Creatures of the Night BOOK TAG (Video)

CREATURES OF THE NIGHT BOOK TAG
(All links are Amazon affiliate)

1. Vampire - Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: Child of the Hunt

2. Werewolf - Bad Blood by L. A. Banks3. Zombie - Devil's Wake by Tananarive Due & Steven Barnes4. Ghost - Remember Me by Christopher Pike5. Witch/Warlock/Spellcaster - Diana Tregarde Investigations by Mercedes Lackey6. Fairy/Fae - Kiss of Shadows by Laurell K. Hamilton7. Demon - The Bitten by L. A. Banks8. Angel - Surrender the Dark by L. A. Banks9. Alien - Lilith's Brood by Octavia Butler10. Superpowered human - Lies & Omens by Lyn Benedict11. Robots - Christina Aguilera: A Star is Born by Pier Dominguez

ASMR Whisper Reading: Naked in Death by J. D. Robb

For those unfamiliar with the term, I'm going to cheat and add Wikipedia's definition of what ASMR means...

Autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is a neologism for a perceptual phenomenon characterized as a distinct, pleasurable tingling sensation in the head, scalp,back, or peripheral regions of the body in response to visual, auditory, tactile, olfactory, or cognitive stimuli. The nature and classification of the ASMR phenomenon is controversial, with much anecdotal evidence of the phenomenon but little or no scientific explanation or verified data.

For the FULL article, click HERE.

Halloween Special ~ My 1st Ghost Experience

Here's the picture I mentioned.  It was taken in Maple Hill Cemetery, one of the oldest cemetery's in the city.  The picture is from 2005, where my best friend and I (for whatever reason) decided to walk inside and take a couple of pictures.  I don't care for these places, but decided what the hell.  

This... was one of the results.  It may look full dark in the image, but it was actually not that dark at all.  Approaching twilight maybe.  Nonetheless, it appears that something–or someone–decided to jump into the shot with me.  Anyone familiar with orbs and mist, may recognize this as ghostly.  Others may just regard it as equipment failure of some sort.  It was taken with one of those one-use cameras.  Anyway, you tell me what you see...

"Manga" Flavia ~ The Girl Who Dreamed of Sailor Neptune & Alan Bradley

We got another one!  Finally, after spending the summer away from the drawing board, I picked up my pen and paper and got to work.  The idea was just sketch something out.  Sometime simple.  Something clean.  Just anything to get the drawing juices flowing.  Gathering my supplies, I decided to include some extra equipment.  That would be my camera and my lamp.  And this is where I ended up...

PENCIL & SKETCH

INK & TRACE

~1~Sailor Moon Playing Cards (Video)

Amazon Affiliate link to 2012's deck style!

2000 -2001 Sailor Moon Collectible Card Game (Video)

1997 Sailor Moon Cards by Card Zillion & Ban Dai

ABC'S ABOUT ME TAG (Video)

ABC's About Me Tag Questions (Thanks to the creator of the tag.)

A- Age

B- Biggest Fear 

C- Current Time

D- Drink you last had

E- Easiest Person To Talk to

F- Favorite Song

G- Grossest Memory

H- Hometown 

I- In love with

J- Jealous

K- Killed Someone?

L- Longest Relationship 

M- Middle Name

N- Number of Siblings 

O- One Wish

P- Person who you last called

Q- Question you're always asked 

R- Reason to smile 

S- Song you last sang 

T- Time you woke up 

U- Underwear Color

V- Vacation Destination

W- Worst Habit: 

X- X-rays you've had

Y- Your favorite food

Z- Zodiac Sign 

Reading Updates & Book-Order ~ On The River

I haven’t done anything all summer but work, read, and try to make sure my new car won’t quit on me while on the road.  Luckily, my best friend (who has also been through much, much more this summer) wanted to put together a trip to Guntersville, Alabama.  The plan: to eat at the famed catfish and seafood restaurant, Top O’ The River.  It was a well-deserved trip from both ends, and was even better with her cousin coming along. 

This was my first time there–although in the past my mom repeatedly proposed how we needed to take the 45+ minute drive to do the same.  She, my aunt and sister went a couple of weeks ago.  Meanwhile, I stood in front of a register for eight hours on a beautiful Sunday (that's me being bitterly melodramatic).  Nonetheless, I finally made it there Friday.  And yes, I took the entire weekend off as a mini-vacation.

Naturally, I have to share some of the pictures as well as the short video I filmed as we waited for the restaurant to open up.  In the video, I just wanted to update viewers on my reading progress.  I also shared some of the recent books I’ve order.  That aside, here are a few pictures I snapped...

Obviously, this picture didn't come out as majestic as it was while present.  But I left it in the mix anyway.  The mountains and river surrounding the small town of Guntersville is pretty cute.  All you'll see is boats, canoes, and trucks; its a community that capitalizes on the surrounding river like it's nobody's business.  For a split moment or two, I felt like I was in Cabet Cove.  Their downtown is a hell of a lot livelier than ours–to be so small.  And there appears to be only one way in and out of the town.

All that aside, this is what the parking lot looked like after one blink.

This is a bad pic of the restaurant.  I'm no photographer, so pardon this.  Nevertheless, there's a story here.  The fact is the restaurant doesn't open until late in the afternoon.  Apparently, it gets so busy that you have to be present and ready as the doors open to get a table.  I snapped this picture quickly, and minutes before the lines started to form as the doors open.  

The building looks pretty small and average sized, right?  Well, it's a whole different story inside.  Not only is it two floors, but the restaurant's floor layout seems like it stretches over a mile.  I loved their wooden booths because they were high-backed (or whatever you call them).  This lended a little intimacy and privacy for me and my friends; further expressed as we pulled up the shades to gain a good view of the river the restaurant sits on.

This is the waiting area, should there be no seating available.  Lucky for us, we skipped this process.  I can only imagine what this area looks like on a Sunday afternoon once church is out.  

The whole time we were there, I felt like this place had a system going.  And that system started with the abundance of staff.  Speaking of which, the service was certainly nice.  I did enjoy our waitress, and am never one to be stingy with tipping.

Now on to the catfish.  I don't know anybody from the South who doesn't prize some good catfish.  And Top O' the River certainly served.  

This plate is the River Special; catfish fillets, hush puppies, baked potatoes or fries.  It was all delicious.  What I loved about their catfish in particularly was how it wasn't filmy between the breading and the filet.  That was a big, big plus.  Instead, you cut right into steaming meat.  Had I requested hot sauce (you know, because I am black), it probably would've took this to the next level.  Instead, I settled with their homemade tartar sauce in absorption of their flavor.  And it won.  Everything you see here, I basically ate.  Of course with the exception of the foil, potato skin, and half a hush puppies.  

Oh!  I've never had pickled onions.  To get your meal started, you're served a dish of these pickled onions, cole slaw, and cornbread.  All of it amazing!

The restaurant also serves steak, chicken strips, shrimp, and so forth.  I had a great time and plan to go back with my family next weekend, as well as return with my friends in the fall.

If you've ever been, share your experience in the comments.

Bookshelf Tour

Let's Play The Evil Within - The Consequence

The is the last portion of The Evil Within’s Juli Kidman’s DLC.  It’s all over at this point.  Her tie with MOBIUS has come to an end after she decides to turn against them for the protection of her partners and her retrieval assignment, Lesley.  Watch me replay and finally conclude (although it’s a replay) her story.  Additionally, finally squash the monster Shade.  I’m going to miss my time with Juli.  I really, really enjoyed our time!  Even those stressful moments!

Let's Play: The Evil Within ~ The Assignment

I’m always hyped and down for a strong female lead in any form of media. So without a doubt, one of the best sources of such is in video games. That’s why I’m really loving The Evil Within’s Juli Kidman, and is extra pleased that she has received two DLC (downloadable content) packages to further her character, as well as the core game's story.

Now I don’t want to get into talking about The Evil Within too much. My brief history is that I finally played the game back in December (picked it up in a Redbox first) and thought it was awesome. Except for a handful of technical and story flaws, it was a thrilling entry in the survivor horror genre. I found myself so wrapped in it that I felt that teenage nostalgia series like Resident Evil and Silent Hill built in me. When I upgraded to a PS4 in February, I decided to get The Evil Within again (there’s nothing really out there to play anyway). So I enjoyed the game a second time. Whether it’s surviving zombie hordes, upgrading for bigger battles, or collecting trophies, The Evil Within remains an unforgettable experience. And that’s how I like my games. I need plenty to go after and strong replay value.

As for the newly release DLC, we switch from the core game’s protagonist, Sebastian, and step into his “partner” Kidman. And she is a treat, stomping around with a hostler and stilettos within gameplay that damn near switches completely away from the core game's methods of survival.  Juli operates off stealth and a flashlight.  She's disarmed for most of her scenarios–while finding herself hunted by one of the most macabre game development creatures ever.  And said creature sends my blood pressure through the roof throughout each encounter.  Which only means I'm enjoying myself.  Still, seeing how one-sided Juli appeared as a character within the core story, her four-chapter package shines a light on how she should be recognized as not only a dynamic character, but also a viable hero to The Evil Within.  Honestly, alone, the revelation concerning her background and how she got into her current situation should breed some kind of sympathy for her. 

I knew there was something more too Juli from the jump.  I remember at her appearance in the opening sequence of the core game how I immediately blurted I'd prefer playing as her.  Her DLC package will do, though.  Here it is with the first part of her chapter, The Assignment. On to my replay of the experience…

READING HABITS TAG (VIDEO)!

Reading Habits Tag Questions: 

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?

2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?

3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?

4. Do you eat or drink while reading?

5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?

6. One book at a time or several at once?

7. Reading at home or everywhere?

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?

9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?

10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?

11. Do you write in your books?

12. Who do you tag?

The Boy I Tried To PNG (Test Run)

This post/drawing came with a technical purpose. It’s my attempt to create a PNG image (portable network graphic or transferable images with no accountable backdrop) out of one of my drawings. I came up with this idea because I wanted to make T-shirts featuring my characters–after some previous failed-looking attempts. The thing is that it looked weird sporting an entire drawing onto a shirt. It almost looked plopped on, with a hefty “there.” It just didn't look right having an entire portrait drawing on a shirt, though outside of Zazzle's digital design tool it may appear differently. Needless to say, I couldn't do anything with all of that.

So I had this random, unfinished sketch hanging around. I decided to get modest (is that safe to say?), sloppy and hurried in my attempt to flesh this bald guy out and transfer him into a simple PNG file to test myself. And it worked; rough and rocky, but I managed. Added to that, I decided to double this into another drawing post/video tutorial. Though I cringe at the actual drawing.  But like I said, he had a purpose.  I made sure his expression revealed such.

At the end of the post comes the video version...

Simple and clean.  Nothing fancy.  Including no hair.

For darker complexion, I'd normally add a second layer.  Not this time.  On to its purpose.

Resident Evil Revelations 2 ~ Episode 3 Gameplay

I finally started Episode 3 of Resident Evil Revelations 2.  The mystery surrounding the island Claire and company are stuck on is slowly unveiling.  In this episode, Claire and Moria are re-routed from the Tower (where they believe their answers lie), and are instead diverted deeper into the island via a note from Neil.  This, in turns, find the ladies trapped inside a training facility, butcher shop, and eventually into the sewer system underneath the island.  And, naturally, the Afflicted spring to block their path.  And finally, betrayal comes about...

Resident Evil Revelations 2 Episode 2 Gameplay

A friend told me I should be promoting my newly gaming channel a little bit more.  So here goes.

So far, so good.  The teams and partnerships are set between Claire and Moria; Barry and Natalia.  After escaping the prison, Claire and Moria find themselves in the midst of other survivors on the island, survivors who were also victims during the raid on the Terra Save function.  Therefore, these are familiar faces to Claire.  

Nonetheless, the survivors are now trapped in a fishing village, one that houses an incapacitated helicopter in need of both fuel and a sound battery.  It’s up to Claire, Moria and a drill saw carrying Pedro to spread out through the village and find these missing parts so they can all escape the hell that makes up Resident Evil Revelations 2.  Now, it’s never as easy as it sounds.  More iron-clad monsters and other Afflicted howl their way throughout the village.  And let's not forget the later encounter with a fire-barreling, fat Inca baby.  (No really, that's what it looks like.)  Nevertheless, all monsters stunt the survivor’s progress, so much so that some of them don't make it out alive…

Watch me curse my way through this travesty–in totally enjoyment of course.  Personally, despite a slew of flawed gameplay mechanics, I do think Resident Evil Revelations 2 is superior to even Resident Evil 6.  I also find it loads–and I mean loads–less tedious than the original Revelations.  I could be bias, though.  You know, considering Claire is my absolute favorite Resident Evil character.  But who's counting?

Enjoy RE fans!

Resident Evil Revelations 2 Gameplay ~ Claire

Video games have always been a stress reliever for me. Just about every suppressed aggravation comes out (usually through a stream of Southern dripped curse words) during moments of blasting zombies’ heads all over the damn place. Likewise, a simple rumination on my day with a quiet puzzle game is just as an effective reliever. When I think about it, one genre of gaming educe screaming release, whereas another allows me to play scenarios in my head pertaining to life and how I have to deal with some aspects of it.  Furthermore, video games energize and engage me. They toil around with my imagination, feeding my creative ideas for writing, drawing and conceptualizing character scenes. 

For a moment–a microscopic, tiny moment–I'm transported somewhere else in an existence that is dangerous but never my own. It’s a vicarious way of living, with a slew of possible situations to explore. And while games are not always as mentally stimulating as reading (perhaps it‘s worth the debate); they do generate just enough to often times keep me from reading.  (If you catch my drift.)

So I've always wanted to share my gaming hobby, however casual it actually is. It’s a thrilling, wonderful tool to bring people with shared interest together. Okay. I mean if you love gaming and consider it a hobby. Nonetheless, as I start my gaming channel (or restart, really), I'd like to introduce my first videos encompassing Resident Evil Revelations 2. My favorite character in the series, Claire Redfield, is finally back! She finds herself locked up (once again) in a mysterious and creepy prison–one in which I've decided is a killing jar experiment…. Here’s what I think as I commentary my way through Resident Evil Revelations 2 Episode One: Penal Colony…

#ReadSoulLit ~ Sisters in Crime

#ReadSoulLit is a Black History Month project organized by booktuber, Frenchiedee.  When Frenchie reached out and asked did I want to contribute to the project, I didn't hesitate.  I most certainly did.  And when she asked what I would do my video on, with so much ease I said black women writing black women in crime fiction.  And what a project this turned out to be.  I stressed for about three weeks, then one day got tired and decided to just jump up and do me.  Now, I have to share the videos here with you all.  I've drained myself a little putting this one together.  So I hope you all enjoy...

#ReadSoulLit ~ Sisters in Crime 1: Where I'm Coming From...

#ReadSoulLit ~ Sisters in Crime 2: Their Stories...

Unbagged: Zazzle iPhone Speaker

What's up, guys!  I'm doing video after video it seems.  Here I do an unbagging of another Zazzle item I recently acquired out of my Zazzle store.  It's my way of sharing to others what these items are like once received as well as trying them out for myself.  And I really needed a new speaker!

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The product details per Zazzle's site are as follows:

Dimensions: 2.375"L x 4.5"W x 0.75"D; 3.5 ounces

Powered by 2 AAA batteries and USB cord (included)

Works with ANY standard 3.5 mm. headphone jack audio product

Designer Tip: To ensure the highest quality print, please note this product’s customizable design area measures 2.3" x 4.4". For best results please add 1/10"

January Wrap-Up Videos

In case you missed it, here's my reading wrap-up videos for January.  I titled this set "Killers and Eastern Sorrow" because, well, that's what the month came to reading-wise.