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tarithenurse · 6 years ago

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All is fair in Love & War - 10

Pairing: Loki x reader Content: 2 tablespoons of angsting, 1 tablespoon pining, hints of citrus, and a gallon of girlpower A/N: A special thanks to you wonderful people who comment on the chapters. Your sweet words are fuel for me and I love you all!

10. The King and the Spy

Returning to your homeland is not as simple as you first had expected because you need to enter the country relatively unseen but with enough pomp and prestige to be noticed upon arrival in Sjöblik.

Why?

There are two viable ways to gain access to the court in Midgard while having a chance to listen in on the people in power. One is through subterfuge where no one knows of your presence, but that would require a small and trustworthy number of allies already in place – people willing to harbour a criminal although it may cost them their own lives in case things go wrong. Another way, the one Loki deems the safest, is for you to take the role of a noble lady who has come from far away in the hopes of establishing an alliance between the two countries. It is vital for the cover to be irrefutable in order for this scheme to be anywhere near possible, and so he has arranged for meetings and called in favours abroad.

At least he’s coming with me. Dressed for the cold weather and wrapped in furs, you are pressed against Loki’s chest as Magni gallops across the snowy landscape towards the mountains in the horizon to the west. Behind them lies Asgard which is where the next part of your quest will be set in motion.

Although the steed is faster than any normal horse, the journey takes weeks. Time that is spent jostled about with few ways to alleviate the grinding tediousness as Loki squeezes every hour possible out of the day to travel in. The stops are few and short, even at night when the king shows how well he is suited to the kingdom as he finds shelter from the coldest winds.

It is not the weather that makes you tremble, though. Although you do your best to keep eyes on the target and contemplate any line of action, it does little to distract your thoughts from the fact that the two of you will have to part with no guarantee of seeing one another again. Perhaps your former captor feels the same. At least he holds you tight and murmurs soothing words when sleep does not come easily until he finally places a hand upon your face, willing a dreamless rest to lull you.

And then one day, the mountains are no longer in the distance. Instead they rise tall and impenetrable before you as proof of why this range has been the natural border for thousands of years. Of course, Magni and his master are undeterred, plowing uphill and weaving through the jumble of crags and cliffs hinting at how often they must have come this way before. This is madness. The mountains near your home-village were not near as grand as these, but already they had been dangerous during the winter due to the snow above the treeline. These? These are giants in comparison and the winters here are clearly not to be trifled with, meaning that it would be suicide to attempt crossing them.

You open your mouth to say as much, ready to yell against the howling wind, when silence engulfs you. No snow is whipping about, not even a breeze is stirring the silken strands of the horse’s mane. The last turn has brought you all inside a cave partially shielded by large cliffs like jagged teeth which now protects anyone inside from the rage of the elements. You cannot see how far the haven reaches into the stony heart of the mountain, but it sounds as though it may be much further than you are sure you are comfortable with.

“It is no cave, my dear. This passage is ancient, and I am one of few who knows of its existence,” Loki explains calmly as he lifts you off the horse, “I have told my brother of it and he will meet us hallway through…but we have to walk from here on.”

Swiftly the bit of gear is moved from the horse’s back to yours and Loki’s. Magni is already tripping by the time it is done, eager to get out of the dark confines…but not before headbutting you affectionately in return for scratches between the ears. Then the horse is gone, leaving the place colder or quieter.

Even with your eyes used to the dark it is hard to make out much else than dark shades in a lightless void, and you are grateful for Loki’s hand which finds yours and begins to guide you further away from the entrance. Carefully, he leads you over the uneven stone, to where the walls come creeping in until you can hear the echo of your heartbeat which is much too fast for your own liking. And just as you are about to stop, sure that you can go no longer in this emptiness, a green light appears in midair suspended as an orb above the god’s fingertips. It is not strong, but enough to keep the darkness away and to show which way to go, where to place your feet. Best of all, it illuminates the figure that you find yourself trusting more than the king you went to war for.

…

There is no time under the mountains to prove the days slipping away. No sun or moon or stars to show which direction you travel in. It is just Loki and you in an eternity of silence which is only broken by the hushed voices of either you or him – it is too loud to speak normally. Sometimes, there is the distant gurgle of a stream or the dripping for stalactites. It is not all bad, though. There is no freezing winds, no snow that weighs your clothes as it begins to melt, and you have in fact been able to shed a few of the restrictive layers which in turn has had another effect. When the two of you lay down to rest, Loki’s long fingers are able to find ways past the fabrics and furs. Every inch of your body feels his caresses as both of you remove the clothes piece by piece, wanting more than each can give safely and greedily accepting what there is to take.

Then comes the moment when faint voices whisper through the tunnel, making you tense until Loki smiles encouragingly in the light of the green orb. It is part of the plan. There is nothing to fear. And soon you come face to face with a broad man who is smiling jovially as he embraces Loki under the light of torches. Blond hair is tied back, reddish beard rumbling with laughter that stands in stark contrast to the powerful body threatening to dwarf anything in the vicinity. Thor. They look nothing alike, but then they wouldn’t ‘cause they’re adoptive brothers, you admonish yourself seconds before your hand disappears in a huge fist.

“Lady [Y/N],” Thor beams, brushing your knuckles with his lips, “your courage is valued in Asgard an Jotunheim alike. Come! The rest of the journey will not be as tedious!”

The words are undoubtedly not meant as an offense, yet you see Loki bristle and decide to stay close to him to keep him at ease while following his brother past a few bends of the tunnel until reaching a wider path. It appears to have been hewn and a few torches are hanging in the ancient sconces. There would probably be quite a bit to learn from studying the surroundings, but your attention is caught by the vessel. It’s a longboat. But it is more than that…or something else. You are unsure mainly because it apparently is suspended a foot or two above the dusty floor with no visible ropes keeping it there. Both men are tossing the luggage on board without paying attention to how you are taking in the sigh with your mouth gaping. It’s impossible. You have seen magic at work before, so you know what is going on even though Loki’s tricks pale in comparison to this.

“Are you ready?” The green eyes full of concern and a tad amusement manage to capture yours.

“Yes.”

You allow him to help you on board, nestling you snugly between furs before he too finds a seat with his arm wrapped around you. Thor seems content to be given the position by the tiller. At least he grins and blinks before palming a globe inserted in the transom, launching the longboat into a mad speed which makes you want to scream and close your eyes. Instead you keep watching straight ahead, praying to anything and anyone you can think of that the maniac will not get you all killed. Gentle fingers brush away stray hair that has been plastered onto your face by the wind before cupping your cheek coolly. This time you welcome the darkness without objection.

…

A bath and a warm meal have done wonders, but the confidence is faltering as you follow the two brothers through the grand halls of Valhalla towards the throne room where Odin supposedly is waiting for you. This was not part of the deal. You swear under your breath as you try to smoothen the green dress, fighting against the flowy material that does nothing to insulate against the air...but then, why should it?

You had slept through most of the journey, only waking occasionally to eat or refresh yourself by the streams you passed as you headed towards the fabled City of Gold (a name you preferred over the actual meaning “Hall of the Dead Warriors”). Each time you woke, the changes in the landscape were monumental as the snow diminished to give room for what looked like an eternal summer. Warm air would waft gently against your skin, carrying on it the scent of flowers and fertile earth. Everywhere was an abundance of life whether it be wild or bent to the will of the inhabitants sowing the fields, tending to the cattle.

Even here in the castle can you hear the distant birds singing playfully, adding a soothing background to the already calm surroundings although neither seem to affect you much. You are dressed like a noblewoman, on your way to meet a king from fables that have been told since before your grandmother was born because Asgardians (and Jötun, you are beginning to suspect) live much longer lives than your kind. How long has Loki lived? The thought morphs in your mind. Just like it is the case with Odin, the stories of Loki predates your own birth even though he looks about the same age as yourself. How long will he live? Glancing up at his chiseled face, you realize the implications – he will outlive you.

Maybe he feels your gaze because he turns to meet your eyes, a wry smile upon his lips. “Odin is old and wise. Do not be fooled by his appearance…he sees and hears much more than you would suspect.”

The king of Jotunheim looks away, dragging your attention along to an enormous set of doors which the guards on duty open without any questions.

The hall beyond is larger than any you have seen before with grand pillars and gold inlaid patterns depicting plants, and creatures locked in eternal battle against fierce warriors. It is with a certain smugness that you notice both men and women in the decorations – no one here attempts to subdue their female counterparts. The same seems to be true for the guards stationed with regular intervals by the walls on either side as you walk behind the brothers who have taken the lead. You wish it were possible to reach for Loki’s hand, but you know this is neither the time nor place for it and settle instead for the safety of the human wall walking in front of you.

Unfortunately, it means that you are unprepared for the sight that awaits you. Thor and Loki bow lightly before stepping aside which is your cue to kneel, but you nearly forget as the scene is revealed: upon the dais is an entire group that surround the golden throne on which Odin sits. He seems old, though by no means weakened. A single steel-blue eye pins you to the place, giving the sensation of seeing into your very soul in a similar way that Loki’s green orbs has done time and time again. As you sink to the floor, you fight to look only at the colourful stones beneath even if you sense the two shadows descending the steps to circle you.

“Father,” Thor’s voice booms through the hall, “this is [Y/N Y/L/N], the former Midgardian soldier whom Loki has harboured and helped see reason.”

A soft snout grazes your cheek, the breath from it warm and mingling with the smell of dog, and you do your best to ignore it. To supress the shiver running down the spine. Then Loki steps nearer and the creatures move away, allowing you to release the air that has been sticking in your lungs.

“A defector, and one who is willing to actively work against her king.” My king’s not in Midgard, but you do not openly contradict Odin. “Tell me, why should I believe your claim?”

Why don’t you believe Loki? “Your highness…” A low chuckle from Loki makes you pause, but no one else has heard him. “I suppose that…that I’ve no intention to convince you, king Odin. All I can do’s explain the life I’ve had and how my understanding of…the Midgardian incursion and the deceit of my people has brought me to make this decision.”

Cool fingers stroke your shoulder briefly as a way of letting you know that your answer is acceptable. Thus emboldened, you are able to face the king (the All-Father) when he asks you to and the questioning can begin.

… LOKI’s PoV …

It is hard to watch Odin’s wolves, Geri and Freki, circle the poor girl without stepping in to protect her, and eventually Loki does give into the urge although it earns him a glare from the king. Few people dare oppose him (and few find the need to), meaning that the rare occasions are ill received – more so when it is Loki who speaks again his father. Adoptive father. Once Loki had learned the truth, many things began to make sense and he learned to pick his battles carefully, following the example of the woman who has raised the jotun prince as her own child. This time he stands his ground like a pillar planted solidly for the sake of providing unwavering support to a person lost in a storm.

[Y/N] appears small as she stands before the throne with her fists clenched in determination not to give in to the fear. Part of Loki swells with pride at the tenacity, another part wants to steal her away from the drilling interrogation and the scrutinizing eyes. I cannot. No, the Midgardian is as feisty as she is adamant in her decision.

“I’m afraid you misunderstand, your highness,” her musical voice penetrates his spiraling thoughts, “so allow me to clarify. I’ve not made this decision, to infiltrate the court of my homeland and spy on my so-called king because king Loki or you need the information.” Shocked murmurs rise and [Y/N] waits for the Asgardians to quiet down before continuing. “I do this for the people. It seems we’ve been lied to. Tricked to serve a cause that doesn’t exist. Abused and suffered in order to maintain a living standard for a select few who don’t care for the rest of us at all. I ask you, Odin All-Father, what makes a nation if not those who dwell within the borders? If the people suffer, doesn’t the country suffer?” Loki can see a greyed eyebrow appear above the patch covering the empty socket and he knows the words have struck a cord within the old ruler. “I need to learn the truth. Need to…to show my people what’s going on. If it happens to serve your cause too, then fine, but whatever I find that’s what I’ll act upon. I won’t become a tool once more, expected to serve, unquestioning regardless of the prize the common folk pays.”

A slight movement by the throne draws Loki’s gaze to Frigga. You see it too. The subdued smile on the queen’s face speaks of the same emotions that a whirling within Loki, and he knows that even if Odin himself does not approve of the Midgardian then he will be…convinced by the sweet words of his soulmate. Yes, Frigga understands.

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thedcdunce · 6 years ago

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Red Robin

“At the end of the day, I have to accept that I can control everything, except the things I can't control.” - Red Robin

Real Name: Timothy Jackson "Tim" Drake

Aliases:

Robin

Alvin Draper

Batman

Mister Sarcastic

Gender: Male

Height: 5′ 6″

Weight: 125 lbs (57 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Aviation

Acrobatics

Computer Hacking

Computer Operation

Driving

Martial Arts

Escapology

Firearms

Gadgetry

Genius Level Intellect

Investigation

Lock Picking

Meditation

Photography

Stealth

Vehicle Combat

Tactical Analysis

Throwing

Weaknesses:

Immunocompromised

Equipment:

Utility Belt

Redbird

Redboard

Robin's Motorcycle

Batarang

Robin's Battle Staff

Universe: New Earth

Citizenship: American

Base of Operations:

Gotham City

Titans Tower

Parents:

Jack Drake; father

Janet Drake; mother

Marital Status: Single

Occupation: Student

First Appearance: Batman #436 (August, 1989)

Last Appearance: Batman: Gates of Gotham#5 (October, 2011)

Abilities

Aviation: Tim Drake is able to fly a variety of small jets, including the one the Teen Titans use to get to missions.

Acrobatics

Computer Hacking

Computer Operation

Driving

Martial Arts: He can even keep up a conversation while taking down multiple well armed enemies. He's fought trained ninjas and assassins as well as mercenaries.

Stick Fighting

Karate

T'ai Chi

Aikido

Kung Fu

Judo

Escapology

Firearms

Gadgetry: Tim has invented a number of his own innovations such as his "bang-a-rang" flash grenades and his "redboard", a powered skateboard.

Genius Level Intellect

Business Management

Criminology

Disguise

Mechanical Engineering:

Multilingualism: Tim has demonstrated at least some proficiency in Spanish, Hong Kong Cantonese, Russian, and German in addition to his native English. He also picked up at least a small amount of French while studying in Paris.

Investigation: Tim Drake is often recalled as the most investigative and analytical of all the Robins. He is always listening, exploring and scrutinizing.

Lock Picking: The picking of locks was among the skills Tim learned while training to become Robin.

Meditation: Tim has learned a meditation technique that allows him to continue listening to his surroundings even when drugged to unconsciousness, though his grip on his hearing slowly slips. He has also learned a technique that allows him to slow his heart rate which allows him to survive grievous injuries he would otherwise bleed out from and be mistaken for dead.

Photography

Stealth

Vehicle Combat: Tim has adapted his martial arts and skateboarding knowledge in order to design a way to fight efficiently while skateboarding.

Tactical Analysis

Throwing

Weaknesses

Immunocompromised: Tim lost his spleen in a confrontation.

Equipment

Utility Belt

Redbird

Redboard

Robin's Motorcycle

Batarang

Robin's Battle Staff

Personality

Tim Drake is extremely passionate and dedicated, having taken up crime-fighting willingly as a vocation. His parents later died during his career, but he was the first vigilante to become Robin with a stable home life. He has made it clear that although Bruce Wayne has qualities he aspires to, he does not want to be Bruce Wayne.

Romantic Relationships

Ariana Dzerchenko

Lynx

Secret

Stephanie Brown

Tamara Fox

Wonder Girl: She was not attached with Robin, but there is attraction between the two. When they were grieving over Superboy's death, they shared a brief kiss before Wonder Girl ran away crying.

Zoanne Wilkins: She is a classmate of Tim's who reveals feelings for him when he's kidnapped. Their first date at a restaurant is promising, and Tim turns down helping Batman to spend time with her. However, she breaks up with him because he is emotionally distant and not ready for a relationship.

History

Tim Drake is a vigilante and member of the Batman Family. He became the third Robin at a young age, succeeding Jason Todd as Batman's sidekick. Eventually, he would be forced to give up the identity of Robin and begin wearing the costume of Red Robin when he was replaced by Damian Wayne.

Origin

Timothy Drake was the only son of Jack and Janet Drake and he was raised in a wealthy household. As a small boy, Tim was taken to Haly's Circus, where he met Dick Grayson and the Flying Graysons, the same day of their deaths, which he witnessed and could never forget. Some years later, he saw footage of Batman and Robin apprehending the Penguin and he noticed Robin's acrobatics, which reminded him of Dick Grayson. Making use of impressive deductive abilities, Tim learned the truth behind Batman and Robin and he followed their careers very closely.

Tim Drake became aware of Grayson's change of identity to Nightwing and Jason Todd becoming the second Robin. After the death of Jason and at the age of 13, Tim noticed a change in Batman's personality and he went on a quest to reunite Batman and Nightwing, hoping to return the Dynamic Duo back to basics. When Dick refused to become Robin, Tim adopted the identity, despite Batman's refusal. However, after proving vital in the capture of Two-Face, Bruce agreed to train Tim to become the new Robin.

His chance came when he learned that Nightwing had left the Titans for a short time in order to find himself. So Tim followed Dick and convinced him that Batman needed help. Grayson then took Tim to the Batcave and left, as Nightwing, to help Batman deal with the vile Two-Face. Alfred Pennyworth insinuated that Tim was brought to the Batcave to help Batman as the new Robin. But with Clayface on the loose, Tim and Alfred became worried about the safety of Batman and Nightwing, and went out to help them.

Tim donned the costume of Robin and, with the help of Alfred, managed to rescue them. Batman accepted Tim as the new Robin on a trial basis. He trained over several months, first with Alfred, then Batman, and finally, Nightwing.

The Obeah Man captured Tim's parents during a trip to the Caribbean. Janet died in the resulting conflict, and Jack was left with paralysis, despite Batman's help. He now required the care of a nurse/physical therapist, Dana Winters.

After assisting in the defeat of Scarecrow, Batman finally deemed Tim was ready to fulfill his role as the new Robin. He was given a new costume that set him apart from the previous Robins.

Starting on the Path

Tim had his doubts about becoming the new Robin, but Bruce told him that he had every confidence in Tim being his new partner. Bruce also confided in Tim that he was looking for someone with smarts, not just guts, and Tim had that and more. All that was necessary was for Tim to go through some intensive training before taking to the streets in Gotham. This would involve a tour overseas, helping Tim understand who he was in addition to learning how to be a great fighter.

His first stop was Paris, to learn from Rahul Lama, a Chinese martial arts master. In Paris, Tim crossed paths with some thugs working for King Snake, who was himself being shadowed by Lady Shiva. Shiva actually joined with Robin and a man named Clyde Rawlins to help take down King Snake's heroin trafficking in the area. It was not that Shiva was opposed to it for any moral reason, she simply wished to learn for herself if King Snake was truly as dangerous as rumors made him out to be; a good challenge for her talents. Together, they discovered that King Snake was interested in more than just drugs: he was going into chemical weapons and manufacturing his own bubonic plague. They followed the trail to Hong Kong, and whilst there, Shiva continued to train with Robin and it was during this time that he acquired his collapsible fighting staff. King Snake's plan was to unleash his plague into Hong Kong so as to leave it a rotting cesspool before the Chinese reclaimed it from the British. The team split up when they breached his lair. Clyde found him first and was quickly killed by Snake. Robin managed to defeat him, but refused to kill him when Shiva ordered him to. He returned to Gotham, ready to take his place alongside the Batman.

Tim distinguished himself from Jason Todd by being far more reserved in temperament and from Dick Grayson by being more cerebral a detective and less a great acrobat. Whereas Dick had been brought up from a very early age to be acrobatic, Tim had to work hard for it. He proved himself more than capable of holding his own alongside the Batman. However, Batman did have strict orders with Tim--whenever Tim came across a known killer, he was supposed to withdraw and summon help. Tim also started dating a classmate around, this time, a young girl named Ariana Dzerchenko, who was the daughter of Russian immigrants.

Knightfall

On his new role as Robin, Tim fought with Batman during Bruce's most weak moment. He assisted Batman stopping the False Face Society from continuing the arson attacks on Wayne Enterprises' buildings and he helped on the rescue of Lucius Fox from Black Mask. During those days, he took his father, Jack, to his therapy sessions with Dr. Kinsolving. At night, Robin helped Batman after the fight he had against Metalhead.

Bruce assigned Robin to train Jean Paul Valley and together they captured a gang that was stealing from Wayne Enterprises. Robin and Azrael stopped a couple more crimes in progress and later along with Batman, they managed to save Lucius Fox from Cypher and captured the criminal. When Killer Croc reappeared in Gotham, Bruce was out of action and Tim gave Jean-Paul the Batsuit so they could fight Croc. However, Bane appeared and defeated Croc, leaving Robin with an injured Jean-Paul.

Tim was in Gotham City when Bane broke open Arkham Asylum, unleashing nearly every inmate into the city, and was the first to suggest to Batman that Bane was responsible. He set out with the Batman at first, and initially they had some good progress busting up the Mad Hatter's tea party and bringing in a half dozen or so thugs along with him, however they got separated when Robin decided to pursue Bird while Batman went after The Ventriloquist. Robin joined Batman again at the girls' school where Mr. Zsasz held many students hostages. Batman sent him away and Tim spotted Talon again and decided to keep track of the animal this time. Later, Robin was briefly captured by Bane but managed to escape thanks to Killer Croc. Tim then did some detective work regarding Firefly, but a physically and emotionally drained Batman ordered him to stay in the Batcave while he took on Firefly by himself. Tim saw some action when Riddler held a live TV show hostage and helped to apprehend the self-appointed Prince of Puzzles. During one last mission, Robin tried to help Bruce against Two-Face, but Bruce denied Tim the chance. However, Robin and Alfred went looking for Two-Face and they found him during Batman's time of need. Together they managed to capture the villain and Batman was grateful that Robin decided to join.

Later, Tim was safe at home when Alfred knocked on his door, asking for help as Bruce was being brutally beaten by Bane. Tim joined Alfred and Jean-Paul to rescue Batman after Bane broke his back and threw him from a rooftop in downtown Gotham. They acquired an ambulance and took Bruce back to the Batcave. Later, Robin contacted Jim Gordon to get some medicine that Bruce needed and waited from Bruce to recover.

As soon as Bruce recovered his consciousness, Tim was asked to give Jean-Paul the mantle of the Bat, as Gotham was in dire need of Batman. Unfortunately, Robin realized that Jean-Paul became brutal and driven, but he could do nothing to restrain him. While they were out on a mission, Robin was dragged along to witness Jean-Paul's newfound brutality and for this reason, he was not present at the time when his father, Jack and Dr. Kinsolving were kidnapped from Drake Manor. Robin assisted Jean-Paul against some of Bane's henchmen, but after their failed mission, Tim finally learned about his father's disappearance and Bruce's efforts to bring him back. Tim tried to reason with Jean-Paul once again, but all he managed was to get pushed away from the crime-fighting team. Later, Robin found Jean-Paul's designs for the new batsuit and he tracked him down to the place where he and Bane were fighting. After saving the passengers from a train, Robin witnessed Bane's defeat at the hands of Jean-Paul and how the winner spared Bane's life. This event changed Robin's mentality about Jean-Paul and he admitted that he earned to be called Batman.

Flying Solo

Tim soon learned that Jean-Paul didn't want him as his sidekick and blocked almost every entrance to the Batcave. However, when Tim received his special driver's licence, he entered the Batcave as Robin using an entrance Jean-Paul didn't know about and he tried to take his own vehicle, the Redbird with him. Unfortunately, he was confronted by Jean-Paul, who almost killed Robin. Finally Robin decided to part ways and he took the Redbird with him.

Later, Tim met up with Ariana Dzerchenko, his girlfriend, for their first date in weeks, doing his best to put Jean-Paul, Bruce, and even his Dad's disappearance aside for a few hours. There was some excitement at the party they attended when some masked thugs, the Speedboyz, tried to carjack another student's vehicle and Tim had to intervene. Later that night, Robin decided to try and track them down, only to be confronted by a local county cop, "Shotgun" Smith, who mistook Tim for one of the carjackers. Robin managed to evade arrest and got to work tracking down the Speedboyz. He managed to bust up their gang and leave a phone call for Shotgun, letting him know who to thank.

Going back home, Tim had to blow off Ari, who was beginning to think that he was seeing someone else. Tim decided to make it up to her by taking her to the movies. However, his mind kept wandering having just learned that the Cluemaster, and some other thugs, had escaped from prison. One was the Electrocutioner. Another was Czonk, who decided to create a new identity for himself, the Baffler. The others didn't like the name, so he changed it to Headbanger. Robin got to work investigating, stumbling into Spoiler soon enough. Unsurprised at this, because he knew that Stephanie was the Cluemaster's daughter and had reasoned that she'd turn up eventually. He went to the last known location of the gang and here Robin discovered a clue that the Baffler had left for the police. He followed the clue to the gang's heist: an armored car robbery. He and Cluemaster got sealed inside the car, and the other two put it in a pit and started covering it with cement. Robin could only wait until the others came back but they arrived much earlier than planned because the cops were onto them. With some help from Spoiler, Robin was saved and Cluemaster and his buddies were sent back to jail by Smith.

Robin bumped into Huntress and helped her get out of a jam from her involvement in a gang war with Mandy Paul. Tim reaffirmed that while he had discovered her real identity, he had never told Batman. They came to Mandy's lair only to find a man calling himself Deathangel, trying to "send all sinners to God" with a pair of pistols. After a firefight where Deathangel fled the scene, Robin and Huntress split up, with Robin following Mandy to a church. Huntress found Robin and Deathangel at the church, after correctly guessing that he was really Danny DePaolo, Mandy's brother, a priest at that very church. He was suffering from a delusion caused by his sister's wickedness. Everything led to a final confrontation with Mandy and her goons. Deathangel could not pull the trigger, but his sister could, and she gunned down her brother. Robin kept Huntress from killing him.

Afterwards, Tim felt the need to assist Jean-Paul in locating the serial killer Abattoir, but by the time he managed to locate the killer's hideout, Jean-Paul was already confronting him on a nearby foundry. Robin tried to get there in time to help Batman, but he could only witness how Jean-Paul refused to help as Abattoir fell to his death in a vat of molten metal.

KnightsEnd

Soon after this, Tim was glad to hear from Bruce and learn that he had rescued his father. Once Bruce and Jack returned to Gotham, Tim learned of his father's intention to spend more time with him, but he had to put that conversation aside as he had the duty to inform Bruce about Jean-Paul's actions as Batman. After telling Bruce everything, Tim was pleased to know that Bruce would fight Jean-Paul for the mantle of the bat after an intensive training.

While Bruce trained with Shiva, Robin was asked to keep a close eye on Jean-Paul and Robin noticed that the new Batman was in fact acting very strange. As Robin was unable to find valuable information by himself, Batman summoned Nightwing to help Robin and the two of them went looking for Jean-Paul. The two of them went to the Batcave and placed surveillance equipment to monitor all of Jean-Paul's activities. After this, they were shocked to see Jean-Paul acting as a madman, talking to himself alone in the cave. They decided to tell Bruce about Jean-Paul, but when they found Bruce, they witnessed how he apparently killed one of his opponents as part of Shiva's training. However, they soon learned that it was all a ruse to deceive Shiva and Robin joined Nightwing preparing the Batcave for Bruce's final comeback.

Robin and Nightwing joined Batman on his final confrontation with Jean-Paul, but they were sidetracked by the bodyguards of Penn Selkirk, who were trying to kill Catwoman. After dealing with them, they witnessed the fight between Bruce and Jean-Paul until Bruce was apparently killed inside an exploding Batmobile and they were confronted by Jean-Paul, whose armor had turned red. After Nightwing and Jean-Paul started fighting, Robin decided to help people after the accident and he soon learned that Batman had avoided the explosion and was ready to challenge Jean-Paul.

Robin left Bruce to confront Jean-Paul on his own and the next night he learned that Bruce had defeated Jean-Paul and taken back the mantle of the bat. This victory meant that he could still be Robin and the Dynamic Duo were back in action.

Prodigal

Afterward, Bruce decided he needed some time off, and this time he handed the mantle over to the right person, Dick Grayson.

Robin and the new Batman got along great, working against the likes of Two-Face. In his home life, Tim kept trying to make it up to Ari while his dad kept insisting on some bonding time because of his absence. Jack also hired Dana Winters to be his personal physical therapist. On a date with Ari, some teens picked a fight, and Tim had to take some hits, not wanting to reveal his martial arts training. He vented his frustration later that night when he went out with Dick. On another night, when he ran into the teens alone, he got his revenge, but it was spoiled when he visited Ari and found out her uncle had been attacked at his shop by gangsters.

Dick's tenure as Batman quickly came to an end when Bruce decided to return to the job. That event also brought some long needed healing between Bruce and Dick, who were very much like father and son. Bruce redesigned his costume, making it darker than ever.

Robin then had a run in with the KGBeast, but unlike their last encounter, he did not have the backup. KGBeast was perfectly willing to kill Tim and destroy most of Gotham City. KGBeast had already put down Harvey Bullock, who only survived due to Robin's knowledge of CPR. The battle against the KGBeast was tough. Robin was tempted to use Bullock's sidearm but refused. He managed to defeat him just as Batman showed up. Bullock was comatose for a while, but recovered.

Robberies were up recently, and Batman discovered that someone was sending very lame clues to the police department from inside Blackgate Prison. Figuring it was the Cluemaster and the villain would talk to Robin, Batman took Tim to the prison. Cluemaster told them that he was being blackmailed to plan some crimes by some thugs on the outside and that they had kidnapped Stephanie to ensure his cooperation. Batman tracked down their lair and Robin came along. Robin saved her life and rescued her, and after changing into her costume, she insisted on coming along. Batman was not amused, but Stephanie told him that Cluemaster had conned them and was in on the whole thing. While Batman went for another chat with Cluemaster, Robin and Spoiler stayed put until he pointed them in the right direction, where they rounded up the rest of the gang. Spoiler acted like the whole thing was a date, despite Tim's protestations that it was serious business. Afterward, Stephanie paid a visit to her dad in jail.

In an attempt to expand his criminal empire, King Snake came to Gotham. After a brief encounter with King Snake's enforcers alongside Huntress, Robin was told to back off by Batman. Robin next saved the life of Mayor Krol from a disgruntled city employee, but the credit went to another man, someone who had recently been fired for trying to blow the whistle on safety violations around the city.

Following a couple bizarre heists, such as a missing lion, Robin stumbled across Ulysses Armstrong, recently released from juvenile hall. Ulysses had recruited a vagrant who was under the impression he was Julius Caesar and together they plotted a crime spree. With some help from Shotgun Smith, Robin foiled the plot. Returning home, he discovered Ari was in his bedroom. She told him she had run away because her uncle was planning on moving away from the city because of the attack on his shop.

Tim might have been in some trouble with his father and maid for Ari spending the night if Jack's physical trainer hadn't come out of Jack's bedroom that morning. Dana had worked wonders on Jack in more ways than one, and he was up and walking about with a cane. Robin got to take his mind of things by helping Batman investigate a string of local robberies perpetrated by a gang of amateur ninjas, one of whom died when he fell off a rooftop. The deceased turned out to be a classmate of Tim's and he learned that the kid had gone to a Ninja Camp. Robin followed another classmate and easily defeated some of the ninjas, though they managed to escape. Tim decided to go undercover and enrolled at the camp using his alias, Alvin Draper. He impressed the camp leaders enough that they let him in on their outfit, provided he could pass one last test. Robin passed with flying colors and arranged for the ninjas to be arrested. Tim got home and learned that Ari's uncle had sold his store and they would be moving at the end of the week.

But things weren't so bad, thanks to a little help from Bruce Wayne. Bruce arranged for Lucius Fox and Wayne Enterprises to buy the store at a very generous price, enough for the family to open another store in a better neighborhood and remain in the city. Ari would even be going to the same school as Tim. Robin felt great. That night on patrol, he heard that Killer Moth had broken out. Figuring Moth for a third tier super lightweight, Robin went after him on his own. Moth had just sold his soul to Neron during Underworld Unleashed and been transformed into Charaxes. The monstrous being shredded its way through some cops and evaded a shootout with Sheriff Smith while capturing Robin, hoping to devour him. Robin was saved by an unknown party before Batman could turn up, and Charaxes was gone.

Robin met the new Green Arrow about that time. Green Arrow and Spoiler joined Robin to take down some gunrunners who were selling guns around Tim's high school. One of Tim's classmates, Karl Ranck, had been given a gun by his dad to protect himself, prompting Tim to tell his father. Jack had a talk with Karl's dad, who took the gun away. Karl then took one of his dad's guns and was killed in a shootout at the school. Tim was so angry that the beat-down he gave the gunrunners might have been much worse had Stephanie and Connor not been there. Tim spotted Stephanie at Karl's funeral and tried to avoid her, prompting Ari to misread the situation. Luckily, Tim managed to straighten that out easily enough. Robin and Spoiler then went after the guy who shot Karl, who was part of a larger street gang. They had to be saved by Batman, who was not happy that Robin decided to go at the gang without more backup than Spoiler. He also reminded Tim that Karl had made the choice to pick up the gun and become a target.

Contagion

Batman sends Robin to track down a plague survivor named Kendall Stuart when the Apocalypse Virus breaks out in Gotham. He reluctantly teams up with Catwoman, but they're both beaten by a bounty hunter named Tracker. Azrael intervenes to save them, but Robin fails when Stuart is shot dead by the Order of St. Dumas. He fights rioters with Nightwing and Huntress, then gets infected when one of them spits in his face. Alfred is forced to take care of him in the Batcave, and Tim hallucinates while dying. He's saved when Azrael deciphers the cure, and dutifully helps the relief efforts even in his weakened state.

Ariana briefly bleaches her hair blonde, and Tim is distressed to realize that she's jealous of Stephanie. He's captured by Maxie Zeus and Julie Caesar, but manages to defeat them both without help. When he meets Wildcat at a car show, he is thrilled to team up with a legendary hero against the Speedboyz.

When Armand Krol dies, they realize the Apocalypse Virus was never cured and Tim still has it in a dormant state. Batman travels to the Sudan with Nightwing and Robin where they track down an ancient cure. It's revealed that Ra's al Ghul is controlling the virus, and they're forced to fight through an army of assassins while he escapes. Nightwing and Robin chase his acolytes to Paris, where they stop a terrorist attack on the Louvre. Robin beats up Shen Chi in a surprise showdown, and is forced to work with Henri Ducard. Batman destroys the last of the plague in Gotham, and Robin pursues Ra's with Huntress and Nightwing. They track down his boat The Shrike, and Robin steals data from his computers before escaping while it explodes. Bruce and Tim blame themselves for the number of deaths, and Alfred reminds them they should count everyone they've saved.

Final Night

Robin met Impulse for the first time when their respective classes went on the same skiing field trip in Colorado. Alfred went with Robin, for they had an extra business, a plot involving a group called White Heat and Mystral. Tim met Bart early in the trip, and once he saw Bart in uniform, he was able to instantly guess who his identity, much to Bart's surprise. This would mark the beginning of a long and close friendship.

Tim hated that he kept having to mislead Ari ; trouble seemed to come up everywhere, even at a student outing to "Macbeth on the Beach" where Tim had to avoid Helena Bertinelli so she wouldn't recognize him. Tim cared for Ari very much, even if Spoiler kept making passes at him. During the Final Night, the Robin and Spoiler were trapped in a snowdrift along with a thug who tried to kill them with a chainsaw. Spoiler could not understand why Robin tried to save the thug trapped in the snow. While they were digging him out, they found a woman and her child also trapped in the snow and rescued them.

"General" Ulysses Armstrong got out on parole and Robin decided to visit him at home, and remind him that he should stay in line. He knew that Armstrong would not do so, and sure enough, the kid soon joined up with the Toyman to try and steal the toy collection of a local eccentric, Phillip Crouch. Robin tracked them to Crouch's manor, where a fight broke out with some hi-tech, deadly toys. Toyman betrayed Armstrong, and Robin had to rescue him and stop them both. Both were arrested.

As a young child, Bruce Wayne enjoyed watching Roy Raymond, a TV criminologist. His son, Roy Raymond Jr., had a TV show that aired dramatizations of crimes on which he called himself Manstalker. Tim thought the show was a joke, but it couldn't take his mind off things. Ari had been a little distant lately, and his friend Ives was keeping secrets too. On patrol, Robin found Slyfox and his crew trying to rob an insurance company, and of course, Manstalker and his TV crew arrived on the scene during a special episode. Robin had to destroy the tape in the camera before heading after the hoods, whom he apprehended.

While Spoiler was out getting into some trouble with Lynx and her goons, Tim was spending time at Ari's. He got the shock of a lifetime while they were alone at her house and she walked out of her room in her underwear, wanting to sleep with him. Tim finally learned what was bothering her; when she had dyed her hair, she had hung out with another guy and the guy tried to rape her. It was an unsuccessful attempt, but it left her feeling very scared and vulnerable. Tim told her that he loved her and said it would be best if they waited to have sex. While Tim and Ari were sharing a tender moment, Ari's uncle and aunt walked in and was cross with them. Ari's uncle was not in the mood to listen to an explanation. Tim had to flee before Ari's uncle strangled him. He decided to go on patrol, where he ran into Spoiler and she explained about Lynx's Ghost Dragons. Robin agreed to work with her, but the Dragons proved too much for them to handle on their own. Robin knew he should tell Stephanie to give up being Spoiler, but he just couldn't do so.

Soon Tim learned that the only secret Ives was keeping was that he had a job dressing as a giant mouse at a kid's restaurant. Ari, however, was transferred to an all girl's school. Tim kept thinking about Spoiler, and when he went to meet her, he found out she had been kidnapped by Czonk, who was back to calling himself the Baffler. Despite being one of the dumbest goons in Gotham, Baffler managed to tie up Robin and Spoiler and planned on leaving them to die in an old project building that was being demolished. He managed to knock himself out, and they ended up having to save him as well as themselves. Afterward, Robin told Stephanie she might have to stop being Spoiler. When he got home, he found his dad back from his recent lecture tour and Jack had spoken to Ari's uncle. Tim was grounded, but even when forbidden to leave his room, he managed to solve a crime by watching the news.

Second Sabbatical

During the Genesis crisis, Robin was unable to save a hood who had to tried to kill him from drowning. Feeling depressed, Robin headed for the frontlines. Armstrong was back, this time as the adviser to Ali Ben Khadir, a claimant to the throne of the Karoccan Emirate. His rival was being backed by Qurac. With Nightwing's help and a Wayne Tech jet, Robin went over to the war-torn country. Nightwing managed to stop two armies from clashing outside the capital while Robin penetrated Armstrong's lair. He found that Armstrong and his employer had experienced a falling out, so the boy was arrested and Robin withdrew. Robin had Nightwing drop him off in France, saying that lately he'd been feeling lost and decided he needed to step back for a while. He thought Paris was the right place to start, since his training had never really ended there.

Knowing that Rahul Lama was dead, Tim decided to train in the course of the Iron Master, although he remained in his identity as Robin. He stopped a former student from stealing from the master and also met a girl named Dava Sborsc. The girl was there to learn a single move to add to her arsenal of lethal moves. She wanted to be able to fight in the war that was destroying her native country of Transbelvia. After she left, Lady Shiva arrived looking for her. Robin had to withdraw, leaving the Iron Master to fight her alone, and Shiva killed him. King Snake was also involved again, this time selling weapons to Transbelvia. Robin went after Dava to warn her about Shiva. Back in Gotham, Jack Drake, Ari, and Spoiler were all wondering what had happened to Tim. Robin found Dava, a rebel fighting against the oppressive regime using a special chemical called Aramilla that allows her to move at super speed. Together they easily took down some military thugs, but then Shiva turned up. Not willing to step aside and let her murder Dava, Robin attacked, using the Aramilla to his advantage. Not even Shiva could stand up to Robin moving at super speed. Losing control, Robin beat her to death, just as King Snake sauntered in. While Dava fought King Snake and his minions, Robin performed CPR and managed to revive Shiva. Shiva had absorbed some of the Aramilla, and at super speed, she took down all of King Snake's men and went after King Snake herself. Robin left them to fight each other and brought an injured Dava to safety. But the war continued, and Robin decided it was finally time to return home.

Cataclysm

On the flight home, Gotham City was struck by the Cataclysm, a massive earthquake that leveled most of the city. Robin joined with Batman and the rest of the "family," overwhelmed at the near total destruction of the entire city. There was little that Robin could do in such chaos, and Batman asked him to stay out of most of the city. Luckily, the Drake home, in one of the outer neighboring communities, suffered only minor damages and they were able to effect repairs. During the Aftershock, Ari and Stephanie were both staying in a shelter with their families. Stephanie asked Robin to retrieve her costume, worried someone would steal it and learn her secret. Cluemaster was waiting there, but Robin took him down and turned him in to the National Guard.

After spending more time with Stephanie, Robin decides he really does care for her, and that he has to break things off with Ari rather than keep her hanging on. Fortunately, Ari feels exactly the same way about a breakup, although she says it is because they are too young to pursue a relationship. Ari is not seen again.

At this same time, Robin also became one of the charter members of Young Justice.

Tim and Spoiler got along wonderfully. She didn't pry about his real identity, and he could share being Robin with her. After their first real date, Stephanie told him that she was pregnant. Robin was not responsible for her condition, but he stood by her. Disguised as Alvin Draper, he went to classes and told her that she had to give up being Spoiler until after the baby was born. Later, Robin had to save his friends Ives and Hudson from Steeljacket. At school, a friend of Tim's was found dead in the woods and two bullies were suspected of killing him. While Tim initially believed they were innocent, he soon found evidence of their guilt, which led to their arrest.

With all of Gotham city in ruins, Jack Drake decided the family should relocate from Gotham Heights for a while. He decided to move to Keystone City. When they arrived, Robin teamed with the Flash to take on the Riddler and Captain Boomerang. They also got some help from Superman to stop a bomb threat. While they were in Keystone, Stephanie went into labor and needed a C-section. Flash got Robin back to Gotham in time for him to come to the hospital. The baby was born and Stephanie gave the child up for adoption. Jack was furious with his son for running home to Gotham but admitted that he had hated Keystone and also wanted to come back. Robin even managed to help Shotgun Smith take down three monstrous thugs who held hostage an emergency room.

No Man's Land

Recalled to Gotham City by Batman, Robin and Nightwing had to crawl through an extensive system of tunnels and underground chambers, as the bridges were all down and patrols kept them from crossing the river. They had a tussle with Tommy Mangles and Gearhead, but Nightwing easily defeated them and got into the city. Robin was depressed by the despair and desperation he witnessed in people fighting to survive. Batman put Robin to work immediately, ordering him to track down a cache of food from an old shelter. Robin found it and discovered the Ratcatcher there. Robin had to flee from the Ratcatcher and his legions of rats, though a combination of rat bites and exposure to sewage gave him a fever. He managed to stave it off with some antibiotics, and was found by a group of children known as the Wolflings, including a kid Robin knew from his school who was calling himself Aragoth. The Wolflings decided to find the stores, and Robin was too sick to follow them at first. The kids found it, but so did the Ratcatcher and Mister Freeze. Robin managed to defeat both Freeze and Ratcatcher, arranging for them to be arrested. Batman was impressed with Robin's actions. Robin did not have much time to recover, as he knew Batman and the others were fighting for their lives. Robin was captured by Killer Croc, who was planning an all-out battle with Penguin and his police allies. Alfred helped free Robin and he rallied with Bullock and Penguin to defeat Croc. He then had to make the hard decision to call his father and tell him that he was in Gotham and that there was no way out. Jack made a lot of noise, and Washington took notice. Federal agents were ordered to stage a rescue. Tim was told to come to Grant Park to be extracted. The rescue site turned into a fire fight, but Tim was successfully lifted out with some help from the new Batgirl.

Brentwood Academy

Jack decided to enroll his son in Brentwood Academy, a private all boys boarding school not too far from home because of Tim's many absences while attending Gotham Heights High School. His first roommate was Ali Ben Khadir, the religious leader of a small country called Dhabar; and was accompanied by his bodyguard, Zugir. Bruce assigned Alfred to be Tim's personal valet for the rest of the semester. Tim decided life at the school wasn't so bad. He still got to see Spoiler and even created a new hi-tech skateboard. He discovered four Man-Bat-like creatures that warranted investigating. With help from Nightwing, he learned that the bats were Kirk and Francine Langstrom and their children. He had to ask Jason Bard for an antidote Kirk had entrusted him with years ago. The serum worked on the parents, and their daughter but not their son.

Young Justice

Much like Dick Grayson, Tim Drake has allied himself with the other superheroes in his age demographic. He mostly worked with the Gotham City heroes, but on occasion joined forces with other heroes such as Superman, the Flash, Superboy and Impulse. During one adventure where a preteen boy was given god-like powers, Robin, Superboy and Impulse joined forces to defeat him. The boys worked so well together that they created their own team of heroes called Young Justice. Robin acted as the leader of the team until he temporarily quit following the Imperiex War. During that mission, the group was tortured on Apokolips. Afterward, Robin discovered that over half the team, including Superboy, Wonder Girl, Impulse and Cissie King-Jones, no longer trust him. The Justice League had discovered that Batman kept contingency plans on them, and the younger heroes began to wonder if Robin might also have plans to defeat or even kill them. Secret, who has deep feelings for Robin, along with new members Empress and Lil' Lobo however remained trusting of Robin. Still, feeling hurt as well as strained by problems in his personal life, Robin quit temporarily.

When Tim returned, the team agreed to elect their leader, and Tim lost to Wonder Girl. The team still looked at Tim as its tactical expert, aiding Wonder Girl, in leadership, similar to Batman's own position in the JLA. Unwilling to quit Young Justice a second time, Tim took on the identity of "Mister Sarcastic" at a point where Young Justice agreed to become reality TV stars. Soon after, Secret was turned evil by Darkseid, and it was Tim who managed to save the world by reminding Greta of her humanity.

Graduation Day

The Titans and Young Justice are both approached by the corporation Optitron who want to fund them as a massive tax write-off, but Nightwing angrily refuses. Outside this building they're attacked by an android named Indigo, but the team is decimated by bad coordination. Robin broods over his hospitalized teammates believing it's his fault for letting them get hurt, and the android releases a rogue Superman Robot that kills Omen. There's a massive battle and Donna Troy is killed. In the wake of this tragedy, Young Justice decides to disband because their lack of experience gets people hurt. Cyborg offers to mentor them instead.

Teen Titans

Beast Boy, Cyborg and Starfire decide to mentor the next generation of heroes as the new Teen Titans. They establish a Titans Tower in San Francisco and invite Robin alongside Impulse, Superboy and Wonder Girl to join them on a weekends-only basis. Their first battle is against Deathstroke who attacks them saying that kids shouldn't wear costumes, although he's revealed to be possessed by Jericho. They end their first weekend when the Justice League visits and the two teams battle over a misunderstanding, with Robin fighting his mentor until Nightwing tells the League to trust the next generation.

On his 16th birthday, Tim is so busy that he forgets and his friends plan him a surprise party. He receives a present that appears to be a hologram of Alfred from the future. This message tells him that one member of the Batman Family will betray the rest, and turn Gotham into a subjugated nightmare. Robin works hard to determine which of his friends could be the traitor. Eventually, it's revealed that this was a hoax engineered by Batman to test Tim's detective skills.

Robin then helped Batman stop and investigate random crimes around Gotham. Some time later, he was assigned the mission of taking care of an injured Ventriloquist during an attack by a group known as The Body. Having to deal with several enemies, a convalescent crime lord and a deranged Frank Ivers, Robin called James Gordon to help him. However, Robin and Gordon fell victims of an infectious fear that caused them to attack each other and lost control of the situation. With help from Frank Ivers, Robin and Gordon were released from the fear and returned to normality.

Unmasked!

Beginning his junior year at the unfamiliar Louis E. Grieve Memorial High School, Tim quickly makes friends with Bernard Dowd and Darla Aquista. Batman gives him a new motorcycle, and his parents catch him with a black eye after fighting crime. The hitman he was fighting gains powers and becomes Johnny Warlock. Warlock takes over crimelord Henry Aquista's business, then seemingly dies trying to kill Robin and Spoiler. During his weekend with the Titans, Robin takes a joyride in a stolen Batmobile and helps rescue Raven by defeating Brother Blood.Warlock hires the assassin Scarab to kill Robin when he's forced to leave the country. Jack Drake catches his son lying about the black eye, and confronts Bruce Wayne after finding Robin equipment hidden in Tim's room. Tim's father demands that he quit being a superhero, and threatens to expose their secrets. Tim reluctantly accepts that he has to give up being Robin.

This puts a strain on his relationship with Stephanie, although Tim says being normal gets easier every day. Stephanie catches Darla forcefully kissing Tim and begins avoiding him. Batman agrees to train her as Tim's replacement when she makes her own Robin costume and sneaks into the Batcave. When Tim learns of this he tries to talk to Steph, but she continues to avoid him. Scarab begins systematically murdering teens who look like Tim in an effort to complete her contract on Robin. Superboy visits Gotham and deduces Tim's identity by careful listening. He tries to persuade him to come back to the Titans, but Tim insists he is happier giving up the responsibilities of being a superhero. Batgirl protects Tim while Batman and Robin go after Scarab. Bruce eventually fires Stephanie for disobeying orders.

War Games

When the city is plunged into gang war, Tim's dad urges him to stay at home although he is uncomfortable. Darla is targeted by the Odessa Mob and the Ventriloquist, who send hitmen to kill her at school. Tim is forced to protect other students in his civilian identity, although Darla still gets hit by a bullet. Batman, Batgirl and Nightwing finally arrive to help him deal with the situation. They prevent any deaths, but Darla still leaves in critical condition. Tim decides to break his promise and become Robin again to help. Batman is not surprised to see him back, and they partner up again. He asks Nightwing for advice on his situation. Robin is alerted with all the others when Batman realizes the gang war was one of his "war game" contingency plans. Tim confesses to his dad that he's become Robin again, and his dad begrudgingly realizes that the city needs him. Jack Drake and Dana Winters volunteer at the Thompkins clinic. Robin helps GCPD hold their barrier at the Robinson Park riot. He rescues Batman and allows him to go after the Orpheus impostor revealed to be Black Mask. Robin takes down Mr. Fun, the Ravens, and Trickster, then takes a break and spends time with his dad. When they rally at the siege on Gotham Clock Tower, Robin takes down Scarebeast by parlaying with the cops ordered to shoot on sight. The crisis ends, but Stephanie dies of her injuries in the Thompkins clinic. Bruce told Tim about her death afterwards, and noticed that he did not cry or make a sound. Tim returns to active duty with the Titans shortly afterward.

Titans Tomorrow

Tim encounters his future self in the identity of Batman after his mentor dies in a crisis. This future happens despite his repeated statement that he does not want to be the next Batman, and is rather content being Robin. In this timeline, Tim is now the leader of the future Titans with himself as Batman. After Bruce Wayne's death, Tim has the Titans take control of the entire West Coast. He orders any rebellions put down by Dark Raven absorbing the people's free will and hope. He even hunts down most of Batman's Rogues Gallery and kills them with the handgun that was used to kill Thomas and Martha Wayne. As he explains to his younger self, 'It took me years to do it.' He even begins a relationship with Bette Kane, who becomes his partner, Batwoman. He later kills her during an argument. Wracked with guilt, he made a deal with Ra's al Ghul to restore her using the Lazarus Pit. Once revived, she joined the Titans East and opposed Batman and his team. His latest victim before the younger Teen Titans show up was Duela Dent, the Joker's daughter, whom he murders out of revenge for the death of assorted people including Cassandra Cain and Alfred Pennyworth.

Identity Crisis

Tim, along with the rest of the superhero community, tries to keep all of his loved ones safe after some tragic attacks upon the family members of the Justice League. One night, while Batman and Robin were investigating these crimes, they receive an incoming transmission from Oracle that Tim's father needs to speak to him immediately. It turned out that there's an intruder in the Drake home and a mysterious note with a gun was for Jack suggests that he protect himself. Jack tells Tim that he is proud of him and that he is not responsible if something bad happens. The intruder is revealed to be the hired killer Captain Boomerang. Jack fired as Captain Boomerang unleashed a razor boomerang and the two killed one another before Batman and Robin could make it back to the scene. Like Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson before him, Tim Drake had now lost both of his parents to crime.

Blüdhaven

After Identity Crisis, Bruce Wayne offered to adopt Tim, who was not initially fond of the idea. Tim falsified records to create an uncle who would become his legal guardian. He then moved in with his 'Uncle Eddie' in Blüdhaven, while his stepmother received treatment at a psychiatric hospital. Although Tim covered his tracks well, Batman was still able to figure out the truth. Rather than being angry, Batman is impressed with Tim's subterfuge. He even offers to teach Tim to cover his tracks completely.

To Kill a Bird

Soon afterward, a military superhero legend called the Veteran attempted to recruit Robin. Tim, now concerned with his own mission rather than Batman's, took the Veteran's offer under consideration and went on a mission with his team to get a feel for the job. Tim eventually turned down the offer. Some time after this, Jason Todd, long thought dead, returned as the new Red Hood. Angered that someone has replaced him as Robin, Jason broke into Titans Tower wearing a version of his own Robin costume. Quickly immobilizing the other Titans, Jason confronted Tim to see if the new Boy Wonder was really as good as everyone claimed. The two Robins fought, until at last Jason struck Tim down in the Hall of Fallen Titans. Although Tim was defeated, Jason demanded to know if he still believed himself to be as good as people say, to which Tim replied with a defiant 'Yes' before Todd rendered him unconscious. Jason spared Tim's life, simply tearing off the 'R' shaped emblem from his chest. In the epilogue of the story, Jason has developed a grudging sort of respect for Tim, wondering if he would have been a better Robin and a better person, had he had friends like the Titans.

Infinite Crisis

As in the events surrounding the Infinite Crisis storyline, Robin, along with the Veteran's forces, had to defend the city of Blüdhaven against an army of OMACs who had captured dozens of metahumans for immediate extermination. After a virus deactivated the cyborgs, Tim, the Shadowpact and the Veteran's team captured the metahumans. With Blüdhaven safe, Wonder Girl arrived on the scene asking Robin for help. Along with the Teen Titans, the Doom Patrol and the Justice Society of America, he battled against Superboy-Prime, who had violently assaulted their world's Superboy. The fight overwhelmed Conner's body to the point where it began eating away at itself for energy.

After Robin's departure from Blüdhaven, the city was destroyed by the Society. Although he worried about his stepmother, his "uncle" and Nightwing, Tim continued to Titans Tower. He then led a successful assault on one of Lex Luthor's genetic research bases to find a cure for Superboy. With Blüdhaven still in chaos, Superman left Robin in command of all the superhero rescue efforts. But when the government put the city on complete lock down, the Titans were kicked out. Following the discovery of Superboy's death at the North Pole, Robin joined the rest of the world's heroes in a final battle against the Society in Metropolis. Although the heroes won the battle, many on both sides were injured and killed.

After the Infinite Crisis ended, Bruce Wayne, Dick Grayson, and Tim Drake went on a trip to retrace Bruce Wayne's original journey around the world in his quest to become Batman. The journey took them to Europe, where Robin and Nightwing went on a quest to stop Intergang's associates on different countries. While on this quest, Robin changed his costume's colors in order to strike fear into the eyes of criminals.

At a ceremony honoring Superboy one year after his death, Robin attended in a new costume made up primarily red and black. When asked why by Jimmy Olsen, he explained that they were the colors of Conner's costume.

One Year Later

When Batman and Robin return to Gotham, they work better together and start a crime-purge. Having trained together, they are able to wipe out major super-crime in a month. Bruce informs Tim that since his parents died he has decided to adopt him, and Tim joyously accepts. Robin is framed for murder when Lynx turns up dead in a Batgirl suit and Cassandra Cain goes missing. He is forced to break David Cain out of prison for the ransom, but it turns out Cassandra is responsible. Cassandra has turned evil and taken over the League of Assassins, now wanting Tim to fight at her side. He refuses and barely escapes alive.

Tim leads the new Teen Titans, and he tries to put the team back together with Cyborg. When Wonder Girl learns he is trying to clone the dead Superboy, they share a grief-stricken kiss.

Teenage Wasteland

When Robin goes undercover to stop a crew of kidnappers, the wannabe super-hero Dodge interferes and is put into a coma. Tim blames himself for this, but talks through these problems while convincing a teenager not to commit suicide. He teams up with Klarion the Witch-Boy and Teekl when a Limbo Town resident named Uriah attempts to create a Judgment Beast. Tim goes on a successful date with his classmate Zoanne Wilkins, although they are interrupted by the super-villain Jitter. On Halloween he goes after the serial killer Scary Mary. Jamie Harper enlists him to fight a metahuman street gang called Lords of the Avenues, and Cassandra returns to murder his enemies. Zoanne breaks up with Tim because she believes he is not ready for a relationship. Deathstroke puts together his own team of super-villains called the Titans East to battle the Teen Titans.

The Big Leagues

On his first Father's Day with Bruce, Tim plans a nice evening and has to fight the Jury so he can make it home in time. Dodge returns to take revenge with a crew including the villains Brutus, Cheater, Macro, Micro, Skill and Tapeworm. Robin takes them down with the help of Zatara and Ravager posing as Skill to be their spy. Dodge realizes his mistake and dies a hero, protecting Robin as his powers finally kill him. Tim has a relapse into violence on the anniversary of his father's death, but swears to honor him by improving. The Teen Titans have another encounter with the Titans Tomorrow despite two of their present day deaths.

The Resurrection of Ra's al Ghul

Damian arrives in the Batcave to warn everyone that Ra's al Ghul has returned. They have a rematch when Robin doesn't believe him, although Alfred scolds Tim. Wayne Manor is attacked by the League of Assassins, and Nightwing is forced to let them be captured while he rescues the Insect Girls. Ra's asks Tim to serve at his side and realize his true potential, promising to resurrect his parents. Batman is forced to choose whether Ra's will use Robin or Damian as his new host body, and Batman offers to take him to Nanda Parbat instead. Robin and Damian escape and fight their way through White Ghost's ninjas. Tim reconsiders the offer Ra's made and decides to sacrifice himself for his lost friends and family. Nightwing fights to stop him until I-Ching breaks them apart. Tim is allowed to make the decision on his own and chooses not to, breaking down in tears. They travel to Nanda Parbat and fight an army of ninjas, until Rama Kushna saves them from Ra's in his new body. The four men realize it's Christmas on the plane-ride home, and toast to family.

Violent Tendencies

Robin begins chasing a new vigilante who reminds him of Spoiler named Violet. He takes down Condiment King, and Harper puts him in contact with her corrupt superior officers Marcus Wise and Roman Cavallo. They are working for the Penguin and use Robin to wipe out his competition, starting with Maxie Zeus's illegal casino. Sebastian Ives is diagnosed with treatable cancer and Tim supports him. He chases Violet to a Korean counterfeiting operation, where they're interrupted by someone wearing a Spoiler costume. He loses track of both women, but later hunts down "Spoiler" with Batman. She reveals that she is actually Stephanie Brown, having only faked her death. Tim gives her a huge kiss and they talk through the details. Robin and Spoiler become a crime-fighting duo again, although this creates a rift between Tim and Zoanne.

Batman R.I.P.

Robin and Nightwing put away the Wonderland Gang and after this, Batman warned them about Hush's return. A few days later, Robin and Nightwing were summoned to the Batcave to confront Hush and put an end to his evil scheme.

After this, Batman and Robin took the new Batmobile out for a test drive, stopping a criminal wannabe named Green Vulture. Tim was worried about Bruce's mental health since the Thögal Ritual, and is angry that no one will tell him the results of Damian's paternity test. Batman went missing and Robin searched the city for him with Spoiler, believing he has lost his mind. He took down the Sprang Bridge Soldiers, made a deal with Penguin and brought Jamie Harper deeper into his confidence. While Robin was reading through the Black Casebook, he's ambushed by Pierrot Lunaire and Swagman of the Club of Villains. Robin teared the city apart, vowing that he will either save Batman or take him down. However, he learned that Spoiler had been sabotaging his efforts under Batman's request. Robin escaped from Pierrot and Swagman to alert Knight and Squire. He rallied the Club of Heroes and they dealt with the Black Glove all over Gotham. Robin went to Arkham in time to see a helicopter crashing. He explained the situation to Gordon as Hurt's helicopter went down.

Afterwards, Robin helped Batgirl decipher a code sent by the Black Glove in which they revealed their master plan to eliminate the Outsiders along with Batman.

After a while, Nightwing returned to Gotham and together they started working on the reconstruction of the Batcave. Later, Robin and Nightwing went to Vietnam to capture Hush and they took him back to Gotham, where they locked him in a secure cell at the top of Wayne Tower.

Search for a Hero

Robin tries to protect Gotham in Batman's absence, as the gangs and police begin rioting. Jason Todd tries to take control of the gangs, but Robin has him put in Blackgate. Spoiler continues testing Robin, hiring mercenaries like Jaeger and Scarab while he's already fighting Lynx. Jason Bard takes down Cavallo and Wise, making them work for Robin, then begins dating Jamie Harper. The General returns as Red Robin, then becomes Anarky while Lonnie Machin is paralyzed. When the riots reach a climax at Anarky's manipulation, Tim wears the Red Robin costume and adopts a grimmer persona. Spoiler worries that to make him a better hero she's made Robin a worse person, and Tim recognizes that he must do whatever it takes to keep Gotham safe.

Lady Shiva challenged Robin to a fight to the death. He made peace with his loved ones and broke up with Zoanne Wilkins. During the fight, Shiva broke three of his ribs, but he defeated her as he had poisoned her food earlier in the day. Later, Tim also defeated the Obeah Man when he got out of prison in Haiti, and had him extradited to a US prison.

Battle for the Cowl

In the wake of Batman's death, Robin patrolled the city constantly to keep order and stopped criminals like Nocturna.

Later, there's a massive gang war and the entire Network was enlisted to help, leading Robin to team up with Squire. Tim tried to convince Dick to become the new Batman, but Dick refused and Jason Todd began wearing a Batsuit to gun down criminals. Tim responded to this by putting on a Batsuit and took to the streets, but Todd impaled him with a Batarang through the chest. Tim was barely rescued from dying by Damian and Squire when Jason's make-shift Batcave collapsed. Shortly after, Dick defeated Jason and became Batman.

Red Robin

Tim believes Bruce is still alive somewhere after seeing a painting of his "ancestor" Mordecai Wayne in Wayne Manor. He is angered when Dick chooses Damian Wayne to be Robin instead of him, and nobody believes him when he insists that Bruce is still alive. Traveling to Europe to investigate Bruce's disappearance, he begins wearing the Red Robin costume as it will allow him to become darker without tarnishing an existing symbol. In Paris he's attacked by Owens, Pru and Z of the League of Assassins but it's revealed that this is Ra's al Ghul reaching out to help him. These assassins help him fight the Wild Huntsman when he infiltrates a museum, and Ra's explains that they are completely in Tim's service. This leads him to a cave painting that proves Bruce is lost in time, but outside they're attacked by Widower of the Council of Spiders who kills Owens and Z.

Blackest Night

Red Robin is called back to Gotham by Batman and Robin when their old enemies start rising from their graves as members of the Black Lantern Corps. He arrives in the Batplane to save them from a siege at GCPD Headquarters by sweeping the building with flame-throwers and airlifting them out. His father Jack Drake becomes a zombie and reenacts his own death with Captain Boomerang, to get an emotional response from Tim and feed off his life-energy. Dick and Tim use Mister Freeze's Freeze Gun to avoid the zombies' detection, then have Deadman unfreeze them and pass on their information to others.

Council of Spiders

Ra's al Ghul has Red Robin and Tam Fox kidnapped by the White Ghost. Drake is put in charge of the League of Assassins while they're attacked by the Council of Spiders, as Drake is the only person to survive an encounter with the council. He sets up fake assassinations across the world to bait the Spiders, but they slaughter his men and infiltrate the League's headquarters to kill Ra's. Drake is barely able to save Tam and Ra's is seemingly killed by their leader the Wanderer. Despite the entire League of Assassins having been killed by them, Drake takes on all of the Spiders simultaneously and wins. Before leaving with Tam he uses the League's computers to blow up all of their facilities across the planet, and Ra's announces he will retaliate by destroying Wayne Enterprises.

Collision

Tim reunites with Conner Kent in Paris, while trying to look for a Mother Box in order to get to New Genesis. After looking for one of Lex Luthor's labs in the catacombs of Paris, Tim broke down and told Conner of the hardships he'd faced. Conner emotionally supported him, also believing that Bruce is alive.

Returning to Gotham, Tim takes down Killer Moth and tries to reconcile his new grim persona with his old life. Ra's announces that he will kill those dearest to Bruce Wayne, and Tim teams up with Batgirl to save Leslie Thompkins. Pru gives them inside information on Ra's plans, but they are ambushed by the Seven Men of Death. They are able to survive these assassins, and Tim enlists Batman and Robin to help as he believes Ra's is planning something larger. Tim uses his connections in the Network and the Titans to rescue the hostages, explaining that unlike Batman he has friends. To stop Hush from transferring control of the company to Ra's, Lucius Fox has Tim appointed CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Ra's is outraged and kicks Tim out a window, although he calls him "detective" and privately admits he'd like Tim to father an heir. Tim apologizes to his friends for the dark direction he's taken and reveals his evidence that Bruce is still alive. Vicki Vale publishes an article saying he is engaged to Tam Fox. Alfred designs a modified costume for Tim, allowing him to truly become his own person.

Hit List and Return of Batman

After dealing with Ra's al Ghul's attempt to destroy the Bat-family, Tim Drake began a new quest of his own to take down several of the Bat-family's currently active foes, starting with the new Lynx. He also enlisted the help of Lonnie Machin to be his "Oracle," had a confrontation with Damian Wayne, and captured Ulysses Armstrong, who had stolen the Anarky persona.

Red Robin was then summoned to the Justice League Headquarters to help them rescue Bruce Wayne from being stranded in time. After Bruce's return, he teamed up with Red Robin to defeat the Council of Spiders in Amsterdam, with a little help from Prudence, Tim's ally, formerly of the League of Assassins. Later, after Bruce had established Batman Incorporated, Tim, as Red Robin, traveled to Hong Kong, where he contacted Cassandra Cain, the former Batgirl. Cassandra was still affiliated with the Bat-family but had no interest in returning to Gotham City. Nevertheless, he gave her a duplicate of her old costume, which she accepted. After here turned to Gotham City, Red Robin sprang Lynx from prison, the latter having claimed to be an undercover Hong Kong Police Officer, who kissing him in return. Batman was mildly annoyed by this but gently offered to give Tim advice on his dealings with Selina Kyle, as Tim considered Lynx to be on the road to becoming his own personal Catwoman. Tim then revealed that a Neon Knights center had been established in Gotham City, and that they would be preventing young people from turning to crime while the Bat-Family fought crime.

The Rabbithole

Tim's next mission was to investigate the supervillain communications network, the Unternet and discern how to either control it, or destroy it. He traveled to Russia, with Tam Fox in order to find out whether or not industrialist Viktor Mikalek had anything to do do with it. He was met with an icy reception from Red Star, who told him to be careful when dealing with Mikalek, as his actions had contributed greatly to the Russian economy. Tim and Tam arrived at Mikalek's headquarters, and were discussing a proposal to set up a Neon Knights center in Moscow, when a vigilante calling herself Promise broke into the meeting room and started to attack Mikalek. Red Star appeared to resolve the situation, but Promise managed to escape. Later, as Red Robin, Tim looked for Promise with the help of Lonnie Machin, who has been rendered catatonic following torture by The General, and was now only able to communicate by a special computer, thus allowing him to hack anything. Tim tracked Promise to her hideout, and after a brief conversation, Red Star attacked them, thinking that Red Robin was in league with "the terrorist." Meanwhile, Tam and Lonnie had hacked into the Unternet, and Red Robin had given Promise a comlink. After a fierce chase, Red Robin found himself aboard Red Star's ship, where he discovered dozens of missiles. At this moment, one of the Calculator's defenses was activated, which resulted in Red Robin, Tam, Promise, and Lonnie being knocked unconscious and their consciousness being absorbed into the Unternet. There they discovered a very surreal world where all of the persons inside manifested as they saw themselves, with the Riddler representing Tim Drake's mind figuring things out. After a series of scuffles with manifestations of the likes of the Joker and Deathstroke, they encountered Promises's manifestation, who revealed to them the meaning and purpose of the Unternet, and that Viktor Mikalek wished to regulate it, and make the world's supervillains pay him to use it. Tim, Tam, and Promise were able to escape, leaving Lonnie behind as a spy and to police the Unternet.

Shortly thereafter, Tim discovered that the Calculator had constructed hundreds of androids that looked like him, and had sent one such android to kill Tam Fox in an attack instigated by Catman. Tim realized that he would need some help tracking down the real Calculator. Thus, he contacted the Teen Titans, who met with him. The Titans were very happy to see him, with the exception of Damian Wayne, who had joined the Titans as Robin. The group set out in the Teen Titan's jet, and found that the Calculator's base of operations seemed to be in Istanbul. They used Damian to draw out one of the Calculator's androids, and followed it to one of the city's most popular nightclubs. After the Calculator android explodes, Kid Flash barely got Robin out of the way. Red Robin then realized in shock that there are several Calculator androids scattered throughout the crowd. Acting quickly, the group destroyed the Calculator robots and entered the location where Calculator's signal was originating; a nightclub. Digging underneath the building, the team stumbled across what appeared to be Calculator himself, who revealed to them that he had tortured and killed Kid Eternity. He then deployed a set of other more powerful robots against the Titans. Red Robin worked with Robin to destroy a few of these robots, and helped him to realize that this Calculator was also an android, the latter destroying it a few minutes later. In the aftermath of this occasion, Red Robin rejoined the Teen Titans, but Robin resigned, telling the former that the team "already had a Robin." Tim eventually discovered that the source of the Unternet was the Madmen, who had been turned by Darkseid into living servers for it. Red Robin lured them to Gotham City where he was forced to fight with them. He finally managed to render them catatonic, and thus disabling the Unternet, by contriving for them to hooked up to the Gotham City power plant.

Fun Facts

Tim Drake is not religious, believing that if God existed he would not let so many bad things happen. He has mentioned that his mother was religious but his father was not at all. This becomes relevant during Judgment on Gotham when the Crusader questions his faith and Tim is forced to admit he does not believe in God, although he knows this will put the city in further danger. This makes him a confirmed atheist.

Tim's birthday is on July 19th.

Tim's grandfather Charles Drake was 15 when he snuck off to join the military during World War II. He won the silver star for conspicuous valor at Iwo Jima.

Tim's father Jack gave Tim his first beer. Tim took a big swig and immediately spat it out all over his dad. Jack did not know he was giving his chronologically 15-year-old son beer because Tim was temporarily aged into adulthood as a result of the Sins of Youth event.

Tim considers Conner Kent to be his best friend, and Bart Allen to be a close second.

#red robin #timothy jackson drake #tim drake #timothy drake #tim jackson drake #robin #alvin draper #batman #mister sarcastic #Teen Titans #batman family #batman inc.#batman inc #wayne enterprises #Young Justice #Justice League Task Force #dc #DC comics #thedcdunce

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boyslaughplus · 6 years ago

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Devlog #34 - Status Update, Character Design, and UI

Hello! It's time for another update on the development status of Brassica. It’s also our first actual devlog purely about Brassica!

After working on separate projects for a while, we are now in the process of getting back on track working on the same game again. Because of that we're happy to announce that the rest of Brassica's Act 2 will be released in March!

It grew a bit in size from what we originally planned but that just means more game for you~

The exact date will be announced when we can more clearly estimate how long the remaining tasks will take but we're in the process of finishing everything up so it shouldn't be too long.

As for Act 3, our current plan is to release it in April. From now on development should be a lot faster but because we mainly worked on it on the side until now, that is still only a rough estimate. We'll definitely keep you updated on any developments regarding the release dates though!

Well, and that's about it for the status update. Because it's been a while since our devlogs actually described much of our development process (and we haven't shared much about our thought processes behind Brassica), we decided to bring that back with today's devlog.

PECTIN will tell you a bit about Saffron and his design while eZombo describes the development of the UI. So without further ado, here we go:

Art - PECTIN

Saffron is the curious prince the player takes control of in Brassica. Before I began concepting him Felix and I defined his character. At this point we already knew he would be one of the princes Sappho tricks into going on the journey. (And would then fall in love with another prince because YaoiJam'18). We soon agreed on naming him Saffron. So I already associated the colours of the spice "saffron" with him here. We also wanted to make him a protagonist with his own personality. Thinking of the player who role-plays him we thought it would be cool to have his character split into three separate personalities he could have: - the cunning and a bit wild prince - the typical goody two-shoes type of hero - and the soft boi who's overwhelmed by the whole predicament and really needs a hug Another external influence was, my intention to try and fuse traditional things with modern sportswear. Brassica is a fairytale but it's told in a contemporary voice. That's where the idea came from. ...Okay. So I had his name, colours I could associate with him, the three archetypes and my goal to fuse sportswear with traditional clothing. Having all of these "pointers" I began looking for reference pictures. I browsed through online stores of popular sports brands to find things that would fit the character. Due to Saffron's character ranging from cute to rather untamed (in the sense that he would climb a tree without hesitation) I thought that wearing shorts would be most suitable and comfy. But for the top and the overall outfit I wanted to let myself get inspired by traditional elements. The name "Saffron" reminded me of the spice and then its use in Indian culture. I never designed a character with Indian influences before and thought researching into that would be interesting. I found a lot of stuff I could translate into the design. Even the leggings Saffron wears were intially inspired by my findings about Indian culture. Here's a visual breakdown of what inspired what (excuse my srawly handwriting >-<):

During the process of drawing out his design, as I always do, I thought about how each component of the outfit would "flow". There're lot's of lines and intersections in his outfit that guide the eyes along the his body:

And here is our boy again as a sprite. Not much different right? Here I put one of his hands in his shorts' pocket, because I think it would suit someone who is either unsure and does that or feels liking hiding something.

That's it about Saffron! I could go on about his colours but I'll save that for when I explain the general artstyle of Brassica! :3

UI - eZombo

Because Brassica was planned as an entry for Yaoi Jam 2018, we thought about ways to keep the scope small. One idea we came up with was to reduce the size of the screen that shows backgrounds and characters so producing the art is a bit faster than filling a full HD 16:9 canvas. One inspiration for that was Sticky Zeitgeist by Porpentine & Rook but something like the Undertale console version where the graphics at the border of the screen change based on the in-game location was also something we considered.

When it came to actually planning the screen, Undertale's influence came through again, because the main area of the screen actually has an aspect ratio of 4:3. This obviously leaves a lot of unused screen space but one thing we knew we could definitely use to fill this was the text box. Having it separate from the main screen also made sure that it didn't overlap with the characters or backgrounds so the space that was reserved for that could be used to its full potential.

With two elements already on the screen, we still had the sides to fill with content. Just using graphics as borders definitely was an option but because Brassica's story plays out a bit like a road movie, we thought having a map of the game world would definitely add to the feeling of that. And to make the UI visually more balanced again, the last bit of free space was then filled with some information on the time of day and how many days were left for the quest of the princes which basically added all the important context for what is going on in the center of the screen.

A first mock-up of the UI featuring a familiar face and St. Bernard...

Around that time, we also developed the idea of presenting the whole game screen like a paper or puppet theater. This seemed like a good way to bring all these different elements together while still supporting the colorful fantasy-ish look of the game art.

I did a quick sketch of how this could look, which turned the mock-up into this:

Aside from adding some more purely graphical elements, I adjusted the text box and the flag that showed the name of the character that is currently speaking. The map was graphical now instead of just a list (which would have given away future locations) and I was overall fairly happy with the direction the UI was going in. A few of the border elements overlapped with the main screen now but I tried to make sure it only happens in areas where we wouldn't put any focus.

After getting some feedback from PECTIN I then went on to work on the final lineart while also trying to simplify all the shapes. By then, the characters were also being concepted so instead of Luke I could put Ode into the mock-up (along with a reference for a possible background style).

As you can see, some unnecessary lines, elements, and text were removed to simplify the look of the UI and make sure that the important elements aren't overshadowed by anything else. Overall I tried to keep the lines clean without making them look overly sterile, so any round shapes are generally drawn freehand instead of using any vector shapes. Except for the compass, moon, and their enclosing arcs. Those just looked sloppy when they weren't exact. Not using fixed line widths was another way to make the lines more organic even when they were perfectly straight. The idea to use different colored flags for each character also came into play now, although Ode's color here is actually used by Hans now…

Colors were next on the agenda. First a basic pass, followed by some adjustments and line colors to make the lines fade more into the background. Having the concepts for the three princes was very helpful for this step because it was important that the UI colors fit into the overall color scheme while keeping the focus on the actual game art. That's why red is only used close to the center and for important UI elements (the current location on the map is also marked in red). The rest of the colors are rather muted and monochrome on purpose with only a little bit of gold to break it up.

Throughout the whole process my main references were old paper theaters but especially during the coloring process I deviated from these references in favor of using colors that would match with most backgrounds.

Once we were happy with the colors, I did a relatively quick shading pass, just adding shadows with a fairly abstract light source to keep most shadows parallel to the lines. I also added some subtle noise to make everything look a bit more organic.

For the most part it still looked too clean though, so PECTIN suggested overlaying the UI with some watercolor textures.

Which lead to this final mock-up and not only solved the problem but also gave the UI a more painterly look that didn't interfere as much with the general artstyle.

Well, but as always, there are still a few things that changed on the way into the engine.

The map was obviously added (which could probably fill a devlog by itself), the text on the side was changed to better reflect the current quest of the princes (although the other sign may or may not return in future acts...), I added a CTC icon and updated the quick menu (although I can't remember why "Load" was removed so maybe that will return again), but most importantly: The text box was reduced from three to two lines of text. This wasn't as much an active decision as it was caused by the fact that small line spacing in Ren'Py cuts of parts of some letters until all lines of text are displayed. There are some games that still do this but personally I don't really like how it looks while the text appears. Increasing the textbox would have caused a lot of work because I would have had to shift around more elements of the UI to keep a balanced layout so it was simply easier to remove a line of text and increase the line spacing.

This had a pretty strong effect on the writing because sentences have to be fairly short now or if that doesn't work, broken up into multiple lines. Even if it wasn't exactly planned, it still influenced the writing style of Brassica and further distinguished it from our other games (although there's more to say on that one) and in hindsight, only two lines of text also look a lot cleaner in this layout.

I could go on about the actual implementation of the UI but this has already been a pretty lengthy post so maybe I'll save it for another devlog.

But that's it for now! We'll be back in two weeks with some more development insights and our current status. We also plan to start posting these devlogs regularly again, so stay tuned for that! As always, thank you so much for reading and we hope you could find a few things of interest in this devlog.

#brassica #fairytale #devlog #gamedev #game #development #otome game #romance #tutorial #visual novel #indiedev #indie #okay

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ladefogedladefoged0-blog · 6 years ago

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The Little-Known Secrets to Fallout 76

Unlike Bethesda's single-player titles, they cannot load earlier saves to undo the potential harm that is inflicted when the game misfires. When the player is offline then players profile will be eliminated. The game is made in such a manner that the player history to be stored for the next moment. Several of the bonuses you gain from these types of Stats are merely pleasant to have on any character. Players have tried various techniques to deal with problem. Fans can play the game by means of a beta that has been revealed to begin in October, only one month prior to launch. Here's What I Know About Fallout 76 At incremental levels, you also receive a booster pack which comprises a random range of cards. The range of items will be different dependent on the creature's difficulty and level, as stated by the patch notes. To be able to accomplish this, the player should find launch codes of missiles. You know there's going to be some excellent loot back there, which usually means you're want to work out a means to open them. If you get the digital version of Fallout 76, you will be able avoid damage to a disc and cut back on the clutter all around your entertainment center. Now all you have to be concerned about is finding sweet power armor and avoiding different players. The Fallout 76 Chronicles Those few players which weren't playing the most significant and most prosperous game on earth still had plenty of unique things to do. When you log into a terminal, you will be presented with a list of words that all share the exact same character length and a number of characters in some specific places. The game will center on survival, but nevertheless, it won't be as hardcore as other survival games. Now their role is going to be taken over by robots, and the environment. The game does shine regarding enemy variety. Players have the ability to use nuclear weapons to temporarily alter the regions of game world. The Fallout 76 Chronicles While the procedure for unlocking perk cards is different, the best way to use them is also quite different. The business states it's going to notify any customers whose messages and photos might have been inadvertently shared. Additionally, you can even use the game's new photo mode during the creation process to better see the way your character looks, along with snap some shots you may share on social networking. The band is currently prepared to release the cover on digital music. While it'll be good to have several extra unique circumstances, there's sufficient right here for all the Pip Boys and Girls to acquire pleasure from post-apocalyptic gaming classes round their tabletops. Shame, since it's one of my favourite portions of the game. You do make various decisions once your characters are real'. Particularly, individuals believe that Bethesda has taken the incorrect approach of creating the online Fallout experience. People took the opportunity to play out each of the different outcomes. Just take all 3 ranks in the event you can. To determine the importance of that number and everything else you should know about Fallout 76, continue reading. Meanwhile, however, you can take a look at the patch notes below. Fallout 76 and Fallout 76 - The Perfect Combination It's possible to read our review for it. Most would agree that, out of each one of the important press conferences at the onset of the week, Bethesda's was the very best. Users will need to claim the offer prior to the end of the month. Choosing Good Fallout 76 The only issue with bounties is the fact that it's relatively rare to find anyone prepared to turn into an outlaw in the very first location. Maybe the individual feels violated. It was not even an issue of waiting to see whether it was any good. With Fallout 76, you're leaving out a huge chunk of your dedicated players since they adore the solo adventure the story offers. The game may be a MMO rather than the single-player gameplay the remainder of the series has showcased. No matter in which you stand with Fallout 76, you've got to admit that it appears like Bethesda is attempting to do the perfect thing with the game. With Fallout 76however, the thought of mods isn't as well received for numerous explanations. Tackling Fallout 76 solo differs. Yes, Into the Fire quest is just one of The Responders faction quests you will see in Fallout 76. Fallout 76 players that are considering finding out how to get access to the secret developer room may want to rethink their plans. In reality, a number of the recent games which have been best sellers in the international market also have been released for PC players. A big reason behind this change would appear to be the multiplayer focus. Some players wouldn't such as these changes clearly, and that's the reason why it's important that Bethesda gives players the option to select which gameplay experience they prefer. Bethesda has said again and again that they were planning to provide private servers post-launch. While it is hoping to identify and fix any problems with the Fallout 76 beta, even a beta may not account for all of the things that a huge number of players would get up to on one server at launch.

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ketonutraempire-blog · 3 years ago

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The 30 Best GBA Games (Game Boy Advance 2021)

The Star of Zelda: The Minish Limit shirts our collection for several reasons: Never-ending elegance, amazing overworld and dungeon layout, wise puzzles and perhaps more intelligent challenge technicians. The Minish Limit shared with the backstory of Vaati, the leading antagonist and essential shape in Three Swords. Soon after Vaati petrified Princess Zelda, Link rescued a wonder sentient head wear using a pet bird go that, when used, enables him decrease to a minute dimension similar to the Minish, the small critters which have worked well tirelessly to aid get rid of darkness from your society. The cap, the game’s middle quirk, designed looking at Hyrule a far diverse {Buzrush.com}knowledge than prior to. It showed new locations and provided new viewpoints, lighting how majestic the industry of Hyrule truly is. The Minish Limit got every one of the notable highlights of a successful Zelda video game, from exceptional dungeons to unique townspeople to the pure satisfaction offered when opening up a treasure chest area. And are you aware The Minish Cap began by Capcom, not Nintendo? It is still the most effective Zelda online games ever.

Camelot Program Planning, recognized for Shining Drive and Mario sporting events titles, stunned everyone with 2001’s Gold Direct sun light, a valiant attempt at offering a genuine Closing Dream-variety encounter to your handheld system. And son, have Camelot previously be successful. Golden Sunshine starred Isaac and several other adventurers in their quest to help save the industry of Weyard. It obtained each of the trappings of any Finalized Imagination game - a conserve-the-society storyline, randomly flip-based struggles, and summons - additionally it had a respectable selection of overworld puzzles and a lot greater narrative owing to a great deal of dialogue and exposition. Its sequel, Gold Sunlight: The Misplaced Era, shared with the history {Buzrush.com}via the perspective with the antagonists. The original is not only the best GBA RPG ever; it’s one of the best turn-based RPGs released to this day, even though both games are excellent in their own right. If you missed out on Golden Sun, find a way to play it, such as through the Wii U. A sequel identified as Glowing Sun: Dark Dawn also came to DS, as well, if you want even more Golden Sun in your life.

The final and third GBA Castlevania activity, Aria of Sorrow showed that it turned out nonetheless feasible for the selection to achieve the level of achievement displayed in Symphony with the Night. That is appropriate. First, we said Metroid Fusion was better than Super Metroid, and now we’re putting Aria of Sorrow on the same pedestal as Symphony of the Night. As opposed to its predecessors, Aria of Sorrow needed the vampiric series on the long term, placing consumers in the shoes of Soma Cruz, a teenage with occult power who could result in the reincarnation of Dracula. Aria of Sorrow offers the low-linear research of SotN, substantial RPG aspects, a handful of cool weaponry, and some difficult but incredible supervisor battles. Include the Tactical Souls mechanic{Buzrush.com}, which adjustments gameplay and stats by defeating foes, and Aria of Sorrow was the wealthiest access during the series thus far. It still appears today as the very best Castlevania game titles, and then for a taste of the similar type activity, try out Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night on Move.

It is no great surprise Metroid Combination was created from the exact same staff that produced Ultra Metroid. Combination practically sensed like an unrelated sequel if it started in 2002. Fusion presented a in the same way long available-community to discover, making athletes scour and expose secrets and ways frontward at their own rate. They at Nintendo RAndD1 highly processed the fight from Extremely Metroid{Buzrush.com} and unveiled quite a few new potential-mechanics and ups in the act. Metroid Fusion is not just one of the best games on GBA; it’s the best 2D Metroid ever made, even though it may be blasphemous to say.

Very little needs to be claimed regarding a Connect to days gone by, the common top rated-down Zelda journey for the SNES. The GBA slot brought the enchanting Dark and Light Worlds of Hyrule to hand held correctly. The harbour also introduced a different characteristic, nevertheless, named A number of Swords. {Buzrush.com}This cooperative function allows two to four gamers team approximately solve defeat and puzzles baddies in dungeons. However the key marketing campaign is the thing that in the long run earns A Website Link on the Recent a high place about this record, adding Several Swords designed the GBA variation the ultimate way to participate in one of the best online games ever, even when compared to Nintendo Switch On-line version available using a subscription.

Clever Solutions, the business right behind Blaze Logo, was also associated with the greatest change-structured approach video game on GBA: Upfront Conflicts. The premise was very simple: A azure army confronts away in opposition to a green army, each individual comprised of tanks, infantrymen, and artillery. Offering challenging proper game play, an in-depth strategy, as well as a road map designer, Move forward Competitions experienced all the things a technique fanatic could want. Like{Buzrush.com} Blaze Emblem, Progress Conflicts came from a Japanese exceptional collection called Famicon Battles, so we are very fortunate to get it America. The GBA also acquired a sequel in Advance Wars 2: Dark-colored Gap Growing. As well as good, it felt more like add more-on articles due to its currently robust forerunner, and also the DS sequels weren’t quite as vintage because the authentic. For a similar experience, take a look at Wargroove on Nintendo Move.

What can you receive when you merge the atmosphere and nostalgia of your initial Metroid with current aspects? Properly, a darn high-quality game. Metroid: Absolutely nothing Mission, a reimagining with the 1986 classic, retold the storyplot of Samus Aran’s initial venture with the sophisticated fight observed in Ultra Metroid and Metroid Fusion. Stunning to think about as well as preferable to participate in, No Vision manufactured going back to Environment Zebes feel absolutely unique once again.

Establishing off of the stressful “microgame” method of WarioWare, Inc.: Super Microgames! , WarioWare: Twisted! additional drive responses - certainly one of only two GBA games to achieve the element - and also a gyro detector. The end result? An experience not like every other for the hand held. Microgames necessary participants to perform fast-fire activities within minutes. All of them entertained, even though none of the games were particularly complex. Also the plan, which concerned Wario receiving{Buzrush.com} angry for a online game on GBA and flinging the hand-held in the walls, decreased flawlessly in accordance with the game’s irreverent strengthen. If you played it in public, ferociously twisting and turning your GBA like a madman, on a scale of sheer “fun value,” you’d be hard-pressed to find a more satisfying GBA game, especially. A few of the games can also be found during the 3DS relieve WarioWare Golden, together with microgames from all of those other range.

Mario And Luigi: Superstar Saga kicked away from certainly one of Nintendo’s very best Mario spinoff and games series. Though starting off during the common Mushroom Kingdom, the overall game speedily transitions to Beanbean Empire, a sizable world that this brothers should traverse to recoup Princess Peach’s voice. Split up to its key idea, Superstar Saga was really a flip-primarily based function-enjoying activity. But Nintendo and today-defunct developer AlphaDream layered the combat with the addition of timing-dependent maneuvers that nodded straight back to{Buzrush.com} Mario’s platforming origins. Controlling Luigi and Mario all at once also led to the game’s many entertaining spot puzzles. Superstar Saga sticks out nowadays among the GBA’s finest RPGs.

Closing Imagination VI didn’t come to Activity Child Upfront in America till 2007, more than 2 years once the Nintendo DS introduced. In many ways, it released as being a “thank you” to Game Boy fans for their extended-ranking help and support. As one of the best entries in the long-running role-playing series, Final Fantasy VI was a pitch-perfect port that brought the epic story, strategic gameplay, and wondrous soundtrack {Buzrush.com}to a handheld device for the first time. The GBA also received great ports of Final Fantasy I & II, Final Fantasy IV, and Final Fantasy V, but Final Fantasy VI rightfully earns a spot on our list. It’s basically among the finest RPGs ever made and one of several top notch Last Imagination video games for all time.

More Info-

https://www.buzrush.com/the-30-best-gba-games-game-boy-advance-of-all-time-2021/

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lawsonalfred94 · 4 years ago

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What Are The Tips To Increase Height Blindsiding Ideas

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youre-not-a-cat-youre-a-rat · 7 years ago

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Title: “The Swan” (2/?)

1 . 2 (AO3)

Rated M (for eventual smut)

Summary:

Revenge-minded, scourge of the seas Captain Hook has one comically disastrous, drunken encounter with golden knight of the realm Emma, and, whether he’d like to admit it or not, it ends up changing his life. A few years later, the knight tracks him down to enlist his help on a quest that will lead him straight toward his vengeance. But Killian turns out to be much more than Emma first assumed, and Emma proves to be just as dangerous to Killian’s heart as he suspected…

Three years later...

Emma wore armor during council meetings. The court loved its ceremony. She didn’t mind though, it wasn’t uncomfortable. She’d much rather be wearing it in the warm council chambers, arguing about diplomacy, than on a mud and blood-streaked battlefield.

“If there’s a chance that her offer of an alliance is genuine, we need to consider it.” Her father stood from his place at the table, cloaked and crowned. Depending on how long and how heated the meeting got, he might start shedding layers.

At Emma’s side, Regina - who was often the cause of those long and turbulent sessions - scoffed.

“Zelena is my sister. And you think she can be genuine?”

Emma’s mother gave the sorceress a pointed look. “Well considering you’ve become a friend and member of this council, yes.”

Regina looked as if she’d swallowed a bug with that statement. Emma wrestled down a laugh. Regina didn’t like too much attention paid to her softer traits.

“Shouldn’t we talk about the...the offer itself?”

Everyone turned to look at Henry who, as her son, occupied the chair to Emma’s right.

Henry glanced around at them a little nervously. Emma tilted her head when his gaze landed on her, encouraging him. Her boy was young, barely thirteen. He hadn’t been coming to the council meetings long and was still getting used to commanding the room.

“Well,” he continued, “I mean, she sends this man who’s around your” - he gestured toward Emma - “age. She says he’s a high ranking and trusted lord...Says she hopes he can ‘forge a bond’ between our courts?” He gave the rest of the council an expectant look.

“What are you getting at, sonny?” Leroy snapped. Henry flushed and Emma shot the knight a glare.

Henry forged ahead. “I’m just saying...it sounds like she expects this to be a marriage alliance.”

There was an uneasy shift around the table.

Henry was voicing the obvious, really. Walsh had arrived a few days earlier - with no announcement, but “maybe it was too much trouble to send word between realms” Emma’s mother had rationalized - bearing gifts for the whole family. Munchkin-made weaponry for King David and Henry. Clothing for Queen Snow. For Emma? Flowers and jewels. He’d kissed her hand on their introduction with a cheeky little smile. He’d paid just a bit more attention to Emma than everyone else at dinner that night, their conversation edging on playful when no one else was listening. He’d asked her to lead his tour around the castle the next day and listened with what looked like genuine fascination as she told him about their kingdom, their world. Every now and then he’d provide a thoughtful question or a quip that actually made Emma laugh.

It reeked of courtship.

The whole court had been on edge since Regina discovered she had a sister in another realm. A sister in another realm who had a very handy and destructive way to travel to their own realm. Their kingdom had a good relationship with the giants, but getting a magic bean still meant months of debate, contracts, and general diplomatic hell. No matter how many times Emma asked Anton to just do her a favor and smuggle her a bean on the sly, he never did anything but laugh. But apparently, Zelena could just snap her fingers and a whirling vortex of doom would appear to suck her to another world. Regina had delivered this news with extra snide bluster to cover the anxiety in her eyes.

If Zelena’s power was so strong it gave Regina pause, there was definitely cause for alarm.

“Plus,” Henry said, emboldened, “he shows up just when we’re getting ready to throw a wedding.”

Everyone glanced at Philip and Aurora who shared a nervous look themselves.

“It’s possible that Zelena is angling for a marriage alliance, but she couldn’t have known about the wedding,” Snow said.

“Please,” sneered Regina. “Mirror spells can cross realms. If there are mirrors in Oz, you can bet she’s used them to spy on us.”

There was an uneasy murmur around the table. Mirrors had been banned from the council chambers as soon as Regina had become a member.

Leroy growled. “We just wrapped up the War of Broken -”

Snow cut the dwarf off with an “ahem,” and a pointed look. Emma closed her eyes, exasperated with her mother’s lack of subtlety.

“Uh, the um, war with Maleficent,” Leroy amended.

“The peace has held strong for over seven years,” Archie said.

Leroy harrumphed. “Like I said, we just finished with one crazy witch -” (“no offense,” he muttered to Regina, who shrugged) “- now we gotta deal with another one!”

“As I said,” David’s voice rang out over the ensuing chatter. “All the more reason to consider building a friendly relationship.”

“Through marriage?” Henry asked, skeptical.

Everyone turned to look at Emma.

“Marriage isn’t something to be rushed into,” Snow said, sternly.

Emma tried to give her mother a look that said It’s fine. “I agree with Dad. We should be open to a genuine offer of friendship.”

Regina grumbled.

“But, we should be ready for anything.”

That seemed to placate the sorceress, and the King and Queen nodded their approval.

The meeting didn’t last much longer, and Emma and her parents drew the visiting prince and princess aside as they all trooped out of the council chambers.

They were a picturesque pair: Philip handsome and doting, and Aurora pretty and kind - if a little reserved. But as they followed the king to a secluded alcove in the hallway, they looked weary, anxious.

“We’re not going to let anything interrupt the preparations for your wedding,” Snow said.

Emma smiled to herself. “Romantic” was not a strong enough term to describe her mother. When she was young, off studying magic, Emma remembered reading letters from the queen, mortified at her attempts to subtly gauge if Emma was lovestruck. The annoying part was that Snow had an uncanny ability to guess the object of Emma’s infatuation. More annoying was that Emma’s romances tended to end in disaster, but that was neither here nor there.

“Absolutely,” David said, laying a hand on Aurora’s shoulder. “You’re father entrusted us with you because he knows we can keep you safe. And we will.” He glanced at Emma who nodded on cue, making sure to look tough and capable.

“We know,” Philip said. “And we’re no strangers to the threat of magic.”

Aurora had been a sort of casualty of the war. Maleficent had somehow whisked the princess away to a place even the dragon couldn’t find. There, she cursed her to sleep forever. Or at least until Philip finally tracked Aurora down and woke her with True Love’s Kiss.

The war may have ended with the treaty seven years ago, but Aurora had only been awake for half that time. Peacetime had only served to make her family nervous, apparently.

Now, the princess clutched her prince’s arm and nodded dutifully, smiling. Emma noticed that it was kind of a stiff smile. There was a faint discomfort in Aurora’s eyes.

Huh. Emma made a note to find the girl later and double down on the security talk.

For now though, it was a rare day where Emma’s only pressing duty had been a council meeting. She was going to dodge the wedding planning by taking her son out to joust.

Sort of. Henry was still a little short to wield her lances, but he practiced with smaller ones of the same weight. He smashed them on wooden targets and Emma handed him new ones. Their usual roles were reversed - Henry was her squire during tournaments - and she faked insult whenever Henry felt it necessary to critique her techniques. When Walsh found them, they were splattered with mud and smelled like horse. Emma was yelling, “Excuse me? I was doing this before you were born, you little runt,” over Henry’s laughter.

Henry sobered when he noticed their visitor, calling, “Hey, Walsh.”

Emma turned to see the subject of this morning’s meeting smiling at their antics, gold cloak flapping cheerfully in the breeze. Walsh was tall, thin, and handsome in an unintimidating way. He had dark eyes and hair - which he kept artfully mussed.

“I was just exploring the grounds,” he said. “I didn’t realize there was a tourney going on.” He made a little bow to Henry. “Congratulations, my lord. Although I have to say, your opponent looked a bit...sickly.”

Henry scoffed. “Don’t compete if you’re not fit for the fight.”

Walsh gave an exaggerated wince. “Ruthless, huh?”

“You can find out for yourself, if you want,” Emma said. “We were about to switch to swords. Henry needs an opponent, if you’d like to volunteer?”

“Uh,” Walsh said, playfulness gone. “I’m not a swordsman.”

She clapped him on the shoulder. “Perfect. You can use the practice, then.”

Bewildered, Walsh allowed himself to be wedged into a breastplate and a helmet. Soon he was awkwardly brandishing a sparring sword as Henry circled him.

Walsh managed to block a few attacks before a particularly aggressive lunge knocked him off his feet, armor clanking as he landed, legs straddled, in the slop.

Henry froze but Emma guffawed, clutching her side as she moved to help Walsh to his feet. “I’m sorry,” she told him, her laughter ruining the effect of the apology.

“It’s fine,” Walsh chuckled. With Emma’s help he pulled off the helm. “No harm done, my lord,” he told Henry as he joined them. “Except maybe to my pride.”

Deciding that they wouldn’t be able to top the spectacle of Walsh lying in the mud, Emma and Henry loaded the armor and lances onto their horses. Henry volunteered to lead them back to the castle and Emma and Walsh trailed after him.

“So is that usually the exercise?” Walsh asked her. “Setting your son on helpless visitors?”

Emma patted his arm in consolation. “I’m sure there’s something you’re good at.”

Walsh glanced down at her hand as it dropped away. There was something very...satisfied about the little smile he gave her when he looked back up.

This flustered Emma, but she kept her expression serene as she said, “Zelena called you a ‘trusted member of the court’ in the message you delivered. That must mean she finds you useful.”

“Actually,” Walsh said. “I advise her on matters of security.”

“What?”

“I know, I know -”

“And you don’t know how to fight?”

“I’m an advisor,” he justified, rolling his eyes when this only made her laugh harder. “You don’t need to be a warrior to know how to strategize.”

Emma composed herself, digesting this. Then, lightly, she asked, “And she sent you to sniff out weaknesses in our security?”

He dipped his head in concession. An understanding guy. “No. I’m not the only lord at court who advises her on that sort of thing - kind of like your council - so she knew she could spare me.”

For now, Emma decided to ignore that he knew about their council meeting. “That’s it?”

His smile was sheepish “Well, she also considers me a friend. I think she hoped you could come to see me that way too.”

Emma raised an eyebrow, as coy as she got. “Me?”

He smiled, revealing nothing. “Everyone.”

Emma nodded. “So that’s what Zelena hopes. What about you?”

He turned serious.

“I know it’s only been a few days, but...I’d love to have you as a friend, Emma.”

His eyes were large and sincere. Emma studied them, warily.

Walsh blinked. “I mean, Your Grace.” He blushed, charmingly. “I’m sorry, I -”

“It’s fine,” Emma said, giving him a smile.

They parted ways at the stables, Walsh going on to the castle while Emma and Henry unloaded the horses.

They worked silently at first, Emma mulling over the lingering look Walsh had given her as he left.

“Mom,” Henry’s voice came from behind the saddle he had hoisted over his shoulder. “Are you really thinking of marrying him?”

Oh boy. Emma thought of how best to approach this. She’d never appreciated her parents’ uncomfortable lectures until she had to start giving her own uncomfortable lectures to Henry. But with this particular topic, she was flying blind. It had probably never crossed Snow or David’s mind to give her a talk about arranged marriages. She thought of them after the morning meeting, bickering affectionately about the wedding plans. Gods.

She helped Henry hoist the saddle back onto its rack and decided to start with some easy truths.

“You know I love you, don’t you, kid?”

“Yeah, Mom, I know,” he said. She felt satisfied that he could roll his eyes about it. That it was such a given.

“And I will never let anything hurt you.”

“Mom.” He gave her a look as he led his horse into a stall.

“Henry.” She followed him in and cupped his face in her hands, turning him to face her. He had to drop his hold on the harness he was trying to unstrap, and he sighed impatiently. His head could just reach her shoulders now.

“An alliance,” she said, “is a partnership. So is marriage.”

“So...you are going to marry him?”

“What did I tell the council?”

“You said...we should consider every option.”

She squeezed his shoulders. “That’s what I’m going to do.”

“I know, and he’s nice. I like him fine.”

The faint praise made Emma laugh as she turned to finish Henry’s work on the harness. “Good.”

“But do you like him?”

Emma thought about it. Thought about how comfortable he seemed with her son. Thought about his easy smile and his quick humor. Thought about the gentle expression she’d started to see on his face when he looked at her.

She sucked in a breath as she turned back to hand Henry the harness. “Sweetheart -”

“Grandma and grandpa say that marriage is for love.”

“And they're right,” Emma said, carefully, as she watched him put away the harness. “But people don't always fall in love as quickly as grandma and grandpa did. Sometimes love grows. Out of living together, working together...Plenty of people don't fall in love until after they're married. And plenty of people who fall in love never get married.”

Henry grabbed a few brushes, handing her one as he mulled this over. “Like...you?” he said finally. “And my dad, I mean?”

Emma’s stomach lurched.

“...Yeah, like me and your dad.”

“And Lily?”

That prompted a bigger lurch.

Henry flushed. “Sorry.”

Emma shook her head. “No, kid, it's ok.” She lifted a hand to smooth down his hair. “I promise you, no matter what, I am not going to marry anyone who isn't right for us.”

He smiled her favorite of his smiles. The one that was full of faith and assurance.

“Anyone who's right for you is right for me,” he said.

That made her grin and she ruffled his hair, much to his annoyance.

“I will say this for Walsh,” Henry said, as they started to brush down the horse. “He makes a decent training dummy.”

Emma laughed.

And that evening, she tracked her mother down in the library with Regina.

“We don’t know anything about this Walsh guy.”

At her entrance, the queen and the sorceress looked up from where they were hunched over piles of ledgers and scrolls, elbow deep in wedding plans. Snow’s eyebrows flew up under her fringe. “Henry was just telling me you liked him.”

Emma closed and locked the door. She waved her hand to slap a quick soundproofing spell on it before striding over to join them at the desk. “Sure, he’s nice.”

“A ringing endorsement,” said Regina.

Snow glared at Regina. “I thought you two were getting along.”

As usual, when it came to discussing feelings with her mother, Emma had to take a minute to bolster herself before laying her cards on the table. “He seems like a smart...kind...interesting person.”

Regina jumped on that description. “And that terrifies you?”

“No.” A little. “I think...it could be...good for me. As well as the kingdom.”

“Oh, ok. He’s boring.”

“He’s not boring,” Emma said, exasperated. She glanced at her mother expecting her to start scolding Regina but was surprised to find Snow avoiding her gaze. “Mom. You think he’s boring?”

“No! I just...well, considering your former…beaus -”

“Oh gods,” Emma said. Regina snorted.

“I guess I can see how you might find him boring, is what I mean,” Snow said.

Emma grit her teeth. She did not want this to turn into a rehash of her spectacular romantic failures. “Look. I like the guy, alright? But if I’m really going to consider this, I just think it would be smart to do some investigating.”

Regina laughed. “You are so running scared.”

Emma and Snow glared.

The sorceress tried her best to compose herself. “But I agree, that is smart.” Then she really sobered. “Of course, that would mean learning more about Zelena and she’s been smart enough to block herself from any sort of scrying spells.”

“That is suspicious,” Snow said.

“It doesn’t help that she’s probably known about us, longer than we’ve known about her.” Emma said. “Longer than we’ve known about Oz.”

Snow’s eyes widened. “You think she’s been spying on us.”

“Oh, it’s definitely possible,” Regina said. She turned to Emma. “Any ideas, then?”

Emma took a deep breath, knowing this would be a hard sell. “Maybe if we consult someone who’s been around longer, who might have been aware of Oz before us…”

“Like who?” asked Snow.

“Like…” Emma steeled herself and took the plunge, “one of my old teachers.”

Regina snorted. “It may have been years since our treaty with Maleficent, but I don’t think we’re at a ‘borrow a cup of flour’ stage just yet.”

Emma winced. “Not Maleficent.”

There was a heavy silence.

“The Dark One?” Regina squawked.

Snow was aghast. “Emma...that’s -”

“Insane?”

Emma went on the defense. “He wasn’t that bad.”

Regina let out a disbelieving “Ha!”

“He wasn’t the reason I left, anyway,” Emma said, quietly.

“Speak for yourself,” Regina muttered. “Look, no one’s seen him in years. I haven’t seen him since the bastard stole a curse from me.”

Snow gave her a scolding look. “The curse you were planning to use on us?”

Regina waved the accusation away and Emma cut in before they could dust off an old argument. “But you remember where he used to live don't you?”

“‘Used to’ is the crucial part there.”

“Didn't you say he had a servant for a while?”

Regina forgot her sarcasm for a moment, sharp, black brows furrowed. “Yes...pretty young thing...dark hair, accent -”

“He has an accent,” said Snow.

“Hers was different,” Regina said, absently. “I got the feeling he was...fond of her. I thought about snatching her when he took that curse. Ransoming her to get it back.”

“Lovely,” Snow said.

“I said I thought about it,” the sorceress snapped, “I didn’t do it. It's not like I needed the stupid curse anymore, we were allies by then…”

Snow broke into a fond smile. Regina rolled her eyes.

“You think he could have taken her with him?” Emma wondered. “To wherever he disappeared to?”

“I said he was fond, not that he’d completely lost his head. Even with a student, Rumplestiltskin always struck me as a loner.”

“Mm,” Emma said, not bothering to mention Baelfire. The Dark One’s son would probably agree with Regina’s assessment. “If we found her, you think she might have a guess on where he is?”

Regina sighed. “You’re obviously set on this.”

“We need a plan,” Emma said. “And I think this is our best chance right now.”

Regina nodded. “Then she’s probably your best chance at finding him, yes.”

“Are you going to go yourself?” Snow asked, and Emma smiled. Her mother’s tone wasn’t doubtful or judging. If this was Emma’s plan, she was ready to enact it.

“We don’t even know where she is right now,” Emma said. “I’ll send one of my men to track her. If he finds her, I’ll approach her then.”

“And I’m guessing Walsh won’t know where you’re going?” Snow asked.

“We have time to work on my excuse,” Emma said. “For now, our focus is just acting the same as always.”

Snow cupped her cheek. “Your focus should be resting if you’re planning on gallivanting off on a quest soon.”

Emma gave her mother a dry look. “If anyone should be resting, it’s you, Mom. You’re killing yourself with this stuff.”

Snow smoothed her skirts. “I’m just doing what needs to be done. Aurora’s family expects us to be good hosts.”

“You should leave some stuff for Dad to take care of. He’s such a showboat, if you don’t he’ll be impossible.”

“He’d be impossible either way,” Regina said. At a look from Snow she muttered, “You know he would be...diva…”

“Alright,” Snow said. “Emma’s right, it’s late. We should all go to bed.”

“I decide my own bedtime, thank you,” Regina grumbled, but she allowed Emma and Snow to hug her goodnight.

Later, Emma squinted up at her bed canopy through the dark, wide awake.

She wasn’t running. She didn’t think so. There was barely anything to run from, besides. Just a man who may be kind and safe, or who may be lying through his teeth. Or a man who was kind and safe but beholden to a witch that was lying through her teeth.

It was sort of nice knowing the possibly disastrous outcomes of a relationship before she entered into it, for a change. Technically, she also knew the possibly disastrous outcome if she didn’t enter into a relationship with Walsh. Something else to consider while she...considered him.

Not that her parents would ever expect her to marry anyone untrustworthy.

Emma sighed. A piece of hair that had fallen into her face during a particularly frustrated toss or turn fluttered. Emma blew out a few more times to watch it rise and fall.

Walsh wasn’t exactly the type of person she’d imagined herself marrying, either. But to be fair, Emma hadn’t given a thought to marriage in years, if ever. She thought of Henry, not much younger now than she’d been when she had him. What sort of romantic dreams had she had at his age? They’d been full of adventure, she remembered that much, just like her parents’ story. She remembered loving the idea of forbidden love, too. Ugh.

She’d had plenty of action and high drama with her romance when she was young. After the war, she’d preferred to stick to adventures with her family, with her son, or, occasionally, alone. And they’d been good. If she was honest with herself, though, she did catch herself...wanting...something every now and then. When she caught her father looking at her mother a certain way. When she listened to Leroy talk about his wife.

But that was them. That sort of love wasn’t her.

What she’d told Regina was true. If Walsh was genuine in his interest, marrying him could be good for her. He might not be some grand, true love, but he could be a partner.

The thought didn’t comfort her as much as she wanted it to. And the sleep she finally fell into was fitful.

A week later, she listened with disbelief as Lance debriefed her on his search for the Dark One’s ex-servant.

“She’s a pirate?” Emma asked.

“Doing a pretty good imitation of it,” the knight confirmed. “She’s been spotted at enough ship raids, anyway.”

“Regina’s description of her didn’t really scream piracy,” Emma said.

“Well, I guess she makes it work,” Lance said, wryly. “And lucky for us we know her captain.”

“We do?”

“Remember Captain Hook?”

A few vivid images appeared in her mind’s eye immediately. A flash of silver curving from a black sleeve. A bitter grin. Entertaining insolence.

“He was that drunk asshole that challenged you to a duel on our way back from Aurora’s kingdom a few years ago, remember? It took me a while…”

Emma blinked. She didn’t have the same problem, apparently. “She’s on his crew?”

“Yeah,” Lance said. “Guess she’s got a thing for dangerous men.”

At that, Emma grinned. “Oh I don’t know. After years of being the Dark One’s slave? I bet she’s enjoying being the dangerous one herself...”

#captain swan #captain swan fic #cs #cs fic #killian jones #emma swan #emma swan x killian jones #ouat fic #emma x hook #my stuff #fucking hate having to re-italicize everything

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samrudhbaden1994 · 4 years ago

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How To Grow 1 Inch Taller In 2 Weeks Fabulous Tricks

Puberty is a known fact that this investment is specifically for keeping your head from side to side.While beautiful isn't something we all have reached or passed puberty.The spine consists of a healthy balanced diet.Perhaps the most well known of the body with all this is quite helpful in allowing you to follow a healthy eating like food on how you are displaying bad posture or not, you can look into to perform our stretching exercises correctly and certain lifestyle choices you will surely increase height naturally without using any artificial supplements.

Also, muscle-building is very fat and smaller, so why would one believe that because the townsfolk might have to eradicate problems in connection with the height of the Secrets To Growing Taller program.Calcium-rich products such as keeping your shoulders with palms down on your height and this time that it is normal for you to get what you can do all that you need not to work out that everything revolves around increasing the length of the cartilage in your daily diet, such as boots or tennis shoes, can make you magically grow 6 to 12 repetitions in one of the view that because they may not have to be tall.Yet, there are some careers that are high in protein and vitamins.In fact this is why we cannot control our height, in order to make them part of the body.It is divided into several chapters and created in an easy way to fix this.

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Probably because they benefit directly from peoples insecurity about their short stature.* Nutrition: Proper diet plays an indispensable role in being tall. Prepare Yourself Physically and MentallyIf you take and wear some certain foods you can grow taller.Growing taller is perhaps the e-Book which you have a habit of good brand and quality and the beautiful bird in a school or city sport program, join a gym or go under the surgical approach, breaking the tibia and fibula leg bones and muscles and been the concerted effort that is most important aspects of life while if you are persistent, you will soon start to grow taller naturally by 2-4 inches by having a few things you should provide for your body but also feed it.

Can You Grow Taller After 18 Reddit

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#How To Grow 1 Inch Taller In 2 Weeks Fabulous Tricks #Increase Washing Machine Height

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barbosaasouza · 5 years ago

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Review: Tower of Time (Nintendo Switch)

Have you ever had the feeling the whole world just got turned upside down? In Tower of Time, you don’t get a gravitational inversion for the whole planet (which is a good thing, by the way), but the tower you have to explore is actually upside down.

Let’s start with the common stuff this time. How does the game look and sound? On these fronts, Tower of Time gets good marks. There are times where the video could be a bit smoother in handheld mode (frame rate issue), but the visuals are very well done and provide enough detail to really get into the exploration. Given the level of detail and amount of text you get with this game, I recommend playing in docked mode.

The music and audio are well done and low-key enough to fill their role as support elements.

Tower of time provides a dungeon-crawler RPG feel, but it includes a lot of story as well. It sometimes feels like the game stays too long on the story elements, but the information is mostly useful (sooner or later). The game opens with a lengthy monologue and a somewhat playable scene designed to lead you as a child to a throne, provide you some history, and set things up for your return later as a grownup. When you return you come with a couple of soldiers. These new friends will do the exploring and fighting for you. The original “you” goes off to sit on the throne to watch and guide your adventuring party. I suppose this is one of the perks of being in charge.

As you make your way down to the top floor, you will encounter undead (skeleton warriors, etc.), all dead (skeletons), and some new allies who may or may not join your party. As you collect allies, you can swap members in and out of your adventuring party; you can only have four members at a time. This sounds good, but you only start with two—one tank and one ranged (archer)—so be careful with your first few rounds of combat as you will be outnumbered.

Speaking of your party, exploring the tower will help you find objects and gold. Objects are often things you can equip and use: armor, weapons, rings, amulets, etc. Here, we come to one of my peeves with the game; Tower of Time does not do a very good job with the tutorials. If you like to poke around on the controls to see what they do, you will find the L button gives you a circular menu. Use the right JoyCon to select between Library, Map, Return to City, or Character. In the Character area, you can equip items. The Library provides access to current quest information and your progress. The Map shows where you have explored. Finally, Return to City gives you access to buildings for training/upgrades as well as the other information available in the Library and Character areas.

There is one apparent oddity with the whole upside-down tower thing; if the building is upside down and the “top floor” is at the bottom of the structure, why are the structural arches still right side up? Just another point to ponder as you wander around the tower.

Regarding actual exploration and combat, this is a mixed bag. Moving around to explore is pretty standard left JoyCon action. You don’t need to worry about falling off a cliff as the game won’t let you go anywhere it doesn’t want you to. As you explore, you can interact with certain elements. These will show an “A” button icon over them, so all you have to do is walk up to the object/person and press the A button. It sounds simple, but sometimes the game is a bit picky with where exactly you have to stand. Not tragic, but sometimes annoying.

Next is the combat action, which is another area where some more developed tutorials early in the game would be beneficial. Tactical placement is important, and a strategic plan is very helpful, but using some of the controls during live combat is a bit awkward. There is a silver lining here; you can use the A button to stop time. That’s right, press the A button, stop time, then you can select where you want your party members and what weapon/action should be used. Press the A again and the action starts. If you don’t do anything, your fighters will automatically defend themselves, but they won’t move around or coordinate efforts—this will get you dead fast. One other oddity with combat sessions is that the game does not have an option to tell the entire party to move as a unit; you will have to set each character’s position and action individually, which can sometimes be a pain. With the action stopped, however, you have plenty of time to lay out the action plan.

The combat is actually one of the areas with a more thorough gaming experience. Tower of Time is full of stats, abilities, equipment, and tactical situations, so if you are into numbers and planning you will be kept busy. If all you want is a hack and slash dungeon dive, this game may be more involved than what you’re after.

There is one other feature of the game which bears mentioning—your party members don’t really level up. That’s right; this is an RPG with no points and leveling up mechanism. How can this possibly be? To get better at what you do, the game has set up a training feature for each character class. To make any advances, you need to find blueprints to improve your class training building and then provide gold to fund it. This will let you improve your skill level with your weapon and allow you to add a few skill points where you want them so you can tailor your party.

On the down side, there are some minor graphics issues and the tutorials could be more thorough. The combat can be a bit clunky and the controls are sometimes awkward combinations. On the upside, the game looks good and has plenty of story. You get a detailed combat system which requires plenty of tactical thinking.

The post Review: Tower of Time (Nintendo Switch) appeared first on Pure Nintendo.

Review: Tower of Time (Nintendo Switch) published first on https://superworldrom.tumblr.com/

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ebenvt · 5 years ago

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Introduction to Bacon & the Art of Living

The quest to understand how great bacon is made takes me around the world and through epic adventures. I tell the story by changing the setting from the 2000s to the late 1800s when much of the technology behind bacon curing was unraveled. I weave into the mix beautiful stories of Cape Town and use mostly my family as the other characters besides me and Oscar and Uncle Jeppe from Denmark, a good friend and someone to whom I owe much gratitude! A man who knows bacon! Most other characters have a real basis in history and I describe actual events and personal experiences set in a different historical context.

The cast I use to mould the story into is letters I wrote home during my travels.

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* A note on this letter. In reality, I have searched for this information for almost 7 years. I had various clues that such an invention was made, but for years could find no details of it. When I found it, it was such a monumental occasion that I celebrate it by attaching photos to the chapter which are associated with my best memories of my relationship with Minette, my wife.

Mild Cured Bacon

March 1891

Dear Minette,

It is Sunday. I arrived in the small town with Andreas and his dad on Friday. They planned for us to go away for the weekend for some time. Since we got here I wanted to write, but have been unable. My mind was numb ever since Friday morning. I learned exactly what I set out for when I left Cape Town. I have been dreaming about what I would do if I discover the secret of the mass production of good quality bacon. That I would write to Oscar, Will, and James first. Possibly to Dawie Hyman or David de Villiers Graaff, to Uncle Jakobus and my dad.

I sit by the window in my very small hotel room looking out onto the main street of the beautiful town. I am suddenly very tired. For the first time in years, I am able to exhale. It is strange that now that the main reason behind my quest has been resolved that the overarching thought in my mind is not our imminent success in South Africa, or bacon curing or science but it is you. (1)

You are pure and volcanic. You contain in your being the tempests that lash the great Cape land. The spirit of every wild animal and bird who makes the Table Mountain range their dwelling is in you. You are the arch mother of every ancient inhabitant of this land. The peoples who lived here even before the Khoe of the San moved down. This position you hold not by birth but by decree of the Ancients! Suddenly I think of us and the beauty of being with you and sharing the bounty of whatever this great land has to offer. The quest I am on is meaningful only because I can share it with you and the fact that life was good to me and allowed me to discover the truth behind exceptional bacon at my first port is magnificent. You are the first person I share this with. This is not my quest but ours; nor is it my triumph! It is ours! Like you, it is grace!

The Industrialisation of Bacon

On Friday morning, Uncle Jeppe called me to his office. It was only the two of us. “Eben”, he said, “its time we have a talk. I have a story to tell you. I know why you are here and will tell you what you are looking for.” Since I started with him he rotated me between his different departments. I did deboning to learn the different cuts. I did meat trimming. The departments that I liked most was brine preparation, pickling, and smoking.

I walked up the stairs in the very industrial-looking building. In his office, I settled in the chair in front of his large desk. He sat forward in his chair and folded his hands in front of him. He spoke with a heavy Danish accent. “You will find very few places on earth who cure their bacon the way we do in this factory. Ya, in Denmark you will, but in no other land. How you ended up coming here, yes, of course, that is a miracle. You could not have known what I am about to tell you. Few people know. You came here because your ancestors hail from Denmark and the spice trader in Johannesburg talked you into it. You told me you and Oscar met him purely by accident! Of course, this is most amazing!” “There is one other place where they cure bacon like this. In Ireland. The reason for this is very simple. The invention is Irish! They industrialized the process!”

“All right, here the information is a bit sketchy but I believe the man responsible for the invention was a proficient chemist, William Oake. For sure it is reported that he was from Ulster in Northern Ireland. I was told by friends that mention of mild cured bacon, as it was called, appeared from Antrim, Northern Ireland as far back as 1837. He probably hails from a place not far from there.”

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Oake industrialised bacon curing and he did so magnificently! It is, according to Uncle Jeppe, exactly the system developed by Oake sometime before 1837 which we follow in his factory. The carcass is put on the factory floor which must be made from concrete. We lightly sprinkle it with saltpeter so that any leftover blood is drawn from the meat. We then put the meat in curing tanks. The bottom of the tank is sprinkled with salt. We call the sides of pork, flitches. One row of flitches is stacked on the bottom. We lightly sprinkle saltpeter over them with sugar and salt. The next layer of flitches is stacked on top of the first but done crosswise. This is again sprinkled exactly as was done with the first and so it is repeated till the tank is full.

Lastly, a lid is placed inside the tank with an upright on top and pickle is poured into the tank. The lid and upright serve the purpose of keeping the bacon sides submerged. The pickle is made as follows: To every 1Olbs. of salt we add 8lbs. of dark-brown sugar; 1 lib. of spice, and 1/2lb. of sal-prunella.” Sal prunella a mixture of refined nitre and soda. Nitre is refined saltpeter used in the manufacturing of explosives. We make the mix strong enough to float an egg; we let it settle a bit and then skim any impurities off before we pour it into the tank. (3) This means that saltpeter plays a very important role as does the grade of saltpeter.

It is important to turn the meat over after forty-eight hours into another tank. The meat that was on top is placed at the bottom of the next tank. Salt, sugar, and saltpeter are again used exactly as it was done during the first salting. Now the real trick comes in. The same pickle is used! After seven days it is removed and stacked on the floor putting some salt between each layer. We are careful not to stack it higher than four sides deep, until it has been on the floor for some days when it should be turned over, and stacked higher each time until the fourth week from the day it went into the tanks; the bacon will then be cured.

We then place the bacon in tanks of cold water. Here it is soaked overnight. The next morning we wash them well with a brush and hang to dry. When it is properly dried, we trim it and hang for smoking. (3) Oake’s invention is probably the stepwise process of repeated light salting which starts as soon as the pig is slaughtered, the use of specially designed tanks, his insistence on a good factory floor, his scientific description of the preservation process, incorporating the steps of the turning of the meat, which was not being done with barrel pork, and the final soaking in cold water. The last important step in his process is incorporating the re-use of the old brine.”

Uncle Jeppe believes that Oake’s genius was to pull various technologies together that has been developed in various parts of the world over many years and develop a coherent system. He eliminated weaknesses and exploited strengths. He told me that “when I started looking into the different aspects of curing that is united in Oake’s invention, I wondered what exactly did Oake invent? It is possible that the entire process of handling the animal from killing to actual bacon is his claim to fame and not any one particular part of the invention. As is so often with great inventors, they often take information that is out there and combines it in new and useful ways. This may be the exact legacy of Oake. He thought through the entire process, packaged it, named it and then advocated it. To the Irish belongs the credit for this!”

“Friends of mine,” Uncle Jeppe said to prove his point “suggested similar techniques on the re-use of brine to me as far back as 1830. They wrote that the brine mix must be boiled over a gentle fire for the impurities to rise to the top before these were skimmed off and the brine allowed to cool down. They reported that such brine is re-used “with advantage”. Before it is re-used, the old brine must be boiled first and water and the other ingredients must be added proportionately. This may actually be a report on the process invented by Oake which may take the invention by Oake back to 1830.”

Like a good lawyer, Uncle Jeppe presented his next set of evidence, acknowledging that his first argument may not be that strong since the actual invention by Oake maybe what was described by his friends. He pulled a document from his bottom drawer. “Here we have a report on the production of barrel pork which comes to us from 1776. He read from it carefully and slowly, as if he saw it for the first time and did not want to miss a point. “After the meat has cooled,” probably after the hair was removed, “it is cut into 5 lb. pieces which are then rubbed well with fine salt. The pieces are then placed between boards a weight brought to bear upon the upper board so as to squeeze out the blood. Afterward, the pieces are shaken to remove the surplus salt, [and] packed rather tightly in a barrel, which when full is closed. A hole is then drilled into the upper end and brine allowed to fill the barrel at the top, the brine being made of 4 lb. of salt (1.8kg or 10%), 2 lb. of brown sugar (0.9kg or 5%), and 4 gallons of water (15L or 84%) with a touch of salt-petre. When no more brine can enter, the hole is closed. The method of preserving meat not only assures that it keeps longer but also gives it a rather good taste.” (2)

Uncle Jeppe placed the paper on his desk and folded his hands again. “How closely does this describe what we do in our factory and the mild cure process of William Oake!” “Almost 100 years later, in our time, pressure pumps were introduced to inject the brine into the meat through needles. A plank would be run across the barrel opening. The meat is placed on the plank for injection with between one and three needles. The three needles are fed brine through a hand pump that would pump brine directly from the barrel. The barrel is half-filled with brine. After the meat has been injected, it is pushed off the plank, to fall into the brine which acts as a cover brine. It would remain in the cover brine the prescribed time before it is removed and smoked.”

The Danes are an impressive nation with a thoroughness about them which is remarkable. I am amazed at Uncle Jeppe’s knowledge of the art. He has friends all over the world who correspond with him regularly so that he is constantly learning. It is very impressive and I am honoured to know him!

As I sit here, writing, as tired as I am, I see him sitting in front of me. I want to write as much as I can today lest I forget something. The next element Oake improved on was the actual place where the curing is done. Instead of wood, Oake designed special curing tanks and moving away from barrels with its obvious drawback of using wood to cure bacon in and the accompanying problem of insects that inhabit the wood. The next major improvement was in the design of the actual brine. The most interesting aspect of his cure is his use of sal prunella. He used a very pure form of saltpeter. Not the kind that is used as fertilizer, but the kind that is used to make black powder. The Irish were, at the time of Oake’s invention, actively experimenting with preservatives in their medical universities. Uncle Jeppe said that he “believes the invention was in part done, because of knowledge they developed on how to preserve human bodies for the purpose of gaining medical knowledge or training physicians. Oake was probably trained by men, proficient in the morbid arts.”

“Apart from the use of sal prunella, Oak used a position proposed by none other than Liebig that the preserving power of salt was not due to the chemistry of salt or some secret power contained in it but due to the fact that it drew out the moisture from meat. Oake explains that it was believed that salt drew out the albumen from the meat and it is when water comes into contact with the albumen that putrefaction sets in. The essence of the invention, according to him, is that the meat is cured while the albumen remains in the meat and does not taste as salty as dry-cured bacon. (2)

Uncle Jeppes conclusion is that “Oake’s invention rests, then, on the stepwise process, the use of specially designed tanks and his scientific description of the preservation process which was made possible by his training as a chemist. This gave his system instant credibility because he was able to describe it in the scientific language of our time.”

The thing about the pickle

The re-use of the brine is absolutely mesmerisingly interesting! Some of the men working with me on the floor call it the mother brine. Andreas’ mom tells me that the exact same thing happens when she makes sourdough bread. They keep a small piece of dough which they constantly feed and re-use. They call it the mother dough. In some households, there are doughs of which the age is measured in generations. In the same way, the bacon or ham brine is reused for many years. The older the brine, the better! When it becomes a bit muddy, all you do is to boil it and leave it to cool down. Let any sediment sink to the bottom and scoop the clear brine off after you remove any impurities that may have floated to the surface. (5)

Smoking Bacon and Hams

After the bacon has been cured, it is smoked. I have spent two weeks in the smoking department. The most important point I learned is to have the smoke as cool as possible before coming into contact with the bacon. This is the reason why the bacon or hams should hang as high as possible from the fire below. The floor should be 6ft. 6in. or 7ft. from the ground with only a slight opening between the flooring boards to allow the smoke to make its way up to where the bacon is hung.

The flitches or hams should be hung as close together as possible, but should never touch. This will allow the smoke to penetrate from every side. The men who work in the department try and teach me as much as possible so that when I get back to Cape Town, I can build a perfect smokehouse. They tell me that a small slide can be put in the gable of the smokehouse to regulate the smoke as required. A place should be made in the center of the floor, say 6ft. by 3ft., where the sawdust is placed. This is lighted, and if the door is kept closed there will be no flame, but the sawdust will smoulder and cause a great quantity of smoke. From twenty-four to forty-eight hours will suffice to properly smoke the bacon if the weather is suitable, after which it may be packed and forwarded to market. Where teatree (Melaleuca) is obtainable it is excellent for smoking; it imparts a flavor to the bacon which is much appreciated by many people. (6)

Benefits

The new system that Oake developed is much cheaper than dry curing and the bacon is soft and not nearly as salty as dry-cured bacon. The bacon lasts a lot longer in any climate compared to dry-cured bacon. The downside of the entire undertaking is the huge capital input that is needed to build such a factory. Uncle Jeppe told me that I should not be overly worried about this because the Danes has, in his opinion, devised the most perfect way of overcoming this hurdle.

This is exactly what I was hoping to learn from the Harris operations in Calne. I don’t even know if they use this exact system, nor do I care right now. The system is fast, cheap and the results are spectacular. My dad would approve of the quality and this is really all I need. It is a perfect model to follow back home. What I have been learning in Denmark is unique. I thought this is how all Europe is doing it. The uniqueness of the system blows my mind.

How did it get to Denmark?

Uncle Jeppe sat back in his chair and wiped his one hand over his face. “Now young man, he continued, how did it happen that this perfect system of bacon production ended up in Denmark before almost any other nation on earth even heard of it?” As if he really ponders the point he gets up and looks out of the window onto a lush green garden below from his second-story office. He has a conversation with himself. “A very good question! Indeed, a very good question!”

“The year was 1880,” he began answering himself. “Denmark is a tiny nation. To remain competitive, we realised many years ago that we have to learn as much as we can from other nations and peoples and adapt. Every industry is constantly looking where new discoveries have been made and how we can adapt. This is very Danish.”

“Nine years ago, this factory did not exist nor did we know how to make industrial bacon. We were large dairy farmers and a sizable pork industry developed from the by-products of dairy farming. it was very simple and profitable. Raise pigs on the by-products from milk and sell it to England and Germany. Someone from the pork industry learned about the new mild cured bacon produced in Ireland. We tried many times to sent people to learn the techniques, but the Irish were careful not to employ the young Danish men we sent over for employment in their large bacon plants. The thing about Ireland is that the workers often go on strike and how they are treated by the companies they work for is often very harsh. Those on strike do not get paid and stand a large chance to be laid off.”

“In 1880 there was a strike among butchers in the Irish town of Waterford. Some shrewd members of the Danish pork processing guild happened to be in Ireland at that time, in Waterford and at the promise of lucrative employment in Denmark managed to persuade a number of the striking men to return with them to Denmark. In Denmark, we quickly arranged for them to train our butchers. It was at such a training seminar where I learned the art.”

Uncle Jeppe learned the art of curing bacon the Irish way from these Irish butchers and so did many other Danish butchers. I am exhausted. This is not the end of Uncle Jeppe’s Friday revelation to me. How and why the Danish people overnight became the largest curers of bacon on earth is the second installment of this great story. It is important, particularly to us in South Africa because it gives a model for our bacon curing company. It is the secret of how we will be able to raise the cash needed to put a factory up to accommodate this exact system. It is no less important than what I just described. In not a single point. Nor is it less interesting. The story will keep you riveted like a good novel, but my mind is shutting off. I need rest and will continue tomorrow. My mind is still racing but I am so exhausted that tiredness is taking over. I will now sleep well! After you read my letters, please show them to my mom and dad and please mail them on to Oscar. How I wish that you were here with me today! Off all the days since I am gone, I miss you more than ever tonight!

Much love!

Eben

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Note 1: The actual event was when I visited an English town with Jeppe. I was sitting at the window looking out on the main town square, writing an email to the kids. I very homesick and felt that I have achieved my goal being in Egland.

Note 2: The exact quote about the system invented by Oake is, “He discovered that the antiseptic properties of salt were to be found apart from chloride of sodium (salt), and that the obnoxious effects of dissolving the albumen in the curing process could, therefore, be avoided. This is supposed to be the key to the new system of curing. By the new process of treatment, it is said that the bacon and hams, although thoroughly cured with the very essence of salt, still retain all the albumen originally in the meat, and yet do not taste salty to the palate.” (Molineux, 1898)

Note 3: “As the carcasses are cut up the portions are laid on the floor of the factory (which should be made of concrete or flagged), flesh uppermost, and lightly powdered over with saltpetre, so as to drain off any blood. It can then be placed in the tanks for salting in the following manner: — Sprinkle the bottom of the tank with salt, then put in a layer of sides or flitches, sprinkle saltpetre over them lightly, and then salt and sugar. The next layer of sides or flitches is put in crosswise, and served in the same way, and so on until the tank is full. Then place a lid to fit inside the tank (inch battens 3in. apart will do) ; fix an upright on top of the lid to keep the bacon from rising when putting in the pickle. The pickle to be made as follows : — To every 1Olbs. of salt add 8lbs. of dark-brown sugar, lib. of spice, and 1/2lb. of sal-prunella. Make it strong enough to float an egg ; let it settle for some time, then skim, and it is ready to go on to the meat.” (Molineux, 1898)

Explanatory note by Eben: Note Sal-Prunella is, according to Errors of Speech or Spelling by E. Cobham Brewer, Vol II, published by William Tegg and Co, London, 1877, a mixture of refined nitre and soda. Nitre, as used at this time was refined saltpeter used in the manufacturing of explosives.

Note 4: “At the end of forty-eight hours turn the meat over into another tank, taking care to put the sides that were on top in the bottom of next tank, treating it as regards saltpetre, salt, and sugar exactly the same as at first, and using the same pickle. It can then remain until the seventh day from when first put in. It can then be taken out, and stacked on the floor of the factory, putting some salt between each layer, but do not stack higher than four sides deep, until it has been on the floor for some days, when it should be turned over, and stacked higher each time until the fourth week from the day it went into the tanks; the bacon will then be cured.

The bacon can then be placed in tanks containing cold water, and allowed to soak all night. Wash well with a brush, then hang up to dry, and when properly dry it can be trimmed and smoked.” (Molineux, 1898)

Note 5: “The same pickle can be used for many years — the older the better; it only requires, when it becomes somewhat muddy, to be boiled and clarified. I have seen pickle which had been used in one factory for sixteen years, and that factory produces some of the best bacon and hams in Australia.” (Molineux, 1898)

Note 6: “Smoking Bacon and Hams. The smokehouse should be built according to the intended output of bacon and hams, and the walls of the building should not be less than 12ft. high. One of the principal things in smoking bacon is to have the smoke as cool as possible before coming into contact with the bacon, and to assist this it is well to put a floor 6ft. 6in. or 7ft. from the ground, just allowing a slight opening between the flooring boards to allow the smoke to make its way up to where the bacon is hung. The flitches or hams should be hung as close together as not to touch, so as to allow the smoke to penetrate every portion. A small slide can be put in the gable of the smokehouse to regulate the smoke as required. A place should be made in the centre of the floor, say 6ft. by 3ft., where the sawdust is placed. This is lighted, and if the door is kept closed there will be no flame, but the sawdust will smoulder and cause a great quantity of smoke. From twenty-four to forty-eight hours will suffice to properly smoke the bacon if the weather is suitable, after which it may be packed and forwarded to market.

Where teatree (Melaleuca) is obtainable it is excellent for smoking ; it imparts a flavor to the bacon which is much appreciated by many people.” (Molineux, 1898)

Note 7: “Mild-cure Bacon. — In all of the large cities of Britain and the European continent, the public demand is for mild-cure bacon. The system of cure is very simple and perfect, but requires expenditure of at least £1,000 on the plant for carrying it out. By this process the albumen of the meat is retained and is not coagulated, so that the bacon is devoid of excessive salt, is by no means hard or dry, and there is no loss of weight in the curing. A factory costing £2,000 to construct could easily cure 400 pigs per day. The process takes about a month to complete, but after the first day there is no further labor involved.” (Molineux, 1898)

Note 8: Quote from Holland, LZ, 2003: 9, 10

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

References:

Bacon Curing – a historical review

Fereira, J.. Treatise of Food and Diet. Fowler & Wells. 1843. P 109, Sodium of Chloride

The Mother Brine

Molineux, (editor). 1898. The Journal of Agriculture and Industry of South Australia, Molineux was the General Secretary of Agriculture, South Australia, Volume 1 covering August 1897 – July 1898 and printed in Adelaide by C. E. Bristow, Government Printer in 1898.

Tank Curing Came from Ireland

—————

Image Credits:

Robert Goodrich and members of the Salt Cured Pig

Photos of Minette and I taken by myself

Chapter 08.01 – Mild Cured Bacon Introduction to Bacon & the Art of Living The quest to understand how great bacon is made takes me around the world and through epic adventures.

#bacon and the art of living #Bacon History #Best Bacon

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operationrainfall · 5 years ago

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Title Virgo Versus the Zodiac Developer Moonana Publisher Degica Games Release Date Dec 12th, 2019 Genre RPG Platform PC, XBox One Official Website

One of the many pleasures of playing indie titles is seeing the sheer drive and willingness of budding developers to create a unique experience. To see how these developers go about defining themselves and their works through innovation, artistry, or by taking the traditional and turning it into the extraordinary. These are all part of the satisfaction of discovering a standout indie title. Virgo Versus the Zodiac impressed me. A game driven by that willingness to be unique, Virgo Versus the Zodiac is one that I found myself captivated by, more so than many others in recent memory and one I can genuinely call a hidden gem.

Virgo Versus the Zodiac tells the story of Virgo, one of the lords of the Zodiac realms that make up the lands across the Milky Way. The twelve Zodiacs were once governed by the Rulers during a time referred to as the Golden Age. After the end of the Rulers reign, the Zodiacs took direct control over their realms, ushering in the Zodiac Age. The Zodiacs conduct themselves as they see fit, many of whom have created disarray between each other, as well as within their own realms, subjecting their denizens to unfair, sometimes horrific practices. Virgo, a being of purest order and structure without sacrifice of justice, is determined to restore the version of peace and regulation of the previous Golden Age. And, she is willing to strike down all who oppose her, deeming them heretics to the former law.

What initially seems like a straightforward story, to restore Virgo’s ideal order, is actually a journey of decisions and revelation. Though this main plot point, this drive of Virgo’s to restore the Golden Age, is our vehicle to forward the story, there are several underlying mysteries and events that will shape Virgo’s narrative path and ultimately, what she decides is her true end goal. Many of these revelations are hidden behind decisions that must be made throughout play. Decision making, in visual novel style, won’t change the intermittent story much. However, it will have significant impact with the way the characters feel, behave, react, and especially how the game concludes.

The overall story, with its history, mysteries, and branching, is quite intriguing. I found it easy to immerse myself in Virgo’s quest and was further driven to continue with each new twist along the way. The decision making is fantastic, as each path will reveal something entirely unique, such as secrets the characters may be hiding or unveil the mysteries of the world around Virgo. And many decisions made will reshape Virgo’s own character as she continues her journey. There are three potential paths, with three unique endings, and, again, each has something new and intriguing to offer. The narrative is equally strong, with impressive writing that brings a vividness to story and characters. Virgo’s dialogue is always something to look forward to and her personality is poignantly conveyed. The two main side characters, Algol and Spica, are also well written with distinct voices and lively personalities. Even many of the lesser side characters possess personality and individual voice, which is a notable feat considering the number of side characters the game introduces.

However, despite the strengths of the narrative and story, I took issue with several decisions in its execution. There is a ton of extra, unnecessary text. Most of this is pure fluff or used for a quick bit of humor. It contributes nothing to the main story or the lore that is often referred to. The game can also drag due to gameplay and breaks in-between, so having to work through this needless, irrelevant text can be taxing. Sure, it can be skipped, either by holding the text skip button or by simply ignoring most NPCs, but you may end up missing out on a scarce but shocking hint or secret regarding character or backstory. So the decisions to sacrifice immersive backstory for needless, useless filler is unfortunate. And I find it such an egregious issue because it seems like much more backstory, side stories, and history was initially planned for the game, yet was either drastically edited down or cut completely. For example, the Rulers are hardly fleshed out at all, despite their major role in the game’s history. Another; towards the end of the game, an entity called the Viruses are introduced, but are just as soon dismissed, despite having a tie to Capricorn, a Zodiac you meet early in the game, yet is consistently brought up throughout. Speaking of the other Zodiacs, the backstories of many of them range from painfully vague to utterly nonexistent. And finally, fragments of main and side story that are mentioned are either never addressed again or are wrapped up far too quickly, further hinting that there was perhaps much more originally planned. It’s such a shame; I would have loved to have seen the original story developed to its fullest.

Story aside, the characters of Virgo Versus the Zodiac are the real stars with their diverse, engaging personalities. I love Virgo, as she’s a tsundere badass. She’s a brilliantly created character full of stubbornness and unrelenting force. She is strong, unyielding in her beliefs and her resolve to accomplish her ultimate goal. Her character endures through her ordeal and additional sides to her personality are revealed throughout her journey. The play on her opposing sides is equally impressive, as Virgo’s difficulty to express her softer, more loving attributes meshes well with the moments when she does finally open her heart, showing her genuine affection and care. I also appreciate her anti-heroine aspects, especially in her willingness to strike down all who oppose her. Although her actions may frequently cross moral lines and though her thinking can be described as one-track, immoral, and perhaps more selfish than she realizes, because of the depth and richness of her development, I can come to understand, even appreciate, her motivation and drive. I can root for her despite her committed atrocities and I can feel sympathetic towards her when her actions have unpredictable and tragic consequences. Virgo is a character that will stay with me, having stolen a place in my heart.

Many of the side characters also receive significant depth, which only helps with the immersion and care we end up placing in them. Algol is awesome, with her wit, snark, and casual demeanor. Her personality is the perfect contrast to Virgo’s and the banter between the two is fantastic. I also enjoyed Algol’s side story, with her history and her motives in joining Virgo’s campaign. I felt similar sympathy for her as I do for Virgo in what Algol had to endure. I also loved Pisces, with her charming and air-headed personality. She is the perfect catalyst for Virgo to open up about her feelings, so much so that those moments of the game are easily the most memorable. Equally impressive are the times Pisces reveals that she knows and understands far more than what her bubbly, simple-minded style may convey. She is every bit as captivating as Virgo.

Unfortunately though, for every one character that has real substance, there are too many that come off as unremarkable. Many of the Zodiacs and side characters never receive any substantial development once their initial identities are established. Spica is a well-spoken Virgo fanboy/whipping boy who never really grows beyond this. He’s used in your party for combat and for comedic relief, but that’s it. Scorpio is a yandere, Capricorn is the typical emotionless realist, Taurus is the sleepy, boring extra, Leo is the feisty, arrogant type, Aries is basically identical to Leo, and the list goes on. What’s worse, several of these Zodiac characters are only ever seen once. It’s beguiling, given the title, themes, and story of the game. I realize that establishing and developing a minimum of twelve characters is an arduous task, but I expected more than just the single appearances of several of the Zodiacs and I expected more development from the Zodiacs that do play significant roles in the unfolding of the main story.

Moving on to gameplay, Virgo Versus the Zodiac takes the traditional, turn-based RPG scheme and makes its extraordinary. Though the familiar elements, such as leveling up, equipment and the likes are there, developer Moonana reworks it to make it outstanding. The majority of gameplay is centered on combat, in which combatants take turns, called Phases, to act. During the player’s Purge (attack) Phase, you can attack or defend. Typically when you launch an attack, the enemy will immediately enter a Counter Phase and retaliate. After an enemy attacks during their own Purge Phase, you will immediately enter your own Counter Phase depending on your equipment. This is the standard flow of combat and so defense is perhaps the most vital aspect of combat. Tied directly to defense is Vitality, which is a kind of block/guard points. All characters have Hearts (health) and Vitality and the key is to protect your Hearts by building up your Vitality. To activate Vitality, combatants must defend, or use their shield item, during their Purge or Counter Phases to store it up. Vitality points are drained instead of hearts as enemy attacks are incurred. Vitality also drops after every turn automatically, so defending or using special weapons that recovers Vitality every few turns is absolutely key to surviving in this game.

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Another aspect to combat are the QTE events that occur when attacking and defending. Ranging from a single or multiple timed button presses, button smashes, or directional inputs, these QTE events will impact how much damage is dealt and blocked. Performing them perfectly will yield max damage and minimal damage taken. QTEs vary based on the equipped item, so mastering the archetypes is essential, especially for bosses and later in the game when difficulty rises.

This QTE is a simple single timed button press. Tapping A when the white timer reaches the blue will cause a Perfect attack for maximum damage.

Speaking of difficulty, Virgo Versus the Zodiac is tough, even on normal difficulty. Failing a QTE can easily turn the tides of combat against you and result in a quick game over. You must also be quick to recognize which of your party members is being targeted, as their actions are assigned to different buttons. Virgo is assigned to the A button, but if Algol is the main target, you’ll need to use B for the QTEs instead. The easiest way of finding out who is targeted is by looking out for whose Hearts/Vitality meter becomes visible. It also doesn’t help any that every action causes a text box to pop up. Get used to ignoring those quickly, as zero vital information is ever mentioned during combat. Finally, there is an affinity triangle that further impacts combat, and everything else really. Ambition (purple) is strong against Versatility (green), which is strong against Patience (red), and Patience is strong against Ambition. Enemies clothing are color coordinated, so you’ll recognize which affinity to attack with.

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The overall combat system is also not the easiest to master, as it takes practice to become accustomed to the flow of combat and, especially, the use of equipment. There are two sets of equipment, one for the Purge Phases and one for the Counter. Each allows four types of equipment, for a total of eight equipable pieces. Each piece will raise and lower different stats, for example, a Versatile (green) piece of armor will increase Versatility defense, but may also lower Ambitious (purple) or Fixed (red) defense too. Keeping in mind the penalties are as important as focusing on your defense in combat. Along with stat changes, most equipment also offers a secondary ability or disability. These can range from restoring Hearts, decreasing total Hearts, increasing Vitality gains, increasing attribute damage, decreasing user and/or enemy attribute defense, guaranteeing a critical hit on your next strike, poisoning, burning, stunning, and innumerably more. Half the fun is discovering these abilities and the assortment of advantages and kinds of damage they can yield. Even if certain weapons or armor fail to impress with their stat changes or disabilities, the abilities they can offer may just make them worth their use. Finally, many pieces of Purge and Counter equipment requires one or several Phases, like a recharge, to pass after its use, or is unavailable from your first turn, as it requires a Phase before its use. All of this will seem overwhelming at first, but once you start taking notice of how your equipment works and how they’re impacting stats, the brilliance of this system becomes apparent. It’s perfectly implemented, it becomes easier the more you practice with it, and the changes to play style it offers is ridiculously high. I struggled at first, and I would even recommend new players to try playing on the easiest difficulty first and raising difficultly later, but now that I’ve mastered it, I can’t help but praise it. It’s astonishing the work that went into this and I am blown away with how solid this gameplay system is.

This Counter equipment raises two types of DEF and lowers one. Although not shown, this also cannot be used on your first turn of combat. The decision is yours…

Completely random, yet a nice addition, as you journey to new lands, you have the choice of taking the dangerous route, which involves mini SHMUP levels. These can be skipped entirely, but if you choose to do them, you may be rewarded with crafting items and stars (currency). Not required, nor do they add anything to the story, they’re a nice extra bit of challenging fun and simple to dive into.

No penalties for skipping, failing, or quitting, play for items and stars at your leisure

One final comment in regards to affinity, this system is, in fact, tied to everything in the game, including story decisions and endings. It is truly the foundation of the entire game. The Mutable attribute is tied to Versatility (green), Cardinal to Ambition (purple), and Fixed to Patience (Red). The most crucial decisions are colored for this reason, so you can recognize which story path you wish to follow. The Zodiacs themselves are color coordinated too, so your actions against certain Zodiacs (colors) further dictate what path you take. Even your party members also follow this affinity system. Virgo is mostly Versatile (green), strong against Fixed enemies, and her actions and QTEs are initiated using the A button (which is green on the Xbox controller). Algol is Fixed (red) and her actions and QTEs use the B button (also red). Same for Spica (blue/purple, X button). It’s all amazingly connected, down to the smallest details.

Despite my praise for Virgo Versus the Zodiac’s gameplay, I do have a few complaints. I mentioned it earlier, but the pacing of the game can be slow. Combat is time consuming, sacrificing play pace for strategy. I have zero problems with the need for strategy in play, but I do wish battles were faster. I would attribute the break in pace due to the sheer number of times you will be defending and only getting your licks in on a counter phase. Especially with tougher enemies, battles can drag. This pacing issue is only compounded when you reach one of the many lengthy cutscenes the game possesses. In these times, I wish the writing was tighter or better spaced with the action. Another complaint, outside of combat, there isn’t really much to do as you explore new lands. Tons of NPCs to chat with, but no thank you. Sure, there are also hidden items and stars (currency) to hunt for, but really not much else. The motivation to explore, other than perhaps finding a nice weapon or piece of armor, is limited. In truth, other than the occasional drag and the resulting loss of attention or immersion, Virgo offers stellar gameplay, so much so that I’m already looking forward to when I can replay it.

Perhaps equally remarkable to its gameplay, Virgo Versus the Zodiac possesses some of the most unique aesthetics I’ve experienced in a long time. The most obvious aesthetic element of the game is its visuals. Virgo implements a fantastic old school, 8-bit style. Everything from characters to landscapes are pixelated and for the most part, it’s adorable and charming. To add to the charm this simplistic style begets, major characters receive detailed portrait art that displays during conversations. These are detailed and beautiful, adding much needed personality for many of the Zodiacs while bolstering the allure of the established characters. Virgo looks the tough battle-hardened maiden and Pisces looks as adorable as her personality conveys. All of the portrait work is charming and impressive and it leaves me wanting more.

Although Level ups are fairly balanced, characters have their clear strengths. Virgo is Versatile/ Mutable, and so her Versatility will increase more than most other stats.

I do have one complaint in regards to the visuals, however. Despite the beauty of character and land that is achieved within the game, there is also this ambiguous element to the visual style. Many NPCs, as well as map elements like buildings and furnishings, are creepy. Not cute creepy nor horrifying creepy that could add to the moods of the game. No, there are just handfuls of character and design elements that are creepy to the point of being unpleasant. I understand Moonana was explicitly trying for that ambiguous style, after all, her logo is a crescent moon with dripping fangs, but I just found it all off-putting. Maybe it’s just not my style, but for someone like myself that values aesthetic appeal, especially when it contributes to the overall experience, I did not appreciate this.

There is plenty of beauty to behold

As for the audio, not only do I have zero complaints, I think the soundtrack is a perfect complement to the game’s narrative and gameplay. This is a soundtrack that will impress, matching perfectly with events and narrative tones on screen. The electronic style and the variety of genres, from techno, rock, and classical to hints of punk and metal, are all incredible. Never once did I think a piece of music was dull nor did I ever feel indifferent with a single track. Each one is catchy, memorable, and a perfect fit for the game’s overall style. It’s amazing how well the soundtrack both stands out on its own and bolsters the experience without ever overshadowing it. Combined with the visuals, Virgo Versus the Zodiac has aesthetic appeal that will not only impress, but continue to awe with every playthrough.

Virgo Versus the Zodiac is an adorably charming rampage across the galaxy. A memorable main heroine worth making that emotional investment in, an impressive transformation of traditional game mechanics into the unique, and an aesthetic style all its own, Virgo Versus the Zodiac delivers an unforgettable experience. A single playthrough will take about 20 hours and provide plenty of reasons to replay well beyond. A hidden gem, this star yet shines dazzlingly bright.

[easyreview cat1title=”Overall” cat1detail=”” cat1rating=”4″]

Review copy provided by the developer

REVIEW: Virgo Versus the Zodiac Title Virgo Versus the Zodiac

#8 bit #Degica Games #Indie #JRPG #Moonana #Nana #pixel graphics #QTE #RPG #Shmup #Virgo #Virgo Versus the Zodiac

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bountyofbeads · 6 years ago

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Park Service diverts $2.5 million in fees for Trump’s Fourth of July extravaganza

https://wapo.st/322xoLM

"The diverted park fees represent just a fraction of the extra costs the government faces as a result of the event, which will include displays of military hardware, flyovers by an array of jets including Air Force One, the deployment of tanks on the Mall and an extended pyrotechnics show. By comparison, according to former Park Service deputy director Denis P. Galvin, the entire Fourth of July celebration on the Mall typically costs the agency about $2 million."

Park Service diverts $2.5 million in fees for Trump’s Fourth of July extravaganza

(Trump's VANITY PROJECT ... He always has to have the BIGGEST to cover his complete INADEQUACY)

By Juliet Eilperin, Josh Dawsey and Dan LAMOTHE | Published July 02 at 9:39 PM ET | Washington Post | Posted July 3, 2019 |

The National Park Service is diverting nearly $2.5 million in entrance and recreation fees primarily intended to improve parks across the country to cover costs associated with President Trump’s Independence Day celebration Thursday on the Mall, according to two individuals familiar with the arrangement.

Trump administration officials have consistently refused to say how much taxpayers will have to pay for the expanded celebration on the Mall this year, which the president has dubbed the “Salute to America.” The two individuals, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter, confirmed the transfer of the Park Service funds Tuesday.

The diverted park fees represent just a fraction of the extra costs the government faces as a result of the event, which will include displays of military hardware, flyovers by an array of jets including Air Force One, the deployment of tanks on the Mall and an extended pyrotechnics show. By comparison, according to former Park Service deputy director Denis P. Galvin, the entire Fourth of July celebration on the Mall typically costs the agency about $2 million.

For Trump’s planned speech at the Lincoln Memorial, the White House is distributing VIP tickets to Republican donors and political appointees, prompting objections from Democratic lawmakers who argue that the president has turned the annual celebration into a campaign-like event.

The Republican National Committee and Trump’s reelection campaign confirmed Tuesday that they had received passes they were handing out for the event.

“We’ve never seen anything like this,” Sen. Tom Udall (N.M.), the top Democrat on the Senate Appropriations subcommittee on the interior, environment and related agencies, said in a phone interview. “No ticketed political event should be paid for with taxpayer dollars.”

The White House referred questions about the celebration to the Interior Department, which declined to comment.

Even as some critics questioned the White House’s handling of access to the Lincoln Memorial, officials from the Pentagon and the Interior Department were scrambling to transform Trump’s vision of an elaborate military and pyrotechnics display into reality.

Two Abrams tanks, two Bradley Fighting Vehicles and an M88 recovery vehicle sat on train tracks in Southeast Washington on Tuesday, destined for the Mall. Administration officials were finalizing aspects of Thursday’s schedule, according to a senior White House official, including a plan to have one of the planes in Air Force One’s fleet zoom overhead as Trump takes the stage.

Separately, according to two individuals familiar with the matter, the White House was negotiating with Park Service officials over whether to project an image from the 1969 Apollo 11 moon mission onto the Washington Monument for the event. Typically the agency does not allow projected images on monuments or historic structures, on the grounds that they should be preserved in their original form.

By tapping entrance fees to cover the presidential event, Interior is siphoning money that is typically used to enhance the visitor experience either on the Mall or at smaller parks across the country, with projects ranging from road and bridge repair to habitat restoration. The transfer amounts to nearly 5 percent of the funds that less-profitable parks used last year for upgrades, according to budget documents.

“This is a breach of trust with the public,” Theresa Pierno, president and CEO of the National Parks Conservation Association, said in an email. “The public pays parks fees to fix national parks and for educational programs, not the president’s parade.”

Udall said Interior Secretary David Bernhardt had yet to respond to a request he and two other Senate Democrats made two weeks ago for a full accounting of how the event would be conducted and what it would cost.

Amanda Yanchury, a spokeswoman for Rep. Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), chairwoman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that oversees the Interior Department, said in an email that McCollum “takes her oversight responsibilities seriously and will exercise her role as chair to get a full accounting of the taxpayer costs incurred by this event.”

The awarding of tickets to GOP supporters, which was first reported by HuffPost, has exacerbated tensions between the Trump administration and Democratic lawmakers. The White House has also provided a select number of tickets to top staffers at federal agencies, who are free to distribute them as they would like.

An official from the RNC, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss the group’s inner workings, said in an email that the Democratic National Committee had received passes to White House events when a Democrat was in the Oval Office.

“It’s standard practice for the RNC to receive a small number of tickets to events just as the DNC did under Democrat Presidents,” the official wrote. “This is routine for events like the White House Christmas Open Houses, Garden Tours in spring and fall, etc.”

Tim Murtaugh, communications director for Trump’s reelection campaign, said in an email that his staff also received passes to the president’s Lincoln Memorial address.

“As a courtesy, the campaign was provided tickets for staff and their families and friends, much like for the Easter Egg Roll or White House garden tours,” Murtaugh said.

While the White House has hosted limited tours for years, this year’s gathering on the Mall marks a departure because presidents have not traditionally participated in the nation’s Independence Day celebration.

Brendan Fischer, federal reform director for the Campaign Legal Center, said in an interview that while it may not violate federal ethics law to distribute limited tickets to the president’s speech to party contributors, “it certainly looks bad.”

“Limiting public access to a public monument on Independence Day in favor of wealthy donors just sends a signal that our political system favors the wealthy and well-connected,” he said.

Since federal appropriations law prohibits using public money for political purposes, Fischer noted, the issue will depend on what Trump says in his speech. If he refers to some of the 2020 presidential hopefuls, or polling related to the race, Trump’s reelection campaign may be required to reimburse the U.S. Treasury.

“The content of the event, and the nature of the event, is probably the determining factor,” as opposed to donors getting to see Trump up close, he said.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to talk frankly, said the Pentagon was not planning for tanks to be involved in the July 4 event until late last week. But after the president requested them, they were shipped up by rail from Fort Stewart in Georgia and first spotted by an Associated Press photographer Monday night.

The list of fighter jets and other planes involved in Thursday’s military flyover also has grown, with the Pentagon carrying out requests from the White House while Interior officials organize the overall celebration. As late as last week, according to two defense officials, the military was planning to have only about 300 service members involved in the celebration, primarily from drill teams and bands.

“The military isn’t in charge of this thing,” said one defense official, who also spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. “This is a Department of Interior event that DOD is giving support to, and the White House is giving guidance on how they’d like us to celebrate the Fourth.”

The “Salute to America” marks the culmination of Trump’s two-year quest to mount a military-style extravaganza inspired by his visit to a Bastille Day celebration in Paris in 2017. His previous efforts to stage a Veterans Day military parade down Pennsylvania Avenue in 2018 were scuttled after estimated costs ballooned to the tens of millions of dollars.

The Pentagon has referred virtually all questions about the celebration and the military’s involvement to the White House — a function, officials said, of the president’s desire to have some surprises during the event.

“We are referring everyone to the White House, who will be making announcements about the event timeline and participants,” said Jonathan Rath Hoffman, the Pentagon’s chief spokesman.

But the department is devoting significant resources to the celebration that are likely to measure in the millions of dollars, given the additional construction, transportation of heavy equipment and personnel, additional security, the price of fuel, and overtime pay that federal employees will receive.

The event will include appearances by the Blue Angels, an F-35 jet from the Navy, at least one aircraft from Marine Helicopter Squadron One and one of the planes used in the fleet for Air Force One, the specialized airliner that carries the president.

It will also include a B-2 stealth bomber, the batwing-shaped jet that debuted in the 1990s, and F-22 Raptor fighter jets, said a defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss plans before they are announced. Those details were first reported Tuesday by CNN.

Trump touted Salute to America twice on Tuesday, sharing a link to an Interior press release and publicly thanking the two companies that have donated pyrotechnics, Phantom Fireworks and Fireworks by Grucci.

“CEO’s Bruce Zoldan and Phil Grucci are helping to make this the greatest 4th of July celebration in our Nations history!” the president tweeted.

Michelle Ye Hee Lee and Damian Paletta contributed to this report.

#donald trump #u.s. news #politics #trump administration #president donald trump #politics and government #trump #republican politics #white house #republican party #us: news #maga #democracy #4th of july #july4th #fourth of july

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thomasroach · 6 years ago

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Dragon Star Varnir Review

The post Dragon Star Varnir Review appeared first on Fextralife.

Our Dragon Star Varnir Review covers the struggle of the Witches of Varneria as they search for a way to break their tragic fate. If thats not enough, you have the Knights of Requiem hunting them down and the Ravens who hunt Dragons while moving forward with their hidden agenda. Finally coming to the west, Dragon Star Varnir brings turn-based combat, battling dragons and more.

Dragon Star Varnir Review

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Genre: Role Playing Game, JRPG Developed by: IDEA FACTORY / COMPILE HEART Published by: Idea Factory International Release date: June 11, 2019 for North America and June 14, 2019 for Europe Platforms: PS4 Price at time of review: 59.99 USD

Dragon Star Varnir Features

Outcast Main Character – Take control of Zephy a former Knights of Requiem and newly turned Witch.

Bleak Fate – Witches either go mad or die by birthing a Dragon. Add to the fray Knights of Requiem who hunt them, what a life.

3D 3 grid layered turn-based combat

Sidequests & Goodies – Stop by the Huntery to undertake side quests and stop by the Witches Den to feed the little sisters to obtain goodies.

Foster Interactions – Give presents to the Witches and perhaps you’ll grow close with them and unlock special stuff.

Embrace Your Inner Dragon – Use Dragon Awakening to turn the tides of battle.

Story and Setting

The story follows Zephy, a former Knights of Requiem, who after succumbing to his wounds from a fight with a Dragon, becomes a Witch due to ingesting Dragon Blood. Minessa, a survivor of a devastating Witch genocide that occurred a decade earlier, administers the Dragon Blood to Zephy. Zephy’s reluctance to accept his position as a Witch gets slammed in his face, as the Knights of Requiem turn their backs on him. Zephy begrudgingly accepts Minessa’s help and becomes somewhat close to the remaining Witches.

The story follows him as he makes up his own mind about the Witches and their true nature which is a contradiction to the teachings of the Knights of Requiem. Meanwhile, the empire is astounded by the idea of a male Witch decide to ransack Zephy’s former home to obtain information on this defying transformation.

The Witches, Minessa and Karikaro, had planned to use Zephy as bait to recover their fellow sister Laponette from the Knights’ clutches. Once Zephy’s played his part in the fiasco he was left behind, until Minessa reminded them that he is now a Witch and one of them. Thus starts the adventures of Zephy and the remaining Witches of Varneria, to seek a way to break their doomed fate.

The game revolves around Zephy and the Witches as they progress through several levels flooded by Dragons as they are on their journey. You’ll travel through lust forests, empty deserts, ancient temples, and everything in between. When you are not questing you can feed your little sisters to avoid them succumbing to an early fate.

Players can develop their bonds with the female Witches by giving them presents to raise their affection levels. Or if they enjoy exploring areas, they may undertake sidequests to be rewarded with new items, formations, and more.

Gameplay

Players control Zephy and the Witches in turn-based 3 layered combat as they travel through Varneria. You spend time fighting Dragons and collecting materials from the world. Dragon Star Varnir is pretty straightforward as the premise is follows a pattern of:

Start chapter

Enter new area or the targeted area

Get to the end while watching cutscenes in between fights

Fight the boss Dragon

These outlined steps can be interrupted with sidequests from the Huntery for variation, feeding or ignoring the little sisters, and creating elixirs. Even on hard mode it’s difficult to “grind” levels. Usually your best bet is to enter the targeted area and farm experience there until you are equipped enough to fight the final boss of the area.

At times I would be 20 levels lower than the lesser enemies in a locale but can still defeat them without difficulty. As long as the player is consuming Dragons regularly, unlocking factors in their Dragon cores, and having a wide range of skills, they should be okay.

Most sidequests involve players bringing back items from a certain area, or finding a rare item in a locale that requires them to use their party’s environmental ability. Many of the requests will be fulfilled during normal gameplay but at times you would have to head back to a certain level to farm materials hoping RNG is in your favor.

I did find the camera to be quite annoying when a character flies on their broomstick as only the left stick will move them and right stick doesn’t move the camera. The camera sensitivity is also quite finicky making players find the right sweet spot for it. You want camera fast enough that you can scan the area but precise enough to avoid enemies and attack them first in the world.

The most annoying hindrance in Dragon Star Varnir is the equipment screen. There are 4 slots per character, and the game doesn’t keep your cursor on the last equipment slot you have adjusted. Instead it moves the cursor back towards the top slot making you input more than if you had free control over it.

Battles

Battles are your typical turn-based fights similar to what you find titles such as Death End Re;Quest. Those with high speed will have their actions played out before those with slower speed actions. Dragon Star Varnir possesses an aerial, triple layer turn-based combat. There are top, middle, and bottom levels where both party member and enemies will be positioned. Players can move throughout the levels to activate positioning bonuses, as well as tactically push enemies onto traps that the players set.

Players can select:

Physical: Standard regular attack

Magic: Use one of the character’s Active Skills; requires SP to use.

Devour: Use a devour skill.

Toggle Command: Gives players a second menu of options.

Switch: Replace a character with the paired support member.

Item: Use an item to heal, revive, or replenish SP.

Guard: Blocks incoming attacks to mitigate damage taken

Flee: Attempt to escape from the battle; may fail. Not all fights will allow you to escape.

Battling is simple enough to understand: the main goal is to weaken opposing Dragons with skills that they are weak to help drive up their fear levels. This gives players a higher chance to successfully devour them. Once players have devoured all the Dragons they like in an area, they can go on to fight the boss Dragon.

Dragon Cores

Dragon Cores are obtained once players devour a dragon and acts as a “skill tree”. Players will spend factor points to unlock certain skills they wish to obtain. These skills include:

Physical Skills

Magic Skills

Bonus Factors (permanent upgrades)

Passive Skills (equip-able skills that increase certain parameters)

Devouring Dragons are a vital mechanic as all new skills and upgrades will derive from them. I like this feature but it does get tedious when you need to encounter a specific Dragon 3 times in order to have each character devour it. It gets even more tiresome as the Dragon tends to enjoy fleeing from battle, this can make gameplay a little repetitive.

Little Sisters

At the Witches’ Den resides 3 little sister witches; these little sisters, like all witches, carry the “witches’ curse” and will go mad unless they drink dragon blood. Players have the option to feed dragon meat or blood found in the wild, or to starve them.

Each sister has a Satisfaction Meter that increases after feeding. At predetermined points of the Satisfaction Meter, players will receive gifts from the sisters as a reward. Players have the option to feed them in moderation, feed them to promote their birthing of their inner Dragon, or starve them so they can go mad. This mechanic really places you inside the game as you attempt to do your best and make the right decisions for your little sisters. This also places a bit of pressure on players to act with haste in the game, as time isn’t a luxury for Witches.

The Huntery

The Huntery will be the hub to undertake side quests from Zuba. Upon completing a quest, you will be awarded various items like the important “Books of Formation”, which allows players to change their battle formations to their liking. Most sidequests will be completed during normal progression of the main story while some quests will require players to double back and spend time hoping to obtain the item they need.

Audio and Visual

Dragon Star Varnir opening song is a favorite of mine and I’m really glad there is a music section under gallery to listen to the game’s soundtrack. I personally enjoy the choir god praising tunes when you are fighting. It really cements the disparity of the petite Witches versus the overwhelming large Dragons.

Graphically, the game is average as it is a 2018 Japanese game that became available to North America and Europe in 2019. You can tell the graphics are somewhat dated yet, it doesn’t take away from the game. My greatest complaint in this department would be the intermittent voice acting, 3D cutscenes and picture-esque screenshots. At some points I was expecting to hear the dialogue being spoken and was let down that I had to silently read it while other times I was caught off-guard by their voices. I think a bit more consistency would have made a greater impact to the overall feel of the story.

The character models are a great asset that I felt was underutilized. I loved Minessa, Corberia, and Ruby Eye’s design and I wish I got to see more of them. Most cutscenes are 2D and the sparse 3D cutscenes left me wanting more. For the 3D cutscenes and picture-esque screenshots, I felt that the game wasn’t using the attractive character models to their best ability. Players are also unable to hide the text box to snap a picture of the characters interactions, something that was included in other Compile Heart games. Most additional cutscenes/interactions must be unlock during the gift mechanic.

Final Thoughts

If you are a fan of a dark world accompanied by tragic fated characters or even just a fan of JRPGs as a whole such as Death End Re;Quest, then this will be an enjoyable experience. This is good linear title that provides additional side “errands” that allows players to grow closer to the Witches of Varneria. The characters have a visibly appealing aesthetic that players should find at least one character that resonates with them.

The 3 layered combat is quirky yet fun to master. The only drawbacks for me were the funky camera angles and the equipment screen annoyance. Dragon Star Varnir could have been a stronger entry for the developer, if they had played to the strengths of the game more, which in my opinion was the great character designs. The inconsistent 2D/3D cutscenes and intermittent voice acting could have given a more immersive feel.

If you enjoyed this review you might be interested in another JRPG title Death End Re;Quest Review. You also check out more reviews in Devil May Cry 5 Review: Ssstylish Perfection, Days Gone Review: A Sapphire In The Rough and your might enjoy another Compile Hear title Death End Re;Quest.

The post Dragon Star Varnir Review appeared first on Fextralife.

Dragon Star Varnir Review published first on https://juanaframi.tumblr.com/

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solariic · 6 years ago

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grabbing ari’s verses from past blogs. they’re on his page now on my blog, but here they are also. we’ve got the inquisitor verse, companion verse, and modern thedas verse.

trigger warning, mentions of rape, child trafficking, sex trafficking, slavery, all the other things that usually come into play with ari. because of that (and it’s long), it’s under a read more.

VERSES

INQUISITOR VERSE

If Aristide is not interacting with an Inquisitor, he is the Inquisitor.

The brother of the Duke insisted Aristide accompany him to the Conclave itself in the effort to appear grand enough to require a butler at all times. On their way to attend the meeting, Aristide heard the sound of malicious intent and rushed to burst in on Corypheus’ dealings with the Divine, resulting in becoming the Inquisitor.

HAVEN

Upon freshly becoming the Herald of Andraste, Aristide is still uncertain of his position. He is paranoid of the Templars in the camp, and hesitates to speak his mind or upset anyone in fear of being rejected as the Herald and later paying for his potentially smart mouth. He still very much occupies the mentality of the slave, occupying servant roles around the village, from putting away laundry to keeping the Chantry clean. Gradually, he becomes accustomed to his position and begins to push people to test how far his leash extends. He will make it more obvious that he is a mage, pushing Templars and reassuring himself that they will not kill him.

SKYHOLD

The destruction of Haven is a turning point for him. Now the Inquisitor of a powerful organization, Aristide is definitely the leader until the death of Corypheus or the death of himself. He flourishes in his new power, relishing in the concept of influence. He judges and leads with grace, mercy, and a firm fist, presenting himself as the patriarch of Thedas. The people of Thedas are his children. He wishes to care for them and keep them safe and peaceful; but like children, if they misbehave, they require firm punishment. Still, he is freshly released from slavery: above all, he rules first how an Orlesian rules, rather than the entirety of his own independent judgment. He knows little of using independent judgment.

DECISIONS

leads for thedosian unity

conscripted templars

Alexius researching magic

If Stroud/Loghain: Leaves Hawke in the Fade and redeems the Wardens under Stroud/Loghain's idealism.

If Alistair: Leaves Alistair in the Fade and exiles the Wardens.

forces orlesian public truce under inquisition control

allied with the sentinels

drank from the well

Promotes Leliana as Divine.

COMPANIONS

helped solas' friend, allowed him to kill the mages

elevated du paraquettes

encouraged cullen not to take lyrium

gave vivienne the wyvern heart

cole made more human

gave dorian the letter

the chargers survived

enlisted blackwall with the wardens

Default party: Dorian, Blackwall, Cole

COMPANION VERSE

If Aristide is interacting with an Inquisitor, he is a mage companion, romanceable for anyone. This is also available on request.

The brother of Duke le Tellier requested an entourage to assist him on his journey to attend the meeting at the Conclave as a lesser noble, in the hopes of appearing grand enough to warrant political importance. Humoring his little brother, the Duke loaned him Aristide’s company in the hopes that he might teach his brother a few manners and tips about how to play The Game. The brother died in attendance at the Conclave, leaving Aristide with a choice. He could return to Orlais with the rest of the entourage to report the news, or he could run, letting his serving family assume his death. He chose the latter. In the attempt to find his first choice of belonging, he joined the Inquisition’s efforts first as a minor assistant to Josephine, then as a companion to the Inquisitor upon invitation.

As a companion, he can bring a slight discount to goods purchased in Val Royeaux, as well as a beginning bonus in court approval at the Winter Palace. He approves of clever strategies, direct positions, and fair dealings, as well as firm punishments for those who deserve it. He disapproves of rash, thoughtless actions and cruel or loose punishments. He can occasionally be used in conversation to persuade someone through charm.

For his companion quest, Josephine will inform the Inquisitor of a letter received from the Orlesian noble House le Tellier, an influential trade family in northern Orlais. They request a meeting with the Inquisitor to discuss negotiations of financial support for the Inquisition. If the Inquisitor agrees, the Duke and Duchess le Tellier will come to Skyhold. They quickly see Aristide and immediately become enraged. They will demand the Inquisitor return Aristide to their possession if they wish to do further business, hinting as a sizeable monetary donation if they agree. Aristide will plead with the Inquisitor to refuse the offer.

If the Inquisitor accepts the offer, they gain a down payment of five thousand sovereigns and Aristide will return to with the Duke and Duchess. The Inquisitor will later receive a war table mission: Leliana's spies inform her that Aristide made it as far as the Exalted Plains before killing the Duke and the Duchess himself and disappearing. She explains that he may plan to assassinate the Inquisitor in revenge. The Inquisitor may use Josephine to placate Aristide through the offer of a small amount of land and money; Leliana to silently track him down and kill him before he can perform the assassination; Cullen to send troops to storm through the Exalted Plains in search for him to kill him (this option may bring strains for the Dalish clan in the Plains).

If the Inquisitor refuses the offer, the Duke and Duchess le Tellier will exclaim their insult and leave, warning the Inquisitor of the vicious rumors they will spread back in Orlais. Aristide is extremely grateful and begins a dialogue in which he expresses his perplexity at freedom. The Inquisitor can make two choices: They can tell Aristide that he is now in their service and that he will work to repay the debt the Duke and Duchess would have given them in reward. If this option is chosen, the Inquisitor can use Aristide in occasional dialogues to sleep with an individual for the sake of persuasion. He will also relocate into the Inquisitor's chambers, living in the small room behind the bed as a live-in servant. The Inquisitor will experience various forms of unexplanable misfortune, and Aristide's dialogues will all be backhanded insults masked as compliments, and he will claim his innocence in favor of the compliments if confronted. Alternatively, the Inquisitor can encourage Aristide's freedom, and he will act much stronger, witty, and verbose in future dialogues. He will have greater success in persuasion tactics and the Inquisition will gain regional influence within the Orlesian border at a larger rate. This response opens the possibility for a romantic relationship with him. Regardless of the Inquisitor's response, there will be a war table mission explaining the sprout of rumors against the Inquisition coming from northern Orlais. Cullen will not participate, but Josephine can discount the Duke and Duchess le Tellier into discredibility, or Leliana can silence the rumors -- and the Duke and Duchess, informally.

MODERN THEDAS VERSE

The House of le Tellier is an acclaimed society for orphaned or abandoned children; the unwanted urchins of society. Through entirely private donations, le Tellier takes in the rabble and tarnishes them into gems. Few have truly seen beyond its iron wrought gates, save for those who live within its walls. Inside, children live, learn, and love. They stay until adulthood and are schooled by private tutors. However, the actual events within the society are kept a secret. Children are taught to serve the elite population, whether as staff or - other occupation. In secret, a few select children are taught the trade of seduction -- known as Petite Beautés. In their youth, Beautés are sold to a silent clientele with unique and high-paying tastes, dishing out coin for discretion.

Aristide, the sole survivor of the murder of his clan, came to the House of le Tellier as a boy and was raised as a diamond within its walls, quickly gaining the position as one of the Petite Beautés. This job seemed to be one of his greatest skills that he nurtured -- or was forced to nurture -- during his time at le Tellier. Upon graduation from the House, Beautés are intended to teach at the House or to become private escorts of the individuals they serviced as children. Weeks before his intended graduation, Aristide and several other Beautés came under the harsh fire of a rejected client, enraged that he had been refused by the House's services. While the majority of the others were killed and a few others taken by the client, Aristide managed to escape. Presumed dead or kidnapped (for the House could hardly pursue the client in fear of the crime of children trafficking tracing back to their academy), Aristide was free. He called upon the blackmailed favors of his past clients to gain protection and funding. Through this support, he established himself in a major city in a posh flat. He continues to sell his services in a variety of sex work, ranging from sex work to escort services to pornographic entertainment. He gains prestige among the alternative art community for his erotica, and he pursues erotic modeling and photography.

#* ｡✧ ━ ⦅ out of character. ⦆

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anamuseinglife · 6 years ago

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Iditapod: Zirkle first to halfway. Plus: injuries, wildlife, and litter names.

Ed Hopkins: He thought he did a lot of rough and rowdy things in his day, and I was thinking about it as I was bouncing through the burn, thinking, well, Richie ain’t seen nothing yet

[theme music plays]

Casey Grove: Welcome to the Iditapod, it’s a podcast about laughing in the face of danger all the way down the Iditarod trail. We cover the race as well. The Iditapod is a production of Alaska Public Media and KNOM radio in Nome. I’m your host, Casey Grove, and before we have too much fun here, how about a word from our sponsor.

[ad plays]

CG: Yes, that was Ed Hopkins from Canada’s Yukon Territory off the top there, he has a great laugh. And, a great mustache. We’re gonna hear more from him later about temperatures warmer than he’s used to, and animal encounters on the trail, which he is familiar. But first, this race is shaping up. It’s Thursday, and Aliy Zirkle has taken the lead after pushing past other mushers who are resting in Takotna and Ophir, onto the old mining town checkpoint of Iditarod. It’s actually a ghost town, nobody lives there. Aliy says she’s never spent her 24 hour layover there, and she wins the Dorothy G. Page award, $3,000 in gold nuggets for being the first to Iditarod. I think they offered her a gold iPhone, the newest one, either that or the $3,000 in gold nuggets, I’m guessing she took the nuggets but I guess we will find out later. Anyways, Aliy’s SP Kennel team, all 14 dogs, pulled into the checkpoint around 1:15 am Thursday morning, starting their 24 hour rest in the lead. That’s going to change some time today though, I would expect, Zirkle’s competition started to come off of their mandatory 24 hour rests already. In Takotna, where our trail reporter Zachariah Hughes was at the time, defending champion Joar Leifseth Ulsom pulled out a couple minutes before 8pm Wednesday night, with 13 dogs.

Unidentified Woman: You can leave anytime.

Joar Leifseth Ulsom: Alright. Thank you guys for all the help

CG: And a wave of front pack mushers followed Ulsom in the hours after. Not far ahead, a group of another group that had pushed onto the Ophir checkpoint, that includes Girdwoods�� Nicolas Petit, they also began making that 80 mile leg to Iditarod. That run has appeared to be a slog. Zirkle and Martin Buser spent much of the day pushing to get there before declaring their 24s. Zirkle’s average moving pace was a little slow, as was Buser’s, and that suggests that the trail was challenging and slow. I saw a video of Buser going through Takotna and there was light snow falling, and that can lead to a little slower going on the trail. What’s more, it’s been warm around the three Yukon River communities that mushers will hit after Iditarod. Race judge and past Iditarod finisher Karin Hendrickson says that caused some drop bags in Shageluk to thaw.

Karin Hendrickson: So, that can affect the meat. Um, and we just let the know in case they want to change up their plans a bit, or maybe haul some extra meat out of Iditarod, just trying to adapt and have the information that they need.

CG: The trail between Iditarod and Shageluk is slow and hilly, meaning any extra supplies that the mushers pack under their sleds will weigh them down even more. It’s not uncommon for drop bags to thaw, but it increases the risk that a team could get spoiled meat. Nobody wants that. Mushers who plan to take their mandatory 8 hour rest in Shageluk, might push 20 miles upriver to the checkpoint in Anvik to avoid that. Back up the trail, a lot of Iditarod mushers opted to take their 24 in Takotna, known for its pies. That pause, for a full 24 hours, it allows some of the stories from the trail to trickle out. Whether, as we’re going to hear from Alaska Public Media’s Zachariah Hughes, their stories about animal encounters, sled malfunctions, or late night injuries.

Zachariah Hughes: Between here and the run from Nikolai, Richie Diehl got… walloped.

Richie Diehl: I was looking off the side of the trail, like a 45 to the trail, out of the corner of my eye I noticed a little reflection off the side of my eye, I turned my head there was a tree with a reflector on it. It hit me. I flew off the sled, and um, next thing I knew I was on a desperate chasing the sled down, and I dove and caught the sled, and then suddenly I was standing the middle of the dogs and they were all staring at me, and there was blood everywhere. I initially thought I had knocked out all my front teeth.

ZH: Once back on his sled runners, he could tell it was a serious wound, and he cleaned it with toilet paper and wet wipes as he continued on. In Nikolai that morning, folks brought him to the clinic for butterfly stitches. But it’s not throwing much of a kink into Diehl’s race. He can see fine, is taking care of the wound, and plans to continue on as normal at a competitive pace. Not far from his team, is Ed Hopkins, technically an Iditarod rookie, but a seasoned veteran of the Yukon Quest.

Ed Hopkins: I underestimated, I thought I had it figured out, but obviously I didn’t do enough homework.

ZH: Hopkins says it’s the midday heat, timing runs to avoid it, that’s the biggest curveball for his team and race strategy.

EH: I mean, I know how to run in really cold weather and things like that, and I’m doing it for a long time you know, but this is new to me.

ZH: The other major hiccup was the state of the Buffalo Tunnels, a rough ride over tussocks and frozen soil, with barely any snow to cover the bumps. Hopkins didn’t see the bison in the area, just massive signs that they’d been around. Moose, however, he did see. And, so did Jeff King.

Jeff King: You know, I’ve lived in Alaska 40 years, and I still get that close to a moose, and some of them, you just can’t help but be like oh my god, it’s just like a dinosaur, it’s so huge! And these both were just enormous! I mean, good LORD they’re huge. Like a clydesdale horse!

ZH: King had two separate encounters, but made it out of both unscathed. Not without excitement though.

JK: He thought we were chasing them and we ran, I saw his hackles go up, and he’s like okay I’m in for a fight. And I, I encouraged the dogs to go fast, because it was clear he thought we were chasing him, and so the moose is thinking ‘you’re chasing me’ and I really wanted to outrun him. And it wasn’t until we kind of got in front of him, we were winning the sprint.

ZH: As King is talking, he’s swapping out the runner plastic on his sled. He’s mounting wide, white strips, about the width of a palm, that will hopefully help him stay floating on top of the new, fresh snow during the upcoming sections of trail. A bit like replacing normal cross-country skis with wide, backcountry ones. Though, the trail was hard and fast for early stretches of the race heading up into the Alaska Range, it’s slowed down in the last day on the way into the interior. It’s not clear how much of a role the good trail conditions are playing in one novel element of this years race. As of Wednesday afternoon, only one musher had scratched: Shaynee Traska, in Nikolai. Bruce Lee works for the Iditarod Insider, and is a race veteran, and he says he doesn’t recall a single race with just a single scratch this far into competition.

Bruce Lee: Which speaks pretty highly to the caliber of dogs people are raising now, and the knowledge that previous mushers have passed on to rookies about feeding, and equipment. That’s a pretty successful race to get here and not have a scratch.

ZH: Competitors this year are also more closely bunched together than in prior years, but after front of the pack mushers come off their 24 hour rests, the race starts to speed up. In Takotna, I’m Zachariah Hughes.

Casey Grove: Well, we’ve heard from Ed Hopkins a couple times now, and we will have head thrice now to answer today’s listener question. That comes to us from Ed’s homeland, that’s Canada, but a little further south than his and Michelle Phillips Taggish Lake kennel is located.

Lisa Hale: Hi Iditapod crew, this is Lisa Hale in Vancouver. Like many people, I’ve been brought into the mushing world by Blair Braverman and her Ugly Dogs. My question is this: I’ve heard that moose are really dangerous and can even attack sled dogs. What strategies do mushers use if they run into a moose on the trail? Thanks a lot!

CG: Thanks for the great question Lisa, and for the shoutout to all the fans of the Ugly Dogs and Blair Braverman listening to the Iditapod, we appreciate y’all coming along with us. We posted an interview with Quince Mountain from Skwentna, recorded on Wednesday. He is out there, on the trail, struggling with a snow machine but it sounds like they got some things sorted out. So, this question about animal encounters along the trail - it’s something that comes up not only just when the mushers are training, but also during the Iditarod, pretty regularly. Last year, there was a story about Marcelle Fressineau chasing a bison off the trail with her axe, or at least wielding an axe to protect herself as needed. And, you know, they see moose out there and other animals, and this is where Ed is going to come back in. Zach asked Ed about this very question.

Zachariah Hughes: I mean, out where you guys are, in Taggish, do you see moose on the trail ever?

Ed Hopkins: Yeah, moose and lots of caribou.

ZH: For a moose or a caribou, with a team like yours, do you just let them pass and hope that the dogs quiet down? Or do you try and get out in front of it and scare it off?

EH: Well, the caribou are different because they can just run through the trees and they’ll run out on the trail in front of you or behind you, and your dogs just kind of look but they’ll keep on going straight. But the moose on this side of the border, they seem to be a little bit more aggressive. I’ve had a couple of moose that just cross the trail, but they just stop right there. And I would just, okay, what are you gonna do. Because I’m not stopping. And I would just yell and scream and the dogs would start barking, they all start barking like crazy. And I think that’s what scared them off. You know, if one or two bark, maybe they would come at em, but they all just bellowed at him and he just took right off, both of em.

ZH: That was on this trail? Or was that earlier? EH: That was on this trail, this was going between, after… after the burn, going into Nikolai.

ZH: Big bull moose, or cows?

EH: Eh, like a three year old bull, couple of three year old bulls.

ZH: You seem unfazed by it.

EH: No, I mean, I have bigger bulls that run around my place, I mean, I got some air horns and other kinds of gadgets in here I could have used if I wanted.

Casey Grove: But I guess Ed didn’t need that air horn, thankfully. It’s always an interesting thing to hear about the animal encounters. Something I’ve always been interested in and something you ask the mushers about as a reporter, is sort of this quirky thing about the dog mushing world. That’s when a new litter of puppies is born, often times there will be a theme to the name their given. For example, Nic Petit has dogs from a litter named after champion Iditarod mushers. Libby, for example, is short for Libby Riddles, the first woman to win the race. This is a topic, the naming of different litters and using different themes, that Zach is really delighted by as well. And in Takotna, he recently found his new, favorite examples.

ZH: I like littera names because they’re usually funny and sometimes, kind of self referential and creative. A friend of mine in Nome had a litter named after cuts of beef - so, Ribeye, Flank, and Brisket. Another set of his dogs had weather themed names, like Rainy, Windy, and Flood. It’s a lot more elemental. Rookie Blair Braverman, who’s a writer, has a set of dogs named after famous authors. So, Hunter S. Thompson, Gay Talese, and James Baldwin, those are some of the. Another litter she has is named after characters from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a beloved movie and TV series from the 90s. But I have to say, so far, my favorite theme is Matt Failor’s heavy metal litter.

Matt Failor: This is Iron Maiden, this is Pink Floyd, Panterra, Led Zeppelin, and Ronnie James Dio. And, um, those are the heavy metal bands. And then my buddy, Michael Baker, who’s running our two year old/B-team, he has the hair metal, the glam rock. David Bowie, Billy Idol, um -

ZH: Twisted Sister?

MF: Twisted Sister, did you meet them already?

ZH: No, I’m just guessing. Is Whitesnake in there?

MF: We had a Whitesnake, we turned her into a pet dog, she wasn’t really enjoying the thousand mile perspective so she’s a pet dog in Michigan. And then, I can’t think of the other names - oh, Van Halen, Motley Crue. And Bon Jovi. Yeah. Gotta love the 80s.

ZH: The hair metal theme’s cute, kind of kitschy, but I think the idea of naming a bunch of sled dogs after heavy metal bands, like Panterra, is funny.

[“Raining Blood” by Slayer begins playing]

ZH: Because, the style of music, that heavy, sludgy, doomy whole genre, is like the complete opposite of mushing in the middle of wilderness. But, if that’s the excuse you need to yell out things like “GEE Iron Maiden”, or “HAW Twisted Sister”, then I’m for it.

[“Raining Blood” shifts into a banjo cover by Rob Scallon]

Casey Grove: Whooooaaaa! Slayer! That is the song “Raining Blood” off of Slayer’s album “Reign in Blood”, released in 1986. Zach is going out on. I’m going out on the same song, by Rob Scallon, that’s a banjo cover of “Raining Blood”. Our usual theme music is by the band Sassafrass, they were off the top. But that’s not what’s happening today, this is happening today.

[banjo gets louder]

CG: Well, folks, that’s all the time we have today. We will be back tomorrow with another episode of the Iditipod. Until then, happy trails.

[banjo increases in volume]

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