For stuff that's only meant to be games, they sure do have lots of fanart.

DISCLAIMER: I DID NOT DO THE FANART DISPLAYED BELOW, NOT EVEN ONE! I FOUND THEM HERE!

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It's a game, for those who don't know. And it's fun, sort of. In some parts, the lack of hints get quite exasperating and I have to look for hints online. Perhaps it being already given would help more?

I don't know why, but the main character, a medium named Rosangela Blackwell (how's that for a regal name?) finally inherits her latent medium powers and the family ghost when her aunt Lauren (who got sent to the loony bin) dies. From what I can see, she's inherited these powers from her father's side, the Blackwells. Her paternal grandmother and aunt had them, and as the last descendant she has received them too. Curiously, only the females of the family seem to receive this 'gift'.

Anyway, it turns out the reason why Aunt Lauren and Grandma went insane is because of their inability to handle RL as well as the spiritual realm. Quite simply, the secret drove them bonkers. And Joey, sarcastic and old-fashioned - and somewhat reminiscent of the Italian Mafia in the US - provides the snark that makes it entertaining. The graphics may not be the best, but the journey is one of the more worthwhile ones. Granted, I've only played The Blackwell Legacy and the third sequel, The Blackwell Convergence, and I have to admit, it's not bad. Even the animation and art gets better. The plot gets better, more importantly, one of the few games that become better! Rosa is sort of Vicki Nelson from Blood Ties meets Melinda Gordon from Ghost Whisperer, but of course, Rosa is more awesome than Melinda Gordon (seriously, the later episodes from the series made me feel as if it were only subpar, and that Melinda Gordan was an annoying whiner). Joey Mallone, mafia and ghost, makes the perfect cynical, snarky sidekick, who you have to love, and the appearance of Nishanthi, Rosa's kindhearted neighbour who we meet in The Blackwell Legacy and The Blackwell Convergence (this is awesome because there is a CONTINUITY, unlike some media which smash the previous and rewrite everything without giving a VALID REASON. Can you tell it's a pet peeve of mine?), helps to move things along, although she doesn't play a major role. She's still important as a character, though!

So, I was so inspired that I decided to make a casting for it! Woo!

The Blackwell Series 

Rosangela Blackwell - Emily Blunt

 

Joey Mallone - Jason Schwartzman

 

Nishanthi Sharma - Nichelle Nichols



I was browsing on the net and I came across a very cute cartoon pic of Rosa and Joey here.

So, my final verdict? ***.5, baby!

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-Âme Créatrice-

Just that... An update.

RL is the same old, same old. 1st term of university has come and gone, holidays gone, conferences attended, everything's going normally. Trying to get my study groove back; games I'm playing haven't been helping. I've been playing quite a few.

I need to be more disciplined, darn it!

My laptop's still a beauty, though.

-Âme Créatrice-

The manga is really sweet. Although the summary does not do it justice, once I started reading it, I was enthralled. The characters are likeable, the plot doesn't slow down even after the Koume and Mikage get together... It's really enjoyable.

I should write a summary, but I'm too lazy. Maybe a teaser?

Nineteen-year old Koume works at the Yayoi Publishing House. She's an outspoken girl, who while trying to get revenge on an ex-boyfriend, finds herself saved from that ex-boyfriends anger by a stranger who suddenly appears. She is complaining of the stranger's impertinence when she meets Kotarou, who seems to always be doing odd jobs.

It's then announced that the head of the Tomonaga group (who owns Yayoi Publishing House) is coming to pay a visit. It turns out that he's the same guy who rescued Koume from her ex-boyfriend. Mikage is so passive and stoic so that he can conceal his emotions because when he doesn't, a tiger appears as the embodiment of the emotions Mikage refuses to show; Mikage is, after all, a tiger-master in his family. As for Kotarou, he is the descendent of a family of tiger-tamers who help control the tigers conjured by the tiger-masters' emotions, though he is unable to tame Kotarou's tiger. It turns out that Koume is a tiger-tamer, in actuality, and that she is a distant cousin of Kotarou's, and as the tiger-tamer, she must learn to control the tigers (and Mikage), as well as deal with her growing feelings for him.

I love it.

-Âme Créatrice-

So, even as university has been keeping me busy, Eid celebrations this year have allowed me to catch up on internet fun. So I've been reading lots and lots of manga and playing lots of games. Games I've played include:

• Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble*****
• BeTrapped*****
• Cate West: The Vanishing Files****
• Cate West II: The Velvet Keys*****
• Jojo's Fashion Show***
• Jojo's Fashion Show II: Las Cruces****+0.5
• Agatha Christie: Death on the Nile****
• Agatha Christie: Peril At End House**
• Annie's Millions*
• Dream Sleuth****
• Dream Chronicles***
• Dream Day Wedding**
• Natalie Brooks - Secret of Treasure House****
• Natalie Brooks - Treasure of the Lost Kingdom***
• My Kingdom for the Princess*

The stars list the games' rankings in my opinion, with *****=best game ever! If you notice, Dangerous High School Girls in Trouble and Betrapped have the best ranking! They are simply The Most Awesome Games Ever (capitalized for emphasis). Even guys might enjoy it! They are closely followed by Jojo's Fashion Show II: Las Cruces simply because I love the dress up mode for it - this is a game targetted for girls only, so I doubt guys would enjoy.

In fact, my five stars are games that guys would also enjoy in my opinion. However, most of my games are those that are targetted for girls. Oh well, I'm a girl anyway.

I'd go more in detail in each review for each game, but I'm too lazy. However, for the first time, I enjoy hidden object games, but only those that have a nice plot, of course. Otherwise... Well, it would get one star for boredom, just like Annie's Millions.

This star system is really pretty convenient, actually - I might just keep it!

-Âme Créatrice-

Othello is the title of one of Shakespeare's most popular works. It is also the title of one of the mangas which I have read yesterday.

I won't bother with my own summary description of the manga, so I'll do the lazy way and copy and paste from the One Manga site summary for Othello here (this is also the place where I was able to read it - insert really happy face here!):( Description behind the cut! )

It's a fun, rollicking good read! The romance is not ridiculously fluffy or overdone; it's sweet! Yaya is a cute heroine who you can't help but root for; not like the other heroines who get a little tiring after a while. Nana is also a tough, rough cookie, and she is just plain awesome! Both these characters are actually the same person, but they both grow throughout the story. So does Moriyama, Yaya's love interest, who Nana tries to date repeatedly, but really likes Yaya and so refuses. Yaya is also enamoured of Shohei Shingyoji, the lead singer of her favourite rock band Juliet (who also happens to be Shohei's younger brother), like a fangirl obsessed crush. However, it is not so hateable as she soon learns to look beyond looks and preconceived notions, and eventually no longer fangirls over Shohei, but falls for Moriyama. Can you tell I hate fangirling?

I guess it's because I like strong, empowered heroines rather than those who start as fangirls. The occasional crush is okay, but totally changing your personality for them a la Ginny Weasley? Er, I think not.

Anyway, Othello is awesome. Read it you must. 

-Âme Créatrice-

So yeah. I have lots of plot bunnies to finish, and many fics (and original stories, but that's a different story) that I already started but never got around to finishing. So, yeah.

( Here be some spoilers for the plot... )

So I'll get to it, shall I?

-Âme Créatrice-

I've always loved reading stories, so it was only natural that my love of reading (which I credit to a vivid and uncontrollable imagination) would also bring about a love of writing. More so, especially since I love to tell stories. The problem with writing? It requires discipline.

I don't harbour any secret desires of becoming an author (medicine is my true calling), but I do want to write down the stories that come into my head and at least do them justice. Why? Why not? Because I can. And I will. Just as soon as I get some help. And stop procrastinating.

Currently I have two stories in my head. Titles are not confirmed, but I like to call them Summer Eternity and Athene of the Tormented. One deals with teenage friendship, the other with a lonely girl's sense of not belonging.

Links that I think are a great help:

• How To Write A Novel (Wiki Article)
• How To Write A Novel In 100 Days Or Less
• How To Create And Publish A Novel As A Teenager (Wiki Article)
• Justine Larbalestier's Guide To Writing A Novel
• Simon Haynes' Advice on Writing A Novel and on Getting Published
• The Snowflake Method

I'm going to try the Snowflake Method. I think that it's a good way to approach book writing. When you write, you are expressing something you have to say - and for you to express what you want to say, you have to know what you're saying.

-Âme Créatrice-

Well, not quite. I had a lot of help actually, especially from The LJ Reboot. It had lots of tutorials about how to make your own layouts for Livejournal. You know, there's actually a whole lot of people out there willing to help for free. Although this isn't as awesome as many that I've seen on the internet, I think that it's pretty OK for a first try. This one was made using S2 Flexible Squares layout.

Screenshot:



It's pretty addicting, trying to get everything in the right place. As an amateur Photoshop user, I tried to make my own graphics and fit them together. It was annoying, though, trying to tweak the CSS here and there to get a decent layout. In the end, I came out with this, which I thought was rather OK for a first try, although when I showed my parents, they didn't really agree with my taste. Oh well. You can't please everyone.

Anyhow, I'm really happy because I've accomplished something, even if it's not that awesome. Of course, I'll leave it around here for a while, just in case someone actually likes it and decides to use it! That would totally make my day, because I worked hard at tweaking it and it's nice that someone likes it enough to use it (even if it's not the best layout I have seen in my life, to be honest).

/* Cleaned CSS: */ body { background-color: #ffffff; background-image: url("http://i523.photobucket.com/albums/w354/fierysue/Layout%20Stuff/HDT-Background.jpg"); background-repeat: no-repeat; background-position: bottom left; background-attachment: fixed; text-align: center; color: #0001f8; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; margin: 20px 0 20px 0; } a, a:link, a:visited { color: #7009bf; text-decoration: none; } a:hover { color: #7009bf; text-decoration: underline; } p, td, blockquote { font-size: 11px; } code, kbd, pre, tt { font-family: monospace; } #content { width: 80%; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; background-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; padding: 15px; } #maincontent { margin-top: 15px; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; margin-left: 180px; text-align: left; } #sidebar { padding-top: 15px; margin-top: 15px; background-color: #ffffff; border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; font-size: 11px; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; color: #0001f8; width: 160px; float: left; text-align: left; } #header { padding: 10px 0px 20px 0px; margin: 0px; text-align: center; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 2px; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; } #footer { text-align: center; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: bold; letter-spacing: 1px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; z-index: 100; clear: both; } /* header -- links to views; title of journal; subtitle of journal */ div#header a, div#header a:link, div#header a:visited, div#footer a, div#footer a:link, div#footer a:visited { color: #7009bf; } div#header a:hover, div#footer a:hover { color: #7009bf; text-decoration: none; } ul.navheader { padding: 0px; margin: 0px; } ul.navheader li { display: inline; padding: 0 3px 0 3px; } .title { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%; top: 10px; } .subtitle{ font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; font-weight: normal; top: 10px; } /* sidebar */ div#sidebar a, div#sidebar a:link, div#sidebar a:visited{ color: #7009bf; } div#sidebar a:hover { color: #7009bf; text-decoration: none; } .defaultuserpic { text-align: center; } .sbarheader { padding: 0px 5px 0px 5px; } .sbarbody { padding: 0px 5px 0px 5px; } .sbarbody2 { padding: 0 15px 0 15px; } #sidebar_summary li.sbaritem { margin: 0 10px; padding: 3px 0; border-bottom: 1px #ffffff solid; } table.calendar { margin-right: auto; margin-left: auto; } .sbarcalendar { border-color: #0001f8; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; text-align: center; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } .sbarcalendarposts { border-color: #0001f8; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } ul.sbarlist { padding-left: 0px; margin-left: 0px; list-style: none; } li.sbaritem, .tagcloud { padding-left: 15px; list-style: none; } li.sbartitle { padding-left: 15px; list-style: none; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; border-color: #ffffff; background-color: #ffffff; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-top: 10px; } /* maincontent */ .subcontent { } .entry { margin: 0px 10px 10px 30px; padding: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: left; border-width: 1px; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; } .entry ul li { padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 15px; } .entry ol li { padding-left: 5px; margin-left: 15px; } .userpic { position: relative; float: right; background-color: #ffffff; padding: 5px; margin: 10px; z-index: 15; border-width: 1px; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; } .userpicfriends { position: relative; float: right; padding: 5px; margin: 10px; text-align: center; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; border-color: #ffffff; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; z-index: 15; } .date { line-height: 200%; top: 5px; color: #0001f8; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } .subject { font-weight: bold; padding: 10px; color: #0001f8; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } .subject a, .subject a:link, .subject a:visited, .subject a:hover { color: #0001f8; /*color: #7009bf;*/ text-decoration: none; } /*.subject a:hover { color: #7009bf; }*/ .datesubject { background-color: #ffffff; padding: 5px; } .currents, .currentmood, .currentmusic { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; } .comments { font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; text-align: right; background-color: #ffffff; padding: 0px 5px 0px 5px; position: relative; top: 15px; } div.comments a, div.comments a:link, div.comments a:visited{ color: #7009bf; } div.comments a:hover { color: #7009bf; text-decoration: none; } /* maincontent -- entry, reply pages */ .datesubjectcomment { background-color: #ffffff; padding: 5px; margin-top: 20px; } .userpiccomment { position: relative; border-width: 5px; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; background-color: #ffffff; top: -30px; left: 0px; padding: 5px; margin: 10px 10px -20px 10px; z-index: 15; float: right; border-width: 1px; border-color: #ffffff; border-style: solid; } .box { border-style: solid; border-width: 1px 0px 0px 0px; border-color: #ffffff; padding: 10px; clear: right; } input, textarea { background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; } textarea.textbox { width: 95% !important; } .reply { position: relative; margin: 20px 30px 10px 30px; padding: 25px 10px 10px 10px; text-align: left; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; font-size: 11px; line-height: 125%; background-color: #ffffff; color: #0001f8; } .replytosubject { font-weight: bold; } .commentreply { position: relative; margin: 10px; font-size: 11px; font-family: "Verdana", sans-serif; color: #0001f8; } .commentbox { border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; } .datesubjectcomment a:link, .datesubjectcomment a:visited { color: #7009bf; } .datesubjectcomment a:hover { color: #7009bf; } .commentboxpartial { border-color: #ffffff; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; padding: 10px; margin: 10px; background-color: #ffffff; } .commentinfo { background-color: #ffffff; margin-top: 10px; width: 100%; } /* maincontent -- year/achive pages */ ul.year { text-align: center; padding-bottom: 40px; } ul.year li { display: inline; } table.yeartable { margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; } table.yeartable td.yeardate, table.yeartable td.yearday { border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; } table.yeartable td.yearday { background-color: #ffffff; text-align: center; } td.yearmonth { border-style: none; } /* footer */ ul.navfooter{ padding: 0px; margin: 0px; } ul.navfooter li { display: inline; margin: 0 5px 0 5px; } .clearfoot { clear: both; } /* misc */ .clear { height: 15px; } .skiplinks { text-align: center; } .headerimage { /* for formatting header image */ } .separator{ /* for formatting separators between entries */ height: 35px; } * html div.subcontent { /* fixes an IE reply page bug */ height: 1%; clear: none; } * html div.box#commentform { /* fixes an IE reply page bug */ position: absolute; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid; border-color: #ffffff; background-color: #ffffff; }

This is love! So that's it! That's the code! Anyway, I'm hosting the graphics on Photobucket, and they're in their right folder, so I don't think the graphics will break any time soon. As of last time I checked, this layout worked fine with Mozilla Firefox and Safari (I don't use Internet Explorer any more). Blue roses are pretty.

-Âme Créatrice-