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worriedvision · 1 year

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Back to square one - Tighnari

Gender neutral reader, reader has a vision and is from Inazuma. They escape Inazuma during the vision hunt decree, and someone suggests the idea of going along to ‘Master Tighnari’. One day, you lose your vision.

“Excuse me sir!” You call out, a tall eared man turning when you call out. Nobody was around other than him at the time, it was midnight.

“Oh, hello. Are you lost?” He asks, borderline condescending when he finishes the sentence.

“I am looking for a...Master Tighnari? Could you tell me where he is?” You ask.

This man had the audacity to waste an hour of your time, taking you on a long walk that involved hiking and fighting fungi before he decided to tell you that he was the person you were looking for.

“Well, I finally ‘found’ you, so I suppose I should get to my reason for looking for you.” You sigh out, holding back your anger. “Do you know of the vision hunt decree that is happening in Inazuma?”

Tighnari nods, encouraging you to continue.

“Well, I left. Well, more accurately, I fled Inazuma.”

“I don’t see a vision on you...” Tighnari hums in thought. You lift up your shirt slightly, revealing your vision that was hidden behind your attire.

“Well, we are desperate for forest rangers... and you have shown your ability to keep up with me...” He thinks out loud, seeing your expression growing more and more hopeful. “I suppose we can keep you.”

Over time, you still kept hiding your vision out of habit. You couldn’t bear the idea of Sumeru experiencing a similar predicament where peoples visions were being taken forcefully. Nobody forced you to show your vision, and the only person that actually saw your vision. You grew to love your new life as a forest ranger, you finally feeling like you were being useful. You finally stopped treading in fear.

One day, however, someone stole your vision when you were sleeping. You couldn’t find your vision, but before you could tell Tighnari someone took it, you forgot about it. Along with the vision went your memories with the forest rangers.

Unsure of where to go, you started to wander towards where your route always conveniently started. You wandered into a withering zone, passing out as you no longer remembered how to clear the zone and the fact you had no vision did not help.

You were lucky that Tighnari even saw you, and you were thoroughly confused when you met eyes with him, him clearly concerned.

“_, How are you feeling?” He asks, preparing a medication for you.

“...Who are you?” You ask. “How do you know my name?” You continue, starting to get up as you look for the exit. “What are you planning?”

Tighnari’s ears droop when he begins to ponder the possibility someone else has taken your vision during the night.

“You passed out in a withering zone. I came across you, and after clearing the zone I brought you here for treatment.” He explains. “I know this is quite a bit of information to take in, but I recommend you stay with us until you recover.” He finishes.

You slowly nod, falling back to sleep as Tighnari begins to carry out an investigation of his own.

You found yourself feeling more and more useless by the day. Tighnari refused to clear you for travel, you heard the other forest rangers ask about you and Tighnari kept watching over you, too closely for your liking.

You had enough of feeling so useless and weak, and you saw an advert for buying delusions. The poster had flashy words, saying it would change your life for the best (with an asterisk you didn’t see explaining the delusion had drawbacks) and a price.

You were just about to buy a delusion from a lovely man who empathised with your situation, only for Tighnari to yell for them to leave you alone. You turn to him, fists clenched, and you start to tear up out of frustration.

“I want to be useful, please! I need to buy a delusion!” You argue, Tighnari frowning at you before placing his hands on his hips.

“Absolutely not. A delusion wouldn’t be ideal, given it would only give you a quick death.” Tighnari explains. “Someone has stolen your vision, and I have some close connections looking for the whereabouts of the item.”

“How do you know so much about me, huh? Are you going to buy one of those delusions under the guise of it being my vision?” You walk towards Tighnari, fake intimidation in your steps. “Don’t you want me to be useful for once?”

“Stop that.” Tighnari doesn’t back down, seeing right through you. “I can assure you I have your best interests at mind.”

Meanwhile, Cyno had gotten in contact with Alhaitham. An unlikely pairing, but Cyno figured if anyone was logical enough to find your vision, it would be him.

Alhaitham managed to discover a vision that was being sold by Dori. Of course, she never showed for him, so Alhaitham had to be wise about this. He informed Cyno of this, and in turn Cyno was the one to obtain the vision. It was clear this as an Inazuman vision, and Dori was more than happy to hand the vision over once Cyno coughed up the mora without complaining of the price.

Cyno couldn’t help himself when he asked Alhaitham if he wanted to go with him to give your vision back, and he thought the walk wasn’t going to be too bad when Alhaitham nods.

But then Alhaitham starts asking Cyno if he had any idea as to who it could have been. Dori wouldn’t have been one to steal someone’s vision, and someone must have known the vision bearer long enough to steal it without you suspecting a thing. Well, until it was already long gone. Cyno argues back, insisting if he started interrogating Dori he would have lost the chance to purchase it. Then, Alhaitham argues back by stating that Cyno could have bought the information, bribing Dori with a price and even clarifying that he would have been happy to pay Cyno back.

The duo stop arguing when Tighnari is there, arms crossed and frowning lightly.

“You know, I heard all of that.” Tighnari sighs out before looking at the vision Cyno had bought. “Is that the vision?” Tighnari asks, hoping the answer was an agreeable one. When Cyno nods, Tighnari lets out a sigh of relief.

Before Cyno could speak, however, Alhaitham talks.

“I need to talk to the individual this vision belongs to.” Alhaitham states. “I would appreciate if you would bring me to them.”

Tighnari and Cyno turn to look at Alhaitham, silently judging his thought process, but Tighnari agrees.

“Alright. However, you cannot go in without my permission.” Tighnari states. “I am sure you understand the mixture of reactions getting a vision back could give.”

“_, I think someone might have found your vision.” Tighnari cheers, Alhaitham standing outside as he reads a book as he waits. Tighnari extends his hand, you reluctantly reaching, before he pulls back when you have your vision fully in your hands.

It takes a moment, but your vision comes back to life, you audibly gasping as you remember everything again. You remember Tighnari taking you in that first night when you had nowhere to go, you remember him training you up, you remember your knowledge when it comes to tackling withering zones.

After you fully process it, you can’t help but beam happily at Tighnari.

“Thank you.” You leap out, hugging Tighnari before he pats your back.

“I can’t take credit for your vision coming back-”

“No, the first day without my vision.” You mumble into Tighnari, before you pull back. “Oh gosh, sorry. I should have controlled myself.”

Tighnari shakes his head, before he spots Alhaitham now waiting eagerly for the okay.

“Someone’s going to ask you some questions. Is that alright?” Tighnari asks. When you nod, Alhaitham enters the room, not wasting time on waiting for Tighnari to let him in, and he sits down with a notebook before he begins to ask you about what happened.

After an interview that wasn’t as bad as you thought it was going to be, you give Alhaitham the advert that you conveniently saw. Alhaitham nods, asking if he could take it with him. You insist he can keep it, saying you’d rather not remember the time you almost bought a delusion, and Alhaitham leaves with the information he gathered.

You look down at the vision you were holding, and you go to hide it on yourself again, but you feel an urge to wear it proudly.

A newly found determination, you tie a bit of string around the vision before placing it on your neck.

#tighnari #tighnari x reader #tighnari x gender neutral reader #alhaitham #cyno #gender neutral reader

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solidficsandsticks · 4 years

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New Neighbors ( E.B x child reader) (1/??)

Summary: After the whole Carlton Drake fiasco, things start looking up better for Eddie financially and emotionally. What happens when the rowdy neighbor moves out and in comes a Single Mom and her angst ridden teenager? Will they build a mutual connection? Or will they remain as just Neighbors? Pairings: Platonic, child reader x Eddie Brock, child reader x Venom, fluff, soft, gender neutral reader, Requested: Nada Warnings: Slight cussing, mentions of head eating??. Word Count: 569 words A/N: Hey! This is my first fic,since I want to get the ball rolling. I’m not sure if I should continue it or not. Make sure to tell me what you think! I would love to know your thoughts! :3✨ Btw, this is NOT romantic in anyway, as it is soft fluff fic and would NOT pedophilia. It was a normal day for Eddie, well not as normal as most. A couple months ago Eddie was going through a breakup, losing his job,overall having a shit time. Then of course being attached to a symbiote was a plus. Over time he learned to live with this “parasite” and developed a bond with them. Stopping a crazy scientist and a bloodthirsty symbiote can do that to you. Right now Eddie was hobbling home from another successful night of crime fighting. He was of course not very happy of the “biting heads”, while Venom was pleased. Eddie was fine because of Venom's healing ability but was pretty tired. As he got off the stairs he felt something was off. “What's wrong Eddie?” Venom said with concern, feeling Eddie’s anxiousness.``It's nothing V, just wondering what the hell happened to the shitty neighbor” Both him and Venom remember distinctly about that next door neighbor. Eddie, going through the bonding process, asked “nicely” for them to stop their obnoxious playing. It worked, but it seemed too well. Turns out Eddie had two new neighbors moving in, one being a single mom and the other being a teenager. He never stuck around long enough to see or talk to them, but hears about them from next door gossip. With the walls of the shitty apartment being oh so line and people of great hubrisness it was no surprise. The mother seemed to have just lost her husband and was trying her best to support them. Others said she could have cheated on him or killed him but that seemed like hare say. They all seemed to agree that the child was definitely ill-tempered and extreme. Eddie didn't pay much attention to it but Venom duly noted it. Venom reminds Eddie that they may have to investigate them to see if they are friend or food. ******************** Y/N just finished heaving the boxes into their new apartment and was thoroughly exhausted. “Sweetie, I am running to the store for a bit! Ya need anything?” Their mother said in a sweet tone. Y/N ‘s mother was a sweet woman with a slim but short figure. She was always patient and tender with them, even if they were tedious to handle. “Not really Mom, Oh! Can you get F/B chocolate bars?” Y/N said with a tone of excitement. Their mother, pleasantly surprised, softened at this query. “I’ll try! Make sure not to let anyone in when I am gone! There are some packed sandwiches in the fridge for you!” She yelled while gathering her purse and jacket. Y/N said a quick goodbye to their mom and gently locked the door. Y/N drew in a big sigh and slumped to the floor. They still haven't gotten over the loss of their father, and they don't think they ever will. “What am I going to do without you Pa?” Y/N gently murmured to themself. They took out a photograph, with them and their father many summers ago. The photo of course suffered serious discoloration and tears which made no difference to Y/N. Maybe they'll finally get to know new people, will they finally get new friends? Many ideas rapidly came through as Y/N thought of the possibilities. All that matters is that right now Y/N learns to grow, as well as prosper in her new environment. ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ ‘ A/N: Woah! That was hard! Sorry that took a while! I’m thinking of continuing this but am not sure. Tell me what you think! Also feel free to send requests! ;D

(reblogs are appreciated)

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theradioghost · 4 years

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So I’ve realized recently that I actually really really like podcasts when my audio processing isn’t acting up (thanks tma!) and was wondering what recs you have for completed podcasts. I’m cool with basically any genre and theme, though I would appreciate a warning for tragedy. Thanks for your time!

Of course! I’ll put this one under a cut just so the length is a bit less ridiculous.

Some of my favorite completed shows are

Wolf 359 – a scifi comedy about four squabbling coworkers on a malfunctioning, isolated space station which then takes a hard right into a spectacular, heartwrenching drama. Not a tragedy, but many tears are shed when listening. Probably one of the best podcasts out there tbqh.

Ars Paradoxica – a modern physicist accidentally invents time travel, landing her back at the start of the Cold War and changing the course of history forever. The creators literally described it as “a tragedy” and they weren’t lying, although the finale is sort of hopefully bittersweet.

The Hidden Almanac – a grouchy professor in a plague doctor mask offers bite-sized pieces of history and hagiography from his fantastical world as well as gardening advice, occasionally interrupted and/or dragged off on unwilling shenanigans by his tequila-loving accidental necromancer best friend coworker. Fantasy writer/artist Ursula Vernon and her husband put this 4-minute show out three times a week for SEVEN YEARS, and it’s funny and cozy and poetic and can be found in full here, as there are too many episodes for most podcatchers to display.

Alice Isn’t Dead – lesbian Americana road-trip horror. A cross-country trucker searches for her missing wife while monsters and conspiracies pursue her across the vast empty and abandoned spaces of America. Actually also exists in novel form.

The Bright Sessions – records from the office of Dr. Bright, a therapist who specializes in people with strange and secret abilities. However, her patients aren’t the only ones with secrets. Personally this show never completely absorbed me like some others did, but the character writing is genuinely amazing. The story obviously also deals a lot with mental illness and some other difficult topics and content.

Our Fair City – the eight-season saga of the inhabitants of a post-apocalyptic underground city ruled over by the remnants of an insurance company, featuring mole people, lightning-harvesting sky sailors, giant ants, and a found family of mad scientists among others. Part comedy, part drama, all anticapitalist satire. You kind of have to give it a couple of seasons to find its stride (this was one of the very first shows in the podcast-based audio drama revival) but it is absolutely worth it. Disclaimer that while I am on the final season of the show I have not quite finished it yet.

Jarnsaxa Rising – a unique scifi-fantasy hybrid, in which a vengeful Norse giantess escapes imprisonment with the goal of destroying the gods and bringing about Ragnarok, only to find herself in a post-climate-change dystopian future.

Glasgow Ghost Stories – a Scottish woman begins noticing the many ghosts inhabiting the streets of her city; but the ghosts have begun to notice her too, and not all of them are friendly. Pigeons are involved.

Big Data – an odd little heist comedy about a rogue journalist investigating a spectacular crime in which the “seven keys to the internet” are stolen, leading to a story about hacking in which no actual hacking is involved. There are two fun side notes to it: one, everything that happens in it could technically happen in real life. Two, it involves an absurd amount of cameos from other well-known podcasts (and also Taika Waititi?), which you don’t need to get to follow the story but which make it kind of hilarious on a whole other level when you listen to those shows.

I Am In Eskew – a surreal, intense, disturbingly poetic horror about a man trapped in a shifting, malevolent, impossible city, and a woman on the outside trying to find him. Extremely good but I do recommend thoroughly checking the trigger warnings on this one. (Surprisingly non-tragic finale, although not a typical “happy ending.”)

The Alexandria Archives – half comedy and half horror, in the form of a late-night radio show at Alexandria University, on the edge of North Carolina’s Great Dismal Swamp. Half of each episode is a standalone cosmic horror story set in and around the town of Alexandria. The other half features the antics of the university’s students, including the host MW and her friends who are definitely Canadian exchange students, and not a vampire hiding from his ex and a bunch of stranded space pirates. (A little goofy? Yes, but I love it a ton for all its faults anyway. Also, some of the short stories are genuinely terrifying.)

and also, some completed miniseries!!

The Tower – a gorgeous experimental audio drama in which a young woman decides to climb the mysterious Tower, from which no one ever returns.

Time:Bombs – a comedy by the folks who made Wolf 359 about a bomb disposal squad on New Year’s Eve, trying to survive their leader’s obsession with breaking a record.

They Say a Lot of Things – upon discovering that she can interact with a dropped tape recorder, the ghost of a young girl tells her story, interwoven with the stories of those who have passed through the abandoned house that she cannot leave over the years that she’s haunted it.

Podcaster A. R. Olivieri specializes in microfiction miniseries, ranging from scifi to experimental to fantasy. (Side note, a lot of his work crosses over with the still-running scifi podcast Girl In Space, but you don’t need to have listened to GIS to understand what’s going on in his shows.)

Nym’s Nebulous Notions – a self-declared investigative journalist decides to check out a mysterious SOS signal and finds herself on a mysteriously abandoned ship – or so she thinks. Arguably a tragedy, although not necessarily in the way you might think.

Palimpsest – technically not finished, but each season of this anthology makes up a complete 10-part story, and seasons 1 and 2 are complete. Season 1 is a ghost story about a woman who is suspicious about strange happenings in her new home and her odd new neighbors. Season 2 is a turn-of-the-century dark urban fantasy about a girl who escapes her career criminal mother’s house, taking a job as the companion to what her new employer claims is an imprisoned faerie princess. (Season 3 is ongoing and is about a codebreaker who begins seeing ghosts on London’s streets during the Blitz.) It’s a heartbreaking sort of show, albeit in a very beautiful and moving way.

The Details is a short piece about an office worker who goes in to negotiate for a promotion and finds himself negotiating with the devil himself instead. The number of genuinely surprising and excellent twists it packs into just 45 minutes is really fun.

The London Necropolis Railway – a really underappreciated little fantasy-mystery about a recently-dead detective who refuses to board the train scheduled to take her to the afterlife until one of its hapless employees helps her solve her supernatural murder.

Janus Descending – a scifi horror told in two intertwining perspectives, one in reverse order and one in chronological order, about two scientists who land on a remote planet to investigate the ruins of its lost civilization, only to encounter the thing that killed the former inhabitants. A fantastic story told in a really clever and unique way, but stamp a big old tragedy warning all OVER this one, although because of the structure you technically know how it’s going to end right from the start – what makes this show so good is how you get there. It will make you cry, though.

… and also my show, Midnight Radio, which is about lesbian romance, small towns, old radio shows, the good and bad sides of nostalgia, and ghost stories.

#Anonymous #asks #my posts #podcast recs #bobbie recommends things

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saoirse-argentum · 5 years

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Fan-fiction Friday with Final Fantasy: The Beginning...or Something.

Well, after thoroughly enjoying myself during the FFXIV Writing challenge last month, I have decided to keep the story going, but… IT’LL BE TEN TIMES MORE INSANE. XD

This is the first installment of what I am dubbing: Fan-fiction Friday with Final Fantasy.

I will post new updates at least once a week on Friday, and more if time allows between finishing manuscripts, grading papers, and drawing trashy fanart. =]

Thanks for reading. <3

*************************************************************************************

Saoirse’s eyes were weary. She’d barely slept, how could she with the guilt she felt over leaving Aymeric and Estinien’s whiskey caresses. Estinien on the other hand seemed to be in good spirits, and she worried it was because he intended to gloat when they met back with Aymeric at Forlemort’s estate.

He stopped, a few feet ahead of her and looked back. “Need I carry you?”

She shook her head as she caught up to him.

He took her by the hand and waited for her eyes to meet his. “What troubles you?”

“I just…I know you’re not particularly fond of Aymeric at the moment, but he’s my friend and I feel awful. I just wish there was a way for everyone to be happy.” She let her forehead rest against his chest.

“Saoirse, do not aim against yourself; when you have but a single heart to bestow.” Estinien gently ran his hand along the length of her hair. “Aymeric’s sorrow will pass, but such wounds require time…and though I know it pains you to hear it, space too is much needed.” He pulled back and raised her chin with his fingertips. “You cannot heal him. Not this time.”

She was surprised to hear Estinien speak without the normal agitation his cadence carried when discussing Aymeric. Whatever jealousy and distrust he harbored, he suppressed to comfort her. She laced her fingers with his. She knew he was right. This was one thing her magic could not fix.

Aymeric wasn’t surprised to see Saoirse with Estinien upon her return. When he awoke and found her missing, he knew where her heart led her. He wanted to run after her, beg her to stay, but it would only serve to hurt her and humiliate him. So, he remained and let his own soul grieve in silence. He wasn’t ready to stop loving her, but so long as Estinien looked her way, his fight was over.

“I have packed your belongings. We should depart before we impose on Lord Forlemort any further.” He walked around Saoirse toward the door.

“Aymeric, wait. I—”

He looked back at her and smiled. “So long as he is good to you…so long as you are happy. You need not say more.” He did not wait for a reply.

Even though he’d stood tall and smiled she could see it in his eyes…his heart was broken.

As they prepared to leave for Ishgard, a heavy silence weighing on the group, a familiar voice called to them in the distance.

Saoirse squinted, trying to see through the blinding white reflection off the snow. “Haurchefant?”

Haurchefant was running toward the entrance, waiving his arm with a bright smile. When he halted before them, he hunched over, placing his hands to he knees and he desperately took in air. “I am overjoyed to see everyone is well,” he spoke between breaths.

“Why are you not back in Ishgard?” Saoirse placed her hand on his back to see to it he was okay.

“When I told Estinien about the storm he just waltzed right out into it. I couldn’t allow him to leave alone, unprepared, so I followed soon after, but it would seem it was for naught.” He straightened with a stretch. “Perhaps the fire in his loins propelled his haste. Had I not gotten stuck in the heart of it, I would have arrived sooner.”

“Hmph. If only you’d remained stranded.” Estinien huffed.

“Wait…Have you been outside this whole time? Are you alright?” Saoirse examined his body for injury, but he stopped her, setting his hand on her head.

“I am well, I swear it. I found natural shelter and made it through…Which brings me to my next point…There is something amiss. I know not what, but I find it’s best you follow me.” He turned on his heel and beckoned them to follow. He’d explain everything on the way.

***************************************************************************************************

According to Haurchefant, he’d seen a strange light inside the cave in which he dwelt the night before and he was certain he’d heard a voice call to him in the distance. He explored the best he could, but found no one. He considered that maybe he was delusional due to the cold and lack of sleep, but before he set out for Coerthas that morning, he saw the light again…in the cracks of the cave floor, coming from below. He thought it best not investigate on his own considering his state, so he made way for Coerthas immediately.

“Perhaps you too have the Echo,” Saoirse suggested but Haurchefant didn’t seem to think that was it. This was a physical manifestation, but the energy surrounding it certainly felt off and once they arrived, they understood.

It felt as though they were being called to, drawn in deeper and deeper until they stood just before the light Haurchefant spoke of.

“What could possibly be casting such radiance from beneath the surface?” Aymeric knelt to examine the rock. It was uncertain whether it was still stable enough to maintain weight. He pressed his palm to it, and the earth felt solid, but he was still wary about moving closer to the center where the fissure was at its worst.

Just as Aymeric’s hand pressed against the surface Saoirse’s ears twitched at the sound of an unfamiliar voice, but no one else seemed to notice. She looked at the fractured stone. It was coming from below. She walked by Aymeric.

“Saoirse, wait!” Aymeric called to her, but she did not stop until she stood at the seeping center of the light.

“Someone is down there. I can hear them…They’re calling for help.” She stood in place, listening.

Aymeric and the others looked to one another as if to confirm that they were not hearing as she did.

“Well, then we will find a way down, but until then, it is best not to test the permanency of such broken ground.” Estinien held his hand out to Saoirse, but she was not as concerned as the others were. There was a certain insecurity in the rock beneath her, but she hardly considered it. She was more worried about the voice calling to her.

“It sounds like a woman…” She looked away from Estinien’s hand to her feet.

“Saoirse, whatever lunacy you are thinking, I swear…by the Fury, if you do not take my hand—”

Before Estinien could say more Saoirse raised her foot and brought it crashing to the ground below. The rock shook, and just before Estinien could reach for her, the ground gave way.

Estinien didn’t hesitate. The moment Saoirse fell through, he jumped down after her.

Aymeric looked back at Haurchefant. “Why would she…”

Haurchefant shrugged. “I suppose we will have to follow suit if we wish to find out.”

Aymeric nodded and they too jumped in the brilliant white light below. It swallowed them in a blinding glow before flickering out.

*********************************************************************************

When Saoirse finally hit the ground, she landed mostly on her backside. “Ouch.” She winced as she situated herself. She remained seated, too sore to stand right away. She looked around, confused by her surroundings. She was no longer in the cave…or Coerthas by the look of it. A barren wasteland stretched out before her, and two large towers stood off in the distance. Where was she? Where were the others? “Estinien? Aymeric? Haurchefant?”

“A woman?” A cool, deep voice spoke from behind her.

“And a strange one at that,” another unfamiliar voice replied.

Saoirse hurried to her feet, not realizing that upon landing she’d injured her ankle. She stumbled backwards and sat on the ground, facing the strangers before her.

One seemed inhuman in size beneath a full suit of blue armor, he had to be at least seven feet tall and was broad like an oak. The only part of his body not covered by armor were his hands which were an ash gray with pointed black nails. His companion was slender in comparison, and nearly a foot shorter in height, but something about him seemed far more intimidating. His eyes were a pale turquoise and piercing. He wore a long black coat that revealed his muscular chest with leather suspenders crossed over it. The shiny pauldrons on his shoulders matched the belt at his waist. His hair too was a gleaming silver that fell beyond his waist and like the sword in his left hand, reflected the light of the sun.

“Do you mean to run?” He questioned standing over her.

Saoirse swallowed and shook her head. “I just…I’m not sure where I am, and I seem to have been separated from my companions.”

“Then you are new to this world.”

“But who called her here?” The armored one interrupted. “Speak, girl. Who are you?”

“Saoirse. My name is Saoirse. I’m the Warrior of Light.”

“Impossible. My memory serves well, and the Warrior of Light is certainly a man. Is he not?” He looked his silver haired ally.

“Interesting.” His mouth curled into a sly smile as he knelt before Saoirse. “It would be simple enough to kill you, but you may just prove useful.” He offered Saoirse his right hand.

“What are you scheming, Sephiroth?”

Sephiroth glanced at the massive man standing at his side. “You shall see. Not to worry, I think you’ll like it. Now, then.” He returned his gaze to Saoirse, guiding her view to his leather clad hand.

Saoirse looked from Sephiroth’s eyes to his hand and back again. She hesitated. In her condition she certainly couldn’t run, and something told her that her abilities as a White Mage wouldn’t be enough to fight off the two of them. She was lost in a strange place and she worried about Estinien and the others. She was left with little choice. She accepted his hand, and in that moment, darkness washed over her. But it was already too late.

Just where had she led them…

UNTIL NEXT WEEK! TO BE CONTINUED...

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cromulentbookreview · 5 years

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All Snake-Fascinated

“There was one time when we were children, he... he transformed himself into a snake, and he knows that I love snakes. So I went to pick up the snake to admire it, and he transformed back into himself and he was like, "Mblergh, it's me!" And he stabbed me. We were eight....at the time.”

Or: LOKI: Where Mischief Lies by Mackenzi Lee!

I will have to admit to some difficulty writing an unbiased review of this book. Not that I normally try to be unbiased here – I mean, nobody reads this and I don’t care, I just like talking about books. But, still, with this particular book, the bias is pretty damn strong. OK, so I am a huge fan of Mackenzi Lee. I may have mentioned that here before. Because I am a shameless fangirl who very much enjoys her writing style, I will pretty much read anything Mackenzi Lee writes. And, as someone whose general philosophy towards Marvel Movies is “shut up and take my money,” when I heard Mackenzi Lee was going to be writing a YA novel about Loki…yeah I’m pretty sure I may have broken the sound barrier. It doesn’t help that my favorite Marvel movie of all time is Thor: Ragnarok (honestly, Taika Waititi should have directed all the Marvel movies. All of them). It also doesn’t help that I like the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s version of Loki. Also not helping re: my ability to write an objective review of this book is the fact that Tom Hiddleston is extremely attractive.

I may have lost a bit of respect for him as a person re: the Great HiddleSwift PR Stunt, but…damn he’s hot.

He can enter into a PR romance with me any day. I mean, come on:

Right?

So we’ve got the perfect storm of things that I like – an author I enjoy, a fandom in which I’ve been thoroughly entrenched since Iron Man came out in 2008, a gorgeous Englishman portraying a popular, fan-favorite character…Yeah, this is going to be tough. This review really could just be a bunch of nonsense punctuated by Tom Hiddleston gifs.

Wait. Nope. That’s exactly what it is. Damn it.

And I wonder why I’ve failed at being a real writer. Well, that and laziness and a clinically poor attention span. Oh well. That’s what Tumblr is for. I assume. Tumblr! For when you’ve failed at pretty much everything else.

Anyway: LOKI: Where Mischief Lies!

Since this is a young adult novel, we get to deal with adolescent versions of Loki and Thor, which is a pretty long time ago considering that they’re gods and they age very, very slowly. Either way, teen Loki has a best friend/partner in crime named Amora (I see what you did there, Ms. Lee, don’t think I didn’t see what you did just there). Amora is a sorceress in training, and she’s been secretly helping Loki learn magic. Asgardians aren’t big on their princes being sorcerers - they’d rather their princes be golden boy warriors with huge muscles and blonde hair. You know, like Thor. Poor Loki, eternally trapped in Thor’s shadow.

Things get worse when, at the feast of Gullveig, Odin looks into the Godseye Mirror, which is this a supercool mirror that can show the future. The Godseye Mirror just shows general warnings about Asgard’s enemies and Odin then shares what he sees and tells everyone how they will triumph. You know, the things you do with a future-telling mirror. However, at tonight’s feast, what Odin sees in the Godseye Mirror is so terrible he refuses to speak about it publicly. Loki and Thor, eavesdropping on Odin and his council, learn that the prophecy Odin saw had to do with Loki doing something terrible. Gasp! Of course Loki has to know more. So he and Amora sneak into the vault to try and look into the Godseye Mirror themselves.

Except they accidentally break it.

Whoops!

Amora takes the fall for the whole scheme, and, as a result, she’s permanently exiled to Midgard, where she will live the rest of her life without magic. Loki is bereft at the loss of his friend, but Frigga, being the best mom ever, takes over Loki’s magical training, Asgardian prince-standards be damned.

An undetermined amount of time goes by (again, immortal beings, time doesn’t really have much meaning with them) with Loki still, STILL, living stuck in Thor’s shadow. Everybody loves Thor - Thor seems to be able to effortlessly do everything right, while Loki is always having to prove himself. Even when Loki follows all the rules and does everything right, he still manages to fall short of Thor. Plus, there’s still that vague Godseye Mirror prophecy hanging over his head...

When the Norn Stones - the most powerful magic amplifiers in the whole of the Nine Realms - are stolen, Odin tasks Thor with looking for them. It’s a pretty plum assignment, the sort of thing you’d ask a future King to do. Loki, on the other hand, is punted off to Midgard to help some dumb humans. Not a very kingly assignment, but still, Loki has to do it. He arrives in 19th century London to help the SHARP Society investigate a string of murders that appear to have links to Asgardian magic. Unfortunately, the SHARP society isn’t exactly your 19th century version of SHIELD - the whole society consists of Mrs. S, the elderly widow of the society’s founder, Theo, an engineer with a badly damaged leg, and Gem, a cop who has to keep his association with the society secret or else he’ll lose his job.

The indignities Loki must put up with just keep getting worse and worse, but still - if he wants to actually impress Odin, he has to complete this assignment. But humans are just the absolute worst. Only, Theo might not be so bad...

As a Marvel Fangirl, I absolutely loved Loki: Where Mischief Lies because of course I did. I do have a few complaints, though: at times the plot moves a little too slowly, and some of the characters, especially those of the SHARP society, seem a little underdeveloped. I wanted more scenes between Theo and Loki, more time for them to develop a rapport. Honestly, I just wanted more in general. This book could’ve been 800 pages and I would’ve been happy to read it. I mean, it’s Loki gallivanting around 19th Century London solving crimes. If you’re a fan MCU’s Loki, then you’ll love the book. If you’re a very serious book reviewer who doesn’t read books for fun, then, well, you might have a tough time of it.

Still, who knows - the copy I read is an ARC, meaning the text is unfinished. There’s bound to be some changes made to the copy between now and the September release date, so perhaps all my complaining about pacing and underdeveloped characters will be rendered moot. We shall see. In the mean time, 19th Century London + Loki = one very happy fangirl.

RECOMMENDED FOR: Marvel fans, Loki/Tom Hiddleston fans, anyone who enjoys a fun blend of YA Fantasy and Historical Fiction, anyone who can just picture Loki running around 19th century London in a stylish waistcoat...

NOT RECOMMENDED FOR: DC Fans, comic purists, people who dislike Thor and Loki for some reason,

RELEASE DATE: September 3, 2019

RATING: 4/5

TOTALLY UNBIASED FANGIRL RATING: 500,000,000,000,000,000,000/5

THOR RATING:

LOKI RATING:

RATING FOR ANYONE WHO DOESN’T GET THE TITLE REFERENCE:

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chorbysp · 7 years

Text

Rainy Day Reflections - Night In The Woods

Game: Night In The Woods (PC)

Recorded with: Open Broadcaster Software/Blue Yeti USB Microphone/Logitech c920 Webcam

Editing: Adobe Premiere Pro CS6

Production Dates: Feb - March 2017

Release Dates: Feb - March 2017

Credits: Sean “Quincy Beoulve” Burton’s awful laptop, Electrical Tape’d Baseball Bat, Infinite Fall

So our playthrough of Night In The Woods is over and everyone keeps asking me, “are you gonna play through the other parts that you missed?” and I get this question almost every day with most of my games because I play so many visual novels and dating sims. “Are you gonna date X person next?” “Sorry, sorry, I’d love to date every boyfriend, but I’ve got this whole pile of work to do for X, Y, & Z other games.” But Night In The Woods is probably the best game of 2017! And for a lot of people it’s one of the best and realest games they’ve ever gotten to play! It’s important to me and to a lot of people close to me! But I still will not play Night In The Woods again for a Let’s Play. It’s done. It’s over. And we can’t go back. And I think that’s really fitting for Night In The Woods because I know what I left on the table… I know what opportunities I missed in my playthrough and what is recorded as RDLP’s version of the game. So let’s talk about that.

Mae is not a good bassist. And in the band practice mini-games the player is capable of a wide range of ability from playing a song perfectly to not playing the song at all. And if she doesn’t play the song at all nothing is really lost, (there is even an achievement for it!) but weirdly enough I’m really good at rhythm games and a few people were very surprised how well I was able to play each song the first time through! So RDLP’s canon is “Mae is a weirdly good and capable bassist!” Which means I didn’t get any achievements for perfect or failed runs, and I didn’t receive any remarks for poor bass playing, those are all experiences that other people got to have that I didn’t, and if I were to go and get those now it would be a bit disingenuous to my first playthrough of “Weirdly good and capable bassist Mae” So that same idea goes through a lot of RDLP and my ideas on media. I’m not being a stickler for the [ONE TRUE CANON] of the story but rather the opposite: I respect that everything can be canon, and that the Let’s Play that I’m able to create is my personal version of the events of Night In The Woods and if I play it again or add more to it, I can, and that will add to the living document that is a Let’s Play! It’s canonical that Mae is a bad bassist, but Mae is also a weirdly capable bassist, a perfect bassist, and a shit bassist at any given time!

I wish I got to hang out with Lori M more… I missed hanging out with Lori in my playthrough. But I guess accepting that I miss her is nice too… It means she was someone I really valued. But I also did a bunch of other cool shit too! I beat Demontower and made a robot with Gregg and had a constructive fight with Bea and heard Selmers’ poems. Although sometimes I wonder if I got enough out of everyone and if that’s okay too…

A weird part of making Let’s Plays is that your goal is to finish the game and that means if I stop and smell the roses, then I am only creating more work for myself in the future, and that clashes against a lot of Night In The Woods which features Mae doing a lot of exploring and goofing off! So instead the game changes to being a checklist of Mae’s daily ritual: Wake up, talk to mom, go to the church to check on Bruce, hangout with Gregg, Bea, or Angus, go to sleep. And I worry a lot about this because I want to complete the game, but I don’t want to feel like I’m using the friendships I have with Gregg and Bea as checkpoints in some kind of larger cosmic scheme just to finish another Let’s Play… I want this to feel special and now that the game is over and the story is ended I hope that I can be satisfied with myself that I did a good enough job. I hope I impacted Gregg, and Bea, and Bruce, and the people who watch the LPs, and the friends who helped me make the LP, just as much as I was impacted by playing Night In The Woods. I hope someday I can impact Bethany, Alec, and Scott in some way as thanks for making Night In The Woods… It just means so much to me and I don’t want to miss anything, but I also eventually have to close the book on Night In The Woods and maybe I’ll even find something else that I love as much or more than Night In The Woods (but probably not).

The last thing I want to talk about is something that I wasn’t able to talk about in the Let’s Play itself and that is the ending of Night In The Woods. Everyone wants to talk about this ending and I love that! It’s an abrupt shift from Mae’s daily life. It’s a disruption; thematically, tonally, and in almost every way! We’re playing this cute midwest indie folk-rock game when everything suddenly goes Twin Peaks. There’s also a few things that are supposedly buildup for this twist, but are really only loosely connected, and arguably aren’t at all connected to what happens at the turn of NITW: the missing arm, Mae’s nightmares, the public committee investigating the underground mural graffiti, Bruce’s disappearance… all of those things may not have anything to do with a murder cult of dads in a mineshaft feeding teens to a lovecraftian horror of psychic energy in order to bring the jobs back to middle-america. We just don’t get details on certain things to know what is or isn’t directly their fault (let's call them “The Deep Pops” for now). There are also a lot of other small details that directly build up “The Cult of Deep Pops”, like Casey’s disappearance or Little Joe’s mythos. So like… I get people’s frustration with the trajectory of the ending of the game because all of us just want Mae’s life to find balance and this horribly chaotic force suddenly disrupts everyone’s life and finally everyone just throws their hands up like: “well life still sucks forever still, but it’s better than The Deep Pops feeding us all to Yog-Sothoth!”

So what’s the takeaway here? What established themes does all of this advance??

I like that Mae is vindicated with her friends for some (but not all) of her weird, irresponsible actions, and I love that Mae’s friends all get to work together to solve one last big mystery of their life before they all eventually have to move on into adult life. It’s a nice subversion that instead of Mae’s friends forcing her to be more of an adult, Mae gets to bring her friends to ride one last time on the spirit of youthful, reckless abandon. Night In The Woods is largely about the liminal space between being young and being considered ‘an adult’ and the ending incites that directly in tons of ways. Kids play and adults work, and The Deep Pops identify the youngest or poorest adults in the town as the most expendable: Casey, Bruce, even Mae are seen as expendable! So, these cultists and this monster aren’t really characters, they represent society. They are the society that says adults are only valuable for their labor. It’s kinda fucking crazy: NITW presents a monster that doesn’t eat children for being naughty, it eats ADULTS for being naughty! Maybe if Casey just got a job, he wouldn’t have gotten sacrificed to the monster.That’s not how things should work, but that is how they work every day in real life. There is no retirement, we are just expected to do labor until we die. And there isn’t anything wrong with enjoying work and feeling productive - I’ve got a day job that I thoroughly enjoy - but NITW is saying “labor culture is a cult and unemployment is its boogeyman.”

That’s really fucking important to me.

So yeah! There’s like 1500 words on what it has meant to make a Let’s Play of Night In The Woods and how the ending made me feel. I’m just endlessly happy with what we did with NITW and I think it is a fantastic Let’s Play that lots of people can enjoy for different reasons! The bit with my roommate QB’s broken laptop and the bits involving my taped up baseball bat came out way better than I thought they would! I’d never thought of using props before in my recordings and it was really fun to do! I also got to make music with my brother because of NITW which was a dream of mine to do and so I’ll always treasure that experience… I’m so thankful that other people continue to enjoy the Let’s Play and that we can share these adventures together, so here’s to many more adventures in the future!

Gregg rulz ok

#nitw #night in the woods #gregg rulz ok

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rachelcatherinesproule · 5 years

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My Portfolio Website: HTML5

<!DOCTYPE html>

<html>

<head>

<title>My Portfolio Website</title>

</head>

<body>

<nav >

<ul>

<li>About</li>

<li>Portfolio</li>

<li>Contact</li>

</ul>

</nav>

</div>

</header>

<h1>Hi There!</h1>

<h2>I'm Rachel Sproule, an Interaction Designer and Illustrator studying at Belfast School of Art!</h2>

</div>

<h2>About Me...</h2>

<p>I am a designer, living and working in Belfast and am currently a second year student Studying Interaction Design on a full time basis. I specialise in User Interface Design, Digital Illustration and Graphic design.</p>

<ul>

<li>An Innovator</li>

<li>A Tech Wizard</li>

</ul>

<p>I constantly strive to create cool, new and exciting digital products.</p>

<p>I spend most if not all of my time using, learning and conceptualising technology.</p>

<p>I love all things related to Interaction Design and love the challenge of new projects!</p>

</div>

<h1>Portfolio of Work</h1>

<h3>Infographic: The Irish Famine</h3>

<p>For this project, I created a timeline infographic based off of the events that occurred before, during and after the Irish Famine.</p>

<h3>Skills used</h3>

<ul>

<li>UI Design</li>

<li>UX Design</li>

<li>Branding</li>

<li>Research</li>

<li>Illustration</li>

<li>Pencil Work</li>

<li>Invision</li>

<li>Sketch</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h3>My Personal Brand</h3>

<p>In this Project, I delve into the world of brand design, brand creation and how to reflect my personality through my brand.</p>

<h3>Skills used</h3>

<ul>

<li>Illustration</li>

<li>Web Design</li>

<li>Sketching</li>

<li>Research</li>

<li>Pencil Work</li>

<li>Invision</li>

<li>Sketch</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h3>PlanIt</h3>

<p>PlanIt is the travel app of the future! Choose to book a flight, hotel or package holiday and you're already on your way!</p>

<h3>Skills used</h3>

<ul>

<li>UI Design</li>

<li>UX Design</li>

<li>Branding</li>

<li>Icon Design</li>

<li>Illustration</li>

<li>Pencil Work</li>

<li>Invision</li>

<li>Sketch</li>

</ul>

</div>

<h1> Infographic: The Irish Famine</h1>

<h2>An Gorta Mor</h2>

<p>The Irish Famine is arguably one of the most detrimental and tragic events to have ocurred in Irish History, causing and extreme population decline that we as an island are yet to recover from. This infographic investigates the causes of the famine, death/ emigration statistics and delves into what life was like before, during and after the famine in a cohesive timeline of events. </p>

<h3>Tools Used</h3>

<ul>

<li>Sketch</li>

<li>Pencil</li>

<li>Paper</li>

</ul>

<h2>The Challenge</h2>

<p>In this project I was challenged to create an infographic that is based around population growth/decline or that could explore populations in specific countries/regions. As I have always been intrigued by Irish History, I decided to create an infographic on the Irish Famine. I wanted to ensure that all facts were as balanced and unbiased as possible as I knew how divisive and controversial certain points in Irish history were (particularly this one!) </p>

<h2>My Approach</h2>

<p>Before I began the design stage of my infographic, I needed to fully investigate and research the topic in order to educate myself to my best ability. I knew that I wanted to create a well organised timeline due to the sheer volume of information that I was putting across in order to aid understanding. After compiling all the information that I wanted to use, I began sketching rough ideas, layouts and potential structures so that the reader did not become confused, overwhelmed or lost.</p>

<h2>Obstacles Faced</h2>

<p>My biggest challenge in this project was deciding on ways to convey different statistics and facts in a way that was understandable to the user. In addition to this, I struggled in regards to layout as I didn't want the information to feel too crushed or visually distracting. As I was making a timeline infographic, I wanted the viewer to feel like they were moving through time as they scrolled through the infographicand therefore had to ensure that the timeline itself wasn't obstructed visually.</p>

<h2>The Solution</h2>

<p>The final product was a well structured and informative timeline of events during The Irish Famine with well broken down statitics and figures using different methods of data visualisation. It starts off my showing what the Irish population was like pre-famine and slowly portrays the progressions of the famine and population decline/ emigration through time.</p>

<h2>Reflection</h2>

<p>Upon reflection, I now can fully appreciate the importance of appropriate data visualisation in allowing us to digest and fully conceive information in ways that are visually interesting. It is a tool which can quickly break down information and allow the reader to fully grasp the scale of certain statistics. For these reasons, I believe its a tool that any UX Designer should know and understand in order to make information more easily understandable to all users reading it.</p>

<h1> My Personal Brand</h1>

<h2>Building my brand identity</h2>

<p>As a designer, it's incredibly important to ensure that you are portraying yourself and your brand in the best possible way. I therefore challenged myself to build my own personal brand and brand identity in a way that is reflective of my own personality as a designer and person.</p>

<h3>Tools Used</h3>

<ul>

<li>Sketch</li>

<li>Photoshop</li>

<li>Pencil and Paper</li>

</ul>

<h2>The Challenge</h2>

<p>The challenge in this project was to create a personal brand that was reflective of my personality and could be used in both a casual and professional setting while still retaining an element of familiarity. The brand consisted of a monogram, wordmark, visual marque and single page website. A successful brand should really portray the person's personality traits in terms of tone, colour scheme and overall brand presentation. </p>

<h2>My Approach</h2>

<p>I already knew befre this project that I wanted to create a really fun and visually eye catching brand. I wanted the monogram to be minimalistic and reflect my professional side, while on the pther hand, I wanted my visual marque to be more characterful and vibrant. The wordmark I used was used to bridge these two ideas together in order to make a cohesive brand. Before sketching out ideas, I researched multiple example websites/brands and investigated their personal approach.</p>

<h2>The Solution</h2>

<p>I created a personal brand that I feel reflected my personality effectively through my choice of design and layout. The use of a limited and contrasting palette helped to make an eye catching product. My written style was personal ad reflective of the way in which I speak and communicate my work to others.</p>

<h2>Wordmark</h2>

<p>As I wanted to help bridge the gap between my style of visual marque and monogram, I aimed to reach a happy medium between all aspects. The end result was a typeface based on the Michroma typeface- one that I think is full of character due to its more geometric design, which nicely complimented my monogram.</p>

<h2>Monogram</h2>

<p>Although I would like my website and brand to be more casual and fun, I decided to go for a monogram that could be implimented in a more serious context i.e showing my brand to potential employers/clients. My monogram is a simple, geometric mark that combines my initials and reflects my professional style whilst retaining my brand's overall aesthetic.</p>

<h2>Visual Marque</h2>

<p>My own visual marque acted as the main personality filled aspect of my overall brand. I wanted to reflect a little bit of myself in the design by creating a duck design, as it was my childhood nickname given to me by my dad. I also have intertwined the idea of beizer points to represent my passion for design. Overall, I'm really satisfied with the marque's outcome as I feel that it's a good and accurate depiction of me and my personality.</p>

<h2>Reflection</h2>

<p>Upon reflection, I have come to truly appreciate the importance of considerate brand design as it all comes together to portray your own character and creative ability to others through your own aesthetic choices. It's important to therefore consider every aspect of your brand and how you put yourself across.</p>

<p>I also have come to learn how essential it is to thoroughly consider a brand. There's a lot of planning, research and mindmapping in order to make something as important as a personal brand as everything you portray will be associated with you and your quality of work.</p>

<h1>PlanIt</h1>

<h2>To Infinity and Beyond!</h2>

<p>PlanIt is the travel app of the future, designed to help you plan your inter planetary holiday by helping you to book flights, hotels and package deals. The app focuses on making holidays easy and quick to book while considering the user's budget. This is done using considered icon and UI designs to let users easily navigate through the app interface.</p>

<h3>Tools Used</h3>

<ul>

<li>Sketch</li>

<li>Pencil and Paper</li>

<li>Invision</li>

</ul>

<h2>The Challenge</h2>

<p>The challenge in this project was to create an illustrative travel app with a minimum of 3 screens. It had to be easily understandable and it had to improve a person's travelling experience. I wanted to try something different by creating an inter planetary travel app as I thought it could be very interesting aesthetically. I wanted the illustrations to take precidence in my app as I thought it would help to set the scene of a futuristic reality. I based my overall app design around the Jetsons and retro futurism as I loved the colour scheme and overall style of design.</p>

<h2>My Approach</h2>

<p>When designing the app, I had to initially research other travel apps on the market and investigate the ways in which they designed their layout. As a designer, I had to consider what kind of things a person would book on a holiday, the price range, offers and promos etc. In order to solve this, I focused on presenting the most vital information to the user first. </p>

<h2>Obstacles</h2>

<p>My biggest obstacle was restricting the sheer amount of information that I wanted to display to the user on screen. I also struggled to limit the amount of screens that I created as I wanted to consider every aspect of navigation within the app. Limiting my colour scheme to 3 colours proved to also be a challenge, asI needed to ensure that the app was as cohesive as possible.</p>

<h2>The Solution</h2>

<p>Solving the issues that I was presented with was by no means easy, but after a lot of consideration and design refinement, I managed to create a product that was cohesive, easily navigated and visually pleasing.</p>

<h2>Reflection</h2>

<p>Upon completing this project, I learned to appreciate the work and consideration that goes into creating an app with a considered UX Design. I feel that from creating an app, I learned to respect the use of minimalist design as it tended to make a much larger impact on the user. This project has really helped me to comprehend the work behind user experience design as I had to constantly explore how each screen would interact with one another and consider if the needs of the user were being met.</p>

</div>

</body>

</html>

#ixd301 #html

0 notes

cathygeha · 6 years

Photo

Eight historical romances featuring roguish dukes willing to risk it all to get the lady their heart desires.

Out Dec 12th– The Desires of a Duke: Historical Romance Collection

Follow the blast and enter to #win a $25 Amazon Gift Card!

Enter at: http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef29456/?

REVIEW

The Desires of a Duke

What a delightful collection of historical romances!

THE FORBIDDEN DUKE by Darcy Burke Titus St. James is an upright man who keeps to himself. Once a year he dances with a woman at his mother’s ball and that woman is soon the toast of the town. When Eleanor finds herself without means or a roof over her head she applies to be a companion and lucks into a job that sees her with a second chance for a season in society and perhaps the opportunity to marry and have a family. Little does she know that the man she will end up with is the stepson of the woman she is working for. I really liked Eleanor and Titus and enjoyed their story immensely! THE DUKE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Grace Callaway Alaric McLeod leaves home when nine years of age. He acts tough but doesn’t feel he is. The home he ends up in is one no child should end up in and the couple he lives with horrible…in fact…the woman reminds me of newspaper articles dealing with Munchausen by Proxy. He is a widow, hedonist and at one point suspected of murder. Emma sees Alaric in a situation that she misinterprets and then, to make amends, wants to help him clear his name. She has dreams of being an investigator like her brother and Alaric’s stepbrother and gets herself into some rather questionable situations while…investigating. This was a fun if somewhat unbelievable story. THE DUKE’S MATCH GIRL by Lila DiPasqua Not really based on the sad story we have all heard as children this book tells of Leo, Duke of Mont-Marly and Suzanne Matchet. Leo was a bit of a cad and a liar when he made sure he had a night with Suzanne before marrying another woman. When he finds himself widowed he heads to the town Suzanne lives in to woo her. This story was so-so in my opinion and a bit silly…definitely not believable. WAITING FOR A DUKE LIKE YOU by Shana Galen Princess Vivienne of Glynaven, sole royal survivor of an uprising, manages to escape from assassins and make to England. When the Duke of Wyndover sees her she is filthy, sleeping and he believes she is a vagrant. When he realizes who she is he promises to keep her safe. Why? Because he fell for her long ago when in her country even though she never indicated he existed. Vivienne is a strong character and able to protect herself. Nathan is a delight and great book boyfriend. I liked this book a great deal and would gladly read more books by this author. WHEN I MET MY DUCHESS by Caroline Linden What fun this book was! Gareth has chosen the perfect woman to be his duchess EXCEPT when Helen Grey arrives he is drawn to her sister Cleo instead. Over time he realizes that he is making a mistake and hopes to find a solution that will see him with the right sister and Helen happy, too. All works out well in the end but it is an interesting fun story to read and left me happy at the end and wanting to find another book by this author! That said…I detested the parents of Helen and Cleo and wanted to thump them more often than not! I SPY A DUKE by Erica Monroe I read this book in the past and loved it rating it five stars at the time. Quoted from my review: What a GREAT introduction to the new “Covert Heiresses” series!... Both Vivian and James have lost siblings and begin to bond after discussing their losses one evening. There is an ease and companionship between them but also chemistry waiting to be explored. Vivian needs protection and James has offered his to her. Little does she know that there is more under his expensive clothes and pleasant demeanor than a the wealthy Duke he appears to be. I loved Vivian’s strength of will, clarity of mind and determination. I loved James for his ability to realize his strengths and weaknesses as well as sensitive and tender side. Both characters were well written and the growth of their relationship was a joy to read about as it unfolded. THE MISFORTUNE OF LADY LUCIANNA by Christina McKnight Lady Lucianna and her friends are doing their best to bring the murderer of their friend Tildy to justice. In the meantime Luciana, Ophelia and Edith write a column for the London Gazette that exposes rakes, rogues and roués. The women believe they are in the right and always right but…as we find out in this story…that may not always be true. When The Duke of Montrose finds out who has destroyed his chances to marry a wealthy woman he sets out to get revenge – on Lucianna. This is was a fun book. It was nice to catch up with Edith. I wanted to smack Lucianna’s father a time or two and was thrilled he was thwarted by Lucianna and Roderick. I am curious to find out who Ophelia will end up with, whether or not Roderick will find out who stole the money from his father and whether or not Abercorn will be found guilty and Tildy will eventually get justice. THE DUKE’S ACCIDENTAL WIFE by Erica Ridley

Preconceptions can be misconceptions – and that is just what Katherine Ross “Kate” and Lawrence Pembroke, the Duke of Ravenwood found to be true before the end of the book. Kate was footloose and fancy free living with her great Aunt Havens when at one of her social events she and Ravenwood were caught in an apparently compromising situation. They both had ideas of what their future would be and that future did not include what they were suddenly faced with. As the two of them get to know one another better they find that what they believed true of one another is not quite accurate and worth reconsidering. I loved the way Kate began to see beyond the exterior Ravenwood presented to the world. I enjoyed Ravenwood’s slow opening up and sharing as time went on. This is a story of family, caring, sharing and giving and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: The Desires of a Duke

Authors: Darcy Burke, Grace Callaway, Lila DiPasqua, Shana Galen, Caroline Linden, Erica Monroe, Christina McKnight, Erica Ridley

Genre: Historical Romance

Release Date: December 12, 2017

Available for a LIMITED TIME ONLY!

BOOK BLURBS:

Enjoy eight historical romances from bestselling authors, featuring dashing, roguish dukes who are willing to risk it all to get the lady their heart desires. When these powerful, bold men take a chance on love, nothing can stop them. THE FORBIDDEN DUKE by Darcy Burke The Forbidden Duke helps ruined Eleanor find a second chance for happiness. What will she say when she learns of the role he played in her downfall? THE DUKE WHO KNEW TOO MUCH by Grace Callaway A spinster and rake join forces to catch a murderer. Wills clash and passion flares; will they risk all for love—before it’s too late? THE DUKE’S MATCH GIRL by Lila DiPasqua The only woman Leo, Duke of Mont-Marly, has ever yearned for is the adorably unconventional beauty who got away. Suzanne creates and selling matchsticks, elixirs for the ill…and is still so damned alluring. Leo is determined to give her a Christmas beyond her wildest imagination... WAITING FOR A DUKE LIKE YOU by Shana Galen Pursued by assassins, Princess Vivienne of Glynaven escapes to England. The Duke of Wyndover aids her, but is he the man she’s been waiting for? WHEN I MET MY DUCHESS by Caroline Linden The Duke of Wessex realizes he’s about to marry the wrong woman when he meets his bride’s sister…and the wedding may become a scandal. I SPY A DUKE by Erica Monroe A governess entering into a marriage of convenience with a duke gets more than she bargained for, as he's also a spy for the crown. THE MISFORTUNE OF LADY LUCIANNA by Christina McKnight The Duke of Montrose has only one choice: find a wealthy heiress to wed. When his quest brings him to Lady Lucianna, he can’t deny that he wants her for more than just her dowry. THE DUKE’S ACCIDENTAL WIFE by Erica Ridley The unflappable Duke of Ravenwood meets his match in this rollicking New York Times best-seller!

Available at: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks

Author Bio:

Christina McKnight is a book lover turned writer. From a young age, her mother encouraged her to tell her own stories. She’s been writing ever since.

Christina enjoys a quiet life in Northern California with her family, her wine, and lots of coffee. Oh, and her books…don’t forget her books! Most days she can be found writing, reading, or traveling the great state of California.

You can visit her online at the following places: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Amazon

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http://www.barclaypublicity.com/

#Barclay Publicity #Darcy Burke #Grace Callaway #Lila DiPasqua #Shana Galen #Caroline Linden #Erica Monroe #Christina McKnight #Erica Ridley #Historical Romance #Anthology

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motherboardghost-blog · 7 years

Text

Evaluation

Response to the Brief: It is my belief that generally I have answered the brief to the best of my abilities whilst struggling with time constraints and health issues that have plagued me in the last couple of weeks. A flip book with a defined audience was produced. It works off of the theme of technology, integrating new, original subject matter. The flip books suits the gallery space with its colour scheme and style of illustration. However I do now wish that my work had a stronger defined “mantra”/tagline. “There are ghosts in the wires”? “There are ghosts in the motherboard”? Not as catchy/sleek as “Hell is other robots”.

Planning and Research: Whilst I meticulously planned each week of this project, that fell by the wayside after Easter. During Easter I fell ill which lasted for some weeks before I was prescribed medication which I had side effects to. This ultimately prevented me from getting as much work done as I would have liked. Each new project I like to turn over a new leaf and next year I resolve to take planning/time management a whole lot more seriously.

In terms of research, whilst those that I looked into were relevant I feel like I could have gone into more depth when analysing them. I also need to start looking into professional illustrators and finding a way to integrate their influence into my work and development.

Idea Generation and Testing: Whilst I am happy with the ideas I generated as possible outcomes, both in quality and quantity, I do wish I had had time to produce even more edits. This might not be paramount in importance, however I enjoy making them and feel as if they help me to process my train of thought.

In terms of testing, I should have experimented more in actually building flip books rather than just looking into binding. Testing pages sizes would have saved me a lot of time further down the road when it came to formatting on Photoshop. I did manage to learn a few integral details though, such as how the length effected the flip and binding, as well as how the paper built up speed.

Final Piece: In a rush to meet deadlines I printed of my design after formatting it in Photoshop and then Powerpoint of all places, on regular printer paper. Whilst I was pleased with the way it was bound, the way it flipped and the design of each individual page, I was not impressed with the quality. The paper was too thin, there was discrepancies in the coloured ink and I had not been a careful as I had intended when cutting.

This disappointed me greatly, so I decided to spend extra time and money in redoing my final piece. In the process I feel I learned many skills which should serve me into the next few years. I now have an understanding of how the professional print room works, how to configure images on Photoshop differently and how to use the automated guillotine in the print room. Overall, whilst stressful, it was highly worthwhile.

Positives:

-A complete, professional looking outcome.

-An interesting idea in the face of what was a difficult topic for me.

-Developing my ideas of audience further, especially in terms of interaction.

-A fair amount of work produced in the face of personal struggles.

-Using a blog as a way of documenting this project, which has turned out to be highly beneficial for my needs/ways of working.

Negatives:

-Not as much work done as I would have liked (more edits/GIFs).

-GIFs were made in the middle of the project but were not supported by network, so work was lost.

-More physical testing needed with video documentation.

-More research into different artists, more illustrators then fine artists. Made lots of references to what was going on in my head at the time but I could have investigated these inspirations more thoroughly.

-Experimentation with different materials/mediums? Could have found a way of integrating what I am enthusiastic about into the project more

-Concept too high brow? Very fine art.

Views of the Future: Overall, I am happy the way I’m finishing off this academic year. I feel that despite its ups and downs, I’m finishing up this project on a high note. The work I have produced since September has been strong and experimental, however my standards have not changed and I still feel as if I have yet to unlock my full potential. I intend to carry on with work into the summer with pieces based off my current everyday life, as I continue to maintain and build my online presence, especially on Instagram. For as long as the Parkside Campus is open to me I intend to make use of it’s facilities, as well as the space Birmingham provides me. There is talk of a summer project before L5 which I am looking forward getting my teeth into. I intend to continue to be inspired by fellow artists that I have met this year and previously on Foundation. In the near future I would like to get back into acrylic painting as I feel I have lost my edge in some respects. Exploring materials such as embroidery/stitch and physical illustration (e.g. clay work) is something I look forward to delving into next year. Learning to perfect my draftsmanship of figures and operating the programme Illustrator are definite goals for this summer.

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