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thesouthwestsharks · 2 months ago

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Southwest Sharks: Diving Deep into Dominanc

The Southwest Sharks have built a legacy as one of the most formidable teams in recent years, becoming a powerhouse on and off the field. This team embodies the spirit of resilience, teamwork, and community involvement that makes them more than just competitors—they’re a family, a community icon, and a model of sportsmanship.

A History of Excellence

The Sharks' journey to the top didn't happen overnight. From their inception, the team has attracted players and coaches dedicated to the craft. Year after year, they honed their skills, adopted rigorous training programs, and developed strategies tailored to their players' strengths. This commitment to continuous improvement has paid off; the Southwest Sharks have secured multiple titles and consistently placed in the league’s upper rankings.

The team’s history of success stems from a winning formula: strong leadership, a focus on player development, and a positive team culture. Coaching has been a crucial aspect of this success. Head Coach Jamie Lawson, who has led the team for over a decade, brought innovative tactics and a focus on conditioning that has transformed the Sharks into a force to be reckoned with. Under Lawson’s leadership, players work tirelessly to stay ahead of the competition, embracing his philosophy of “Leave no stone unturned.” This mantra has helped them identify gaps, stay agile, and remain adaptable in the face of changing opponents.

Fostering Future Talent

The Southwest Sharks aren’t just focused on winning games—they’re focused on the future of the sport itself. The team has developed youth programs designed to foster interest and participation in the sport at an early age. From beginner-level clinics to intensive summer camps, young athletes have a unique opportunity to train under the guidance of professional players and coaches. These programs are structured not only to teach skills but also to instill the values of teamwork, discipline, and perseverance, laying a foundation that extends beyond the field.

The Sharks also participate in various community engagement initiatives, from charity events to school programs, where they inspire the next generation of athletes. These activities have deepened their relationship with the community, strengthening support at games and beyond. Their commitment to making sports accessible and fun has brought more youth into the fold, building a sustainable future for the team and the sport.

The 2024 Season and Beyond

As the Southwest Sharks head into the 2024 season, they’re poised to maintain their reputation as top contenders. With a roster filled with seasoned veterans and promising new talent, the team’s chemistry is at an all-time high. Players such as quarterback Alex “Ace” Mercer and wide receiver Jacob Reed are expected to lead the charge, their performances promising to set the stage for thrilling matchups.

Training camps this season have emphasized team synergy, fast decision-making, and rigorous physical conditioning. The coaching staff believes these elements will give the Sharks an edge in facing tougher opponents and handling high-pressure situations. Fans can expect to see an aggressive but coordinated play style, with a focus on maintaining possession and maximizing scoring opportunities.

As the Sharks dive into the season, fans and rivals alike will be watching to see if they can sustain their momentum and add another title to their collection. Their dedication to excellence, community involvement, and player development makes them more than just a team—it makes them the pride of the Southwest. The Southwest Sharks are not just about winning games; they’re about building a legacy.

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mirrormirrorhq · 2 years ago

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❝Sometimes I don’t really know myself // Devil on my back, pray for me, need help. ❞ Is that TOM HOLLAND? no, you’re mistaken, that’s actually DOUGLAS MUNTZ { cis male, he/him }. He is a 20 year old BORN WEREWOLF. He is a TRAINED HUNTER’S TRACKER can easily be found in GREENHAVEN. He is known for being SELFISH, POSESSIVE, and JUDGMENTAL but also CURIOUS, NAIVE, and PROTECTIVE. You could probably bribe them with POSITIVE ATTENTION, PRAISE AND AFFECTIONATE TOUCH or piss them off by TALKING BADLY ABOUT HIS HUNTER. { zzy, 31, PST, she/her }

Summary:

Douglas was just raised differently.

The young werewolf hunts a different kind of prey than animal game. Trained to track and hunt supernatural creatures from an early age, he struggles to be alone in the infested city Los Santos following the premature death of his hunter. It is the safest place for him to be as a supernatural himself, but the surrounding monsters - and running into a few old prey that he never caught - has him anxious and confused as he’s never had to be by himself before.

Douglas is a born werewolf. He was taken at a young age from his murdered parents by a hunter named Charles Muntz that was notorious for using werewolves to hunt.

The hunter taught him how to hunt with the help of his first wolf, Arthur, and quickly he learned through games that he thought were fun that also honed his skills. He grew very attached to Arthur when, without warning, the man left when he was around 7. It crushed the boy, but there was nothing he could do about it at his age, so he was forced to move on.

Training after Arthur left got a little more intense. Charles pushed him outside of his comfort zones, forging him to be fast, strong, agile, and think on his feet. The most challenging part was getting over violence, which was slowly nurtured in his wolf form when his instincts were the strongest, and sparring with his brothers to get better fights. Years of conditioning eventually lead him to quickly start hunting side by side Charles by the age of 15, helping him track and locate hard-to-find creatures and by the time he was 18, he got over his fear of biting when he was forced to use violence to save Charles. After that, it became a lot easier. He wasn’t doing it because he was violent. He was doing it for Charles. As long as Charles could tell him what to do, he could shed himself of the personal responsibility that came with the action. Even if that meant killing something - or someone. He was a wolf, after all. It was in his nature.

At 19, Doug started to become a formidable opponent. He blossomed into his skills, learning how to outmaneuver and outwit targets or attackers. He was small, but he was fast and smart. His success to failure ratio was 6 to 1, and he was just getting better. When his confidence was at it’s peak though, an accident happened when he was hunting with Charles, leaving the teenager alone. There was back up plans to keep him cared for in the event of his death - but he had never prepared for it. He never thought it could happen. He thought Charles would always be there, and here he is now - all alone.

birth defect: colorblind - deuteranomaly

a type of colorblindness that makes green look more red.This actually proves to benefit Douglas by helping him see camouflage as colors can actually impede ability to detect patterns and textures, making him better at tracking hard-to-find creatures.

PERSONALTY

Positive traits:

curious ◇ daring ◇ energetic ◇ dependent ◇ direct ◇ thoughtful ◇ eager to help ◇ protective ◇ playful ◇ naive

Negative traits:

ignorant ◇ cautious ◇ disarming ◇ spoiled ◇ easily manipulated/influenced ◇ judgmental ◇ possessive ◇ dependent

Hobbies: calisthenics, chess, ballet, exploring hard-to-navigate areas, hunting

WANTED CONNECTIONS:

dads 2/2

crush 1/1

friends 2/5

rivals 2/3

Read More: Marcos’ Martial Law

But for those who did not experience his father’s regime, the younger Marcos appears to offer a refreshing choice—especially after preceding presidents failed to solve the grinding poverty, weak infrastructure, and deep-seated corruption that dominate the daily lives of so many Filipinos. “You have a succession of administrations which really came short of fulfilling the fundamental ideals and aspirations of the Filipino people, which was expressed in the 1986 revolution,” says Richard Heydarian, a professor of political science and Asian geopolitics expert based in Manila.

Alex Bowie—Getty ImagesThe late President Ferdinand Marcos waves goodbye to supporters from the balcony of Malacañang Palace in Manila following his oath-taking ceremony as victor in the Philippine Presidential snap elections, Feb. 25 1986. Beside him stand the First Lady Imelda Marcos, and their children, including his son and namesake, Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. This was the last public appearance by Marcos and his family before leaving for exile in Hawaii.

What is Ferdinand Marcos’s legacy in the Philippines?

Marcos imposed nationwide martial law in September 1972 in response to escalating protests from civil libertarians and threats of communist insurgency.

Data from Amnesty International shows that while Marcos was in power, around 70,000 “enemies of the state” were detained, some 34,000 of them tortured, and more than 3,000 killed. Independent media outlets were also shut down. The repression lasted for nine years.

His loyalists say the period was a golden age of development. Cultural centers, specialist hospitals, and even a nuclear power plant were erected, funded in large part by foreign loans. But the power plant was never used, and the country’s external debt soared from $800 million at the start of Marcos’ first term in 1965 to $28.3 billion when he was ousted—more than 80% of the country’s GDP. In 1984, the Philippine GDP shrank by a record 7%—the worst contraction since World War II. “Crony capitalism,” in which Marcos favored the business interests of friends and relatives, was blamed.

The Marcos family was also accused of stealing up to $10 billion from state coffers, a claim they have repeatedly denied even though authorities already have recovered around $3.3 billion in unexplained wealth.

Read More: Imelda Marcos Has Had Part of Her Art Collection Seized

Jam Sta Rosa—AFP/ Getty ImagesFerdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., presidential candidate and son of the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, greets supporters during a rally in Las Piñas City, suburban Manila, on March 13, 2022.

Why is Bongbong Marcos so popular?

Marcos Jr.’s opponents repeatedly bring up his father’s legacy, but experts say that is backfiring. “Many people are voting for Marcos, not because they like Marcos more; they just don’t like being told and being treated as bad [people],” says Antonio Contreras, a political analyst in Manila. “No one likes that.”

Voters have been swayed by his decision to stay out of the mudslinging, and they approve of his promise to unite the country while continuing with the legacy of Rodrigo Duterte. “A great leader doesn’t need to influence someone with hate,” says 20-year-old voter Azcune.

This positive messaging extends to Marcos’ social media platforms, where political content is interspersed with light-hearted family vlogs. He has over 1.2 million followers on TikTok, around 2 million subscribers on YouTube, and another 5.3 million followers on Facebook. Fatima Gaw, assistant professor of communication research at the University of the Philippines, says it’s “almost impossible” to distinguish between propaganda and genuine support on such platforms.

Marcos Jr. also benefits from an existing power base in the northern provinces, in a country where politics is inherently dynastic. He entered politics for the first time in his home province of Ilocos Norte in 1981, as a 23-year-old vice-governor.

The Marcos family returned from exile in 1991 and began to astutely revamp its image. Bongbong Marcos became a senator in 2010, and ran for vice president in 2016, albeit unsuccessfully.

Throughout his time in public life, he has refused to apologize for rights violations and corruption during his father’s reign—saying that history should be left “to the professors.” But educators have shirked the task. A recent study also found as few as 6% of pages in select 5th and 6th grade Philippine public school textbooks were allotted to the Marcos dictatorship.

“The education system did not teach the martial law experience properly, historically—so that means that voters born after 1986 can easily be convinced that all of that was not true. Or at the very least, that it’s not important,” says Antonio La Viña, former dean of the Ateneo School of Government. With more than half of voters aged between 18 and 41, the effect is significant.

The Philippines has also failed to hold members of the Marcos’ family accountable for their crimes—matriarch Imelda is still free. Bongbong Marcos himself, who was convicted for tax evasion in 1997, did not go to jail for it after an appeals court modified the ruling. It’s “an indictment on the complete failure of the Philippines to institute rule of law,” Heydarian, the political science professor, says—adding that it also shows the country’s failure to confront its dark past.

The result is a surprising attachment to the Marcos family. At the launch of Bongbong Marcos’ campaign, a celebrity emcee rallied the crowd saying: “We have a winner, the fight is over! The love for Ferdinand Marcos Sr. is alive!”

Ted Aljibe—AFP/Getty ImagesProtesters raise clinched fists as they hold banners with anti-Marcos slogans during a demonstration to commemorate the 36th anniversary of the People Power Revolution in 1986 that ousted the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos, in front of the People Power monument in Quezon City, suburban Manila on Feb. 25, 2022.

Is a Bongbong Marcos victory a threat to democracy?

For sociologist Nicole Curato, the coming election is nothing less than “a battle for the nation’s narrative.” Marcos Jr.’s critics will argue that victory signals “democracy’s failure to hold corrupt politicians accountable,” she tells TIME in an email. “His supporters will say that Marcos Jr.’s presidency will signal the country’s democracy [is] moving forward and looking to the future.”

Whether or not Bongbong Marcos will be like his father if he is elected president, meanwhile, remains to be seen—but experts agree that he’s likely not to follow his father’s strongman footsteps.“He doesn’t have the kind of drive and ambition and scale of vision that his father had,” says Heydarian. “And so I doubt the Philippines will move towards a 20th century-style dictatorship. I think that is kind of passé.”

But at the very least a Bongbong Marcos presidency will signal that the country’s problem with dynastic politics is worse than ever. “This is like just cementing the ruling class,” La Viña, the former dean of the Ateneo School of Government, says. “He’s not an outsider taking over.”

source https://time.com/6162028/bongbong-marcos-philippines-president-popular/

Trenz On

source https://emptunes.blogspot.com/2022/03/why-bongbong-marcos-philippine.html

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punkinroses · 5 years ago

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Alright gang I got two rounds of next gen kids done, let's move onto the ones who names I struggled the most with. The previous two posts can be found here and here, showing Zuko and Kataras family, and Sokka and Sukis families, respectively. So, here's the next family on the list:

Taang Kids

Jai Bei Fong is the eldest child of Avatar Aang and Toph Bei Fong. An Earthbender trained in the art of Metalbending by his mother, he has been requested numerous times to take over her school by others. He has simply refuted numrrous times that those running it now are more than capable and prefers to keep to a more minor teaching role in coaching. He has become a Pro Bender instead and has become a part of a very famous team -- and boy does he love to showboat, even if just a little. He does coach minor league and junior teams. He uses a lot of his jovial cockiness for the purpose of getting people to underestimate him and his skills, and to aggravate his opponents to cause them to mess up so he can strike at the perfect time. He has, however, been dealing with a lot of frustration in his own personal life with relationships that never seem to lead anywhere, the struggles of a single father and feeling a responsibility to try and help his family more with his own father gone and them all being...not really about it. Jai is considered the most handsome between him and his brother, with styled black (greying) hair, green eyes and fair skin with his fair share of scarring from fighting. He chooses to wear a lot of darker greens and silvers to match his metal, always wearing a metal cuff with him presented to him from his wife.

Jai lost his wife Reilah a mere few years sgo but it has felt like an eternity without her. She was his biggest supporter in his matches...and a bit of a rival for him, as they had been Pro Benders on separate teams. They always made playful bets on what would happen if one lost -- and one of those times he used to propose to her. He still lost that fight, but she told him that she wouls have said yes regardless. She was mischievous and free spirited, and a little hotheaded. But she was a very formidable Firebender who picked up some tips to better her bending from her in laws. Her career, however, would be cut after she fell ill. Her illness spread slowly and try as they might, there was no permanent solution to heal her and she eventually succumbed to it, breaking his and their daughters hearts. She had short dark brown hair, piercing golden eyes and tanned skin and had an intricate tattoo sleeve that included Jais name and their daughters name.

He has tried to find love again after her, as that was something she was very poignant on. "Don't you dare try and shut your heart off. Don't swear off finding someone who can make you happy. Or I'm coming back and lighting a fire under your ass." But, so far, all of those attempts have failed, either because of a lack of chemistry between the two and from rifts between his daughter and some of his potential girlfriends.

Their only child is named Anzu. She is a rough and tumble, bright eyed Earthbender who has her Dad wrapped around her finger, especially after the loss of her mother. She struggles connecting her extended family, however, as it feels like they all grew apart way back when, but she idolizes her Grandma and Toph is rather close to her as well. She's been struggling to learn Metalbending, but she's stubborn and does not want to give it up. She's also very adventurous, loving every "life changing field trip" she and her Dad go on, and has a collection of various souvenirs on a shelf in her room. She's on her own Pro Bender team that she's currently struggling to whip into shape and has been dealing with that stress on top of trying to be happy for her dad finding love again...but with the ones he brings home constantly trying to replace her Mom. Anzu has shoulder length black hair that she keeps in a messy ponytail, gold-green hazel eyes, and tan skin.

Nyima Bei Fong is the second born child of Aang and Toph. A skilled Earthbender who found herself drawn to the art of Sandbending as well as Metalbending, she has pushed herself to make her own lot in life. She has opened her own resorts across the Earth Kingdom, and one that'll be opening on Ember Island soon. She has wanted to open one close to one of the Air Temples as a way to find a reconnection with her Dad, but her sisters are absolutely against it. She's a very business savy woman who also wants to expand into other new horizons. She's also a complete smartass and doesn't take anyone's nonsense. In her youth, she, like her sisters, was very vocal in reformation to make better changes across all four nations and Republic City, and she was always the most ready to go full out for a cause, even if it stressed both of her parents out. She's claimed she's held herself to a higher standard in recent years and wants to find success while creating a relaxing environment for everyone. Though, if you press the right buttons, her old streak may come out. She's got short, curled black hair, grey eyes and fair skin, and wears muted colors that's topped off with a colorful, stylish scarf.

She has been in an on/off relationship with her childhood romance, Bo. The two have been almost married on four separate occasions, but things have always put a stop to it -- usually things started by Nyima and what people have suggested could be a fear of commitment. Bo is a good humored, free spirited boy raised in the Air Acolytes by his father Teo and has always had a passion for romance and making a positive change in the world. And he's always been able to pull her old spirit out of her when she needs it. He has medium length brown hair with some pulled back in a ponytail, grey-brown eyes and fair skin.

Their eldest child is their daughter Jesa. She is a happy go lucky girl who is very close to her Dad and trying to develop a closer relationship with her Mom, but sometimes feels like she can be too busy and lost a sense of herself, especially when finding old pictures of how her Mom used to be. The two have gotten a bit of a closer bond upon the discovery that she is an Airbender, like her Grandfather before her, though it's lead to even more tension between her parents and aunts who have polar oppositr ideas as to what Jesas' furure should be. She wants to define her own future, like her Mother did for herself and how her Grandmother did. Her best friend in the world is Lian, who she's always felt a big connection to. And after she finds out she's the Avatar...it leads to a whole new world of adventure. She has long dark brown hair, grey-green eyes and fair skin and she wears bright colors, namely golds and greens to honor both her heritages and and she wears a headband similar to her Grandmothers.

Their youngest child is their toddler son Bisang. He's a rambunctious little boy who loves wandering around the resorts and getting to be strapped up in a baby sling while his Dad air glides through the air. He knows no fear and loves to be unabashedly himself. He also is a bit of Mamas boy and clings to her and has been showing promising signs of being an Earthbender.

Tophs final pregnancy shockingly resulted in the birth of triplets. The eldest of three being Hien Bei Fong. A gifted Airbender, she was the first to get her Airbending tattoos after mastering the 37 levels of the practice and it's something she holds in great reverence. She has since gone on to become a leader amongst the reborn nation of Air Nomads and sits among the council, residing on Air Temple Island in Republic City. She works with the newest wave of Airbenders to teach them the old ways and do what she can to revitalize the culture her father almost lost. She was once far more free spirited as a teenager and even though she was a very loud advocate for change, she could find when she could relax and enjoy life. Now her top priority is the politics to keep the balance and to preserve history in the name of her Father -- something that has put a strain between her and Toph, who reminds her that Aang wanted her to be her own person and to have fun. She keeps her bangs shaved off to show her arrows, and the rest of her black hair pulled into a side braid, and has piercing grey eyes, and many remark her glare reminds them of an owl.

Hien has no spouse and prefers not to find someone to be married to. She actually used to date a lot in her youth, but as the years have gone by, she does not want to settle down with someone, feeling they'd never be able to selflessly love all of her and her responsibilities, nor could she do the same.

She does, however, have two children of her own from very brief, unknown relationships.

Her eldest child is probably the eldest out of all of the next generation, her daughter Dema. Dema has struck out on her own, away from her mother's strict thumb and rigid traditionalist nature. She ran with a circus for a time after first running away, before finding herself starring in the new and upcoming phenomenon of Movers. Her actress life has landed her a cushy life in Republic City, which has lead to awkward encounters with her mother, but she stands her ground on the decisions she has made for herself. And Toph always tells her "I think you looked amazing in your new film!" And she always laughs along. Currently, Dema is engaged to one of her more frequent costars, a nonbender named Raiden. She has long black hair, with long bangs, dark blue-grey eyes and and olive skin.

Her youngest is her teenaged son Tenki. Tenki is an Airbender wise beyond his years and is an avid bookworm. He's also the most relaxed member of the family and is very go with the flow, and wants to simply travel around, experience the world with his nothing but his books, and maybe rediscover Wan Shi Tongs library. He has a shaved head, having just gotten his arrows and dresses in typical Air Nomad clothes, with a prayer bead necklace on him at all times.

The second born of the triplets is Hayato Bei Fong. Nobody really knows why Hayato always had a chip on his shoulder. Born with the same airbending abilities as his sisters, he found himself struggling with it and his spiritual side, having more of a stubborn, hardheaded side to him. He rejected getting his tattoos and took to heart the idea of going out on your own and making a name for yourself, though it broke Aangs heart when he left after a fight and never fully reconciled with him. A fact that hit harder following Aangs untimely death. Hayato has since gone off to work in his mothers home town of Gaoling to help bring in industry and has been working on his own company to produce automobiles and motorcycles, rathering to focus on making waves towards the future than tapping into the past and to the spiritual side. Now if he could just get his mother to stop trying to drive one of his automobiles... Hayato has shoulder length black hair, usually pulled back into a bun, dark grey eyes and a small scar going through his left brow. He's discarded any bright Air Nomad colorings for blacks, greys, silvers, and dark greens.

Hayato has a husband named Kazu. He's a nonbender, and an author out to publish his own books and also writes news reports as a gig to bring home money. He has a taste for the darker fashion style of his husband and writing about the struggles and triumphs of mankind in a post war world. He has layered black hair, hazel eyes and pale skin.

The two are looking to adopt in the near future!

For now though, they are quite happy with their Crococat, Boots.

Born the last amongst the triplets and the subsequent youngest child, Huuro Bei Fong is her own terror twister of an Airbender. She was the wild child of her siblings, always getting into her own antics and probably the protestor that almost got her and her sisters arrested numerous times in their youth. She gained her tattoos after the creation of her own move. She has since moved to the restored Southern Air Temple and is always causing trouble for the new elders to show the newest generation how to have fun. She's also been known to be quite skilled on the Sungi Horn, much to somes delight...and others dismay. Huuro wants to help the Air Nomads to find fun, lively and searching for new purpose, to establish new traditions and celebrations while acclimating to the modern world. She keeps her black hair long, flowing and down, and her grey eyes always are full of life.

Huuro is here and looking for love around every corner! She wants to find someone who loves life as much as her and wants a life full of new experiences.

#atla #atla ocs #avatar oc #avatar the last airbender #avatar lian #atla oc #avatar ocs #taang #taang kids #avatar #zutara au #atla au #avatar au #toph bei fong #aang

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formashimataichi · 4 years ago

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I kind of want to go into more detail as to why I feel the way I do about Chapter 205, and about Taichi’s character arc as a whole.

I think where fandom opinion tends to diverge on what Taichi needs lies in the distinction between winning and acknowledgement of skill, which on the surface are easy to muddle, especially when sports manga spend so much time building up tension to a moment where winning feels inevitable. The thing is, though, I don’t think strictly winning is what Taichi has ever been focused on. From the time that he’s a child, what is the concept of “winning” actually connected to? Two things: 1) acceptance and satisfaction from his mother, and 2) acknowledgement from his peers.

This isn’t to say that Taichi doesn’t enjoy winning; obviously, any reasonable person investing their time into a competitive activity or sport would want to feel the adrenaline rush coupled with a win. But the issue here is that Taichi’s desire to win is tied to a deeper emotional need—the need to have his struggle acknowledged as worthy of praise, as opposed to as a futile effort. This is what cripples him so much when it comes to his relationship with Arata, and by extension Chihaya and karuta. His first experience with the sport is being beaten down by Arata as if his effort meant absolutely nothing against the sheer level of Arata’s natural talent and skill. For the first time, he is confronted with something that he cannot be the best at, cannot receive acceptance or acknowledgement for, and most brutally, cannot connect to Chihaya on at the same level that she does with Arata. It’s a traumatic blow to his psyche that obviously follows him through the course of the series.

And at first, he gives up. He does continue to play karuta through middle school, but for a long time, he resigns himself to the idea that he will never be better than Arata, that he will never receive acknowledgement in this area of skill no matter how hard he works, so it’s not a set or defined goal for him to do well. It’s just something he does, something he knows. Something to keep that barely there connection to Chihaya—since they’re at different schools—alive. Until Harada tells him those fateful words: Even if you practice your whole life, you can’t become stronger? Matsuge-kun, only say those things after you have tried. It’s a tipping point, and the clincher is Taichi and Chihaya’s visit to Arata, where he fully decides that he’s going to commit to this ridiculous endeavor again, because he wants one thing: acknowledgement. That he can be stronger, that he can be better, that his efforts can give forth product.

And again, I really want to emphasize that I am not saying that he’s not invested in winning. I think winning is also very important to him, especially when he’s playing as the President of the Mizusawa Karuta Club—Winning was always a must, for the sake of everyone on the team. When we did win, I was joyous. But it wasn’t fun. Because, what is he thinking so many times when he plays matches where he feels like he’s on the cusp of coming out on top? Chihaya, look at me. Look at me, look at me. For such a long time, Taichi isn’t playing karuta matches for himself. He’s playing them almost exclusively for the sake of acknowledgement of his own strength, because this is all he’s ever known to be the way to approach competitive sport. Even later on, after he’s left the club and developed his own distinct playing style, his object is to be a nuisance to others during game play. Today, I’m not here to win. Today, I came here to mess with everyone here. I’m the show’s bad guy. It’s not about the winning so much as it is about the acknowledgement of his presence as a formidable opponent.

And with competitors who aren’t Arata or Chihaya, this is easy. It’s easy because there is no history, no opponent acting as the source of his insecurities in the way that these two friends of his do. But the source of those insecurities themselves, as we more explicitly come to know, is Arata. I thought fighting Taichi would be harder for me. Did I look down on Taichi because of that? Did I look down on a friend? Arata is a kind and simple person. He has a simple outlook on karuta that amounts to upholding the legacy that his grandfather left him, and making it back to Taichi and Chihaya at all costs. But that mindset also cripples him in that it instills within him a lot of arrogance. He’s so confident in living out those expectations that in the face of others, his efforts appear half-assed (something that we are seeing the consequences of even now, in current chapters). And this, to me, is what frustrates Taichi the most. It’s why I’m not so bent on the idea of him wanting to win so much as wanting to be acknowledged. Because Arata has never played an absolutely serious game against him in his life. Arata has always easily visualized victory for himself and unknowingly made Taichi a bystander in his own games. This is what Taichi is fighting back against constantly. It’s why he even resorts to thinking the following during the Meijin challenger match: It’s okay to admit that now that I’m somewhat strong, I’ve become a nuisance to you.

Taichi is desperate for acknowledgement from Arata. As a friend and as a rival, it is all he’s ever wanted from him. To be considered a serious partner and opponent. As someone who has had it hammered into him his whole life that if you’re not the best at something, you’re “nothing”, it makes so much sense that he would want to be acknowledged by the person who actually is the best, by the person who bludgeoned those ideas into his head to begin with (although unknowingly, obviously, as Arata never intended to do so). That’s why the fact that he ultimately doesn’t win the match doesn’t matter to me as much. Because in the end, it’s never about the winning. It’s always about proving himself to Arata as someone worthy of standing on that same stage, and competing on an even playing field, even if he’s outmatched purely in terms of skill. As Suou tells Taichi’s mother: No matter how popular one is or how many thousands of people love them, unless one is acknowledged by that one person [their essence], it’s all meaningless to them. Everyone, no matter who, has one such person. Right now, Taichi-kun is playing the one who is such a person to him. Other than Wataya Arata, to him, there is no one else like that.

I think it can be easy to consider winning and acknowledgement one and the same, because winning often demands that you be acknowledged; but obviously, the reverse isn’t necessarily true. You can be acknowledged as a rival even in situations where you don’t win, which I think is the case here. It’s ultimately a brutal defeat for Taichi, but he’s acknowledged by Arata as a worthy contender, as someone who has put countless amounts of time and effort into becoming strong so that he can stand at Arata and Chihaya’s sides, and Arata finally recognizes that. He recognizes that Taichi has always been more than an obstacle, that he’s a person who has put just as much heart and soul into being close to the people he loves as anyone else. He never loved karuta, but he continued to play it. [Because] that’s how much you loved those people. Not because winning at the sport was the end goal.

(That being said—and I feel like I have to keep coming back to this—I don’t think this match at all signaled that winning against Arata was impossible or that winning is absolutely unimportant to Taichi. I have a feeling that he’ll continue to play karuta for a long time and will make it onto that stage across from Arata again, despite his current doubts. I just don’t think that winning on its own was his utmost priority in the last six years, let alone in this match specifically. There were bigger, emotional arcs that this match was supposed to resolve.)

#mashima taichi #wataya arata #chihayafuru #meta #this is. so long fjkdsjljflgsd #taichi: exists #me: essay essay essay #but i hope this explains my viewpoints a bit more clearly #i feel like i tend to summarize a lot rather than going into detail #but this is probably the best i can paint the picture i'm trying to #all the conversations i have been having with other fans in the past week are wonderful tho!#so much stimulating conversation. i love a series that makes me Think #also so glad i made one complete reread thread for myself on twitter #otherwise finding these quotes would not have been as easy LMAO

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somegirlsnerdywords2 · 4 years ago

Text

Anime i’ve Watched

That begin with a K (Part 5)!

Yep this is how i’m going to bring over all the anime and manga i’ve watched and posted about on the old blog. It’s not so detailed but it will have to do. Anything new I watch or read from this point on will have their own posts.

Kuroko no Basket:

Genres: comedy, school, shounen, sports

Synopsis: Teikou Junior High School's basketball team is crowned champion three years in a row thanks to five outstanding players who, with their breathtaking and unique skills, leave opponents in despair and fans in admiration. However, after graduating, these teammates, known as "The Generation of Miracles", go their separate ways and now consider each other as rivals. At Seirin High School, two newly recruited freshmen prove that they are not ordinary basketball players: Taiga Kagami, a promising player returning from the US, and Tetsuya Kuroko, a seemingly ordinary student whose lack of presence allows him to move around unnoticed. Although Kuroko is neither athletic nor able to score any points, he was a member of Teikou's basketball team, where he played as the "Phantom Sixth Man," who easily passed the ball and assisted his teammates. Kuroko no Basket follows the journey of Seirin's players as they attempt to become the best Japanese high school team by winning the Interhigh Championship. To reach their goal, they have to cross pathways with several powerful teams, some of which have one of the five players with godlike abilities, whom Kuroko and Taiga make a pact to defeat. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

Finished airing in 2012 with a total of 25 episodes.

My Thoughts: Sports! But not as much friendship, character development and fluffiness as I personally prefer. Plus some of the characters have special abilities or powers taking this firmly out of the realistic category. Not a bad series overall though! Certainly enjoyable.

Kuroko no Basket 2nd Season:

Genres: comedy, sports, school, shounen

Synopsis: With the Interhigh Championship finally over, Seirin's basketball team refocuses their efforts, training harder than ever to get the chance to participate in the Winter Cup. Both Kuroko and Kagami see old friends walk back into their lives, providing a challenge both on and off the court. As new skills are developed and new alliances created, enemies from various teams—giants of high school basketball such as Yousen, Shuutoku and Touou—stand in the way of Seirin's steadfast attempts to get to the top. All of these schools prove to be formidable foes whose abilities progress exponentially, while Kuroko struggles to find a balance between his resolve to play as part of a team and his desire to win. With old wounds reopening, new challenges to face on the court, and a new set of foes—the "Uncrowned Kings"—vowing to defeat the new hopefuls, will Seirin ever be able to achieve their dream of beating the Generation of Miracles? [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2014 with a total of 25 episodes.

My Thoughts: Season 2 was even better than the first though all I said before pretty well stands!

Kuroko no Basket 3rd Season:

Genres: comedy, sports, school, shounen

Synopsis: Following their triumph against Yousen High, Seirin's basketball team has reached the semifinals of the Winter Cup along with Kaijou, Rakuzan, and Shuutoku. Each of these teams possesses a member of the Generation of Miracles, and Seirin prepares to face the largest obstacles on their path to winning the Winter Cup. In the final season of Kuroko no Basket, Kuroko goes head-to-head with his old teammates once more as he attempts to show them that individual skill is not the only way to play basketball. His firm belief that his form of basketball, team play, is the right way to play the sport will clash with the talents of a perfect copy and an absolute authority. While Kuroko tries to prove that his basketball is "right," he and the rest of Seirin High ultimately have one goal: to win the Winter Cup and overcome the strength of the Generation of Miracles, who have long dominated the scene of middle and high school basketball. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 9/10

Finished airing in 2015 with a total of 25 episodes.

My Thoughts: We’ve now reached what was essentially the final boss. You don’t need me to convince you to watch the third season if you’ve already watched the previous two...

Kuzu no Honkai (Scum’s Wish):

Genres: drama, romance, school, seinen

Synopsis: To the outside world, Hanabi Yasuraoka and Mugi Awaya are the perfect couple. But in reality, they just share the same secret pain: they are both in love with other people they cannot be with.

Hanabi has loved her childhood friend and neighbor Narumi Kanai for as long as she can remember, so she is elated to discover that he is her new homeroom teacher. However, Narumi is soon noticed by the music teacher, Akane Minagawa, and a relationship begins to blossom between them, much to Hanabi's dismay.

Mugi was tutored by Akane in middle school, and has been in love with her since then. Through a chance meeting in the hallway, he encounters Hanabi. As these two lonely souls spend more time together, they decide to use each other as a substitute for the one they truly love, sharing physical intimacy with one another in order to stave off their loneliness.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8.5/10

Finished airing in 2017 with a total of 12 episodes.

My Thoughts: This may be an unpopular opinion but I actually really liked this anime. It had some really large issues and moments that made me want to cringe until death took me into her sweet embrace but it was a rather unique story and anime. Plus you know sometimes it’s fun to watch an anime where pretty well everyone is an absolutely awful person. I doubt i’d ever watch it again but it was worth that single watch. Great art and opening though!!

Kyoukou Suiri (In/Spectre):

Genres: mystery, comedy, demons, supernatural, romance, shounen

Synopsis: Hidden in plain sight, spirits known as youkai inhabit the world. While most are benign, a certain subset threatens the tenuous peace between youkai and humanity. Ever since she agreed to become their "God of Wisdom," Kotoko Iwanaga has served as a mediator between the two realms, resolving any supernatural problems that come her way. At a local hospital, Kotoko approaches Kurou Sakuragawa, a university student whose long-term relationship ended with an unfortunate breakup. Kotoko harbors feelings for him and suspects that something supernatural lurks within his harmless appearance, so she asks Kurou for his assistance in helping out youkai. Two years later, news of an idol who was accidentally crushed to death by steel beams flooded the press. However, months later, sightings begin to tell of a faceless woman who wields a steel beam. As is the case for any supernatural problem, Kotoko and her partner set out to stop this spirit from wreaking havoc—but this case may prove to be far more sinister and personal than they could have ever thought. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7.5/10

My Thoughts: An interesting mystery with rather interesting characters. I personally had quite a few issues with this anime, including but not limited to the pacing, gratuitous (in my opinion) violence and gore at times and just a lack of character development. Despite much of the anime revolving around the female lead just talking I feel as though I hardly know her... or worse yet care whether she lives or dies. That being said this seems to be one of those animes that everyone seems to either love or hate with little middle ground.... maybe you’ll land closer to the love side of things?

Kyoukai no Kanata:

Genres: slice of life, supernatural, fantasy

Synopsis: Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase. As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 7/10

Finished airing in 2013 with a total of 12 episodes.

My Thoughts: One of my favorite female glasses wearers of all time! All the characters are pretty cute actually, thanks in large part to the pretty animation and art. Honestly though i’m struggling to remember much about the plot and story... I recall a bit but not nearly enough to give a proper over view of things.

Kyoukai no Kanata movie 1:

Genres: action, supernatural, fantasy

Synopsis: The first part of a two-part movie. The story is a recap of the TV series. Mirai Kuriyama is the sole survivor of a clan of Spirit World warriors with the power to employ their blood as weapons. As such, Mirai is tasked with hunting down and killing "youmu"—creatures said to be the manifestation of negative human emotions. One day, while deep in thought on the school roof, Mirai comes across Akihito Kanbara, a rare half-breed of youmu in human form. In a panicked state, she plunges her blood saber into him only to realize that he's an immortal being. From then on, the two form an impromptu friendship that revolves around Mirai constantly trying to kill Akihito, in an effort to boost her own wavering confidence as a Spirit World warrior. Eventually, Akihito also manages to convince her to join the Literary Club, which houses two other powerful Spirit World warriors, Hiroomi and Mitsuki Nase. As the group's bond strengthens, however, so does the tenacity of the youmu around them. Their misadventures will soon turn into a fight for survival as the inevitable release of the most powerful youmu, Beyond the Boundary, approaches. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

A film released in 2015

My Thoughts: It’s a recap which I apparently rated higher then the series... if you could see me right now you’d be quick to note the lazy shrugging. I have no idea what’s going on with my rating’s half of the time. Thinking on the series more I know I absolutely adored the characters, especially the main couple.

Kyoukai no Kanata movie 2:

Genres: fantasy, slice of life, supernatural

Synopsis: After Akihito Kanbara reunites with Mirai Kuriyama—whom he believed had vanished after defeating Beyond the Boundary—he discovers a heartbreaking fact: Mirai has lost all memory of him, their friends, and her past as a Spirit Warrior. Akihito is utterly devastated, but realizes that she has a unique opportunity. Mirai can finally live the life of a normal girl—where she'll be completely devoid of the supernatural society that both shunned and used her. While it's all for the sake of Mirai's happiness, the price is costly—Akihito and his friends must keep her true origins a secret from her, and as a result avoid befriending her. However, the troubling memories of Mirai's old life gradually begin to resurface, and a mysterious new evil leads a group of shadow-like creatures into the city with the goal of seeking her out. As the situations become dire, Akihito must fight to protect himself, his closest friends, and Mirai—the bespectacled beauty he holds most dear. [Written by MAL Rewrite]

My Rating: 8/10

A film released in 2015.

My Thoughts: You’ve already made up your mind about watching this pair of films or the series. Why are you even reading this one!?

#anime #kuroko no Basket #kuzu no honkai #kyoukou suiri #kyoukai no kanata #films #beyond the boundary

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nuttersascend · 4 years ago

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What did it mean to be human?

Eyes bulged out with their nerves prominently covering the pure white slimy surface, as the latest example’s jaw extended far beyond their limits with blood pouring through the pavement step. It was not a peaceful death, and it wouldn’t be granted regardless of his pleas or information reveal.

His scream reached an inhuman pitch as they deformed his face, after which they shot at his body, giving him his peace far too late.

Osamu Dazai looked uninterested. There was nothing he had said that could pique his intrigue, for it was all crystal clear even without a single utterance. His body and his actions screamed evidence- it wasn’t even worth a second glance.

The mercy he had begged for didn’t come as his suffered from a cerebral shock from the utter pain. The finish was traditional and utterly boring, which fit the man to a T, his name not even worth remembering. He squealed like a pig throughout the punishment, but Dazai saved himself from the headache from all that noise by wearing earmuffs. It seemed like his mouth couldn’t be open far enough to compensate from that volume.

Why did such a typical man cling to life? His attachment and desperation overlapped with countless others and added on to his collection. It was another tally to his body count as they reduced to grudge-bearing ghosts. It was sad that those were merely shadows of what they once were and nothing more. The concept just slipped past his hands once it was over.

It was their swan dance, a gesture that was to highlight everything they would represent as their life would be extinguished.

In this profession, he could see what humans truly were, even literally speaking. Nothing was skin deep, with secrets forcibly pulled apart with separated tongues. The ties that held the members ran deeper than blood, as gallons and gallons of it flooded into their lives, invading their possessions.

Nothing was subtle when everything was violence. The faces around him blared everything he needed to know as they looked at him with awe, fear, emotions that coloured them with such gaudy and flamboyant paints.

His missions and the collar he willingly donned to reveal what was behind the curtains left him unsatisfied, just as an audience member got disillusioned when they saw the backstage of the play.

The Mafia was a power tower and with all that influence, it gave him a front-row onto the happenings of the citizens of Yokohama. It was their tango with death that told him so much about people’s lives as he could personally view their entire life on a cinema reel as it flashed by. Information flowed excessively as his subordinates put eyes, ears and mouths around the city as records upon records full of data were accessible to him. They adequately summarized their lives.

But with every life extinguished, Dazai could only agonize ‘Is that all there is to being human?’

It was all neatly packaged like a firecracker disintegrating into dust. It made him wonder if he’d truly live at that edge too. It was the thrill that boiled inside him at the threat that everything could be over at that very instant if the brave ones in front of him pulled the trigger.

The bullet could break through his skin, embed itself into his muscles and dig into his flesh as it would hit his bones and puncture his organs. Then as it made its way through, exploring his physical body, it could see what made him Osamu Dazai as he was outwitted by fate, by his opponent’s ingenious or his ally’s betrayal and incompetence and thoroughly lost, having given his all.

As his potential was snuffed out, the bullet could leave his body, leaving nothing more to see and leaving a corpse behind that would tell no more tales, despite all of the person’s history being tantalizingly told by whatever was left behind as all vital signs faded away into the void.

Boring. It was the monotonous drudgery that surrounded him as the Mafia only saw in black or white, simplifying things until those labels would have to be forced to fit. He could show up in bandages, looking like a damsel in distress and yet no one would bat an eye- his outstanding prowess excusing his eccentricity. He sent a rabbit with a communication device around its collar in his place to face his assignment and yet they would quake in fear as he spoke the obvious.

That rabbit came back to him with a head missing as the traitor’s last method of defiance, but it simply carried on, relaying his message. It seemed like being headless affected neither of them. Mori said that it had been prepared into his special feast, but the bandaged man could only pout as all his fun was ruined.

It was the little things that popped up during investigations that fascinated him. His thoughts could circle around these incidents as he dissected the metaphorical frog until it was dead. He grew bored the instant he found out that he was beating a dead horse. The injuries he received from the close encounters drew adrenaline to his nerves and made him feel almost human.

He went closer to the newest troublemaker and crooned pitifully. “Why would you miss such a golden opportunity? You had that beautifully sharp knife and I’ve not broken your hands. Heck, even if I lopped your limbs off, you should have crawled and stabbed me holding one in your teeth.

Did you need more motivation? Should I have mailed your comrades’ heads to your doorstep?”

Blood dripped from a wound that was just centimetres away from the machine that beat life into him. Disappointment irradiated from him as he saw his assailant taking his last breaths as he lied down, riddled with bullets. On top of that, Dazai’s look of fervour as he kept the man in place as a still target- holding the knife snugly close to his heart disarmed his attacker.

“How incompetent. Your eyes weren’t even focused in the right place. I simply moved in a step to the side and you failed at that distance.”

If his opponents could push him off a building, he could feel the wind whiz past him as gravity would push into him and piling the weight of all his sins as he would lose all control of his limbs during the free fall. If he would not be cushioned, his skeletal prison would break right open as the restraints that made him conform to the human appearance would break right open like a watermelon as his blood and organs would flow wherever they would please. The winds in his sails would be knocked out immediately as his lungs deflate as the wind that accompanied him during his descent abandoned him. His face would be damaged beyond recognition as his identifying feature would go missing. Maybe then, his rats wouldn’t put his name before their eyes and flee from a battle that hadn’t even started.

To make things worse, the prized abilities that gave his enemies their infamy were reduced to dust and ashes at his single touch. Wrapping them in bandages did not stop the executive from reducing a potential challenge and ruining all the fun.

His eyes had glittered when he saw abilities that invoked the elements of nature itself as the beings who could consider themselves forces of natures went through their forces like they were mowing grass. The people who filled in the pages and went into the history as written by Ango Sakaguchi, a rather peculiar historic record that noted down the losers instead, wracked their brains and perfected their skills to overcome insurmountable odds. But Dazai’s ability was rather one-note, disconnecting him from ever feeling those experiences as he reduced a person’s worth by simply touching them. The fear of seeing a formidable enemy would never truly resonate with him.

The ones that surrounded him were new faces that changed every day with life and death interchanging and interacting frequently with him in the centre. As he survived, the more survival became innate to him. His subconsciousness became his biggest rival instead.

Nothing worked. Nothing.

Poison that became a part of his diet. Abrasions in his throat making it sensitive from the attacks both inside and out leading to him constantly wearing bandages as a necklace.

Concussions and head injuries did nothing to hinder his perception, with everything being as clear as ever before. The tipsy feeling of drunkenness to make him an easier target just left a longer trail of bodies, nipping his enemies in the bud and leaving underdeveloped cases that never truly became the threat it was capable of becoming.

He jumped off from buildings, bridges, walls as he recklessly explored uncharted areas during chases. He tripped over rough terrains as his consciousness faded from overexertion, and yet he survived. Never unscathed, but never left to die or stronger from the insights learned.

It was like he got into a game of sorts. He set up a precarious scenario for himself and he would have to get out of that situation alive. As he cycled through these games, it slowly escalated. The thrill of hanging by a single thread along with the despair that came from being forced into both taking part in it and leaving them behind- all for nothing but a single moment of respite.

It was maddening.

At first, it was glass shard splinters that covered his upper body, one dangerously close to his eye as his vision flickered when it broke into pieces as the lamp was overloaded beyond its limits. It changed to intrigue as he explored different knives and daggers as they sunk into his skin, leaving behind a scorching sensation- particularly at his nerves as he looked at the thinning blood and the permanence of the scars they left behind. It was like cotton out of a stuffed teddy bear. He wrapped it up in the gift wrap of bandages as they stung horribly as they tried to heal. But he wasn’t satisfied at just that as he put nettle leaves at the exposed flesh and trapped insects in the open wounds.

The searing pain overcame all his thought as the feeling of pain dominated his mind. At that instant, no troubling thoughts remained in his mind. Sweat poured out from his skin pores as he compared the heat, he was feeling with something that was known for its heat- a simple cigarette butt. His senses were overloaded as the smell of burnt flesh remained prominent in his mind. Thus, he decided to share it with the rats who were good sports.

In return, his harrowing lifestyle led to him having more revelations about enemy strategies as they carried the same intention as he did- a plan to hurt and kill him.

He started deviating from the normal, as a sense of misery from his activities permeated into his life. It was a dreadful feeling of apathy that came from the predictability of it all. He could play people like a fiddle from both his self-reflections and the curiosity that nagged at him as he pulled people apart and put them back together with every word and gesture put forward. He couldn’t help but notice their reactions and explored them, learning about them more as a person- what made them tick,

What made a person human?

That disconnect grew stronger as the weapons they threatened him with looked familiar, overlapping with other faces of suffering, his included. It triggered vivid sensations as the murky feeling of pain mixed in with that strong desire to come closer and reach out.

The knife that pointed right at him, looked custom made as the strong malice made for a tete a tete between the two, attacker and target. Their roles were ambiguous, with what was apparent differing from what was reality. The knife that could have very well put an end to his ever-moving footsteps through bodies upon bodies and the same knife that showed the pathetic man beside him who was caught in his carefully constructed web. The dissonance between the two dug into Dazai’s psyche. There was first him, who brought such pain onto himself, both from the disappointment from never meeting his match and the gut-wrenching hysteria from seeing the same view from his opponent’s perspective of not even matching up to himself. And there was his opponent, who never seemed to meet his expectations and answer the question that plagued him.

It was the eerie question that stared him right in the face as he saw nothing ahead of him as he stood at the edge of the precipice, with the stench of death surrounding him. Was this all that was there?

His opponents preyed on the weak, like children, people who sought to protect despite not having the ability, civilians who dreamt of pies in the sky while denying reality. Noble intentions were completely wasted on them as ideals were ruthlessly exploited.

They ensnared them, while he devoured them. The eyes that looked upon a monster transferred between the levels.

As he meandered between life and death while searching for something in that eternal darkness, he could only glance at what could be beyond life while his attention lingered and longed at the empty room that he obsessively stayed with, a life where he sought meaning and purpose and yet, none was found or bestowed upon him.

He chose to be a puppet as long as Ougai would put on a show after going so far as upturning the whole cast. But the view he saw as the main cast was one that was neither a dream nor a nightmare. For all the power and charisma that the Port Mafia and its leader possessed, it could only leave him heart-wrenchingly still on his knees.

He could plead and beg, his roles did not leave him anything to satiate his hunger with.

He starved as he danced erratically for a morsel or two as he descended to his insanity- the puppeteer’s strings weren’t a good fit for him. There was no one who could nourish him as they chased sights that appeared only to them.

There was nothing left behind and no future he could pursue as he stood on a graveyard filled with scavengers. There’d be nothing left behind and the ravens that swarmed around him urged him to continue onwards, showing faux jewellery that he could never adorn. He allowed them to fester, urging them to devour him completely and then they continued the play, chanting-

“Nevermore.”

#whump #bsd fanfic #port mafia dazai #didn't quite cut it #so it's here now lol

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pokemon-legends-and-legacies · 5 years ago

Note

Any headcanons for Yellow/Leaf, Lisia/May, and Winona/Kris?

Yellow/Leaf

They’ve known each other since childhood, as Yellow is an old friend of Red and Green’s, and Red is Leaf’s older brother. However, they were never super close as children due to their age difference and having their own friend groups.

They reconnect later on after Leaf joins Team Rocket and begins investigating Mewtwo around the same era as the Gen 2 games. Yellow was also investigating Mewtwo on her own, so the two met by chance and decided to work together. I’m still fleshing out how their investigation goes, but the endgame is that they become close friends and are able to befriend Mewtwo.

They end up pursuing their own paths - Yellow goes to school to study to become a Pokémon Doctor, while Leaf starts working for Green at the Viridian Gym. The whole time they’re supporting each other’s different goals though!

At some point, they start dating and eventually move in together once Yellow graduates and Leaf inherits the Gym from Green (who retired to become a Professor). The two buy a house in Viridian, near the forest, that Yellow also runs a small clinic out of.

Their daughter and only child, Amaryllis, was a surprise and was born before they got married, though they got engaged after discovering Yellow was pregnant. They were also surprised when she was born with bright red hair, though this made Leaf very happy as it’s her mother’s hair color.

In the fankid era, Leaf continues to be the Viridian Gym Leader, while Yellow runs the clinic, focusing on taking care of the various wild pokémon who might get injured. Amaryllis is a fairy-type trainer with aspirations of becoming a Gym Leader herself.

Lisia/May

My OTP so I have a lot for this ship.

They’re a couple who gets together quite quickly! They start dating sometime in the post game of ORAS, probably after the Delta Episode, which is when May decided to try out being a coordinator after spending so long being a trainer.

Their relationship is pretty similar to what plays out in the game, with Lisia taking on a mentor, and eventual rival role to May and encouraging her before and after each contest win, the two growing closer the entire time. I think romantic feelings develop for Lisia first, but she’s hesitant to confess since she’s afraid May doesn’t feel the same, but May for sure caught feelings pretty soon as well, not saying anything since she thought Lisia was totally out of her league.

Eventually, right before the two are ready to compete in the Hoenn Grand Festival that year (I used the anime set up for contests in this verse!), the two both decide it’s the time to confess before they face off against each other in the competition. As they both had the same idea, they ended up confessing at the same time! It all worked out though, since knowing that no matter what, they had each other now and a whole future as girlfriends to look forward to, it didn’t matter who won or lost in the Grand Festival. (As it turns out, neither won, the spot going to Robert as it did in the anime.)

Drew was also there, yes, and he and May had a rivalry like they did in the anime! In this case, it just never became romantic, though of course the two remain very close friends throughout the fankid era. He may or may not have given May some advice and the final push to work up the courage to confess to Lisia. (May returns the favor by bothering him about Harley later on.)

May continued to pursue coordinating for a while, though her endgame career is as a Frontier Brain, replacing Spenser. Her facility is called the Battle Stage and functions like an enhanced version of the battle portion of contests (which is where she got the name from), where challengers have to show off both their battling skills and how in sync they are with their pokémon’s moves and performance. Her title as a Frontier Brain is “Stage Princess May”.

Lisia ends up taking over the Sootopolis Gym from her uncle Wallace when he becomes Champion, having been inspired by May’s success as a trainer. She specializes in Dragon-types (her babies) and is a formidable opponent for any gym challenger, often the last gym leader challenged in the league due to Sootopolis’s location.

The couple live in Sootopolis with their three children, Levi, Evan, and Ione. Levi is a coordinator and aspiring contest idol, taking after Lisia, Evan is a trainer who wants to become the Petalburg Gym Leader one day like his uncle and grandfather, and Ione is an aspiring performer who starts her journey in Kalos. There was a bit of drama with Evan since Brendan and Wally had already mentioned they liked Eve as a girl’s name for their soon-to-be born child, and Evan is awfully close to Eve. May swears it was a coincidence but there was a bit of tension for a while (that luckily gets cleared up pretty quickly.)

Kris/Winona

Less to say here since they’re less developed.

It was actually kind of an arranged marriage. Kris’s family and Winona’s family are both old and traditional and have ties going way back. The elders from both families decided it was time to have the clans join in marriage, something they do fairly regularly every so often and began discussions with clan members.

Initially the pairing suggested was Clair and Winona, but Clair wanted nothing to do with marriage so the elders approached her younger sister, Kris with the idea instead. Kris actually saw it as an opportunity for adventure and figured that since it was kind of a political match, she could still find love elsewhere if she and Winona didn’t click. Hoenn seemed like a fun place to live, so she agreed.

As such, they’re a couple who fall in love after marriage rather than before. They have Amethyst fairly soon after marriage since it was sort of expected of them and both were fine with having a kid, but Gale is born a fair bit later as he was the child they had after falling in love. Amethyst is a coordinator and Gale is a trainer and Evan’s rival.

The romance happened fairly slowly, but after living together for a while, both Kris and Winona found themselves thinking about each other a lot. Kris loved watching Winona work at the gym and how attentive she was to her pokémon (and formed a good bond with all of Winona’s flying-types as well!). Winona loved seeing how dedicated Kris was to her work as a researcher, her care in studying and looking after pokémon and the environment. Before either realized it, they were in love and it just felt right.

Winona continues to run the Fortree Gym, but she’s considering one of her children as a successor, if that’s what they want. Kris, already working for Professor Elm in Johto before moving to Hoenn to get married, simply started working for Professor Birch instead, and later works closely with Brendan once he takes up his father’s lab coat. She focuses on studying pokémon ecology in and around the Fortree area and how pokémon fit into the natural ecosystem, though she will also do the occasional study on pokémon in other habitats in Hoenn as well.

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drcsmdws-blog · 6 years ago

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have you been re-introduced to DORCAS MEADOWES? last we heard, the PUREBLOOD was most familiar with TIMELINE ONE. I don’t recall if they were always a RAVENCLAW, but I’ve heard the SEVENTH YEAR. is still LOYAL, STRATEGIC, OBSERVANT and INDECISIVE, OVERTHINKING, RETICENT, so that’s familiar. at least SHE remembers her way around the castle.

PINTEREST. | PLAYLIST.

CHARACTER INSPO: Astrid Leong ( Crazy Rich Asians ), Veronica Lodge ( Riverdale - i’m so sorry ), Rory Gilmore ( Gilmore Girls ), Peyton Charles ( iZombie ), Prue Halliwell( Charmed ), Celeste Wright ( Big Little Lies ),Carla Rosón ( Elite )

character history ( mentions of suicide, death, ocd, alcoholism )

HISTORY:

MEMORY ONE: THE FIRST WIN AGAINST BELARUS MEADOWES.

“Dad, why is my name Dorcas?”

“Why is the sky blue?”

The two had a chess date every Saturday afternoon that carried into her Hogwarts years. He’d make the trip to the castle just to spend some quality time and when Dorcas was old enough to go on Hogsmeade trips, they’d find their spot in Madame Puddifoots amidst the couples and giggling girls in the shop. Belarus loved being surrounded by so many happy and smitten people, Dorcas could see how he thrived, how he practically fed off of it like he was in deficit of it – of love. If Dorcas was being honest with herself ( which, she rarely was)she knew that things with her parents weren’t right, she knew her father and her mother didn’t really love each other the way they should’ve, the way the couples around them did, but she didn’t concern herself with that then.

She was playing to win and this chess game she might’ve had a chance.

Belarus gave a knowing smile, he knew his daughter well, he knew she was really really trying this time, but he was not going to give her the win. No matter how much she tried to distract him with nonsensical questions.

“It’s because it fits you,” he started, while Dorcas shot him look that said how could you think the name Dorcas fits anyone. “I’m serious, I knew you’d be a dork the minute you came out of your mother’s womb.”

“You think you’re so funny, don’t you?”

“I like to think I’m clever, yes.”

“You’re not quick, though,” Dorcas announced triumphantly as the final move was made, a checkmate about to be declared. A semi-stunned Belarus leaned back in his chair and admired his daughter’s resourcefulness, her quick wit, he didn’t know if in that moment she’d have made a better Slytherin than Ravenclaw, but he thought she could’ve been a brilliant one. An argument could’ve been made that Dorcas, in another life, would’ve been a Slytherin, maybe if she’d grown up differently, maybe if she had to rely more on self-preservation than she did at cleverly hiding things away she didn’t want the world to know. If she had a quick wit that stung because hers soared, it carried her above the masses, it made her a formidable chess rival because she was able to see more from the towers than the dungeons. From Afar. Observant for the sake of learning, not just for survival.

Maybe she’d learned from the best, watching her father all these years, an imitation act that became an identity.

“Checkmate,” Dorcas smiled, bouncing in her seat, a bright smile on her face. In that moment, she could’ve screamed with joy, but it wasn’t the victory that was the most important to her – it was finally giving her father a worthy opponent. It wasn’t just student surpassing teacher, it was finally a meeting of EQUALS. Belarus would always complain to Dorcas about how dull the people at the pureblood societal events they went to were, the older she got the more he felt comfortable complaining and being so open, but he was never open enough. Even though he was her father, Dorcas knew he needed a friend, she hoped she could be as much as a friend to him as he was to her.

Dorcas had a ready mind, she could tell that her father was not happy, that he was pretending more often than not, it was something they had in common. At least they could brave this world. Together.

MEMORY TWO: THE FUNERAL OF BELARUS MEADOWES.

No one gave any speeches. No one remembered Belarus like Dorcas did. Her father, her monument, her soul – no one gave a shit, not a real one, besides Dorcas. No one wanted to give more attention to the shameful tragedy that was Belarus ending his life, they all thought him weak, unmanly, pathetic. Some say that death sweetens the memory but for Belarus, for everyone else but Dorcas, it made the memory of his existence and how it ended left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths. They barely spoke his name. The family who he’d left behind barely able to comprehend what he’d done – Dorcas was no exception. She was the closest to him. She remembers begging her mother to let her give a eulogy, to do something for her father’s memory, but it was all a cut and dry affair. There could be no tragedy if they didn’t mourn him like one, denial was their friend, her mother would coo into her ear and though Dorcas knew she was right ( denial had been a dear friend over the years ) it didn’t feel like the right thing when it came to her father’s passing.

This struck Dorcas Meadowes as she was often NOT concerned on whether or not she was doing the right thing.

Every year she leaves a charmed Peace Lily that lasts an entire month without any additional care ( because who else besides Dorcas would visit him? ), every year there’s a period of time where Dorcas just shuts herself in her bathtub and reads. Not the Prophet, which once held Belarus’ obituary and a small section reserved for the Meadowes family and their contribution to society, but the books she used to read with her father that she doesn’t touch any other days of the year. Dorcas, who has always had various preparations for anything she did now lived by the little rituals to help her get through the monotony of her life without her father. The extensive skin care routine. The bi-weekly hair masks made by her own hands, diligently crafted in her cauldron. The way she redid and color coded the notes she had for all her classes every Saturday afternoon at the end of the week. Making her bed, the corners perfectly in place, every morning. Rituals which help her maintain some semblance of balance without him around, to help her cope, that have become staples in her life that help her gather up the endurance to continue being her.

She goes on that way, the Dorcas Meadowes shown to the world is clever and knows what to say, know how to say the right things and when, is kind and is your friend, but not your best friend. She’s popular and known, she’s warm but distant, she’s an enigma to some but really she’s just a girl who knew the art of surviving and knew how to make the best out of a situation that was impossible. That she couldn’t escape from. That she wouldn’t dream to escape from because why should she? The money, the access, the lack of personal fulfillment was easy to mask, she had the privilege to do so much – she could do so much more from within should she ever want to lift a finger to do more than she did. There was nothing morally against her life, it might’ve killed her father, but how could she leave? Her friends who meant the world to her were still by her side, the ones she’d grown up with, her mother may not have loved her but she had a legacy, a birthright, she had a place in society that was too precious to give up and she knew it. Dorcas knew it, even if it killed her too, that her life was textbook-ly too good to leave.

Still, she wondered, why couldn’t her father have stayed? At his funeral she looked at him, his body, one last time before he was put into the ground and could only wonder why?

She always thought she understood him, that she understood how he felt, but had she? Had she ever? Had she really? When she could still stay in this world while he was gone?

MEMORY THREE: THE MOURNING OF BELARUS MEADOWES: BARGAINING.

Had Dorcas Meadowes ever been loved by her mother? Truly loved? Given a hug not based on merit but because when you love someone so much you just can’t help but to physically cherish them, their existence, to express it in physical touch. Had she ever given her daughter a kiss on the cheek before bed, wishing her sweet dreams, reading bedtime story upon bed time story until her imagination was quelled into a sleep filled with dreams&technicolor fantasies?

( Dorcas doesn’t dream anymore. If it’s not a dark sleep, it’s a scene. It’s a flashback. It’s the coroner’s report. Her father’s casket buried into the ground. Bottles of Merlot broken upon marble floors – was his blood that red too when he passed? It’s question after question, It’s maze after maze. Dorcas doesn’t dream anymore. )

Had her mother ever made her laugh so hard her mascara smudged, had she ever ever spent hours upon hours playing chess with her? Had they read in their library in tandem, sitting in a comfortable silence for hours on end? Had they ever sat on the balcony in their villa at Lake Como and talked about the world, about the stars ( she never listened or cared much about them but when Belarus talked about the stars, about anything, you listened ). Had she ever gone to Paris with her and serenaded her on the tip top of the Eiffel tower? Had her mother spent hours answering every question Dorcas ever had? Had she run through the streets of Rome with her, flown on a broomstick at night around the Colosseum ( What fun would being a wizard be if we can’t break into muggle monuments, my Doe? ). Had she jumped in the turquoise waters of Santorini and spoken extremely horrible Greek with a tired Dorcas carried on her shoulders?

Had she ever helped her when it wasn’t in her best interest to do so? Had she ever let her daughter have the option of being ANYTHING but her own personal Atlas?

( Her mother spent hours lost in booze, lost in anger, in a rage that Dorcas could understand, could feel herself some days but with a Sterling Silver Role Model like her mother she vowed to never ever be like her. Her children would never know their mother blacked out, slurred speech, screaming, her children would only know chess, kindness, laughter, charms&gentleness – this she VOWS. )

Dorcas wishes she could’ve lightened the load he felt, she hopes, she ( dreams ) knows that having just one month with him she could finally understand why he did what he did, why he left her, why she wasn’t enough to tie him to this Earth for even a few years more when theyboth could’ve made their escape? Didn’t he know she’d follow him to the ends of the Earth, didn’t he know he was her world, her stars, her sky, her ocean? If she had told him more, if only she had written him more letters. It kept her up at night, thinking of why she wasn’t enough and what more she could’ve done because when she looked back, she knew there was always so much more she could’ve been & done for him, Dorcas wondered too – did he know something she didn’t about leaving this society? Was she forever trapped like him, wasdeath the only way out, was that why he did it? Why, why, why, she made herself sick with the why but that wasn’t as important as the gift that having one more month with him would be. Maybe, with their minds combined – she could bring him back. Permanently.

( At least with a month she could let him know she loved him, she’d go to the ends of the world with & for him, that he was so so loved by her, that at least if she could onlyhaveonemonth, if life was to be even crueler than it already had been by giving her so much yet so little time, Dorcas could let her father know he was loved. Some people would be angry, sure, she was angry, but not at him. At everyone else around him. At his wife, her mother, but Merlin, he was loved. That would be enough. )

Lie. She needed so much more.

REACTION:

Dorcas lets herself live in such denial, lets herself push down every doubt she has and any intent on acting on it easily because there is no need to act. But in the other timelines? There was. In one, Voldemort won – she knows deep down she couldn’t have stood idly by and feels a deep sense of agony at the idea of doing so & getting confirmation that she didn’t is both relieving and terrifying. Abandoning the people she grew up with ( because that’s what it is at the end of the day to those in pureblood society, abandonment ) is something she couldn’t see herself doing in her original timeline, but knowing she could should the political climate call for it, that her morals won out, that they always will – gives her hope. It’s intriguing as well, getting proof that other timelines and alternative universes exist. Fascinating for someone who’s already interested in the great beyond and fantasy worlds she’s read in her books but realizing she was living in a utopia compared to the other timelines is sobering. Seeing the people she cares about in other timelines suffering through other universes while she’s in her ivory tower is guilt-inducing as well. It’s a wake up call, because Dorcas never would’ve described herself as unhappy in her timeline now but seeing other timelines makes her realize things she’s been trying to hide from herself for so long and it’s scary.

#diversions.i #i decided to copy and paste my app bc im TOO LAZY TO MAKE AN INTRO #ill post wanted connections soon #also ill never use the gif of her playing cello in game SO here's a gif of gayoung playing cello

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diversionsrpg · 6 years ago

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A DIVERGING PATH

→ have you been re-introduced to DORCAS MEADOWES? last we heard, the PUREBLOOD was most familiar with TIMELINE ONE. I don’t recall if they were always a RAVENCLAW, but I’ve heard the seventh year. is still LOYAL, STRATEGIC, OBSERVANT and INDECISIVE, OVERTHINKING, RETICENT, so that’s familiar. at least SHE remembers their way around the castle.

THEIR LIFE IN FULL

→ “dad, why is my name dorcas?” “why is the sky blue?” the two had a chess date every saturday afternoon that carried into her hogwarts years. he’d make the trip to the castle just to spend some quality time and when dorcas was old enough to go on hogsmeade trips, they’d find their spot in madame puddifoots amidst the couples and giggling girls in the shop. belarus loved being surrounded by so many happy and smitten people, dorcas could see how he thrived, how he practically fed off of it like he was in deficit of it – of love. if dorcas was being honest with herself ( which, she rarely was ) she knew that things with her parents weren’t right, she knew her father and her mother didn’t really love each other the way they should’ve, the way the couples around them did, but she didn’t concern herself with that then. she was playing to win and this chess game she might’ve had a chance. belarus gave a knowing smile, he knew his daughter well, he knew she was really really trying this time, but he was not going to give her the win. no matter how much she tried to distract him with nonsensical questions. “it’s because it fits you,” he started, while dorcas shot him look that said how could you think the name dorcas fits ANYONE. “i’m serious, i knew you’d be a dork the minute you came out of your mother’s womb.” “you think you’re so funny, don’t you?” “i like to think i’m clever, yes.” “you’re not quick, though,” dorcas announced triumphantly as the final move was made, a checkmate about to be declared. a semi-stunned belarus leaned back in his chair and admired his daughter’s resourcefulness, her quick wit, he didn’t know if in that moment she’d have made a better slytherin than ravenclaw, but he thought she could’ve been a BRILLIANT one. an argument could’ve been made that dorcas, in another life, would’ve been a slytherin, maybe if she’d grown up differently, maybe if she had to rely more on self-preservation than she did at cleverly hiding things away she didn’t want the world to know. if she had a quick wit that stung because hers soared, it carried her above the masses, it made her a formidable chess rival because she was able to see more from the towers than the dungeons. from afar. observant for the sake of learning, not just for survival. maybe she’d learned from the best, watching her father all these years, an imitation act that became an identity. “checkmate,” dorcas smiled, bouncing in her seat, a bright smile on her face. in that moment, she could’ve screamed with joy, but it wasn’t the victory that was the most important to her – it was finally giving her father a worthy opponent. it wasn’t just student surpassing teacher, it was finally a meeting of EQUALS. belarus would always complain to dorcas about how dull the people at the pureblood societal events they went to were, the older she got the more he felt comfortable complaining and being so open, but he was never open enough. even though he was her father, dorcas knew he needed a friend, she hoped she could be as much as a friend to him as he was to her. dorcas had a ready mind, she could tell that her father was not happy, that he was pretending more often than not, it was something they had in common. at least they could brave this world. TOGETHER.

→ no one gave any speeches. no one remembered belarus like dorcas did. her father, her monument, her soul – no one gave a shit, not a real one, besides dorcas. no one wanted to give more attention to the shameful tragedy that was belarus ending his life, they all thought him weak, unmanly, pathetic. some say that death sweetens the memory but for belarus, for everyone else but dorcas, it made the memory of his existence and how it ended left a bitter taste in everyone’s mouths. they barely spoke his name. the family who he’d left behind barely able to comprehend what he’d done – dorcas was no exception. she was the closest to him. she remembers begging her mother to let her give a eulogy, to do something for her father’s memory, but it was all a cut and dry affair. there could be no tragedy if they didn’t mourn him like one, denial was their friend, her mother would coo into her ear and though dorcas knew she was right ( denial had been a dear friend over the years ) it didn’t feel like the right thing when it came to her father’s passing. this struck dorcas meadowes as she was often NOT concerned on whether or not she was doing the right thing. every year she leaves a charmed peace lily that lasts an entire month without any additional care ( because who else besides dorcas would visit him? ), every year there’s a period of time where dorcas just shuts herself in her bathtub and reads. not the prophet, which once held belarus’ obituary and a small section reserved for the meadowes family and their contribution to society, but the books she used to read with her father that she doesn’t touch any other days of the year. dorcas, who has always had various preparations for anything she did now lived by the little rituals to help her get through the monotony of her life without her father. the extensive skin care routine. the bi-weekly hair masks made by her own hands, diligently crafted in her cauldron. the way she redid and color coded the notes she had for all her classes every saturday afternoon at the end of the week. making her bed, the corners perfectly in place, every morning. rituals which help her maintain some semblance of balance without him around, to help her cope, that have become staples in her life that help her gather up the endurance to continue being her. she goes on that way, the dorcas meadowes shown to the world is clever and knows what to say, know how to say the right things and when, is kind and is your friend, but not your best friend. she’s popular and known, she’s warm but distant, she’s an enigma to some but really she’s just a girl who knew the ART of surviving and knew how to make the best out of a situation that was impossible. that she couldn’t escape from. that she wouldn’t dream to escape from because why should she? the money, the access, the lack of personal fulfillment was easy to mask, she had the PRIVILEGE to do so much – she could do so much more from within should she ever want to lift a finger to do more than she did. there was nothing morally against her life, it might’ve killed her father, but how could she leave? her friends who meant the world to her were still by her side, the ones she’d grown up with, her mother may not have loved her but she had a legacy, a birthright, she had a place in society that was too precious to give up and she knew it. dorcas knew it, even if it killed her too, that her life was textbook-ly too good to leave. still, she wondered, why couldn’t her father have stayed? at his funeral she looked at him, his body, one last time before he was put into the ground and could only wonder why? she always thought she understood him, that she understood how he felt, but had she? had she ever? had she really? when she could still stay in this world while he was gone?

→ had dorcas meadowes ever been loved by her mother? TRULY LOVED? given a hug not based on merit but because when you love someone so much you just can’t help but to physically cherish them, their existence, to express it in physical touch. had she ever given her daughter a kiss on the cheek before bed, wishing her sweet dreams, reading bedtime story upon bed time story until her imagination was quelled into a sleep filled with dreams &technicolor fantasies? ( dorcas doesn’t dream anymore. if it’s not a dark sleep, it’s a SCENE. it’s a flashback. it’s the coroner’s report. her father’s casket buried into the ground. bottles of merlot broken upon marble floors – was his blood that red too when he passed? it’s QUESTION AFTER QUESTION, it’s maze after maze. dorcas DOESN’T dream anymore. ) had her mother ever made her laugh so hard her mascara smudged, had she ever ever spent hours upon hours playing chess with her? had they read in their library in tandem, sitting in a comfortable silence for hours on end? had they ever sat on the balcony in their villa at lake como and talked about the world, about the stars ( she never listened or cared much about them but when belarus talked about the stars, about anything, you listened ). had she ever gone to paris with her and serenaded her on the tip top of the eiffel tower? had her mother spent hours answering EVERY question dorcas ever had? had she run through the streets of rome with her, flown on a broomstick at night around the colosseum ( what fun would being a wizard be if we can’t break into muggle monuments, my doe? ). had she jumped in the turquoise waters of santorini and spoken extremely horrible greek with a tired dorcas carried on her shoulders? had she ever helped her when it wasn’t in her best interest to do so? had she ever let her daughter have the option of being ANYTHING but her own personal atlas? ( her mother spent hours lost in booze, lost in anger, in a rage that dorcas could understand, could feel herself some days but with a Sterling Silver Role Model like her mother she vowed to never EVER be like her. her children would never know their mother blacked out, slurred speech, screaming, her children would only know chess, kindness, laughter, charms &gentleness – this she VOWS. ) dorcas wishes she could’ve lightened the load he felt, she hopes, she ( dreams ) knows that having just ONE month with him she could finally understand why he did what he did, why he left her, why she wasn’t enough to tie him to this earth for even a few years more when they BOTH could’ve made their escape? didn’t he know she’d follow him to the ends of the earth, didn’t he know he was her world, her stars, her sky, her OCEAN? if she had told him more, if only she had written him more letters. it kept her up at night, thinking of why she wasn’t enough and what more she could’ve done because when she looked back, she knew there was always so much more she could’ve been & done for him, dorcas wondered too – did he know something she didn’t about leaving this society? was she forever trapped like him, was DEATH the only way out, was that why he did it? why, why, why, she made herself sick with the why but that wasn’t as important as the gift that having one more month with him would be. maybe, with their minds combined – she could bring him back. PERMANENTLY. ( at least with a month she could let him know she LOVED him, she’d go to the ends of the world with & for him, that he was so so loved by her, that at least if she could only have ONE month, if life was to be even crueler than it already had been by giving her so much yet so little time, dorcas could let her father know he was LOVED. some people would be angry, sure, she was angry, but not at him. at everyone else around him. at his wife, her mother, but merlin, he was loved. that would be enough. ) lie. she needed so much more.

A WORLD UPSIDE DOWN

→ dorcas lets herself live in such denial, lets herself push down every doubt she has and any intent on acting on it easily because there is no need to act. but in the other timelines? there was. in one, voldemort won – she knows deep down she couldn’t have stood idly by and feels a deep sense of agony at the idea of doing so & getting confirmation that she didn’t is both relieving and terrifying. abandoning the people she grew up with ( because that’s what it is at the end of the day to those in pureblood society, ABANDONMENT ) is something she couldn’t see herself doing in her original timeline, but knowing she could should the political climate call for it, that her morals won out, that they always will – gives her hope. it’s intriguing as well, getting proof that other timelines and alternative universes exist. fascinating for someone who’s already interested in the great beyond and fantasy worlds she’s read in her books but realizing she was living in a utopia compared to the other timelines is sobering. seeing the people she cares about in other timelines suffering through other universes while she’s in her ivory tower is guilt-inducing as well. it’s a wake up call, because dorcas never would’ve described herself as unhappy in her timeline now but seeing other timelines makes her realize things she’s been trying to hide from herself for so long and it’s scary.

PLAYED BY — JINX FACECLAIM — MOON GA YOUNG

#taken.#dorcas.#timeline one #ravenclaw #seventh year

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thecollegefootballguy · 6 years ago

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Bowl Previews: December 28

We’re getting closer and closer to New Year’s, so the matchups are getting better and better. This marks the first instance of ranked vs ranked games in bowl season, a big milestone.

Music City Bowl: Purdue 6-6 (5-4) vs Auburn 7-5 (3-5) (Nashville, TN)

This is an interesting matchup. Purdue has taken quite a path to get to this point. The Boilermakers began the season flat on their faces, with a dreadful 0-3 start to the season putting a severe handicap on the Boilers. Purdue’s wins over eventual bowl teams Boston College and Iowa were just a hint of their true potential, their earth-shattering beatdown of undefeated Playoff hopeful Ohio State was one of the defining points of the 2018 regular season. The Boilermakers have suddenly turned from doormat to stable contender in the Big Ten West. It’s an incredible job by Jeff Brohm.

Auburn is a different story. The Tigers were thought of as a dark horse to win the SEC over Alabama and Georgia, after all, they beat both of those teams last year. The descent was swift and incredibly painful, with wins over Washington and A&M completely overshadowed by humiliations at the hands of every other bowl team they faced as well as a terrible Tennessee squad. Gus Malzahn has seen his seat heat up pretty fast for a man who nearly won the league title a calendar year ago. They have to win this one.

Camping World Bowl: #16 West Virginia 8-3 (6-3) vs #20 Syracuse 9-3 (6-2) (Orlando, FL)

I love this matchup. What a celebration for these old Big East rivals. West Virginia was the dark horse pick to win the Big 12. The Mountaineers ended up falling to third in the conference thanks to back to back losses to the Oklahoma schools to end the year, but they were very real Playoff contenders until the very end.

What a season Syracuse had. The Orange haven’t been this good in quite some time. Their only losses in the whole regular season were to two Playoff contenders and ACC Coastal champion Pittsburgh. ‘Cuse have totally rebuilt themselves into a formidable opponent under head coach Dino Babers. I’d say this is one of the few non-NY6 games not featuring a conference championship winner to be worth something more than just a celebration for a job well done.

Alamo Bowl: #24 Iowa State 8-4 (6-3) vs #13 Washington State 10-2 (7-2) (San Antonio, TX)

Here’s another fun matchup. We’re used to seeing Iowa State and Washington State near the bottom of the standings, so it’s very cool to see them do so well. The Cyclones had a resurgent year in 2017, but they solidified their gains this past season. ISU stumbled early, with another maddening loss to rival Iowa, but managed to pass through the final two months with only a loss to a good Texas team. Matt Campbell has done quite the job in Ames, let’s hope they keep him around a while longer.

We should be getting used to the Cougars playing this well. WSU has had a string of successful seasons going back to 2015. Wazzu has become a fixture near the top of the PAC-12 North standings. Unfortunately, just like Iowa State, they haven’t been able to defeat their in-state rival when it’s counted the most. This time, Washington State’s loss to Washington cost them a Rose Bowl. Still, it was a triumphant season for Mike Leach, Gardner Minshew, and the rest of the Cougars.

#college football #Purdue Boilermakers #Auburn Tigers #West Virginia Mountaineers #Syracuse Orange #Iowa State Cyclones #Washington State Cougars

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jaycollinspackers-blog · 7 years ago

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Packers 2018 schedule released

Football fans rejoice! One of the most hotly anticipated events of the offseason and quite possibly the most anticipated event of April is upon us. I am, of course, referring to the release of the regular season schedule. Forget the Draft, OTAs, the Combine…this is the real deal. Of course, this is no ordinary season for the Cheeseheads. 2018 marks the 100th season of football in Green Bay, so with that, let’s have a look at the Green Bay Packers 2018 schedule.

September

The Packers will kick off their historic 100th season in perhaps the most apropos manner – with a Sunday Night Football prime time matchup against lifelong rivals, the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field. The Bears went 5-11 in 2017 which was enough to earn them fourth place in the NFC North and the eighth pick in the 2018 Draft. The Bears will be looking to bounce back after a tumultuous 2017 campaign which saw second overall draft pick QB Mitch Trubisky throw for seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in twelve games. With a full offseason, a helping of starting experience under his belt, a new Head Coach in Matt Nagy and some new offensive weapons in TE Trey Burton from Philly, WR Taylor Gabriel from the Falcons and ex-Jaguar WR Allen Robinson, look for the freshman to come out looking to spoil the Packers hopes of a perfect start to their centenary season.

Week 2 will see a visit to Lambeau from another division rival from Minnesota. 2017 was a disastrous year for the Packers against the Vikings; the road game in week 6 saw the infamous late hit from Anthony Barr which broke Rodgers collarbone in a loss which thrust backup QB Brett Hundley into the spotlight and sent a promising looking campaign into disarray. Their second meeting at Lambeau in week 16 was just as painful. Coming off a loss to Carolina which saw Rodgers in action for the only game of the season after breaking his collarbone, the Vikings were instrumental as the Packers were shutout for the second time in the season. Look for Rodgers and the Packers to have a formidable chip on their collective shoulder against their rivals in Purple who won perhaps the biggest prize in free agency in the form of QB Kirk Cousins this year.

Week 3 will see the Packers’ first road game of the season as they travel to Washington to take on newly acquired QB Alex Smith and the Redskins. The Rodgers, Smith rivalry famously dates back to 2005 when Smith was selected first overall in the Draft by the San Francisco 49ers over Rodgers who was favourite across the board to be taken first. However, Rodgers famously slipped to pick number 24 where he was scooped up by the Packers and the rest, as they say, is history. Week 4 will showcase a relatively unusual visit from the AFC East Buffalo Bills in a matchup that occurs once only every eight years. Buffalo are coming off a season which saw their first playoff appearance since 1999 which came with a little help from the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bills will be looking to taste the playoffs again this season with a renewed vigour, so don’t expect to see the same Bills from the last sixteen years.

- With three home games and a road game against Washington, the Packers look to be in a prime position to get off to a hot start to the 2018 season.

October

The Packers will kick off Breast Cancer awareness month with a visit to the division rival Detroit Lions. Green Bay were swept last year by the Lions under the leadership of QB Brett Hundley, so look for the Packers to be fierce against all division rivals this year, especially the Lions. Next up in week 6, the Packers are staying home for a Monday Night game to take on once rivals San Francisco 49ers who are pretty high going into the season on QB Jimmy Garoppolo, who was traded from the Patriots last October and has so far won every game he’s started for the 49ers. The signing of Jimmy G and a number of offseason acquisitions have made the 49ers hot candidates to become relevant once again in 2018.

A week 7 bye will be a welcome sight for the Packers as they will have an extra week to prepare for a week 8 tilt in Los Angeles against the SuperBowl contender LA Rams. The Rams, who looked like one of the hottest teams in the NFC got to the playoffs last year and were stopped short by the Falcons on wildcard weekend. They are looking to build on the momentum from 2017 after making a slew of offseason free agent acquisitions, most notably on the defence in DT Ndamukong Suh (who will now be on the same defensive line as star DT Aaron Donald,) CB Aquib Talib, CB Marcus Peters and former Packer CB Sam Shields. They also made a big name signing on offence in WR Sammy Watkins, so with a young QB in Jared Goff and one of the NFL’s premier backs in RB Todd Gurley, the Rams look to be one of the teams to beat in the NFC this season.

- The Packers will appreciate the extra time to prepare for a very tough schedule coming out of a week 7 bye and into November. Barring any major injuries, the Packers will be looking to set themselves up to make a hot run into the second half of the season which boasts some formidable matchups.

November

The Packers kick off a very tough looking November schedule with a trip from the West Coast to the East in a game that will see two future Hall of Famers match up for only the second time in their careers. Of course, I am talking about QB Aaron Rodgers and QB Tom Brady in a week 9 matchup in Boston, MA to take on the mighty New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football. The Patriots are coming off yet another SuperBowl appearance where they came within yards of hoisting a sixth Lombardi Trophy. Consistently the team to beat in the AFC, the Patriots will be looking to uphold their reputation on their home turf.

Perhaps the least formidable matchup in November for the Packers will come in week 10 with a visit from the Miami Dolphins. The Packers brought former Offensive Coordinator and former Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin back as their Offensive Coordinator this offseason, so he will be looking to bring a good game to his old team and hopefully grab a home win.

The slog resumes in weeks 11 and 12 though, with a short break before a colour rush Thursday Night game in Seattle followed by a “mini bye” before heading over to Minnesota for Sunday Night Football matchup against the Vikings. These are two teams who are incredibly strong at home and will both be looking to carry momentum through their seasons to take them deep into the playoffs. It is also the fifth year in a row the Packers will play the Seahawks who have become somewhat of a rival to the Packers since the infamous 2012 “Fail Mary” play.

- November could be a make or break month for the Packers and could heavily shape the playoff picture come January. The Packers will be looking to carry some serious momentum into December and hopefully even further.

December

Everyone’s favourite football month where the playoff picture starts to develop and every game means that little bit more. The Packers will open December at Lambeau Field with a visit from the Arizona Cardinals. The Cardinals are not quite the team they were when the Packers faced them twice in the space of a few weeks in 2015. Since going 13-3 in 2015, the Cardinals posted records of 7-8-1 in 2016 and 8-8 in 2017. QB Carson Palmer announced his retirement this offseason and the Cardinals brought in QB Sam Bradford as his replacement, who has seen plenty of the Packers in his career, so the Packers will be looking to capitalise on this matchup. Following the Cardinals, the Packers will host the Atlanta Falcons for a week 14 matchup that could further influence the playoff picture with the Packers this time having home field advantage. The Falcons have become hot opponents for the Packers in recent years with matchups in four of the last five seasons including playoffs and coming out on the losing side of the last two.

Two home games in December will be followed by two road games at Chicago to face the Bears and New York to face the Jets in weeks 15 and 16 respectively. From 1999 to 2013, the Packers played the Bears in December every season. This streak was ended by the famous play in week 17 of the 2013 season when returning from a collarbone injury, QB Aaron Rodgers threw a Touchdown pass to WR Randall Cobb on 4th and 8 with less than two minutes in the game, behind by four points to send the Packers into the postseason with another NFC North title. 2018 marks only the second season (2016) since that famous play where the Packers and Bears will face off in December and the Packers will be looking to sweep the Bears again this time around. Meanwhile in New York, the Jets signed former Vikings QB Teddy Bridgewater who will be looking to make a huge rebound after suffering a brutal knee injury prior to a very promising looking 2016 season. Since then, Bridgewater has only played in one game for the Vikings after some doctors feared he would never play football again, making this an intriguing matchup.

To cap off the regular season, Green Bay will play division rivals Detroit Lions for the third year in a row, but for the first time since 2014 as the host. The Packers will be looking to end the season hot with the hopes of carrying momentum through January and into the postseason.

- December is always a fun time for football with the playoff picture establishing and every team making the push down the stretch to make it to the postseason. The Packers will be looking to take back the NFC North title after the Vikings took the crown last season and they will be looking to get back into the playoffs after missing the postseason for the first time in nine years in 2017. The Packers have been decimated by injuries for the last few seasons, so they will be hoping to end the streak of bad luck and establish themselves as the premier team in the NFC once again in the race to get future Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers his second SuperBowl ring, further establishing his legacy as one of the greatest QBs to ever play the game.

With a new General Manager Brian Gutekunst in the building along with new Offensive and Defensive coordinators in former Dolphins Head Coach Joe Philbin and former Browns Head Coach Mike Pettine respectively along with Mike McCarthy, the Packers have made some noise in the offseason already by signing TE Jimmy Graham, DE Mohammad Wilkerson and trading CB Damarious Randall to the Browns in exchange for QB Deshone Kizer, but the offseason hasn’t been without its losses. This year saw long time fan favourite WR Jordy Nelson released and subsequenly signed by the Oakland Raiders. These signings along with a strong draft could put the Packers in a position to make a strong push in the 2018 season as they resume their quest to bring the Lombardi trophy home to Titletown.

Written by Jay Collins

#NFL #NFLNews #Green Bay Packers #Packers #NFLUK #PackersUK #Jay Collins #Aaron Rodgers #Green Bay #American Football #Football #Sports #2018 Regular season #schedule release

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thereviewbait · 5 years ago

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Saitama vs. Garou: Can Garou Ever Beat Saitama

The anime One Punch Man (OPM) has some of the most complex characters with great characterization. One such character is Garou, Silverfang's former pupil, who calls himself a monster. In the one take, he is a bad guy, running around trying to defeat or even kill heroes to establish himself as the ultimate monster.

Throughout OPM season 2, until the part where Saitama knocks Garou out, we were wondering if Garou could finally give Saitama what even Boros, an alien that proved to one of the strongest enemies of Saitama, couldn't give. Needless to say, Saitama, himself, wondered if Garou is any good and quite excited about meeting the guy who calls himself a monster.

Between an unfinished manga, webcomic, and an anime, following the event of the OPM universe is rather challenging. However, let us address the elephant in the room-- Saitama vs. Garou-- with all the resources we have got.

Saitama is the protagonists of the manga, anime, and webcomic One Punch Man. When the story started, he was a hero for fun. However, after having accepted to be Genos' teacher, he soon registers himself as a professional hero for the Hero Association. Saitama is considered to be the strongest of One Punch Man characters, but the extent of his powers are widely unknown.

According to Saitama, the secret to his superhuman strength and powers is a strict exercise regiment he followed along with a healthy diet and sleep cycle. He trained himself to the point that he became the strongest man in the world, and can beat anyone with a single punch, much to his dismay. His greatest wish at present is to find someone who can fight with him and can challenge the full extent of his power.

Garou Background

Garou was the best student of S-class hero Silverfang's dojo. As such, he is one of the most formidable martial artists in the world. Due to his hate towards heroes and the seeming unfairness towards the monsters, Garou aspires to the ultimate monster. In fact, he became Silverfang's pupil to get stronger to achieve his purpose.

In his quest to become a monster, he attacked his classmates in the dojo and managed to defeat them all. Later, he attacked and defeated several thugs in the city, along with a few heroes at the Hero Association headquarters during a meeting. Since then, he started religiously attacking heroes of several classes, defeating them and several monsters on his path.

Saitama vs. Garou: Personality

One of the striking things about Garou is his similarity to Saitama in terms of his personality. Both of them are constantly looking for someone who can match their level, challenge them. The difference is that Saitama looks for a strong opponent, who can remind him of the thrill of a good fight and win. Whereas, Garou wants to fight stronger people to become stronger.

Aside from this, another common thing is their childhood. Both Saitama and Garou had difficult childhoods, where they were bullied and harassed by stronger kids. Once again, despite the similarity, the two's fates were different. For, Saitama chose to move on from the trauma and went on to become a hero, and Garou became bitter from his experience and sought to become a monster.

Yet another aspect of their personality to consider is their levels of passion and emotions. Garou is a passionate person with a single goal in his mind and does not mind being defeated, as he sees it as a lesson. Saitama, on the other hand, is stoic and deadpan when in a fight, sometimes even sarcastic. However, his attitude could be since he can defeat anyone with a single punch. But, flashback scenes from his past show that Saitama was the same even before he became strong. Unlike, Garou, Saitama is a sore loser and does not like to lose, as seen when he and King (yet another S-class hero) play video games.

What makes Garou a really interesting character in the OPM universe is how he protects humans. His attacks towards the heroes never aimed to kill them, but only incapacitate them temporarily. This can be evident in his fight with Metal Bat, where he expected the latter to give up and even warned indirectly. In One Punch Man season 2, we also see how he protected the boy while facing class A and B heroes. This aspect of his personality is not noticed by anyone due to his aggressiveness towards the Hero Association. However, Saitama notices it.

Garou vs. Boros: Strength and Personality

Boros is considered to be one of the strongest opponents that Saitama has had to face in the OPM universe. As such, people often wonder who would win in a Garou vs. Boros match. To put it delicately, Garou, being a human, in the end, has no chance against Boros, an extremely strong alien.

While strength-wise the two are incomparable to one another, their personalities have similarities. Both of them, like Saitama, are in search of someone stronger. However, that is where the similarities end because Boros did not value human life and Garou does.

Saitama vs. Garou: Strength

As evident in many scenarios in One Punch Man season 2, Garou is significantly unmatched for Saitama. In the webcomic, Garou undergoes a series of changes that make him stronger and able to defeat several monsters and heroes. However, even in his awakened state, Saitama is stronger than Garou. The superiority in strength is evident in the way Saitama defeated the latter with just an ounce of his strength. If the webcomic is to continue from where it left off, it will be interesting to see if Garou becomes a worthy opponent.

Saitama vs. Boros: The Ultimate Rival?

Unfortunately for Saitama, as strong as the alien is, Boros is no match for him, either. In One Punch Man season 1, we saw the great fight between the two, and while Boros continued to fight even after a punch from Saitama, he was ultimately defeated when the latter got serious. During the fight between the two, Saitama held back significantly, whereas Boros has to give his all and go berserk just to be able to keep fighting Saitama. Therefore, Boros is not the ultimate rival for Saitama.

Conclusion

In a nutshell, at present Garou is not match Saitama. As the manga, webcomic, and anime continue, we can only hope for a stronger opponent for our Caped Baldy, for he deserves it.

What do you think of Garou? He is my favorite OPM character (sorry, Saitama). What about you? Let me know in the comments below.

#Saitama vs. Garou #Garou vs. Boros #Saitama vs. Boros #Garou Background #Saitama Background

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