for a few days, so that if he finds something else valuable he can get his ring back.

After the exchange the robed man darted forward and snatched a mint and ate it. Then he started wobbling and acting drunk, staggered out.

Leading me to a "Seconds later, in the castle..." and a scene elsewhere!

The Master here gets mad at him for eating mint and had told him to stop that. With some effort he gets the information out of this fellow, who's name is Shamir, that Prince Alexander of Daventry is here. He knows that's the man Cassima met at Mordack's castle, so he knows of that, hmm. And that Alexander found a magic "smap". He's not happy; he thought he'd taken care of the only mode of travel. He orders Shamir to 'go to the other islands and tell them...' and the scenes fades.

Trouble is afoot!

But for now I have a magic smap, er, map, as well as a castle to go check out, which will be my tasks next time!

--

Points: 22/231 Deaths: 2 Time: 1:15

[crehador]

2 18 25 ! 🪱

combining these!

2) what work of yours, if any, are you the most embarrassed about existing?

all of them no in all seriousness uhhh maybe the one that necessitated these tags

of my three appare-ranman fics two were so uwu and then there was this old man bastard yaoi lol

9) what, if anything, do you do for inspiration?

i feel like i rarely actively seek out inspiration these days, it comes from everywhere! there's too much of it in fact!! my problem has always been too many ideas and not enough time/creative ability to write them all

for icsm especially it comes from all over the place, everything reminds me of them lmao like i'll just be watching haruki play totk and my no thoughts head empty icsm only brain will be like "oh oh oh samatoki plays totk"

12) your weaknesses as an author

oh so so many and i don't even say that as a bad thing, it is always good to know you have room to improve!

i think one of my biggest weaknesses is descriptive writing. not all writing has to be Very descriptive to be good, but it is something i would like to improve on in my own work

another is... earnestness, maybe? like sometimes i worry i pull away from meaningful moments when i should be leaning in to them

also action scenes/fight scenes! i don't write them very often and would love more practice with those

13) your strengths as an author

i hope it's dialogue and comedy lol because i am always writing those a lot and they are very fun to write! lovely commenters have also said on some occasions that i am good at characterization which feels almost too generous but would be neat if true

like personally i don't think my characters (in fanfic) are necessarily always the most in-character, but i do think one of my strengths is keeping characterization consistent and believable within a fic. so even if it's maybe a bit off from canon, within an isolated fic it more or less tracks and ends up feeling (i hope) like 'good' characterization

18) were there any works you read that affected you so much that it influenced your writing style? what were they?

many!! i don't think i have enough self-awareness to know exactly what affected me in what way, but i was one of those book-a-day kids growing up (oh to read that regularly again) and i'm sure many of those works influenced me greatly

i was also a memory-issues kid so i would struggle to remember what was most impactful though lmao

while it doesn't answer this question directly one thing i do remember is always struggling with like reading something great and thinking "this is good writing! and i don't write like this! therefore i must be a shit writer!" which is a way of thinking that is very important to unlearn lol (good writing can be good in different ways!)

so my recent journey has been more about not deliberately trying to emulate other writers too much, though i had a disastrously long phase of my youth in which i read way too many old white guys so tbh i probably write like an old white guy rn

25) copy/paste a few sentences or a short paragraph that you’re particularly proud of

the first thing that came to mind was a moment in pride (tg!au) but it's like the moment that i kind of don't want to pull out of context lol (the "i like you weird" conversation)

so i will go with a bit from stay gold that i skimmed again and don't hate:

"I would have rather had your bite," Usui admitted candidly, palming the gold coin and making it disappear into his sleeve once more. "I would have rather known you were capable of mourning your own life, of believing its loss would be worth avenging. But when you wouldn't bite down, even when I forced the coin between your teeth, even as your life bled away from you, I came to a realization. "It didn't matter if it was your bite or mine, if it was your choice or mine. There was a time when I believed the choice to live could only be made by you and you alone, and I must confess I still long for the day you'll be able to choose to live for yourself once more. "But until that day arrives, until you are prepared to make that choice, the others and I will choose for you. Because what matters to us, Taishin-sensei, is that you live."

[animezinglife]

Cassian is very astute in his observations--it's one of the many reasons I don't like people mischaracterizing him as dumb. It's also an interesting observation for a general to make, especially towards such a beautiful woman (which he acknowledges Elain is).

He's not making the observation in the realm of, "Wow, that's just not her shade."

That line is specifically meant to frame that a trademark characteristic of that court--Night Court Black--is actively opposing her. It does not suit her.

SJM uses clothing often to depict someone is in the wrong place or with the wrong person. She did it with Feyre when it came to the frilly dresses of Spring, that Barbie-esque wedding dress that Feyre would never choose for herself and was very unlike her, and even the immediate switch to more comfortable clothing when she starts living with Rhys in the Night Court.

Rhys brings her comfort, a sense of safety, and security, and clothing is used to reflect that, too. Feyre is no longer focused on survival or playing roles. She no longer has to be the provider, the protector, or the fighter, and we start to see her clothing reflect that by turning to a mix of comfortable Night Court clothing and beautiful dresses.

Feyre likes these dresses because not only do they suit her tastes more, but she feels safe in them. She is at a point in her life where she's grown from Feyre the Huntress to Feyre the High Lady: there's more grace to her even if she still holds to every aspect of her personality that we love (thankfully, though, without the stubbornness of refusing to learn basic life skills like reading). She's more confident and more powerful, and she's secure and settled into her relationship and love. Everything she's been through has made her stronger, and now she is the highest embodiment of it all: huntress, fighter, survivor, High Lady, mate, love, mother.

We see it with Nesta to some degree, too: she chooses strong, clean fashions. Relatively conservative cuts in most cases designed to make her look tall, to draw attention not to her body, but to her face and her power. She even states that still likes to be fairly covered up in public, and we see her clothes--in those more modest, refined, sharp-cut dresses and Illyrian leathers--reflect that, too. Nesta is no longer the woman who sits back, stares down her nose, and barks orders--she plays an active role in her life with both skill and more humility than she had before. She has grown up.

Think about how much we know about the Vanserras just from Lucien's and Eris's clothing: impeccably dressed, fine tailoring, and worn in a way that suits their personalities. Eris is more buttoned-up; Lucien wears similar clothing, and yet it almost comes across more sexy and relaxed--"rakish" despite the fact he still looks powerful and elegant in it.

Should we not apply the same deliberate writing choices to Elain? Black is not a color she would ever choose for herself, but she does it to play a role with the Night Court. To try to make herself part of it, and Cassian's observation tells us it doesn't quite work.

That's not a knock on Elain at all--it's merely an observation from someone who knows people and knows how to identify when something is off.

Colors do play a role in this story. Reds going from being perceived as the color of roses to the color of blood. Lucien's constant mix of autumnal tones and golds--a color that both reflects autumn and the sun. There's a warmth and a brightness to him that's reflected in those clothes. A constant tie and allusion to nature.

So, when we know how shockingly beautiful Elain is and someone who cares about her's initial observation is that she looks leeched of color and that black looks wrong on her, we listen.

It in no way means she won't always have a relationship with and family in the Night Court. She will. It simply means she is meant to play a bigger role elsewhere in a world that better suits her.

You don't even have to factor in any ships to see that clearly.

Something that's been circulating around all the shipwar drama is the fact that Cassian said that Elain didn't look good in the black dress, and I don't get why it gets so much traction, and heck even that it means she should leave her friends and family to go live in a court she's never been to?

Listen. I look bad in yellow. I know that, I avoid yellow because of that. But guess what? I live in a really sunny part of the world with palm trees and stuff. Does that mean that because I look bad in a sunny colour, I should just pack up and move to some place where the sun never shines? No. Obviously not.

Night Court has equal times of day and night, same with Day Court. It's literally just a colour. Chill.

There are a thousand arguments for each side of this shipwar but the opinion of one (1) man about a girl in one (1) dress does not automatically confirm any ship no matter what.