#this one was really fun to do ! could experiment with colours and with another line brush

[nemomo]

2022. 07. Hehehehehe Shishun ✧

[storiesfromafan]

My Girl - Benny Cross x Reader

A/N: I know this is a slow series, but hopefully it's not too bad 😅

(Also, posting this from my phone, might have to fix this up later 😅😅)

Previous: Part One, Part Two, Part Three

I’ve got sunshine, on a cloudy day

When it’s cold outside, I’ve got the month of May (ooh)

I guess you’d say

What can make me feel this way?

My girl, my girl, my girl

Talkin’ ‘bout my girl, my girl

- My Girl by The Temptations

It had been a week since Benny spoke to you. And it was all he could think about. Sure, he’d seen you around the town, mostly at the grocery shop or the diner, in passing. But it wasn’t enough. He’d gotten a taste of your sweet voice. Seeing you up close; the colour of your eyes, which had specs of (colour) to them. How your hair was (colour) but when the light hits it, it looked (colour). How your cheeks go a rosy colour when you were shy or embarrassed. Benny wanted to experience it all so much more.

Cal waved his hand in front of Benny's face, snapping the young Vandal from his thoughts of you. That’s right, he was currently playing a game of pool with the man laughing at him. While waiting for his shot, it looks like Benny had zoned out again. Holding the cue against his body, Benny shot Cal and those around him an embarrassed smile. Which only made them laugh.

“Sorry" he muttered, moving with his cue to the pool table and looking over his options. Before finally lining up his shot and taking it, sinking the four ball.

Johnny was sitting near by on a stool, nursing his beer. “Ya alright kid? Ain’t like ya to be off with the fairies".

Before Benny could say a word, Cal beat him to the punch. “Yeah, he’s alright. Just found himself a girl".

Johnny raised his eyebrows in surprise, this was the first time he’d heard about there being a girl. “Is that right, huh?”

Another man – one from the diner incidents – laughed before speaking up, “yeah! She’s a shy, little thing. Some of the guys were makin' fun of her, but Benny stepped in and told them to ‘knock it off’”.

Johnny nodded, listening to the man’s words. Benny stood back from the pool table – his turnover – as he listened to them, embarrassed by the retelling of the diner. But it was true. He stepped in and defended you. And he would do it again for you if needed him too.

Sliding off his stool, Johnny down the rest of his beer before walking past Benny. He chuckled, patting him on the back. “Well, ya'll have to bring her around sometime. Would be nice to meet the girl that’s got ya by the balls".

Johnny then walked off to speak with a few other guys. Cal and the guys around Benny laughed at their leaders' words. They even jostled Benny and shared their own comments, which he wasn’t too fond of. But Benny knew he’d have to bring you to the bar. It would be a shock for you, but he knew you could handle it. Plus he’d be there with you, making sure nothing happened to you.

“Alright, spill!” Fran demanded, as she and Sandra sat across from you in a booth at the diner where this all began.

“Yeah! I had to hear it from my neighbour, who heard from her hair dresser, who got the gossip from Mrs Martin about Benny coming into the grocery store! And talking to you!?” Added Sandra.

You sat on your side of the booth, wishing it would swallow you up from their intense gazes. Once more, they asked you about Benny. And to be honest, you didn’t know what it meant. He’d come in for gum, and you shared a small conversation.

Taking a sip from the milkshake before you, you sat back and cleared your throat. “Well...there’s not much to say-" you started before being interrupted.

“Oh bull!” Huffed Fran. “From what we’ve heard, it was pretty intense between you too!”

“Yeah, so don’t down play it!” Added Sandra.

You sighed. “Really! It wasn’t like that, it wasn’t that big a deal!” You took a moment to gather your thoughts. “It went like this; I was just working and stupidly singing when I was surprised to see Benny. And I was a complete bumbling idiot! He wanted to buy gum-"

“Gum?” Both women questioned.

You nodded. “Yes, gum. He then apologised for the Vandals comments" you recalled that moment a week ago. “Benny then asked for my name, which I gave him, and he said it was pretty, that it suits me...then Mrs Martin showed up, and yeah, she wasn’t pleasant to him at all".

Both women stared at you, as you went back to your milkshake. “Bull" Sandra said, leaning over the table. “That’s not the story, right?”

“Yeah, its too...clean?” Fran said confused.

You wanted to laugh at their faces, but held back. “It’s the truth".

Both women sat back against the booth, utterly confused. As they began to tell you, the way they heard it was some big drama. That Benny was harassing you when Mrs Martin stepped in. Not to mention one retelling told that you were shamelessly flirting with Benny, practically in his hands, one palm on each cheek, and not that of your face. You blushed at the notion.

“If this is what we've heard, just imagine what your parents might hear" Fran's words sobered you up.

You hadn’t even thought about your parents, and God only knows what they’ll say, or do, if they hear the gossip of Benny and you. But it being after a week and only now had your friends heard about it. So, there could be a small chance they might not hear it. So long as you stayed clear of any further gossip, you might be in the clear.

Unfortunately for you, the other half of the gossip mill didn’t know your plan. You heard the bell above the diner door jingle and heavy feet. You were talking to your friends, not even caring about your surroundings. It was only when you glanced up to look at Sandra and Fran, discussing a coming movie to your local theatre, were you confused to see their shocked faces. They looked stunned, mouths slightly agape and eyes wide. Before you could questioned them the silence at your table was disturbed by an all too familiar gruff voice.

“Hey (Y/N)”

You turned only to find Benny. Who looked just as good as the last time you’d seen him. Only this time he was wearing dirty white jeans, black t-shirt and his denim vest that sported the Vandal colours. The way he looked at you with those baby blues of his, warm and twinkling. The way his full lips turned up in a shy, slightly toothy smile.

You felt one of your friends kick your foot, snapping you from your observation of him. “H-hi Benny...”

Hearing his name from your lips, in that honeyed voice of yours, had Benny's heart skipping a beat. His smile brightened, and he slowly began to relax. Finally, he noticed your companions, which he smiled at – but not as brightly as he had you. Benny even shot them a hey. You’d have laughed at their reaction to being acknowledged by the gorgeous Vandal. But you were busy trying to wrap your head around him being here in the first place. And even then, that voice in the back of your head was telling you to be careful, you don’t need more gossip getting around town.

“Mind if I join ya?” Benny asked, looking at you, yet not even waiting for your reply before slipping in into the booth next to you, boxing you in without an escape.

All you could do was look at Benny, not doubt like a deer in headlights, while he just continued to look at you. That charming smile on his lips. Both Fran and Sandra shared a look before turning back to you and Benny. One of the women cleared their throat, which got your attention. Turning from Benny, breaking the connection between you both. From there, they made small talk, which was mostly directed at Benny. Who only gave vague or one word answers.

You found it amusing how he didn’t seem to care for their attention. Yet when you spoke, he listened attentively and spoke to you. Slowly, you relaxed and were able to drink the rest of your milkshake, all while those baby blues watched you. Fran and Sandra eventually left, as they weren’t getting any of Benny's attention. So they slinked away with their tails between their legs.

“Finally, just us" Benny sighed, placing his arm on the back of the booth. His fingers brushing your clothed back.

A small, pleasant shiver ran down your spine. Your breath catching for a moment. You imagined what it would be like if you had been wearing a sun dress. How warm he would be, how rough those pads would be against your skin.

“You alright, sweetheart?” Benny's rough voice said into your ear, his breath fanning over you from how close he was to you.

When you turned to look at him, you were surprised to see how close Benny was. Being so close, you could see how blue his eyes were, with small specs of a darker blue. They were beautiful and captivating. You could easily get lost in those blues.

“A-ah, yeah...I'm fine" you squeaked out, making Benny chuckle.

He moved back a little, a warm smile crossing his lips at your words. “Good. I wanna know, do you wanna come to a meetin’ when I get back in town?”

You blinked. “You’re leaving?”

“Just for a few days, sweetheart," he replied, drumming his hands on the booth.

“Oh...” you muttered.

Then you took a moment to think over his offer. You knew you should keep your distance, stop any chance of gossip coming back to bite you. And yet, this was the second time he’d sought you out. Coming to talk to you. You should be running away from Benny Cross, and yet you wanted to move closer to him. Maybe you could be a girl he could want.

‘You sure?’ That voice asked. Yet you did your best to ignore it.

Pushing away your thoughts and insecurities, forgetting the repercussions that could come from talking and being seen with Benny. You couldn’t deny how you liked having his attention. So, you made your bed and planned to lie in it.

“Sure Benny" you smiled.

[epiicaricacy-arts]

without the sour the sweet wouldn’t taste

why are you as a man eating another man’s ear after you failed to make him eat his ex girlfriend. 🤨🏳️‍🌈⁉️

im allowed a bit of toxic yaoi. as a treat

process discussion utc ⬇️

for those familiar with my work you’ll know that i like trying a lot of new styles and experimenting in order to achieve a certain vibe. usually those are heavy painterly styles such as the sunday art inspired by Yuming Li, which is what i’m familiar and comfortable with, both traditionally and digitally

what im NOT familiar with is watercolour. i’ve never had a good time with it 🥲 i just cant seem to wrap my head around the process since its requires me to work backwards (light to dark vs dark to light)

for this piece i just couldn’t imagine myself rendering it in my usual style. i needed to do something new so that i’d stay invested enough in the piece considering that it has two people, meaning double the work. for some reason i thought it’d be fun to do double the work with a style i am completely uncomfortable with but oh well!! i managed to do it 🤷‍♀️ i was specifically looking at the works of Ko Byung Jun, an artist i’ve seen all over my pinterest feed

while i didn’t end up really following the style super closely i still learned quite a lot just by looking at it while i drew. i tried my best to stick to watercolour brushes and an ink pen but as i was nearing the end i needed to make some alterations that i wasn’t bothered to try fixing with the watercolour brushes so i just went over it with my digital ones 🫡 i did my best that’s what matters!!!

i had to repaint rody a few times cause i just couldn’t get it right and the colours never ended up matching vincent. i painted them separately and i think i got possessed while painting vincent cause it happened in like. 40 minutes. and i couldn’t get it to happen again 😔 it didn’t really matter cause i ended up going ham with the curves tool as always but you know 🤷‍♀️

here’s the image without all the effects:

i find lately it’s been more and more common for me to be sketching several iterations of a concept for days, even weeks before i land on something i like. i have an entire separate canvas that i’ve spent 5 hours just doing thumbnails trying to figure out how i wanted to pose these two in a way that would showcase the characteristics that mattered in the story of this piece.

that’s my process for coming up with drawings: i find inspiration somewhere, i figure out the key concepts/characteristics/symbols etc i want highlighted, and i work around those. sometimes i have a composition in mind or just a general vibe i want to portray. for this one i wanted to make sure the towel, rody’s injured finger and vincent’s face could all be clearly seen, while also portraying the fight scene and the vibe i get from the reference song. almost all of my work revolves around a specific lyric from the song which drives the story of the piece. here i interpreted the line “without the sour the sweet wouldn’t taste” as a connection to all the little actions vince takes with rody that can be seen as “sweet.” drying rody’s hair, bandaging rody’s cut. i then asked myself how i could take those actions and make them “sour” or show them in a different light, in which vince is biting the finger he bandaged and pulling rody closer, preventing his escape with the towel he used to dry his hair. what im trying to communicate in this illustration is the idea of “if it weren’t for how i’m treating you now, you wouldn’t understand how kind i was to you then” in an attempt to illustrate the complexities of the way vincent acts towards rody.

i’m truly in love with the story telling of this game. it’s hard to really say anything about how the characters acted during the story because it’s so complex in how it’s done. it’s very hard to summarize their relationship because there’s so much about it i can’t explain without just quoting the game directly. i think it’s such a beautiful portrayal of obsession and just being fucking weird about someone. i wanted to ensure the elements i mentioned in the above paragraph because i didn’t want to be portraying vincent as solely a villain and rody as a victim. i wanted the storytelling of this one illustration to live up to my impression of this beautiful game and i hope i did it justice.

thank you for reading this if you’ve made it this far. i love rambling on all my art posts cause i think it’s so valuable for artists to expand on their work outside of the result alone. i hope what im saying is at most helpful to someone and at the very least a good read. i’m probably gonna take a bit of an art break after this since it took a lot out of me, plus im on the last days of my trip. thank you again for reading!

here’s my dog

[skylinesnsunshines]

jude bellingham reading: personality

hi everyone! this is my first non-kpop reading!! i am so nervous but excited bc ive been wanting to expand my horizons for a while. i have another footballer lined up for a reading but feel free to request others if you are curious. please remember this is just for fun and i am just a girl w cards <3 ok thank you! hope u enjoy

personal readings

DISCLAIMER: this is all speculative and for entertainment purposes only, so take it with a grain of salt :)

(italicised is the card on the bottom of the tarot deck which is meant to represent the subconscious/blind spot of the situation + rx means reversed)

9 of pentacles, 9 of cups, 3 of cups, 9 of wands | athlete | house seven: profound relationships, intimacy, and romantic partnerships | snake

firstly i just wanna say wow with three 9 cards. from a numerology perspective with multiple 9 cards, individuals with this energy achieve success early on in their lives as 9 signifies completion, so although jude has many admirers, he unfortunately has people waiting for his downfall due to envy. this energy tells me that jude is a very lucky and well-rounded individual, i sense a feeling of nonchalant-ness as his talent and work ethic come so natural to him. the 9 of pentacles tell me that jude is someone who thoroughly enjoys the fruits of his labour, he could be someone who loves indulging in luxury wether that'd be food, travel, experiences, etc. i also get the feeling that he loves spoiling those around him. he could be someone who loves presenting himself as someone diplomatic, tactful and well-mannered. with the 9 of cups, i see jude as someone who is emotionally fulfilled and can be idealistic. this card indicates someone positive, optimistic, content and fulfilled, however i do feel that jude could be someone who wears rose coloured glasses and has a sense of naivety. i just pick up on very youthful energy with jude, sheltered to an extent as well. i envision him as someone who sees the good in people and prefers to focus on the positives than the negatives. now i literally laughed when i pulled the 3 of cups, as that tells me that jude could have a tendency to be very dependent in his relationship, whether that would be familial, friendship or even romantic. i sense that he is someone who is easily influenced when in groups and is more of a "go with the flow" type of person. he might struggle with doing stuff himself or trusting his intuition, as I feel he relies heavily on the opinions and perspectives of those around him to encourage him. this card also tells me that jude's a social butterfly, he could be the type to enjoy going out to parties, socialising and meeting new people. there's this energy of lightheartedness as I feel that he's a really compassionate and collaborative individual, he gives me the type to love doing group projects hahaha. he's someone who's very in tune with others' needs and can read a room very well. i think one of his biggest fears could be coming across as rude or insincere to others, which could be due to his upbringing. gives me the energy that he can be quite the hedonistic individual and approach life with a "glass half full" mindset. the 9 of wands as the hidden energy could indicate that jude is someone who is still unsure about himself. it makes sense since he's only 20, but I think sometimes when he thinks about his life/position too much he can get easily overwhelmed. it's obvious that he has lots of pressure, but I feel that most of the pressure is self-inflicted. he could also be overly cautious or paranoid, so any decision he makes he will always have multiple backup plans and avoid taking risks (he's a dream for his pr team lmao). i also get a feeling of restlessness with this card, and that this is the side of himself when he is vulnerable and that he rarely shows. i get the feeling that he is still figuring himself out and enjoying the lighthearted aspects of life currently. as he gets older I feel he will obviously mature, and understand himself more. but right now, he just seems very lighthearted and youthful (just like most boys his age rn) and that the "real deep stuff" will come to his realisation later in life.

the athlete card for the athlete!! what a surprise LMAO. this card describes an individual who is dedicated to transcending physical limits and develops personal willpower and strength of spirit. another thing I picked up is that jude could love feeling like the "people's champion" and he feels a large sense of fulfilment if he knows he has inspired people or influenced them. i also pick up on the energy that he loves working towards something physical, in this case, it could be towards his physical body as he feels satisfaction with tangible things. i see that he enjoys the competitiveness of his job, as well as "performing", but the feeling of him enjoying being people's role model is what motivates him more. again, the 7th house card which reiterates the 3 of cups points earlier, he really prioritises harmony and puts a lot of his worth in his connections with others. he could also be a libra rising cause he does give me that vibe. although this card does indicate romance and its importance, with jude currently I feel like he is prioritising his business partnerships with others and ways to elevate himself in that realm. the snake card tells me that jude is a charismatic and creative individual, he could have an untapped creative side. he could also be someone who jumps from one project or another, like start and stop multiple projects cause he has a lot of ideas.

so that's it for the reading! let me know if you have any feedback, questions or requests! my askbox is always open for a chat as well <3 sending you love and light always :) hope you enjoyed!

[letterex-fyofm]

probably the worst idea i've ever had (ft. hq rarepair that i've never seen anyone discuss before)

So, I have I think more than thirty tskym fics in my docs (none of them are fully complete) and recently I've been working on one that was supposed to be a one-shot yet it escalated and it's growing to be its full monster.

Without sharing much, it revolves around Tadashi and Kei's relationship, with it tempting to cross the lines from really-close-friends to something more - yet without ever making the real jump. I also projected my experience with comphet and realising I was bisexual and the internalized homophobia I first faced - and since my favourite character of all Haikyuu is Tadashi, well, I used him as my guinea pig.

The thing is, I wanted to include a Tsukki pair that was not TsukkiYama, KuroTsuki, TsukiKage or TsukiHina, since they wouldn't really fit in the story. I was scrolling on twitter and boom.

Hear me out: TeruTsuki - don't click off yet.

Listen, does it make sense? Absolutely not. I think Tsukki would be annoyed as hell with Terushima - yet I actually am starting to like the idea of them as a messy fwb situation, where there are no strings attached and they just vibe.

So, I think Teruyama is a pretty popular ship and although I have no problems (because why would I have) if someone ships it, I never could get totally behind it. Like, I guess it's fun, yet I also think Tadashi would never like someone like Terushima. And I think people like it more because it gives the chance to write about Punk!Yamaguchi, which I think it's a funny concept yet I'm not a fan of because I always find myself missing the actual/canon Tadashi.

Yet...Terutsuki? That could be funny and almost even plausible without changing their personalities - too much.

I feel so stupid - this is all this user's fault.

And this one too

TELL ME YOU CAN'T SEE IT? There's something cooking here.

And just imagine the amount of drama it would cause. For context, when I write jealousy I usually write Tsukki kind of depressed and with self-esteem issues (because, same) - which is great for angst and character/relationship study! Yet, I've realised that writing jealousy with Tadashi has so much potential to be funny AS FUCK.

He was two seconds from barking at Koganegawa just because he called Kei "Tsukki". Just imagine how funny it would be if Tsukki was suddenly going out with freaking Terushima.

I imagine him just being like "What the fuck, Tsukki. Since when do you like punks? He has a tongue piercing for fucks sake! Who cares if he is on the top of his class - his hair is piss coloured!"

And I think it would be even funnier if Kei and Terushima didn't actually have any sort of feelings for the other. Like, I'm not saying as in they are fake-dating, but like more as friends that occasionally make out because one, it's fun. Two, Terushima is figuring things out. Three, Kei wants to move on from whatever the hell happened between Yamaguchi and him and he is going to do it - in one way or another.

They are both using the other for something, yet it is not unhealthy since they are pretty open about it.

So, what if Tsukki wants to make Tadashi a bit jealous? Terushima doesn't mind - he is enjoying it even.

I have no words to express how disappointed I am of myself.

[godsgamefreak]

After 1354 saves and just over 60 hours, I finally finished my Dragon Age II re-play, the first of its kind since the game came out 13 years ago. I toyed with it for a bit longer, I know I bought the Mark of the Assassin DLC and I think I even finished it, but I barely remembered it. But not a single proper playthrough in 13 years.

In that time DA2 of course got ripped apart by the media for the glaring issues of developing a massive RPG in 16-18 months, like the re-used assets (particularly in dungeons) but I had remembered enjoying it well enough as I played. Though, I also had issues with a lot of the Companions at the time too.

After being quite soured in my playthrough of Inquisition a few years later, I had fully dropped the series, with little to no interest in anything it was doing (granted it wasn't a lot, with Veilguard only just recently being properly announced) outside of the animated series on Netflix which was neat. But with Veilguard around the corner, and over 10 years of life under my belt, I thought... why not give it another try, see what's different?

Turns out both not much and also a fair bit. The not much was how much I enjoyed it - while certain mechanics don't work the way I'd like or aren't communicated as well (I'm very sad I couldn't truly be a proper tank, since enemy threat was constantly all over the place) I still had FUN with it. Since I remembered being meh on a lot of the Companions, I made sure to keep a particular eye on them this time around and I came to realize I understood them all a lot more this time around.

Merrill held a conviction, though a dangerous one, and while commendable to hold to it despite understanding the dangers... was completely blind to so much more. A great comparison to Anders, who was so much WORSE than I remembered, finally coming to a head if you question him during his Act 3 companion quest. I literally had to get up out of my chair in anger when he tries to threaten your friendship over his cause ("trust me even though I lied to you" like fuck off man).

Fenris was still overly grumpy about so much, but the reasoning is still solid, and it was nice to see him loosen up a little here and there. Agreeing to drop the mage freedom topic with Isabela and deflecting with a game of "guess my undergarments colour" was wonderful. Speaking of Isabela, I'm definitely older and care less about her darker side than I did as a "young and pure paladin" of 20 years old. I even romanced her, due in part to a similarity to one of my wife's OC's. Her romance story ends so sweet too, and her story is quite interesting. I wish the game had more time to expand on both Fenris and Isabela's stories and personal growth.

Varric and Aveline are still great, I love how they individually check in on Hawke through the game. They feel like the closest friends you have, in that they check on you just as much as you check on them, with no other major goals taking up their time and attention. Though the Aveline vs Isabela lines feel like they get a little too catty, there was one scene of them laughing over a drink once that made me happy to see they could get along.

My biggest regret is that Bethany is so absent from Act 2 and most of Act 3, not even making an on-screen appearance over your mother's death - the quest of which still hits pretty hard, though I didn't fully realize it until afterwards.

All in all, it was wonderful to re-play it, re-experience it, and play it in its complete form start-to-finish, and did exactly what I hoped: re-ignited my desire to care about this dark fantasy world, and make me excited to play Inquisition again. This time with less faffing about, more paying attention, and spending more time with Companions (and other major characters). I barely remember what happened in the game, so it's almost like finishing a re-play of DA2 before the big new game comes out. I hope I really find something I missed in my first DAI playthrough that makes me love it after hating it for 10 years.

[artemisbarnowl]

What is life like in Melbourne? I’m looking into moving there from the UK and would love some insights and whatever else from people who live and work there 💕

I've only visited the UK briefly as a tourist so I'm not sure how to compare them in a way that's going to give you useful info. But I'll give you info at least. Please sit comfortably and we'll begin.

Melbourne has 5 million people in it, but is also quite a large sprawling urban area, so it doesn't feel really packed and busy. It sits on a bay, so it doesn't get freezing but does have the '4 seasons in one day' jokes which are true. I never really got in the habit of checking the weather in the morn before I left for work until I moved away from melb where the forecast was such that I could dress appropriately without surprise.

When I talk about what I love about Melbourne I mean inner suburbs and CBD (which is a beautiful grid and shining example of urban planning for the now that is weighed down by no plans for the future). Public transport connectivity is decent (comparable to London imo) but wait times, delays, and travel times on trams and buses might be relatively crap depending on your experience. It's no Moscow metro (my beloved), but you can probably get to where you're going somehow. Also e scooters have popped off. Further out there's no trams and there's more big gaps between train stations (the train lines are arranged like spokes of a wheel around a central city circle. There will be another city loop slightly overlapping the current one in service next year). This is what I despairingly call The Suburbs. Where you probably need a car to get around and it's like at least 20 mins drive to Anywhere for dinner, groceries or fun activities. Mostly Melbourne is not overly hilly so bikes are an option but infrastructure such as bike lanes is really hit or miss depending on area. Especially good in the inner north. Melb inner suburbs are very walkable and I love love love that. I lived in the inner north and could walk into the CBD to do whatever.

In terms of culture things I think Melbourne is the most international of Aus's capitals in that it has a lot of different people but also that there's a lot open late. Sydney probably can and will make the same claim. But that's it. The rest of Aus is a country town. Major shops will probably close 5.30 or six mon to wed but there's plenty of stuff that's open later. You can always find a bar* or 8. There's plenty of different cuisines in gourmet or fast food dining. There's a cafe in the CBD that's open 24 hours where I can sit outside and have a pot of green tea WHENEVER I WANT. Bookstores open til 10pm. There are lots of events throughout the year and lots of cultural institutions to visit on a whim for free! Some are paid also obvi but I find it difficult to be bored when I can go to the museum to see taxidermy or the NGV for art for free whenever. I am a zoo member which means I get to hang out in a beautiful park/garden which creatures for free whenever I want. Again as you go out further this becomes less true. Fringe cities at the ends of train lines are likely to have what you need to live but less fun activities less often. Not nothing though!

Melbournians really do love wearing black. Especially in winter. They also love strategic Grey. I thought people were exaggerating until I left. A head to toe black outfit is uncommon enough to be remarkable where I live now. Even in a regular boring office where people wear very muted colours I'm the only one who does it. There is no functional difference between the a mourning outfit and one of a Melbournian. it's common wear sneakers with a lot of seemingly formal or corporate outfits, but not thongs with jeans. That's some weird Sydney nonsense.

Being around the bay there's plenty of places to swim in summer! Most of the bay is bordered by beach, most famous and reachable from the city is St Kilda beach. Which is excellent and beyond reproach if you're not Australian and 'fine' if you are. Traveling down towards Mornington Peninsula they get better. 5km makes a difference to the grain of the sand. Some are more fine, can get more coarse and shelly as well. Never stony. Only a little bit of seaweed here and there.

There are parks in the heart of the city (nothing huge like Hyde though) and little wildlife corridors or reserves in most suburbs but it's not an especially Nature city. It's only one hour by train and bus or by car to the Dandenongs (a low mountain range, not to be confused with hugely underated immigrant suburb of Dandenong in melb) though which have cool temperate rainforest national park, lots of gardens (huuuuuge rhododendron garden up there), little b&bs, english style cafes (miss Marples in Olinda is the most famous) and lots of walking and biking. I say one hour but Melbourne as an area reaches right to the base of the range, which is why you can get a bus from the shops. There are national parks that are native woodland or grasslands closer to the heart of the city but these are less special to me because that's the standard nature I see every day of my life. There's a pink lake in south melb which is fun. But I love tree ferns and fresh damp dirt and the tallest flowering trees in the world!!

If you have more specific Q's feel free to ask. I am a city gal at heart but did live rurally originally and frequently do short stays (2 weeks to a month) in rural or remote areas so I am used to comparing amenities and connectivity.

*Melbourne has regular bars but also is very big on rooftop bars. Sydney has some, but other cities hear rooftop bar and think 'bar inside but with views or on top floor of building. Probably formal'. Melbourne roof top bars are on the roof. In the open air (maybe some shade sail) and it's very much a casual thing. Jugs of beer or sangria, chips, feels like a good barbeque rather than a refined cocktail bar. Those are often in basements.

[naanima]

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is honest to the-movie-gods a fucking amazing movie. Visually it is stunning - cinematography, lighting, the use of colours, and visual effects. It is funny, emotional and full of fucking heart.

In general the movie is visually gorgeous - colourful, bright, innovative camera angles, and one fight sequence with the full team is fucking epic. One of the best fight sequences I have ever seen in its cohesiveness while focusing on each character's unique fighting ability and how they compliment one another. It is so fucking beautiful. And the soundtrack! OMFG! THE FUCKING SOUNDTRACK! Perfect and plays such an important part of the movie. Just perfect..

Below is a list of SPOILERS.

Adam Warlock is a space himbo who likes cute-ugly space alien/pets. Loves his mummy & is dumb as a box of rocks. I love how he becomes a full member of the Guardians in mid-credit. He deserves a second chance, and hey with his mummy/parental issues he would fit right in with the Guardians.

Cosmo the space dog getting fired up about being called a "bad dog" by Kraglin, not being able to let it go is one of the funniest running jokes throughout the whole movie. It just really worked for me. Lols.

Gamora & Nebula's growl-grunt as a form of greeting/goodbye/I love yous is fucking amazing. They are such amazing sisters but also killing machines. I love it so very much.

Gamora is fucking amazing in this. She is competent, angry and her own person. She doesn't know Peter or the rest of the Guardians. She isn't their Gamora, she is her own person, and her finding her place with the Ravagers is just so beautiful & glorious. Bcos they fucking love her, and she chose them. They are hers, and she is their's. Her parting line to Peter, "We must have been fun." Was fucking gut wrenching & an acknowledgement that yeah, in another life this Gamora could she herself making a life with Peter. But this isn't that life, she isn't that Gamora, and she found herself a new family.

Nebula being the leader of Knowhere, creating a place for the displaced, the weird & the hurt. Leading & protecting them, wanting children to grow up like she never did. OMFG. Her character development is fucking amazing. The ways she tries & tries to be better than what she was taught to be is just so beautiful.

Drax acknowledged as a great dad, BY NEBULA, the way he connected & talked to the kids. His relationship with Mantis - their pseudo sibling relationship, their genuine love & respect for one another. Just gods Drax was hilarious and so very genuine.

Mantis going off on her own, to discover what she wants to do, to be her own person, with her three giant fucking space creatures of terror. Mantis being angry, honest and so fucking brave.

Rocket!! OMFG! ROCKET!!!! An experiment by a madman, wanting to live in a world with his friends, running to escape the pain & the memories. Rescuing ALL the animals being experimented on, fucking tired of running, choosing not to kill his torturer bcos he chose to be a Guardian. Just fuck, ROCKET. As a side note the way the tortures were depicted in the form of what happened to the animals was utterly horrifying. Floor the rabbit was the stuff of nightmares but she just wanted to play and be with her friend, and it is just so fucking heartbreaking. Animal cruelty is the fucking worst.

And finally Peter. Gods, Peter. How he infected his whole patchwork family with his music, with his need to be with one & another, with his refusal to let any of them die. Finally growing up, ready to face his past instead of running. Taking a break from the Guardians to return to earth to spend time with his grandfather, to confront his past. It is so hard to articulate how much I love Peter Quill, especially in a series of movies where the focus became progressively more evenly spread in the attention they pay to each character. But Peter pulled this group of assholes together and he would die for any of them. His fear & anguish when he thought Rocket had died was heartbreaking.

There is SO MUCH amazing interactions between all the characters - Nebula, Mantis & Drax! Peter & Gamora, Rocket & Peter, Cosmo being called a "bad dog" by Kraglin. Just gods - what a fucking amazing film that wanted to celebrate the fun of a space opera AND to roll around in the feels of found family love, a group of idiots who tell each other they love each other, willing to go to war for each other. A group of idiots who dance in the streets in joy, screaming their feelings. Just fuck. What a wonderful movie.

[pluppsauthor]

OC Interview Tag

Thank you to @phoenixradiant for the tag!

Rules: answer the following questions in the perspective of one of your OCs!

Last time I did Jesse and Reven. Continuing down the line of Forsaken characters (they won't leave my head), let's do my favourite (and currently only) blind boy, Zenith!

Are you named after anyone?

"...No..? I don't think so. It's not worth going back to my family just to ask them that. The dead gods know I already can't stand them as is."

When was the last time you cried?

"I don't think I could say the last... time... I've cried. But as much near-death experiences and hell we go through, I think I've always handled it the worst. Maybe because I can't see the threat, I hold this higher sense of danger, and it just sort of... eats away at me from time to time. So I cry from being overwhelmed sometimes."

Do you have kids?

"Eh, no. I don't think I plan too either, not as of now."

Do you use sarcasm a lot?

"Sometimes. Dusk and Dawn are always so serious. A strategist and a commander? If I don't crack a joke or use some sarcasm, they're gonna become heartless. Maybe not, but you know what I mean."

What’s the first thing you notice about people?

"Their voice. What did you expect me to say? 'Their eyes'? No, but really, I pay attention to people's voices a lot, tells me a lot about their character."

What’s your eye colour?

*5 straight minutes of laughter* "Oh, that's a good one... Oh, you're serious? I don't even know what colours look like! I've been told they're purple, and that purple is unnatural eye colour. But I don't know what purple is! Or what a normal eye colour is!"

Scary movies or happy endings?

*Another minute of laughter* "You must not have written these with the thought of asking a blind person, did you? While technically I can watch movies, it isn't really the same. But as for scary stories and happy endings... scary stories are way more fun."

Any special talents?

"Well, I'm blind--That's not the talent by the way--see, despite being blind I can kind of... I can sense gravity. It's hard to explain, but think of it like this: Dusk can make light, Dawn can... do whatever it is she does with shadows, I... can sense gravity. Along with a few other things of course. I guess I also a have good balance and hearing. But I don't know if its better than the average person."

Where were you born?

"North City. Okay... well... I wasn't born in my family home. Okay, so my family's house was very close to the Titan Family's main building (in north city at least). Because of this, there was a tunnel connecting them for medical emergencies. My mother went into labour and... didn't make it. So, technically, I was born in an underground tunnel between my home and the Titan Family's main building."

Do you have any pets?

"My family was on the border of being considered rich. So we did have a cat, a real cat, while I was growing up. I don't know how those things still exist today seeing how many other animals went extinct."

What sort of sports do you play?

"I didn't really play any sports."

How tall are you?

"I don't know, can't really check. I've only been told, but last that I remember... 180 centimetres? Somewhere around there if that's not it."

What was your favourite subject in school?

"Ooo... art. No, I'm joking, I'm joking. Uh... probably music. Oh, maybe history, but only when they talked about myths and legends and stuff like that. Mostly music. I can play a few instruments, should I have said that in the talents section? I probably should have."

What is your dream job?

"Dream job... hmmm... I'm not sure. Out of the main trio, between me, Dusk, and Dawn... I'm the odd one out. Both of them both want revenge and to take down the families, and I don't really. I just want to help people, but as for a dream job... ... ...I guess, if it can be anything, some kind of artist. Preferably also with the ability to see what I'm painting or sculpting, or whatever it is I would do."

A lot tamer, considering... last time... Anyway! Tags! @tildeathiwillwrite, @kaylinalexanderbooks, @mk-writes-stuff, and open tag! ❤

Here are the questions!

Are you named after anyone? When was the last time you cried? Do you have kids? Do you use sarcasm a lot? What’s the first thing you notice about people? What’s your eye colour? Scary movies or happy endings? Any special talents? Where were you born? Do you have any pets? What sort of sports do you play? How tall are you? What was your favourite subject in school? What is your dream job?

[thisliminalspacedaydreams]

2 and 8 for the fic ask game (and for 2 is you wanna pls give your fav line from your first and your most recent fic)

Hello YESSS.

8. Is there a story idea you have that you would love if it could appear fully realized but that you do not think you’ll ever write yourself?

Yes. I had the idea of writing an AI Regulus 2.0.

And then the story spiraled last summer when I saw green and we brainstormed it, and he and I are writing it now. But we’ll only ever post it if we finish it. So since it might be months or years, I can speak about it a bit :D

Essentially… Regulus the human dies (brain dead), and his brother brings him back as an AI experiment. All of Regulus’ AI personality is based on Sirius’ memories of his estranged dead brother.

There’s Jegulus, and baby Harry, and Remus as a mad scientist, and it’s angsty and weird and the writing has to be very clunky from Regulus’ POV so it’s a real exercise for green and I who are very… metaphor-me-this and metpahor-me-that writers.

It’s all I’ve ever wanted to write. It’s my passion project. I think if we ever finish it, it would become my favorite thing I would have ever written. But the odds are kinda low.

2. What is your favorite paragraph from (and for 2 is you wanna pls give your fav line from your first and your most recent fic)? Is there a reason it’s your favorite?

So from my first fic it would technically be in french from a Naruto fanfic I wrote when I was 13, but that shit is buried and I shan’t try to find it again. 

The first Harry Potter fanfic I wrote was a Dramione, and I gave my answer here. But if it’s from the Marauders, then it would be Goldeneye, and my fav line from there would be…

They sort Beans.

I think it was one of the first time where I wrote a sentence and felt like there were a thousand other tiny sentences hiding in between the words. Because even though you read “they sort Beans”, really what you read is, “they’re putting aside their differences”, “they’re learning to be close to each other”, “they don’t make fun of each other’s quirks” and so on. It’s kind of lovely.

“What are you doing?” “Bit of an obvious question, isn’t it?” It’s the first sentence Regulus has spoken directly to him in days. James has to force himself not to react, not to let his feature slack, his eyes close in relief. It’s not a fuck off. It’s not a go ahead, either, but James is here now. He pulls out a chair and takes a seat. Starts sorting Beans with Regulus. It takes a while. In fact, it’s an infinite game, because Regulus has charmed the candy to duplicate itself upon impact. “Are we eating this at some point?” James asks. It’s a methodical game. Once a bowl of colour is full, Regulus will Vanish it and start another. It truly is mindless. “I don’t like the taste.” They don’t speak for the rest of the night. But there are moments, James thinks, where their hands start dancing around one another. He tries not to think about it too much. They sort Beans.

Damn I just really like this.

Thank you for asking! <3

[localratwithcowboyhat]

what magnus archives entity/fear do you most align with and why (please info dump i want an essay)

OKOKOK

So this is kind of an hard question because I think there is a pretty thin line between being take by an entity and serving one, I think i would probably be taken by the dark or the spiral because there just is this very deep connection, because my fear of the Darkness leads back to my early child hood.

Another reason I think its hart to awnser that question, is because alott off the fears go hand in hand for example the stranger and spiral,, “ I always think it helps to imagine them like colours. The edges bleed together, and you can talk about little differences: "Oh, that's indigo, that's more lilac", but they're both purple.” The spiral is the fear of going mad not being able to trust yourself, now if i think off the stranger and of the statements that encountered a “not them” they often go down that same path of paranoia and feeling like they’re going mad…

I think you have to have something REALY deep connecting to that entety to be serving one. I think I`d probably be taken by the dark because, though im not particularly scared of it Anny more, that deep conquered fear from when i was little is still in here. I`d also say that I would be a candidate to be taken by the vast, because i do have an intense fear of deep bodied of water and the vastness of the ocean, but again not enough to be serving as an avatar.

Now the Spiral I’m considering,, but again there is just this thin line between serving and being taken. So im quiet unsure about this one.

But in regards of identifying with one of the entities, as I said I do have a deep connection to the spiral and would also say I aling with that one to a certain point. But then there is also the buried wich. I have to say might just be the autism, BUT I do have a certain connection to the longing of wanting to rest deep deep down, having all that weight ontop of me. And I do absolutely love MAG 152-a gravedigger´s envy, i do really relate to the experiences of Hezekiah Wakeley.

But to sum it up,

I think I’m most likely to be taken by the vast, dark or buried.

And i would probably be serving the spiral (or/and stranger because i feel the line between those two is especially thin)

Again i think I could go into much more detail but its just kind of hard typing it all out and finding words.

This was a Lott of fun and made me very happy so THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ASKING

[ablogmadebyjose]

SUPREME GEOMETRY | THE NINE ARCH BRIDGE

Topics of interest

Shadow Play | Contrast, balance, duality

Very familiar in terms of colours, theming, and potential narrative. Could have been a fun experiment to attempt at but my only fear is that it may end up looking familiar compared to my darker tones weekly explorations.

Scan Lines | Digital age, consumption, analog

Not entirely similar to the style I've been attempting for the past 7 weekly explorations yet it leans more towards a digital narrative that my past work haven't quite touched yet (aside from weekly exploration number five).

Supreme Geometry | Boundaries, abstract, simple supremacy

This was the topic I was "recommended" to attempt. As seeing that I want my final three to be strictly illustration based this would be another perfect opportunity to use perspective as I haven't used much of that in my batch of work.

CHOSEN TOPIC -> SUPREME GEOMETRY

The second final illo of the semester! This week I was tasked to attempt supreme geometry. I immediately knew that I had to attempt perspective for this one, not only would it ensure that it would look visually different but it would challenge me to attempt something new that I have never done often enough. This also marks the first weekly exploration that I can call it a proper illustration, one of the first that I actually feel satisfied with illustrating.

Creative Concept

From the start I wanted this to be really different in terms of colour and composition. Inspired by supreme geometry I played with shapes and even some more complex forms to create a sunset bridge setting inspired by the recent sunset that have been occurring lately. Despite working with what are mostly 2D shapes I added shading to create depth as I believe simple shapes can be so much more than just 2D flat objects.

Description

As mentioned before, I want to ensure that these three last illos are fully illustrative and this and this definitely suits that guideline, exceedingly too! This illo is somewhat different than my usual art style which I think helps it to differentiate it from the other 8 weekly explorations. I experimented with colours that I don't use that much such as purples and greens. Yellow and orange seemed like good highlight colours for shading and the suns in the composition.

For this one illustration I didn't use my usual overlay texture technique and instead used photoshop's grain and texture to fulfill that air spray-like texture that's seen on this week's exploration. It really helped tie in the shading and shapes as without it, it looked to artificial and lacked the retro futuristic feel I wanted to emulate.

This turned out to be one of my favourite illos in this semester's batch and I loved the process behind it. I've been wanting to attempt this sort of style ever since semester one's batch of illos but I never got around to it. This illo is inspired by the end of the semester and the weird bliss I get during the final two weeks of school. Sad that school is over and I'll have to say goodbye to my friends and not having a consistent workflow of design work that I love doing, yet happy as I get to go back home and see all my old friends once again and the usual summer activities that occur during that time.

Final illo is next week, I think I've got something good coming up!

KEYWORDS FOR INSPIRATION

Retro

Perspective

Neon

Radiate

Growth

Futuristic

ROUGH -> PROCREATE

FINAL -> PHOTOSHOP

Text version:

[theadventurerslog]

King's Quest Wrap Up

Here we are. I've finished King's Quest 1-7, which I would consider the main series as Mask of Eternity is so different and I won't be playing it. It's been a great ride that I wasn't even originally intending to do, but I'm glad I did. Sitting here writing this post is a bit more bittersweet than I expected.

This whole blog idea came about because of King's Quest. I went from just watching them played (Thank you SuchMinutiae!) to thinking it'd be fun to try at least V and VI to wondering about the idea of logging them as a textual let's play, which led to doing them all. And now I've played them all and they get to be the first games and first complete series done here.

I mentioned there were a lot of classics I was missing and that Sierra games were a big hole in my history entirely. Not only did I have that total gap, but it was one that didn't come with the best reputation. Basically my association with Sierra was hard obtuse games in which you die at the drop of a hat. Which, okay, especially in the case of the older games that is true, but it's not the whole picture. I can only speak for King's Quest right now, but that misses the fun adventure of them and the evolution the series went through and that VII dropped the cruelty and had no dead ends and deaths were harmless with instant retries.

It misses what I can only imagine the feeling was back then of setting out into what would have felt like a big world and going on this big adventure. It misses the charm and goofiness that crops up. The portrayal misses the fun (and sometimes frustration) of goofing around with the text parser in the first four games. It misses the evolution of not just the mechanics and graphics, but also the story telling and how they start to connect more with each other into a bigger whole. I'm going on a bit of a rant here, but if I had continued with only that original outlook on them and a couple of stray reviews I one time saw while looking briefly into the games quite some time ago--can't recall exactly why, it may have been when that episodic King's Quest game by another company came out--and those reviews also really highlighted difficulty and not too much else I would have passed on an experience I really enjoyed.

Now, I will freely admit my opinion would probably be a bit different if I had gone in blind, or just with the knowledge to save a lot and keep lots of saves. That last point is a big one and would spare some anguish. I definitely would have gotten more stuck on points far more often and probably dead-ended myself at other points and had to rely on past saves more. But I'm also not too proud to poke at hints or check for bits in guides, so I still could have gotten through, but there would have been some more frustration colouring my views. Not to say there wasn't any frustration because there sure was at points, beanstalks and stairs and dark dark caves with trolls, oh my. Still, my point still stands that I could have so easily been continuing to be swayed away from ever giving these a shot and missed out.

I also think it's great to visit or revisit some old games now and then. Not just to see how far things have come, but to experience what things were like. It was still so new as a medium, still is relatively speaking, and devs were still learning and trying stuff and experimenting and there's a very wild west feel to it. And it's just... this is what they knew, this what they had to work with in regards to the tech and it's...cool. And being reminded how much and fast things were changing like the jump from KQ IV to V. It was a lot! I just think it's nice to be reminded sometimes. Games have moved so quickly it can be easy to forget.

It was also nice to have a reminder of my own...outlook I guess? on graphics in a tangible way. I'm not someone who needs or cares about high-end top of the line graphics anyway, but the ability to get into the game and meet it on its level struck me particularly in a couple spots in III and IV where I found myself having the exact same reaction to things I'd have to the same kind of things in a modern game. Those things being a couple waterfalls spots in III ("ooo! waterfall!" Screencap!) and Genesta's island and the path going up the mountain to Lolotte's area in IV. More ooo, pretty, or ooo cool moments. These early four games are older than I am and primitive by today's standards and it's just...nice to know I can still have these little wow moments anyway.

I've gone off on some tangents here, so back to the individual games themselves. As for each game, the obvious thing to do in an end post like this would be to rank them, but I am terrible at ranking things. If you want to send me into a spiral of dithering and second-guessing myself, make me rank things. Instead I will just say that VI is my favourite and I have no idea after that. I am going to give my last thoughts on each and heck maybe some kind of preference or order will emerge. Still not ranking them though.

King's Quest I: Quest for the Crown

The beginning! There's always something exciting about a new start, certainly so when you know it continues into a series. It's very simple: find the three missing treasures of Daventry and become king. Really nothing deep here, but it's a short enjoyable romp through a mishmash of fairy tale things and sometimes there's comfort in simplicity. Less comfort in falling repeatedly off a beanstalk; I might still be bitter.

Not a lot to say about it really, but a solid enough start.

I'm looking forward to revisiting it sometime through the SCI remake.

-

King's Quest II: Romancing the Throne

I looked back at my final notes for the game and while my points are still true I feel like I had a more negative slant on them than I do now. As I've been thinking about these games off and on while playing I've had a growing fondness for II. Yeah, its plot is thin: Graham wants wife, girl trapped in tower by evil witch for some reason, rescue girl, get married. And don't go here for cohesive world building, but it was fun. It did feel like a grab bag of ideas tossed together into a game, but that ended up being what made it entertaining in not knowing what it's gonna throw at you next.

What IS grandma's deal with the wolf and Dracula, and oh yeah, Dracula. Antique shop in the middle of nowhere, the owner of which seems to have some kind of feud with the witch? Why not? Merfolk? Sure! Its stairs weren't as bad yet either.

I've found its ridiculousness is where the fun was for me and my fondness for it has grown.

-

King's Quest III: To Heir is Human

This game was important for setting out foundations for everything to come: introducing Alexander and Rosella, the existence of Manannan which was used for plot with Mordack for V which also included Cassima to get us the plot of VI, etc. It's where the chain of continuity felt like it really began.

That said I said it was a mixed bag and that hasn't changed. The beginning is fun with the spells and all the thing you can have happen with Manannan which I didn't get much of in my playthrough and I regret that. The spells themselves are fun and the game did get more complex than the previous two.

But that second chunk hits on tedium and frustrations and is just plain not as fun or interesting as the first part. If I were to rank the games, and I'm not, but IF I were I'd really struggle with this one and wish I could put one part in one place and the other part in a different lower place.

One other note: now we don't get a ton of Alexander's personality in III really, just by nature of these older games and he's a little older in VI and of course free of Manannan, but I do have a little trouble reconciling them as the same character. Like, for example, there's a point early when you get the fur from Manannan's cat and he snickers about it and calls it a stupid cat and I just cannot picture VI Alexander ever saying that. Of course I doubt they had any inkling of what VI would be like if it were to ever exist, just something I noticed.

-

King's Quest IV: The Perils of Rosella

Like KQ III I still feel this one is a mixed bag but its low points are lower still than the low points of III and it really leaves me conflicted because there are plenty of things I like but so much ugh at some of the bullshit. The whale, the bridle, the dark cave with the troll, some really awful stairs, it got to be a lot sometimes.

But then it was nice to have Rosella as the protagonist and it was nice to have a more present villain and with Edgar it gave them some material to pull from for later. There were still fun moments and some just really nice spots like the exterior of Genesta's home with her gardens. When I wasn't in the really annoying spots I was enjoying myself as much as the previous games but those blemishes cast long shadows.

It also felt a little more sombre overall, which makes sense under the circumstances, but something I noticed.

-

King's Quest V: Absence Makes the Heart Go Yonder

"We're the aaants led by King Antony..." Ahem. V was my originally planned first game then when I realized it was bundled with IV and VI that maaaybe I should start with IV, which oof, glad I didn't, but then I started from the beginning.

That said I was looking forward to getting to V and I quite enjoyed it. That beautiful art. The voice acting is pretty bad, but I find it weirdly endearing. There's some really charming moments.

There's also a ton of bullshit and a long list of ways to softlock yourself, which should annoy me more on principle, but I think the difference between it and IV is that in this one's case the problems come from things that you can miss rather than frustration coming by the actual act of playing through the annoying trial and error parts like the whale and the cave with the added 'joy' of RNG. And since I knew what to look out for I could avoid the problems whereas I was stuck in it in IV.

Anyway, the connectivity really started to come into fruition here too making use of the events of III while building up to VI. ...Still cranky about Graham's attitude about Alexander at the end and everyone ignoring poor dead Cedric at first.

Other than that it's just so cheesily charming to me.

-

King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow

Much like my final thoughts in the last post for the game I'm wondering what more I can say. It's my favourite of the series. It's still so pretty. I really like Alexander as a protagonist. He's so earnest. I like Cassima for what we do get of her though I want more.

I love how much there is to interact with and just the sheer amount of descriptive text with some great humour in there. The premise is hinged on some real flimsy love at first sight, but it's wrapped up in such a good package I can't complain much. There are a lot of fun and charming bits and some just cool chunks too like the stuff in the Realm of the Dead. Having two different routes to two endings is neat as well.

Also, "Girl in the toooower!"

--

King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride

This one's a little harder to talk about again since I did just finish it so it hasn't had the same time to sit in the back of my mind like the others. It was a departure in a lot of ways from the rest of the games but then again, V and VI were a departure in some ways from the first four as well. It was still a fun different flavour without feeling like it was something else entirely I think might be my best way of putting it. And it was a fun change of pace to be alternating between two protagonists.

And despite its differences it still clung to its roots of fairy tales and the Daventry royals and of course made use of the events of IV. It was also still a point and click unlike a certain other unplayed entry of the series.

It was more comedic and exaggerated and there were some points that were running the fine line of grating for me but never enough to be off-putting.

I wasn't quite sure how I'd feel about it before playing, but I did enjoy more it than I initially feared.

-

I kind of think of the series in three phases which further doesn't help with any attempts at ranking either. There's 1-4, 5-6 and 7. Seeing that kind of progression is another fun thing about going through a series from beginning to end though. Does a ranking emerge from the above notes? VI is high and IV is low. 5 and 7 are probably higher than 1-4 but trying to decide between 5 and 7 and trying to order 1-4 I just don't know. I enjoyed my time with all and that's what really matters in the end.

--

Various Stats and Other Rankings

I've got them anyway, so I may as well gather them into one place!

Final Points

King's Quest 1: 154/158

King's Quest II: 185/185

King's Quest III: 202/210

King's Quest IV: 230/230

King's Quest V: 260/260

King's Quest VI: 225/231

King's Quest VII: N/A

I only got max points in the half the applicable games. Clearly another reason to replay some of these.

--

Death/Game over Counts:

King's Quest I: 58

King's Quest II: 17

King's Quest III: 63

King's Quest IV: 86

King's Quest V: 59

King's Quest VI: 29

King's Quest VII: 42

Feeling some KQIV trauma looking at these counts all over again. I wound up with a higher count that I expected in VII too; it started low then Ooga Booga happened...

--

Death Rankings!

I was given the idea to rank deaths so here are some death awards!

Most Deaths: King's Quest IV. Some awful stairs among other things.

Most Maddening: Any stairs or stair-like things. Stair cases in IV and the bean stalk in I drove me nuts. Aside from stairs, the troll in the dark in IV. Once he's there, there's no escape and he's completely random.

Most Expected: Eat these nightshade berries says the golden eyed 'grandma'. What could go wrong. This being hasn't already tried to lead you to your death on more than one occasion before and isn't remotely suspicious now. Alexander, please.

Most Unexpected: This is a bit trickier as I wasn't playing blind. Possibly the rock in KQ I that you push. You have to push it to get a dagger, but if you push it from the wrong side you're squished and there's not really indication of it being on a slope or anything, so... squish. I feel like I'm probably missing some obvious contenders.

Most Tempting: Tree deaths in KQ IV. The tree puns! And failing the spells in III. Gotta see the results. Oh! And not a death but game over, actually this might be the most tempting, but getting turned into a beast in VI. How could you not want to let that run its course and see it? "Whee whee!!!"

Look at him!

Funniest: Possibly getting punched out by the bear in V. It's so ridiculous looking and abrupt.

Most Brutal: I've got three here: two deaths in VI and one in VII. The death by spiked ceiling in the catacombs and the death by fire with the druids. They're both drawn out and the way it all plays out is just yikes. They both had me flinching back into my chair. Then in VII we had Rosella and/or Valanice getting dragged in by the skeletons over the Boogeyman's home. And just the sound and the animation, oh the animation. It was another yikes moment for me.

--

Final Final Thoughts

As I try to figure out how to end this ramble. I suppose I will end this with the relatively simple question of would I recommend these?

VI and VII? Yes, particularly VII if someone wants a friendly point and click as VI still has softlocks and the need to save a lot for those deaths

V - with some caveats

I-IV - only to people genuinely interested in exploring the old stuff and willing to tolerate the BS and possible frustrations of a text parser (though I still think the text parser has its own fun)

Was the experience worthwhile for me? Absolutely. Will I replay these games or at least some of them? For sure. I have the SCI remake of I waiting for me and I'll definitely be playing VI again. I think I'll be able to add it to my comfort food rotation. I also, despite my complaining, want to give III another go sometime because I missed too much fun stuff at the start. Honestly I could see doing another run-through of the whole series for myself in the future, maaaybe skipping IV but also maybe doing it too because it's not like I hated it.

For now the Daventry family can live happily ever after until I restart the timeline and force them through all this again.

Once again, thank you for joining me and reading all this.

[istherewifiinhell]

Time diagram by someone who hasn't finished the dang book and read this part.... several months ago.

[ID: A diagram for time lines in ORV. The horizontal is labeled time, the vertical is turn. On the very left is one line labeled "Pre-scenario", then split with one large vertical line. Events are X, colour coded by HSY in purple, KDJ in green, YJH in red. After that are the turn lines. 1st is short and ends in "YJH Death", 2nd is the same but a bit longer.

3rd turn starts with "HSY Split". A little later down the line is "KDJ Deal", and another past that "KDJ Return".

Dots indicating turns passing lead to 1863rd. It starts with "HSY Arrives", an arrow indicates the travel from the 3rd turn directly to 1863rd turn. Later down the line is "KDJ Arrives", the path from 3rd to 1863rd shows he arrives later in the new timeline then when he left. Next on the 1863rd line is "YJH Split and Death", an after that "KDJ Leaves". From that the path again shows his return is earlier than where he was on the 1863rd line. That this appears to line up with when he arrives in 1863rd is only arribitrary.

The is a complete unlabeled 1864th turn line.

END ID]

my logic here being ONLY YJH experiences the turns as a chronologically continuity, so you could think of him traveling from each end to each begining. Or stack them end to end, and just think I've broken them up for convenience sake. Length indicating time abstracted to save space. And also unlabeled cause I forget how much time it is. More in 1863rd than in 3rd. I should think.

Or in other words. Time travel is fun when the only person doing it is the isekaied min max rules lawyer guy. The author plagarist mitosis clone is really more "dimension hopping", and the world's specialest tormented little princess just lives like this.

[k00294140]

Photoshop?

I had unfortunately missed the introduction to photoshoo due to my CCS and Tutorial so I was quite clueless. I had a bit of previous experience but nothing meaningful. U really just wanted to mess around and try to understand what this program is and what I could do. I discovered you can draw and actually doing quite a little excited I wasn't expecting. I really like the drawing and colouring capabilities of photoshop and wanted to use that mainly for this piece.

I an using my previous thumbnails that I had created on Tuesday in the workshop. We created a other mind map to expand and pin point exactly on how we are exploring our ideas through.. I chose "Flow" (as in creative flow and movement), stuck and unpredictable. I had loads of of fun creating different thumbnail ideas for this project. I made a lot so here they are.....

Mind map.

Thumbnail sketches...

In the end we made the people around us vote for which we should do and then we had to expand on this and make it bigger! Here's my bigger version / final version of what I wanted it to look like :)))

While in photoshop I didn't actually draw the cat as I was already struggling just drawing with a mouse so I decided to use the picture that had originally given me the inspiration to draw this!

I used rough and scratch lines in places to make it appear as if it was drawn. The process of cutting out the background was nightmarish. I tried using the automatic way the program does for you but it cut it out so terribly so I ended up doing it myself. I zoomed in a lot and cut it out bit by bit. Some places were still a big choppy so I used a blur tool to smoothen it out so it looked a lot better. I was really satisfied with how easy it was so draw on photoshop. The mouse using part wasn't but it had everything you would need and a great varaity if colour. I enjoyed myself throughout. I ended up using my previous colour pallets which I have posted before hand :))

There was a lot a lot if different styles of brushes I could use which added to the fun!. The stars and swirlys came from my inspiration of the Baebadoobee posters I have posted earlier. I love how cute yet chaotic thy look and wanted to embody that.

Here it is! I ended up not doing the tail but I kind of regret it do I might add it tomorrow when I get the chance

I started to try work on my original idea if making a rock star poster but I ran into a lot of difficulties. The pictures I have are too small and poorly taken so when I move them to photoshop they pixilate very badly and you can barely see what they even are. I attempted to fix this by looking up solutions but I myself couldn't fix it. I also struggled on how to move one picture to another picture instead of creating their different documents... It was really confusing...

But today u was wandering in EASONS when I came across the magazine section. I remembered how I enjoyed creating those magazine art and sonic began searching through them. I ended up finding this great one filled to the brim of fashion models strutting and posing to very interesting backgrounds. I thought it would be really funny to instead of making a rock star poster to creating a poster for a cats fashion show/ Runway (A meoway)

I thought I could use some of these pictures (I will post separately) to create the runway advertisement and to use the singular models to be the "headliners" at the runway. I'm thinking about using gouache and paining the to be cats instead of humans and changing their names into cat puns etc. Im debating on using Ms paint to digitally add stars and other sparkles because I like how weird and cubic the Ms paint brush is.

[crow-caller]

@neovenatorgirlteeth​

Top fav/east fav pokemon designs in scarlet/violet.

Over more than an hour later this is more ‘crow comments on almost every new pokemon, oops’. I am passionate about cool designs... I didn’t mean to come for bogleech’s throne!

 Under spoiler tag because I was lucky to play without having been spoiled on ANY of them and I want to keep that experience, total spoilers ahead.....

I was so annoyed the cute grass kitty immediatly became bipedal, but I really do dig the whole line, even the last one. The base is SO cute I LOVE kitty and being a sort of bandit and then a magician is cool. Especially enjoy how the final form is bipedal but not THAT humanoid- it’s a neutral body rather than being uncomfortably curvy or gendered. Also as I look at it: final form kinda is a lot like how I draw my eye deers in terms of “fluffy pastel body, long skinny darker legs”

hate

I’m so sorry they did this to the duck. I’M SO SORRY. the duck was cute and then the middle is ugly and the final.... in battle usually the tail is extended and it’s obviously a ‘festivale’ thing, but it’s so unsettling. I hate how human it is, it’s dancing.... I hate this creature and for it to be a STARTER feels so unfair. who okay’d it.

I always loved dunspace as a kid playing gold silver, even tho it was useless. It was so mystifying looking and... odd. It was the pokemon that really most felt like a cryptic mystery of a being, you know? Like what the hell IS it? I’ve learned since it’s like... Tsuchinoko, maybe. But for it to FINALLY have an evolution that is almost entirely identical is really funny to me. Yep. That sure is just dunsparce. I mean. Dudunsparce. It’d have been cool for him to suddenly be a giant badass snake monster but this is better

Okay two off: TaROUNtula is adorbs and his evolution sucks. a little yarn ball spider with a kinda dopey face is really cute and then he turns into... way too dude shaped and really unappealing. He doesn’t look much like his pre-form and loses all the charm. A spider with a spindle it uses to make traps is great but why this??

Dolliv is super super cute. I love the many grass and bug pokemon that are just ‘cute girls’. I don’t like humanoid pokemon, but a lot of them are more stylised human than bordering on uncanny, and they look cute and fun. Dolliv works with her theme perfectly and is extremely cute. But man I was really REALLY happy to see Arboliva !! She’s funky and stylish in a different way. Sure, we could have another Tsureena line, where the end is basically a plant ginjinka gal, but while still hhumanoid Arboliva is way funkier. She usually is in a wreath shape too to better show off her design. I love her colour pallete too. She feels like something I’d make....

He..............

how can you not love this little face. His weird metal collar and his funky arms that he usually stows. Those eyes tho. He’s so cute and simple.

I wouldn’t normally like anything about this design. Like, it’s fine, but very very simple and  nothing screams pokemon about it. But extra shoutout: they are VERY funny. The names are both great (Maushold is one of the few times I sensibly chuckle at a pun name) and the fact they almost always evolve when you’re not looking- and their evolution is having children- is great. I was worried it was a glitch but I hope (and believe) it’s on purpose. You one day look and OH SHIT! THEY HAD CHILDREN. I thought I’d gone insane for a moment and missed it, 10/10 experience I carried this couple in my bag and they gave birth without telling me

I know birds are... hard. because they’re birds. But what is WRONg with the birds this gen? I don’t despise any of them, but they’re the most Bird Birds I’ve ever seen. The flamingo is litterally a flamingo full stop. The stork is mostly a stork, the weird flesh sack it carries creeps me out and without it it’s. Just A Stork?! Wattrel as a seabird is Fine as a first evolution, but it’s evolve really bores me. And Squawkabilly is a nice pun and most pokemon looking, but still very plain. He has four plumages and yet who will care? He also so clearly needs an evolution to lean harder on the theme.

Hehe........ crab. I love giant enemy crab. He’s very charming. Eeriely robotic. The idea of him as an ambush predator is cool, I wish in game he actually WOULD blend in and strike you!

I didn’t like the first evo at all but he’s here for context, because once I evolved him I was enamoured. Just like minecraft......... but really, a blocky, salt construct is cool. I love his colours on the evo while the middle stage looks like a sweet little dude.

his mini pic isn’t the best, so here’s him better. Not normally my type of poke at ALL but she’s just really charming to me. Big blocks. Love the sediment layer ombre.

His little image isn’t very clear. This rock/poison flower.... what is he? A crystal that looks like a flower but isn’t. I really don’t know what is the inspiration beyond just ‘crystal-ish flower’, but he looks both very futuristic and like some prehistoric plant! The strange little eyes and the transparent cone at the front add to the mystery.

I don’t think I LIKE Shroodle but it’s hard to hate those empty eyes. I raised one for ages because I HAD to know what he was. A crocodile of some sort was my bet. Apparently it’s a ‘mouse’ which is then more confusing when it turns into a monkey. I think on reflection he might be designed on a spray paint can... his evo is a grafiti monkey, and he has a long shiny body with a black cap, with a tuft of paintbrush like hair! but he’s def not a monkey.

Grafaiai tho is a very cool design. I hate monkeys and apes but a lemur can stay, it has a cool design and colors and I really enjoy the wide glossy eyes.

this one was just an insant win for most everyone. Bread dog! And then he gets BAKED! he’s really cute and I definitely called he’d be a dash-bun before he evolved

This old ass dog....... it’s not just that he has a very endearing story role but that helps. He’s nothing really too special, but he has such sweet eyes and really captures the feeling of a fking old ass dog....... like this is a dog that was MADE to lay on the living room floor for hours and grumble in his sleep!!

I hate gimmighoul!!!!!! AAA!!! No, seriously, what is up with this guy? Without the chest it looks like... a sentai...? I’ve never been a fan in gen of power rangers or super sentai designs anyways but it’s my best guess for what this bastard is. The base version vaguely also makes me think cockroach, but sadly needs to be 300% more cockroach. The chest version would be fun- pokemon has mimics but not the classic treasure chest!- except... he keeps poking his stupid head out, which doesn’t at all bring to mind a mimic! The chest form is indeed just the bastard in a box, no unique changes.

THEN THE EVOLUTION.... who the hell is this roadside used car lot advertising man and why does he make me look for so many of his stupid children to earn the right to hate him? This design is so confusing for me. What is he? Bad. His pokedex entry tells me he’s 1000 stacked coins but looks more like a bullet.

god he does resemble like a 90s ad campaign to appeal to the youth and get them to stop smoking huh. But really, for the amount of annoying effort and time it takes to get him, he is not worth it at all. Horrendous thing. Stupid thing. AAA. aaa.

Seriously, I never liked gimmeghoul but I definitely imagined a fitting final form would be way bigger on the ‘treasure’ theme. He has a chest form and you collect coins- imagine if he was a riff on a treasure hoard instead! A long serpant busting through a treasure box covered in coins, a mimic who hides as a great hoard barely poking out, a centipede with coins as armor....

Okay, I played violet, so the past pokemon I didn’t get to see. On beating the main story I decided to look finally at the full dex so I could see all the version exclusives. I quite enjoy them, and while I liked violet’s designs old pokemon exclusives/legend more the ancient pokemon are nicer than the robots.. because the robots gimmick is continously the same ‘a pokemon but robot’.

This jigglypuff is very funny to me. She’s kinda just a joke of ‘cute jigglypuff but with little fangs’ but I can’t resist her charms.

Also^ I think pokemon doesn’t know how long ONE BILLION YEARS is.

Admittedly she’s a very plain riff on misdreveous, but I’ve always liked misdreaveous and she looks neat. I like her spikes, not sure why she has one green wing arm. It’s nice the pearl necklace evolved early imao

1. what is a PTEROSAUR in the context of pokemon???

2. how could this EVER look like a PTEROSAUR

Volcarona is such a lovely pretty moth, and this version is super cool. I love how they tweaked with her regular features and made her so similar but so new. It’s just a SUPER cool bug and I really really love her

they need to stop doing this to my boy

what is this

So salamance might be my fav pokemon ever by childhood bias: Ruby was a very dear game and I raised a salamance from a bagon up to level 100! Then I kept the same salamance and transferred him between games, up to Platinum. I love that weird, fat dragon.... he’s a popular pokemon, so has had a lot of extra forms, and they all suck

No, seriously!

Boy. baby boy.

evil.

Salamance is a brightly coloured (but teal and pale red not the godawful tones of his mega) fat dragon. I keep saying fat but someone has to remind Pokemon. He’s a big and solid boy, but mega evo takes away that (and his arms) and makes him this super tacky bizarre monstrocity. Now we have Roaring Moon....

What is this? The idea of a feathery funky salamance is great, I appreciate even it resembles the mega evolution since gimicks are lately just one generation then forgotten. But his body shape and colors are so odd and messy. He looks really thrown together with a few basic good ideas that are completely not working!

TREAT SALAMANCE BETTER

I have really no strong feelings on the robot pokemon, meanwhile. They... look cool enough, ish. They’re robots that look like other pokemon. The designs really don’t do anything crazy interesting though, even tho they make changes it’s nothing radical. I only put Iron Hands here because I want you to know in a lore book you can find, it’s said Iron Hands is maybe a cyborg, not a pokemon, and might have a living person in there somehow. That weirds me out.

I definitely do wish the techno future pokemon did more though! Instead of just being ‘robot very similar to other pokemon’, it feels we’re missing out on ‘more evolved’ versions of pokemon or robot-flesh mixes.  My immediate pitch for a more evolved (in IRL biology) pokemon from the future? An extremely fierce magicarp that has finally become strong! Or a bagon that has skipped needing to be salamance and has adapted wings of its own! There’s so much potential to look at odd pokemon and imagine how they might adapt over years of natural evolution. You also could do robo-flesh hybrids as said, where I have no exact ideas but something like... A combee that has adapted to work with nanorobots in a swarm? Hell, put magicarp in a mechasuit and say in the future magicarp has learned to psychically build mecha suits. Why not.

okay, she’s pretty cool tho. I def like to see gardevoir/gallade fusion one, who def makes the most bold changes to the design too (well, I guess iron treads is nothing like donaphan REALLY, but...). Haters gonna hate her nonbinary girl swag. Glad to see in the far future we’ve finally ended gender. Etc etc.

The ruinous legends are super, super cool designs. All of them are some of the TOP creature designs I’ve seen in ages tbh. I haven’t gotten in game to unlocking them or looked if they have lore (I hope there’s a lot of lore, mysterious ruinous beads sealed by ominous swords and giant doors is sick but I want more). Each is based on a cursed object that is so full of a negative emotion it has become tied to a pokemon and sealed away. GREAT STUFF.

Anyways, love this totemic beast and the big ancient cracked blood sacrifice bowl on their head. And yes, it’s totally a blood sacrifice pokemon: it’s linked to fear, as the bowl was said to have been used in ancient rituals and evoked such strong fear it became a horrible creature.

This guy minus the sword would fit in pretty well as a regular pokemon, admittedly. I find her colours really pleasing. The sword adds a bit more of that ‘legendary’ flair but does look a bit awkward impaled like that. But no, I really enjoy him.

OMG OMG OMG! AAA!!!! LOOK!!!!!

I am not a slug person (I am actually terrified of slugs irl) but. I loveeee this design. It’s clever (look at the both eyestalks and the false lead face) and extremely themeatic, with a great colour pallette. This thing screams spooky nature spirit in every way.

Though my least fav I felt I should throw in all four special legends. Plus, nothing about them is bad. I find the eyes rather awkward but they do invoke a bulged eyed goldfish. All four legends are based on cursed objects, so this feels like an okay way to add the beads to the fish... but not my fav. I do enjoy tho his patterns on his body. They’re just very stylish.

The box legends... are okay in their battle forms. I didn’t expect to really like them, but the writing is good and I really loved my robot motorcycle dragon by the end.

they’re far more appealing and charming to me in their ‘low power’ mode, which is what they are for most of the game. It’s nice to go ‘oho! badass battle time!’ but, meh. The more animal funky little guy form who loves sandwiches is better.

She’s a bit funny looking but really nice. She’s a cute little... something. I again am fine with human shaped pokemon when they’re still monsters, not people, not overly sexy people. Her middle stage is really cute to me as a sort of little knight, and then her last stage gives her adorable hair and a giant hammer. Classic design trope, but I love it! She’s cute and small but extremely strong and fun. I enjoy that her pokedex entry tells us she’s a BANDIT, not a blacksmith-knight.

The version exclusive branching knight evolve really feels like it should have been in sword shield, huh? But even tho it’s not normally the type I like... I am not immune to cool cursed knight with violet flames. he’s edgy and cool and fun, and I think perfectly balances between simplicity and very detailed-  his design doesn’t look cluttered to me at all despite how complex it is!

hehe toadscool

I was so psyched to see him on my radar and go ‘is that a fckin tentacool with two silly legs’ and it was. These guys really as just fun to watch move. Toescruel hops! I’m not sure there’s much that exciting about them, but that’s okay. They’re simply and funny

god..... he’s perfect.................................................................

honestly, I was never a wooper fan and I’m still not, but this one is 100%  better than quaqsire. he’s better than most things.

----

sorry i wound up talking about like all of them. I really like most of them, even the ones I skipped