Better Now 😁

"The Quarry", a horror videogame

My opinion

This part doesn't contain spoilers.

The Quarry is a videogame created by Supermassive Games, the same people who created Until Dawn and the Dark Pictures Anthology series (Man of Medan, Little Hope and House of Ashes). The protagonists, just like in Until Dawn, are a group of teenagers (although they are around 18, I'd call them youngsters. You know they are that age because they say more than once that they're going to start university). During the summer, they are the monitors at Hackett's Quarry camp, run by Chris Hackett. The trouble starts when two monitors turn up early for the camp.

Personally, it's a game that I really liked, because it has a lot of mystery and I like to try to figure it out before a character tells you, and also, it has choices and that makes you responsible for what happens in the story. It's like choosing how each character develops and how they behave, whether you want them to misbehave with each other, or get along better. I liked it more than Until Dawn, for me the story is more interesting and the decisions are much more important (which means that you don't need to know how to play videogames to get a good ending, because many of the deaths are due to bad decisions or not having done enough research), apart from the fact that it's not such a gore game (I can't stand gore, although after a while watching horror videogames, I'm getting used to it 😅).

I've seen people who have played it complain that "they got a bad ending". You don't get a bad ending, it's triggered by your decisions (it's true that you can miss a Quick Time Event, that is, miss a key or button to dodge something and die, and for me that doesn't really matter, it's just a matter of reflexes and being aware. What's so funny if a character dies for not jumping properly? That happens in real life, but in games and movies the deaths are usually not so pathetic). But still, from what I've seen, it's much more about the decisions. As I was saying, the ending is chosen by you, and because there are so many important decisions, there are many possible endings (each character can have up to 10 different ways to die and there are 9 characters you can control). Obviously, if you get all the youngsters to survive, that's a good ending, but there are more characters besides them that you can also cause to die or not. More things I liked were how they connected all the dots in the story at the end.

There are also things I didn't like about the game, for example, some characters change their minds drastically without any explanation, or have an attitude that also changes suddenly, as if bits and pieces of the story had been cut and pasted. Another thing in relation to character development is that they don't tell each other things. They've seen something strange, dangerous or whatever, but they don't tell the others, or they're trying to help you, but they're not able to tell you, that gets on my nerves 😠. And I'd better not talk about many of the dialogues, which seem to have been forced… In this, the game developers could have made more effort so that the story would have a better sense, continuity and some situations wouldn't be heavy, uncomfortable or unnecessary. Although I must admit that the characters become more serious as the game progresses, and that's a plus (considering that at the beginning they behave as if they were 12 years old).

Well, after giving my opinion, I'm going to comment on some things about the story that I saw, and that are pretty close to what I would have chosen (I'm not summarising because it's a very long story and it's not at all the same playing it or watching it as reading a summary):

Spoilers from here:

There are 10 chapters and a prologue. Between each chapter the game is "paused" and the typical person appears who advises you what to do, as in other videogames by these creators. She's an old woman in this case, and she'll show you possible futures if you find her tarot cards.

One point I liked is that this old woman is to blame for everything, because if she didn't have Silas in her show as an attraction, Caleb and Kaylee wouldn't have tried to help him escape and neither of them would have ended up as lycanthropes. Also, the fact that she tries to convince you not to kill Silas, especially in the last moments of the game when you're aiming for him, is great.

I also really liked the fact that decisions that don't seem to matter can later help you save a character or avoid risking their life, for example, if when Laura is in the cell she misbehaves with the sheriff, then he kills her in the fight at the Hackett's house. Or, if you break the door of the wooden house where Abi and Kaitlyn had the luggage, they can hide when the werewolf attacks them on the radio. Or even, if you find a stuffed animal with Kaytlyn, then you can save her in the final fight in the wooden house if you don't want to kill Caleb turned into a werewolf.

One thing I didn't like is the behaviour of the Hackett family. They are supposed to be protecting the teenagers, but they don't warn them. I'm guessing it's because they've already been in trouble with other people and don't want to go to jail or anything like that (throughout the game you find out what the Hacketts are really like and how long they've been covering up their crimes - in fact, Travis, the sheriff, became a sheriff to cover up them). But once the youngsters know what's going on, it wouldn't hurt to tell them that they're saving them. I also liked the development of Travis' character, who only wanted to kill Silas to free his family. He comes across as menacing, sinister, even as a bad person at first, but if you choose correctly, you grow fond of him in the end, as he can trust you and show you his good side (he's one of my favourite characters along with Laura and Kaytlyn).

And an important detail is to take evidence, clues and that. They help you to discover the story, to explain some things or even to prove the innocence of the protagonists, and they are very interesting. On the credits screen, you'll hear the people doing the podcast that Ryan was listening to at the beginning. Depending on whether you saved all the young people or not, the front pages of the newspapers will say that they'll go to jail or that they were attacked by a bear, but at the end of the podcast, that headline may change depending on the evidence you found during the game (there are 10 pieces of evidence, one for each chapter). If you didn't find any or not enough, they won't investigate what happened (the Hacketts will still cover it up if they're not dead), but if you have enough, you can get the mystery solved.

Finally, you can't save all the characters that appear at the end (on the screen when you go name by name to see if they are alive or dead). The main objective would be to save the young people and remove the curse of Hackett's Quarry by killing Silas, but if you can save the members of Hackett's family, all the better. I saw an ending where all the young people lived and also Bobby (a brother of Chris Hackett), Travis (the other brother, the sheriff), Jebediah (the father), Max and Laura. The mother Constance, Chris, Kaylee, Caleb and Silas died. Doing a bit of research, to get the best ending you need Kaylee (in fact it's not your choice whether she dies or not), Chris and Silas to die. I didn't care if Constance died, because I didn't like her reaction when she found out her granddaughter was dead: she blamed Travis (on one hand it's his fault for not containing Laura in the cell), but is it really his fault? I mean, she has three electrified cells in the basement, one for each family member that is a werewolf, and that night, which is when they have to lock them up because the young ones are in the camp, they don't. They decide it's better that Chris is being tied to a wooden beam in the attic and Kaylee and Caleb I don't even know where they left them (because they turn up in the forest). Laura was smart by leaving Max on the island, but the Hackett family let theirs go away. It's something I don't understand. I also don't know if the first werewolf who attacked the teenagers (specifically Nick, right after playing Truth or Dare) was Silas or one of Chris's two sons. If it was Silas, it would justify the hunters being around, but they could have warned the youngsters that Nick was going to transform and they should lock him up, and thus help them and shelter them at their home. But well… here it seems that they don't think.

One last thing I didn't like is Ryan's attitude right after they meet Laura and she tells them what she's been through. He behaves as if he hasn't seen what has happened to Nick. It's normal that he doesn't want to kill Chris, because he has known him for a long time and his children are his friends, but after hearing that Chris' brother had Laura and Max locked up, and after having seen many suspicious clues, his opinion about the Hackett family should have changed a bit. It's because of this "flaw" that Ryan stopped being one of my favourite characters (not that he's a character I hate either, but I stopped liking him so much). I put flaw in quotes because it's not a flaw of the game as such, the character may have that personality and that way of seeing things, but I don't share it, it's something that doesn't make much sense to me and makes that scene strange.

Despite these things without apparent sense, I really liked the story, it was very interesting, and the fact that they put all the pieces together at the end makes you hooked to it and want to know what else happens. There are moments of tension when you don't know what will be best for the characters, and that's the essence of the game and what I like the most: that your choices save or kill the characters, and not a silly thing like not hitting a key when it's due (I have to add that sometimes it's better not to hit it, for example, when you're struggling with Constance, so you save her. However, in those cases you have to hit it more than once, so they also count as a choice).

I started with Star Trek The Motion Picture in 2018-2019 and then I watched the rest of the films (TNG included) because I was disappointed by the new Star Wars films (I watched all Star Wars films and I got bored in the last ones, so I thought about watching Star Trek without anyone telling me. It was the best decision I've made 😆. I like Star Trek much more than Star Wars). Then I continued with TOS. I haven't finished all series yet

Star Trek fans, please reblog with the series/movie that got you into Star Trek and the approximate year that you did so.

A veces, para practicar proporciones y poses, busco imágenes random en internet. Este dibujo lo hice con una de esas imágenes de referencia

Sometimes, to practice proportions and poses, I look for random images on the internet. I made this drawing with one of those images as a reference

Por cristinardvaya

No se por qué pero la idea de Spock y su contraparte del Mirror peleando por McCoy me gusta

I don't know why but the idea of Spock and his Mirror counterpart fighting over McCoy appeals to me

Parece que ha habido un malentendido. ¿Se pelearán o se pondrán de acuerdo?

There seems to have been a misunderstanding. Will they fight or will they agree?

Por cristinardvaya

Aunque esta semana no haya subido las siguientes páginas del cómic, sigo trabajando en él. De hecho, he estado haciendo unos pequeños resúmenes de los siguientes cómics que haré después de este (que son continuaciones).

Even though I haven't uploaded the next pages of the comic this week, I'm still working on it. In fact, I've been doing some short summaries of the next comics I'll be doing after this one (which are continuations).

Sin embargo, tengo menos tiempo del que esperaba con la universidad (casi todos los días tengo clases toda la mañana y toda la tarde, y también tengo que estudiar). Eso no resta que no haga dibujos de vez en cuando, porque necesito desconectar un poco. Estos dibujos serían algo complementario al cómic.

However, I have less time than I expected with the university (almost every day I have classes all morning and all afternoon, and I also have to study). That doesn't mean that I don't do drawings from time to time, because I need to disconnect a little. These drawings would be something complementary to the comic.

Tengo que decir que no se me ha olvidado la larga historia que empecé de la historia de verano de Jim, Spock y McCoy en el Mediterráneo, pero con el poco tiempo que tengo lo dejo para un segundo plano (no voy a dejarlo, continuaré cuando esté más relajada)

I have to say that I haven't forgotten the long story I started about Jim, Spock and McCoy's summer story in the Mediterranean, but with the little time I have I'm putting it on the back burner (I'm not going to quit, I'll continue when I'm more relaxed)

Y, por último, las salas del Enterprise que estoy construyendo en el Minecraft van viento en popa. Los ratos libres en los que no me apetece dibujar, los paso construyendo (ya subiré algunas capturas de pantalla o vídeos).

And finally, the Enterprise rooms I'm building in Minecraft are going great. When I don't feel like drawing, I spend my free time building (I'll upload some screenshots or videos).

Ya subo las primeras cuatro páginas del cómic (en realidad la primera página es la portada). No pasa gran cosa, y me gustaría dibujar más rápido, pero hago lo que puedo 😬

I've uploaded the first four pages of the comic (actually the first page is the cover). Almost nothing happens, and I'd like to draw faster, but I do what I can 😬

Me gusta hacer escenas largas, con espacios intermedios entre diálogos, porque así la historia no queda tan acelerada y forzada. He aquí el principio:

I like to do long scenes, with spaces in between dialogues, because this way the story is not so rushed and forced. Here is the beginning:

(Current) || (Next)

Page 1/35 || Page 2/35

(Click for better quality)

1/35

-> Next page

He puesto un link a la siguiente publicación, que son las siguientes cuatro páginas, para que se pueda leer de continuo.

I've put a link to the next publication, which is the next four pages, so that you can read the whole.

Sé que solo con estas páginas no cuenta mucho, pero una vez que la historia transcurra será otra cosa, espero 😅

I know it doesn't say a lot with just these pages, but once the story unfolds it'll be something else, I hope 😅

Y repito por si alguien no se ha enterado: si alguien quiere la versión en español, que me lo diga y lo subo

And I repeat in case someone isn't aware of it: if anyone wants the Spanish version, let me know and I'll upload it

Por cristinardvaya

Los humanos necesitan más horas de sueño que los vulcanianos

Humans need more sleeping hours than Vulcans

"Spock y McCoy fueron a sentarse en un sofá para pasar el rato. Lo que Spock no se imaginaba es que Bones se quedaría dormido"

'Spock and McCoy went to sit on a sofa to hang out. What Spock didn't imagine was that Bones would fall asleep'

"Los últimos días, el doctor había estado muy ocupado encargándose de sus pacientes, tanto que no había tenido apenas tiempo para descansar. Por eso Spock pensó que sería lógico que despejara su mente una vez hubiera acabado"

'For the past few days, the doctor had been so busy taking care of his patients that he'd had little time to rest. So Spock thought it would be logical for him to clear his head once he was finished'

"El vulcaniano se sorprendió cuando McCoy apoyó su cabeza en su hombro, pero le permitió continuar así, esa sensación era bastante agradable. Y aunque Spock no necesitara dormir, cerró los ojos y se concentró en aquel sentimiento que jamás pensó que el doctor le provocaría"

'The Vulcan was surprised when McCoy rested his head on his shoulder, but he allowed him to continue, the feeling was quite pleasant. And even if Spock didn't need to sleep, he closed his eyes and concentrated on the feeling he never thought the doctor would induce him'

Por cristinardvaya

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: Star Trek: The Original Series Rating: General Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Leonard "Bones" McCoy/Spock Characters: James T. Kirk (TOS), Leonard "Bones" McCoy (TOS), Montgomery "Scotty" Scott (TOS), Pavel Chekov (TOS), Nyota Uhura (TOS), Hikaru Sulu (TOS), Spock (TOS), Mirror Spock (TOS) Additional Tags: Psychological Trauma, Emotions, Episode: s02e10 Mirror Mirror, A little bit of TOS Spones, Star Trek TOS Spoilers about some episodes Summary:

El doctor McCoy desarrolla un trauma al ir al universo del Mirror y tiene que luchar contra ese trauma con tal de volver a ser el mismo de antes. La ayuda de Spock es primordial para sobrepasarlo.

Esta es una pequeña narración que he escrito basándome en un post que realizó https://bearsinpotatosacks.tumblr.com/post/641668500608499712/so-this-post-this-post-and-this-one-have-all

Mi historia está en español, puede que más adelante la traduzca al inglés para aquellos que no entienden el castellano.

This is a narration that I wrote inspired by https://bearsinpotatosacks.tumblr.com/post/641668500608499712/so-this-post-this-post-and-this-one-have-all

This story is in Spanish, but I might traduce it into English later, for the ones who don’t understand Castillan.

Ya he acabado los exámenes, así que ya puedo volver a dibujar. Ayer hice esto para entender las luces y las sombras (me fijé de una imagen de referencia)

I've finished my exams, so I can start drawing again. Yesterday I did this to understand the lights and shadows (I used a reference)

Pocas veces he hecho dibujos que consisten solo en sombras, y como quería una imagen de perfil que me gustara, pues se me ocurrió que quedaría bien esto (Mirror Spock me encanta por su barba 😆)

I've rarely done drawings consisting only of shadows, and since I wanted a profile picture that I liked, I thought this would look good (I love Mirror Spock because of his beard 😆)

Sketch:

Por cristinardvaya

Pequeña historia: Spock y McCoy están de vacaciones en una casa (¿solos?)

Short story: Spock and McCoy are on holiday in a house (alone?)

"Spock está leyendo un libro en su padd sentado en el sofá del salón. En plena ola de calor, el ambiente es sofocante, como un día de finales de julio, incluso en aquella casa. Pero al vulcaniano no le importa, al fin y al cabo, él es de un planeta que tiene una temperatura muy superior todos los días del año. De hecho, lleva una camiseta negra de manga larga, y así está cómodo.

'Spock is reading a book on his padd sitting on the couch in the living room. In the heat wave, the atmosphere is sweltering, like a late July day, even in that house. But the Vulcan doesn't mind, after all, he's from a planet that has a much higher temperature every day of the year. In fact, he's wearing a long-sleeved black T-shirt, and he's comfortable like that.

McCoy, por su parte, no aguanta ni un segundo más ese calorazo, necesita refrescarse y una ropa más fresca, o si no, siente que se derretirá allí mismo. Va a darse una ducha fría y se pone una bata bastante holgada. Ahora está de buen humor, y le apetece cantar un poco. Hace un tiempo que no ve a Spock. ¿Dónde está? Él no lo sabe. Seguramente, ese insensato haya salido a la calle, no sé cómo no se churrusca ahí fuera. ¡Son las 4 de la tarde! Se encoge de hombros y sigue cantando feliz. Le conoce tan bien que sabe que no le pasará nada. Entra como una bala al salón"

McCoy, for his part, can't stand the heat any longer, he needs to cool down and get some cooler clothes or else he feels like he'll melt right there and then. He goes to take a cold shower and puts on a rather loose-fitting robe. He's in a good mood now, and feels like singing a bit. He hasn't seen Spock for a while. Where is he? He doesn't know. That fool has probably gone out into the street, I don't know how he doesn't scorch out there. It's four o'clock in the afternoon! He shrugs his shoulders and goes on singing happily. He knows Spock so well that he's sure that nothing will happen to him. He comes like a bullet into the living room'

(Dibujos desde aquí. Pongo un "leer más" para que este post sea más corto)

(Drawings from here. I put a "read more" to make this post shorter)

"A McCoy le ha dado mucha vergüenza entrar así en el salón. No recuerda haber cantado algo delante de Spock, ni tampoco haber llevado puesta solo una bata en su compañía. Se ha salido del salón con la misma velocidad con la que entró y se ha ido corriendo a su habitación, ajustándose bien el cinturón de la bata. No está seguro de si será capaz de sentarse en la mesa con Spock para la cena de aquel día.

'McCoy was very embarrassed to walk into the living room like that. He doesn't remember singing anything in front of Spock, nor does he remember wearing only a robe in Spock's company. He has left the living room with the same speed with which he entered and has hurried to his room, tightening the belt of his robe securely. He's not sure if he'll be able to sit at the table with Spock for dinner that day.

El vulcaniano se ha quedado sentado en el sofá, sin poder mover sus brazos. El padd le está tapando toda la cara. No hay nadie más allí, pero le da tanta vergüenza que se siente mejor ocultándose. Por primera vez en aquellas vacaciones sufría calor, pero no es un calor sofocante, es un calor agradable, que nota dentro de su cuerpo y no solo en su piel. Al ver al doctor con esa bata había sentido un escalofrío, y una parte de él desea volver a experimentarlo. Se ha sorprendido a sí mismo al pensar eso, pero no puede engañarse. Un tiempo después, decide ir a hablar con él"

The Vulcan is sitting on the couch, unable to move his arms. The padd is covering his whole face. There's no one else there, but he's so ashamed that he feels better hiding. For the first time on that holiday he feels hot, but it's not a suffocating heat, it's a pleasant heat, which he feels inside his body and not just on his skin. Seeing the doctor in that robe had sent a shiver down his spine, and part of him wanted to experience it again. He has surprised himself by thinking that, but he can't fool himself. Some time later, he decides to go and talk to him'

(Continuará)

(It will continue)

La canción es You're my heart, you're my soul de Modern Talking

Por cristinardvaya

The song is You're my heart, you're my soul of Modern Talking