Varys smiled. “Here, then. Power resides where men believe it resides. No more and no less.”
“So power is a mummer’s trick?”
“A shadow on the wall,” Varys murmured, “yet shadows can kill. And ofttimes a very small man can cast a very large shadow.”
Tag: game
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Ready Player One! Ernest Cline
I had the great luck of listening to Wil Wheaton’s voice for two weeks while going to work and coming home. I got into the book so much that I was nearly shaking with anticipation before I got into the car and I ended up taking longer routes home so that the story would not end. I refused to watch the movie before I finished the book and I was so disappointed when I saw what they did with it… No 80’s songs, no pac-man, no Monthy Python and the Holy Grail and no talk about the immersive portals where you could be a character in a movie! The “Ready Player One” movie was designed for the teens of today with references to “The Iron Giant”, “Overwatch”, “Street Fighter”, “Back to the Future”, “Mad Max” and many more.
It was a good movie but I still missed the awesomeness in the book. I wish they at least included more Og and the Lothrien castle he built and a bit of a background story about IOS and what modern slavery looked like when you were indentured. I also hated how they made Art3mis play a bigger role in the movie than she did in the book and I missed the part in the book where virgin Wade buys a sex doll 🙂
Well, I suppose you can’t make everyone happy.
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The Witcher Book Series
So chances are that if you’re here, you’re a fan of the Witcher, but with the giant influx of popularity that occurred upon the release of the Witcher III: Wild Hunt, many new fans are unaware of the source material that inspired these fantastic games.
The Witcher video games are based on a renowned fantasy book series by the Polish author Andrzej Sapkowski. The Witcher Series is made up of 2 short story collections and 5 novels. The short story collections introduce many of our favorite characters and do a lot of world building, and the novels tell the story of Geralt and Ciri. These books take place several years before the beginning of the first game and provide a lot of background information on the characters and world. They do not spoil the story of the games in any way. Lucy for you, unlike when this guide was originally made, all of the books now have official English translations!
Sorted in chronological order (the way you should read them) the books that make up the series are:
- The Last Wish (short story collection)
- Sword of Destiny (short story collection)
- Blood of Elves (beginning of novels)
- Time of Contempt
- Baptism of Fire
- The Tower of Swallows
- Lady of the Lake
The Witcher short stories were first published in Fantastyka, a Polish science-fiction and fantasy magazine, beginning in the mid-1980s. The first short story, “Wiedźmin” (“The Witcher”) (1986), was written for a contest held by the magazine and won third place. The first four stories dealing with the witcher Geralt were originally featured in a 1990 short-story collection entitled Wiedźmin—now out of print—with “Droga, z której się nie wraca” (“The Road With No Return”), which is set in the world before the Witcher stories and features Geralt’s mother to be.
The second published short-story collection was Miecz przeznaczenia (Sword of Destiny). Although Ostatnie życzenie (The Last Wish) was published after Sword of Destiny, it replaced The Witcher as the first book since it included all the stories in The Witcher except “The Road With No Return” (the only story without Geralt). Although new short stories were added to The Last Wish, they took place before those in Sword of Destiny.
Although “The Road With No Return” and “Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna” (“Something Ends, Something Begins”, an alternate ending of the Witcher saga about Geralt and Yennefer’s wedding written as a wedding gift for Sapkowski’s friends) were later published in Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna, the other stories in that book are unconnected to the Witcher series. In some Polish editions, “Droga, z której się nie wraca” and “Coś się kończy, coś się zaczyna” are added to The Last Wish or Sword of Destiny.
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1Q84 * Drinking Game
I have enjoyed 1Q84 a lot and in honor of the masterpiece, I have designed the following drinking game. PS (You might want to see the Sailor Moon Drinking Game and the 50 Shades of Gray Drinking Game too)
Drinking Game:
Drink 1 shot of whiskey:
- Whenever Aomame thinks about the size of her boobs
- Whenever pubic hair is mentioned (nurse included)
- Whenever someone gets an erection (double shots if the erection is described in great detail)
- Whenever the NHK fee collector appears to knock at the door and demand payment
- Whenever the Witnesses are described as a cult rather than religion
Drink 1 mojito:
- Whenever Aomame picks up a man to have sex with
- Whenever Aomame kills a man
- The shape of a head is described
- Sean Connery appears in the talks
- Whenever a crow appears
Drink 1 bottle of beer:
- Whenever someone sees the two moons
- Whenever Tengo thinks of his mother (talk about Oedipus complex!)
- Whenever someone sits in an enclosed space (box, room, shed) (This will get you really drunk!)
- Whenever Sagikake is mentioned
Drink 1 sake:
- Whenever someone in the book drinks sake or white wine
- Whenever the slender build of Fuka-Eri is described
- Whenever a woman’s piece of clothing is described as fashionable (vice-principal and cram-school secretary included)
- Whenever Tengo complains about the phone ringing in the middle of the night
Drink 1 pina collada:
- Whenever Little People appear
- Whenever an Air Chrysalis materializes
- Whenever Janacec Simphonietta is mentioned.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLUKx6qPlXE
Planning an adult Valentine’s Day party is a bit of a no-brainer. Invite a lot of couples, have a few drinks, decorate with red. Done, right? Yes, and no. You want to put a little more thought into it than that and it’s good to have some games to keep things lively. If you are inviting several couples, there are many fun activities you can plan.
First, how about the “what’s this item” game? Fill a paper bag with a variety of new undergarments. These should be both men’s and women’s garments and can include anything from a bra to a lace teddy to a jock strap. Each couple feels around in the bag (not on the outside, as this one requires hands-on effort) and makes a list of what they think is in the bag. You can tell people how many items are in the bag, but that’s it. So you might say, there are 10 items in the bag; what are they?
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Classroom Thanksgiving Games
If you’re planning a Thanksgiving party in the classroom, there are a myriad of games you can have the children play that will be fun but also educational and useful in teaching the concept of being thankful.
Be careful not to overdo the turkey aspect of Thanksgiving. Some children forget that it’s about more than the turkey. Playing some fun games can help them remember the purpose of Thanksgiving.
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Boo Activities for Halloween
If you want to get your neighbors in the Halloween spirit, be sure to engage them in a little game known as “Boo!” It’s a popular game in some parts of the country, while in others, nobody has heard of it.
You might live in a neighborhood where you think nobody will participate in a round robin type of event as this, but you might be surprised. Sometimes during the holidays people will step up and get involved where before they wouldn’t. It’s possible, anyway.
The game goes something like this, and then will be described in more detail later. You print up a few poems and instructions on colorful paper (likely, orange). You get a treat bucket, or bowl or something and fill it with candy. You can also “Boo” people with candles, Halloween socks, and really whatever your imagination comes up with. You “Boo” two people at a time, leaving the items anonymously on their doorstep. You leave it with the instructions and the poem and hope they “Boo” other neighbors. Once you are done, you tape up a large “Boo!” on your door so neighbors know not to hit you up again.
Poorly shod and poorly clad, they march away beneath his banners, ofttimes with no better arms than a sickle or a sharpened hoe, or a maul they made themselves by lashing a stone to a stick with strips of hide. Brothers march with brothers, sons with fathers, friends with friends. They’ve heard the songs and stories, so they go off with eager hearts, dreaming of the wonders they will see, of the wealth and glory they will win. War seems a fine adventure, the greatest most of them will ever know.
Then they get a taste of battle.
She was that, beyond a doubt. Seeing her there upon the featherbed, smiling that wicked smile, toying with her breast . . . was there ever a woman with nipples so large or so responsive? He could hardly look at them without wanting to grab them, to suckle them until they were hard and wet and shiny . . .
He looked away. His smallclothes were strewn on the carpets. The knight bent to pick them up.
“Your hands are shaking,” she pointed out. “They would sooner be caressing me, I think. Must you be in such haste to don your clothes, ser? I prefer you as you are. Abed, unclad, we are our truest selves, a man and a woman, lovers, one flesh, as close as two can be. Our clothes make us different people. I would sooner be flesh and blood than silks and jewels
, and you . . . you are not your white cloak, ser.”
“I am,” Ser Arys said. “I am my cloak. And this must end, for your sake as well as mine. If we should be discovered . . .”
“Men will think you fortunate.”
“Men will think me an oathbreaker. What if someone were to go to your father and tell him how I’d dishonored you?”
“My father is many things, but no one has ever said he was a fool. The Bastard of Godsgrace had my maidenhead when we were both fourteen. Do you know what my father did when he learned of it?” She gathered the bedclothes in her fist and pulled them up under her chin, to hide her nakedness. “Nothing. My father is very good at doing nothing. He calls it thinking. Tell me true, ser, is it my dishonor that concerns you, or your own?”
“Both.” Her accusation stung. “That is why this must be our last time.”
Are you planning a party for your kids? Have a look at the games we have collected!
Chinese whispersSit everyone in a circle. Whisper a long phrase to one person. They, in turn, whisper what they heard to the next person, and so on. The last person announces what they heard.
Pass the Parcel
Wrap a bar of chocolate (or some other gift), in a layer of paper. Now wrap it in another layer and repeat until you have about 10 layers. Finally wrap it in gift paper (so it looks nice). Sit everyone in a circle and play a short snippet of music. When the music stops, the person holding the parcel removes ONE layer of wrapping. Repeat until the last layer of wrapping has been removed. The winner keeps the present.
Pass the Parcel with forfeits
As above but every layer contains a forfeit (E.g Sing a song, Eat a teaspoon of Mustard, have your belly button filled with water).
The Chocolate (or Jelly) Game
Sit everyone in a circle and place a tray in the middle with a hat, scarf, gloves, knife and fork, die and a wrapper bar of chocolate. In turn, players throw the die. If they throw a SIX, they must put on the Hat, Scarf and Gloves before they start to unwrap the chocolate with the knife and fork, ad then start to eat it. To speed up the game add a second die and require a Double SIX. The Jelly Variation is to turn out a set jelly onto a plate and eat it with the knife and fork.
Musical ChairsThe old favorite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the room. When the music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only ONE person per chair) The person who doesn’t find a chair is out. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left.
Memory Game
On a tray, place about 10 to 15 small items (e.g. pencil, watch, comb, shoe lace, spoon, toy car, etc.) and cover with a cloth. Sit everyone in a circle. Place the tray in the middle of the circle and remove the cloth for 60 seconds. Everyone has to remember the objects. When the time is up, replace the cloth. In turn, each person has to name an object on the tray. The first person to fail to name an object, repeat an object or name something not on the tray is out. The tray is then removed and some or all of the objects replaced, and the game re-started with the person following the one who is out. If the game is too easy for the group, add more objects or reduce the time.
Musical StatuesThis is like Musical Chairs, but when the music stops, the players have to keep still. Anyone who moves, quivers, shakes etc is out. The winner is the last one still playing.
Listen and Move
Place party shapes on the floor in a circle. For example if your theme is Knights the shapes could be shields, swords, and castles. Children walk around circle while listening to music. If the music is loud the children move fast. If the music is quiet the children move slow. If the music stops, the children stop on the closest shape. Young children like to play it this way.
To make it more challenging for older children have 1 less shape than the number of children. Continue remove shapes as the children are ‘out’.
Postman’s Knock
All the boys gather in a group and each takes a card with a sequential number (One, Two, Three etc). The girls do the same. The boys then form a line (shoulder to shoulder) facing the girls who are in a similar line. (Players should NOT stand in order. First a girl calls out a number and the boy with that number goes across to kiss her. The a boy calls out a number and the girl with that number goes and kisses him.
Port and Starboard
On the command (from the list below) the children have to do the appropriate action. After a while, start removing the last player to comply, until only one remains.
- Port (Run to one side to the area)
- Starboard (run to the other side)
- Captains Coming Aboard (Stand to attention and Salute)
- Submarines (Lie on the floor)
- Hoist the Mainsail (run on the spot – like climbing the rigging)
- Mess Deck (Sit cross legged on the floor – ready for lunch)
- Davey Jones (Climb a tree, stand on a chair – anything so that you are not on the floor)
- Up Periscope (Stand up straight and old hands to eyes as though looking through binoculars)
British Bulldog
Caution: This game can get rough. All the players (except one) line up at one side of the playing area. The remaining player (The Bulldog) stands in the middle. When he is ready, he shouts “Go” and all the other players have to get to the other side without being caught. Any player the The Bulldog can lift off the ground while he shouts “British Bulldog”, joins him in the middle as a Bulldog. On subsequent runs, the Bulldogs may work together. The winner is the last one to be caught.
MummiesSplit the party goers into teams of three and give each team a toilet roll. Two persons then wrap the third in the toilet roll so that they look like an Egyptian Mummy. The winning team is the one who in a set time (say 2 minutes) have the neatest and most covered Mummy.
Stations
Everyone stands a circle (except one who is standing in the middle) and has been told to remember a different station name. The person in the middle calls out two names. The stations have to change places quickly, before the person in the middle can get to one of the empty spaces. Who ever is left without a place is the person in the middle for the next game.
Pass the Orange
Arrange for teams of about 8 to stand in a line, one behind the other (arranged boy, girl, boy,…). Give each team an orange which the first person should tuck under his chin. This should be passed to the person behind.
When the orange gets to the last person, they come to the front of the line and start again. The winning team is the first one which gets their starting person to the front again.
Sleeping Pirate
All the children (except one – The Pirate) sit Cross Legged on the floor in a circle. The pirate sites Cross-legged in the middle of the circle, blind-folded, with a large bunch of keys on the floor in front of him. A child is nominated to creep up and take the keys and then return to their place, without the pirate hearing them. The Pirate has three goes to point to where he thinks the raider is. If he is sucessful, the raider becomes the Pirate.
Balloon Pop
Place notes inside deflated balloons,1 or 2 of the notes should indicate that this balloon is a winner. Inflate the balloons and hang them around. Let each child pick a balloon then pop it to see if their note is a winner.
Balloon Relay
Divide the children into 2 or more equal teams and stand them in a line. Give each team ten balloons in a basket. The first in each line takes a balloon and runs to the other side of the room/yard/area and sits or stomps on the balloon to pop it. After popping the balloon they run back to the line and tag the next person who does the same thing. The game goes on until one team has popped all of their balloons. The winning team gets a small prize (like a ribbon) while EVERYONE gets a small toy.
Toy Walk
This is done like a cake walk. Have numbers on the ground for as many children (1-10). Walk on the numbers until the music stops. Have numbers on some small toys. If a child is standing on the number of the toy, they win the toy
Whistling Crackers
You give every child 3 soda crackers. When you say “GO” every child puts all the crackers at once in his/her mouth. The first one to whistle wins. (You can also substitute the soda crackers with peanut butter but make sure there are no Allergies).
Can You Guess
Put several small items into a brown paper bag. Blindfold one person and hand them one of the items in the bag. Give them a few seconds to guess what the item is. If they are unsuccessful they are out. The last one wins.
Stuck in the Mud
One person is ‘IT’ and has to run round touching as many people as they can. When they have touched someone, that person has to stop and stand with their legs apart and their hands outstretched, until someone crawls through their legs. If you’ve been caught three times, then you are out. The game ends when everyone left is standing still.
Ducky Ducky
Everyone sits in a circle except one who is given a pillow and blind-fold. They then go and place the pillow on a persons lap, sit on it and say ducky ducky. The person should say”quack quack” this can be done only 3 times. If the blind person guesses the name the person, they should now be given the blind fold and the game run over again – after everyone has changed their places.