Chapter 17

When captain Cerewan returned to Vinoli, he was in a foul mood. The last few days had truly been some of the worst the captain had experienced in a long time; starting by the day when he had woken up only to discover that the passengers had disappeared from the ship, taking the cabin boy with them. As if that had not been enough, the scoundrels had practically emptied out the ship's supplies. It was evident to the captain that Luke had told the passengers what had happened to those who had traveled aboard captain Cerewan's ship before. Of all the ungrateful traitors in the world!
All day, the captain's mind had been filled with murderous thoughts, concerning what he would do to the squirrel, if he ever had him in his grasp.

Even worse, was the fact that the crew had grown discontent. Many of them had not been paid for quite some time and so, they had counted on this latest catch to be their meal-ticket. Now, however, with the catch gone, they had grown sullen and could often be found gathered in groups, whispering to each other.
For the first time in his life, Cerewan felt the fear of a mutiny take hold on him. In order to prevent this, he ordered the crew to gather on deck.

"Men, listen..." He began, but for once, the crew paid no heed to their commander's words.

"What about our money?!" One of them shouted. "When will we get it?!"

The speaker then began stomping his wooden leg, while shouting:

"We want our money!" "We want our money!"

The call spread like a wildfire and soon, every member of the crew was stomping and shouting the same phrase, over and over. Then, someone shouted the words that the tiger had feared the most:

"Hey! Why don't we chose a new captain?"

"Good idea!" Agreed another crew-member. "Someone who doesn't try to cheat honest, hardworking sailors!"

"Let's get him!" A third sailor shouted.

Captain Cerewan, fearing in that moment for his life, pulled out his gun and fired a warning-shot in the air. The noise caused the crew to stop dead in its tracks.

"The first one of you who puts a foot on these steps", growled the captain. "Will be filled with lead."

"You can't shoot us all!" Shouted the sailor, who had first suggested that they should have a new captain. "Come on, boys! Let's get him!"

With a defiant look in his eyes and a knife in his paw, he put his right foot on the step. The next second, a bullet from the captain's gun had pierced his heart.

The crew stared at the corpse of their comrade, too stunned to do anything; never before had one of their own been killed in this way. Some of them looked at the captain with fear in their eyes.
Cerewan saw that fear and found it pleasing.
However, he realized that there was a chance that said fear could turn back into rage at the drop of a hat and the dead man had not been wrong; he would run out of bullets eventually and besides, there was a risk that one of them would rush him while he was reloading the gun. No, he had to win the crew back on his side and he had to do it now.

"Why take out your anger at me?" He asked in a harsh voice. "Its not I who have deprived you of your - our - prize, but your treacherous shipmate, Luke. He is the one responsible for this unfortunate business. Now, I ask you: Shall we let him get away with that?!"

"Nay!" The crew shouted angrily.

"Listen", Cerewan continued. "Neither Luke nor any of the others are experienced sailors and all they have is one life-boat. After we've replenished our stores, we'll go after them, they can't have gotten far. Now, are you with me? Am I still your Captain?"
"Aye!"
The tiger allowed himself to relax, mentally congratulating himself on his deft handling of the situation. As he stepped down on deck, the satisfied smile on Cerewan's face vanished, as suddenly as it had appeared.

"But first, we shall hold a funeral service for our fallen shipmate. I did not wish his death, but it was him or me."

The crew nodded in understanding, though some of them regarded their captain with wary eyes.
Having commended the dead sailor to the waves and replenished their stores, the ship set sail and the crew, now placated, worked hard; eager to catch up with the lifeboat. Soon, the sound of old sea-shanties filled the air.
Then, the storm came upon them...

When it was over, two sailors had been swallowed up by the ocean. Cerewan gave the order to repair any damages. As he stood on deck, he suddenly noticed something floating in the water. Curious, he called for a nearby sailor.

"Yes, Cap'n?"

"See that thing in the water? Fetch a boat hook and retrieve it."

The command was carried out and soon, the Captain and some of the crew were gathered around the object, which turned out to be a waterskin.
"How did this end up here?" One sea-dog wondered.

"It looks mighty familiar to me". mused another. He bent down to study it closer; as he did, an oath escaped his lips.

"What is it?" The others sailors wondered.

"Look at this, it has our ship's mark on it. Its one of ours."

Under his striped fur, Cerewan went pale. This could only mean one thing; namely, that Luke and the three others had perished in the storm. After all, what hope could they possibly have had of survival? Four people, none of them experienced sailors, left to the mercy of the elements. For all he knew, none of them were even able to swim. This fact started to dawn on the crew as well and once again, they faced their captain with murder in their eyes.

*******

In the end, captain Cerewan had managed to avert a mutiny once more, though it had cost him dearly. Not only had he been forced to pay the crew out of his savings, but they had also managed to squeeze an extra day's shore-leave from him. With all that in mind, it was understandable that the tiger was not in the sunniest of moods, when the ship returned to Vinoli. Once back home, Cerewan went straight to his favorite watering-hole, ordered a rum and sat at the bar, pouring his sorrows into the sympathetic ear of the armadillo behind the bar.

On the bar stool next to Cerewan sat a young vole, who seemed more interest in the book he was reading then the drink in front of him. Occasionally, he would turn a page, showing no sign of paying attention to the captain's alcohol-induced ramblings. Eventually, the vole paid and left, leaving his drink almost completely untouched. Seizing the opportunity, Cerewan grabbed the drink and swept it.

Much later, Cerewan left the inn on unsteady legs. He was heading back to the ship when, suddenly, the drinks he had consumed were filled with an intense desire to evacuate the system. Holding one paw over his mouth, the tiger stumbled into a nearby alley. Soon, the combined stench of vomit and urine filled the air.
As he stood there, shaking of the last few drops, Cerewan caught the sound of footsteps coming up behind him. In his state, he did not have time to react, before his vision was completely obscured by a sack. Then, someone hit him on the back of his head and he collapsed.

When Cerewan woke up he found himself tied to a chair in a dimly lit room. Grunting, he tried to break the ropes, but it was all in vain; whoever had tied these knots was as good as any sailor the Captain had ever met.
The door opened and a one-eyed fox, dressed entirely in black, entered the room.

"My apologies for the rough treatment, Captain", the fox said, "but it was necessary to get you here without any objections on your part."

"Who the hell are you?" Cerewan growled. The smug look on the fox's face annoyed him immensely and the dull headache he suffered from did not make things any better. "What do you want?"

"There's no need for you to know who I am", said the fox. "All I will tell you that I have the ear of a most exalted person. As for what I want? Well, Captain, I want you to answer some questions. Oh, I should point out that no-one saw you enter this room and no-one will see you leave it alive, unless you cooperate."

In Cerewan's brain, anger and shame fought for dominance, but found themselves tied. The tiger could not believe that he had allowed himself to be overpowered in a rare moment of weakness and was now at the mercy of this smug vulpine. Who were to blame for all this? To the Captain, the answer was obvious. Unfortunately, they were beyond his revenge.

"Very well" he said, resignedly. "I'll answer your question, what is it?"

"Your ship is a cargo-ship and yet, you have from time to time allowed passengers aboard, have you not?"

"I have, but to my knowledge that's not illegal. Unless there's some new law that I'm not aware of?"
"Don't worry, there isn't one. The reason we're having our little chat is because one of my spies overheard you at the bar. During your ramblings, you happened to mention three passengers, all of whom apparently drowned. Who were they?"

"Two girls and a boy. The older girl paid the agreed fare."

"What species were they?"

"The boy was a cat and the younger girl a lynx. They were siblings."

"What about the older girl?"

Cerewan shrugged.

"Its strange but I can't remember. When I looked at her I saw a tiger, but everyone aboard seemed convinced that she was a member of their own race."

"Didn't you find this a tad strange?"

"Of course I did!" Cerewan snapped. "She wore a cloak all the time. I suspected that it was a magic garment which shielded her true appearance. I never asked her about it though, my passengers are entitled to their privacy."

"How commendable of you", the fox said and smiled. "So, these three; how did they drown?"

"It all happened so suddenly", the captain lied, figuring that it was best not to let the fox know that passengers hadn't even been on the ship at the time. "The storm was upon us in an instant. They were swept away by the waves, along with my cabin-boy. We searched for them, but to no avail. The ocean, the merciless ocean took them immediately."
Having said that, the tiger lowered his head in a show of sorrow.

"You seem to have taken their deaths quite hard", the fox said, his voice completely devoid of sympathy. "However, I'd think that someone in your profession would have been used to see people drown on occasion."

"True, but its always sad to see young lives get snuffed out. Besides, as the Captain I felt a responsibility for all of them."
The fox nodded.

"Well, Captain Cerewan, I'm going to leave you for a moment and consult with my employer. I apologize for not loosening your bonds, but one can never be to careful. Ta-ta!"

With a mocking wave the fox left the room, leaving Cerewan alone with his thoughts, wondering what he had gotten himself into.

*****

Knowing that the Queen was resting up for her meeting with her ministers in an hour, Lorenzo made his way to the royal suite. Upon approaching the door which led there, he could hear a moaning sound coming from the other side. 

Sounds like she's not alone, the fox thought. Well, it can't be helped.

He knocked and an irritated voice answered:

"Yes?"

"Its Lorenzo, my Queen."

"I can hear that. I thought I told you that I didn't want to be disturbed?"

"A thousand apologies, but I bring important news that cannot wait."

"Very well, wait outside for a minute."

Doing as he was told, Lorenzo leaned against the wall with his arms folded over his chest. He did not remain in this position for too long, before the queen's voice called out to him again:

"You may enter."

Opening the door, Lorenzo stepped into the antechamber of the queen's apartment. He was immediately met with the sight of his sovereign, reclining in a chair with a bored look on his face. Standing next to her was a female poodle, wearing only her underwear. The moment Lorenzo entered, she lowered her eyes demurely and covered her breasts.

"Well, Lorenzo, I'm all ears", Argath said as she took a grape from the silver-bowl which sat on the table next to her and popped it in her mouth. "What are these important news."

Lorenzo bowed.

"If Your Majesty don't mind, its something I'd like to discuss in private." Approaching the queen's chair, he leaned in closer and whispered in her ears.

"It concerns your half-sister."

The dragon's eyes grew wide and she turned to the poodle.

"Leave us."

As soon as they were alone, Lorenzo divulged to the Queen all of which he had learned from Cerewan. Argath listened without comment, resting her chin on her hand. When Lorenzo had finished, she rose from the chair and began pacing around the room.

"This Cerewan, are you certain he speaks the truth?"

"I see no reason why he should lie, he knows well that his life is in my hands."

Argath nodded, satisfied with this answer.

"No-one must know about this", she said. "Least of all Jeraddin and Nasari."

"Agreed, you can still control the general, as long as his wife is your hostage, but if she finds out that her children have perished.."

..."She'll have nothing to loose", Argath agreed.

"What do you want me to do with your guest? Shall I silence him? It would be easily done."

"No, I'm feeling merciful. Release him and give him a token sum as a sign of our good will, then tell him that unless he wants his lifespan drastically shortened, he is not to mention this to anyone who lives in my realm. Now, you may leave.

Lorenzo bowed.

"As you command, my Queen. I take my leave now, to execute your command."

He was just about to exit the room, when Argath called his name.

"Oh, Lorenzo?"

"Yes, my queen?" He said, stopping in the doorway.

"Tell the girl to come back inside. I still have some time left and besides, my ministers won't die if they have to wait for a bit."

Lorenzo found the poodle-girl seated on the floor in the corridor, knees pulled up to her ears.

"Go back inside", the fox said.

The poodle raised her head and looked at Lorenzo with pleading eyes, but seeing no sign of compassion on the fox's features, she sighed resignedly and walked back inside. As he began his walk back to the dungeon, Lorenzo ran into none other than Kashmir. 

"Where are you headed to in such a hurry?" He asked.

"I must see the queen, immediately", Kashmir said and Lorenzo noticed that there were tears in his eyes.

"No can do, she gave strict orders not to be disturbed."

"But I bring sad news", Kashmir protested. "Its her brother, my master, he...he is dead."

Chapter 16

On the day of the coronation, it rained. The rain came down in heavy torrents, leaving both those who were part of the royal procession, as it slowly (partly out of decorum, but also because the rain had made the cobblestones slippery) marched through the streets, as well as the on-lookers, drenched. Despite the bad weather, the streets and sidewalks were so packed that there were scarcely room to move one's arm and no wonder; for the first time in centuries, Vinoli was about to get a new monarch.
Argath walked at the head of the procession, she was partially protected from the rain by an umbrella, carried by Lorenzo. Behind her walked three court-ladies, whose duty it was to hold up the end of the ceremonial cape, decorated with jewels, so that it would not get dirty. One of the three women, who had been the recipients of this honor, was Nasari.

As she walked behind Argath, her face wet from the rain, Nasari thought of her children: She would have given anything to be with them, instead of being here. Sadly, that was impossible, all she could do was hoping that they were safe and that her relatives had taken them in with open arms. Somewhere behind her, Nasari could distinguish the sound of her husband's footsteps and her thoughts now went to him. Ever since she had moved into the palace, they had not seen much of each other. The last time they met had been the old king's funeral and that meeting had been all too brief. Although, she had agreed with Jeraddin's decision, there were times when Nasari wished that the whole family had just left the palace in secret that night. At least then, they would still be together.

Eventually, the procession reached its destination; the temple dedicated to the goddess Visaria. During what had come to be known as The Dark Age, the worshipers of Visaria had been persecuted by the forces who had ruled over the nation at that time. When Sharan was chosen to be king, he remembered the help that the goddess' servants had given him in the past and so, he made her Vinoli's patron goddess. On the temple-stairs, the current high-priest had been waiting. He was an owl, whose feathers had become grey with age and who used the staff of his office as a cane, to support himself with. He and Argath greeted each other by a slight inclination of the head and then, the procession followed the high-priest inside.

Inside the temple, everyone fell to their knees, except for Argath and her three ladies, who continued to walk toward the altar at the end of the temple.There, they too knelt down. The priest looked at Argath.

"Do you swear to serve and protect the people of Vinoli, as your father did before you?" He asked.

"I swear."

The priest nodded, satisfied. On the altar, beneath a painting of the Goddess, smiling benevolently, sat two lacquered boxes. The priest now opened the first box and took out a golden crown.

"Behold!" He called out. "The symbol of power!"

He then placed the crown on Argath's head.

"Hold out your claws", he said.

Argath did so and from the other box, the priest produced a scepter, which he placed in the Princesses' outstretched claws. Argath clutched the scepter so tightly that her knuckles whitened.

"By the power of my office, I hereby crown you the first queen of Vinoli", the priest declared. "Rise, Queen Argath."

Having said that, the priest knelt down. Standing up, Argath gazed at the carpet of bowed heads that stretched out in front of her. With her eyes glittering triumphantly, she raised the scepter above her head. As if on a given signal, Lorenzo stood up and called out:

"Long live the Queen!"
The fox's words hung in the air for a few seconds and then, from a multitude of throats, they rose up, causing the temple walls to tremble slightly:

"LONG LIVE THE QUEEN!!

Only two voices were silent. Outside, the rain kept falling and as she briefly glanced at her husband, Nasari couldn't help but imagine that this was no ordinary rain, but the tears of Visaria herself, falling from the sky.

Favorite Ace Attorney Villains

Although I haven't played every game in it, Capcom's Ace Attorney, is one of my favorite game-series and one of the best things about it is its rogues-gallery; I honestly can't think of any other series in the medium that features so many colorful and memorable villains. As such, I've picked out my 5 favorite (in no particular order) AA bad guys. Now, I should you warn that due to the nature of this series, spoilers are pretty much unavoidable. Granted, many of these spoilers are from games that are more than a decade old. Still, I thought I'd warn you, just as a courtesy. Anyway, these are my favorite evil-doers in the Ace Attorney universe:

**********

Dahlia Hawthorne

There are Ace Attorney villains who are more powerful. There are Ace Attorney villains who come up with better schemes, but I can't think of any Ace Attorney villain whose as personal in their evil as Dahlia Hawthorne. A lot of that has to do with what she lacks; Dahlia does not have the authority, or the resources that most of the villains have at their disposal. Instead, she relies solely on her wiles, putting her playing-field on the same level as that of her enemies, making her evil feel much more intimate in the process. Dahlia also deserves points for tenacity, she's the first recurring villain in the series, facing of against Phoenix and Mia in three different cases. Oh, and did I mention that by her third appearance, she's already dead and you have to go up against her spirit? Gotta give props to a villain who will haunt their enemies from beyond the grave.

Manfred von Karma

Intimidating. That's the word best used to describe Manfred von Karma, the final boss of the first Ace Attorney game. Everything about this guy screams intimidation; from his appearance, to his general attitude and his voice. From the moment he appears, Von Karma makes it clear that he will crush you like a bug for getting in his way. He lives up to the hype too, forcing the player to fight teeth and claw for every little advantage. As a character, outside of his role as a final boss, von Karma is pretty one-note, but it can't denied that he plays that note masterfully. 

Matt Engarde

In the role of defense attorney Phoenix Wright, its up to you, as the player, to keep your client out of prison (or death-row), while exposing the true culprit. So, what happens when you get a client who is, beyond any shadow of a doubt, guilty? Enter Matt Engarde, the villain of the second game's final (and by far best) case. When you first meet him, Engarde doesn't seem like such a bad guy. Sure, he's unlikable, but he comes across as more of a self-absorbed air-head than anything else. Annoying, yes, but nothing more than that, certainly not a man capable of murder. With that in mind, its tempting to give Engarde the benefit of the doubt. Sure, he may have had his rival actor killed, but maybe there were extenuating circumstances? Perhaps Juan had it coming? There has to be more to it than this, right?
Then comes the hair-flip.

Justice for All was my first Ace Attorney game and to this day, I consider Matt Engarde's villain reveal to be the best done by this series, as your client flips back his hair to reveal the scars on his face and with them, his true nature as a cunning and remorseless sociopath. Engarde then proceeds to rub your face in it, reminding you that your assistant Maya is his hostage and that if you don't get him a not-guilty verdict, she dies. Its a tough choice, but if I had to pick the most despicable villain on this list, The Nickel Samurai would be it.

Damon Gant

This list isn't in any order, but if it was, there's a high chance that chief Gant would be at the top (there's really only one other character who can compete with him for the position, but we'll get to him further down the list).
The culprit of the first game's bonus case, Gant is as menacing and tough as von Karma, but he has an important advantage over old Manny in that he's far more interesting as a character. A scene-stealer if ever there was one, Gant dominates Rise From The Ashes with his eccentric personality and immense personal charisma. In fact, one of the most interesting things about Gant for me is how genuine his "good" persona feels: With Dahlia and Engarde its clear that the innocent/hapless mask they put on for the World is just that, a mask and von Karma never bothered to appear nice to begin with. With Gant, however, I get the feeling that it is as much a part of who he is as anything else. The jovial fellow who suggests you go swimming together and calls everyone by affectionate nicknames is also the cold, calculating master-mind who framed a girl for murder and blackmailed her sister. I'm reminded of the Mayor from Buffy the Vampire-Slayer or Count Fosco from The Woman In White, both villains whose genuine affability only served to underscore their wickedness.

Oh, and of course, one can't talk about the Demon Gent without mentioning his greatest weapon:

God, that's creepy.


The Mastermind

Last but not least we have the only villain on this list not from the original trilogy: The big bad of Ace Attorney Investigations 2. Due to the fact that this is the only game that hasn't been officially localized (there is a fan-translation though, which is how I played it), I've opted not to reveal the mastermind's identity or post a picture of him. All I can say is that the mastermind is a great villain for a multitude of reasons. First of all; he's the only one among this bunch who's a tragic villain. His back-story is genuinely sad and is tied in very well with the overarching plot of the game. Like Edmond Dantes, the mastermind is out for revenge against some really terrible people and much like the Count of Monte Cristo, his callous manipulation of others, including innocent people who trusted him and the sadistic delight he takes in his schemes, makes it clear that the mastermind really isn't much different from his enemies. A great villain who rounds out this list perfectly.

Welcome to Fucking Deadwood (Can be combative)

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Chapter 15

On the same day that the King of Vinoli, along with his second son, were laid to rest in the family crypt, Risha opened her eyes. Upon regaining consciousness, she found herself in a sparsely furnished room. How she had ended up there, she did not know. The last thing she remembered was holding on for dear life while the waves tossed the lifeboat around, like children playing catch. Whatever place this was, Risha highly doubted that it was the after-life, which meant that she had survived the storm and if so, perhaps the others had too?
Risha jumped out of the bed she had been lying in and was immediately confronted with her own reflection, staring back at her from a mirror which hung on the wall.

Upon studying herself, the first thing Risha noticed was the bandage around her head. Puzzled, she reached up and touched it lightly. A decision she immediately regret as the gesture caused her to wince in pain. The second thing which caught her attention, was the fact that she was not wearing her ordinary clothes. Instead, she was dressed only in a pink nightshirt, which ended at the waist. This discovery caused the lynx to frown; it wasn't that she wanted to appear ungrateful to her rescuer, whoever that was, but she couldn't help but feel uneasy over the fact that someone had apparently undressed her while she was unconscious.

Looking around the room, Risha noticed a chair on which someone had placed a green dress. She picked the dress up and studied it.

This must have been left here for me, she thought to herself.  Its quite pretty. Hopefully, its the right size.

Having dressed, Risha decided that it was time to meet her mysterious rescuer and hopefully, get some answers. She was just about to leave the room, when she heard the sound of footsteps approaching. The next moment, the door opened and a small female otter, wearing a blue dress, appeared in the doorway.
The two girls stared at each other, surprise stamped across both their faces. The otter-girl was the first one to speak:

"You are awake", she said.

Risha was not sure what to say. Thankfully, she did not have to, as the newcomer repeated her statement, albeit much louder this time around.

"You! Are Awake!" This was followed by a torrent of words pouring out of her mouth:

"ThisissogreatJustwaittilluncleseesthishesaidyou'dneedatleastadaymoreorso..."She paused to catch her breath.

"Come with me", she urged, eagerly grabbing Risha's sleeve.

"Wait a minute", the lynx said, having finally regained the ability to speak. "Who are you and what is this place?"

"Oh, my name is Amelia and this is my uncle's house. He's the one who fixed you up. Well, I helped a little. For example,  I bought you that dress. Well, not with my own money. Do you like it? Your old clothes were completely ruined."

"Its lovely", Risha said and meant every word. "Thank you, so much."

"So, will you come and meet my uncle now?"

"Of course."

"Then let's go!"

Amelia led Risha to a glass door, which opened up to a terrace, from which a stairway made out of stone, led down into a lush, well-kept garden. Not too far away, a figure, wearing a wide-brimmed hat and gardening gloves, was busy trimming a rosebush. The girls stopped on the lowest step and Amelia called out:

"Uncle! Yohoo!"

Upon hearing this sound, the figure turned around and called back.

"What is it, Amelia?"

"Come and see who's with me!"

The Uncle's features were obscured by his head-wear and so, Risha had not been able to make them out, until she was face to face with him. She was surprised to discover that he was not an otter, but a platypus. He seemed to be the same age as her father, give or take a few years and on the tip of his flat beak sat a pair of glasses, which he now removed and proceeded to polish with a piece of cloth, produced from his pocket.Having done so, he put them back on and gave a satisfied nod.

"That's better", he said and turned to Risha. "So, our convalescent is up and about? How are you feeling?"

"Mostly confused. The last thing I can recall was being in a lifeboat. Who are you and what is this place?

"Oh?" The platypus said, raising an eyebrow. "Hasn't Amelia told you?"

"Well, she sort of did, but it all went by really fast.."

"I understand. You must excuse her, she gets excited easily. Although, in this case, I can't say I blame her, we did not expect you to be on your feet for at least another day. To answer your questions, Risha; my name is Dr. Hieronymus and this place is known as Calopeia Island. Some of the local children found you washed up on the beach, they alerted me and, with the help of some of the adults, I brought you to my house. There, I took care of your head-wound and applied a healing salve to the bruises on your body, that's really all I can tell."

"So, that's what happened. Thank you, Doctor, for saving my life. If there's anything I can do..."
Hieronymus held up a webbed-hand.

"Let me stop you right there, Risha. It is my calling to save lives, you owe me nothing."

"Nonetheless..." Risha began and stopped. She had just realized something: "My name", she said."You said my name before. How could you know? I never told it to you."

"No, you didn't", said the doctor and paused for dramatic effect. "But your brother did", he finished.

The doctor's revelation was met with stunned silence. Risha felt a wave of relief, bigger than any of those that had brought her to this island, wash over her. Spontaneously, she wrapped her arms around the doctor's neck and gave him a small peck on the cheek.

"He's alive", she said. "Oh, thank you, Doctor. Nothing could have made me happier." She looked around, half-expecting Leorin to pop out of a bush, like a jack-in-the-box. "Where is he?" She asked.
"I must go to him."

"The others are alive too", Amelia revealed. "Come, I'll take you them."

*****

In another part of the garden, Merees and Leorin was entertaining themselves by playing a game of badminton, while Luke acted as the referee. Currently, Leorin had the lead and it was his turn to serve:

"Prepared for another defeat?" He asked jokingly, while tossing the ball in his right paw. "Here it comes..."

It never did. Instead, Leorin found himself staring wide-eyed at a spot a few steps behind his fellow player, the racket slipped out of his grip, but he paid it no attention. Instead, all he could do was stare, while a joyous grin spread across his face.

"Risha! You're awake!" He called out, running towards his sister. Seconds later, the two siblings embraced each other and were soon joined by Merees and Luke and although not a single tear was dry, the tears that were shed were not tears of sorrow, but of relief and happiness.

The Return of What I've Watched

Its been a long time since I did one of these, but I thought I'd begin the new year by sharing my thoughts on some of the shows and movies I've watched recently. Here we go:

Black Sails Season 3

Black Sails was a show that originally only caught my attention because of its connection to one of my favorite novels, but I'm glad I've stuck with it. Season two was already a huge improvement over the first one and so far, season 3 has proven itself to be even stronger; fleshing out its compelling cast of anti-heroes and villains and their multiple agendas even further. Its hard to pick a favorite character, though in terms of acting, Toby Stephens' Captain Flint continues to be the stand-out. Great show, do not let the fact that Michael Bay is one of the executive producers deter you from watching it.

Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones is the third show set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that I've watched, after Daredevil and Agent Carter (I should mention that I still haven't watched more than one season each of those shows) and to be perfectly honest, my feelings toward it are a bit mixed. On the plus side, the acting is really good across the board, especially from Krysten Ritter and David Tennant. Jessica herself makes for a compelling heroine and Ritter portrays her strength and weaknesses very well, while Tennant's Killgrave makes for a great love-to-hate villain. I also enjoy the look of the show and the theme music, which I think has a nice noir-feel to it.
My biggest problem with Jessica Jones have to do with its pacing: I can't help but feel that the show only needed to be half as long as it was; the subplots, such as Jeri's divorce from her wife, honestly felt like they were there only to pad things out. That I didn't find most of the characters, aside from Jessica and Killgrave all that interesting (despite the acting being genuinely good) didn't help things either.

Keijo

Here's a show that has exceeded my expectations. Having read about Keijo, I decided to watch the first episode out of morbid curiosity, fully expecting it to be the kind of show where the enjoyment stems not from the show itself, but rather from making fun of what a train-wreck is. Imagine, dear reader, my surprise when I actually found myself legitimately enjoying this show. How come? You ask. Well, a major reason why has to do with the way the show approaches its subject. For those of you not familiar with it, here's a brief description of what Keijo is all about:
In the not-too distant future, young women compete in the eponymous new sport, in which they try to push each other off a platform using only their breasts and/or butts.
What Keijo does is taking this absolutely ludicrous concept and treating it with a certain amount of seriousness, something that works well in the show's favor. Is Keijo a great anime? No, but I can't deny that I find it entertaining.

Izetta the Last Witch

At this point, I haven't watched any Izetta beyond episode 7 and to be honest, I'm not sure I will. Despite a strong start, the show's plot and characters became less and less engaging the further into it I got. A shame, because I do think that this show had potential.


Voltron: Legendary Defender

I can't think of much to say about the latest incarnation of Voltron (a franchise I only know about thanks to pop-culture osmosis); its a fine show with an endearing cast of heroes and a nice blend of serious and dramatic moments. I'm looking forward to season 2.

Zootopia

My sister got me this movie as a Christmas gift. I'd heard a lot of good things about Zootopia (or Zootropolis, as its called here in Europe for some reason) and I was not disappointed: The characters were great (Nick and Judy are by far the best duo in a Disney-movie since Bernard and Miss Bianca), the story was suspenseful and interesting and incorporated its themes very well. Finally, the setting was really interesting and I wouldn't mind seeing more of this world and its inhabitants, perhaps in the form of a TV-series (remember when Disney had all those cartoons based on their movies)?
Great film, definitely among my favorites from the House of Mouse.

Goodbye 2016

On a personal level, I don't really have any  real complaints regarding 2016. On a more general scale though? Yeah, this has not been a great year, has it? Thankfully, its almost over and with that in mind, I'd like to wish all my readers the very best for the coming year. So, from all of me to all of you:

Happy New Year