The Long Dark: Wintermute - Episode 4

 They finally released the fourth episode in The Long Dark - Wintermute. And it's pretty good. I mean, there are some puzzles that are just tedious. Like in the steam tunnels. The valves. Opening and closing them. I honestly can't say I enjoyed that. Or the parts you have to sprint through because you would suffocate otherwise. Really not a fan of those. Mostly because as you near suffocation, your vision gets blurry and you can't even see properly where you're going. Honestly. Those parts are really bad. 

New Keyboard

 

So, I bought a new keyboard today. A gaming keyboard. Because my old one unfortunately died last week. Too bad that. But now I have a new one. A gaming one again. And I'm super happy with it. And it was relatively cheap. Only about 400CZK. And no, I'm not gonna recalculate that into dollars or euros. Tough luck!  If you wanna know, calculate it yourselves. I'm not doing it. The only thing that was better on the old one is you could change the lighting color scheme. Here it has only one color scheme and then you go on and off. Nothing more. But! And this is a big plus for me, the media keys are separated. You don't need to FN them. I love that about this keyboard. 

And while I was on a shopping spree, I also bought myself some pants and a pair of shoes. Funnily enough, while most girls might spend the most time on the pants (or shoes) I spent most of the time on picking the keyboard. I just couldn't decide. I mean, there was one that I liked even better. Visually I mean. But, it was part of a set that also contained a mouse, mousepad and headphones. And I really don't need those. I have a great mouse and I don't use headphones that much so the pair I have is good enough. And I haven't used a mousepad since I was around 14 or 15 years old. And now I'm 29 so almost 15 years. The only time I use a mousepad is at work as we have the desks covered with a plexiglass. And on one side of the table, the mouse sits on top of the plexiglass and it simply doesn't work on it. So we have to use a mousepad on that side. Luckily, the other side is mousepad-free. 

Just some architecture

 

I promised myself I would post something today. This was offering itself. It is a little old, like two months or so, maybe three, but I think it's good. I like it. And I hope you like it too. It is done with colored pencils if I remember correctly. And some black liner to do the outline. Well, sketchy outline. Do you like it? Tell me in the comments.

Written on the 15th of December, 2021

~AnnElfwind

S. R. Green - Forest Kingdom Saga 3: Hawk & Fisher 6: The Bones of Haven

 

So I have finished another book. This one is called The Bones of Haven. It is the sixth book in the Hawk and Fisher series which is a part of the Forest Kingdom saga. And I enjoyed it immensely. And while it may not be as good as Beyond the Blue Moon, all the Hawk and Fisher books are good in their own way. This one takes us on a Haven SWAT team chase through a prison and then on an infiltration operation to deal with a hostage situation that has two kings captive as well as a whole bunch of other people. 

I will not even attempt to type most of the names in this book. I have listened to it in an audiobook format and well… It makes it hard to know the spelling of some of the more complicated names and this book is brimming with those. So no names. Or, almost no names. 

Like I said. It starts with a prison riot that takes Hawk and Fisher on a trip through a high-security prison and mostly that one wing that is in a separate dimension and from there, it devolves into a hostage situation with two kings that wanted to sign a peace treaty. Add in some escaped prisoners and a nasty ritual requiring mass sacrifice… Well, in the end, Hawk and Fisher need to die to reverse it. And for some reason, they are returned to life afterward. But I already knew that they won't die permanently. After all, I have read the fifth book in the Forest Kingdom Saga which still features them. Alive and relatively well. 

So, yeah. Done with Hawk and Fisher for now, but I did enjoy it and I highly recommend it to you. If you like fantasy, there's a high chance you will like this book. And not just this book. But the whole FK saga. Also, if you've read any books from Salvatore, featuring the drow Drizzt, you will definitely like this. So go and give it a try. I'm sure you will enjoy it. 

And if you want it in an audiobook format, I highly recommend the graphic audio version. It's great and I've started to look for more audiobooks like that. I have the Deathstalker saga and I think (hope) that I have that in the graphic audio format. And why is it so great? Well, it's like having a movie you can listen to. There's sound effects and while there are no visuals, you have narration to substitute for it. And then there are the many different people reading the different characters. And they are doing a great job of it! 

And I think that's it for this post. 

I will see you in the next one. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 27th of October, 2021

Hailey Turner - Soulbound V: On the Wings of War

 I'm almost at the end of this book. And I decided to start writing about it while it is still fresh in my memory. I always do better with these posts when I start writing them during reading instead of after I finish the book. 

This book, like all the previous ones, follows special agent Patrick Collins (and his boyfriend Jonno, the god pack werewolf). They are tracking down the Morrigan staff and it leads them to an auction in London. So they drag Lucien in to be the one to bid for the staff as they can't easily get into the auction. Lucien is a vampire. A ruling vampire from New York, Manhattan. 

In London, they encounter the local god pack and find out that one of the leaders is actually a hunter possessed by a demon of a pretty high rank. They dance around each other for a while until it all culminates during the auction and after a big fight, the staff is gone. They track it to Paris and after a bit of searching and a meeting with the Paris god pack, they have to fight their way through a horde of some kind of super zombies and try and defeat the necromancer that seems to have the staff and is a worshiper of some death god from Europe of old. I'm pretty sure the god's name starts with a T, but don't ask me to spell it out, it sounded complicated. I think it was from Slavic folklore specifically. 

Simon R. Green - Forest Kingdom Saga and other series

 Books by S. R. Green are some of the best I've ever read. And that's without them being LGBT-themed. So that means they are exceptional. I can't even pick a favorite out of his books... They are all great! Well, I'm not too keen on the last book in the Forest Kingdom Saga, but hey, it all ends nicely in Beyond the Blue Moon so the sixth one feels like an extra that doesn't even need to be there. 

And the Forest Kingdom Saga is what I'm reading now. I'm now re-reading the fifth book. And it's great. I love it and will forever love it. I also got me the full Deathstalker series as well as some more stuff, but most prominently, the Deathstalker. 

Still, FKS is great and I definitely recommend it. I don't think I have a true favorite, but I did really enjoy Blood and Honor as well as the fifth book (BTBM). And no, I don't feel like writing out the full name too many times, it's long. 

The FKS is essentially a fantasy fairytale turned inside-out and dragged through a horror story. It's also full of humor. I'm not that huge fan of humor, or mostly my sense of humor is just weird, but I do like the funny stuff in Green's books. 

Heroes [2006 - 2010]

I remember watching the first season when it was first airing on TV. I don't know how old I was but I'm sure I was still in grade school. And then I remember giving up on it when Isaac Mendez died. He was my favorite character. Still is. Though now I also really like Sylar (Gabriel). And the funniest one is Hiro Nakamura. He's good too. 

Now, here's the official blurb. I'm done coming up with summaries for stuff that already has them. 

People all over the U.S start to realize they have special abilities, like telekinesis, healing abilities, flying powers, time travel, invisibility, and the ability to absorb others' abilities. One man, known as Sylar, wants to gain all the power of these "heroes" so he can be the most powerful and evolved human of all, and stops at nothing to gruesomely kill these people. In order to protect themselves from him, these people must help one another before Sylar can destroy them all, while they each deal with problems of their own.

[Source]

How to revive a dead (or dying) water-based marker

 

I tested this on a dying one and it worked. 

You will need:

• A syringe or something similar (for precision), but it can be done without.
• the marker in question
• water
• optional: gloves
• optional: pliers

Step one: open the marker and remove the nib (or the part on the opposite side of the nib, but the nib is easier, if messier). Using pliers and gloves can prevent some of the mess.

Step two: fill the syringe with water, the temperature doesn't matter, but I wouldn't go for boiling. 

Step three: put a bit of the water in the marker using the hole left by the removed nib. Put in no more than several drops (5-9 by Heroes of Might and Magic count), if you put in too much water, it will bleed everywhere. And that would be extremely messy!

If you don't have a syringe, just hold the marker under the tap while the water is almost turned off. 

Step four: ram the nib back in and close the marker. Optional, shake the marker.

Step five: test the marker out. It should be back in working order. 

Note: If you have to revive a marker repeatedly, it's time to toss it and buy a new one. I doubt you can revive it indefinitely. 

Additional note: It definitely doesn't work indefinitely. But if you're in a pinch and absolutely need that color and have no way to immediately replace the marker, it will work. But this is a short-term solution and you will have to replace the marker eventually. 

Still, it works in a pinch and that's what counts.

~AnnElfwind

Written on 2nd of November, 2021

Alice Winters - Phoenix's Quest #1: Nixing the End of the World

Official Blurb:

Nixing the End of the World contains a flaming "horse" with antlers who inexplicably appears when needed (or not), an interfering BFF who didn’t really mean to light the trunk on fire, a six-toed cat that looks like he put a claw in a socket, and an incubus who just wants a smoothie without anyone losing their clothes.

I'm done with coming up with summaries when somebody already did that job for me. I think I'd prefer to focus on what I like or dislike about a book than summarising it. However, regardless of if I write the blurb or not, the book was excellent. I couldn't stop listening to it. Yeah, at first I was very surprised and a little disappointed when they sprung a female character on me at the very beginning, but hey, it turned out okay and the cute male lead ended up together with the sassy and classy (or at least he thinks he is) Alistair. Alastair? Don't know. Spelling names correctly is hard when you have only ever heard them and didn't really see their written form. So I'm gonna be partly guessing. 

I really should use crayons more...

 

I honestly don't know what I was doing here. But the end result is not too bad for it being done with just crappy crayons. Well, after sketching it with a pencil first. Hope you don't dislike it too badly.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 2nd of September, 2021

Dan Brown - Lost Symbol

 Yeah, I'm still listening to audiobooks. And recently, I finished Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. It was good. Only, I went into it with the assumption that I gave up on the book in written form before, but now that I went and looked at my bookshelf, I figured out that the one I gave up on in written form was Origin instead. How do I know that? I have books that have been read standing the normal way in my bookcase. And books that I have yet to read/finish, they are with their spines facing up. Like, the bottom is facing out of the bookcase. It is a way for me to keep track of what I need to find in an audiobook format. As well as the fact that I simply have too many books and not enough time to read them in the written form. 

So, that was a little bit of background. Now, back to Lost Symbol. It is a Robert Langdon book and if I'm reading my bookshelf correctly, it is the third Langdon book in the series. This one takes Robert to Washington DC on a hunt for a lost symbol. Something relating to some word or whatever, there's a lot of religious aspects to this, as always. And well, also the Freemasons. That is the main theme of this book. 

So Robert goes on a hunt to catch the killer after being invited to an event by the killer himself pretending to be an assistant to Robert's friend and a freemason Peter Solomon. 

Me and Videogames

 This is just a little something I would like to share with you and hear your own experiences. You see, I play video games a lot! Like, a LOT! Honestly, I may be picky with the specific games, but when I'm hooked on a game, I can play it day-in, day-out. No problem. Even better if I can mod it. 

My current obsession is Mount&Blade. The original one. No Warband in my steam library. No thanks. And you really should hear me when I'm playing. When I'm playing anything, really. I have a tendency to just talk to the game. Just now, I was playing a Ranger's apprentice map for M&B and suddenly, a bunch of farmers were walking to me. And I'm like: "What the fuck?!" And when I was talking to the lords to get some quests, they kept telling me they had nothing for me, so I kept insulting them. Honestly, it didn't help, but it made me feel better about it. 

And during battle, I kept talking to the troops, commenting on their tactics and telling them what they should do, not like it helped, they did what they wanted instead. I could have used commands, I know, but I hate using those. The only command I use, that I have hotkey-ed to G, is for them to charge. Because some of the mods make it default for them to hold their position. And I hate that. Fuck holding. They should be charging. Always!

So yeah, hard to describe, but I do have full conversations with my games when I'm in the zone. Trust me, if you heard me, you would be rolling on the floor laughing. My only saving grace is that even though my mom can hear me, she can't really understand me. Her English is not the best so for now, I'm safe. For now. She's learning it on Duolingo and well, there is progress. Even though it's slow.

Well, there you have it. A proof that I really am a complete lunatic. :D 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 16th of August, 2021

Some Marker Pics

 

A Lan bunny. In Lan blue. :D Why not.

Black Widow [2021]

 Black Widow. Natasha Romanoff. I've been waiting for the movie ever since they announced it last year. And I absolutely loved it. Natasha really is one of the very few female characters that I love. There are several that I like/don't hate, but the only other female character that I love that comes to mind right now is Ada Wong. Yeah, I'm weird. 

The movie fits chronologically right after Civil War. However, it can be treated like a standalone. For this specific movie at least, you don't need to know the rest of the Marvel Universe. I mean, it doesn't hurt if you do know, but I think that in this instance, it is not a must-have knowledge. 

We get to glimpse Natasha's past and her journey to literally crash that past. 

Red Room.

That's the main point of this movie. If you don't know what that is, good. Let the movie tell you. If you do know, also good. You can enjoy Tasha blowing it up. Because let's face it. If you know what Red Room is, you are probably a huge Marvel fan and already know most of the storylines anyway and are watching it simply because it is Marvel. 

Either way, the movie is insanely good and I will definitely watch it again. Hell, I'll probably watch a lot more again, not just this one, but most of the Marvel movies. And damn, I really should go and get me my own copy of Loki. But that's for another post.

We get Scarlett Johansson as Natasha, obviously. And I should probably know at least the name William Hurt. He plays Ross. As for anyone else, I don't know the actors, but the actress playing Yelena did a good job. I enjoyed her acting, but my fav character in the movie is, obviously, Natasha. 

Now, this is Marvel. That means a post-credit scene. As far as I know, that's a norm that was only broken in the Avengers Endgame movie. And Black Widow did not disappoint. I don't want to spoil the movie itself if I can help it, but I'd say the post-credit scene is fair game.
It sets the stage for the next villain. Hawkeye as Ronin. We'll see how good it is. Some of the Marvel dramas (and yes, I'm gonna use this term, I blame China and wuxia) are rather subpar. And yes, Wandavision, I'm talking about you.

Have you seen the Black Widow? Or not yet? If you did, share your thoughts in the comments, I'd love to read them. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 11th of July, 2021

It's still not her bed!

 

Let's just say she doesn't know when to stop. The photo is a few months old, like two or something, but hey, she is continuing the trend even now. Honestly, at this point, I have given up and just move her to the leg side of the bed. There, she does the least damage.

Written on the 10th of September, 2021

Word of Honor [2021]

 The Untamed was first, Word of Honor second. Loved it. The basic idea is completely different and yet, I could draw you several parallels. One thing is for certain. While I could name practically all of the characters in The Untamed, I can only name some from the Word of Honor. 

Anyway, Word of Honor. There are two main characters. Zhou Zishu and Wen KeXing (Zhen Yan). And yes, he was born with the name in the brackets but isn't really using it. And well, the plot is a little convoluted, but the main point is this mysterious armory. And almost everyone is trying to get the parts necessary to open it. Only, they also need a key and the key was given by KeXing to Zishu so yeah, nobody knows that. 

Also, KeXing is formerly Zishu's shidi but hey, that's not even... 

Oh, who am I kidding, just go watch it! There are just too many subplots for me to give you a proper concise summary. But, you've probably guessed by now that yes, this is BL. Or whatever passes as BL in China. 

Also, if you get mad after finishing episode 36, don't despair, there's a bonus episode, episode 37. It only has some 11 mins or something like that, but it's important, trust me. You need to watch it as well. 

Though, if you haven't watched a Chinese Wuxia drama yet, I would suggest you start with something that doesn't have as many subplots as this. Or as many names and characters you need to keep track of. Still, it's good and it was over way too soon. Thank god for fanfiction! I honestly don't know what I would do without fanfiction. Especially for this and The Untamed. I need it. I need my daily fanfic fix. :D Yeah, I'm a fanfic addict.

Anywho, go try it and then come back and share your thoughts in the comments, okay? I'll be waiting!

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 11th of August, 2021

And sometimes I paint

 

Just some doodles of flowers done with paints. I love the one in the pot. Looks really cool! What do you think?

Written on the 11th of August, 2021

I did these in pencil

 

Honestly, I have no idea where this came from. But it reminds me of that one Pokemon.

Color Rush [2021]

 Yup, looks like I took a break from Chinese dramas and swapped them for Korean. And Color Rush was a pleasant surprise for me. Before it, I gave a try to You make me dance and well, the story itself was good, but it was also kinda cringe-worthy so I went into Color Rush hoping to find it less so. And I have to say that it definitely didn't disappoint. There were almost no cringe-worthy scenes in this. Like, maybe one or two, which is tolerable. 

The premise is that some people are Mono, meaning they can only see things in gray-scale. The MC of this movie is so. And people who are Mono can only see color when they meet and are with their Probe. A person that basically enables them to see outside the monochrome scale. Only, lots of Monos are kidnapping their Probes and, well, our MC is afraid of doing the same to his Probe. And the whole thing is basically them dealing with that and also falling in love with each other. And yeah, they are both boys. And this is BL. And Korea really did a good job on this one. And they even kiss. Not like the censored stuff China makes. I mean, I love wuxia, but damn, I need some real fluff! Not glorified bromance. And Color Rush delivered. There were lots and lots of fluffy moments and I loved them. 

If you're into BL and haven't seen this one yet, I would suggest you get to it. It's really great, but make sure you have enough time, the whole thing is about two hours long. Which is why I only watched it today instead of yesterday. I wanted to, but I needed to go to bed as I was getting up early for work. And now I need to find some more stuff to watch.

If you saw the movie, tell me what you think, if you haven't, will you consider it? Do you like BL? Would you want China to make proper BL? Instead of the censored stuff like the Untamed (Though I loved it anyway)? 

Share your thoughts in the comments! 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 11th of August, 2021

Anthony Horowitz - Alex Rider: Skeleton Key

 I've read this book before and now I've read it again. Alex Rider, the teen spy is at it again. This time, Blunt sends him to work with the CIA on a mission that takes them to Cuba or thereabouts. What was supposed to be a vacation for him and a cover for two CIA operatives soon turns into a nightmare when the two agents are killed and Alex is kidnapped by a Russian general, Sarov. 

It is now up to the teen to save the world. Again. In an epic trip that spans the world and ends in the freezing city of Murmansk, Alex races against the clock to save the world from being thrown into chaos. 

I've been a fan of the Alex Rider books since I've read them when I was still in school. Back then, I would devour them like there was no tomorrow. Though I did do a stupid thing back then when I started the 8th book and then peeked at the last page. And thinking that it was the last book, I put it down and started reading fanfiction instead. It was several years later that I realized there were more books after the 8th one. 

And now I'm re-reading all of them, in audiobook format. Skeleton key was very easy to listen to and follow the plot. I've always been a fan of Horowitz's writing style and I've read most of his "for teens" books. Only, I'm 28 and it seems like the books are not just for teens. Several years ago I would have classified them as such, but honestly, they are for anybody who liked spy novels. If you enjoy James Bond and are not discouraged by the fact that these books feature a teenage hero, you will like them. I'm sure of it. 

Skeleton Key is the third book in the series of twelve. I would suggest starting from the beginning even though knowledge of the previous books is not strictly necessary. You can enjoy Skeleton Key even without reading the other books. I can't say this for sure as I did read the previous books, but it does seem like all the books provide the necessary information for you not to be lost when previous events are mentioned. 

If you have already read this book, feel free to share your opinions in the comments and if you didn't but decide to, feel free to come back and share later, okay?

~AnnElfwind 

Written on the 9th of July, 2021

More Colored Pencils Pictures

 

Excuse the green nose. Some marker from the previous page bled through. It is a redraw of an old pic. And I think that this one is better.

Rose Garden

 

And no, I'm not talking about the book (or movie) of the same name. Even though I had to read the book some years back for school. It wasn't a bad book but it wasn't exactly my cup of tea. So, this pic. Done in pencil over some sketch that looks like it's green? No, wrong. The green came later. I started with a pencil only. But then came the green and the roses. Hence it's called Rose Garden.

I hate Spongebob

 

Why did I draw Spongebob when I hate him? Rough sketch done in pencil, outline in a variety of brush and fine liners. Spongebob is done with oil pastels, the rest is acrylic paint. I mean, I love how it looks, I just hate the subject. But the random generator decided for me so I had no power over it.

Flower Power

 

This is totally based on a sketchbook idea from a youtube video. The background is a gradient done with some markers. Can't remember if they were alcohol or water-based though. The rest of it is done in pen. And it hated me. It kept dying on me. Even still, I love the final result. 

Black Desert Online

 I have been playing this game for a while now. Even have a seasonal character. But I'm probably not gonna talk about that. It's a little complicated. So, it's a fantasy MMORPG. Honestly, I hardly ever play anything but a fantasy RPG. I could do without the MM aspect of that acronym, but hey, at least this way, there's the market. I do use that quite often. It is a place where players can buy/sell items to/from other players. It's a great thing. 

So, what is BDO. Apart from being a fantasy MMORPG. It's a little confusing at the beginning. Like, you have your basic controls and you can pretty much make do with just that. Treat it as just a basic hack-n-slash. But it's so much more. There's a management aspect to it, production, investing into the cities and areas on the map. That one took a while to figure out. But basically, if you invest into something, for example, a farm, you can order your hired workers to produce stuff you can then sell and use that money to buy that weapon you absolutely need. 

Shortcut [2020]

This movie left me with so many questions. Most of them from the first about 30 minutes of it. We start with a random teen in a yellow jacket being chased by something somewhere in the woods. Random and won't tell you anything until much, much, later. I accepted this as the intro. I was, of course, curious about the identity of the teen, but figured that they would tell me later. No, the important questions start after it cuts to the main cast. 

We get five random teens on a bus with a driver. They are the only passengers. And this is where the questions start. 

Where is the bus coming from? 

Where is the bus going? 

Why are there only the five teens on it?

Colored pencils picture vomit

 

Based on a youtube tutorial by Yong Chen, but after seeing the subject, the real inspiration was a Czech poem for kids.

Scorched Earth Queen

And again, I have a redraw of an old pic. Actually, I decided to redraw a lot more of them. They have (most of them) great ideas, but a lot of the time, the execution just doesn't do the idea justice. So I'm redrawing a whole bunch of them. Enjoy.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 16th of May, 2021

 

Pencil Picture Vomit

 

A sketch of some rocks. This is based on a youtube tutorial I've seen. And then I made it look like they were submerged in water. Not too bad, at least it doesn't seem like that to me.

Grapes would have made more sense...

 

A still life pic based on a youtube tutorial. They did it with paint, I did it with a crappy pen, and then I used crayons. Because I wanted to use crayons. I haven't used them in a while and I wanted to. I think it looks decent. It's not my best work, but it's not terrible. For something that took around 20 minutes.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 16th of May, 2021

On the way home

 

I was walking home from work and on the way, I saw this butterfly sitting on the sidewalk. So I took a picture of it. Since then, I look around and try to find more things to take pics of, but so far, nothing really caught my attention. So for now, just enjoy the butterfly.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 16th of May, 2021

Cordelia Kingsbridge - Seven of Spades [Books 4 & 5]

I have finished it. Like, a month ago. But I had this sitting as an empty post in my drafts for a while. Sorry about that. Now, the books. Great! 

In book 4 we get a serial killer inside a serial killer. Meaning, there's another killer. Not just the Seven of Spades. And it's a kidnapping insurance fraud. Yes, something like that apparently exists. At least inside the universe of this series. Levi's ex is on the list of possible victims and he gets nabbed. Levi and Dominic are arguing and not with each other throughout most of this book. Still, when the ex gets nabbed, Dominic goes and helps Levi rescue him. And figure out who the culprit is. 

All in all, for this book, I loved the murder-mystery aspect of it, but I was ready to brain all of them because of the way they were behaving. And by the end of this book, I still didn't know who the Seven of Spades is. That comes in book 5.

In book five we finally figure out who the Seven of Spades is. I'm not gonna tell you, that would be spoilers. And I'm trying to keep this at least somewhat spoiler-free. Still, let me tell you, I did not even suspect that person! 

Thing is, there's some serious gang war going on. And they want to blow up the city. The only way to stop them is for Levi (now back together with Dominic) and his group to join forces with the Seven of Spades. 

Which gives us a villain redemption arc. And ends with the villain sacrificing themselves to save the city and everyone else. 

I have really enjoyed this series and in time, I plan on looking for more books from Kingsbridge. Her writing style is really easy to digest and like I said in the previous post, I think she knows what she's doing when it comes to murder-mystery.

I know this took a while for me to write and post, but at least I managed to finish some more books in the meantime. I'm not gonna write about all of them, but there's one that I definitely plan to write about. It's called Lacuna and it's fantasy and really great. The writing style flows pretty much in the same easy way as the Seven of Spades books had.

So, go read the series and I'll get back to you soon with something new, okay?

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 21st of May, 2021

Lake

 

First off, I know that the paper is kinda destroyed. I know! I went into this with the knowledge that the paper is not meant to be used for watercolors. And definitely not the way I did it. Way too much water used on this one. But hey, regardless of that, it's not too bad. It's a random scenery. Not much else to say about it.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 25th of April 2021

Trees! In Acrylics!

Acrylics. On mixed media paper. And I'm damn proud of this one. I was watching a Yong Chen video while painting it. The same thing as he was drawing. He did it in soft pastels, I went for acrylics. I liked the subject but wanted to paint. So I did it. I painted it. And I love the result. So tell me what you think okay?

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 16th of May, 2021

 

A Budgie and an Eye

 

A budgie. Done in colored pencils for Sketchdaily on Reddit. I'm pretty proud of this one. Mostly because I went into it with the attitude of screw it - if it blows then it blows. And it didn't. It turned out really good. So yay me!

Drawing a lot more again

 

I've been getting back into drawing. As you might have noticed by to last few posts. Doesn't mean that the book review posts will stop coming. Not at all, audiobooks are great! It simply means that I will also have more art posts. Oh, and I've created an Instagram account. So if anyone wants to check that out, you can. I'll be posting all my new art there (but I'm gonna keep my art tumblr as well). I'm not gonna post things that are older and already finished. There's too many of those and I don't have the patience for that. Alright, I might occasionally post an older piece of art there, but it's not gonna become a rule or anything like that. 

I've been against Instagram for quite a long time, it seemed too confusing for me. But I've decided to give it a try and so far, it's not too bad, even if I've only posted a few things there so far. Not enough new art yet. But I'll keep at it. I promise. 

Also, something else I just want to say. The Seven of Spades books - I'm close to the end of book 4 and I STILL BLOODY DON'T KNOW WHO THE FUCKING KILLER IS!!! Just something to throw out there. But please, don't tell me. I don't want any spoilers about the killer's identity. I want to either figure it out on my own or be surprised when they discover his identity. Okay? Good. 

And I guess that's it for this post. As a bonus, you get a photo of my crappy colored pencils as an illustration for this. :D Enjoy.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 7th of April 2021

A sensitive flower

 

This flower is really sensitive so try not to be mean to her, okay? Done with colored pencils over a lightened pencil sketch. Based on a Reddit sketchdaily prompt.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 7th of April, 2021

Male portrait practice

 

Another pic. This time I was practicing drawing portraits. And, for a change, I didn't get inspired by Yong Chen but by Paul Priestley. And this is done using shadows and not really lines or outlines. I mean, I had to use some lines for the hair, but the face is more shades and smudging than anything. Hope you like it.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 5th of April 2021

A bottle

 

I got inspired by Yong Chen on youtube again. A bottle. Just a sketch but I was mainly focusing on the correct placement of the shading. I don't think it's too bad for a quick sketch. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 5th of April, 2021

Cordelia Kingsbridge - Seven of Spades Book 01 - 03

 

Yep, I'm still listening to audiobooks. And I'm not gonna stop anytime soon. But I had to slow down a little. Mostly because I wasn't alone in the office at work and well, it's not possible to listen to books while I'm there with someone. Bummer. But oh well. I've also started walking home from work instead of using public transport. And I listen to books while doing so. So at least there's that. 

Anyway, I found these books. Murder mysteries. The series has five books in total. I've only now started on book 4, but that's on me. I thought there were only three. Only to be pissed off when I realized that at the end of book 3 I still didn't know who the Seven of Spades is! So. I love murder mysteries. Even though I almost never figure out the killer's identity before the big reveal. Not the point though.

I just love this series. Cordelia Kingsbridge obviously knows what she's doing. 

Oh, I should probably mention that this is BL - Boys Love. The main couple is gay. 

Though, it definitely doesn't take away from the murder mystery. I mean, I could do without the explicit sex scenes (as always, I prefer fluff). But all in all, it's very well written and the guy who narrates it in my audiobook version, he's great! I would tell you his name, but I don't remember it, just that he has a great voice.

Drizzt - Book 2 and 3

 

I've been reading some more Drizzt books. I finished book two and three and started book four. So far, we're still in the territory I know. I've read these books before. But it's been a while and definitely don't remember them all that well. Apart from those, I have finished re-reading. 

So, in book two we see Drizzt after several years of living alone (with Guen) in the caves outside and away from the city of Drow elves. Well, if you can call it living. I've always said there's a difference between living and surviving and this is definitely the latter. 

One day, Drizzt follows a bunch of svirfnebli to their home. There, he meets Belwar, the svirfnebli he met during an expedition when he was still living with the drow elves. The svirfnebli let him stay in their city and he does. For a while anyway. 

Because his family, his drow family decide to use Zaknafein's corpse to make a lean mean killing machine. Staying in the svirfnebli city becomes too dangerous for the svirfnebli and he leaves. Belwar goes with him. They travel even deeper into the tunnels and caves. They come across a new friend. A pech in the body of a hook horror. 

R. A. Salvatore - Forgotten Realms - Homeland

 

Guess what? I got myself all the Legend of Drizzt books in the audiobook version. That's like... Almost forty books. I've read the first few a long time ago in Czech as actual books. Back then, I had no clue about audiobooks and they were not really common yet anyway. But now, I'm watching D&D on youtube and getting back into some other things, and voila. I feel like reading some Drizzt. So I got myself the whole collection and here we go. I usually listen to audiobooks while I'm at work. When I'm alone in the office. 

Drizzt is a dark elf - a drow. And he doesn't fit in. He has an actual functioning moral compass. The only other drow that has similar views and beliefs is his biological father, Zaknafein Do'Urden. Unfortunately, he dies at the end of the first book. Bummer. He's my second most favorite character. So, Drizzt learns how to fight from him, then learns other things from the academy. 

All in all, the whole first book is just showing us how Drizzt doesn't fit in the typical Drow society and how evil they actually are. Their goddess, the spider queen Loth, is pure evil. Honestly, I've always liked these books. Though, as I first read them in Czech, I keep thinking back to what the translation of certain names was and honestly, I mostly can't remember. 

The Long Dark

Unbelievable! I haven't written about this game yet. I simply cannot believe it. I started playing this game when it was still in its beginning stages. Back when there was no story mode. No Wintermute (Story mode name) or challenges. Back then, your only goal was to survive. And back then, there were also no cheats. So you had to do it the hard way. I used to play on the easiest mode. And while I wouldn't probably ever play on Interloper, I do enjoy the mode where wildlife can still seek you out. Voyager, I think it is what I'm playing on. 

The game is still expanding and we're expecting episode 4 of story mode this year. I can't wait for it. I mean, survival is nice, but a story is a story. 

So, how does this work. You spawn in a map of your choice or you go at random, but within the map you pick, you can spawn more or less anywhere. You have some starting gear, that can vary too. But you will definitely start with some food and some clothes as well as, I think, some fire-starting tool. 

Curly hair

 I got inspired by Yong Chen on youtube. Again. I love his videos. They are very informative when it comes to drawing techniques. And they are very easy to follow. He did it in charcoal, I did it in pencil with a little bit of help from a white gel pen. What do you think?

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 13th of February, 2021

Is it snow or stars?

 

Could be both. I don't know. Though the intention was for it to be stars. Whatever, you decide. Done in watercolors. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on 13th of February, 2021

A Little Chick

This little sketch was heavily inspired by one of Yong Chen's videos on Youtube. It's done in pencil and in my smallest sketchbook. And I'm starting to want to add c before h in every word because I've been brushing on my german and it's how you write it there. It's a little annoying that my fingers do that without question even if I'm trying to write in English.
Hope you like it.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 14th of January, 2021

A Tree...

 Just a little something I did for fun in my crappy experimental sketchbook. It's a tree with two volcanoes in the background. Done in water-based markers with a few metallic ones added to the mix.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 10th of January, 2021

Hero's Heart Day 2021 was...

 ...heartbreaking. It was just too cruel. There was this quest. Aspenvale Academy. The style of the quest was more along the lines of a dating sim game, but with DF characters instead. And it had Tomix in it. So when they said to pick someone to focus on and go on a QuestVenture with, of course, I zeroed in on Tomix. So I'm picking all the options that would raise the relationship with him. And then it starts glitching. In a pre-programmed way. So, I start getting curious. And then the first part ends. So I have to wait a week for the second one. And I played that... Yesterday. Yes, it was yesterday. So I read through it till the end. And when they tell me to pick a partner, I pick Tomix. And what do I get instead of anything else? I get a scene of the Hero visiting Tomix's grave. Because Tomix is dead. 

And yet, his soul is still missing. So where the hell is he? I'm still believing the theory that he occupies the body of his brother who lost his soul. At this point, the theory is unlikely, but hey, I'm not giving up on it. I have to believe it. Tomix is the best character out of all of them! 

So yeah, this year's Hero's Heart Day was heartbreaking. At least for me. What they did to Tomix was not cool and I'm still not over it. And I don't plan on getting over it. Not unless they bring him back. I know I wrote a ranting post about his death almost right after I finished the Void ship saga. For the record, I no longer ship Tomix and Warlic in the romantic sense of the word. But I do enjoy fluff between those two. Gimme fluff. I'm probably gonna have to go and re-read the one sole fic that has some serious fluff between Warlic and Tomix that exists. Seriously, DF is such a well of possible fanfiction ideas, and yet... There's not that much unless you count all the stories with a female Hero paired with one of the NPCs. And that is not something I like. 

Really! It's not fair! It's always my favorite character that has to bite the dust! I hate this! What am I doing wrong? Am I picking the wrong favorites? At least The Untamed had a happy ending. Even if they didn't kiss... (In the drama).

Done. I'm done. I just needed to scream a little about this. 

See you later.

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 21st of February, 2021

At The Edge Of A Cliff

 

Done in brush markers. Mainly black, but also gray and white. The lightest areas were shaded over with a pencil. It was darkened after I took a photo of it because the photo looked too light compared to the actual pic. 

~AnnElfwind

Written on the 10th of January, 2021

Two Portraits

 Done in charcoal pencils I bought and needed to test. Not the best picture, but they perform pretty well. And for a quick test pic, it's not too bad.