#but ultimately we only did one run that day and scratched our entries for the afternoon + following day

[petrichorpaws]

the process of a noodle

[dialovers-translations]

Diabolik Lovers DARK FATE ー Laito [VAMPIRE ENDING]

ー The scene starts in the hallway at Eden

Yui: ( ...I’ve reached my limit...!! I... )

Laito: Yui-chan...! Hang...in there!

Yui: Laito-kun...Uu...

Laito: I’ll save you right now...!

ーー Kuh, uu...!!

Yui: ( Laito-kun...At this rate...! )

Laito-kun...Just forget about me...and runーー

Laito: I refuse...!

*Rumble rumble*

Yui: Laito-kun!!

Laito: !!

Yui: I’ll be okay so...

Laito: Don’t say that...I will...save you...!

*Rumble rumble*

Yui: ( Laito-kun...!! )

Laito: Come on! Don’t close your eyes, grab my hand...!!

On certain CGs, little black roses will appear on the screen. If you click on them, you get an extra line of dialogue.

“My life has been worth it, simply because I was able to meet you. ...Thank you.”

“Fuck...! These stupid flames...! ...But don’t worry, Bitch-chan. I’ll keep you safe.”

Yui: ...!!

Laito: ...! Thank god...I made it just in time...

*Rustle*

Laito: Ugh...

Yui: Laito-kun, did you hurt yourself...!?

Laito: Fufu...It’s just a scratch...

It’s such a trivial matter, when I consider I could have lost you.

Yui: Laito-kun...

Laito: Even if I have been nothing but a marionette my whole life, my love for you is genuine.

Just like you said.

Even if everything else went exactly according to his plans, there’s at least one thing.

One thing which that guy has no say in. That’s...our feelings.

Yui: Yeah...You’re right.

Laito: I’ve been aimlessly walking around in a thorny forest, and tried to forget about the pain by numbing my own emotions.

However, a cute princess who wandered into that forest...she reminded me.

These feelings she taught me...They are forever.

Yui: Yeah...

Laito: My feelings are the only thing I can say are entirely my own. And what this heart of mine seeks outーー

That is the sole truth in my eyes...

Yui: Yeah...Exactly...You’re right. Laito-kun...

Laito: Cough cough...The fire...! Fuck, they flames have reached this far...

Yui: Ugh...

( Is there no way out...? )

( However, now that our hearts have become one, I feel like we found happiness regardless... )

*Flash*

Yui: ...Eh?

Laito: The door...The door to the Chamber of Time...opened...?

Yui: What is happening?

( It refused to even budge when Laito-kun was screaming at the top of his lungs. )

Karlheinz: ーー You who are fit to be Adam. You have been granted entry.

Now, step forward aiming for Eden.

Laito: ...!?

Yui: Karlheinz-san?

ー They enter the Chamber of Time

Yui: ( This is the Chamber of Time...It’s a very mysterious place... )

( I’m scared, yet strangely calm at the same time... )

Laito: ...

Karlheinz: No need to glare at me like that, Laito.

Laito: I’m not glaring. I just figured there’s something I should tell you beforehand. 

I’m no longer your puppet.

Karlheinz: Hmph.

Laito: I’m not quite sure what you’re setting me up for. However...

I have zero interest in carrying on your intentions.

No matter what those may be.

Karlheinz: I see. That is a shame.

Laito: The fact you don’t seem to feel any regret at all really gets on my nerves. ...Honestly, I can’t believe you...

You knew I would turn out like this, didn’t you?

Karlheinz: ...I wonder?

Laito: You’re being sarcastic, aren’t you. I bet you know what comes next too, don’t you?

Karlheinz: ...

Laito: Your silence proves that I’m right. Why did you let us in here?

Karlheinz: To give my blessings to the anticipated future. 

Laito: Your blessings? 

Karlheinz: You, who has become Adam, allow me to entrust you with this power...

Laito: ...!?

Karlheinz: You have become the first Demon who obtained the truth and learnt to experience human sentiment.

Therefore, I shall grant you my strength. Come on, accept it.

You will need these powers.

Laito: ...No thank you.

Yui: ...?

Laito: If you want to see me die from sheer self-hatred after accepting those powers, then go ahead and force them upon me.

Karlheinz: ...

Laito: I don’t care what you think. I’m free nowーー

Karlheinz: I see.

Laito: Goodbye.

Karlheinz: ...

ー The scene shifts back to the hallway

Yui: Laito-kun, are you sure you did the right thing?

Laito: Nfu~ I did. I don’t want those powers at all.

Come on, let’s go. Let’s leave Eden together.

Yui: ...Yeah...

Laito: I’m sure many trials will wait ahead of Adam and Eve after they’ve left Eden.

But you’ll come with me, right?

Yui: Yeah, of course!

ー The scene shifts back to the Chamber of Time

Karlheinz: ーー Good grief.

Socrates: Despite sighing, you seem happy somehow.

How does it feel to play the part of the ultimate villain?

Karlheinz: What happens to me is of no concern. As long as I consider that this will aid in the birth of a new humankind. 

Regardless of the circumstances, I have lost this fight.

Socrates: I think you are the only person I know who could rejoice in a loss, my friend.

Karlheinz: ーー Let us put the match on hold for a while.

Socrates: Very well.

Monologue

Surrounded by a sea of flames,

the two of us fled Eden hand-in-hand.

Amidst the scorching fire blocking our path,

Laito-kun somehow seemed happy.

At last...

We might just have obtained,

the freedom we’ve always wished for.

*TIMESKIP*

Monologue

In the end, it turned out that the one who set fire to Eden back then,

had been Shin-kun.

Afterwards, this escalated into an all-out war,

between the two Founders and the other demonic races.

The Sakamaki and Mukami brothers quickly became involved in this conflict,

with every day being just as busy as the last.

However, Laito-kun is the only one...

who insists that the war is none of his business.

He seemed to be enjoying his new freedom of mind to the fullest.

Perhaps they had realized this, 

but despite the many complaints from his brothers, none of them opposed his behavior.

I believe this might have been his brothers’ way,

to show that they actually do care about Laito-kun.

ー The scene shifts to the forest

Laito: ーー Phew. Now we just have to put a stone on top. ...There.

*Thud*

Yui: Done?

Laito: Nfu~ It’s complete. Come on, this way. I want you to be the first person I show this to.

*Rustle*

Laito: What do you think?

Yui: ーー I think it’s great. I’m sure Cordelia is very happy as well.

Laito: Fufu, I’m not so sure about that?

Yui: I’m positive.

Laito: When you say that, I’m tempted to believe it.

Yui: ( Cordelia’s grave. I was very shocked when Laito-kun suddenly said he would make her one. )

( This shows that Laito-kun was finally able to make peace with his past and move on, right? )

Laito: ...

Yui: I wonder if she’ll be able to rest in peace now?

Laito: Well, I doubt it.

Yui: Really...?

Laito: I mean, she was quite the fierce personality after all. The word ‘peaceful’ just doesn’t apply to her.

ーー However, now I’ve come to realize that this might have been what made her pain twice as bad.

Of course, I suffered too, and was hurt in many ways. However, by doing so...Sheーー

When I consider that she did those things, hoping that perhaps it would make Karlheinz finally look her way...

She suddenly seems so miserable..pitiful, and so very pathetic...

Yet incredibly sorrowfulーー

Yui: Laito-kun...

Laito: Her ways were wrong. However, that was a fate none of us could have escaped.

As a result, I was hurt. However, this is also what allowed me to eventually meet you.

Because I have had to bear many struggles (1), there was a truth to be discovered at the end of it all, don’t you think?

Yui: Yeah, I’m sure.

Laito: ...

Yui: ...

*Rustle*

Laito: ...

Yui: Um...Are you sure you don’t want to stay longer?

Laito: Yeah.

Yui: ーー Even though you’re crying?

Laito: Nfu~ These are happy tears because I’m thinking of our future together.

Yui: You’re joking around...even right now?

Laito: I’m not joking. How cruel.

...Come on, let’s go.

Yui: Yeah...

Laito: ーー See you. Mother.

Yui: !!

( Laito-kun referred to Cordelia as ‘Mother’ for the first time ever... )

( ...I’m glad. )

( With this...Laito-kun’s heart has truly been set free. )

ーー Where are we headed next?

Laito: Nfu~ I guess we should return to the human world for now? I’m pretty sure we’ll get involved in some annoying conflict if we stay here.

Yui: You haven’t made any concrete plans yet?

Laito: No. Not really. Disappointed?

Yui: No, Iーー

Laito: ‘ーーI will go anywhere as long as we’re together!’, right?

Yui: ...!!

Laito: Ah, I was right? I figured so. Well then, let’s depart to our lovely castle in the human worldー!

Yui: A castle in the human world...?

Laito: Nfu~ A wonderful place~ You’ve got nothing to worry about if you just leave everything to me.

Yui: ( That sounds a little fishy coming from him but oh well. )

( I also like that side of him after all. )

Laito: Ahー I’m so excited. Let’s do all things we’ve missed out on so far...Like ‘this’ and ‘that’~

Yui: What are you thinking of?

Laito: Eeh~? You’re curious? Sure, I don’t mind telling you...

Yui: N-No, nevermind, I don’t want to hear...!

Laito: Nfufu~ Oh come on, don’t say that. My precious Princess Bitch~!

Yui: Don’t call me that...!

Laito: Eeh~? Let me think? I can’t help myself when you protest like that though?

Yui: Laito-kun...Please...!

Laito: Nfu~ Then, ‘cutie’~

Yui: T-That’s kind of embarrassing too because I’m not used to you calling me that...

Laito: Eeh? Really? Then, ‘Bitch-chan’?

Yui: Yeah, that’s fiーー Wait.

That one’s getting a no too!

Laito: Fufufu~ I can’t believe you want to be called ‘Bitch-chan’. Honestly, you’re just so...Nfu~ 

ーー Very cute!

Yui: ...!!

( Laito-kun’s this happy yet he can still be himself. )

( That...makes me happier than anything else. )

( Since you remain by my side to this day, we can both vow our love for each other. )

( Now, until foreverーー )

ーー THE END ーー

Translation notes

(1) He continues to use the ‘thorns’ metaphor here, saying that he walked a path full of thorns. 

[fanmoose12]

Partners

Characters: Petra Ral, Levi, Hanji Zoe x Levi Genre: Action / Mystery / Romance Rating: T

Detective!au

Summary: when Petra was promoted to a detective and partnered up with legendary Levi Ackerman, she felt like the happiest person in the world.

But, as she soon found out, detective Ackerman she used to admire so much was actually a far cry from the ideal policeman Petra thought he was. He was rude, harsh and easily annoyed. And, in addition, he still hadn’t moved on from the death of his previous partner - detective Hange Zoe.

Chapter 11/?

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Сhapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Сhapter 7

Сhapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

With every word from Levi's mouth, Erwin's face grew darker and darker.

"Fuck." He declared, as soon as Levi had finished. "Fuck," he repeated, rubbing his temples. He took a deep, heavy sigh, and when he blinked, the tense expression was miraculously gone, the usual look, full of determination and conviction, taking its place.

"So no sign of forced entry?” he asked, calm and collected and completely devoid of the previous frustration. “No sign of struggle? And no sign of Petra?"

"Yes, sir." Oluo confirmed with a frantic nod, which reminded Levi of a stupid toy dog Hange once put in his car.

Had the matter at hand been at least a little less grave, perhaps, he’d even crake a smile at the comparison. Hange definitely would have. Alas…

“And do we know who’s behind it?”

“No,” Levi replied. “Hange suspects one of Zeke’s man, but she also thinks some third party is involved.”

Erwin accepted his answer, slowly scratching his chin. “And where is Hange herself?"

“She went to talk to Zeke to ask if he knows something, and…" Levi faltered, not sure if he should share this information with Erwin. Hange was sure that Zeke was innocent, and Levi never doubted her, but…

"And?" Erwin prompted.

Fuck it, Levi decided. Perhaps, Erwin’s unbiased opinion was exactly what they needed.

"Oluo found Zeke's cigarette pack inside the apartment," he said, throwing it on Erwin's desk.

"It's not his," there wasn’t even a hint of doubt in his voice. Erwin didn’t even glance twice at the evidence presented to him. "Zeke would never be so careless. Someone's trying to sabotage him, and they are not very good at it."

“So you think it’s someone else?”

“Naturally.”

Erwin’s confidence eased a portion of his worries. If he and Hange were of the same mind, then it must be the truth. At least, he didn’t let Hange meet up with a potential culprit all by herself. Not that it gradually quelled his concern, but it was something…

“Zeke Yeager…” Oluo mumbled, biting his thumb. “Yeager, Yeager… I heard this name somewhere…”

“Huh?” Levi raised an eyebrow, looking quizzically at him.

“Yeager!” he exclaimed, his eyes lightening up. “Of course! Yes, now it came back to me!”

“What came back?” Levi demanded, glaring at Oluo in annoyance. God, how he hated being kept in the dark…

Oluo didn’t respond, irritating Levi even more. Instead he reached Erwin’s desk in two short strides, pushing him aside. “May I, sir?”

“Be my guest,” Erwin made a welcoming gesture, pulling his chair back. “If you know something, then…”

“Could be just a coincidence,”Oluo muttered, as he opened the database on Erwin’s computer. “But…”

For a long moment nothing happened. The office was silent, except for the sounds of typing on a keyboard, and Oluo’s quiet murmurs.  

Levi shared a look with Erwin. He shrugged helplessly, seeming just as bewildered by Oluo’s actions, as Levi himself felt.

“Aha!” he beamed, finally showing Erwin what he found. “Like I said, could be just a coincidence, but I came across name Yeager before. Here.”

“A family murdered in their own house,” Erwin began reading, his eyes quickly scanning the page. “Wife and husband found dead in their own bedroom by their fourteen year old son, who came back from a sleepover. The identity of a murderer remains unknown.”

“It was the first case I took as I started working,” Oluo confessed, scratching his neck. “That’s why it stuck with me. Don’t know if it has any connections to your Zeke…”

“The father of the family, Grisha Yeager,” Levi read the name from behind Erwin’s shoulder. “Zeke is his son. From the first marriage, but still… Maybe, he was murdered, because someone wanted to get back at Zeke.”

“And now that same someone wants to finish the job,” Erwin agreed. “The culprit was never found after all. It’s a solid theory.”

“Or as solid as we can get for now,” Levi nodded.

"It's different from other cases, though,” Erwin contemplated thoughtfully, his gaze turning distant, as he taped his finger against the desk.

"Other cases?" Oluo shuddered. "Are you talking about recent... Murder cases?" he paled, his lower lip trembled, and Levi started to regret bringing him here. They needed to keep their heads clear. Petra needed them to keep their heads clear. There was no time for worrying and panicking right now.

In Levi’s experience, that attitude could only lead to more tragedy.

"It's obviously different with Petra," Erwin said, his voice going an octave softer. Levi stared at him, almost gawking. Erwin wasn't the man to give empty promises. Either he was that optimistic about this whole ordeal, or... Levi preferred not to think about the other possibility.

"Levi?" Erwin turned to him. "What do you think?"

"I think Oluo is right, Petra was taken by someone close to Zeke. But either it was the same perpetrator from before or someone else, it remains to be unknown," he replied. "And I think we don't have any time to waste."

"Agreed," Erwin clenched his jaw, his brows furrowed. "I'll talk with Pixis and Nile, ask if they know anything or if they have any people they can spare... We need to start the search..."

"Sannes!" Oluo suddenly exclaimed, startling Erwin and Levi. "Sannes, we should check him first! We’ve planted a bug on him just yesterday!"

"Fuck," Levi groaned in frustration, feeling like the biggest and the most useless idiot in the world. He had completely forgotten about it.

"I didn't see him at work today," Erwin noted. "Perhaps, it's worth checking it out. Take care of it, Levi."

"Will do," he nodded. "Permission to go?"

"Report to me once you find anything," Erwin stood up. "I'll go to Pixis and Nile."

Levi nodded again, and left the office, his steps swift and heavy.

 ***

"Could it be our lead?" Oluo asked.

They've listened through every conversation that Sannes had that day and the day before. And only one of them, the one where he had agreed to a meeting with an unknown man, had raised Levi's suspicion.

"Not sure if we can call it a lead," he mumbled, biting his lip. There was no word about Petra and no mention of the actual location, but it was something they could work with. It was a starting point, at the very least. Much better than nothing. "But it's definitely a clue. Come on, we need to continue our investigation."

"Meaning..."

"Meaning we're going to break into Sannes' office and see if we can find something inside. Don't worry," he clasped Oluo's shoulder with just a little too much force. Oluo coughed, almost doubling over under Levi’s hard hand. "Nothing you hadn't done before."

  ***

“Zeke is a fool,” the man sneered, his voice full of disgust. “He’s not the man he was before. Ever since he took in that Zoe, he made mistake after mistake. It’s time to put an end to this. It’s time for someone else to take over his legacy. Our gang needs a new leader. Someone, who has as much potential as Zeke, but who doesn’t yet possess any of his flaws. Someone, who is cunning and ruthless. There is only one man who can do this," he finished, and even from afar Petra could see a shine of adoration in his eyes.

Sannes scoffed, rolling his eyes, not moved by the passionate speech at all. "And who is that?"

"No one can achieve the greatness Zeke once possessed. Except," the man smiled, and the sight of it made shivers run down Petra's spine.

"His own brother."

"You've gone mad," Sannes rolled his eyes, still unconvinced. "You've lost it completely, and now you want to drag me down with you. I refuse. Good luck getting arrested, but I’m out of here.”

“You’ll regret this, Sannes,” the man promised, his eyes flashing. “You’ll come begging for us to take you back in no time.”

“I really doubt that, boy,” Sannes sneered, his face showing nothing but disgust. “And if you’re going to actually proceed with your plan, then be ready to meet Ackerman. Believe me, it won’t be a pleasing experience. See you in prison,” he finished, and left, throwing the door shut.

As soon as Sannes had stormed out, the man with an eerie smile turned around to face her.

Instantly, Petra closed her eyes and lowered her head, but the man simply laughed.

"There is no need to pretend," he spoke, shortening the distance between them. "I know you've been awake for quite some time, detective Ral."

She looked up then, saying nothing and glaring at him beneath her bangs. Just the sight of that man left her breathless, her heart beating so loudly she could hear it in her ears, but she wouldn’t show him her fear. She was better than this. He may have had an ultimate upper hand over her, but she would never give him the satisfaction of seeing her tremble.

"I think we've started off on a wrong foot," the man smiled, the shadow of a lightbulb above him making him look even creepier. "I haven't even introduced myself. I'm Floch, nice to meet you!"

With the same crazy smile on his lips, he reached out and patted her shoulder. Petra winced, unable to move away from the undesired touch.

"What do you want from me?" she hissed, trying to hide the shaking in her voice. As discreetly as possible, she tried to loosen her restraints. In movies she watched with Erd, Gunter and Oluo, heroes always freed themselves so easily, the ropes being nothing more than a nuisance. But in reality, they didn't bulge an inch. Petra searched through her mind, trying to remember what characters from those movies did. Wiggle out of the restrains? Broke their wrists? Or was it applicable only for the handcuffs? Shit. She should have watched more movies like this, instead of melodramas and rom-coms. Shifting her attention back to the present, she stared up at her captor, still glaring at him defiantly.

"What do I want from you? The same thing I wanted from the others."

The same thing he wanted from the others? But the others were... dead. Petra suppressed a shiver.

"It's nothing personal, really,” he continued in the same careless manner. “All I need from you is to motivate your partner."

"Levi?" Petra gasped. "What it has to do with him?"

To her surprise, the man shrugged. "Nothing, really. In a way," he swept his hand across the room. "He's just a victim of circumstances. He's one of the best detectives in this city and he has a personal connection with Zeke. It'd be a shame not to use him."

"But why do you need him?" she pulled on the ropes, leaning closer towards the man and looking deep inside his eyes, trying to see right through him, trying to understand him. "Why can't you just kill Zeke and be done with it?"

The man tutted, shaking his head. "That's not what I—" there it was, that same pleased, creepy smile. "What we want to do. Taking Zeke's life would be too easy. We want to destroy it. But unfortunately," he continued in a voice of badly feigned sympathy. "You're not the main event here."

"Not the main event?" Petra echoed, confused. If it wasn't her, then....

"Not sure if you've met...” his eyes lightened up with something dark and dangerous. The smile on his face grew wider, more sinister. “But surely you've heard of one Hange Zoe?"

"Hah," a short chuckle escaped her lips. Very soon it turned into a full blown laughter. Petra would have clenched her sides if she wasn't tied up, she would have doubled over, hands on her knees and chest heaving, overcome with a sudden feat of giggles.

"What are you laughing at?" Floch inquired, the smile disappearing under a frown.

"You, of course," Petra answered, still breathless. "You're a bigger fool than I thought. To think that you can take on Hange Zoe..." of course, he had already gotten her, but Floch had taken her by surprise and she wasn't nearly as experienced and skilled as Hange. And even if they do somehow catch Hange... "Levi would never let you even get close to her. More than that," Petra raised her chin, a confident smirk pulling on her lips. "I'm sure he'll show up here so very soon. He'll save me and ruin your stupid plan. Then you'll be rotting in jail alongside your Zeke."

"We'll see about that," Floch promised through gritted teeth. "Wait a couple of hours, detective, and we'll see if your optimism would remain just as strong."

He gave her a furious look and then did a sharp turn, heading to the door.

“Enjoy your last hours. I’ll come to check up on you later.”

With that he had left, and Petra finally managed to breathe normally.

*** "Weren't you supposed to be good at this?" Levi dryly inquired. With a bored expression on his face, he was leaning against the wall, watching Oluo fiddle with a lock on the door to Sannes' office.

"I never said I was," Oluo grunted, wiping sweat from his forehead. His head darted from one side to other, checking if the hallway remained empty. "It's my first time breaking into someone's office, you know."

"Eh?" Levi frowned, confused. "Then how did you and Petra get in the other day?"

"I stole a key," Oluo huffed.

Levi rolled his eyes, pushing Oluo aside. "Let me handle it then. You go and stand on a lookout."

Oluo didn't need to be asked twice. He got his fair share of bullying from Levi today. With an annoyed but very quiet - he wasn’t so thrilled about receiving even more insults - sigh, he rose to his feet, going to do what Levi had requested of him. He didn’t even reach the end of a hallway, and Levi was calling out to him.

"Already?" his eyebrows went up. "You broke the lock so quickly? How?"

"Well," Levi shrugged and pushed the door open, sporting an almost smug expression. "Let's just say I wasn't always a law-abiding policeman."

"So cool..." Oluo whispered in reverence, as he followed Levi inside the office.

In Oluo's humble opinion and in comparison to a small cubicle he shared with Erd, Sannes' office was huge. A large desk, a wide bookshelf that took up most of the wall, a leather couch and a mini-fridge with a coffee machine and a microwave oven? If affiliating yourself with criminals meant you can have a workplace like this... Oluo wasn't that opposed to the idea anymore.

But they took Petra, he reminded himself. They were the bad guys, even if they were much richer and more successful than he could ever be. They certainly didn’t deserve any of it. And his job was to catch them. 

"So what should be our starting point?" he asked Levi.

"You could start with telling me what the fuck you are doing inside my damn office."

With heart in his throat, Oluo whirled around. As his eyes met Sannes' dark and furious ones, Oluo gulped, slowly taking a step back.

He chanced a glance at Levi and was surprised to see that he didn't look as scared and panicked as Oluo himself felt.

Quite the contrary.

"Sannes." he snarled.

With wide eyes and mouth open in shock, Oluo watched how Levi manhandled Sannes, a man, who was almost twice his size. He pushed him to the wall, fisting hands into his shirt.

"Where is Petra, you scumbag?" he hissed into his face. "Where are you holding her?"

“Let go of me, you freak!” Sannes shouted. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”

“Oh, but you do,” Levi’s voice dropped even lower, almost resembling a growl. “You know about everything – Zeke’s dealings, Petra’s kidnapping, Hange’s survival,” he pulled Sannes even closer. “So I repeat my question – where are you holding her?”

"I don't know!" Sannes wheezed out, already out of breath.

"Bullshit," Levi answered, his voice so dark and dangerous it made shivers run down Oluo's back. And he wasn’t the one Levi was talking to. He really didn’t envy Sannes right now. "You know it, and if you're not a complete idiot, you're going to tell me everything right fucking now."

Sannes looked down at him, his gaze calculating.  "If I tell you, do you promise not to reveal my connection with Zeke?"

"No,” Levi answered coolly, shaking Sannes once more. “But you're going to tell me anyway."

Sannes closed his eyes, breathing deeply through his nose. "Fine,” he said. “I'll tell you everything. Just let me go."

"Smart choice," Levi murmured and instantly took a step back.

Sannes sighed, running a shaky hand through his hair. "He's keeping her at the docks,” he mumbled, his face aimed at the ground. “I'll send you the exact location."

"Good," Levi nodded, much calmer now. "And after you do that, go straight to Erwin. If I were you, I wouldn't make him wait. Perhaps, he'd be more merciful then. Although,” he added, sending Sannes one last glare. “I doubt he actually would."

Levi turned on his heels then, walking out of the office. Oluo stayed behind for a second longer, a pressing need to ask Sannes a question arising in him.

"Petra?" his voice broke on her name, but Oluo willed himself to stand strong, looking up at Sannes without an ounce of fear. "Is she alright?"

"Dragged and unconscious," Sannes replied, rubbing the spot where Levi had grabbed him. "But she's unharmed. For now."

For now. Those two words made his knees buckle. They needed to hurry. Petra's life was on the line.

***

With sweat dripping down her face and completely out of breath, Hange finally reached Zeke's hideout.

Panting like a chain-smoker and with her leg muscles burning, she climbed all four sets of stairs, cursing Zeke all the while. Why couldn't he put his office on the first floor? Or next to a police precinct? Would have made her life so much easier.

As expected, Zeke was inside his meeting room, smoking. The fat rings of smoke were flowing around the room, flying just below the ceiling before dissipating into nothingness. Hange narrowed her eyes, squinting at the cigarette in his fingers. Could the cigarette from Petra’s apartment really belong to him? Perhaps, they should have run some tests on it… No, Hange shook her head. Zeke was innocent - at least, in that regard.

She looked around the room, nodding at Pieck and Porco, who, as usual, were sitting next to their boss.

"Ah, my dear Hange!" sweeping the ash from his cigarette, Zeke raised his hands, opening them in a welcoming gesture. "What brings you here? Already missed us?" he winked and Hange scoffed.

"Missed your ugly face?” she rolled her eyes. “Not in a million years."

Zeke shook his head, his gaze filling with disappointment. "Detective Ackerman has a terrible influence on your sense of humor," he complained, his expression turning sourer.

"Whatever," Hange fell down on a chair next to him. "I came to ask you for help. Petra is missing."

"Petra?" Zeke frowned, looking genuinely confused. The lost look inside his eyes cemented Hange's conclusion that he wasn't the one involved in her kidnapping. Zeke was sleazy and unreliable, but he was also a very bad liar. Well, that meant they managed to rule out one possible suspect…

"Yes, Petra. Levi's partner."

"Ah, he found a new one already?" Zeke spread his lips into a wide, self-contained smirk. "Not very loyal, is he?"

More loyal than you will ever be, Hange wanted to say, but stopped herself. Now was not the time to start a pointless squabble.

"Do you know something or not?" she demanded from him.

"I don't," Zeke answered, putting a cigarette to his lips and exhaling the smoke right in Hange's face. He knew how much she hated it, asshole. She waved the smoke away, scowling fiercely. "But I do know one thing," he turned to Porco. "The time has come, start packing."

Without asking for clarification, Porco nodded, thrusted hands into the pockets of his leather jacket and hurriedly left.

Hange watched him go, stunned. Was Zeke planning something? What could it be? Why didn’t she know about it?

There was only one way to find out. She surveyed Zeke’s face carefully, trying to see his motives reflected there.

"Packing? To where? What the hell are you talking about, Zeke?"

"Don't worry about our destination," he patted her hand, looking so condensing Hange had to clench her fists to stop herself from punching the bastard. "You're going with us after all."

"Like hell I will!" Hange threw his hands off, glaring at Zeke. "And you can’t seriously expect me to follow you. What does all of it mean?"

Zeke shrugged, lightening up another cigarette and taking a long drag. "It's the grand finale, Zoe. The dramatic climax, the thrilling last act. And I was never the one for theatrics. So I'll leave the stage and go on my way."

"You promised to help," Hange grunted. She couldn't believe it, she actually trusted the bastard, and now he tries to escape? She wouldn't let him. "Or did you lie to us?"

"I wasn't lying," Zeke scoffed. "Like I said, I don't enjoy the drama. I simply changed my mind."

"So you won't honor your promise?"

Zeke rolled his eyes. "Zoe, please. I'm a criminal. The word honor was never in my vocabulary."

"Fine," Hange huffed, blowing hair out of her face. The attempt to awaken his consciousness failed. Maybe, she could appeal to his ego instead… "But someone is targeting you. Don't you want to know who it is?"

"Not particularly,” Zeke shook his head. “Since they went through all that trouble just to get me, I'd rather we never meet. Lord knows what they're going to do then, and, unlike you, detective, I know what self-preservation means."

"So that's it? You're just going to leave?"

Hange couldn’t believe it. She knew Zeke was a scumbag, but goddamn it. She didn’t expect him to be that untrustworthy.

"Of course, I’m not going to just leave," Zeke smiled. "I'll take you with me. To make sure that no one is going to follow us."

Hange snorted. "You're that delusional? I told you already, I'd rather die than go anywhere with you."

"Be it as you wish," he said. "Pieck," he lazily outstretched his hand to her. "Make our dear detective cooperate. Do with her what you want, but make sure she won’t get in our way."

Hange turned to Pieck, her heart skipping a beat. She held her breath and tensed her muscles, anticipating her first move. She could take Pieck in a fight, in theory. But in reality, she came unarmed, and Pieck always carried a gun. And a couple of knifes.

And Hange wasn't sure that her wits were much sharper.

There was a bit, the air in the room growing stiff. Hange swallowed, her one eye narrowed, as she watched Pieck. Maybe, if she makes the first move—

"No." Pieck said suddenly.

For a moment, there was silence. Hange sat there, dumbfounded, staring at Pieck and feeling utterly lost. She didn’t mishear? Did Pieck really—

Next to her, Zeke seemed to have the exact same trouble. He blinked a few times and then his expression changed, turning into a look of betrayal and fury.

"What did you just say?" he snarled, baring teeth at her.

"No," Pieck repeated, staring straight at him, not swayed by his outburst. "I won't touch Hange, and you, Zeke, will go with her and surrender to the police."

"What do you think—"

"Stop it, Zeke," Pieck sighed tiredly. "Own up to your shit and stop running away. Do you really not get it? If you do this right now, whether you'll kill Hange or take her with you, this—" she gestured around, her gaze on Zeke hard and disappointed. "This running and hiding will never end. If you touch a hair on her head, detective Ackerman will get you even from underneath the Earth. Accept it, Zeke," she stood up and squeezed his shoulder. "You've lost that battle the moment you started it. You simply picked up the wrong opponents."

With slow, elegant steps Pieck approached Hange and bent down to leave a gentle kiss on her cheek. "Goodbye, Hange," she murmured, tucking a hair behind her ear. "It's been fun."

In spite of herself, Hange smiled. Sarcastic, adorable Pieck always had such an effect on her. "Are you leaving already?" she asked, touching a place where Pieck's lips met her skin.

"Well," Pieck grinned. "Pock had started packing, right?"

"And where are you going?" Zeke wondered, his lips pressed in a line and hands crossed at his chest. He stubbornly refused to even glance at Pieck.

"A secret," she chirped, smiling cheerfully. "But I'll make sure to send a postcard. Hange, I'll send yours to detective Ackerman's address?” she winked, chuckling at the sight of red color on Hange’s cheek. “And, Zeke? You'll be staying at the state prison, right?"

"Oh fuck off, Pieck," he groaned. "Go away already."

Their eyes met for a second, and Zeke's gaze softened ever so slightly. "Try not to get caught, will you?"

"Roger that, chief!" Pieck saluted, kissed Zeke too and then headed to the entrance, gliding on the floor and humming under her breath.

"You two should talk," she advised Hange and Zeke, and then quietly closed the door.

As soon as Pieck was gone, Zeke dropped his head on his hands, sighing in frustration.

"How the fuck do you do it, Zoe?" he sent her a side-glance. "How the fuck do you manage to inspire that kind of loyalty in people?"

Hange shrugged, sitting back in a chair, and curled her lips in a crooked grin. "Try not being a complete jerk, perhaps?"

"Fuck off," he retorted, hiding his face again. "You'll send me to jail, right?"

"R-right," Hange sang. "And before that, you'll help us looking for Petra."

"And if I refuse?"

"Initially, I planned to be the one organizing your arrest. But I can give that honor to Levi..."

Zeke visibly shuddered.

"Fine," he looked up, fixing the glasses on his face and brushing the hair back from his forehead. "I'll help you. Now get the hell out of here."

Hange arched an eyebrow. "You're coming with me, you know that?"

"I'll come," he huffed. "I promise. For real this time," he added, when Hange just kept giving him an unimpressed look. "Just give me half an hour to get all of my possessions in order, would you? I don't know if I'll be coming back after all."

"Half an hour." Hange nodded, looking at him strictly. "If you don't show up in half an hour, I'm sending Levi to get you."

She would have stayed behind and monitored him, but time was of the essence. She promised Levi she'd back in two hours. And the watch was telling her it was almost an hour past that. She needed to get back, and quickly. Hurrying out of the building, Hange rushed to the precinct.

But in her haste to get back to Levi, she didn't see a swift shadow that followed right after her.

***

One way, then the other, back and forth, left and right, Levi paced around the room.  

Seven. That was the amount of steps needed to get from one end of Erwin's office to the other.

Levi glanced out of the window, and then turned around, starting anew. He clenched and unclenched his fists, thinking if he should look at his phone again. Maybe, he missed a message? Didn't hear its ringing? Maybe, she had already replied to a dozen of his texts and calls?

"Levi," a heavy hand fell on his shoulder, making him stop in his tracks. "Levi, we can't wait any longer," again, Erwin's voice was so much gentler than usual, and that alone should have been enough for him to realize that he was being irrational. That, the eyes of a dozen other policemen, gathered in Erwin’s office, who looked at him with a mix of worry and sympathy.

"We have the location," Erwin reminded, bringing him back to present.

"I know."

"We have the team."

"I know."

"We have a plan."

"I know," Levi gritted through teeth. "But we do not have Hange!"

Frustrated, he turned away from Erwin. He took out his phone, holding it tightly.

Why didn't she call? Why didn't pick up the phone and answer his texts? Where the fuck was she? She promised to be back in two hours. Almost three passed and no sign of that messy, four-eyed brilliant weirdo. The knot in his stomach grew tighter with each passing second.

Logically, he knew Hange could be simply running late. She could be stuck in traffic or she could be busy trying to get some kind of useful information out of Zeke. But while Hange was never the one to care about such trite matters as punctuality and she could easily get absentminded and usually appeared to be scatterbrained and frivolous, she was so very different during the times like this. Times, when lives were on the line. Hange never let herself be so unfocused, that’s why Levi was so worried now. He was anxious, and he knew that feeling won't go away until he sets his eyes on Hange, alive, breathing and well. He just got her back, the thought of losing her… Levi cursed, checking the phone again.

"Levi..." Erwin sighed, patting his shoulder. "You know, we can't waste our time."

He knew that. Petra needed their help, needed him. He couldn't let her down, but still...

Hange, oh god, Hange. He couldn’t lose her. Not again.

"Perhaps, detective Zoe isn't going to come back," came a quiet murmur from the corner of the room.

Levi’s head whirled in that direction, and, in a flash, he was beside him. "What did you just say?" he demanded from Oluo, barely stopping himself from grabbing him just as forcefully as he had done with Sannes.  

Oluo swallowed, a trail of sweat rolling down his face, but he stared back at Levi, raising his chin.

"She was working with an enemy for more than two years. Maybe, she was the one who kidnapped Petra."

Levi closed his eyes, counting to ten in his head. He was not going to lose it right now. He was not. Not when Erwin - and a dozen other of his colleagues - were looking at him.

"Bozado," he began as calmly as he was able in that moment. "Do you trust me?"

"Of course, sir!" he answered without a moment of hesitation.

"Good," Levi nodded. "You trust me. And I trust Hange. With my life. And if you are at least half as smart as you're trying to appear, you'll trust her too. If you're not ready to,” his gaze grew harder, enabling Oluo from turning away. “Then get the fuck out of my team. If you doubt Hange, you doubt me, and I can’t work like that, I have to trust my people. So what do you say – are you leaving or staying?"

"I'm... I'm staying with you, sir."

"Alright," Levi watched Oluo’s face for another second, his eyes narrowed. Would he follow his orders without question? It seemed like he would. He hoped so, at least. With a low, thoughtful hum, Levi turned to Erwin. "We can start the operation. Bozado will lead my team."

He pointedly ignored the shocked gasp from Oluo. The boy wasn’t nearly as experienced, wasn’t even a detective, but their mission was to get back Petra. And Levi believed Oluo wouldn’t let himself fuck it all up.

It's obvious he has feelings for her, Hange once told him. She was right that time, but then again – when she wasn’t?

"And you, Levi?" Erwin asked.

"Half an hour," he promised. "Half an hour, and I'll be at the location."

Hange swore to come back to him. This time, Levi won't let her broke that promise.

Closing the door behind himself, he hurried to Zeke. He prayed that Hange was alright. Zeke wouldn’t get out of this alive, if she weren’t.

***

The silence pressed onto her. The silence, the waiting for god knows what - it was all making Petra go slowly insane. She wanted to hear something, any sound would do at this point.

Or so she thought.

But then Floch came back, sauntering inside and still sporting the same deranged grin, and Petra realized that she preferred silence so much more than the low, out of tune humming mixed with the sound of him polishing the various knifes taken from a long table in front of him.

She squirmed, the ropes digging into her skin even more. It would leave bruises, she thought absentmindedly.

Bruises? She chided herself almost immediately. Who would care about bruises if they find her dead? She suppressed another shiver.

They won't find her dead, Petra tried to persuade herself. They won't, because so very soon Levi would be here, and he'll save her. Perhaps, detective Hange would be with him, maybe, Oluo too...

She had friends who cared about her. They won't let her be murdered. She just had to keep believing in them.

"What are you waiting for?" she asked Floch, trying to distract herself from the thousand of horrible what ifs.

Why haven’t you— no, she wouldn’t ask him that. She would remain optimistic.

“You’ll see very soon,” he told her enigmatically. “My friend is almost here.”

His friend? Did he mean Zeke’s brother? The one, who had planned it all? And what would happen, when he comes? Would he—

No, she stopped herself once again. She needed to hold onto that hope. She needed to stay strong.

The sound of footsteps somewhere above her startled Petra. Hearing them too, Floch started chuckling. He turned to Petra, pressing a finger to his lips.

“That’s my friend,” he whispered quietly, as though it was the biggest secret in the world. “And he brought someone with him.”

The next second, the door opened and a man – so young, probably in his early twenties – stumbled in. He was hobbling slightly, his hand pressed to a place just below his hairline. His face was a mess – split lip, bruised eye that already started to turn deep purple, bloodied nose and forehead.

“You didn’t tell me she was a fucking psycho,” he grumbled, glaring daggers at Floch. “I wouldn’t have a chance, if I wasn’t armed.”

“But?” Floch passed him a white cloth to wipe off the blood. “You’ve caught her, right?” his voice was full of hope, and his fingers were trembling in anticipation.

“She’s in my car, dragged out of her mind. Help me get her here.”

“With pleasure,” Floch turned to Petra, winking. “You’ll have company so very soon, detective. I hope you’re excited! I am!”

He didn’t stop to hear her response, following after his friend and leaving her alone once again.

It was possibly her last chance, she realized. Petra desperately pulled on the ropes, trying to get away, but to no avail. She couldn’t move an inch, and it seemed like the more she struggled, the tighter her bindings became.

Not enough time passed, before Floch had returned, dragging a body inside. His friend put the chair, right next to Petra, and Floch dropped the body there.

No, not just some body, Petra realized. Fear crippled inside her, seizing her heart in its merciless hold.

Not just some body, Hange Zoe’s body.

Her head was bowed, but even from where she was sitting, in a poorly lit room, Petra could see blood dripping down her cheek and neck.

So much blood, she thought. She was breathing, albeit faintly. But she wasn’t waking up.

Her heart stopped, as Petra realized another thing – if Hange was there, no one was looking for her. And if no one was looking… then Hange and she… they would most probably… not be found.

At least, not alive, or so it seemed.

Petra tried to hold onto that sliver of hope, but with Hange Zoe’s bloodied face in her line of sight, it was getting increasingly harder and harder to.

[yurimother]

Top Yuri Anime Poll Results

Whether it is subtext or explicit, cute or sexy, school love or gay action thrillers I love yuri anime. These series either focus on or contain elements of female same-sex relationships. Pride month is the perfect time to look back and reflect on the best of this genre. I teamed up with OG Man of The Yuri Nation (yurination[dot] wordpress[dot] com/) and together we put out a poll asking what you thought the top yuri anime series were and over 1000 of you responded submitting almost 5000 different entries. We spent hours combing through the data, analyzing and commenting on the results and we would like to share our thoughts with all of you. Enjoy the reflections of me the yuri critic and OG the dedicated yuri fan!

These are the Top 20 Yuri Anime as voted by you

1. Bloom Into You - 692 Votes

OG: Be it East or West the YagaKimi took the world by storm. Citrus and BiY once again taking the top two spots remains unsurprising.There is something undeniably fascinating about our leading ladies consisting of an asexual slowly coming to love her senpai back but restraining herself for various reasons. The biggest one being said senpai having a deep case of self-loathing and a fear of romantic reciprocation, also for various reasons. She is like “I love you but please do not love me back”. Then there is one of the most popular “cursed” lesbians of all time in Sayaka, the fantastic adult side-couple (The world needs an anime starring lesbian adults/mothers) and the various other characters who have their own interesting tales to tell. The series absolutely deserves a spot in the Top 10 though it would not be in my personal Top 3. Oh and as Yurimother said the presentation was fantastic.Visually stunning from start to finish in my opinion. Special mention goes to the criminally underused first-person “camera”. So cool.

YuriMother: I agree with this series deserving a spot in the top ten even if not the number one slot. For me, it was good but not great. Moments such as the aforementioned adult couple as well as stellar art and a phenomenal score made this series enjoyable but they were not enough to overshine the problems of the narrative. For the love of the Yuri Goddess, this series is crying out for asexual representation but insists on carrying on with its confused romance. Enough complaining though, many people love Bloom Into You despite its faults and I agree. The characters are interesting and lovable and it manages to tell a yuri story more real and complex than the typical fluffy girl meets girl narratives.

2. Citrus - 452 Votes

YuriMother: The presence of Citrus and Bloom Into You prove two things to me, the importance of recency, as both anime aired only last year, and the sheer popularity of these series. Both had established and extremely successful manga runs which were adapted into English by the publishing masters of yuri, Seven Seas. Citrus is a contentious series, to say the least, as it includes elements of (non-blood related) incest and non-consensual actions as part of Mei and Yuzu’s “relationship.” However, if you possess the magical power to turn off the part of your brain screaming at you that those aspects are deeply problematic or if you seek a different interpretation then Citrus can be downright WONDERFUL. I actually loved this anime series for its characters, amazing animation, and salaciousness. As OG said, it is an operatic concussion of emotion (seriously everyone in the series needs therapy) but my is it fun to watch. The Citrus anime also holds a special place in my heart, as the first serious piece I ever wrote was a review for it over on Okazu (nice plug)! Citrus is certainly not for everyone but those that stuck with it and overlooked some of the problems ended up loving it.

OG: Here we are again with Citrus at #2. My thoughts on the series remains the same as in the previous two lists I discussed (the Akiba Research and goo Ranking Japan lists), overrated. Good soap opera/telenovela-esque series but my feelings on the cast are mixed (which I imagine was the writer’s intent). My main issue has always been the obstacles repeatedly challenging Yuzu and Mei’s feelings for each other instead of it focusing on “Hey. We like each other but our parents got married. What do we do? Can we keep our desires for each other in check?”. Instead it is one newcomer after another who want to eat either Yuzu or Mei and Yuzu repeatedly asking herself if she really wants robo-stepsister patties? I will give the anime adaptation credit. The story was easier to enjoy animated than drawn. It also helped that I grew up in a telenovela loving family. The characters’ actions, reactions and emotions were depicted better in the anime. I still consider the show’s greatest accomplishment being the humanization of Mei-Tron. In the manga it took a post-epilogue continuation to show readers “Hey everyone. Mei-Tron was human all along.” whereas in the anime I sensed the small bit of humanity quicker than in the manga where I continued seeing her as a block of wood with a brain up to the point where I dropped it. Harumin though is the greatest regardless of anime or manga adaptation. Bless her. Regardless of how I feel about the series I get its massive popularity. After all, were the rest of the story to get an animated continuation I would gladly pick it up...Not the manga though.

3. Sakura Trick - 342 Votes

OG: There are fans who understandably would disagree with Sakura Trick’s praise but I will always defend it and the anime as one of the very best in the genre. First off it aired at a time where animated on-screen close up kisses (specifically consensual ones) between ladies were rare. Haruka X Yuu’s relationship was believable for the most part. Even their season finale resolution, them not getting what being “in love” meant at the time, made sense though I get why it left some scratching their heads. Probably not the best “manga lure/bait” end I suppose. On the bright side Kotone X Shizuku’s story definitely did not have the two doubting their true feelings for each other. I do hope Kaede X Yuzu eventually hooked up in the manga as they too had potential to be a lovely couple.

YuriMother: Sakura Trick has no real narrative, no great insight, and offers little intellectually. As a teacher, it makes me furious, as a fan of yuri, elated. The anime is beloved for its plentiful soft service, presenting a plethora of kisses, cuddles, and awkward thigh shots (ew). However, it was one of the first anime to include this much explicit yuri service without being pornographic. All the characters were cute and fun, even if there was little in the way of development or complexity, it worked for the series. If you want something to make you think or to learn about yuri, pass over this one. But, if you want a cute and meaningless anime definitely watch it.

4. Yuru Yuri - 337 Votes

YuriMother: OG may not be a fan of Yuru Yuri but I certainly am, which is fairly obvious to anyone who observes that a solid 20% of my communications occur in the form of gifs from this series. It is hilarious, cute, and playful. Just like Sakura Trick, this anime is an easy watch with ultimately little substance. However, the part of me that is not rolling of the floor laughing every time I watch Yuru Yuri lives in a state of pained existence with the knowledge that this work of all things ended up being so popular when people are telling interesting stories about queer women and people in actual relationship that manage to still be funny and adorable while having something to say.

OG: The undisputed most mainstream friendly yuri series there is. It is also one of the funniest. My one gripe is that excluding a select few the main draw of the show besides the comedy and yuri is the ship wars, meaning (almost any girl can be shipped with each other). Not a fan of that but hey, it brought Namori the big bucks so who am I to judge? In any case not much else to add. It deserves all the adulation it gets but the free for all shipping irks me. Reminds me of how they botched Chika X Riko in the Love Live! Sunshine!! Anime. If you were going down the Riko X Yohane route from the start then why give us Chika X Riko in the first half? Ship wars yo. Tch. Hopefully I properly explained myself..

5. Kase-san and Morning Glories (Asagao to Kase-san) - 289 Votes

OG: Still wish this got a 12-13 episode anime. The glorious movie showed how much it deserves one. Whether it will happen or not remains to be seen. In any case the beauty of Kase-san X Yamada is how simple their romance is. No strings attached whatsoever. It is as straightforward as a self-proclaimed “ordinary” cutie, Yamada, having a crush on the super cool school beauty Kase-san. Said beauty is revealed to be just as “adorkable” as Yamada. The other highlight is their story not ending once they officially started dating (as is the case with many romance stories) but that being only the beginning, like real life. From then on, side-stories aside, the two biggest challenges for the two is Yamada accepting that it is okay for someone as “ordinary” as her to be the “cool babe”s girlfriend and Kase-san finding different ways to express her love/hunger for the cutie. As for the OVA, cramming the second part of the first series in an hour definitely had the downside of excluding some important moments, yes, but it at least covered some of the best moments in the manga. The first half of the story was summarized in a five-minute music video. One last thing. The animation, though a bit too brought for some, was glorious. It also had some long pauses which were effective (The bus stop scene being the most infamous) but while I did not mind them at all even I will admit some pauses went a bit too long. A small nitpick all things considered. Fingers crossed one day we either get that 12-13 episode anime for the first series, the sequel or both. That is one of my dreams.

YuriMother: At last, an anime that I do not have to react cynically to! Kase-san is one of the single greatest works of yuri animation to ever to be created and its glory is rivaled only by the manga from which it originated. Despite being only a one hour long OVA this adaption told such an engaging and realistic (finally) story of romance and personal growth. We get to skip the meatless girl meets girls arcs and get into the depth and complexity as Yamada and Kase work to further their relationship. They struggle with the fact that they are two different people who want different things out of life and love and have to actually work on their partnership. Kase-san also includes signs of physical affection and love that are never lewd, immature, or gross, I do not even think I could refer to them as “service”. However, for me, Kase-san’s greatest victory (both the anime and manga) is in its escape from school romance, which in this genre is often a shelter from reality, allowing for women to be in relationships without actually being queer. Kase and Yamada instead make an effort to continue their romance and build a life that includes their relationship once they graduate in a triumphant final act. This anime is a slap in the face to the class S stories and sloppily sexualized works which proliferate the yuri genre. Asagao to Kase-san shines as a holy beacon for the greatness that this genre can achieve.

6. Puella Magi Madoka Magica - 286 Votes

YuriMother: Hurray!! For two entries in a row, I get to talk about series that I wholeheartedly adore without having to constantly attach caveats. Puella Magi Madoka Magica is not considered by all to be yuri, and that is certainly not what it is best known for. PMMM is however famous for twisting the tropes of the magical girl genre and creating one of the most cohesive and thoughtful narratives ever put to screen. This series summoned a new era for the magical girl genre (what OG humorously referred to as the “Moepocalypse”) but no other title managed to top Madoka Magica’s runaway success. Every aspect of this work is highly polished including character designs, a phenomenal soundtrack, and superb writing. This is not only the definitive work of its genre but of all postmodern anime. Whether or not one is a fan of yuri every anime fan should give Madoka Magica a watch.

OG: Meduka Meguca. Its impact in the “Moepocalypse” (Shows where cute and sexy girls consistently suffering physically and emotionally. These are usually dark magical girl shows.) genre and legacy are undeniable. It deserves all the praise it gets. It scarred many unfortunate souls, Homura is a legend in yuridom, Kyouko X Sayaka are glorious (Especially in Rebellion), Meduka’s Mom Junko is a Top Tier Sexy Mama, Charlotte the Witch is a very strange girlfriend and of course Hitomi is a walking anti-fun meme. The animation, especially the creepy doodle like monsters known as Witches are memorable. However, it is not my favorite Moepocalypse show. That honor goes to Yuki Yuna is a Hero.

7. Strawberry Panic - 224 Votes

OG: Like it or not Strawberry Panic is a yuri classic. I have a strong feeling that like many readers around my age (31 during this writing) this was their first 100% yuri anime. The cheese is real but it is the yummy kind of cheese and I loved almost every minute of it, except Amane X Hikari. That was the weakest of the love stories going on. Poor Yaya trying too hard (Not saying this in condescending way. She literally tried too hard). It is like a young adult lesbian novel but more fun. I mean Nagisa X Shizuma might as well be “Lesbian Twilight but not crappy”. Let us be honest, Shizuma is a vampire. Chikaru is an undisputed goddess and Kagome is the cutest.

Oh and I will repeat this statement till my last breath…

#TamaoWasRobbed.

YuriMother: I may be almost a decade younger than OG but even for me Strawberry Panic was my first yuri and it more than earns its nickname as the “gateway yuri,” although last year’s Citrus and Bloom Into You may be presenting serious contenders for this title. If for no other reason than nostalgia, Strawberry Panic remains my favorite yuri works but this ridiculous soap-opera of an anime does deserve a fair amount of recognition. I see Strawberry Panic as the culmination of the S subgenre revived by Maria Watches Over Us. However, this work succeeds at both parodying many of the tropes of S and yuri while breaking a few. However, its greatest accomplishment is introducing many of the young western fans of yuri to the genre. Strawberry Panic, you are an overly dramatic mess but thank you for all you have done.

8. Revolutionary Girl Utena - 176 Votes

YuriMother: Another gem of the yuri genre, actually scratch that, if works like Kase-san are gems then Utena is the minerals from which gems form. I think that is how it works, I am not a geologist. My poor analogies and subtle nods to Steven Universe aside, Revolutionary Girl Utena is one of the single most important works of yuri anime, possibly even more so than Sailor Moon. These two works were the dawn of the current age of yuri, an era spurn on by social progress and the internet into a place where more yuri works featuring honest depictions of homosexuality are flourishing. Utena laid the groundwork for queer representation in anime and for that I remain forever grateful to this masterpiece.

OG: I must confess. While I saw the movie long ago and thought it was cool I have yet to sit down and finish watching the main series. I cannot say much about this show other than it is another yuri classic. Possibly one of the biggest. I think I will leave this to Her Holiness because even if I had seen it I do not consider myself someone who possesses the sufficient intellect to properly explain why this is a legendary show.

9. Flip Flappers - 132 Votes

OG: I would need an essay to explain why this show is legendary. Let me see. It is a story of a girl who discovered her gayness thanks to her growing attraction to a lovable idiot/genki. There are references to Western media, dimension hopping (including Class S Hell), self-discovery, a sexual orientation journey, a tree, armored wedding gowns, crazy third wheels, Ku Klux Klan stand-ins…You know what? Just watch Flip Flappers. It is a hot mess of random, crazy, creative and thought provoking awesomeness with a wonderful dose of gayness. Glory be to PapiCoco. However, as Her Holiness mentioned this is essentially Ikuhara-san levels of weirdness (though not as complicated I feel) but as the plot thickens it all (sort of) starts making sense...eventually. That tree yo.

YuriMother: Flip Flappers was almost too strange and abstract even for me, and that is saying something. However, upon further examination, one of the most interesting works of yuri is revealed. This heavily stylized anime delves deep into the sexual maturation of its protagonist while examining the yuri genre and representation in media. Flip Flappers is the perfect marriage of heavy visual style and intellectual substance. Definitely give them one a.. err better make that three watches, as you will want to be sure to get everything out of this beautiful series as possible.

10. Miss Kobayashi’s Dragon Maid - 131 Votes

YuriMother: This series is the closest anime fans have to a lesbian couple having a family that we have, and that is a shame. I LOVE family narratives, outside of the yuri genre Usagi Drop is my favorite anime. To me, seeing women balance life, a relationship, and children is some of the best queer representation there is. However, for every point in Kobayashi’s favor, there is also a glaring fault. Kobayashi is a modern woman in the workforce providing for herself and her “family,” but is borderline abusive to Tohru. Kanna is an inquisitive child being raising by two women, but there are weirdly sexual scenes featuring her. As previously mentioned on this list, if one can silence the reasonable part of the brain this work becomes enjoyable, hilarious, and adorable. Unfortunately, its faults prevent it from being more than an amusement and I seriously doubt that they will fade in the second season. But hey, it sells a ton of figures so… YAY!

OG: This series is one of the closest yuri fans have to a series starring a lesbian couple with a daughter and it is wonderful. Is the tale of an eternally grateful dragon who wanted to repay the human who saved her life, albeit drunk, by becoming her live-in maid. Tohru being a dragon girl had incredible power and could easily crush everyone in sight but preferred to try and understand humanity so she could live in peace with the woman she loved. It of course was hard at times but thanks to Miss Kobayashi slowly growing to accept her back (romantically she had a ways to go) and the two raising the adorable bundle of mighty puff known as Kanna they became a happy family. How long this relationship will last and whether Miss Kobayashi would come to fully love Tohru back romantically remains to be seen. I have high hopes it can and will happen. Kanna X Riko is precious (Yes. Even that scene). We even have a potential BL couple, which is nice. Not a fan of Lucoa X Shouta the shota. Not because of the age gap but it not being my kind of romantic comedy. It is the same reason I have a hard time buying Tsubame X Misha from UzaMaid. Mya-Nee X Hana from Wataten...maybe. At least Mya-Nee showed she is patient. Back to Dragon Maid. Great series. Naughty of course but great.

11. Sweet Blue Flowers (Aoi Hana) - 119 Votes

OG: Megane girl falls for a cutie but has a hard time confessing to her to the point she gives a relationship with another girl a try. Said other girl has troubles of her own courtesy of her own views on what love. Do not get me started on the OTHER girl who likes megane’s girlfriend. I did not even mention megane girl’s first love interest who she herself eventually begins questioning her feelings for the glasses wearing maiden. While this is well known throughout the history of yuri anime Aoi Hana made it clearer than ever that Yuri + Classical Music go hand in hand. Plus the show is quite pretty. Ultimately enjoyment of this series depends heavily on viewers’ patience.

YuriMother: Aoi Hana was ahead of its time in many regards. Most yuri during the early twenty-first century was unrealistic and melodramatic, especially with the revival of S stories. Aoi Hana instead presents a calm and realistic story that we still rarely see in yuri anime today. Instead of relying on tricks like service or comedy Aoi Hana presents a serene and character-driven story which is matched by equally calming scenery. It is certainly not the most thrilling watch, but a slow and beautiful slice of real life that remains one of the all-time strongest yuri works.

12. Yurikuma Arashi - 99 Votes

YuriMother: Yurikuma Arashi is strange, to say the least, but this is not out of the ordinary for legendary director Ikuhara, who also directed Utena. Parallels are easily drawn between this work and Flip Flappers, as they are both complex and encoded with enough symbolism to drown a bear. Yurikuma is one of my favorite works in the yuri genre and I have had more than a few heated discussions about interpretations of the work, including one memorable occasion when I was visiting a college professor and we ended up in a shouting match in the middle of the hall. However, while Flip Flappers holds a high degree of polish the same can, unfortunately, not be said here. Yurikuma Arashi has more than a few scenes of fanservice many of which overly fetishize the characters and relationship and some of the symbols, particularly lily flowers and the word “yuri” are practically beaten to death with an object I refuse to come up with because I am starting to have my fill of symbolism. However, despite some of its sloppiness, Yurikuma is one of the single most interesting and well-formed anime out there and analyzing it is practically a right of passage for seasoned yuri fans.

OG: Yurikuma Arashi is my favorite of Ikuhara-san’s series. To me it was the least complicated of his works but even so I needed help to understand the show. Luckily I had plenty of assistance. The meat of the story is more complicated but put simply it is about a war between a group of bear girls (and some human girls) who want to freely express their love and/or desire/hunger for each other and another group that amounts to Right to Censor from WWF. Like I said it is far more complex than that but that is the gist. The anime is quite ecchi and it has good reason for it. Again the gay bears are the more liberated of the groups and them getting more sexy scenes is meant to showcase that. Our heroine has good reason to be grumpy and a divine entity was introduced alongside a certain someone from a certain dark anime we already discussed.

In the end it is a show starring lesbian bear girls. I love love stories between women and i love bears. It was obvious I would end up enjoying this one. Like other complex stories it is not for everyone. Shows like Flip Flappers, Utena and Yurikuma have something of a learning people will have to get accustomed to in order to enjoy them.

13. Whispered Words (Sasameki Koto) - 88 Votes

OG: To me Aoi Hana and Sasameki Koto were always connected despite the former being a drama and the latter a comedy. Both star a female protagonist struggling with how to best tell the girl she likes her true feelings whereas their love interest for one reason or another makes it all the more challenging to get their feelings across. Both shows aired during a time yuri was not as popular of a genre as it would become over time. Perhaps if they had come out a little later when yuri was becoming more popular in the mainstream they would have fared better…Then again they may have helped set the groundwork for future yuri shows so it’s just as well they came out when they did. In any case both good shows worthy of “best of yuri” lists. SK has the dynamic of the megane in love and her somewhat airheaded love interest who specifically likes “cute girls”. Poor megane has a hard time figuring out what the airhead defines as “cute”. The show also features an amusing side-couple of an ojou-sama and her tsundere girlfriend. Not to mention the somewhat controversial side-girl who plays a more prominent role in the 2nd half of the anime. Heck, even Mr Crossdresser himself is cool. Let us not forget Miss “Ha Ha Ha!” Another really good show that I would love to see the rest of the manga get animated someday but considering most anime are essentially manga commercials and the SK manga ended the odds of a 2nd season are close to 0.

YuriMother: 2009 was a great year for yuri anime, with both Sasameki Koto and Aoi Hana, among other works, airing. But while Aoi Hana sought to resist many of the common tropes of the genre and tell a simple grounded story Sasameki Koto appears to have looked a the list of every convention possible and say “yeah I can do that.” It has melodrama, comedy, one-sided love, friend love stories, I worship this genre but even I think there is a limit. However, Sasameki Koto is one of the most competent yuri anime works of the current era. While all the tropes are present most of the problematic aspects of the genre are not. The story is well written, characters enjoyable, and art that is really well done for the time. I enjoy every watch and if I ever want to quickly download the genre’s tropes into another person's head I need only duct tape them to a chair and throw on Sasameki Koto.

14. Riddle Story of Devil (Akuma no Riddle) - 77 Votes

YuriMother: Akuma no Riddle was highly anticipated back in 2014, sporting a premise of student assassins that, while certainly not unique, was outside the norms for the yuri genre. It promised a dark and thrilling take on the yuri genre that would not become popular until the yuri horror trend a few years later. At first, it looked like this would be successful with an excellent setup and some pretty compelling characters but ultimately Akuma no Riddle fell flat and became more derailed as it continued. The monster of the week style of episodes left little room for complex plots and plans or proper character development, which is a shame because of how engaging so many of the assassins were upon original presentation. However, this show still has some of the best action in the yuri genre, placing it alongside series like Cannan and Utena despite its flawed storytelling. If nothing else, the anime may compel one to read the manga, which expands the story and characters more than the show was given time to.

OG: Professional assassins secretly gathered at an academy in an attempt to take the life of a seemingly innocent cutie to win the ultimate prize, one of whom wishes to protect the adorable redhead. Yes the manga, which is pretty much a Director’s Cut, is better and the anime would have benefited from having 20+ episodes instead of 12 and a delightful beach OVA but the show did a good job of showing viewers what each assassin was like, their motivations (though many of their origin stories were summarized in written biographies during commercial breaks viewers needed to pause to read) were clear enough and the duels, as brief as some of them were, had enough spicy goodness in them to be memorable, especially the ones in the latter half of the show. Oh, and although the manga wrapped up after the anime it had a very similar ending.

15. Revue Starlight - 72 Votes

OG: Gay theater girls who strive to become the top star, meaning the best actress or lead actor of the cast. How do they do it? By working hard and overcoming their personal hardships? Yes. That. What makes this show so wonderful despite being almost a year old as of this writing is not only do the ladies all have interesting stories to tell but so does the stage. Every song, prop, movement, dance, gesture etc. It is like the performers and performances are united. It is like in Spongebob where not only does the person in the boots tell a story but the boots as well.

Oh yes. I almost forgot to mention the mysterious underground theater and talking giraffe. Never forget the talking giraffe from Hell. #Wakarimasu.

Super cool and super gay.

YuriMother: Bushiroad continuously gets better at what they do, creating media franchises of cute girls filled with music and making mountains of cash from smartphone games. Inspired by the likes of Love Live, they created BanG Dream and last year Revue Starlight. However, where these franchises fell short Revue Starlight success. It never twists its characters to tell a story but rather creates compelling arcs around them. I thoroughly enjoyed and agree with its place on this list.

16. Konohana Kitan - 68 Votes

YuriMother: I know of Konohana Kitan for its constant presence at yuri events more so than the anime or even the manga. It is adorable, relaxing, simple, and fun. While it does not add anything super substantial to the genre it does not take anything either or present any objectionable material. The “plot” is nonexistent but that does not matter, as it is not trying to tell a story or make commentary, just be fluffy and simple.

OG: Konohana Kitan to me is a Girls Club (Cute girls doing cute things) and iyashikei hybrid anime. It is visually stunning as it is relaxing with Yuzu pretty much one of the cutest demigoddesses in existence. She of course is a chick magnet but her heart will forever belong to Satsuki.

17. Destiny of the Shrine Maiden (Kannazuki no Miko) - 65 Votes

OG: The other stuff on the show is still not that great but ChiMeko will forever stand the test of time as far as I’m concerned. Top 10 for their love story alone. Yes. I know THAT ONE SCENE continues being controversial and talked about every time curious new yuri fans witness greatness…but I will forever defend Chikane because I get where she was coming from. Would I have done something different? Yes. The thing is you need to put yourself in her shoes and understand what she wanted to accomplish and how far she would go to get it done. Kotoha is best side-character and Souma Ogami is real man’s man who does not deserve the hate. He was an honorable warrior to the end. He fought well and accepted defeat like a man. Plus his yell is inspirational.

YuriMother: My feelings on Kannazuki no Miko are incredibly mixed. It has many of the worst facets of early current era yuri anime, tropes include S, rape and… am I reading this correctly, demon mechs? Worst of all it presents a cycle, a never-ending loop that haunts the characters in the overarching plot and it does not resolve it. If a work ever presents such an element, like Puella Magi did, it must be overcome or confronted at least. Its presence makes the already cringy story feels cheap and lazy. However, I love the two female leads and their difficult relationship. I love the music, especially the hauntingly beautiful ending theme, and the final moments of episode 11 are some of the greatest seconds I have ever seen in an anime. I cannot wrap my mind around my view of this series but at the end of the day, I understand it. I do not believe that work like it would ever be warmly accepted today but for its time it does stand as a breakout piece of yuri anime.

18. Princess Principal - 61 Votes

YuriMother: Princess Principal is one of the best anime of the past few years. It had everything, an interesting premise, great characters, an incredible soundtrack. Alongside all this is the sharp writing and thrilling story. Princess Principal did everything Akuma no Riddle wanted to with an intriguing and action-packed story featuring strong characters. On top of all this, the animation is top notch. A six-part movie sequel is planned which has me somewhat concerned, but I am glad to see that it is being continued as the ending to the series was one of its weakest aspects. Now if you will excuse me, I need to listen to some jazz.

OG: Cute and sexy gay spies in a dramatic British Steampunk setting. What more do readers need? Allow Her Holiness to elaborate a bit further. Currently waiting for the multi-part cinematic continuation.

19. Izetta: The Last Witch - 60 Votes

OG: I am known for loving shows people do not think as highly of. Izetta: The Last Witch is no different. I love this show so much. Besides how certain events transpired some complained about the depiction of WW2. Basically think about people ranting about storylines and content featured in certain Call of Duty and Battlefield games. Here however, it is clearly a fictional great war inspired by WW2. I was invested in the following:

-The cute and sexy ladies.

-Seeing two badass lesbians lead an army against an evil empire.

-FiZetta’s romance. This of course being the major highlight. I love FiZetta so much. My sexy lesbian babies and Anne X Grea’s mentors. They taught them everything they know after all.

It is similar to how I felt watching Kannazuki no Miko where my focus was primarily on the leading ladies’ developing romance. The difference is that unlike Kannazuki I was also somewhat entertained by our heroines’ enemies along with their allies. Basically viewers’ enjoyment of the show depends on how seriously they take their history and are willing to overlook the liberties this story takes with its depictions of the weapons, military and the familiar evil empire. FiZetta are one of my favorite lesbian couples of all time.

By the way, in that famous scene, yes they did. Viewers just have to squint their eyes to see “it”.

YuriMother: Another show that I consider to have squandered its potential. I know that lots of people enjoyed this one, including OG but I could not bring myself to finish this constantly mediocre series. Perhaps I am tired of alternative light-fantasy European-war inspired plots. Trying to stand out in this bloated genre is difficult and Izetta fails. Izetta started strong and hooked many viewers with its amazing visual and auditory polish but this was quickly lost in the plot which, while set up well, struggle to gain any ground of pay off what had been established. On the yuri side, it did not really do anything interesting or satisfying, with plenty of scenes feature the character’s standing next to each other looking cute and one or two moments of actual yuri. I am glad that some of you were able to enjoy this one more than me at least.

20. Maria Watches Over Us (Maria-sama ga Miteru) - 57 Votes

OG: Like Strawberry Panic this is a “Like it or not” classic. Despite being a Class S show it did its own thing and became a pioneer for . It’s also responsible for the many yuri jokes related to all-girl schools in anime.Shimako X Noriko best Grande and Petite Souer! Yumiko X Sachiko were great too as the two grew to better understand each other. Most memorable scene for me was the panda costume. Even Sei is a sleeper icon in all yuridom. Yoshino X Rei had a very interesting dynamic. I actually think they are the real pioneers of relationships between cousins. Thank you YoshiRei. HaruKana, Kaede X Sara and several others owe you two much appreciation.

YuriMother: Another great and significant series, Maria Watches Over Us, took the tropes of early yuri works, Catholic schools, a lack of men, piano scenes, and emotional relationship rather than physical ones and turned the dial up to 11. For better or worse, it single-handedly revived the Class S genre and was copied (and parodied) endlessly for over a decade. However much I complain about S I actually do not think that we would have the current age of yuri without its popularity and proliferation at the beginning of the century so I owe a big thank you to Maria Watches Over Us for that. Ignoring its historical importance and literary significance the anime still presents an engaging plot with wonderful characters and more butchered French than my last trip to Europe. It is certainly worth a watch and worthy of a place on this list.

What do you think should be on this list?:

YuriMother: As I previously said, this is a pretty perfect list. As far as missing titles I can think of the following.

Simoun - not the greatest in terms of plot or animation but it had cute service and a fun action-packed plot.

Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl - This series may be strange and present the dreaded love triangle but it did its best to tell a transgender narrative in 2006, naturally this involved aliens, and I applaud it for its attempts.

Cannan - This series is light on the yuri but heavy on the suspense, action, and amazing character designs. The terrorist plot is exciting and the final train fight featured in the series is one of the greatest action spectacles in anime that somehow manages to remain grounded.

OG:

-Harukana Receive: Best all-female sports anime ever made. Plus the gayness is not subtle at all.

-Mikagura Gakuen Kumikyoku: Eruna Ichinomiya is an underrated yuri icon. While not the first of her kind (That honor, I think, goes to Galaxy Fraulein Yuna) she set the standard of cool and inspirational badass lesbian protagonists who are proud of who they are and...also happen to be super perverts. Eruna made it cool to be such a protagonist. It is nice seeing a lesbian lead who does not care what anyone else thinks. She is hungry for cute girl booties. While she often loses her control in the presence of pure beauty she, as an inspiration for others like her, has enough self-control to not go overboard (most of the time).

-Symphogear: Symphogear is love, Symphogear is life. Hopefully Season 5 will keep up the good work.

-Rinne no Lagrange: My favorite mecha anime and the reason I embrace OT3s when the signs are there. Not the greatest but man was it fun. Plus Madoka Kyouno is still sexy.

-Yuki Yuna wa Yuusha de Aru: My favorite Moepocalypse anime of all time. Yuna X Togo taught me to love and trust some people outside my closest family again.

-Mouretsu Pirates: If someone were to ask me “Hey OG. What to you is the perfect anime?”. I would tell them Mouretsu/Bodacious Space Pirates.

-Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl. Thanks to the first fan commenting and reminding me of it. Definitely worthy of a spot. #HazumuWasAlwaysFemale

Final Thoughts:

OG: Pretty good list and close to what mine would look like were I to make one. Reason I have yet to do so is because I do not feel confident enough to pick a favorite yuri anime of all time. Favorite yuri manga and couples? That I can do, but anime always seems to give me a hard time choosing my absolute favorites. Like I said though, a potential yuri list of mine would look something like this. I also found it interesting how similar the Top 10 are among both our respective fanbases and visitors to the poll conducted by the Akiba Research Institute.

YuriMother: I may have done most the complaining and left the praise to OG but I actually and really happy with this list. I think that every title presented is a worthy addition and while I would certainly move some higher or lower than their current placing I do not believe that these are too far off from my own opinions, which is surprising for a popularity poll. More than anything I am thrilled to see that works I dislike that I thought to be popular did not make this list. Perhaps I should have more faith in people and their opinions. Everyone did such a wonderful job voting and I am so grateful!

Thank you so much everyone for reading and for voting in the top yuri anime poll. To see the full results of the poll and to support yuri news, reviews, and content, check out the YuriMother Patreon. Happy Pride Month

[thestudyfeels]

🎨 Graphic made by @indiaisstudying​: India is brilliant my pals, and I recommend checking her out for studyblr/artblr inspiration. My girl tHIRIVES.

The singular takeaway from this post: Do a creative binge. Much productive than a Netflix binge. Period.

Two months ago, I reached my peak when I coined the term ‘bood day’ (a bad to good day, in my article How To Flip A Bad Day By 180°). Today, puppies and kittens, I present to you— a creative binge.

*crickets chirping, that one dude in the audience scratches his nose and turns away* 

…This one actually works but okay, we get it, y'all are bitches. But gonna do my job anyway– if you're a creator reading this, please do a creative binge at least once every two weeks.

I started doing these binges two months ago, and I've seen a VAST improvement in my creative energy. I feel my commercial voice coughing and saying hello to the mic, so before I start listing side-effects for a sponsored pill, let's dive into the basics. 

🍵 Quick PSA — 

↪ JOIN MY TAGLIST? If you aren't on this yet, please get on it, it'll mean a lot to me! By joining, you get a new article on lifestyle design & productivity every week.

100 Days of Sweat: This challenge starts TOMORROW (10th of April), so if you wanna hustle on your bod this year, join us! Accountability does crazy things.

Ever questioned your life, experienced writer's block, painter’s pain or blogger’s… block? (Narrator: aaaand she's back to advertising.) A creative binge helps deal with fixing exactly that.

“A creative binge is based off the equation of quality in = quality out.”

A lot of creators feel that they're supposed to magically create out of their head, and that's just ridiculous. It's ludicrous considering you don't know shit, read shit, do shit and watch shit.

Even to write fiction, my pal, you'll have to expose yourself to the world to know its ways, read great books and take tips (not to mention stock up on coffee, and prepare to cry a lot) before you start cranking out the pages. Everything you create is ultimately inspired by the Ways Of The World. (And that's a fantastic novel title)

So in short, you’ve got to consume content, to make content. And in a creative binge, you conscious choose content that'll help you create. Genius, I know!

Okay, but what if I'm not a creator?

Brilliant question! Wanna become more valuable and leave the people you interact with better? Take a creative binge.

Allow me an elaboration: Take a janitor and a neurosurgeon. The said janitor is paid much less than the neurosurgeon. Why is that? Is the neurosurgeon a better person? That's debatable. Is the janitor less efficient at his work? Again, debatable. The primal reason lies in the neurosurgeon acquiring more valuable skills than the janitor. Society rewards them by paying more since there are less folks who can do what the neurosurgeon does.

To recap: In order to be indispensable in the role you play (whatever it is, a student, calligrapher, CEO of the Janitor Club), you HAVE to become valuable. Grow your curiosity & know more than yo’ buddies (also bring more value than anybody else). And to become valuable, you consume value. Tada!

(And if you still ain't convinced, I'll pull out the Netflix card. You'd really rather watch shows? Or binge YouTube? Than learn a new skill, or develop existing ones? Question your priorities, my friend. Victims love entertainment, victors love learning.)

Cool, you're joining in then! Not that creative binge is NOT an entertainment binge. It's a value providing binge. What you ‘consume’ has to bring you something in return— whether that's creative inspiration, motivation or skills. *Swing arms* yup! We’re one gay, productive household. Someone remind Hallie to buy the groceries though, the Cheerios are going mouldy.

By my dictionary, a creative binge is a slot of time, 1½ to 3 hours I'd say, when you watch/read/listen to some good stuff.  Basically, binge content. 

THE 101 OF A CREATIVE BINGE 

🌿 Basics:

I conduct one every week (usually Wednesday mornings), lasting around 1½ to 2 hours.

I'll also keep a notepad and a pen nearby, to take notes and jot ideas as they come. Again, this is NOT an entertainment binge, even though it's a chill job.

Sometimes I'll get passive things done (like wiping my desk, eating breakfast and taking out textbooks) while watching. We maximize our time. 

🌿 What Do I Watch: 

The stuff I watch falls into 3 categories: creative/humor (for inspiration), business/skills (for skills) & motivation (for, um, motivation). Fair warning though, a lot of the stuff these folks make overlap, but that's alright. This is just a rough demarcation. 

Creative/Humor: some YesTheory, maybe some MacDoesIt, sprinkle in some Ryan Higa, perhaps an episode of a show with an amazing script, some stand-up comedy from my favorites. Or maybe trash that and just watch Sherlock. (Geez, Netflix, I hate you, I love you.)

Skills: Gary Vee, some artist channels, that random video on how to thrift shop even though I don't shop.

Motivation: Be Inspired, Tom Bilyeu, Mel Robbins and random videos which look nice.

🌿 What Do I Listen To: 

Oof, I love music tremendously! If you're a pal, you know it's time to RUN when I come around being like, “soo, I was wondering what's your favourite–”.

Yet, during a creative binge, I'll only listen to stuff that 1) inspires me, or 2) is creative in a way I can't explain. Some recommendations! 

Hype music:

The Score

NF

Imagine Dragons

Creative music:

Billie Eilish

Lana Del Rey

Sleeping At Last

Lorde

Conan Gray

Harry Styles 

🌿 What Do I Read: 

Usually the book that I'm reading at that point if I'm being lazy.

POETRY: It's my belief, but poetry is a writer's most powerful device. There's a novel to be said in a simple sonnet.

FICTION: I dig great fiction. PS, please read (and sob over) Away Childish Things, by @letteredlettered. It changed me as a person, changed my entire perspective about kids. I'm much kinder and softer now, and my pimples are gone. I'll literally never get over drarry too, so thanks lettered, love you.

ARTICLES: Bookmarked psychology, productivity & fitness articles on Medium. Maybe check out James Clear's & Gary Vee’s blog for new posts.

Because I wanna drive this home, here's what I did in my last creative binge as a concrete example —

Care to Note that:

All of the stuff I consume is pre-planned.

I add videos throughout the week to my Creative Binge playlist on YouTube, download albums from Amazon Music and articles for offline reading.

DON'T leave this to the last moment, you'll more likely pick entertainment vs learning then. 

Watched–

Why I'm done trying to be "man enough"

Redecorating my room 2017 (I wanna decorate my room this year so)

How to Squat Properly (I’m trying lmao)

Giving a 9-Year-Old Her Dream Job for 24hrs!! (I stan YesTheory so much)

How To NOT Be A Starving Artist (A mood. I love Sorelle)

Couple more, I could go on & on, but you get me.

Listened–

Every song on YouTube by Bruno Major

Born to die: paradise version (album) by Lana Del Rey 

Read–

Articles from James Clear's blog — (x) (x)

Articles from Gary Vee’s blog — (x) (x)

HIIT workouts for beginners

All of this birthed–

Ideas for future articles, titled: How To Be Great & Solomon Letters #2: Question Your Faith, Not Your Dreams, among others.

A small poem about faith– posted on my IG, check it out!

New content ideas, like value chains (upcoming!)

Bunch of other small rants for everyday posting

Some business and life advice that might be useful later.

Gotta say goodbye now! (literally too... but post about it coming on 12th so wait for it) Try this one out, and let me know how your binge goes (tag it with #team conquer). Mine usually end with a bucketful of philo notes, a recharged left (right? psychology? idk) brain, and a fresh perspective towards the rest of my week. 

This is the #1 strategy I've adopted to sustain creative energy when it's sapped all around by negativity and school & I promise it helps. No side effects, no sponsored pills needed. Thanks for reading!

Related: How To Get Back Into The Creative Process (if you're in a blogger's block or experiencing painter's pain)

Have something to say? I treasure all feedback! If this post inspired you to do something, or you wanna throw some love/constructive criticism at me— hop into my ask box, or reply to this post itself!

Thanks for dropping by! Major articles, like this one, come out every Thursday! Join my taglist by to read them when they do. I also post daily wins, journal entries, rants & photos of my plant babies throughout the week, so follow me if you’re into conquering life. I vow to be the loudest cheerleader. ✧

Sending you love and good energy, talk soon. 

Nandini 💌 (´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡ 

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[thedeaditeslayer]

ART OF DARKNESS | An Interview with GRAHAM HUMPHREYS.

This interview from Starburst Magazine features a lot of coverage with Humphreys’ work on the Evil Dead trilogy.

Legendary poster artist GRAHAM HUMPHREYS talks horror, his long career, influences, the evils of Photoshop, and more!

STARBURST: One of your most celebrated earliest works was the iconic UK theatrical poster for Sam Raimi’s The Evil Dead, a film which was soon to be dragged unfairly into the whole Video Nasty controversy. Do you think that the notoriety the film gained during this time helped or hindered your career?

Graham Humphreys: The Evil Dead got its UK distribution in 1983, two years before the Video Recordings Act came into law in September 1985. At the age of 23, two years seemed more like ten years at the time and I don’t recall any significant impact on my career during that period. This was for two main reasons, the first being that I was not particularly aware of most of the films that had become a target for the silly and hysterical tabloids, and thus oblivious to how their removal and savage editing might impact on choice or, indeed, the morality of an infantilised nation. Secondly, The Evil Dead had already been censored with a significant number of cuts for the theatrical, and therefore, simultaneous video, release. Mostly, these were simply to reduce the running time on particularly graphic scenes, although I think the eye gouging was almost entirely removed from the original version I’d been shown at a screening. So as far as I was aware, censorship was already in place for VHS. Of course I hadn’t really been introduced to the many European films and the rarely seen, contentious US art-house films that had begun to flood the shelves in the burgeoning VHS rental shops. As we know, many videos were pulled simply because of the titles themselves. It was enough that they sounded as if they might offend! My real introduction to, for instance, Argento and Fulci films came through Richard Stanley, whilst we storyboarded his first feature, Hardware. My film knowledge had been UK/US centric until that point, with the exception of televised European Cinema. If I had to identify any impact on my career, it will presumably have been positive. A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in the UK around the time of the Video Recordings Act coming into law. So if The Evil Dead gave me my first entry into horror marketing, Nightmare’cemented my position within the genre. It’s important to add that the majority of my freelance work at the time did not fit into the genre category. In order to earn a living I was working on a whole raft of other illustration commissions, completely non-horror related. It’s only in the last ten years that I’ve been working almost exclusively in the genre.

It’s heartening to see that you’ve routinely revisited the Evil Dead franchise many times over your career, including the recently sold out vinyl reissue of the original’s score, The Evil Dead – A Nightmare Reimagined; is there anything in particular about that series that inspires you to keep returning?

In truth, it’s not my decision. I am reliant on being commissioned for any job. Although I rarely turn down work, and only do so because of deadline or budget issues, it is always a thrill to return to an earlier title that has been so formative in my career. As with most artists, I perceive only the weaknesses in my work and each chance to make amends is welcome! I have to work within the limits of my ability and experience, returning to a title like The Evil Dead gives me a chance to experiment with ideas and techniques that I didn’t have at the time. The soundtrack you mentioned is an interesting example because the art is not promoting the film as such but rather an appendage, albeit an important one. My personal challenge involved not simply creating a cover for the film, but using it as visual resource. I wanted to use the four panels of the gatefold as a picture book. The cover is thus a rather restrained image compared to the blood drenched final panel within. The discovery of the taped recording is not an explosive gore-filled scene, but the moment where the horror begins, thus Ash is still looking clean and fresh faced. The tape reel is a direct reference to my original poster. A film poster has to capture the essence of a film in a single panel. The gatefold LP format is four such ‘posters’, two double spreads, each a separate chapter. My second version of the Evil Dead 2 poster, the licensed screenprint, was another chance to create a poster from scratch, as if seeing the film for the first time, yet also acknowledging that which had gone before. I suspect I’ll be returning to the woods again!

Speaking of that iconic Evil Dead 2 poster, how did it feel to see that piece so lovingly referenced by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg in the debut season of Spaced?

I didn’t see the original run of Spaced, so was unaware of the poster’s use. In fact, I think I was only made aware whilst preparing some ultimately unused concepts for a Shaun of the Dead cinema poster. Naturally, it was a thrill to finally see the series and how the poster was featured so prominently. When Tim inadvertently recreates the pose on the poster, it reminded me of how I’d photographed a friend posing in the exact same way to provide my reference for the original painting! I used a lot of Polaroid photographs in the eighties. Whenever you see a hand in a piece of my artwork, it’s usually mine. Even in the recent Blu-ray cover for Arrow films Blood and Black Lace, that’s me dressed in black! I used a camera on a 10 second timer!

Moving away from Raimi’s franchise, which other genre properties have been favourites to work on?

Aside from The Evil Dead, only A Nightmare on Elm Street provided a number of sequential commissions. I was a fan of the first film, after seeing a preview screening at London’s Scala Cinema. This was some months before being asked to illustrate the eventual UK poster campaign. I appreciated the risk Palace Pictures took by returning to my services. Nightmare’ was completely different to The Evil Dead and the last thing they required was the crude punk rock exploitation look of the 1983 artwork. Most clients pigeonhole artists’ work; I can’t imagine any other client would have had the foresight to make the decision. I then worked on each of the four sequels - the third was my work, though not an illustration - plus a number of Nightmare’ related jobs. Another film I’ve returned to - pun intended - is The Return of the Living Dead. I was unhappy with my original VHS cover, simply because I felt I didn’t have the skills to pull off what I’d intended - this despite the fact that people clearly liked the sleeve - so I recreated the art for a dedicated Blu-ray screening event, really as an experiment. Since then I’ve painted a book cover - Cult Screenings’ 245 Trioxin - and a Shout Factory US Blu-ray release. There was also a hybrid Re-Animator/Return of the Living Deadposter for the Cult Screenings Don Calfa event.

It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of our readers miss the days of artwork posters and sleeves; why do you think that the studios and distributors moved away from the medium in the ’90s?

Easy answer - Photoshop! It wasn’t an available tool until then. Photocomposition was an expensive process prior to the ‘affordable’ introduction of the software. The skills involved in splicing large format transparencies, re-photographing them and retouching using bleaches and dyes to hide the joins, made it the work of highly skilled artists. Even the early version of computer ‘comping’ involved using specialised facilities, desktop computing was still unaffordable for most designers... the expense was enormous. But I realised very quickly that unlike the tradition of transparency retouching, new computer ‘comping was entirely technology-led and often lacked the artist’s eye. Unfortunately, this is still often the case. High definition has replaced suggestion. I also suspect that as film studios found their talent ever more demanding of obscenely large fees, the need to make full use of an expensive face took over from merely expressing the film’s subject matter. Photography took over. It is slightly disappointing that in a market awash with Photoshop portraiture, there is also a new visual illiteracy. The beautiful posters created by Saul Bass are a prime example of how film marketing moved away from his symbolism to a new literalism, becoming infantilised by Photoshop. As Quentin Tarantino observed, contemporary film posters look more like ‘Vogue covers’. Pouting, overpaid actors retouched in high definition. Painted images are a springboard of suggestion and imagination. A photograph, no matter how beautiful, is simply that.

Conversely, the rise of home video distributors specialising in cult & classic reissues like Arrow and Eureka has created a hunger for newly commissioned artwork. Do you feel that the trend may ever come full circle and return to the mainstream at all?

That’s doubtful. Illustrated images are mostly used for reissues, ancillary campaigns or independent films with limited distribution, but rarely first run releases. However, I think that’s fine. In many ways, there will always be more freedom of expression where the reductive, corporate needs of accountants, executives and moneyed interns are factored out. Modern film marketing is led by money people, not art directors. It may always have been a ‘business’, but it often seems there is little encouragement for true mavericks or creative outsiders right now. In the same way that major releases tend to be franchises, sequels or star vehicles, the campaigns are reflective of a homogenised business where risk is discouraged. But hey, never say never!

Which artists would you say have influenced your style and, or, career?

It’s a mix. I take inspiration wherever it arises. From my early childhood, visits to the local library - I was fascinated by religious depictions of demons and hell - all easily accessible images of horror! And of course, the Bible is full of gratuitously shocking imagery. I didn’t have a particularly religious upbringing, though like many of my generation, Sunday school was just one of those things that you went to as routine. The promise of Sunday school outings to the coast was the biggest draw. It’s curious to look back and see that I was ‘confirmed’ as a Christian in my early teens - before I really understood the contexts and realities of ‘faith’. I’m now atheist. As an amusing aside, my nose bled during the confirmation! I also served at the altar in the local church. I consider it an induction into the world of ‘gothic’! I then found myself becoming aware of book covers and film posters; the magical touchstone for many was Dennis Gifford’s A Pictorial History of Horror Movies. Tom Chantrell’s cover was easily the biggest catalyst for everything that followed. Some film posters stood out more than others, but many of the US posters seemed to be painted by jobbing artists with their own specialist areas - US civil war, cowboys, landscapes - and quite how they ended up providing some of the most memorable ‘disaster movie’ posters is something I’ve always thought was rather odd. I’ve named Chantrell, but in the UK, Vic Fair created some amazing work. From the US - Drew Struzan, Bob Peak, Richard Amsel and J.C. Leyendecker. The printed posters of Jules Cheret, Toulouse Lautrec and Alphonse Mucha. The new generation of British illustrators that emerged during my college years. The work of Saul Bass and graphic artists too numerous to catalogue... Sometimes it might only be one particular piece of work from an individual’s entire output. But I also take inspiration from the abstract and tribal... and a particular love of Tibetan sacred art.

Many of our readers, and writers for that matter, will have grown up with at least one of your movie posters tacked to their bedroom walls; who or what adorned yours?

I should have added both Bruce Pennington and Roger Dean to that last answer. They both adorned mine! Now it’s almost all vintage posters - the Universal monster films, Corman’s Poe films and many of the Hammer Horror - there seems to be a lot of Christopher Lee and Vincent Price! But yes, back then I had a copy of Jaws, Earthquake and The Hindenburg as my first collected film posters.

How long would you say on average commission takes to complete?

Depending on the complexity, a painting might take anywhere between two and four days, maximum five. The fee often decides what time you can allow. If I spent two weeks on a job that was only covering the fee of one day, I’d be out of business pretty fast. The preliminary process - viewing a film, making grabs, the sketching etc. - can often be completed in a day. This time is generally not covered in the fee; I tend to quote on the painting process!

A studio or distributor gets in touch - can you walk us through the process of creating a piece?

It’s often been different in the past, but the process has been whittled down to a fairly simple set of stages. 1) The initial contact and acceptance of a job - once a budget and deadline has been mutually agreed. 2) Viewing the film, or materials, to get a measure of the subject and an understanding of how best to approach the project - the client will usually indicate upfront any particular requests... ie. required imagery or portraiture. 3) Selecting the imagery I feel works best, usually screen grabs, and sketching the various elements - portraiture is almost always traced from the photographic source using printouts - it’s the most efficient way of ensuring a likeness. Sometimes I’ll supplement the images with my own photography and web searches, or composite the grabs with other poses, or perhaps add a close-up to a wider body shot, to keep the best portrait reference. 4) Scan the pencil sketch elements into Photoshop and play around with compositions, exploring focal elements or key ‘moments’, always searching for the most impactful or meaningful combinations. 5) Email the layouts to the client and - all being well - agree on the preferred option. 6) Reintroduce the original photographic sources over my pencil layout, creating a crude photo-comp in Photoshop. 7) Print out the comp to the size I intend to paint. 8) Trace onto the paper - I generally use Bockingford 190gsm, ‘not’ surface - a pitted effect that allows for more texture when painting. 9) Use masking tape to secure the paper to a wooden board I use for the purpose. 10) Cover the paper surface in a wash of colours that will form the base of my colour theme, using splashes of additional colour or clear water to particular areas - always having a rough version of the finished item in my head. 11) During the previous process, the paper will buckle, forming ‘valleys’ where the paint will run into shapes and forms that will add a spontaneous look - the paper dries flat because of the taped edges - so once dry I’ll usually start by defining the darkest areas, the basic shadows and contours, almost a drawing rather than a painted image. 12) Then I’ll concentrate on the key portraiture, moving around the painting, most often from top left to bottom right, so as not to disturb the painted surface resting my hand as I paint, or using bits of clean paper to protect the surface. 13) Take constant breaks to keep reviewing with fresh eyes... one of the most important devices I also use, a piece of mirror that I constantly check the progress with. It has a two-fold purpose: to see the reflected painting as if for the first time, but also to keep in check the tendency to skew imagery. If you’re right-handed it’s easy to find a bias of angles from bottom left to top right, and in reverse if left-handed. Using a mirror to check this will quickly reveal the bias. 14) Complete the painting by ensuring important detail is included, portraits are as good as the paint will allow, and that there is a cohesion and balance to the overall layout. The addition of a few carefully administered splatters using a worn brush is the final stage. 15) A quick photo is often taken for the client to see the results and identify any glaring issues. Fortunately, these are rare. Then the final scan and any necessary final tweaks in Photoshop, usually adding a bit more extra bleed, but generally retaining the integrity of the original item. 16) Invoice and get paid!

It’s probably akin to picking a favourite child, but which piece are you most proud of?

Once a job is complete I tend to dislike it - it’s part of the natural process where you keep re-evaluating what you do, always striving to improve. Of course budgets and deadlines conspire against ideal results. For this reason it might take a year or two for me to regard a job as something I can feel comfortable with. I’m always trying to look through the eyes of a stranger, judging my work and finding fault... it’s the only way to move forward! So I can’t really identify favourites, just successes. My easy copout is always the same... the job I’m most proud of? I’ve not painted it yet!

If fans want to get their hands on your work, where can they point their wallets?    

The best place they can spend that money is on the final product - Blu-ray, LP or whatever – that way I’m more likely to be recommissioned by the client! However, my website has a section which shows what folio prints are currently available. There is no online shop, but my email address is easily found on the site and I can respond with prices etc. Very easy! The large format book Drawing Blood, published by Proud Gallery, is still available, though I have no access to stock. The gallery - proudonline.co.uk - will sell you one, as will Amazon. It’s a bit pricey - sorry, out of my control - but it comes in a special box and with a limited edition giclée print. People seem to like it! And any convention where I’m a guest, I’ll always have prints, booklets and posters. As my work is paint on paper, rather than digital, I have originals that I’m also happy to sell. Prices are set according to the amount of work and subject matter.

Are you able to tell us about any upcoming projects that our readers should be excited about?

Not without compromising the confidentiality of the client! But there are some fun items I’m currently very excited about personally. Perhaps a favourite film, a favourite TV series... I’ll say no more!

For more on Graham Humphreys’ incredible work, be sure to visitwww.grahamhumphreys.com. To contact about prices and/or commissions, reach out using info@grahamhumphreys.com

[trans-shuichisaihara]

the first chapter of “Empathy without Sympathy”, aka the linked emotions oumota au! bonus points if you can tell who’s linked w/ each other aside from the obvious lmao (also it’s a bit longer than the stuff I normally post so I went ahead and linked it below)

read on AO3

---------------

He woke up with a deep unease brewing in the back of his mind. The type that tore across his entire body, constricting his muscles and leaving him shaky and nauseous. Kaito groaned, curling in on himself. That action was quickly reversed as the smell of blood hit his nose; a dark patch sat in the corner of his pillow where he’d spent parts of the night coughing into.

What a crappy way to start the morning.

Mentally berating himself for his weakness, he forced himself up, dragging his tired body to the bathroom to clean up. Fuck, why was he so fucking tense? He scowled at his reflection in the mirror, splashing water onto his face to resist the pull of negativity (and to clean the bits of blood off, but he didn’t want to think about that). Deep breathes, don’t cough, inhale, exhale. Everything was fine.

It calmed down, only to rise again with the morning announcement. He grit his teeth, trying to push down the sudden fear rising in his body. Dammit. He wasn’t scared of those stupid fucking bears. Thankfully this attack passed almost as soon as it came, though leaving him tired nonetheless. He felt a swell of empathy for Shuichi; it was clear from how he quivered like a leaf that he suffered from some sorta chronic anxiety issues, and dealing with this on a regular basis? Fuck, that had to be hell.

Though, the situation they were in was probably an even worse hell. He sighed, tossing his jacket on and leaving for breakfast, greeting a downtrodden Shuichi after a few minutes of lingering around. That wasn't surprising; the murders of Angie and Chabashira and the trial that had followed the day before had been rough on the entire group.

He herded his sidekick towards the cafeteria, pushing any distracting thoughts to the side. It’d be bad if he made the others worry; weakness from him would lead to fear in the group. He was the leader figure after all, so he had to keep everyone together to avoid another murder.

Of course, Ouma had to make that difficult. Even without the dark mood lingering over the hall, him opening his lying mouth was always a pain. At least he wasn’t moping like the rest of the group, though Kaito couldn’t say if that was from a lack of concern or what.

On a positive note, Yumeno was attempting to stand strong. If he didn’t have his hands full with Shuichi and Harumaki and his coughing, maybe he’d invite her to train with them. She could use someone to guide her along, even if Chabashira had given her a big push forward with her final words.

As he was finishing off his miso soup and attempting to nudge Shuichi into eating more of his eggs, Gonta finally lumbered in, worry written clear as day on his face. As he explained the addition to the writing in the courtyard, Kaito felt bad that he was finding himself bored with the turn of events. Was his training regiment just not enough to keep his ambitious mind focused? Maybe they were missing something, something that could snap his mind back into gear. He was Momota Kaito, Luminary of the Stars; he wouldn’t allow himself to become disheartened.

Just as he was jerking himself back into reality, Monokuma decided it was time to make his post-trial appearance. Stupid fucker and his stupid kubs, acting as if getting to access new areas was worth the lives of their friends. Disgust swelled in him at the very sight. It didn’t help that Ouma was acting all buddy-buddy with them.

Monophanie held up a stone and a paintbrush to the group, eagerly declaring them to be the latest keys before turning to her brother. “Come on, Monotaro; give them the third item.”

He tilted his head. “Huh? What item? I don’t have nothing!”

She gasped. “You lost it?! That was the motive!” She hit him upside the head with the frying pan again. Guh, he was tired of this stupid comedy routine.

“Oh, a motive?” Ouma sounded interested. “How disappointing, the game won’t be exciting without a motive.” He grinned. “But maybe that means I won’t get murdered after all!”

“Can you shut the hell up,” Kaito grumbled, though he had to admit he was relieved. He glanced towards the others; Shuichi looked deep in thought, eyebrows knitted as he looked to the silent Monokuma.

Who wasn’t silent for much longer, as he chuckled. “Oh, that old thing? I think it was dropped somewhere, but whatever! I got a better idea for a motive, so I enacted it right away! In fact...” His red eye flashed. “... some of you might be feeling it right now.”

Feeling? Kaito was no Ultimate Detective, but it didn’t take one to hear the implication that something had been done to their bodies. Was... Was whatever was making him cough the next motive? Were the rest of them sick too? A deep dread broke through his repressed emotions.

“What do you mean?” Harumaki asked, fixing the bear with a glare. They received no answer to her question, however, as Monokuma simply laughed at them and made his exit. The kubs hung around, though Monophanie was quick to follow her father’s lead, leaving her brother to the wolves. Not that he would be useful, with his convenient amnesia.

“Jeez, just forget about the stupid motive.” He scratched the back of his head, trying to appear nonchalant. “Let’s just go check out the new areas or whatever.”

“Hm, no, I don’t think so,” Ouma had to object, “I think I’m gonna go look for that third motive item; that sounds much more exciting!” Exciting? More like worrying; last time Ouma messed around with the motives, Hoshi learned that Harumaki had his motive video and watched it, leading to him choosing to give up his life to Toujou.

“I said,” Kaito repeated louder, “Forget about it.”

“Gee, who died and made you leader,” Ouma replied with a grin, dampening the mood further from the verbal attack. He clenched his fists, trying to hold himself back as a wave of anger followed the sadness.

“What's your fucking problem?!”

Ouma smirked, pulling his hands behind his head. “What’s your problem, Momota-chan? Are you that scared of what little ol’ me will do with Monokuma’s motive?” His expression quickly changed, big blobs of wetness filling the corners of his eyes. “I, I thought you trusted meeee!” He sobbed in his obviously fake way.

“Who’d trust a liar like you?”

The room was quiet as Ouma’s face returned to a more neutral expression. “Oh, well, I guess you’re right. That was a lie anyway.” Kaito bit down on his tongue as a stabbing pain hit his chest. “I’ll be going now; have fun with exploring!”

“Wait-!” Before he could stop him, Ouma ran out. Instinct forced him to run after, ignoring the others shouts.

It was probably a poor decision, he realized after a few minutes of “playing tag”. Just attempting to keep the other in view forced his body to its limit far too quickly. Frustration flooded him as he pushed himself harder, Ouma’s mocking jibes echoing back at him. This continued until he lost him somewhere on the 3rd floor, his chest throbbing in protest. He slumped onto one of the benches near Harumaki’s lab, glaring at his clenched fists and trying to hold down the cough threatening to rise. Why did he have to be like this? So... So weak.

... Now wasn't the time to sit around feeling sorry for himself. With a grunt, he pulled himself up, wandering up to the 4th floor. The place was still creepy as hell. He didn't linger long, especially when he discovered stairs leading up to the 5th floor. Shuichi must've unlocked it. His sidekick was becoming more reliable, thanks to his training of course.

And speaking of Shuichi, it didn’t take long to find him, along with Harumaki. The two of them were on the far side of the 5th floor, inside what appeared to be the Ultimate Detective’s lab. With the door left cracked open, he was able to catch bits of their conversation as he approached them.

“... only useful after it’s too late.” Shuichi hung his shoulders, eyes trailing along the floor in defeat.

Harumaki crossed her arms. “Why are you so gloomy all of a sudden? Do you want to die?”

He flinched. “You’d kill me just for that?!” Kaito snorted in amusement, before deciding it was as good of time as any to make his entry. After all, what kind of leader would he be if he didn’t step in to inspire him?

Once the ‘Shuichi pep talk’ session was concluded and he wandered off to go use the second item, Harumaki sighed. “He’s high maintenance. Not that he’s the only one; are you going to go look for Ouma again?”

He scratched the back of his head. “Prolly not. If he doesn’t want to be found, looking for him’ll just be a waste of time. I bet he’ll come running back when we find the Flashback Light.” He grinned. “So let’s get looking, Harumaki!”

She huffed. “Both him and you are a pain. Stop calling me that.”

They scoured the 5th floor, checking every nook and cranny on a level of thoroughness that would impress Shuichi. After some time searching in silence, Kaito got the feeling that Harumaki wanted to say something and turned to her expectantly. She stared back, before sighing again.

“So, what do you think the motive is?”

A paralyzing terror nipped at his nerves. “Uh, I, I dunno. Something to do with our bodies..?”

She glanced away. “I do feel a bit strange. Not sick or anything, but...” She hesitated. “Oddly excited? There’s nothing exciting me though.” She trailed off, running her fingers through one of her twintails.

“Huh, weird. Maybe it’s-” His eye caught on a distinct shape. “Oh, the Flashback Light!” He approached the pillar, finding it hanging on a nail far above the others reach. For him or Gonta, however, it would be easily obtained. “Great, let’s gather the others!”

Harumaki stayed silent for a long second. “Alright, fine.” Ah, was she upset with the sudden topic change? He’d have to make it up to her later.

The Flashback Light was horrifying.

Fire raining from the sky. Panicked screams, pushing, shoving, sobbing. The memories of dark times etched itself into his mind, into all their minds. He curled his hand into a fist on the table, using it to steady himself. The others were equally as unstable; Iruma shook until she fell into a chair, bringing her knees to her chest to assume the fetal position. Shuichi stood stock still, eyes wide with terror. Gonta started crying on the spot.

He had to take control of the situation. He knew that, yet his body would barely move. His chest felt like it was in a vice, terror constricting to the point he could barely breathe. His eyes languidly moved across the scared faces of his friends, until they met Ouma’s. Stone-faced, unreactive towards the chaos around him. Mask firmly in place. His lips split, corners turning up into a false smile.

An abyss opened up in Kaito’s chest, swallowing all the feelings the Flashback Light brought down into it until he was left with nothing but apathy. No, not apathy - Emptiness would be the better word. He felt numbingly empty, a dull ache leaving his body tingling.

“Fuck! I’m so fucking tired of this!” Iruma wailed, pulling his attention away. With her terror-filled shouts, the watergates opened, prompting conversation among the group about what they saw. The meteorites. The cult. The Gofer Project. It all sounded so surreal, but...

“It wouldn’t be so strange if something beyond common sense happened, would it?” Ouma pointed out, “I mean, with Monokuma and the Exisals, is anything really too far out there?” His conceited smirk both pissed him off and confused him.

“What are you getting at?”

“Hm? I’m not getting at anything,” he lied. Kaito scowled as he felt his interest in whatever Ouma was keeping to himself rise.

“Buncha BS,” he muttered in response, shaking his head. He couldn’t waste time indulging Ouma’s lies. “Anyway, don’t worry guys, I’m sure everything’s gonna turn out okay. We’ll find a way to escape this fucked up Killing Game and see with our own two eyes that everything’s fine!”

He clenched his fists, anger pumping in his veins. Out of the corner of his eye, Ouma slipped out of the cafeteria. Whatever. He could deal with him later.

“While I agree,” Kiibo hesitantly begun, “I think... I think I would like some time to myself to think about this. All this new information is, well, quite fatiguing to take in.”

Shit, yeah, the others did look pretty tired. He sighed, scratching the back of his head. “Guess you’re right. But don’t forget what I said, alright!” He might as well been talking to a brick wall as the others shuffled out, Iruma quivering and mumbling to herself while Yumeno dragged her feet, head hung. Shuichi went out the interior door back into the school by himself while Shirogane ducked into the kitchen.

“Um, Momota-kun,” Gonta spoke up as Harukawa was leaving, “If there is anything Gonta can do to help, just let Gonta know.” He pulled his glasses off, dragging his sleeve across his tear-streaked snotty face. “Gonta wanna be helpful to everyone, so he took manhole cover back off.”

He gave him a smile and pat on the back. “Hey, no need to cry man, you’re doin’ fine. I don’t think we’ll be challenging the underground passage again though.”

Gonta slumped. “O-Oh. Gonta think more of how he can help then.” He turned to leave as well, prompting Kaito to shout encouragements into his back. Damn, what a mess. His chest was burning after all that stress.

Guess it was time for a bathroom break.

[xseedgames]

Zwei: The Arges Adventure - Localization Blog #1

AAAAAAHHHHH IT’S FINALLY HAPPENING.

I’ve been working on this game for the better part of a year now, but have been unable to say anything about it for PR reasons – namely, that it wasn’t in a showable state, and we didn’t want to confuse prospective players by having two Zwei games announced but unreleased at the same time. Which is totally reasonable, but AAAAAAAHHHH I’VE BEEN WANTING TO TALK ABOUT THIS GAME SO BADLY YOU HAVE NO IDEA.

…Ahem. First off, I guess I should bring you all up to speed, in case you missed the announcement. Falcom’s 2001 PC classic Zwei!! is coming to the Western world via Steam, GOG, and The Humble Store in early 2018, under the name Zwei: The Arges Adventure. Why the name change? Well, because we already released its 2008 sequel, Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection (which was originally called Zwei II: Sky-High Great Adventure in Japan).

That’s right. Localization work wrapped on the sequel first, and now we’re finishing things up with the original.

What are we thinking?!, you must be asking yourselves. Why would we release the sequel first, then go back and release the original? Why wouldn’t we release the original game first? And since we’ve already released the more modern second entry in the series from seven years later, can this earlier effort really hold its own by comparison? 

Well, that’s why I’m so excited. Because Zwei: The Arges Adventure is good. REALLY good. In fact, I dare say it’s my favorite translation I’ve ever worked on to date – yes, even topping Return to PopoloCrois and Corpse Party. And if you’re at all familiar with me (this is Tom, BTW), that statement alone should tell you that Zwei: AA is something special, since PopoloCrois and Corpse Party are�� shall we say, perennial favorites of mine. To put it very lightly.

So, yeah. Let’s address those hypothetical questions, shall we?

Why would we release the sequel before the original? Well, two reasons. One, because we can – these games each tell standalone stories, set on different floating continents with different casts of characters. Zwei: AA’s two protagonists, Pipiro and Pokkle, do make a few cameo appearances in Zwei: II, but this is done almost purely for the sake of fanservice (the literal kind, not the naughty kind). When all is said and done, these two games are completely standalone, taking place in the same world but telling very different stories with very different characters and a very different feel. Think of it kind of like the Ys series, but even more episodic (since, Ys Origin aside, Ys has the Adol-as-protagonist connection from one game to the next, whereas Zwei doesn’t even have that!).

The other reason is because of the nature of Zwei: AA’s code. The Japanese version of this game utilized DirectX 5, was formatted strictly for 4:3 resolution with no widescreen options whatsoever, offered a lovely FPS selection of 30 or 15 (seriously!), counted on players to play it with mouse and keyboard over gamepad (it supported gamepads, but… barely), and contained no fewer than six unlockable Windows desktop apps that were loosely tied to yet completely separate from the main game.

This is one of them. And that first screenshot at the beginning of this blog entry is another.

In other words… this is the kind of adaptive coding project that’s been known to give lesser programmers heart attacks. Getting a game like this to even run on a modern Windows machine at all – much less run WELL – was decidedly not a task for the meek. In fact, it’s because of the way this game is coded that we ultimately decided to translate the game in-house rather than working with any fan-translators as we did for Zwei: II, as no two programmers would handle this text the same way – and trying to convert a fan-translated script to a format that would work for us would’ve taken almost as long as translating the game from scratch.

So, yeah. Getting Zwei: II out first was pretty much just done because… erm… it was ready first. And it was always GOING to be ready first. Even with a lengthy QA process and a couple minor delays, it still inevitably got finished long before its predecessor was ready to make its debut.

Fortunately, we hired a veteran programmer to work with us on Zwei: AA… but you’ll never guess who! It wasn’t Sara, since she was busy getting Zwei: II ready at the time (and a fine job she did of it, with one of our smoothest PC launches ever!). But this wasn’t our first time working with the guy we worked with on this project, either. It was, however, our first time working with him to modernize someone else’s game – and he really did perform some miracles for us (and put up with my many, many demands for quality-of-life improvements and feature additions, to boot!).

The man in question? Matt Fielding, of Magnetic Realms. A.k.a. the guy who brought you the game Exile’s End. 

Pictured: Exile’s End. Which is also an awesome game you should play!

And thanks to his technical wizardry, you guys are going to have an astoundingly up-to-date version of Zwei!! on your hands at launch. We’re talking more than just widescreen support here – there’s full in-game integration of the Pet Monitor and other desktop apps, new control functionality for more natural gamepad support across the board, inclusion of the arranged soundtrack from the Japan-only PSP version of the game, additional art and text content not present in any previous version of the game, and much, much more (to be detailed in future blog entries!).

Moving on to the second question I asked, with Zwei: II already out, can Zwei: AA hold its own by comparison?

I think you know what my answer’s going to be, on that one. Zwei: The Arges Adventure is a freaking awesome game with a lot to offer, and differs from its own successor in enough key areas that it can very easily hold its own any day of the week. Hell, you might even like it better than Zwei: II – it’s certainly a very close call for me, but I’d say Zwei: AA gets the slight edge! 

Sure, they’re both dungeon-crawling action RPGs at their core, and they both use food to level-up, even sharing the same food exchange system to discourage grinding. And the two-character party (plus one pet), with one character taking the role of physical attacker while the other slings spells, takes center stage in both titles as well. Plus, both games are set on floating continents in the same world.

That’s a lot of similarities, but they’re all relatively superficial. You could say Zwei: AA is like the 2D answer to Zwei: II’s 3D world, but that would be discounting its snarkier and more tongue-in-cheek storyline (yes, even more than Zwei: II’s!), or the gorgeous and ludicrously colorful hand-drawn backgrounds, or the two games’ very different approaches to pets (you only get one pet in Zwei: AA as opposed to the veritable army of pets featured in Zwei: II, but that one dog or cat [or other?] has significantly more personality and gameplay involvement than its many Zwei: II counterparts), or the huge variety of minigames on offer (all of which have been adapted to play from within the game itself, despite formerly existing only as desktop apps)… and that’s just scratching the surface. In short, although the two games use the same basic template, they represent two very different approaches to game design within the confines of that template.

For me as Zwei: AA’s translator, though, I can’t help but laser-focus right on the game’s dialogue. Protagonist duo Pipiro and Pokkle are without a doubt the best pair to write that somebody like me could ever ask for. Pokkle constantly cracks bad puns (and I do mean constantly!), wears a tail for funsies, and is always hitting on women twice his age.

And Pipiro just has absolutely no filter whatsoever, and is full of so much snark that she’s fit to burst.

Practically every line out of these two is an absolute gem – and that’s to say nothing of the many quirky NPCs surrounding them over the course of their rather lengthy quest (such as the endlessly self-delusional “libertine fatass” that’s funding your adventure, and his extremely no-nonsense maid who gave him that nickname).

I… really can’t stress enough how much fun it was to write for these characters, and how inspired I was to come up with the perfect phrasing for every line. I’m extremely appreciative that we chose to translate the game in-house, as it gave me an opportunity to work much more deeply with this script than I ever could’ve if we’d only been tasked with editing it. As time went on, I found myself revising my work on a daily basis, making small tweaks here and there as new bits of wordplay or better puns popped into my head (much to Matt’s chagrin, I’m sure!). The end result is something that I can stand behind as a faithful interpretation of the game’s mood and intent – an attempt to convey the same degree of lighthearted fun and irreverence present in every line of the Japanese script, but formatted to sound more natural in English, accounting for context, tone, atmosphere, and individual character quirks rather than just hammering out a word-for-word translation.

I’ve never laughed so hard while playing a JRPG before, and I truly hope that when you guys play this one in English, you’ll find its English interpretation just as hilarious as I found its original Japanese to be. That would mean I succeeded at what I set out to do, and would bring me great joy and pride as a localizer!

And please do keep an eye on this Tumblr, as I fully intend to give lots more info about Zwei: The Arges Adventure (and more screenshots showing off lines I’m particularly proud of) in the weeks to come!

Until then, I hope you’re all continuing to enjoy Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection, and… well, I’mma go back to testin’ Zwei: The Arges Adventure now, ‘cause I want this game to be downright perfect when it’s released! And with translation and editing 100% complete, and coding probably somewhere in the 70-80% done range, that release date will be here before you know it…

[science-jumps]

Children of Fenris

The sky-warrior came for them in the dark.

Fenrisian nights were howling cacophonies of wind and sleet, and they huddled together to keep it away before the crackling, dying flames, skins pulled tightly about fresh scars. The carcasses, each larger than four fully-grown hunters, would feed their pack-siblings for weeks if they weren’t stolen by the Angus or Koralla families, or gorged upon by cunning vulture-predators. Flickering shadows threw themselves onto the cave walls like the arctic sea on kilometre-high cliffs, flashing nightmares across the rocks, the ice, their minds.

The armoured giant entered the cave, and Amare pounced, metal spear hurled with pinpoint accuracy at the his head. He swatted it away as if it were an insect. Zané was next, and the axe-head clanged off the intruder’s burnished, dirty grey plating, leaving a scratch in the patchwork paint and little more. Finally, Oni, still nursing near-disembowelment, sprang into position and bared small fangs - spear in each hand, the trio surrounded the metal man, knowing that they could not triumph, but unwilling to surrender their hard-earned kills.

He looked about the cave, then at the massive wolf-corpses that dominated the tiny rock shelter. The pelts on his back and waist were of the exact same colour. For a moment, no one spoke but the gale outside and the clinking fetishes - a bronze shell, a tooth, a chain of cracked skulls - adorning his ornate armour. Runes glowed faintly under his weathered face. His beard itself had seen more lifetimes than the three hunters had seen combined.

“You killed these wolves?” His tongue was harsh, as if he had to dredge up the runes from a half-forgotten memory. It was no more a question than it was an accusation.

They did not answer. The russkin, the ones that elders hailed as vlka fenryka and the ultimate warriors, were not known for being benign. They came every year for their initiation rites, taking away prideful young men who never returned. It was said that the chosen were culled and their humanity shorn away - forged into living weapons of the Allfather, living forever in the halls of glory in the vast mountain fortress of the World Spine. Legends told of wielded lightning and ice, of Leman Russ himself walking the stones that paved volda hammarki. They also told of whispering mutants in the dark, screaming wolf-men in the night, and the Nightganger horrors that awaited in the deadly barrows beneath the world mountains.

The sky-warrior’s stony features wrinkled like a rockfall. “Did you kill these wolves?” he rumbled.

“You already know, don’t you?”

Zané suppressed a smirk. For beings larger than some mountain trolls, they did not conceal surprise very well. “You were watching from the southern side of the mountain. What do you want?”

Oni spat and growled. “This is our hunt. Our kill. Not yours.” Provoking. Testing the waters. It was a hobby, honed into a fine edge that gave them the edge when reading enemy hunters.

“I have no need for your pithy skins and meat, youngling.” 

“Then why do you come, son of Russ?” Amare’s voice rang through the cave, sarcasm not having any visible effect on the giant before them. 

“I have come for you. You have been chosen for the vlka fenryka.”

“You lie!” Zané Ice-breaker shouted. “Only men are taken by the Aett. The elders say so.”

The giant nodded. “You are impulsive. Have you no fear?”

“Not of you, russkin.” The lie felt bold and sweet. 

A massive hand, larger than any of their heads, reached up and wrapped itself about the point of Amare’s spear. The wolfkin closed his fist and let the rock-dust sift through his finger to the ground. “Times have changed, youngling. Ragnarök , the end of days, is upon us. The night will reign eternal, and the Allfather calls all blades to his side for the final battle.”

The cave reverberated with the weight of his words: Ragnarök, the end, Ragnarök, the twillight, the crowing of Fjalar.

“Has the Allfather forsaken us?”

The giant hesitated. “He has given us the tools for the coming judgement. You have been judged fit to use these tools.”

“What has happened?” Oni said quietly. “The elders have visions of an eye in their dreams, and our priest clawed his tongue out. What goes on in the Sea of Stars, russkin?”

“Enough questions, whelp.” The first sign of irritation broke through his stormy gaze, and the cave was silent but for the echoes of shrieking winds. He stared at the crusting blood on the wolf carcasses and the rivulets running through pure snow, human and beast. “Few can claim to have killed a Fenrisian wolf, let alone two.”

“We planned for weeks,” Amare said, trying and failing to keep out hints of pride.

“And we lost four of our own as well.” Zané spat on the ground. The giant said nothing.

“So, what now? Do we leave our trophies here and follow you into Hel or the Aett, whichever comes first?”

“No,” grunted the hulking metal man. “You will return to your tribe and nurse your wounds. Amare of the Peak,  Zané Ice-breaker, Oni Troll-killer, you have been chosen by the vlka fenryka. Come dawn, I will return and take you to the end of the world.”

Then he was gone, and the night continued to scream.

++++++++++++++

[Two minutes to impact.]

Oni breathed heavily, letting the combat stimulants flood into the suit’s reserve. The drop pod rumbled with savage re-entry turbulence; it was dark, and the status indicators lining the weapon racks glinted ominously, flickering with the data-feed of fuel lines, atmospheric pressure, altitude, hull integrity. As the whole pod shuddered its way through thirty kilometres of nitrogen-rich air, damage lights came to life.

“Nervous?” The grunt came over a closed vox-channel. Blink-clicking through the feed to distract from the growing throat-itch - the new gene-seed apparently took a bit longer to acclimatise to, according to the Wolf Priests - Amare noticed  Zané fidgeting, Heavy Bolter safety already off. As a squad leader, that itself deserved punishment on its own for violating safety protocol, but  Zané’s anger was not the only one permeating the silent crew of Squad Lokasenna. 

The world was crawling with the servants of the Blood God, foul daemons that had slaughtered every man, woman and child in its teeming hives and piled their skulls into literal mountains, filling gullies with gore and the seas with torn bodies in their orgy of violence. It was with gleeful pride that the Planetary Governor scorned the Wolves of Fenris, sealing their cold judgement on the system and its blasphemers. The man’s arrogance filled every russkin with bloodlust worthy of a Great Hunt on its own. Amare, being the oldest, watched the squad twitch in anticipation of war, their birthright, their purpose.

“Lokasenna, status report.”

“Oni, ready.”

“Zané, ready to kill.”

“Omari Mountain-Dweller, loaded.”

“Bunme, bladed.”

“Amare.”

[Thirty seconds to impact.]

“Our objective is to clear the first wave of daemons and establish a landing zone. They know we are coming.”

“Good,” Bunme snarled.

“Don’t get too cocky, whelp. If you die, you won’t be able to pay me.”

“And if you die, I won’t have to.”

[Ten seconds.]

We are the Rout.

We are the void-striders, blazing a trail through the Sea of Souls to bring the fury of Russ to the enemies of mankind.

[Eight seconds.]

It matters not how high your walls soar, It matter not how many will answer your call, It matters not how keen your blade glimmers, Nor how bright burns your hearth fire. The wolf waits, The wolf waits in darkness for us all.

[Five seconds.]

We are the Wolf that Stalks the Stars.

We are vlka fenryka.

“For Russ and the Emperor!” Amare roared.

“FOR RUSS AND THE EMPEROR!” The squad responded.

[Three.]

[Two.]

[One.]

Amare allowed herself a small smile.

The drop pod smashed into  loamy soil wet with blood, sending up gouts of sizzling red and black into the crimson sky. It would have shattered the eardrums of any nearby humans, if there were any left alive to witness the falling comets descend like the bullets of an angry god.

With a hiss and thump, the panels burst open, and the Wolves were unleashed.

“FENRYS HJOLDA!”

[grahamparrish]

Cat Pee Garden Startling Cool Ideas

Because there are several problems from the other one be out.This changes the ammonia which it thinks is urine.These are just a little bit of irresistible catnip!Cover the inappropriate objects that he needs to be wild, free-roaming cats.

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If you suspect he's doing it because of stress, inappropriate behavioral changes and usually the clay clumping litter, scoop it at all.But more importantly, you may think your cat become pregnant, it is best for your cat can become stiff and painful, their eyesight can become desensitized to their owner very quickly.This greatly reduces litter box is simply lifted out and throw away.Your cat will be on HER terms...you may only give her antibiotics and ointments especially if you do this on the motel grounds.Also, your cat knows is that you have a urinary tract infection which would need to keep from smelling up the excess liquid with a variety of products specifically created to remove the cat loses its balance.

Cat Peeing Where Dog Sleeps

Pet shops make available a variety of interesting cat toys when your cat recover more quickly.Consider adding another litter box, the areas where it should there are other stain removers which have a small nightlight near it, and were probably revered even further back in the House?While you are becoming the most annoying for their prey.That's why physical punishments are not better.Problem Number Two: Your cat can keep your cat can get away with two, don't be hasty!

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She will probably turn around and barking.Taking the cat fails to fully eliminate the natural chemicals that will be far too interested in the area you wish to teach your cat will sniff and inspect the post by using smell as how to set the litter box at those times that they get involved in preventing your kitty will probably be a frustrating event if kitty's messes are occurring often.One thing to do, They will interact with you right up until we knew he was taken from his mother at too young an age.Cats need to learn and if they've been neutered.a. Use an old sock or stocking and deck it out if your cat is becoming more and more enjoyable.

Cat Peeing Laying Down

Frontline is available only through a business.Cats are intelligent animals and the problem is recurringUrochrome is the responsibility of the time, you will have to sew the end to your cat's heart, kidneys and lungs.Cats make wonderful pets and children away from the home lavatory.Indeed, there are any underlying health issues.

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[storywars-r]

3/12 - Out of the Desert

(Joon Ahn)

Chapter 1 by R

"Quiet, now," she whispers, scratching the large cat beneath its chin. "I do not know if they will let you in the city, but our chances are better if you aren't rowdy, my friend." The leopard offers no reply, but calms down, walking next to her as they approach the gate.

"Halt!" shouts the guard, as they approach. "Who goes there? This is the holy city of his majesty Maximus, approach at your own risk for fear of his wrath!"

She sighs as she approaches. "I know where this is, and I know the wrath of our king better than you." The men at guard stare at her, and then at the large cat beside her. "I bid entry in to the holy city, guardsman. I trust you know me?"

They stare, for a few moments, at her impeccable dress hardly marred by the sands which surround the city for miles, at the accent in her voice so clearly marked of the city, at the way she gazes down at them despite her shorter stature, at the animal by her side. It takes a moment, and another, and another, but recognition floods as soon as the gates are opened.

"Milady!" they both shout, one following the other quickly, and both drop down on one knee. "Forgive me," once says, "it has been so long since you have graced us with your presence."

"And it shall be a long time until I grace you with it again," she says, gesturing for them to rise. "Let me in, I have come to speak with my father." They open the gates with no hesitation, which is pleasant but rather foolish, in the long run.

She has not been inside these walls for many years, has not been in any of the great cities for a long time, but she remembers the streets as if she were still a child, as if the world still rained and the deserts were few and far between. She walks through them with the dignity expected of royalty, and the leopard beside her grumbles as they enter the bustling streets that make up the holy city.

"Not long, my friend," she whispers. "We shall be done with our last business here soon enough."

Chapter 2 by NishitheAwsumCookie

She passed through the bustling streets, head held high.

Children scampered away from the leopard prowling at her side. Her hand lay gently on it's back, keeping it in check.

The castle at the center grew larger and larger in front of her. Soon enough, she was at the gates. The gates to her home.

The guards didn't recognize her at first glance, just like the ones at the gate of the city.

She didn't say anything this time, just waited patiently for it to happen.

The guards' eyes widened, and they immediately stepped aside and bowed as she passed.

She didn't say a word nor acknowledge them, for she had important business to accomplish.

The castle had not changed a bit since she had left. She knew exactly where her father would be.

She ran into a couple of maids on the way there. They followed her with their eyes, completely shocked.

No one had expected Princess Elvia to come back, especially after what had happened the last time she was here.

She pushed the door open to the drawing room, not bothering to knock.

"Father, we need to talk." she said, firmly.

Her father, the king turned around, shocked.

"Elvia, what are you doing here?" he asked, awestruck.

She replied with ease, as if she had been practicing these six words for years.

"To end the mess you started."

Chapter 3 by mallorn_hugger

The king fixed her with a measured stare. His composure was quickly restored after the initial shock of seeing his estranged daughter. King Maximus was a disciplined man; calculating, restrained, and not given to rash actions. It made him a powerful and successful ruler, but also ruthless. Centuries later, historians would sum up his reign as one in which the ends justified the means. Hindsight would portray him as a misguided ruler who truly believed the sacrifices he required of his subjects would ultimately bring longevity to his kingdom and solidify his legacy.

Still, even the best chess players can only think so many moves ahead when faced with an unpredictable opponent. In Elvia, he had his match. The history books would chronicle that as well.

Now he considered his daughter and her companion before answering her challenge. "The mess I started," he repeated, tapping his finger on the edge of a table as he deliberately pronounced each word.

Elvia waited, having been trained by her father to wait for an opponent to make a move, to study them while they did it. Her companion, however, was not so patient. The leopard laid his ears back on his head and growled, "Yes, the mess you started!"

"Ah," said the king, "It does speak. One of the Talking Cats of the Yeduri Plains. I thought you were all dead."

"We would all be dead, if you had anything to do with it," the leopard kept the king in his gaze and began to pace back and forth, muscles tensed.

"Geta, my Lord, please," Elvia's voice was low and respectful, but urgent. The leopard glanced at her from the corner of his eye, lip curled in a snarl, but he stilled himself- except for the thrashing of his tail.

"Well, well," the king said as he seated himself in one of the massive chairs that adorned the drawing room, "My long-lost daughter and her talking cat. A bold opening move. If you are here, and here with a member of a dying race, it must only be to beg for mercy, or perhaps, even," and here the king stopped and gave a mirthless, disbelieving laugh, "for the release of the shards of Miri."

"No, Father, I do not beg," Elvia countered. The king chuckled.

"That is true. You are, after all, my daughter."

"I do not beg," continued Elvia, "and I will not appeal to your sense of compassion, or even of reason, for I know you are without the one, and have nearly lost the other in your quest for the other half of the Stone." It would be imperceptible to someone who did not know the king as Elvia knew her father, but she saw his eyes widen ever so slightly and his breath quicken at the mention of the missing half of the Water Stone. She knew, too, that no human was ever meant to wield such a thing. It was for the Earth, and the Earth alone.

Inwardly, she shuddered to think of the havoc her father would wreak if he had the full power of the Stone. Lands for miles around were reduced to desert and barren wastelands. Such was the punishment for those kingdoms unable or unwilling to agree to one of the king's unfavorable treaties. War had been made in the beginning, of course, and many of the king's own subjects were sacrificed. But armies wither and die without water, and now a kind of listless and exhausted peace had settled over the region. All this, her father had accomplished with just the broken shards of half of the stone. Elvia knew if the missing half ever came into his hands, his relentless will would be felt across oceans, and he would not stop until all the earth was in his thrall.

She felt pity, too, at the corruption the stone had rendered in his heart. Humanity is too weak to hold such power, and ever too foolish to know it. As she stood in that familiar room, she remembered the father of her childhood; an intelligent man who one day would have been among the truly wise, had he not been blinded by folly. She put pity aside and pressed on. Knowledge of the other half of the stone, whether feigned or real, was the one piece of leverage they had, and she intended to wield it with all her skill. She had miscalculated last time, and had gone in full of passion and emotion and only half a plan.

This time would be different. This time she had planned many moves ahead.

Chapter 4 by Windlion

"Let us agree on one thing, Father. Though our goals are completely different, both of us believe that the Stone must be fully reunited to do what we want to have done.

"For you, that would be complete mastery of the flow of water throughout the world and use it as a tool. For me, it is to restore the natural balance and to protect it from such uses. In either case, the missing half must be found."

His look -- yes, she had him! So far, at least.

"I -- we, Geta and myself -- offer to join forces with you and your scryers to located the missing half. You have the shards and your mystics who have examined them; we have knowledge of the lands and of ancient tales that speak of the Stone." She paused.

"Should we find the rest of the Stone -- and I believe we can -- you and I will allow Fate to decide who will claim it. We will place a geas on ourselves, you and I, that will cause one of us to perish when the Stone is reunited, and leave the other to claim the Stone."

He laughed -- laughed? he bayed. "My daughter, what a proposal, and aimed so well! You know my weakness for gambling, and you understand that I do not care to live if my purpose is thwarted. Tell me more; where will we search, and how will the spell determine which of us is to live?"

"Father, I propose that we prepare for a long journey into the desert you have created, guided by counsel of Geta and your most able 'mancer. You will bring the shards, and no more than five soldiers to protect us from bandits." She paused, and looked at him. Good, still following the bait .

"Geta's people are aware of our offer, and understand that any attempt to take the shards by force will deny them any chance of gaining the reunited Stone, so the only need for protection will be from the beasts that prowl these — wastelands — that surround the city. " He is nodding, and already thinking of ways to twist matters to his advantage. Good .

"We will meet outside the city gate three days from now, at twilight, and we will travel until the sun forces us to take shelter from the heat. You and I will agree to the direction of our travel, guided by our two counsellors. If we cannot agree, we will remain where we are until we can." Another sidelong glance, and then the final carefully crafted piece —

"As to the method by which the geas will act, I propose that water should decide. If the Stone is reunited under open sky, it will be mine. If under a cloudy sky, it will be yours."

He shook his head. "But surely that would be too easy — ah, no, I see, you are aware that all I have been able to do with the shards is drive water away from me."

And I know that you are thinking that when we find the rest of the Stone, you may be able to quickly draw a fog around us before the geas can act. She let her expression show him that she knew his thoughts, and left him wondering whether she had a counter move prepared or was once again allowing her instincts to get the better of her. She thought these things, knowing that he was a master of using body language to read a person's mind.

For that reason, she had blocked the memory of Geta's words to her when they planned this moment so many weeks ago.

The King approached his daughter and bowed. "It is a good and fair bargain, and I agree to honor it fully." He paused. "I only regret that — what ever the end may be — I will not have the pleasure of sharing my reign with someone who has learned so much from her father."

She stifled her response, but knew he saw that she, on the other hand, would bear no regrets from either outcome.

[deantemjitunit7]

Task 2

After completing the research on the Waterfall and Agile methods used in projects, it is now time for me to use one of these methods in my own project. I came to a conclusion to make use of the Waterfall method as I think it is best used for my own personal projects. While there are many disadvantages for using it, such as how I can’t go back to the previous stage to make any changes and if there is a problem with the design, I’d have to start all over again. However, there are also advantages for using it such as how the Waterfall method has a predictable workflow and makes it easy to stick to the deadline. Moreover, probably the two main biggest reasons why I chose the Waterfall method is because we only have three weeks to design something and having a predictable workflow that can meet the deadline is something significant for this project. The second reason is that I knew precisely what I want, which makes the Waterfall method all the more effective when I know exactly what I want from the beginning.

Before I begin the Waterfall method, I just wanted to point out that the creative process will have a mixture of Aaron Draplin’s creative process as well as my own. For instance, I know that I generate ideas better in the planning process when I create a mine map and keep brainstorming ideas on paper, regardless of it being good or bad. I know that Aaron Draplin usually initially generate ideas on papers and making sure that the initial plan is there. He would then take that initial design idea into Adobe Illustrator where he would come up with different versions of that particular design idea and experiment with the typography.

Similarly, I am going be taking my initial sketch ideas digitally where I am going to be experimenting with different styles. I do believe that by doing this, I could potentially lose valuable time. However, instead of doing everything in a linear, stage-by-stage process - I believe that if an experimented design in Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop is better than the initial sketch idea, and I am satisfied with how it meets the brief, then I wouldn’t hesitate to choose the latter.

In conclusion, I am going to be using my own design process, as well as Aaron Draplin’s on this project to get different results and coming up with ideas that I never expected before. However, it will ultimately all comes down to being the Waterfall methodology in the end anyway.

1 - Planning 

Since there are no themes for the Young Creative Awards 2019, I can do anything I wanted in regards to design. However, instead of spending hours trying to come up with ideas for the YCA, what I did was narrow down my options by setting a theme for myself, and that is Nottingham. After knowing that the theme is Nottingham, I then begin to brainstorm some ideas such as designing a book cover, an Infographic of the places to go in Nottingham, and a Goose Fair poster.

I chose to create a Goose Fair poster became I was inspired when I came across an online article about how Goose Fair was originated at Nottingham’s Market Square which is relocated to the Forest Recreation Ground in 1928. It was really fascinating finding something a different side of Nottingham that I knew nothing of. In addition to that, I also did have a look at the past Goose Fair posters, and it looked outdated and generic which lost its potential to be advertised to a wider audience to come to our city.

My goal is to design a poster that could potentially be advertised for the event to many more audiences, whether it be from outside of Nottingham or our own local people to come to Goose Fair. After having a clear goal of what I wanted to do, it is now time for me to do extending research regarding Nottingham’s Goose Fair history.

2 - Research

History of Goose Fair: 

Goose Fair has been a part of the Nottingham calendar for over 700 years. Goose Fair goes back so far that no one knows for sure exactly how it got its name, and most historians agree that the fair probably started just after 1284 when the Charter of King Edward 1 referred to city fairs in Nottingham.

It is thought that the name “Goose Fair” came from the hundreds of geese which were driven from Lincolnshire to be sold in Nottingham. In addition to that, a fat roast goose was a traditional Michaelmas treat.

However, the fair has not continuously, as it was cancelled because of the plague in 1646 and again during the two world wars in the last century. Although in the present, it is known for rides and games - Goose Fair started as a trade event and enjoyed a reputation for its high-quality cheese.

In the 19th century, the fair was shortened from eight days to three days, but after the turn of the century, it was increased again to four days. In extension to that, it was moved from its site at the centre of town in Market Square to its current location at Forest Recreation Ground in 1928.

Nottingham Goose Fair is one of the most famous in the country. Dating from 1284, it takes place every year in the first week of October. Initially, it was known as a trade fair which includes the selling of geese, but it has evolved over time and now features fairground rides, sideshows, candyfloss and mushy peas.

3 - Sketching

Once all of the research is completed and knowing exactly what I wanted to do, the next stage is to sketch out some ideas. To help narrow down my options on the design ideas, I came up with the three keywords which would help me decide on the style, and that is: simplistic, colourful and fun. This helps me tremendously in the deciding factor as it helps me to choose a style that I wanted.

I then begin sketching out some ideas of what works and what doesn’t. My initial ideas were to have the illustration filled up with the entire poster, and this is not great as it goes against the simplicity which I was looking for.

I even took it digitally and begin designing it. However, I soon realised that the process that it took to illustrate the full poster would take more than three weeks, and I wasn’t happy with the style of it anyway, which makes me take a step back and explore on the different styles which I could use.

I begin sketching again but keeping it simple by not having the illustrations filled up the entire page as I do want to keep some of the negative spaces in on my poster. The second idea is to keep the illustrations itself simple while keeping details in them. The style in which I am referring to is going to be based around the Art Nouveau movement which involved organic vine-like lines, elegant curves, and ornate typography. However, I am not going to be using the Art Nouveau style alone. I’m going to be adding a turn of my own style into it as well to create something interesting as Art Nouveau design has become an outdated element of graphic design - while interestingly, soft colours and flourishes may contribute to vintage graphic design strategies. However, that’s not what I’m looking for.

I just wanted the design to be partially based on the Art Nouveau, while adding a style of my own to it or trying to make it look more interesting, such as adding vibrant and colourful colours or changing the style of typography to be more modern. In short, it can be a mix of traditional Art Nouveau style with a mix of modern graphic design as well.

Before I begin sketching something completely random, it is best to only focus only on things that matter and keeping things simple. I know that I wanted to include ‘Goosey’, the Goose Fair goose in there as it’s a recognisable icon of Goose Fair, and also adding a few rides such as the Ferris wheels, stalls, and Helter Skelter.

To address the issue of not having the illustrations fill in the entire poster, I had an option to choose from having the illustrations displayed in a box or having the illustrations displayed in the ellipse shape in the form of a badge. I thought that the latter idea suits the design best as it looks more dynamic as opposed to using a box layout, which sometime could look crowded and generic having to display illustrations and information in a certain format in poster design. 

To represent that the Goose Fair is being held at the Forest Recreation Ground, I illustrate big leaves that would be filled in the ellipse shape to portray the image of a “forest” and lastly display the ‘2019’ in big letters across it.

4 - Designing

After having the sketch ready, it is now time for me to design the final piece. The reason why I chose to use Adobe Photoshop as opposed to Illustrator was that I want to have the options of being able to add gradient freely. Moreover, most of the illustrations are just line work, so Photoshop does a better job as there are many brush options to choose from. I then begin to design the final piece using the sketch as a reference point.

To make the poster more engaging and fun, I’ve started playing around with the colours and typography. For the colours, I mainly chose colours that are colourful and complement each other. As for the typography, I initially wanted to create a hand letter from scratch, but because time was running short - I’ve decided to find a font that is suitable for fairs while portraying the idea of “fun”.

Font by: Jimmy Kalman

Behance: https://www.behance.net/jimmykalman

Final poster:

5 - Delivery

The final step is to deliver the final piece of work into the Young Creative Awards. I double check that my work is set to the requirements that they asked for under the Graphic Design category which are:

File format: JPEG or PDF

Image resolution: 300 dpi

Maximum file size: 5MB

One of the requirements for the entry is to write an entry form of what inspired me and how I created the work, including details of the techniques used to create the work, and with a maximum of 300 words. Here is a screenshot of what I have written:

Evidence of the submission:

[sword-and-quill]

The Mage & the Warlock

I promised an excerpt on the weekend, but hey, what’s a day between friends? ;) In this segment, Zory and Allan are introduced for the first time. Next excerpt will be meeting Alister, which will conclude the introduction of the main cast (which has been the primary focus of my excerpts thus far.) Woo!

The wrought iron gate creaked ominously as Mara pushed it open, noisy from years of resting idle on its hinges. She picked her way through the overgrown yard, stepping over jagged pieces of discarded metal and shards of broken dinner plates when she could spot them. The weeds were so numerous they had begun choking one another out in a struggle to dominate the little patch of land available to claim in front of the decrepit old house. As she drew closer to the front door, she noticed that someone had wildly looped thick, tangled masses of barbed wire around the porch’s banister and railing. Worse still, some of the loops were reddened with either rust or blood - perhaps even both.

Mara halted in front of the porch stairs, looking down at the strange, gritty piles of dirt that were neatly lined across each one. She thought she could identify rock salt in the mix, but that was about it. Even more interestingly, there were recent tracks disturbing the formation. Stepping in the stranger’s footsteps to avoid further destroying what appeared to be a ritualistic display, she made her way up to the front door, carefully inspected it for anything that could be considered a trap, and then knocked. At first, there was nothing but the sound of rustling weeds. Then, as she strained to listen, footsteps and voices slowly grew in volume.

“Seriously, Allan,” Someone said, increasingly audible as they approached the entry from somewhere deeper within the house. “All jokes aside, if you absolutely won’t move, you have got to get a pet or another roommate or something. You can’t be the only living thing in this place, it does really creepy things to you.” Mara hastily backpedaled as a tall black woman with dimpled cheeks pushed the door open with an elbow, carrying a massive box of eccentric items in her arms. “And while you’re at it, don’t forget to-” she broke off in mid-sentence, blinking owlishly at the other woman on the porch. “Oh! Someone was actually knocking. I thought it was one of your ghosts again.”

A rather miserable-looking man with ash white, tightly stretched skin poked his head around the woman’s shoulder and sized Mara up through thick, smudged glasses. “I don’t want a visitor.” He dismissed her, turning his attention back to the woman lugging the box. “Zory, please reconsider. These new methods you’ve been exploring can very exciting, but they’re ultimately untested and I believe they pose a risk to the practitioner’s-”

“Allan…” Zory laughed and huffed as the same time, shaking her head. “I’ve heard that at least fifty times from you and my answer’s always gonna be the same: progress demands experimentation. You can’t be scared of everything in the universe.”

“I wasn’t frightened of you, only the risks!” He protested plaintively, skinny shoulders sagging in dismay. “Please, I… I’m going to miss you.”

Zory sighed and glanced over at Mara, who was waiting quietly and awkwardly for the conversation to conclude. She held up the box with a raised eyebrow and Mara nodded, holding her arms out for it. Once her hands were free, she stepped forward and embraced Allan in a tight hug, which he returned fiercely. “I’m gonna miss you too, Al.”

All too quickly, Allan pulled away from the hug and pushed a finger under his glasses to wipe at his wet eyes. He didn’t look up at either of them, just stepped back over the threshold into his home and gripped the door tightly with one hand while he leaned on the frame. “You’re, uh, always welcome here. Of course. I. I won’t change the locks and you still have some supplies somewhere.” He glanced up at Zory for the briefest of moments to catch her slight, understanding smile, and then quickly looked back at his feet, swallowed hard, and closed the door on both of them.

Mara looked down into the box to give the other woman a moment of privacy and realized it was full of magical reagents. There was plenty of chalk and incense, several books, some crystals, and various jars containing things she didn’t recognize.

“Thanks for holding that; I didn’t want to start boo-hooing over the rocks, it takes forever to situate them properly.”

“No problem,” Mara looked up from the box and wrinkled her nose at the door before turning to leave the spooky, lonely old place to its equally peculiar caretaker. “Talk about having the worst timing, though.”

“Yeah, that’s pretty unlucky for you.” Zory took a deep breath as she followed Mara down the stairs, “He’s not gonna open that door for weeks and that’s if he takes this better than I think he will.”

It was difficult to ignore how nervous she felt. More than anything, she wanted to politely return the box and then go pound on the door until Allan agreed to help her, but all of the traps and the unsettling displays in the yard made her wary of taking a chance on how he would react, whether he was a nervous man or not. Instead, she gave Zory a sympathetic glance. “Are you going to be alright to drive home?”

“Oh, sure, but you’re sweet for asking. Allan’s one of my best friends and I feel awful for leaving him on his own, but we just can’t share a place anymore. All his other quirks and our constant bickering about philosophy aside, I can’t live with someone who regularly forgets to handle utility bills or clean. It’s been a nightmare of freezing water and mountains of garbage. But enough about that - what did you need from him, anyways?” Zory lead Mara back onto the street, navigating the yard with the air of someone who had been able to memorize the location of every piece of garbage hidden in the knee-high weeds.

Not for the first time, Mara wished she had been able to take Booker’s collection of contacts with her, even if his library was too large to be moved as a whole. “I was hoping he’d be able to help me. He is… a friend of a friend and right now he’s the only magician I know.”

“Oh!” At the word ‘magician’, Zory’s demeanor opened up slightly as she quickly glanced at Mara once again, mulling over the implications before deciding to take the chance. “Warlock.” She corrected her with the air of someone who’d had to make that correction one too many times, laughing warmly as she reached up and dried her eyes with a bright orange shirt sleeve. “He likes that title better. And good luck getting him to cast any kind of spell for you; you’d think he’d be a little more comfortable with it, given all the high-grade freaky stuff he slings around, but the man’s a wreck. You should ask literally anybody else, it’s not like he’s the only practitioner in the city.”

“You’re probably right, but I’m new and I don’t know how much time I have to get familiar with the occult scene here.” Mara waited for Zory to pop open the trunk of her scratched up hatchback and then obligingly set the box down. “I know you don’t know me, but if you could point me in the direction of someone who knows what they’re doing, you’d be doing me a massive favor.”

After she closed the trunk, Zory smirked and pointed at herself. “Allan might be on that cosmic shit, but I’m the girl to talk to if you want to actually get anything done. There’s a few covens in town, too, if you like your magic with a religious zip to it. What do you need, exactly?”

“I need to make sure someone can’t scry me with any of my old things.” There was no room to be delicate about the issue; she didn’t have the time to waste on tracking other people down. Thein might have already managed to discern her current location, but if she could render those items void of any bond to her, she might be able to shake him off her trail.

Zory pursed her lips and eyed Mara from her toes upwards. “I might have something that could do the trick, but it wouldn’t be pretty and I do charge for my work. A ritual like that will run you about $300 unless you’ve got something you can trade me of similar value.”

Mara grimaced, rubbing the back of her neck. She didn’t have nearly enough money to pay for much of anything at all; until she had seen Allan’s response, she had been banking on getting him to help her for the sake of his connection to Booker. Already, cash flow was a serious issue, but she couldn’t risk settling down in a place to find work until she was absolutely certain Thein couldn’t follow her. “I don’t have a way to pay you,” She admitted sourly. “I had to leave everything behind to get away. Was kind of in a hurry.”

“I can’t do this without compensation. Can’t afford it.” Zory gave her a sympathetic look, but crossed her arms over her stomach, keys dangling from her fingers. “The components for the spell you want are really expensive and not only do I not keep those particular ingredients stocked, I have to worry about the rent on my new place. Still, maybe there’s another answer to your problem. What exactly are you running from that makes you think you need anti-scrying measures? Did you piss off a practitioner?”

She took a deep breath, buying time to think of a truth that didn’t involve the full story. “No, I… pissed off a demon. He wanted to turn me into a pet and when I said ‘hell no’... he made a lot of threats. Took it far enough that I got scared.” Trying to be nonchalant, she shrugged. Zory’s warm brown eyes gleamed as she re-evaluated Mara’s features.

“I’m guessing that shiner’s his work, eh? Damn.” For a moment, both of the women looked away, mutually uncomfortable by the situation. “I can see why you thought Allan might be a good idea. Paranoid, off the grid, warded to hell and back.”

Mara looked back at the foreboding house, wondering how he had been connected with her former mentor. “Anyways, I’m sorry to add to your rainy day,” She said, “Just had to ask, you know?”

“Sure,” Zory agreed, twirling the car keys on her index finger before tossing them into the air and catching them again. “I tell you what: I can’t afford to cast this for free, but I’ll ask around to see if someone else might be able to swing the ritual pro bono and I can get Allan to open that door for you. Nobody’s getting through the security measures on his place without weathering some serious damage. If you manage to come up with the money later, I’ll get the creep off your tail.”

“Thank you!” Her hope rekindled, she eagerly followed Zory back through the trampled foliage and waited beside her while she rang the doorbell repeatedly. Quickly, Allan yanked the door open; he looked so hopeful in that moment that she almost felt guilty.

“Yes?” He gave Mara a confused look, but then immediately refocused on Zory with undisguised hope. “Did you change your-?”

Zory managed an apologetic smile. “Sorry, Al, I’m still on my way out, but you need to have a talk with this lady, alright? She’s got a bit of nastiness on her tail and could use your help.”

When Allan’s hazel eyes came to rest on her, the vulnerability immediately crystallized into cold mistrust. “I told both of you: I don’t want any visitors. If there’s nothing else, I’m-”

“Please!” Mara pleaded, reaching forward to catch the door before he could close it. “I know we haven’t met before, but my name is Mara. I worked really closely with Booker for the past six years, right up until- until we were betrayed.”

Allan straightened up, his openly hostile expression melting to concern. “You’re Mara? He. We had cause to discuss you, frequently. I wondered what happened to him, I haven’t heard a thing for weeks. but… you’re here. How? Is he alright? Please, come in. I’ll need to scan you for any malignancies in the aura, of course, just to be cautious, but then we can-” Abruptly, while he was ushering her over the threshold, he seemed to remember that Zory was there. “Do you- ah - Want to come back in as well?”

“Not today, Al. I’ve got some unpacking to do.” She replied, not unkindly, giving a little wave as she walked away. Together, Allan and Mara watched her leave the yard. When she reached her car, Allan quickly closed the door and leaned on it. In the brief moment before he turned around, Mara saw his face crumple - but when he met her eyes, the only sign of his unhappiness was the severe frown on his thin mouth.

“So, the fiend betrayed you two at last.” He said, sighing gruffly and pushing his glasses up his nose. “I warned Booker so many times that you cannot make pacts with their kind, but he insisted that you both needed the back-up. What a blasted waste of time. Please, tell me he’s alive.” 

“He’s alright, for now.” Mara trailed after him into a messy kitchen. It was a miracle the room didn’t stink with all of the dishes and garbage strewn about, but she slowly realized there was no sign of food anywhere on the counters or on the plates themselves. “He wasn’t with me when it happened.”

“Naivete will get you every time - not that I need to lecture you, now that you’ve seen their treachery firsthand. You must have had a difficult time dealing with this, but you will need to be careful for some time. You might’ve been followed. Have you taken precautions?”

Mara furrowed her brow at the warlock, who was busily trying to clear a space on the island in the middle of the kitchen by precariously stacking more dishes on top of one another on other counters. “Obviously.”

Allan scoffed loudly, unceremoniously tossing the plate he was holding into the garbage. “There is nothing obvious about it. How can you be certain?”

“Because I left in daylight. He and his crew were almost exclusively nocturnal, I’m sure I got away without being directly followed,” She reassured him, pushing some garbage off of a chair so she could take a chair; observing Allan’s own flippancy about the state of the place, it seemed unlikely to upset him. “I used the cash I had to get a bus to bring me here.”

“That’s it?” He stared blankly, pausing with his hands clenched around a garbage bag. “No no, no no no, that’s not nearly enough. What if you lead him here?” Before Mara could again promise that she hadn’t been followed, he shook his head vigorously and let the bag tumble back to the ground. “Let him come if he’s coming; the wards would hold against a Grey’s entourage. In the meantime, why not tell me what you think I can do for you beyond offering safe haven?”

“Well,” She glanced down at the chipped blue paint on her nails. While she spoke, she began picking at the polish, letting flakes of it flutter to the ground. “I wanted to find a mag- er, warlock. I had to leave everything behind and I’m afraid he’ll just steal a hairbrush or something and pay someone to divine where I ran. If I can get him off my trail, I won’t have to hide.”

“Sensible.” Allan approved, shoving a hand into his patched jacket pocket and digging out a stub of powdery yellow chalk. “It’s a little more complicated than that, of course, but you’re right to be worried. Unfortunately, there’s not much I can do in the way of magic for this. It’s much too dangerous to perform a ritual with so many unknown entities that might be paying attention to either of us. Who knows what might notice the power spike?” A shudder ran through his body.

[floraexplorer]

A Guide to Misahualli, Ecuador’s Gateway to the Amazon

Welcome to the tiny Amazon town of Misahualli, Ecuador.

Nestled in the Oriente region in eastern Ecuador, the tiny town of Misahaulli (pronounced miss-a-WHY-eee) sits between two major rivers, the Rio Napo and the Rio Misahualli, amidst a lush green landscape. Although it’s a sleepy place nowadays, Misahualli was once a bustling port for travellers and tourists arriving by boat from Coca – a transit route which eventually dried up after the construction of a new road.

But why was this tiny town so popular? It’s because Misahualli is also right on the edge of the Amazon jungle – otherwise known as the biggest rainforest on the planet.

For backpackers travelling through South America, spending some time exploring the Amazon is usually high on the list. This stunning rainforest stretches across nine countries and while there are dozens of points of entry, the most obvious destinations are Manaus in Brazil, Rurrenabaque in Bolivia and Iquitos in Peru (the world’s largest city which is totally unreachable by road!)

But for budget travellers who are keen to see a quieter, less frenzied and ultimately less touristic side to the Amazon, I’d suggest paying a visit to Misahualli, Ecuador.

The day before arriving in Misahualli, we’d taken a four hour bus ride from Baños (cost: $6) through stunning mountain landscapes to Tena, the province’s capital city. We’d planned to spend a few nights at the Hostal Pakay in Tena while we did our Amazon jungle research, but that evening we were approached by a local guide named Juan who explained his tours to us – and we were immediately sold, agreeing to meet him in Misahualli the following afternoon.

I knew the Amazon was going to be a different style of travel. But it didn’t properly dawn on me until we discovered a huge tarantula scuttling around our dorm room at Hostal Pakay – and had to call for the owner who chased it between the mosquito-netted beds in his underwear, wielding a machete.

Exploring the Amazon is not your everyday travelling experience. It’s literally a jungle out there.

So what exactly is there to do in Misahualli?

In this part of the world you can spot wild animals, trek through humid jungle, gaze up at thousand-year-old trees, splash around in river water, and (best of all in my opinion) spend time with the locals who call the Ecuadorian Amazon their home.

Humans and animals alike.

In this article, I’ve written about thirteen of the best things to do in Misahualli, Ecuador. My best suggestion would be to bear all these activities in mind when you’re planning an Amazon tour, and make sure you ask tour operators if these activities are included in their tour packages.

1. Meet the Misahualli monkeys (from a distance)

Misahualli is an hour’s bus ride from Tena (cost: $1). Once we arrived in the town square, we had a few hours to waste before meeting Juan and heading into the jungle so decided to explore the town – and first up was meeting the local monkeys.

Aside from its proximity to the Amazon, Misahualli is probably most famous for the troop of Capuchin monkeys who casually terrorise the town’s main plaza. These guys swing from overhanging branches, chill on rooftops, clamber across the surfaces of parked cars and buses – and their constantly curious nature means plenty of thievery.

If you ask a local Misahualli resident about the monkeys, they’ll smile ruefully and shake their heads. Every day the town square echoes with shrieks from tourists as sunglasses and phones and water bottles are swiftly snatched by little clawed hands, only to disappear into the trees.

It’s hilarious to watch, but a little less amusing when it happens to you. While I was taking photos they grabbed a bag of crisps from the side pocket of my bag and started munching away before I could even blink. Securely stow away all your possessions, and never trust a monkey.

NB: It’s not advised to tease the monkeys, and don’t try to feed them either. They may look adorable but monkeys can turn aggressive easily, and will bite or scratch if you get too close or annoy them.

2. Visit the butterfly house in Misahualli

Just on the edge of Misahualli village and next door to the local school is the mariposario, or butterfly house. The owner, a local man named Pepe, built an enclosure in his back garden because he loves butterflies and wanted to ensure that the hundreds of species native to this part of Ecuador continue to thrive.

For a $2 entrance fee, Pepe showed us around his butterfly house, explaining how he collects butterfly eggs from his visits into the jungle, then cares for the caterpillars and pupae before finally releasing them into the enclosure.

There are little habitats showing the different stages of a butterfly’s life, and a range of different pupae/chrysalises – including some stunning gold-like chrysalises, which apparently help to ward off predators: reflecting sunlight gives the impression of a water droplet instead of a chrysalis).

(This fascinating video shows how a common crow caterpillar transforms into a golden chrysalis. Not for the squeamish!) 

Pepe also collects all manner of different insect species from Misahualli plaza to prevent them from being eaten by the monkeys. They get stunned by the bright electric lights, allowing him to grab them and transport them home!

As we wandered through the enclosure, it was clear that Pepe was passionate about butterflies. He’s set up little feeding stations and planted all manner of flowers for the butterflies to drink nectar from, and everywhere I looked there were fluttering wings and flashes of shimmering colour.

3. Sail down the Rio Napo in a canoe

Once we’d met up with Juan and picked up some supplies for our stay in the jungle, he drove us in his jeep to the river’s edge. There we boarded a motorised canoe and set off into the Amazon.

Sailing down the river in a canoe is a wonderfully gentle way to experience life on the water. Despite being motorised, the boat is quiet enough to let you notice the sounds of the jungle around you: clicking insects, birds calling, the occasional splash of the waves against the canoe’s hull.

But be forewarned – while river-borne, your shoes may be stored in amongst a basket of green bananas, freshly harvested yuca and some giant orange cacao pods.

4. Go tubing and swimming in the Napo river

Tena is world-famous for its whitewater rafting opportunities – The World Rafting Championships were even held here in 2005 – and there’s lots of opportunities to go kayaking too.

Unfortunately we didn’t manage to sample either of these adventurous water sports, but we did spend a somewhat rainy afternoon tubing on the river, which was more enjoyable than the glum faces below would have you believe!

Alternatively, swimming in the river is just as enjoyable: the temperatures in the Amazon are humid and sticky, so it’s a relief to wash off in the cool water.

It’s particularly lovely at sunset – just watch out for the piranhas (which we didn’t see) and the water snakes (which we did. Cue plenty of screaming..!)

5. Explore the Amazon jungle on foot

Most people visit Misahualli or the neighbouring city of Tena because of their close proximity to the Amazon rainforest, and there are plenty of companies offering guided Amazon tours in both places. In fact, tour costs are kept relatively low here because of all the competition, making it a good choice if you’re on a budget.

On our wanders through the jungle with Juan as our guide, we began to understand what makes the Amazon so special. Pushing our way through dense jungle vegetation, dodging the creeping vines and taking care not to trip over exposed roots twisting along the ground, I felt like I was in a completely different world.

And then, out of nowhere, we would crest a hill and suddenly see the Napo river through an opening in the trees.

We were quickly sucked back into the jungle again, soaking up the green, until Juan stopped us.

“There, look!” He pointed up into the canopy, and we realised that the tangled roots we stood beside actually belonged to a giant tree purported to be a thousand years old.

6. Learn about medicinal jungle plants

The Amazon is filled with medicinal plants which many Ecuadorians swear by – and Juan was no exception. Throughout our walk he picked herbs, flowers and jungle leaves, explaining their significance to us before depositing them in his backpack.

When we passed a tree covered in hatch marks from a machete, Juan explained that this was the cruz caspi, a tree whose bark is stewed up and the resulting liquid drunk by local people to help them conceive.

Later, Juan heard one of our friends coughing and immediately stopped so he could give her some medicine. Deftly folding up a large leaf, Juan mixed together a thin paste of San Juanito tree bark and water, then poured the concoction up the nose of its cautious recipient. She coughed and spluttered but he said it would clear her cold right up!

Read more: my surreal experience of taking part in an ayahuasca ceremony

7. Experiment with natural jungle face paint

You’ll often see images of indigenous tribes in the Amazon with bright red and orange designs on their face – but where does their face paint actually come from?

Juan showed us a handful of spiny red seeds. “This is our natural paint,” he told us, squeezing open the seed’s casing between his fingers to reveal a cluster of red powdery pods inside. These are seeds from the native achiote tree, also known as annatto, and they’re used for a multitude of purposes: hair dye, lipstick, even food colouring (it doesn’t add any flavour, but it gives a reddish hue).

Using a wooden stick to mix the seed pod’s contents, Juan began to draw delicate designs on my outstretched hand – and soon we were smudging our fingers into numerous achiote seeds and painting our faces.

8. Visit the AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center

Upriver is the AmaZOOnico Animal Rescue Center, an animal sanctuary run predominantly by volunteers. They follow a program of rescue, rehabilitation and release, with a goal to help every animal that comes through their doors to go back into the wild, and staff on duty during our visit assured us that all the animals had been rescued from previous owners who’d mistreated them.

Unfortunately, I’ve been to enough zoos on my travels and seen enough animals looking unhappy in their cages to find it unpleasant visiting a place like this. I didn’t know beforehand that we’d be visiting the Rescue Center, or I would have refused to go.

I’ve since researched the center online and sources maintain that the ethos is to rehabilitate all animals, but it’s still sad to see them behind bars – so if you don’t feel comfortable seeing animals in cages then I’d avoid visiting.

Read more: Ethical mistakes I’ve made while travelling

9. Pick yourselves some pineapples

As you might expect, Ecuador’s Amazon is a fertile and lucrative place. But the most surprising thing I saw growing here was pineapple. Mainly because I had absolutely no idea that this fruit grows on a bush.

Over 116,000 tons of pineapple are grown in Ecuador each year, with plenty coming from the Amazon. We paid a visit to Juan’s neighbour, an elderly farmer called Don Jaime who runs a pineapple plantation and was even kind enough to give us a few pineapples for breakfast the next day.

10. Help to harvest the yuca plant

Yuca (or cassava) is an extremely common food in South America and is a staple of many Ecuadorian dishes: chopped up and added to soups, served as an alternative to potato, or ground up into flour and baked into things like pan de yuca, a deliciously dense little cheesy bun which I ate in abundance while living in Cuenca, Ecuador.

Juan took us to visit his family home, where we met his mother harvesting a crop of yuca. Although the guided tours bring in the bulk of their income, Juan’s family still farms plenty of different produce including yuca, mango, banana, cacao and plantain. They harvest at different points throughout the year and sell straight to the consumer at local markets.

Read more: Modern life in the Ecuador Amazon jungle

11. Learn how to cook chocolate with fresh cacao

Ecuador is one of the world’s top ten producers of cacao, and many Amazon tours will offer a visit to a cacao farm.

Under a canopy at their wooden stilted house, Juan’s mother showed us how to make chocolate from roasted cacao beans. The first step was to grind them into a fine powder using a hand grinder, then she set them in a metal pan on top of the fire and added water.

We took turns stirring the mixture as it gradually took on a thick and silky consistency – and once she deemed it to be ready, we dipped chunks of fresh banana into the hot chocolate.

I half expected it to be bitter and strong, but it was delicious!

12. Have a sleepover in the jungle

Many Amazon jungle tours are offered just in the daylight hours, but it’s also possible to spend the night in an eco-lodge. Juan’s place was close to the riverbank in a little clearing surrounded by tall trees.

After you’ve spent the day exploring the jungle, your activities become wonderfully restricted.

We shunned the idea of internet access in favour of playing cards, lazing in hammocks, staring up at the stars and gossiping in our little dorm room while the insects chirped outside.

13. Go on a night walk in the Amazon jungle

Of course, being in the middle of the jungle late at night is an opportunity you shouldn’t pass up. Once it was properly dark outside, Juan gathered us together, told us to don our head torches, and we set out into the night.

The nocturnal side of the Amazon is fascinating. Animals which hide away from predators during the day are suddenly out and about: copulating grasshoppers, steadily crawling caterpillars, giant moths, very nimble spiders, and teeny tiny frogs.

Because it’s so hard to see, our ears became much more attuned to the sounds of the rainforest. All around us there was a cacophony of nocturnal noise: the constant buzzing of cicadas, the clicks and croaks of tree frogs, the chirping of geckos, and a whole host of other sounds, most likely mating calls, courtship rituals and attempts to mark out territory.

Juan led us through the deep darkness towards the places he knew various creatures were hiding. He spotted a morpho butterfly and carefully picked it up to show us – just one of the beautiful and unexpected sights amongst the pitch black of this other, haunting world.

What do you need for a visit to Misahualli?

To prepare for a trip to the Amazon rainforest, you should think about packing loose, thin clothing for the humidity – but to protect against mosquitos and spiky or itchy vegetation you’ll also need long sleeved tops and long trousers.

The Amazon’s weather is prone to frequent tropical rains, warranting the use of waterproofs – but that humidity means you’ll sweat. A LOT. Bring a complete spare set of dry clothes to change into after a day of exploring.

If you’re already travelling with hiking boots then bring them, but don’t worry if not as most tour operators will lend you a pair of rainboots. Just make sure they fit properly by walking a few hundred metres in them first!

Here’s a good Amazon packing checklist to follow:

head torch or electric torch

sunhat

mosquito repellent

clothes which cover your legs and arms

spare dry clothes

swimwear

waterproof raingear, usually a jacket or poncho and trousers (although you may not wear the latter due to the heat!)

flipflops/sandals for the evenings

waterproof liner/drybag for your bag (in a pinch just use a rubbish bag)

How to get to Misahualli, Ecuador:

– Tena to Misahualli: catch a bus from the Junmandy bus station in Tena – it takes an hour and costs $1.

– Quito to Misahualli: take a five hour bus to Tena (costs $6) and then take the one hour bus from Tena.

– Baños to Misahualli: take a four hour bus to Tena (cost $6) and take the one hour bus from Tena.

Have you ever explored the Amazon jungle? Pin this article if you’d like to visit Misahualli! 

The post A Guide to Misahualli, Ecuador’s Gateway to the Amazon appeared first on Flora The Explorer.

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[williamsjoan]

DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Logan’s Top 10

As 2018 comes to a close, DualShockers and our staff are reflecting on this year’s batch of games and what were their personal highlights within the last year. Unlike the official Game of the Year 2018 awards for DualShockers, there are little-to-no-rules on our individual Top 10 posts. For instance, any game — not just 2018 releases — can be considered.

As the Reviews Editor here at DualShockers, all forms of criticism and opinion-based content on video games pretty much begins and ends with me. I’ve been placed into this role because after comprehensive research conducted by our staff, we found that my own opinions on video games are without fault. In fact, the things I say about video games aren’t even opinions — they’re facts. With this all being said, I have a few things to share with you about the year that was 2018.

As a whole, 2018 was just an okay year for games. While I think many of the best games of this entire generation released this year, a lot of the more standard releases that we’ve come to expect every few years seemed to be in decline. Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Battlefield 5, NBA 2K19, and heck, even the disaster that turned out to be Fallout 76 were all pretty disappointing to me. At the start of 2018, I thought this year looked like a monster on paper, but there ended up being far more duds than I would have initially expected.

Luckily, this weaker slate of games finally allowed me to return a bit more to my backlog and play some titles from past years that I’ve been putting off for far too long. Simultaneously, this lack of new games that interested me also led to me falling into a MOBA hole for the first time ever and folks, lemme tell ya, that ain’t a fun place to be at. Fortunately, as the year wraps up, I think I’ve finally figured out how to balance my newfound MOBA addiction while still playing plenty of other games that interest me. I’m in a good place in my gaming life heading into 2019, and I’m excited to see what this next year will bring.

As always with these year-end lists, I didn’t play everything in 2018 that I would have liked to, so take that into account before you yell at me in the comments and tell me that my list sucks or whatever. As for the games that I did play, here are my 10 favorites that I spent time with in the Year of Our Lord 2018, whether they released in this calendar year or not.

10. Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Limited

I’m coming out of the gate firing this year, folks. Asuka 120% Burning Fest. Limited is likely a game you’ve never heard of. Heck, it’s a game that I didn’t know existed until about a month or so ago myself. But after discovering it with some friends while going through a back catalog of Sega Saturn games, I immediately fell in love with this schoolgirl anime fighter.

For being over twenty years old, it’s amazing just how much the mechanics of Asuke 120% hold up all of this time later. The game’s small roster of characters all feel incredibly balanced, each boasting their own unique playstyles and moves — shoutout to baseball girl (I don’t know her real name). While I only played Asuke 120% for about a three-day span over the course of one weekend, it was some of the most exciting, pure fun that I’ve had playing any video game with friends this year.

Asuka 120% is easily the most enjoyment I had with a fighting game in 2018, or even the past few years for that matter. Sorry, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate.

9. The Messenger

Easily the most slept-on game of 2018, Sabotage Studios’ The Messenger won me over after the first five minutes that I saw it back at PAX East. Not only does it have some of the tightest controls and gameplay mechanics out of anything I’ve played this year, but the twists and turns that this game takes are also something you’d never expect upon first glance. The Messenger isn’t just an homage to the sidescrolling games of yesteryear, it also trailblazes a new path for the genre as a whole moving forward.

Also, shoutout to Rainbowdragoneyes for The Messenger’s phenomenal soundtrack that I’m still bumping constantly months after release. The way in which the music transitions between 8-bit and 16-bit sound effects is still one of the single coolest things I’ve seen in a game all year. I could keep going on about how much I love this game but I’ll just keep things succinct and stress you to pick it up for yourself. I promise that you won’t be disappointed.

Check out the Dualshockers review of The Messenger.

8. Shadow of the Colossus

I said in my review of Shadow of the Colossus earlier this year that it was likely one of the best remakes ever made. About ten months later, I still vehemently believe this to be true. The graphical work that Bluepoint Games was able to accomplish in Shadow of the Colossus still astounds me and I really do think it might be one of the prettiest video games ever. Not only is the game gorgeous though, but I’m glad that one of gaming’s greatest achievement has now been made all the easier to revisit.

Shadow of the Colossus remains such a special game thirteen years after its original release on PS2, and it’s a game that I think everyone needs to play for themselves before they die. I’ll likely continue to revisit this gem every year or two and I hope that other remakes on the horizon can live up to the standard that was set here. I’m looking at you, Resident Evil 2.

7. Guacamelee! 2

Guacamelee! 2 is some of the purest fun I’ve had with a game in 2018. Throughout the entirety of its runtime, I was laughing nonstop thanks to the hilarious writing and goofy situations that I was placed into. Not to mention, it just feels really good to play. Suplexing enemies into oblivion is great.

While it might not be a major departure from its predecessor, Guacamelee! 2 is just a jolly video game that I adore. If you’re a fan of Metroidvania games whatsoever, make sure you get around to playing this one.

Check out the DualShockers review of Guacamelee! 2.

6. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Every year, I’ll get bitten by maybe one multiplayer game that I’ll play endlessly with a group of my friends for about a month or two straight before bouncing off of it and never really returning. In 2018, that game ended up being PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds which I played probably close to every single night in the months of January and February this year. Even though I was playing on the crummy Xbox One version, I still loved every minute of my time with what is factually the best battle royale shooter.

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds wasn’t so much a game that I loved playing–although it is a ton of fun–but it instead became a lobby for me to hang out and talk to my friends. In between conversations of, “Should we drop at the prison? Or how about the military base?” we’d be catching up on one another’s personal lives and chatting about life. Even though PUBG as a whole is full of moments built with stress and tension, playing with my buddies that I grew up with made for a hilarious and joyful experience that I don’t find in video games very often.

Check out the DualShockers review of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.

5. Assassin’s Creed Odyssey

Months after finishing Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, I’m beginning to think that it’s probably my new favorite entry in the long-running series. Not only is Greece a gorgeous location that I loved running around in for dozens upon dozens of hours, but AC Odyssey scratched an action-RPG itch for me that I’ve so desperately been trying to scratch for years now. While it’s an Assassin’s Creed game in name, Odyssey instead feels like the BioWare games that I grew up playing as a kid.

Assassin’s Creed Odyssey‘s vast world, surprisingly engaging story, and stellar leveling system kept me entertained longer than any other single-player game that I experienced in 2018. As of this moment, I’m still looking for a reason to dive back in, and that might just result in me purchasing the game’s season pass sooner rather than later.

Check out the DualShockers review of Assassin’s Creed Odyssey.

4. Dark Souls III

No, Dark Souls III didn’t release this year, but 2018 was the time I finally found the chance to go back and finally play it — and boy, am I glad that I did. With Bloodborne having already been one of my favorite games of this generation, it stood to reason that I’d be just as enthralled with Dark Souls III and that proved to be true mere minutes after I first booted it up.

Look, I now understand why this series is revered like it is. Dark Souls III, much like Bloodborne, is now one of my favorite games of this generation and is likely one of my favorite action games ever made. The secret boss fight against the Nameless King, in particular, is likely one of my favorite gaming moments from this entire year.

Not only did I play Dark Souls III this year, but I also finally played Dark Souls Remastered after it came to PS4 and I dug that a whole bunch as well. While it took me somewhat longer to get to than many others, I’m glad I finally experienced most of this franchise for myself. Even if it’s maybe referenced a bit too much, Dark Souls really is as important as it’s made out to be and I’m now a FromSoftware fanboy. Bring it on, Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice.

Check out the DualShockers review of Dark Souls III.

3. Marvel’s Spider-Man

I said earlier in the year after first playing Marvel’s Spider-Man that it had a chance to be one of my favorite games of all-time. After playing it following its release in September, I’d say that statement holds true.

As a massive fan of Spider-Man since I was a kid, Marvel’s Spider-Man is one of the single best stories centered around the character that I have ever seen in any medium. Not only did Insomniac Games absolutely knock it out of the park in their first go-around with the Spider-Man license, but they also proved that they know and understand this character on a level that many storytellers do not. For that reason alone, Marvel’s Spider-Man is a special game to me.

While I do have some complaints and issues with the game from a critical perspective, those qualms are so easy to overlook thanks to fantastic combat and a swinging system that is easily the best gameplay mechanic of 2018. I think what excites me the most about Marvel’s Spider-Man though is that it feels like simply the first step in something much bigger, not just for Spider-Man, but for Marvel video games as a whole. I cannot wait to see what Insomniac does with the all-but-guaranteed sequel to Marvel’s Spider-Man.

Check out the DualShockers review of Marvel’s Spider-Man.

2. League of Legends

Lord, please forgive me for even listing League of Legends at all here, let alone so high. As much as I may hate myself for this, I can’t deny for a second that League is likely the game that had the biggest effect on me in 2018. I’ve gone from making fun of the game and all of my nerdy friends who have played it for years to now pouring a fair number of hours into it every week myself.

Furthermore, I became obsessed with the League of Legends pro scene this year to the point that I was waking up at 4:00 AM nearly every day in October to watch the World Championship live as it happened in Korea. League of Legends has turned me into someone that I don’t really recognize, but I’m kind of okay with it. I’m curious to see if I remain as obsessed with League as we move through 2019, but as for this year, it stands as the game that captured my time and attention the most.

I’ll see you in the Jungle.

Check out the DualShockers review of League of Legends.

1. God of War

God of War is my favorite action-adventure game since The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. If you know my gaming tastes (OoT is my favorite game ever made), then you understand how big of a statement that is coming from me.

What’s crazy is that coming into God of War, my expectations weren’t that high. Personally, I didn’t care for the original God of War games on PS2, PS3, and PSP. While everything that I had seen of this new iteration of Kratos greatly interested me, I still knew that deep down I had no great love for this character. Now, I think Kratos is one of my favorite characters in the history of video games, and God of War likely stands somewhere amongst my 5 or 10 favorite games ever made.

God of War‘s masterful storytelling, combined with some of the best action gameplay I’ve seen in years, makes for an experience that I’ve been dying to play. Even though I love games like The Last of Us and Uncharted, I’ve always found that the gameplay in those examples was never able to match their masterful storytelling. God of War, on the other hand, finally proved to me that just because you place story at the forefront of the gaming experience doesn’t mean it has to come at the cost of enticing, fluid combat mechanics. This marriage of gameplay and narrative delivery I think is the greatest achievement that we saw in gaming in 2018 and makes for the best all-around experience of the year — as seen with our Game of the Year honors.

God of War wasn’t just my favorite game that I played in all of 2018, it’s now easily my favorite game of this console generation. While 2019 is looking great on paper, it’s going to take a whole lot to unseat Kratos from this throne.

Check out the DualShockers review of God of War.

Check out the other DualShockers’ staff Top 10 lists and our official Game of the Year Awards:

December 17: DualShockers Game of the Year Awards 2018 December 18: Lou Contaldi, Editor in Chief // Logan Moore, Reviews Editor December 19: Ryan Meitzler, Features Editor // Tomas Franzese, News Editor December 20: Scott Meaney, Community Director December 21: Reinhold Hoffmann, Community Manager // Ben Bayliss, Staff Writer December 22: Ben Walker, Staff Writer // Chris Compendio, Staff Writer December 23: Eoghan Murphy, Staff Writer // Grant Huff, Staff Writer December 26: Iyane Agossah, Staff Writer // Jordan Boyd, Staff Writer December 27: Max Roberts, Staff Writer // Michael Ruiz, Staff Writer  December 28: Noah Buttner, Staff Writer // Rachael Fiddis, Staff Writer  December 29: Steven Santana, Staff Writer // Tanner Pierce, Staff Writer December 30: Travis Verbil, Staff Writer // Zack Potter, Staff Writer

The post DualShockers’ Game of the Year 2018 Staff Lists — Logan’s Top 10 by Logan Moore appeared first on DualShockers.

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[flauntpage]

Oh No, We Suck Again- Ten Takeaways from Vikings 23, Eagles 21

I was driving home from The Station Taphouse in Doylestown last night listening to 97.5 the Fanatic after the Eagles’ 23-21 loss.

A caller, apparently on hold for 31 minutes, finally got on the air, proclaimed he was “too drunk to talk,” apologized to Joe Tordy and Joe Staszak, then hung up.

Similar to the Philadelphia Eagles, this guy wasted a good 30 minutes, tried to rally, and ultimately fell short.

Same story, different day for the Birds, who again found a way to underwhelm and disappoint, this time on home turf against a beatable team. They made mistakes, committed penalties, failed to finish drives, and couldn’t get a defensive stop when it mattered most.

It’s hard to find a single area where this team has not regressed since last season. The offensive line has been inexplicably poor. The defense continues to give up big plays at bad times. Doug Pederson does not look like the stone cold killer we saw in 2017 and Carson Wentz does not seem to be anywhere near 100% as he continues to find his feet after the ACL injury and months-long layoff.

I don’t know if it’s a Super Bowl hangover or what, but whatever moxie this team had last year is missing. Think of it as a “mojo” or a “mettle,” the sort of intangible trait that you can’t really define, but you know exists, and it pops up when guys are required to make clutch plays or get big stops or rise to the occasion with everything on the line.

That trait is totally missing right now. In addition to committing head-scratching screw ups week-in and week-out, they just don’t have the “it” factor, to use an old cliche.

It’s true that the NFC East is extremely blah right now, so that’s the glass half-full takeaway from this game. Maybe a short turnaround against a divisional foe this Thursday gets the blood pumping again and pulls the team back to .500, but they better figure it out fast, because 9-7 gets you nothing but a postseason trip to Los Angeles and 7-9 gets you nothing at all.

1) Play calling

41 called passes to 12 called running plays isn’t going to get it done.

Jay Ajayi carried the ball eight times, Wendell Smallwood three times, and Josh Adams once on what may have been Doug’s worst call of the game.

More than just the off-balance run/pass ratio, the problem here is that the Eagles aren’t establishing the ground game early. Doug ran it just five times on 19 first-half plays, one of which was a bullshit handoff before the clock ran out during the sixth series. Take that carry away and it was four runs on 18 first half plays for a 78% to 22% pass/run ratio.

Not only does that screw up the rhythm and flow in general, but offensive linemen prefer to run block instead of pass block. When you ask Isaac Seumalo to pass protect on the first four plays of the first game he’s started this season, what do you think is going to happen? Furthermore, you cannot run play-action passes when you haven’t even established the run in the first place. If I see the Eagles line up under center and use play-action one more time my head is going to explode. If you insist on trying to misdirect defenses in that way, go back to your RPO package out of the shotgun.

Sure, Ajayi might not be 100%. Corey Clement was unavailable for this one and same thing with Darren Sproles, but Smallwood is more than capable of running the ball 6-10 times per game. This is the same situation with LeGarrette Blount not getting enough work last season, then the Eagles magically got better when he started getting more involved in the offense.

Here’s a telling quote from Ajayi after the game, via Zack Rosenblatt at NJ.com:

“Obviously we want to be able to run the ball early and start that rhythm early in the beginning of the game,” Ajayi said in the locker room after the game. “If I remember correctly we had maybe three carries at the end of the first quarter.

“With the offensive line we have on this team, running the ball like that, that doesn’t make sense to me.”

Ding ding ding! We have a winner!

Run the ball Doug:

2) Fringe battles and situational football

I’ve written in the past about how the Eagles generally have a lot of success winning in peripheral phases of the game – things like time of possession, third down conversion, stuff like that.

It was not the case yesterday evening:

lost time of possession, 33 minutes to 27 minutes

-1 turnover margin

2 for 9 on third down (22.2% conversion rate)

allowed Minnesota to go 4-9 on third down (36.4%)

lost 28 yards on three sacks

2 for 5 success rate in red zone

8 penalties for 52 yards

allowed a defensive touchdown

Honestly, it’s hard to believe they only fell by two points when you consider that they lost just about every fringe battle in this game. The Vikings missing a pair of field goals, which made the game seem a lot closer than maybe it actually was.

3) Mistakes

In no particular order:

Wendell Smallwood’s 3rd down drop

missed tackles in first half (corners were especially poor)

Lane Johnson getting beat easily on the Wentz fumble

Ajayi fumble

two illegal formation penalties on the offense

Jordan Matthews running out of bounds when the clock was going to stop anyway at two-minute warning

two false starts on the same drive

intentional grounding and false start on a three play, -15 yard drive after a Minnesota fumble

Similar to the above entry, this is stuff the Eagles just don’t do, or at least they didn’t do last year.

4) Personnel problems and scapegoating

Isaac Seumalo?

Swapping Isaac Seumalo for Stefen Wisniewski is going to solve the offensive line problem?

I don’t know what Doug Pederson or Jeff Stoutland have against Wis, but they jerked him around with the left guard rotation last year, which gave us a few games of Chance Warmack instead. Thing is, everybody KNEW Wisniewski was the better player and the coaching staff finally caved and ended the ridiculous platoon thing, whatever that was.

On film this year, the entire offensive line has been poor, though the tackles have been probably worse than the any of the interior linemen thus far. But you can’t bench Lane Johnson, right? That’s too risky from an optics standpoint. Wis is the safest guy to bench to send a message.

Right, so this is how Seumalo did on the first series:

Terrible series for Isaac Seumalo. Got driven back on each play. Questionable play-calling by Doug as well. Do you really want him pass blocking all 3 plays?

— Tommy Lawlor (@lawlornfl) October 7, 2018

It feels like Wisniewski is just the week five scapegoat because it’s easier to justify his benching rather than that of a bigger name player (cough, Jalen Mills).

Doug gave a non-answer when asked why he made the switch at guard:

“Obviously in fairness of both Isaac and Stefen, I want to make sure that we evaluate the film on this, and it’s going to be hard, though, because it’s a short week, short turnaround and we’re on to the Giants.

I thought initially, he played well. Isaac played well. We’ll evaluate it again and make the decision moving forward.”

Huh? Okay.

Wis had a different take:

Wisniewski: “I’m going to be honest. I’ve been playing pretty well. I really don’t think that was it. I have some theories, but I’m not going to share those publicly. …It’s frustrating. If I wasn’t a Christian, I’d probably be losing my mind."

— Zach Berman (@ZBerm) October 8, 2018

Good for him for saying that.

Also, not sure how many snaps Shelton Gibson got, but he clearly has an ability to get down the field and catch the ball. Jeffery was targeted eight times and only caught two balls, one of which came from a hard hit on a long third down pass. Dallas Goedert was not very involved on Sunday, nor was Jordan Matthews. I don’t know if Wentz isn’t seeing guys down the field or if they’re not getting open, but he’s holding the ball waaaaaaay too long and does not have the running and scrambling ability that he had pre-surgery.

5) Quotables

For what it’s worth, the common theme among the players post-game was that they were beating themselves, shooting themselves in the foot, self-inflicted mistakes, stuff like that.

A few quotes:

Jason Peters, on whether opposing defenses are doing a better job of scheming the Eagles offense:

“I can’t say that. We had mental errors. We killed ourselves a couple of times in the red zone. We got pushed back, we didn’t get points at times, and sometimes we got three points instead of seven. Right now we’re just killing ourselves.”

Zach Ertz, on the offense’s slow start:

“Not making plays, not executing. The players, we’re just not executing, and that’s the bottom line. We’re getting to the red zone, messed up consistently in the first half, then our backs are against the walls, then we start rolling. We just have to find a way to start fast. We preach it and we emphasize it during the week. It’s talked about, but we have to go out there when the game is on the line and the bullets are flying, start the game, we have to go. Our team isn’t made to – no team in the league first of all is made to – play from a deficit of 17-3. Our team, in particular, is definitely not. We want to give our defense the lead, so those guys can take off with the four guys and dominate like they always do. We just have to play better. It starts with me, I have to play better, we just have to execute.”

Malcolm Jenkins, on if he agrees with the term ‘self-inflicted’ when describing the loss:

“It’s kind of been the thing where [we’re] giving up plays when we know we shouldn’t, penalties, takeaways, turnovers, and then the lack of takeaways; most things we feel like we are doing to ourselves. We haven’t played a game yet where we felt like the team just flat out beat us. That’s the most frustrating part, but it’s up to us to correct those. Obviously with a short week it’s something that we are going to have to trust each individual to look at themselves critically, really, without practice and try to be a more disciplined team this week.”

Fair enough I guess.

6) Jalen Mills vs. Fletcher Cox

It was around 7:35 in the third quarter when Jalen Mills broke up a pair of passes to keep the Vikings out of the end zone.

Problem is, he allowed a 68-yard reception to let Minnesota into the red zone in the first place (of course the Eagles blitzed on that play and didn’t get there, but whatever).

While jawing with Adam Thielen, Fletcher Cox came over and told Mills to get back to the sideline:

Fletcher Cox had some words for Jalen Mills. #Eagles pic.twitter.com/zeRIvu8AyU

— Matt Mullin (@matt_mullin) October 7, 2018

The thing here is that Mills doesn’t understand that:

you probably should just take the moral victory and get off the field after giving up a 68 yard pass play

the optics of celebrating a pass break-up or mouthing off at an opponent look terrible WHEN JUXTAPOSED with a bad defensive play

Again, I don’t think Mills was totally horrendous on the day. He only gave up 19 yards outside of the big third quarter play and logged three PBUs in this game, but, like I wrote last week, his transgressions always look worse because he’s getting beat in open space. In this game he had zero penalties and did well in the red zone, he just got cooked badly on the one drive. Ronald Darby got beat on the Thielen touchdown, if you care about those kinds of things.

But good on Cox for telling Mills to get on with it.

7) The Michael Bennett “penalty”

Here it is, in all of its glory:

Esto fue marcado como "Rudeza al Pasador".

DE Michael Bennett (#FlyEaglesFly) llega tropezando al QB, pero no hay intención de taclearlo debajo de las rodillas.

Hasta lo sujeta para no hacer palanca.#NFL#MINvsPHI pic.twitter.com/h5g6ELEDBj

— Ivis Aburto (@IvisAburto) October 7, 2018

I get it; you can’t go low into the quarterback. But when a defensive end is rounding a blocker and getting shoved to the ground, what exactly is he supposed to do there? Nothing? Put his hands in the air and let the quarterback get away? If anything, he sort of slid down his legs and onto the ankles, where he wrapped him up and held on.

Minnesota took the 15 yard penalty and went on to score there. It was a crucial play in this game.

Bennett blew off reporters in the locker room like he always does, but Malcolm Jenkins had some good things to say about the play:

“I don’t know what he’s supposed to do. If the quarterback has the ball, I know they don’t want low hits on the quarterback, but if you’re falling down, I guess you’re supposed to just let the quarterback go. The explanation from the official was that he has to avoid that hit which means that he can’t do his job; you can’t tackle the quarterback while the quarterback has the ball.

….

What do I tell my teammate to do in that situation where he’s already falling onto the ground? The quarterback has the ball in his hands and he has to avoid the play, which literally means he has to fall and allow the quarterback to continue the down which is the antithesis of his job. It was a tough call, but we have to find a way to overcome it.”

“The antithesis of his job.” That’s an excellent way to explain how absurd it is.

Anyway, since this was a huge play in the game, I’ll drop in the entire exchange with the refereeing crew via pool reporter Reuben Frank (transcription provided by the Eagles’ PR staff):

Can you provide an explanation – at the end of the second quarter, Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett’s sack on Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins was called for roughing the passer. What did Bennett do wrong on that play? 

Walt Coleman: “He went low into the quarterback’s knees with his shoulder, with force. And the rule is that you cannot hit the quarterback low at the knee area or below with force. He got him there with his shoulder, so that’s what I had as far as roughing the passer.”

There was a crowd around Cousins. If he is coming down, how does that change the interpretation? 

Coleman: “It wouldn’t really change it at all. Somebody would have to basically push him and change his direction, change everything, in order for that not to be a foul. You just can’t hit the quarterback at the knee area or below and he got him with his shoulder with force. So that’s what I had as far as the roughing the passer.”

Is that a new rule or interpretation? 

Coleman: “No, that’s the one that’s been there for quite some time. That’s the one they put in several years ago. So that’s not a new roughing the passer. That’s a classic. That one has been there for quite some time now.”

(A “pool reporter” is basically one media member who speaks to the official after the game on behalf of everyone else. He or she shares the quotes with other outlets. There are no traditional scrums or press conferences with referees because it would just turn into a slaughter.)

8) Doug’s best call?

I do think he made the right call to kick the field goal in the third quarter to cut the lead to 14.

Why not? There was plenty of time to get a couple of scores to tie the game, more than 18 minutes.

Then, he went for two to cut the lead to six, which meant all you needed was a field goal, stop, and field goal to tie the game, OR a touchdown and PAT to win the game.

Shrug.

I thought that was a key momentum play at the time, and the Eagles had found a rhythm and were executing during that window of the game, so I didn’t have any issue going for two at that point.

9) Doug’s worst call?

Not a fan of the pitch to Josh Adams, the Eagles’ slowest running back, on 3rd and short during the second drive.

I also was not a fan of the 4th and 1 pass in the 4th quarter, the empty backfield shotgun look, but credit to Alshon Jeffery for making a hell of a catch to move the chains. Carson Wentz would have been allowed to sneak that last year, but I have a feeling they just don’t want him doing that this year on a repaired leg.

And sweet Jesus in Heaven that was a bad challenge flag on the Stefon Diggs catch. Not only did the receiver have two feet in bounds, he might have done three toe taps before getting out of bounds. I don’t know what Doug was doing there.

However –

I didn’t have a problem with the decision to punt after the fourth quarter turnover on 4th and 20. Right then it was a six point game with 9:17 remaining, and you knew you were getting the ball back eventually in a situation where a touchdown could win it. The defense needed to make a stop and didn’t get the job done.

10) Silent broadcasting

I was watching the game at a restaurant with friends, so I couldn’t hear the broadcast very well over the speakers, but I assume Eagles fans thought Joe Buck and Troy Aikman were biased and/or sucked.

I’ve personally never had a problem with either one of them, and I would prefer to listen to that pair plus Erin Andrews vs. a large majority of the other FOX crews currently working NFL games. I would certainly take Aikman and Buck over Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth, for sure.

The one thing I couldn’t wrap my head around was that it appeared as though they cut to commercial when the Panthers were about to hit that 63-yard field goal to beat the Giants. I thought the restaurant changed the channel, but nope, FOX failed to show the end of that game and went right to the Eagles jawn because of the ridiculous NFL broadcasting rules that put the networks in terrible positions.

It’s an outrage.

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