#king's quest 6

[imustbeamermaidrango]

Just learned that my favorite game series, 'King's Quest', was written by a woman, Roberta Williams, who actually founded Sierra Entertainment with her programmer husband, Ken.

Cool learning what pioneers they were in narrative video games. Roberta loved the fantasy genre, and as a child, used to tell stories to entertain her epileptic brother. After her husband sat her at the computer to play her first text based game called 'Colossal Cave', Roberta was hooked. In 1980, she and Ken then went on to create their first graphical text-based game, 'Mystery House' (which looks like it was drawn in MS Paint). 'Wizard and the Princess' came next, and four years later, 'King's Quest' was born: the first mainstream animated adventure game.

Sierra made 'Frogger' too!! My favorite arcade game at the animatronic kid's Birthday funhouse, Bullwinkles. And apparently also worked with Jim Henson to adapt 'The Dark Crystal' into a video game.

Roberta came out of retirement to create a remake of 'Colossal Cave', which I only just discovered, and it will be released in nine days!!!

I just finished King's Quest VI today, so I'm geeking out. Playing these games on my old Amiga back in the 90s - and my computer-savvy IT Father who set us up with them - is the reason I went into the computer industry. Heartwarming to read all the comments on Roberta and Ken's YouTube interviews and 2014 'Industry Icon' Game Award acceptance video who were just as captivated and who went on to create video games themselves.

[tigermousse]

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1993)

[gwydionae]

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow cutscenes

[gwydionsart]

Haven't drawn the screennamesake in a very long time. I was due.

King's Quest has the best funky little critters, from Rotten Tomato to Dangling Participle to cats that are actually evil wizards that ate porridge flavored with a cookie that turns them into a cat.

[applesofdaventry]

An objectively terrible drawing I made of baby Alexander when I was drafting the pancake ficlet:

(The words next to the arrow pointing at him read: lost in the sauce* *of pancakes)

[kursed-curtain]

Whumptober 2022 | Day 6

Ransom Video | “I’ve got a pulse” | Screams from Across the Hall

Kyle took Larry's stiff hand, intertwining coarse fingers. The commotion from a few days ago had settled - the infiltration that stunned them all, and left many to rot in the shadow of their aching hearts. Kyle was one of the many to have taken a hit, but Larry was the one genuinely hit. The long, winding blast of a scar still shimmered in green, and Kyle cursed the fates for it.

Kyle sat down on a stool next to the infirmary bed and pressed his forehead against Larry's. It all felt so cold. Horrible thoughts hit him, fists against glass, sending tears down his cheeks. He didn't want to live on without someone by his side.

"Larry..." Kyle croaked.

Mrs. Hobblepot put a finger to her lips. Kyle hushed.

"I think..." She mused, "...I've got a pulse."

Kyle froze, wiping tears away. "...Does that mean...?"

Mrs. Hobblepot sighed, smiling up at Kyle. "There's still hope."

[ayatai]

A Sudden Storm

No. 1 A LITTLE OUT OF THE ORDINARY Unconventional Restraints

-------------------

Rosella tugged hard at her boot. The weather was perfect outside; if she hurried, she’d have time for a quick ride before her lessons. Her boot finally slipped on; she stood, heading for the door. 

She had only just opened it when the floor beneath her shook, knocking her off balance. Lighting flashed through her bedroom window. Thunder crashed, muffling all other sounds as it reverberated through her head. 

How could it be storming when not one minute ago, there hadn’t been a cloud in the sky? She tried to stand, but an intense pressure kept her flattened to the violently shaking floor.

The room descended into darkness as the light from her window vanished. 

Screams echoing down the hall replaced the fading thunder. Then, finally, the ground stilled, and she could pick herself up off the floor. It was too dark to see, but she could hear the clanking of armor as a guard ran into her room.

“Princess Rosella?”

“I’m fine, but what’s going on?”

“I don’t - “

He stopped as another guard and Alexander rushed in, a lit lamp in the Prince’s hand. Even in the dim, yellowed light from the lamp, she could see how white and drawn Alexander’s face had become. Worry shot through her. Surely this couldn’t be - 

“Are you alright?” Alexander asked.

“Yes, yes, but do you know what- “

“No,” he answered, his voice blunt as he darted to the window. Rosella and the guards followed.

At first, all was black, for not even the stars shone. Then a globe of flickering yellow appeared. It was far too weak to be the sun, but the light it did emit surrounded them haphazardly, shining brightly in some areas and yet nearly nonexistent in others. 

A second light flared, allowing Rosella to make out blurry blotches of grey. What on earth was going on?

A massive shadow appeared in front of them, one that almost appeared human. Except - the figure was far larger than even the giants that had once inhabited Daventry.

Stranger still, the horizon started to change, began to rise upward. As it lifted, the shapes beyond sharpened to reveal not the countryside that had been there mere minutes ago but a cavernous room she’d never seen.

Looking up, she finally understood the strange light reflections, at least. A glass dome that had enclosed the entire castle was being lifted and set to one side. The figure holding it was indeed human but so immense it blocked most of their view.

“Shining stars…” muttered one of the guards behind them.

Her mind reeled. Someone had shrunken them down so that they could take their entire castle. The magic that would require…

And magic required a wizard. So was this…?

She glanced at her brother. He seemed to have gone even whiter than before, but relief showed clearly on his face. No, not Manannan, then.

For a moment, she was relieved as well. But they were still kidnapped, miniaturized, and trapped under a glass dome.

Now what?

[melaniem54]

Review: How I Took the King on a Bone-a-Fide Quest of Piracy, Piemu, and Profit: Bone 6 (How I Stole the Princess's White Knight and Turned him to Villainy Book 12) by A. J. Sherwood

Rating: 5🌈 Finale time! And Steve’s gonna be a whole new dragon! Well, long dead and a skeleton one at that! But happy happy! And that madcap murderous fabulous family of sorcerers and a King will adopt another into the fold. And there’s many weddings! Sherwood has written a warmhearted, if somewhat murderous tale of adventure, love, magic, and family. It’s been a wild and humorous journey. A…

[imustbeamermaidrango]

How rad is the Lord of the Dead?

The voiceover quality kills me, but the pixel art is *chef's kiss*.

[tigermousse]

King’s Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow (1993)

[gwydionae]

"That old witch caught Graham 'toad-ally' off guard."

[gwydionsart]

Creature of Night, to me succumb! Fire and Brimstone leave thee numb. Purity bind thee like a chain. To do what e'er I now ordain!

[queer-ragnelle]

Hi-Lo Arthuriana

Have a high interest in Arthurian Legend but low readability?

Here's a collection of adapted or abridged books to help ease you into the literary tradition. This list is ordered from simplest to most complex, beginning with picture books and ending with "translations" of Middle English texts into modern English or abridged versions of longer texts such as the Vulgate. Books in a series are numbered.

As always, if the book is still in print, I link to where you can legally purchase the book. Supporting living authors is very important! Otherwise, enjoy a PDF, on me, to keep the legacy of these authors alive.

Picture Books

Young Merlin (Young Series #1) by Robert D San Souci & Jamichael Henterly (1989)

Tales From the Mabinogion Gwyn Thomas, Kevin Crossley-Holland, & Margaret Jones (1992)

Sir Gawain and The Loathly Lady by Selina Hastings & Juan Wijngaard (1985)

The Quest for Olwen by Gwyn Thomas, Kevin Crossley-Holland, & Margaret Jones (1988)

The Kitchen Knight by Margaret Hodges & Trina Schart Hyman (1990)

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight by Selina Hastings & Juan Wijngaard (1991)

The Tale of Taliesin by Gwyn Thomas, Kevin Crossley-Holland, & Margaret Jones (1992)

Young Guinevere (Young Series #2) by Robert D San Souci & Jamichael Henterly (1992)

The Knight with The Lion by John Howe (1996)

Young Lancelot (Young Series #3) by Robert D San Souci & Jamichael Henterly (1996)

Young Arthur (Young Series #4) by Robert D San Souci & Jamichael Henterly (1997)

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight by Michael Morpurgo & Michael Foreman (2004)

Perceval: King Arthur's Knight of The Holy Grail by John Perkins & Gennady Spirin (2007)

Comics

Prince Valiant by Hal Foster & many others (1937-present)

Camelot 3000 by Brian Bolland and Mike W. Barr (1982-1985)

Arthur, King of Time and Space by Paul Gadzikowski (2004-2014)

Tristan & Isolde: The Warrior and The Princess by Jeff Limke (2008)

Muppets King Arthur by Paul Benjamin & Patrick Storick (2010)

Gradalis WEBTOON [carrd] by @kochei0 (2021-present)

Chivalry by Neil Gaiman & Colleen Doran (2022)

Children's Chapter Books

The Adventures of Sir Lancelot the Great (The Knights' Tales #1) by Gerald Morris (2009)

The Adventures of Sir Givret the Short (The Knights' Tales #2) by Gerald Morris (2009)

The Adventures of Sir Gawain the True (The Knights' Tales #3) by Gerald Morris (2013)

The Adventures of Sir Balin the Ill-Fated (The Knights' Tales #4) by Gerald Morris (2013)

The Legends of King Arthur: Merlin, Magic, and Dragons (#1-#10) by Tracey Mayhew (2020)

Intermediate Retellings

The Idylls of The King by Alfred Lord Tennyson (1859)

The Story of King Arthur and His Knights (#1) by Howard Pyle (1903)

The Story of the Champions of The Round Table (#2) by Howard Pyle (1905)

The Story of Sir Launcelot and His Companions (#3) by Howard Pyle (1907)

The Story of The Grail and The Passing of Arthur (#4) by Howard Pyle (1910)

Hero Myths & Legends of the British Race by M. I. Ebbutts (1910)

The Squire’s Tale (The Squire’s Tales #1) by Gerald Morris (1998)

The Squire, His Knight, and His Lady (The Squire’s Tales #2) by Gerald Morris (1999)

The Savage Damsel and The Dwarf (The Squire’s Tales #3) by Gerald Morris (2000)

Parsifal’s Page (The Squire’s Tales #4) by Gerald Morris (2001)

The Ballad of Sir Dinadan (The Squire’s Tales #5) by Gerald Morris (2003)

The Princess, The Crone, and The Dung-Cart Knight (The Squire’s Tales #6) by Gerald Morris (2004)

The Lioness and Her Knight (The Squire’s Tales #7) by Gerald Morris (2005)

The Quest of The Fair Unknown (The Squire’s Tales #8) by Gerald Morris (2006)

The Squire’s Quest (The Squire’s Tales #9) by Gerald Morris (2009)

The Legend of The King (The Squire’s Tales #10) by Gerald Morris (2010)

Abridged Medieval Literature Translations

Sir Gawain and The Green Knight (Unrepresented #1) by Jessie Weston (1889)

Tristan & Iseult (Unrepresented #2) by Jessie Weston (1899)

Guingamor, Lanval, Tyolet, Bisclaveret (Unrepresented #3) by Jessie Weston (1900)

Moriaen (Unrepresented #4) by Jessie Weston (1901)

Sir Cleges, Sir Libeaus Desconus (Unrepresented #5) by Jessie Weston (1902)

Sir Gawain At The Grail Castle (Unrepresented #6) by Jessie Weston (1903)

Sir Gawain & The Lady of Lys (Unrepresented #7) by Jessie Weston (1907)

The Story of Sir Galahad by Mary Blackwell Sterling & William Ernest Chapman (1908)

The Romance of King Arthur and His Knights of The Round Table by Alfred W Pollard & Arthur Rackham (1917)

Le Morte d'Arthur by Keith Baines (1962)

The Lancelot-Grail Reader by Norris J. Lacy (2000)

Lancelot and The Lord of The Distant Isles by Patricia Terry, Samuel N. Rosenberg, & Judith Jaidinger (2007)

The Wedding of Sir Gawain and Dame Ragnell by David Breeden (????)

Informational Resources

Warriors of Arthur by John Matthews, Bob Stewart, & Richard Hook (1987)

The New Arthurian Encyclopedia by Norris J. Lacy (1991)

The Arthurian Companion by Phyllis Ann Karr (1997)

The Arthurian Name Dictionary by Christopher W. Bruce (1999)

[bodhrancomedy]

8 Games Which Made Me Bawl My Fucking Eyes Out (in the best way)

1. A Story Beside

Holy hell, I think the fact I played this one when I was isolating with COVID and terrified my breathing issues were gonna be permanent probably added to my complete sobbing breakdown at the end of this.

Every single chapter is a beautiful gut punch and the ending sequence where you guide Lyric back through her story? Heartbreaking.

2. I Was a Teenage Exocolonist

This is probably one of my favourite games of all time and certainly one I’ve sunk the most hours into.

The fact that your first run-through is almost guaranteed to be full of failure and missed chances just adds to the pain I felt.

But the bug in the nursery. That’s what got me.

3. What Remains of Edith Finch

I’m not sure there’s anything I can say about this game which hasn’t been said already.

Each new room puts another knife in your heart as you pull apart the seams of the Finch family curse with Edith as the last survivor.

Gregory was the moment I had to take a break to compose myself.

4. Story of Seasons: A Wonderful Life

While I think this remake took some of the teeth out of the original, this farm sim which spans the life of your character is full of heartbreaking moments as you raise your child.

Honestly, being allowed to be queer and nonbinary in this game made me bawl because I remember wishing to both be a boy and love men in the older games.

5. Dragon Quest IV

I could add several of the Dragon Quest games to this list, but after fighting the final boss for nearly two decades, beating this game had me sobbing for hours.

That last scene of Chapter Five had such a tiny little animation of our hero taking off his sword and that send me over the edge.

6. Bramble: The Mountain King

I don't know where to start with this dark folktale of a game. From tragic monsters to absolute gut punches following great unsettling scares, this journey to save your sister as a scared child ripped my heart in two.

The hell Olle goes through for his protective sister is dear to my heart as a nervous little brother myself.

7. Citizen Sleeper

The very concept of this RPG is haunting. A construct on the run from the corporation who took your body is sad enough, but the express love of humanity which runs through this? Beautiful.

I'm not very far through and it's already had me in tears twice.

8. Outer Wilds

I don't think I can say a single thing about this game without completely spoiling it.

Go in blind, but be ready for heavy and sorrowful themes. All I'll say is when you hear the ending theme, have tissues ready.

[foone]

King's Quest 1: you're a knight, going on a quest to become a king. ✅

King's Quest 2: you're a king, going on a quest to get a wife ✅

King's Quest 3: you're a slave boy escaping an evil wizard, who turns out to be a prince ❌

King's Quest 4: you're a princess on a quest to save her father, the king. ✅

King's Quest 5: you're a king on a quest to save his family ✅

King's Quest 6: you're a prince on a quest to save your love ❌

King's Quest 7: you play as a queen and princess, trying to rescue each other and a fantasy land ❌

King's Quest Mask of Eternity: you play as a knight on a quest to save the kingdom: ❌

King's Quest (2015): you play as a young man on a quest to become a knight, as told by the elderly King Graham. ✅

FINAL SCORE: 5 OUT OF 9 GAMES ARE ABOUT KINGS ON QUESTS, AND/OR QUESTS TO BECOME A KING. 55% SUCCESS RATE

[kursed-curtain]

Assorted Clockwork Heart AU doobles ;0