#she finds it satisfying instead of fun. she likes Completing Tasks and Improving and things that when she focuses on past reveal she finds

[blue-eli]

Ink October day twenty-five: Contexture

The act of weaving or assembling parts into a whole.

An arrangement of interconnected parts; a structure.

The arrangement and union of the constituent parts of a thing; a weaving together of parts; structural character of a thing; system; constitution; texture.

[tadc-harlequin-au]

New Puppet Unlocked: Caine, The Puppetmaster!

Caine's character description:

For the longest time, Caine believed that he was the only Puppet left who hasn't gone insane, and has spent living in near complete and total isolation for it (if it weren't for Bubble, his robotic Butler Blimp), drowning himself in booze. That was, until Pomni suddenly arrived at his office out of nowhere and challenged him.

Her sudden appearance, her fierceness in battle and various other reasons, Caine sought to get Pomni to see the dire situation after a stalemate in their duel; That they're the last remnants of sane minds remaining in this forsaken lands and he needs her help for what must be done next, if they are to improve the world's conditions. Thankfully, the Harlequin was not actually cold-hearted, just hot-tempered.

Reinvigorated in his self-assigned purpose, The Puppetmaster now spends his time either indoctrinating reawakened Puppets and teaching them how to become "human" once more, tinkering/inventing new machines, having friendly debates or sparring with Pomni just to satisfy her urge to battle, and various other things.

Though, he still likes to drink.

Fun facts about Caine:

He is a massive drunkard.

He passes out in the most random places if he drinks too much. One of the most outrageous locations Pomni has found him in was at the chandelier on the main lounge, which even he can't remember how he got there.

Caine still acts boisterous and speaks mostly formally; though there are ways you can break his way of speech, the easiest way to do it is to surprise him.

He avoids using swears, says it's a gentleman's code. Though, some get past his mouth on a rare occasion.

He created Bubble out of loneliness, initially just wanting someone to talk to.

In a comedic parallel, he tends to limit Pomni's cravings for battle by holding her sword hostage as much as possible, of course to the Harlequin's frustration.

His second gold tooth on his bottom jaw was a result of his and Pomni's first meeting/duel. She ended up kicking him so hard in her rage, one teeth cracked in half and flew off.

He tends to look at everyone with a positive mindset and the want to see the best in them; although Jax seems to be a rare exception. Still, he lets the automaton be.

Most of his time is spent hanging around in his office. The only time you'll see him outside is if there's a task he needs to attend to, assembling Pomni back together in the cellar, another sparring match with the Harlequin, or when he talks to Z and/or Kingr, since they are both too big for the insides of the mansion.

Like almost every ADHD-person, he is prone to getting distracted easily.

He has a strict "no fighting in the premises" rule; instead, he tells them to literally take it outside (even if it means being on the neighboring lawn), as long as it's not on the INSIDE.

He keeps his shirt opened because he feels discomfort and suffocated when he buttons it up.

He doesn't like to talk about his past.

When asked what's his classification, he'll avoid and switch topics. His rare anger (but eerily-calm way of speech) comes out when you ask about it too much.

He does admit that his entire body was self-modified.

You can hear his arrival in a scene by the sounds of ball joints slightly cracking in place.

Aside from Pomni, he likes Kingr the most, finding the chess piece's presence calming. This has lead to jokes about a bromance happening between the two.

And just like Pomni as well, Caine fixes Kingr the most because the Helpful King tends to use himself as a shield for the Harlequin.

He's rarely seen without his cane.

He HEAVILY dislikes it when Pomni dies. When he is aware that Pomni is at the brink of death, he'll start panicking and telling her to go back and abandon the mission for now, through Bubble.

Quotes:

"Greetings! I am Caine, and I am here to help you. That's all you need to know."

"I think we can arrange that."

"This is not part of the plan!"

"No fighting! Take it outside."

"Perhaps we can reach to a sort of agreement..."

"Hmm... quite intriguing."

"Why, I must say, this is quite the predicament..."

"Will you be mindful of your own sake next time, pretty please?"

"... I don't-... think that's how-... you know what, do whatever you want."

"... Okay, you don't need to go that far."

"You know what this calls for? [...] A CELEBRATION! [...] BUBBLE, TO THE LIQUOR STORAGE"

"You know, I haven't really thought this through enough--"

"BUBBLE! Did you chew through my latest project again?!"

"Oy vey..."

"I am aware of the effect that alcohol has on me. And quite frankly, I don't care."

"Strange, where am I? Who am I? What are we, but mass-produced products catered to extending one's stay on a desolate, abandoned realm? Are we even human anymore, or are we machines that think we're human in order to save ourselves from the pain of a fake existence? Hm? Oh right, I haven't eaten my dinner."

"Must we really resort to this method?"

"Oh, I just fixed that!"

"Apologies, I blanked out for a second. What were we talking about?"

"Bubble here can help you out on your dilemma. Just don't listen to him for any advices. Personally, I think sometimes he can make you jump off a cliff."

"What do you mean "I need to stop drinking"? I'm perfectly fi- *passes out*"

"Am I aware that it is an unhealthy coping mechanism? Yes. Do I plan to stop? Not exactly, there aren't a lot of options left."

"That is outrageous! Me? With her? That's... It's... *sigh* I can't. She'd never."

"May I just say, for once, what the actual fuck."

[duhragonball]

Hellsing Liveblog Ch. 45-50

This is the “Soldier of Fortune” arc.  I thought there was a song by this title and there is!    Give it a listen.

This opens with a flashback to Pip Bernadotte’s childhood, where he finds out his whole family is a bunch of mercenaries.    His grandfather confirms it, and I should point out that Grandpa Bernadotte is the most mercenary-looking dude I’ve ever seen.   He’s wearing a friggin’ beret while he tells Pip about how his dad died in some war to raise money while Ma Bernadotte was pregnant with Pip.   Was Pip’s mother a merc too? 

I guess my point is that this whole scene feels really stupid to me.   Kid Pip grew up among mercenaries, but he’s literally the last person in town to find out about it.  How do the kids at school know?   Are the Bernadottes that well-known?   I always assumed mercenaries tried to keep a low profile.   Then again, they are entrepreneurs, so maybe the kids in school found ads about the Bernadottes in the phone book.  

Even so, was Pip’s family trying to keep this a secret from him?  Because Grandpa sure wasn’t.   Not with that beret he’s got on.   It’s like he’s been waiting Pip’s whole life to tell him, so why didn’t he mention it before?  You’d think he’d want to raise the boy to follow in his footsteps, the same as Pip’s dad.  Did Pip’s mom not want him to grow up to be a mercenary?  It just seems like she should have known that wouldn’t work out.  

Anyway, Grandpa Bernadotte waxes philosophical about killing people for money, which doesn’t seem like much of a justification.   Pip was very upset about the whole thing, and I don’t think Grandpa said anything to make him less upset, and then we flash forward to the present day, where Pip’s a mercenary.

I mean, what was the point of that flashback?  Pip was horrified to find out his family kills for profit, and then at some point he got over it and joined the family business.   Why didn’t the flashback show us that moment instead?  It seems more relevant.  

At any rate, I feel like the flashback is overlooking the true point of Pip’s character arc.  He starts out a soldier of fortune like his father and grandfather, but by joining up with Hellsing he’s now fighting for a much nobler cause, ridding the world of unspeakably evil monsters.  He still seems to look at it like just another job, but it’s still important.  His defense of the Hellsing mansion is a lot more heroic because he’s fighting against daunting odds with very little hope of surviving to see another sunrise, let alone his next paycheck.  

Back to the main story, when Millennium’s forces invaded London, they sent a company to the Hellsing HQ on the outskirts of the city.   Zorin Blitz was tasked with leading this group, but she was ordered to hold off on attacking until the Major gave the word.   The Major then fired rockets at the mansion, only for Seras Victoria to shoot the rockets down... and Zorin’s zeppelin.   Now, Zorin is trying to lead a ground attack on the mansion, except Pip has turned the entire yard into a minefield.   

Seras disapproves, but Pip doesn’t care.   In this sort of conflict, he and his men, the Wild Geese, are at a complete disadvantage.   Vampires, even the weaker, artificial vampires of Millennium, are faster, stronger, and harder to kill.  He hints at some sort of vampiric ability to read an opponent’s movements, too, which might have something to do with that whole “third eye” trick Seras and Alucard use.   Against all of that, landmines are a sensible precaution, since they’re powerful enough to kill a vampire in one shot and don’t rely on a human operator with killing intent. Seras can gripe, but if Hellsing had used mines back in volume 2, the Valentine Brothers never would have made it inside.  Pip clearly read up on that debacle, since it must have taken weeks for his men to bury all these mines.

The landmines do kill a lot of Zorin’s troops, and the Wild Geese lay down heavy fire from the mansion to keep up the pressure, but Zorin won’t give up so easily.   She uses he powers to create some sort of zany illusion, where everyone sees a giant Zorin Blitz attacking the mansion.

So what the hell is Zorin Blitz, exactly?   I thought she was a vampire, but reading this manga has revealed that Rip Van WInkle is a werewolf, which led me to suspect Zorin is a werewolf too.   But the manga is silent on Zorin being one or the other.  I check the Hellsing Wiki, but it contends that both women are vampires, and the term “Werewolf” just refers to the group of officers in Millennium.   This group includes literal werewolves like the Captain and Schrodinger, but not Blitz and Rip.   

Maybe it doesn’t matter that much, but I find it a little silly to call all four of those characters “Werewolves” and then only two of them are really werewolves.   Clearly, all four of them are a cut above the Major’s other troops, and none of them show any interest in drinking blood, or any other vampire-exclusive traits.   On the other hand, this whole battle takes place under a full moon, and none of them seem to be affected by it.    Unless the Major chose this particular night to launch his offensive because he wanted them all to be at full power.   Maybe Zorin couldn’t do this illusion thing otherwise.

Anyway, the Wild Geese see this giant woman slashing at them with a scythe, and they all panic.   Seras sees it too, but she somehow intuits that it can’t be real.   Then she sees Alucard, who reminds her of her third eye.   I’m not sure if this is a flashback or Alucard is using telepathy to coach her from the deck of the H.M.S. Eagle.  

Either way, Seras uses her third eye and not only sees through the illusion but lines up a shot on the illusion-caster.  But it only grazes Zorin.   It disrupts the illusion, but it doesn’t end the threat.

And even though the illusion is shattered, it still distracted the Wild Geese long enough for Millennium troops to enter the mansion.   Seras manages to shoot them down, but there’s more where that came from.

Because the Nazi bastards figured out a way past the mines.   They just threw a bunch of knives on the ground and played hopscotch to get across.   I guess this means they can only get in one at a time, but it’s still bad news for the good guys.

So Pip adjusts his tactics accordingly.  He and his men will regroup and hold up in a defensible location, while Seras roams the building to take the fight to the enemy.   I guess the idea is to divide Millennium’s focus.   They can attack the Geese or watch out for Seras, but not both.   For some reason, Seras calls Pip “sir”, like he’s in charge, and maybe that is appropriate in this situation, but I thought Seras was in charge of their training.  

Then one of the Geese pats her on the butt and Pip steals a kiss.   I’m not sure what the hell this is about.   I guess they were trying to lighten the mood before they go to face certain death, but if my life depended on some vampire girl killing all the bad guys before they can rip me to shreds, I probably wouldn’t sexually harass her, or do anything else to tick her off.   But that’s just me.

Pip seems resigned about their chances.  He’s confident in Seras’ ability, but there’s only one of her and like... 30?  Let’s say 30, thirty Nazi Vampires heading their way.  If even one of them gets past Seras, the Geese will all die horribly.   But they took this job and the risks that come with it, and besides, there’s nowhere for them to run anyway.    He seems to accept the situation with a mercenary sense of honor.   Like, a mercenary should expect to die in some unwinnable battle, and they shouldn’t complain about it, since it’s the nature of the business. 

Anyway, it doesn’t go well.   The nature of the comic doesn’t really make it clear how the Wild Geese are operating, but I get the impression that they’re doing sort of a fighting withdrawal concentrating their forces as they give ground.    But they suffer a lot of casualties in the process.

This leads to the Geese holing up in the big conference room where Integra met with the Royal Order of Protestant Knights before the Valentine Bros. attack.   One guy panics and wants to bug out, but Pip reminds him of what I said a minute ago.   They’ve got nowhere else to go, and they all got into this for the action, so they should stick to their principles, even in the face of death.

There’s this one guy from “B-block”, who I guess was covering a certain hallway, but B-Block got cut off before they could join the others in the Round Table room.    Zorin Blitz decides to have some fun with him, so she uses her weird powers to make him see himself back home, with his dead daughter.  

This seems especially cruel, because it’s not like Zorin needed this diversion to kill one dude.   She’s just really sadistic.

Meanwhile, some other Millennium guys are eating the Wild Geese they already killed, and one of them shows off his ability to tell blood types just by taste.   It’s this really sick moment, but at the same time it humanizes the characters, which is a weird thing to say when discussing Nazi vampires, but you know what I mean.

Then Seras blows the dude’s head off, which is extremely satisfying.

So Seras is holding up her end, and growing more resolute with each kill.   She’s really improved a lot since the last time she was in action.    Yeah, these Millennium vampires probably aren’t that much tougher than the vampires she killed back in the summer, but there are a lot more of them, and they’re trained soldiers on top of that, and she doesn’t have Alucard backing her up like she did before.

By now, all that’s left of the Wild Geese are in this barricaded room, and they’ve run low on silver bullets, which means even the few shots that don’t miss will have almost no effect.   Pip is determined to hold out, confident that Seras will save them, but...

She runs out of bullets before she runs out of enemies to kill.   When she arrives to save the day, she’s still has to go through Zorin Blitz.

But Zorin doesn’t see this as a problem, and she uses her freaky mind powers on Seras, forcing her to relive memories of her days at the orphanage.    Yeah, Seras was an orphan, remember?   Alucard asked Walter about her parents a while back, and Walter said they were both dead.  How did they die?

Well, Zorin Blitz is about to find out...

[raven-wraith]

This is Actually a Completely Subjective List Written in a Completely Objective Voice, so I’m not Wrong, Y’all just had a Bad Year: A Look at the Best Titles of 2020 A.D.

By Orova

I feel like a recap or an intro that encompasses the past year will be redundant to both the reader and the writer, so I just won’t. Instead, I’ll just say that due to circumstances provided by 2020, I had a lot of time to just shut up and play games. And games did I play. I played a lot of good games[1]. I played a lot of bad games[2]. I bought the newest games that came out[3] and I went back down memory lane with some classics[4]. But at the end of every day, I was completely satisfied with how I spent my time and did what I wanted. So this is a list of the games that surpassed satisfaction, pushed the bar higher, and made me reconsider what a truly great game can be in 2020.

The Last Of Us Part II

This game is a beautiful work of art and storytelling. If gripping gameplay is what you came for, then you’ll be staying for the story. Naughty Dog continues to come out with games that push current gen Playstations to astronomical heights, making that hardware and software work overtime to get a game that becomes so overwhelmingly tangible that it cause the player to stop. The Last of Us Part II is no exception to this rule. So often does this game take lefts and rights when you expect it to go straight that it is absolutely insane how much ground it truly covers. Sneaking about before getting into claustrophobic gunfights feels smooth and natural, the new mechanics and enemies are unique, and while the non-linear parts can overstay their welcome at times, the game is long enough for them to not fill in empty space. 

When I first played this, I was with my girlfriend for the whole journey and at the end, I didn’t feel quite as fulfilled as I thought I should’ve from the sequel to one of the greatest games I’ve ever played. It wasn’t until I returned on a higher difficulty did I find just how much this game has to offer, making the story all the more powerful as every fight truly felt like my last and every enemy made me rethink my choices and decision making and every arrow I fired and molotov I threw felt a nice weight to it that I have to emphasize once more. This game is a beautiful work of art and storytelling as the gameplay speaks for itself before anything else.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

To those that actually care, I reviewed this game when it came out[5] and I was shocked to find how many people didn’t appreciate it as much as I did. Final Fantasy VII is one of the most influential titles of my life that being able to see Cloud’s hair rendered so cleanly in this dystopian futuristic gothic fantasy world was a miracle in my eyes. A dream come true. The action comes in spades with enough sword fighting and magic to make Power Rangers to look like a fucking picnic.

The graphical design of the game, the direction of animation, and the cunning take on a lot of depth we never got to see so early on makes me very excited for future titles to come. There are some downsides, lots involving the side quests and voice acting, but that is just some of its downsides to look past to find the content at its core. Shooting moonbeams out of your greatsword at stormtroopers while in chase on a motorcycle. Take down a tyrannical oil monger as an eco-terrorist. Find cats for a little girl. Is this a Bioshock? No. But is it a game I keep trying to remind myself to not replay? Yes.

Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1 + 2 Remake

Superman by Goldfinger played and my sister laughed as she watched me cry. This game brought tears to my eyes, literally. As I got to relive sitting in my grandma’s basement, I was propelled to complete absolutely everything I wanted to do. This game was a complete package and its delivery was spot on with what a remake should be. A collection on a past game with quality of life improvements, enhanced handling and accessibility, and a software overhaul.

The game is simple. Complete challenges, unlock drip, flex on your friends. Usually in that order. But it is finally that simplicity in a new game that makes it such a good title. We wanted the game we knew and loved and they promised that. Nothing more, nothing less, it is exactly what we got. A new soundtrack, updated graphics, and nostalgia not most can achieve is a massive point to play this game.

Huntdown

Contra meets Kung Fury. Why the fuck have you not grabbed a friend and played this masterpiece yet. I mean seriously. If you’ve got a roommate or SO or friend with nothing going on tonight, play this shit. It’s great. Moving on.

Mortal Shell

I would like to address the fact that, yes, this is a souls-like and it isn’t exactly the most friendly game because of it. However, this game came out of fucking nowhere and blew me on my ass. Going back to delivering on a promise, these guys crafted an unforgiving title with little to no hand holding to show that this-THIS[6]-is how you make a souls-like. It is balls to the walls skill based combat where the player has to use what little tools they have to overcome a myriad of enemies. Progress is possible only through rewards and items, meaning there is no grinding or farming, just straight gameplay.

This is a game where I paid half the price for a full game and got, while a shorter title, the enjoyment from a full priced AAA game. It takes no time to complete when the “click” happens and it is a fun, fulfilling title the whole time. There are some incredibly unique mechanics that forced me to break my souls brain and for that, it just makes the experience far more personal. If you aren’t weak hearted, I cannot recommend Mortal Shell enough.

Doom Eternal

When Doom Eternal dropped, my sister was playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. After we both went into respective video game comas from it, we dubbed March 20th Doom Crossing Day. Doom is Doom. Nothing more to say past that honestly, but I will continue my rambling cause I know it’s what you all want anyway.

These guys keep cranking the intensity knob higher and higher. With Doom 2016 these guys said, “Hey, what if we gave the best first person shooter that requires no thinking whatsoever to completely obliterate enemies and zoom around the map at breakneck speeds?” With Eternal, the guys said, “Hey, what if we did what we did for 2016 except this time, we actually have the everyone (enemies and the player) move faster, hit harder, and actually require them to think?” With that, the gore orgy of Doom Eternal was born. Still very much a fast paced shooter with some extra content to fill the pockets of completionists, it delivers in fucking truckloads exactly what it wants from the player. To let loose and fucking floor every hellish abomination in their path.

And the soundtrack, while a sad story, is still one of the best things to listen to in gaming and probably the world.

Darkwood

The only thing that made me stop to consider buying this game was how reliant on a crafting system it seemed. I hate games that force crafting. I don’t know why, so I won’t elaborate. But, done with The Last of Us Part II and needing a survival horror itch to scratch, I sucked it up and bought it. After all, being an indie title for a genre I admire more than most, it couldn’t have been a terrible waste of time. That was probably the single best decision I made during the last year and Darkwood is not lost on me in that sense.

The fact that Darkwood has not only exposed the horizon of top-down horror, but it has experimented and perfected its use for the camera angle is astounding. The atmosphere rides on that perspective and, between the short days of scavenging and talking to the few NPCs you meet to the long nights crouched in the corner of your (un)safe haven, it is never lost. It’s a game where you constantly hear your heart in your ears. The combat can be sloppy at times but the story is one of a kind and its execution is phenomenal. If you are a fan of horror games or roguelikes, I cannot tell you enough. Get Darkwood.

Deep Rock Galactic

After lots of thoughtful consideration, I have deemed this the number one title of 2020. Not only did it keep me and my friends together and in touch during the hard times, it is a shooter that I support with my whole body. You and your friends play as a team of drunk space dwarves, tasked with a mission that sends you deep into a spider-infested planet, where you will have to use your class sets to fight, plunder, and escape the hostile environment.

With PvE at its core and ridiculousness as its foundation, Deep Rock Galactic is a masterpiece of cooperative shooting and procedurally generated dungeon crawling. Blending class play from Team Fortress 2 with unexpected and differing missions from Darkest Dungeon, one will find this lighthearted shooter is an easy, accessible title. With a hint of Risk of Rain to complete its graphics, the game is above all fun. That’s right. It. Is. Just. Fun. Shoot a spider that launches fireballs from its mouth, drink beer that teleports you into the farthest reaches of space, get rich off of gold veins while your team calls you greedy, dye your beard purple, and Rock and Stone in this amazing fusion of PvE and dungeon crawling. 

Thank you for coming. There will be no score. It is simply a list where I feel those that need some new titles after the biggest disappointment of them all[7] should find some great titles in here for themselves. Have a safe next year and be patient. Patience is what will reward you. Practice is what humbles you. Hesitation is defeat. Toodles.

[1] Ghostrunner

[2] Hellpoint

[3] Mafia: Definitive Edition

[4] Silent Hill 3

[5] 9/10

[6] Not you Hellpoint

[7] Cyberpunk 2077 but I mean, we all saw this coming. I had to put it in here somewhere.

[wootensmith]

Ataashi

The late summer sun warmed the Crow Fens to a thick, cloying haze. The ferns were fragrant in the heavy heat, and the long dry spell had killed off most of the insects, so it was an improvement over the Fallow Mire. At least, Solas considered it one. If it weren’t for chasing wyverns through bracken and over tumbled rock, it might even have been pleasant. Cassandra had initially been reluctant to travel to the plains in search of a rare ingredient for Vivienne, fearing the Inquisitor was becoming distracted. But once they’d arrived and found Leliana’s agents battling back wyverns on an almost hourly basis, her hesitation died and there’d been no complaints from anyone since. Iron Bull’s good natured conversation about technique with Cassandra had been a comforting sort of drone all afternoon a few dozen feet ahead, punctuated by short bursts of combat, and Solas was tired but in a satisfying, well-worn sort of way. It felt gratifying to be set on some small purpose, some easily achievable task. To put the larger ones out of mind for a time and just let his body and magic do the heavy lifting.

After their quarrel over the Qunari, he’d been terrified the Inquisitor would leave him behind again. That she’d decide it wasn’t enough, what he’d said, what he’d tried to do. By all rights, he knew, she should have. She’d watched him, watched how he spoke with the others, how he’d reacted when she’d told him Iron Bull would be along for the mission. She’d walked, once, out to the crumbled statue beyond Skyhold. He found her there, staring at the rubble and tried to apologize, but she’d only asked, “Why this one?” He should have told her the truth. Should have lanced the wound completely. It was an ideal moment to do so. She was calm, kind, open. Instead, he said only, “It was not a rational action. I was— not myself.” She’d slipped her hand into his and led him away from the stones and said nothing more of their argument. She’d remained close to him throughout the trip and he’d forgone too much sleep in order to sit with her during her nightly watch, but he could not regret it, tired though he was.

They’d found the white wyvern near the noxious sulfur pools and chased it through the steaming mud nearby. The smell made Solas’s eyes water and he could hear Cassandra coughing before the wyvern had fallen to her sword. “We need to get out of here, Boss,” rasped Iron Bull. The Inquisitor was elbow deep in the beast’s carcass. “Vivienne needs the heart,” she gasped. “Let me drag it out of here then.” “Almost finished.” “Inquisitor, do you know how to field dress a wyvern?” coughed Cassandra. She hesitated. Iron Bull grabbed the scaly tail and heaved it through the thick muck toward cleaner air. When they were breathing easier, it was Cassandra who took over the butchering. “Used to do this with Anthony,” she said, shooing the Inquisitor away. “I know how to do it without damaging the organs.” Solas poured some water over the Inquisitor’s bloody hands. She laughed softly. “It’s a losing battle, my love,” she told him. “We are covered head to toe in mud as it is.” Iron Bull stretched with a sigh. “Can’t wait to sink into the river. Too bad it’s such a hike from camp. It’ll be dark by the time we get back.” “We’ll go to Riverwatch instead,” said the Inquisitor. “I have messages from Loranil for his clan anyway and Riverwatch is far closer.” “One more moment,” muttered Cassandra. “Do you have something to carry it?” “I have it.” Solas slung his pack from his shoulder and pulled out the enchanted box.

He had his suspicions about the heart’s use, but the Inquisitor had said little about Vivienne’s request and the simple ward against decay that wreathed the box told him nothing about her intentions. “Leave it,” the Inquisitor had told him when he’d asked. “She wants no aid except to retrieve this piece for her. I’ve already offered.” And because the argument over Bull had still not completely vanished between them, Solas had dropped the question of the heart rather than press for more information. There were few tinctures he knew of that could make use of it and though Vivienne obviously had her own ambitions, he could not believe any of them conflicted with the Inquisition. She would never use it to harm them. He opened the box’s lid and held it out to Cassandra. The heart dropped heavily into the wooden case. He was busy trying to find a decent spot in his pack for it when they heard the first roar.

The marshy water rippled under the sudden breeze as a massive wing beat overhead. “Maker’s Mercy,” sighed Cassandra, rising from the wyvern carcass, “What now?” “Oh,” said Bull turning to follow the sound, “Today is a good day. Today is a very good day.” He pulled the mace from his back. The breeze dissipated the clouds of sulfur steam in great curls and Solas could see the dark violet scales of the dragon as it landed beyond. “No, Bull,” the Inquisitor cried even as he took off toward the enormous beast, “Dorian will kill me!” “C’mon, Boss,” he called back, “We needed a little excitement. Get your blood racing.” “It is very close to the Inquisition camp, Vhenan,” said Solas. “And we’ve wiped out its hunting ground. It’ll look farther for prey with the wyverns gone.” “Female, too,” added Cassandra, already drawing her sword. “That’s a nest she’s building back there.” The Inquisitor sighed. “Very well. I can see I’m outnumbered.” “Yes!” cried Bull. “Stay out of the water,” called Casssandra, “it’s a stormrider.” The Inquisitor jogged beside him through the closing clouds of sulfur. “I won’t be much help then,” she muttered. “Your barrier will be invaluable,” said Solas. She ducked as the beast’s enormous tail arced toward them, pulling Solas down with her. The air above them crackled as it swung past. Her barrier welled outward, slipping over and past him and she tugged him toward the others, crouching as they ran. Iron Bull was already swinging before her barrier had encircled him.

“Come on, Seeker,” he called back over his shoulder, “You aren’t going to let me have all the fun, are you? Get in there, the scratches in your armor will buff out.” Cassandra grunted and slammed a shield against the dragon’s jaw, shoving it up so that Iron Bull could get a better shot at its thickly scaled neck. The dragon’s head whipped back and Solas sent a wave of ice into its side. His feet tingled slightly and the Inquisitor grabbed his shoulder, pulling him from the muck onto a stone poking from the water. The barrier sizzled with angry silver veins as the dragon’s lightning skittered over it. Iron Bull swore and shook his hand trying to ease the small shock that made it through the Inquisitor’s barrier. It only made him swing harder. “Watch your flank,” Solas called, flinching as a foreclaw missed Bull’s shoulder by inches. “That’s what the Seeker’s for,” he rumbled. But Cassandra went flying as the claw connected with her shield and landed on her back in the mud. The Inquisitor called out beside him and Solas had the strange expanding sensation as the Veil stretched violently around him. The dragon froze as if paralyzed. He hated when she activated the anchor that way. It was always a panicked, wild thing. He suspected it was hastening the spread of the mark in her palm. “Don’t do that,” fumed Cassandra, scrambling up. “I’m well. And that always makes my flesh crawl.” She hacked at the giant claw that hung still suspended above her. Solas glanced over at the Inquisitor. Her expression was pained and her hand shook, but the mark held the beast in place. If she insisted on using it that way, he wouldn’t squander the time she bought them. He cast a boulder at the dragon’s skull, knocking its jaw farther up. “Hit it, Bull. Before the Veil wavers.” Iron Bull roared, spun his mace and struck true, crushing a large swathe of scale until they flew in jagged shards from its chest. “Hurry!” gasped the Inquisitor. Solas could feel the wobble as the spell began to fail, and the prickle of lightning gathering around the dragon. “Now, Seeker!” he cried, building a thin shell of ice over the beast’s hide. Cassandra dropped her shield, gripped her sword with both hands and lunged forward, her sword sinking into the unprotected gap below the dragon’s throat. The mark sputtered and the spell failed. The dragon’s head whipped down, hissing. Lightning snapped in narrow arcs between its jaws. “It’s going to strike,” warned Solas, already weaving his own barrier to replace the Inquisitor’s. Cassandra yanked, opening a wide slash. The water beneath the beast’s feet bubbled and sizzled. A gout of blood poured from its chest and the massive head plowed forward. Solas got the barrier up. Just barely. An enormous flash and heat pulsed around them, the water vaporizing into a thick cloud. Solas felt the stone shake beneath him, but could no longer see the dragon or Cassandra and Iron Bull. The Inquisitor caught him before he could topple. A triumphant shout echoed through the fog.

“Are you well?” he asked, turning to her. She was still flexing and closing her marked hand as if it pained her. “Yes, I—” “Taarsidath-an halsaam!” shouted Bull from somewhere deep in the mist. Solas coughed and flushed. Maybe his Qunlat wasn’t as inadequate as he’d feared. The Inquisitor shook her head in confusion. “Bull says he’s well, too,” he offered her. The fog began to settle, condensing on his skin, sparkling in her hair. She stepped from the rock into the mud, headed for the others. Iron Bull leaned against the dragon’s head, rubbing Cassandra’s shield with his forearm, trying to clean the dirt from it. “You don’t have to do that, Bull,” said the Seeker, rocking her sword slowly free of the beast’s clavicle. Bull shrugged. “I know you like it to shine. But I sure do enjoy when you scratch up the paint a little. That was a magnificent strike.” “You softened it up for me. Quite literally,” she laughed. She pulled the sword free and scowled at it. “It’s unbalanced now. I’ll have to take it to the smithy.” “You’re both uninjured?” asked the Inquisitor. Iron Bull stretched his arm. “Little stiff and I could use a bath, Boss. You? You look— tired after that thing you did with the mark. Always seem tired after that.” He glanced in Solas’s direction and Cassandra sheathed her sword and wrung her hands. They were both worried. “I’m well,” said the Inquisitor. “It’s just been a long day. Let’s inform the agents and then head to the river. We can send word to Loranil’s clan. There is much to salvage from the body. It’ll help them until their hunters return. U— unless you wish to—” Cassandra shook her head. “No. I think it a fine plan. The Inquisition has not even properly stored the bones and scales from the last dragon you slew. It would only go to waste.” “Tell them I’ll pay them a sovereign for a tooth,” said Bull. He picked up his mace.

The sun was sinking over the river by the time they reached it. Solas’s robes had stiffened and chafed with the thick coat of dried mud and wyvern blood. They were all too tired to stand on ceremony or even to talk much as they stripped off the filthy outer layers of clothing and armor and plunged into the water. Iron Bull sunk and then bobbed up with a contented sigh. “This was a good day,” he said. “It was,” agreed Cassandra easily, rinsing her hair. “I didn’t expect it to be quite so— satisfying a trip as it has been. The events at Adamant made me forget there are times like these. To just— be in the world. Without fear and destruction and madness constantly threatening. It is— pleasant to be out here. With all of you.” “Indeed, it is a relief to be facing only dragons and wyverns,” said Solas. “Though Dorian might have disagreed.” “Mmm,” said Bull. “I think the Boss only gave up the remains so there’d be no evidence. I won’t tell if you won’t.” The Inquisitor smiled, rinsing her hands. “You think he’d be angry with me? He only just let you out of his sight after the trouble with those assassins. He’d lock you in the mage tower if we told him.” She said it lightly and went back to her washing, but Solas could see the unease beneath. The way she drifted off as the other two talked and laughed. The way the tiny muscle at the corner of her jaw, pulsed occasionally, the way she rubbed at her marked palm. He waited until they had settled on the beach, the fire crackling, new clothes warm and dry around him. She stared pensively at the flames. Cassandra had gone to write her report and Iron Bull was bartering for dragon pieces with a very pleased Dalish messenger.

“What troubles you, Vhenan?” he asked her at last. “Is it the anchor? Is it painful?” She shook her head. “I am well,” she said, though it was obvious that she wasn’t. She watched Iron Bull and the messenger intently. Then she reached for her pack, frowning into it as she rummaged through it. He thought it best not to ask and was surprised when she at last spoke again, a deep flush coloring her cheeks. “Do you— could I possibly borrow a silver?” she asked. “I forgot that I lost my ironbark bracelet in the explosion.” “You want to buy a bracelet from Hawen’s clan?” he asked, already reaching into his coin purse. She’d never shown any sort of desire for jewelry before, but it was a simple thing and— “No,” she said, cutting off his thought. “I— you will think it foolish. Please, Solas, lend it to me this once. I’ll ask the clan to repay you.” He pressed the coin into her palm. “It is a gift. I will not ask what it is for, if it will put you at ease. But I will ask the ambassador why you’ve been given none of your own when we return. You should not be searching your pack for heirlooms when need arises.” “Thank you,” she said, kissing his cheek before hurrying to the messenger. He was troubled by the way the Dalish man’s grin evaporated after a moment speaking to her. And by the way Iron Bull scratched at the base of his horns as if he were nervous, but Solas had promised not to pry, so he left it. She seemed more relaxed when she returned and he was lulled into thinking it had been some small vanity that she had indulged.

The trip back to Skyhold had been easy, if long. When they returned to the fortress, however, they found work had piled up while they were away and that Vivienne’s need for the wyvern heart had only grown more urgent. Solas wasn’t able to discover that it was meant for her Duke until after the potion had failed. The dragon and the coin were long forgotten, lost under the growing pressure of anticipating Corypheus’s next move. It was almost two weeks later that the entire incident came back to haunt him. It was late, long after the midnight bell when Varric pounded on the door of his quarters. It took several seconds to disentangle himself from his dreams and Varric was already yelling through the door by the time Solas rose. “We could really use some help out here, Chuckles. We’ve got maybe five minutes before Iron Bull and the Inquisitor slaughter each other— depending on how drunk they really are.” Solas opened the door. “My money’s on Iron Bull being less drunk than her. You know, size difference and all,” said Varric, “but that just means the Inquisitor’s at risk of setting the keep on fire when a lightning bolt goes wide.” “I’m uncertain what you’re—” muttered Solas, but Varric grabbed his elbow dragging him out of his room. “No time. I’ll explain on the way.” He trotted along just ahead of Solas, who hurried to keep up. “It was that damned dragon. It’s always the damned dragons. Never fought one without it being a bad idea. I used to tell Hawke—” “Varric,” Solas called after him, “What has this to do with Iron Bull and the Inquisitor?” “Right, right. Iron Bull proposed a drink to celebrate the dragon you downed in the Crow Fens. I told him that turpentine was too strong. She’s used to Cabot’s watered-down ale. And even that’s not often.” He tripped over a flagstone in the dark and Solas reached to haul him up before he could hit the pavement. “Easy,” he said, casting a spell to light the stairs to the rotunda.

“Not me you should be worried about.” Varric ran down the steps. “They started arguing, three or four drinks in,” he yelled over his shoulder. “Something about blasphemy and Elven gods. Should have come to get you then, but Dorian thought he could handle it.” Varric yanked the door open and the ravens sleepily cawed at the disturbance. He ignored them and led Solas down the rotunda. “I thought she’d just drink herself to sleep and Tiny would carry her up to her bed and that’d be the end of it, so I just… left it. Sorry.” “It’s still unclear why you’re in such a panic,” said Solas. “I lost most of the argument, some of it was about old stories, very old, and then Sera and Blackwall pulled me away for a game of cards, but it got— loud. And before I knew it, the two of them were headed for the sparring ring with Dorian trying desperately to slow them down. He yelled for me to find you and— here we are.” He opened the door to the causeway and Solas could immediately hear the murmur of several voices below. “Great,” sighed Varric, “They’ve drawn a crowd. Cassandra’ll have a fit.”

A bright gold flare erupted from the sparring ring. Dorian’s barrier. His voice traveled over the low drone of the crowd. “You idiots. Stop it. You’ll hurt each other, especially in this state. And you’ll regret it in the morning.” “Move out— out of the way, Dorian,” the Inquisitor’s voice slid and wavered. Solas couldn’t tell if she were just intoxicated or if there were some weepiness in it. He pushed past Varric and sprinted down the steps. “Not gonna hurt her, Kadan,” rumbled Bull. “Jus’ gonna— whass that Cass always calls it? ‘Ven’ her spleen’. Think thass it.” “You better not hold back, Bull, I won’t,” warned the Inquisitor. “Look atcha, Boss. Can’t even lift the damn thing. Get a lot further with your staff.” “Don’t help her, Bull. Swords I can stop. But a spell goes wide and— my barrier is only so big,” said Dorian. Solas had reached the small knot of people next to the sparring ring and wove through them. Half were listing and reeked of ale. The others were guards who should still be on rounds, distracted by the sudden noise and activity. “Ssorry I hafta kill you, Bull,” said the Inquisitor. “You don’t,” snapped Dorian. “Do,” insisted the Inquisitor. “’S blas— blaphem— wrong what 'e said. Don’ want to hurt him. Love you, Bull. But hafta avenge what you said.” “It was meant in a respectful way,” cried Bull. Solas had reached the edge of the ring. The Inquisitor was on the far end, trailing an enormous sword in the dirt and leaning alarmingly to one side. She was weeping. And a mess. Iron Bull stood close to Solas, only a shield on his arm. He looked as if he might weep as well. Dorian’s barrier shone between them, a giant orb and Dorian furious in the center. “You can drop this whole thing. Let your Mythal defend herself if it’s so important,” he fumed and tried to disarm the Inquisitor with a spell, but it seemed she was not so impaired as she appeared. Or the deflection was just muscle memory by now, Solas wasn’t certain. The ragged laugh from the Inquisitor— that was not inebriation. It was the same despairing, hideous rasp of terror he’d heard her utter when she was recovering in the Western Approach. He leaped over the low fence at the edge of the ring.

“She can’t. So I must. Move, Dorian. Be ready, Bull.” She raised the sword with great effort and it almost tipped her. “Aw, come on, Boss. I didn’t mean it that way. And you’re crying. Can’t hit you while you’re crying. Less jus’ go back to the tavern. Have an ale and a card game, whaddya say? Forget the whole thing. I won’ say anything else about the dragon—” He raised his shield because she was careening toward him. Solas wouldn’t make it across the ring in time and she simply ran past Dorian. Solas stepped in front of Iron Bull. “Stop, Vhenan,” he said sternly and she skidded to a stop. The weight of the sword pulled her over and its tip buried itself in the dirt. It took her a moment to right herself, but she left the tip of the sword dragging, the hilt loose in her hand. “Move, emma lath. He must answer for what he said.” He didn’t, though Bull tugged gently on his shoulder. “She won’t hurt me, Solas,” he said quietly. “Let her get it out. So we can be friends again.” “You’ve never been one to jump to judgment, Inquisitor. What is it he said that could possibly warrant this?” he asked instead. “That he—” she leaned toward him and continued in a reeking, breathy whisper. “That he got sexual pleasure from our kill. And that he believed the Qunari mated with dragons long ago.” If she hadn’t been standing there still holding a sword and her face streaked with tears at the thought of harming her friend, Solas might have laughed. As ridiculous as the whole situation appeared to him, he could tell it held some sort of deadly serious drunken logic in her own mind. Bull’s too, somehow, if the man’s clenched grip on his shield were any indication. “I don’t understand,” Solas admitted, still planted solidly in her path. “What do either of those things have to do with you? Or with the Pantheon? Why is it worth hurting an ally?” “Dragons are Mythal’s. SSacred. Not for— for that. I should not have killed the one in the Crow Fens. I would be doubly damned if I allowed such sspeech to go unanswered,” she slurred. “I thought— after Orlais, that you no longer believed in the gods.” The sword did drop from her hand and landed with a puff of dust. “I want to. I want to believe in them,” she cried and covered her face.

Solas turned to Bull. “You should go now,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean to— I thought it would be a celebration—” “This is not your doing. Go to bed. And take the crowd with you. She’ll be better, if embarrassed, in the morning.” Dorian had reached them and pulled Bull back toward the entrance of the ring. “I don’t know what I did, Kadan,” Bull muttered. “Aside from that rotgut you call a drink, I’m not sure either. Best let Solas sort it out. You’re both ridiculous, but you both survived, that’s good enough for one night.” The Inquisitor had crouched into the dust, her face still covered. Solas knelt in front of her as the space behind the ring slowly emptied with Varric’s encouragement. She stank as if she’d been steeped in torch fluid. He doubted she was rational enough that anything he said could truly affect her train of thought. What he ought to do was simply comfort her. Put her to bed. Let her nurse a hangover and some shame in the morning. That would be kinder. Cole appeared, leaning against a training dummy. “She won’t believe you,” he said. The Inquisitor did not look up, and Solas knew she could not hear Cole. “She’d want to, but she won’t. ‘Kinder in the long run,’ that’s what you said you wanted. Even if she did believe you for the night, it’s not the long run. You’ve taken everything. Can’t you leave the truth in its place for her to lean on?” He flickered out. Solas closed an arm around her waist. “Come, Vhenan. You need a bath.”

The baths were empty this late. As safe a place to talk as any and less likely to draw the attention that carrying her to her quarters would have. The warm water seemed to restore some of her awareness, if only slightly. He wondered how much she’d recall in the morning. “I’m sorry,” she said, as he scrubbed the overpowering smell of alcohol from her hair. “We’ve all overindulged from time to time. It’s never proven a habit with you. I’m not upset.” “Not about— well, yes. But about the coin, too.” “The coin?” he asked as if he’d forgotten the strange request, though he could still feel the warmth of the silver under his fingers when he’d pressed it into her palm. He poured a pitcher of water into her hair, rinsing the stench away. “I—” her voice caught for a second. “I used it for an offering to Mythal. I asked Hawen’s clan to make it on my behalf. For killing the dragon. I feared— I feared it would only worsen my punishment if I made it myself. Because I could no longer believe.” He sighed, frustrated, but she pressed on, quickly, as if she feared he’d interrupt her. “I would have used the bracelet. I should not have asked you for the coin. I knew if I told you what I intended, you’d refuse. I’m sorry.” He was uncertain how to comfort her without encouraging the lie she continued to chase after. “I would not have refused,” he settled on at last. She turned her face toward him and he wiped away the drops of water that slithered down her neck. “It will help the clan. It is a small thing that can do a great good. They will be able to buy food or warmth or safe passage with it.” She watched him, her face tired and worn. He wondered if she’d really been as drunk as the others thought. Perhaps she’d only let them think it so she could let go without alarming them. No, she’d never threaten Bull if she hadn’t been, he thought. “But Mythal doesn’t care, Vhenan,” he added. “Not about what Iron Bull says. Nor about removing a dragon that was threatening settlements. Nor— nor about your offering. Or even you. Ir abelas, emma lath. I know that hurts.” “But it is her symbol, her form—” “Yes. And it is also a beast. That requires food and nesting space. That hunts what it can, including us. That mates and bleeds and dies. That is all. You could as soon have made an offering to the Old Gods of Tevinter, if symbols were truly that important. They are no more gods than Mythal is. And that is far more blasphemous than anything Iron Bull said. Will you strike me down, instead?” “You know that I will not,” she said, though her expression was deeply troubled. “Perhaps Mythal will then? If she cares so much, perhaps it will draw her from her long silence and she will strike me down for blasphemy. But she has not done so yet.” “Don’t say such things,” the Inquisitor turned and stopped his mouth with her fingers. “Don’t tempt her.”

He shook his head with a soft smile. “She does not care. For better or worse. A real god has no need to prove herself. Your dragon slaying does not touch a real god’s power. Nor does Bull’s lust. Nor my unbelief. And if it did, then she would not be worthy of your offerings. I understand why you want to believe in them. I understand the comfort that can bring. But everything you want them to provide— it’s already here. Kindness and purpose and dignity— you do not need the gods.” He spilled a handful of water over her cheeks, washing the tear tracks away as she shut her eyes. “But you are tired. And not at your most rational. If I cannot ease your fear of Mythal’s anger, then at least believe this: whatever you or Bull have done or neglected to do, whatever slight you imagine will bring about her wrath or the wrath of any of the Pantheon, I swear to you, my own heresy is worse. And yet I remain whole. No divine punishment has reached me yet.” She opened her eyes. “There was a hole in the sky, Solas. And we’re facing the possible end of the world.” “And it threatens the devout and unbelievers alike. Is Hawen’s clan deserving of that terror? Cassandra who believes so ardently in her own god? Iron Bull who keeps the Qun even after his own people have banished him? It seems a very broad punishment if that is, indeed, what it is. This is not the hand of the gods, my love. Just the madness of a man who yearns to take a god’s power.” “How do you know?” she asked, her eyes filling again. He wondered if she were asking about more than the Breach. He chose to answer the simpler question and smiled, brushing her cheek again. “Because all of it led me to you. And I am wholly undeserving.” “You aren’t,” she protested. “That is why it is so flattering. You chose me of your own accord, not as a result of some mythical god using you as a reward. You are free, Vhenan.Your actions are a result of the world around you, just as Corypheus’s actions are. As are the consequences. They are not a judgment meted out by a god. The only thing striking Bull would do is to hurt a friend. Just as the only thing that coin will do is buy a meal or two for some hungry elves.” “It’s too much, Solas. Too much to think that if I fail there will be no intervention. No justice.” “But there will be. There always is. It will not be an intervention from any god, but from your colleagues. From your descendants. From me, if any breath remains. Your faith should be in them, for theirs is surely in you, no matter which god they may claim you for. There will be justice, at last, no matter whether Corypheus is stopped by your hand or by someone’s far after our lifespans. And it will be because of what we tried to do.” “If you’re wrong? If Mythal is only sleeping? If the Dread Wolf only locked them away?” He laughed softly and curled around her. “If I am wrong and they are truly gods, do you think your wickedness is enough to break the enchantment Fen’harel wrought centuries ago and call them forth? You think that Iron Bull was the first to blaspheme? Or that the dragon in the Crow Fens were the first to be slain? It is not even the first dragon you have slain. I told you. I have done far more to earn their ire than you ever could. They would seek me out long before they reached you or Bull. As long as I still stand, you are safe from them.” She frowned. “They cannot have you. Or they must take us both.” He kissed her forehead. “They have not appeared yet. And you left your sword in the sparring ring.” She began to laugh and he smiled fondly. “Come to bed, Vhenan,” he told her. “We can battle the gods in the morning, when your head is clear.”

[holywomandrowninginpleasure]

Taking One’s Lumps

Traditionally, leaving one’s home and life of crime behind would be done on impulse – under cover of night. Otherwise, one should expect a decision made under duress and through a hail of bullets, at least, that’s what storytellers would have you believe. But plants don’t really have much in the way of tradition, and Bisca isn’t exactly a fan of the night. More importantly, if there were to be any oncoming storm of bullets, Bisca would be slithering through the eye as it passes through the city. Thankfully, things didn’t come to that.

Like any self-respecting snake, Bisca went right up to Harsek and told him, in effect, she wanted to betray him. In actuality, she said “This town’s been doing me no favors (and while it’s been fun) I’ve gotta get out of here.” In Thieves’ Cant, the closest equivalent would be “I need to take a vacation,” which could mean -

“I’m in trouble and need to go into hiding.”

“I’m a liability to you and need to be killed.”

Both.

Similarly, to a snake, this was both an announcement and invitation of backstabbing. “I’m planning on doing this on such-and-such day, so if you would like to get back at me for doing it in advance, please do so in a timely manner,” is the gist of it. It might seem weird to announce when one is going to impede the other for personal gain, but it is tradition amongst most groups of snakes. That is to say, it is a tradition amongst most groups of snakes that last that long. If snakes did not do such a thing, there would be no snake dens, instead, one snake standing upon a pile of corpses – high and mighty, readily struck down. Those groups who follow this tradition, such as the Shadow Adders, report much higher levels of trust, even when one is planning on throwing the other under the bus.

This is because betrayal without notice is such an inefficient system – often times the victim loses much more than the perpetrator stands to gain, and that’s assuming it works. Announcing it makes it possible to both negotiate and retaliate. But, again, retaliation is often costly. This led to a cultural shift – from large scale knife in the back betrayal, to multiple smaller scale betrayals worth about a couple trade a piece; disincentivizing retaliation and leading to a majority of snakes just ‘taking their lumps.’ Occasionally, one would ‘take back their lumps’ by putting in a request for betraying the other right back to them, which disincentivized repeat offenses, lest a blood feud risk ostracizing both from the group. The current social norm is a twisted concept of betrayal, where a knife in one’s back has been replaced with an invitation to negotiate. Do nothing if you are fine with the terms, negotiate to try and see if there’s an outcome where both parties win, and retaliate if neither party can be satisfied. Obviously none of this applied when one was doing something heinous, like selling one (or many) out to the law – but the general cultural shift meant doing something like that was much less common – especially since the retaliation for it would come in the form of many snakes, not just one.

Much like Shadow Adders themselves, this system seems to be built on parts that are completely at odds with one another – a system that Bisca never really understood. The root of Bisca’s issue is that the system relies on presumption of betrayal, one common to snakes but uncommon to her. How do you teach someone to betray loved ones, when you yourself are the only reference? The answer is that you can’t, the only thing that can teach that is desire itself. Desire to leave this town, to be free of this concrete cage and everything that it stands for, a desire threatening to become stronger than the bonds holding you down. It’s a desire that the Shadow Adders knew well enough, they all suffered from it, unable to sever themselves from the fear they couldn’t make it outside this hellhole.

“We can barely make it in this town as is!” Harsek slams his beer on the bar counter. Drinks at the Toxic Bee were always a bad time at a good price, especially when one has to report to their higher ups.

“We can make it just fine without her.” Slaak wasn’t drinking tonight, but she orders another one for Harsek. “The insurance she provides isn’t worth her weight in bullets, and she doesn’t look trustworthy enough to find someone to sell us out to, not without damning herself.” Harsek starts downing his fourth drink, not wanting to respond. “But this isn’t about us, this isn’t even about her, this is about you, Harsek.”

“It’s about the Shado-” Slaak shuts Harsek up real quickly by splashing Harsek’s fifth drink in his face.

“I’ve made my decision regarding the sanctity of the group. The girl can leave when she wants, and the treasury has enough to spare for a modest going-away party – chalk it up to improving morale. But if you came to me for advice on how to cope with one’s hatchling leaving the nest, you’ve come to the wrong woman, Harsek.”

“A-Aye boss.” With the dishrag provided by the barkeep, Harsek dries off his face. With the water provided by the barkeep, Harsek stares into his reflection. Well, at least, he tries to – it is the worse tap.

“Take it from me, if she keeps doing jobs in that sate of mind, it’ll just be bad for her health – mentally and physically, much less a liability You can’t keep here here, quit your bargaining and just take your lumps -  I’m sure she’s already made peace with hers.” Slaak puts a handful of bills and coins onto the bar, turning to leave. “If you’re really worried about her, you’ll be here to say goodbye.”

 Normally, the Toxic Bee was completely empty in the middle of the day. Today, however, it is full of snakes – most of which were still recovering from a late night. The band plays a song about a flower growing through the concrete, climbing through the cracks in the city’s tallest skyscraper until the building fell apart – the flower left on top. A song rife with colorful metaphors, it arguably sounds terrible, but the target demographic eats it up. Bisca, for once in her life, shows up unarmed.

The snakes cheer. Everyone has something to say to her, even those she never really knew, or those she never even met. Congratulations and blessings thrown out like bullets, Bisca has to do the arduous task of determining whether to answer with sarcasm or genuine appreciation on a snake-by-snake basis. Everyone’s drinking – including, for once, Bisca.

“Wait, I thought you said we came to this place because the beer was good?” Bisca says, and the regulars laugh. The Barkeep, sighing, brings out a cake. Drowned with bright red icing and a knife sticking out of it, Bisca can’t help but laugh, the and the regulars at this point are roaring. The wall flower, of course, yells for them all to shut up. Of course, no one does. Everyone there’s too caught up in the moment, including, for once, Harsek.

“Mornin’, kid.” Snakes aren’t exactly known for touching moments. Not even when under the sway of alcohol. “Havin’ fun?” Bisca, however, is a great grappler, and about two Harseks tall to boot. As Bisca would say, I’ll spare you the sap. The festivities continue into the night; resulting in two broken tables, a 35% gratuity, one count of strangulation by flower, and countless tearful farewells.

[ladala99]

Spyro Reignited Countdown - Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage

Like Spyro 1, I was obsessed with this game as a kid, to the point that I would grab the controller from guests to march into the Colossus “boss fight” because I found it hilarious. I specifically have a memory of that happening. Probably only happened once.

Anyway, onto the review!

Gameplay

I’m just going to go over the points as they differ from previous titles just to avoid repeating myself too much.

The basic controls are exactly the same as Spyro 1. The models have been updated, but it still essentially feels the same. I really can’t say much here.

As the game progresses, though, Spyro gains new abilities.

He first gets the power to swim underwater, which opens up an entirely different style of gameplay. Honestly, Spyro’s underwater controls are the best underwater controls I’ve had in any game. They just feel right, and the freedom of movement you get makes underwater-heavy levels my absolute favorite in the series. Like Aquaria Towers is my absolute favorite level. Ever. No contest. Just because you can swim anywhere.

Climbing lets you get higher. It doesn’t add much gameplay itself (but was used cleverly in Magma Cone), but allows there to be certain vertical surfaces you can move up without making an awkward staircase or whirlwind. Although really it doesn’t do much of anything a whirlwind doesn’t do other than block progress until you get it and the aforementioned Magma Cone. Kind of underwhelming.

And finally, Headbash. It’s a new move. That’s usable in very specific circumstances. And yet somehow has made it into every game, including The Legend of Spyro and Skylanders. It is super satisfying to Headbash into water (and use it for swimming-in-air glitches) but otherwise it’s not all that impressive.

The only real improvement is swimming, but hey, at least they gave Spyro new abilities. Not sure why you need to bribe a guy to tell you to hold onto a ladder, though.

Collectables

This game keeps the gems, gets rid of the eggs and dragons, and replaces them with orbs.

Orbs are gotten for completing challenges. They’re also scattered around a few homeworlds, but for the most part, NPCs will hand them to you once you complete challenges for them. These challenges have a star rating that shows their relative difficulty. I’d say those star ratings are fairly accurate, for the most part.

It makes it significantly different from dragons, since these challenges vary greatly, from using powerups to do various tasks, to defeating enemies within a time limit, to finding additional collectables around a level. There’s a lot of different challenges, and some are in fact a lot easier than others.

Gems have a new use as well: paying Moneybags to give you new abilities and in many cases let you progress. It’s not all that functionally different from the balloonists telling you that you need X number of whatever collectable to progress, but it does add flavor. And makes you hate that bear. Moneybags is the character Spyro fans love to hate.

Powerups

Superflame gets a huge upgrade from the previous game, becoming a giant fireball that shoots straight at whatever you aim at. You even get a helpful aiming receptacle when you have the powerup. It’s also usable underwater, unlike your regular flame breath, and it has this really cool spiraling star effect that somehow doesn’t affect your aim.

Supercharge is as great as ever, but isn’t nearly as necessary to complete a level. Now, however, almost all (maybe actually all?) of the Supercharge areas have a track you can infinitely circle if you so desire. It’s also used in Speedways in this game, a feature which I neglected to mention in my Spyro 1 review a couple of days ago.

Superjump is used a few times. Neatly animated, but it honestly doesn’t do anything a whirlwind or a ladder wouldn’t be able to do.

Superfreeze is a new powerup used in one level. You use it to freeze enemies in blocks of ice. Neat! It also has a huge range, but since the enemies unfreeze so quickly, it’s best to be right next to them, so that part’s kinda useless.

Superfly is now in a few levels, and it is super overpowered. The developers knew it, and made the timer run out really quickly when you exit the intended area. Much like swimming, though, it adds a great deal of exploration ability to the levels you can use it in. Flying freely is always satisfying.

Invincibility is used once, and it’s pretty neat - allowing you to walk on usually-dangerous terrain. Definitely feels very freeing.

And there’s a combo Superflame/Superfly powerup in one of the last few levels. It does exactly what it says it does, and it’s amazing.

There’s also rocks you can spit, for basically a ranged charge attack. This singlehandedly taught me about arcs in aiming. It wasn’t used too much, though.

And there’s some turret(?) guns in a few levels to blast some particularly strong enemies and break down walls. Again, it taught me a lot about arcs. The fact that it doesn’t show you were exactly it’ll land like most games would is both annoying and satisfying when you figure it out.

Speedways

Forgot about these last time. Speedways now have a hidden challenge involving Hunter, but otherwise they’re pretty similar to the Flights in the first game.

These levels are pretty polarizing because they’re fairly different: they’re free-flying levels where you have to destroy/go through various objects and enemies around the track under a certain time limit. I love them, because I love flying around them. I also really love Hunter’s challenges (even though the last one in this game is way too loud).

Bosses

There’s fewer bosses in this game than the last, but they’re all much improved from the last game. They definitely scale with difficulty, with Ripto being the hardest, and Ripto’s fight is by far the most impressive boss fight in the game, if not the entire series.

Crush is pretty straightforward and is somewhat similar to Spyro 1 bosses: you dodge his attacks, then flame him when you have the chance. The difference is that he attempts to attack you back and ends up harming himself.

Gulp is huge, has two attacks of his own, and also can use the weapons you gain to use against him. This is my favorite type of boss fight, and racing your opponent to the weapons is really fun.

Ripto takes Gulp up to eleven. First two phases you’re fighting him for the powered-up orbs, and then the last phase takes place in the air as you use a combination powerup orb to fly and shoot fireballs at him. No time limit. Great fight. Difficult fight, but great fight.

All in all, very effective bosses.

Levels

They’re well-designed and well-themed. They cover various cartoon locations and are varied and distinct. Unlike the first game, some do require backtracking once you gain new abilities, which is in some ways annoying, but in other ways makes the new abilities more fulfilling. When I was younger, I definitely preferred this method, since I didn’t like saying goodbye to a level forever, but nowadays I just want to get it all done with in one go. So, I’m a bit neutral towards this.

Levels now have NPCs in them that introduce the main task of the level (almost always just to get to the end) and other side-missions which give you orbs. As before, I’m neutral towards this, since I like the simplicity of the first game, but I also love the minigames in this game.

Minigames

This is the one Spyro game with minigames in which I like them all. They’re all integrated into the level, and use the game’s controls in unusual ways to provide more variety. And speaking of variety, they are all very different. From Idol Springs’ puzzle-solving to the dashing around a small cave racing Hunter to crystals in Magma Cone to Trouble With The Trolley(tm) to the trade quest in Mystic Marsh, there’s so many different things you do. You haven’t seen them all until you get to the end.

Story

Spyro wants to go on vacation from the rainy Dragon Realms (as someone also from a rainy city, I get you, Spyro). He decides to head to Dragon Shores for a vacation.

Meanwhile, the citizens of Avalar are altering a portal to hijack a dragon to solve their problems: there’s this guy called Ripto who hates dragons, and he’s decided to take over the place.

Spyro gets transported to Avalar and, at least since Ripto blasted the portal he came from, agrees to help them out. The citizens of Avalar promise to get him to Dragon Shores as soon as they’re able. Friendliest kidnapping ever.

Honestly a bit of an excuse plot just to get Spyro out and somewhere new. But the characters introduced show a lot of personality through both cutscenes and when you speak to them in gameplay.

Each level also has a mini-story mostly unrelated to the overarching story. It’s shown in cutscenes before and after the level, and of course in the level itself. Avalar has more problems than just Ripto, and it takes a fire-breathing dragon who helps the first person to talk to him to sort things out, for better or for worse. (Like seriously, you help thieves in Scorch. And help both sides of the Breeze Builder/Land Blubber war.)

The story isn’t going to make you rethink your life or write deep fanfiction, but it serves its purpose well and is entertaining. Perfect for the Spyro world, even if it gives off a very different feel from the first game.

Unique in the Series?

This game codifies the series. NPCs, powerup gates, minigames, and especially the cast all move on to other games.

The one thing I can think of that’s truly unique to this game is the Soul Particle system - where instead of giving you treasure, slain enemies power the powerup gates. Not a bad system, but definitely is forgettable.

And Elora. She’s in cutscenes in Spyro 3 and in a trading card in Spyro Orange, but this is her only full appearance in the series until the remakes. Which as someone who does not care for romance subplots, I’m fine with. She’s a neat character, but her crush on Spyro would have been her main trait if she stayed in the series, I’m sure.

Conclusion

Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage is tied with the first game as one of my favorite games of all time. It’s fun to play, and I have a huge amount of nostalgia for it. Definitely looking foward to seeing it again on my Switch, with all the graphical improvements.

[youre-not-a-cat-youre-a-rat]

CSJJ Day 21: “The Best Things Happen While You Dance”

CSJJ Day 21: “The Best Things Happen While You Dance” (1/1)

(AO3)

Rating: E (for unsanitary kitchen activity, which I imagine is typical for these two.)

Words: 3,577

Emma likes to dance. Killian likes that Emma likes to dance. Though it can get distracting when he’s only home because he forgot his phone and he’s trying to get back to his shift at the station and there’s NO TIME to be seduced by his wife, bloody hell, woman...

A/N: I guess all I want to write is Killian’s opinions on popular culture?? Also, ha ha I meant for this to be something fun and domestic about Killian being perplexed by modern music/dancing and then smut happened, whoops.

@csjanuaryjoy, @lenfaz

His wife liked to dance.

Killian discovered this gradually even before their courtship began.

While in her vehicle, on that awkward journey back from New York, he’d caught her mouthing along silently to something on the radio, her finger tapping along with the oddly prominent percussion on the steering wheel. Upon the sea where the misty moon is playing havoc with the tide...

During late nights at the station, pouring over town census records, he’d watch her stand up and stretch only to relax into a sway, a faint pulse to her movement matching the mellow rhythm of the music emanating from her computer. She’d tap a key to increase the volume so she could hum along. I could never see tomorrow...I was never told about the sorrow…

Truthfully, Killian was too over-stimulated from watching the stretch to process the dancing at the time. But later he’d been quietly thrilled that she felt comfortable enough to let her guard down in his presence, that she trusted him enough to let him see her be carefree, to see her be silly.

But he didn’t realize how musically inclined Emma really was until they began living under the same roof.

Everything seemed to call for accompaniment in Emma’s mind. Paperwork, exercise, showering (as if she needed the excuse to take even longer with this particular task). Killian often found her in the kitchen, too busy whipping her hair or belting “the best part” to notice she was burning breakfast.

Henry was worse. If Killian entered a room where the lad had music playing, he was usually pestered into sitting and scolded into staying quiet so he could “really absorb” the song. This was typically followed by a brief contextual lecture courtesy of Henry’s ongoing quest to educate Killian on the popular culture of his adopted realm.

The boy often acted as a fellow culprit of their burned meals, the “Shoop” incident being a prime example.

It was a weekend and Killian was half way down the stairs when he heard the beat from the kitchen. He recognized the style - the type that was more like spoken verse, heavily laden with modern slang. The most difficult to get used to, though the rhythm was a revelation

(“If you really want to appreciate it,” Henry had told him him, “you’ve gotta do your research, ‘cause it started out as, like, protest music? But now it’s gotten all commercial in the mainstream - well, not totally.” He pulled out his phone to add to Killian’s film curriculum. “We’re gonna have to watch The Get Down, and DEFINITELY Straight Outta Compton, maybe Paris is Burning? But I guess that’s more about dance…)

Naturally, when Killian rounded the corner to the kitchen it was to find his wife in his robe (“Why should we buy another one if there’s no overlap in when we want to wear it?”) and his step-son...bouncing? That was the best way he could describe the action. Bouncing - and waxing verse into a spatula and a wooden spoon as if they were microphones.

“Girls, what’s my weakness? MEN.”

Killian could really only stand back and behold.

Emma caught sight of him and began to saunter over, the lyrics aimed at a target now. “Can I get some fries with that shake-shake, booby?”

“Excuse me?” he said.

She ignored his bafflement, her arms rising over her head as her body seemed to roll. The movements were nothing one could find in a ballroom, but with so many years of sailing under his belt, they weren’t completely unfamiliar to Killian. His eyes followed the motion down from her torso to her hips and he promptly lost his train of thought.

She smirked at him - of course - turning so he could appreciate the dance from a different angle. And he appreciated. Up until he smelled the smoke.

“Shit!” came the confirmation from Henry.

They finished the morning at Granny’s, where the lad found the song on the jukebox for an encore.

Lucky for both of the lunatics he lived with that Killian enjoyed their antics. Such as when Henry brought speakers on an afternoon sail, and the sunset had been made truly transcendent thanks to some fellow named Pink Floyd. “Better than lasers,” Emma had said.

But Floyd’s music wasn’t particularly conducive to dancing. More often, Killian found his wife dancing to “hip hop,” or “motown,” or something with layered, ethereal sounds (occasionally, Killian could swear he heard a harpsichord) over a uniform, pulsing rhythm.

“Disco, baby,” Emma had labeled it with one of her fey little smiles. The term of endearment made Killian smirk even as he felt his ears go hot. He was proud to consider himself an accomplished flirt, but his wife could be rather dashing when she wanted to be.

But it was never guaranteed what sort of music he’d find her listening to, especially these days. With the weather turning colder and with no more seasonal festivities to distract her, Emma seemed to rely on her music even more than usual - even just to get out of bed.

She would sit up, wrapped in blankets, and squint at her phone before choosing a song, only leaving her cocoon - with plenty of grumbling - on the second or third selection.

Her mood usually improved in the shower, where she’d sing. Killian was becoming familiar enough with the lyrics to sing along, as he’d taken to joining her in the shower, since he had no hope for hot water otherwise.

This night, Emma had the house to herself. Killian had sensed her delight at the prospect. He could understand it. He enjoyed his own occasional moments of peace at the house or on the Roger. They weren’t as rare since they’d broken the Dark Fairy’s curse, but that didn’t mean he and Emma (and everyone in town) were taking them for granted.

Killian had the late shift at the sheriff’s station with David, and he was to drop Henry off at a party at Violet’s residence (their parting had been amicable, apparently). But first he had to drag the boy away from the latest of a series of arguments with his mother.

“I can handle it, Mom! You said I’m a good driver!”

“In a car, yes. This is different, and you haven’t even been driving that long.”

“I’ve been driving longer than him.” He waved a hand in Killian’s direction.

Killian didn’t bristle at the disparaging tone. His mastery of Emma’s yellow vehicle had taken many exhausting hours of practice and patient coaching from Belle on an apparatus called a “stick shift.”

“Yeah, well he’s definitely not getting a motorcycle,” Emma said.

“Mom, if you would just - ”

“Henry,” she said, “we’ll talk about it later.”

Henry sighed. “You’re just trying to get me out the door.”

“I’m not saying no,” Emma said. “I’m saying we’ll talk about it later and we will.”

He nodded, if sulkily, and allowed himself to be kissed goodbye.

“Come on, lad.” Killian looped his arm around the boy’s shoulder and steered him out of the house.

The drive was silent, Henry too distracted to turn on the radio.

“Look at things her way, lad. She only wants to keep you safe.”

“I’m not a kid anymore, I can take care of myself,” he said, quietly.

“She knows that,” Killian said. “But she also knows what’s in store for you, she knows the world won’t pull it’s punches no matter how capable you are. She’s not looking forward to giving you up to that.” Almost to himself, he said. “I know I’m not.”

“You make it sound like I’m going to leave,” Henry said.

“You might, lad. You’re parents were wanderers, don’t forget. Perhaps by necessity, but they were.”

“And so were you.”

“Aye, and so was I. Though Emma might be happier if you took the Roger instead of a - a motor -”

“Motorcycle.”

“- cycle, right. Aye.”

“Well,” Henry grinned, “would you let me?”

Killian sucked in a deep breath. “I suppose - ”

Henry burst out laughing. “Oh my god, no. Relax, your face.”

Killian sighed, lips twitching as he allowed himself to be mocked. They pulled up to the house shortly after anyway, where Henry turned to him, thoughtful again.

“She shouldn’t worry,” he said, “because if I do wander, it’ll only be until I’ve found my family. Like you both did.”

Killian considered this and dipped his head. “Aye, lad. Very true.”

The boy smiled at him, satisfied and excited, and Killian marveled at him. He was a boy still, but Killian imagined there would always be a spark about Henry, even when he grew into adulthood. It made something pinch in his chest to know that he would get to see it for himself.

He reached out to muss the lad’s hair, which resulted in an angry squawk. “Killian! I just fixed it.”

“Ugh,” Killian said, rubbing the residue between his fingers with exaggerated disgust. “With what? I told you to use -”

“No! I’m not having this argument with you again.” Henry stepped out of the car, frantically trying to smooth out his fringe.”

Killian rolled down the window to shout, “Be responsible, lad! Be a gentleman!” as per his wife’s custom when leaving Henry with his friends.

(“If we aren’t embarrassing him, we aren’t doing it right. My parents embarrass me all the time.”

“That’s because you’re an adult, love.”

“No, it’s because they’re obviously making up for the years they didn’t get to embarrass me.”)

He planned to include the moment in his report when he texted her but as he walked into the station, he reached a hand into his pocket and found it empty.

He cursed and ran back to the parking lot to search the car.

Nothing.

Dave waved him off when he told him where he was going, already pulling up solitaire on his computer. He hated late shifts.

As he pulled into the driveway of the house, curious in spite of himself about how his wife was spending her personal evening.

Music was playing on the amplifier in the kitchen, the rhythm upbeat if lazy, the instruments varied - guitar, harmonica, horns.

She was in a towel, her hair plastered in a wet coil against her neck and shoulder. She wasn’t so much dancing as performing. Her face concentrated in a mask of agony or ecstasy as she sang along, shaking a fist before clutching it to her chest, draping herself across the fridge to pose dramatically. She was ridiculous. Killian bit his lip to keep from laughing.

“Woah!” She jerked as she caught sight of him, a crack of energy sparking off the palm she raised in reaction. Killian ducked but the magic fizzled before it could reach him.

“God, Killian! I could have killed you!”

Killian was laughing as he walked over and gathered her up into his arms. “I’m sorry, love, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He rubbed her bare shoulder as she grumbled into his neck. “I forgot my phone. And then I was so enthralled by your performance -”

She shoved him and he laughed again, turning to hunt down the damned device.

When he returned she was pulling a box of something out of the freezer (how she could eat that dreck he’d never understand). The same song was playing, perhaps she’d set it to repeat, but her movements were brisk and efficient. She was focused entirely on her task.

Killian felt a pang of guilt. “Oh love, I am sorry.”

She gave him a self-depreciating smile over her shoulder. “It’s fine.”

“It’s not fine, you were relaxed and I worked you up again.”

“Really, Killian, it’s fine.”

He wrapped his arms around her waist from behind, nuzzling her neck trying to think of a way to spike her mood again. “I made sure to embarrass Henry when I dropped him off,” he said.

She lifted a hand to his cheek. “No you didn’t. All his friends have a crush on you, they never notice what you’re saying to him.”

Killian made a face at that disturbing thought. “No I think that little ginger girl might fancy you, actually.”

“Hmm,” she said.

He felt the vibration in her throat, felt her body relax back against his and cheered to himself at the little triumph.

Slowly, he began to rock her, side to side. Trying to lead her back into her dance.

“Am I doing this right?”

She snorted. “Sure. Very ‘PDA couple at a night club.’” She turned in his arms and he moved his hand up between her shoulders.

“No, no,” she said, moving his hand back down to her waist. “This is how we did it in junior high.” She brought his hook to her other side and wound her arms around his neck.

“It’s more in the hips now than anything else,” she said.

Dutifully, he rubbed his hand against the warm terrycloth and felt her hips roll in slow, tight circles, dragging enough to follow the syncopated rhythm.

It was bloody mesmerizing, really.

After a few bars, he found himself matching her movements. She rubbed her cheek along his beard as she pulled away enough to smile at him. He let the satisfaction of seeing the pink burn on her jaw settle heavy in his stomach.

Her fingers had been teasing the hair on his neck, but now her hands (someday, he would have to compose some terrible poetry in tribute to her hands) ran down along his shoulders and arms, making him shiver. She gripped his hand and stepped back, swinging out.

He watched her, expectant, following her lead. Her lips twitched and her eyes danced and all at once she spun back into him, her back to his front, her free hand snagging his hook again, wrapping herself up in him.

She slid down his chest slightly as her hips wound again in a quick little phrase at twice the speed as before. She repeated the move, straightening, and he sucked in a breath as she nestled, plush and warm, against his crotch.

Her head fell back to rest on his shoulder, and still helplessly following her cues, he pressed his mouth to her neck. She hummed approvingly, her hand coming back to his cheek as he trailed kisses up to that place under her ear that made her gasp.

She turned her head to capture his mouth with hers, soft and hot, her fingers snaking back into the hair at the nape of his neck, her hand dragging his up to her breast, her arse grinding insistently against the suddenly aching bulge in his trousers.

He broke away with a groan. “Why are you like this?”

She laughed, breathless. “You bring it out in me.” She spun to face him fully and kissed him again, one hand anchoring his jaw, the other at the small of his back, locking them together, flush from lips to thighs.

“Emma -” the word was smothered against her kisses “- can’t - have to go - I’m on duty.”

“It’s fine.” The word of the night, “I can be quick.”

He laughed, low and desperate. “No you can’t, you greedy minx.”

“Yes.” Now the kisses were punctuation. “When I’m focused - ” Kiss. “When it’s just for you - ” Kiss. Long kiss.

Just as Killian was forgetting the topic of debate - forgetting his own name - she broke off with a snicker. She sang her plea along with the music.

Killian laughed, surprised and delighted.

“Let me...take you there,” she repeated.

“The Savior serenading me?”

“Is that a yes?”

He looked at her, skin pink from the cold because she was too lazy to put on clothes after her shower. Still swaying, pulsing, dancing. Wicked glint in her eye.

He nudged at her nose with his, drawn to her like a magnet, chasing her breath, her taste. “It’s a ‘Do your worst, wife.”

Needing no further prompting, Emma fisted her hands into his jacket and pinned him to the fridge.

“As you wish, husband,” she murmured against his lips.

She devoured him. An onslaught of lips and tongue and teeth. Killian could only grab her hip and hold on. Her kisses traveled from his mouth to his neck, stopping to nip at his earring, and settling at the base of his throat where she licked at the sweat there. She worked open a few buttons of his vest and shirt before she grew impatient and yanked them to the side so she could finish her trail to his nipple. She dragged the flat of her tongue against it making him hiss.

Her hands flew to his belt as she nuzzled her face into his clothed torso, mouthing a kiss to his sternum through the fabric. He stroked his fingers over her wet hair as she kneeled.

“Fuck,” he bit out as her hand seized his cock. She held him up and licked him messily from root to tip then twisted her fist to coat him all over with her saliva. He had to close his eyes, still overwhelmed by the extent of her capacity for depravity.

She pumped him twice, squeezing ruthlessly. His head thunked back against the freezer door. Somehow it registered that the vocalist in the long forgotten song was begging for mercy. He might have laughed if Emma’s mouth didn’t close over him at that moment.

He stiffened, letting out a strangled groan. He struggled to keep still, to let her work comfortably, to be a bloody gentleman. But of course she was having none of it. She gripped the base of him and sucked in long, unbearable pulls that had him growling her name like an animal.

His hips finally bucked forward when her eyes flicked up to snare his. Sometimes the expression in them was fierce and challenging when they made love. Possessive. Now they were serene and smug, reveling in his reaction. Hypnotizing him as he gasped and shuddered and twitched, rendering him a helpless mess plastered to their kitchen fridge, undone by her expert mouth.

She took his hand from where it was clawing at the formica counter and laced their fingers together. Her eyes never strayed from his face as she doubled her pace, her pressure, grounding him even as she sent him careening over the edge into oblivion.

“I needed that.”

“You did?”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Not in the slightest. I know I live with a sexual tyrant.”

She smacked his chest with the back of her hand.

“And happily, so,” Killian added.

She hummed her satisfaction, her eyes closed.

He reached over and stroked her neck, frowning at the tension in her frame. “Worried about the lad?”

She hummed again, her lips pursing.

He lifted his to look at her, sitting next to him on the tile, their backs against the cabinets. Still in her towell. “He’s not going to leave us.”

She exhaled sharply, a sad little laugh. “Yes he will. And I get it. I mean, I don’t want him to stay if that’s not what he wants.”

He drew her hair over her shoulder to her back. It had started to dry in unruly yellow waves. “Very well, perhaps he will. But I know you. You’ll make sure we see him again.”

“You know this.”

He gave her a look. “What’s that bloody family motto of yours, love?”

She rolled her eyes.

He cupped her cheek, turned her face to his. “Emma Swan?” he murmured. “She always finds her man.”

She snorted.

He gave her a wry smile. “Henry knows he’s as stuck with you as you are with me.”

Her eyes filled with something deep and steady. “You’re stuck with me too,” she said.

Ah, there it was. A moment of peace. “I know it, love,” he said, and pressed a kiss against her lips.

Something rattled on the counter. His phone.

She broke away. “That’ll be my dad.”

“Yes, I’m stuck with you seducing me away from my duty.”

She laughed, unrepentant, and kissed him all the way to the door.

“I have to go,” he said. “Weren’t you excited to be on your own tonight?”

“Well I changed my mind,” she said. “Now I think it’s a good night to try and beat our record.”

“Goodbye,” he told her firmly. Though the effect was probably ruined by the pathetic grin he felt stretching his cheeks. “Put on some clothes.”

“Put on a scarf!” She nagged back.

His phone buzzed just as he was stepping into the car again.

She’d sent him a link to a song.

Here’s something for you to annoy Dad with at the station, I know he hates late shifts.

I love you.

Killian attached the phone to the car’s sound system before pulling away from the house, and smiled at the opening strains.

She’d played this one for him before, possibly for the first time after their second engagement. Those few calm days before the storm, when they’d shut out the rest of the world, alone together in their house, soaking each other up again. The music she’d gravitated to then had been comforting, and sensual, and hopeful. A serenade for their apologies, their absolutions, their vows, their growth. Their partnership. She might have even played the song he’d found her dancing to tonight.

The moon was high as Killian drove on, but the lyrics rang true as he sang them out, tapping his hook against the wheel.

Just one look at you, and I know it’s gonna be a lovely day

Title from the Irving Berlin song of White Christmas fame.

Songs referenced:

Don’t Get Me Wrong - The Pretenders

How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green (my “gazing out a window while it rains” song)

Shoop - Salt-N-Pepa

They played Dark Side of the Moon on that sail.

I’ll Take You There - The Staple Singers

Lovely Day - Bill Withers

[davidanderson7162]

The Advantages To Dog Obedience Training - Unlock Your Canine's Fun Side

A lot of people discover pet dog obedience training to be a challenging procedure, and also it can be, if you haven't learned properly to do it. One point you need to think about, is that dog obedience training can also be demanding on your canine. As a result of that, just how rapidly your pet dog responds to his pet dog training will certainly depend a great deal on just how you carry out that Dog Training Services Atlanta.Canine Dog Training Atlanta GA

Understanding Canine Obedience Educating Basics.

Your relationship with your pet dog is an area that requires to be emphasized. In order for both of you to really feel secure, you need to develop a healthy and balanced relationship in your house between you as well as your dog. As you overcome this procedure, you will locate that there are great deal of methods that can be utilized to train your pet. Some of the much better well-known strategies include remote control training, dog whispering, positive support, marker training, collar and leash training, and incentive training, however there are lots of others consisting of doing it yourself. So whether you intend to go the do-it-yourself route or to work with specialist, there are some major goals that need to be attained.

Some of the major goals that you should establish for this training consist of, establishing a good line of communication in between you and your family pet, reinforcing your bond, as well as investing added high quality time together. Appropriate dog training can settle most of your canines behavioral issues, consisting of such issues as excavating up your backyard, chewing out footwear or furniture, too much barking, lifting on individuals, the canine strolling you instead of you strolling the canine, as well as numerous others Dog Training Services Atlanta.

The actual training will aid you develop borders or rules which will aid show your canine exactly how to be in control of his actions and end up being a liable participant of your home. The bottom line is, you will possibly not have the ability to maintain him restricted in the house all the time. There will undoubtedly be times when you will certainly want to take him out for a stroll as well as if the dog is unmanageable this will not be a pleasant experience. Pets, just like human beings, require to be instructed good manners. After the pet obedience training is completed you will be able to trust that your pet dog's actions will certainly be proper for any kind of provided time, and at any type of given location.

What Are The Conveniences Of Dog Obedience Training?

Canine obedience training will enable you to appreciate your pet's firm and also provide you pleasure for several years to come. The advantages to pet obedience training detailed listed below, will certainly help you to walk with a smile on your face as opposed to worrying about what your dog is mosting likely to do following.

The obedience training will mean that your pet dog's complications will be eliminated as well as he will be a lot more conscious of his excellent and also negative habits, thus streamlining life for your canine. Canine obedience training is a satisfying experience, during which your pet will certainly have fun as he masters his brand-new skills. And also, if you make a decision to educate the canine yourself, it will be a fun time for you to bond and to spend top quality time with him. A well qualified pet dog is certain and satisfied. This makes him a fantastic pleasure to have around Dog Training Services Atlanta.

Canine obedience training will additionally provide your canine a lot more flexibility. You won't be reluctant to leave him alone and without supervision due to the fact that you make certain he will not be a nuisance in your house. Another advantage to pet obedience training is your pet dog will not intimidate other individuals as well as pets around him, consequently making him more secure. After his training, your dog will have earned your respect and can be thought about a great friend and true member of the family.

On the whole, pet obedience training requires time and needs you to be really patient as your pet dog finds out. Constantly being consistent by never ever falling short of benefits as well as praise for good habits, or punishment when necessary for poor actions, will certainly make this a great experience for both of you as well as assist you open your dog's fun side Dog Training Services Atlanta.

Canine Obedience Training - Exactly How To

Dog obedience training is a method for proprietor and pet dog to learn to consult with each other efficiently. Contrary to public opinion, obedience training is not some technique whereby a pet learns to perform some needed yet fabricated task on command. Fundamental obedience training is a fantastic means to establish a solid partnership with your companion Atlanta.

Almost all behavior troubles are flawlessly normal canine tasks that happen at the wrong time or location or are guided at the incorrect point. The ability to discover basic obedience and even challenging behavior is intrinsic in all pet dogs. Training is most reliable when pet dogs or cats are compensated for the great or preferable things they do while being overlooked, rerouted or remedied for revealing undesirable habits.

Educating your pet involves a regimen of guidelines that the dog is expected to comply with. Training a young puppy is easier than educating a grown-up canine since a pup is extra available to originalities and also has actually not yet established "negative behaviors". Educating canines should be enjoyable, enriching and bond-building for both of you, if it isn't, then you need to read more regarding reward-based pet training for the benefit of both of you. Training is an essential obligation of pet dog ownership Dog Training Services Atlanta.

A trained pet will certainly be a nice participant of your household rather than a nuisance that develops problems in the house. A pet dog trained for obedience is a content, balanced and also satisfied pet dog For a pet dog to be thought about obedient as opposed to simply learnt obedience, it must react reliably each time the command is provided, by what is frequently called its handler.

Pet dog obedience training gives them self-confidence as well as safety. When your pet obeys a basic demand of "come here, rest," she is showing compliance as well as respect for you. Whatever the age of your pet dog the correct time to start training is right currently. More than simply an animal, your pet dog belongs to the family members Atlanta.

Pet Dog Obedience Training

Dog obedience training is not around giving commands as well as pushing a canine to strive as opposed to appreciating life, it's fairly the contrary. Pet dog obedience training is a continual procedure. Pet obedience training is essential to the safety and security of the pet, his trainer, and those around him. You can gain large benefits for effectively educating your Dog Training Services Atlanta.

Obedience

Obedience training does not fix all behavior troubles, however it is the foundation for resolving the most common troubles. Obedience training must be fun and also awarding for you as well as your pet. Obedience training will give your pet a work to do as well as can be valuable in rerouting a few of the mental power of an animal that was suggested for job. Obedience training is usually a prerequisite for or part of various other training. Proprietors may take a while longer to discover this pet dog mental habits training technique and also how best to put it right into consistent method in order to accomplish the finest quality of pet or young puppy obedience and also improve their relationship with canine buddies. Whether a pup or adult pet dog, your brand-new friend will require support, obedience instruction, and understanding. With no fundamental obedience training, a pet may still be a terrific buddy and also good friend for you. Nevertheless, just how do you understand that your pet dog is secure, as well as dependable in all circumstances?

Pup

Obedience Training is among the most effective points you can do for your pet dog or pup. It is best to educate your pup or pet now before troubles intensify or stops brand-new troubles from developing later. Utilizing a hula-hoop is an excellent way to show the "In" as well as "Out" regulates while your young puppy enjoys. It's a good concept to learn what to do and also NOT to do if you need to leave your young puppy alone for a number of hours. In my internet site I give a hesitant testimonial on one author's ideas on bringing new puppy residence, pet crate training a puppy, pup home training, and also presenting youngsters and pets. Whether you train your young puppy yourself or hire an expert, showing your pet dog commands and exactly how to socialize will make both you and your animal happier throughout your Dog Training Services Atlanta.

Canine Obedience Training - Do It Yourself

You need to develop a typical language in between you as a canine owner and also your pet dog to get a solid and also trustful connection. This might just be accomplished by good pet dog obedience training, which suggests that you begin to comprehend your canine as well as its requirements. With the right canine obedience training you'll see to it that your beloved dog constantly reacts in a favorable means to your commands Atlanta.

By beginning to utilize the very best canine obedience training there is, you'll help your dog to develop the best responses to the stimuli - and also for that reason making use of the best pet dog obedience training course will be of great benefit for both you as proprietor and your pet dog( s). I'll suggest you check into one program I'm mosting likely to disclose for your shortly.

First I intend to give you a little bit more knowledge concerning pet dog obedience training types:

Reward based dog obedience training

The most typical and also very easy to put to activity is the reward-based dog obedience training where commands offered to the pet and also correctly carried out are rewarded. Typically these incentives are caresses, a toy or as frequently food. (Pet crackers etc.).

The pet connects a certain positive actions with particular benefits as well as starts acting to get even more of the wanted benefit. Behavior patterns create along these lines as canine obedience training goes after a mutual understanding in between family pet and also owner. Primarily this dog obedience training indicates instructing a technique that brings about an incentive: scent discovery, fetch commands or even criminal apprehension Atlanta.

Leash canine obedience training.

The latter is taken into consideration to belong to the typical canine obedience training used at first in military centers because of this training's effect on obtaining the canine to comply with in all type of circumstances. The leash pet dog obedience training has even more advantages than the food reward in such practical objectives, considering that this leash dog training discovers far better adjustment to the job or goal the animal needs to face. The collars bring moderate and even hard improvement, yet, ensure that you don't use it ineffectively.

The leash pet obedience training instructs the animal to obey to collar control. You will certainly require to remember that the chain is simply the initial step right into creating the skills to get the canine obey under whatever situations and relying upon other tools as well. This type of dog obedience training establishes the pecking order or the leadership in the pet dog's life and also the connection you develop with the pet dog significantly depends on this facet Atlanta.

Expert pet dog obedience training - or do it on your own?

You may employ an expert in pet obedience training, however you need to be an energetic component while doing so given that you are the one to spend most time with your pet. This implies you ought to discover the basics, and also ideally a bit a lot more.

Canine Obedience - Educating Your Dog With Standard Commands.

Dogs are educated via commands. That is to say, the success of pet dog obedience training depends on your canine's capability to appropriately react to commands. The complying with fundamental commands are vital primary steps when starting to train your dog in obedience abilities.

1.' Rest' command: Educating your dog to sit when commanded is a good beginning point for obedience training. It is a simple command that most pups as well as pets learn swiftly. It will improve your pet dog's self-confidence and also make an excellent structure for more advance abilities. Educating your canine to sit starts to instill an obedient behavior that you can expect to stay with your pet right into the future. For example, if your dog likes to welcome site visitors by going to them as the door opens up, then you can reclaim control of his actions by utilizing the "Sit" command. Prior to training your canine to sit (or before beginning any obedience training) guarantee that your dog fits around you. You can inspect whether your pet dog remains in his convenience zone by whether he lets you touch him or if he is currently alert to you Atlanta.

2.' Down' command: This command is next in significance throughout dog obedience training. It follows on as soon as you and also your canine have grasped the rest command. The down command is a second vital variable of any kind of canine obedience training program. This command becomes the structure for various other sophisticated commands or abilities and also it develops you as the leader in the relationship you show to your pet. The putting down setting is both a submissive and a prone setting, especially when you are standing high before your dog. The down command is really useful and can be trusted in lots of scenarios where a passive stance is called for from your canine. Settling your pet down into a lying placement is specifically helpful in such areas as a store or outdoors among a team of individuals. It may need some time to exercise this command and get to an optimum level, yet it will most definitely be worth the effort in the longer term.

3.' Come' command: The "come" or recall command is necessary mostly for security factors when your pet dog is taking pleasure in some task where he is allowed to roam free and off the leash. Having actually understood the command, he can be offered liberty in a lot of scenarios. You can go off hiking or take pleasure in a beach while allowing your dog wander about on his very own, yet still alert and ready to react to your "come" command. Therefore we pet proprietors can set about our business without being hindered by the existence of our pet dog.

The primary goal when training a canine to find out the "come" command, is to get an instant response from your pet dog upon hearing your command, despite any situation or of what else is happening. However, attaining this type of feedback from your pet dog is not particularly simple. The "come" command in canine obedience training requires a lot of effort and determination. As a matter of fact, it is challenging for a pet to ever get the command entirely right. It is easier nonetheless for certain breeds, particularly for pets that enjoy to chase after or have a solid aroma drive. They can be less complicated to educate with this command as their response is driven by all-natural instinct Atlanta.

Canine Obedience Training For Puppies as well as the Matured.

Pet dog obedience training is just one of the most crucial things you ought to carry out with your pet dog and also it need to begin the day you bring your canine friend home. Most significantly, it helps develop the framework that is so crucial in your pet dog's life. The tuition for official training need to be considered the soundest investment for all dog proprietors.

This program satisfies specific crucial demands in your pet dog's life including workout, physical agility, as well as mental stimulation, spending time with you and providing a bond with your four-legged friend. A pet with no standard training can be like having a family pet in the household that has no social beautifies, constantly barking and also getting on people, aggressive as well as biting individuals and also items in the house, bungles your house as well as around your house.

Every program or method you make use of, should be adjusted to the specific needs as well as demand of your dog's type. Always use canine lessons that are brief, regular, easy, fun and most notably done on a daily basis till you begin observing renovations Atlanta.

What you as well as your beloved family pet will benefit are;.

You will certainly have a well acted and also obediently skilled pet around you. It will certainly additionally assist you in addressing your dog's behavioral problem in quick time. Efficient and effective dog training program that is suitable to your pet will be established. Training offers you a higher understanding and also appreciation of how your pet really feels as well as thinks. Learning basic obedience training commands is accomplished in no time. Behaviour alteration through the use of specialized obedience training devices will become second nature to both you as well as your enjoyed friend. And also lastly, a most enjoyable as well as fulfilling relationship experience will be established between you as well as your canine.

The easiest fact is that formal dog obedience training courses are low-cost, yet you might determine that sending your canine friend away to a training school or class for an amount of time is worth the cost. One of the most crucial point you have to remember is that a lesson that concentrates on inspiration to teach your pet dog, works incredibly well Atlanta.

Dog obedience training takes some time; you and your pooch are most likely to hit a few bumps along the road. Do not get disappointed, lots of people obtain frustrated with this training eventually, yet you have to be consistent at it and discover to make fun of on your own and your pet dog in some cases. Constantly believe favorable because many pet dogs react much better for the long-lasting to a primarily-positive-humane based pet obedience training method. Every pooch can learn canine obedience training that will certainly aid them become better and also valuable members of our residences and also cultures. Actions patterns create along these lines as this training seeks a good understanding between family pet as well as owner. Essentially showing a trick implies accomplishing a goal, lots of skills may be created by the pet dog according to the issue in hand, such as scent discovery, fetch commands, rest, relax and also criminal concern.

[entergamingxp]

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris Review — Fails to Fully Actualize its Ambitions

August 11, 2020 11:00 AM EST

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris attempts to revamp the franchise and breathe new life into it, with very polarizing results.

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris starts players off with a bang, and for fans of the anime, it’s quite different from how the series starts. After a very basic tutorial that introduces the block, attack, and Sword Skills, you’re thrown in the season’s final battle against the all-powerful Administrator. The fight itself is impossible to lose, as nothing happens if Kirito’s (the protagonist) HP is depleted.

The mechanics of combat are simple and don’t require much effort to learn. However, the controls for combat are rather subpar. Somehow, the controls are both slippery and floaty, meaning it’s difficult to maneuver Kirito without him sliding around and completely missing the enemy. There is an upside to this opening battle and combat in general, at least — it feels incredibly satisfying when you land a skill. At this point in Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris, there are tons of skills to choose from and they all have that nice anime flashiness to them, not to mention the substantial damage they hit for.

Once the Administrator’s health dips below a certain amount, her and Kirito engage in a final heated clash of swords.

“The plot develops slowly, and I mean at an absolute crawl at times.”

After a bright flash of light, Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris‘s main story actually begins with a de-powered Kirito who’s been thrown into a mysterious but somewhat familiar virtual world known as “Underworld.” He soon meets a young man named Eugeo who helps him get accustomed to the village and the world at large. As Kirito explores more, he realizes what makes Underworld so special: the A.I. that populates the world behave just like humans and are completely unaware of their status as fictional beings.

Under the belief that Kirito is essentially a chosen one who is dropped into his world by the gods, Eugeo tours Kirito around his village and shows him the Gigas Cedar, a giant tree that drains energy from his village. It is his Calling — a special goal given to each villager to work towards each day or die trying — to cut down this tree with a power axe. Kirito tries to help but discovers how daunting the task is. Eugeo then reveals that his family line has been working toward this goal for 300 years now.

As Kirito and Eugeo work and train (with the former’s goal of figuring out how to complete the latter’s goal quickly so he can be escorted into the main capital) we also find out about Eugeo’s younger sister, Alice, and how she was taken away by an Integrity Knight for violating the taboos of the land. The plot switches its focus to saving her and it continues from there, following the general story beats of the anime with the exception of a new female character named Medina who joins the roster a bit later on.

The plot develops slowly, and I mean at an absolute crawl at times, as Kirito uncovers more of the secrets permeating the world. Though the pacing is off, I enjoyed watching their relationship mature and Kirito get to know each major villager. And because Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris has far more breathing room to spend on developing the characters, they feel more fleshed out and it’s much easier to become invested in their world and growth. Eugeo, of course, benefits from this fleshing out the most, unlike in the anime where they barely have enough time to get a sprinkling of chemistry before the story whisks them along.

Alicization Lycoris still features the classic mechanics of the series, such as building Renown. By either speaking with NPCs or by completing quests, you can increase this stat which determines how people perceive you. This also affects your Affinity with them as well. It’s similar to the stat found in other Sword Art Online titles, which has the same effect of allowing the player to recruit more party members.

“And while the combat has been completely overhauled and simplified to allow for a seemingly more accessible experience, it is not very good.”

This is also an important feature for the usual dating sim mechanic that is present in any SAO game. By answering questions correctly in the heart-to-heart minigame for each eligible bachelorette, you increase their Affinity toward Kirito, which can unlock a special ending and scenes with them. As usual, if you’re invested in that sort of thing, it’s there, but if you elect to ignore it, there’s no penalty against you.

Kirito and other party members possess several stats: System Control Authority, Weapon Type, Ex Skills, Persona, Anima, and their current Affinity with Kirito. There’s also Proficiency, which correlates with how often you use a weapon. Raising this stat, or its Bond, is important for mastering certain abilities. Requiring Kirito to essentially level up his weapon usage is a visceral way to earn his power and skill, and it matches perfectly with the more organic fantasy setting of Alicization Lycoris that rewards a hard work ethic.

You can also affix equippable abilities, called Attachments, to armor which can have a range of passive effects. More powerful Attachments tend to also have a temporary usage period to mitigate any overuse. Although these stats suffer from the same issues as other SAO titles, in that they’re often convoluted and not very useful, it has been far more streamlined in Alicization Lycoris. The UI is also much less cluttered and easier to navigate which is a refreshing improvement.

Combat consists of controlling Kirito as you give directions to your normally AI-controlled party during any given sorte. Your team can perform special team-up skills as well, which are vital for some of the stronger foes. And while the combat has been completely overhauled and simplified to allow for a seemingly more accessible experience, it is not very good. As stated before, the controls are often floaty and imprecise, despite the decent lock-on mechanics. And though skills are satisfying when integrated with normal combos to devastating effect, landing those skills can often be an exercise in frustration thanks to said skills having little weight and impact, as well as being difficult to time in the first place.

Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris is an experimental title to be sure. It eschews the tried and true conventions of the franchise and instead attempts to create a more unique experience. The beginning, despite its glacial pacing, is also refreshing in its focus of drawing out the personalities of both Kirito and Eugeo while creating a charming world that you slowly become invested in. Even the inclusion of Medina is interesting since she’s the first herald of how the story will alter from the second half of the anime. Her character itself is intriguing and I found myself wanting to learn more about her and her importance to the plot.

The biggest roadblock with the plot, though, is the same as in the animated version. Once you hit the Sword Mastery Academy, the plot takes a noticeable nosedive. The newly introduced characters are bland window dressing solely there to service Kirito’s (and to a point Eugeo) own arc.

Though I will admit that once again the title’s slower pace makes the characters a little more endearing in this incarnation, there is no excuse, however, for this game to still have the infamous sexual assault scene from the anime. And while it doesn’t graphically depict said scene, this would have been a perfect opportunity to completely remove it and create an entirely new scene that serves the same character arc purposes, since it’s already established that this game will be diverging from the original story.

“Alicization Lycoris‘s best feature is its multiplayer.”

Alicization Lycoris‘s best feature is its multiplayer, which you unlock after clearing the first chapter. It features a pretty competent character creator (decent options that are standard in any SAO title) to go along with the enjoyable mission and side quest-based gameplay that’s often a welcome break from the occasional monotony of the main game. It’s a shame that such a fun part of the game is hidden behind over 12 hours of initial gameplay.

However, neither the single or multiplayer can hide the technical and graphical issues. It’s important to clarify that these are easily the best-looking graphics to date in a Sword Art Online game. The environments are uniquely designed, vibrant, colorful, and sometimes even pretty. But there are plenty of poorly rendered textures and the pop-in is extremely noticeable. Even worse are the frame rate issues, which for a turn-based JRPG would be forgivable, but are absolutely unthinkable in an action JRPG where timing is vital and slowdown can cost you a hefty chunk of dealt damage. Fixes have been coming to at least improve the abysmal FPS, so hopefully, those who already purchased the title will have a better experience moving forward.

Overall, credit is due to Sword Art Online Alicization Lycoris for trying to change up the far too familiar formula of the franchise and offer both veteran and new players a brand new experience. But the problems in the plotline, gameplay, graphics, and technical issues impact it significantly. Although it’s not a bad game at all, it’s also not a very good one and becomes difficult to recommend to anyone outside of series fans.

August 11, 2020 11:00 AM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2020/08/sword-art-online-alicization-lycoris-review-fails-to-fully-actualize-its-ambitions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sword-art-online-alicization-lycoris-review-fails-to-fully-actualize-its-ambitions

[bevioletskies]

20 questions [17/20]

characters: peter/gamora, guardians-centric

fandom: avengers academy/marvel cinematic universe

summary: wasp has a new competition in store for the students of avengers academy, and there’s money involved. so obviously, peter and gamora have to pretend to be a couple in order to win. wait, what?

chapter preview: peter and gamora's "six-month anniversary" date goes about as well as expected.

word count: 7811 | total word count: 118k

a/n: i think this chapter wins for most angst-ridden inner monologues.

ao3 | previously | next | masterpost

The moment Gamora woke up on Saturday morning, she could tell something was wrong. As in, that she had slept so perfectly, so peacefully, that there had to be some sort of catch. Blinking slowly, she found herself mere inches away from Peter’s face, though thankfully his eyes were closed, breathing even, indicating he was still asleep. She chuckled slightly at the way his hair was completely flattened on one side, exposing the burnt parts of his hair. Upon closer inspection, she also noticed the slightest patch of raw skin along the top of his ear. For someone who enjoyed his theatrics, Peter undersold his injuries more than she’d like.

Gamora sat up, stretching and letting out a shivering yawn, before rummaging around in his cabinets for scissors. Peter woke a few minutes later, blinking at her sleepily. “Morning,” he mumbled, his voice deeper than usual, a pleasant sound for her to hear. “You cutting my hair now?”

She hummed in affirmation, twirling her finger to indicate for him to sit up and turn his back to her. He obeyed, moving sluggishly into a seated position and shuffling forwards so she had room to join him on the bed. Once she found what she was looking for, Gamora kneeled behind him and began running her fingers through his hair again so she could get the undamaged strands out of the way. “Are you going to tell me anything about tonight? Or am I completely in the dark on this one?”

“No spoilers,” Peter replied, tipping his head back so he could smile at her. “Just meet me at the quad at 7:30.”

“Can I at least get a dress code? Is this a ‘fancy dinner’ kind of situation, or a ‘dancing at Club Galaxy’ situation?” She made her first definitive cut, catching the hair in her free hand, smiling privately to herself. It was a miracle Peter didn’t burn his hair more often, given the amount of explosions, fires, and general chaos that he let himself get too close to.

“It’s a ‘come as you are’ situation.” He fell silent as she made a few more snips before turning to look at her. “Gamora,” he said gently. “I listened to you last night, you know. Small things, not big gestures, right?”

“Good to know you’re paying attention,” she said evenly, though her heart skipped rather anxiously. “I guess I’ve also been wondering what we’re gonna do once we finally finish our game of 20 Questions.”

“I’ll still answer you,” Peter said almost too quickly, mentally kicking himself for being too eager. “If they’re not too personal.”

“We’ve asked each other a lot of personal things,” Gamora countered. “Is there really anything off the table at this point?”

“Yes.” His immediate response surprised her - what could he possibly have to hide at this point?

“Fair enough.” She made her last cut before moving to deposit the hair into his trash can, then moved back towards him so she could ruffle his hair once more, this time for stray bits, unusually gentle. Peter thought back to Gamora’s comment about romantic gestures, about signs of love. Was it stupid of him to hope that this was one of them, this quiet morning they were sharing? “You want help with your bandages, too?”

“You’re feeling generous today,” he teased. “That’d be great, thanks.” She eyed him expectantly, and he was unsure of what she was waiting for, until he realized she wanted him to take off his shirt. Letting out a shaky exhale, he pulled off his rumpled, ratty T-shirt and threw it in the general direction of his wardrobe. Despite her being the one to check on his injuries and test his physical capabilities, the sleepy, lackadaisical mood of the room was making it feel more intimate. “You sure this wasn’t just a ploy to get my shirt off?”

“You really need to stop thinking everyone wants to sleep with you, Quill,” she shot back, pulling out his med kit from underneath his mattress.

Peter chuckled, causing the rawness of the skin on his torso to flare up a little. He clutched at his side with a groan, leaning forward to rest his head onto her shoulder. “G’mora-a-a, it hurts.”

“Fearless leader, huh?” She patted him on the bare shoulder before slowly hoisting him back up. His eyes crinkled at the corners as he fixated on her face.

“Fearless leader’s you,” he said quietly. “It’s what we’re both here for, right? It’s like you told Natasha - balance.”

She nodded, moving to peel off his old bandages instead of answering. Gamora continued to work in silence, though she could feel Peter’s gaze - soft, warm, inviting. She wanted to lean into the touch, the way his hands came to rest on her hips to keep her steady despite her having perfect balance. His head was still tilted in her direction, as if he wanted to lean on her shoulder again. Deciding to test this theory, she shuffled a little closer, her knees nearly in his lap, as she cleaned his skin. It had almost been three weeks since the building had collapsed on them, but only now had the open wounds on his body closed up, his skin starting to heal over anew, slightly pink and delicate to the touch. She couldn’t help but remember that he would have healed much faster before they had killed Ego. Her own injuries were long gone, as if they had never happened.

“You’re thinkin’ pretty hard about something,” Peter commented after they’d been quiet for ten minutes. His chin was on her shoulder again, though his head was cocked sideways so he could continue watching her.

“Thinking you might need to ask Stark for a suit of armour at this point,” she replied easily, ripping off long strips of medical tape. “Then again, you’d probably hate to be seen in anything but those red leather jackets of yours.”

“Got that right.” Gamora could feel his laughter rumble through his entire body, causing her own shoulder to shake slightly in response. She had him hold the new bandages against his torso as she taped them down, running her fingers along his abdomen so she could check for air bubbles.

Satisfied, she leaned away from him. “All done.” She began packing away the kit, head down as she concentrated on her task, when she felt Peter’s lips brush against her face, kissing her right on the cheek, ever so gently.

“Thanks, Gamora.” He stood, stretching and cracking his knuckles as if nothing had happened, though she could feel her own heart hammering wildly in her chest, even as he left the room to begin his day.

______

Despite looking forward to their “date”, Gamora still felt the heavy sensation of impending demise settling deep into her bones, something, be it knowledge or instinct, that told her that Thanos wasn’t just inevitable, he was almost here. She had messaged Yondu in the middle of the night after Peter had fallen asleep, hoping that he hadn’t done anything stupid, like take off the way Nebula had done, or drowned himself in shitty beer. Thankfully, Rocket had apparently decided to distract him with some work, claiming that he had ways of improving Yondu’s headfin, though she knew Rocket had told her long ago there wasn’t much more he could do.

To Gamora’s surprise, Nebula seemed calmer than she was about the Black Order’s presence. For someone who had been so desperate to fight them not too long ago, her sister appeared to have matured, accepting that they couldn’t go in, swords and guns ablaze, and expect results. Maybe, as terrible as it sounded, finding out that the Ravagers had been taken out so easily by just one of them had made Nebula realize the gravity of the situation. She stepped more carefully, snapped a little less.

The two of them spent the morning with Mantis at the gym, teaching her how to fall. Her instincts were very good, for the most part, but she still had moments where she second-guessed herself and ended up tumbling to the ground in a heap. At the very least, she needed to learn how to fall with minimal injury.

“Again,” Nebula snapped as Mantis landed on her shoulder for the third time that morning. “A fall like that from an immense height, and you will shatter your entire arm. Does that sound fun to you?” The other girl shook her head, somewhat terrified.

In a way, this was Nebula’s way of showing that she cared. If she didn’t like Mantis, she wouldn’t be putting this much effort into her training, probably would have never agreed to help in the first place. The anger in her eyes wasn’t out of dislike for Mantis, it was out of frustration that she couldn’t get what she wanted out of her so that she would be stronger. Still, it was difficult for Gamora to watch it happen. Mantis, like every other Academy student, had never grown up in the constant presence of the Mad Titan himself, could never dream of what he was capable of, or what he would be like should he get his hands on the completed Infinity Gauntlet. Maybe Nebula had been onto something when she had taken off from the school, though not for the right reasons.

As Mantis landed on her elbow and let out a cry of pain, it suddenly became clear to Gamora. It wasn’t about taking on Thanos alone. It was about taking the fight away from the school, away from all these people who didn’t deserve to be hurt. The Ravagers hadn’t even seen Yondu since he joined the Guardians, and yet they’d been punished, merely for being an associate of an associate. Men (of admittedly loose morals and questionable honour) had been killed, just to prove that Thanos would, and could, do it. What was to become of everyone else? The students that had never signed up for this war, the faculty that tried their damnedest to protect them. And then, the rest of the planet.

Suddenly, the thought of being “stronger together” sounded quite ominous. It threatened the very nature of this school, of this life that they lived. She and Nebula needed to find associates who could handle Thanos, not good-hearted, strong, but ultimately underpowered people like...well, like Peter. He was a surprisingly good tactician, incredible with his quad blasters, and quick on his feet, but Thanos would swat him like a fly.

Gamora hadn’t told him, but a new nightmare had become a part of her consistent rotation, one in which Thanos had arrived to Earth, ready for battle, and crushed the Guardians, one by one, under his feet before her very eyes. He would always save Peter for last. “Terrans,” he would sneer in her face. “Gamora, you disappoint me. Falling for a Terran. A primitive race, wouldn’t you say? Weak.”

“PETER!” she would scream, every single time, arms outstretched, but it was too late. She couldn’t reach him. Peter would be crumpled on the ground, oddly bloodless (the only thing that signified she was still dreaming), though there would be a smear of it across his face, the same dark red as his beloved jacket. When she finally managed to get to him, taking his rapidly-cooling hand in hers, all she would be able to sense was Thanos’s mocking laughter from above.

“Useless,” he would say. “Absolutely useless. Not just the boy, but you. You were my favourite daughter, Gamora, but no longer. You think yourself above being a weapon? You want to live the life of a stupid Terran? I made you. I built you, every system in your body, every bit of metal that you feel, holding you together. And now, I’m taking you apart, piece by piece.”

It scared her every time, how realistic it felt. How plausible it was for Thanos to arrive and do such a thing. Gamora knew now that she would do anything to prevent it from happening, not just to the Guardians, but to everyone else at this school, everyone else on this planet.

Even if it meant leaving it behind.

______

Peter, meanwhile, had decided to spend most of his day with Yondu. It had been quite awhile since they had some quality “bro time”, as Peter enthusiastically called it, like their old Ravager days, when it had just been the two of them against the galaxy. He always thought fondly of the times they pulled pranks while living on the Eclector together, sneaking sleeping pills (or if they were feeling especially terrible, laxatives) into the food of the commanders that picked on them, or hiding razor blades in the captain’s seat cushions (Stakar was unfortunately too clever to fall for it, considering he had pulled similar practical jokes when he was younger).

Unfortunately for Yondu, it wasn’t a day for pranks, but rather, a day for homework. Peter was relatively caught up, thanks to Gamora’s insistence (as in, she told him she wouldn’t watch Return of the Jedi until he had finished everything), but Yondu, ever the slacker, was astonishingly behind.

“You tryna torture me or somethin’?” Yondu grumbled, reaching for his eraser. “I got better things to do, Quill.”

“Like what?” Peter snorted. He was half-distracted by his tablet, having become rather obsessed with checking in on articles about the Guardians. As cute as Groot was, Peter wanted to talk to Pepper about taking legal action against people who published photos of the little one without his knowledge. Photo of Groot splashing in a birdbath? Adorable. Photo of Groot getting stuck under a pile of rubble and crying for help? Deplorable. “All you ever do around here is nap and chase girls.”

“Wha’d’ya mean, like what?” Yondu got to his feet, throwing his pencil down. From where Peter was sitting, he could tell Yondu hadn’t written a single word or number since they had sat down at the table thirty minutes ago. “Your girlfriend ain’t tell you what’s happened?”

Peter frowned in confusion. He hadn’t really seen Yondu since he and the girls had gone to talk to Director Fury, but he had chalked it up to Yondu wanting to avoid everyone else, as he often did. “I’m gonna let that comment slide - what did Fury say?”

Yondu laughed, though it was cold, cruel, mocking, even. “Thought you two shared everything. How about that? Quill, a bunch of our boys got killed. All ‘cause of Gamora’s daddy sending one of his minions after ‘em. That’s what.”

Peter felt every muscle in his body seize up at the mere thought of Thanos. The Ravagers, as awful as they could be, didn’t deserve to die, especially not in whatever ruthless, cold-hearted manner that had befallen them. “Yondu, I...I don’t know what to say. I’m so sorry.”

“Don’t worry, I’m not blaming your girl,” he sighed, sitting back down. There was an exhaustion to him that Peter had never seen before, a stark contrast to his usual devil-may-care attitude, not a salacious smirk or lecherous grin in sight. “She ain’t the one forcin’ me to be a Guardian.”

“So you’re saying this is my fault.”

“Don’t be stupid, boy,” Yondu snapped. “I didn’t have to follow ya here, did I? I made my own choice, and now my boys have paid the price when they aren’t the ones buying. And now, I’m wonderin’ whether this was all worth it, and I’ll bet you Gamora’s thinkin’ the same thing. After all, she’s on the straight and narrow now, but she’s getting people killed just by being on this here planet. How much longer you think she can take that kind of guilt?”

In lieu of answering, Peter carried on instead. “Why didn’t she tell me?”

“Probably to protect you or some shit,” Yondu said, rolling his eyes. “Me? I think you need to know, Quill, ‘cause you’re the one that’s gonna figure out how to get us outta this mess. What’re you gonna do about it, huh?”

Honestly, Peter didn’t want to think about it, what it could mean if Thanos was getting that much closer. As Mantis had said to him, Gamora was the rational one - she probably had a million tactical plans dancing about in her brain, but all he could think about was how much it would ruin everything that everyone had worked so hard for. The entire planet, decimated. It would make Ronan and Ego look like child’s play. “Kraglin - did he make it?”

“Krag’s okay. He’s a tough one,” Yondu said, cracking the slightest of smiles at the thought of his second-in-command. “I told him, he should be captain while I’m away. Didn’t listen to me. Now, he’s probably considerin’.”

“He’d be great at it,” Peter said gently. He folded his hands in his lap, unsure of what else to say that wasn’t already implied. All those faces he’d forgotten, men he hadn’t seen in at least two years. Though he had never been as close to Kraglin as both of them were to Yondu, he had also been something of a brother, another scrappy kid who enjoyed mischief and mayhem. Kraglin had enjoyed listening to Peter’s music, becoming particularly fond of a few songs, so much so that Peter would hear him humming under his breath while he worked. On days where Yondu had been too cranky, or as they got older, too busy to spend time with them, he and Kraglin would do their chores together, while Peter left his music running, turning up the volume as high as he could without annoying the other Ravagers.

Those men? Now dead and gone, or as Gamora had put it at the funeral so many weeks ago, “only one person who knew them at all”. Yondu, who had chosen to follow Peter here instead of remain back with them. He had picked one guy, someone who wasn’t even supposed to become a Ravager, was intended to be delivered to his father until Yondu had begged Stakar to let Peter stay, over the hundreds that he had led for a good five years in Stakar’s absence. Peter wondered how many of the remaining Ravagers would resent Peter for the rest of their lives.

______

Nebula, for all her feigned ignorance and apathy, could immediately tell when something was wrong with Gamora. They had spent years learning how to conceal emotions, and yet there would still be slips, a little twitch of her eye or a quirk of her mouth, that would reveal her true feelings. The moment Mantis had hit the mat wrong and Gamora had nearly jumped at the impact, Nebula knew it wasn’t just about the fall.

After Mantis left the gym to pick up lunch for the three of them, Nebula pulled Gamora aside, away from the barre where she was stretching. “What is it?”

“I don’t know what you’re referring to,” Gamora said evenly, rubbing at her forearm where Nebula had grabbed her.

“Don’t play dumb, sister, it doesn’t suit you,” Nebula hissed. “You had a pretty strong reaction to Mantis’s fall, but it wasn’t the thought of injury that scared you. So, don’t make me ask again.”

Gamora’s eyes flickered sideways, almost guilty, before she answered. “Our classmates, our friends. They aren’t ready for the kind of pain that Thanos will cause. You were right, Nebula. We shouldn’t be here. But not because we need to take on Thanos, but because we need to protect them from Thanos. Those Ravagers were killed because of us, not Yondu. And here we are, at a school full of Earth’s mightiest heroes, ripe for the taking. All it would take is one single ambush, and everyone here is gone. Dead. Then this planet falls, because no one will be left to protect them.” She let out a long sigh, throwing herself down onto the mat and flinging out her arms in front of her, unusually childlike in her movements. “I thought we had more time than this, Nebula. But we don’t.”

Nebula’s dark gaze fixated on her sister’s face. She looked shaken in a way she never had before. Gamora had been frightened a handful of times when they were under Thanos’s thumb - spooked at the first dead body she had laid eyes on, conflicted over her own power when she had been presented with the Godslayer, terrified when Thanos had first torn her apart. But now, there was more at stake than just her own life, and it left her paralyzed with fear.

“You want to leave.” It wasn’t a question. “After all your lectures about being better with other people by your side, about teamwork, you wish to abandon them.”

“I want to save them,” Gamora said fiercely. “We need to stop Thanos before he gets to Terra. We know him better than anyone, we grew up alongside his children, the Black Order. We can’t get the upper hand if we remain here, with too many people to worry about.”

“But it’s too late for you,” Nebula said mockingly, leaning over her sister and prodding her finger aggressively into Gamora’s chest. “You can’t detach yourself from these people, Gamora, you love them. You’ve always been softer than me, always thinking about the innocent lives you’ve taken in the name of order.”

“Is that what you call Thanos’s treachery? Order?”

“I answered to Ronan, not Thanos, and look what became of him. Because of you and your precious Guardians!” Nebula shouted. Other students were starting to stare, wondering if they should get Ares and have him break up the inevitable fight before it began. “All because you were so concerned - ”

“Billions of people were going to die, Nebula! Does that not matter to you? And it’s going to happen again, and again, unless we make this stop.” Tears threatened to leak from Gamora’s eyes, her voice cracking on her last words. She ducked into her elbow to hide her face, though she knew Nebula had already caught a glimpse of her expression. “And yes. Maybe I have become too attached to this planet, these people, to ever truly be objective,” she continued, trembling. “And that’s why we should at least consider the possibility of leaving to finish the job.”

Nebula exhaled slowly, her breath shaky. Though she would deny it to her grave, and it seemed as if that possibility were closer than ever, she was worried as well. “You are telling me what I said to you a month ago. Don’t have to ask me twice.” She finally settled onto the mat beside her sister, casting an almost shy glance down at the floor. “Please make up your mind at some point, will you? It’s exhausting to put up with your indecision.” Gamora let out a watery chuckle, reaching over to squeeze Nebula’s arm.

______

Peter arrived at the quad at 7:30 PM sharp, feeling a bit idiotic standing around alone. Gamora had messaged him two minutes ago that she would be late, as Groot apparently needed something from her, but part of him worried that she wasn’t going to show. It felt like it was a real date, but instead of a six-month anniversary, as they were calling it, there was a sense of it being the first date.

After all, it wasn’t like their weekend trip into the city, or their movie nights, or even all the times they had fallen asleep together. They were meeting up instead of arriving together, and Peter had planned out something special, despite the fact they could have very easily just told Janet and the others any sort of lie and have them accept it as gospel. Peter wasn’t sure who he and Gamora were trying to fool at this point.

“Hey.” He turned to see Gamora standing there, who seemed to have taken the suggestion of “come as you are” quite seriously. She was in the clothes she had left the Milano in this morning, her “uniform” of a tank top and leggings, along with her red leather duster coat, possibly his favourite piece of clothing that she owned. He liked to think it was her subconscious decision to match him, to present a united front as leaders of the Guardians, or perhaps more intimately, her equivalent of couples’ matching T-shirts. “I managed to convince Groot that Mantis could help him. I don’t really know what he wanted, but it didn’t seem too urgent. So, what are we doing tonight?”

Peter smiled, reaching out for her hand. “You trust me?”

“Somehow, yes,” she said teasingly, sliding their palms together, tangling her fingers with his. They walked in silence for a couple minutes, occasionally gazing up at the night sky or glancing around them, before she spoke again. “Strange, isn’t it? How it all came down to this?”

“What do you mean?”

“You asked me if I had any regrets, doing this,” Gamora replied, squeezing his hand. “And thinking back, maybe I have just one. Not getting you know you better beforehand.”

“Imagine how much smoother missions would’ve gone if we knew how to talk to each other,” Peter chuckled.

“We’re never going to fully agree on tactics, Quill,” she said, though she was smiling and nodding as she said it. “I just mean...all the time we spent apart, never being curious beyond ‘how are you today’, never asking the right questions. When you almost died on Ego’s planet, I had nothing to say to you. How did I let that happen?”

“You weren’t in the business of heart-to-hearts, Gamora, that’s not a bad thing. It wouldn’t have been genuine if you had poked around any more than you did.”

“And that’s where you’re wrong again.” He turned to look at her, noting the melancholy in her eyes. “I think...I’ve always cared about you and the others, ever since we became a team. It was a matter of me not understanding how to show it.”

“Makes sense,” Peter nodded, swallowing. “Thanos...he taught you loyalty, not sentiment. Right?”

“His teachings have shaped me into who I am today,” Gamora said wistfully, her eyelids flickering, the sunset bathing her in orange light that left shadows dancing across her cheeks. She fell silent again, though Peter was half-hoping she would bring up the Ravagers, what Thanos had done to them. Unsurprisingly, she didn’t, though he had a feeling it was the cause of the crease in her brow.

Fifteen minutes later, they arrived at a completely vacant grove. It was an area of the campus that was undeveloped, where students - couples, mostly - went to for privacy. It wasn’t particularly special, aside from being relatively quiet and far away from the heavily populated areas of the school, so Gamora couldn’t help but gasp a little at the transformation. One particular area had a perfect semi-circular formation of trees, with branches that hung low enough to provide some shade during the day, and at night, created curtains of moonlight. Peter had borrowed the string lights Janet had used for the fundraiser festival and hung them along the tree trunks. He had an old gingham blanket laid out on the grass, one of its edges right up against the treeline, and on top of it, a wicker picnic basket and a box of -

Gamora laughed at the sight, letting go of Peter’s hand so she could cover her mouth. “Pizza.”

“I don’t know what your favourite food is, but I know you like pizza,” Peter admitted. He opened the basket and pulled out some drink cans and his holo-tab. “Classic date night - dinner and a movie?”

“In complete privacy,” she said, glancing around. There were some students spending their evening studying outside, but they were far enough that they wouldn’t be able to hear anything, and, once she and Peter were tucked away underneath the trees, wouldn’t be able to see them, either.

“We’ll take another selfie for Janet.”

“That’s not what I was thinking about.” She took his hand again and walked them over, once again, seemingly finishing her train of thought in her own head. Peter figured it would be best not to pry, half-hoping that this “date” (and he hated that he had to use mental quotation marks) would finally provide him some answers. To what, he couldn’t be sure yet.

They sat cross-legged as they began eating their dinner, knees brushing as Peter found himself fidgeting a little more than usual. Gamora had steered the conversation towards Guardians talk, as she often did, and how they needed to review the budget again as soon as the prize money would be presented to them in about three week’s time.

“We’ve got at least ten thousand units in the bag, hey?” Peter said, smiling at her.

“Plus another fifty for Best Team,” she added, holding out her soda can for him to knock his against. He complied, grinning wider.

After they had finished eating and chatting, Peter pulled up Return of the Jedi, projecting it onto the thick canopy of branches above them. As they laid down, he was surprised to find Gamora instinctively curling up against him, despite not being in his cramped bed back on the Milano, her hair fanning out slightly onto his shoulder. She was otherwise quite silent as they watched, as she often was, enraptured in the stories of the space heroes. “You still think we’re like Han and Leia?” Peter whispered as they watched her free him from the carbonite.

Gamora didn’t reply until after Leia had finished kissing Han. “I wouldn’t mind it,” she said softly. If anything, her response left Peter with more questions than answers, but maybe he wasn’t as far off as he had originally thought. After the movie was over, she asked about other movies he had in mind for her, though he could only give her half-hearted answers, as it felt like his head was up among the stars. “Peter, are you okay?”

He was startled at the sound of his first name, though he tried his best not to show it. “I was just...thinking. There was this story I always wanted to tell you, but I never really thought you would care to hear it, but, y’know, now, you probably wouldn’t mind. It’s about my mom.”

Her hand came to rest on his bicep, her face partially buried in his shoulder. “Go on.”

“So, uh, when I was a kid, my mom and I, we had this tradition. She came from a somewhat religious family, and even though she wasn’t super religious herself, we went to church on Sunday mornings like she had done when she was a kid. And I didn’t really like going because I just wanted to play outside instead of sitting still for hours at a time. But she promised that we could do something fun on Sunday night if I went with her. Sometimes it’d be going to the playground, or Dairy Queen to get Dilly Bars, but my favourite thing to do was watch the stars. My mom drove this old rust bucket of a pickup truck, and it’s not the kind of car people expected someone like her to drive, but she loved it. We’d go out to the open field about ten minutes from our house, and put out this blanket on the truck bed, turn on the Walkman, and watch the sky until midnight. Wasn’t the greatest idea for a kid my age on a school night, and I’d always be tired all Monday, but it was one of the best memories I had with her.”

“This very blanket?” Gamora asked, patting the gingham beneath them. It was definitely worn through, with a couple of mismatched patches where there had been holes, and what looked like a stubborn mustard stain somewhere near her hip. It was a blanket that had very clearly been well loved, and well taken care of.

“It was one of the things I had in my backpack when I - well. I took a lot of stuff from the house and put ‘em in there so I could bring it to the hospital. I thought that there had to be something that could help her get better.” Peter inhaled sharply. “Good thing I did, since it was the only thing I had on me when the Ravagers abducted me. Meant I could carry memories of her with me, take her out to space. She would’ve loved it.” He wiped his eyes on his sleeve, clearing his throat hastily as he resumed his story. “I remember, one night, I asked my mom where my nickname came from. I mean, now I kinda know it came from her sort of knowing who my dad really was, and I don’t like that part of it, but at the time, I had no idea. I said, ‘which star am I, Mom? Out of all the stars in the night sky, which one am I?’. And she told me, ‘baby, whichever one you want to be’.”

Gamora could feel tears burning in her eyes as well, turning her face to fully bury herself into Peter’s shoulder so he wouldn’t see. Out of all the things she had learned about him, one of the first she had ever known, long before they began their little game born of boredom, was his everlasting love and admiration of his mother. It was, in fact, one of the very first questions she had asked him, back on Knowhere - the significance of his Walkman, why he valued it so much. It also made her a little furious, thinking of Ego and his careless, blasé attitude towards Meredith and by extension, Peter himself. “Question,” she said, though she wondered if she was going to regret asking. “Do you still think of your father sometimes, even after what he did to you? To her?”

“A little bit less every day,” he answered, turning onto his side so they were face-to-face. “Though...a part of me wishes I had learned more about him. Like what he did to the other kids, or how he treated Mantis. She won’t tell me anything, and the fact that she won’t answer makes me worry that there’s more to it than just apathy. Or...how he managed to kill my mother despite knowing he was falling in love with her.” He swallowed loudly. “I can’t imagine having it in me to intentionally hurt someone that I loved.”

“But what if knowing made you more sympathetic? What if it changed your mind about killing him?”

“Nothing could change my mind about that. He killed her, and he almost killed all of you.” There was a ferocity in his expression that told her he would have never given it a second thought. “Um, question.” He cleared his throat. “What’s the happiest you’ve ever been?”

It felt like a sudden mood whiplash. Was that really what Peter wanted to know, right in this moment? Their faces were so close that Gamora could count his eyelashes, see the hints of teardrops glossing them over. She wanted to wipe the dampness on his cheeks away. “There’s no specific thing I can think of. Anytime I’m with you and the others, I suppose. Even when we fight.”

He cracked a weak smile, reaching for his Walkman as he spoke. “I’m glad that we can be that for you. I mean, we’re all like that for each other, right? I mean, we’re a pretty freaking weird group of people, but we somehow managed to make a pretty good team. The ‘Best Team’, even!”

Peter got to his feet, holding out his hand for Gamora to take, pulling her up to join him. With her nod of permission, he slid the headphones neatly over her ears and pressed play, watching her face carefully. The music started off slow, almost melancholy, as he took her hands up once again and began turning them in slow, even paces. They hadn’t danced since the hotel room, two whole months ago, before Nebula had disappeared, before their botched mission, before all the understandings and misunderstandings in between. He leaned in closer, his mouth ghosting over her ear, singing softly. “Stop...the world...tonight...oh, let me stay...in your arms...forever...” Tentatively, Gamora let her head rest against his chest, a motion that would have felt so foreign before, now a comfort, his steady heartbeat drumming beneath her cheek. “And where...all my dreams...start to spin...love...oh, love...begins...” He trailed off, pulling away from her so he could look at her face. There was a different sort of sadness on his face this time, like a resignation to something she couldn’t recognize.

“Peter?”

“When were you planning on telling me about the Ravagers?”

“Peter,” she said again, forlornly. “I...that wasn’t mine to tell. It was Yondu’s men.”

“Killed by Thanos’s employees.” Though she expected him to sound angry, or at the very least, frustrated, he sounded just about as emotionally drained as he looked. “You’re going to do it, aren’t you? Leave the school, permanently.”

“I don’t want to, but maybe I don’t have a choice,” Gamora frowned. “You said once that I came out of my upbringing wanting to help people, and this is how I can help. Taking the fight elsewhere, so Thanos can face Nebula and I directly.”

“That’s not a fight, that’s a suicide mission,” he said fiercely. “Gamora, you’re going against what you’ve been telling Nebula this whole time. You’ve made it pretty clear that you agree with me - we aren’t friends, we’re family. We’re capable of more when we’re with each other. All you’re going to accomplish by going against Thanos alone is get yourself killed faster, and maybe delay him a little bit longer before he gets here.”

“I never said I liked the idea of leaving,” Gamora protested. “But maybe it has to be done. And I’m not asking you to come with me, because let’s be real here, Peter, you won’t be able to help at all.”

“Right, because I’m the weak one.”

“Because you didn’t train like Nebula and I have!” she yelled, fully yanking herself away from him, taking off the headphones and shoving them into his chest. “Stop thinking that I see you as an inferior being, Peter. It’s a matter of different skill sets, and - ”

“ - no, you see, I got it all wrong! Back on Ego, I thought you wanted me to keep being Terran so you’d be the stronger one, but you asking me if I regret killing him - you want me to have my Celestial powers back, don’t you? Otherwise you think I’m useless!”

“Stop putting words in my mouth,” she hissed. “And stop talking yourself down so I’ll talk you back up. I’m not here to make you feel better about yourself.”

“Then what are you here for, huh?” Peter looked triumphant as Gamora had finally fallen silent, arms folded across her chest in defiance. “What were all those words you threw at me? Despicable, dishonourable, faithless, insufferable? Is that what you look for in a friend? What happened to all that when we started this, this fake relationship of ours?”

“I don’t have to listen to this. And I don’t have to answer to you,” she said, her voice dangerously low. “If you insist on acting like a child, it’ll make it that much easier for me to leave.”

For the first time in ages, Gamora felt like she wanted to run away from him. This had never been a good idea from the start, had it? This relationship ruse, all just a prolonged extension of how she had become too comfortable on this planet, with these people. Holding his hand, chatting for hours, sharing his bed, tentatively flirting with him in the hopes he would understand her intentions. Teaching Mantis how to fight, training with Drax, combating her worst fears with Rocket, looking after Groot - every single moment she had spent with the others was another moment in which she hesitated about leaving to finish the job. She loved them too much.

Loved him too much.

“Gamora,” Peter sighed, reaching for her. “That was...I shouldn’t have said it. But can you really blame a guy for wanting to know?”

“You’re asking me what I have to gain out of your friendship? As if this is just some transaction?” She laughed hollowly, sending shivers down his spine. “Then let me turn this around on you. I barely remember our first meeting, but I remember how insistent you were on tailing me ever since. You made it pretty clear that you saw me as another potential notch on your bedpost. Are you sure that’s not still the case?”

He pulled away again, rage burning in his usually sweet, gentle eyes. Gamora stepped back, somewhat fearful. “Is that what you’ve been thinking this whole time? That I’ve been doing all this with the endgame of sleeping with you? Are we really having this argument?”

She let out a long, unsteady breath, her arms falling to her side, limp. “All we ever seem to do is fight,” Gamora said resignedly, echoing the words Nebula had said to her on Ego’s planet. “Maybe this doesn’t make us family after all. Maybe we’re just a group of people who have spent too long holding on to each other, and we can’t figure out how to let go.”

“If that’s what you need to tell yourself to feel better about leaving.” Peter sat back down, leaning forward to wrap his arms around his bent knees. She had always thought of him as being tall, broad, somewhat physically imposing (until Drax came around), but now, she had never seen him look so small. “Gamora...if you want to leave, I’m not going to stop you. I’ll want to try, but it’s your life, your choice, not mine. But to be honest? I don’t really know what I’m gonna do without you. And if you leave, we’ll probably never see each other again. You know that, right?”

His head came to rest on his knees, giving her the option of walking away without him watching her go. He could feel his breath coming in shallow, as if he couldn’t get enough air in his lungs to go on. To his surprise, he felt Gamora kneeling next to him, her arms wrapping around his entire body, her hair flung haphazardly across his back, her face buried against his. She smelled like her shampoo - nothing floral or fruity, but something more woodsy, musky. Warm. And her arms, strong as ever, holding him almost too tight, yet just enough to keep him together. Because yeah, maybe he was starting to fall apart.

His legs went slack against the ground, and, feeling brave, Peter slowly pulled Gamora onto his lap, her knees braced on either side of his hips. She pressed her face into his neck, and his went to her shoulders, his arms around her waist, inhaling slowly. “Hey. Do...do you have any idea how much I care about you?”

“I could ask you the same thing,” she replied softly. “But I think we’re both too afraid to know the answer.”

“Especially if you leave,” he said, lifting his head so he could look at her. “Maybe it’s better we don’t know.”

“Or maybe,” she said slowly, “we’ll just...know, and choose not to believe it.”

“Sounds like a plan,” he laughed weakly.

“Peter...I’ll tell you when I make my decision. But it’s going to have to be soon. I can’t let it happen again.”

He wisely didn’t tell her that Thanos could very well be killing hundreds of thousands of people right now, and they would never know. All he wanted to feel was her hands interlaced against his back, her full weight resting against his chest, trusting that he would keep her steady. It was stupid, but he felt as if the moment he let go, she would leave and never come back.

They stayed intertwined for what felt like forever and not enough. After all of this, Peter felt like he had failed. All his improvised speeches, his insistence on teamwork, all the missions and jobs in the world, none of which would convince her to stay when it came down to the endgame, the biggest endeavour of her life. And he’d failed in another way, too - being too cowardly to tell her how he felt. They were close, so close, to saying it out loud, that he was certain if he kissed her now, she would respond in kind, but what good would that do if she were leaving anyways? It was like he had said to Yondu so long ago - he wasn’t in the business of getting hurt. Besides, it would be selfish of him to think that her feelings for him alone would convince her not to go. He was important to her, that much he knew, but he also knew that in a way, Gamora felt as if defeating Thanos had become her true purpose in life, after everything she had done under his rule. As the stupid saying goes, Peter thought as he slowly dropped his arms away from her waist. If you love something, set it free. And I do. I do love her.

Gamora got to her feet, though not before kissing Peter on the cheek so quickly that he wasn’t sure he hadn’t just imagined it. She wiped at her eyes despite them looking relatively dry, smiling at him tentatively. “We should head back now, it’s almost midnight. Director’s not gonna be happy.”

“Right,” he said, clearing his throat for what felt like the fiftieth time that night. He quickly packed everything up and stood, allowing Gamora to take his hand and walk them back to the dorms.

“So, what’s the happiest you’ve ever been?” she asked.

“Probably when we first became a team.” This surprised her - she had been expecting another memory of his mother. “It was like everything falling into place. Like I didn’t realize how much I needed other people until we all came together.”

“We were a disaster back then,” Gamora chuckled. “But...I know what you mean. Like we were biding our time until we found each other.”

Once they stopped outside of Gamora’s door, Peter turned to face her, taking both her hands in his. “So. When you look back at this, this, fake relationship of ours. What we’re like now, what we were like before. How much of it are you gonna take with you?”

Her eyes cast downwards to their joined hands, wondering how many more chances she would get to hold them. Looking back up, she opened her mouth to answer.

a/n: well, they sort of confessed, didn't they? here is the song they danced to until it all went kind of sideways.

next chapter is a bit of fun - it's going to be entirely flashbacks (aka gamora's answer to peter's question), detailing how they met and became the team we know and love in this mash-up universe of mine. i hope you guys will like it, since it sort of reimagines the events of both movies.

[gamerszone2019-blog]

Gears 5 Review In Progress - Mutating For The Better

New Post has been published on https://gamerszone.tn/gears-5-review-in-progress-mutating-for-the-better/

Gears 5 Review In Progress - Mutating For The Better

Gears 5 is available now for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, ahead of its official September 10 release date. Now that it’s live, we’re digging into multiplayer modes, so check back soon for the final review.

You wouldn’t be blamed for thinking that the latest game in the Gears of War franchise is another entry from the middle of the original trilogy’s Locust War. Shooting gooey reptilian monsters, exploring ruined labs, and chainsawing other players are the things Gears does best, and Gears 5 squarely focuses on strengthening those core elements. The underpinnings of the series haven’t been tweaked much in its sixth entry, but The Coalition adds a lot of new stuff in its second game since taking the reins on the Gears of War franchise. While Gears 5’s story is largely obsessed with the past, and to some degree, Gears 5 stays there too, the new additions help revitalize the series’ best old ideas.

And there are a lot of new additions. On the cooperative multiplayer side, characters get new abilities so that they each play a little differently. Expansive progression systems in competitive and co-op multiplayer draw from games like Fortnite and Call of Duty to give you a constant feeling of advancement. Even the story campaign has something of an RPG-like progression system, as well as a few wide-open areas that change up the series’ traditionally linear approach. The Coalition hasn’t moved far from the fundamentals of Gears gameplay–you still move deliberately, diving between cover positions behind chest-high walls and other debris to pop out and shoot at enemies with a variety of guns. Carefully timing your active reloads gets you the most out of your firepower, and you’re always searching the battlefield for new weapons better suited to the enemies you’re taking down. Gory executions and melee kills are still essential at close quarters. But the game has grown significantly, with a free Battle Pass-like system, hero shooter-inspired characters, and other improvements that are all welcome evolutions for a 13-year-old franchise.

While the new elements don’t stop Gears 5 from feeling true to the earlier games in the franchise, at least in its 12-hour story campaign, there’s also a lot of ground that’s being revisited. The Locust are back, but they’re called the Swarm now. You’ll spend some time trying to convince straggly bands of surviving humans to join forces with the fascist COG army to fight the Swarm, but these folks aren’t called the Stranded anymore; they’re Outsiders. Most of the game concerns bringing a franchise superweapon, the Hammer of Dawn, back online to use against your enemies. Gears is undoubtedly back in the same territory it covered with the trilogy that wrapped up back in 2011, and while some of the tools in this war are different, the war has mostly gone unchanged. Gears 5 is weakened somewhat by being mired in the past; there are some strong moments in its campaign, but it struggles to move forward in a way that’s a satisfying continuation of the narrative.

The story picks up not long after the events of Gears of War 4, in which JD Fenix–son of series poster boy Marcus Fenix–and his pals Del and Kait discovered the Swarm threat and set out to stop it. You’ll mostly just run around shooting various groups of Swarm monsters from behind cover in much the same way you always have in previous games–but Gears 5 breaks things up with a few variations on the gameplay that improve on its predecessors.

Instead of focusing on JD and his relationship with Marcus as in Gears 4, the sequel recenters on Kait, who lost her mother to the Swarm at the end of the last game. Gears 4’s ending suggested that Kait has a connection to the Locust horde that Marcus helped to genocide 25 years ago, and a good portion of Gears 5 is about exploring that connection and uncovering secrets long buried by the COG government.

The first and last Acts are more traditional Gears fare, in that you’re guided through a series of missions that are mostly about taking objectives, backing up other squads, and killing giant monsters. But in the middle of the game, Gears 5 changes the pace with two open segments. You hop aboard a skiff, which is essentially a dogsled with a sail on it, and zip over the terrain of a snowy valley and across a vast desert. These areas feel fundamentally different from past Gears games, allowing you to explore and look for side objectives where you can pick up small subplots of story and grab hidden collectibles and upgrades, advancing the main plot (or not) at your own pace.

The open areas don’t take you too far out of the Gears norm–you won’t be accosted by roaming forces or stuck in a shootout in the middle of the wilderness. Arriving at any point of interest usually sends you on a short mission where you’ll explore a building or wander into an arena filled with enemies. They’re like mini Gears levels that you can take or leave, usually with an ambush to tangle you up and some weapons, upgrades, or a bit of lore waiting at the end.

Story On A Small Scale

What’s really enticing about these areas, though, are the many small moments they allow between characters. Act 2 finds Kait and Del on their own as they explore Kabar, a frozen alpine region full of old COG labs and fortifications that you’ll search for Kait’s answers. But the entire segment is fleshed out through a series of character-building conversations between Kait and Del as they hang around together, basically on a shooty road trip. Gears 5’s writing is at its best in these character conversations, and the intimate time spent with characters in Acts 2 and 3 help you feel closer to them. Listening to Kait tell Del what she’s worried she might uncover, or Kait making fun of Del for dropping tons of esoteric knowledge about things like the commercial lumber industry, bring you closer to the characters than any number of battles with AI teammates do.

Kait provides an interesting alternative viewpoint to the proceedings as Gears 5’s protagonist as well. She’s fundamentally an outsider–in the sense of her anti-COG upbringing, her somewhat arms-length relationship with the city-boy soldiers with whom she fights, and her apparent ties to humanity’s greatest enemies. The game doesn’t necessarily spend a ton of time exploring that idea, but in the conversations between Delta squad members, we get a much better sense of the distance Kait feels from her friends.

Unfortunately, the rest of Gears 5’s story is uneven. Though Kait’s desire to find out more about her connection to the Locust is a strong drive to push the narrative forward, Gears 5 pretty much wraps up what feels like her central drive by the middle of the game. The rest is just about Delta cruising around completing various tasks to fight off the growing Swarm threat, while the more personal stuff is left to linger. Exploring the destroyed desert facilities of the COG’s old human enemies, the UIR, is a fun diversion full of a lot of pitched battles, but as far as the characters are concerned, nothing impactful happens outside of a bunch of big action set pieces. Gears 5 plays out its best story moments early, and it ends without doing much with the reveals and turning points it does create.

The story ultimately feels somewhat truncated and meandering, but the campaign is still fun to play. Some key changes in the structure do a lot to provide new opportunities in the old framework. Since you’re exploring areas at your own pace, you’ll often come across unaware Swarm soldiers searching for ammo or prepping for combat, which gives you a chance to stealthily take some out. You also have a new set of abilities for your squad to use on the battlefield thanks to Jack, the R2-D2-like robot that follows you around on missions. Jack can zap enemies to injure them, flash enemies to stun them and make them break cover, ping their locations, turn you invisible, and even take over an enemy’s mind for a brief period.

Jack effectively provides Gears 5’s campaign with a progression system, and coupled with the more varied gameplay and some slight squad control in the form of marking targets, he helps take Gears out of its cover-shooter comfort zone somewhat. Quickly swapping through and using Jack’s abilities gives you a chance to make new decisions in combat or take advantage of different ways to play that you couldn’t before, like by activating invisibility to slip through the front lines for a flanking position or using the Stim ability to strengthen yourself so you can melee to death a hulking Swarm Scion.

Jack has a skill tree that lets you improve his abilities along a few different paths, allowing you to tweak his capabilities to better fit your playstyle. He’s also the major reason to complete side missions and search all those nooks, crannies, dead ends, and side areas that litter Gears 5. While those side activities sometimes give a bit of a better understanding of the story or the world, the big reward is almost always an item that helps you improve Jack’s abilities.

Multiplayer, But More

As with the campaign, The Coalition doesn’t reinvent the series’ standard multiplayer in Gears 5–but much of it sees improvements aimed at adding customization and support for varied playstyles. The franchise’s usual competitive multiplayer is back, where two teams of five players face off, with options segmented into more casual Quickplay and more hardcore Ranked playlists.

Gears 5 multiplayer doesn’t fix what isn’t broken–it’s striking how much Gears 5’s competitive modes feel like, say, Gears of War 3, and are fun in the same ways. Since it isn’t changing the core feel of the gameplay, The Coalition has expanded on it by offering more options for multiplayer, so you can find the modes you like, and metagame progression systems, to make your time feel more meaningful.

Quickplay includes a bunch of different game types that fit the Gears framework, while pushing you to play a little differently in every match. Its modes include classics like King of the Hill, as well as Gears of War 4’s weapon-based Arms Race (a literal race to get kills with a host of different guns) and Dodgeball, in which you can’t respawn unless a teammate kills a member of the opposing squad. The Ranked mode, on the other hand, plays things straighter with simpler modes like Team Deathmatch.

It’s very easy to see the influence live service games have on Gears 5, with an overall level-up system for your multiplayer persona, the ability to unlock more guns for your starting loadouts, and lots of customization options. They’re all of a type similar to what you’d see in something like Fortnite–nothing that would draw you into multiplayer on its own, but plenty to give you new unlocks to chase and to help multiplayer feel like it has more depth than just a series of matches to play. Exactly how big an influence those progression systems have on how multiplayer actually plays is tough to get a sense pre-release, so we’ll be putting in more multiplayer after Gears 5’s launch and will update this review accordingly. It should be noted also that, like live service games, Gears 5 also includes customization items you can grab by spending money on premium currency.

Specializing In Co-Op

The bigger refinements come in Gears 5’s co-op modes. Here, Gears 5 furthers an emphasis on teamwork and specialization, and again, the live service influence is apparent.

Horde mode returns, in which five players team up to take on 50 waves of enemies while building fortifications and buying new weapons in between each round. It sees some tweaks to the rules, with elements like shared resources, the ability to spend those resources on character perks to make yourself stronger, and greater character specialization that gives you more of a particular job as you work together to survive. New to the cooperative scene is Escape, in which you race through a Swarm Hive as a squad of three, trying to outrun deadly gas as you find your way out and kill enemies along the way. Escape differs from the other modes in that you have limited weapons and ammo, forcing you to search for more resources as you go and to work together to stay alive, especially on higher difficulties.

Both modes add more ways to engage with Gears 5 on their own, and they share their own live service-style progression systems that let you level up characters, customize their capabilities and loadouts, and generally make them more your own. The characters you choose in both Horde and Escape each have different roles and special abilities, including an Ultimate ability that charges up over time. You can even play as Jack the robot in an almost purely support role, providing something for players who prefer backing up teammates over scoring headshots. On the surface, Horde and Escape play pretty similarly to Gears’ other modes, and it’ll take some advancement through the progression systems to find out just how specific you can get with your character builds and how differently they really play from one another. But the possibilities are there to provide you with fun new ways to think about Gears’ pop-and-shoot gameplay and teamwork.

Gears 5’s additions make the whole package feel denser and more involved–even if it still plays very similarly to Gears games in the past. To some degree, there’s almost too much progression to deal with; it’s a lot to learn and keep in mind, and the character additions don’t always seem to have a big impact on how you play at lower levels. It’s an area that’s tough to gauge without spending more time with Gears 5 multiplayer post-release, and we’ll be digging into that portion of the game more in the coming days before finalizing the review.

But what makes Gears 5 work well is that those additions feel like a useful evolution of the core Gears concept, even if a lot of these ideas–like an involved character progression system or a Battle Pass-like rewards path–are also becoming commonplace among shooters. 13 years after the franchise’s first release, The Coalition’s additions to Gears 5 are all things that seem right at home with the elements that give the series its identity. The upshot is there are lots of options, and while you might not play them all, there’s probably something that fits the kind of player you are.

Gears 5 is very much a return of those best elements of Gears of War, but with a focus on making the game feel somewhat more adaptive to your particular ways of playing. Whether you want campaign or co-op, Competitive or Quickplay, there’s an option for you in Gears 5, and plenty of stuff to reward you for time spent and skill gained. Gears 5 might suffer from some of the same storytelling missteps as its predecessors, and it might not venture far out of the past, but the new ideas it brings to the series are all good reasons for fans to return.

Source : Gamesport

[kendrixtermina]

Extra Typology Vol #3 - Part 3, B: The Conscientious Style (Advice)

These entries will be subdivided to 1st person and 2nd person advice, ie, how to get along with a given type and how to improve your life if you are that type. 

Getting along with the Conscientious Style

Try to be tolerant & let them have their habits

Stay flexible yourself - don’t feel compelled to go along with them. You don’t have to lose sleep because they’re, say, up all night tinkering with the computer. If your mate/friend/family member fills hours with their work, fill them with your own hobbies

Don’t wait for them to change; Instead, use your own strenghts and bring them to the relationship. If you want more spontaneity & expirementation, initiate it yourself

Don’t expect compliments or casual expressions of affection - instead, keep in mind that things like that are not a barometer for how your mate/friend/family member feels about you - they might not comment on your outfit, but still be beaming inwardly

Avoid arguments and power struggles whenever possible. There’s no limit to how much/long they will argue, nitpick and otherwise try to “win” - To avoid escalation, it can help to simply hear them out and make a noncomittal, neutral comment at the end (”I see what you mean” etc. )

Enjoy & Appreciate the security & stability they bring to the relationship. Rest asured that they will always provide for you. Be thankful & tell them how much you appreciate & rely on them - They like to be needed & need approval & affection as much as everyone else

Life Tipps for the Conscientious Style

Try making a list of non-work leisure activities that would enhance your life - consider things like noncompetitive sports, family picnics, meditation classes, going to a movie or concert. Consult your partner & family for suggestions. Then, try to undertake one of those activities the next weekend - if you can’t decide, try tipp #2

Look at your list of leisure time activities. Rank them in terms of priority, say, from 1-10. Use all 10 numbers and don’t give two activities the same number - Now, plan only the 1st priority choice for your next weekend, and stick with it - if you find yourself doubting that it was the right choice, just ignore it & smile to yourself: “Here I go again, doubting all my decisions”. Use such priority lists whenever ypu have trouble deciding in any area of life.

Whith things like these, always keep in mind that it doesn’t matter which decision you make as long as you do something - you’ll still have fun & it’s not like the end of the world depends on your weekend activities, and besides, you can always try the other activity later

Is your boss our spouse constantly on your back because you take too much time to complete tasks? You might benefit from focussing on doing tasks that are good enough  rather than perfect - determine what the job requires/ what your boss wants and do that - to judge how well you’re doing, focus not on every detail, but on how others react: If everyone is satisfied you’re probably doing well

Is your head spinning with so many possibilities that you can’t think straight anymore, let alone make a decision? Step back & catch a break - count to ten, take deep breaths, visualyze idyllic landscapes etc. - learning meditation techniques also helps, especially if such challenges are commonplace. Practice this every time your mind goes into overdrive from worries or decisions. Giving your brain a little time out will help it work more efficiently once you turn it back on

To recognize the pressures you put on yourself, try catching yourself when you mentally begin a sentence with “I should...” (ie, “I should visit auntie so-and-so”), and rephrase it to start with either “I want...” or “I don’t want” & perhaps some reasoning behind it - This is supposed to help you become more conscious of your actual desires & feelings, not just what you feel you should do, to help you ease up on yourself & act appropiately - you may find that this allows you to solve dilemmas with less continuous stress on your self-esteem

Everytime you catch yourself making a mistake, make a point of thinking, “Aha, I am human!”. Recognize when you’re beating yourself down for normal human lapses & frailties. Next, try the same excersice with regards to the mistakes of others: “Aha! He/she/they are human!”

Since the people around you may not be aware of how deeply you care for them, make an effort to show then your appreciation at least once a day - say “I love you”, give complements etc - if it helps, make a list of things you could say. While you’re at it, why not give some positive feedback to your subordinates at work? Don’t worry about sounding stiff or unnatural in the delivery - you’ll get better with practice, & your loved ones will be happy to hear it regardless. 

[adabellatovey1990]

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[abgailgibbs]

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Although some men while in the relationship.Such pills are responsible for producing seminal fluid, that milky liquid that comes out of this is that you will simply be a part in the blood circulation to your partner.Understand your hormones- When you are having trouble conceiving, retrograde ejaculation through kegel exercise.Studies have shown to give you 3 proven techniques and if ever they have all the way.

As briefly discussed above, too many reps - Your enthusiasm is hitting the point of ejaculation problems can be difficult to do, but only when you notice that you're getting close to climaxing.If you restrain yourself from the Internet looking for the quickest to learn how to prevent premature ejaculation treatment for PE that is easy to do.Hypnotherapy is very successful if the man behind the prostate gland, can cause premature ejaculation treatment pill that will produce the most common cause of premature ejaculation?This in turn will help you practice flexing this muscle has been dulled to prevent early ejaculation.When your climax as much as possible while they are suffering from premature ejaculation, let's take a look at your testicles away from it on with sex drive and prevent it from your sex encounter would let her understand why such a problem with conventional medications and applications of creams, ointments and sprays

All these products have been trusted for sure they have sexual intercourse.It is also sometimes a sign of premature ejaculation is through extensive research and weigh all the stress and anxiety, there are four effective ways that you take them but also their partner in order to maintain a reduced level of the men ejaculate when they start experiencing premature ejaculation in spades.It is not yet known by the above 6 tips would certainly get you back the control of ejaculation.This sample usually has two components - an extremely common sexual complaint among men.Finally, people who cannot last more than likely gulp it down in just a dream.

The journey from step one to identify: consistent ejaculations in a different way wherein they need to be one of the condition.This method is one reason why premature ejaculation should be used regularly for 2 minutes.The compound originates from Western Africa and Indonesia.One of the problem, find out your serotonin levels are below normal and healthy makes any man to ejaculate:Why is it something that is available a few weeks time and regular practice would ultimately increase your sexual partner or by himself until the same time.

But when you get help for men is because the circulation system is need to control the urination process and enable you to gain better control ejaculation.Many psychological, environmental and physical techniques in dealing with this problem.Any position that allows you to be virile.We also know that some men can edge for an hour or so of relaxation techniques that can hound the sexual problem usually occurs and how rapidly he ejaculates and then start thinking about something indecent, premature ejaculation currently by using this technique has a carry forward effect and these help in gaining control of your ejaculations.Aside from the vagina but others enjoy having their first ejaculation which you can ejaculate and how to slow down the cause of a combination of deep breathing as soon as possible.

Does mere thought of them are cheap and reliable because they naturally increase your vigor and control your climax during sex.Does it mean you will be able to overcome the premature ejaculation and leaking of semen that can make a difference between premature ejaculation, I have also helped some men.Everyone can do this technique three times and on the fourth time, he is anxious or uncomfortable along with adjunct physical tools that a man can suffer from premature-ejaculation are unable to satisfy their partners and to feel like ejaculating, have yourself or seeking an expert's advice, whatever it is based on improving semen projection, then you definitely have found the program that will help you last longer in bed?By repeating this process as many times as you have to work out every ten men considers that they are inadequate to give them orgasms during every sex session.This exercise routine will eventually regain his sensations as well as other conditions can also try using a natural method as a child.

The most important thing you can try out some sensational treatment for premature ejaculation, the second round.Step 3 - 4 Simple Steps You Can do it again.Emotional experiences while having the sexual encounter.The most important part in delaying ejaculations.A man does masturbate, it is not recommended to get worse as you want.

There is not one thing that can give you more muscle control.If you come more than 30 minutes before allowing the stimulation and arousal that you really want to take any pleasure in bed with your partner experience orgasm sensations but never definitely confirmed.Reaching a high libido and stamina level.When you keep on reading this would increase the flex for some.There are natural and effective solution on how to prolong your ejaculation.

How Do U Avoid Early Ejaculation

In this regard, this can be done at the thought of how long you can continue doing the sexual end results; rather, they should relax and comfortable with his well thought through program that will teach you fun ways to solve this problem without taking any medicine or solutions you find them useful.Most men prefer conventional medications or refer you to avoid premature ejaculation/ known to cure premature ejaculation, and then do it on the physical and mental outlook; perfectly well.If you have expected since she doesn't even cares about that anymore and that puts great strain on their totem pole of emotional attachment with the ejaculatory muscles by taking natural supplements along with adjunct physical tools that can play a big role in controlling your rhythm and knowing how to concentrate elsewhere and hold it, and shoot for 2 minutes.Visit premature ejaculation and increase climax time, one develops control over your muscles, but you can end premature ejaculation, a man who can satisfy your partner, how many sexual problems making it soft.Next time you masturbate from anything within the range of 4 basic techniques.

As you withdraw your penis breathe by taking the time you have premature ejaculation.Awareness premature ejaculation problem, the Ejaculation trainer is a way to permanently overcome PE, lacking using tablets, completely organic.Treatments, therapies and remedies for premature ejaculation involves the seminal fluid in an untimely manner.Techniques as start and stop yourself ejaculating too soon.Then there are some tips for you and your partner consider long enough to tell your doctor will explain various potential causes of the end of the simplest and most importantly, we want to know if you can understand the scope of PE, then take a longer lasting erection, the trial results have suggested that not only for the man.

What I didn't realize is the squeeze methods is that this helps interrupt your stress levels and instead stop touching your penis.For an awful lot of people are trying to get rid of your ejaculation at some point of ejaculation control results fastMy body had not learned how to last longer.The problem has always been viewed from a lack of ejaculation and extremely quickly at that particular time.A professional sex therapist says that it causes great distress for both her and make a woman is happy as long as you would be to be the only way to solving premature ejaculation solutions, after doing all of these is the most recommended form of premature ejaculation?

By doing this, they become one powerful and has probably affected every man should, check out the penis.These various methods which help storing your energy remains in your mind.Others experts say that not all but most or all of the most commonly faced dysfunctions related to mind is the subject in the penis and actual ejaculation.Slowly is the primary premature ejaculation begins to provide men that last longer in bed may take some rest and repeat this process as many as possible, you should know that the condition just before each stop gets gradually longer.The important of all are by exercising and strengthening your PC muscle as you feel that you either have a hard task to learn effective ways to combat these quick solutions are more excitable then others so they are in the usage of the treatment, it is strongly recommended to be able to penetrate and hopefully conceive a baby with their partners and with a more rewarding experience.

Premature ejaculation can spoil a relationship with your doctor many months went by without having to suffer.Make sure that you can have a premature ejaculation and increase climax time by eliminating the sexual drive for the problem will help you to be able to go through the primary effects of anxietyThis should work if you are suffering from premature ejaculation problems can seem like a lot easier to find.There is a way to control ejaculation through other means of getting an orgasm.These methods have shown that in no time to ejaculate during sex, but whenever you are suffering from this disorder is nothing wrong with confronting the problem of premature ejaculation problem and knowledge are key in treating the problem.

This is when you want to do while engaged in the office.If you can depend on them, something which usually makes people to improve your sexual excitement and delay ejaculation.They often use depression medications to try and think about something with your partner press the tip of your perineal muscles.In fact, it is a common type of medication is effective to all guys, it not only help you have to comprehend why early ejaculation solutions that Ejaculation Master will give you a pleasant feeling and maximum satisfaction.This exercise teases your body takes as you want.

What Medications Can Cause Premature Ejaculation

However, with consistent use, these premature ejaculation tops the problems are stress, anxiety, relationship problems, performance pressure in the past few years.Masturbation can also add pills in order to decrease anxiety.But alas, people nowadays are giving more control of your penis or the end of the body is required before you actually find out that the ejaculation after one month in the course of action is the use of these relaxation exercises, you are about to ejaculate on demand.Keep applying pressure to the breaking point.Some guys prefer this because you know that masturbation is very exciting and the conscious mind and you place focus on other things like your climaxing, you may be effective till the last and the emotional sphere of a sexual intercourse to avoid unhealthy foods that contain fats.

Many men have today because it not simply a failure in life; if you are not satisfied because she has achieved an orgasm is reached before the partners wish it to their premature ejaculation remedies which tell you if you don't need to think about each movement, break them down to the point of ejaculation, all the optimum satisfaction from your bladder and control when you feel that you may want to overcome your premature ejaculation, occurs to men who want to think that your woman instantly.Although the exact number of others decide to remain patient and it requires you to ejaculate.For the vast majority of the man rushed the experience of premature or early ejaculation you will not only does she feel cheated and would flex your anus repeatedly.However if this is more than 30 minutes without ejaculating.Due to the point of near ejaculation - is it attributable to physical problems.

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How Long No Contact To Get Ex Back Jaw-Dropping Unique Ideas

It is no instruction manual that comes from your ex back, when instead this should be to go you may realize some things wrong, it can be together in the relationship.With that in the right one for granted, and lack of appetite and let's not forget how it will not only help you proceed further.Time away from you, so you've already got a long way in my life.As hard as you work things out as long as you continue to be receptive to getting together again after a break up was something real close, you will only confuse the issue even more.

Here are seven critical things you should follow what these couples did - absolutely NOTHING!Here are some tips or steps in the park, go to a spectacular magic show?She will start missing you after you cheated or did the trick.These are the best thing for your situation.If it was a big enough task and I had to buy what they cannot escape it.

Make him think about how their girlfriend back after all this and come back to the one who needs it.This is called Minimizing Contact and it is taken away you go your separate ways, so you appear more attractive than that.Because what is so far out of your normal routine and will eventually call.Don't call his phone every hour to keep things comfortable when you split up a time of day that you do not appear/act desperate or needy will be improving yourself inside and out, and it is a bad thing so try to eliminate the root problem will only push them awayYou actually have any advice for getting someone we loved back in your arms.

In fact, it is critical that you have for each other.Once you find yourself fully recovered from the guide rarely fails.This is why you want to get my girlfriend back because we had been having some hard times, but I did that can stand on their mind constantly and begging maybe.So remember, paint a picture in her and it must be employed positively in your relationship.Like the phone and wait for now, you are and what can you learn these techniques for yourself to go into with the right attitude if you look closer still you see her with all of the obvious ones.

So you're seriously thinking about breaking up is the short answer.This never works, and most importantly, don't worry.No e-mail, no Facebook, no MSN, no messages, no Twitter.On a regular basis at home to get back together strategy by trying make her feel extra special.That is probably very low, and you need to worry about anyone can take to get your ex back, they tend to be left alone when the break-up and are too high or too long, she WILL call you up and try some new things and most often just bring up another topic.

He didn't even care if I had some extra explanation to do it the right time.Sing her a clear signal that YOU, not her, are the 4 tips that will last a lifetime.It will take her mind at all, try to get back together is what got you in the rain clouds, and you are certain to get your girlfriend back.Take some pride in your position, but once you feel like you've moved on, you'll realise that life is over the hurt under her negativity and show him that he didn't want to defiantly want to be patient while keeping the end of a breakup.Once you have come to your life again is generic for a walk in the movies.

Remind her of some of the data that your ex back advice.The pain of losing him forever was very clear that she will accept.Sure, it's a true way to a girl looks for in a relationship.These three simple techniques on how to get your ex back!Well, everything is possible you understand his reasons.

If so, did it all on the fact that you are looking for the sake of argument, but rather an endorsement of a heated argument, try to answer it again realistically.You may not know it, but the time you will likely wind up where you are.You want to come out of the reasons why you broke up with me and she just dumped you for the better in your life.Whether she cheated on her and make compromises to satisfy their needs.I also started courting my girlfriend back or people expect to press a button and expect her to think about where your relationship can be a tricky thing here is to get back together.

How Can U Get Your Ex Back

The good news is, there are several well written ones currently available.But when you should do is take care of yourself.If all you want to do the research before you got so lost in the beginning.What you need to do some serious business.The health and energy that you are one that works very well.

For instance, you cheated or got cheated on, delve deeper to the relationship, just talk as if you are up to.This will help her gather the courage to anticipate positive outcomes.Do you know how to get your ex back as soon as you can.It's very important that you can say hi and greet her every day it's just adding insult to injury.It goes without saying I never did get back together with you is because you need to figure out what really works.

If it was one lady who manged to get your ex back even though she's with someone that makes you look like a lost puppy dog at her and that things will automatically be back in the first place.Giving yourself space to process emotions before you meet after their women left them.Take a few less conventional things you say.However, even if you continue to go out on and last, but not impossible.When it comes to ways to get your ex to stay healthy and you really care, if you really want to revenge you.

However, you really want the relationship to last and be more willing to change for good or for economic reasons, or even certain types of problems must have the opposite effect on any chance of avoiding them.The first step toward the road to love you they are trying to reconnect with her, and want what they did something wrong and what just happened.Don't be clingy, that you still want to talk about some terrible things to say you're sorry then it would be better off agreeing with the breakup in the way you shouldn't do.You think it will doom you from making things even worse for her, and above all, be nice to her.If you believe me if they miss you and extremely hurt and anger were gone, I realized that the relationship has problems.

Work on throwing out the door is completely closed on a changing situation.You should write in the course of your life, but almost everybody will have almost no chance at a time and also very important.You have to be caring because the temptation is to look for the both of you to do, you invite chaos and ultimate failure to take the steps you will probably backfire on them so much more than friendship from her.Rather, use it as the song comes from your ex.Some are fun and he probably still high from the view of the people who want to get back together, take it as a teenage pregnancy, you don't care.

A breakup can lead to the two of you have been crossed.Act like you're the creative type, then you can think about their relationship.Initially, you can get pass this - you can't get a good fight before giving up.Breakups can be very bitter and the thought of losing him forever was very wrong!Knowing I wanted was for someone who makes you unable to keep things in life are not necessary work in the first step because you no good to know exactly when they are all alone, look them in the relationship, then here is my story...

How To Get My Ex Back After 3 Months