#krys's adventure in art

[krys-loves-otome]

Had forgotten these lil gems when I was testing out marker and found the perfect colors for @batteryrose's Valerie (though the digitalization process makes it more bubblegum pink and cooler, which makes me sad)

Not gonna claim I know Val's height situation nor her pickle preferences, but this is the vibes I generally get from her

[not-krys]

[Repost] Creation - Abby

Part of this set of WIP Wednesday

Wanted to put this batch out once the main post posted in time for Vincent's birthday, so here's this one again!

Raw, unedited writing, Vincent pushing away Leonardo's hand made me feel a certain way during my run of Vincent's route and now I'm writing that 'certain way' feel out, mostly fluff otherwise, Leonardo does say cavolo tho, if that's a warning.

-----

Leonardo stood in the doorway of Vincent's room, sunlight pouring into the room, but there was something else in the room that could rival the sun in brightness and warmth.

Vincent's back was to him, his apron tied loosely around his torso. His feet were planted firmly on the floor as he sat on his stool. And if that had been the only thing of note, he might have left, to leave a fellow artist to his creation devices.

But the second set of feet, dangling between Vincent's, and a smaller hand holding onto a paintbrush in his, had the older vampire smiling with affection.

He remembered the day he had found Abby struggling to make her lines looser and how he had given her some tips, as an artist, but also to help with her general demeanor. Scrunched up like a nervous kitten wouldn't help her in the long run and he had hoped the message got across when he was teaching her.

Now, it seemed it was Vincent's turn to help her, much closer to her than he had been, sitting in his lap. Both of them were growing bolder, he thought. A natural process for Abby as she was overcoming her timidity, but she wasn't the only one growing bold. Leonardo looked at his hand, remembering when he had attempted to pat her head, something he had done countless times to encourage the little cara before, only for Vincent's hand to stop him, pushing him away from her not unlike a lover would protect his love from unwarranted advances.

He chuckled and pushed away from the door frame, closing the door fully behind him. He also couldn't help but see Vincent's hand tightening on Abby's thigh, a blue eye briefly glancing directly at him for a split second before returning his attention back to the painting session.

Even for all of his long life, Leonardo felt the briefest of chills from that single look and started walking away, lighting his cigarillo as he walked away.

"Cavolo…" he whispered, shaking his shoulders of their tension.

[krys-in-the-playhouse]

Felt like posting some notes I've made for myself when I'm drawing my girlies. I don't always remember all of them, but I do try to keep most of these in mind when I'm drawing the girlies. These are also all subject to change as my art style changes or if the girlies undergo significant changes later on down the road. It also helps for writing too, so if anyone needs physical descriptions that the visuals don't quite provide, here's a short list of traits to help picture them better. These are also in no particular order, just jotted down at the time I was thinking the trait. Some might also be super short and to the point.

Also, as a heads up, I'll be talking in detail about cis-female bodies, so mentions about boobs and the like are gonna feature here. And I talk very briefly about Houki and Abby having stretch marks on them because they've had kids, and that Abby stole Vincent's clothes when she was pregnant, but that's the extent of it.

And down we go!

---------

Houki (IkeSen)

Circle/Round shapes

Friend shaped, soft round friend

Squart and thick. She is short and stout, like a lil teapot.

She has stretch marks almost everywhere you'd expect them to be. Most prominent areas are her upper arms, stomach, and breasts, made especially more prominent after the birth of her son.

Skin tone is closest to light medium.

Hands are small with short, chubby fingers

Center parts her hair

Black hair with blue undertones. Hair reaches the middle of her back. Very straight for the most part. Usually keeps her hair loose at all times.

Round, green eyes. Very bright green eyes

Round glasses, goes around her eyes. She cannot see without them. Her hand has to touch her nose in order for her to see it clearly without them (which means she's severely near-sided)

When she smiles, it's usually small, closed mouth smiles. Her face doesn't really express big emotions, or if she is experiencing a big emotion, it's a lot more subdued compared to the average person. It has more to do with her upbringing rather than something physical like with Sasuke.

For IkeSen, she wears a medium blue kimono with pink trimmings. If there are designs on her kimono, it's usually flowers or butterflies. She's also often wearing a dark blue haori/jacket

Ophelia (IkeSen)

Sharp, straight shapes

Pale skin and hair, they just barely match. Her hair is white, some lights might make it look very pale blonde

Bangs sweep to the left (her right), which is where her hair part is and how her hair sits. Straight hair. For 7KPP, her hair is a lot longer, most often kept in a crown braid on top of and close to her head. With IkeSen, after she leaves Nobunaga and company, she cuts it short, shorter in the back than the front, curving to frame her face. She's got the Karen haircut, lol

Sharp, red eyes. Stole the description of Nobunaga's eyes being carnelian because I liked the image, so she and Nobunaga have the same eye color.

Bean pole shape, not much curving to her. Clothes give her more curves than she actually has

Average height

Beauty mole on her chin

Long fingers on slender hands. She used to wear gloves when she was in her home world to hide the fact that, though she was a noble, she's had to do a bit of manual labor in her life and her hands showed it. It was detrimental to the wealthy noble image she needed to portray, so she hid it a lot of the time. She doesn't wear them while in her IkeSen era, however, especially after she joins up with Kennyo

For IkeSen, she wears a dark red kimono that ends at her ankles, usually plain with no patterns, with medium red trimmings. Over it, she wears a thin obi and a wrap-style skirt called a mobakama over that (also red).

She mostly hides her emotions to be pleasant and pleasing to those around her, so she can keep up the image of the demure, high-class lady to get what she wants. Once she's done some emotional healing, however, her smiles seem more genuine and natural compared how she used to smile back home.

Thea (IkeVamp)

Bean-pole, tall and thin, willowy

Long shapes

Brown hair with warm/reddish undertones. Keeps it long. Kind of a loose bell shape around her face to soften the lines of her jaw while the rest is braided down her back for working convenience. Fully unfurled, her hair reaches her butt. Bangs sweep to the right (her left)

Freckles, freckles for days. Most concentrated on the apples of her cheeks and nose with some on her forearms and shoulders

Large, round blue eyes.

Pale skin with pinker undertones/warmer under tones

Slender hands with calluses. She's a seamstress by trade so her calluses are most prominent on her thumbs and forefingers. Has been gaining more of them since she started living in Comte's mansion and does more manual labor with Sebastian.

Her everyday wear at le Comte's mansion consists of a button-down yellow blouse, long blue skirt that reaches her ankles, and spat boots that button up the side. When she's working with Sebastian, she'll also sport a white apron because who wants to get their clothes dirty while working? Not Thea.

When she goes out into 1890s Paris, she dresses in the fashion of the day. Comte is quick to provide her clothes (bc sugar daddy gonna sugar), her usual wardrobe involving warm yellows and browns with fake flowers to match.

Very open with her expressions, she's quick to smile big and laugh if the mood strikes her. You'll also know when she's upset because the frown would be so, so deep. She also talks with her hands a lot, so if her face isn't showing what's she's feeling (a rare occurrence), her hands are also a dead giveaway.

Abby (IkeVamp)

Petite, soft shapes. The boba and hips have some gentle curves to them.

Short stature, small, slender hands

Cutest tummy pudge, wanna kiss it. Has most of her stretch marks here, made more prominent after she has kids.

Short, blonde hair. Lengthens and has more volume as she gets older. Usually worn straight with a little curl at the ends

Pale skin with some golden/cooler undertones

Round, warm brown eyes.

At first, she usually always looks nervous, always keeps her arms close to her body in the beginning because she's a nervous lil bean, she wants to take up as little space as possible. This changes once she gains more confidence in herself.

Wears boxy sweaters, sweater vests, and dress pants at first because she wasn't confident in her body (among other things) so she dressed to hide what she didn't like looking at. During her first pregnancy, she was notorious for stealing Vincent's clothes (less so in her later ones) because she felt more comfortable in them for this reason. Later on, she does pick up some more feminine styles like long flowy skirts and rounded sleeve tops as she gains more confidence in herself.

Maddie (IkeRev)

Oval shapes, as opposed to circle shapes like Houki

Short and curvy. Girlfriend is stacked like a brick house

Cool green/almost greyish colored hair, kept short with some fluff to it

Plum colored eyes. Round eyes

A lot of cool colors overall

Light medium skin, maybe with some yellow undertones to contrast with her other cool colors

Two pink earrings each on the tips of her ears and one in the lobe parts.

Sometimes has flowers in her hair, usually pink ones

Long shirts, short jackets

Always in boots. Made for walking and that's just what they do. Most often seen in knee to thigh length ones.

Wears chokers like 90% of the time

Another that likes to talk with her hands, like Thea.

Also pretty open with her emotions, smiles big and laughs loud.

Debating over whether to give her tattoos. Will determine this at a later date

Clara (IkePri)

Pear-shaped. Might not have the boba of Jin's dreams, but she does have some nice hips. Clavis approves.

Long brown wavy hair with cooler undertones. Usually keeps her hair in a low bun. If she's going to bed, she will braid it.

Round almond shaped eyes. Light pink eyes. Long eyelashes

Medium skin. Maybe just a touch darker than Jin with cooler tones as opposed to his warmer ones

Short but has a strong build. No strong wind is going to push her over. She could probably bench press Nokto and Rio if she really wanted to.

Dress her in warm tones to contrast with all of her cool colors. Orange is a good color on her, plus it links her with her friendship with Rio. Light blues/teal are also good for representing her relationship with Nokto.

Long skirts is the name of the game, baby. I usually put her in an orange one with a white blouse that has ruffled cuffs.

She dresses like an old-school librarian, mostly covered save for her hands and her head.

Still sometimes wears her engagement ring when she and Nokto were fake married, just not always on her finger.

Reserved when it comes to expressing her emotions. Wants to be strong for her loved ones but that can also lead to her coming off as cool and aloof. Catch her in the right mood and she can be super sweet and expressive (talk to her about MidCin or about making bread and tell me that girl isn't expressive, I dare you.)

Miri (Obey Me)

Soft shapes, friend shaped.

Similar proportions to Abby, gentle curves, soft and squishy

Short queen, thank you

Small hands. Asmo paints her nails pink! Also noted by Asmo after they make their pact together, her pointer and ring fingers are the same length on both her hands, which is neat to him. It's also noted that she has smaller than average ears, for a human.

Curly pink hair, her curls varying from loose weaves to tight coils. Her hair starts off short and choppy in Season 1 and gets longer and more maturely styled as she goes through the later seasons. By Nightbringer Season 3 (current season as of right now), it's mid-back length.

In the beginning, she dresses more to hide her body in the beginning because she's not confident in herself and doesn't know how to accessorize and become the hot girl of her dreams. This changes as she gets more comfortable with herself, plus surrounded by fashionable demons also helps with that.

Dark skin tone. Has warm/pinkish tones to her skin to go with her pink hair.

Has light pink to purple gradient eyes, round and wide for her curiosity.

When she creates pacts with the brothers (because I saw headcanons for this and I wanted to include it with Miri too) their symbols appear as tattoos on her skin. When she summons them or evokes magic in their name, it glows their signature color (Blue for Lucifer, Yellow for Mammon, etc). When she's using magic on her own without a brother, she glows white. When she's not using magic, the pact marks are invisible.

Locations of Pact Marks:

Lucifer: Over her heart

Mammon: Behind her right ear

Levi: Left kneecap

Satan: Right Forearm

Asmo: On her lower back

Beel: Stomach, above her navel

Belphie: Throat, right on her windpipe

Her RAD uniform has a knee length pleated skirt (skirt is grey but the inner pleats are red) and the cape portion is long, meeting her thighs like Satan's does. Depending on the season, she'll either wear a pink ribbon as her tie, or even a bolo if the mood strikes her. She wears white knee socks and black Mary Jane shoes. Like the brothers, she also sports a green button up shirt under the jacket, the hem covering to her mid-thighs while the belt sits at her natural waist, buckled properly.

Post OG Season 2, she wears Lucifer's Ring of Light, an older style ring that helps her to control her powers. She wears it on her left hand ring finger.

OG Season 3 and beyond, her Sorcerer Society tattoo is over the back of her right hand, showing the three staves and seven stars symbolizing her as a member of the Sorcerer's Society.

[bluumonarch]

Nostalgia

[krys-loves-otome]

No notes, I just think this one is really cool. And it's my birthday, so I get to say this one is still really really cool.

Thanks for coming along with me along with this journey and I hope to see all you lovelies next year too!

*The Chain plays in the background*

January 2024

[krys-imeteri-hikari]

The moment that makes me feel old

Seeing a post about how a person is celebrating their OC turning 9 years old this year makes me realize I have some characters turning 11 this year, some pushing for 15.

My characters are becoming teenagers, and some are literally half my age at this point.

Send help.

[whereisten]

Key:

🥝 = Krys | 🍎 = Ari | Krysari = 👑

✎ =more parts coming soon

✓=completed

❥=smut

☼=fluff

☽=angst

✾=sci fi (angels, vampires, werewolves, demons, etc.)

☠=violence (may mention murder&blood)

T a e y o n g // m a s t e r l i s t

🥝 Kismet ✎ ☽ ❥ ✾ ☠

Part 1

Part 2

🍎 The Wedding Singer ✎ ☼

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

🍎 Traces ✎ ☼ ☽ ✾ ☠

Intro

Part 1

🥝 Late Night Adventures with a Green Haired Kingpin ✎ ❥ ☠ ☽

x

Part 2 (Intro)

Part 2

Part 3 (Intro)

Part 3

Part 4 (Intro)

Part 4 Yuta Oneshot!

Part 4

Extras: Cuddling with Greenie, Art Museum Date

🥝 Cat and Mouse ✎ ❥ ☠ ☽

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

🥝 [12:40 P.M] ✓☽

🥝 [12:46 A.M] ✓ ❥ ☼

🍎 Creature Feature ✎ ☼ ☽ ✾ ☠ ❥

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4 Preview

🥝 Baby Don’t Stop ✓ ❥

🥝 The Opposite of Soft ✓ ❥

🥝 Buttons ✓ ❥

🍎 Stupid Cupid ✓❥☼☽ ✾

🥝 Snow Storm ✓ ❥☼

[inkspottie]

I was looking threw your amazing art, and I saw your DnD character that someone drew, krys (I hope I spelt it right) he looks awesome thought I'd say. Do you draw him often cuz I'd love too see more art of him!

Oh yes! I have drawn Krys a couple times! He’s a good boy!

He’s a light cleric that I made to help the party I DM (since we only had three players at the time)

Feel free to ask me more! I’d love to talk about my Dnd characters and the adventures I take my friends on haha

[sotellmemoreaboutthat]

Sooo, here are my babies! Some of them have more personality than others, but I love them all the same!! Also, they are in order of creation.

Name: Eliza, Lizz for short, Lizzie for friends

Department: Pure & Applied Sciences

LI: Raquel

Lizz is my main account, she is also the one that is probably the closest to my personality, she tries her best to be nice to everyone, but know how to impose herself when she feels something is not fair. She speaks fluent spanish since her family from her mother side is Mexican. She used to do cheerleading during middle school, but had to give up on it after a bad knee injury, so going to high school she choose to focus on her grades and she found a passion for math and physics, and seeing that she had potential, she thought it would be worth it to at least try to get a scholarship at the most prestigious school in the country, and that’s how she got into Arlington. She gets a bit nervous around Raquel, but flirts back as much as she can, slowly getting more confused whether is actually flirting or not.

Name: Matthias, Matt for short

Department: Fashion

LI: Tadashi

Matt was created while I was really into the Mean Girls musical, so I decided I would make them have a crush on Tadashi while being friends with Karolina. They are probably one of my characters with the best relationship with Karolina, they are genuinely worried with her and they are a little bit relieved that she doesn’t is that angry with them about their crush on Tadashi.  They don’t have the best relationship with their parents and since they were able to get into Arlington but choose the Fashion department instead of the Business or Health, but they try their best to be proud of their kids. Arlington is somewhere they can be themselves, designing and creating pieces that they are passionate about. They are slowing getting out of their comfort zone and becoming friends with more people. 

Name: Harry

Department: Performing Arts

LI: Tegan

Harry was created to be a counterpoint to Tegan, so I thought that the opposite of a introvert nerd was a extrovert arts kid (keep in mind, no i didn’t knew Tyler’s personality or department yet). Anyway, he is the kind of person that is effortlessly good at what he does if he sets his goal into doing something, but he is so nice that no one gets angry at him for it. Dancing is his passion, but he also knows how to play drums and sometimes helps the other performing arts students (like Shawn, my other Performing Arts oc) with their compositions. He is the tallest out of all the ocs, but he is still shorter than Tegan, but is not a huge difference (Idk how inches and foot work and I won’t even try at this point).

Name: Charlie

Department: Business Commerce & Politics

LI: Claire

Charlie came from my realization that I would actually be at the Business department and not the Science one based on what I want to do when I graduate. They are professional and reliable, but are not that great on social skills, they’re rather shy and were really grateful when they were invited by Claire to hang out with her and Raquel and it definitely  helped for their crush slowly grow, they don’t really know how to deal with those feelings tho, they are just going with it and hoping for the best. After a rocky start their relationship, Tadashi and them got into a point where they are kind of friends, but really formal friends and until the whole Nakano scandal they weren’t really vulnerable to each other.

Name: Janet

Department: Fine Arts

LI: Neha

Janet was another person that was created as a counter to her LI, Neha is very organized and Janet is very chaotic and messy. She is from a small town and the Academy is very different from everything she knows, so she was really impressed at first by the diversity, she was not used to it, but she feels blessed she gets to have this opportunity to meet so many different people. She usually jokes about how the arts department is full of nice and fancy materials and she was used to make it work with cheap materials back at home. She usually have some trace of paint on her face or clothes (but she is trying to keep it clean because the uniform is way too expensive to have paint on) and her hands are always with some colorful pen marks. She is described as talented by people around her, but she’s been drawing since she was a small child and works really hard to get on the level of people are Arlington. She is a little bit scared of Karol, but she is always nice to her and is genuinely concerned about both her health and how her situation affect Neha. I don’t know when, I don’t know how, but someday Janet will give Neha an original design for a print.

Name: Krystian

Department: Athletics

LI: Alistair

Krys was created when I realized I really liked Al and that I wanted someone who could like, work out and be athletic with him (is this what athletic ppl do? idk, can’t relate). He is a short king, probably the shortest among my ocs, he plays volleyball as a libero (and yeah i decided that literally this week bcuz i rewatched haikyuu and it inspired me). Alistair makes him feel all kinds of things and he is so sweet and nice, I can imagine him and Lizz complaining together about how hot ppl from Athletics are. He doesn’t really like Karolina, he thinks she is rude and prejudiced and it took a little while form him and BIanchi (the other Athletics oc) because of that, he ends up warming up to her after the Nakano Scandal because she seems very genuine about her feelings for Tadashi and he can respect that.

Name: Angel

Department: Fashion

LI: Axel

(So... Here is when I start getting out of ideas and they may have less personality, sorry)

When I was thinking about Angel I was just like, pretty and fun, a little bit edgy. He is pretty in a kinda unconventional way, too feminine for most of the male models demand but he choose to remain authentic to himself (And also he will never be able to have a six pack and he accepted it). He probably heard about Axel before (I mean, he is a sensation, isn’t he?), but didn’t actively look for him, he consider himself a more indie kind of guy. In the process of falling for Axel he did question himself if he was not falling in love out of interest, but he soon got over it, because he couldn’t avoid the feelings that were growing.

Name: Bianchi

Department: Athletics

LI: Karolina

Bianchi was created using “jock” as the first thing that came to my mind about her. After a little research I figured Bianchi is actually a surname, not a first name, so I decided she doesn’t vibe with her first name and she decided she would like it better to be called by her last name. She is kinda cocky, she knows at what she is good at and is very confident. She works with Karolina because she won’t let her put her down without fighting back and she knows what she has to offer, Karol would eventually see her as a equal and Bianchi is very weak for pretty girls, she would probably also flirt a lot with Karol, just to piss her off a little bit. She hopes to become a professional swimmer, but she also does weightlifting as a hobby.

Name: Yuri

Department: Health Sciences & Biology

LI: Ellie

Yuri was created because I needed someone who was around the conversation about Arlignator to be into the Health Department to actually do the Arlignator and undertsand the reference. It’s hard for me to relate to her because I would never in my life go for a health area, so it’s hard for me to develop her. But, I did develop her family (cuz u know, i needed to be able to talk about her in someway amirught), so her father have a Japanese heritage and her mother have a Chinese one, her dad is not that in touch with his heritage because he was raised by his single white mother, and her mother’s family on the other side is very connected with the Chinese culture, and that’s why despite the Japanese name, Yuri speaks fluent Mandarin. Ellie is someone who takes her a little out of her comfort zone, and that works for her because she always wanted to be a little adventurous but never had any stimulation for it, and now she have it (with a little crush as a bonus).

Name: Shawn

Department: Performing Arts

LI: Tyler

Shawn was heavily influenced by AJR, which is a band I listened a lot when I started to play SE. He is a songwriter and a composer (no, i don’t know the difference, I’m sorry ppl who know music I’ve failed y’all) and he wants to make music that are more than love and sex and still have a kinda pop feeling about it. He is the most confident after Bianchi out of my ocs and he is very restless. Him a Tyler hit it off from the beginning since they have a similar sense of humor and sometimes he feels like he understands a little better all the love songs out there, and even promising himself he wouldn’t sing about love (a la Hayley Williams, but maybe one or two actually are actually created.

[art-zane]

My name is Krys Kinsel, I am an illustrator and comic artist currently living in Virginia. I am happily married and love going on adventures with my husband, David. I love watercolor, pen & ink and have recently delved into digital art. I table at comic conventions and am currently featured in two comic anthologies as well as currently working on several projects with my design imprint.

https://www.jaamzin.com/blog/illustrator-krys-kinsel

[krys-loves-otome]

Hi, Ana / @bicayaya, I'm your gifter for the Mayday Heyday OC Exchange!

Since Beatrice's profile mentioned that she played piano as a hobby, I thought it would be cute for her and Yves to play music together, thus how this came together.

Did take one or two liberties with Beatrice's clothes but I think she turned out super adorable!

Thanks for hosting the event @lorei-writes and @olivermorningstar! I had a lot of fun!

[not-krys]

[Repost] Kissings-Abby

Part of this set of WIP Wednesdays

Notes: fluff

---

Abby’s gaze was fixated on the medium-sized painting before her, the brushstrokes and familiar colors tickling her memories. It looked so much like something Vincent would create, a still life with sunflowers, with a background she could easily identify as his room in Comte’s mansion.

Her heart ached, her memories now just that, never to see her new friends or lover again.

Steeling herself against the tears that threatened to fall, she moved onto the next painting in the gallery, her breath catching in her throat once more.

It was a portrait of a young woman with short blonde hair and dark brown eyes, just like hers. The picture was far more beautiful than she was, but she couldn’t deny the resemblance was uncanny. The familiar brushwork and colors were the same from the previous painting, the gentle hands of a master painter giving life to the subject.

Her heart stung, feeling the tears welling up again. It couldn’t have been Vincent who had painted these, there was no way.

And yet, all of his telltale marks and style were there in that portrait. As if he was blatantly asking for her to see him, calling out to her, screaming for her even.

But, he was in another time now, another world away. One that was out of her reach now.

No, she wasn’t going to cry. She had come here to enjoy a day at the local art gallery. Old memories weren’t going to bring her down today.

Yet, she couldn’t stop the single tear that slid down her cheek.

Suddenly, there was a gasp behind her. She sniffed, wiped her tear away and turned around, an apology and a reassurance on her tongue ready for when she spoke to the stranger behind her that had almost caught her crying.

Then, she met those familiar blue eyes framed by a halo of messy blond hair. The same ruddy cheeks that glowed in sunlight, the same laugh lines around his mouth, the same lanky frame she had been almost too familiar with, every fiber of her being was screaming at her that it was Vincent standing before her.

Every fiber, except her head. It… wasn’t possible, was it? Were her eyes playing tricks on her? Had her mind finally snapped in grief?

The growing relief in his eyes told her otherwise.

“…Abby.”

He only said one word, but it was enough for her dams to break loose, tears streaming freely as she ran towards him. He sprinted towards her as well, scooping her into his arms and squeezed her so tight, she didn’t know if he was breaking her apart with his bare hands, or holding the both of them together by sheer force of will. He dried her tears and left small kisses all over her heated face while she did the same, saying his name over and over again like a mantra. When both were out of breath, he held her against his heart and rubbed her back.

[northcountryschool]

October 9, 2020

Photo: 5th- and 6th-graders participate in WARP with English teacher, Isaac.

At North Country School, we believe that nurturing a child’s curiosity and wonder is a crucial part of the educational experience. When we were founded over eighty years ago, Walter and Leonora Clark knew that these aspects of learning and growing didn’t just occur in the academic classroom, but when children were given the space and the time to use their imaginations and to play. Today, North Country School continues to be that place to play, where students can be silly, can imagine new worlds, and can be creative together. This aspect of our philosophy is never more evident than during our annual WARP, or Wilderness Active Role Play, event. 

Each year, WARP invites our entire school community to embark on fantastical quests, battle monsters in the name of good, and solve riddles together using shared knowledge. Though we have had to restructure WARP this year in order to keep our community healthy and safe—instead of one big, community-wide event it's now spread over 10 sessions with smaller groups—it is clear that none of the magic has been lost. Over the past few weeks we have loved watching our students adventuring through our campus woods, donning homemade costumes as they embarked on magical quests. We are grateful for the opportunity to preserve this part of childhood for the students in our care, and will continue to adapt to the new challenges that come our way, making sure to take that necessary time to simply play. 

ACADEMICS

Top: Rob shows 4th grade how to make rope. Middle 1: Tiago makes rope. Middle 2: Melissa teaches English in the butterfly house. Middle 3: Grace writes poetry on the Mountain Bench. Bottom:Tyler writes poetry in a crabapple tree. 

This week our students spent time in our outdoor classroom spaces learning new skills as well as delving deeper into their existing interests. As part of their unit learning about Indigenous groups in the Adirondack region, our 4th-grade social studies students began constructing a model of a Haudenosaunee longhouse. 7th-grade teacher Rob visited the class to talk about how early civilizations used natural materials to make cordage, and led the group in a cordage-making activity. Some of the cordage made will be incorporated into the larger structure as the class gets further into the longhouse construction process. 

 Melissa’s 8th-grade English students enjoyed the views from the Butterfly House this week for their Reading in the Zone: Finding "Just Right" Books conversation, where they discussed the value of reading books about a variety of subjects and with varying levels of difficulty. They also spent time working on their original poetry by the crabapple trees and on the Mountain Bench, which was built by graduating 9th graders several years ago and depicts a 360-view of the mountains surrounding the NCS campus.

Top: Garth’s geometry class has fun with their math activity. Middle: Eden corrects a geometry problem. Bottom: Correcting a geometry problem. 

Garth’s 9th-grade geometry class had a great time with math this week as they reviewed what they’ve been learning in their constructions unit. By using a compass and straightedge to work through problems, the students acted as the teachers, grading a fake test with incorrect answers. After finding the errors present in each answer, the group shared their conclusions with their peers.

ARTS

Top: River and his coaster. Middle: Duncan sands his coaster. Bottom: Elie shows his students how to sand in the outdoor woodshop. 

Over in the woodshop, our 5th- and 6th-graders continued to work on their coaster projects at our outdoor workshop stations. The projects, inspired by the Offerman Woodshop and woodworker Krys Shelley, allows students to practice some of their foundational woodworking skills including designing, measuring, hand-cutting, hand-sanding, and gluing. Many of our students plan to give the coasters–which are made from campus maple—as gifts to their friends and family members for the holiday season. 

Top: Noni winds up campus yarn. Middle 1: Grace needle felts a Coraline doll. Middle 2: Needle felting a face. Middle 3: Josie needle felts a cat. Bottom: Colorful campus wool.

Arts students at North Country School are able to use the wool sheared from our sheep for many different types of fiber projects. Some of our wool is spun into yarn that is used for knitting projects and is woven into pillows and blankets on our looms, while some is kept unspun and used for needle felting. This week our 8th-grade artists began their creative needle-felting projects, and we were excited to see the vibrant wool take form as Josie’s cat, Maple, as Tyler’s sunset landscape, and as Grace’s recreation of the Coraline doll from the stop-motion film, Coraline. 

OUTDOORS

Top: 5th- and 6th-graders participate in WARP. Middle 1: Sophie “Lord of the Rebels” in her WARP costume. Middle 2: Looking for WARP clues. Middle 3: 9th graders Ella and Teagan as magical characters in WARP. Bottom: A fork in the road. 

At North Country School, our annual WARP, or Wilderness Active Role Play, event is a highly anticipated day of the year. In the past, WARP has taken place as an all-day, all-school event where students and teachers dress in homemade costumes, wield foam swords, and battle monsters throughout our campus woods. As with many things this year, we have had to change parts of WARP in order to keep our community safe and healthy, but we haven’t lost any of the spirit behind this fun event. 9th-grader Ella took on the restructuring of WARP as an independent study project, and has created different WARP out-times for each grade level that incorporate academic content into their different challenges. In order to succeed in their quests, students must use what they have learned in their classes, finding clues, and deciphering riddles alongside their in-character teachers. Though this year’s WARP may look a bit different, our students have still been having a blast working together while exploring campus, just as they always have during this whimsical and immersive event. 

Top: A walk in the autumn woods. Middle 1: Rock climbing at the Climbing Crag. Middle 2: Building the campus treehouse. Middle 3: Trail work on the Skihill. Bottom: Steven in a leaf pile. 

Our campus was the perfect autumnal playground this week, and students took full advantage of the beautiful weather while exploring the trails during out-times and on weekend trips. One group of students got in some quality time rock climbing at the Crag, while another spent the afternoon working on the campus treehouse, which is being rebuilt from the ground up as part of this fall’s Design and Build arts class. On Saturday, a group of our older students worked hard for the community while doing some trail maintenance on our Skihill, getting the terrain in top shape for what we hope will be a winter season full of skiing and snowboarding. Meanwhile, all across campus, we watched as our entire student body had a ball while participating in that timeless autumn activity–jumping in leaf piles.

FARM AND GARDEN

Top: Grace L. on a horse. Middle: Saturday trail ride. Bottom: Grace D. with the sheep. 

The beautiful autumn backdrop also provided our students the perfect opportunity to spend time on horseback. This past week saw students riding horses during Wednesday homenight—an afternoon and evening set aside for students to spend time with their housemates and houseparents—as well as on weekend trips and during out-times. One Saturday trip took a trail ride around Dexter Pasture, before heading down to the barn to say hello to our flock of sheep and our goats, Dumbo and Bambi. 

Top: Tess shows Zachary the seeder. Middle 1: Koga uses the seeder to plant spinach. Middle 2: Landon shells dried beans. Bottom: Dry beans waiting to be shelled. 

In our 8th-grade Edible Schoolyard class, students have been learning about seeds, seed saving, and seed sovereignty—the right of growers to save and replant non-GMO seeds. This week students spent time in the greenhouses, working with Garden Manager Tess to sort through the Vermont cranberry beans they’d harvested the week before. After a lesson on winter greenhouse growing, each student took a turn seeding spinach using the Earthway seeder. The spinach planted will grow slowly in our unheated greenhouse throughout the cold winter months, and be ready to harvest as our first greens in the early spring. The colorful dried beans will be stored and used throughout the year in our campus dining room. 

Check back next week to see what we’re up to on our mountain campus.

For more information about the #ThisWeekAtNCS blog, contact Becca Miller at bmiller@northcountryschool.org.

For general school information, call 518-523-9329 or visit our website:

www.northcountryschool.org

[krys-loves-otome]

It's been a lil longer than 20 years since I started my art journey, but something about seeing this 3 way comparison, you can really see the growth that's happened over time. What has changed, what has improved, what still needs to be improved, and what not. It's why art progression memes and draw this again's so much because, for me, it's a nice reminder of how far I've come and it gives me ideas of where I can go from here.

One more to go! Tomorrow is the big day!

It's draw this again time! Times two!

This will make the third time I've drawn this particular art of the Vegeta family, the first one when I was first learning to draw by copying card art. Treat it gently as it's at least 20 years old at this point. Still love that trippy as heck background and how Bulma is floating gently, only tethered by Trunks's little hand.

Then on the ten year anniversary of the above, I did another Draw This Again in 2014. Some improvements and some setbacks, but, hey, that's an art journey, baby!

It always warms my heart to look back on old art to see how far I've come, this art especially important for me with Akira Toriyama's passing earlier this year. He helped inspired a little girl's love of drawing that has followed her through her life thus far and hopefully continues for the rest of it.

May 2024

Side by side by side comparison!

[danielspielt]

Dune (DOS)

Jetzt nach Abschluss von Dune weiß ich gar nicht mehr so recht woher ich ursprünglich die Idee bekam, mich noch einmal auf das Drama rund um die Atreides einzulassen und mir das alte DOS-Spiel von 1992 vorzunehmen. Ich las parallel die Romanvorlage und hatte vor einigen Monaten in der RETURN eine Art Gegendarstellung zu den damaligen negativen Tests einiger Computerpielemagazine gelesen. Aber vielleicht lag es auch nur an den heißen Temperaturen, die wir dieses Jahr Ende Mai schon hatten. Also: Emulator angeworfen, Spiel besorgt und los gehts.

Das Spiel beginnt wie in Buch und Film damit, dass wir als Herzogsohn Paul Atreides mit dem gesamten Herrschaftshaus auf Arrakis ankommen und uns dort mit den veränderten Bedingungen anfreunden müssen. Schnell ist klar, dass das gegnerische Haus der Harkonnen, die zuvor auf Geheiß des Imperators von Arrakis hatten abziehen müssen, noch immer über Truppen vor Ort verfügen. Auch der Palast birgt einige Geheimnisse, die wir nach und nach aufdecken. Zu Beginn treffen wir auf die ersten Fremen, die Ureinwohner des Planeten und ziehen sie auf unsere Seite. Anfangs lediglich um das kostbare Spice abzubauen, von dem der Imperator in naher Zukunft Lieferungen erwartet. Das nach Zimt duftende Gewürz ist eine unverzichtbare Droge für die Navigatoren der interstellaren Raumhandelsgilde, nur auf Arrakis erntbar und entsprechend kostbar.

Ich flog also mit einem Ornithopter von Sietch (die Behausung der Fremen) zu Sietch und überredete Fremenanführer, mir zu helfen. Das visualisiert das Spiel mit einer abbrechbaren Flugsequenz über die reale Spielkarte. Nach einiger Zeit traf ich zusätzlich zu den herzoglichen Bediensteten weitere NPCs unter dem Fremenvolk. Einer von ihnen, Stilgar, ein mächtiger Fremenanführer, bot mir an meiner Seite ausreichend Street Cred unter den anderen Fremen, dass sie bereit waren, auch für mich zu kämpfen. Also bildete ich erste Einheiten zu Kämpfer aus. Vermutlich für einen späteren Kampf gegen die Harkonnen, mehr wusste ich zu diesem Zeitpunkt aber noch nicht. In den einzelnen Siechts liegen Erntemaschinen, Waffen, Ornithopter und sonstige Gegenstände, die ich den auf Ernter- oder Kämpf-Einheiten verteilte. Die Kämpfe laufen automatisch ab und ohne jedwede Art von Feedback außerhalb wertender Prosatexte. Wir können ermitteln (dazu gleich mehr) wie viele Truppen sich in gegnerischen Festungen aufhalten und über einen Kommentar der eigenen Truppen erfahren, wie stark diese sind. In Zahlen und Statistiken drückt sich das allerdings nie aus. Gerade im ersten Drittel meiner Kämpfe verlor ich nicht selten eine Belagerungsschlacht ohne danach eine Ahnung zu haben, weswegen ich verlor. Erst nach einer Weile kam ich auf die Idee, meine Armeen mit besseren Waffen zu versorgen. Nachschubketten benötigen die Truppen nicht, was einiges an Komplexität aus den Kämpfen nimmt. Es existieren keine verschiedenen Einheitentypen, lediglich Erfahrungsstufen, deren dahinterliegendes Punktesystem aber nur in grobe Kategorien wie Novice, Skilled und Expert zu Tage tritt. Für Angriffe stehen keine taktischen Möglichkeiten neben der Aufteilung der Armee zur Verfügung und auch das hilft nur um schneller voran zu kommen. Flankenangriffe oder ähnliches kennt das Spiel nicht. Im ersten Spieldrittel springe ich meist zwischen dem dialoglastigen Adventure-Teil und dem abklappern von Siechts hin und her. Häufig schaltet ein Abschnitt einen Fortschritt für den jeweils anderen frei. Das läuft meist auf reine Trigger hinaus, die für mich nicht immer offensichtlich waren. Beispielsweise hortete ich anfangs Spice, ohne dass der Imperator davon etwas einforderte. Ich musste dazu erst eine von meiner Mutter Jessica angekündigte Vision erhalten. Ich solle alleine in die Wüste gehen den Planeten auf mich einwirken lassen. Ich verließ also die Festung und lief herum. Und lief. Und lief. Man kann in Dune zu Fuß quasi endlos durch die Wüste gehen, so wie die Ornithopter zwischen einzelnen Zielen hin und her fliegen, alles in schrittweiser Egoperspektive. Aber eine Vision wollte sich nicht einstellen. Tod durch verdursten, der schon. Ständig. Ich wartete auf den Abend, auf den Morgen. Tot. Dies war die einzige Stelle, an der ich in einer Lösung nachsehen musste. Tatsächlich muss man sich ziemlich genau drei Felder vom Palast weg bewegen und dann einen halben Tag warten. Badda-Bumm, Vision. Warum sich das in etwas größerer Entfernung nicht einstellte? Keine Ahnung. Doch durch die Visionen konnte ich von nun an Nachrichten aus der Ferne empfangen. Praktisch.

Erst durch das Erlangen der Visions-Macht im Adventure-Teil schaltete ich den Imperator-Abschnitt des Spiels frei, so dass dieser an Tag 38 seiner ersten Spicelieferung verlangte. Zu diesem Zeitpunkt hatte ich 50.000 Tonnen gehortet, er forderte 1.000. Vor dieser ersten Forderung konnte ich mit den erwirtschaften Mengen nichts anfangen. Die mir bekannten Siechts hatte ich zu diesem Zeitpunkt bereits fast komplett abgeerntet, neue fand ich vorerst keine. Erst nach einem Angriff von Harkonnen und der Rückeroberung durch meine Truppen, erfuhr ich durch den festgesetzten Harkonnenanführer von einer weiteren Festung. Aha, ich musste also auf Angriffe warten, damit ich aus den Gefangenen Positionen zu weiteren Zielen erpressen konnte. Es dauerte eine ganze Weile, als ich eher durch Zufall bei der Auswahl der Beschäftigung einer bereits auf Kampf abgestellten Frementruppe bemerkte, dass eine Beschäftigungsauswahl nach bereits erfolgter Auswahl der Ausrichtung eine feingranularere Einstellung bot. Bereits auf Kampf eingestellte Einheiten konnten auch Spionieren oder nach Equipment suchen. Sendet man eine Einheit zur Spionage aus, dann geht sie in Feindesland und sucht (und findet. Immer.) neue Angriffsziele bei den Harkonnen. Wartete ich lange genug, lieferte sie auch wertvolle Informationen über die dortige Truppenstärke und Befestigung. Ich habe im Verlauf des Spiels vermutlich 15-20 Spieonageaktionen durchgeführt, keine einzige davon lief schief. Greifen wir nun eine der Festungen an, fehlt uns im Vorfeld leider einiges an Information um unsere Erfolgsaussichten beziffern zu können. Der Spion meldet lediglich als textueller Bericht, wie gut die gegnerischen Truppen aufgestellt sind. Aber was bedeutete das für mich? Ich sammelte bei meinen ersten Belagerungen Niederlagen ein und lernte schnell, dass ich meine Truppen neben der automatisch stattfindenden Trainings auch mit Waffen versorgen musste.

Die typischen Shops aus Rollenspielen repräsentieren im Spiel Schmuggler, die wir in Städten finden. Tatsächlich finden wir in Städten auch nichts anderes. Bei den Schmugglern können wir Zubehör für Ernter (Erntemaschinen, Ornithopter) kaufen oder auch Waffen. Über den Preis lässt sich in etwa ablesen, wie stark die jeweiligen Waffen zu gewichten sind, allerdings ohne ein transparentes Punktesystem.

Ich kaufte also Waffen und überlegte welche Möglichkeiten ich zur Auslieferung an meine Truppen hatte  Ich flog zu den Truppen hin und befahl ihnen in die jeweilige Stadt zu gehen. Sie lehnten dies mit dem Hinweis ab, dass sie nicht in Städte gehen würden, außer um Ausrüstung zu holen. Sie machten es aber nicht. Hm. Lösung: Ich wählte unter der Truppenausrichtung "Go and search for equipment" aus. Dort wo vor Spezialisierung der Truppe lediglich die generelle Ausrichtung der Mannschaft stand, ließ sich nun eine konkrete Handlung auswählen. Die Einheit wandert auf den Befehl hin zu Städten und holt Waffen und Ausrichtungsgegenstände ab, die sie noch nicht hat. Im Spiel kommen vier verschiedene Waffen vor: Krys-Messer, Laser-Gewehre, Weirding-Module und Atomwaffen. Letztere konnte ich nicht kaufen, sondern musste ich in den eroberten Harkonnen-Festungen erbeuten. Über die Stärke der Waffen und ihre konkreten Auswirkungen macht das Spiel keine Angaben. Aufgrund der dargestellten Reihenfolge und jener, in der die Trupps losziehen um sich zusätzliche Waffen zu besorgen (Wenn eine Einheit über Laser-Gewehre verfügt, sucht sie danach nach Weirding-Modulen), scheint die obige Reihe der aufsteigenden Wertigkeit zu entsprechen. Dies stellt das Spiel aber in keiner wie auch immer gearteten Form dar. Waren die Armeen erst einmal mit sämtlichen Waffen versorgt, gewann ich jede Schlacht.

Etwas mühsam gestaltet sich das Management der Siechts. Ich flog jedes Siecht immer wieder an um keinen Trigger oder potentielle neue Fremeneinheiten zu verpassen. Dabei bleiben sonstige Gameplayelemente überschaubar: Truppen akquirieren, trainieren lassen (geschieht von alleine, für Kampfeinheiten mit Gurney Halleck etwas schneller), ausrüsten, fertig. Die Ernter müssen nach und nach auf neue Felder gezogen werden, damit sie noch Spice ernten. Auch hier enthält das Spiel außer minimalen Erweiterungsmöglichkeiten bei der Ausrüstung keine weiteren Elemente.

Mit der Zeit sättigt sich das überall vorkommende Spice in Pauls Körper, was sich in immer blauer leuchtenden Augen äußert und einem größeren Kommunikationsradius. Nach und nach musste ich immer weniger mit dem Ornithopter zu Siechts fliegen und steuerte meine Truppen aus der Ferne.

Leider bietet das Spiel keinen vernünftigen Übersichten über das globale Geschehen an. Die eigentlich dafür gedachte "Dune Map" zeigt zwar alle Einheiten und Siechts an und bietet mit einem Klick auf das jeweilige Element alle relevanten Details, doch ist sie viel zu nah am Geschehen. Selten schaffen es mehr als drei oder vier Siechts auf den Bildschirm. Cryo hätte hier besser etwas auf Optik verzichtet und die Karte einen größeren Ausschnitt anzeigen lassen. Wahrscheinlich wollten die Entwickler die Karte angenehm fürs Auge gestalten, schließlich hält man sich im späteren Verlauf des Spiels fast ausschließlich auf der Übersichtskarte auf, verschiebt seine Armeen und gibt seinen Erntern Befehle.Für einen globaleren Überblick nutzte ich meist die "Spice Density" Karte, in der immerhin ein geschätztes Sechstel von ganz Arrakis zu sehen ist, inklusive der Siechts und via Mouse-Over auch die Anzahl und Art der dort stationierten Fremeneinheiten.

Der Abschnitt außerhalb des Strategieteils bezeichneten Spieler und Journalisten zeitgenössisch stets als Adventure, doch ist die Genreeinteilung meines Erachtens etwas großzügig. Die Entwickler wollten offenkundig die Geschichte von Herbert in das Spiel einbetten, ganz im Gegensatz zur Versatzstückauswahl der Westwood Studios. Und das gelingt ihnen über Interaktion zwischen den einzelnen Charakteren, alles aus der Sicht des logischen Protagonisten Paul Atreides. Viel Adventure gibt es dabei aber nicht. Wir betreten lediglich im Palast eine Handvoll Räume, die wir zuvor über Dialoge mit den anderen Charakteren gefunden haben. Alles streng linear. Das Spiel wartet mit dem Fortschritt der Geschichte stets auf einen bestimmten Trigger. Der Besuch eines Sietchs, ein Gespräch, ein Erfolg im Strategieteil.

Irgendwann in der Spielmitte kommt nach einer Begegnung mit dem Planetologen Kynes eine weitere Einheitenausrichtung hinzu: Ecology. Derart eingestellte Einheiten können Windfallen bauen, die Wasser aus der Luft in unterirdischen Höhlen sammeln Mit Setzlingen, die Ecology-Einheiten in einem bestimmten Sietch einsammeln können, ist es ihnen möglich, mittels der Wasserreservoirs auf der Wüstenoberfläche Pflanzen anzusiedeln. Das hab ich dann auch mit vier oder fünf Einheiten fleißig gemacht. Wozu? Keinen Schimmer zu diesem Zeitpunkt, würde sich vermutlich noch aufklären. Und tatsächlich trat eine Auswirkung schnell offen zu Tage: Die Spicemenge des Gebiets geht nach kürzester Zeit gegen null. Meine Ernteeinheiten erklären mir das auf Nachfrage, weswegen sie nichts mehr arbeiten damit, dass die Luftfeuchtigkeit wegen der Vegetation zu hoch ist. Doch was bringt mir das? Ich konnte mir vorstellen, dass die Begrünung des Planeten ein Globalziel sein konnte, über das ich vielleicht das Spielfinale freischaltete. Also pflanzte ich weiter fleissig Setzlinge, allerdings nur noch in abgeernteten Gebieten. Weswegen Gebiete überhaupt komplett abgeerntet werden können, erschloss sich für mich allerdings nicht, legt man die Quelle des Spice aus der Buchvorlage zu Grunde. Ich nehme an das ist ein Zugeständnis an die simplen Spielmechaniken. Später lernte ich noch durch Zufall, was mir das Terraforming bringt. Nach der Einnahme einer benachbarten Festung der Harkonnen verriet mir einer der dort lebenden Fremen, dass sich die Harkonnen von grünen Gebieten fernhalten oder diese sogar verlassen, da sie sich stets auf die Spiceförderung konzentrierten. Mit der Begrünung konnte ich an den Außengrenzen also die Harkonnen von Angriffen abhalten.

Im letzten Viertel kam erstmals so etwas wie Zeitdruck hinzu. Der Imperator steigerte die geforderte Spicemenge von Mal zu Mal, die Spicevorkommen sanken. Irgendwann ließ ich Peak Spice hinter mir und musste zusehen, wie die Lieferungen an den Imperator größer waren als meine Förderung in der Zeit seit der letzten Abgabe. Mein Vorräte schmolzen von über 100k in Richtung 50k, bei Lieferpflichten bei 20k+. Da halfen auch die wenigen von den Harkonnen eroberten Gebiete wenig.

Ganz am Ende zeigt das Spiel exemplarisch, warum das Spiel eine sperrige Erfahrung für den Spieler bleibt. So nach etwa 130 Arrakis-Tagen hatten meine Fremen-Armeen sämtliche Harkonnen-Festungen eingenommen und in Sietchs umgewandelt. Mir blieb nach einigen Gesprächen im schon seit einigen Stunden brach liegenden Adventure-Teil nur noch die Aufgabe, alle Protagonisten neben Arakeen, dem Harkonnen HQ zu versammeln. Ich flog die Herrschaften also vom Palast zum Siecht, einem nach dem anderen, zählte durch und... Wo war Gurney Halleck? Ich dachte nach. Hatte ich ihn nicht vor zwei Tagen in einem Siecht zum Training von Kampfeinheiten abgestellt? Aber wo? Ich sah auf die Karte und übersah die Dutzenden Siechts, die ich gefunden oder erobert hatte. In der Übersichtskarte gibt es lediglich eine "Find Prospectors" Option, mit der die Analysten für die Spicesättigung eines Gebiets auffindbar sind. Sie sind eine Abhängigkeit für die erste Ernte, vermutlich fiel bereits dem ersten Tester auf, dass eine Möglichkeit nötig war, die Analysten zu finden. Aber wo war mein "Find Gurney" Button? Ich flog grob in das Eck, in dem ich ihn vermutete, fand ihn aber nicht. Lediglich viele verlassene Sietchs, ein oder zwei neue Fremeneinheiten (hatte ich die Anfangs übersehen) und Harah, einen NPC aus der ersten Hälfte des Spiels. Die reagierte ziemlich verschnupft, als ich mit meiner Gefährtin, die ich in der zweiten Spielhälfte kennengelernt hatte, dort auftauchte. Nett, dass die Entwickler das eingebaut haben, schließlich ist es unwahrscheinlich, dass der Spieler zu einem ansonsten unnützen Sietch zurückkehrt. Wie sagen die Herren Lott und Schmidt immer? "Text ist billig". Aber die Frage blieb: Wo ist Gurney? Nachdem ich es mit reiner Willkür nicht geschafft hatte, schrieb ich mir eine Liste aller Siechts und flog sie systematisch ab, bis ich Gurney Halleck schließlich wiederfand und ihn zum Kampf nach Arakeen mitbrachte, wo schließlich das große Finale begann.

Das Spiel nervt häufig dann, wenn es dem Spieler keine Hilfestellungen für Mikromanagement liefert oder Präsentation und Narration über Spielmechanik stellt. Ein gutes Beispiel dafür ist die Lieferung des Spice an den Imperator, die alle 4-7 Tage anfällt. Sie läuft folgendermaßen ab:

Duncan Idaho kontaktiert uns (die Animation für die Kontaktaufnahme dauert stets einige Sekunden, was beim zehnten Mal etwas mühsam ist) und teilt uns mit, dass der Imperator auf eine Spice Lieferung besteht. Wir kehren dann mit Ornithopter oder Wurm zum Palast zurück (Je nachdem wo wir uns gerade befinden sind das etwa 2 Klicks). Im Palast müssen wir in die Kommunikationszentrale laufen (4 Klicks) und die neue Nachricht abrufen (3 Klicks). Dann gehen wir zu Duncan Idaho (2 Klicks) und sprechen ihn auf die Nachricht an (Aufgrund des Gesprächs kommen hier etwa 7 Klicks hinzu). Dann sprechen wir Duncan an, dass er uns in den Kommunitationsraum folgt (3 Klicks). Einer unserer Begleiter verabschiedet sich (1 Klick), dann gehen wir wieder in die Kommunikationszentrale (2 Klicks). Duncan verschickt das Spice, wir reden mit ihm kurz bis eine Antwort kommt (4 Klicks), dann rufen wir die Nachricht des Imperators ab (3 Klicks), gehen wieder zurück wo wir unseren Begleiter abgestellt hatten (2 Klicks) und bitte ihn uns wieder zu begleiten (3 Klicks).

Was aufgefallen? 36 Klicks dafür, dass ich eigentlich nur sagen möchte "Duncan, passt, schick dem Imperator das Spice". Die ersten drei Mal fügt sich das gut in die Narration ein, doch beim zehnten Mal nervt es. Man muss sich das mal vorstellen: jedes Mal, wenn der Spieler in späteren Verlauf eine "Don't forget to pay the Emperor"-Meldung von Duncan Idaho bekommt, weiß er in diesem Augenblick, dass ihm 36 Klicks bevorstehen für eigentlich eine einzelne Aktion. Niemand kann behaupten, dass das damals den Entwicklern oder Testern nicht aufgefallen ist. Heute gäbs für eine Komfortfunktion vermutlich eine In-App-Purchase für 5ct um den Prozess zu beschleunigen. Und damals waren wir alle leidensfähig.

Dune stand 1992 im Schatten seines unabhängig entwickelten Cousins Dune 2 von Westwood und galt in der Mehrheitsmeinung als exotischer Genre-Mix zwischen Adventure und Strategiespiel mit hübscher Präsentation und wenig Tiefgang. Liest man die deutsche Fachpresse von damals, fragt man sich weswegen es bei so vielen Spielern noch heute positiv in Erinnerung geblieben ist (im Übrigen als eines der ganz wenigen Werke der Gurkenfabrik Cryo). Zumindest bei einem Blick in die Lenhardt/Schneider'schen Power Plays und PC Players. Dort schaffte es das Spiel lediglich auf 38%-57%, also Flop-Niveau. Michael Hengst in der Power Play bezeichnete das Spiel entgegen der damaligen Meinung korrekt ein als Strategiespiel und beschwerte sich über die monotonen Spielabläufe. Damit hat er vollständig recht, auch wenn der Kommentar und der zugehörige Test nicht den Eindruck vermitteln, als habe er das Spiel seinerzeit bis zum Ende gespielt.

Der Test von Heinrich Lenhardt in der PCP bezeichnet Dune 2 fälschlicherweise als Nachfolgespiel und auch er liest sich eher nach einer Handvoll Stunden Spielzeit.

Die ASM vergab starke 11/12 Punkte und lobte in erster Linie die starke Präsentation. Der Test sieht neben den Adventure-Elementen auch Rollenspiel-Einflüsse (Hey, Paul hat immerhin steigerbares Charisma!), bezeichnet ersteres allerdings auch als sehr geradlinig, was den Tester nicht weiter störte.

Der Amiga Joker war in gewohnter Form von der Amiga-Konvertierung begeistert und gab immerhin 82%. Auf die Spielmechanik geht der Test wenig ein, nennt aber neben dem wie überall vergebenen Lob für die Grafik auch eingeschränkte Handlungsspielräume und fehlende Rätselherausforderung.

Den Test der überlauten Play Time mit der typischen Fabelwertung von 94% lasse ich einmal unkommentiert stehen.

Der Punkt ist: Die Tests von damals haben im Kern recht. Das Spiel ist monoton. Die Menge an Spielelementen ist überschaubar, es existieren wenige taktische Stellschrauben. Alles fühlt sich nach einer völlig linearen Erfahrung an. Das passt aber ganz gut schicksalhaften und unausweichlichen Geschichte der Atreides.

Doch was macht nun den Reiz des Spiels aus heutiger Sicht aus? Trotz all seiner Ecken und Kanten machte mir das Spiel auch 25 Jahre nach Veröffentlichung noch einmal Spaß. So sehr, dass ich mehr als einmal bis spät Nachts spielte ("nur noch diese eine Festung erobern!") , ich mit Laptop in der Hand einen Teil des Fußweges nach der Zugfahrt zurücklegte und nicht aufhörte, bis ich den Endscreen sah. Ja, der Strategieteil ist minimalistisch. Es existieren keine taktischen Finessen und nahezu kein Feedback auf Schlachtverläufe. Die Steuerung ist für ihre zeitliche Verortung zwar bequem, aber die Unmengen an Klicks für immer wiederkehrende Handlungen nahmen bereits damals Grinding-Aktionen bei Casualspielen vorweg. Auch der Adventure-Teil gewinnt keinen Blumentopf durch seine einfache Dialogstruktur und die Handvoll besuchbaren (und sich unterscheidenden) Orte. Aber die Stärken des Spiels ziehen einen auch heute noch in seinen Bann. Da wäre zum einen die Präsentation. Der Soundtrack ist geradezu fantastisch und unterstreicht das andersweltliche Setting und die permanente Bedrohung durch düstere elektronische Klänge. Die Grafiken sind schön gezeichnet und an einigen Stellen (zum Beispiel wenn man einen Wurm ruft) hübsch animiert. Einflüsse aus dem Strategieteil zeigen sich auch in den Egoperspektive, mit der wir uns vor oder um Gebäude aufhalten können. Die ist zwar größtenteils nutzlos (bis auf eine einzige Ausnahme, zu der wir drei Schritte vom Palast entfernt sein müssen, ihr wisst schon), zeigt aber das Sietch aus der Distanz, herumstehende Ornithopter und Erntemaschinen bei der Arbeit, was eine schöne Präsentation für den ansonsten brettspielartigen Strategieteil darstellt. Auch wenn wir die Umwelt verändern, durch Kultivierung Vegetation schaffen, können wir die Pflanzen auch im Egoteil sehen, ja sogar beim Überfliegen mit dem Ornithopter. Das führt zu einem weiteren Punkt: Der Immersion. Einen Storyabschnitt mit Egoansicht neben das Strategiespiel zu stellen ist ein cleverer Schachzug den Spieler stärker in die Welt zu ziehen. Zudem liefert es an dieser Stelle wunderbar Feedback für die Taten des Spielers, indem er eigentlich abstrakte Veränderungen der Spielwelt konkret erleben kann. Dazu gehört auch der für heutige Verhältnisse etwas anstrengende Mikromanagementteil (Wir denken an die 36 Klicks für die Spicelieferung). So umständlich die persönliche Präsenz für alle Aktionen auch ist, es vermittelt dem Spieler ein "Dabei"-Gefühl wie es ein reines Strategiespiel nicht liefern kann. Und glücklicherweise schraubt das Spiel die Anzahl der Flüge durch einen erweiterten Kommunikationsradius im späteren Verlauf wieder herunter, wenn auch nicht so weit wie ich es mir gewünscht hätte. Ein weiteres Plus ist die Roman-Vorlage für alle Dune-Spiele, hier zusätzlich Versatzstücke aus dem Film. Arrakis und der Konflikt zwischen den Atreides, den Harkonnen und den Truppen des Imperator, die Kultur, die Technik, all das bietet derartige Möglichkeiten sich wechselweise zuhause oder fremd zu fühlen, wie es nur wenige andere Vorlagen ermöglichen. Cryo hat das Szenario stilsicher zwischen damaligem David-Lynch-Film und der Buchvorlage angesiedelt und mit schönen Grafiken dargestellt. Für mich persönlich übte die Globalstrategie einen besonderen Reiz aus, so einfach und reduziert sie auch war. Nach einer Weile war mir das Ziel klar, hatte ich identifiziert wie viele Festungen ich noch einnehmen musste und hatte ich meine Truppen aufgestellt. Nach und nach die feindlichen Befestigungen zu erobern - und dabei bis zum Mittelteil auch gelegentlich mal zu scheitern - und den eigenen Fortschritt durch die Rottränkung von Arrakis auf der Globuskarte zu sehen, tröstete über fehlende taktische Tiefe hinweg. Ein letzter, aber vielleicht für die heutige Rezeption bedeutender Punkt ist die Steuerung. Ich habe die unnötigen Klicks und fehlenden Optionen bereits mehrfach erwähnt, aber im Kern funktioniert das User Interface noch heute ordentlich. Pop-Up-Menüs auf Übersichtskarten, Dialoglisten, einfache Bedienelemente. Im Spielverlauf zeigte sich, dass einige Komfortfunktionen angenehm gewesen wären, doch das ist Jammern auf hohem Niveau bei einem 25 Jahre alten Spiel. Tatsächlich wäre eine Tablet-Variante durchaus denkbar, nimmt man kleinere Anpassungen vor. In einigen Jahren kehre ich sicher noch einmal auf Arrakis zurück. Vielleicht auch schon bei der nächsten Hitzewelle.

[tune-collective]

Electric Forest Reveals Both Weekend's Lineup! Its Good!

Electric Forest Reveals Both Weekend's Lineup! Its Good!

Electric Forest Reveals Initial Artist Lineup For Each Weekend – June 21-24 and June 28-July 1, 2018 –

The beloved Michigan festival announces The String Cheese Incident, Bassnectar, Marshmello, GRiZ Live Band, Galantis, RÜFÜS DU SOL, ZHU

and many more, with additional artists still to be announced.

Loyalty Program On Sale begins December 7

General On Sale begins December 15

ElectricForestFestival.com 

Rothbury, Mich. – Today, Electric Forest (EF) officially announced the initial artist lineup for the eighth annual music and camping festival in Rothbury, Michigan on June 21–June 24 and June 28–July 1, 2018. View the complete list of announced artists set to perform the First Weekend and Second Weekend HERE.

For the 8th year in a row, Electric Forest welcomes back fan favorite The String Cheese Incident, performing two shows each weekend with the return of the SCI Sound Lab Live set featuring surprises and collaborations on the First Weekend, and EF’s famed SCI Saturday Night Shebang hosted on the Second Weekend. Also topping the bill on both weekends – BASSNECTAR, GRiZ Live Band, RÜFÜS DU SOL, and ZHU. Heavyweight Galantis will perform exclusively on the First Weekend. Marshmello will appear only on the Second Weekend. Additional artists are still to be announced.

Other acts announced today include: Lil Dicky, Jauz, Green Velvet, Washed Out, Keys N Krates on the First Weekend and Testpilot, REZZ, Datsik, SuperDuperKyle, and Get Real on the Second Weekend.

Chromeo, Bonobo (Live), The Glitch Mob, Louis The Child, and Xavier Rudd are among additional artists who will be performing both weekends, many of them promising unique shows so that no two experiences are alike. Fans can expect to hear some of the acts unplugged, with unusual collaborations and sit-ins, performing special themed sets, and more.

The first round of EF Curated Events were also announced today. Bassrush, This Ain’t Bristol, Mr. Carmack presents Forward Thinkers, Green Velvet presents La La Land and other to be announced will host EF stages on the First Weekend. Bassrush returns for the Second Weekend, along with Mau5trap, Rüfüs & Friends, Desert Hearts and Soulection.

In addition to memorable musical performances, both weekends of EF2018 will celebrate what truly makes The Forest magic. Electric Forest’s Plug In Program features opportunities for the community to participate in shaping the EF experience, including The Wish Machine, Electricology, Her Forest, and more.  The Silent Disco, workshops and speakers, daily yoga, live art and immersive theater experiences throughout both weekends will offer adventure, exploration, and opportunities to more deeply connect with the unique energy of the Electric Forest and its community.

Today’s announcement comes after rumors of the festival’s 2018 artist lineup began to leak during an “Official 2018 Electric Forest Meet Up” event hosted at Necto Nightclub in Ann Arbor, Michigan on November 12. Hints on social media to the Forest Family, including the first ever EF event page other than the festival itself and a boots-on-the-ground scavenger hunt to “Follow the Elephant. Find the Intergalactic Deity,” led curious and adventurous fans to Necto. There, EF’s beloved art installation “Ellie” the elephant rested outside, far from its home in Rothbury, Michigan. Inside the venue, the free event offered a secret set by Space Jesus, and throughout the night, Forest character actors performed skits, comedy, and drag shows, while clever hints revealed artists on EF’s 2018 lineup. Mock concert posters hung inside the venue revealed Noname, Spag Heddy, Xavier Rudd and others. Bar menu specialty drinks “Vodka SoDown” revealed SoDown, while “Sexy Socialite” referenced a Chromeo song. Phone numbers painted in lipstick on the bathroom mirror directed callers to a voice message by 2018 performers RÜFÜS DU SOL and CloZee.  On the toilet paper, a word scramble revealed Manic Focus. A projection mapping on the side of the venue displayed a word search that, when examined, revealed G Jones, Cookie Monsta, BUKU, Louis The Child, and more. In all – 24 of Electric Forest’s 160+ artists performing one or both weekends were leaked to attending fans, who spread the word on social media to their friends, followers and fellow Forest Family.  See the social media chatter on Facebook and Reddit and watch the event recap video HERE.

The “Official 2018 Electric Forest Meet Up” event aligns with EF’s ongoing commitment to building and nurturing community by creating opportunities for Forest Family be part of the festival and to help shape the EF experience. In another demonstration of this spirit, the festival’s new fan participation initiative – The EF Wish Machine – encourages the Forest Family to spread positivity by granting wishes to Forest Family members in exchange for an act of human kindness. Follow the EF Wish Machine HERE.

Electric Forest recently released video created from footage captured during Electric Forest 2017. Watch the arresting visual art piece HERE.

Ticket Info:

Info on Wristband and Lodging Packages, including expanded 2018 Good Life Camping and Lodging options, can be found HERE.

Loyalty Program On Sale begins December 7 at 2pm EST at www.electricforestfestival.com/tickets

Read more about the EF Loyalty Program – including the debut of Six In The Forest Loyalty tier, Four In The Forest Loyalty, Good Life Loyalty and GA Loyalty, HERE.

EF General On Sale begins December 15 at 2pm EST at www.electricforestfestival.com/tickets.

Also on sale December 15 are Official Electric Forest Shuttle Passes departing from major cities around the festival and the Muskegon Airport, the Grand Rapids Airport, and Chicago’s O’Hare Airport. Special Group Camping, including the Her Forest Women’s Camp, Electric Forces Veterans Camp, and Camp Traction Sober Camp, will also be available for purchase.

Information on Layaway Plans for all Wristband and Lodging Packages can be found HERE.

To stay up to date on all Electric Forest news, please visit www.electricforestfestival.com and the official Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube pages.

Electric Forest is produced by Insomniac and Madison House Presents.

The complete list of artists on Electric Forest’s 2017 Initial Lineup is as follows: (artists listed in alphabetical order)

First Weekend Initial Artist Lineup:

The String Cheese Incident

BASSNECTAR

GRiZ Live Band

Galantis

RÜFÜS DU SOL

ZHU

Bonobo (Live)

Chromeo

Cut Copy

Green Velvet

Gryffin

Jauz

Keys N Krates

Lil Dicky

Louis the Child

Malaa

Marian Hill

The Glitch Mob

Washed Out

Xavier Rudd

!!!

A Tribe Called Red

Air Credits

Andy Frasco & The U.N.

Anna Lunoe

Aqueous

Betty Who

Big Something

Billy Kenny

Bishop Briggs

Boogie T

Buku

Camelphat

Cherub

CloZee

Cookie Monsta

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

Desert Dwellers

Detlef

Devin The Dude

Dimension

Dixon’s Violin

DROELOE

Elohim

Emancipator Ensemble

EOTO

EPROM

Everyone Orchestra

Fisher

Flamingosis

Floating Points (solo live)

G Jones

Golf Clap

Great Good Fine OK

Harrison Brome

Hayden James

Herobust

Hiss Golden Messenger

Hotel Garuda

Jade Cicada

Jody Litvack

Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Kasbo

Kawehi

Kayzo

Kerri Chandler

Kill Frenzy

Knox Fortune

KRANE

Kry Wolf

Kyle Watson

Lawrence

Locos Por Juana

Lophiile

LUZCID

Madame Gandhi

Maddy O’Neal

Magic City Hippies

Manic Focus

Marvel Years

Mat.Joe

Matrix & Futurebound

MAX

MAXIMONO

Medasin

Melvv

Mija

Mike Love

Misterwives

MK

Moody Good

Mr. Carmack

Muzzy Bearr

Natalie Cressman

Nicole Moudaber

Noisia

Noname

Party Favor

Party Pupils

Pat Lok

Penguin Prison

Phantoms

PHO

Rayana Jay

Sam Gellaitry

San Holo

Savoir Adore

Seth Troxler

Shallou

Shook Twins

Sinkane

SoDown

Space Jesus

Spag Heddy

Sunsquabi

The Dip

The Main Squeeze

The Nth Power

The Russ Liquid Test

The Werks

TOO MANY ZOOZ

Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs (DJ Set)

Toubab Krewe

Turkuaz

Two Feet

um…

Waker

William Black

Xiuhtezcatl

Zeshan B

Second Weekend Initial Artist Lineup:

The String Cheese Incident

BASSNECTAR

Marshmello

GRiZ Live Band

RÜFÜS DU SOL

Testpilot

ZHU

Bonobo (Live)

Chromeo

Cut Copy

Datsik

Get Real

Gryffin

Louis the Child

Malaa

Marian Hill

REZZ

SuperDuperKyle

The Glitch Mob

Xavier Rudd

!!!

Air Credits

Anna Lunoe

Aqueous

Attlas

Big Something

Bishop Briggs

BlackGummy

Boogie T

Boombox Cartel

Buku

Calyx & Teebee

Cassian

Chalk Dinosaur

Cherub

Chris Lake

CloZee

Cory Henry & The Funk Apostles

Crankdat

Cut Snake

Dena Amy

Desert Dwellers

Dixon’s Violin

Doc Martin

DROELOE

Elohim

Emancipator

EOTO

EPROM

Elohim

Emancipator

Everyone Orchestra

Flamingosis

Fruition

G Jones

Golf Clap

Great Good Fine OK

Harrison Brome

Hayden James

Herobust

Hiss Golden Messenger

Jeremy Olander

Jody Litvack

Justin Jay’s Fantastic Voyage

Karl Denson’s Tiny Universe

Kasbo

Kawehi

Knox Fortune

KRANE

Lane 8

Lee Reynolds

Lawrence

Locos Por Juana

Lophiile

LOUDPVCK

LUZCID

Madame Gandhi

Magic City Hippies

Manic Focus

Manilla Killa

Marbs

Marvel Years

MAX

Medasin

Melvv

Mija

Mike Love

Mikey Lion

Misterwives

MK

Motez

Mr. Carmack

Muzzy Bearr

Natalie Cressman

Netsky (DJ Set)

Noname

Party Favor

Party Pupils

Pat Lok

Penguin Prison

Phantoms

PHO

Porkchop

Portico Quartet

QUIX

Rinzen

Rybo

Sam Gellaitry

San Holo

Savoir Adore

Shallou

Sinkane

SoDown

Space Jesus

Spag Heddy

SQUNTO

Sunsquabi

The Dip

The Main Squeeze

The Nth Power

The Russ Liquid Test

The Werks

TOO MANY ZOOZ

Toubab Krewe

Turkuaz

Two Feet

Waker

William Black

Xiuhtezcatl

Zeshan B

Additional artists, special happenings, and EF Curated Event details are still to be announced.

About Electric Forest

Each summer, just as anticipation for the sold-out Electric Forest reaches fever pitch, tens of thousands of fans – traveling from all parts of the country, and the world, gather at the Double JJ Ranch in Rothbury, Michigan for the music & camping adventure of a lifetime.

Entering its eighth year, Electric Forest is known for bringing together a passionate group of fans whose shared community spirit makes the festival a truly unique experience. The festival incorporates the natural beauty of the venue into carefully crafted art pieces and creatively themed environments, while colorful interactive characters and storylines blend with eclectic performing artists and musicians.

With its astonishing and unparalleled integration of music, art and community, Electric Forest delivers “The ultimate festival experience.”  From the carefully curated musical lineup, to the jaw-dropping Sherwood Forest, to the festival’s unprecedented participatory spirit, to the site’s incomparable features and amenities – Electric Forest creates a vibe so thick with “camaraderie and freedom…it must be experienced to be appreciated.”

Electric Forest’s GOOD LIFE VIP experience offers unrivaled amenities and perks – from camping and RV spots, to log cabins and homes, to resort hotel-style suites – all located directly on the festival grounds. In addition, patrons can take advantage of the property’s many amenities including a 60,000 square foot indoor water park, an 18-hole championship golf course, swimming pools, horseback riding, and more.

At the heart of Electric Forest is the beloved Sherwood Forest. By day, fans collect among hundreds of hammocks that drape between the clustered trees. Intricate and earthy artful touches pop from the Forest’s myriad of installations and gathering spaces. At night, Sherwood Forest turns electric, showered with state-of-the-art, jaw-dropping light displays, impromptu “secret” parties, other-worldly characters, and surprises around every turn. “With no exaggeration at all, [Sherwood Forest is] the most well produced and artistically inspired area…ever seen at a music festival.”

Known for fully embracing the possibilities of an engaged festival community, Electric Forest’s Plug In Program deliberately blurs the line between event organizers and attendees.  With this truly unique “open source” fan engagement platform, Electric Forest harnesses the creativity and passion of its community members, offering real and tangible ways for fans to participate in and ultimately help shape the Electric Forest experience. This is a big deal, since for Electric Forest – experience trumps all.

Hailed as “an amazing example of how music and festivals can change one’s outlook on life,” it’s widely understood that “one of the most important lessons [to be] learned in the Forest is that we are all together,” and this sense of community is truly “cherished [within the community] like the incredibly rare find it is.”

https://tunecollective.com/2017/12/03/electric-forest-reveals-weekends-lineup-good/