Blog | I’m a Gamer Girl (how I got started)
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Blog | I’m a Gamer Girl (how I got started)

Michelle1 Comment

I’ve enjoyed playing video games for about as long as I can remember, but I haven’t always considered myself an actual gamer.

The first console I played on was the Super NES by Nintendo that my family owned when I was little and, next to reading and being outdoors, playing Tetris or Donkey Kong was a great way to pass the time. While we were traveling, my Game Boy Pocket saw so much use that the screen came off and it eventually gave up the ghost. I lost so many hours playing Tetris Attack and The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening.

But it wasn’t until I was a teenager and working that I purchased a console of my own; a GameCube, which would quickly become my absolute favorite console.

I had played on the PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360 with my brother and some friends, but they were into First Person Shooter type games and I was used mainly as bait, lol. This initial experience with these two ‘powerhouse’ consoles kept me from playing on them for years afterwards… they just weren’t fun for me.

My GameCube, on the other hand, saw me through many adventures; from Skies of Arcadia and Baten Kaitos: The Lost Ocean to The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Super Monkey Ball.

Continue reading “Blog | I’m a Gamer Girl (how I got started)” →
Writing | The Morning After
original work · writing

Writing | The Morning After

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“I think that it says an awful lot about your character, that you insist on keeping to your morning routine even knowing that the rest of your day is going to be completely off that routine.”

Quill hummed in response, moving from cobra into downward facing dog and breathing deeply as he did so.  He enjoyed the feeling in his muscles as they were stretched and the pull of muscles unfamiliar with the activities of the night before.  Quill absolutely loved performing his sun salutations the morning after getting laid, reveled in the way his body seemed to still be singing even so many hours after it had been overwhelmed with pleasure.

“You are extremely flexible. If I’d remembered that last night, we could have been a lot more creative.”

Quill grinned to himself, chuckling as he stretched and moved into a headstand.

“Well, if you’d been more awake last night, we could have been more creative. Instead, you decided not to sleep on your flight here and were too tired to do anything more than good old vanilla sexing last night.”

Ransom laughed, rolling back up onto the bed as he did so, and gazed up at the ceiling.

“I can’t believe that you can say ‘sexing’ with a completely serious face and while you’re upside down. But, I have to say that your morning after glow is coming in quite well.” He commented, turning his head to gaze appreciatively at his lover.

Quill rolled his eyes, praying for patience in dealing with the silly man, his best friend and lover, before the man had had his morning cup of coffee. Before he had his morning caffeine fix, Ransom tended to revert to his college-aged way of speaking. Quill couldn’t help but find it helplessly endearing.

©2016 S Hostetter

“A warm window view” by Mourner is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

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Identity Crisis Book Tag

Michelle1 Comment

Evelyn Reads shared this awesome quiz on her blog and invited anyone interested to participate. It looked like a lot of fun (and you know how I like quizzes), so I decided to try it out. 😀

Rules:

  • Take all the quizzes and record your answers.
  • No cheating, your first result is the one that counts. 😉
  • Use this post to give credit to the creator Loretta @TheLaughingListener or tag her on twitter @Laughnlistener so she can see everyone’s answers!
  • Tag some friends to spread the fun!

Quizzes & Results:

Continue reading “Identity Crisis Book Tag” →
May TBR
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May TBR

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Due to the Covid-19 craziness, I’m not sure if I’ll be able to get my hands on these books from my usual vendors. I try to support local as much as possible, so if they can’t get the nonfiction and inspiration titles I have on my May TBR, then I’ll just have to wait. Totally not sad about that… except for how much I am.

Nonfiction:

Joy at Work by Marie Kondo & Scott Sonenshein

The workplace is a magnet for clutter and mess. Who hasn’t felt drained by wasteful meetings, disorganized papers, endless emails, and unnecessary tasks? These are the modern-day hazards of working, and they can slowly drain the joy from work, limit our chances of career progress, and undermine our well-being.

There is another way.

In Joy at Work, bestselling author and Netflix star Marie Kondo and Rice University business professor Scott Sonenshein offer stories, studies, and strategies to help you eliminate clutter and make space for work that really matters.

Using the world-renowned KonMari Method and cutting-edge research, Joy at Work will help you overcome the challenges of workplace mess and enjoy the productivity, success, and happiness that comes with a tidy desk and mind.

Goodreads | Amazon

Comic book:

Little Nightmares by John Shackleford, et. al.

A nine-year old girl named Six is kidnapped from her home and taken to work in The Maw – a surreal underwater resort that caters to the whims of the powerful elite, and where everything is built to towering and frightening proportions.

The Maw is a grim feeding trough for the swollen, corrupted souls of the world. A place where excess is encouraged and dark secrets kept far out of sight.

When an unexpected twist of fate offers her a chance at freedom, Six takes a journey through the bizarre and unpredictable world of The Maw, and catches a glimpse at the corrupt heart of modern happiness, in a thrilling new story that delightfully connects to the deranged video game.

Goodreads | Amazon

Inspiration:

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

“What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.

“Kind,” said the boy.

Charlie Mackesy offers inspiration and hope in uncertain times in this beautiful book based on his famous quartet of characters. The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse explores their unlikely friendship and the poignant, universal lessons they learn together.

Radiant with Mackesy’s warmth and gentle wit, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse blends hand-written narrative with dozens of drawings, including some of his best-loved illustrations (including “Help,” which has been shared over one million times) and new, never-before-seen material. A modern classic in the vein of The Tao of Pooh, The Alchemist, and The Giving Tree, this charmingly designed keepsake will be treasured for generations to come.

Goodreads | Amazon

blog · challenges

Top Ten Tuesday

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Top Ten Tuesday for April 28: Books I Wish I Had Read As a Child…

I have read a handful of these titles since becoming an adult, but not all of them, and I truly wish I could have read them as a child so that I could re-experience them as an adult. But they are all amazing books in their own unique ways and I would highly suggest each and every one, if you’re looking for something to dive into. 🙂

The Little Prince by Antione de Saint-Exupery

The Thornthwaite Inheritance by Gareth P. Jones

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

The Giver by Lois Lowry

The House with a Clock in Its Walls by John Bellairs

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

review · video game review

Video Game Review | A King's Tale

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After thoroughly enjoying my play through of Final Fantasy XV, when I heard there was a prequel in the PlayStation store I knew I would be playing it as well. And it was free!

Think of A King’s Tale as an old school arcade game and you’ll have a pretty good idea of the game play involved. It was certainly a trip down memory lane for me, as the graphics and combat system continually reminded me of when I was a kid playing games at the local pizza restaurant.

One of my favorite things about A King’s Tale is that you’re basically playing through Noctis’ bedtime stories, as told by his father, King Regis (hence the King’s Tale, lol). There are some throwaway lines that pay homage to Princess Bride and another that brings up a lesser known Astral, Carbuncle, who I think is the cutest thing to ever exist.

For the most part, earning trophies in A King’s Tale was a straightforward task, until I got to the last two I was missing…

To earn Combo King, you have to do all of the combos in one level. This trophy was difficult for me to earn, mainly because I kept forgetting what attacks I had already done and which ones still needed to be completed.

Sweet Dreams is truly an Ultra Rare trophy, with only 1.3% of players having earned it. The most difficult thing for me, as I worked on this trophy, was remembering to count how many enemies I had cast magic on, lol.

I enjoyed the story in A King’s Tale, even when it got a little silly… but you have to remember that this is a bedtime story being told to a child. Wouldn’t want to give Prince Noctis nightmares now, would we?

Anywhos, for a free game, you’ll get loads of enjoyment out of this title, especially if you like arcade or retro gaming.

Stats (for nerds)

Title: A King’s Tale: Final Fantasy XV
Developer: Square Enix
Genre: Action
Platform: PS4
Rating: ★★★★☆
Trophy difficulty: Difficult