#frog and toad is the first book I remember reading by myself :) which is very special and says a lot about me | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

froggyfroo-art · 2 years

Text

For most of 2021 I've been teaching myself Welsh, and because it was the first time I've ever managed to consistently study a language for a significant amount of time (301 days as of today, woo!) I decided to also try and pick up Spanish for like the fifth time since I started learning it like 15 years ago. This led to the problem of having two notebooks I needed to differentiate, so I designed these two stickers for the front covers. If you're curious about the characters I've used for them, I'll put it under the cut bc of the long ID!

[ID: Two sticker designs featuring some of my comic characters holding up some flags of countries. In the first one, Bufo is shown looking fretfully down at a sheet of paper that says "mutations cheat sheet" and the acronyms SM, NM and AM. Next to him a very small mint green frog with freckles, brown markings on her face and limbs and curly brown hair, wearing dungarees over a white long sleeved shirt. She is holding a white and red book and is smiling up at a toad who resembles Bernard but is taller and older, with wavy, cropped brown hair and a maroon cardigan. She is holding up the flag of Wales in one hand and a green and white book in the other, which she is reading aloud from. In the second image, Hakima is seen with a red and yellow book under her arm, helping the Dalmatian next to her hold up a flag of Spain. The Dalmatian is holding both the flags of Spain and Mexico, grinning at Hakima, who is giving him a bemused half smile in response. The Dalmatian has loosely slicked back blonde hair with a single magenta streak, and is wearing a burgundy Jacket with black lapels and a matching burgundy cravat. end ID.]

On the Welsh sticker, Bufo is standing beside little Cecilia (the future child of a couple of my other characters, she literally isn't born until after the events of the comic so this is probably the most you'll see of her), and Beryl, who is Bufo's mother and the namesake of my Call of Cthulhu player character you'll have seen me post about before! Despite the way I wrote him in my comic initially, Bufo is actually Welsh, but he doesn't speak much of it at all, Beryl is the only OC I have who speaks it, hence her inclusion on the sticker. I will admit Bufo being Welsh is absolutely a retcon purely made bc I wanted one of my characters to be Welsh lmao

Fun fact: the sheet Bufo is holding is referring to grammatical mutations in Welsh (though I believe its very much a Celtic Thing and exists in other languages like Irish Gaelic), and they the absolute bane of my existence and I was THIS CLOSE to including the full mutation chart instead of Bufo and Cecilia because I cannot remember them for the life of me vbdsvb

The character on the other sticker is one you may actually see more of in future art I make because he and Hakima have sort of become a package deal. His name is Ignacio Emiliano Salvador Rivera IV (Naci for short) - I cannot take credit for this incredible name, as he was in fact designed by my bestie @battychaichilla, who is Hakima's number one fan and wanted her to have a friend (who also has a crush on her and I admit I'm kind of in on the ship myself now jvbvhb). He moved to the UK from Mexico under the pretence of training to be a firefighter abroad (it's a family tradition to become a firefighter) but really he wants to be a fashion designer! He befriends Hakima because she's actually a firefighter, but she can immediately tell he doesn't want to be one and encourages him to follow his dreams :3 He's not the only STS character who speaks Spanish but he's the only one who speaks it natively so I HAD to include him (also the image of two friends learning Spanish together is pertinent because I'm doing that too cx)

18 notes · View notes

that-bi-bitch-writes · 3 years

Text

The Rumor Around Hogwarts (Ch.4)

Chapter Four: The Train Ride There

1k+ Words a lot of it is taken from the book but as always I added a lot of [Name] in to make it.... chaotic and slightly angsty

Still uses he/him pronouns for now and later addition of they pronouns will be announced before the chapter. Hope you Enjoy!!!

Last // Next

“What the actual hell- Ow, heck i meant heck.” [Name] choked out while rubbing the back of his head

“Mhm sure you did”

“Anyway you mean to tell me I have to run at a wall.”

“Yup”

“In a muggle train station”

“Yes”

“In the middle of the day?”

“Look, do you want to go to Hogwarts or not?”

“I mean I do but-”

“If you don’t you’ll only disappoint Harry” [Mother’s name] interrupted

[Name] hesitated before responding “I’m sure he’ll be fine he like defeated an evil lord as a baby of course he can run at a wall and make other friends”

“[Name] if you miss the train I’m not taking you to school myself”

And just as [Name] seemed like he’d be okay with that aspect (anything to not embarrass himself in public really) all his hopes were completely crushed

“And I’m not taking you back home to ride on the house elf express”

“Okay but if I die or embarass myself I’m gonna have to find a way to jinx you or something. Maybe i’ll tell that weird muggle mailman you find him cute and force you to flee the country”

“You wouldn’t”

“That’s what you think”

[Name] seemed to gather the courage of all his ancestors (may they rest in peace) and ran straight at the obvious death trap. He had a chosen one to meet after all. He closed his eyes right before impact only to have his senses assaulted by the sounds and sights of something completely unexpected

‘Wow' he whispered under his breath

“I told you so”

“Alright alright I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. But I mean you’re not exactly the most trustworthy. If I needed someone to help me cover up a crime maybe, but a prank that could end in bodily harm..”

[Mo. Name] pretended not to hear a word as she fussed over [Name], the train departing soon. She’s a mother, she couldn’t help it. After running down a long list of things [Name] should have (And did) pack in his trunk she gave a forehead kiss and pushed him off to the trains. As he got on she did the unthinkable.

“Bye baby!! Momma loves you. Tell Peeves I said Hi’

Yeah [Name] definitely wasn't gonna be popular now. At least… not in a good way. There’d be rumors around hogwarts. And he’d be in the center of them.

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

Harry sat alone in an empty compartment after all the hustle and bustle that came with parents seeing their children off for the first time. And could’ve sworn he had heard someone say something about being peeved. Suddenly his thoughts were interrupted when the door of the compartment slid open and the youngest red headed boy he had seen earlier came in.

“Anyone sitting there?” he asked, pointing at the seat opposite Harry. “Everywhere else is full.”

Harry shook his head and the boy sat down. He glanced at Harry and then looked quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn’t looked. Harry saw he still had a black mark on his nose.

“Hey, Ron”

The twins were back

“Listen we’re going down the middle of the train- Lee Jordan’s got a giant tarantula down there.”

“Right,” mumbled Ron.

“Harry,” said the other twin, “did we introduce ourselves? Fred and George Weasley. And this is Ron, our brother. See you later then.”

“Bye” said Harry and Ron. the twins slid the compartment door shut behind them.

“Are you really Harry potter?” Ron blurted out

Harry went to nod but the compartment door slammed open once again

“Harry there you are. Thank God I found you.” [Name] gasped out “My mother totally embarrassed me as I was getting on the train screaming about someone named Peeves and she called me BABY. Anyway I’ve been trying to find you without drawing to much attention to you or myself.”

Harry had wondered how [Name] had said so much in one breath. He didn’t know [Name] to be particularly talkative. He of course had his moments when he’d stand up for someone but Harry had always seen name as a little bit of a worrier or an outsider like himself.

“Sorry." [Name] said almost as if he read Harry’s mind “It’s the nerves. I’m super glad that you’re not alone but I’m also jealous I didn’t get to you first.” [Name] continued as he moved to sit next to Harry.

“What were we talking about? Oh yeah he was asking about your chosen one status which is kind of cool and lame at the same time. Is that offensive?”

“Have you really got - you know?” He pointed at Harry's forehead.

Harry pulled back his bangs to show the lightning scar. Ron stared. And surprisingly [Name] did too.

“Y’know as close as we are for two people who only met twice, I realized I haven’t gotten a good look at you Harry.” [Name] realized turning all of his attention on the resident Chosen One

Harry and [Name] stared at each other for a moment. [Name] was curious as to who the boy who lived really was and why he was drawn to him. It was like they were meant to meet up. At the Zoo, in Diagon Alley and now hopefully they would remain on the same path at Hogwarts too.

Harry on the other hand was staring at [Name] in appreciation. They were strangers, yet [Name] came to Harry’s rescue so naturally. Ron was to be a good friend to Harry, he’s sure of it, but it was different with [Name]. Their friendship wasn’t founded on titles, or reputations, or anything but mutual respect and destiny perhaps? If he were more naïve he might’ve attributed this feeling to a crush.

“So that’s where You-Know-Who-? Ron interrupted the staring contest

“Yes” said Harry “but I can’t remember it”

“Nothing?” Ron said eagerly.

“Well- I remember a lot of green light, but nothing else.

[Name] got incredibly bored of the topic, not really keen on discussing Voldemort’s attack on Harry so he began looking out the window like the main character. Only catching flashes of the conversation and adding his own commentary when appropriate. Apparently Ron had 5 brothers and a little bit of “a lot to live up to” but being friends with the chosen one was sure to give him some stories to tell..

[Name] didn’t interrupt with much about his family because he’d already talked about his embarrassing mother and there was nothing else to talk about but his incredibly large and empty house which would have made him a little uncomfortable and slightly awkward. Y’know since he was talking to an orphan and a poor kid with a huge family. How could either of them relate?

What he did however pay attention to was Harry’s bravery and generosity. Apparently he was only a little bit of an oblivious idiot. Sure he proudly said Voldemort’s name (a trend [Name] hoped to follow) but he was smart enough to realized in the wizarding world at least he was rich and could splurge a little bit on the less fortunate *ahem* Ron *ahem*

“Go on, have a pasty” said Harry, who had never had anything to share before or, indeed, anyone to share it with. It was a nice feeling, sitting there with Ron, eating their way through all Harry’s pasties, cakes, and candies (the sandwiches lay forgotten.)

“What are these?” Harry asked Ron and [Name] holding up a pack of chocolate frogs. “They’re not really frogs, are they/” He was starting to feel that nothing would surprise him

“No” said Ron “But see what the card is. I’m missing Agrippa”

“He has no idea what you’re talking about, look at his face” [Name] laughed out. Ron followed his line of sight and chuckled at Harry’s confused face as well.

“Oh, of course, you wouldn’t know - Chocolate frogs have cards inside them, you know to collect - famous witches and wizards. I’ve got about five hundred, but I haven’t got Agrippa or Ptolemy.”

Both Harry and [Name] removed the cards from the chocolate frogs. Harry got Dumbledore which set his curiosity aflame once again. [Name] kept his a secret for dramatic effect of course. After answering his questions Ron asked for a chocolate frog as well only to get Morgana.

“Well Ron” [name] started “if you show me a trick, I’ll give you this” flipping over the card Ron’s eyes went wide at the sight of a Ptolemy card.

After a long conversation about the dangers of eating Bertie's ever flavored beans (which [name] would never even touch) Ron eventually worked up the courage to perform a spell when the toadless boy from earlier appeared, but this time he had a girl with him. She was already wearing her new Hogwarts robes.

“Has anyone seen a toad? Neville’s lost one,” she said. She had a bossy sort of voice, lots of bushy brown hair and rather large front teeth.

“We’ve already told him we haven’t seen it,” said Ron, but the girl wasn’t listening, she was looking at the wan in his hand.

‘Oh god.’ [name] said to himself as the girl’s thoughts assaulted him and drowned out the obvious awkward silence in the car ‘this girl may have redeeming qualities, or at least I’m hoping she does but she needs to get over herself’

“Oh, are you doing magic? Let’s see it, then.”

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback

“Er- alright” he cleared his throat

“Sunshine daises, butter mellow, Turn this stupid fat rat yellow”

He waved his wand but nothing happened. Scabbers stayed gray and fast asleep.

“Are you sure that’s a real spell? Said the girl. “Well it’s not very good, is it? I’ve tried a few simple spells just for practice and it’s all worked for me. Nobody in my family’s magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but…

[Name] having heard most of this speech in his head already tried to tune her out and gave a snort at the end of her rambling when Harry and Ron looked at each other incredulously. Only a little offended when he heard Harry's comparison of Hermione to the nervous [Name] earlier

They all introduced themselves but Harry’s introduction led her on another tangent about him not looking himself up as if this was a common thing to do?? Then she asked what houses they thought they’d be in before leaving, taking the toadless boy with her. Poor Neville.

“Whatever house I’m in, I hope she’s not in it”

“I doubt we’ll be in the same house Ron” [Name] realized “you’ll probably be in whatever house your brothers are in”

“Gryffindor” Ron spoke up

“Right, and Harry will probably be with you where as I’ll end up in Slytherin probably”

The car went silent a bit before [name] spoke up again “I know what you’re thinking. Literally. I never had a Ptolemy card. I only said that because I wanted to show off my powers as a legilimens. I can see into your mind basically and I made you see what I wanted you to see. Don’t worry though I won’t like brainwash you or anything. Wouldn’t want to be a typical Slytherin and end up a dark wizard.

[Name] got ready to flee the cart after that whole speech and he could tell Ron felt kind of guilty but [Name] couldn’t risk Harry hating him. He was going to the house that produced Voldemort after all. He rushed out of the cart as some blond entered probably because Hermione had spread the rumor about seeing the chosen one.

Before [Name] knew it he was facing his newest worst enemy. The sorting hat.

#the rumor around hogwarts #hp x male reader #male reader #harry potter x y/n #harry potter x nonbinary reader #harry potter x male reader #harry potter x reader #that bi bitch writes #non binary reader #nonbinary reader insert #reader insert

44 notes · View notes

revlyncox · 3 years

Text

Naming Our Joy

Taking note of all of the things that make us happy - large and small - is a helpful practice. This Platform Address was written for the Washington Ethical Society, June 20, 2021.

We started a project at our house on June 1. Even though we’re not yet back to spending a whole afternoon indoors at the library with the children, we wanted to collectively celebrate the experience of a summer reading club. The kids used several sheets of flip chart paper to draw one hundred rectangles, plus doodles and illustrations and instructions for a shared reading chart. Everyone in the house has their own color of magic marker to color in a rectangle with the name of a book as we complete it. Reading, for us, is a delight. Asking each other questions about what we’re reading is a love-language. And so, as the rectangles have bloomed in six different colors throughout the month so far, each one has been a small notation of joy.

Sometimes we think about the seasons of our joy only in terms of peak experiences. We think of the Winter Festival, or New Year’s Eve, or the state fair, each a symbolic splash on a monthly page in the scrapbooks in our minds. If you’re a person who celebrates birthdays, maybe that’s an important milestone. Maybe camping or travel or visiting family we can rarely see sticks out in our minds as we anticipate our hopes for the year ahead. These are all good things. And yet peak experiences are not the only things that bring us joy.

It seems to me that paying attention to all of the things that bring us joy can help carry us through times of transition. Many things in our shared lives are improving, and we’ll get back to some of our favorite big, celebratory events in adapted ways; meanwhile, let’s value all of the things that keep us grounded in the best of who we are and who we can be. Today, as we hang on the cusp of summer, celebrating parents and graduates and weddings and pride, yet still aching from a difficult year and a half, let’s open our minds and hearts to all the forms of joy we can name.

Today’s story, “A List,” from Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel, gives some hints about how to notice joy. The attention to detail in this story, the room Lobel makes in the narrative for pause, and the enduring friendship that is the focus of the entire series are all helpful lessons for us as we gather up sparks of happiness in our own lives, fireflies that may be only with us for a moment, but whose lights we can remember for years. From this story, I learn that small things count, that it’s important to rest and reset, and that we can find joy when we travel together.

Small Things Count

As we are naming our joy, small things count. Frog begins his day by checking off tasks like, “get dressed” and “eat breakfast.” Those things matter. There are days when self-care is a victory, and days when we need to practice self-compassion because those tasks are out of reach. In some ways, it’s a practice of mindfulness, of paying attention to where we are in the moment. As we dress, we can notice the feeling of fabric on skin, and we can hold in loving kindness all those who saw to the completion of that garment.

I think back to times when celebrating small things got me through the day, or helped me inch toward a distant goal, or just brought me back to center after being knocked off balance by the regular turns of daily life. After my children were born, I decided to give fitness walking and running a try. I had never done that before - my favorite team sports up until that time were swimming and frisbee - but something about taking time for myself with my headphones every day was appealing at that point in my life. So I got a “couch to 5K” application on my phone to help guide me through workouts that started very small, and gradually increased until I could participate in a whole race.

The first couple of days were frustrating. I felt like I spent more time lacing up my shoes than I did actually running. But eventually, because there were records, I could look back and see my stamina increasing over time. Not every day, because some days are better than others, but over time there was improvement. I could celebrate when I could run rather than walk for a whole minute, and then a whole five minutes. When I was able to value the time I spent on the practice, even if all I could do that day was walk around the block, I had more energy to keep going. I did get to run in a race eventually. I have since switched to a different form of exercise for my regular workouts, because I have age-appropriate knees, but I did learn something about finding joy in small achievements. Sometimes we need to work up to things gradually, and when there are setbacks we need to work up gradually again. Writing down the joys and the milestones can help.

Focusing on the positive aspects of the experience and on the signs of improvement helped me sustain a practice. The same can be true for groups. I think people at WES have experienced Appreciative Inquiry before. Sometimes we think of Appreciative Inquiry in terms of a meeting or an event or a process of discernment, it’s also a paradigm shift in our organizational life together, a perspective where we lift up and leverage strengths rather than focusing on deficits. The philosophy of Appreciative Inquiry was developed by David Cooperrider and Suresh Srivastva at Case Western Reserve University in the early 1990s. So Appreciative Inquiry has been around for awhile now, and there are newer ideas we need to incorporate about competing value systems and multicultural competency, yet I think it is worth returning to an approach where we ask questions about what’s working and build a positive vision for a future we can move toward together. To bring out the best we can be, we need to identify and nurture what’s best right now.

As our community gradually re-emerges from the pandemic and builds toward a new normal of accessibility, inclusion, compassion, and justice, we will face setbacks, and the speed of our hopes may outpace the reality of how fast we can go without leaving people behind. Let’s find joy in each moment, each time we find ourselves sharing time or space or intention. When you appreciate something about WES going forward, write it down. Ask questions about how members can keep doing what you do well. Share your excitement about small things with others. Make a list, because small things count.

Rest and Reset

The second thing we learn from Frog and Toad about naming our joy is that we can rest and reset. The first thing on Toad’s list is “wake up.” That’s what makes it the beginning of the list. Every day is new. The last thing on the list is “go to sleep.” Toad does not take for granted that he will automatically remember to rest at the end of the day, he puts it on a list. Maybe some of us need a reminder sometimes, to care for our bodies instead of pushing to do one more thing. And when he doesn’t know what else to do, Toad pauses. Now, as the reader, we can imagine that it would also have been a fine choice for Toad to let go of his attachment to his list and either help Frog try to find it or create a new plan, and maybe that’s something some of us need to hear as well, but I also have some admiration for a character who will simply pause rather than rushing into the next thing without consideration.

We’ve talked before at WES about the tension between our focus on “deeds, not creeds,” and the philosophical foundation of the inherent worth and dignity of every person--value that people simply have without earning it. What we do, and the impact we have, is of greater concern than the intentions of our minds or the secrets of our hearts. Yet we cannot forget that worth is inherent, even if we or our neighbors haven’t achieved any great deeds lately. So I hope we can encourage ourselves and each other to rest. People need time to bask in their inherent worth; to notice the beauty of the people and world around them and within them; and to care for their own valuable, precious being. It may be the case that allowing rest for ourselves will also remind us of the inherent worth of others, and will lead us to create a world where every person can have what they need rather than putting up obstacles to separate the worthy from the unworthy. Rest may give us a foretaste of the Beloved Community. Rest creates room for the experience of joy.

The reset part is also important. We can experience time as a kind of river, and there are ways in which the past and the future flow into one another, yet most of us experience time as moving. The past and the present and the future are connected, but they are different from one another. Rest gives us an island in the river so that we can separate them, looking back and looking forward and looking around us so that we can differentiate what was from what is and from what we anticipate will be. Things that brought us joy in the past are worth remembering fondly, but that doesn’t mean repeating the same thing will bring us the same joy or is even possible. Being present in the here and now, resting in the sense of not striving or problem solving or planning or fixing, helps us experience what is bringing us joy right now, without diminishing that joy with comparison to the past or the future. Frog and Toad go to sleep. Maybe tomorrow they will take another walk, or go swimming, or grow a garden, or write a letter. But the comfort of being in that moment is where we pause at the end of that chapter, and pausing helps us value the joy in that moment. Rest and reset to highlight the joy of the present moment.

Travel Together

A third thing we learn from Frog and Toad is that traveling together can help us amplify joy. The thing on Toad’s to-do list that transforms his day is meeting up with Frog. As companions, they support each other in new discoveries, they affirm each other, and sometimes they can be of service to their friend in a way that brings its own kind of joy. When Frog sees the list, he says, “Oh, that is very nice.” Frog appreciates the project his friend has worked on, and that’s a source of happiness. When Toad is disappointed about losing his list, Frog sits with him, simply being present, the peace of friendship providing a balance to the sorrow of a project gone awry. As the evening nears, Frog reminds Toad of something on his list, and reconnecting with his project brings Toad the excitement of a reclaimed goal. There is more joy in their adventure together than there would have been for either of them alone.

May it be so for all of us. Sometimes companions are hard to find, and most relationships come with moments of tension and conflict, yet there are ways we can cultivate a practice of presence with one another that amplify joy, make sorrow more bearable, and help sustain us on the journey. Some of the secret is in the first two things we learned, that small things count and that we can take time to rest and reset. Small affirmations and appreciations make a difference in our relationships, they help us find joy in each other. Taking time to rest, being fully present even when our companions are having a difficult time, letting the new day reset us for the here and now to be with our loved ones as the people they have grown to become, all of these are practices of friendship that make room for joy.

Over the past year and a half, we have had to reassess what it means to travel together. We share time differently than we used to. We find connection in chat messages and text messages, shared movies over an internet connection, recorded sentiments and songs, notes back and forth about books we’re reading, and cards in the postal mail that are ever more precious. May it be so that in-person connections become more practical for more people, but that does not take away the value of the connections that sustained us during this time. We don’t need to devalue the ways we had to adapt, and we definitely don’t need to abandon the people for whom those adaptations are still needed. We are better together, and that includes the friends who have limited mobility, or sensory sensitivities, or transportation challenges, or delicate immune systems. Our beloveds of inherent worth come in many varieties.

I believe there are spectacular adventures ahead for WES. This continues to be a vital community of exploration, mutual support, and action for justice. We will find new ways to live out WES’s core values, and become ever more fluent in new and old ways to connect as members journey in collaboration. We are better together. In that, there is joy. I invite you to continue that joyful journey and your commitment to WES.

Conclusion

Our joy is cultivated and uplifted when we notice it in progress. This is especially true of the small joys, the moments of contentment, discovery, and affection that sneak up on us without being scheduled. Taking note of our joys - writing them down, sharing them with each other, savoring the moments, naming these times as what they are - helps us to experience them fully. Small things count, so give every moment of joy its due. Rest and reset, finding ways to be fully present and to bask in your inherent worth. Travel together, with appreciation for your companions, respect for their inherent worth, and joy in what you can discover in your shared journey.

1 note · View note

booksandtea · 6 years

Text

When the Steam Summer Sales were almost starting Tecsie decided to clean up their Steam wishlist a little bit by writing a Steam Wishlist Clean Up post which was inspired by Lia’s Down the TBR Hole book blogger meme.

I really liked this idea and asked Tecsie if I could take part too so here I am. Though with a slight difference, Tecsie managed to go through a lot more of her wishlist in one go. I already know that will not be the case for me. So you’ll likely see a few of these.

Sit back, enjoy, and browse some video games with me.

Starting Point: 170

When I was saving the images for this post these three games stood out to me the most as games I really wish I was already playing.

The Gardens Between is a surreal puzzle adventure following two friends as they fall into a mysterious world of garden islands where they solve puzzles and discover secrets. Its only £15.49 at a regular price so I’m really hoping to get this during the Christmas sale.

Next up is a visual novel titled Heaven Will Be Mine which is set in the middle of a battle between giant robots. You get to select one of three terribly behaved girls to fight or make out with and make terrible life decisions! The design of this game looks super cool and I can see myself screen capping a lot of it to share.

I follow Grace Bruxner on twitter and played her Toad Sushi game which is very cute (but you do need a friend to play with) so seeing her tweets about her Frog Dective game The Haunted Island has left me dying for this to release. Her twitter feed is great btw so if you’re not into games you could always follow that for great frog adventures. (By the time this post goes live this game might already be out but at the point )

This is the perfect game for book lovers. Or at least I tihnk it should be? If you’re not familar with Ian Livingstones’ Fighting Fantasy books then this might not hold as much excitement for you. Fighting Fantasy is a series of Choose Your Own Adventure books that have recently come back into popularity and this game is based upon the Deathtrap Dungeon trilogy so I’m gonna keep it.

Carpe Diem Reboot is a sequel to a free kinetic novel I’ve played where you’re trying to hang out with a girl who is actually a computer program. As I enjoyed the first one I’m pretty happy to see what £3.99 gives me for a follow on.

Another visual novel, this one is called WILL: A Wonderful World. I don’t remember anything about this but on a quick read through it seems you recieve letters and by rearranging the order and combination of sentences you alter the desting of whoever wrote them which sounds really interesting. I really want this game for sure.

Forgotton Anne looks beautiful its described as a hand-animated realm of wonder in which everyday objects take on a life of their own. It looks kinda fun but I’m not feeling it any more so I’ll remove this one.

My friends have been non-stop screaming about Yakuza 0 as it finally arrives on PC. You fight your way through Tokyo and Osaka as a junior yakuza members. Other than that I know very little but its got a big story and is pretty violent. I’ll keep this one.

Monster Hunter: World is the newest monster world game where you have a huge open world to, well, hunt monsters! I got to play the start of it when I visited Allie and that was fun. So I’ll keep it.

An early post I had like the third of this series on my wishlist and read reviews that said it needed to be played in order so I removed it and added this one! I’ll keep it as I do obviously have an interest, hopefullly its a fun series.

The image for We Know the Devil doesn’t portray how awesome the illustrations are within but its a visual novel about teens reluctantly fighting the devil at summer camp. Can I think of anything cooler? Nope. I need this.

Last but not least is Visage which I usually wouldn’t add because its early access but its a first person horror game that someone recommended to me last month I believe. I’m definitely going to keep it but there is no way I’ll buy it until its actually released.

Stats at the end of this post

Priority: 4 / 12 Keep: 7 / 12 Remove: 1 / 12 Steam Wishlist total: 127

I can’t believe I’ve done it. I finally reached the end point of my wishlist, I went from 170 games down to [27] and thats even with adding a bunch thanks to E3! Its not a huge amount but it definitely makes purchasing games a lot easier.

I hadn’t realised how close I was to being done and now I’m going to be sad this is over.

I do think I plan to keep Saturdays as video game related days in the future but I ‘ll just need to get some content ready to post for them so it may not be every Saturday.

Thank you for sticking with me through this journey and its nice to have had people enjoy the posts. Maybe I can check back in when I’ve bought some and give my first impressions.

If you enjoyed this post consider supporting Northern Plunder Ko-fi | Twitter | Book Club | RedBubble

Steam Wishlist Clean Up | The final edition! #videogames #booksandteabc When the Steam Summer Sales were almost starting Tecsie decided to clean up their Steam wishlist a little bit by writing a…

#Gaming #Steam #Steam Wishlist #Video Game #Video Games #Wishlist Clean Up

1 note · View note

rockmiyabideusexmachina · 6 years

Text

2018 Megaman Valentine’s Day Contest Results Thread!

Thank you all for your patience this year! I know this is a little later after the holiday than I would like, but one day is simply not enough to contain all this love! Once again, it’s always wonderful to have an assortment of both familiar faces participating, as well as many newcomers.

As always, this will be a rather massive thread, so bear with me. Most of it will be hidden after the break, so please do take a peek at all these wonderful entries!

Due to the size and sheer quantity of comic entries, there are plenty of images to view. For that reason, I’m sticking to thumbnails for now. Please click to view the entry in it’s full glory!

Also, my thanks to @jaybird-c for the help with judging this year. I’ll have some of his commentary with my own below.

The three raffle prize winners will be noted by their alias, as well.

For your reminder, there were two categories, broken down into Humor and Talent. There were 6 total Humor entries, and 14 Talent entries. So, to start off, we’ll begin with the category with the least entrants, and to fit with my tie-in promo art.

*EDIT* OK, now I think everything is good. So long thumbnails, to keep this shorter.

Once again, for an easy link to all the images in a single gallery, please go here: https://imgbox.com/g/uAbXkTDaot

Otherwise, I’ve tested it again on both mobile and desktop, and everything should link to a full image. It still does on my end.

*/EDIT*

For Humor, this year’s theme was “Beauty and the Beastman.EXE.” The goal was to illustrate a mismatched Megaman couple, one in a monsterous, beastly form, with another more beautiful character that falls for them. Any allusions to the popular tale of Beauty and the Beast were welcome, but not a requirement.

Here are your top 3, followed by the remaining entries in alphabetical order by alias:

1.) @prar-draws: (*Prar wins $100 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: Prar's comic has the absolute best execution of a joke, increasing the tension until the last panel when it masterfully throws the audience for a loop. Prar's style complements the story very well by making each individual moment easy to digest, and the last panel also just happens to be really funny to look at on its own. Just thinking about it makes me crack up.

Miyabi wrote: While this piece really contains more tension and drama until the final panel, I agree that the build is what helps bring the big laugh at the end. You can also see the temperature rising for Ciel, as her cheeks get redder and redder as the panels move along. I felt it tied in to the Beauty and the Beast storyline nicely, and your chosen characters fit well to pull off the connection. Very cute, and well constructed comic!

2.) @amiable-apparition: (*a-a wins $50 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: I don't remember this scene from the Star Force anime. Must've been cut from the final release. Clever use of trickery regarding who the real "monster" is; poor Damian appears to have misjudged the situation something fierce. Good idea and use of twist.

Miyabi wrote: I guess Sam was the one who was ‘Hungry Like the Wolf,’ after all! I too enjoyed the spin at the end, it was a funny deviation on how her character was portrayed in the anime. Subject choice was strong here too, connecting the theme with a couple characters who fit well with the concept. Nice work with the variety of panels you created to set things up.

3.) @frankenchio: (*frankenchio wins $25 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: Ah, the Princess and the Toad Man. Frankenchio's piece is a clever little reference to the classic fable, but most of the humor is in how Roll apparently didn't know what kind of prince was on the other end of that frog. Clever, pretty to look at.

Miyabi wrote: I like that you thought outside of the box with the theme, and used a totally different classic tale, but still connected it very well. Ice Man sure lucked out this time, after whoever cursed him into Toad form. While a simple few panels, your style is just adorable. Those jewels on the crown look really detailed!

Close, but not quite ~

Dark Dullahan:

Jaybird wrote: Dark Dullahan has the idea of recreating an actual Disney scene with Iris and (Zoanoroid?) Zero, which is very sweet. It took me a few repeat looks to digest what was going on here but it's amusing to see Zero protecting his wounds from the fierce and terrible Iris. Because she's obviously the worst thing that can happen to him. Cute, amusing scene.

Miyabi wrote: Sorry, I don’t know why this upload defaults to a side view, when I don’t even have it at that orientation. It automatically glitches that way, no matter how I upload it. :/ Anyhow, a clever spin using the EXE versions of Zero and Iris, living in a world where only reploids...no wait, they don’t exist here. This Beastly ZoanoZero will open up to her over time, I’m sure. But first, he needs to heal up. Again, good use of parodying the scene.

@drewblossom:

Jaybird wrote: The sheer concept of Rock-Belle made me wonder if they were going to throw in an FMA reference somewhere, but Drew's picture doesn't need it. They make good use of the Disney-classic-gone-wrong idea -- Oil Man and Time Man as Lumiere and Cogsworth are nearly inspired --though I think they didn't quite go far enough and should have rounded out the piece with a more feminine version of the suit; Rock-Belle changing into Mega *Man* raises questions about whether the main character's an actual girl or just a cross-dresser, which distracts from the joke.

Miyabi wrote: I guess Rock is both the beauty and the beast, for totally destroying those poor innocent talking inanimate object bots! While I had a good laugh at the quick-change blast, the character reactions, and the overall parody of the classic scene, sadly I did feel it just didn’t quite have the couple contrast/Valentine’s theme as well as others.

@erekisaiko: (*RAFFLE PRIZE WINNER* Captain N Height Chart)

Jaybird wrote: I feel like I'm missing a reference to something else. As amusing as the concept of JunkMan's and Meddy's unsanitary hospital sounds, the picture doesn't present us with enough information to make sense of what actually happened (i.e. why was JunkMan wearing a cardboard Falzer costume in the first place?), and [=ClockMan's=] joke lacks the punch it ought to have because the punchline has no set up. (Unless of course this is all just an incredibly obvious reference to something I've never been exposed to that would fill in all the missing context). Amusing concept in punchline, it's fun to think about how this situation could've arisen.

Miyabi wrote: Meddy’s not oblivious, she just has a big heart ready to heal any messy, junky slob! Cute and different idea having more of a ‘fake’ beast, although I think Junk still would count as a beastly character on his own, in some respects. Very well-drawn, and appreciate all the detail you put into your internet background.

For the talent category, the theme was “If You Like It, You Should Put a Ring Boomerang On It.” This category was all about proposal scenes. And I am shocked there was not a single Jewel Man! XD

Here are your top 3, followed by the remaining entries in alphabetical order by alias:

1.) @wintesm: (*wint wins $100 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: Jeez. Unrelenting Style. Your children's book painting is incredible as ever; your figures, your colors, your atmosphere, just about everything. I ran into a problem with your composition, though; the stark black page divider clashes with the predominantly horizontal-mirror structure and makes it hard to wrap your head around the story as its meant to be told. It was less of a problem once I trained myself to ignore it, and you use the divider very effectively in the second-to-last section, but it still made it harder to enjoy the work. Masterful technique, colors, perspective, expression.

Miyabi wrote: With your subjects, I felt this composition was a very clever way to tell the story, and kinda mirror their separate, but similar tales side-by side. As mentioned, you have such a fitting children’s storybook style, from colors to shapes, that shines once again! It’s a cute tale for such evil characters!

2.) @peach35: (*peach wins $50 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: Peach deserves a lot of credit for her mastery of figure-drawing and perspective. That's something a lot of people struggle with, and accomplishment in these matters should be recognized. Another good choice of simple background to highlight the main moment, and awesome use of colors and lighting to suggest 3D -- I'm far more fascinated by Gate's nose than I should be. Incredible faces, hands, colors, and general shading.

Miyabi wrote: The sense of confused shock on Alia’s face is a different reaction that most, as it’s apparent Gate is slipping that ring on in total surprise. Clean lines and soft lighting helped this piece stand out.

3.) @tianura: (*tianura wins $25 USD or an item(s) up to that value.)

Jaybird wrote: Tianura's style is difficult to read; the line quality can be inconsistent from panel to panel, some attempts to convey 3D positioning could use polish, and the panels never stray very far from simple torso and head shots. That said, the expressions are exceptionally clear (again, look to the eyes) and convey lots of emotion, and the page-by-page composition is very good. Very expressive faces, judicious use of colors for effect.

Miyabi wrote: I thought this was a creative parallel for life-long partners in using Netto and Enzan. You did a nice job keeping Netto’s goofy charm intact, with quite a few humorous lines. The ending was totally fitting for him, older or not. XD While I’m sure you would have liked to color the whole thing, I liked the differing use of screentone shading. And the watercolor look of the color pieces did give it some storybook charm as well.

Close, but not quite ~

@borockman:

Jaybird wrote: It's such a shame this isn't a humor category, because this deserves major points for funny (the Nana-Sigma romance anime that the fandom doesn't want, but nonetheless deserves). The linework itself is pretty good. Expressive, good use of background for mood. Also, Sigma, the ring goes on the ring finger.

Miyabi wrote: It’s a dream. It’s always a dream! Siggy puts the ring on her pinky because Nana’s his ‘lil pinky-poo... ;p With the tears running down her face, I really did like the emotional feel of the moment.

@digitallyfanged:

Jaybird wrote: In terms of sheer atmosphere, this is one of the best pieces. It looks like a still from some fairy tale picture-book. The forest scenery, the background, the flower-swing, the misting breath, the quality of the outfits and the details on the dress and sword all make this exquisite. Unfortunately the characters aren't quite as expressive as they ought to be -- this is very clearly a fairy-tale love scene of some kind, but what kind? Laika is clearly being emotional towards the princess, but what is he saying? "Who are you"? "You're beautiful"? "I love you"? "Be mine forever"? It's gorgeous, but it's a little too vague to tell whether it's on topic or not.

Miyabi wrote: Gorgeous scene that felt a bit like another Disney-ish tale, moreso of the Frozen variety. They may just be easy-to-use Clip Studio effects, but I really thought it was quite creative how you pulled off the swing design. The watercolor forest background is beautiful, as is Pride’s snow princess outfit. Pretty, pretty picture!

@drewblossom:

Jaybird wrote: I'm glad I saw Drew's title, because it took me a minute to figure out exactly what was going on -- for a moment I thought Geminiman was trying to propose to himself with that (fittingly) gaudy diamond. The linework is pretty good, and I like the lighting effects on Gemini's crystals and the translucence of his chest plate. I'll give them points for an ambitious concept, but the best mirror art looks at a scene from two different directions, and Gemini's reflection is simply a reverse of the main view. Good colors and lighting, elegantly simple background that does a good job of highlighting the main action.

Miyabi wrote: No better way to practice a proposal than to recite it in front of your self. Of course, if he is proposing to his clone, then I think with his nonchalant actions, he’s got this down already. XD Clever, and unique!

@hyperbole1729:

Jaybird wrote: This piece is another mix. It has some very nice things -- the colors are spot on, the composition is very nice (you take cues from the 18th century Romantic movement by having the whole world revolve around the subject), you clearly pay attention to character details, and your field of flowers is great.

Miyabi wrote: Another set of net-battling partners who seem like a great choice for being together forever. The background is a fitting place for Sal to do it, because I don’t quite see Miyu being the one to speak up and propose. That might be more of a frightening proposition. LOL Cute, traditional scene.

@iris-sempi:

Jaybird wrote: Iris-sempi's got style. The colors are interesting, the subject is clear, the linework pops out because it's -also- part of the colors, the cartoony elements fit in very nicely, and the presentation as a literature/manga cover is well-done. The technique is some of the best I've seen. That said, I have to ask, if you were going to go through all the trouble of creating such a cool cover, I think it's only fair to point out the title is blocked by the artwork, which defeats the purpose, especially on something's Volume 1.

Miyabi wrote: Just to clarify for everyone, the Japanese characters for this piece say "Let's Get Married" and "Sea Salt Honey." I thought it was a really clever mag cover format, where the characters really pop out against the pink background. With the waves, it really does feel like Splashy leapt out of the ocean to smack some salty sugar on Honey/Vesper Woman. Her vibrating antennae give some nice movement and comedic effect, too. Love it, but felt it just didn’t quite have the proposal feel as strongly as others.

@jb-artist: (*RAFFLE PRIZE WINNER* - Megaman 8 cel)

Jaybird wrote: JB's picture is very cute, and we don't have much actual oekaki here, so props. While you deserve even more props for how direct you are to get to the point, it's difficult to judge how we're supposed to interpret this -- is Alouette precociously misunderstanding the nature of a marriage proposal or is it an actual proposal to her older sister figure? The perspective rocks, the colors and lighting are good, and there are lots of little details that portray lots of love for the Zero series.

Miyabi wrote: Zero’s such the silent, brooding type, that he sends Alouette to do the proposal for him. I’m just not sure if that will help or hurt his rank in this stage! XD It is honestly really cute, especially when you see her doodles on the resistance base’s wall. I think that makes the piece more than anything, and was a clever callback to the game. I like how you set up the scene with the background, and those are some really nice mountains back there, too.

@lightlabs:

Jaybird wrote: Now this is pretty. Great composition to direct us through the piece (-nice touch- on giving the ring some bling) and rocking use of paint swatches for style. The art does a great job of directing us into the center, and the warm colors in the center do a lot to convey mood. Zero, you smug jerk, stop showing the rest of us poor schlubs up.

Miyabi wrote: Yes, this is happening. There is a reason for me to go on. What...what am I using this line foooorr? The warm colors and sparkles give it a unique glow, for what seems to be a night scene. The brush strokes give it a neat paint brush look, for your coloring, too. Nice work conveying their emotions with their expressions as well.

@pandapanic0:

Jaybird wrote: In terms of actual skill, the coloring is good and clear, the piece is composed well, the lighting effects are fairly elegant. If it were the actual humor category, the Ring Man's appropriately outlandish bid and Mega Man's exceptionally feminine reaction would gain the piece lots of laugh-out-loud points.

Miyabi wrote: Thank you for taking the title of this category literally and going for the humorous visual of a giant ring Ring Boomerang! Even if he says no, once he tries to get rid of that ring, it’ll just come right back. XD Rock’s blushing expression is cute. Nice crisp coloring and bold lines.

@shikai-the-storyteller: (*RAFFLE PRIZE WINNER* - Archie Worlds Unite Page)

Jaybird wrote: On a panel-by-panel basis, the art is very good: crisp lines; good color and lighting; good technique with hands and faces; great use of background and expression to convey mood -- you got more mileage out of your backgrounds than probably anyone else here.

Miyabi wrote: Another nice job of mixing humor into your piece, while still keeping it a tender, sweet moment. Nice way of showing that things don’t always go as planned for a proposal, but sometimes it’s the thought and effort that counts. As always, your lines, colors and penmanship are smooth and flawless.

Superbasket5:

Jaybird wrote: Aww. If I've got this right, it looks like X is so nervous about giving Alia a valentine that he doesn't realize Berkana is giving Alia encouragement as well. I think. I have to wonder what Marty is doing here -- research tells me she has a crush on X, which seems like it would get in the way, and if that's the case, this impending trainwreck will be something worth watching. That said, the piece is still in its rough stages, especially your setting and perspective; I can't really tell where the characters are (outside at a park?), and Alia's hip is in front of X's arm.

Miyabi wrote: Alia has her support group, but I don’t know if she’s going to be able to pop the question to X with a crowd around her, either. XD Cute expressions, showing her nerves, while X is probably not quite expecting what’s hiding behind her back. I kinda wish we would get that visual of what she’s hiding as a cutaway, much like how you gave X a thought bubble for what’s going on in his head.

@yugiohlesbian:

Jaybird wrote: Good job! I'd like to compliment you on how versatile your figures are and how you use that to make them very expressive; your use of perspective and individual panel compositions are both very versatile. While there isn't any color, the nighttime scenes do a good job with the lighting. Your style is pleasantly simple, but sometimes the panels seem to be oversimplified; more developed backgrounds would be welcome in several places.

Miyabi wrote: Totally different subject, but Zero, none of us understand taxes, either. I like how you illustrated the struggle of a reploid trying to understand human logic and traditions, and yet in the end, it still being something Zero didn’t truly need to grasp in that logical sense. While I know you wish you would have had more time to continue perfecting these panels, I agree that the night scenes stand out and give a good contrast between Zero’s computer research scenes.

Thanks once again to all who participated! I will be contacting the winners soon enough. Work will probably keep me from replying to everyone immediately, but if you don’t hear from me today, I will send a message about prizes hopefully within the next day.

For those awaiting the secret contest results...sorry, for another slight delay. Between finishing my promo art for this thread, and typing this, it took up too much time and I’ve gotta head to work. I will have those posted overnight, into Sunday morning, as it won’t be quite as intensive to write up. My apologies, but I hope you can all hang on for another 20 hours or less. ^^;

#Rockman #Megaman #Mega Man #Rock Miyabi's 2018 Megaman Valentine's Day Contest #Too many tags to list

65 notes · View notes

cover2covermom · 5 years

Text

Hello bookworms!

Today I thought I would share a batch of mini book reviews of the audiobooks I’ve been reading with my children over the past few months. Listening to audiobooks together with my children has been a delight! BUT more on that in a later post 🙂

*Books included in this batch of mini book reviews: Frog and Toad (Frog and Toad #1 – 4) by Arnold Lobel, Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh #1) by A.A. Milne, Matilda by Roald Dahl, My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett, and Amelia Bedelia (Audio Collection) by Peggy Parish

#gallery-0-4 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 20%; } #gallery-0-4 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-4 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

» Frog and Toad (Frog and Toad #1 – 4) by Arnold Lobel

Recommend to: younger children aged 4-7 years old; fans of animal stories

Themes: friendship

This collection of Frog and Toad stories was the perfect little book to dip our toes into listening to audiobooks together as a family. Since my youngest is 5, I wanted to start with an audiobook that was short & very easy to follow. I wanted to gauge how well she was able to listen to an audiobook & follow along with the story.

This book is the perfect audiobook to listen to with younger children! If you are thinking about crossing the bridge from picture books to short chapter books with your child, this is a great place to start. I had my doubts about my 5 year-old’s ability to listen to an audiobook, but she kept up just fine. I made sure to stop frequently to check her comprehension.

Frog and Toad is a feel-good book that the whole family can enjoy. The stories are simple enough for younger children to understand, but still entertaining for every age. We really enjoyed the dry humor of Frog and Toad, and found ourselves laughing at Frog & Toads antics. It was a delight to read and amused us all, even the 12-year-old.

» Winnie-the-Pooh (Winnie-the-Pooh #1) by A.A. Milne

Recommended to: children aged 7-9 years old; fans of classic children stories

Themes: friendship & silliness

This one was not as big of a hit as our first read together book. I think this has to do with it being published in the 1920s & the writing style. The dialogue could be very long-winded at times, which caused both my kids to lose interest.

This book was a bit more challenging for my 5-year-old to follow because of the narrative structure. The portions with Pooh & friends in the Hundred Acre Wood that are of told in 3rd person were easier for her to understand, but the portions where the narrator is telling the story to Christopher Robin were confusing for her.

Let’s talk about the audiobook format. I really think audiobook, or at least the version we listened to narrated by Peter Dennis, is NOT the way to go with this book. For one, the music in between chapters was WAY too long. I’m all for a little music to break up chapters & enhance the story, but it did not work here. I also found Dennis’ narration a a bit overdone at times. The way Dennis snorts after every word Piglet says was WAY too much. We found it very disruptive to the story, and frankly it was annoying. I’m wondering if I would have acquired the physical copy with illustrations and read the book aloud myself if we would have enjoyed this book more.

Since I fondly remember watching the Disney adaptation as a kid, I can say that it was very true to the story. Aside from the story where Rabbit comes up with the idea to kidnap Rue (I can see why that one didn’t make the adaptation lol) I recognized most of the stories.

Overall, this was a nostalgic read for me, but not a big hit with my kids.

» Matilda by Roald Dahl

Recommended to: children aged 7 – 11 years old; book lovers; underdog story lovers

Themes: justice, importance of education, loyalty, cleverness, and unconventional family

This was my first time reading Matilda, and I was so glad I got to experience it with my kids. I was familiar with the story since I’ve seen the wonderful film adaptation that came out in the 90s, so there was definitely some nostalgia feels. We listened to the audiobook, which is narrated by Kate Winslet, and we highly recommend it! Kate does a wonderful narration, which wasn’t surprising at all.

I feel like one of the best parts about Matilda, is that at its core it is an “underdog story.” From the very beginning, Matilda is basically on her own since her parents are not interested in caring for her. Matilda learns to care for herself and even teaches herself to read. Once she starts school, she must go up against her principal, the formidable Ms. Trunchbull. Since Matilda is just a small child, she must use her intelligence to out-wit Ms. Trunchbull.

How could I write a review for Matilda and not mention Miss Honey? Miss Honey is such a lovely character. She is basically the perfect elementary school teacher: she’s kindhearted, warm, and cares deeply about her students. Miss Honey is the first adult that takes notice of Matilda and her special abilities. The friendship that develops between Matilda and Miss Honey is charming.

Matilda is what I like to call a “bookworm’s delight.” Matilda discovers a magical place: the library. She sets off devouring one book after another until she’s made her way through all the children’s book and moves on to adult books. I adored Matilda’s thirst for books & knowledge. Books become Matilda’s escape from her dreadful family life. Dahl perfectly captures the essence of what it means to love books.

The books transported her into new worlds and introduced her to amazing people who lived exciting lives. She went on olden-day sailing ships with Joseph Conrad. She went to Africa with Ernest Hemingway and to India with Rudyard Kipling. She traveled all over the world while sitting in her little room in an English village.

Matilda is one of those books where child and adult readers of this book will have very different take-aways. My kids thought it was awesome that Matilda was so independent & even able to walk to the library alone as a 5-year-old child. They also liked the idea of Matilda getting even with the adults in her life that had done her wrong – her father & Ms. Trunchbull. As an adult, my heart broke for Matilda and the neglect she suffers from her parents and principal.

The ending to this book is heartwarming and will give you all the feels.

Matlida was a bit over my 5-year-old’s listening level. I think one thing that hindered her in particular was the fact that Roald Dahl was a British author, thus she was unfamiliar with the slang. To offset this, I paused the audiobook often to help go over what was happening in the story. After we finished listening to the book, I rented the film adaptation from the library and we enjoyed watching the movie together as well 🙂

» My Father’s Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Recommended to: younger children aged 4-7 years old; fans of animal stories; fans of the picture book The Gruffalo

Themes: courage, cleverness, and adventure

This book was listed in The Read-Aloud Handbook as a good book to read-aloud with younger children, so I gave it a go via audiobook with my 5-year-old.

If you have a 5 or 6-year-old that is ready to cross over from picture books to short/simple chapter books, this is an excellent book to start with. Like I mentioned, we read this via audiobook, however after reading some of the reviews, print form may be the way to go with this one as many of the reviews mentioned the lovely illustrations.

My Father’s Dragon is the story of a boy named Elmer who travels to Wild Island to save a baby dragon that has been enslaved by the animals that inhibit the island. In order to save the baby dragon, Elmer must go up against the animals that are keeping the dragon captive. With each animal that Elmer encounters, he must use his quick wit, and a little ingenuity, to distract the animals in order to continue on with his quest.

If your children enjoy picture books like The Gruffalo, where the main character gets themselves out of trouble by using their cleverness to trick others, then they will really enjoy this book. My daughter highly enjoyed this one, even without the illustrations, and asked to read the other books in the series.

» Amelia Bedelia (Audio Collection) by Peggy Parish

Recommended to: children aged 6 – 9 years old; fans of off-the-wall characters like Anne from Anne of Green Gables or Pippi from Pippi Longstocking

Themes: language/communication, forgiveness, and humor

I listened to this audiobook collection with my 5-year-old daughter. We really enjoyed listening to this collection of stories about Amelia Bedelia.

Amelia Bedelia is the story of a young girl that starts working as a maid for Mr. & Mrs. Rogers. Amelia takes speech very literally, which causes all kinds of problems for the Rogers, for example when Mrs. Rogers asks Amelia to “run an iron over the tablecloth” Amelia takes the iron and walks all over the tablecloth. They quickly get over any of Amelia’s blunders however because as it turns out, she is an excellent baker.

Amelia is such an endearing character that you can’t help but love. Actually, Amelia reminded me a bit of Anne from Anne of Green Gables. mashed up with Pippi from Pippi Longstocking.

Since these stories were first published in the 60’s and 70’s, the language was a bit dated, which made it a bit more challenging for my daughter to totally understand all of Amelia’s misunderstandings, but it was a great opportunity to talk to her about words & phrases with multiple meanings.

Have you read any of these books? If so, what did you think?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

Mini Book Reviews: Audiobooks I Read With My Kids (April - June 2019) #BookReview #ChildrensBooks #Reading #Books #BookBlog #BookBlogger Hello bookworms! Today I thought I would share a batch of mini book reviews of the audiobooks I've been reading with my children over the past few months.

#Am Reading #Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Review #Book Talk #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Children&039;s Books #Middle Grade #Reading #Review

0 notes

wonderlandmoonrose7 · 7 years

Text

Loquere Feram: Part 2

Hey, Moonrose here. This is a continuation of the “Experiment” I posted about a week ago. (Here is a link, if you want to read it: https://wonderlandmoonrose7.tumblr.com/post/159836582824/an-experiment?utm_campaign=SharedPost&utm_medium=Email&utm_source=TumblriOS I would suggest it.) The first installment got a relatively positive review, so I have decided to continue the story. Also, as you can see, I finally chose a name (It’s just ‘wild speak’ in Latin.) and it has much better grammar.

Fandom: Harry Potter

Word Count: 1810

Pairing: Draco x OC, platonic (for now)

Warnings: Bullying?

Story: I searched for a seat on the Hogwarts Express, carrying a messenger bag with a couple books and a sleeping Starflight inside. I’d told Aunt Willow all about my gift, and she thought it was marvelous as well. I still haven’t told my parents-they’d hate me. The Hogwarts Express was crammed.

Suddenly, I came to a nearly empty compartment. There was a tall, gangly, ginger boy with a large smudge of dirt on his nose and a short, skinny, black-haired boy with glasses.

“Hey, can I sit here?” I asked. Both boys looked at me.

“Of course,” Glasses smiled. He gestured to the seat beside him. I took it and awkwardly opened The Wizard of Oz. This would be my third time reading it. It was so good!

“Are you really Harry Potter?” Dirt Smudge blurted out.

My head snapped up. Harry Potter? Every wizarding child knew him, and I was no exception. There were rumors he was coming to Hogwarts this year.

Glasses, or I guess Harry, nodded.

“Have you really got the, you know, the-” Dirt Smudge pointed at Harry’s forehead.

Harry pulled back his long bangs back to reveal a lightning scar.

“Does it hurt?” I asked.

“Not really,” Harry answered.

“Can you remember anything?”

“No-just a lot of green light. By the way, what’s your name?”

“Oh, it’s Temperance. Temperance Sylvestre,” I answered and shook Harry’s hand. “I know you’re Harry Potter, and you are-?”

I glanced pointedly at Dirt Smudge who shook my hand as well and said, “Ron Weasley.”

As the train ride progressed, I mainly just listened to Harry and Ron’s conversation. Harry bought some sweets for us, and I chipped in a bit, not wanting him to pay for sweets I would be eating. Occasionally, I would answer a question one of them asked me.

While the countryside was zooming by outside, a round-faced boy knocked on the compartment door. “I’m sorry,” he muttered tearfully, “but has anyone seen a toad?”

We all shook our heads, and the boy wailed, “I’ve lost him! He keeps getting away from me!” It was just a toad...I’d be relieved if I lost my toad. Then I could get a decent pet.

“He’ll turn up,” Harry said encouragingly.

“Yes, well…” the boy said miserably. “If you see him…” The boy left.

“Don’t know what he’s so worked up about,” I commented as I chewed a licorice wand. “If I brought a toad, I’d lose it as fast as I could.” Toads are terrible for conversation.

Ron shrugged, “I brought Scabbers, so I can’t talk.” He gestured at an old, gray rat in his lap. "He might have died and you wouldn't know the difference," said Ron in disgust. "I tried to turn him yellow yesterday to make him more interesting, but the spell didn't work. I'll show you, look..."

He rummaged around in his trunk and pulled out a battered old wand with something white sticking out of the end. "Unicorn hair's nearly poking out. Anyway-”

The compartment door slid open again, and it was Toadless, along with a girl with bushy hair and large front teeth. She was already in her Hogwarts uniform, like me. “Has anyone seen a toad?” Bushy Hair demanded in a bossy voice. “Neville’s lost one.”

“We already told him we haven’t seen it,” I told her, but her attention was on Ron, whose wand was still in the air.

"Oh, are you doing magic? Let's see it, then."

She sat down. Ron looked taken aback. "Er-all right."

He cleared his throat. "Sunshine, daisies, butter mellow, Turn this stupid, fat rat yellow."

Nothing happened. Scabbers didn’t even twitch.

"Are you sure that's a real spell?" asked Bushy Hair. "Well, it's not very good, is it? I've tried a few simple spells just for practice and it's all worked for me. Nobody in my family's magic at all, it was ever such a surprise when I got my letter, but I was ever so pleased, of course, I mean, it's the very best school of witchcraft there is, I've heard-I've learned all our course books by heart, of course, I just hope it will be enough-I'm Hermione Granger, by the way, who are you?” I could hardly follow her, she was talking so fast.

“I’m Ron Weasley,” Ron muttered.

“Harry Potter,” Harry added.

"Are you really?" said Hermione. "I know all about you, of course-I got a few extra books. for background reading, and you're in Modern Magical History and The Rise and Fall of the Dark Arts and Great Wizarding Events of the Twentieth Century.”

“Am I?” Harry asked, stunned.

"Goodness, didn't you know, I'd have found out everything I could if it was me," said Hermione. “And what’s your name?” She turned to me.

I stared her cooly, straight in the eye and answered, “Temperance Regina Sylvestre.”

“Temperance?” Hermione raised an eyebrow. “That was an anti-alcoholic movement in America, wasn’t it?”

I rolled my eyes. “Jeez, no one can just accept my name. I didn’t choose it-my parents did.”

“And Sylvestre,” Hermione continued as if I hadn’t said a thing. “That’s a very old wizarding family, right?”

“Yes,” I answered impatiently.

“Well, anyway, we'd better go and look for Neville's toad. You two had better change, you know, I expect we'll be there soon." Hermione and Neville left, and I had to hold in a sigh of relief. Talk about a know-it-all!

Harry and Ron started talking about Ron’s seemingly infinite amount of siblings, and I reopened The Wizard of Oz.

For the third time in thirty minutes, our compartment door opened. This time, I was surprised to see Draco and two incredibly muscled and stupid boys. However, I was kind of in the corner, so he didn’t seem to notice me. Instead, his attention was on Harry.

"Is it true?" he said. "They're saying all down the train that Harry Potter's in this compartment. So it's you, is it?"

“Yeah,” Harry answered. He was eyeing the two thickset boys.

"Oh, this is Crabbe and this is Goyle," Draco said carelessly, noticing where Harry was looking. "And my name's Malfoy, Draco Malfoy."

Ron gave a slight cough, which might have been hiding a snigger. Draco looked at him, and I gave him a reprimanding glare.

"Think my name's funny, do you? No need to ask who you are. My father told me all the Weasleys have red hair, freckles, and more children than they can afford."

“That’s taking it a bit too far, isn’t it?” I asked casually, closing my book. Draco spun to see me, then smirked.

“Well, if it isn’t Tempe,” Draco grinned. He faced both Harry and me. "You'll soon find out some wizarding families are much better than others, Potter, Tempe. You don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there.” He stuck out a hand and I raised an eyebrow.

"I think I can tell who the wrong sort are for myself, thanks," Harry said coolly.“Ho

nestly, Draco,” I snorted, “that is not the best way to start out. Insulting someone’s friend...not the best way to get someone to like you.”

Draco Malfoy didn't go red, but a pink tinge appeared in his pale cheeks.

"I'd be careful if I were you, Potter," he said slowly. "Unless you're a bit politer you'll go the same way as your parents. They didn't know what was good for them, either. You hang around with riffraff like the Weasleys and that Hagrid, and it'll rub off on you."

Both Harry and Ron stood up.

"Say that again," Ron said, his face as red as his hair.

"Oh, you're going to fight us, are you?" Malfoy sneered.

"Unless you get out now," said Harry.

I rolled my eyes. Boys. I could’ve supported Harry and Ron or Draco, but I knew nothing serious would happen. Plus, I could simply get Draco back later. He had no right to say that about someone’s family, and I was going to tear him a new one. There a lot of better ways of settling a score than a fight.

"But we don't feet like leaving, do we, boys? We've eaten all our food and you still seem to have some."

Goyle reached toward the Chocolate Frogs next to Ron - Ron leapt forward, but before he'd so much as touched Goyle, Goyle let out a horrible yell. Scabbers the rat was hanging off his finger, sharp little teeth sunk deep into Goyle's knuckle - Crabbe and Malfoy backed away as Goyle swung Scabbers round and round, howling, and when Scabbers finally flew off and hit the window, all three of them disappeared at once. I rolled my eyes again, and stuffed my book into my bag. “See you later,” I said to Harry and Ron who were checking on Scabbers.

“Are you going after that jerk?” Ron asked incredulously. “After what he said?”

“That’s why I’m going,” I answered. “He needs someone to actually do something to him. You two know you couldn’t’ve taken him and his cronies on. I can do whatever I please.”

“Really?” Harry asked, surprised. “How?”

I smirked and patted my bag. “I have backup.” I ran out of the compartment after Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle.

He was still in the corridor. “Draco Malfoy!” I yelled angrily.

Draco spun around, and smiled at me, though it was more of a smirk. “Hey, Temperance. You made the right choice.”

“Goddammit, Draco Malfoy,” I scolded him. “You are such a jerk. What is it with you rich purebloods and blood status? Seriously? Judging someone because they like Muggles? That's a dick move.”

“Lighten up, Tempe,” Draco grinned.

“You need to learn when you go too far,” I hissed. “Starflight.”

Starflight slithered out of my bag onto my shoulder. Can I bite him?

Draco’s eyes widened slightly with fear. “Tempe, there is no reason to whip out the snake. He looks like he wants to eat me.”

“That's cause he does,” I shrugged.

“Look, I'm sorry,” Draco apologized. “I just...don't have the greatest opinion of the Weasleys. They’re a disgrace.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Is that what you call an apology?”

Draco rolled his eyes and gave a long suffering sigh. “Fine. I’m sorry that I made fun of Weasley and Potter.”

“Right,” I nodded curtly. “Starflight, you can go back in.”

Are you kidding me? That bag is cramped. I'm staying out here.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. “Fine.” I then noticed that Draco and his cronies were giving me odd looks. “I like to talk to my pets,” I explained hastily. I liked Draco, but not enough to tell him my secret.

A voice echoed through the train. "We will be reaching Hogwarts in five minutes' time. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately."

“Starflight,” I hissed under my breath. “You have to get back in the bag.”

Starflight grumbled a long string of cuss words, but complied.

“See you later, Draco,” I muttered and headed back into Harry and Ron’s compartment.

#harry potter #draco x oc #the hogwarts express #fanfiction #ron weasley #temperance sylvestre #draco malfoy

2 notes · View notes