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hanoella · 3 years ago

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Affettuoso- With Feeling (Part 10)

Pairing: Bucky x Pianist!Reader

Set after the events of TFATWS: In an effort to start over and make a home in Louisiana, Bucky meets a friend of Sam’s who ends up being his landlord. With only a driveway to separate them, he finds that he’s not the only one looking for a fresh start.

Series tags/warnings: Slow Burn, Eventual Bucky x Reader, Mentions of Domestic Abuse, Canon Level Violence, PTSD, Mentions of sex, Sexual Content

Part 10 Word Count: 5.5k

A/N: Okay, I fell of of the face of the earth but now I'm back. There were a billion ways that I tried to write this, and it's actually why I was gone so long. It really made me meditate and do research on the grief of losing someone. So, ultimately, the end of this chapter was the relationship I was stuck over how to handle. Thank you guys for your patience. What it did help me do was plot out the whole rest of the story. Expect regular updates again <3

Once again, thank you for all your support! Every heart and comment motivates me and is just so wonderful.

Taglist!: @vicmc624 @buckys2thicc @undiadeestos @tailsoflightning @mischief-siriusly-managed @officiallykuute

Read Part 1; Masterlist

Chapter 10

Of course, for Valentine’s Day weekend, the orchestra went all out. They hung heart shaped string lights across the stage, and the orchestra could add shades of red to their all-black uniform. Some accented their ensemble with red heels or ties, others went full on red and pink dresses, and as to be expected, someone had handed out red heart-shaped beaded necklaces. Arthur, the conductor, had even put on a headband with two light up hearts on antennas. The crowd had loved all of the romantic melodies, and you had too, as of late.

All week you had practiced the romantic melodies, even humming them as you milled about the house. Things were going extremely well in your life. You had exciting projects to work on, the house was starting to come together, you had a serious boyfriend and a cat to boot. It was really all coming together. He had even come back from his most recent mission just in time to show up the morning of the concert, flowers in hand. You had graciously accepted, humming a tune from one of Debussy’s romantic compositions as you arranged the stems how you wanted in their new vase.

Now at the concert, Bucky sat in his normal seat, watching as you shined on stage. You were stunning in the orange-pink dress you were wearing, flowing with a gold-dotted sheer overlay. The puffed-sleeves were made of the same overlay fabric, delicately framing your arms, glimmering as you played. The off-shoulder dress came down into a deep v, white and pink flowers adorned in gemstones sown in along the neckline. You looked absolutely dreamy, like you came straight out of a fairytale.

Arthur’s voice shook Bucky from his thoughts.

“Thank you, once again, for joining us tonight on this special romantic weekend. Many of you know that Ms. Novikov is our talented, featured guest this season.” There was a break for applause, in which Bucky heartily applauded you as you bowed your head in graciousness. “She has been such a great blessing to us here. Speaking frankly, it is only through her generous help that we were able to open the theater again. So, when she humbly approached me to recommend a piece for our weekend of moving romantic songs, how could I do anything except include it? For our finale, I yield my microphone to Ms. Novikov. She will be introducing our final piece: Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C Minor, Opus 18, Movement 1.”

You got up from the piano bench, stepping towards the conductor’s podium to accept the microphone.

“Thank you, Arthur.” You glanced upwards at Bucky, who gave you a reassuring nod as you took a breath in. “Those of you who have attended this concert season know that I am partial to Russian composers. They’re so incredibly dark but passionate, shaped by the hard life that came from living in the Soviet Era. So, they’re not who you would initially think of when you think of romance. This piece by Rachmaninoff that we’re about to perform is one I consider to be extremely romantic. You’ll hear a lovely theme in the major key breakthrough the minor key that we start in. That will be showcased by solos from the oboe and French horn. The key and tempo changes remind me of the trials that you go through to get to the one you love, and that in the end, being with them makes it worth enduring all that time. So please, enjoy our final piece for the night.”

You handed the microphone back and sat on the piano bench, taking your position. Once you had set your fingers on the starting notes, you nodded at Arthur to signal the start. Taking a deep breath in, you lifted your hands and struck the starting chord.

The starting notes were firm, dark, growing louder until you eased into the quick melody that paced back and forth between two points on the piano. The orchestra eventually joined you, but it didn’t stop you from being the star of the show. The strings eased back as you came back full force with the melody. You guided the transition of tempo and initiated a key change, falling into a lovely melody.

Bucky’s breath was caught in his throat as he listened to how passionately you were playing. There seemed to be two main themes, the lighter romantic side and the stronger darker side, swaying back and forth. He enjoyed the music, feeling it stir his emotions as he watched the gemstones in your hair glitter as you moved.

Bucky had accompanied you to the tailor shop this time around. Since he was basically coming to the concert hall every week, you had asked him to come along with you to get fitted for some new suits, stating that he needed more “variety”. He didn’t really think there was any point. Especially since you were always dressed so beautifully, no one was going to be paying any attention to him. Nonetheless, he had jumped at any chance to be with you.

He was looking in the mirror at the navy blue suit that you had recommended when he heard your voice.

“Selena’s pulling my dress now. How’s the suit?”

In response, he pushed aside the curtain and came out to where you were.

“Wow, look at you. Very handsome.” You said happily as you tugged gently on the lapels of his jacket.

“Yeah?” He asked as he fiddled with the tie. Normally he was fine, but today he was having trouble enduring the closed collar. Some days were worse than others. It just made him feel a little claustrophobic, like he was leashed.

You searched his face, taking into account the signs of anxiety he was showing- the quickening shallow breaths, his inability to look in one place, the constant swallowing as if to make sure he still could. Smoothing out the front of his jacket, you gently took ahold of his hands, moving them from the tie and loosening it yourself.

“Is that better?”

Bucky cleared his throat and he swallowed once as if to check.

“It is but it looks ridiculous that loose.”

He saw a thought flash through your eyes. Before he could ask you about it, you loosened the tie even more, lifting it off of him and tossing it lightly into the chair adjacent.

“How about now?” You said as you smiled up at him. He laughed as he took in your happy expression.

“Well, that’s fantastic. But shouldn’t I wear a tie with the suit?”

“You sit in Irina Novikov’s personal box. Who’s going to stop you to tell you different as long as your my guest?”

His smile got even bigger and he turned to examine his reflection after he undid the very top button. He turned back to you and put his hands up in question.

“Even more handsome.” You said as you pecked his cheek. It was then that you heard Selena’s voice calling you to come try on the dress.

“I’ll be right back.” You said as you turned.

After a minute, you came out in the dress for the Valentine’s day concert. The orangey-pink reminded him of the sunsets where the warm tones took over the earth until twilight, like a classic Michelangelo painting. You had put your hair up in a messy low bun, leaving little wisps that framed your face.

“What do you think?” You asked him, walking into the mirrored section outside of the fitting rooms where he was standing.

He opened his mouth, raising his eyebrows while he tried to find the words to describe how truly beautiful you looked in his eyes. Having no luck, he settled for shaking his head, a smile overtaking his face.

“You look beautiful.” He settled with. A similar color to the dress came across your nose as you looked downwards at yourself.

“It’s not too much? She really cut down on this neckline. Also, are these sleeves too much?” You said, lifting an arm to show the puff of sheer fabric that extended from the base of your neck to your forearm to create a full sleeve.

“You look perfect. But are the sleeves bothering you?”

“Kind of. They’re just so big, it’s a little stifling.” You said, stepping towards the mirror and pulling at the sleeves.

Thinking back to all the pictures of your glory days hanging in your room, Bucky got an idea. He stepped up to where you were standing, gentling scooping your hair from the nape of your neck forward. You blinked in surprised and watched as he took both of his hands and gently slid the sleeves down your arms until the dress looked shoulder-less and the sleeves started right at the top of your biceps- just like how your dresses were in most of the pictures.

“What about now?” He said, looking at you through the mirror.

You reached your right hand up to touch his warm hand still holding the sleeve down. Slowly, you brushed over his hand to the pink scarring across your shoulder.

“The dress is better… But my shoulder still looks horrendous.”

“I don’t think so, I just see you. I think you look beautiful.”

You gave him a loving smile and raised your shoulder to press your cheek to his hand. You both stayed like that for a moment before he leaned down and gently pressed his lips to your shoulder.

“Besides…” He started, his lips so close that you could feel his breath against your skin. “Who’s going to tell you different as long as you’re mine and I’m yours?”

He pressed several more kisses along your shoulder, moving along to your neck, each one getting progressively longer. You let out a shallow breath, pink flushing your face as you reach back to grasp his hair, your fingers gently carding through the shorter strands at the nape of his neck. You weren’t sure how much more you could take before you resolved for your first time together to be in the dressing room.

A thud broke you apart, a gasp escaping from you. You both turned, looking at a box of gemstone hair pieces spilling out onto the floor at the feet of the female sales clerk that had given Bucky her number. Bucky sighed mentally at the petty smirk on her face.

“Oops.” She said, enunciating the P so that it popped.

She turned around and left the hallway, having accomplished her goal of interrupting the moment. You walked over to the box and started picking up the spilled hair pieces. Bucky knelt beside you, helping put them back.

“What was that?” You whispered, half confused, half amused.

“I don’t think she’s too happy about how stunning you are.”

You laughed and watched as Bucky picked up a gold clip with opals and peach colored gemstones and placed it into your hair, above the bun.

“I think anyone would be mad if they compared themselves to you.” He said, now tucking a stray piece of hair behind your ear. You gave him a look of grateful happiness, leaning in to meet his lips.

He was glad you decided to lower the sleeves. You were too beautiful, inside and out, to be hidden away- ashamed. If you needed any proof of that, all you had to do was look through his eyes at yourself- standing and accepting the applause, slightly breathless with a light sheen across your skin. You glanced up at Bucky, who was applauding you with a bright smile. Anyone could see that you were absolutely taken by each other.

After the concert had concluded, Bucky made his way to your dressing room, laying across the couch and scrolling on his phone as he waited for you. About 20 minutes later, you came into the room, grinning widely as you spotted him, one leg off o f the couch. Before he had a chance to get up, you made your way over and gently scooched overtop of him. It was a sweet image, your ear pressed to his chest as you laid atop of him, hugging him in a pile of pink tulle. He brought his hand up to rest against the small of your back, rubbing small circled as he softly greeted you.

“Hey there, pretty girl.”

“Hi,” you said in a contentedly.

“Maybe it’s just me but it seems like you played even better than your usual amazing today.”

You hummed in response, and brought your head up to look at him, resting your chin on the tops of your hands.

“Well, if you have anyone to thank, I think it’d be yourself. It’s much easier to play love songs when you have inspiration.” You say as you smiled.

Bucky let out a little laugh, bringing his other hand up to cup your face and kiss you. As you lost yourselves in the kiss, you were so thankful for him and everything he made you feel. It felt like you were learning how to live again, and he was steadying you, holding you up until you were able to do it on your own.

---

After piling up Alpine’s food bowl, you and Bucky took your flight up to New York. It was an easy trip, landing right around lunch time. Since you still had a couple hours until it was check-in time at the hotel, Julia had offered for you both to relax and have dinner at her place until then. You could barely contain your excitement on the cab ride over.

“I haven’t seen her in years. I mean, we talk at least once a week, but we haven’t even been in the same state for a long time. I’m really excited for you to meet her.” You said as you squeezed Bucky’s hand in the back of the cab. He gave you a reassuring smile and you resumed looking out the window at a city you both had called home at one point. It would make a lot of people excited and overwhelmed but to Bucky, it was just the place he grew up in. There was something comforting about the noise of the city, the reddish tones of the bricks in the rows of townhomes and buildings as the car sped past.

Eventually, the cab pulled up to a townhome where a woman was standing out front. You excitedly got out of the cab as Bucky chuckled, handing the driver the fare for the trip. You jogged up the steps and firmly hugged the woman, who laughed brightly as she hugged you back.

Bucky easily picked up both of your suitcases from the trunk and set them down on the sidewalk, closing the trunk to the cab so it could get to it’s next destination. He turned to see that you had finally pulled away from the woman, who he could only assume was Julia. She swept her thick jet-black hair back and glanced down at Bucky, causing you to turn to follow her gaze.

“Ah, thank you, Buck! Sorry, I got so distracted. Bucky, this is Julia. Julia, this is Bucky.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Bucky.” Julia said as she stuck her hand out to shake Bucky’s in a surprisingly small grip for such a short woman.

“Likewise,” He said, as they dropped their hands. “It’s nice to finally meet this roommate she’s been talking about.”

“I feel the same about the hunky sergeant she keeps talking-“

“Julia!”

That made him laugh.

After introductions and carrying everything inside, you all chatted for a while over a cheese board and wine. Bucky hadn’t ever seen a board just for cheese and crackers but he was definitely enjoying the new experience while listening to all the wedding talk.

“So did you and Raul finally pick a venue?” You asked Julia, sinking back into the plush couch against Bucky.

“We did! So, his family’s mostly in Mexico, and mine in Peru, and then our friends are all in New York, so we decided to go with Mexico since it was in the middle. He’s actually there now to visit his family. Besides, it will be so beautiful and the heat will die down in early Fall. Let me pull up the pictures. It’s a ranch outside of the capital with stunning Spanish architecture. The reception area is open air, and it will be perfect for dancing under the stars.”

You flipped through the photos, excitedly pointing out the different parts of the venue that would be perfect for pictures. There was thorough talk of wedding favors, bachelorette parties, and other things to plan for the festivities to come. Eventually though, you started getting tired from the early morning you had. Julia noticed and gestured for you both to take a nap in the guest bedroom.

“I’m just going to shut my eyes for a few minutes.” You said, rubbing your eyes and yawning. You tacked on a sleepy “I missed you” at the end.

She replied with a hug. “I missed you too.”

Thanking her again for her hospitality, you shut the door and flounced onto the bed, eyes already closed. Bucky followed behind you, wrapping an arm around you and pulling you to him, pressing your back against his chest. You reached back lazily, combing your fingers through his hair before you murmured a sleepy goodnight. You drifted off rather quickly and Bucky felt like he was next. Planes always made him a little anxious. It was always the prologue before a big fight, whether it be back then as a soldier in World War II, Hydra’s biggest weapon, or now as… whatever he would be classified as now. “Hero” doesn’t sound right. A good guy? Whatever he was, he didn’t sleep on the plane, so it was really catching up to him. He drifted off to sleep with his face against your hair, lulled to sleep by the scent of your shampoo.

---

He woke suddenly, disoriented by unfamiliar surroundings. Once he recognized where he was, he calmed himself. Bucky hadn’t slept that hard in a while. Looking over to where you had been laying, he saw that you had crept away at some point. Judging by the low light filtering in through the blinds, he had been asleep for a few hours. He got up to shake off the grogginess and find wherever you had snuck off to.

He opened the door to find Julia sitting at the table, reading a magazine. She looked up and smiled disarmingly.

“Good morning! If you’re looking for her, she went to grab us dinner from the restaurant around the corner. I offered to go but she insisted on visiting the family who runs it. It’s been a while since she’s talked to them.”

“Ah. Gotcha.” He said, looking around slightly awkwardly. Before he could figure out what to do, Julia spoke and rescued him.

“Make yourself at home. Would you like anything to drink?” She asked as she gestured to the couch.

“Just some water, thank you.” He responded as he sat.

Julia poured water out of a pitcher into a glass and handed it to him, sitting on the chair across from him.

“You know, I haven’t seen that girl this happy in a long, long time.” She stated matter-of-factly.

Bucky let his gaze drop to the glass in his hands, but he couldn’t stop the small smile that crept onto his face. He sat back and took a deep breath.

“I’m glad. She’s been through a lot.”

“So have you.”

He glanced back at Julia, who shrugged.

“She’s told me a lot about you. In fact, you’re one of the only things she talks about. Like how you listen to her, or make her comfortable, or make her feel excited about something for once. She’s back to how she was when I first knew her. I can not thank you enough for bringing my old friend back.”

“Well, I can’t say she hasn’t done the same for me, if not more. She helps me process what I’m feeling and she’s easy to talk to. She makes life feel… bearable. Which is not how it felt before. I know that I don’t deserve her, but she makes me feel like I do, which is amazing in of itself.”

“You both deserve each other. Everyone deserves love, especially if you don’t give yourself any love. From what I know, you both have been giving and giving, but not to yourselves. She’s always been like that. When I first came to New York, I had never lived in any big city like this, and I was so self conscious about my English. When we met as roommates, she did so much more than she had to. She showed me how to use the Subway, to navigate the city, helped me with my vocabulary- she put so much effort into someone she had just met. She’s always been the kind of person to help you with whatever you need and then some.”

“She is very much still like that.” Bucky confirmed, thinking back to how you had sacrificed part of your salary for the theatre to have its repairs.

“She says that you’re like that too. Constantly giving, sacrificing until you have nothing left, and even then, you would find a way to give more than you had. It’s very admirable. You are a good match for her. And now, at the very least, you’ll have each other to give to, and maybe you’ll both learn to give to yourselves.”

It was true. Neither you or Bucky knew how to take care of yourselves. But you knew how to take care of each other. The sound of the door opening caught their attention as you walked into the house. You were greeted happily by both parties, who had in common their love for you.

---

“Wow, they did not cheap out on the hotel.” You said as you walked into the room. The room was huge, lined with silky grey carpeting, velvety curtains, and two walls made of glass panels overlooking the city due to the room being on the corner of the building. The low warm lighting made everything look extra cozy, with luxurious fur throws over the bed and armchairs, and an in-wall fireplace to match. You took everything in as you slowly opened the door to the bathroom. Bucky followed right behind you.

The floor and walls were made out of a smooth sand-colored stone, including the walls of the shower that weren’t made of glass. Two large showerheads hung directly overtop of the shower, imitating rainfall straight from the sky as you twisted the faucet and watched with wonder. Right in the middle of the room was a huge jetted tub, room enough for two, overlooking the city.

“This is amazing.” You said simply, now turning to Bucky. He was smiling at your wonderment.

“Okay, okay, I know it’s just a bathroom, but this rainfall shower? This tub?” You emphasized, gesturing towards all of it. “I didn’t bring a bathing suit, because obviously it’s February, but we have to try that thing.”

Bucky just chuckled and gave you a kiss before turning you to take your coat off your shoulders. Walking back out to the main room, he hung up your coat for you. When he turned around, he found that you had flounced onto the bed, checking your phone calendar. He laid beside you, clasping his hands on top of his stomach and letting his back adjust to the plush mattress.

“Alright, it’s gonna be a busy week…” You turned your head and looked at him quizzically. “What’re you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He replied, turning towards you to return your gaze. “I’m sure I’ll figure something out.”

---

Monday

Pulling on your coat, you did one final check in the mirror. Black oxford shoes, grey skinny slacks, and a black knit shirt with a slight turtleneck. Wrapping your scarf around one more time, you turned to Bucky who had just walked out from the bathroom. He was wearing his usual all-black ensemble with his signature leather jacket and gloves.

“Ready to go?” He asked as he gave you a peck on the cheek.

“Yup!” You responded as you picked up your purse. He had insisted on walking you to the studio since it wasn’t far. Grabbing coffee on the way out of the hotel, you two stepped into the brisk New York climate. Thankful for the heat of the cup, you held it close to you as you made your way down the sidewalk.

You could tell exactly where the entrance to the studio was due to all the people filing in with violin cases slung on their backs or carrying cases with the obvious outline of the various wind instruments that would be playing alongside you. The closer you got to the building, the more nervous excitement you had building up. The score had been beautifully written, and you couldn’t wait to play it with the actual orchestra.

Bucky glanced at you through his peripheral as he sensed your breath picking up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” you answered, looking up at him. “Just nervous. Excited. I haven’t done anything like this in a long time. It feels good.” You stopped walking forward and moved to the edge of the sidewalk, prompting Bucky to do the same. You turned to face him and grabbed his free hand with yours.

“Thank you, again. I don’t think I would be here doing this without you.”

“Of course. You know I’m always gonna be here for you, doll.”

A warm smile came across your face. “How did I get so lucky?”

“I ask that of myself every day.”

You got up on your tiptoes and he met you halfway to give you a warming kiss. When you eventually broke apart, your face was flushed and you let out a content sigh.

“Alright, I guess I should go in… See you at five?”

“See you at five.”

You waved as you turned to walk to the entrance, looking to see him one more time, standing there with a look of love upon his face.

---

“Alright everybody!” Dev started loudly, clapping his hands together to gather the attention of the room. The chatter died down and everyone turned to the front of the recording studio where he was standing. Everyone had someone that they were friends with or someone they at least recognized. But you, you had quietly made your way up the steps towards the back of the room, where the raised platform showcased a range of percussion setups, as well as the piano you were looking for. Gently running your hands across the keys, you had sat on the bench and smiled to yourself observing your surroundings.

“Welcome- to the recording for The Queen’s Gambit soundtrack!”

There was a burst of excited applause and murmuring before Dev continued.

“I hope everyone had a chance to really look over the summary and the scores that I sent out. I’m so happy that everyone could make it. Most of you know me in some way, shape, or form from Julliard- whether as a mentor, alumnus, or other programs. Let me introduce a few faces you may not recognize.”

You braced yourself as he made his way down in the back. They had brought in multiple percussion specialists, for the various vibraphone, marimba, and drum set features. And then there was you.

“Our final guest, who you may know from the photos in the music hall, is The Queen of Russian Classics!”

The whispers that erupted from the orchestra confirmed two things. The first being that Nick had successfully managed to crush your existence into nothing while you were with him. The second, though, was that even after all this time- you were missed. Some craned their necks to get a better look at you, others had an excited expression on their face from seeing someone they considered a role model. You swallowed hard as you tried to keep the overwhelming emotion from bubbling over in the form of tears. As your gaze swept over the room of eager faces to Dev, you tilted your head and gave him a grateful smile that he returned with a wink before calling the attention of everyone back towards him.

“Now that introductions are over, let’s get to playing!”

---

With nothing better to do, Bucky let old habits overtake him. He thought about nothing in particular as he walked through his old neighborhood, letting his legs take him on the route ingrained in his muscle memory. He stopped at the bodega on the corner, buying a second coffee and a newspaper to read as he stood under the awning as it began to mist.

“James?”

Bucky glanced up, halfway through reading the first article. He blinked in surprise, as he never thought that he would hear that voice address him again, or at least without hate laced throughout.

“Yori?”

The two stood staring at each other for a minute before the rain started growing heavier. Instinctively, Bucky moved over and gestured for the old man to join him under the awning. He quickly accepted the offer, and the two stood next to each other in silence, listening to the rain grow ever heavier as it hit the concrete with little remorse.

“How have you been?” Yori said, clearing his throat to get rid of some of the raspiness that came with being a man his age.

“I’ve been okay…” Bucky started cautiously. “You?”

“Better than you might think.” Yori responded, still looking straight ahead of him.

Bucky shifted his weight uncomfortably before finally saying something.

“Look, you don’t have to go out of your way to see me and talk to me to make me feel better Yori. I- ”

“I’ve done a lot of thinking since we last talked.” Yori said, effectively cutting him off. “At first, I was more shocked than anything. Then the shock turned to anger, the anger to despair. I grew numb. One day, I looked around and found myself more alone than I had ever been in the world. It was a dark day.”

Bucky clenched his jaw as he looked down in shame.

“And then, that same day, I look at the newspaper. And who’s face do I see but yours.”

Bucky’s head snapped up. Yori was looking at him with one eyebrow raised.

“New Captain America Takes Down GRC With Former Winter Soldier. Big news that day. It made me wonder about what else you had done. So, I looked up this Winter Soldier. I found out that he was responsible for murder, torture, kidnapping- the list goes on... But more importantly, I found out the means that Hydra had gone through to make him.”

Yori let out a sigh and turned back to face the street, leaving Bucky to continue staring at him.

“They had taken an innocent man and beat him and tortured him until he was stripped of his former life and became this monster… I cannot even imagine the things that they must’ve done to you.” Yori stopped for a moment to control the tremor in his voice. “I am sorry. For everything you’ve had to go through.”

Bucky started shaking his head, quickly and violently. “No, Yori. Don’t apologize to me. I’m the one who should be-”

“No. No, shouldn’t.” Yori said adamantly. “Because you did not kill my son. That wasn’t you. That was whatever those evil men put in you.” He was now pressing against Bucky chest with his palm.

“But I know in here,” He took his palm off of Bucky’s chest and put in on his own. “That the spirit who killed my son was not you. It never was.”

The corner of Bucky’s mouth twitched and he swallowed hard as Yori stood facing in front of him with a pained expression on his face- one that was pained not for his own self, but Bucky’s.

“I wanted to contact you but you changed your number. I tried to write you a letter but you left no forwarding address. I was afraid I was going to die before letting you know that you can rest.” Yori grabbed his hand, his flesh one, and gave it a firm squeeze- a show of affection. “I know it wasn’t you, but if it’s forgiveness that you once sought, then know that I’ve forgiven you, James. And know that I am proud of everything you’ve overcome.”

The tremor in his voice was back. Overwhelmed with emotion, Bucky let out a breath that sounded more like a cough as his shoulders moved silently, tears sliding down his face. Yori shed a few as he brought him in for an embrace. There under the awning, the two men were able to put to rest what had haunted them each for almost an entire lifetime.

#SoundCloud #bucky barnes #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fic #bucky imagine #bucky x reader #bucky fic #bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky x you #james barnes #bucky x y/n #bucky barnes x you #reader insert #bucky fluff #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes fluff

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ashesgraves · 4 years ago

Text

An Orcs Promise part 3

The Date

Link to part 1: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646150675798032384/an-orcs-promise

Link to part 2: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646294553661423616/an-orcs-promise-part-2

Part 4: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646477938321244160/an-orcs-promise-part-4

Part 5: https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646486100736638976/an-orcs-promise-part-5

The chosen: Ellera https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646559933035364352/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: Oridan https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/646771371691622400/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: Killian https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/647330998732881920/an-orcs-promise

The chosen: All https://yourlocalorcishbandit.tumblr.com/post/647482818600009728/an-orcs-promise

The dates: Oridan

Warnings: Mama Alicia is angry other than that none!

You woke up this morning feeling pumped after your date with Ellera. Knowing the siblings constantly tried to out do one another you had some higher expectations for Oridan. Sure he was a flirt but could he walk the walk or simply talk the talk. You’d have to find out and maybe today you’d dress a little nicer than your last date. Yet you had no idea what to wear, you didn’t know what Oridan planned for you. He and his sister wouldn’t tell you shit!! How were you supposed to guess if you were mountain climbing or going to the nice tavern. You weren’t. The element of surprise you were told whenever you asked, frankly you didn’t mind but you just wanted to know how to dress.

Deciding on a more formal article of clothing you fixed up your hair and wore a few jewels to maybe match Oridans aura. Maybe he might not show up? What if he got cold feet maybe his sister scared him off. Would you make a fool of yourself? Would he hate the alone time with you? So many thoughts now raced your mind. You weren’t as nervous as you were with Ellera but, you knew her better than you did the twins. You were scared they wouldn’t like you just by yourself.. what if you talked too much or you didn’t talk at all?? Would Oridan think you’d be a good partner for the rest of his life? Would you think he would be a good partner?

“Darling Oridan is here!! Please hurry and come downstairs “ You could hear your mother’s sweet voice travel around the house. He was here early is that good or bad??? Oh you didn’t know.

Scurrying down the steps you smiled softly when you saw him. Oridan stood tall and proud with some flowers in his hand his skin much darker than Elleras. For she was mossy and soft, he was bold and dark emerald green. Truly and simply handsome with his hair braided up and decked out in the finest of jewels, you felt appropriately dressed this time! Success.

“I picked these for you nearly died by some hornets.. but for you I’d happily go through hell and back if you so wished” A true words man your date hadn’t even begun and he was making you blush. Maybe this won’t be as bad as you thought.

“You’re too sweet.. thank you they are beautiful and I know any of you would do that for me.. did you get any boo boos you want kissed better” laughing a bit at your own comeback as you gently took the flowers from his hand and put them in a vase. His face grew a beautiful shade of dark green as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “Now where are we going ? “ maybe this time you’d get lucky and learn what was happening for your date!

Oridan smiled softly showing off his tusk bands as he took your hand. “We are going out to lunch than to a show later on today I hope that’s alright with you “ His confidence seemed to falter as he spoke almost as though he was worried that you wouldn’t like his plans.

“That sounds absolutely wonderful! I look forward to what kind of show you have in mind” He actually told you! You know what’s happening, at least now you can plan your actions and thoughts a little better now. “Which tavern are we going to?” There were two in your village and one closer to the edge of the village.

“Hmm oh we’re going to the Drunken Dragon it’s a little far but the food there is to die for and they have the best desserts and I figured you might not have been there yet. “ You held his hand tighter smiling wider as you felt all giddy. He was so kind this was certainly a side you hadn’t seen from him before yet.

“It does sound lovely my mouth is already watering at the thought!! I’ve always heard the food is really good, isn’t it run by a few of the fae I’ve heard they had the best cheesecake in the kingdom !! “ You laughed a bit as you mumbled on about how much you couldn’t wait to try their desserts. Oridan smiled softly listening to your enthusiastic voice talk about all sorts of different sweets. He’d have to keep that you have a sweet tooth in mind, oh how he could listen to you speak for hours and never grow tired of listening.

“Good I’m glad you’re just as excited as I am. Frankly I was worried this wouldn’t go all that well after Ellera bragged so much. I’m glad my feet didn’t grow cold” You held his hand tighter knowing how he felt. Nodding and humming in agreement with his words you were glad he came though. You’re really enjoying your time together.

“Here I know a little shortcut to get there quicker, do you trust me ?”

“Hmm well seeing of how you were such a brave boy with those hornets to get me such lovely flowers.. I trust you. “ Oridan smiled and picked you up carefully and held you close. He’s probably feeling a little jealous that Ellera had gotten to carry you but, you don’t mind it’s nice being carried. Watching as the trees flew past your face Oridan ran almost full speed and barely broke a sweat it amazed you at how he was so nimble and graceful. “So how short is this short cut?”

Laughing a bit breathlessly Oridan smirked as he set you down. “Short. We’re here “ you stated up at him in amazement completely in awe at his speed.

“Wow.. that really was short and you barely.. broke a sweat how’d you do that ??? “ Oridan laughed and gently wrapped his arm around your waist as he walked you to the doors of the tavern opening the door and letting you in first.

“I’ve got stamina honey bee” He said with a wink leaving you a blushing mess as you hid your face in your hands for a moment. Composing yourself you smacked his arm though you’re sure it felt nothing more than a fly landing on him.

“We are in public you can’t make remarks like that!! Oridan!” Staining up at him bright red you felt everyone’s eyes on you. He only laughed a bit as he ruffled your hair.

“Relax no one here pays attention to couples except for Mama Alicia she keeps the kids all in check for such a small woman she has so much anger, it’s terrifying. “ Shaking his head Oridan lead you to a table more in the back and farther away from the more rowdy customers. It was a nice tavern perfect for eating in the middle of the day or drinking the night away. Mama Alicia did a good job.

“What can I get for you two huns?” A small woman with curly bright orange hair waddled her way over to your table. She seemed so sweet with her rosy cheeks and small accent.

“I’ll have- “ Oridan tried to order first giving you some more time to decide on what you wanted. Everything seemed so good you couldn’t decide between the Thief’s stew or the adventurers breakfast! They both had everything you liked plus a side of fruit of your choice!!

“Manners boy!! Dates first I thought I taught you better Oridan. You should most certainly know that by now. Always fawnin over them and treatin them like royalty when you serve them yet now with one of em in front of ya you forget everything I taught you !! Disgrace a shame. “ smacking Oridan with mighty force Mama Alicia made her point quite clear. Turning back to you a sweet smile on her face as if she hadn’t tried to murder your date with a small booklet. “Now what can I get for you hun. “

“Oh I can’t pick between these two.. do you think you can help me? “ She had a wider smile as she looked at your choices. You’d be a perfect fit for Oridan in her mind you’d keep him in check and on the right path.

“Of course, they both have great qualities but if you’re going out again after this I suggest the breakfast over the stew that will keep you full for days and if you want dessert after. “ Making your choice you kept with the breakfast while Oridan got the knights feast. Waddling away Mama Alicia got to your orders and brought you some freshly made berry juice.

“I told you. Little woman lotta rage. Scary thing she is. “ Laughing a little you couldn’t help but check his arm for any bruises you swore that woman could’ve taken his arm off if she wanted to. “I’m fine honey bee but I do feel all flattered you’re worried for me. “ smirking a bit to hide his nerves as you checked his arm. You felt his skin grow warm under your touch and it was nice.

“So you work here? I thought you would’ve been off working as a blacksmith with how you carved that blade.” Satisfied with your check of his arm you pulled away and glanced up at his face. Admiring his chocolate brown eyes for maybe a little too long than you intended.

“Hmm oh I do work as a blacksmith just up in the strong hold with my uncle down here I work to gain a few extra coin to treat myself or to treat someone else.. I haven’t had the chance to do the second until now and I must say it’s very nice I’d be happy to treat you again.. “ Your face went red as you shook your head, scarfing down your drink trying not to say something that could get you far more embarrassed. Yet you wanted to, you hadn’t felt confident in saying things on your mind before. Nows as good a time as any.

“Hmm picking up an extra job for little old me you’re too kind and maybe I like being treated by you.. “ You added your own little wink and smirk mimicking Oridans own actions. You couldn’t hold your laughter in Oridan nearly spit his drink out his nose! He wasn’t ready for you to make such a comeback!

“Honey bee now where did that come from ? I’m not complaining but wow I think I’m rubbing off on you “ you only laughed more as he tried to recover, suddenly realizing how loud you were you quickly quieted yourself down. Oridan loved your laugh it was like sweet music to his ears he loved hearing you laugh so hard you’d snort. Staring at you with such love in his eyes he truly hoped you chose him.

“Oh foods here.. wow that’s a lot of food” Mama Alicia smiled as she placed down your plates of food then waddling over to Oridan and giving him his plates. “Thank you so much Mama Alicia!” You couldn’t wait to dig in. It smelt so good and your mouth was watering.

“Enjoy huns “ she refilled your drinks and left you be. You could be polite and not eat your weight right now in front of your date but, you were with an orc the last thing he’d do is judge you for how and what you ate.

“Hey can you take these? I don’t really like them.” You handed over some vegetables you weren’t really fond of and his face seemed to light up that you were sharing your food with him. Nodding his head he easily scarfed them down. Impressed at watching you devour your own food.

“Where’d you fit all that you have the stomach of an orc honey bee. “ laughing softly as he stole some of your food which got him a smack to his hand and a mighty glare. Laughing more Oridan pulled out his coin sack and left a handful down on the tables edge when you were both done.

“I have a large appetite thank you very much. How’d you know.. right you work here you must have everything memorized strange man” Getting up from your seat you smiled as you waited for him. Oridan smiled more as he wrapped an arm around your waist leading you out of the tavern then it struck him you missed your show time.

“Oh I’m so sorry I got so caught up I completely forgot what time we were supposed to be there “ By this point you had completely forgotten about the show having too much fun with Oridan.

“Hey hey it’s okay!! I had fun anyways I like spending time with you besides there’s always another time. I suppose we should start heading home it looks like a storms coming soon. “ Nodding his head a bit relieved you weren’t upset for missing the show Oridan lead you home parting ways with a soft kiss to your cheek. Once he left you rushed to your room all giddy flopping on your bed and kicking your feet. Your expectations for Killian were set high.

You couldn’t wait for tomorrow.

#fanfic #fluff #fantasy #fiction #reader insert #orcs #orc boyfriend #orc siblings #orc lover #monster lover #monster date #monster boyfriend

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bestworstcase · 4 years ago

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What would you have thought if Madam Canardist was designed and characterized without the racially negative stereotypes against the Romani people and voiced without an accent?

she’d be a completely different character in that case.

her basic role in the story, as a character accompanied by a disguised/shapeshifted demanitus, who ends up facilitating the important exposition in lost and found, is completely fine on its own. so, i wouldn’t have a problem with a different, hypothetical non-racist character filling that role

in the context of... sticking with canon and the episodic cartoon format and trying not to deviate too much from the canon plot, here’s how i’d design that character:

1. obviously just... completely scrap her canon visual design. i think she should still be a woman of color, because there aren’t enough women of color in tangled. actually you know what this is all hypothetical so let’s get real self indulgent with it and say she’s voiced by and modeled after ciara renée, Because Reasons.

2. she’s still named canardist, but to lean more into the pun, demanitus’s shapeshifted form is a duck, not a monkey. [in english, a “canard” is an unfounded rumor, story, or hoax, and in french, a “canard” is a duck. :P]

3. she’s a village bard and team corona first encounters her in her hometown of fortuna. rapunzel and eugene are on a date, rapunzel sees this woman chilling with her lute and her slightly deranged looking duck by a fountain or something and is like !!!, and canardist not-very-begrudgingly agrees to perform, like, the epic ballad she’s composed about the town’s history.

4. it turns out that the history of fortuna’s founding is absolutely fucking bizarre, like this town is a total weirdness magnet and all kinds of utterly bonkers stuff has happened and when canardist finishes the tale eugene is like hahaha, yeah right. canardist, put out by his skepticism, is like “look my duck is psychic fortuna is just Like This okay” and eugene loses it.

5. rapunzel is intrigued by the psychic duck and wants to pay for a fortune, but canardist is like no way, your boyfriend is a jerk, get lost, so they go. they stop in the market to pick up supplies on their way back to the caravan, discuss eugene’s cynicism, hear some rumors about the thieves who’ve been terrorizing the town lately. rapunzel persuades eugene that they should loop past the fountain again and apologize to canardist for him, you know, laughing in her face and insulting her pet, and when they get there the duck is gone and she’s distraught because two kids grabbed him and ran off. cue the rest of the canon plot of vigor the visionary, with the girls and everything. except vigor is a duck.

6. in the end, they bring vigor the duck back to canardist, and to thank them, she offers rapunzel one of vigor’s fortunes. it’s vague and confusing and won’t come into play until, let’s say happiness is—when we (and rapunzel) realize that it was warning her not to fall for the illusory happiness offered by the lorb idol. eugene is still skeptical, insisting that the “fortune” was vague and it only lined up with the events on the island by coincidence.

7. now—fundamentally, bards were chroniclers. they recorded history. and canardist, being a rather good bard, figured out pretty quickly just who rapunzel is and, after team corona left fortuna, decided “you know what? that’s history in the making. i’m going to follow them and write down what happens.”

8. so she hops a ferry across the sea and waits for them on the other side. rather than the whole lombard’s pass / telescope theft / nonsense with the curse, the episode after peril on the high seas is shenanigans with canardist being all, “i want to join your group and chronicle you” while team corona is like um. there’s a b plot with vigor the duck kind of terrorizing eugene/following eugene around and refusing to be shooed away; the a plot maybe has to do with a clash between canardist, who’s accustomed to nobility paying her for the privilege of having her chronicle their lives, and rapunzel, who has Uncomfortable Feelings about being important enough for a professional bard to be wanting to travel with her and write about it; maybe they still have to cross lombard’s pass, canardist helps (she’s a bard, she’s well traveled, she probably knows a trick or two), and at the end of the episode it’s like—okay, rapunzel’s not comfortable traveling with what’s essentially a biographer, but she and canardist come to some sort of agreement to go their separate ways but with the understanding that canardist is going to trail after them and interview people about what they did and at some point, when she’s ready, rapunzel’s going to give her side of the story.

9. canardist gets tied back into the narrative in brothers hook. this time it’s not because she’s following them, but because hook hand’s a friend of hers and she, completely independently of team corona, decided to show up and support him at his big gig for king trevor. it’s a much more amiable meeting and, after hook foot leaves, rapunzel decides to invite canardist along. because she’s doubling down on her decisions in the great tree, she feels more secure than she did the last time they met and letting canardist chronicle their journey no longer seems as scary. so canardist takes hook foot’s place in the party.

10. her presence then becomes yet another thing putting pressure on cass, because the thing is... it’s clear that cass is just a footnote in the story canardist is chronicling. she’s not important, in the context of the history they are making. rapunzel is. cass is on track to end up as rapunzel’s nameless bodyguard in this ballad canardist is writing and she tries not to let that bother her but it really really does.

11. i think it’s sort of funny if canardist gets just, completely skipped over by all the whacky evil shenanigans in the shell house. because tromus recognizes that vigor the duck is demanitus and he’s like okay, that’s a grenade i’m not going to touch with a ten foot pole, and zhan tiri is like yeah good call, so canardist ends up just like, sipping tea and casually strumming her lute and making small talk with tromus while the rest of team corona gets terrorized by mirror demons and time-twisting tops and lotus dreams.

12. so lost and found. there’s some tension in the group because canardist wasn’t harmed by anything in the shell house and that has eugene feeling just a mite suspicious, and maybe cass is backing him up too to distract attention away from what she went through and her “do i take the moonstone or not” dilemma; and partly to smooth it over canardist is like look, rapunzel, eugene, take vigor, he has something he wants to show you.

13. by this point everyone is sort of used to canardist talking about vigor like this even though he is, to all appearances, a slightly deranged duck, and rapunzel is insistent that canardist is completely trustworthy so she’s like okay!! sounds great!! and drags eugene along. the maze stuff happens. vigor reveals himself to be demanitus. it’s basically canon except he’s, you know, a duck. also it just occurred to me that i never specified what kind of duck i’m imagining when i say duck so i feel the need to do that now:

one of these guys, but like, a little bedraggled and crazed-looking. it’s the red eyes that really sells it.

14. anyway vigor also reveals that, yes, canardist knew he was demanitus the whole time; turns out she comes from a long, long line of bards stretching back to an ancestor of hers who knew demanitus and agreed to protect his undying birdbrained duck vessel until such time as he was ready to emerge. eugene feels bad about distrusting her, they make up at the end of the episode, she slips him vigor’s fortune about one of the group turning traitor in the dark kingdom. he’s like, fuck.

15. destinies collides happen, cass gets the moonstone and fucks off, for the rest of s3 canardist’s role is like... she and vigor stick with the group, she’s still chronicling them, but she also, because of her own history with demanitus, is able to help fill in some of the gaps; she reveals to rapunzel that gothel was once a servant of demanitus—and betrayed him for zhan tiri, and then betrayed zhan tiri for the sundrop. basically she’s how we get more of the the gothel+zhan tiri lore we were all craving in s3

16. other s3 stuff—maybe with her help team corona starts sketching out a plan for dealing with zhan tiri immediately after race to the spire, rather than putting it off until plus est en vous. maybe she gets to be a kind of foil to cass; as a bard, she’s always the one telling the story—never participating in it directly—and perhaps she has some complicated feelings about that that could parallel cassandra’s feelings about always being in the shadows, just a footnote, just a bit player, never someone the story is about. maybe she can have a cute bonding moment or two with varian the demanitus fanboy or xavier the legends buff. also whacky vigor and canardist shenanigans during lost treasure are mandatory. anyway the point here is, she’s not just yeeted out of the story

#rta #this post ran away from me somewhat rip #but yeah to get rid of the racism you basically have to throw out the whole suitcase and start over so #tangled-dreamer-97

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nimblermortal · 4 years ago

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And I promised y’all a version of my feelings on Nicolò and being bad at English, for which the tl;dr version is:

1. Excellent, what a good trope, more please 2. Biiiiiit -ist in some way though, I don’t know the words for this 3. Very good trope on which I will project all the things

1. Most characters, at least in popular American media, are not allowed to be bad at English because then they wouldn’t be speaking English and Americans can’t with the not speaking English. So the spiteful part of me perks up at this very concept. But it’s also great because it allows exploring of so many other languages, and code-switching, and comparative linguistics, and just. So! Many! Exciting! Things! I would love more instances of characters who are bad at English.

As someone who loves and acquires languages, I love the idea of someone who is bad at this and resents it. I love having a nine-hundred-year-old immortal who kicks and drags his heels because not another language, Andy, please, no. And for these reasons, primarily, I headcanon Nicolò as knowing Ligurian, and Latin that he learned young for church purposes, and some Arabic that he has painstakingly scraped together over the last few centuries, and just barely enough English to be conversational. I’ll... save the bits about how this affects his conversation for point 3.

2. There’s that post going round about how Gina Prince-Bythewood (director of The Old Guard) made a point of asking the actors to use their natural accents and not get dialect coaches, because the way they speak is beautiful. And I know that I latched on to Nicolò as The One Who Struggles because his accent is the thickest. And that’s not really fair to Luca Marinelli, who plays him, because it comes off as mocking his accent. I don’t wish to be rude to the gentleman in question, I just... want someone to put ‘bad at English’ on and he was there, and I sure as shooting ain’t gonna use Yusuf, and the alternative is Booker, with whom I have other quarrels. Nicolò is there as a relatively inoffensive character to project this on, and one who I really enjoy and adore. So I struggle with how to do this in a way that is polite and respectful.

3. Nicolò as struggling with English lets me read so much more into his character. Like, he frequently has very short lines (except when he’s explaining Quynh to Nile), which makes sense if he’s having trouble composing sentences. Yusuf speaks to him in Italian*, but he does not respond in Arabic at any point in the movie. Giving him a language barrier allows me to also headcanon that there’s a lot more going on in Nicolò’s head that he would express if he had the words to do so. It allows me to write him as loquacious in fic, which, if you’ve read this far, you know that I struggle to be concise.

At the same time... my significant other is a quiet person, who lurks around the edges of any social gathering. Part of our getting together was learning to listen to him, and to be listened to. As we got to know each other, he started talking to me more and more. When we are alone now, sometimes I wish he would shut up - but when anyone else is around, he clams up again and barely speaks unless I prompt him. The fact that he speaks to me like this is a gift. The fact that I can project this on Nicolò, as someone who is quiet and whose expressions are muted, makes me love Nicolò that much more. The fact that I can then say that when Nicolò goes home to his family, to the people he loves, and the language he is comfortable in, and once they let him speak Ligurian again he talks their ears off... It gives me a lot of projected comfortable feelings to imagine Nile sitting on the floor studying Latin, and glancing up at the couch in awe as Nicolò just starts dropping a rant in a flood of words that she never expected out of him.

Which is, if he’s anything like Hyacinth, nothing like how it works. But quiet, language-barrier Nicolò gives me a chance to project a whole lot of extra love and insight into those relationships, even before I start getting into the sort of linguistic quirks that I love and invite into my life.

*never gonna stop arguing that this is in fact eleventh-century Ligurian/Genoese/whichever made palatable to our twenty-first century ears

#the Old Guard #Nimblermortals Senf #a tag used so frequently it has become nigh-meaningless #I had a lot more to say on this subject but I sat on myself long enough that I could be polite #and that took long enough that I lost a lot of the bubbliness and forgot a lot of the whims #which is fine #if I sit on myself for another month I may be able to talk about Booker without offending someone

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obscureoldscotspoems · 5 years ago

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Excerpts from A Very Civil People: Hebridean Folk, History and Tradition (2000, John Lorne Campbell; Edited by Hugh Cheape)

Father Allan McDonald’s Diary for March 1898

The diary was kept in Gaelic during this month. This is a translation by John Lorne Campbell and was published in Gaelic in Gairm (1952-3) 1-2.

March 1st (Tuesday) ... I have no reason to complain when I need not move from the fireside. It is the poor fishermen who are out on the bare back of the sea, wet and frozen, in this windy weather, with incessant sleet squalls and hail stone about their ears, who are to be pitied. If only they had a fair chance, but they are ill-met and ill-clothed in every way. After all it is little profit they make though the fish are plentiful around the coast. May God send them a sufficiency of it and may He preserve their lives to them.

It is often said that the Gael lacks diligence. I would like to see the people who most frequently make this charge confined for a while to a sea island without any sustenance except what they could win by their own diligence from the sea in the kind of weather we have at present. I am very much afraid none of them would be alive to tell the tale within a week. Whatever is wrong with the Eriskay man, not even the person who dislikes him most can truthfully say that he lacks diligence.

...

I read Gaelic every day. To tell the truth reading it on these gloomy days has been a third of my life -- but I must admit that I have written only a little of it for some time -- at any rate out of my own head. I daresay I was not diligent enough at carefully collecting and writing down every fragment of verse and poetry, anecdote or story I heard, in the books in which I kept everything of that kind, but it is a year, or two, or three, or four perhaps since I tried to compose even a single verse of a hymn in Gaelic. No wonder it is pretty rusty for that. But how I envy the people who can speak fluent well-pronounced Gaelic, as fluently and sweetly as the lark (druideag) singing, and as sweet as the honey which the buzzing bee sucks from the flower blossoms (didhean : yellow flower) in autumn! It can’t be helped. In spite of diligence, practice in youth is better. That is where I lost -- brought up in a village half Lowland and half Highland (Fort William / An Gearasdan) without as much as even the Paternoster, let alone any schooling in Gaelic, but shut up from dawn till dusk in an English-language school -- in a Latin and Greek school if you like -- while the language which was most expressive and most natural to us was forbidden. The effect of that is there -- the twist English put in my mouth then is still there and will remain. In consequence of it I will never have been completely at ease in Gaelic, and though I hate it with heart and with spleen, my Gaelic will always have the harsh stammering unpleasant accent of the English speaker which a tongue-tied, stiff-worded English education has left in my head.

#scottish gaelic #scotland #gàidhlig #hebrides #an gàidhealtachd #scottish highlands #hebridean culture #victorian diaries #1890s #linguicide #book excerpt

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likesomekindofcheese · 5 years ago

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Hello! I saw that you were doing ships and I'm interested if they're still open? If so, could I please get ships for The Beatles, Queen and Bohrap? I will be sending a few of these to give a full description so I'm sorry for the spam! I never exactly know what to put in these! So, My name is Jasmine, I'm Australian and I speak English, German, Czech (Gotta love family that doesn't speak English..) and Japanese. I've always been considered the 'artsy' person among my peers. (1/5)

I'm usually rather quiet at first, often the person just sitting in the back and drawing. The main exception of this being if I'm performing, wearing a fashion I love or doing a hobby of mine. I love the arts and have always been a big creative type. I will admit, I'm quite passive/submissive and very indecisive. I'm also kind of insecure. I tend to do whatever I can to make my friends happy due to negative experiences in the past. Also because I love doing things for people (2/5)

I'm 5'7" and pale, I have hair that reaches past my waist and is naturally a honey blonde in colour, I sometimes dye it magenta. My eyes are a blue/green colour and for some issue, one tends dilate more than the other, I have an hourglass body and because of that, I do have some cuves on me. I also have a slight overbite (which got "fixed" with braces). In terms of clothing, I love wearing alt fashion such as Lolita fashion, Cult Party Kei, and my own style which is quite doll-like. (3/5)

For my job, I'm currently studying Primary Teaching and Drama in University and a few years ago in Highschool, I began work as a Professional Mermaid and Princess for hire, as well as working part time in an OSHC. I love the water and I've been an actor since I was a child, For hobbies I love to Draw, Make accessories/clothes/costumes, Cosplay and I'm also a trained Singer, Dancer and Aerialist. (My mum always said " if you want to do something, do it while you're young") (4/5)

I'm actually a Pagan and practise White magick and am starting to learn Green magick, my deities are Poseiodon, Persephone and Aphrodite. Unfortuntely, I also live with a few physical and mental issues such as Endometriosis and Chronic Fatigue, Anxiety, Post Traumatic Dress Disorder as well as being Photosensitive. So that can sometimes make certain things hard for me, but we get past that! I tend to easily befriend all Cats and Birds I meet. Sorry this was so long, I suck at this (5/5)

Of course I can! You seem like such a cool, fascinating person with an incredible life and abilities!! 😯🤩 and don’t worry about giving extra info, I don’t mind.

For the Beatles, I ship you with...

Paul McCartney!

So with your pale skin and dyed hair, Paul basically thinks you are a princess

So when you get your mermaid job, Paul loves to tease you, but he also takes cute little photos and lovingly calls you “me siren!”

Even though he will lightly tease you for your Australian accent, but you tease him back for his Liverpool one!

He loves animals, so he always notices how his sheepdog, Martha, wags her tail and even wiggles on her feet like a tap dancer for you when you come in to visit her. He adores that even animals know they can love you are trust you.

You both often go wining and dining, especially in your beautiful Lolita style dress, enjoying the food, atmosphere, and each other’s company.

Though the first time you went to one of those fancy places, you were intimidated by the menu that was twice the size of your head and half the items were in French. “Paul, what should I get here? I’m not even sure!” “Would you like me to choose for you, Jasmine?” “Please!”

He ordered you a nice dish and you both had a drink and then went walking out in the moonlight, opening up about each other’s souls and insecurities but holding hands and assuring each other’s worth.

Since you are a more quiet, “submissive”’person, Paul loves it when he can “baby” you and take care of you, as much as helping you with your hair and outfits and plenty of times he will order for you at restaurants.

He even made you flashcards and notes to help with University, though sometimes you caught him doodling on your name full of hearts.

He probably composed “And I Love Her” for you if you ever felt sad or insecure

For Queen, I ship you with...

Brian May!!

He loves that you are a bit taller than most, even if he is technically taller, it means he doesn’t have to do a squat to hug you.

He is amazed at your creativity and multiple hobbies! He even loves watching you fly up in arealist in the air, he even took a beautiful stereoscopic photo of you!

When he decides to flirt with you at first, he noticed you were back there drawing so he went over and asked about your art and you showed him and you both were soon smiling and subtly flirting with each other.

He was nervous about asking you out until the whole band pushed him to, they all shipped it from day one.

He loves to hear you sing and he enjoys hearing you practice from upstairs, sometimes he will slowly pluck your notes on a guitar until he gets a song idea. Then he will run up to give you a hug and kiss as a thanks (despite your confusion)

He loves that you know all those languages and begs you to go on tour with him to help translate (and see things like Japenese cherry blossoms and German castles together linking arms).

He makes little lovey comments related to your pagan beliefs

“Jasmine, you bewitch me!” “Well, I didn’t intend to!”

“Jasmine, you’re a goddess of beauty”

“Don’t let Aphrodite hear you! You’ll be in trouble, Bri!” “Not if it’s the truth, sweetheart”

And he understands your PTSD and anxiety and helps to make sure you have counseling, and always leans in with a glass of water and a patient, listening ear

As for BohRap, I ship you with...

Rami Malek!!!

He thinks you are an absolute doll, from your eyes to your figure and calls you it all the time!

Plus you are both the most fashionable couple ever and when there is a premiere and he brings you along, you both grin at each other as the media looks at you both, shooketh to the coreth.

He is so sweet and understanding of your acting life that he comes to all of your premiering shows in the front row with a bouquet of flowers so big it needs it’s own seat. Plus he loves to help you think through characterization with auditions and rehearsals.

He loves to notice how you make beautiful costumes and things and if you need something like fabric or a certain color of paint, he runs and grabs it.

You both paid up when the BohRap cast has a board game night and defeat everyone through teamwork, until you both laugh and kiss each other.

He loves to learn bits of phrases of German and Japenese from you, and he brags about your abilities in interviews.

Gladly flips off anyone who gives you crap about your overbite and is always protective of you, with an arm around your waist.

He admires your strength and determination in spite of your physical and mental problems, it gives him hope to go on.

And he understands anxiety, so he will gladly cuddle you and help you with breathing deep when you’re anxious.

You both have a busy life together, but then you both snuggle into bed, giggling and playing footsie and gently touching each other’s faces.

#carrieships #queen ships #beatles #beatles ships #bohrap ships

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ask-de-writer · 6 years ago

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DARING DO and the Gryphon’s Quest! : MLP Fan Fiction : Chapter 1 of 19

Return to theMaster Story Index

Return to MLP Fan Fiction

DARING DO

and

The Gryphon’s Quest!

Chapter 1

De Writer (Glen Ten-Eyck)

and

Carmen Pondiego

Cover art by Wind the Mama Cat

29584 words

Writing begun 03/29/16

This is a Fan Fiction based on My Little Pony. Canterlot, Princess Luna and the name Daring Do are owned by Hasboro Inc.

//////////////

Users of Tumblr.com are specifically granted the following rights.

1.) They may reblog the story provided that all author and copyright information remains intact.

2.) They may use the characters or original characters in my settings for fan fiction, fan art works, cosplay, or fan musical compositions.

3.) All sorts of fan art, cosplay, music or fiction are actively encouraged.

///////////////////////

For new readers, this link leads to the beginning of

Daring Do and the Gryphon's Quest!

///////////////////////

Chapter 1. Ethnological Geography 305

Doctor of Antiquities Daring Do stood in front of her latest class of students from all over Equestria and places even more remote. She had two Gryphons who were recently transferred from the Emperial College and, though they were ponies, one from the Chineighese Empire and one from the Far Northern Dales.

There were two large magic net mirrors as well. That was the only practical way for X'ibian dromedaries to take the class and actively participate. The average dromedary was over two meters high at the shoulder and his or her head could be as much as two and a half meters to three meters above the ground. They just would not fit into pony sized buildings.

Daring Do asked, “How many of you have read any of my books?”

About two thirds of the students raised a hoof. Both gryphons raised a claw and both dromedaries, in their mirrors, raised hooves as well.

A sarcastic voice from the lecture hall said, “Just like all the other profs. Gotta buy her books!”

Daring Do instantly replied, “No, you do not. Not in this class. There are three texts that you have been required to buy and which we will use extensively. I am not the author of any of them. My expedition reports, from which my books are popularized, and some other materials, can be had by magic net or reserved from the Royal University Library.”

“Getting back to the curriculum, we will be covering two basic topics in this class.

“The first is the ancient cultures themselves. This part of the class necessarily has to be a survey, as each of the civilizations that we will touch on is a specialty in itself.

“The second topic, which we will cover in far better detail, is the REASON that those civilizations collapsed, where their populations went, and what came of their migrations. That is were all of our modern civilizations and cultures came from.

“For those interested in better detail than this class will have time for, study the Nightmare Wars. They are the primary cause for all of those collapses and migrations world wide. How? Simply put, BOTH sides used weather as a weapon. In the process, without meaning to, they destroyed the natural weather patterns over the entire world.

“I recommend using the Chronicle of Equestria, Volumes 300 through 457 as your primary sources. If you find discrepancies between other sources and the Chronicle, go with the Chronicle as the definitive source.”

A self satisfied Chineighese accented voice from the audience smirked, “It sounds like Equestria owes the Empire massive reparations!”

Mild of voice, Daring Do replied, “If one wishes to think in such terms, possibly. Do remember that what you ask may be required of you. The Chineighese Empire is composed of fifty two states. Each one was conquered by force. The Empire was built on literally millions of deaths, the destruction of whole cities, the burning of libraries, and hundreds of years of slavery. Are you sure that you want to make those reparations?

“If so, feel free to press your claim to Equestria as soon as you have settled the ones that you owe.

“The past is dead. We cannot change one thing of History. We can see clearly both the good and ill of what was done. What we CAN do is learn the lessons of that past in the hope of creating a better world to come. We, in this class and others like it, are the memory of the whole world, not simply some part, however large or small.

“That is why the study of Ethnological Geography is important.”

A genuinely puzzled sounding voice from somewhere in the shadows at the back of the big lecture hall asked, “If the Nightmare Wars wrecked the weather, didn’t the Cloudsdale Weather Authority fix it?”

Daring Do smiled at the question. “The short answer is No.

“Celestia needed nearly a hundred and fifty years to regain the trust of enough pegassi to begin serious weather control here in Equestria. Cloudsdale, though many do not realize it, is an enormous weather engineering feat. It took over two hundred more years to build it to where it is now.

“Ask any weather engineer how far our weather control reaches. Many nations have some sort of weather authority. They operate on different philosophies of how the weather should be dealt with, too.

“In any case, regaining control of the weather took at least hundreds of years. The disasters that forced the migration of populations were long past.

“Those changes in the world’s weather are the reason that the ruins of ancient civilizations often lie in such hostile environments as jungles or deserts.

“Now, here is your assignment. Using the world map in your study kit and what you can find in the first two chapters of your three required textbooks, see if you can sort out what the climate was for each of the marked civilizations. Then compare it to the present climate.

“Class dismissed!”

Daring Do watched the orderly stampede of students for the exits, fondly remembering the days when she did the same!

She packed her notes and started to return to her office. She did not get there.

NEXT ==>

#Daring Do and the Gryphon;s Quest!#MLP Fan Fiction #Co written by De Writer and Carmen Pondiego #Chapter 1

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mas-lina · 6 years ago

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ASK GAME

65 Questions You Aren't Used To

1. Do you ever doubt the existence of others than you? - sometimes i wonder if the people i like from afar are just a figment of my imagination since i have never met them in real life.

2. On a scale of 1-5, how afraid of the dark are you? - i’d say about 2 since i’m only scared occasionally if i have watched something creepy and my mind is running wild.

3. The person you would never want to meet? - does hitler count? aside from him and all the dictators that have ruined the world i’d say all the people i knew in high school and about everyone in my old town.

4. What is your favorite word? - i used to say it’s “bitch” just for the laughs of it but it’s actually “patootie” because it sounds cute and idiotic at the same time and i remember reading it in a shakespeare poem once and laughing like crazy.

5. If you were a type of tree, what would you be? - i guess i’d be a baobab tree because it’s sturdy and it sounds like my nickname “baba”.

6. When you looked in the mirror this morning what was the first thing you thought? - “seriously why are the bags under my eyes so dark and big?”

7. What shirt are you wearing? - a simple black shirt.

8. What do you label yourself as? - if it’s in regards to sexuality i’m a bisexual and if it’s everything else i’m a curious idiot.

9. Bright room or dark room? - dark room.

10. What were you doing at midnight last night? - sitting on my laptop watching “100 days my prince”.

11. Favorite age you’ve been so far? - i don’t think i’ve reached my favourite age yet but if i have to pick one i’d say about 19 because i went to live with my best friend and started a new life away from everyone else so in a way i became independent.

12. Who told you they loved you last? - i guess my mom although i don’t remember when.

13. Your worst enemy? - my laziness and lack of will.

14. What is your current desktop picture? - monsta x’s minhyuk <3

15. Do you like someone? - in real life i have no romantic interest.

16. The last song you listened to? - dreamcatcher - wonderland

17. You can press a button that will make any one person explode. Who would you blow up? - myself so i can see how it feels.

18. Who would you really like to just punch in the face? - sometimes my family members drive me up the wall to a point where i’d think about punching them in the face.

19. If anyone could be your slave for a day, who would it be and what would they have to do? - bill gates and he’d have to buy me whatever i want.

20. What is your best physical attribute? (showing said attribute is optional) - if i have to pick something it would be my eyes because they’re the most distinctive feature i have.

21. If you were the opposite sex for one day, what would you look like and what would you do? - i’d be a huge buff macho man just to see how it feels and i’d probably just ogle myself in the mirror and walk around to see how people react to me.

22. Do you have a secret talent? If yes, what is it? - i can make my fingers look like claws and move them in a weird snappish way.

23. What is one unique thing you’re afraid of? - bacteria.

24. You can only have one kind of sandwich. Every sandwich ingredient known to humankind is at your disposal. - butter on french toast.

25. You just found $100! How are you going to spend it? - on monsta x merchandise and food ^^

26. You just got a free plane ticket to anywhere in the world, but you have to leave immediately. Where are you going to go? - seoul, south korea.

27. An angel appears out of Heaven and offers you a lifetime supply of the alcoholic beverage of your choice. “Be brand-specific” it says. Man! What are you gonna say about that? Even if you don’t drink booze there’s something you can figure out… so what’s it gonna be? - bailey’s is the only alcoholic drink i actually enjoy and would buy myself.

28. You discover a beautiful island upon which you may build your own society. You make the rules. What is the first rule you put into place? - everyone is created equal so there shall be no discrimination regarding race, religion, gender or sexuality.

29. What is your favorite expletive? - motherfucker.

30. Your house is on fire, holy shit! You have just enough time to run in there and grab ONE inanimate object. Don’t worry, your loved ones and pets have already made it out safely. So what’s the one thing you’re going to save from that blazing inferno? - my stuffed animals.......

31. You can erase any horrible experience from your past. What will it be? - watching my pet getting sick knowing she’d eventually die and being unable to help.

32. You got kicked out of the country for being a time-traveling heathen who sleeps with celebrities and has super-powers. But check out this cool shit… you can move to anywhere else in the world! - kanazawa, japan.

33. The Celestial Gates Of Beyond have opened, much to your surprise because you didn’t think such a thing existed. Death appears. As it turns out, Death is actually a pretty cool entity, and happens to be in a fantastic mood. Death offers to return the friend/family-member/person/etc. of your choice to the living world. Who will you bring back? - my grandfather.

34. What was your last dream about? - falling down a flight of stairs.

35. Are you a good dancer? - i’d say decent but i could be better with practice.

36. Have you ever been admitted to the hospital? - thankfully no.

37. Have you ever built a snowman? - many times but never in the design i wanted to.

38. What is the color of your socks? - orange.

39. What type of music do you like? - i like all music but usually i would always gravitate towards rhythm and blues, jazz or classical.

40. Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets? -sunsets.

41. What is your favorite milkshake flavor? - i don’t drink milkshakes but i’d probably enjoy strawberry ones.

42. What football team do you support? (I will answer in terms of American football as well as soccer) - liverpool football club and i’m suffering every day for it.

43. Do you have any scars? - a big one on my knee from when i fell as a child and nearly busted my kneecap.

44. What do you want to be when you graduate? - a boss....kidding :D a writer or researcher.

45. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? - the way i look and my attitude towards people demeaning and disrespecting me.

46. Are you reliable? - i really wish i could say i was but i’d have to say no.

47. If you could ask your future self one question, what would it be? - do we still live with the mentality of a 15 year-old or have we grown?

48. Do you hold grudges? - most of the time no but on special occasions i can grow to be vengeful towards someone i dislike.

49. If you could breed two animals together to defy the laws of nature, what new animal would you create? - a penguin with a bird so it will be able to fly.

50. What is the most unusual conversation you’ve ever had? - every conversation i have with my grandmother and all the “advice” she gives me.

51. Are you a good liar? - yes.

52. How long could you go without talking? - i think i’d be able to go about a week if i really put myself to it but i enjoy talking to myself so it might be more difficult than anticipated.

53. What has been you worst haircut/style? - a waffle one where they burnt my hair from the roots just so i could look like a member of a 90s girl group.

54. Have you ever baked your own cake? - the only time i have baked a cake was when my best friend got sick and i wanted to give her something special to cheer her up.

55. Can you do any accents other than your own? - i’m pretty good at an american and a british one. i could even do a bit of scottish and irish if i prictice.

56. What do you like on your toast? - butter.

57. What is the last thing you drew a picture of? - the sun and it looked like a puddle with some rays coming out of it.

58. What would be you dream car? - a smart or a mini cooper.

59. Do you sing in the shower? Or do anything unusual in the shower? Explain. - i do sing in the shower and sometimes i start contemplating my life.

60. Do you believe in aliens? - i believe we can’t be alone in the whole universe but i don’t believe in the made up ufo sightings nor the green little men.

61. Do you often read your horoscope? - i don’t believe in the horoscope nor the zodiac except when i’m looking for a laugh.

62. What is your favorite letter of the alphabet? - my own letter which in english would be B.

63. Which is cooler: dinosaurs or dragons? - dragons are the coolest <3

64. What do you think about babies? - i love and adore babies <3 they are perfect little stupid angels and should be protected at all costs.

65. Who's your favourite classical composer? - beethoven and mozart are untouchable and immortal but if i have to give a less cliche answer besides them i would say claude debussy, rachmaninoff, chopin and johann strauss II. i could go on but i will get boring.

66. A bonus question from me because I'm curious - If you could teleport to one place on this planet right at this moment which would it be and why? - northern canada so i can see the aurora borealis which is at its peak during october, november and december.

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almosthumanophelia · 7 years ago

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Operator Ophelia Development

(( So I saw this post circulating around and I thought this development quiz would be fun to do for Ophelia’s Warframe AU! I needed to develop her more in this AU, and this seemed like a good way to do so.

I made a new post instead of reblogging the original and put the questions and answers under a cut to save everyone’s dashes. Asks about any of these, or asking for further details on her, are welcome as always! ))

1. What is their name?

Ophelia. Just Ophelia. She has no record or recollection of her surname.

2. What model/s of Warframe do they use, mainly?

Ophelia mains Volt. And this around 90% of the time. It’s difficult to convince her to use much else, but her personal arsenal also boasts Valkyr, Mag, Frost, and Limbo.

3. What weapon / weapon type is their favorite?

She doesn’t much care for weapons, and prefers to rely on Warframe abilities to get by. If forced to use a weapon, she prefers bows and swords (but not heavy or two-handed swords).

4. What is your Tenno’s style of fighting? Do they rush in headlong, or prefer to sneak around?

Ophelia can get... carried away. She is often an impulsive and instinctual fighter and gets herself into bad (see: dangerous) situations because of it. She’s got a bit of a reputation because of this.

5. What Syndicate, if any, does your Tenno belong to?

Cephalon Suda all the way.

6. Which of the five Schools, if any, do they belong to?

She always favored Naramon.

7. Does your Tenno agree with the Lotus? Do they view her as a mother, a tyrant, or somewhere in between?

Ophelia would not refer to the Lotus as her mother; she sees her as more of a teacher. She does like and trust the Lotus, to an extent, and listens to her (sometimes). But the Lotus is not the main parental figure in her life, mainly giving her mission directives instead of open and direct affection.

8. How does your Tenno feel about the noncombatant civilians of the system? Are they invested in their protection, or are they vague and unimportant?

Ophelia is rather distant and isolated from the noncombatant aspects of the system. She can’t really relate to any life other than that of a warrior. Despite this, if she felt the immediate need to defend any noncombatant group, she would answer the call.

9. Where do they stand in the Corpus vs. Grineer war, if anywhere?

Ophelia remains neutral and despises both factions equally. She sees the Grineer as a brutal militaristic machine, and the Corpus as a bunch of morality-devoid scumbags. There are notable exceptions for specific individuals, Clem being one of these.

10. What are the top five things your Tenno believes are most important and worth fighting for? These can be abstract concepts or material possessions.

In no particular order:

Survival; knowledge and truth; justice, either personal or for all; the downtrodden; and her beloved Cephalon companion, Ordis.

11. How much of their life before being put in stasis can your Tenno remember?

Little to nothing. She remembers nothing before the Zariman, and that only in muddled flashbacks (think Harry Potter remembering his parents’ deaths). Her memories of the time during the Old War is also foggy, consisting of little domestic moments during her childhood under the care of first Margulis, then the Lotus, but mostly Ordis. Everything else she was informed of or remembered secondhand thanks to information from outside sources.

12. Do they miss anything about it?

In her mind, she can’t miss what she can’t remember. She’s happy aboard the Orbiter, zipping around through the system from day to day. She occasionally misses the innocence she used to have as a small child, but these thoughts eventually pass; she believes it’s better she knows the truth about things.

13. Who was your Tenno during their lifetime as a human, regardless of whether or not they remember?

Get ready y’all this one is LONG.

Ophelia was the daughter of a pair of scientists who worked in robotics and specialized in advancing AI technology - including Cephalons - to the point they could be made readily available to the public, and not just reserved for Orokin use. Her father focused on developing programming and algorithms; her mother implemented the accompanying hardware. Her parents’ research funding came from an earlier iteration of the Corpus, though they disagreed with the ideals centered around profit. Her parents were in their line of work for the sake of the knowledge itself, and for the greater good.

Ophelia herself was born in the medbay of the Orcus relay, during one of her parents’ times stationed at a Corpus outpost on Pluto, making her technically not from Earth. Her parents set out to teach her their love for technology at an early age, but didn’t get much time before they received special instructions to go on a certain voyage. She was only three when the Zariman set out, and her parents were left with no choice but to take their daughter with them - a condition the Orokin readily agreed to. They believed this would be an adventure and a learning opportunity for their child. This, of course, ended in disaster.

She never saw her parents die; they hid her away when the chaos began and she escaped the worst of the fighting. However, the storage compartment she was hidden in wasn’t as shielded from radiation as the cabins of the ship, and she suffered massive void marks and scarring that formed patterns all over her body. Her face is the only skin left relatively unscathed. They persist to this day, and she covers them as best as she can.

14. How does your Tenno see their Warframe? As just a tool? As part of their identity?

Ophelia recognizes that the frames have some level of sentience and life of their own. She therefore treats them as extensions of herself, taking as good of care of a damaged or dirty frame as she would had the damage been done to her own body.

15. Is there any symbolism behind their chosen color scheme and energy color? Do they wear the colors of their Syndicate?

Ophelia uses a lot of blue, indigo, violet, and purple tones of varying shades, with silver accents for metallic portions. There is no real logic to this; she simply prefers those colors and coordinates everything to match.

16. What does your Tenno do during downtime between missions?

She likes trying to compose new tunes on the Mandachord, which she eagerly shares with Suda.

17. Does your Tenno try to modify their Warframe cosmetically, and make it unique?

Most of Ophelia’s modifications are color scheme only. She’s not very into frills or fashion statements, and prefers to keep the frames practical and combat ready. An alternate helmet here or there, and that’s about all.

18. How does your Tenno interact with the rest of the inhabitants of the system? Do they treat their allies warmly, or with disdain?

This depends on the ally. She very much has a love-hate relationship with Simaris, as she thinks of him as a huge jerk but also recognizes the value of staying in his good graces. Suda, she adores and speaks to frequently. Most of her allies are treated as acquaintances and not close friends; she’s not much of a people person in general and prefers the company of Cephalons. This last category includes Darvo, Clem, Teshin, and so on.

19. How do they view themself and their fellow Tenno? Are they monsters barely kept in check by the Lotus’s guidance? Are they the saviors of the system?

Ophelia doesn’t see herself and the Tenno as either monsters or victims. She’s doing the best she can with what fate gave her, and she views her duty to the system more as a job or a practical task than she views it as a savior position. Defending against the Grineer and Corpus is more about preserving the Tenno and their way of life than anything else for her.

20. Does the bloodshed they cause bother your Tenno? Would they put down their weapons, if they could?

Honestly, she’s not very bothered by it. The life of a warrior is all she has ever known, and as long as it is for a just cause (in her mind), she’s pretty capable of pushing aside any lingering doubts or guilt. Were she to try and lay down her weapons, she would inevitably pick them up again at the first cause that caught her eye. She is, first and foremost, a warrior.

21. Assuming there was no war, what would they want to be doing with their life?

Without a war to keep her occupied, she would become a full-time or nearly full-time hunter for Simaris, with the occasional errand for Suda. She would use her access to Simaris’s data and the Sanctuary to research and try to find a mitigation or cure for Cephalon degradation, as she has seen far too many Cephalons thrown away because of reduced functionality.

#this is what you are (operator ophelia au)#warframe #my ocs #tenno

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secretradiobrooklyn · 4 years ago

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SECRET RADIO | Sept.5.20

“Crosscountry Rabbithole” curated in the van on a drive between Brooklyn and the countryside of Illinois on Labor Day Weekend 2020 (Hear it here.)

As there’s still very much a pandemic going on, we really didn't want to stop overnight if we didn’t have to on our drive from New York to Illinois, so after we exhausted the fantastic Saturday NPR lineup we figured a great way to stay awake was compiling the second issue of WBFF. You’ll hear a lot of the African and tropical vibe from last week, plus more French yé-yé and Europe in general. Here’s the track list, and of course, detailed notes below:

WBFF, édition 2, 5.SEP.20

1. Michel Polnareff - La lezione del capellone

Le Beatnik is one of Paige’s all-time favorite songs — the guitar is just such a rad riff, and it was a real debate on which version to put on, the French version of the Italian, and we figured we didn’t have much Italian yet… plus check out how he rolls his Rs! That’s one thing about the major hitters of French pop in the ‘60s — they all sing in different languages. (Keep an ear out for France Gall later!)

2. Antoine Dougbé - Honton Soukpo Gnos

Dougbé just hit us like a ton of bricks — these arrangements are completely perfect to our ears. So detailed, and with super funk and super Velvet Underground tones at the same time (check out the freakin guitar solo, and guitar outro), plus of course a Beninese pulse that is just unstoppable. This one was produced, uncredited, by Melomé Clement, and Dougbé isn’t the singer, he’s the composer.

3. The Velvet Underground - Cool It Down

The guitar tones here come so naturally out of the T.P. Orchestre sound. There’s plenty of stuff he’s saying that I don’t understand, and he’s saying it in English.

4. Ranil - Ranil y Su Conjunto Tropical - Licenciado

This is another Analog Africa release, with a fantastic album cover. Paige dove into it and soon found that she was checking every day to see if the vinyl was out, cos it was under 300 copies and falling. It’s got a parrot on the cover that looks like the Greenwood parakeets. This song is how she learned that she loves cumbia music.

5. T.P. Orchestre Poly Rythmo - Trop Parler C’est Maladie

The guitar launches into these endless patterns that wind around an unknown number of percussionists. Everyone feels so fluid together. “Trop parler c’est maladie”: “Too much talking is bad,” literally, which Paige imagines as essentially meaning, “Let’s stop talking and make out.” But we don’t really know.

The way the voices layer together when they’re singing, and then the guitar rises into the spaces between them, twisting and winding and droning and melodizing, is just completely mesmerizing. This incredible guitarist is Papillon, and he died in 1982. What a huge loss — he plays so eloquently and so conversationally.

6. Janka Nabay & the Bubu Gang - Somebody

I learned about Janka Nabay by hearing that he had just died. Listening to KDHX, the DJ (Caron House?) said she was sorry to hear about his passing and put on this song and I had to stop driving so I could just listen to all of the patterns crossing. I sure would have loved to see this band perform live — I feel like this is a specific reason we want to be in NYC, to meet people with capabilities I hadn’t previously known existed and work together.

7. Anna Karina - Roller Girl

Our friends Phil and Archie are an intercontinental love affair. When Phil tries to express an American accent, it’s always dripping with RRRRRs. This song feels like that, a French singer dramatically unrolling her Rs like she’s messing with her English teacher.

8. Wells Fargo - Watch Out

We believe we first heard about Wells Fargo from a Snap Judgment episode. It’s really great, starting with how they picked the name from the side of a stagecoach in a Western movie as a completely random phrase.

9. Patrick Coutin - J’aime regarder les filles

This song — this pretty freakin radical recording — became a huge hit in France in 1981 and apparently served as the soundtrack of that period. It was his big hit.

That main phrase he keeps repeating translates to “I like to watch girls on the beach,” which gets weirder and sometimes creepier with each pass.

10. Jacques Dutronc - Les cactus

Credit to Pandora for bringing us Jacques Dutronc! He sounds like Bob Dylan on a lot of songs, but he doesn’t seem to be the Dylan of France — that would be more like Serge Gainsbourg. But we could be wrong about that too. He’s also longtime partners with Francoise Hardy, which made them two of the hottest and hippest and most talented musicians of the ’60s.

Clip from Diablo Menthe

This is the clip of the schoolkids that we told you about, singing the Sylvie Vartan song from last week.

11. El Rego - Zon Dede

One of our main appreciations now is how deeply and broadly and internationally James Brown hit the ’60s and ’70s. People seemed to be struck by him and his approach planetwide, and it shows up like a shockwave through the whole era. This is Benin’s El Rego (thanks to Analog Africa once more for pointing him out), and his whole character seems to be in conversation with James Brown, shouting at each other from opposite sides of the world.

12. T.P. Poly-Rythmo, Bentho Gustave - Iya Me Dji Ki Bi Ni

The level of simultaneous groove and drone happening here is just unstoppable. This song has a sound I feel like I’ve always been looking for, not to play but just to dance and freak out to. Bentho Gustave is T.P. Poly-Rythmo’s bassist. We just got his headlining album on vinyl, so amazing!

13. Cambodian Rocks 1 - Yol Aularong - Jeas Cyclo (Ride Cyclo)

It’s amazing to think about how many sudden collisions of American and Cambodian experiences there were in the ’60s — so many disastrous ones, but also whatever combination of factors lead to the existence of this music. It’s so incredibly skilled and smooth, and I want to know more about who made this and how.

14. Adriano Celentano - Prisencolinensinainciusol

Don’t miss the videotape version of the live TV version via YouTube. Celentano is an Italian singer, but this is him tweaking Americans with a songful of non-English English.

15. France Gall - Der Computer Nr. 3

Another example of French pop multilingualism. One of Paige’s favorite voices, just throwing herself into the melodies all casual and easy breezy. We found out about this song because Paige was listening to a bunch of Quebecois radio, and they were talking about her, and they were playing a bunch of clips of her performing, including this one. It turned out that she had just passed on. We had to find it find this track.

16. Saigon Rock and Soul - Thành Mái - Tóc Mai Sợi Vắn Sợi Dài (Long, Uneven Hair)

What a vocal performance! Everything about the tones and melody of this recording — voice, organ, guitar — make it feel like a dream of hardcore hippie rock, minus even one shred of San Francisco. Every time I hear this song hit its crescendo I am completely in its thrall.

17. Ofege - It’s Not Easy

So these guys are from Lagos, Nigeria, and were in high school when they recorded this. Which is just freakin perfect. It sounds like enthusiasm and bad gear and good voices and that singular feeling of being sixteen and having a stone blast.

18. Avolonto Honore et l’Orchestre Poly-Rythmo de Cotonou - Sètché Wêda

It took some time for us to find this song. This version is from an album we found online, but it also exists on an Analog Africa album. The hand drums locked in with the guitar lick for the verse get so deep when the other voices come in. And the cascading guitar riff creates a sudden electric waterfall, while the horns point straight over to jazz and western rock and soul.

19. Ranil y su Conjunto Tropical - Marlenita

Paige became completely smitten with this album, which we found after getting caught up in an album promising Peruvian chichidelica.

20. National Wake - Everybody Loves Freedom

When I started looking for African punk, I found this set of videos of National Wake and pretty much all of them are this good. They’re a Black and white band (the first?) from South Africa in apartheid ’70s and the rock and punk that they make overflows with feeling. There’s a documentary called Punk in Africa that clearly needs watching.

21. English Beat - Mirror in the Bathroom

The live version of this song really amps up the energy from the studio version I’m used to. This song always makes me think of my friend Audrey, who made me a mixtape when I was just a wee twig, and this was one of the songs that broke through and made a lasting impression. I think of her every time.

22. Fela Kuti - Roforofo Fight

“Translation from the original English hrm hrm hrm”

This song structure is so very cool, where he’s kind of playing around, setting the stage, warming up his story, and then the horns crash in with a shocker part, which gives away to this cartoonish, endlessly repeating horn phrase, like a piece of early Disney footage on repeat. Also like loop-based recordings that were still more than a decade in the future. This is one of my favorite versions of Fela, where he’s exploding with a new self and a new mode of music.

23. Fela Ransome Kuti and His Koola Lobitos - Ololufe

Now some time travel - this is from a collection of earliest Fela Kuti, when he’s in a completely different mode, more in the high life and samba form. He and his band are playing in a crowd-pleasing style, and it’s really very beautiful, with gorgeous vocals and horn passages. But this is also all prelude to Fela Anikulapo Kuti, a character we haven’t even glimpsed yet when this song was recorded.

24. William Onyeabor - Atomic Bomb

We really don’t know much about this song except that it seems to always show up at just the right time — or maybe its presence just makes the time right.

25. Assa Cica - Tinma Sa Le

We were down a different rabbithole when we saw this video appear that we couldn’t pass up. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rpI09vbq_Q) It’s a long and winding song that was one of Assa Cica’s most notable hits in Benin.

I love the three slapped notes in the middle of the song that never come back — that’s the way to slap. The bass throughout this song, but especially in the choruses, is exceptional, telling its own separate story but staying in relation with the vocals. And Paige’s favorite part of the melody is the bridge.

We just learned that Assa Cica died on May 22 of this year. It feels so strange to fall hard for a person’s music just as they leave the stage for good. (See also Janka Nabay.) It also feels good to realize you’ve already become part of a musician’s music living and giving beyond their own lives.

——

…And now we are safely arrived in the woods of Illinois. Time for a whole bunch of screenprinting and music listening!

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blogzikan · 5 years ago

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HOW TO DESIGN WITH WHITE FLOWERS

The color white is always a problem in the garden. It seems gardeners can never figure out how to incorporate it without destroying the color scheme. While it is less of a problem because of the dearth of black flowers, the same situation exists for the color black. This is how you design for these two colors. 1. Place your square or rectangle on top of the color wheel so that the corners are touching specific colors. Any four dots now make a chord. 2. In practice, if not in theory, you can now substitute any single color for the color white. White will make a color chord with the other colors indicated on the square or rectangle. (You can do the same for black but as we don’t have any truly black flowers, it is not really possible to design for true black.) 3. Before you go planting white flowers in your garden however, it is important to read the discussion about the Contrast of Extension. The amount of white in the color balance is as important as the other colors that go with it.

Avoid white flowers in the sunny perennial border whenever possible for your first designs. White is a powerful color and draws the eye to itself quickly and dramatically. Beginners make the mistake of putting white flowers in a garden and then can never quite figure out why the garden never looks good. All colors pale beside white and its effect is to reduce the vibrancy of all other colors. Use magenta sparingly if at all. The plant, Lychnis coronaria 'atrosanguinea' is a major culprit here. It has a wonderful gray leaf, is easy to grow, but has a powerful magenta bloom that doesn't seem to fit with any other combination in the garden. Don't let it into your design because it robs the color from other plants. If you are trying to create an exciting garden, use flowers that contain the hot colors. Reds and yellows, the color of the sun, are considered hot. In the heat of the summer, a garden that is composed of hot colors will feel hotter to work in than a cooler-color garden. When our eye sees the hot colors, it influences the way our bodies react. Hot colors work to physically increase the temperature of the body; why this psychological influence actually works is not clear but all we know is that it does work. Cooler colors – green and blues – are for the relaxing garden. This was the first color lesson I learned. If you want to relax and unwind in your garden after a hard day at work, use cooler colors. If you want excitement, plant the hotter ones. A garden of cooler colors will seem cooler and will cool your body down more than a hot-colored garden. For maximum color interest and excitement, use contrasting two-color chords. Since they are on opposite sides of the color wheel, bright-red geranium flowers held against a dark-green leaf are one of the most popular plants in the garden center. This is why a red rose against a red brick wall is not exciting. Two shades of red are not as exciting as contrasting colors. Now, a red rose against a white clapboard wall or a white or very light pink rose against a red wall, those are another story. For equal excitement, use primary colors instead of secondary colors in your three-color chords

HOW TO WORK WITH FOLIAGE COLOR This is a book about design, but I would be ignoring an entire range of garden color if I didn’t focus your attention on the fact that leaves have color, too. The full range of greens that is displayed by leaves enables us to design for and with them alone, quite independently of any flower their plants may produce.

IF YOU LOOK at your color wheel, you’ll see that perennial plant leaves, ranging from reddish-burgundy right through to yellow tones, give quite a wide spectrum to play and design with. The same rules for flower-color design hold true for leaf-color design and while the most easily demonstrated gardens are shade-loving hosta gardens, leaf color can be designed in the sunny garden as well. For example, a golden leafed Hosta 'Golden Tiara' under a tree will lighten up the garden, make it appear brighter than a blue-green-leaved plant such as Hosta sieboldiana 'Elegans'. Visitors to our garden usually fail to notice a huge and wonderful specimen of 'Elegans' because it is right next to the 'Golden Tiara' and some other gold-leaved bloomers. The gold color catches their eye, not the size of plant. They would not notice the gold-leaved plant as much had I not placed a blue one right beside it to create a contrast in colors. In fact, many garden designers consider leaf color to be more important to the garden than flower color. Leaf color is a constant, it arrives in the spring and for the most part, continues right through the summer until fall frosts knock it down. Flower colors by comparison, arrive for a relatively brief but glorious period and then fade away. Some designers suggest using flower blooms as color accents in the garden rather than the mainstay of color. I’m not one of those given that I enjoy my perennials too much to substitute shrubs and evergreens in my garden to replace my perennials. However, the point that leaf color can be a design element is worthy of note when you have to make a choice about siting or purchasing a plant.

HOW COLOR CONTRAST WORKS IN THE GARDEN The easiest way to design great color in the garden is to think of the ways in which colors contrast with each other. You will learn how to contrast all the colors in the garden, not only those of the individual flowers. As you read, remember, your house has a color, the background to the garden has a color, and even the sky has an influencing color if the plants are viewed against it.

The dangers and advantages of variegated plants in color design. Variegated plants come to the garden with contrast built right into each leaf. The contrasting color patterns attract many of us to these plants but they do come at a cost to the overall garden design. Let me give you one example. Phlox paniculata, that wonderful garden plant that blooms for a long time in mid-summer and often forms the backbone of perennial gardens, has a particularly heavily variegated form named 'Norah Leigh'. The flower is a pale-pink with a slightly darker eye and the foliage is heavily variegated with cream-yellow and green. In sunlight, the heavy variegation draws out any vibrancy in the bloom, leaving a pale washed out appearing flower stalk. This is one plant that is very difficult to match with other plants. I currently have it beside a Buddleia and some early summer blooming roses in an effort to allow it to stand on its own without heavy competition from other leaves and blooms. I'm not sure this is the best place for it and will likely move it before this book gets to print. In a similar fashion, Chrysanthemum 'Barbara Bush' is a heavily variegated green-and-white-leaved fall mum. All summer, it looks wonderful if kept pruned short and bushy, but when the white flowers appear in the fall, I'm tempted to cut them off. White flowers on a heavily variegated green-and-white leaf disappear into monotony. In your garden designs, add variegated-leaved plants sparingly in sunny gardens. The Exception: Where You Should Use Variegated Plants In shady gardens however, variegated plants are treasures that provide some color and contrast all summer long and for this reason they are to be treasured. The wonderful variegations on plants such as Brunnera, Hosta and Pulmonaria almost demand to be let loose in the shady garden. Use them as much as possible.

Contrast of Hue This is perhaps the simplest of the contrasts in the garden. We immediately and intuitively see the difference or contrast between red and green or between yellow and red. This contrast is quite clear and easy to understand. As the colors move away from the primary colors (red, blue, yellow) the contrasts become progressively weaker. A pale yellow does not contrast as much with a pale pink as does a bright yellow with a bright red. I note on the starred color wheel that different shades of a color can be designed for by simply increasing the size of the cardboard shape so that all the corners touch that ring in the circle. Contrast of hue assumes that all the colors in the garden are of the same intensity. Colors with different intensities or values, as artists like to say, are described under the light/dark contrast. Light/Dark Contrast Well, You know what is light and what is dark in the garden. What gardeners often fail to appreciate is how the light influences the way we all see colors. The fragile blue-pinks of spring-blooming Pulmonaria are much more intense in the semi-shade of a tree with emerging leaves than it is under the full glare of a full-sun garden. The light does not wash out the delicate colors in the part shade as it does in the full sunshine. It is easy to fail to appreciate how a spark of light that regularly crosses a garden can illuminate or darken the color of a plant. What you see in a catalog is often not what we see in our gardens. The major problem for garden designers is fitting the contrast in light/dark to the different hues of plants. What intensity does a ‘Hyperion’ daylily bloom at in its old-fashioned clear-yellow tones and what intensity is a-yellow blooming Coreopsis? Do they match or is there too much of a difference for them to exist together in the garden? Unfortunately, without a good eye for color or without art training (it is possible to learn such things), the garden designer will continue to hit and miss when it comes to the subtlety of light and dark contrast with closely matched flower colors. It is perhaps for this reason that some of our finest garden designers are visual artists on canvas as well as in the garden. Cold/Warm Contrast There is no question in the minds of color theorists and industrial designers that colors influence the way we feel heat and cold. Rooms that are painted in “hot” colors of reds and yellows will be experienced without complaints from those in the room more so than rooms painted in “cool” temperatures of blues and greens. In other words, the hot color made the room seem hotter, even when it was really cool and cool colors made the room seem cooler even when the room was at the right temperature. You perceive temperature based on color. For some reason, people see and feel the heat of the color and our bodies react to it in a physical manner. Bright reds and yellows will therefore increase the heat in the garden while cooler blue and soft greens will cool it down. This is a relative concept and it should be noted that while there are extremes of heat and cold in color, the position of the colors influences how they are seen. Let me illustrate. The right hand side of the wheel is the hot side. A color such as yellow is quite hot and the colors cool down as they progress down the wheel towards blue. Yellow is much hotter than orange. If these two colors are seen together, then yellow is hot and orange is cool, relatively speaking. However, if we compare orange and red, we see that orange is hotter and red is the cooler color. Orange becomes hotter when in the company of a cooler color and cooler when in the company of a hotter color. The contrast then is all important. You can make a relatively cool color such as violet or purple hot by putting it next to a flower that is a clear blue. In practice, this means that in designing a cool garden of blues and violets, the addition of a soft pink will add a touch of heat, of excitement to emphasize and lend some energy to the garden. One does not have to add yellow to increase the energy or heat level. It is a question of relative energy. If one wants a bit of energy in a cool garden, then one can determine that energy by increasing or decreasing the numbers of plant or the relative heat value of the plants involved. For example, adding one or two soft-pink plants to a yellow (hot) garden will cool it down while adding a blazing yellow to a blue garden will create a hotter garden. Remember, it is all relative. If my garden is designed around reds, violets and oranges, a touch of yellow will still add relative energy to the garden and create a warm-cool contrast. The yellow is hot while the oranges will be cool. Similarly, I could add a touch of blue Nepeta to a stunningly hot bed of orange and red Hemerocallis to cool it off and add contrast. Color is relative. The same color can be hot in a cool colored garden but cool in a hot colored garden Complementary contrast I’ve already touched on complementary colors but it is useful to consider some other qualities of contrasting pairs of complementary colors when applied to the garden. Remember that these colors are opposite each other on the color wheel. Flowers that are yellow and violet are also a perfect example of a light/dark contrast. Yellow Oenethera and violet Nepeta are not only complementary, they are light and dark. Reddish-orange and blue-green are complementary but are also the most extreme examples of hot and cold in the garden. Contrast of Saturation Pure colors, as you'll see on the color wheel, are rare in the garden. Unfortunately, flower colors rarely conform to the designer’s desires for clarity and consistency. The vagaries of the weather and growing conditions change flower color from day to day and season to season and prevent gardeners from designing in pure or consistent flower colors. Keep the following points in mind when examining those wonderful flower pictures. * Any flower that is paler than another (as if white were added to the original color) is cooler. Pale flowers are cooler than more intensely colored flowers. * Any flower that adds violet or “black” to its mix increases in warmth. Darker colors are warmer. * Green colors are very important in this as the darker green the leaf, the more intense will be the contrast with the surrounding flowers. A perfect, although non-garden, example of this is the new breeding of Christmas poinsettia plants. The newer varieties have much darker leaves which in turn makes the red bracts stand out so much more. This is a perfect example of contrast of saturation. If you have a choice between a light-green leaf on a plant or a variety with a darker-green leaf, the darker-green-leaved will provide more contrast with the flower making the bloom explode with light and color. The lighter-green leaf is useful if the leaves are the primary color source. The best example of this is the hosta family. We pick darker and lighter leaves to work together in the garden regardless of the flower color. We use pale or less-saturated green-colored leaves and grow them next to darker or moresaturated leaves to increase the contrast. Contrast of Extension While this sounds complicated, it is pretty simple to understand the basic principle. The primary question that contrast of extension is answering is, “What is the proportion of this color that I need to balance the proportion of that color?” This is perhaps one of the most important questions in the field of garden color design. An overpowering abundance of yellow in the fall garden is one such problem. The designer has far too many hot yellow and orange Coreopsis, Heliopsis, Heleniums and Solidago to work with when compared to the other softer colors. Balance the colors in the garden using these numbers (originally designed by Goethe, one of the last truly great Renaissance figures) as follows: * Yellow = 9 * Orange = 8 * Red =6 * Violet =3 * Blue =4 * Green = 6 As an example, the complementary colors of violet to yellow give a ratio of 3:9 (or 1:3) Because yellow is so much brighter than violet, use one part of yellow to equal three parts of violet. (Reverse the ratio to get the correct amounts) In the garden, use 3 square feet of violet blooms to balance the color provided by 1 square foot of yellow blooms. YELLOW IS much brighter and carries more power. Orange, with a value of 8 and blue with a value of 4 is a simple ratio to calculate. At 8:4 (orange:blue) the garden requires twice as much blue to balance an area of orange. Yellow (9) and red (6) combine at 9:6 or 3:2 so the garden requires 3 parts of the darker red to balance 2 parts of the brighter yellow. You will always require less of the brighter color to balance the darker color in your garden. Having said all of this, the reality in the garden is that this is never a perfect science so relax and enjoy yourself while you work out your own preferred colors. A PLANT of Coreopsis might be several years older than an Eupatorium or Aster and carry more flowers. Growing a well-designed flower garden is as much an art as it is a science. Don’t think in terms of individual plants, think in terms of square footage of blooms or areas of contrast of blooms. Think in terms of wide swaths of color as do painters rather than the individual flowers of gardening imaginations.

I have to point out that the ratios designed only have validity if the flower color contrast of hue is the same. In other words, a bright-blue fall aster has to be compared to a bright-yellow Helenium and not a much softer-yellow Solidago. When a color is paler, it will require a corresponding increase in ratio or area of bloom to balance a more intense color. This then is not an exact science but rather more of a guideline for the gardener. Don’t use tape measures to evaluate the flower sizes and relative contrasts of extension but do use your eyes and your judgments. It is this judgment that needs practice over the years to determine a good color proportion. As a last note, white is not mentioned in this chart but you can very quickly see that it will have a much higher number than even yellow. This means that a little white goes a very long way in the garden when compared to the rest of the flowers.

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trainsinanime · 7 years ago

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Neandert[h]al

Let’s talk about the h in Neanderthal. Somewhere in the hills between Wuppertal and Düsseldorf, in the west of Germany, the small river „Düssel“ formed an impressive gorge of about 1 km length (2/3 of a mile) and 50 m depth (180 ft). It was quite impressive, especially since the surrounding countryside does not look mountainous at all, and it quickly became very famous.

One of its earliest documented fans was one Joachim Neander, a lutheran preacher and composer of church chorals in the 17th centuries. He held sermons here and wrote many of his compositions in the beautiful area. To honour him, in the 19th century this valley became known as Neander’s valley, or in german and in the spelling of the time, Neanderthal, where „Thal“ means valley. Note that in german, the „h“ is always silent, the language has no „th“ sound. This, by the way, is why most germans can’t make it unless they’ve trained, and that is why the stereotypical german accent in movies features Ze Germans talking about Zat Zing over Zere.

If you want to see this famous valley today… tough luck. They blew it up. The area had always been home to some limestone mining, but in the 19th century, it got industrialised, and in short order most of the impressive sights at the time where destroyed in quarries.

It was in one of these quarries that italian workers (the underpaid immigrants of choice for heavy and dangerous work in Europe at the time) in 1856 discovered bones that soon became the subject of intense scientific debates. Eventually people agreed that this was more or less a pre-historic form of fossil human beings. And when it came to giving it a scientific name, british scientist William King in 1863 coined the term „Homo neanderthalensis“, after the then-standard spelling of the name of the valley where it was found.

When it comes to english, this is basically the end of the story. The derived term „Neanderthal“ became popular and has only ever referred to the species, never the valley.

In Germany, however, the German Orthographic Conference of 1901 put in place new rules for all sorts of spelling, in many cases the first time that there were consistent rules at all. And the experts there took the opportunity to simplify a great deal of things, even including place names. For example, the city of Cologne used to be called Ceulen, and became Köln - matching how it was always pronounced, but the similarity to the english term got lost. One of the changes was that the silent h disappeared in Th combinations such as „Thal“. It’s now just Tal.

This was also applied to Neander’s valley, which is nowadays the Neandertal. The skeleton found there is also called „Neandertaler“. But the scientific name remains Homo neanderthalensis, because that is not really a german word anyway, and if only german scientists decided to change it, this would lead to nothing but trouble.

As a special exception, though, the museum for the skeleton at the site uses the old spelling as Neanderthal, to stay closer to the scientific name. If you want to visit it, you can take the S28 railway service from Kaarst, Neuss, Düsseldorf, Mettman and soon Wuppertal, to the station… Neanderthal. In 116 years of train service, no company ever saw fit to change the name, possibly because of the museum right next door.

A side effect of the "th" thing: It also disappeared in people's names… sometimes. You will find both Thomas and Tomas, and Thorsten and Torsten. Depends on the person; ask to see their passport if you're really unsure. Actually they will generally have learned to say "without h" or "with h" whenever introducing themselves years before you met them. I'm Torsten without h, for example.

There’s no real reason why you need to know this, it’s just something I found interesting and wanted to share.

#neandertal #neanderthal #düsseldorf #wuppertal #I've actually been to the station but not the museum #maybe i should go there one day when i'm in the area and have time

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holmesoverture · 8 years ago

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The Telegraph Boy, Chapter 3

Chapter 1 Be Here

Chapter 2 Be Here

The streets were still largely abandoned when we arrived at Shrewsbury House. Faint glimmerings of sunrise limned the horizon but could not dominate the palatial homes of Park Lane, leaving them as a line of hulking shadows. Adumbral trees welcomed the breeze with a swaying dance that appeared more eerie than bucolic in the struggling light.

Shrewsbury House itself was shielded from the street by a large, lavish gate that opened into a courtyard. The house’s design was decidedly Grecian, with a pediment with sculptures dominating the façade at the third storey, and though I couldn’t be sure of its colour at that hour, it gave every impression of being white and expensive.

We had not been on the premises more than a minute when Inspector Lestrade came round the corner of the house, his footfalls unnaturally loud in the stillness of London in the early morning.

“What brings you here?” said he, not uncordially. “There’s no mystery about this case. The girl broke into the strong-box, took everything, and escaped in the carriage in the stables. Let’s not start overcomplicating things, alright then, Mr Holmes?”

“For your sake, Inspector, I promise to keep matters as simple as possible. Now tell me: what drove Miss Farrier to such desperate actions?”

“We interviewed the cook, or tried to. She was the one to discover the maid was missing. She told us that Miss Farrier had been furious with Lord Walmsley for days.”

Lestrade straightened up as he spoke, puffing out his chest in a subtle show of pride. He always thought quite highly of his own investigative skills. Holmes, predictably, did not share in his enthusiasm.

“Why was she so upset?” Holmes asked.

“She couldn’t say.”

“And her brother, how came he to be involved?”

“He is her brother. That is motive enough, I should think.”

“Have you recovered the missing money?”

“Not a shilling, but it is as I expected. When we arrived in response to Mrs Deacon’s call, we saw a lad hurrying away from the house. Lady Walmsley identified him as the brother of the suspect, so I sent a couple of my men to follow him. I am confident they will return with the girl’s location forthwith.”

“The boy knows nothing, as Jones and Sheridan have doubtless discovered for themselves. Now where is the cook, this Mrs Deacon? I would speak with her myself.”

The inspector looked rather more agitated than surprised by Holmes’ statement, eyes narrowed and lips flattened to a thin line, but still he led us to the enormous kitchen where the cook sat drinking sherry at a low wooden table. With her free hand she clung tightly to the faded shawl thrown over her night-dress, a plain white gown that sharply contrasted with her black skin. Her deep-set eyes widened in alarm when we entered.

“No need for excuses, my good woman,” Holmes said as the cook’s mouth opened and closed several times. “We are not here to condemn you for what is surely a well-earned respite from the morning’s trauma. We only wish to ask you a few questions.”

“I’ve told all I know,” said she, settling back into her chair.

“But you have not told it to me. I understand you discovered the girl was missing.”

Mrs Deacon uttered a small sob at the mention of Sally Farrier, but she quickly composed herself. “It was I, yes, though I would give four teeth and a finger to be able to say it was not! It happened just this way: three nights past, Sally spent the afternoon with her brother Alfred, who as I understand still lives in the flat they grew up in together. Alfred is a wonderful boy, so polite and good-natured and not at all prone to the immature antics that amuse others of his age, and seeing him always put Sally in a good humour. That day, however, when she returned from her visit she had such a dark cloud hanging over her that my first reaction was to try to cheer her up.

“‘What a lovely bauble!’ I said, indicating a bangle bracelet on her wrist that she had not had before. It was a simple thing and not too terribly costly but much lovelier than anything I’d ever owned.

“‘Please, leave me in peace!’ she answered sharply. ‘I am liable to forget myself and snap at you though you have done nothing to deserve it.’

“No amount of encouragement on my part could pry the source of her ill-temper from her lips. Within a day, however, her anger had betrayed its source. She avoided Lord Walmsley whenever she could, and even the sound of his name caused her hands to clench and her teeth to grind. Lord Walmsley himself seemed unaware of Sally’s sudden aversion and carried on as he always had, splitting his time between his home and his various clubs.”

“Is that where Lord Walmsley has been during this incident? At one of his clubs?”

“That’s right. I couldn’t tell you which one but he left very early this morning.”

“Before or after the robbery?”

Mrs Deacon’s sadness was abruptly replaced by confusion. “It must surely have been before. Why would Lord Walmsley leave without a word to us if he knew he had been robbed?”

“Is it such a certainty that he would have known of the robbery?”

“He spends so much time in his study at all manner of odd hours. He can tell when even a bookmark is out of place. I have seen him do it with my own two eyes, sir.”

“But you were asleep at the time and cannot say for certain when Lord Walmsley left or what he did or did not know as he did so?”

“I was asleep, just as you say.”

“And has Lord Walmsley been contacted?”

“I don’t know. He must have, don’t you think?”

“Please continue with your narrative, Mrs Deacon.”

“Well I didn’t know what to make of Sally’s attitude, and the added tension in the house cost me many an hour’s good sleep, but I endured as best I could. So it continued through yesterday, and I had gone to bed prepared for more of the same the next day, but it was not to be. This morning, Lady Walmsley knocked me up at four, saying the master’s strong-box had been ransacked.

“‘I haven’t seen him since supper,’ I said to her, ‘but if you’ll give me a moment to regain my faculties, I’ll rouse the other servants so we may have a proper search party.’

“She agreed and left to continue the search while I wrapped my shawl about me and set about knocking up the rest of the household. Before too long every man was on his feet and hunting diligently for clues with the exception of Sally Farrier. When I looked in on Sally’s room, I found that it was not only vacant but untouched, as though she had not been to bed at all. Now doubly worried, I ran to tell Lady Walmsley of what I had seen.

“‘What is going on in this house!’ she cried, but she calmed herself very quickly. ‘Go out and check the stables, would you?’

“As I entered the stables I expected to find the carriage and all of the horses in their proper places. Lord Walmsley is in the habit of taking a cab to his clubs so that Lady Walmsley may use the carriage for her shopping and social outings, and Eustace has yet to return, so all should have been quiet and undisturbed.”

“Eustace is the groom?”

“Yes, sir. His mother fell ill yesterday and the Walmsleys gave him leave to care for her. Well, as you may imagine, I walked into the stables to find two stalls empty and the carriage nowhere in sight. I stood for a moment in horror and disbelief, staring at the empty places where the horses and the carriage should have been. I had not yet connected this crime to the previous one in my mind, so shaken was I by this quick succession of misfortunes. I finally managed to come back to my senses and rushed back to tell Lady Walmsley what I had found. She accepted the news rather more graciously than I had and told me to take the morning off so that I might recover from the ordeal. Now you know everything that I do, and may it do you more good than it has done me.”

“It has, Mr. Deacon, and I am deeply grateful for your cooperation.” He nudged the bottle of sherry closer to her. “Do have one for me.”

Mrs Deacon delicately laughed and refilled her glass. With the woman’s sense of humour on the mend, I did not suffer too greatly from guilt when we withdrew from the kitchen to examine Lord Walmsley’s private study, from where the money had been taken.

That study must have been the finest room in that very fine home. White-accented blue wallpaper covered three walls, the fourth being occupied by books of every size and colour. A settee sat in a corner by a lamp, and two matching armchairs flanked an enormous fireplace that was decorated with figures carved directly into the marble mantel. The solid heavy-looking desk was awash with papers and writing implements, and the strong-box, still full of papers, sat open on one corner.

Holmes looked all round the desk, shuffling every paper and opening every drawer. I could not distinguish the words he muttered to himself as he worked, though the tone in which he muttered them seemed to me quite promising. He was particularly interested in a silver tray holding a half-consumed bottle of brandy and two crystal glasses, while the strong-box merited only the most cursory of glances.

Nothing else in the room received as much attention as Lord Walmsley’s desk, though Holmes lifted a book or two from the shelves, flicking carelessly through them before replacing them. He concluded his examination by poking about in the fireplace.

“Of all the items in this room, the most relevant is the one you spend the least time on,” I said, indicating the strong-box.

“Is it, though?”

“I thought it was. Now that you’ve said that, I find myself having doubts.”

Halfway down the stair, we met a finely-dressed woman of about thirty. She was, it seemed, the very antithesis of Mrs Deacon: severe-looking despite her relative youth and utterly unruffled. Her blue eyes widened with surprise when she saw our approach.

“You are Lady Helen Walmsley?” said Holmes.

“Yes, of course,” she replied. “I do beg your pardon. I know I must seem terribly discourteous, but I thought the police had left. Inspector Lestrade informed me he was finished here.”

“They have finished, madam, so now the real investigation can begin. Would you be very much troubled if I were to ask a few questions?”

“Not at all.”

“Then pray tell me, how much was taken from your husband’s strong-box?”

“The fact that it is my husband’s strong-box should indicate to you that I am not privy to such information.”

“Then how did you know anything was missing at all?”

“I knew he kept cash and important documents in the strong-box. Beyond that I am as ignorant as you.”

“Where is your husband now?”

“At one of his clubs, though I don’t know which.”

“And what of you, Lady Walmsley? Is insomnia your sole complaint?”

“Oh, dear. Is it so obvious?” said she, bringing a hand to her cheek.

“On the contrary, your face is flawless. As you came up the stair, I detected the scent of hops and onions. Both of these odours have soporific qualities and are frequently employed as remedies for sleeplessness. They are, however, not infallible, and that is why you were roaming the halls at an hour when the remainder of the household was still abed.”

“You are most astute, Mr Holmes. Insomnia has been a most cumbersome millstone around my neck these last three years, and I am never sure which, if any, cure will perform its duty. Some nights the mere thought of hops invokes a bracing slumber, while other nights I am left to count the minutes until sunrise. This past night, I thought a stroll might clear my thoughts enough to permit rest, and, as I passed Lord Walmsley’s study, I could not but notice the door was ajar.”

“Was this unusual?”

“More than that, it was unprecedented. He places a high value upon his privacy and is most conscientious about keeping it shut tight, particularly when he is not present. Neither light nor sound came from the study, yet still the door stood open. As much as I wished to respect my husband’s desire for solitude, I thought this aberration might be the symptom of some serious calamity. My incursion was more than justified when I pushed the door open further and saw the empty strong-box upon the desk. To return to your original inquiry, yes, my insomnia is my only trouble.”

“I see. And am I correct in deducing that you and your husband have not recently engaged in marital relations?”

The slap was entirely expected, at least by myself, though I am ashamed to admit that I was too preoccupied in affecting a coughing fit to warn Holmes of its inevitability. He rallied admirably, however, responding to her assault as though she had remarked upon the colour of the wallpaper:

“Be that as it may, in the doubtful event that I am mistaken, please accept my condolences for your loss.”

He then took his leave without as much as a “good morning,” leaving it to me to express my sympathies to the sputtering widow and to apologise for my companion’s tact or lack thereof. He was nearly at the front door before I had caught up.

“Really, Holmes, was that line of questioning necessary?”

“Vitally so.”

“Well after all, the woman has had no sleep and a very trying morning.”

“She hardly gives the appearance of a concerned wife.”

“She is in shock, man!”

“And in her shock, she wrapped her wedding band in a handkerchief and threw it into the waste paper basket. That hardly seems plausible.”

I whipped my head around to look back the way we came, though of course I could not see inside the study from the front hall. Holmes offered no antidote for my bemusement, so I shored up my patience and followed him out.

The sky had turned an angry red-orange by then, throwing the shadow of the great house across the courtyard. We followed the faint remains of turbid footprints left by Lestrade and his men, and I assumed Sally Farrier, in the dry dust coating the courtyard stones. Holmes paused here and there to look at these tracks and stopped well before we reached the stables.

“Come along, Watson. Let us leave this gloomy place,” he said. “There is nothing to be gained by staying any longer than necessary.”

The courtyard was now cleared of the police and their vehicles. Only Lestrade remained as proof that something unfortunate had befallen the great house and its inhabitants.

“You are looking rather lonely, Inspector,” Holmes said.

“I was curious to hear what you made of the case, but it would have been frivolous to have everyone else stand here on my account, so I told them to go send word to each of Lord Walmsley’s clubs. We should be able to track him down soon enough.”

“I doubt it. How do you suppose Miss Farrier was able to break into the strong-box without leaving a single mark upon the box itself?”

“Picked the lock, of course.”

“If that is so, then who used the second glass?”

“I beg your pardon?”

“On the desk beside the strong-box was a tray with two glasses with brandy remaining in each of them. If she wanted more to drink, surely she would have refilled her own glass rather than dirty a second one.”

“Well how do you think she did it?”

“I do not think she did at all. I think Lord Walmsley himself opened the box and gave her every cent therein.”

Lestrade’s mouth fell open as an indignant flush rose high on his cheek.

“And why should he ever do a thing like that?” demanded the inspector.

“I really couldn’t say.”

“You really couldn’t say. You really won’t say, more like! I know how you operate, Mr Holmes, and I’m sure you have a thrilling theory to support such a statement, but if you make me go back to the Yard with a story like that, the superintendent would have my head!”

“Then I would pray he makes better use of it than you have. Good day, Mr Lestrade.”

Chapter 4 Be Here

Notes of Interest

Lady Walmsley knocked me up – “To knock someone up” was (is?) British slang for “to wake someone.” My fellow Americans can stop giggling now.

#sherlock holmes #the telegraph boy #my writing

10 notes · View notes

liquidmetalslime · 8 years ago

Text

Dragon Quest: Where to Start

Introduction

The “where do i start” question is asked quite frequently on /r/dragonquest and the main FB fangroup, so i assumed i’d make my own list.

I’m gonna compile each game that has been released outside of Japan into this post and give their most important features of each version available -at least- in English so anyone can see the differences and choose according to their needs or preferences.

Note 1: To mark in which languages is available each release, i’m gonna put these next to its platform: (E) = English; (F) = French; (G) = German; (I) = Italian; (S) = Spanish. “EFIGS” may only apply to the EU version, though.

Note 2: Some things might not be 100% accurate, I’m just a slime, sluurp 🙇🏻🙏.

Note 3: Games with only one version available in English (or Multi-5) will get this message in the recommendation: “There’s only a version.”. Games in which you can choose the gender of the main characters will include this sentence in its info: “In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character.”.

Note 4: Reminder about the Roman numerals (just in case): I = 1, II = 2, III = 3, IV = 4, V = 5 , VI = 6, VII = 7, VIII = 8, IX = 9, X=10 and XI = 11.

Note 5: The post-2006 releases use lots of puns, jokes, and accents. It’s a characteristic of the series, as are the title alliterations (ie: Chapters of the Chosen, Luminaries of the Legendary Line, etc), the black and white menus, or the classic main theme, etc. Most of the post-2010 releases use visible encounters as well. As for now, there seems to be no turning back.

I’ll be skipping games that require fan-translation (I only mention them, but I highly prefer officially released titles).

↳ Aside from this, i am aware US Gamer made a similar list (click here).

⚠️ BEWARE: This post is HUGE. ⚠️

What is Dragon Quest?

Dragon Quest is a JRPG franchise developed by Enix (now Square Enix). The series is very traditional, in various aspects, the most notorious being the turn-based encounters and the encouragement to explore every corner. The main staff behind the series is: Yuji Horii (Scenario), Akira Toriyama (Art) and Koichi Sugiyama (Music). DQ first started 31 years ago in Japan, in May of 1986. A few years later, in 1989, it was first released in North America, but due to copyright issues with “Dungeons & Dragons”, Enix had to change the name to “Dragon Warrior”. After the Square Enix merger in 2003, they could finally solve the naming issue and, starting with the eighth entry in the main series, in 2005, DQ was finally getting called “Dragon Quest” in North America. One year later, in 2006, the series was introduced in Europe with that same game, Dragon Quest VIII (prior to that, only one spinoff had came to Europe). Since then, many remakes, re-releases, and spinoffs came to the West, even with some years of silence between 2011 and 2014. In 2017 we’re getting Dragon Quest VIII for 3DS (in January) and Dragon Quest Heroes II for PS4 and Steam (in April). ---

It should be noted DQ is a very special JRPG series, and most of its narrative comes from NPCs or books. This series really encourages the player to explore everything and to talk to everyone. That might be the only way to get clues of what to do next. Aside from that, in the games that it’s available, the Party Chat feature is also one of the most reliable features you’ll find in these games. Party chat lets your party members give you their opinions and comment on lots of different things that happen in the game -from the reaction they get after talking to a NPC, to their reaction after an important cutscene-, and they might also give you tips and remind you of what you have to do next. Aside from that, it’s a great tool to see the personalities of your characters. That said, do not come to this series expecting lots of pre-rendered cutscenes and lots of flashy action, this series is not about that (there is some, of course, but not as many as in other JRPGs). As i said a bit earlier, DQ is very special for other things too. The combat is always turn-based in the main series (except in the MMO) and the dialogue is usually full of puns and jokes. Unlike many other series, almost all the games have the same quality and its a highly consistent series, due to the main creators always being the same (Mr Yuji Horii, Mr Koichi Sugiyama and Mr Akira Toriyama). What you need to know about the other works of these three gentlemen: Horii created one of the games that inspired Hideo Kojima that videogames could offer interesting stories (”The Portopia Serial Murder Incident”); Sugiyama has been composed many classic music and worked on various 70s Japanese tv shows such as “The Return for Ultraman”; and AKira Toriyama is a worldwide known manga artist, mainly for his two masterpieces: Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball.

↳ For more information about the series, check its Wikipedia article.

Where to start? @liquidmetalslime’s choices

NOTE: Okay, let me be clear, in this block i’ll talk about what are the best entry points IN MY OPINION, as the title clearly say.

To start playing the series, the best three entry points in the main series are IV (4) , VIII (8) and XI (11). The first one can be played in English on NES and Mobile and in Multi-5/EFIGS on DS. The second one can be played in English and French on Mobile and EFIGS on PS2 and 3DS. The third one will be available on PS4 and PC in Multi-5 later this year; sometime in the future also on Switch.

- IV is divided in chapters and features a highly likeable cast -specifically a certain Tsarevna. Each chapter is unique and follows a specific set of characters, who will later meet in the fifth and longest chapter. This story is quite tragic and is best enjoyed on the remakes of the game, since these remakes include a sixth chapter that gives an insight in the motives that drove the villain to do what he did. If you want to play in English and get its best version to date, the mobile (iOS/Android) version is the one. If you want to play using physical buttons or in French, German, Spanish or Italian, the (EU) DS release is for you. The DS/Mobile remakes use lots of puns and accents (the NES version doesn’t), and that can be bothersome until you get used to it, but it’s worth it (and I personally love it, except in the first chapter while playing in English. I didn’t have any issue while playing in Spanish). This is the one that gave me an obsession made me a DQ fan.

- VIII on the other hand, focuses a lot more on a major plot and its characters. Due to that, it is the easiest DQ to jump in if you already like other JRPG series. Given its artstyle and big scale of its world, it gives a great sense of adventure (its actually not that big, but it feels huge). As IV, VIII’s characters are regarded as some of the best in the whole series, specially Yangus and Trode. As in IV, the remake gives us some more information about the villain and his motives. If you value content and quality of life improvements over looks, the 3DS version is the definitive version. Otherwise, if you prefer prettier graphics, go for the PS2 version. The 3DS version is what i consider its best version to date, and its the easiest to find nowadays, besides the Mobile port.

- XI is an interesting title because despite being full of throwbacks and -maybe- connections to the older games, it introduces many quality-of-life improvements into the usual mechanics of the series. On top of that, has a killer soundtrack, composed with brand new songs (which some will say that are weaker) and a whole lot of classic songs from all the main games. And to round up the package, it also has gorgeous graphics. The cast is likeable, the story is interesting, the gag moments are nice, the sad moments are touching (i personally thought Horii couldn’t outdo himself after V, but boy i was wrong). It has a lot to like, and little to dislike. The real shame about this game is that we -apparently- won’t be getting the 3DS version.

Aside from these three games, the other main titles might be a good point to start too, but some might have give some trouble, for example:

I and II: (Terribly) Outdated. II is also the hardest game in the whole series, and its NES version is quite unbalanced at the final parts of the game.The devs even admitted in an interview that they couldn’t balance it properly because they couldn’t delay the game.

III and VII: These are better enjoyed if you have played some of the previous games, for example III is better enjoyed with knowledge of I and II (of their story, i mean), and VII with knowledge of what to expect from the game (how DQ’s narrative usually works, how the battles work, etc) as well as knowing a bit about VI’s mechanics.

V: Probably the top of the series, but I feel it’s not as DQ-newbie-friendly as IV and VIII. Still a solid game.

VI: Love it or hate it experience.

IX: It’s quite different from the other games since it focuses a lot more on character customization (there are no pre-made characters, besides some that are acquired in some postgame DLC quests), so it might give a wrong idea of what the series is like. It is a lovely game, though.

Other notes:

III, VI, VII and IX (and X, but that’s Japan-only for now) use class systems.

Outside the main series, in my opinion, the best entry points might also be:

- Dragon Quest Monsters 1 and 2 (better known as Dragon Warrior Monsters 1 and 2). Charming monster collecting games. The first one features Terry, originally from DQVI, on his quest to win the Starry Night Tournament, while the second one features two original characters (Tara & Coby) on a quest to save their new island. DQM2/DWM2 comes in two versions. In one you play as Tara and in the other as Coby. Might be a bit outdated, but they’re quite fun games. I feel like they’re better than the other monster-catching games of that era, at least technically.

- Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2. The most recent Monsters game we got. Has a quite deep synthesis system and it’s quite intuitive. Also has a large amount of beasts. Could feel a bit clunky and slow to play nowadays, though.

- Dragon Quest Builders. Easy to play and with really charming aspects. Has a long story and huge replay value, as each time the player can build their base differently. It has been called “the Minecraft for those who don’t like Minecraft”, due to it being more guided that the mentioned game. It has some connections to the first three games in the series, but can be enjoyed without previous knowledge of the series. If you had to choose a DQ spinoff, choose this one. Don’t think of it as a “Minecraft with DQ skins”. There’s a Minecraft mod for that, this is quite different.

Games & Releases: Versions that have been released in the West

In this huge block, we’re gonna look at each game, its western releases (trying to cover both NA-only and NA/EU/AUS releases), the features each re-release (if any) has in comparison to the first English/Western version, and my recommendations for each game.

Dragon Quest I

Info: Old JRPG with very simple mechanics. It is the first console JRPG out there (almost a year and a half earlier than Final Fantasy 1!). The story is quite simple (save the princess and defeat the bad guy) and the gameplay is very bare bones, but still an enjoyable game. It’s also really short, can be beaten in about 6 hours if you’re fast.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest I · II (SFC), 1993; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a lot of Old English.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

Quite grindy.

- Dragon Warrior 1 · 2 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Better balancing.

There is a prologue scene.

- Dragon Quest I for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation (still uses Old English, but with the newer DQ glossary).

Brighter, more colorful world, but poorly upscaled graphics. (Because its a port of an old mobile port they did in the mid 2000s, but fitted into a way higher screen)

Even better balancing.

No prologue scene.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest I” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: It’s simply the best version: better graphics, music, translation and balancing (meaning less grinding).

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Dragon Quest II

Info: Second game in the series. Adds extra two party members there can be various monsters on battle, there’s also a ship and a waaaay bigger world (the world of DQ1 is just a small part of the one in DQ2). That said, it is worth noting the original version of this game was quite rushed and the end-game areas are quite unbalanced. The story is quite simple too: An evil mage named Hargon plans on destroying the world and starts by attacking the kingdom of Moonbrooke. The princes of Midenhall and Cannock reunite with their lost cousin from Moonbrooke to stop Hargon.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest I · II (SFC), 1993; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior II for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a lot of Old English.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

Quite grindy, specially in end-game areas. (Enix admitted they couldn’t balance the last areas of the game due to time constrains.)

- Dragon Warrior 1 · 2 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Better balancing.

New intro scene.

- Dragon Quest II Luminaries of the Legendary Line for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation.

Brighter, more colorful world, but poorly upscaled graphics. (Same reason as DQ1-Mobile).

Even better balancing.

Prologue scene.

Limitations to avoid players venture into the most dangerous dungeon unprepared.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest II Luminaries of the Legendary Line” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: It is the best version: better looks, sound, translation and balancing.

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Dragon Quest III

Info: First DQ game to feature a class system, which was supported by a personality system thus making almost every character unique. This game also features some big plot twists and even larger areas to explore. DQ3 also ends the Erdrick/Loto trilogy. The story follows the offspring of a great hero (Ortega) and their quest to finish what their disappeared father started: to defeat the evil Baramos. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: And the gender of any character you create.)

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest III (SFC), 1996; Dragon Quest 25th Anniversary Collection (Wii), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for the SFC remake.]

- Dragon Warrior III for NES (E)

Old DW translation. (Besides DW glossary, it uses a bit of old english.)

The graphics might be too outdated for some.

- Dragon Warrior 3 for GBC (E)

Remade DW translation.

Enhanced (yet simpler) graphics.

Pachisi/T’n’T minigame.

Monster animations.

2 bonus dungeons: the one added in the SFC remake and a brand new one.

Monster medals.

- Dragon Quest III Seeds of Salvation for iOS and Android (E)

New DQ translation. (There are some areas that still use Old English).

No Pachisi/T’n’T minigame, nor Monster Animations nor Monster Medals.

Brighter, more colorful world, but (somewhat) poorly upscaled graphics. (Same reason as DQ1-Mobile).

1 bonus dungeon: the one added in the SFC remake.

My recommendation: This is a hard choice, but it is between “Dragon Warrior 3” for GBC (E) and “Dragon Quest III Seeds of Salvation” for iOS and Android (E). Why?: The GBC version has a lot more content, but the Smartphone version has a newer DQ-style translation and better graphics. Many will say the SFC remake is better, but i love monster medals and the official translations 🤷‍♀️

The Mobile port is the only version available in Europe, btw.

Note about the Erdrick Trilogy (I - III): This trilogy is better enjoyed when played in order (DQ -> DQII -> DQIII).

Dragon Quest IV

Info: First game of the Zenithian trilogy (which is loosely connected). First -and only- DQ game to be told in chapters so far. Each one follows different people, and in the fifth, they all meet to fulfill their roles al the chosen ones. Here, instead of having generic characters with classes, we have set (and very charismatic) characters who learn a specific sets of spells and skills. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character.

The overall story focuses on a demon who loves a lovely elf and hates human for how they treat elves, monsters and dwarves. The party must stop this demon, Psaro, from awakening the demon lord and destroying the world.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest IV (PS1), 2001.

- Dragon Warrior IV for NES (E)

Old DW translation.

Completely 2D.

- Dragon Quest IV: (The) Chapters of the Chosen for DS (EFIGS)

New DQ translation.

Prologue chapter.

No party-chat. (It was added in the Japanese remake, and was mostly translated by the release date, but SQEX decided to not put it for some reason)

2.5D, since it uses DQVII’s PS1 style.

- Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen for iOS and Android (E)

DQ translation.

Prologue chapter.

Has party chat.

2.5D.

My recommendation: Depends, but choose one from the latter two. Why?: If you want to play in French, Spanish, Italian or German, go for the DS release. If you want to enjoy the party chat feature, for for the Smartphone release. The party chat seems pointless but it actually gives a lot of characterization to the party members.

Dragon Quest V

Info: Second game of the Zenithian trilogy. In this particular game, the story follows a young man through his (painful) life: from his childhood to his adulthood. DQ5 was one of the first games ever to let players recruit monsters to join their team (which, some years after its release, and after the success of Pokémon, inspired the birth of “Dragon Quest Monsters”). It also allows choosing a wife (well, it forces the player to choose one, since it is related to the plot): Bianca, the childhood friend; Nera, the sweetheart from a good family; or Debora, the passionate sister of Nera. This game has probably the best story in the whole series.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest V (SFC), 1992; Dragon Quest V (PS2), 2004. [There are fantranslations for these two titles.]

- Dragon Quest V: (The) Hand of the Heavenly Bride for DS (EFIGS)

- Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride for iOS and Android (E)

Some slight tweaks.

The two versions of this game we got are quite similar, except some small balancing and changes of MP cost. Both feature DQ-style localization (it’s the same for both versions), a new bride not present in the original SFC release nor PS2 remake (Debora), a few more monsters of newer games (like DQVIII’s Jailcat) and some other tweaks.

The NES version only released in North America, btw.

Dragon Quest VI

Info: Third and last game of the Zenithian trilogy (First, chronologically). In this game the party travels between two worlds: reality and dream world. There are two extra “worlds”: underwater and the dread realm. In this game, there’s a class system quite different from III, since the classes of VI aren’t tied to the character’s level but to the number of battles won, with 8 levels of mastery (8 stars = mastered the class).

The story is about a group of young people who are off to fight the evil demon who rules the dreams and treats the land (Murdaw). But there’s more, the game is about traveling between worlds and solving problems and fighting the Dreadfiends.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest VI (SFC), 1995. [There is a fantranslation for this title.]

- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation / Reverie for DS (EFIGS)

- Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation for iOS and Android (E)

Better balanced and a few tweaks.

The two versions of the game we got are pretty similar, so there’s only these two differences: controls and enhanced balancing (for example, Terry joins with a few more classes mastered). Both feature the same graphic style, the same DQ-style translation and the same music.

My recommendation: Doesn’t matter. Why?: Both are pretty much the same, choose according to your wallet or control preferences. I’d choose DS though, since the mobile port can be buggy in some phones (and due to multi-5 too). The SFC version is objectively better (better atmosphere, much prettier graphics, can recruit monsters like in V), but it doesn’t have an official translation and the fan-translation covers 95% of it (but you can beat the main story, though).

Note about the Zenithian Trilogy (IV - VI): This trilogy, unlike Erdrick’s trilogy, is loosely connected. Only a few elements connect the games, so they can be played as individual experiences. A few details in VI imply the cronological order is different from the release order.

Dragon Quest VII

Info: Longest entry in the series. It is also the only DQ game with time-travel so far. The story is divided in islands, each of which is unlocked after completing a small puzzle made of shards/fragments. This game features the class system from VI, but extended.

The story starts in the only island in the world, but with the help of Prince Kiefer and Maribel, the player unravels the mysteries of an eerie abandoned shrine, which transports them into another island in the past. The party must solve the problems of the islands in the past to save the islands in the present, and learn what happened with the world and how can they fix it.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest VII (iOS/Android), 2015.

- Dragon Warrior VII: Warriors of Eden for PS1 (E)

Old DW translation.

2.5D.

Only an NPC can help you find shards/fragments.

Better puzzles at the beginning.

- Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past for 3DS (EFIGS)

New DQ translation.

Fully 3D.

There are many ways to find fragments: a radar, a fairy npc, a menu option...

Dumbed down puzzles at the beginning.

Faster class mastering and better balanced class system (making the monster classes relevant).

Traveller tablets / free DLC tablets.

The JP version of the 3DS remake uses orchestral soundtrack, but the Western version doesn’t. It can be restored with a hacked 3DS, apparently. The Western release also added some lag in the menus.

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past” for 3DS (EFIGS). Why?: Firstly because of the multi-5 text, but also for the QoL improvements, specifically the faster class mastering and fragment radar.

Btw, the 3DS version is the only one in Europe.

Note: There is a patch for the 3DS that adds the orchestral soundtrack. (You need a CFW on your 3DS.)

Dragon Quest VIII

Info: First fully-3D (non-remake) game of the series. It had various changes: firstly, the story focused on a main plot. Secondly, each character had a few learning paths, which could be followed by allocating Skill Points, earned by leveling up, and that at certain milestones would teach them new skills, spells and passive bonuses. Other changes include the Monster Arena (which plays a bit like the Dragon Quest Monsters arenas), having orchestral music ingame and voice acting (these two things were only present in the western PS2 version), having the alchemy pot and some more innovations.

The story follows a young guard and a bandit, who are helping a cursed king and his daughter to catch the culprit of their curse. They follow him around the world, finding some interesting partners along the way.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King for PS2 (EFIGS)

Voice acting.

Orchestrated music.

“Beautiful” but slow menus.

Pink super saiyan. (This was introduced in the western releases to get the attention of DBZ fans.)

Pretty graphics.

- Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King for iOS and Android (EF)

Instant alchemy.

Portrait mode only.

No voice acting nor orchestrated music.

- Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King for 3DS (EFIGS)

New playable characters, scenarios (& optional endings), items, and dungeons (one is post-game, the other is optional before ending the game).

Instant alchemy.

Voice acting.

No orchestral soundtrack. (It’s present in the JP version, and afaik it can be restored with a CFW 3DS.)

Classic DQ menus.

Alternative outfits for everyone, not just 2 characters.

New camera mode & quests.

There are some small changes made by SQEX Japan so the game would keep the same rating it got on the PS2 years ago (For All Ages). Nothing game changing.

Free DLC items.

Some re-balancing.

Speed-up option for battles.

On New 3DS, the C-stick can be used to rotate the camera. (There is no performance improvement on N3DS.)

My recommendation: “Dragon Quest VIII: (The) Journey of the Cursed King” for 3DS (EFIGS). Why?: The improvements, QoL enhancements and new features make it worth it despite it being inferior graphically to its PS2 original release. The music change doesn’t affect you a lot if you do not play using headphones. Also, the “censorship” is irrelevant since Jessica is 17 and the two other scenes don’t change that much anyway. If that’s your main concern, I may suggest you check your priorities, my dude. 🤷‍♂️

Note: There are patches for the 3DS version that give Jessica her PS2 outfits and put the orchestral soundtrack in. (You need a CFW on your 3DS.)

Dragon Quest IX

Info: In some aspects this game is a throwback to Dragon Quest III. The player can customize the party, their aspect and their equipment. It mixes DQIII’s classes and VIII’s skill trees. As VIII, it also has (instant) alchemy. This is the first main DQ game that allows playing with friends (up to 4, in local multiplayer). Unlike almost all the other games (except I and III), there aren’t set characters in this game*. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: And the gender of any character you create). IX has tons of throwbacks and cameos from the other heroes (as Inn Guests and costumes) and villains (as Bosses) from the main series and a character from DQ Swords.

*There ARE some set characters, but to be able to get them you need to have access to the DLC quests (the DS and Wii servers are dead right now, so you need to edit your file or connect with someone who has them unlocked) and have beaten the main story.

The story in this game follows a young celestrian (a guardian angel, basically) in their quest to find out what happened to their realm. They must travel around the world, helping as many people as possible while getting clues of what or who is responsable for the fall of their land.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies for DS (EFIGS)

My recommendation: There is only the one version of this title. Its best enjoyed with friends, and/or if you like roleplaying/creating your own characters.

Dragon Quest XI

Info: Return to the classic formula after the multiplayer-focused IX and X.

The story focuses on a boy, who is the reincarnation of a Hero, who is acused of being “the demon’s child”. He has to escape and unravel the mysteries regarding this “demon’s child / hero’s child” controversy with a cast of great characters.

The most interesting part about this title was how it was made in three different styles: 2D, “chibi” 3D and full-scale 3d. The first one, tries to emulate the graphics of the original DQ6 and the SFC remake of DQ3; the second one tries to go for the aesthetic of DQ9 and the remake of DQ7; and the third one gives us the logical step after DQ8. The first two modes are only present on the Japan-only 3DS version, while the later is present in all the UE4 versions (PS4, PC and probably Switch). As each of them tries to emulate a different era of the series, there are gameplay mechanics that change. For instance, when playing in 2D mode (3DS), the items won’t have an image when looking at the inventory. Meanwhile, they will while playing in 3D (3DS). Or the way boomerang works: in the 3DS version, they hit from left to right, like in previous titles; while on the UE4 versions the player can choose which enemy it should hit first. (Since the 3DS version is staying Japan-only i’ll avoid making more comparisons to it.)

Official site

Versions and features: - Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age (3DS, 2017)

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PS4

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PC / Steam

Same version as on PS4

Probably more resolution and fps

Probably mods

- Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for Switch

???

Nobody knows anything about it so far, except it’s confirmed for all regions.

My recommendation: Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age for PS4 or PC. Why?: So far, we’re only getting “one version” on two platforms, so it’s up to the player to decide their platform of choice. I’d personally choose PS4 because the game was designed with a PS4 in mind. If you can read japanese, the 3DS version is also a great option. I personally prefer it to the UE4 version.

And that’s all for the main series.

Dragon Quest X is a MMO for Wii, Wii U, PC, 3DS and Mobile, which will be soon available for PS4 and Switch in Japan. There are no plans for a Western release of this game for now. (There is a western localization campaign, started on October 2016. @imutone recently started a complementary campaign to send physical letters to SQEX. Here’s the latest update on the campaign. Make sure to join it!)

Now, lets move to the Spinoffs:

Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland

Info: Inspired by DQV’s monster recruitment feature and Pokémon’s success, this was the first attempt to make a Monster-Catching DQ game. It features Terry and Milly (called Milayou in the old DWM translation) from DQVI as the protagonists (Note: Only Terry is playable, Milly is a secondary character).

In this game, you have to travel worlds to get stronger monsters to be able to win in the Starry Night tournament, which grants a wish to its winner, and save your kidnapped sister.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Monsters 1 · 2 (PS1), 2002; Dragon Quest Monsters: Terry’s Wonderland 3D (3DS), 2012. [There is fantranslation for this remake.]

- Dragon Warrior Monsters for GBC (E)

Randomly generated dungeons.

All monsters can follow you, up to 3 at a time.

3 vs 3 battles.

Hundreds of DQ monsters, either from DQI-VI or new.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

Dragon Quest Monsters 2: Tara’s Adventure / Coby’s Journey

Info: In this sequel, they went the monster catching Pokémon way: two versions with exclusive monsters. Each version offers a protagonist: The young Tara, or her older brother Coby. This game offered monster trade.

In these games, you have to travel between worlds to save your new home, an island, while becoming a better monster master.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Monsters 1 · 2 (PS1), 2002; Dragon Quest Monsters 2 (3DS), 2014.

- Dragon Warrior Monsters 2 for GBC (E)

Comes in two packages: Tara’s Adventure and Coby’s Journey. In the first one you play as a girl (Tara) and in the other as a boy (Coby). They’re sibilings.

Set worlds. (Not randomly-generated as in DQM1.)

All monsters can follow you (all have sprites), up to 3 at a time.

3 vs 3 battles.

Hundreds of DQ monsters, either from DQI-VII or new.

Local multiplayer.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There was DQM game for GBA, Caravan Heart, which was Japan-only. Quite different from the first two DQM/DWM games, but as DQM1/DWM1, it has a child version of a character of the main series as the protagonist: Kiefer from VII. [There is a fantranslation for this game.]

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker

Info: This is a reboot of the DQM formula. Coming after the Japan-only DQM Caravan Heart that mixed DQVII’s monster hearts with the DQM formula, Joker tried something new, but in a similar direction of the GBC classics. In this game, the young monster scout must get stronger to become a master monster scout and also unfold the mystery of the Incarnus, a singular monster.

Versions and features:

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker for DS (EFIGS)

Monster from DQI-VIII, or new.

3 vs 3 battles.

New and updated mechanics (the skill system is inspired by VIII’s).

Local and Wifi multiplayer (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

My recommendation: There is only the one version of this game.

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2

Info: Carries over many mechanics from Joker, but improves them. The biggest improvement is in the UI, which later became the base for all the 3DS DQM games and remakes. The story follows a young monster scout whose airship crushes into a mysterious island and how he and his team of monsters unfolds the mystery of the island to get back to civilization.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Joker 2 Professional (DS), 2011. [There is a fantranslation for this title.]

- Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2 for DS (EFIGS)

Over 300 monster, mostly from DQI-IX, or new.

3 vs 3 battles.

DQMJ’s mechanics and UI updated and vastly improved.

Local and Wifi multiplayer (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

(Local) Connectivity with DQVI and IX for DS for special monsters from those games.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There’s a third Joker game for 3DS, called “Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 3” in Japan, released in April 2016. Said game got a “Professional” version with various enhancements and new monsters in early February 2017. As of March 2017, none of the 3DS DQM games has been announced for the West.

Dragon Quest: Torneko no Daibouken 2

Info: Second DQ Mystery Dungeon game, and as the first one (which only released in Japan), it follows the famous merchant from DQIV: Torneko Taloon.

In this title, players must outthink enemies who are often faster or stronger than them, efficiently using weapons and magic when the odds are against them. What's more, in order to succeed they will also test the limits of Torneko's insatiable appetite.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest: Torneko no Daibouken 2 (GBA), 2001.

- World of Dragon Warrior: Torneko: The Last Hope for PS1 (E)

Play as Torneko.

It is the only Mystery Dungeon game set in the DQ universe we got.

This game uses randomly-generated dungeons.

My recommendation: There is only the one version available for us.

There were two other games of this series available in Japan: one for SFC (which was the first DQ spinoff and the first Mystery Dungeon game ever created) and another for PS2 and GBA. There is a fourth DQ Mystery Dungeon game, which doesn’t focus on Torneko anymore, but on the childhood of DQVIII’s Yangus and Red. This is Japan-only too.

Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime

Info: This is the second entry of the “Slime MoriMori” series. It got its American release in 2005. There are tank battles aside from the regular “slime vs the world” fights. This was the last DQ game to get released in America but not in Europe.

It is an action game in which we control a Slime called Rocket, who has to fight the Plattypunks to save the slime town of Boingburg.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Heroes: Rocket Slime for DS (E) [Trailer]

Play as a slime (named Rocket)!

Tank Battles.

Lots of puns.

My recommendation: There is only the one version.

The other games in this subseries are Japan-only, as well as its manga. The first game (GBA) doesn’t have tank battles, and the third one (3DS) replaces them with ship battles.

Dragon Quest Swords: The Masked Queen and the Tower of Mirrors

Info: First person on-rails action game. The Wii’s nunchuck works as your shield and the Wiimote acts as your Sword. All the major characters are named after swords, like Claymore or Fleurette. In this game, you have to save the kingdom of Avalonia from an evil demon named Xiphos.

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Swords for Wii (EFIGS) [Trailer]

On rails.

Use the Wiimote as your sword and the Nunchuk as your shield.

Likeable support cast.

My recommendation: There is only a version of this game.

Dragon Quest Wars

Info: A small turn-based strategy game for DSi. Think of it as a light mix of chess and Fire Emblem (not really, but its not 100% chess either).

Versions and features:

- Dragon Quest Wars for DSi (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Multiplayer: Up to 4 players.

Use some DQ monsters as your units.

My recommendation: There is only one version of this game. As the DS servers got shut down in 2014, so the only way to get it nowadays is using a 3DS.

Honestly? I wouldn’t recommend spending a cent on this.

Fortune Street / Boom Street

Info: First “Itadaki Street” game to release outside Japan. This is the second game in the Itadaki Street series to mix Dragon Quest with Super Mario Bros. The gameplay is a bit of a mix of Mario Party, DQ’s Treasures n' Trapdoors (T’n’T) and the classic boardgame Monopoly.

Versions and features:

- Fortune Street / Boom Street for Wii (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Play as characters from the main series like Slime, Dragonlord, Alena or Patty; and characters from the Super Mario Bros universe such as Peach, Luigi, Donkey Kong or Waluigi.

Multiplayer up to 4 players.

Wifi modes. (Note: As of 2014, Nintendo shut down the DS and Wii servers).

My recommendation: There is only the one version.

Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below

Info: First entry in the action-based Heroes subseries. It is a collaboration with Dynasty Warriors creator Tecmo Koei. This was also the first DQ for a gaming device to come West between 2011 and 2015, quite an honor! In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: You can choose between Luceus and Aurora, but the one you don’t choose is still playable, the one you choose will be always in your party).

It a mix of Dragon Quest mechanics with Dynasty Warrior mechanics: parties of 4 characters, MP, tension, tons of enemies, just a handful of attacks per character... Story-wise is a quite simple light vs darkness story.

Monsters who were peaceful have started attacking humans. The player, the captain of the kingdom’s army have to find out why, battling hordes of monsters in the way.

Versions and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Heroes (PS3), 2015.

- Dragon Quest Heroes for PS4 (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Stable framerate.

Can’t get all the preorder bonuses.

- Dragon Quest Heroes for PC (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Better settings.

Unstable framerate.

My recommendation: The PS4 version. Why?: It was made with the PS4 in mind and has stable framerate. Also, Tecmo Koei’s PC ports are rather infamous...

Dragon Quest Heroes II

Info: Second entry in the action-based Heroes subseries. Doesn’t have any connection with the first one, and fixes or adds what the people wanted in the first game, like a worldmap, (online) multiplayer, or less tower-defense missions.

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twin Kings and the Prophecy's End (PS3, PSV), 2016.

Confirmed versions for the West:

- Dragon Quest Heroes II for PS4 and Steam (EFIGS) [Trailer] (Note: Western release dates: PS4: April 25th in NA and April 28th in EU; Steam: April 22nd in both.)

My recommendation: Still not out in the West, but the PS4 version. Why?: Firstly, Tecmo Koei PC ports are infamous for a reason; secondly, the PS4 version was the main version in Japan (and the one i have already played and enjoyed); and thirdly, because its the only one that has a physical release and that reversible cover is rather cool.

In May 2016, Square Enix released a sequel in Japan called “Dragon Quest Heroes II: Twins Kings and Ending of the Prophecy” for PS3, PS4 and PSV. It includes some upgrades from the feedback they got from the first game, including: having a world map, having multiplayer and being able to have more than four skills per character. On the 1st December 2016, Best Buy leaked its localization. On the 8th of the same month, Square Enix announced the western release dates for the PS4 version: April 25th (NA), and April 28th (EU). A Steam version is also releasing on April 25h (both NA & EU) Square Enix announced on February 22nd 2017. [The Vita version isn’t profitable for SQEX, so they will skip localizing it.] (x). The games’s director hinted to a third game on the PlayStation Awards 2016. (x)

Dragon Quest Builders

Info: “What if you mixed Dragon Quest and Minecraft and got a legit good game?”. In this game, you can choose the gender of the main character. (Note: you can change it and any character customization option anytime you want from the setting accessed from the main menu)

At the last part of DQ1 the player is given a choice. One option lets you continue and the other gives you a game over. DQB explores that option, the story in which the Dragonlord won. You, a builder chosen by the goddess Rubiss, must rebuild the land of Alefgard.

Versions available and features:

- Japan-only releases: Dragon Quest Builders: Revive Alefgard (PS3), 2016.

- Dragon Quest Builders for PS4 (EFIGS) [Trailer]

High quality graphics.

Better draw distance.

Better share options (can make videos and up to 4 image in tweets).

- Dragon Quest Builders for PSV (EFIGS) [Trailer]

Digital only (it is only about 270mb, though. The Asian physical release includes English.).

Portability.

Poor sharing options (screenshots with Start + PS Button. If you share it with the twitter app, you can only choose 1 image. If you want to share more than 1 at a time, you have to transfer your screenshots to your computer).

- Dragon Quest Builders for Switch (EFIGS) (*Releases in Spring 2018)

Its more akin to the PS4 version than the PSV version.

Has some exclusive content, like the DQ1 cartdrige work table and the Sabercub mount.

Portable.

My recommendation: Depends on your tastes. Why?: One is great for its portability (Vita) and the other looks way better and has better sharing methods (PS4).

On August 2016, Square Enix stated there were possibilities of this game getting a Nintendo Switch version. (x). (They announced it officially on the 14th of September of 2017. Will release next spring in all regions.) On September of the same year, they said a sequel was being considered. (x). Later, in the PlayStation Awards, they hinted to a sequel again. (x)

Dragon Quest Builders 2 was announced for Switch and PS4 on the 6th of August of 2017, with no release window announced so far.

Definitive version of each game (TL;DR)

Summarizing, this is the list of definitive versions of each DQ game -that got official western releases- again, in my opinions:

Main series:

Dragon Quest I: Mobile

Dragon Quest II: Mobile

Dragon Quest III: GBC OR Mobile (more content vs newer translation)

Dragon Quest IV: DS OR Mobile (more languages vs english party chat)

Dragon Quest V: DS OR Mobile (they have different prices and buttons)

Dragon Quest VI: DS OR Mobile (they have different prices and buttons)

Dragon Quest VII: 3DS

Dragon Quest VIII: 3DS

Dragon Quest IX: DS

Spinoffs:

Dragon Warrior Monsters: GBC

Dragon Warrior Monsters 2: GBC (Any version)

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker: DS

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2: DS

Torneko: The Last Hope: PS1

Rocket Slime: DS (This one didn’t release in EU)

Dragon Quest Swords: Wii

Fortune Street / Boom Street: Wii

Dragon Quest Wars: 3DS (DSi can’t access the internet any more)

Dragon Quest Heroes: PS4

Dragon Quest Builders: PS4 or PSV (higher resolution vs portability)

Dragon Quest Heroes 2: PS4 or Steam (unless the PC port is a bad port)

Soooooo, where should i start? (TL;DR 2)

Choose one of these, but i highly recommend VIII on 3DS.

Dragon Quest IV: DS OR Mobile (more languages vs english party chat)

Dragon Quest VIII: 3DS

Dragon Quest Monsters Joker 2: DS

Dragon Quest Builders: PS4 or PSV (higher resolution vs portability)

Special thanks

Thanks to my SO (♥︎), @imperial-scrolls-of-honor, @hawelo92, @imutone and @moguel for their help / corrections / suggestions.

Thanks to Yuji Horii, Koichi Sugiyama, Akira Toriyama, Koichi Nakamura, Noriyoshi Fujimoto, and all the staff that has worked or works in this marvelous series. And also thanks to Nintendo and Square Enix, who worked hard to bring these games to the West.

#dragon quest #square enix #dq #masterpost #now i only have that dq10 and that all-dq-releases-so-far posts in my drafts #hopefully i'll finish the dq10 one soon; so many other people can join the campaign #i've had this post in the drafts for what? 5 months now? editing it every few weeks #but now its posted #for real #:D #hope y'all like it #and if not... well it says clearly this is my opinion; make your own if you think differently :p #long post

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