From best to worst how good are the RO’s at driving

Merlin: *still at the top of the list, yes indeedy they've "acquired" that knowledge... somewhere or other*

Broderick: *escaping into the sunset*

Adrian & Lorelei: *drives like a normal person*

Gwen: *drives like a normal person who... doesn't drive very much*

Percy & 4̸0̴4̵ ̵E̸r̴r̷o̴r̵ ̶N̴o̷t̴ ̶F̸o̶u̷n̸d̵ *driving like a not-very-normal 'person'*

Cassandra: *not a traffic cop for a very good reason*

Tumblr ate the quality on these a bit but like. My OKS MC ft Adrian.

Help I played @oneknightstand-if's demo for their game and I can't stop thinking about the MC and how much I love them, so I drew my version of them.

Her name is Maika (but she's now going by Meika because names have power and there's noway she's going to tell an incubus her real name so why not just change one letter). She doesn't trust any of her allies, but to be fair one is a incubus and the other is a guy from her polo club she think is stalking her so she thinks she has some good reasons not to trust them, but it's okay because she has her beloved plant Audrey III and her magic 8 ball and surely they will never betray her.

I also didn't realize you can avoid getting possessed but when I think about it, it fits her very well that not be able to keep demons out of her head.

I love my weirdo amnesiac changeling who needs to stand out and make sure all eyes are on her, and wishes she could be a fairy princess instead of working in fast food.

One Knight Stand by A. Hazard

============= Links

Play the game (IFComp) See other reviews of the game Follow @oneknightstand-if

============= Synopsis

It's another humdrum day as the weekend winds to its inevitable end. The pandemic has stretched on for a decade now. A new serial killer stalks the streets. A ghost haunts your dreams. And your polo club is waiting. Exactly as expected. Just ignore the sounds in your living room. Just ignore that shadow scuttling across the floor. Just ignore the lies of the 'friend' whose known you for years. He's lying. She's lying. That stranger on the street is lying. And the voices whispering in your mind are definitely lying. Even this blurb is lying. But that's fine… Y̸̷̶̷̸̷̷̷̥͑̅̌̔̉ͯo̼̩̖̓ͪ̽͢ǔ̢͢͏̫͕͋'͎̬́͐ͥ᷇͢r̉͏͍̾᷉̓̓e͓͕ͦ̿᷅͆͠ l̜̻̈̅̃͢͞y̡̬͙̪̦̦ͧi̘᷅̓͒̐̍͑n̰͈᷅ͯͥͨ͜g̯᷾̒̑᷄̕͟ t̶̙͍̏͊᷈͠o̙̟ͦ̏̄ͭ͂ő̶͎̘̝̂

============= Other Info

One Knight Stand is a ChoiceScript game, submitted to the 2023 Edition of the IFComp.

Status: Completed Genre: Dark Urban Fantasy

CW: Violence, Language, Mature Themes, Body Horror, Mind Control -/ sound effect, animated elements.

============= Playthrough

Played: 3-Oct-2023 Playtime: around 1h30 (one playthrough) Rating: - [IFComp vote] Thoughts: Will probably be a ChoiceofGame darling

============= Review

Sitting at over 400k total words, One Knight Stand is quite a sizeable game, with extensive branching. It also is a demo (prologue + 1st chapter), meant to be part of a longer series. Characterised as a mashup between Among Us and Arthurian lore, the story will twist and turn at every corner. I found one Dead End.

Spoilers ahead. It is recommended to play the game first. The review is based on my understanding/reading of the story.

The game is very much anchored in the ChoiceofGame style of interactive fiction, with its extensive, almost overwhelming, character creation, lengthy playthroughs, and variation galore. Replay value seems to be an important part of this entry, due to the many many choices available (some are even locked depending on previous choices).

While the amount of available content is impressive (400k for a single chapter is massive), the pace of the story is at times painfully slow. In part due to the extensive nature of the character creation. From requiring you to confirm every single character-building choice, to going into details about some trivial options (like the shade of your favourite colour has a dozen of option per hue), it often felt unnecessary and tiresome (be prepared for choice-fatigue here...).

The entry starts pretty intriguing, with a spooky nightmare set in an Arthurian setting, with a bone-chilling feeling that continues to follow you throughout the rest of the chapter (with creepy voices and creepy feelings)*. To balance it out, the prose strive to add humour when it can, from mentions of or punny winks about mainstream media (Knights of Our Lives, lol), to taking an almost sarcastic or parody approach to some situations**. The balance was not quite there, however, making me question whether the story was supposed to be primarily comedy or horror. *I had a bit checked-out by the time the horror started to pick up. ** It's kinda funny a fast-food server can be part of a Polo club...

While I was not particularly fan of the pronoun switch between the main text (you) and the choice list (I), as it sometimes broke the flow of reading, the formatting of the more horror-y beats (especially the ones with creepy sounds or anxious feelings) helped keeping things fresh. Another thing I hope will be used further into the game was the phone element, specifically the texting side-"game". The options of sending back messages were pretty funny (yay for creepypasta).

For a ChoiceofGame style game, it has a pretty solid base and I suspect it could become quite popular with CoG fans. But I don't think it's my kind of game (I was almost relieved when I reached the end, even if it wasn't a "good" one).

I'm calling it now: you are the long lost child of the Phone Company CEO.

Alas I don't have the self drawn art skills to do my MCs, but I do love a good picrew! So here's my 3 main One Knight Stand MCs!

The best girl Elaine Anderson, "Elin" for fencing, "Ellie" for polo, and probably "Eli" for the book club once it's out. A wildlife biologist and local Arthuriana enthusiast who lost her family in a tragic car accident and is the designated faery child of the group. The adventure just started but she's already tired... ( picrew maker )

This is Liam Britton, who is my incredibly golden retriever-coded amnesiac EMT. There are so few thoughts in his head, and he is doing his best. ( picrew maker )

Here we have Emrys "Emm" Ward. My toiny fiesty computer programmer who is also mostly non-verbal. If only I could actually have her emotional support cat ear hoodie... ( picrew maker )

Prompt 207

Danny does not come out of the portal. 

In fact, he’s lost. Very lost. He just wants to go home and is getting scared of everything around him because he doesn’t know what’s going on. But! But he’s found an (admittedly also terrifying) castle or keep or whatever they’re called that all the ghosts avoid!

It never exactly enters his mind that they might have been avoiding such a place for a reason. 

In unrelated news, the first thing Fright Knight sees after his sword was (accidentally) knocked free from its prison is not a blob ghost- they’ve done it a few times over the eternities- but a ghostling. A newborn ghostling, who promptly bursts into tears to his genuine horror. What did he do?!

Something that I find really interesting narratively about chapter 7 is that Malleus and Silver are foils to their parents.

Meleanor hated humans from the bottom of her heart. In part 5, she punished Silver, Sebek and MC for just looking at her by forcing them to kneel to the point they couldn’t breathe, she wishes for Malleus to be feared by all humans- not loved by all, loved by only fae and feared by only humans.

She never listened to anybody, not even Lilia who did everything he could to save and protect her.

Malleus now has formed a friendship with MC all on his own, he cared for Silver since he was a baby. He listens to Lilia’s advice and cares about what he thinks, and is always trying to connect with people better

The Knight of Dawn knew what he was doing to Meleanor and Briar Valley was wrong, he had enough sense to warn Lilia about what the Silver Owls were planning to do with the egg and give him room to escape, but he did not stand up for what was right.

The Knight couldn’t bear to go against the family that took him in, so he committed something awful simply because he was told to.

Silver, despite his fierce loyalty to Lilia and Malleus, stands up for what he knows is right even if it means going against their wishes.

Silver would never harm Malleus ever and actively works towards unity between fae and humans.

Their parents were enemies, but their sons are brothers. I love that.

LOVE the visual similarities between these two panels

Credit to @linkeduniverse

Kaeya had always been an efficient and hard-working individual (he had to be to support Diluc in the background as his brother rose thru the ranks after all).

He has so much free time because he completes all his work way ahead of schedule. And if he still has enough time, he adds more to the workload in secret.

And once all of that was done and over with, he makes time for everyone. He has to. He feels as if every moment has to be given to someone else.

No one knows how he does it. No one has to know.

Every mission has a dozen strategies in line, and every battle plan is made with efficiency in mind. His perfect record will not be tarnished. He can't risk it (even if it baffles others that he would willingly activate a ruin guard just to prevent a failed mission. Jean disagrees with his methods, but Kaeya can say that the results say otherwise)

He needs to be quick.

Efficient.

Perfect.

And so he comes and goes like the wind.

Kaeya values time because he knew every second counted. He can't just stand there as if he were frozen. Time could run out in an instant.

Kaeya had only been late once his entire life.

He'd rather he never be late ever again.

It took one day of being of being imperfect for everything to fall apart. On that tragic day...had he gotten there on time... then maybe...

.

.

.

" Come on, let's get moving, traveler. We're not frozen in place after all. " Kaeya teasingly says. He stiffles a giggle at the traveler's exhasperated sigh.

"Yeah yeah, we've heard enough of you calling us a slacker. Can't you be a bit more patient?" Paimon whines at him.

Kaeya snorts, but acquiesces, hiding the shaking of his hands at the thought of being idle.

He imagines hearing a clock ticking.

Kaeya knows that that is his own problem. He tries his hardest to relax as he waits for the traveler to finish whatever they're making on the alchemy table because, seriously, it is supposed to be a relaxing day. There's nothing major going on, and his schedule is once again empty as intended. What's the hurry?

Kaeya taps his foot on the ground as he waits. He wishes he could take his own damn advice when he tells others to relax.

i’m realising i have a type with anime blorbos

🌧️ Memories of rainy days ☔

(ID: Kirby series fanart, Childhood Friends AU, of young Dedede, Meta, Para Dee, and Bow Dee having fun and enjoying the spring rain, the grass below their feet covered in puddles and dotted with little white flowers. More detailed descriptions below the cut. END ID.)

When having a friend with a proficiency in umbrella actually comes in handy for once.

Sketch started btw 11/23 and 04/24, render started 04/13/24, finished 04/19/24.

Left: The four huddle together in the rain under Para’s green-plaid parasol, magically expanded to cover all of them and sparkling with little glowing stars. DDD stands in the center wearing an orange-and-red raincoat, looking up in wide-eyed awe. Para sits on his shoulder, easily carrying his oversized parasol and gazing at the rain with smiling, starry eyes. Bow bounces joyfully on DDD's left (our right), dappled in droplets with her arms raised high, laughing as she splashes in a puddle. Meta presses close to DDD’s other side (our left), tugging the hood of his little purple raincoat over his head to protect it from rogue drops, a slightly annoyed expression on his face.

Top right: Para steps forward under his parasol (normal-sized), a hand over his eye as if searching for something, a word bubble over his head showing Bow’s ribbon and a question mark. Behind him, Bow - implausibly submerged right up to her eyes in a shallow puddle - peeks at her friend with a mischievous expression, a though bubble over head head showing a shark’s fin in water.

Bottom right: Meta stands at the edge of a large puddle in the grass, leaning over to peer down into it, a hand on his cheek and a curious expression on his face. His reflection does the same, sporting a color palette of blacks and reds, one brow furrowed in confusion.

I wish at least one of Mickey's older brothers had been a more prominent character for a single (silly) reason.

Imagine Fiona hearing about all the "fucking fantastic" sex the Milkoviches are having with her brothers and later on with her sister (she's still there when it happens,shut up,this is an au) and she just decides to "try them out" for herself once. Idk it's probably a throwaway one-night stand or something,but there's a scene of her stumbling away from the encounter dazed as hell from how good it was lol.

And it's just...the Milkovich and the Gallaghers are really compatible ok?

sucker for big sister sailor dee and baby brother bandana who had a Tragic Sibling Fallout during revenge of meta knight (who later reunited because i can't handle angst)

forever going to be insane that layla really said "yeah i recover stolen egyptian artifacts" and steven said "i work in a museum in the uk" and then they did absolutely fucking nothing with that conflict

last post complaining about genshin's writing for the month Anyway i think blorbofication happening in canon is the best way i could describe a lot of the problems i have with it ex. kaeya's relationship with diluc (or klee) is almost the only focus we get on him now, other than his brief appearance in the sumeru archon quest which was just saying his backstory basically with very little actual reaction or characterization on his part OR dainsleif's (also a problem i have in the albedo homunculus reveal in shadows amidst snowstorms). i haven't done his hangout because i. don't care enough to sit through an hour for each route with the quality of content hoyoverse puts out but looking at the ending options i feel like. they missed the opportunity to expand on things we already had for kaeya in favor of Oh he babysits klee! Oh albedo is here! Spend money to pull albedo!Venti cameo! What do you mean him and amber have a complicated dynamic. What do you mean he's apparently beloved by the elderly of mondstadt and the one who wraps up all the incidents there. What do you mean bennett trusts him as an omniscient big brother according to his official cn character profile. We made him talk to diluc again isn't that enough kaeya for you? and it sucks because kaeya feels like a rubik's cube with an onion's layers and like one of their best character personalities in content where he's actually kaeya and not just diluc's brother who is sad and also pretty! we never see anything about his relationship with jean, who he is the Most Trusted Aide of, or mondstadt at large! because every day we get closer to fanon kaeya being canon kaeya and it's just. You can have canon kaeya and fanon kaeya will follow but if fanon kaeya is at the forefront you're just immediately losing all that depth and it's going nowhere