Ana Mardoll's Ramblings: April 2015

Open Thread: Trees and Water

Picture from Vermont, two years and a month ago.

[Added] In response to a question in the comments, the picture is taken from where Woodstock Road (US Route 4) crosses the Ottauquechee River. This is called the Quechee Gorge.

The reason the picture is in this direction is that on the other side of the bridge the river is more bendy, which makes it hard to get a picture that really captures it. You really have to be there to get a sense of it. On this side, the river continues straight until the gorge is replaced by flatter land. [/Added]

Friday Recommendations! What have you been reading/writing/listening to/playing/watching lately? Shamelessly self-promote or boost the signal on something you think we should know about - the weekend’s ahead, give us something new to explore!

And, like on all threads: please remember to use the "post new comment" feature rather than the "reply" feature, even when directly replying to someone else!

Open Thread: Spring

Nothing signifies that spring has taken hold quite as well as pink petals emerging around the litter that's become trapped in urban trees. Or something like that. It seemed like it would make a decent open thread picture when I took it yesterday.

And, like on all threads: please remember to use the "post new comment" feature rather than the "reply" feature, even when directly replying to someone else!

Narnia: But Soft, a Padding Wooly Tread

[Narnia Content Note: Misogyny, Ableism, References to mental illness, My personal soapbox re: the planetary interpretation of Narnia and why I feel like it minimizes the rampant sexism and racism]

Narnia Recap: The trio have been brought to an underground palace and are being entertained by the Black Knight.

The Silver Chair, Chapter 11: In The Dark Castle

I find it odd, and with no sense of whether or not we are supposed to find it odd, that no name is given for the Black Knight until he turns out to be Prince Rilian. I went back to the previous chapter to check, and he greets the trio and then says, essentially, "hey, I know you!" and Jill says, "oh, were you the black knight who never spoke" and he says "yeppers" and they go on from there. They don't ask his name. I don't think he asks their names. They just sit down to eat dinner and he tells them his life story and the narrative calls him "the Knight" over and over and wow does this seem really strained and unnatural.

I suppose this is because Lewis couldn't be bothered to come up with a fake name that he wasn't planning to use for more than a few pages, but this has the effect of making the protagonist trio seem even more incurious and rude than before. They mentioned looking for a "Rilian" and the knight said "nope, never heard of 'im" and that was apparently it for them. There's absolutely no attempt to connect with this man who may well hold the power of life and death over them. There's certainly very little nod to the fact that humans are supposedly pretty rare in Narnia (the Animals outnumbered the Humans in the boat-departure scene) and that they are looking for a human man the size and shape and age and build of exactly this guy.

Let's Play: Papers, Please

Let's Play Papers Please by Lucas Pope!

Lucas Pope: http://dukope.com/
Papers Please: http://papersplea.se/

Game content copyright Lucas Pope and shared here with permission. Commentary content copyright Ana Mardoll.

YouTube video below the cut.

Open Thread: Flower

For some reason I thought that "Focus" was last week instead of two weeks ago and, thinking thus, thought it might be nice to have a flower that was in focus this time around.

And, like on all threads: please remember to use the "post new comment" feature rather than the "reply" feature, even when directly replying to someone else!

Recommends: Cute Demon Crashers

[Note: Links are Not Safe For Work.]

Hat-tip Amy Dentata.

You guys. This visual novel game, Cute Demon Crashers, is literally the most adorable thing ever. It's super short and only two of the four "romances" work (it's a NaNoRenO game, and unfinished) but it is VERY consent-friendly and also has an option for dyslexia-friendly text. The sex scenes are all about consent and communication and there is a stop-at-any-time button, I just.

I'm crying. From happy, but crying. It's... it's not even the game, even. Just. Seeing something, anything, take consent this seriously. It's just amazing. This shouldn't be unusual or special, but it is.

Let's Play: The Royal Trap

Let's Play The Royal Trap by Hanako Games!

Note that this is a very ~SPOILERY~ playthrough. There is commentary feels about game content, game title, and song lyrics.

YouTube video below the cut, along with spoilery content notes.

Let's Play: Five Night's at Freddy's (Night 2)

Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthon!

My second (and almost certainly last!) attempt at Five Nights at Freddy's. You guys, this game is terrifying.

YouTube video below the cut.

Let's Play: Five Night's at Freddy's (Night 1)

It's another Let's Play! Of an entirely different game this time!

Five Nights at Freddy's by Scott Cawthon!

My first (and probably *only*, ha!) attempt at Five Nights at Freddy's. There is only screaming and nervous laughter. Incidentally, I am surprised to learn that listening to myself becoming terrified is itself surprisingly terrifying.

YouTube video below the cut.

Open Thread: Something for the fish

Unlike the other one, I did retrieve this one, I just periodically took pictures of it at various levels of tide.

We talk so much about what a fish needs, that sometimes we forget that fish are diverse beings with many and varied desires. Just because no fish needs one doesn't mean that no fish want one. And as for the barnacles, they love the things.

And, like on all threads: please remember to use the "post new comment" feature rather than the "reply" feature, even when directly replying to someone else!

Let's Play: Long Live the Queen (Brin Romance)

It's another Let's Play!

Technical details first: I used LiteCamHD to grab the video and my voice, and I used Freemake Video Converter to merge the video files together whenever I had to stop for any reason. And I am still unable to find a way to transcribe these with any degree of accuracy, and I apologize for that; I'm sorry to our deaf and hard-of-hearing members of the community.

Copyright permission next: I thank Hanako games for responding to my request for copyright permission to use this material with "open permission for people to make let's plays of our videos and to use the standard youtube monetisation tools if they want". That's a wonderful policy.

Content summary: Walkthrough 09 (Brin Romance) is my playthrough where I end up with Brin... both in the ending where Elodie never marries but has a daughter, and in the version where Brin marries Joslyn and Elodie marries Banion, but Elodie/Brin is canon. Game achievements include:

1. The Language of Flowers (You have been sent flowers by a woman.)
2. Better Left Unsaid (You have discovered a terrible family secret.)
3. Off With Their Heads (You have ordered an execution.)
4. The Price Of Blood (You have paid out a reward for the death of a fugitive.)
5. Angel Of Music (You have saved the day with the power of music.)
6. Interpersonal Diplomacy (Your actions have caused a couple to divorce.)
7. A Dangerous Juggler (You have hired someone to spy for you.)

YouTube video below the cut, plus game transcript. I also strongly recommend the LLtQ wiki for any questions about the characters.

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