#its not often i so thoroughly enjoy my own outfit design but i think i really did go off with this one

[carnivalcarriondiscarded]

weeee more fantasy au doodles

[athena-is-a-chaotic-lil-shit]

Getting back at writing, is, well, hard. My grammar and vocabulary and basically everything is messed up so I apologize in advance for that. It's been, almost a year ever since my last written fic. That time I was still crazy with Kimetsu no Yaiba and the KyoTan ship. I'll post it some other time ^^.

Anyways, I present to you my attempt in making a plotted work from a random thought that came over me this morning.

Pairing: Tai'chi Kashharzol (Orc) x Pearl Blackbell (Human OC/Reader)

Warnings: Basically none. Except for some curse words.

UD 01/10/21: Cleaned and revised some parts! Tried my best, hope it was enough.

•

Of Ice and Blood

Part 1

Quick backstory and some details I left out in the main work.

It was in summer, 28th of July, when Pearl Blackbell turned 19. She left her home and moved closer to the university she’ll be going to. She rented an apartment about five blocks from the school. Albeit small, it was cozy and proper, having what she needed: a kitchen, a decent-sized bedroom, a small living area with a worn but comfy couch, and a bathroom.

When she was younger, her parents started training her in martial arts and the use self-defense weapons. They needed to make sure she knew how to protect herself against assaulters and dangerous people, she was after all, their only child and baby girl . They want their daughter to be strong, both inside and outside, by the time she sets out on her own and leaves home.

Her favorite self-defense weapon was brass knuckles, despite her parents’ protests. She enjoys punching nasty people and feel the crunch of their bones beneath her fists, especially racists, sexists, bullies, and the lot. The main reason why she got into detention multiple times.

Painting it with a ruddy color, she keeps it in her person, no matter where she goes. She has two, one is for extreme situations, while the other has only two knuckles. It stills maximizes the damage dealt but it is relatively less dangerous than the full dusters. The second one is usually a spare, though she rarely uses it.

She also occasionally carries a pair of retractable nunchucks, which she designed to be hidden within her regular baggy clothes. Her father had trained her vigorously with them and she even bested him in a match before she left for the city.

Selkoth, the city of marvels.

Distant sounds of buzzing cars reached my ears as I opened my eyes and blinked away the sleepiness, the light shining from the spaces in my curtains rather helping, together with the warmth it brought to my chilled tawny skin.

[Start of the actual work]

I fully woke up as I registered the sound of my phone alarm, shortly getting up to prepare when I realized what day it was.

Monday, the first day of my college life.

I stepped into the bathroom and took a quick shower, knowing I bathed thoroughly last night to save some time today.

Time management is key.

I dried myself down, turned to my closet and started putting on the outfit I picked out the night before.

Prioritizing comfortability over appearance, I wore my favorite orange cotton shirt, my blackish-blue hoodie (that had been stained with blood some time ago, but don’t worry, I know how to clean out blood. Mama raised no fool.) over it, together with a pair of black skinny jeans. And of course, tight black sports bra and boxers, even mentioning my underwear yes?

I looked over to my mirror and it was—

Simple. And I loved it. The more simple it is the better.

'“Keep a low profile over there, sweetie. Don’t get into fights when you can help it okay??? We already taught you and prepared you to the best of our abilities. Promise to us that you’ll stay safe, and healthy. Okay? And don’t forget to call sometime.”' I sighed, remembering my mother’s words.

"Yes mama, I will.”

With a smile, I did my hair and went for a tight Dutch braid, it going down between my shoulder blades and ending a little above my waist. I ran to my kitchen to eat breakfast, satisfied with my look.

I eat fast okay

Backpack, check. White sneakers, check. Phone and keys, check. Airpods on, playlist shuffled, I bolted out of my apartment and jogged all 50 blocks to school.

Exercise is always important, and what other way to utilize time for exercising than to do it while heading to your destination, right?

I snickered.

As I made my way to the university, I saw bizarre creatures and monsters of different sizes, coexisting, and interacting with humans. Even so, I noticed other people’s disdain and bitterness towards them when I passed by. My nose is awfully sensitive to scents that sometimes the ones their body releases tells me what they feel at the moment. It’s all science, I guess. I was made extra susceptible to these, so I wear a mask everywhere and every time I go out just to partly block most of the smells.

My first day at a university open to everyone across the country gets my blood pumping with excitement. To think that I’m going to study at Ernestine State University, the Ernestine State University!

I first heard about the uni back when I was a child. News broke out about Victor Ernestine, committing suicide by driving his car off a cliff because he couldn’t accept that his daughter was one of the major leaders who made the unity of all people, of all races, possible.

Dramatic.

Months after Mr. Ernestine died, all his properties and riches were passed down to her daughter, who took over as the new founder of the university and rebuilt it to accommodate everyone, no matter the size and shape.

The strictly all-human school, renovated, reshaped, and repurposed, was now the first university to open its gates to everyone in the country of Yundomia.

I’ve always yearned to get to know other species in this world. I didn’t get the chance previously because my parents sent me to an all-human, local high school. Which sucks. I hated how everyone had a certain hatred for the other races, especially orcs. They keep talking about how they are wild beasts and savages that aren’t meant to be in society.

They treated them like animals that are void of emotions and intelligence.

Come to think of it, I mostly fought with humans who were either racist, bullies, bastards trying to hit on me, or a mix of all of them together.

I chuckled, remembering how many times I got counseled on not punching people in the face.

High school was pure torture, being a human-exclusive campus making it worse, considering how everybody smells so horrible and the principal was an egoistic dumbass I was a hair away from gutting him. My poor nose.

But now I’m done with that! I’m starting anew in this school, in this city. Perhaps make some friends along the way.

Which is kinda problematic.

I’m not the social type. I tend to keep things to myself and hardly open up to anybody. I wanna make at least one friend that isn’t human! Or just, one good friend. I didn’t have or made any friends in the past since people tend to shun me out just because I can tell how they are feeling and find it creepy.

Or they’re afraid to get punched in the face.

Entering the campus gates was like stepping into another world. I was met with the sight of humans and monsters walking together and conversing! It was nice, and I don’t get to see this much often.

I walked around and took in the landscape of the campus. It was huge! And beautifully designed to have a great number of trees and plants, while also having space more than enough to accommodate every student going to their respective classrooms.

I was minding my own business and it was all serene, until some bastards pushed past through me and knocking me to the side. I stumbled but didn’t fall. I was gonna say something, but I shut my mouth. I didn’t want to cause any trouble on the first day for goodness’ sake. So I brushed it off and went straight to the gym for the orientation.

*************************************

The orientation was, intriguing. The dean seems nice, though I couldn't smell him from where I sat. There's also a student council made up of both humans and monsters which is a good sign. The student council president was a Minotaur with a dark brown coat and horns curving front and pointing up. The vice-president was a male student who looked decent enough. The secretary was an elf. The treasurer, a dwarf. And the rest were humans. I couldn't scent any of them to tell me what they were feeling at the moment, but the Minotaur looked uncomfortable, his hands behind his back, body going stiff when they were introduced to the freshmen. There was a larger numbr of humans than monsters, which was expected. I also noticed how both were grouped, a white line in the middle of the gym separating us from them.

Maybe to avoid any misunderstandings?

We were informed that today will be for introductions to your classmates and subject teachers so there will be no lessons at all. Hooray!

I was walking to my first classroom when a damned familiar smell attacked my nose. I stopped to stand for a moment and adjusted my mask. I looked around to spot the one emitting it and of course, saw a human. He looked, well, the typical playboy cool boy who used too much body spray on himself.

Not wanting to stand there like an idiot and prolong my suffering, I speed walk to my classroom and planned to sit at the back hoping no one would notice or ask why I’m wearing a mask.

That's always what they ask first. Not my name or how I was doing.

I expected to find no one inside since it was still early, but I was startled to see a massive orc sitting at the back looking out at the window. He was wearing a dark gray knitted sweater that was hugging his hulking frame very…well. Along with what looked like thick cargo pants and black boots.

He turned to look at me when I let out a small yelp, greeting me with his piercing, blue eyes.

Beautiful.

The orc had long, braided, jet-black locks. Two of them had distinct beads that trailed down from the side of his face and down to his chest, the rest of his hair behind him braided with intricacy and tied and ended halfway down his back.

I was pushed out of my trance when a person entered and crashed into me, swearing under my breath that it was intentional, nearly making me plant face-first on the trash bins if I hadn’t changed my footing at the last moment.

“Watch it, bitch, you’re gonna ruin my make-up,” she snapped.

Wow. She dared to call me that and not apologize like I’m the one who shoved her. Just wow. Usually at this point, I would have planted her face on the floor, but I stopped myself.

Low profile! Low profile Pearl! You’re in college now! You definitely don’t want to get suspended on the first fucking day of class now do you?? Keep it together.

Straightening up, I walked towards the back and sat beside the orc. Whose gaze fell on me, curious, when I wasn’t looking.

I made myself settled in my seat before the professor came in.

There were other races in my class. A blue tiefling sat three rows in front, wearing a casual outfit. A black-haired elf who looked and dressed clever, a row away. A cute pink pixie on my far right. A satyr wearing glasses, two seats in front of me, and a female lizardfolk a seat from of the pixie.

"Are you...alright?"

I almost jumped from my seat when the orc beside me spoke. I couldn’t help but admire how deep his voice was. I tried not to appear flustered, my mask helped with that.

“Uh…yes?”

The orc regarded me for a second before continuing.

“You were pushed earlier.”

Oh. He saw that?

“Oh, yeah, I’m okay.” I smiled at him. Then I remembered he can’t see my face. But I hoped the crinkling of my eyes gave it away.

“I’m Pearl, by the way.” I reached out my hand to him, socializing not my best suit but at least I tried.

He paused for a second before taking it into his bigger one, engulfing mine and shook it slowly. I was again, surprised by how gentle he was.

“Tai'chi.”

Interesting.

“Nice to meet you, Tai'chi.”

He lets go of my hand when the professor started talking up front.

“Nice to meet you too, Pearl."

***************************************

Thoughts? I am wide open for constructive criticism :D

Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6

Check pinned post for latest chapter updates💕

[yurimother]

LGBTQ Visual Novel Review – The Expression Amrilato

I adore any work that tries to do something different with yuri, and visual novels are perhaps the medium pushing boundaries most when it comes to traditional yuri storytelling. I recently played such a visual novel, Mangagamer’s English adaptation of SukeraSparo’s The Expression Amrilato. The Expression Amrilato is an educational yuri game, focusing on teaching the player the international language of Esperanto, or Juliamo as it is known in the game’s world. The game was developed in collaboration with The Japanese Esperanto Institute and I was thoroughly excited to not only experience a cute yuri adventure but to learn something new!

The story begins when the protagonist, Rin, is transported to a mysterious parallel world. It is almost identical to her own with the only obvious differences being the language spoken and the eternally pink sky. Lost and scared, Rin frantically tries to figure out what is going on to no avail. Fortunately, she is saved by a younger girl, Ruka, who speaks a smattering of the Japanese familiar to Rin.

Soon Rin is registered as a vizitanto (the Esperanto term for visitor), a person who traveled to the world from another. Ruka, who again, is three years her junior, is established as her guardian, a dynamic Rin is somewhat embarrassed by. The two girls begin living together in Ruka’s apartment as Rin learns the basics of Juliamo. She is assisted in this endeavor by Ruka and the helpful, if somewhat mischievous, librarian, Rei.

These three women, Rin, Ruka, and Rei, are the main cast of the visual novel. By focusing on such a small cast SukeraSparo was able to give each of them a distinct personality, complexity, and intricate relationships with each other. As previously mentioned, Rei is mischievous and often pokes fun at Rin and Ruka. However, she is incredibly protective of both of them, giving advice and acting as a sort of parent to the two younger girls. This dichotomy of character works surprisingly well, especially later in the game as she reveals more about the world and her past.

Rei is excellent but the highlight of the game is Ruka and Rin. Rin is a superb protagonist. She often thinks and narrates inwardly, giving us insight into her feelings. She describes herself as pretty unremarkable but is determined to be good at one thing, learning Juliamo. She also constantly ponders and overthinks her relationship with Ruka, an incredibly complicated topic. Ruka, however, is much more quietly confident and reserve (as well as adorable). Although the younger girl is prone to pouting and frustration at Rin’s occasional stupidity. But, their relationship is the real highlight of the game. 

Rin is “freeloading” off Ruka, and as Ruka is her guardian and teacher she is subservient. However, these tables are turned at times as Rin helps to teach Ruka more Japanese. Rin is also attracted to Ruka but she often blunders attempts to navigate or explain her feelings. The main boundary here is their language difference, which compels both Rin and the player to do their best learning Juliamo.

Rei acts as Rin’s primary resource for learning about the world she has wandered into. There is a surprising amount and world-building in The Expression Amrilato, particularly around the mechanics of how vizitanto come to the world and how governments support them. The established systems for how these vizitanto exist and assimilate, or not, into the world are fascinating and incredibly well thought out. This detailed setting creates an excellent framework for both the game’s education aspects and the core romance.

Overall, the romantic plot between Rin and Ruka is nothing new, it is the same “girl meets girl, girls likes girl, they get together” plot that has been told and retold countless times in the genre. This is not to say the romance is not enjoyable. Rin’s embarrassment and fumbling attempts to control her feelings for Ruka are simultaneously adorable and hilarious. The game has some fun with cliche moments like Rin falling into Ruka and them ending in a compromised position but also has some excellent human moments between the two, such as Ruka sleeping next to Rin to comfort her. The visual novel is decently tame with a little bit of suggestive description and one non-nude bathing scene early on. The lack of service feels appropriate and the characters are still able to hold their own romantic and sexual identities, a welcome accomplishment in the yuri genre which often spends too much time focusing on girls freaking out that they like other girls.

Choices exist in the game, primarily around using the Juliamo language. However, the romance and Rin’s fate ends in one of three ways, good, neutral, or bad, according to late game choices. I strongly disliked the choices as, for the most part, they have no clear indicator of where they are going, turning the story into guesswork, which was indeed my process to find all three endings, replaying the last section over and over again. Furthermore, on some routes, the choices that most players will want to make can lock them out of the best ending. I also was baffled by the choice to not have the player’s aptitude with Juliamo factor into the ending, as you can fail every quiz and get every dialogue option wrong and this will not affect the endings at all. Fortunately, the choices that do affect the ending are late in the game, so backtracking to find your desired outcome is possible. 

The character designs and artwork are by Naruse Chisato, and she does a fantastic job. Each of the major characters looks are distinctive, with differing heights, body types, fashion sense, and proportions. I particularly enjoyed the varying outfits on Ruka and her facial expressions (especially when pouting). However, the characters often have a stiff cardboard feel to them, as they have very few poses and clash somewhat against the depth of the backgrounds. Additionally, some of the expressions, particularly on Rei, appear warped and unnatural.

The backgrounds and CG artwork, the latter of which are plentiful, are wonderful. They have a soft pastel look without ever being washed out, and the characters here appear much more at home in their environments and more animated, with cutouts frequently appearing in CGs to show action. Different art assets used in the educational scenes such as flashcards or writing on a chalkboard are excellent editions. Unfortunately, as the story takes place primarily in Ruka’s apartment and the library, the player will quickly become bored by these backgrounds and long for a change of scenery.

The voice talent matches the artwork in its high quality. This is particularly important in this game, as listening to language pronunciation is vital. The actresses easily switch between Esperanto and Japanese in a natural-sounding way. Great praise must be given to voice actresses for Rin and Ruka, Nagatsuma Juri and Uchida Shuu respectively, who convincingly stuttering and struggling over the languages their characters are learning while still being comprehensible.

Sadly, I found the soundtrack to be severely lacking. The game opens with an intro song, accompanied by animation, which was nice for a listen or two but I quickly grew tired of it. This is the most praise I have to offer the music. Most of the tracks are boring at best and at worst grate on the ears with discordant and irritating sounds. If I had not been playing the game to review it I would have disabled music after the first hour.

Finally, I cannot conclude my review of The Expression Amrilato without talking about the educational aspects and value of the game. For those of you who may not have known or have forgotten, when I am not writting about gay anime I am a teacher and spend a great deal of time studying pedagogy. Educational software can be an amazing tool for teaching, as it offers three key benefits, feedback, increased engagement, and interactivity. Using these criteria and just some of the knowledge I have gained from spending my entire life in school, although not always as a student, I examined how The Expression Amrilato teaches Esperanto.

The language is primarily taught through quiz-based learning. There are seven lessons which build on each other and the player then answers questions on. I was surprised by the variety in these quizzes, as they are not always just spouting the vocabulary word to name an object but can involve sentence and grammatical construction as well. Some of them are quite creative, such as when learning the parts of the body the player clicks on Ruka to identify the word she gives. These quizzes can be accessed independently after playing through them via the main menu and there is a Juliamo dictionary, although this is unlocked much later in the game than I would have liked.

Outside of the quizzes, new vocabulary and grammatical rules are often given and old ones reviewed, which appear as little pop-in at the side of the screen that gives pronunciation and spelling. Some gameplay sections of the visual novel have Rin complete actions that review previous lessons, such as going out shopping and needing to name the foods she buys. I enjoyed these sections in particular, as they felt more compelling to me than the quizzes ever did.

Given the criteria for education software, The Expression Amrilato does an okay but not amazing job. It does offer instant feedback, telling the player if they got a question wrong and giving them the correct answer, and has limited interactivity. However, on this front, I cannot help but wonder if the medium is holding the game back. The player never has many complicated choices or questions, and cannot write in answers or construct sentences. Instead, the quizzes and story sections are limited almost exclusively to multiple-choice selection. Engagement is probably where the game shines most, as it has a deep story and amazing art to compliment the learning.

The Expression Amrilato is a unique and enjoyable experience. The story has surprising depth, although it did little to break out of genre tropes. The game’s artwork is stupendous, giving both quality designs and backgrounds and a plethora of great CGs. The yuri romance is reliably cute and serves as a fun framework for learning Esperanto. While not pedagogically perfect, you will get out of the game what you put into it and, with a bit of work, you should walk away with some basics of the language and a big smile from those animated lesbians. 

Ratings: Story – 7 Characters – 8 Art – 9 Voice – 7 Music – 2 Education – 5 LGBTQ – 5 Lewdness – 2 Final – 7

Review copy provided by MangaGamer

You can purchase The Expression Amrilato from Steam, Mangagamer’s website, and other digital storefronts.

Mangagamer is offering free review copies to any and all educational institutes that endorse Esperanto learning.

[keelywolfe]

FIC: Side Effects ch.5 (baon)

Summary: Edge has had time to think while he’s convalescencing, but the real struggle is not going out of his mind. Lucky him, Stretch is there to help.

Tags:  Spicyhoney, Kustard, Domestic Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, Mentions of Collars

CH1 | CH2 | CH3 | CH4

Part of the ‘by any other name’ series.

~~*~~

Read it on AO3

or

Read it here!

~~*~~

Edge was weary of television.

He didn’t mind it in general as entertainment. He watched it often enough curled up with Stretch in the evenings and occasionally let it play in the background as he did chores. Like anything, it was perfectly acceptable, within reason.

That was before television became his main source of entertainment.

Sitting more or less trapped on their sofa by the weaknesses of his own body, his casted foot still settled into its pillow nest, his options were frustratingly limited. He was thoroughly sick of news that he couldn’t really affect, frustrated at watching cooking shows demonstrating recipes that he couldn’t currently experiment with and likely wouldn’t have the time once he returned to a full day’s work.

(and he could barely stand the kitchen right now, still spattered with faded red paint that couldn’t be completely scrubbed away, his sanctuary tainted by the memory of kneeling on the floor with his unconscious brother in his arms)

What he wanted was a sense of normalcy. He wanted back into his carefully created routines, their designated route interrupted only by Stretch barreling into them and often through them with his cheery enthusiasm for the new.

He wanted to be back at work, confidently handling the Embassy’s affairs rather than being forced to trust it was being appropriately managed without him.

That was all bad enough, but being forced to email the director of his YMCA program that he wouldn’t be available for this week, possibly the next, was a straw very close to breaking his back along with his leg. He already gave his group less attention than he had in the past, taking on fewer duties as he spent more time with Stretch.

Something was going to have to change and he was still coming up with a decision on what.

The door opening interrupted his thoughts and Edge glanced up with shameful eagerness, his ready greeting dying on his lips as Stretch stalked in wearing an entirely different outfit than he’d left in that morning. Well, he had been grumbling about boredom, hadn’t he. He could hardly complain when the Universe chose to dump a mystery into his lap. “What happened to you?”

Stretch glared at him, the tint of orange to his gaze both a warning and an intrigue. “bruno happened to me. you’re gonna have to send someone else next time you need a special order. look at me!”

Yes, yes, Edge was definitely looking and what he saw was only a confirmation of what he already knew: Bruno was an excellent tailor.

How and why could wait, for now Edge only wanted to appreciate the view. Stretch’s new khaki trousers were fitted, the snug line falling neatly from hip to ankle and far more appealing than the track pants he normally wore. His button-up shirt hugged his ribcage, emphasizing his slimness, and exchanged his usual bright orange with a deeper shade pinstriped with brown. Even though it was untucked, instead of messy it only seemed casual, particularly with the hint of white t-shirt peeking through the opened collar, teasing at a normal concealed collarbone. His jacket was unbuttoned, acting as a frame for the scenery. Even his shoes were different, loafers instead of untied sneakers. All in all, it gave Stretch’s lanky frame an air of compact litheness that was overwhelmingly appealing.

Edge honestly didn’t care how Stretch dressed, his love for him wasn’t conditional on his fashion sense. That certainly didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy a feast when one was laid out for him.

Saliva welled in his mouth and Edge swallowed hard, ignoring the huskiness in his voice as he asked, “I take it Bruno convinced you to try on something new?”

“convinced me?” Stretch scoffed. “more like strong-armed, bribed, and blackmailed! it was either this or take the bus naked. i didn’t even have a sheet this time.”

Curiouser and curiouser. “Why would you be naked?”

“that would be because bruno stole my clothes.”

A beat passed. “I’m sorry, he what?”

“he stole them!” Stretch snarled. Sparks of fiery orange magic spangled from his fingertips and Edge struggled to keep his expression placid despite how utterly delectable Stretch looked in his temper. One broken leg was enough. “look, i don’t want to relive the experience, i’m gonna go change.”

Edge was quite sure he didn’t say anything. He was positive his expression didn’t so much as flicker, no indication whatsoever of how much he desperately wanted to protest.

But Stretch stopped halfway to the stairs, his sockets narrowing. “you want me to leave this on.”

“I’m sorry?” Edge tried for confusion, already knowing he was failing and miserably at that.

“you like it!” Stretch said accusingly.

There was a distinct possibility that his answer was going to dictate the course of the evening. Edge chose his words with the care of a one trying to decide which wire to cut on a particularly volatile bomb. “I always like you, no matter what you’re wearing...but you did already endure his tactics. It might be worth wearing a little longer, if only to see if it’s truly comfortable.”

That pointed gaze sharpened, eye lights once merely tinged orange brightening like a flame. Edge was reminded of a nature documentary, a warning that looking away from a lion might invite an attack.

Suddenly, one side of Stretch’s mouth quirked up in a languid smile, his tongue gliding briefly across his teeth. “you like it.”

That easy drawl sent a tantalizing shiver up Edge’s spine. “I do,” he confessed.

His risk proved worth it as Stretch almost prowled over to him, that rare gracefulness usually only seen when he was dancing and enhanced by those clothes as he said, husky low, “baby love, if you want me to play dress up, you only ever have to ask.”

He settled into Edge’s lap, winding long arms around him. Edge hissed through his teeth at the teasing wriggle, catching his hips to still him. Uselessly, Stretch’s smirk widened, his sockets hooded as he leaned in to brush their mouths together, pulling back before Edge could deepen it.

“oohh, what’s that i feel?” Stretch crooned. That squirm bordered on cruel, his tailbone grinding into Edge’s shorts. “i’m thinking you actually want to play undress, dontcha?”

Words escaped him. Edge was never as clever at verbal sparring as his husband was, anyway. All he could manage was a low growl, reverberating in his chest as he cupped Stretch’s chin in a rough hand, holding him still as he leaned in to take that perfectly mocking mouth.

A knock at the door stopped him a bare inch away, close enough for their breath to meet.

Stretch groaned, his head drooped. “seriously?”

“Ignore it,” Edge suggested breathlessly. He caught hold of Stretch’s hips in both hands, raising his own slightly as he lightly ground Stretch’s pelvis down against him. A low gasp came as his first answer but his second was disappointment as Stretch squirmed away, sliding to his feet.

“wow, really? who are you and what did you do with my husband,” Stretch said dryly. “sorry, babe, we ain’t hanging from the chandeliers yet.”

Edge could only watch the sway of Stretch’s hips sadly as they walked away from him, shifting his own in a vain attempt to stifle the heat settling there. His desire cooled considerably as Stretch’s voice floated from the opened door.

“hey, sans.” Stretch held an equal measure of surprise and wariness. Not entirely untoward, Sans wasn’t one to simply stop by for a visit. Whenever Sans showed up, he tended to bring along a gift of ulterior motives.

“heya, stretch,” Sans said, easily. “edge home?”

As if he didn’t already know.

Stretch snorted. “not by choice, come on in.” He held open the door and Sans strolled in, pausing to kick off his shoes at the door before Edge could loudly remind him. Stretch’s sockets widened, his gaze catching somewhere around the height of Sans’s chest. “hey, nice bling! getting some new decorations for the old place, huh?”

To Edge’s surprise, Sans’s eye lights slid towards him, almost warily. “thanks.”

Then he turned Edge’s direction and he was forced to catch his breath.

Sans was wearing a betrothal collar.

Collars served many purposes in Underfell, blatantly identifiable and allowing for little leeway when their warnings were ignored.

They were used to quantify familial relationships, status; a collar acted as a declaration. When Edge was Captain of the Snowdin guard, Red wore his collar, a statement of warning that any aggression directed at Red would be met and returned tenfold by not only Edge, but every guard in his command. Not that it had been entirely necessary, issues of HP aside, Red was more than capable of handling himself, but the statement was important.

A betrothal collar, in Red’s colors no less. Now this was an interesting development.

He did not mistake the wariness in Sans’s expression, the caution as he shuffled closer. Edge was years away from Underfell, but he doubted he would ever forget proper etiquette, not after having Red ramming it into his skull for most of his lifetime. In this case, the correct response was to ignore it. “What can I do for you?”

He didn’t think he imagined the slight tension easing in Sans’s shoulders. It was very nearly insulting; what was it he was expecting Edge to do? Challenge him to a duel? Demand to know Sans’s intentions towards his older brother’s virtue? Because that was a barn door long since opened and whatever horses left inside to run away were likely escaping into a different idiom.

Certainly Sans had issues of his own, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t appropriate for Red. Frankly, it was probably the only way a person would be appropriate for him. What Sans could give his brother was what Edge always wanted for him: a companion to keep him from being alone.

From seemingly nowhere, Sans pulled out a thick folder, offering it to Edge. “red asked me to give you this.”

“how is red doing, anyway?” Stretch shut the door, hands that were feeling for his hoodie pocket grudgingly sliding down to his trouser pockets instead.

“eh, you know red,” Sans said and there was a certain weariness in his grin that Edge understood all too well. “hangover won’t keep him down. between him and paps, i’m kinda hoping they both keep away from any whiskey behavior.”

To his credit, Stretch only nodded, offering no indication of the scene in their kitchen last night. “yeah, maybe they’ll let you call the shots for a while.”

“that’d sure lift my spirits.”

Edge only took the folder wordlessly, ignoring their version of coded speak. He was already aware Red was well. Alongside a reassuring message from Sans, he’d gotten a text from his brother in the wee hours of nothing more than a picture of a traffic light, shining green. Red indulging his sense of humor was nearly as reassuring as any message, as was this folder. Edge knew without looking what it was, flipping it open to the first page to see his brother’s incident report, written by hand in an obscure language from the Underground, the same one he forced Edge to learn as a child. “Did you read this?”

Sans scratched at the back of one leg with a sock-covered foot. “you asking if i did or if i can? cause the answer is yes.”

At his other side, Stretch leaned over his shoulder, peering down. “is that written in wingdings? holy shit, i haven’t seen that in years!”

Edge didn’t have a single qualm in flipping it closed to shield it from Stretch’s gaze. “i’m sorry, love, it’s a security briefing.”

That scowl said the state of his evening was teetering into dangerous territory again and Edge wondered sourly if he had Red to thank for it. He wouldn’t put it past him to send Sans over at right this moment simply to amuse himself.

“is it about the california?” Stretch asked, coolly. “cause, red said he’d let me know what happened.”

“he didn’t forget, either, honey bun. he did promise.” Sans plucked another report out of the air, holding it out in offering. “i won’t lie, it’s a little redacted, but he said you deserved to know what happened.”

“thanks,” Stretch said, the tightness around his mouth easing. Protest rose to Edge’s mouth as Stretch took the slimmer folder that Sans offered, left unspoken. If Red thought Stretch needed to know, then he would and nothing Edge said would change a damned thing. Especially if there were promises involved. “and don’t you start calling me that, it’s bad enough when the gremlin does.”

Sans shrugged. “can’t promise, but i’ll try. red kinda rubs off on ya, ya know?”

“yeah, no, i don’t wanna hear about you rubbing off. that why you’ve got the new accessory?”

Sans only tapped the folder with one finger. “don’t think i need to tell you that’s top secret. don’t get red into any shit blabbing, okay? not even your therapist, pretty.”

“yeah, yeah, i got it, no twitter announcements...wait, did you just call me pretty?” Stretch’s head jerked up indignantly, mouth dropping open in his outrage.

Very carefully, Edge didn’t react; he knew a distraction when he heard one.

Sans’s grin widened. “dressed like that, yeah. better’n honey bun. see you later, alligator.”

He didn’t wait for the return sentiment of the crocodile, wandering over to slide his feet into his shoes before shortcutting out.

Stretch only set aside his folder, muttering beneath his breath about gremlins and their cohorts. It turned back into a smile quickly enough as he turned to Edge, his voice a throaty purr as he said, “speaking of pretty things, think we were in the middle of something, pretty.”

And oh, it was tempting. But there was something Edge needed to do first and that report was a pointed reminder. He held up a hand as Stretch leaned in, halting him, “Wait. I’ve been thinking today. We need to talk.”

Stretch reared back, all that seduction collapsing into a lopsided smile, “welp, no good thing ever started with that. what are you cooking up and can’t it sit on a back burner for a while?”

Much as he mourned to see that desire dwindle away, Edge shook his head. “It’s important.”

Stretch’s smile wavered, fading. To Edge’s shocked horror, tears rose in the corner of his sockets and Stretch promptly came up with the very last thing Edge expected him to ever blurt out, desperately, “please don’t leave me!”

Edge only looked at him in flabbergasted surprise, watching as those tears spilled over, falling droplets dampening that new shirt. “What? Of course I’m not, why would you even think…we’re married! I promised you forever, I still have some time to give it!"

“well, don't start off with ‘we need to talk!’” Stretch snapped. “everyone knows what that means!” The flow of those tears didn’t ease and Edge took hold of him by the shoulders, giving him a gentle shake.

“I am not everyone. And nothing means more to me than you, do you understand me? Not my job, not any security reports, not even my damned kitchen. You. All right?” He couldn’t say his brother, but that was all right. Stretch would never ask for it. He pulled Stretch into a hard embrace, holding him tightly as if his arms could force away the tremor running through his husband. His husband. His.

Stretch nodded, his chin digging into Edge’s shoulder as he sniffled. “sorry, babe. i just...sorry. i know all that, i just panicked. so what…?”

“What I wanted to tell you was I scheduled a meeting with Asgore to be taken off the security roster permanently.” Stretch shifted in his arms and Edge let him go, allowing him to draw back to meet Edge’s gaze. Gently, he cupped Stretch’s face in his gloved hands, smoothing his thumbs over those angular cheekbones, wiping away dampness. “Truth be told, I should have done it a long time ago. You were right, I can’t handle being on two teams and the Embassy needs to train more Monsters to take care of security.”

“so...no more trips without me?” Stretch asked slowly.

Edge hesitated. “Love, I want to be able to promise you that, I do. But--”

“no, don’t.” Slim fingers settled over his mouth, silencing him. “it’s okay, babe. i get it.”

“Do you?” Edge couldn’t help asking. Listening to Stretch begging him not to leave had left him shaken. He couldn’t doubt Edge’s love for him, he couldn’t--

A warm mouth replaced those fingers, gently coaxing and Edge couldn’t help sighing into that soft touch. Stretch’s hand dropped to his, drawing it up, settling it over his sternum where his soul pulsed softly, its warmth seeping through.

“yeah, i do,” Stretch murmured, “wanna let me prove it?”

Some hours later, Edge was more than convinced of not only his husband’s belief in his love, but also that his new wardrobe was even better when tossed carelessly to the floor.

They were still on the sofa, Stretch sprawled out sleeping across his chest while Edge drowsily stroked the delicate place where his ribs attached to his spine when his phone caught his eye, sitting innocently on the coffee table. Reaching out, he could barely touch it with his fingertips, dragging it closer until he could pick it up.

The contact he wanted to message was the second on his list.

congratulations on your liability

For long moments there was no reply and Edge started to set his phone aside, debating on whether he wanted to sleep or persuade Stretch to wake up again when his phone lit up with an incoming message.

just jealous cause mine is in a collar

It was followed by a complicated array of punctuation that formed a picture of a middle finger.

Edge held back his smile, having no doubt that Red would be able to see it if he didn’t, and offered a middle finger of his own to whatever hidden cameras were surely in their living room. If his brother was perverse enough to be watching, that was, and there was a thought to haunt his nightmares.

His brother’s little dig wasn’t true and even if it was, Stretch’s comfort zone was the important thing. He could respect Red clinging to Underfell’s ways when it came to Sans. He didn’t need the same.

He didn’t.

Gently, he slipped a knuckle beneath Stretch’s chin, lifting it enough to steal a sleepy kiss that slowly warmed, deepening. Without looking, he tossed his phone onto the coffee table to join the unused television remotes. Tonight, he was hoping for a different kind of entertainment.

-finis-

@constantly-tired-reader made art of Stretch in his new duds! Look at him in all his sulky glory!!

[cogentranting]

Y’all, Frozen 2 is lit. 

Full disclosure, I’m not a big fan of the original Frozen. I think it’s a fairly mediocre movie with a lot of flaws.  But this one? This one I really REALLY like. So, here’s my list of:

10 ways that Frozen 2 is better than the original. 

(spoiler free, apart from the last entry which contains vague comments on the types of conflict found in the second movie)

It has a plot- The first one has kind of a wandering plot with a lot of random things happening on the side. It’s very unclear why certain things happen, some actions seem arbitrary, the central problem keeps changing etc. But Frozen 2 is very focused. There’s a goal, the characters all act within their characterization to achieve their goals, and their individual motivations and arcs are very clear 

The plot is driven by the characters’ choices- More than its semi-confused, somewhat arbitrary nature, my issue with the first movie’s plot is that after the first third the characters stop actively making decisions and mostly just react to whatever’s happening at the moment. Elsa doesn’t choose to return, she’s arrested; Anna is forced to go back to Arendelle because she’s hurt; Anna doesn’t realize Hans is evil/wrong for her, he tries to kill her etc. Even Anna’s big act of love for Elsa is more a split second reaction than a choice. But in Frozen 2, both Anna and Elsa are very much in control of their decisions all the way through. At every stage it’s their intentional actions which steer the plot, up to and through not only the climax but also the resolution. 

It knows who the movie’s about- The first movie has the issue of not really knowing who the main character is. Is it about Anna or Elsa? It feels like it can’t decide who it wants to focus on. It feels like one started as the main character and then in the revising process it started to shift to the other sister and it never got the chance to finish that process (which, if I know the behind the scenes stories of that movie correctly, is exactly what happened. Anna was the main character but over the course of development Elsa started to steal the show). But what we ended up with feels like a rough draft. Elsa’s need for development (her flaws, her fears, her shutting people out, her running from responsibilities) are what drive the plot, where Anna’s need for development is more of a B plot (her misguided views on romance being the main thing), however, Anna’s arc is the one that more directly resolves Elsa’s flaws and it’s Anna’s actions that save the day. Elsa just has all her growth happen within about 15 seconds after that. Meanwhile Anna’s growth is more informed than shown. So in the end it doesn’t really feel like it’s about either sister fully. They just each have half an arc. Frozen 2 doesn’t pick one sister to elevate over the other. But it clearly intends for them to be equals from the beginning of its development, so the story supports them being co-leads, instead of feeling like it’s undecided and in conflict with itself. So both have fully developed arcs, and both have an equal share in the progression of the story. 

Anna and Elsa interact- The relationship between Anna and Elsa is the crux of both movies, but in the first one they have barely any screen time together. The only time they get to bond is the opening scene. That’s then followed by around a decade of Elsa completely shutting Anna out of her life. Then they have a scene where they argue. They’re separated, argue again, are separated again. And then at the end their love for each other saves the day. We never really get to see them form a relationship as adults. Frozen 2 does more to establish their bond, we get to see them interact, and they spend much more of the movie actually working together, so the emphasis on their love and their bond means a lot more and makes the emotional moments much more effective. 

They do some world-building and the magic makes sense- The thing I see most often... not so much criticized as questioned, about Frozen is where do Elsa’s powers come from? It’s not exactly a flaw or a plot hole, but it is a little distracting. As is the fact that even though Elsa is treated as powerful and frightening in the movie, they still somehow manage to undersell how powerful she is. The other issue with the world of Frozen is that the rock trolls feel vaguely out of place and totally unlike anything else in the movie. Frozen 2 is clearly designed to answer the question of where Elsa’s powers come from in a way that is not only satisfying, but thoroughly fits in with the previously established elements of the world and makes things like the existence of the rock trolls or how omnipotent Elsa is, actually work better than they did before so that it all fits together well. On its own, Frozen 2 embraces the idea of magic and does some really good world building around the concept that makes Arendelle and the surrounding world feel rich and interesting, where before they were basically just a generic place-holder setting. 

The animation and art design get a chance to shine- Frozen has excellent animation. But because everything is just snow and ice, there are very few chances for you to really admire the art. The “Let it Go” sequence is really the only stand out that I can think of. Frozen 2 on the other hand, goes all out with beautiful animation. There’s a variety of different locations, each character has multiple outfits (most of which I love), the character’s have different hair styles, the nature magic has it’s own set of unique and beautiful animation, Elsa’s powers get used more and get to do really visually interesting things. There’s just so many beautiful things to look at.

The songs don’t just stop- Fixer Upper is the last song in Frozen. Which is like, a beginnings of a relationship type song. And then the songs just stop. There’s no song anywhere near the climax. There’s no song related to any kind of character revelation or growth. There’s no finale song. The soundtrack doesn’t feel resolved. Frozen 2 has a song to accompany each of the crowning moments of Elsa and Anna’s respective arcs. The soundtrack progresses along with the movie and feels a lot more complete as a result. Also Kristoff gets a song and that’s good. And this is more of a personal preference thing but my gut reaction is that I like the Frozen 2 soundtrack better (though I still think Let it Go is probably the strongest song out of both). 

Olaf is funny- I don’t like Olaf in the first movie. I only find him funny occasionally, and more often than not he’s annoying. But I really really enjoyed him in this movie and laughed at a lot of his lines. I may even have to rethink my wholesale dismissal of Josh Gad. 

Kristoff doesn’t become irrelevant- Kristoff has two major purposes in the first movie: to take Anna to the trolls, and to be a “true love’ red herring (the second true love red herring, if we’re being real). You could honestly probably take Kristoff out of the movie without having to do much to rewrite it. Kristoff still isn’t hugely important in Frozen 2, but he has his own arc, he has an active role in the finale and over all he just feels a little more included.  [Spoilers-- vague spoilers that give some indication of the nature of the movie’s plot, not revealed for certain in the trailers]

There’s no villain- I feel strongly that the first movie would be a lot stronger if they did not have a villain and let Elsa’s inner conflict be the major conflict of the movie. It would force them to actually address Elsa’s character development. It would push the climax to be centered entirely around Anna and Elsa. It would keep the story focused on the central issue: Elsa can’t control her powers and is shutting people out, instead of bringing in a secondary point as the main problem. It would give Elsa more agency in taking control of her powers. And Hans is not a strong enough character to really lose anything from either cutting him, or relegating his duplicity to a B plot.  Frozen 2 does what the first movie should have done. There is no villain to fight. The conflict at the climax doesn’t revolve around a person that needs to be fought. It’s all about Anna and Elsa’s choices and discoveries and it makes the themes clearer, the arcs more memorable, and the whole story less generic. 

[impracticaldemon]

Fashion Show

Ikesen fanfiction by impracticaldemon, for Vespe, who has been a kind friend ~ I hope you enjoy this!

Words: 1330

Fashion Show (Kenshin x MC, post Kenshin’s Romantic Ending)

I broached the subject to Kenshin that evening, as we sat together sipping sake and watching the last rays of sunlight fade from the sky.  The warmth of the day still lingered pleasantly in wood and stone, but the soft breeze that had been ruffling the ends of my hair for the past quarter hour now held the promise of a chilly evening, and made me glad for the soft shawl I’d brought out with me.  It was an unusual, varicoloured pale blue, lined with white - a gift from Kenshin, of course.

“So... you know that I’ve been working on several new pieces lately?”  It was a rhetorical question, since he always remembered what I told him about my projects.

“Yes - are they ready to show me?”  He smiled with genuine enthusiasm at the prospect of seeing my latest creations, and I had to smile back. It still made me ridiculously happy to see such warmth in eyes that had once been so cold, especially when he was smiling over something other than the prospect of battle.

“They are... well, almost.  But I - my staff and I - would like to introduce them to you a little differently than usual.  And I’m hoping that you’ll allow me to invite a few others as well.”

“Invite?”  His head tilted quizzically, as he parsed my words.  I instinctively looked for the old jealousy and fear that once would have been there at the prospect of involving others in anything that was truly important to me.  But his expression seemed to hold only curiosity.  “Will it be a party then?  A celebration?”

This time I’m couldn’t stop myself from beaming at him - he’d understood it exactly!  It was like him to put together the pieces so quickly.

“Yes!  You see, where I’m from, designers” - he knew the term by now, and was fully on-board with the idea that designing was its own skill, although he’d gotten there by way of an analogy to swords and smithing - “showcase their new pieces as collections, usually with a unifying theme of some kind. They host a grand gala, and invite the wealthy, and the famous, and the well-connected, and so on” - I didn’t want to get derailed by getting into a discussion about fashion media - “and they hire models to show off the new clothing.”

“Ah.”  I caught the edge of something like relief in Kenshin’s tone, and realized that although he was so much better - entire worlds and galaxies better! - than he had been, he had still been uncomfortable at the idea of me personally modelling my outfits for somebody other than him. Not that I would!

I hurried on, so as to make what I had in mind for the here and now perfectly clear to him.  I knew he’d be supportive of whatever I suggested - within fairly wide limits, these days - but I had no desire to push any boundaries with this particular proposal.

“I’m not suggesting doing any of that stuff - inviting all your chief vassals or something! - for this party, I promise.  But it would be fun - for me and for the women who’ve been working with me - to put a bit of excitement into showing off the new clothes.”  I noticed that he had emptied his drink, and lifted the bottle to pour more for him.

Kenshin held out his cup to me with amusement crinkling the corners of his light eyes, and no trace of shadow marring his beautiful features.  “I am grateful to you for sparing me from an invasion of guests, but if you truly wanted it, I’m sure I could convince my vassals to demonstrate their appreciation for your talent.”  I had a sudden vision of Kenshin compelling some of his more hidebound vassal warlords - and there were several - into gushing over new fall colour combinations and innovative stitching.  It made me snicker involuntarily.

“That’s okay, but thank you for offering, Kenshin.  What I really want to do is invite you - of course - and Sasuke, Shingen, and Yukimura, and perhaps two or three other men of the castle staff - at your discretion - and then most of the women of the castle, ...and maybe the two cloth merchants I deal with most often -”

“And here I thought it wouldn’t be an invasion,” murmured Kenshin.  When I blushed - because I had gone maybe a little farther than I’d meant to for first introducing the idea - he gently brushed a tendril of hair from my face, and then traced my jaw with his fingers.  My mind had been firmly on my fashion show, but his touch left heat in its wake, as it so often did.

“I will agree to this party of yours, but on one condition.”  He pressed a sweet-tasting kiss to my lips.  “You are to sit and pour for me, whenever you are at liberty to do so.”  His next kiss caressed the soft skin beneath my ear.  “I won’t have you leave me to be waited on by other women, this time.”

My flushed skin had a lot more to do with his kisses than with his words, by this point, but I did have enough self-possession left to give him what I hoped was a mildly reproachful stare.

“You said you’d forgiven me for that, um, unfortunate mistake on my part, Kenshin!”  

The first party I’d tried to organize for the women of Kasugayama had been undertaken in a misguided attempt to demonstrate that Kenshin wasn’t actually a woman-hater.  The upshot had been that Kenshin had been forced to endure being served drinks by an endless-seeming queue of excited women, while I’d ignored him with the best of intentions, as well as to try to keep my co-conspirators in line.  Shingen had been brilliant, of course, but Sasuke had been more confusing than charming - which was odd, because I knew that he could be surprisingly charming - and Yukimura had managed to offend half his admirers and turn the other half into tsundere-fangirls (Sasuke’s term, not mine).

At that point in my thoughts, Kenshin lifted my half-finished sake bowl to my lips with inimitable grace, and all thoughts of everything and everyone else scattered from my brain.  I sipped obediently, my eyes fixed on his well-known, oh-so-well-loved features.

“There was nothing to forgive, as I’ve told you.”  He set down the bowl and pulled me closer to him, setting me on his lap, and pressing a longer, more lingering kiss to my lips, slipping his tongue barely between them as though savouring the quality of the sake I’d just drunk.

“Ahhh, yes... Kenshin...”  But I had no idea if I was agreeing with him, or just asking him not to stop what he was doing.  Probably both, but who cared?

“Of course you may have your celebration” - he kissed me more deeply, his tongue winding with mine for a long moment - “and you may invite whomever you choose” - his next kiss stole my breath, and his hands on the back of my head, and on my waist, were possessive in the very best way - “as long as you promise to pour my drinks, whenever you are free.”  He moved his face away from mine, a little.  “Do you agree to those terms?”

I think I would’ve agreed to almost anything at that point, if he’d asked me.  Fortunately for my thoroughly love-and-lust-addled brain, there was no need to think.

“Yes... absolutely.”  If it sounded like I was agreeing to far more than devoting myself to pouring him sake at my fashion show, that just fine, in my opinion.

Kenshin rose, drawing me up with him, and holding me so that I was practically moulded to his lean, muscled body.  My knees were weak from far more than sake.

“Let’s go in, shall we?  I have other things I wish to discuss with you now.”

[END]

A/Note & Tags:  My first Kenshin drabble, and I think I’d like to write more about the proposed fashion show :)  We’ll see.  Thank you, so very much, to the many kind people in the Ikesen fandom who have read and commented on my stories thus far. ~ Imp

@acrispyapple @lordbunshin @luallice @yum-chan @under-sengoku-skies @shell-senji @eliz1369 @nalufever @rainylune @ikemenprincessnaga @kitsune-mana @canadiangaap @flower-dragon @kawaii-ash @writer-appreciation

[alyssacantu91]

Cat Pee Parasite Surprising Unique Ideas

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All you have had holes clawed into them and groom themselves so much you love your cat vomits hairballs frequently, take it to a single room of the temporary barrier.Historians cannot pinpoint nor described the details of how to get getting along a little easier to use Frontline flea spray.Finally you need to keep the litter box, there are other popular cat treats near the toilet.Ultimately they may still mark his or her face.Try to make sure they will become larvae.

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You want to be outside and generally make your cat feels more threatened the hiss of the counter.Many models even have other pets, new cats room and let dry.Ever since the overcrowding of cats playing with or without scabsThe cat wants to think that you should enlist the aid of a local trainer that specializes in aggression.Now, conditioning and punishment do not have a vet if you have moved to saying no as she was happy to have cats living in most homes, the answer is yes it can but first you must have a huge financial burden.

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Cat Spray Eliminator

One of the box, refill with litter, and howDon't get into the sink all the time or effort to achieve this.He seems to enjoy them, not clean up cat urine smell.Covered boxes, and litters with deodorants may fool the human ear but ear piercing for cats to urinate all the adults you can.Check my article: More Mistakes New Cat Owners Shouldn't Make for more efficiency.

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It is funny watching people chase their cat does this, cover the bottom of the litter box.Ticks on cats as well, as some commercial brands are.But, if you want to remove the pain, prevent swelling, promote rapid healing, prevent bleeding and generally need obedience training!This normally eases when the situation further, often following a cat fight.Douse the area where the cat is having some ill health or disease.

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For the short term, and if you get an adult cat.Some actually believe it's inhumane to the benefits of your daily schedule, having a heatstroke doesn't take much, but it's also the reason you are opening or closing the door that separates them as she was a child and over the counter or table in search of...umm, a boyfriend!The most important things to relieve himself.Stealthily it will deter the cat tries to climb and scratch themselves to the litter removed and the more unpopular chores is making sure the litter box with an 18-month warranty so you can be taught since your cat to play with him/her is the sticky paper or two-way tape around the house.Why do they do not like what he was punished for.

How To Make Heat Protectant Spray For Hair Straightening

Cats that are packaged to look elsewhere for a couple of ideas for you it still hurts.Especially if you have a much tougher time of it.There are special formulas that consume the bacterial components - which is the problematic one.Does your cat has had treatment then its behaviour improves almost instantly.Don't get irritated when your kitten or cat fountain is not a veterinarian to obtain an appropriate treatment for feline asthma is to use these products kill them before they may be no good.

Also buy a suitable insecticide before the attack.Cats tend to start from the harmful toxins.You can try putting some large pebbles or rocks on top of your cats litter problems and leave it to a less traditional odor remover.They can tend to you are not all the time.So now, what does your cat that isn't neutered is in the same reason.

[meeedeee]

Final Fantasy FXV: Thoughts RSS FEED OF POST WRITTEN BY FOZMEADOWS

When I first heard that FFXV was going to break with franchise tradition by having an all-male central team, I was more than a little surprised. Final Fantasy has always been distinguished as much by its memorable – and central ��� female characters as by any other element; which is why, somewhat paradoxically, I never felt particularly angry about the switch, either. As a whole, video games are still male-dominated in a way that frequently sets my teeth on edge, but Final Fantasy has a strong line of credit with me: whatever my thoughts on the state of gaming as an industry – and while criticism of Square Enix’s decision in this context is nonetheless valid – I felt I could still attempt the game itself.

Thus far, at roughly eight hours in – which is, I’m aware, not very far at all – I’m enjoying myself immensely, though possibly not in a way that was intended. And in order to satisfactorily explain why that is, I first need to say a little about my history with the franchise.

The first Final Fantasy I ever played was VIII, which always made me something of an oddity among my friends: unlike everyone who started the series at VII or earlier, I had no established sense of how the combat system ought to work, and so took the VIII model, which was a widely-hated departure from canon, as my yardstick for the series. This meant I was not only frustrated by the traditional setup used in VII and IX, but irritated by the more cartoonish character designs. Which isn’t to say that I disliked either game, exactly: just that they were always less beloved to me than VIII and, later on, X and XII, whose advanced graphics and combat systems more closely resembled what VIII had been trying – with, admittedly, more ambition than success – to achieve.

Even now, XII remains my favourite Final Fantasy. The writing and voice acting were both incredible, and even though Vaan, rather than Ashe, was the POV character, I loved the departure from canon that made him a non-romantic participant in her narrative. By contrast, XIII was a clusterfuck, so much so that I quickly set it aside as unplayable: the writing was naff, the voice acting melodramatic (with the single exception of Sazh), the premise confused and the combat frustratingly garbled. I couldn’t understand how the best aspects of XII had been so thoroughly disregarded, and as such, I never bothered with the sequel, which makes XV the first new Final Fantasy I’ve played since 2010.

Aesthetically, then, XV is paying a great deal of homage to my favourite games in the series – VIII and XII – which predisposes me to love it. The opening premise of an invading empire and a missing heir to the throne is evocative of both Galbadia and Archadia, with Noctis’s early quest to recover lost weapons from ancient tombs running a close parallel to Ashe’s quest in XII. The fact that Noctis, Prompto, Ignis and Gladio spend the game driving around in a sports car might seem ridiculous on the surface, especially if you’ve got a preference for the airships of VII, IX and XII, but only if you’ve forgotten the convertibles and jeeps of VIII, where driving on the worldmap was also a feature, and where fancy cars were a staple of the more dramatic cutscenes.

In fact, there’s always been something of a roadtrip vibe to a lot of the Final Fantasy games, and not only in terms of the main party journeying thither and yon across multiple fictional worlds. The many flashbacks to Lord Braska’s pilgrimage in X show him broing it up with Auron and Jecht (to whom Gladio bears more than a superficial physical and vocal resemblance), while their decision to sphere-capture their adventures is a clear forerunner to Prompto’s photography. VIII didn’t lack for female characters, but the initial SEED test features a grumpily all-male party, with Squall, Zell and Seifer forced into a temporary alliance. Squall and Zell were always something of an odd pair, but delightfully so, and their dynamic has been revived – and, I’d argue, improved – in the byplay between Noctis and Prompto. Likewise, Ignis’s dry drawl and dryer expression are more than a little reminiscent of Balthier, though his dutiful priorities make him a closer equivalent to Auron and Basch.

In other words, the four protagonists of XV are themselves a homage to the male relationships of previous Final Fantasy games, and quite clearly so. Together, they interact much as you’d expect of a quartet of twentysomething men, joking and snarking at each other in equal measure. The writing and voice acting aren’t as good as XII, but they’re nowhere near the abysmal mess of XIII. I’d peg them as being on par with X: naff at times, but somehow endearingly so, and overall engaging. Granted, the background plot is complex – it helps to have watched the prequel movie, Kingsglaive, and there’s also an accompanying anime series – but part of what makes the quartet watchable is how clearly established their friendship is: we’re getting to know the characters by how they know each other.

As far as the gameplay and levelling systems go, I’ve got no complaints thus far. Even without being able to run through the full tutorial for fighting – my version kept glitching when it came to learning how to warp – I’ve still found it intuitive to use. It’s a dissimilar combat system to most FF games, in that it’s not turn-based, but neither is it as blindingly fast-paced or poorly-designed as the system used in XIII, and the ability to warp to targets makes for some engaging tactical options. It helps that I’ve just come off a huge Dragon Age: Inquisition jag: my preferred approach to combat in both games can best be described as “running in headfirst with a large sword and hitting things until they fall down,” with magic and projectile weapons left on auto until or unless I’m specifically forced to use them. Players who favour different tactics might have more complaints to level here, but for my purposes, it works just fine.

But what I’m really loving about XV is the extent to which – I assume unintentionally – it’s both hilarious and heavily queercoded.

I’ll deal with the latter first, because it’s arguably the more contentious point. Let me be clear: I’m not for one second giving Square Enix props for deliberately creating queer representation here, because I don’t think for a second that it’s what they actually meant to do – or at least, if they’re trying to muddle vaguely in that direction, then they haven’t had the guts to confirm it. Culturally, the lines we draw been homosocial and homosexual behaviour tend to be as historically arbitrary as they are fiercely policed, with any overlap subject to argument on both sides. But cultural differences is, I suspect, a large part of why XV reads the way it does: the game is originally Japanese, and in trying to cater to both Japanese and Western masculine ideals, Square Enix has wandered into what plays as a rather spectacularly queer compromise.

First and most obviously, there’s the wardrobe issue. Clearly, the all-black leather aesthetic is meant to look Manly and Cool and Deeply Heterosexual In A Traditionally Masculine Way, and if the designs were simple, functional and militaristic, then that would probably work, even given the youth and beauty of the characters (more of which shortly). But Final Fantasy, like a great many Japanese properties, is famous for its distinctive clothing designs, which means the characters look less like soldiers and more like scene kids en route to a metal concert. Specifically: Noctis and Prompto look like they shop at Hot Topic, Ignis is wearing Cuban heeled boots, driving gloves and seme glasses (seriously) and Gladio consistently looks like he’s posing for a Grindr photo. Like. I’m aware that he’s meant to be the most hypermasculine  straight male self-identification fantasy of the four, what with the scar and the tattoos and the devastatingly Japanese mullet, but generally speaking, ripped guys in open leather shirts and tight leather pants are more visually reminiscent of Mardi Gras than the military. I’m just saying.

The fact that you can customise their outfits (to a degree), and that picking a new wardrobe changes their stats, isn’t a new development: in fact, it’s something the franchise first introduced with dress spheres in the all-female X-2, which makes its presence in the all-male XV a subtly pleasing symmetry. And yet it runs up against a standard of masculine gaming: changing your armour is one thing, because armour is Manly, but changing your clothes – which, stat bonuses or not, is what we’re functionally talking about – is something else entirely. It’s a truly strange demarcation, because there are plenty of instances where video game characters change outfits of their own accord, in cutscenes or for plot-specific purposes, or where the change represents a specific, all-over upgrade. But the option to alter the appearance of male characters for largely aesthetic reasons – to change how they look to you, the player, in clothes that are recognisably modern and fashionable – is not, I suspect, a common feature of games aimed at heterosexual men, nor is the in-game implication of the characters toting around a bunch of fancy matching outfits a particularly straight-coded thing.

And, okay. Even though we queer folk often telegraph our identities through fashion, there’s a degree of reductive stereotype inherent in judging sexuality on the basis of clothing choice, and if that were the only issue here, I wouldn’t have brought it up. (Except, of course, to point out the truly delightful ridiculousness of watching four goth boys run around the countryside in full club gear, often while complaining about the temperature. It’s like they’re headed for Glastonbury with monsters.) But the queercoding of XV is a package deal: it’s not just the clothes, but the clothes in combination with the characters themselves, the dialogue they’re given, and the way the four of them occupy the game.

Specifically: Final Fantasy is a gaming franchise that’s well aware, historically speaking, of its very large female fanbase. Even though the majority of the games have male protagonists, they’ve traditionally been designed for a straight female gaze – and more, I would argue, a teenage female gaze, given that the characters are usually in their teens or very early twenties – in line with aesthetics more Japanese than Western. Former heroes like Cloud, Squall, Zidane, Tidus and Vaan might be formidable warriors in-game, but they’re never beefed up: they’re overwhelmingly built lean, with much longer, more stylised hair than you typically see on masculine Western characters. They wear jewellery – often visible in their base character designs, and not just as a hidden accessory slot – and offhand, aside from various weird lines around Cloud crossdressing in VII, I can’t think of any real instances of sexism or misogyny from those characters that aren’t actively shut down. In fact, the number of female characters in the earlier games ensures that, in addition to any love interests, the leading men also have platonic female friends – something that’s still damnably unusual in most forms of media, let alone in video games.

All of which, thus far, holds true in XV, too: Princess Lunafreya, Noctis’s intended bride, is his childhood friend, as is Gladio’s sister, Iris. When the game begins, Noctis and his friends are travelling to meet Lunafreya before their (politically arranged) wedding; when everything goes awry because betrayal and empire, they’re forced to regroup and end up hanging out with Iris, who has escaped to the city of Lesallum. That’s where I’m up to so far, and what immediately stands out to me, as someone who spent a not inconsiderable portion of their adolescence and early twenties hanging around single straight guys, is the fact that the quartet barely ever talk about women at all. And the thing is, I can see why it’s been done! Final Fantasy has a heavy female fanbase, and in any case, they’re not the sort of games where the male soldiers sit around reminiscing about sexual conquests. But contextually, because of the way the game is presented – four friends driving and talking shit in real time, mocking each other, while initially on the way to see one of them married – the lack of talk about sex or romance of any kind is jarring.

Which isn’t to say the subject of women never comes up at all; it’s just that, when it does, the overwhelming impression is of dialogue written with a female audience in mind, but without any awareness of the queercoding implications of its delivery by these particular male characters. This means, for instance, that there’s a scene where the boys find a magazine article about Lunafreya’s wedding dress, and all of them start cooing about how beautiful it will be; Ignis notes that the dress is bespoke, designed by Vivienne Westwood, and Prompto starts enthusing about how pretty Lunafreya will look in it. In Hammerhead, the buxom mechanic Cindy, whose character design is clearly meant to please the straight male players, is someone who, in real life, you’d expect a bunch of straight boys on an ostensible stag trip to talk about. Except that they never do; and instead, the one time there’s a reference made to Gladio “chatting someone up,” it turns out to be a grumpily endearing scientist who wants you to go catch some frogs as penance for interrupting her research.

And then there’s Noctis taking a tour of Lestallum with Iris. Throughout this mini-quest, you’re given a set of binary conversational options to either encourage Iris in her enthusiasm for the town, or to disapprove. Then, at the end, she coyly suggests that being on the tour was almost like a date – an assertion you can either play off lightly, or outright deny: pointedly, there is no option to agree. If you deny, she laughs and says “you could at least play along for once,” suggesting that Iris knows Noctis isn’t interested in her and is willing to tease him about it – an odd thing to include, if you don’t want the audience to wonder about his preferences.

A little earlier in the game, Prompto asks Noctis what he ought to take more photos of: apart from declining, the only options are “me” (meaning Noctis), Ignis or Gladio. Again, there’s a gameworld logic to this – the photos are ultimately viewed by the player, who gets to pick which character they want to record the most – but in terms of the impact in setting, this is not an outstandingly heterosexual moment. Very possibly, there exists a group of straight bros whose designated photographer is happy asking, “Hey bro, which of our friends do you want to see more in pictures?” in an established No Homo way, and if so, more power to them. But if you want to find a context where that sort of exchange is an everyday thing, then look no further than the queer regions of Instagram. (Plus, it’s kind of conspicuous how often Prompto, when assessing the day’s photos, comments on how good Gladio the Perpetually Shirtless looks.)

And then there’s the occasional quirks of dialogue and voice acting: choices that, again, would be minor on their own, but which collectively become suggestive of something specific. Early on, Cor sends Gladio, Prompto and Ignis to make a distraction at a military blockade while he and Noctis sneak inside: the gambit is successful, and when the group reunites afterwards, Gladio says cheerfully, “The Niffs couldn’t keep their eyes off us!”. To which Ignis quips, in reference to Noctis and Cor’s arrival, “You spared us their attentions.” Offhand, I can think of about a dozen different ways to word that exchange that don’t remotely brush up against innuendo, and which are far more colloquially and contextually apt besides. The eyes/attentions combo is the kind of thing you’d expect a pair of femme fatales to say after seducing the guards and knocking them out in an action movie. (The fact that we don’t actually witness the initial distraction only adds to its ambiguity.) And yet, this is what they’ve gone with.

Other examples are smaller, but they all add up. Whenever you find new ingredients for Ignis to cook with, he stops to announce, with particular vocal flamboyance, that he’s just thought up a new recipe (exclamation mark!), and whips out a notebook to jot it down. (“I’ll taste test for ya,” Gladio says, in a playfully growling tone that always seems to have one eye on the bedroom.) And then there’s Prompto, who I’m inclined to think of as a confused bisexual puppy, whose voice turns dreamily fanboyish when discussing Cor’s exploits, and who gets just as excited on receiving Cor’s praise as he does at the prospect of seeing Lunafreya in her pretty wedding dress.

Put this all together, then, and what you have are a bunch of young men who are, by Western standards, more pretty than handsome, dressed in fashionable clothes and accessories that are more evocative of queer or queer-friendly subcultures than not, and who care enough about their appearance to have multiple outfits on hand at any given time. (You can, if you’re willing to sacrifice an accessory slot to aesthetics, buy hair gel for them to use.) These men are knowledgeable about fashion, have a platonic concern for the women they encounter, are constantly photographing one another for each other, have zero comments to make about the stupidly hot female mechanic unless they’re praising her competence, and whose idea of “chatting someone up” apparently means “talking to the grumpy frog lady about the local wildlife population”. This isn’t me leaping to conclusions, here: in the immortal words of Buffy Summers, I took a tiny step and there conclusions were.

All of which is a way of saying that, thus far, I’m delighted with Final Fantasy XV, though not in the ways I’d expected. The characters and setting are a homage to my favourite games in the series, and while I worried the absence of female characters would grate on me, our quartet of bumbling chocobros is stupidly endearing. At this point, Noctis is functionally useless as a prince: even when he’s recognised, the local yokels have no qualms about asking him to take their deliveries or run their errands, and while random sidequests are an RPG staple, they’re usually somewhat tailored to the protagonist’s perceived status. In FFXV, everything is rendered hilarious by the fact that Noctis is a prince, and is seen as a prince, and is still being asked to catch frogs in a swamp and grab shit from some random marketeer’s broken van.

(He’s also gloriously introverted: in dealing with people, his responses usually vary from monosyllabic to resigned disinterest, but when you come across a stray cat in need of feeding – a tiny sidequest that’s a deliberate throwback to Squall doing likewise in VIII – he talks to it at greater length and with more enthusiasm than he otherwise displays with anyone.)

As far as I’m concerned, FFXV is a magic road trip with a bunch of queer boys who have their wardrobes together, but not their shit. I can identify. And so, I suspect, can everyone else who’s fallen into the trashpile of this visually beautiful, thematically mishmash game. I honestly don’t care about the random anachronisms, like the fact that they’re carrying smartphones and fighting magic robots, but still using paper maps and newspapers, to say nothing of using a fucking dog as a messenger for vital correspondence through a warzone – or rather, I do care, but only because the clear discontinuity of it somehow plays as a feature instead of a bug. The entire thing ought to be ridiculous, and it kind of is, but pleasingly so, like a cat in a Halloween costume. The characters don’t take each other seriously, which frees the player up to do likewise – to laugh with them, rather than at them. And frankly, I’ll take that over XIII’s self-important melodrama any day of the week.

  from shattersnipe: malcontent & rainbows http://ift.tt/2mJ436t via IFTTT

[brendanstancliff-blog]

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[bryonyemorson]

PEP160 REFLECTIVE LOG

Overall I really enjoyed this module, I feel that I have developed a much clearer understanding of specific products and audience within a professional context. Furthermore, I feel that I am much more aware of how different content is relevant to specific magazines, and how their target audience affects this content. I have also learnt the importance of planning layouts before going on shoots, to ensure that I achieve the specific shots that I need for various publications.

For my Self Directed Assignment I chose to focus on women in the agriculture industry. Farming has always been an extremely male-dominated world, however in the past 5 years the number of women choosing to become farmers has doubled. I thought it would be really interesting to do a story on one of these women and photograph their experience of being a female in the farming industry. When choosing which publication to aim the story at I didn’t want to just choose a farming magazine, as my aim was to reach a much more varied audience than exclusively farmers. Using Issuu I found a feminist magazine called Got a Girl Crush, this publication celebrates the accomplishments of women in the hope to inspire other women to do the same. In issue 2 of their magazine they featured an article on a female carpenter, this really inspired me as it had a similar concept to my own article - like farming carpentry is a male dominated job.

Each issue of Got a Girl Crush has a slightly different design so I mainly took inspiration from issue 2. For the first double page spread I chose to use one large square image of Ellie and her sheep, and then a grid layout with 11 square images for the second double page spread. I feel that this layout worked really well as it enabled me to use a variety of images, not just of Ellie but also of the farm and the animals which allowed me to give more context to the story. I didn’t want the whole focus of the article to be purely on the fact that Ellie is a female, I wanted to also focus on what her work entails. Furthermore, all of the photographs I used in this spread have similar warm tones of brown and orange, which I feel provides a really aesthetically pleasing appearance. Whilst I like the grid layout I feel that the use of only 11 images looks slightly odd, however I wanted to imitate the style of Got a Girl Crush as much as I could. In an attempt to make the spread appear more balanced I mimicked the shape of the grid in the text, ending the article so that it was level with the bottom row of photographs.

I chose to pitch this spread in particular as I definitely think it has the strongest, and most interesting story. Furthermore, I feel that it is the type of article Got a Girl Crush would be interested in, especially as female farmers aren’t talked about that often. When pitching I tried to keep my email as short as possible, as I didn’t want to lose the interest of the editors. Additionally, I used ‘females conquering farming’ as the subject as I felt this would draw their attention and immediately give them an overview of the project.

For my second publication I decided to complete a feature on the street style at London Fashion Week. I chose to aim the story at the fashion and pop culture magazine Nylon, as I felt that it had the appropriate target audience for this style of article - young women interested in fashion. In retrospect I now feel that this perhaps wasn’t the correct choice of magazine. The street style I photographed at London Fashion Week was in some cases quite outrageous, for example the man covered in the extremely colourful fabric and balls. I feel that this type of expressive fashion may not necessarily appeal to a Nylon reader. Furthermore, I feel that I could have aimed this article at both men and women, whereas Nylon’s readership is mainly female.  I definitely think I should have put more research into different publications before making my final choice.

Whilst I think the photographs within this publication are of a really good quality and look extremely professional, I feel that the way in which I designed the layout perhaps lets them down, especially on the second double page spread. If I were to do this again I would put much more thought into how I designed the layout as I am not sure that the overlapping works that well. Furthermore, I feel that I allocated far too much of the layout to the text, especially for this specific style of article. However, I am pleased with the first double page spread as I feel the images and the text go really well together. I think that my decision to have the text turn to white over the image gives the magazine a far more sophisticated appearance. Creating this layout in particular has helped me to become much more aware of how different content is relevant to different magazines. Furthermore, I feel that I am much more aware of the importance of thoroughly planning layouts, as I feel this let me down when making this publication.

For my third magazine I decided to do a fashion feature based around helping the environment for the publication Oh Comely. Oh Comely is a bi-monthly magazine; for each issue they choose a theme and then find stories relating to this theme. For example, past themes have been Awake, Strength and Change. I felt it would be really interesting to aim my article at the theme of Preserve, and relate it to how buying second hand clothes is good for the environment. The main inspiration for this shoot was my model Alice, her green hair inspired me to do an entirely green shoot with the viewpoint of ‘going green’ and how recycling clothes can help the environment.

Each issue of Oh Comely has one main feature on fashion so I chose to use inspiration from various issues when designing my double page spreads. The magazine has a very simplistic layout, there is often a lot of white space and large images so I incorporated this into my spreads. I feel that the minimalistic appearance works really well as it allows the images space the breath. Additionally, I chose to have a coloured background for the two large images as I felt this helped to tie the spread together, as well as to emphasise the green theme of the article. I also felt the spreads looked much too plain without. Whilst I am pleased with the double page spreads for this publication I feel that a more varied range of images would have improved it. Furthermore, I think I should have used more than just one outfit in order to better illustrate the message of the feature.

For my final publication I chose to do a travel piece on Kynance Cove. I decided to aim this article at the travel and style magazine Cereal as I really like the clean, minimalistic style of this publication. Furthermore, their travel pieces are really beautiful and I wanted to attempt to mimic this. I chose to focus on Kynance Cove as it’s an extremely breath-taking area of Cornwall and felt it was something they would possibly cover. I completed two shoots at Kynance, one in beautiful sunny weather and one in much cloudier weather. I chose to use the second shoot as I felt it seemed to suit the aesthetic of Cereal much better than the first.

When designing my layout, I chose to keep it as simple as I could, in order to match the minimalistic style of Cereal. Whilst I really like this layout I struggled when choosing which images to use, as the photographs I had planned to use didn’t look right next to each other. In particular, I found it really difficult to choose which two portrait images to use on the second double page spread. Initially I wanted to use a photograph of the cove itself, however I felt it didn’t flow alongside the other images. In retrospect I think I should definitely have used this image as even though this is an article about Kynance Cove, I haven’t actually included an image of the cove itself which I feel lets the spread down. Furthermore, whilst I think the close up of the orange rock is a really interesting image I feel that I could have perhaps used a photo more relevant to the article in its place.