#BUT APPARENTLY. SOME OF THE STEAM ACHIEVEMENTS ARE BUGGED?????? | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

sinceileftyoublog · 8 months ago

Text

Lightning Bug Interview: Believe It All Somehow Matters

Photo by Ingmar Chen

BY JORDAN MAINZER

It often feels like indie rock bands that dabble in atmosphere, inflecting their tunes with shoegaze distortion or dream pop haze, struggle to find lyrical ideas that match the grandiosity of their sound. Not so much for New York four-piece Lightning Bug. They first caught my attention with 2021's A Color of The Sky (Fat Possum), a soft, expansive exploration of the process of self-discovery-via-songwriting, an album that looked inward despite its skyward timbres. Earlier this month, the band released its long-awaited follow-up No Paradise, and though frontwoman Audrey Kang still digs deep inside of herself, the result carries broader thematic reach. It's a circular album based on the creation myth, bending time and space, triggered by a perspective-shifting 4,000-mile motorcycle ride Kang completed from Mexico to New York City, that was followed by a deep depression. In addition to creating the album almost entirely themselves--including using a studio that guitarist and bassist Kevin Copeland built and using cellist/synthesizer player Logan Miley to mix the album--the band chose to self-release No Paradise like they did their first two records. It's more than regaining total creative control: With No Paradise, in describing the start of the world, Lightning Bug have also created themselves anew.

Whether stark and minimal or layered and complex, the songs on No Paradise all achieve a certain level of immensity. Opener "On Paradise" starts basic enough, with coats of acoustic guitar and staccato organ. Eventually, Kang coos with passivity, "I'm happier here, slow / And indulgent in the sun / I'm happier here, weak / Let the night come when it comes," letting the song also gain steam and volume. "The Flowering" takes notes from Laurel Canyon folk but, too, gives way to stadium-sized drum programming, pedal steel, and swelling strings. The timeless one-two punch of "The Withering" (which features Allegra Krieger) and "Opus" delve into folktales but modern, wiry instrumentation all the same. First single "December Song" sees Kang use the language of Greek mythology to illustrate her depression, over instrumentation that's simple, yet cinematic. "I wish the gods would turn me into a tree / But keep my mind distinct, alive, and free," she sings, as if to want to bear witness to the wonders of the world without having to experience its hardships. And a couple No Paradise songs recall some unexpected forebears, from the Radiohead-esque bass bends and Dane Hagen drum patters of "The Quickening" to the trip hop stylings of "Serenade"; considering Kang's high-pitched, yet soulful voice, you could mistake the latter for Portishead.

Another key differentiator for No Paradise within the Lightning Bug discography is the effect of vocals being higher up in the mix, not as obscured by washy instrumentation. It's certainly apparent on "Just Above My Head", Kang's singing accompanied by only cello. But the effect of voice in general shines brightest on "Lullaby for Love". It's a song Kang wrote as part of a mixtape for an ex-partner, yet it's an effective encapsulation of what being in love with anything or anyone sounds and feels like. "When I hear your name in the hollows of my mind / It runs as a melody through the chambers of my spine / To float on that feeling till strong turns to weak / A truth so far greater than language can speak," Kang sings. Indeed, "Lullaby for Love" is far more than mere melody. It's encompassed by pulsating vocal samples, swirling guitar textures, and rolling drums, oceanic and vast. In a way, it exemplifies the paradox at the heart of the album. How can one wrap their head around concepts that are intangible, like existence and feeling, to begin with, let alone put their perspective to words and music? With No Paradise, Lightning Bug are your newfound philosophers, willing to try anyway what they know is impossible. Earlier this month, Kang answered some questions over email about various aspects of No Paradise, from its preceding motorcycle ride and the effect its songs had on her, to the album's mastering and album art. Read her responses below, edited for length and clarity. If you're in NYC, Catch Kang solo opening for Soccer Mommy at the Stone Circle Theatre in Queens on Friday.

Photo by Ingmar Chen

Since I Left You: Why did you ride a motorcycle from Mexico to New York? Did you expect it would be a transformative experience that might catalyze a chain of events leading to creativity?

Audrey Kang: Honestly, I only did it because I really wanted to keep my motorcycle that I’d bought in Mexico. I felt very attached to this bike because it had seen me through some brushes with death, it had been my faithful companion for many months, and because it was the bike I learned to ride on. The only way to keep it was to drive it home, so I did [laughs]. It was a very practical mission that had nothing to do with a desire for transformation, inspiration, or creativity.

SILY: Much of No Paradise seems to deal with the idea of living passively versus actively. Do you consider songwriting or music-making an active way of engaging with the world?

AK: I see songwriting as more of an internal thing. I stay deep in my own world when I write a song. I suppose once you share your music, you’re engaging with the world. But at least to me, the process of making music is quite introverted.

SILY: On "Lullaby For Love", you sing, "When I hear your name in the hollows of my mind / It runs as a melody through the chambers of my spine / To float on that feeling till strong turns to weak / A truth so far greater than language can speak." Do you ever find songwriting or singing the most effective form of communication?

AK: Hmm, that’s a tricky question for me. I definitely think you can get a feeling across in song that talking can really muddle up. But the truth is, we’ll always only be capable of guessing just how effective or ineffective our communication is, whether it’s through writing a song or extensive conversation or a really long letter. That’s always fascinated me, that you never really know how much someone else is absorbing of how much you’re trying to express.

SILY: When writing, how do you come up with instrumental compositions that reflect or perhaps contrast the lyrics?

AK: I think the composition usually comes along with whatever feeling or space I’m occupying in the song. Does that make sense? I’m so useless at explaining my process [laughs]. When I’m making music, I think/feel/move very fast; it’s really all a blur.

SILY: Your voice seems to be more upfront in the mix than usual. Was that a conscious decision going into the recording of the album?

AK: Yes, definitely. We wanted the vocal to stand out more and carry the plot.

Photo by Ingmar Chen

SILY: The video for "December Song" starts with a line from "Rex's Blues" by Townes Van Zandt, a songwriter known for exploring melancholy as a lived experience. Did writing this song change your perspective on what it means to be alive? Do any other songwriters have this almost existential effect on you?

AK: I would say that writing this song did mark a significant shift in me. I realize this a lot (then forget, then re-realize, and so on), but you can’t wait for life to feel meaningful or magical. In vast expanses of dreary despair, you kinda just have to put one foot in front of the other and commit to believing it all somehow matters. Writing “December Song” was a reminder of that for me. As for other songwriters who explore melancholy as lived experience, Nick Drake comes to mind. Paul Simon. Nina Simone in her expression and performance.

SILY: What is powerful to you about comparing yourself to or even embodying nature--trees, mammals, insects--as you do throughout the album?

AK: Hmm, I just do this without thinking, to be honest. But I will say all patterns in nature repeat themselves throughout all organic existence. I feel this very intensely.

SILY: How did you come to work with Allegra Krieger? What about the qualities of her voice made her fitting for "The Withering"?

AK: Allegra is Kevin’s partner, so that came about very naturally. We both have what I describe as “grandma voices” which I think made a good fit for the rather old-sounding “Withering”. I love how her voice holds it down in that song, but also how our voices interweave and play together.

SILY: On "Just Above My Head", you sing, “Let my death ask of me / Will my music remain? / My songs all may die with me / But when I sing, I find my own eternity.” Do you pretty often think about legacy, in general and when writing songs?

AK: Oh my goodness, I never think about legacy [laughs]. I can see why you’d interpret that line this way. But I guess it was more that I was thinking about how transient life is. So sort of the opposite.

SILY: Some of the songs on No Paradise feature Greek mythology or recall traditional folk music. On, "Opus", you use the word "o'er". What to you is significant about combining archaic or traditional language, stories, or song structures with contemporary songwriting and instrumentation?

AK: Again, like in the use of nature metaphors, this use of archaic language comes to me without me thinking much about it. I guess because I read a lot of old books [laughs]. It’s harder for me to connect with modern things. So that comes across when I write my own songs.

SILY: The video for "Opus" was based on a ghost story you wrote. Do you write any other sorts of poetry or prose?

AK: I scribble things, but nothing I take too seriously.

SILY: You notably tend to keep the making of your music in-house, so to speak, though you continue to work with Heba Kadry, someone with quite an extensive credits list. What does Heba bring to the table that makes her a great mastering engineer?

AK: Heba is an all around legend and boss. She’s totally committed to her art.

SILY: What's the background behind No Paradise's album artwork?

AK: Well, the album is a loose rewriting of the creation myth, so the artwork needed to reflect that. I wanted to contrast “evil” with “innocence” in some visual way. I ended up making a rather potent-looking evil apple, and a childish butterfly to alight on the skin.

SILY: When playing live, do you tend to find yourselves in the same headspace as when you wrote and recorded the songs? How do you see adapting No Paradise songs to a live performance?

AK: It depends on the day, the venue, the audience. Sometimes, you can enter a very special space that feels intimate and true to the writing of the songs. Other times, it’s harder to connect, and you can feel a bit like you’re just going through the motions of performing. I’m excited to perform these songs. They’re honestly extremely hard to sing due to wide melodic movement and rhythmic precision. But they’ll be rewarding to perform, because there’s a lot of passion in this album.

SILY: What's next for Lightning Bug?

AK: I really want to work on our live performances. We’ve never put enough energy and work into that part of music, in my opinion, and I want to change that!

SILY: Is there anything you've been reading, watching, or listening to lately that's inspired you or that you've enjoyed?

AK: I’ve been staring at ocean waves a lot. I find this to be incredibly enjoyable and peacemaking. I’ve also been reading short stories by old Russian greats, like [Nikolai] Gogol.

youtube

1 note · View note

whatwillyoudodifferently · 4 years ago

Text

Look, Louts! Lilies! - Yuri For A Hope-Flung Present and Hopeful Future

Look, I’ll be frank. I typically try to keep to a more formal tone when I write for this blog. I’m not in a formal mood. It is June October 2020, and I, like the rest of you, have been under quarantine for a little over three almost seven months now due to the Covid-19 virus. Throw in a eensy, teensy bit of massive political movements and change in response to police violence and racism, and an increase of police violence and racism in response to those movements, and I think it’s fair to say it’s been a tumultuous couple of months. Except, strangely, it also hasn’t been, because so much of this time has been characterized by ennui and isolation. Stressful, yet soul-numbing. In short, it’s been a very weird place to be in.

So, we’ve all found our different ways to cope. My sister’s way has been getting really into succulents(?), and my way has been buying digital manga and video games. I’ve finished stuff I’ve put off for literal years and bought stuff I had heard was good but wasn’t that hyped to get into. And somehow, the one thing I’ve really gotten into has been yuri?

Now, yuri has a very long and rich history, as well as its own sets of conventions and nuances, so it is with a great, great, GREAT deal of respect that I say that I’m going to simplify it for this essay as “Japanese media with a particular focus on romance between women” for brevity’s sake. If you want to know more, there’s actually quite a lot that’s been written about it in English, but I’m aiming this essay at English-speakers who have had at least a little experience with yuri and more than just passing knowledge.

Because you see, I’ve found that yuri fans have a lot of things to say about yuri! And a lot of those things really bug me!! “Yuri is only fetish quasi-porn written by men,” “yuri is only bland wholesome fluff,” “yuri is only high school drama,” so on, so on. It made me mad, but it also made me realize something: a lot of people simply must not know how big this field of lilies truly is! How else can we get people saying “yuri is oversexualized” and “yuri is sexless” as gospel truth? Something’s not adding up here, guys!

So, all that is to say I’m doing something different for this blog: I’m writing up a recommendation list of yuri. A large chunk of it will be stuff I’ve read and can officially give my seal of approval to, while some of them are just titles I’ve heard of that I think will interest others. All of them have been specifically chosen to counter common untrue things I’ve heard about yuri as a whole. I hope you can find at least a few things on this list that you will enjoy and help you keep your head as the encroaching darkness lurches yet a few inches closer!

1. “Yuri is all schoolgirl stuff! Where’s the sci-fi, the period pieces, the action, the fantasy?”

Otherside Picnic

What It Is: A light novel series written by Iori Miyazawa (illustrated by shirakaba). Ongoing, four volumes at time of writing. The story is being adapted into a manga by Eita Mizuno, and an anime adaptation directed by Takuya Satou will be airing in January 2021.

What It’s About: It was on her third trip to the Otherside that Sorawo Kamikoshi almost died, and it was on that same trip she was saved by an angel. Toriko Nishina is a beautiful and confident young woman who also happens to have intimate knowledge of the Otherside, a dangerous yet captivating world that Sorawo can’t help but being drawn to. Toriko convinces Sorawo to join her on her expeditions to the Otherside, fighting off bizarre creatures that have somehow been ripped out of Japanese urban legends and finding strange artifacts in order to make a little extra cash-- all the while keeping an eye out for someone dear to Toriko’s heart.

What I Think: Otherside Picnic is heavily inspired by the novel Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky and features several creatures and scenarios from ghost stories, net lore, and-- there’s no other way to put this-- creepypasta. On paper this sounds deeply unoriginal, so it’s pretty surprising that OP has an incredibly strong identity. The idea of fusing horror with a yuri love story excited me enough the moment I heard about it, so when I finally got to read it for myself, I was delighted to find that the horror elements and the romance elements are both quite strong.

I will say that thanks to the author’s commitment to following his sources of inspiration to the letter sometimes causes him to undercut his own writing (good example: in one arc there’s an ominous train that keeps being mentioned, causing the reader to dread its arrival with each passing page, but seeing what’s on the train will inevitably fall flat in comparison to the reader’s imagination), but those moments are made up by the more original moments-- the things that are left unseen and unexplained.

The place where the story truly shines is the relationship between the two leads. Sorawo and Toriko are great characters, both incredibly charming and deeply flawed, and they achieve a great chemistry with each other right off the bat. Sorawo is a very interesting protagonist, one who turns out to have a deeply tragic past that has made her into a reclusive, somewhat selfish young woman. What’s great is that Toriko, vivacious and confident, everything Sorawo isn’t, accepts this part of her, in a way. Toriko flat out admits she’s not looking for a particularly virtuous person to accompany her, but an “accomplice.” A big part of the appeal of OP is seeing these two “accomplices” bounce off each other, and eventually come to care about each other, all playing against a background of some genuinely spine-crawling horror. Otherside Picnic is a truly underrated series, and I deeply hope that the anime adaption next year will finally get it all the eyes it deserves (menacing phrasing very much intended).

Where To Get It: The light novels are published by J-Novel Club and can be found via various digital platforms and bookstores. The manga will be published by Square Enix Books starting May 2021. The anime will start airing on January 4th, 2021.

Goodbye My Rose Garden

What It Is: A manga by Dr. Pepperco. Three volumes, complete. It inspired a stage play that ran for a while in Japan, but not much information is available about it in English.

What It’s About: Hanako has two goals: to meet Victor Franks, the mysterious author who pens the books she adores, and to become a writer herself. Despite having the mettle to travel to England on her own to pursue her dreams, she soons finds that it’s difficult for a young, unwed Japanese woman to dream in 20th century London. However, her luck seems to turn around when she meets Alice Douglas, a noblewoman who offers her a job as her maid-- as well as a surprisingly warm friendship. Alice even offers Hanako a way to meet her idol… but at the price of a horrifying request.

What I Think: In the afterword of Volume 1, Dr. Pepperco openly admits that Goodbye, My Rose Garden was the result of them trying to marry all of their favorite tropes (“Victorian maids! Loads of frills! An English family manor!” are some standout items), and this is apparent in the best way possible. GMRG is a lush period piece that will likely appeal to fans of movies like The Handmaiden and Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, with loving attention paid to details like clothes and settings.

The relationship between Alice and Hanako is quite charming, with Alice supporting Hanako as much as she can while still taking every available opportunity to tease her, while Hanako constantly surprises Alice each time she shows her moxie and strength. It’s an adorable, sweet dynamic, yet a dark, melancholy weight lurks in the background in the form of Alice’s request-- in short, it’s a relationship that feels tailor made for me. Still, I believe this “darkness” never threatens to overwhelm the story, only enhance it in such a way that the reader will soldier on, hoping for a happy ending for our two leads. With an engaging plot and gorgeous art, this is a great manga for both longtime yuri fans and newcomers looking for an introduction to the world of yuri.

Where To Get It: Seven Seas Entertainment has translated the first two volumes, with the final one coming to English soon all three volumes into English.

Seabed

What It Is: A visual novel by paleontology, a Japanese doujin circle.

What It’s About: Mizuno Sachiko is a designer who is haunted by visions of Takako, her vivacious childhood friend and former lover. Narasaki Hibiki is a psychiatrist who wants to help Sachiko make sense of these hallucinations. Takako is… confused, trying to figure out why she keeps losing her memory and why she and Sachiko drifted apart despite being so close. Seabed is a story that spans the pasts and presents of these three women as they attempt to find and understand the truth.

What I Think: At first glance, Seabed seems simple, but it’s a bit of a hard story to explain. In a way, there isn’t much to explain-- it’s a very slow, down-to-earth story that gets almost tedious at times. I think it would be a hard sell to someone who isn’t used to visual novels, but I could imagine it being challenging even for fans. All I’ll say is this: if you give Seabed a chance, it will draw you into a surreal, gentle, melancholy tale akin to slowly sinking beneath the water of a strange, yet not unfriendly sea. For its simplicity, it’s got quite a few surprises in its long, long runtime, and any attempt to explain further will just ruin an experience that’s meant to wash over the reader over time. The only thing I’ll say is the one thing I think everyone knows: the climax will make you cry.

Where To Get It: Seabed is published in English through Fruitbat Factory and is available on Steam, Itch.io, and Nintendo Switch.

SHWD

What It Is: A manga by Sono. Ongoing.

What It’s About: Sawada is one of the few women working for the Special Hazardous Waste Disposal, and the only one in her office. But that changes when the stunningly-strong yet staggeringly-sweet Koga is hired, and the two become close in no time. Sawada trains Koga and soon the two go on their first mission to dispose of the “hazardous waste” left after a recent war… the dangerous, organic anti-human weapons known as the Dynamis.

What I Think: SHWD opens with several close-ups of Sawada’s arm muscles as she works out. I have found that page alone is sometimes enough to convince someone to read SHWD, and if not, pictures of Sawada and-- especially-- Koga are often enough to do the job. In all seriousness, what I love about SHWD can be summarized by something Sono said in an interview about the manga:

‘The first motivating force was "I want to write a yuri manga featuring strong women." I was very drawn to strong female characters by watching "PERSON of INTEREST" and "Assassin's Creed Odyssey." However, I felt that I should differentiate myself by doing something other than a "strong woman" and "weak woman" dynamic. So, I thought about coupling women with different types of strength. This is why all of the SHWD main characters are "strong women."’

It’s a mindset I love a lot. Koga is remarkably strong in a physical sense, but her mental fortitude is fragile due to her past experiences with the Dynamis, and as such, it’s Sawada who uses her immense mental strength to support her. Indeed, every character in SHWD so far bears intense trauma born of the Dynamis in some way, and it’s hard to see how their pasts still hurt them in the present. But that just makes it satisfying to see these women come together to support one another. SHWD drew me in with a unique and often dark action-oriented story with horror elements, but it’s this idea of “strong women” who make up for each other’s weaknesses that really makes it dear to me.

Also, it can’t be stated enough that Sono is so so so so so (etc) good at drawing muscular women.

On a completely unrelated note, there’s a side story about Koga and Sawada playing sports together. This includes judo. I am saying this for no reason.

Where To Get It: The English translation of the manga is released in chapters by Lilyka Manga.

Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!

What It Is: A two volume light novel series by Ameko Kaeruda, illustrated by Kazutomo Miya. Possibly complete.

What It’s About: Tanya Artemiciov is an absurdly talented Mage. So why the hell was she kicked out of her adventuring party? Her leader and former friend sums it up in four words: “You’re a woman, Tanya.” In a fit of rage, Tanya channels her anger into a “venting” session that involves swearing her head of and casting a volley of Explosion spells into the wasteland… and accidentally releases a legendary sorceress! Luckily, Laplace is actually quite nice, and just as powerful as the legends say, so the two decide to team up so Tanya can have her revenge!

What I Think: So, this is a silly one, but after a couple of darker entries I think it’s a good palate cleanser. Sexiled is a loud, not-even-remotely subtle, unabashedly feminist take on the “power fantasy” light novel, especially the “revenge fantasy” subgenre-- and even if that sounds awesome on paper to you (ex. me), it will probably feel over-the-top at times to you (ex. me). But in a way, that’s actually kind of its charm.

I like that Kaeruda utterly refuses to let up on what she wants to tell you, especially because the story was inspired by a real case in Japan. One may be tempted to think “this story is ridiculous, no one would ever be this cartoonishly sexist!” and then you read a news article about how in a famous Japanese medical university was found rigging the test scores of women, and you realize, “oh, people are still this cartoonishly sexist.” So I’m fine with Kaeruda letting it all out in this story. At the same time, I think Sexiled is best when it’s focused not on Tanya’s revenge but on her kindness, and the way her compassion, her strength, and yes, her anger inspires the women and girls around her.

Sexiled is a fun and often very funny romp about assholes getting theirs, with some surprisingly deep and nuanced moments hiding in a very unsubtle story.

Where To Get It: The light novels are published by J-Novel Club and can be found via various digital platforms and bookstores.

BONUS: Other titles with sci-fi/fantasy/action elements that may interest you!

The Blank Of Describer: A one-shot manga by kkzt about a pair of two dream-builders. They’ve taken all kinds of commissions in the past, but one job they recieve throws them for a loop: a request for a shinigami that can predict and report death. And then comes the kicker: the customer asks the two of them to give it features that the both of them “adore the most…” (Published in English by Lilyka Manga)

A Lily Blooms In Another World: A light novel by Ameko Kaeruda (illustrated by Shio Sakura), author of Sexiled, about Miyako, a Japanese wage slave reincarnated into another world based on her favorite otome game. However, she’s not interested in her would-be love interest, but in Fuuka Hamilton-- the game’s villainess! After Miyako confesses her love, Fuuka decides to give her a challenge: if Miyako can make her say the words “I’m happy” in fourteen days, she’ll stay by her side! (Published in English through J-Novel Club, available on various platforms)

Superwomen In Love: An ongoing manga by sometime about the sentai villainess Honey Trap and her infatuation with the masked superheroine Rapid Rabbit. After being kicked out of her evil organization, Honey Trap decides to team up with her former nemesis to fight evil-- and hopefully, find romance! (To be published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, coming in April 2021)

2. “Yuri is all stories about teenagers! Where’s the stuff about adults?”

Take a look at the previous section: there’s the stuff about adults! Otherside Picnic, Goodbye My Rose Garden, Seabed, SHWD, Sexiled, The Blank of Describer, A Lily Blooms In Another World, and Superwomen In Love are all stories with adult-aged protagonists! But if you’re searching for a more down-to-earth romance, I’m happy to report there’s quite a bit of options to look into!

Still Sick

What It Is: A manga by Akashi. Three volumes, complete.

What It’s About: Makoto Shimizu is an office lady with a secret: she’s a yuri fan who draws doujinshi. She’s able to keep her two lives separate, all until the day she comes face-to-face with her co-worker at a convention! To Makoto’s horror, Akane Maekawa is amused by her nerdy secret, but Akane may have some secrets of her own...

What I Think: This one was a roller coaster for me: I loved the premise of the manga, but wasn’t sure about the dynamic between the leads… that is, until near the end of the first volume, where something happened and everything changed. Without giving too much away, I implore people to give Still Sick a chance-- it has a much deeper story than one might initially guess, as well as an interesting character dynamic between the two leads with some surprising turns.

Where To Get It: The first two volumes of Still Sick are published in English by Tokyopop, with the final one coming soon All three volumes have been published in English by Tokyopop.

After Hours

What It Is: A manga by Yuhta Nishio. Three volumes, complete.

What It’s About: After being ditched by her friend at a club, Emi Ashiana is ready to write the whole night off. All that changes when she meets Kei, a DJ who seems to be everything Emi is not-- cool, confident… employed.... But Kei and Emi hit it off and Emi’s life changes as Kei draws her into the world of Japan’s club scene!

What I Think: It’s hard to explain exactly why I like this manga, but I reeeeally like this manga.

There’s just something about the sleek art, the amazing atmosphere of the scenes set in nightclubs, the chemistry between Emi and Kei, the focus on more mature topics.... it’s a manga that’s remarkably magnetic for how down-to-earth it is. It’s also just interesting to read stories about subcultures that don’t normally get a spotlight in comics. To sum it up, After Hours is just a lovely manga that’s severely underrated that’s perfect for someone who’s looking for a story that’s both fun and mature.

Where To Get It: All three volumes are published in English by Viz Media.

How Do We Relationship?

What It Is: A manga by Tamifull. Ongoing, five volumes at time of writing.

What It’s About: Miwa and Saeko’s first meeting is… interesting. But despite that, and despite their clashing personalities, the two of them become fast friends. Well… actually, perhaps more than friends. You see, pretty soon the two of them learn that the other is into women. With that in mind, Saeko suggests they try dating each other-- might as well, right? “Might as well” seems like a strange place to begin a relationship, but perhaps even something like that could end in true love?

What I Think: “Why do romances always end when they decide to start dating?!” That’s the question Tamifull poses in the afterword of Volume 1. And it’s a great question! What makes How Do We Relationship? an interesting manga is how oddly realistic it is, highlighting things like the compromises people make in relationships, people who get into relationships for pragmatic reasons rather than love, the whole “thing” about sex… as well as highlighting the additional issues queer people have to deal with. That may sound like a heavy story, but it’s actually quite light-hearted, as well as very, very funny at times. With a cute art style and surprisingly deep premise, HDWR is a great manga for older yuri fans who are craving a more mature story.

Where To Get It: The first volume has been published in English by Viz Media, with more on the way.

BONUS: Other titles with adult protagonists that may interest you!

Even Though We’re Adults: A manga by Takako Shimura about two women in their thirties. Ayano and Akari meet each other in a bar and almost immediately feel a sense of chemistry between them. There’s just one problem: Ayano is married to someone else. (To be published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, coming in January 2021)

Doughnuts Under A Crescent Moon: A manga by Shio Usui. Uno Hinako wants nothing more than to be seen as a normal young woman, but she just can’t seem to make a “normal” romance work. But maybe Sato Asahi, a woman who works at the same company as her, can show her a new kind of normal? (To be published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, coming in February 2021)

Our Teachers Are Dating: A manga by Pikachi Ohi. Hayama Asuka is a gym teacher, Terano Saki is a biology teacher. One day, they come into work both looking suspiciously happy… because they’ve started dating! (Published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment)

I Married My Best Friend To Shut My Parents Up: A one-volume manga by Kodama Naoko. Morimoto is sick and tired about constantly being badgered about finding a man to marry, so her kouhai from her high school days offers a solution: marry each other to make her parents back off! (Published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment)

Now Loading…!: A one-volume manga by Mikan Uji. Takagi has just snagged her dream job at a games publisher, but being put in charge of a mobile game that’s barely pulling in any attention isn’t exactly what she was hoping for. What’s worse, she’s drawn the attention of her strict higher-up Sakurazuki Kaori… who also happened to design her most favorite game of all time?! (Published in English through Seven Seas Entertainment)

3. “Yuri is all schoolgirl stuff! Where’s- wait, didn’t we already do this one?”

Yes we did. And you know what? I’m making a stand! There’s a lot of really, really good yuri stories set in high schools, and I think more people need to give them a chance! Here are some high school titles that I think are worth a second look for one reason or another!

Bloom Into You

What It Is: A manga by Nakatani Nio. Eight volumes, complete. A twelve episode anime aired in 2018, covering about the first half of the series. A three volume spinoff light novel series written by Hitoma Iruma was also published.

What It’s About: Yuu Koito has long dreamed of the day she’d find That One, Storybook Romance that would make her feel like she was walking on air, but the day that a boy confesses to her, her feet remain firmly planted on the ground. When she meets Touko Nanami, a girl who seems to have the same strange, distant relationship to romance as she does, Yuu feels like she has found a comrade. But what will happen when the next person to confess to Yuu… is Touko?

What I Think: What can I say about Bloom Into You that hasn’t already been said? There’s a reason it’s basically considered a staple of yuri despite being only five years old. The art is beautiful and delicate, the story has a deft mastery of comedy, drama, and romance, and the characters are deeply loveable. Really, the only reason this one is here is to tell you to get to reading this manga (or watching the anime) if you haven’t already. So get to it!

Where To Get It: The entire series-- as well as the spinoff light novel series Regarding Saeki Sayaka-- has been published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment. The anime is currently streaming on HiDive.

Yuri Is My Job

What It Is: A manga by Miman. Ongoing, seven volumes at time of writing.

What It’s About: Hime wants nothing more than to be adored by everyone and to someday bag a rich husband. Of course, being loved by all takes a lot of work, and she prides herself in keeping her perfect, adorable facade so well-maintained. But of course, the one time she slips up, she ends up injuring the manager of a local cafe! Hime finds herself strong-armed into working for this cafe under their star employee, a kind, graceful girl named Mitsuki. But things aren’t quite so simple-- you see, this cafe has a gimmick in which all the employees are constantly acting out yuri-inspired scenes for the customers, so in a way, the employees also have their own facades. And under her facade, Mitsuki… hates Hime’s guts!

What I Think: Yuri Is My Job is an odd duck, but in a good way. It’s advertised and initially framed as a comedy, but it becomes a surprisingly thoughtful drama about the personas people adopt and why they do so (though, luckily, the comedy never truly goes away). There’s an interesting web of relationships between the girls, and having those interactions take place in a setting where they must act out a completely different sort of drama adds an extra level of drama and intrigue. The cute, polished artwork is just the icing on the cake. YIMJ is a good manga for those who are already familiar with yuri tropes and those who are interested in a drama that doesn’t get too heavy.

Where To Get It: Six volumes have been published in English by Kodansha comics, with the seventh on the way.

Riddle Story of Devil

What It Is: A manga written by Yun Kouga and illustrated by Sunao Minakata. Five volumes, complete. A 12 episode anime aired in 2014.

What It’s About: At Myojo Private School, an elite all-girl’s academy, Class Black has a secret. Twelve of the thirteen girls are actually assassins who have been offered a dark deal-- one wish will be granted to whoever manages to kill Haru Ichinose, the thirteenth student. But there’s still hope for Haru in the form of Tokaku Azuma, one of the assassins who has decided to defect to Haru’s side-- and defend her from the other girls at any cost.

What I Think: I’m not sure… if I can say Riddle Story of Devil is “good.” It’s definitely something. Although its premise is vaguely similar to Revolutionary Girl Utena, its tone and atmosphere remind me a lot more of the Dangan Ronpa series. It’s schlocky and ridiculous and often over-the-top and at times exploitative. It’s pure junk food, basically… and I believe that’s where the charm comes from. It’s my guiltiest of guilty pleasures. It may not exactly be good, but more often than not, it’s fun. It’s hard not to be immediately interested in a yuri battle series, you have to admit.

And if it does have one undeniably good element, it’s Tokaku and Haru’s relationship. They contrast each other nicely, and while one might expect Haru to be boring and helpless, she’s actually quite proactive at times, and some of the most interesting, engaging parts of the series come from seeing how the two work together to fend off the latest assassin. It’s a short read and if anything, it’s worth it to see how each girl ends up. I recommend it for older viewers who are okay with violence and ludicrous battle scenarios.

Where To Get It: All five volumes are available through Seven Seas Entertainment. The anime can be watched through Funimation.*

*Please don’t watch the anime.**

** At the very least, please don’t watch the anime unless you’ve read the entire manga. Riddle Story Of Devil was one of those unfortunate cases where the anime adaption was produced before the manga reached its conclusion, and as such it has a very strange, rushed ending that includes none of what I enjoyed about the actual ending. Several scenes were also changed, and if I recall correctly, fanservice was added in several places where there was none previously. All in all, I’d really only recommend it for big fans of the series.

Side By Side Dreamers

What It Is: A light novel by Iori Miyazawa, illustrated by Akane Malbeni. One volume, complete.

What It’s About: Saya Hokage has been suffering from insomnia, but one day finds relief in the form of Hitsuji Konparu, a strange girl who can put people to sleep. As it turns out, Hitsuji is a person who has the special ability to move freely in their dreams, known as a “Sleepwalker.” The Sleepwalkers have been battling beings that possess people through their dreams, and it turns out they want Saya to join them in the fight.

What I Think: Side By Side Dreamers is short and… well, dreamy. I really enjoyed the premise and I think it’s a good novel for people who think Otherside Picnic may be a little too much for them. I also enjoyed each dream sequence-- I tend to find that the writing in light novels is a little dry, so the use of figurative language to describe these scenes was really refreshing and interesting. SBSD is a fun oneshot that I think is especially ideal for newcomers to yuri.

Where To Get It: Side-by-Side Dreamers is published by J-Novel Club and can be found via various digital platforms and bookstores.

Cocoon Entwined

What It Is: A manga by Yuriko Hara. Three volumes, ongoing.

What It’s About: Hoshimiya Girls' Academy is a strange, almost otherworldly paradise with a peculiar tradition. For all three years, each girl grows out her hair to absurd, breathtaking lengths, in order for it to eventually be cut and weaved into uniforms for future students. Perhaps it is these strange uniforms that seem to whisper about the past that makes the school seem frozen in another time… picturesque, yet stagnant. But one day, a shocking incident shatters the quiet peace of the academy, and the tumultuous feelings that have long been hidden in the hearts of these girls come rushing into the light.

What I Think: Cocoon Entwined is, in a word, eerie. It’s not marketed as a horror story, and I don’t think it’s intended to be one, but I’ve seen some that say they get horror vibes from it. I definitely understand that-- there’s a deep sense of unease that permeates the entire story in a way that’s a bit hard to articulate. The running thread of uniforms made from human hair definitely doesn’t hurt (it does-- I’ve seen many people understandably turned off by this element), but it’s more than that. It’s the sense that everything at Hoshimiya feels frozen and fragile. It’s the sense that everyone is burying their true feelings under countless layers. It’s the fact that in one scene, Saeki reaches out in a dark room full of uniforms and feels her arm touched by countless hands made of hair.

Cocoon Entwined is a strange manga, and I feel it’s not for everyone-- besides the way many are put off by the central premise, the way that the story jumps around in time can be a bit confusing to follow. But in my opinion, I love it for these elements: the uniforms and their marriage between beauty and grotesque, the sense of frozen time, the delicate artwork that feels like it might be shattered by the weight of your gaze, the strange, airless atmosphere, the girls and their clear exhaustion of having to be ideal women. It’s a strange little series that I think should be given a shot, particularly if you want something a little more out there, or a darker take on Class S tropes.

Where To Get It: Yen Press has currently published two volumes in English.

BONUS: Other high school titles that may interest you!

A Tropical Fish Yearns For Snow: A manga by Makoto Hagino. Konatsu Amano has just moved to a new town by the sea, and must deal with her new school’s mandatory club policy. Luckily, she meets Koyuki Honami, an older girl who runs the Aquarium Club. Recognizing her loneliness, Konatsu decides to join her club. (Published in English by Viz Media)

Flowers: A four-part series of visual novels published by Innocent Grey. Flowers focuses on Saint Angraecum Academy, a private high school that prides itself on overseeing the growth of proper young ladies. One notable thing about the academy is the Amitié program, a system that pairs students together in order to foster friendships between the girls. But friendship isn’t the only thing blooming… (Available in English from Steam, J-List, and JAST USA)

Adachi And Shimamura: A series of light novels written by Hitoma Iruma and illustrated by Non that has recently received a manga adaptation and an anime adaption. Adachi and Shimamura are two girls who encounter each other one day while cutting class. Little by little, the two girls become a part of each other’s lives, and feelings begin to form. (The light novels are published in English by Seven Seas Entertainment, the anime is licensed by Funimation)

And there we go! 24 different yuri titles. I didn’t even go into the series that I tried but personally didn’t like that still might interest other people. I primarily made this list to gush about yuri that I liked, but I also tried to include a fairly wide range of things so that, hopefully, any random person who read this whole list could find at least one new title that interests them. And I hope that includes you!

The yuri scene is quite large and wonderful if you know where to look, and it too often gets a bad rap. I hope that this list could give you a new perspective on what kinds of titles are available, and I hope it gives you something new to try. And remember: if you want something specific, try looking for it! There’s a good chance the story you’re craving is already out there, waiting to be discovered!

528 notes · View notes

shirtlesssammy · 5 years ago

Text

1x08: Bugs

Then:

Bbys who have no clue what they’re about to be forced to live through.

Now:

Oasis Plains, Oklahoma

At a new home development site, two Oklahoma Gas and Electric workers chat about the expensive neighborhood.

One worker falls into a sinkhole and breaks his ankle. The other rushes for help. The hole where the man fell is covered in bugs. Willie Scott is quaking. The man lies still crying out for help. By the time his buddy gets back with a rope, it’s too late.

At a bar, Sam waits outside for his brother by the car and reads the paper. Dean’s busy hustling for money. Sam’s got a case! The cold open dude’s death is being reported as human Mad Cow. Dean heard about that on Oprah. Of course you did, my sweet, strong, amazing boy. Sam is shocked and Dean changes the subject.

For the Many Layers of Dean Winchester Science:

The brothers think there might be more to it than an accelerated case of Mad Cow and head to check it out. They arrive at the Gas company and find the buddy, Travis, right away. They’re posing as the nephews of the vic. They ask a bunch of questions. They’re really awkward and the buddy just goes along with it.

They then head to where the dude died.

Dean asks if they want to flip a coin to see who’ll go down into the hole. Sam doesn’t think it’s a good idea, considering they don’t know what they’re dealing with. Dean’s dealing with trying to prove he’s macho so he says that Sam is scared and that he’ll head down the hole. That brought out Sam’s competitive edge enough and Sam decides to go (and let’s all face facts, Dean is a germaphobe and didn’t want to go down there anyway…)

Later in the car, they discuss the small amount of beetles Sam found. Time to do some research. Dean sees an open house and decides to join. Also, Dean’s weirded out at the thought of growing up in a nice neighborhood. Lol, sure buddy.

They meet the developer of the neighborhood, Larry, and his wife, Joanie. They also meet Lynda, head of sales.

She’s ready to sell them a house! Dean’s tired of defending his heterosexuality and runs off to find Larry.

While talking with Larry, Dean notes jars of bugs. Larry’s son is “inquisitive”, and I don’t appreciate how condescending you sound Larry. Let your son be a bug freak.

Sam continues to get the hard sell from Lynda. As she blathers on, he notices a giant hairy spider getting closer to her. He dismisses her and scoops the hairy guy up and walks it over to Alfie Samandrial Matthew, the inquisitive son. Larry escorts his son away from the party. And Sam was just warming up to the kid, ready to spill all his ‘Dads are the worst’ advice. And whoa, Dean didn’t see how mean their dad was, but Sam said he didn’t treat Dean like that because he “was perfect” but he was all over Sam.

God, these early episodes are gold mines. It’s a pity I so rarely watch them. Anyway, this is just another Dean is the perfect son because he followed orders, while Sam was not because he’s a little rebel.

Dean notes another person died on the site a while ago —killer bee stings. Maybe these bugs are being controlled by someone.

Dean wonders if the boy, Matt, is the cause behind the bugs. They then pull over to an empty house in the neighborhood to hang out for the night. Dean wants to try the steam shower. Boy, you have always loved a good shower.

That night, Lynda is watching the news in her room when a spider scuttles across her face. UGH. She turns off the news and goes to enjoy a nice steam shower. MORE SPIDERS! She screams and apparently runs straight through the glass door. Shards of glass and blood mingle in the shower drain, while Lynda is dead a couple yards away, covered in tiny spiders.

The next morning, Sam alerts Dean to another death. Dean’s busy enjoying his shower.

They roll up just as the body is getting rolled away. And I just love how they’re not even posing as FBI or anything and can just park their car and stroll up to the authorities like it isn’t anything. Larry gives them the news about Lynda.

They sneak into the house to investigate. Spiders! They head off to find Matt, only to watch him wander into the woods after school. They follow and find him collecting bugs. Dean passively accuses him of the bug related shenanigans, but Matt denies any wrong doing. He does feel like something is going on though. There’s something going on with the insects but Larry doesn’t want to listen to his son. And we get another veiled conversation about how the Winchester sons were raised wrong.

They finally reach the place in the woods that Matt wanted to show them. Bugs are congregating, but he doesn’t know why. Dean pokes a stick into a hole full of squishy squashy earthworms and finds a human skull inside.

Dean and Sam head downtown with a whole box of skulls they found, like ya do. Dean gets to the heart of the case right away, and asks Sam why he told Matt to rejoice in anticipating the moment he could leave for college. “How 'bout tellin' him to respect his old man, how's that for advice?” Oh, Dean bby. Sam lays out his grievances: their dad never respected his achievements when they weren’t related to hunting. Dean tells him that their Dad always cared - he kept an eye on Sam even when he went to Stanford! (I’m sure John Winchester wasn’t at ALL concerned about keeping an eye on his demon-infected son, or anything.) (Boris: I read a really good theory once that it was Dean that was keeping on eye on Sam at Stanford.) Anyway, Dean could have told Sam how much their dad cared if ONLY Sam picked up the phone ever.

At the local university, Dean and Sam pose as anthropology students. The professor they talk to speculates that the skulls they found are almost 200 years old and probably belong to indigenous people who once lived in the area. The professor is NOT horrified that these two “students” went grave robbing and are now toting around skulls in an old file box. It’s fine!

He refers them to the nearby Euchee tribe. MY GOD please tell me these boys aren’t going to visit tribe members with the skulls of their ancestors. I don’t remember this episode AT ALL but I’m starting to get a horrible feeling. Much has been written about the offensive “Native American curse” plot device in this episode (I realize after pausing and googling for a full hour). So I’m just gonna clutch my hair and tell this episode that it deserves its bad rep. It really, really does.

The Winchesters chat with Joe White Tree, who tells them a story about the pillaging of a Euchee village by American cavalry who tortured, then killed every single person living in it. The dying Chief issued a curse: “no white man would ever tarnish the land again.”

It’s a six day curse and on the last day, everyone dies. They calculate that the sixth night is…that very night.

By phone, Sam and Dean try to warn Larry and son about the oncoming curse. Larry isn’t buying it, but Matt’s seeing a lot of unusual bug activity. Dean tells him to fake appendicitis so they can leave town and head to the hospital. Great idea! It can take hours before you’re seen in the ER!

When the Winchesters arrive, Larry, Matt, and Hot Mom Joanie are still home. They argue about leaving, but the shouting fades to horror when a giant swarm of bugs fill the sky. Everyone runs inside, blocking off gaps around doors and windows. The phones are dead because…the smarty bugs chewed through the phone lines. (oooookay) Bugs come in through the fireplace flue, chasing everyone upstairs.

Me, at this episode:

In the attic, (Which is like the worst place to hide from bugs are you kidding me? Everybody knows roofs need to breathe) termites eat a hole through the roof. Dean fights off the bugs with his bottomless can of flammable insect repellant and they try to patch up holes. Soon enough, they’re surrounded by bugs. Welp, I sure didn’t expect the series to end like this!

Light shines outside suddenly (like a LIGHT SWITCH turning on) and the bugs flood out of the roof and fly off into the already very bright sunrise. How…majestic? And convenient? And FAST.

A little while later, we meet up with Larry again. The real estate development is “on hold while the government investigates those bones you found.” There is SO MUCH to unpack here, but we skip right over ALL of that to arrive at the familial emotional resolution. Larry’s happy because he’s closer with his family now. Matt throws away his bug collection. “They kinda weird me out now.” Oh, Matt. You used to be so cool.

Across the street, Sam and Dean stare at the reconnected son and his father in a not-at-all creepy or intrusive manner and experience emotions.

Sam tells Dean that he wants to find their dad so he can apologize. Dean responds with “Well, don't worry, we'll find him. And then you'll apologize. And then within five minutes, you guys will be at each other's throats.” Very accurate!

UGH There are Quotes All Over Me!

Hustling pool? Credit card scams? It's not the most honest thing in the world, Dean

I'd take our family over normal any day

Who can say no to a steam shower?

“Question is, why bugs? And why now?” “That’s two questions”

You don't break a curse. You get out of its way

Want to read more? Check out our Recap Archive!

#spn recap #spn rewatch #spn 1x08 #bugs #dean winchester #sam winchester #supernatural season 1

35 notes · View notes

tarithenurse · 5 years ago

Text

Orphan - 5

Starring: Fem!Reader and MCU characters! Contents: Spoilers for Endgame!! Good intentions, awkwardness, feels. A/N: PREVIOUS CHAPTERS can be found on the masterlist. Thanks for likes and reblogs and comments <3

5. Tea and Fate

There’s a fuzziness enveloping your mind that makes everything appear to happen at a slower pace than usual, voices distant and warped. You have to force every movement before your body begrudgingly accepts to carry it out, clumsily too, so it’s a miracle you don’t break anything before breakfast is over. At least the two big kids seem to be similarly slow this morning. Why’s he so hyper? Glancing at the little Nathaniel over your cup of coffee, it strikes you as unnatural how he can be so cheerful, constantly babbling about the things he is planning to do during the day as he bounces on the chair.

“– and then can we go down t’the creek and catch tadpol’th? You wanna come, [Y/N]?”

Huge, pleading eyes are staring at you and suddenly it makes sense when people talk about puppy eyes because not even a golden retriever would be able to reach the levels of cuteness the sticky, noisy kid just achieved. Scrambling for words (preferably a nice way to turn him down), you find yourself stuttering and mumbling before Laura saves you.

“There won’t be any tadpoles now, sweetie. It’s fall, and they’ve all grown up into toads and frogs.” She glances at you with an apologetic smile. “And I think, perhaps, [Y/N] needs a bit of time to get used to being here.”

What I need is a nap. Instead of saying it, you just nod with an attempt at a noncommitting smile that might not have amounted to anything more than a grimace of questionable characteristic. A nap and a plan.

… Morgan …

Uncle Rhodes and mommy have gone into the kitchen and shut the door, leaving Happy as the only entertainment.

“I’m booooooored!” Morgan mutters, mainly to herself because the first attempts at getting the gummy-bear of a man to play with her have failed already. “Can I go play on my own?”

It takes a moment for him to react. “Huh? What, yeah…just stay in the house, ‘kay bug?”

She answers with a cheer and a wave, already bouncing up the stairs to fetch her favourite teddy bear and the space stone from aunt Nebula – you never know what you’re going to need when going on an adventure (even if it’s indoors).

…

Someway or other, Morgan doesn’t quite know how, the exploration has brought her to daddy’s work room where the broad table hums invitingly. He never keeps any of his tools in the house, they’ve all been banished to the shed except this one and all the boring books and papers. Sure enough. Resting the chin on the edge of the humming piece of furniture, she can see a stack of folders on one side and a few scraps with scribbles and lines looking like a robot…or a dog.

Daddy’s things aren’t toys. Crawling up into the soft swivel chair, she enjoys a few rounds before allowing the two treasures to take part in the joy of the secret carousel…now and then stealing a glance between the messy strands of hair at the table. Not toys.

He has used it so many times even with Morgan around. A pat in that corner. A wave of the hand. Blue light fills the room in the middle of the day, making the girl think of the swimming pool at grandma’s and grandpa’s.

“Hello, Morgan.”

The voice is so nice and sweet even if the little girl just did something she isn’t supposed to. “Hi, Fwiday.” Morgan doesn’t blush. Almost never.

“What can I help you with, sweetheart?”

The answering question pops out all on its own. “Where’s dad? Mom keeps cwying ‘cause he’s gone.”

“Oh, sweetie…”

… Reader …

You had never quite imagined that you’d be doing a conference call with a handful of heroes while sitting on the hood of an old John Deere in a barn. There’s a shit ton of things I’ve never imagined. Looking over at Clint, sprawled in the seat and with the feet up on the steering wheel, you could almost be lulled into a sense of calm. That things aren’t completely deranged.

Time and again, you’ve felt like an amateur ice dancer trying to keep your life in balance despite the odds so you shouldn’t be feeling as lost as you do. And still…this time you have no counterweight, no place to call home and no person to guide you through the fog. The voices are familiar, in some twisted kind of way, talking gently as if that magically will calm your nerves…but they don’t know how it does exactly the opposite because they sound condescending just like the overbearing social workers and potential adoptive parents that turned you down for no other reason than being too old. For not looking enough like them that you could pass as their “real” kid on a photograph.

“She’s gotten a copy of the files,” Rhodes is explaining, “to go over with her attorney.”

To see if I’m good enough, if she really has to be stuck with me? “Why?” The question leaves the line silent. “I’m not asking for inheritance…or to be part of her life! I just...”

The sympathetic look Clint gives you is almost worse than the unanswered questions and you close your eyes to it. Deep breaths. Pictures of Tony Stark dance in your mind together with memories of your mother, each of them sporting features that you would be able to point out when looking in a mirror. Like when I was a kid.

Time and again, before the aliens attacked New York, you had conjured up an imaginary world where you had both a mom and a dad – the latter being none other than Tony Stark. In that world, you all lived together, and your mom would say that you had her looks and your dad’s smarts which would make him laugh and pull both of you into a hug. In that fairy-tale –

A hand brushes your arm gingerly, waking you with a start from the reveries – lost long ago in the smouldering rubble of a tiny apartment – to find Clint’s face a foot from yours. Keen eyes study every twitch of the brow, maybe even counting the blackheads on your nose, and you pull back in annoyance.

“Y’okay there?” he asks low enough that people listening in won’t hear.

What do you care? “Sure.” Clearing you voice, it’s all you can do to return the attention to the phone. “As I said…I just needed to know if it was true.”

“If need be, would you be willing to do a DNA-test?” You already recognize the voice as the Hulk’s.

A non-committal shrug before you realize they can’t see it. “Sure.”

…

From your spot on the bed on the second floor, you can look out over the field stretching towards the forest. Everything is drenched, covered by sheer greyness that makes the grasses bow and the fallen leaves stick to each other as if hoping the wind won’t be able to move them. The sun is setting somewhere beyond this drab world, but no colours of rose gold and purple reach this far to warm your body now the layers of borrowed clothes and a musty blanket don’t cut it.

You can hear the bubbling giggle that erupts sporadically from Nathaniel. This time you hear Cooper too, a boyish version of his mother…when he can drag himself out of the teenage moods, at least. He’s not that bad, according to your limited experience of kids in full families, just kind of sullen with a tendency to walk away when bothered. Like whenever I enter the room. He’d barely stayed in the seat to finish breakfast. At lunch he’d walked in, seen you, and declared not to be hungry before leaving.

Some people might think it was a relief that Lila sat through the meal, but the glaring was tough to ignore. What’ve I done to them? Your eyes prickle dangerously, and your nose is close to dripping too, callously ignoring the deep breaths and stubborn, unspoken promises that you don’t care. I don’t. It’s not like you haven’t gone through these things before back when you were their age, finding kids scowling at you for no apparent reasons. It’s better than pity. There’s plenty of that to go around and –

*knock knock*

Startled by the sound, body trying to crawl in on itself to feel small and inconspicuous, you hold your breath in the hopes that you heard wrong, but it happens again. Slow but resolute knocking.

“[Y/N]?” Even though she’s rarely spoken to you, the voice of Lila is easily recognizable. “Can I…is’t okay if I c’m’in?”

I’m an adult. I gotta act like one. Any wetness by the eyes is hastily rubbed away. “Sure.” Clear and steady.

The door creaks after ears of disuse, allowing the appearance of the back of Lila’s shoulder as she slides the elbow off the handle. Huh? The moment there’s room, she turns to reveal a little tray with two enormous cups of something steaming and a little tray of cookies. A shy smile, shoulders carefully rising before being lowered with a newfound confidence as you return the silent greeting by making room on the bed for the girl.

Outside, the rain fights to break the grey haze obscuring the world but in reality adding to it. The flaming colours that had managed to maintain a desperate hold on the twigs so far are disappearing in an early dusk. A moment ago that misery had your attention, resonating within, now it’s chased away by an awkward, lanky girl sitting cross-legged before you while apologizing for the lack of milk.

“Hey! It’s okay,” you manage to interrupt her at a break for air, “I’ll drink it any which way, so thanks…”

“Good, good…”

Drops pummel the window. Tea scent heats your faces causing a new flush to be added to Lila’s cheeks. Good tea, as if that’s the reason you feel guilt gnawing for the negativity against the girl…a negativity that evaporates like the steam curling above the hot liquid.

“I’m sorry,” Lila admits, and you’re not sure why even though you have an idea, “I…Cooper and me…” For a moment all her attention seems to be on the cookie she steeps in the mug. Seems. “I’ve been a jerk, haven’t I?”

Alright! Up front now! “Maybe. I guess I’ve been too...” Sharing a glance you recognize some of Clint in the way she takes in every detail. “So this is like…a truce? Ceasefire?”

“Hoped so.”

You can’t hug it out with her. There’s been too many fake hugs in your life from people who claimed they’d be there for you. Lila doesn’t promise anything except to try to be decent and that’s something you can mirror. Good thing too. You’ve got nothing else to offer.

“– they say I need to start school Monday.” Clearly, you’ve missed the start of whatever the middle Barton kid’s saying, but you can fill it out. “I’m gonna be like the only senior from my year left! Can you imagine?”

“A little, maybe. People did stare a shitlo–…sorry…a lot at uni. But hey! At least the sophomore was only surprised when I appeared on his lap. At first.”

“Nooo!” Wide eyes followed by a crinkle of amusement. “Was he hot?”

What?! That line of thought had never occurred to you. “Uhm…I don’t actually remember, I’m just glad he didn’t push me onto the floor.”

There’s a tiny snort of giggles, “Hey, welcome back! Yeet!” Her tea almost spills as she imitates the student forcibly tossing you aside.

37 notes · View notes

marshmallowgoop · 5 years ago

Text

Goop Plays Kill la Kill the Game: IF (Satsuki Episodes 5-8)

Oh my goodness.

Episode 5

So, this episode starts off with that haunting line featured in the recent Anime Expo story trailer:

Ragyo: All of this is because of you, Satsuki. Because of who you are.

I guess Ragyo’s saying that Shinra-Kouketsu came into fruition because Satsuki couldn’t prevent this outcome, no matter her efforts, but I gotta say that I was expecting something a lot more sinister. But that’s just trailer magic for you, I suppose, lol.

And I know I said in my last write-up that I really enjoyed interacting with the story, but okay, I get what some reviews were referring to now. Fighting the COVERS felt extremely tedious.

Satsuki: Ugh, this is endless!

Same, Satsuki, same.

Though, to be fair, I don’t know if it’s the Steam port or my computer or what, but part of the reason playing through this segment felt so bad is because it ran so badly. It was slow and glitchy and an utter pain.

Still, I will say that fighting the COVERS with the Elite Four was a bit of a better experience purely because of the cute introductions when each of them joined Satsuki in battle. I particularly loved Nonon and Satsuki’s exchange:

Nonon: Nonon here, at your service!

Satsuki: I’m counting on you, Nonon. Stay sharp out there.

I mean, aw??? Satsuki saying she’s counting on someone? My heart. And that’s not even mentioning that she uses Nonon’s first name.

It’s a real shame that there are no subtitles for these bits. Those playing in Japanese who don’t understand the language will totally miss all of these moments.

But then again, the achievement for the battle is “Unspoken Understanding,” so these words aren’t really necessary.

They’re so cute, though!

Anyway, on the subject of the Elite Four, my question about their Goku Uniforms gets quickly answered here:

Satsuki: Your Goku uniforms!

Houka: Iori patched them up fast, m’Lady. Nothing compares to his skill with a needle and thread.

And LOL, okay, Shiro can just sew four complicated outfits in like five minutes. Life Fibers: ain’t gotta explain shit.

(To be real, though, I’m honestly not bugged. Details like this just amuse me. And I really like that Houka says this line.)

But what the heck is Shiro referring to here???

Shiro: There’s just one thing that bothers me...

Satsuki: What?

Shiro: It can wait. I’ll come talk to you after the fight’s over.

As of episode 8, I don’t think this talk has occurred? Or did I miss it or something?? What bothered Shiro??? I don’t really have an idea!

Episode 6

It kinda cracked me up that Shinra-Kouketsu didn’t seem to be that far from complete. Nui, what the heck were you doing in the anime? It seems you could have finished that thing in a way more timely manner.

Nui: Awww, Satsuki! You’re too late. I just finished!

But on a more serious note, seeing Satsuki lose control and become Mind Stitched is heartbreaking. I knew at about this point that I was getting close to the end of the story, but gosh, I want so much more. I want to know how Satsuki feels. I want to know more about her history and what she’s done up to this point. Seeing so much go unexplored leaves me aching.

Still, I know I’m lucky to get any Kill la Kill at all after all these years....

Poor Satsuki, though... She’s had to fight all these battles, and then this happens....

But I will say... one thing I actually don’t think I want to know is what Nui ended up doing....

Nui: Okay! I’ll just stay here and mess around then!

Episode 7

Now, episode 7 is the absolute cutest.

Ryuko: Finally. Thought you’d never wake up.

I want ten hours just of the characters being cute like this. They don’t even have to like, do anything. They can just sit around and talk. This is my jam.

Back when the show was first airing, I remember so many people wanting Ryuko to save Satsuki after the Festival. This episode is the perfect embodiment of that dream. And it’s honestly better than I even expected. They are precious.

Ryuko: Can you move?

Satsuki: No. That’s not good.

Goodness, Satsuki, you are such a dork I love you.

Buuuut. Uh. I have so many questions.

How much time has passed? Have the Elite Four been awake a while? Were they talking to Ryuko about Satsuki for a long time (and can I please, please see this in Ryuko’s story?)

And, most notably, how the heck is Senketsu back together again?! Maybe I misunderstood what happened before, but didn’t Ragyo take one of Senketsu’s pieces? How can Senketsu Synchronize with Ryuko without that piece?? What did Ragyo want to do with that piece, anyway? What is going on.

As cute as everything is, it’s also a bit soured for me when it’s revealed that Ryuko was convinced she’d killed Nui.

Ryuko: I thought I killed you!

Just recently, I actually got into a whole discussion on the subject. Apparently, in the Grand Summoners mobile game that had a crossover with Kill la Kill about a year ago, Ryuko states that she’s perfectly willing to kill others without remorse.

And, uh.

Okay, was anybody going to tell me that the Grand Summoners/Kill la Kill crossover had a story, or was I just supposed to read that in a discussion about whether Ryuko would like Shadow the Hedgehog or not myself?

But anyway, I figured that Ryuko would say something like that purely to sound tough. I’ve always viewed her as a sweet who wouldn’t truly want to kill anybody, even Nui (which is why she ultimately doesn’t kill Nui in the anime).

Perhaps I’ve just interpreted her character all wrong, and maybe it’s unfair of me to expect too much depth from a 3.5-hour story in a tie-in anime fighter game, but if Nui is the first person Ryuko’s “killed,” I just... expect more of a reaction. Even killing someone you hate must make you feel something if it’s the first time you’ve done such a thing. Ed killing Greed in the 2003 Fullmetal Alchemist anime is a brilliantly powerful example of that, and Ryuko is a remarkably sensitive person when it comes to how she impacts others—her reaction after going berserk in episode 13 is a testament to that.

Of course, I haven’t seen Ryuko’s side of things. Maybe she does freak out after she’s done the deed. But I don’t know. From what I understand about Ryuko—going easy on Mataro’s gang, helping Maiko despite trying to be tough and saying that it’s everyone for themselves, hardly even being able to function after losing control and hurting the people she loves, putting all her doubts aside to “save” Nagita—it’s hard for me to believe that she’d be so unaffected by killing someone, especially in retrospect.

I mean, heck, she doesn’t even kill Nui in this episode despite saying that she will and honestly having the opportunity to!

Ryuko: I don’t care how many-a-you there are! I’ll kill you all!

And it’s even weirder to me that Senketsu would be okay with this! He’s the one who says in the preview for episode 18 that “to kill as you please with a smile on your face is evil.” Why would he help Ryuko murder for revenge?

youtube

It’s Not That Deep, Goop, I know. But it irks me.

Still, I can (obviously) appreciate the charm of this short story. Nui’s little cloth dolls are adorable, for example.

Episode 8

And getting into episode 8, I love that Ryuko didn’t even understand what she was doing when she cut off Nui’s arms, but she acted so sure of herself anyway, like she totally knew that’d work out.

Shiro: But if you cut those Fibers from both sides simultaneously, they can can’t regenerate.

Ryuko: Ohhh, so that’s what happened with Nui’s arms.

And oh lordy, they are precious.

Nonon: Jeez, Satsuki. Don’t bow down to the new girl! What’ll people think?

But at the same time, we’re missing so much of the power of the anime here. When Satsuki bows down to Ryuko in the anime, it’s so meaningful because she understands that she messed up. She shouldn’t have used her own sister as a tool and a weapon. She went too far. This is cute, but it feels undeserved.

Carrie Keranen, Satsuki’s English voice actress, said in a recent ArcLive that the Satsuki’s apology on the Naked Sol was her favorite scene to voice. She talked about how Satsuki felt she was doing the right thing but realized that she didn’t have to go to the lengths she did. I was so hoping for the game to delve into that realization more, and there is still a tiny bit of time for it to do so, yes, but it was kinda sad to see the bow here before that.

I’m also kinda confused about what’s going on. What is Uzu talking about here?

Uzu: Yeah and besides, Matoi here was saved ‘cuz of you. She should be the one doin’ the thanking.

How exactly did Satsuki save Ryuko? She, uh, kinda tore up Senketsu.....

On a completely different note, I’ve noticed in the past that the localization is kinda wonky, and you definitely feel that in this episode. Ryuko says that she has the Rending Scissors, but then the subtitles call them “Snippity-Snips,” lol.

And more complaints about Ryuko, but I’m not sure I dig her being characterized kinda like a dimwit. “Primordial” isn’t that difficult a word, c’mon.

Ryuko: Wait... Prime-oatmeal?

Maybe it makes more sense in Japanese. Or Ryuko’s just really hungry.

I did appreciate this line, though:

Ryuko: I ain’t here to make friends with you all.

Oh, Ryuko.

But can’t say I appreciated this one:

Ryuko: I’m gonna kill that loli bitch!

Can we just... not with that word, please.

I loved the ending, though. Satsuki, you are such a sweet, oh my goodness.

Satsuki: That said, I’d like the four of you to go after her. Protect her, if necessary.

Awww! She really does care.

And the fact that she prioritizes her students?

Satsuki: I’ll make sure all students are freed from the COVERS and once I’ve arranged for their rescue, I will join you.

Satsuki a sweet, okay. Satsuki is good.

Gallery

Aight, I know this is really long already, but I gotta say that I really appreciate that Ryuko and Senketsu share a place in the Voice Library... even if their names don’t show up together there....

I’m also super curious about those bonus voice lines, but I feel like it’d be cheating to buy them now, and there are probably spoilers in them, too... and I’m broke in this game, lol.... But very excited for it!

And I’ve said it before, but can we just appreciate all the love put into this game some more? Look at all those voice lines! 146 for Ryuko and Senketsu alone. And all characters seem to have at least around 70 lines. I’m fearful about how this story will end, but goodness, the dedication put into this game will never stop being charming.

One more thing... when I started up the game again, Mako was narrating instead of Senketsu! I looked at these voice lines and realized that everyone can be the narrator, but I wasn’t sure how you trigger it to change. Learned today that it depends on the buttons you press during the introduction!

Again love all the effort put into this game.

In sum, I’m not sure how this thing’ll end, and I am nervous, but there’s a lot of charm here, even if I wish there was more. It’s hard to stop playing and write these posts, but I also feel like I gotta let this stuff sink in a bit! I don’t want to break my mind by going through way too much Kill la Kill content at once!

#kill la kill #kill la kill the game #klk spoilers #klk: if spoilers #goop plays klk: if #ramblings #i don't know if i should keep spending so much time on these though ^^;#they're total tl;dr material....#but anyway gonna go finish satsuki now!!#:OOOOO

21 notes · View notes

featherquillpen · 6 years ago

Note

I understand quite well why there are no voluntary Hork-Bajir hosts, but I wonder if it has ever happened that some Yeerk infesting a Hork-Bajir for the first time came to the same realization that Iniss 799 did, and if so, what they did about it?

I liked this question so much I ended up writing a fic about it. Content warnings for slavery, rape, and violent death.

Mother Sky and Father Deep

Sub-Visser Seventy-Nine’s Regiment

#geddcontrollers

A channel for Gedd-Controllers to discuss host subjugation and maintenance strategies. Remember to report any subversive activity to @Esplin1871, the content moderator for the Grash Akdap message wells.

Odret 1012

Well, comrades, it looks like it’s time for me to leave this channel. I’ve been reassigned.

Garmiray 801

A new host? And not a Gedd? We’ll miss you at the feeding troughs!

Temrash 726

Well? What did you get?

Odret 1012

Hork-Bajir. I’m entering training to become a guard. Should be simple enough, I got assigned a host raised from infancy in the Pool complex. I hear the freshly-broken ones from the homeworld can be a real pain.

Temrash 726

Ooh, you’ll get to do target practice with Dracon beams. I’ve always wanted to try that. Watch out for those visual distortions, though. I hear they can get real confusing.

Odret gets the notice to report to the infestation pier for their new host, and logs out of the terminal. There will be experienced Hork-Bajir-Controllers there to help them adjust to the new host body. They are not afraid. But it will be unfamiliar, unsettling, not like the comfortable slow weight of the Gedd whose name they are trying their best to forget – it belongs to somebody else now.

But this Hork-Bajir now belongs to them.

Odret pushes their way in, obeys their training and understands the shape of the mind before trying to move the body. The Hork-Bajir’s name is Lub Geta. He loves his sister Kel, who is taken, and he loves Mab Fillat, a Hork-Bajir a little older than him who taught him about hrala-sight. The true-elders told Lub that the taken-elders said things that were not true about the takers, the Yeerks. They call themselves gods, but they are cruel, not like the true gods, Father Deep and Mother Sky. When Lub asked the true-elders, what is a sky, they fell silent.

«Who are the true-elders?» Odret demands, digging deep into Lub’s brain. But the true-elders speak to the young ones with their heads buried in food scraps and filth, so they can’t see or smell.

The stupid, docile slave Odret was promised is a lie. There will be no relief from Trarrer’s – the Gedd’s – screaming.

Lub sees his beloved Mab behind him on the infestation pier, and the body that is now Odret’s is full of longing to reach out to him. In the arms of his experienced minders, Odret slowly asserts control, but he can’t stamp the longing out. The minders half-drag him off the pier and take him to one of the underground freight trains. “You’re going to the training grounds,” they say. “Get control of your host by the time you arrive.”

When the train arrives, Sub-Visser Seventy-Nine herself boards the windowless train car and says, “Are you in control?”

“Yes, Sub-Visser.”

“Good. Then come.”

Odret steps out into a dry, barren land of cracked yellow dirt, and Lub Geta, who until now has been quiet, says in a breath of pure wonder, «Mother Sky!»

It sticks in Odret’s palps the way the Gedd’s screaming never did.

Private Message – Eftrof

Eftrof

How are you doing with the new host?

WaveRiderChampion

Oh, you know. I’m adjusting. It’s fine.

Eftrof

You don’t have to put on a brave face, Odret. We’re in private messages. You’re using your stupid old childhood alias from when you got that Pool high score in Wave Rider. I know it’s hard to change hosts. It’s stupid to pretend it’s not.

WaveRiderChampion

I just thought it would be easier. With a captive-born Hork-Bajir and all that. But it isn’t.

Eftrof

And why is that?

WaveRiderChampion

I thought its mind would be molded for me. Ready to accept me as its master. But he wasn’t like that at all. He’s learned some kind of way of life from other Hork-Bajir. He has his own beliefs. He wants to be free.

WaveRiderChampion

If a captive-born Hork-Bajir can be like him, then I think it must mean that it’s impossible to break hosts to our use. It’s always going to be like this. We’ll always have to break them ourselves, over and over.

WaveRiderChampion

By the Kandrona, please don’t report me for saying that.

Eftrof

I won’t!

Eftrof

Of course I won’t. I think you’re right. I think we dream of a day when we have enough hosts to be safe from the Andalites, and we can be at peace, but that day will never come. So long as we have our hosts, we will always be at war.

TSSSEEEEEEWWWW. Another neat hole burned through the target, and a line of steam as the beam vaporizes the rain. Odret checks the charge on his Dracon beam. Lub imagines the sky is a kind mother, crying the soft rain down.

“Odret 1012,” says the arms trainer. “Turn in your weapon and report to Sub-Visser Seventy-Nine.”

A frisson of fear, but there’s nothing stern in that voice. Odret returns the Dracon beam and reports in to the facility.

“You’re taking the next train back to the Pool,” the Sub-Visser says.

“But Sub-Visser, it’s siar-rane!”

The Sub-Visser barely looks away from her tactical diagrams. “You’ve been temporarily assigned to Host Propagation. I’ll see you next rane.”

“Of course, Sub-Visser,” Odret says, and goes to wait at the tunnel where the train is to arrive. But they have no idea what Host Propagation is.

Lub’s skin burns and prickles with utter dread. «Do you know what Host Propagation is?» Odret demands.

His host will not elaborate. So Odret boards the train when it comes, and spends the trip delving into Lub’s memories of the true-elders and their lessons in the filth and the dark. Of course. It makes sense. Where did they think those captive-born Hork-Bajir came from?

Odret understands, from their schooling, how the various hosts of the Yeerk Empire reproduce. They never gave the matter much thought. But Lub burns and shivers beneath his skin, caught in a circle of terrible thoughts: the true-elders say this is wrong. Hork-Bajir are meant to choose who they touch, and when we are untaken, or in the cages, we must choose and let each other choose. Now I do not choose. But I want to hold another Hork-Bajir. I want to be kind. Is this a chance to touch and be kind?

The train arrives at the Pool. The passengers report to the Taxxon on duty. Feeding. Feeding. Administrative duty. Feeding. And when it’s Odret’s turn, they say, “Host Propagation.”

“Hard luck,” the duty Taxxon says in hissing Galard. “Report to the Hork-Bajir section of Medical.”

Odret has been to Medical before, when the Gedd caught tongue-rot. But in the Hork-Bajir section, besides the sick, there are the battle-maimed, there to regenerate or euthanize the host so the Yeerk can move on, and a line of fidgeting but healthy Hork-Bajir-Controllers, waiting. Host Propagation. Odret stands in line.

The doctor takes Odret to the strangest room they have ever seen in the Pool complex, full of potted plants, its floor strewn with dirt and wood chips. At their stare, the doctor says, “Hork-Bajir require certain… stimuli in order to achieve the reproductive act. Your assigned partner will arrive shortly.”

Lub wants to smell the potted plants. He has seen them at the training facility, but has never come so close. Apparently he needs them to do what must be done, so for once, Odret lets him. He buries his face in green leaves and inhales. «This is the greatest smell in all of the world,» he says.

The door opens. A Hork-Bajir-Controller with a female host strides in and grabs Odret by the back of the neck, pulling them away from the plant. Odret cries out, “What – ”

“Let’s get this over with,” she says, spinning Odret roughly around. Lub’s skin flares hot at the touch of another Hork-Bajir, that rare luxury he only gets to taste in the cages while Odret feeds. She starts applying her hands at strategic points on Odret’s body, as if piloting a ship through a delicate sequence.

«No,» Lub says, sick horror making his hearts beat out of time. «No. Not her. Find Mab Fillat. I wanted to do this with him. I do not choose her!»

A pathetic fantasy flits through Lub’s mind, of the dry lands around the training facility with rows of potted plants, full of that beautiful smell, his forehead blades kissing Mab’s, their chests pressed together, the breath of Mother Sky a sweet wind at their backs–

Odret, who knows what the green places of the Earth really look like, nearly chokes. It’s so small, such a pathetically small dream, compared to what the Hork-Bajir once had. Just a few potted plants, just a kiss of blades, just a quiet place.

The female pushes and pulls in efficient, mechanical motions.

“Stop!” Odret cries. “What are you doing? I don’t even know who you are!”

She shoves her face toward Lub’s. “Your host is male. You get to go back to your regular duties next rane. I am stuck in Host Propagation for the entirety of my host’s gravidity. It will be a boring, disgusting waste of my time. So stop making this harder and just let me finish.”

Odret considers telling her that Lub is ill, that they themself are ill, that they resign their host and will just live as a lowly poolie from now on. Anything, anything but this. They can’t imagine any of it making a difference, though. So they do the one thing that might. They’ve never tried this before, but the thread of memory between Lub and Odret is so strong, it must run both ways.

When Odret was a Gedd-Controller, they provided manual labor for Bug fighter repairs. One time, they went to a Bug Fighter crash site deep in the forested mountains by the human city. They relive that memory, just for a moment, and pass it to Lub. «Stay here,» they say. «Don’t come out until I say so.»

«You made this for me?» Lub says, staring up at the trees, filled with that pure wonder the Empire never snuffed out.

«No, Lub. I didn’t make it. It’s a real place in this world. Not far away. The takers just don’t let you go there.»

Odret surfaces. “Very well,” they say. “Show me how to make this quick.”

Private Message – Eftrof

WaveRiderChampion

What would happen if I voluntarily gave up my host and became a poolie?

Eftrof

What would happen to your host, or to you?

WaveRiderChampion

To my host.

Eftrof

They’d probably assume that you had a difficult host, and this is your way of declaring defeat. The Empire has trained host-breakers, for the hard cases. They’d give your host to one of them.

WaveRiderChampion

Oh. I guess I won’t then.

Eftrof

Oh, Odret. I wish we were on the same feeding schedule again, so I could find you in person, instead of all this delayed back-and-forth. There’s so much we should talk about.

Siar-rane can’t come soon enough. All the train ride back to the training facility, Lub replays Odret’s memory of the forest, and thoughts of Mab, who they spent all Odret’s time in the Pool embracing, telling his lover about the smell of green leaves.

Odret is much worse at target practice. They tell the Sub-Visser it’s because the rane without practice let Lub lose his muscle memory. In reality, it’s because they’re thinking about what to do about Lub.

«If you were free, right now, where would you go?» they ask Lub, clearing the slashed-up fighting mannequins and setting up a round of fresh ones for melee practice.

«To the plants,» Lub says, thinking of the low clumps of scrub in the dry lands. «I wonder how they smell.»

«You can’t live here,» Odret says. The other guards in training are watching them, impatient. They set up another mannequin. «You need bark. You have to be in a forest, like in my memory.»

«Oh,» says Lub. «Is that where bark comes from?»

Clearly, Lub can’t live on his own.

«Do you want a different Yeerk from me? Would that be better?»

«I do not want another taker,» Lub says, suddenly more fierce than Odret has ever known him to be. «I want to be free. Like in the true-elders’ stories.» And Odret is no closer to an answer.

That evening, when Lub crunches his allotment of dried bark, he asks, «But if no one gives it to me, how do I get the bark from the forest?»

«You use your blades to peel it from the trees,» Odret says.

«Oh,» says Lub. «Is that what blades are for?» And Odret goes back out to practice shredding a mannequin to pieces.

When Odret takes down their shredded mannequin in the fading light of evening, the melee trainer suddenly crumples to the ground. Odret runs over to check, but then another one crumples. Another. Someone shouts, “Raiders!” and fires a Dracon beam in the gloom. In the momentary blast of Dracon fire, Odret sees swift, silent Hork-Bajir shadows dragging the crumpled bodies away into the brush.

The free Hork-Bajir. Odret has heard rumors, but they’re finally here. Odret can stand and fight them. Or they can save Lub.

Odret walks calmly toward the brush. They see holes dug in the dry earth, Hork-Bajir-Controllers getting their heads wrestled into the holes, where they realize the hindmost nostrils would be buried, sending the Hork-Bajir into hypoxic dormancy.

They kneel before one of the pits, and bury Lub’s head in the dry dirt until everything goes gray.

A rough hand pulls Lub up by the back of the neck. A Hork-Bajir face – a free Hork-Bajir face – shoves against his.

“I offer you two choices, Yeerk,” she says. “Leave his head now, and I kill you swiftly. Or stay in his head, and you either starve to death, or I cut his skull open and pull you out with my hands, like strings of sap from a tree. You won’t like either of those, I promise you.”

She spoke in smooth, fluent Galard. A Controller, then. “Visser,” Odret guesses, wildly. “I serve Sub-Visser Seventy-Nine. I’m – ”

She shakes him by the back of the neck until his teeth rattle. “I am not a Controller, you arrogant slug! You are not the only creatures in this galaxy who can learn Galard! I am the leader of the free Hork-Bajir, and I will win my brother free, one way or another. Now, tell me: which way will it be?”

Lub’s neck wants to bow backwards in worship of her. She is Father Deep. She gives life from the earth, and she is the fiercest monster who gives birth to monsters.

“I will give him up,” Odret says. “I buried his head in the pit. I wanted him to be free.” They began to disengage from Lub’s brain. Free! cries his mind, cries his body. Free at the hands of Father Deep!

The Hork-Bajir who talks like a Yeerk sneers at Odret. “I don’t believe you.”

A scaled hand closes around Odret’s front half and pulls them the rest of the way out, into the scalding dry air. In the last moment they can, Odret admits to themself that they miss Trarrer, and that Trarrer doesn’t miss Odret. That nobody in the world will miss Odret, except perhaps Eftrof. And to think they had believed Lub’s world to be pathetically small.

The blade falls swiftly, just like she promised.

#inklesspen #animorphs #dæmorphing #my fic #rape tw

44 notes · View notes

bookenders · 6 years ago

Note

I don't know how I just realized you were having this celebration, friend! but congratulations! being one of your followers has been such an incredible thing, I love seeing the things that you come up with, and adore your characters! could I get a url based drabble?

[Help me celebrate 800!]

@abalonetea! Friend! Thank you so, so much! 💜 Having you as a follower has been equally incredible!

For you, a lovely little drabble.

Things I was thinking of while writing it: MBMBaM, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, going to grad students’ office hours in the basements of the humanities buildings, and Tolkien-style linguistics!

Sitting at his desk in the pipe-ridden basement office, Alistair carefully set his still steaming cup of tea next to a mug full of pens and adjusted his glasses. Before him, covering the entire length of the desk, was a very old map of a very secret place.

The lost land was not so much a missing jewel as a page torn from an old book. One that, once found, will complete the story, not be the story itself. One piece of information does not a mythos make.

Abalone, Land of the Lonely Tribes. Ab-, prefix, meaning “away from,” and root word alone, from the Old English “ana,” “unaccompanied, all by oneself.” Or, more literally, “wholly oneself.” And that’s it, isn’t it? A land untouched by outside influence, hidden beyond the mists all these years. No interaction with anyone else, no outside influence - just a land, living on its own, wholly itself and no other.

It’s discovery had been Alistair’s dream since he first learned to read a map’s key. Once he started reading about it, he was never seen without a book in his hands, even at the dinner table, no matter what his parents threatened him with to put it down. The habit turned into a virtue once he was accepted to university. And now, little 9 year old Alistair, the child who checked out Latin books from the library to teach himself the language, would be absolutely screaming with joy and excitement.

It took ten years of sifting through dusty library stacks, fighting tooth and nail for funding, traveling around the world with nothing but a change of socks and a toothbrush to talk to people whose languages he didn’t know, being sequestered in basement after basement with the excuse of ‘no offices available sorry,’ and defending his ‘unfounded’ research to men who thought they were better than everyone else because of a piece of paper, but today was the day.

He’d come across a stray note in the margins of an old poetry book from an author whose name he would have to write down as soon as he averted this elation-induced panic attack, and traced it’s origin to a woman who had written not one, but two whole books about the true origins of the Atlantis myth. Apparently, over time, the name’s etymology went through some confusing translation phases and ended up in the Old English borrow word soup. In the bibliography of the second book, he found a title that caught his eye.

Unfortunately, it was only available in India. So he spent two days learning specific phrases in Hindi and Urdu before spending half his meager funding on a one way plane ticket to a city he’d never heard of. That source led him to a phone call with the head curator at The British Museum, who was not amused by his request to plunder their archives looking for a big unknown something.

Nothing a few favors for the security guards and interns couldn’t fix, however. Which cost him the rest of that semester’s grant funds. But that didn’t matter. Because inside a sealed wooden crate beneath an enormous coffin full of tattered shoes, he found it.

Oh, gods.

It was exactly as the Atlantis woman had described it. Or, rather, exactly as the people who discovered the map in the 1600s described it. Old and worn yes, and yellow-brown at the edges and around some of the ink blots, but surprisingly well preserved. The ink hadn’t even run or bled at all. It was a true miracle find. If only it were labeled.

All that was left was to actually find the region on said map that held Abalone.Left hand gripping the compass, right hand holding his place in the weathered explorer’s logbook, Alistair knew he was close. Two more coordinates to try, one more triangulation to calculate, and-

There. Right there.

On the eastern edge of the Coaldim Mountain range, just south of the Infinite Lake, in the small patch of flat land he had thought was a grove.

He found it.

Abalone.

He had gotten so close, closer than anyone in history. This was his life’s work, his ultimate achievement, the very thing that would elevate him to the third floor windowed offices.

In his joyous haste to celebrate his monumental academic achievement in his teeny tiny basement office, his arm swung a smidge too wide and nudged the mug full of pens on his desk. Alistair watched, eyes bugging out in panic, as the mug wobbled around and around and around before tipping ever so slightly one way, then bobbing the other, until finally giving in to gravity’s cruel intentions and spilling pens all over the map. His heart was in his throat, beating loud enough to rattle the pipes behind and overhead.

The handle of the mug twisted, caught the edge of the tea saucer, and, like a circus man paid peanuts to launch his friend up up and away via see-saw, threw the full, steaming cup into the air. It turned over once, gravity continuing to play tricks on poor Alistair by keeping the liquid nestled inside the cup’s curve, before landing upside down with a flourish of tea in a calming, chamomile-scented wave settling on the parchment sand.

The map of a landlocked region was now an ocean. The very old, very rare, very fragile map on loan from The British Museum.

With the future of his career so close, yet now so, so far out of reach, Alistair only had one regretful thought fall out of his mind.

“Aw, beans…”

I guess Abalone will have to remain away from everyone and wholly itself for a little longer. 🤷🏻‍♀️

There’s a really dumb subtle pun in here, too.

Spilling tea ➡ spill the tea ➡ reveal information, but I inverted it. Ohoho!

**********

Want more original fiction? Take a gander at my original writing tag and my short stories tag!

For writing advice and observations, check out my advice tag.

Want info on my WIPs? Have a look-see at me WIP page!

Do you like the way I put words together? Consider buying me a Ko-Fi! (Link in my blog description!)

Want to be added to my original fiction tag or my WIP tags? Let me know! 😊

Originals Tag List: @piratequeenofpixies, @quilloftheclouds, @snickertoodles, @carmenwrites, @purpleshadows1989, @ofvisitorsthefairest, @theevolutionofledarose, @kriss-the-writing-nerd, @waterfallwritings

#ender answers #800 Followers #writeblr #amwriting #spilled ink #writers on tumblr #writers of tumblr #short story #flash fiction #abalonetea #original fiction #creative writing #original writing #my writing #bookenders original #bookenders shorts #I recently finished watching Good Omens so I might have some Gaiman in my writing style today #that's what happens when you're an imitator #these things just kinda happen

21 notes · View notes

pixelgrotto · 5 years ago

Photo

A 24 Year Trial of Mana

Last month, the skies parted and pretty much every Western retro game enthusiast who dabbled in emulation in the early 2000s received a gift of mana from heaven - an OFFICIAL LOCALIZATION of Seiken Densetsu 3, the beloved sequel to Super Nintendo classic Secret of Mana that was never released outside of Japan. Finally presented to the rest of the world a whopping 24 years after its Japanese release in 1995, the game was christened with a brand new English title…Trials of Mana.

Anyone who was following me on Twitter at the time of the announcement knows that I lost my shit, especially when it was also revealed that Seiken Densetsu 3 - sorry, Trials of Mana - will be receiving a fancy AAA remake sometime next year. I’ll lose my shit all over again when I actually play that remake, and will surely cover it on this blog, but let’s talk about the original game first. Trials of Mana was, for so long, a lost gem of the Super Nintendo that was originally advertised in international magazines as a hot upcoming cartridge dubbed “Secret of Mana 2.” But it was never translated into English for nebulous reasons possibly related to a few bugs in the Japanese release, the death of the Super Nintendo and the oncoming trend of 32-bit consoles. Western RPG fans who had read those mags and dreamed of experiencing this oh-so-incredible-looking game (because ghatdang, is this game the epitome of SNES spritework or what) were left with nothing but sadness.

Until some time passed and the emulation scene began picking up steam, that is. In 2000, five years after the Japanese release of Trials of Mana, a group of talented ROM hackers banded together to release an English fan translation of the game. (The most famous of ‘em, Neill Corlett, now apparently works at Google in NYC.) The translation used the original Japanese name of Seiken Densetsu 3 and quickly became the only way to experience the game for an entire generation of kids.

I was one of those kids. I can’t remember when I first played the Trials of Mana/Seiken Densetsu 3 translation - or as we used to abbreviate it back then, “SD3″ - but I think it was in 2001. I was diving headfirst into the world of emulation, experiencing all of the rad games that I had missed out on because my old man had refused to buy me any 16-bit consoles, and I’d mightily enjoyed Secret of Mana. But SD3 blew its predecessor out of the water, at least in my eyes. There were six playable characters, multiple branching paths, a class system, a fantastic soundtrack, tons of giant bosses to defeat…and best of all, there was the feeling of being part of a secret, “underground” community experiencing a game that was only playable via a concerted fan effort.

Time passed, and the Mana series went through its ups and downs for more than two decades, eventually fading from prevalence but always maintaining fond memories in the minds of many, especially those who’d played the SD3 fan translation. One thing remained for sure, though - the original game was getting older with every passing year, and any hope for a re-release was now lost to the winds of time, withering like the Mana Tree.

Or so we thought.

And that brings us to today. No longer confined to the niche corridors of the interwebs, an officially sanctioned translation of Trials of Mana is a thing, released via a collaboration between Square Enix and Nintendo as part of the Collection of Mana anthology. I’ve played and beaten it, and it felt something like revisiting an old friend’s house, marveling at the changed interior design, but then snuggling up on the sofa with a warm cup of hot cocoa. The new translation is some good stuff - it’s presented via a slightly squished font that looks like something from an old DOS interface, but once you get used to it, the huge differences between a script translated by professionals and one pieced together by kids on the internet becomes apparent. Everything is wordier, but in a good way, and certain names have been translated to be more in line with Heroes of Mana, the not bad 2007 strategy game that served as a prequel for Trials. Some of these names are ehhhh - for instance, the giant turtle who ferries you between islands will ALWAYS be Booskaboo, as he was called in the fan translation, and NEVER Vuscav, which is his totally boring name in the official one. Others, such as calling the God-Beasts the Benevedons, work just fine.

Elevated translation aside, Trials of Mana is just as solid as it ever was back when all of us were exclusively calling it by its Japanese name. Some may argue that the game does contain a little too much grinding, which is a fair criticism, especially near its ending where you’re forced to spend extra hours farming for item drops to achieve the final classes of each character. Others may point out that predecessor Secret of Mana had the more compelling battle system, since all the characters in that one weren’t limited to a single weapon. These foibles aside, however, I still believe that Trials of Mana is one of the finest examples of the classic JRPG setup - that of a plucky group of teenagers running across the world to stop collectives of colorful villains from causing its destruction - and something about meandering through its vibrant towns and whacking away at its cuddly baddies is just comforting.

You should absolutely play Trials of Mana if you have any interest in this sort of JRPG, and while the OG fan translation will never die, I’d say that the new one is the way to go if you can get a copy of it. Sadly, it was only released for the Switch due to Square having to contact Nintendo for assistance with the game’s source code - a fine example of how big companies suck at video game preservation - but since the new translation is actually a hacked ROM, those in the know can probaaably find a version of it floating online…which can even be run on real hardware. If you go that route, though, then at the very least buy the upcoming remake of the game, which looks like an incredible example of a modern Mana title finally getting a big budget. Because efforts to dig up and re-release gaming history like this in an accessible form should be rewarded and supported…and gosh darn it, despite all odds, retro gaming fans received mana from heaven. After 24 flippin’ years.

All screenshots taken by me.

#pixel grotto #video games #favorites #secret of mana #trials of mana #seiken densetsu 3 #mana

10 notes · View notes

cherryyharryy · 6 years ago

Text

@titanicbuff1912 here you go! I hope it’s what you wanted😬 I’m not too sure about it...

Word count: 1765

“You’re not okay.”

“Sleep at my place tonight.”

Y/N saw it coming. She’d grown to know Harry better than himself most of the time, and she knew he didn’t feel well. He insisted he was fine, smiled and everything, did a great job of changing the subject when she pointed out that his skin was changing a little too fast for her liking, going from a deep flush to a washed out pale, and then back again. He was taking in deeper breaths and slipping cough drops between his lips when he thought she wasn’t looking.

His jacket was shrugged off only for him to yank it off the floor ten minutes later and zip it to the neck. His bathroom trips were frequent and lasting longer each time. And to top it off he refused lunch. The same man who berated y/n for missing a meal (God forbid she had a big breakfast and just wasn’t hungry), actually turned the veggie pizza Jeff had ordered just for him.

“Harry. Look at me.”

“What, love?”

If he’s fine than she’s Miss America. “Let’s go. I’ll take you home. No one will be mad at you.”

“Why would I go home?”

“Jesus Harry, we’re not idiots. It seventy-five degrees in here and you’re shivering.”

He rolled his eyes, his glassy red-rimmed eyes, and hunched back over his notebook. “I promised everyone we’d finish writin’ this song today. I don’t break a promise.”

“No one’s gonna care about the song when you get them all sick.”

“M’not sick.” On cue a round of wet coughs rumbled up his chest. Despite his best efforts to hold back, they erupted past his lips. “M’not.”

“Yeah okay. God, you’re so stupid sometimes.”

“You’re stupid.”

Y/N sent him the glare. The one that meant business and the one that shut Harry up real fast. Except not this time. Whatever bug had gotten into him was apparently fiddling with his common sense.

“Why don’t you act like the best friend you’re supposed to be, and offer me your unconditional support.”

She fought hard against the smile twitching at her mouth. Harry was a teddy bear without a mean bone in his body, and any attempt at a frat-boy ass persona was a joke, especially when his nose was a ruby red and his eyes could barely stay open.

“Alright then, whatever you want pop star.” She put her hands up in defense.

“Shut up.”

“Start writing.”

Once he had his head buried in his notebook once again, Y/N slipped out, mumbling about taking a walk around the studio to get some fresh air.

He had one more line written when she popped back in the room, smirk on her face as she stepped aside to let Jeff come in.

“Why the hell are you here if you’re sick?”

“Y/N,” Harry groaned.

“Go home, we can get together this weekend. Besides, we don’t need you infecting your whole band.” Jeff raised his hand to rub Harry’s shoulder, retracing his movements when his hooded green eyes looked up to him after a loud sneeze. “Yeah, please go home.”

“Tattle-tale,” he mumbled to y/n as she collected his things from around the room. “S’what I get for lettin’ you come along?”

“I wouldn’t be throwing insults if I were you. You’ve got yourself quite a sweaty look there.”

“This is ridiculous. I’m good enough to keep working. You can go if you want, I’ll be okay.”

“You’re not okay. Now let’s go.”

***

Harry was always quite the dramatic. Yes, he loved any attention that was offered up to him and wasn’t one to stop you if you went on a spill complementing his achievements. But when things didn’t work out as he wanted even the slightest, you were really in for a show.

So when the two of them were stuck in traffic on the way to Harry’s house, he had a lot to say.

“Do these people have nothing better to on a Tuesday morning?”

“Why does this have to happen to me?”

“See, should’ve just stayed at the studio. Could’ve written ten songs by now.”

Y/N groaned, pretending to hit her head against the steering wheel.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing. You’re just whinier than usual. You must really feel bad.”

“‘Least M’not a snitch.”

“Alright, grumpy. Change of plans.” Y/N eased over into the turn lane and worked her way over until she was going the opposite direction.

“Where’re you goin’?”

“My apartment. You can sleep at my place tonight.”

“Your apartment? You sure?”

She hummed in acknowledgement. Harry was quiet after that, too absorbed in his own thoughts to catch y/n chewing on her lip and fidgeting with the loose button on the steering wheel.

***

Both of their egos had simmered down by the time they reached y/n’s front door. Eye contact was at a minimum and sentences were fizzled out on their tongues, replaced by small smiles.

“Bedroom’s down the hall. I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Your bedroom? But, I’ve never been in there.”

Y/N set Harry’s notebook on the kitchen counter and pulled a water bottle from the fridge, handing it to Harry. “I know,” she whispered.

He nodded and disappeared out of the living area, shuffling across the hardwood after tucking his notebook under his arm.

Y/N busied herself with making soup. That’s what you feed a sick person, right? She was beginning to think her head was cloudier than Harry’s.

***

Once the soup was steaming in a bowl and a plate of crackers was set on the tray (the one she’d quirked an eyebrow at as a Christmas gift but was now utterly thankful), she set off for her bedroom. The one Harry was in. In her bed.

“Hey.”

“You didn’t have t’do that, y/n.”

He shifted himself up the mound of pillows and turned the volume on the tv down.

“Can’t not feed you. What kind of host would that make me?”

“You have a lot of pillows.”

She nodded and set the tray across his lap. “I do.”

“Why?”

She looked up into his eyes, blinking before shrugging her shoulders. “I dunno.”

Harry slipped the spoon into the bowl and brought it to his mouth. “This is amazing. You’re a good cook, love.”

She picked at a loose thread on her shirt and took a step back to sit on the chair by the window. “S’just from a box. It’s hardly cooking.”

“S’more than I can manage.”

A smile tugged at her lips, and Harry caught it before she ducked her head down. “I can still taste that burnt casserole,” she giggled.

“Hey—” he was cut off by his own coughing. Y/N jumped up to steady the tray before they had a mess. “Wasn’t that bad,” he finished once he could speak.

“Sure.”

“You don’t have t’be so far away,” he whispered, stopping her on her way back to the chair.

She nodded and went around the bed to sit beside him. “You don’t have to eat all of it.”

His brows raised as he slipped the spoon between his lips once again, mumbling a really? over the metal.

“You were gonna?”

“Don’t want t’be rude.”

Y/N rolled her eyes and got up to move the tray to her desk. When she turned around he had sunken back down into the blankets. “How d’you feel?”

“M’okay.”

“You know you can admit it if you don’t feel good. S’just me.”

He sucked in a breath. “Yeah. I don’t feel too great I guess.”

“Get some sleep. I’ll be right out there if you need me.”

“You—okay.”

“What?”

“No, no, m’tired. I’ll see you later.”

***

Three episodes into Friends and y/n had passed out on the couch, and what she had at first perceived as Joey mumbling her name in a dream turned into Harry’s gravelly voice from down the hall.

She jumped up faster than she’d like to admit and ran to her room. He was laying on his side, holding a pillow close to his chest with his hair flopping over his eyes.

“Feels worse,” he grumbled.

She came up beside him and laid her hand across his forehead. “You’re a little warm. I think I have a thermometer in the bathroom.”

“Wait.”

“What’s wrong?”

“Where’re goin’ now?”

She pointed at the door. “The bathroom. To get the thermometer.”

“Kay.”

When she returned he was face down into the pillow he’d been cuddling, and only mumbled something unintelligible into the fabric when she called his name.

“Harry, let me check your temperature.”

“Just come sit beside me.”

She huffed out but did what he asked.

“D’you want me to make you s’more soup?”

“No,” he sighed, looking up from the pillow. “Y’know, you sure are pretty for a girl who buys an absurd amount of pillows.”

Y/N all but choked with wide eyes staring down at him. “I think you’re delusional. That fever’s gotten to your brain.”

“No. ‘Ve thought that for a while now. You’re pretty and smart, and sweet when you wanna be. Not the best cook, though. I lied. The soup wasn’t that great.”

“It was from a box!”

“I’m on my deathbed over here, least you could do is humor me.”

Y/N rolled her eyes. “Did you lie about feeling worse too? You’ve got that look in your eyes.”

“What look?”

“The, I’m a diva and I get what I want, look.”

“You’re bedside manners are incredible, love, just incredible.”

She swatted at him and rolled her eyes once more. “S’there anything you want? I have popsicles if your throat is sore, and—”

“Good God woman, you! I want you, that’s all!”

“Me?”

“M’not beatin’ around the bush here. Thought I’d been makin’ it obvious, I have a car you know, don’t need you driven’ me everywhere.”

“I—I…”

“I’ll take y’out. Wherever you wanna go. Official date an’ all. If you want.”