On the Verge of Lunacy

Nura Rikuo now knows that in order to preserve harmony between humans and yokai he has to take the helm and lead by example to the members of the Nura Clan. Just as things are going smoothly for Rikuo, doubts about his ability to lead the clan resurface as rumors of an old enemy reach them. Hagoromo Gitsune, the youkai who was defeated and sealed by Rikuo's grandfather and the onmyouji Hidemoto of Keikain clan, is resurrected and unleashes her fury at Kyoto to fulfill her wish of giving birth to a son long since lost to her. Although Rikuo was able to defeat the Shikoku youkai in the past (prequel Nurarihyon no Mago), he has not mastered his powers yet. This time however, he finds allies in the onmyouji of the Keikain clan in which one his friends, Yura, is the heir. Rikuo also finds new friends at Tono village where he is sent to train before the fight at Kyoto. Rikuo and Yura realize that co-existence between humans and youkai is possible and they can also work together to...

Nura Rikuo looks like an average middle schooler with no remarkable traits but he is a different person when he is at home. Part human and 3/4 youkai, Rikuo is the successor of the Nura Clan --- an alliance of several youkai gathered by his grandfather Nurarihyon and his father Rihan before him. However, Rikuo does not want to acknowledge that part of his blood, choosing to live like a normal human instead. Some members of the clan see this as a weakness and begin to challenge Rikuo's abilities as a fighter and a leader. But Rikuo would gladly give up that post. This he cannot do and it would soon dawn on him that in order to protect his human friends and even his youkai family, he has to use his youkai powers to protect everyone. His ultimate test came at the hands of the wily Inugamigyoubu Tamazuki, leader of the Shikoku Hachijuhakki Yako faction. The Kiyojuji Paranormal Patrol, Rikuo's friends and classmates. From left Shima, Kana, Torii, Kiyotsugu,  and Mag...

Full title: Persian Literature Comprising the Shah Nameh, The Rubaiyat, The Divan and The Gulistan Various authors; with introduction by Richard J.H. Gottheil, PhD As the title says, this anthology features four of the best of Persian literature. Each section has introductory notes that provide the background of each author and the piece, the social climate in which the work was created, and its reception. The following are included in the two volumes of the e-book version*: Volume 1: The Shah Nameh (Book of Kings) by Firdusi (Abul Kasim Mansur), translated by James Atkinson The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam , translated by Edward Fitzgerald The Divan by Hafiz (Khwajeh Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi), translated by H. Bicknell Volume 2: The Gulistan (Flower-Garden) by Sa'di (Muslih-al-Din), translated by James Ross The book may seem like a challenging read at first glance but the translators did a good job and the introduction in each section w...

Sakakibara Kouichi's first few days at Yomiyama North Middle School as a new student are dampened by bizarre events and the seemingly cold treatment he gets from his classmates. When starts talking to Misaki Mei more frequently, his classmates act more suspicious by telling him to "stop seeking things that do not exist." Instead of leaving the matter alone, he begins to ask more questions which eventually lead to his discovery of the 26 year-old curse of class 3. This curse which began after 1972 has claimed lives of a number students from class 3 and their immediate relatives. A fan of horror and mystery, Kouichi indulges his curiosity by asking the people involved with class 3 in the past few years in the hopes of discovering a way to stop the curse.They eventually learn that a pattern exists when they examine the records provided by the adviser of class 1972, but finding the means of stopping the curse has chilling prospects. Misaki Mei and Sakakibara Kouichi...

Saving distressed residents of Sternbild City and earning points as part of the show Hero TV has become a routine for most of its heroes. It seems like saving people is just a means to earning points to become the King of Heroes and please the sponsors. These heroes are endowed with super powers and are called Next. However the heroes "Wild Tiger" Kaburagi Koutetsu, "Blue Rose" Karina Lyle, "Sky High" Keith Goodman, "Fire Emblem" Nathan Seymour, "Dragon Kid" Huang Pao-Lin, "Rock Bison" Antonio Lopez, and "Origami Cyclone" Ivan Karelin are about to face tougher opponents that will make them question their motivation in becoming heroes. The veteran Koutetsu is having troubles getting points, add to that his tendency to destroy buildings and property while saving people. That cost him and he now has to work with a new employer. He becomes a sidekick of the new hero, Barnaby Brooks Jr. Unlike Barnaby however...

Anyone who has played the God of War Trilogy knows about Kratos' past. More than Ares' betrayal however are the wounds inflicted on Kratos by the other gods. His unquenchable anger may seem irrational to some but once you have played Chains of Olympus and Ghost of Sparta, you will understand what made him a desperate, hateful, and lonely man. If one were to follow the timeline based on the trilogy, Chains of Olympus is set before the first God of War while Ghost of Sparta include events before God of War II. In Chains of Olympus, Helios goes missing. Kratos' investigation led him to Hades where Helios' steeds brought him. There he discovers that a plan to destroy Olympus is nearing its completion. Near the end of the game he is asked to make a heartbreaking decision. At the beginning of the game, Kratos gets to fight live, human soldiers and their king. It is something new because you do not get to fight normal humans in this series. The battles leading...

Kratos holding the goblet dropped by Hera in God of War III. Link to my deviantart:  http://fav.me/d5zbkaj