#Gil's apartment is within the valley area

[softquietsteadylove]

For Thenamesh Pokémon AU. Gil is sick but still working and caring about the Pokémon in his care (because he is sweet and he can be stubborn too).Thena visits him (not knowing he is sick) when she suddenly sees him collapsing in the middle of taking care of some Pokémon.

Looking forward for this story!<3

"Achoo!!!"

Many, many heads turned at the unbearably loud sneeze ringing out through the valley. Plenty of people turned at the sound, as well as pokemon.

Including the pokemon currently being herded by the congested pokemon ranger.

"Sorry, sorry," Gil muttered, swiping at his nose with a tissue as he continued to wave along the herd of Swinub and Piloswine mid-migration. "This way, guys. The ice caves will be a nice even temperature for you."

"Hey, boss, you sure you don't wanna take a rest?"

"I'm fine, I'm fine," Gil waved off, even as he felt another sneeze coming on. "We still have to get all the Miltank rounded up t-to...too...ah-CHOO!!"

"Gilgamesh!"

Both Gil and the junior ranger's backs snapped straight. The junior ranger quickly made himself scarce, leaving Gil to fend for himself as the queen of ace trainers herself walked over.

He attempted his most charming smile, "full name?"

"You deserve it," Thena frowned at him, putting her hands on her hips as she looked at him. "You're visibly sick."

"It's not bad, really," Gil tried to insist again, sliding his tablet under his arm and swiping at his nose with his tissue again. "Just a little head cold. And these herds need to move within the next few hou-"

"The wild pokemon will live, Gil, and you have other rangers who can help them," Thena huffed, happy to get in his face about it. It wasn't like there were any witnesses to it (besides the odd Swinub); the rest of his crew had all but fled at her appearance. "You should be in bed!"

"Thena, I'm fine, really!"

"You're in a t-shirt and vest!" She took the liberty of turning him and pushing him in the direction of the ranger centre. "That's like saying you have a blanket when you're really just wearing a poncho."

Gil let out a laugh; Thena was always at her funniest when she was in no mood for jokes.

"Gil!"

Thank Arceus she wasn't calling him Gilgamesh, though. Well, she could, just not if it was because she was mad at him.

"Ursa!"

"Oh, hey buddy!" Gil tried to turn around and get a look at their little cub, but Thena kept on pushing him. "Thena, I'm going, really."

"If I hadn't shown up, you would have worked through the rest of your shift, I've no doubt," she grumbled at him.

"Because we're busy!"

"If Dragonite had a cold you would never let him work a full shift, let alone outdoors at the top of the mountain!"

Okay, she had a point there. Gil sighed, giving in and walking a little more cooperatively. Thena did at least stop pushing and shoving him, although he clearly wasn't going to get away with anything as she fell in step with him. "What brought you here, anyway?"

Thena adjusted her hood, which adjusted the little bear sitting in it. "Teddi was restless at home and wanted to come see you."

"Ted!" the little Teddiursa smiled at Gil from the warm haven of Thena's coat hood, snuggled up against the back of her head.

"Aw, that's sweet," Gil grinned, ruffling the fur between Teddiursa's ears.

"Well," Thena continued, "I also wanted to see what the centre had for winter gear."

"For you?" Gil asked, immediately wondering how cold she got on a daily basis, walking around in Victory Road.

"No, for him," she let her eyes travel backward, gesturing to the Little Cub pokemon. "I'm worried about those ears getting cold when the rest of him is nice and toasty."

"I could say the same for you," Gil frowned at her as they finally reached the ranger centre and stepped inside. "If he's in your hood, that means you're not using it when you should be."

Thena crossed her arms at him. "You look even worse under the lighting in here."

Gil resisted the urge to shiver as the door opened behind them again, moving quickly away from the pokemon centre half of the main entrance and towards his office. "You're right, I should have worn my coat when I left this morning. But I'll just-"

"What you'll do," Thena followed him, "is change shifts with someone because you're in no condition to be out there."

"Thena," Gil sighed, letting her into his office ahead of him to close the door after her. "I can't just-"

Thena hadn't walked further in, but was standing right there, letting him walk his forehead directly into her palm. She held his eyes with a frown, "you're burning up."

She had a point. Gil shrugged, pulling his ball cap off and setting it on his desk.

"Gil," she said much softer, stopping him from reaching for his winter uniform hat (which was sitting on his chair, proving that he had thought about needing it and neglected it anyway). "Please?"

It was like a pin missile attack straight through the heart.

Thena looked up at him, holding his hand in hers, those green eyes putting a spell over him. "What if it were me?"

Gil froze. He was guilty, and they both knew it.

Thena walked them backwards, pulling him towards the bunk beds that were in the back of his office, the top half laden with his extra equipment. "If you came to Victory Road and I was sick, you would never let me just carry on like this."

She was right. And he was way more of a worrywart than she was. If he caught her battling while she was sick?--he wouldn't even let her finish the fight. He'd pay the losing fee and carry her out of there over his shoulder if he had to.

"You would take me back home, lecture me about how my pokemon would need me at full strength to continue my work," she raised her brows at him, at least smiling.

Gil smiled too, because he always smiled when Thena smiled at him. He didn't even notice her pulling his vest off him.

"You'd put on that stew I like," she whispered, luring him with the siren song of her warmth and her prettiness and her soft voice. "Lie me down on the couch and throw a blanket over me."

"Hm," Gil sighed, already able to imagine the comforting scent of her favourite stew mixed with the generally sweet smell of her home.

Thena switched their positions gently, easing Gil to sit on the on-call bunk. She reached behind her, pulling Teddiursa out of her hood and setting him on the floor with a whisper, "get his shoes off."

"Teddi," he nodded and dutifully set about pulling Gil's boots off (the laces would be a terrible mess of knots later).

"Just lie back, Gil," Thena soothed, easing him onto the bed and lying him down as soon as his boots were off. She pulled the blankets up over him, picking up Teddiursa and setting her little cub on top of his chest. "You make sure Papa doesn't go anywhere. I'm going to go tell the others that he's sick."

"Teddi!" he saluted her, already taking his job very seriously of weighing Gil down to keep him in bed. "Ted..."

"I'm fine, buddy, I promise," Gil smiled up at the little pokemon, patting his head again, although it didn't distract him this time. Gil sighed, dropping his head down to the pillow again and staring up at the underside of the above bunk. "I haven't slept in here for a long time."

"Ursa?"

"Mm, well I usually just go to Th--uh, Mama's house," Gil chuckled, and then had to cough a little. He sniffled and cleared his throat. "Before and after my shifts--and then I'll go home for a little and get right back to it."

"Teddiursra?" the little cub leaned in, having had no idea Gil had a house of his own.

"Oh, uh, yeah, I do," Gil blinked at the little bear through their conversation. "I don't go there a lot anymore, I guess. I'm usually just working, or with Thena. I mostly go to shower, change my clothes. If I'm getting off a couple really long shifts, I'll go back there to sleep."

"Teddi," the pokemon nodded, glad to hear at least that Gil did - on occasion - rest after he was done working. "Teddiursa?"

"No, it's not hard," Gil yawned and then coughed faintly again. "I love my job. I love taking care of pokemon like you!"

"Teddiursa!" the bear cub giggled as his belly was tickled.

"And times when I can really help them, like when I brought you to Thena," Gil sighed blissfully, sliding his hand behind his head on the pillow, "make it all worth it."

"Teddi?"

"Huh," Gil opened his eyes again, still somewhat shocked to find himself on his bunk in his office instead of on Thena's couch. "I guess I never really thought about it."

"Ted," it shrugged. As far as the Little Cub pokemon knew, Gil did live with Mama, and left only for work. It had no idea Gil didn't technically 'live with them'.

"Well," Gil fidgeted with the blanket, blushing even under his fever, "it's not that simple, buddy."

"Ted?"

Why not?

"Uh," Gil stuttered again. He really didn't have the hard-hitting answers he thought he did. Gil looked up as Teddiursa's puff ball tail wiggled a little. He gave the tail a playful little jiggle, "Mama on the way back, sport?"

It nodded.

"Listen," Gil whispered, "let's keep this little discussion between us a secret, okay? Mama...has a busy job too, y'know. She has enough to worry about for now."

"Okay," Thena sighed as she came back into the office with her coat unbuttoned and three bowls of stew in hand. "Dragonite will be off in two hours, and then he'll help me carry you back to the house. Until then, you're on bed rest here--no buts!"

Gil retracted his raised finger and slipped it under the blankets again.

"Eat this," she directed firmly, although she deposited the bowl into his hands as if it were a fragile pokemon egg. "They're getting a few park rangers to help fill in for you."

Gil sat up, stirring around the stew. It wasn't the stew he made for Thena, but it was still his recipe he'd given the cafeteria staff here at the ranger centre.

He watched as Thena pulled a bottle out of her pocket, stirring in the necessary pokechow to make the stew an appropriate meal for their little cub. She even blew on it for him, bite by bite, making sure it wouldn't burn his mouth.

He remembered the little pokemon's question: why didn't he just live with them instead of having a whole place for just himself?

He didn't have an answer to that, although he certainly felt that he was looking at his family in front of him right now.

"Hey."

Thena looked over, finding Gil staring at them with that soft expression he could get. She smiled back, handing Teddiursa the spoon for his own use. She left her own bowl on his desk in favour of kneeling next to Gil's bunk. "Just a little longer. You can get a proper rest in my bed at home."

Gil blinked his bleary eyes at her as she ran a hand over his hair. That sounded perfect. And never did returning to his own apartment ever even occur to him, he realised.

Thena leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "try to get some sleep. Dragonite will be here soon."

Yes, that sounded nice, Gil mused as he rapidly lost focus of what was in front of him. He could get a little shut-eye, Dragonite would pick him up in a nice cosy hug, carry them all back to Thena's house.

Back home.

[stardustdiver]

Name: Wintgeim Slafzedyrwyn (Winter Gem, Daughter of Sleeping Cedar)

Gender: Female

Age: 20 (ARR), 26 (EW)

Nameday: 9th Sun of the First Astral Moon

Hometown: Moraby Drydocks

Likes: Chilli Jam (person), Theia, Blue, Soft toys, Rum, Ocean, Grebuloff

Dislikes: Eulmore, Lolorito Nanarito, Sahagin, Leviathan

Shortly after the 7th Umbral Calamity, aged 14-15, Wint had a newfound ability, one that would more often than not get her into trouble by allowing her to learn secrets she wasnt supposed to know. As a result of these newfound abilities, she thought may aswell cause some problems along the way and joined the misfit band of pirates - the Sirens, where she meets her childhood best friend Chilli Jam, and they end up always by eachothers side and bailing eachother out of situations.

It was at this point she found herself a rapier (missing its focus) left abandoned and forgotten, she picked it up and was determined to learn the art of swordplay. Also in this time she aquires Tsukuyomi's Revolver from aboard a Garlean ship bound for Doma, and from that day onward she was determined to learn how to use a gun, so that one day she can use her loot without fear of damaging or losing it. In the meantime her loot gets stashed away in an unnamed location, to be retrieved once she has learned how to properly use her new gear.

However aunt Merlwyb (her mum Sylb's sister) wasnt overly fond of the concept that her neice was on this slippery slope of piracy, and tried to help her out. Wint however anticipated the worst result if she was caught (perhaps at the hand of rumours from fellow Sirens), and commenced evasive manoeuvres whenever Merl, Maelstrom, or Yellow Jackets were within sight.

She finally gets caught one day (aged 17) and The Admiral offers her a path: a clean slate - going to Ul'dah with a reasonable sum of money to get her going. Maybe become an adventurer, or perhaps Ul'dah has a yrade she can learn. So away she goes to Ul'dah, clean slate and a pocketful of gil, what will she do? Then around aged 19-20 she returns to Limsa and joins the Maelstrom - determined to make a change for the better.

However on one of her first squadron missions she was on a patrol mission within the area of Camp Skull Valley, when her squadron was caught by the Sahagin, and were offered to Leviathan for new thralls. Wint was somehow the only one to survive with no explanation as to why, just a lot of bad memories and a ton of questions. She is finally rescued by a second squadron and she has an arduous recovery ahead of her.

Fastforward to post A Realm Reborn, little lord Alphinaud has a new goal, and he needs members to fill the ranks. Wint gets wind of it and requests to be transferred from the Maelstrom to the Crystal Braves, where she meets the Warrior of Light themselves, and comes to learn of the echo and has many a question to ask. Ultimately she becomes reassured that her Leviathan incident was out of her hands, but also that she was not alone in experiences like this; WoL themselves had a similar incident happen to them with the Amalj'aa and Ifrit.

The Crystal Braves fall apart as they do, but like Riol, she sticks around as they are a good bunch, and she and WoL have a lot in common and a lot she still has to learn about herself; answers she will be more likely to learn with the Scions over staying with the Maelstrom.

Wint Fun Facts:

She has a scar on her forehead, many variations of tales have been told about how she received said scar, including fighting a pack of ravenous wolves, in reality she injured herself falling out of a tree as a kid.

Is fluent in the Old Roegadyn language, as Sylb taught her it because it was something she believed her dad would have wanted for her, to learn about and potentially visit his home one day.

Wint's story continues along side WoL and the Scions. Unlike Theia, her story remains just about the same - irrelevant of who is Main WoL, keeper of the Azem Stone.

[blackkudos]

Rodney King

Rodney Glen King (April 2, 1965 – June 17, 2012) was an American construction worker turned writer and activist after surviving an act of police brutality by the Los Angeles Police Department. On March 3, 1991, King was violently beaten by LAPD officers during his arrest for fleeing and resisting arrest on California State Route 210. A civilian, George Holliday, filmed the incident from his nearby balcony and sent the footage to local news station KTLA. The footage clearly showed King being beaten repeatedly, and the incident was covered by news media around the world.

The four officers were tried on charges of use of police brutality; three were acquitted, and the jury failed to reach a verdict on one charge for the fourth. Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots started, sparked by outrage among African Americans over the trial's verdict and related, longstanding social issues. The rioting lasted six days and killed 63 people with 2,383 more injured; it ended only after the California Army National Guard, the United States Army and the United States Marine Corps provided reinforcements to re-establish control.

The federal government prosecuted a separate civil rights case, obtaining grand jury indictments of the four officers for violations of King's civil rights. Their trial in a federal district court ended on April 16, 1993, with two of the officers being found guilty and sentenced to serve prison terms. The other two were acquitted of the charges. In a separate suit, the city of Los Angeles awarded King $3.8 million in damages. He attempted to start a business, but was not successful.

In 2012, he was found dead in his swimming pool two months after publishing his memoir; the coroner found evidence of alcohol and drugs in his system and ruled these and his history of heart problems had likely resulted in an accidental drowning.

Early life

King was born in Sacramento, California in 1965, the son of Ronald and Odessa King. He and his four siblings grew up in Altadena, California. King attended John Muir High School and often talked about being inspired by his social science teacher, Robert E. Jones. King's father died in 1984 at the age of 42; he had been a violent alcoholic.

On November 3, 1989, King robbed a store in Monterey Park, California. He threatened the Korean store owner with an iron bar, and hit him with a wooden pole. King stole two hundred dollars in cash during the robbery. He was caught, convicted, and sentenced to two years imprisonment. He was released on December 27, 1990, after serving one year in prison.

Marriage and family

While still a teenager, King had a daughter with his girlfriend Carmen Simpson. He later married Danetta Lyles (cousin to rapper Mack 10) and had a daughter. King and Lyles were eventually divorced. He later married and had a daughter with Crystal Waters. This marriage also ended in divorce.

1991 police assault in Los Angeles

Early in the morning of March 3, 1991, King, with his friends Bryant Allen and Freddie Helms, were driving a 1987 Hyundai Excel west on the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210) in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles. The three had spent the night watching basketball and drinking at a friend's house in Los Angeles. At 12:30 a.m., officers Tim and Melanie Singer, husband and wife members of the California Highway Patrol, noticed King's car speeding on the freeway. They pursued King with lights and sirens, and the pursuit reached 117 mph (188 km/h), while King refused to pull over. King later said he tried to outrun the police because a charge of driving under the influence would violate his parole for his previous robbery conviction.

King left the freeway near the Hansen Dam Recreation Area and the pursuit continued through residential streets at speeds ranging from 55 to 80 miles per hour (90 to 130 km/h), and through at least one red light. By this point, several police cars and a police helicopter had joined in the pursuit. After approximately 8 miles (13 km), officers cornered King in his car. The first five Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers to arrive were Stacey Koon, Laurence Powell, Timothy Wind, Theodore Briseno, and Rolando Solano.

Beating

Officer Tim Singer ordered King and his two passengers to exit the vehicle and to lie face down on the ground. Allen claims he was manhandled, kicked, stomped, taunted, and threatened. Helms was hit in the head while lying on the ground; he was treated for a laceration on the top of his head. His bloody baseball cap was turned over to police. King remained in the car. When he emerged, he was reported to have been gagged, to have patted the ground, and waved to the police helicopter overhead. King grabbed his buttocks, which Officer Melanie Singer took to mean King was reaching for a weapon, though he was later found to be unarmed. She drew her pistol and pointed it at King, ordering him to lie on the ground. Singer approached, gun drawn, preparing to arrest him. At this point, Koon, the ranking officer at the scene, told Singer that the LAPD was taking command and ordered all officers to holster their weapons.

LAPD officers are taught to approach a suspect without their gun drawn, as there is a risk that any suspect may gain control of it if an officer gets too close. Koon ordered the four other LAPD officers at the scene—Briseno, Powell, Solano, and Wind—to subdue and handcuff King using a technique called a "swarm." This involves multiple officers grabbing a suspect with empty hands, in order to quickly overcome potential resistance. As four officers attempted to restrain him, King resisted by standing to remove Officers Powell and Briseno from his back. The officers later testified that they believed King was under the influence of phencyclidine (PCP), although King's toxicology tested negative for the drug.

Holliday video

King was twice tasered by Koon. This marks the approximate start of the period that George Holliday videotaped. In the tape, King is seen on the ground. He rises and rushes toward Powell—as argued in court, either to attack Powell or to flee—and King and Powell collided in the rush. Taser wire can be seen on King's body. Officer Powell strikes King with his baton, and King is knocked to the ground. Powell strikes King several more times with his baton. Briseno moves in, attempting to stop Powell from striking again, and Powell stands back. Koon reportedly said, "That's enough." King rises again, to his knees; Powell and Wind are seen hitting King with their batons.

Koon acknowledged ordering the continued use of batons, directing Powell and Wind to strike King with "power strokes." According to Koon, Powell and Wind used "bursts of power strokes, then backed off." The officers beat King. In the videotape, King continues to try to stand again. Koon orders the officers to "hit his joints, hit the wrists, hit his elbows, hit his knees, hit his ankles." Officers Wind, Briseno, and Powell attempted numerous baton strikes on King, resulting in some misses but with 33 blows hitting King, plus seven kicks. The officers again "swarm" King, but this time a total of eight officers are involved in the swarm. King is placed in handcuffs and cordcuffs, restraining his arms and legs. King is dragged on his abdomen to the side of the road to await the arrival of emergency medical rescue.

Holliday shot a videotape of the incident on his camcorder from his apartment near the intersection of Foothill Boulevard and Osborne Street in Lake View Terrace. Two days later, Holliday called LAPD headquarters at Parker Center to let the police department know that he had a videotape of the incident, but he could not find anyone who was interested in seeing the video. He went to KTLA television with his videotape. The station cut ten seconds of the video, before the image was in focus, that showed an extremely blurry shot of King rising to his feet and taking one step before being struck by one of the officers. Later, members of the jury said this cut footage was essential to their decision to acquit the officers, who had claimed this step represented the first of a charge at them. The footage as a whole became an instant media sensation. Portions were aired numerous times, and it "turned what would otherwise have been a violent, but soon forgotten, encounter between the Los Angeles police and an uncooperative suspect into one of the most widely watched and discussed incidents of its kind."

Several "copwatch" organizations subsequently were started throughout the United States to safeguard against police abuse, including an umbrella group, October 22 Coalition to Stop Police Brutality.

Post-arrest events

Aftermath

King was taken to Pacifica Hospital after his arrest, where he was found to have suffered a fractured facial bone, a broken right ankle, and multiple bruises and lacerations. In a negligence claim filed with the city, King alleged he had suffered "11 skull fractures, permanent brain damage, broken [bones and teeth], kidney failure [and] emotional and physical trauma". Blood and urine samples taken from King five hours after his arrest showed that he would have been intoxicated under California law at the time of his arrest. The tests also showed traces of marijuana (26 ng/ml). Pacifica Hospital nurses reported that the officers who accompanied King (including Wind) openly joked and bragged about the number of times they had hit King. Officers obtained King's identification from his clothes pockets at that time. King later sued the city for damages and a jury awarded him $3.8 million, as well as $1.7 million in attorney's fees. The city did not pursue charges against King for driving while intoxicated and evading arrest. District Attorney Ira Reiner believed there was insufficient evidence for prosecution. His successor Gil Garcetti thought that by December 1992, too much time had passed to charge King with evading arrest; he also noted that the statute of limitations on drunk driving had passed.

Charges against police officers and trial

The Los Angeles County District Attorney subsequently charged four police officers, including one sergeant, with assault and use of excessive force. Due to the extensive media coverage of the arrest, the trial received a change of venue from Los Angeles County to Simi Valley in neighboring Ventura County. The jury was composed of nine whites, one bi-racial male, one Latino, and one Asian American. The prosecutor, Terry White, was black.

On April 29, 1992, the seventh day of jury deliberations, the jury acquitted all four officers of assault and acquitted three of the four of using excessive force. The jury could not agree on a verdict for the fourth officer charged with using excessive force. The verdicts were based in part on the first three seconds of a blurry, 13-second segment of the videotape that, according to journalist Lou Cannon, had not been aired by television news stations in their broadcasts.

The first two seconds of videotape, contrary to the claims made by the accused officers, show King attempting to flee past Laurence Powell. During the next one minute and 19 seconds, King is beaten continuously by the officers. The officers testified that they tried to physically restrain King prior to the starting point of the videotape, but King was able to physically throw them off.

Afterward, the prosecution suggested that the jurors may have acquitted the officers because of becoming desensitized to the violence of the beating, as the defense played the videotape repeatedly in slow motion, breaking it down until its emotional impact was lost.

Outside the Simi Valley courthouse where the acquittals were delivered, county sheriff's deputies protected Stacey Koon from angry protesters on the way to his car. Movie director John Singleton, who was in the crowd at the courthouse, predicted, "By having this verdict, what these people done, they lit the fuse to a bomb."

Christopher Commission

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley created the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department, also known as the Christopher Commission, in April 1991. Led by attorney Warren Christopher, it was created to conduct "a full and fair examination of the structure and operation of the LAPD," including its recruitment and training practices, internal disciplinary system, and citizen complaint system.

Los Angeles riots and the aftermath

Though few people at first considered race an important factor in the case, including Rodney King's attorney, Steven Lerman, the Holliday videotape was at the time stirring deep resentment among African Americans in Los Angeles, as well as other major cities in the United States, where they had often complained of police abuse against their communities. The officers' jury consisted of Ventura County residents: ten white, one Latino, one Asian. Lead prosecutor Terry White was African American. On April 29, 1992, the jury acquitted three of the officers but could not agree on one of the charges against Powell.

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley said, "The jury's verdict will not blind us to what we saw on that videotape. The men who beat Rodney King do not deserve to wear the uniform of the LAPD." President George H. W. Bush said, "Viewed from outside the trial, it was hard to understand how the verdict could possibly square with the video. Those civil rights leaders with whom I met were stunned. And so was I and so was Barbara and so were my kids."

Within hours of the acquittals, the 1992 Los Angeles riots began, lasting six days. African-Americans were outraged by the verdicts and began rioting in the streets along with the Latino communities. By the time law enforcement, the California Army National Guard, the United States Army, and the United States Marine Corps restored order, the riots had resulted in 63 deaths, 2,383 injuries, more than 7,000 fires, damage to 3,100 businesses, and nearly $1 billion in financial losses. Smaller riots occurred in other U.S. cities such as San Francisco, Las Vegas in neighboring Nevada (see West Las Vegas riots), Seattle in Washington state, and as far east as Atlanta in Georgia and New York City. A minor riot erupted on Yonge Street in Toronto, Ontario, Canada as a result of the acquittals.

During the riots, on May 1, 1992, King made a television appearance in which he said,

I just want to say – you know – can we all get along? Can we, can we get along? Can we stop making it horrible for the older people and the kids? And ... I mean we've got enough smog in Los Angeles let alone to deal with setting these fires and things ... It's just not right. It's not right and it's not going to change anything. We'll get our justice. They've won the battle, but they haven't won the war. We'll get our day in court and that's all we want. And, just, uh, I love – I'm neutral. I love every – I love people of color. I'm not like they're making me out to be. We've got to quit. We've got to quit; I mean after all, I could understand the first – upset for the first two hours after the verdict, but to go on, to keep going on like this and to see the security guard shot on the ground – it's just not right. It's just not right, because those people will never go home to their families again. And uh, I mean please, we can, we can get along here. We all can get along. We just gotta. We gotta. I mean, we're all stuck here for a while. Let's, you know, let's try to work it out. Let's try to beat it, you know. Let's try to work it out.

The widely quoted line has been often paraphrased as, "Can we all just get along?" or "Can't we all just get along?"

Federal trial of officers

After the acquittals and the riots, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) sought indictments of the police officers for violations of King's civil rights. On May 7, federal prosecutors began presenting evidence to the federal grand jury in Los Angeles. On August 4, the grand jury returned indictments against the three officers for "willfully and intentionally using unreasonable force" and against Sergeant Koon for "willfully permitting and failing to take action to stop the unlawful assault" on King. Based on these indictments, a trial of the four officers in the United States District Court for the Central District of California began on February 25, 1993.

The federal trial focused more on the incident. On March 9 of the 1993 trial, King took the witness stand and described to the jury the events as he remembered them. The jury found Officer Laurence Powell and Sergeant Stacey Koon guilty, and they were subsequently sentenced to 30 months in prison. Timothy Wind and Theodore Briseno were acquitted of all charges.

During the three-hour sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge John Davies, accepted much of the defense version of the beating. He strongly criticized King, who he said provoked the officers' initial actions. Davies said that only the final six or so baton blows by Powell were unlawful. The first 55 seconds of the videotaped portion of the incident, during which the vast majority of the blows were delivered, was within the law because the officers were attempting to subdue a suspect who was resisting efforts to take him into custody.

Davies found that King's provocative behavior began with his "remarkable consumption of alcoholic beverage" and continued through a high-speed chase, refusal to submit to police orders, and an aggressive charge toward Powell. Davies made several findings in support of the officers' version of events. He concluded that Officer Powell never intentionally struck King in the head, and "Powell's baton blow that broke King's leg was not illegal because King was still resisting and rolling around on the ground, and breaking bones in resistant suspects is permissible under police policy."

Mitigation cited by the judge in determining the length of the prison sentence included the suffering the officers had undergone because of the extensive publicity their case had received, high legal bills that were still unpaid, the impending loss of their careers as police officers, their higher risks of abuse while in prison, and their undergoing two trials. The judge acknowledged that the two trials did not legally constitute double jeopardy, but nonetheless raised "the specter of unfairness".

These mitigations were critical to the validity of the sentences imposed, because federal sentencing guidelines called for much longer prison terms in the range of 70 to 87 months. The low sentences were controversial, and were appealed by the prosecution. In a 1994 ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit rejected all the grounds cited by Judge Davies and extended the terms. The case was appealed by the defense to the U.S. Supreme Court. Both Koon and Powell were released from prison while they appealed the Ninth Circuit's ruling, having served their original 30-month sentences with time off for good behavior. On June 14, 1996, the high court reversed the lower court in a ruling, unanimous in its most important aspects, which gave a strong endorsement to judicial discretion, even under sentencing guidelines intended to produce uniformity.

Later life

Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley offered King $200,000 and a four-year college education funded by the city of Los Angeles. King refused and sued the city, winning $3.8 million. Bryant Allen, one of the passengers in King's car on the night of the incident, received $35,000 in his lawsuit against the city of Los Angeles. The estate of Freddie Helms, the other passenger, settled for $20,000; Helms died in a car accident on June 29, 1991, age 20, in Pasadena. King invested a portion of his settlement in a record label, Straight Alta-Pazz Records, hoping to employ minority employees, but it went out of business. He later wrote a memoir (with help of a ghostwriter) and made a movie about his life.

King was subject to further arrests and convictions for driving violations after the 1991 incident, as he struggled with alcohol and drug addiction. On August 21, 1993, he crashed his car into a block wall in downtown Los Angeles. He was convicted of driving under the influence of alcohol, fined, and entered a rehabilitation program, after which he was placed on probation. In July 1995, he was arrested by Alhambra police after hitting his wife with his car and knocking her to the ground. He was sentenced to 90 days in jail after being convicted of hit and run.

On August 27, 2003, King was arrested again for speeding and running a red light while under the influence of alcohol. He failed to yield to police officers and slammed his vehicle into a house, breaking his pelvis. On November 29, 2007, while riding home on his bicycle, King was shot in the face, arms, and back with pellets from a shotgun. He reported that the attackers were a man and a woman who demanded his bicycle and shot him when he rode away. Police described the wounds as looking as if they came from birdshot.

In May 2008, King checked into the Pasadena Recovery Center in Pasadena, California, where he filmed as a cast member of season 2 of Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew, which premiered in October 2008. Dr. Drew Pinsky, who runs the facility, showed concern for King's life and said he would die unless his addiction was treated. King also appeared on Sober House, a Celebrity Rehab spin-off focusing on a sober living environment. During his time on Celebrity Rehab and Sober House, King worked on his addiction and what he said was lingering trauma of the beating. He and Pinsky physically retraced King's path from the night of his beating, eventually reaching the spot where it happened, the site of the Children's Museum of Los Angeles.

In 2009, King and other Celebrity Rehab alumni appeared as panel speakers to a new group of addicts at the Pasadena Recovery Center, marking 11 months of sobriety for him. His appearance was aired in the third-season episode "Triggers". King won a celebrity boxing match against Chester, Pennsylvania police officer Simon Aouad on September 11, 2009, at the Ramada Philadelphia Airport in Essington.

On September 9, 2010, it was confirmed that King was going to marry Cynthia Kelly, who had been a juror in the civil suit he brought against the City of Los Angeles. On March 3, 2011, the 20th anniversary of the beating, the LAPD stopped King for driving erratically and issued him a citation for driving with an expired license. This arrest led to a February 2012 misdemeanor conviction for reckless driving.

The BBC quoted King commenting on his legacy. "Some people feel like I'm some kind of hero. Others hate me. They say I deserved it. Other people, I can hear them mocking me for when I called for an end to the destruction, like I'm a fool for believing in peace."

Bibliography

In April 2012, King published his memoir, The Riot Within: My Journey from Rebellion to Redemption. Co-authored by Lawrence J. Spagnola, the book describes King's turbulent youth as well as his personal account of the arrest, the trials, and the aftermath.

Death

On Fathers Day, Sunday June 17, 2012, Cynthia Kelly found King lying underwater at the bottom of his swimming pool. King died 28 years to the day after his father, Ronald King was found dead in his pool in 1984. Police in Rialto received a 911 call from Kelly at about 5:25 a.m. (PDT). Responding officers removed King from the pool and attempted to revive him. He was transferred by ambulance to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton, California and was pronounced dead on arrival at 6:11 a.m. (PDT) The Rialto Police Department began a standard drowning investigation and said there did not appear to be any foul play. On August 23, 2012, King's autopsy results were released, stating he died of accidental drowning. The combination of alcohol, cocaine, marijuana, and PCP found in his system were contributing factors. The conclusion of the report stated: "The effects of the drugs and alcohol, combined with the subject's heart condition, probably precipitated a cardiac arrhythmia, and the subject, incapacitated in the water, was unable to save himself." King had been a user of PCP. Rev. Al Sharpton delivered the eulogy at King's funeral. King is interred at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles County, California.

Legacy

Rodney King has become a symbol of police brutality, but his family remembers him as a "human not a symbol". King never advocated for hatred or violence against the police, saying that we needed to "all get along". He made this his foundation for the rest of his life. Since his death, his daughter Lori King has worked with the LAPD to build bridges between the police and the African-American community. She also started a non profit: The Rodney King Foundation for Social Justice and Human Rights, on behalf of her father.

In popular culture

The beating of Rodney King and its aftermath has been addressed frequently in art, including the 1997 film Riot; the Sublime song "April 29, 1992 (Miami)"; an extended discussion on the subject led by Edward Norton in the 1998 film American History X; the 2014 one-man play Rodney King by Roger Guenveur Smith, produced by Spike Lee and released on Netflix in 2017; and the 2016 exhibit Viral: 25 Years from Rodney King. Lee included a snippet of the Rodney King video in his 1992 film Malcolm X. Morgan Freeman and Lori McCreary will be producing a docuseries through their company Revelations Entertainment on the life of Rodney King, to be released in 2018. The beating is also briefly mentioned in The People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story and Law & Order True Crime where Rodney King's case is referenced as the main reason for the outcome of the cases these two anthology miniseries are based on. The beating of Rodney King and the riots that followed were also mentioned in the 2015 film Straight Outta Compton, a biopic about the rap group N.W.A.. the beating was also depicted in an episode of the tv show "9-1-1".

The 2017 film Kings takes place in South Los Angeles during the riots.

The 1999 documentary film The Rodney King Incident: Race and Justice in America produced and directed by Michael Pack features an interview with Rodney King.

Writer Nahshon Dion Anderson had a front row seat to the aftermath of the beating and recounts the details of March 3rd, 1991 in chapter four of her memoir Shooting Range. During 1991-1995 Nahshon was a neighbor of Rodney Kings mother, Odessa King, in Pasadena. She also discusses attending Marshall Fundamental Secondary School with Rodney's baby sister Ratasha and the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

[mikey027-blog1]

The Undesirables Settings

1.Santa Monica city and beach in California 2. Haven under the Pacific Ocean waters near Santa Monica 3. Open expanse of the Pacific Ocean 4, Cloud Nine- Concealed island in the sky by magic and supported by clouds that change color constantly. The magic of the place is said to give the clouds this mysterious yet breathtaking look. The island is only visible to those The Whisperers allow passage to there home. The island has huge mansion that houses The Shroud Coven(protectors of the order of all life, natural or unnatural or supernatural. Apart from the mansion are 4 other buildings that are look out points for the place and also separate homes for The Whisperers. usually new recruits house in these other buildings. The main mansion is in the center island with the 4 houses being north, east, west, and south of the main island on separate slightly smaller islands also warded with magic and supported by clouds that change color. Each island has a bridge made of golden energy that connects the islands and only appears as soon as someone gets ready to walk on it. Finally, surrounding the mansion and other islands are floating runes with glowing sigils on them that act as defense mechanisms for the place, activating when trespassers attempt to invade. 5. Palisades Park 6. Pacific Park Amusement Park 7. Loof Hippodrome Carousel 8. Ocean Avenue 9. Montana Avenue 10. University of California 11. Third Street Promenade(shopping malls, movie screens, restaurants, 3-block stretch) 12. Bergamot Station(known for art galleries) 13. Muscle Beach(outdoor gym near pier) 14. Santa Monica Pier Aquarium

15.  Vermillion- A underground city in Montana that can somehow shift it's location on a regular basis, making it rather difficult to always know the exact location of this city. It does this by a combination of magic and a huge mechanical contraption that rotates the whole city underground to a whole other location. On top of that there are multiple tunnels underground leading to dead ends and only one that leads to the true location of Vermillion making almost all of Montana's underground a epic labyrinth which also shifts and changes as the city rotates to a new location. The city is mainly run by Werewolfs and Lycan's who are more evolved versions of the typical werewolf. Other residents consist of the tougher and more ferocious of supernatural beings like Vipers(snake like people) or Droglins(winged bull like creatures with there wings actually being long extended bones sprouting from the back almost like tentacles that they use as a means of defense from attackers. They can grab from far away and also have sharp end points that can pierce through most things easily.). Its harder for these creatures to maintain a human like form and therefore have help from The Shroud Coven to conceal there true appearance from humans. The Vermillion residents are a tough and rowdy bunch but still not murderers unless absolutely necessary with the exception of a few who fell under the influence of the mark.

16.  Aquarius- Underwater city of the mermaids and any other aquatic supernatural beings located relatively close to Haven but far deeper in the waters where it's pitch black for no light can travel far enough to reach the city. However, the place is surrounded by tons of glowing jellyfish that act as a light source for the city as well as multiple aquatic plants and fungi that each have a unique glow about them. Aquarius is one of the prettiest of all supernatural city's. The architecture there is to be said something to behold as it is different then anywhere else on Earth. As they very rarely ever go above to dry land, they hardly have concern for concealing themselves but when they must travel abroad they can easily hide there fin and gils and maintain a human form. Shulks(hammerhead shark looking humanoid creatures) and Horus's(semi-humanoid creatures made of seaweed and other underwater plant-life and vegetation that are sometimes up to 15 feet tall and have floating stones as eyes that glow a yellow bright light that act like flashlights) all sometimes take shelter in Aquarius as well. For the cities defense it can create a water dome that looks like giant waves surrounding the place, making it nearly impossible to pass, the waves circulating so fast that anyone or anything attempting to pass would get whisked away. Stone giants known as Leviathans make this happen and if that does not work they act as huge guardians. Covered in odd markings and lines in there bodies, they only activate when danger is near and when this happens there markings glow white. If one is taken down, it breaks down to smaller versions of itself, still able to maneuver and fight. This keeps happening, making it very difficult to bypass them, making Aquarius one of the safest supernatural cities.

17.  Haven- One of the smallest supernatural sanctuaries, acting more of a school for younger supernatural beings and being a waypoint for others actually trying to get somewhere else but seeking a rest or break or temporary refuge. However Haven is considered one of the best hangout locations for supernatural beings as all is welcome there while in most other places accept only certain types of supernatural beings. Being in California where finding fun and a good time is no issue, most love Haven when traveling. Haven itself is a huge underwater facility that resembles a university. Like most places, it is warded with magic and other means to conceal it's appearance. The only means of entrance to this place is actually located at the Santa Monica Pier where there is a old out of order and poorly looking telephone booth. One walks in and acts as if they are making a call and someone on the other end with magic will project there voice into the device and ask them a certain question in which they must give the right answer and then be allowed passage. Suddenly the world gets literally turned upside down by what the person sees anyway which is actually a illusion and next second sees themself underwater somehow breathing and even able to walk rather then swim as if on a flat surface and Haven directly in front of them. With the rest of the ocean surrounding the person, water walls are formed around the person to form a corridor that leads to Haven's entrance. the water walls are translucent and you can vaguely still see the rest of the ocean beyond them. Once the person enters the facility, the corridor of water submerges and becomes part of the rest of the ocean once more. Once inside the first thing you would see is a huge room that is the main hub of the building and has a see through glass floor where you can peer at the ocean and its life and even the walls.

18. Plains of Alyssia(Heaven)- A vast wide open area of land in Heaven where its appearance differs to the viewer based on what is appealing to them and what there heart desires to see. For example, one person could be seeing him or herself on a mountain overlooking a huge valley while someone else could be in a winter wonderland or someone else in a desert like prairie full of cactus’s and tumbleweeds. Spirits known as Willows inhabit the area and act as sorta caretakers of the place and watchers. Willows at first appear to look like floating balls of energy with one eye but they quickly take form of basically anything, mainly animals by using things within there surroundings. For example, a willow could look like a wolf but made from water or even just sticks and leaves floating in the air to create a wolf like form. This place is like one huge park in Heaven where its residents can walk around freely and be in any kind of atmosphere and setting they desire. The area is named after one of the first miracles that has ever existed, Alyssia who was said to be so pure of heart that she literally did not commit even one sin within her lifetime, whether this is actually true or not is unclear as nobody has ever been able to strive perfection but either way whoever this person was must have been a truly kind hearted and loving soul.

19 Handelaar- Meaning trader in the  Afrikaans language, this place acts as a trading post for supernatural beings.  A excellent place for mainly witches who are looking for ingredients and such for potions or concoctions but also a place that has all kinds other things such as a blood bar for vampires of choices of human or animal blood, or talismans powered by magic, really anything any supernatural being would need.But gaining entry is often difficult as you have to find a trickster to help get you there. Tricksters are like mini versions of God, very powerful and can even create there own realities. one trickster in particular created Handelarr and due to all tricksters sharing one mind as if one person, all other tricksters are also aware of how to get into Handelarr. Trickster’s all love business and also being important and the center of attention. But due to there immense power, witches long ago banded together to find all the tricksters of the world, with there not being many, only 10 and finding a way to subdue there power whenever they attempt to use it to harm anyone. They are only allowed to use there power to help others now rather then cause chaos. Due to how hard it is to gain entry into Handelarr, whenever someone is allowed access sent there most stay for a long time to stock up on plenty of things they may need before leaving. Technically getting into Handelarr is the hard part but once in you could potentially stay there forever if you wished. Handelarr is its own reality, meaning it is not part of Earth. It is a unusual place, the trading post being a huge city surrounded by walls so that if you were looking at the place from far away it would be like looking at a huge old dirty golf ball just floating above water that you can walk on as easily as any flat surface. The water there is so clear that you can easily see your reflection and that of the sky, like looking at a perfect mirror. The clouds in the sky move around quickly as if time itself is going fast forward and daytime and nighttime there happens far faster then in the real world. Handelarr has many floors, some being just floors consisting of homes while others are full of trading posts and vendors and mini shops. The building has windows surrounding it on every floor. When arriving into Handelarr a spiral case forms below the floating city of Handelarr which is basically one big giant round and circular building and you step onto the staircase which spins its way up into Handelarr. 

This particular place is seriously tough to describe so I apologize if alot does not make much sense but I am trying my best for the time being. I will have more settings to add later on.

[architectnews]

Royal Docks London Bench Designs

Royal Docks London Bench Designs 2020, Pews and Perches Design Contest Photos, News

Royal Docks London Bench Design Winner

17 December 2020

Royal Docks London Bench Design Competition News

Pews and Perches Design Contest news

London Festival of Architecture and Royal Docks Team unveil winning designs for 2020 ‘Pews and Perches’ competition

17th December 2020 – A series of five new benches designed by emerging architects – the winners of a competition organised the London Festival of Architecture and Royal Docks Team – have been unveiled across the Royal Docks.

The competition, now in its second year, invited architecture and design students, recent graduates and emerging practitioners to deliver a playful new take on street furniture that can celebrate the Royal Docks and the communities at home in the area – a series of conversation starters to re-connect everyone with nature and the docks’ built environment.

From a bench that makes use of the wind to perform as a riverside instrument to a design inspired by an unusual shipment of elephants over 70 years ago, the ‘Pews and Perches’ benches combine imaginative design approaches with creative, sustainable material choices to provide locals, visitors and Londoners with unique new spaces to sit and make the most of their surroundings.

All photos © Luke O’Donovan

ELE-Bench by RAB Studio Thames Barrier Park

Referencing an unusual delivery of 20 baby elephants to the George V Docks in 1947, the ELE-Bench helps bring to life this moment in the docks’ history for future visitors. Inspired by the gait and rhythm of the elephant’s stride pattern, this simple, colourful bench creates a striking elephant silhouette from afar. With a comfortable seat made from cork, the design offers shelter from the wind as well as space for both back-to-back seating and for multiple family members to sit together, encouraging visitors to pause in this location.

This bench is supported by Crafted By Design, Hanex UK and Wyliewood limited.

Water, water everywhere by Betty Owoo and Quincy Haynes Royal Victoria Gardens

With piles of rubbish such as plastic bottles and face masks still commonly thrown into the Thames, this design seeks to start a conversation about how we can inspire people to treat our waterways better and reuse these objects. Water, water everywhere uses these found objects and suspends them in resin where they seem to be floating in water, and jesmonite, where they are almost riverbed fossils waiting to be uncovered. Frozen in time, the result is a bench simple in form but complex in materiality, providing a sculptural seat for people to gather and connect with the water’s edge.

This bench is built in collaboration with Helen Caulfield of the Redundant Architects Recreation Association (R.A.R.A.) and supported by Sophie Percival and Priscilla Wong.

The Royal Resonance by CAST (Chutimon Suetragulwong, Austin Joseph, Sonam Dahya, Tyler Natdanai) Outside UTC College

The Royal Resonance tackles the topic of the pandemic and social distancing with playful urban furniture that allows people to be together while remaining safely apart. In a design inspired by nature, several aluminium poles vibrate in the wind, performing as a riverside instrument and an art form. The modular design promotes both isolation and relationships between people and nature, forging local interactions as well as social distancing as a community safely.

This bench is supported by Jian Jun Hayashi, Jeremy Tay and Karakusevic Carson Architects Workshop.

Afloat by Ben Child and Luca Luci Connaught Crossing North

Referencing the docks’ marine context, this design recycles rowing oars to create a crossed structure for the bench. Building on this, Afloatsees different oar lengths used to support the back rest and armrest, which also includes a small table. The back rest and seat itself are made from marine plywood, cut with a CNC machine. Finished in a bright teal colour and engraved with ‘Royal Docks’, the bench stands out from afar, creating a contrast with the wooden texture of the oars and highlighting its structure.

The Rocking Bench by Duncan Graham Thames Barrier Park

A call for playfulness and for a bit of fun in today’s less than fun world, the Rocking Bench stands out with its bright, yellow colour, and seeks to encourage interaction while keeping people safely apart. Inspired in part by the beam scales once used in the Royal Docks to weigh imported goods, the bench uses a simple rocking motion to provide a connection for friends, family, and neighbours, but also calls out for companions for those sat alone. The bench consists of CNC cut plywood fastened together with steel rods, and was manufactured entirely within the Lee Valley.

Once London’s gateway to world trade, the Royal Docks is one of the UK’s most important regeneration stories, as it re-emerges as a thriving and diverse commercial and cultural hub with a welcoming new waterfront. The winning teams and the Royal Docks Team have worked closely with local communities to develop their designs, ensuring that these are in keeping with the communities’ needs and aspirations for their public space.

This project also expands on the legacy of the first edition ‘Pews and Perches’ competition, which sees three benches remain installed across the Royal Docks waterfront, where they are still enjoyed by the public. Building on this success, these five new benches will continue to champion the Festival’s mission to support and showcase emerging talent. In response to the regulations put in place due to coronavirus, they will not only bring a fresh, new design perspective but also provide space to safely enjoy the Royal Docks.

The teams have each been awarded £2,000 including a design fee of £500 to develop, build and install their benches, which will be in place for the next year. The competition was judged by an expert panel including Dan Bridge (Programme Director in the Royal Docks), Tamsie Thomson (Managing Director, New London Architecture), Frances Williams, (Technical Editor, Architects’ Journal), Pedro Gil (Founder, Studio Gil), Rawnak Jassm (Community Engagement Officer, Royal Docks Team) and Kevin Twyford (Principal Landscape Architect, London Borough of Newham).

Tamsie Thomson, Managing Director of New London Architecture, said:

“This year’s Pews and Perches collection is a series of imaginative and thoughtful responses to the unique setting of the Royal Docks and the times we find ourselves in. Thanks to our brilliant design teams, these benches draw upon the Royal Docks’ rich history, offer commentary on our environmental impact, and reconcile our desire to be together while remaining socially distant. Every year I’m inspired by how the winning teams address the brief, and I hope that many people will enjoy these benches and experience the difference that great design can make to our everyday lives.”

Background

The London Festival of Architecture (LFA) is the world’s largest annual architecture festival and showcases London as a global architectural hub. The LFA’s mission is to support London’s architectural and design talent, enthuse and engage with the public, and find new ways to look at familiar places. In 2020 the LFA has explored the theme of power, and celebrated innovation and design through a digital events programme in June. The 2019 edition of the LFA inspired over 600 events across the capital, attracting over 800,000 visitors and a global audience of 138 million. A year-round programme of design competitions, design charrettes, campaigns and other activities also champions London as the best place in the world to practice and enjoy architecture.

Twitter: @LFArchitecture Instagram: @LondonFestivalofArchitecture https://ift.tt/18UHe3d

Royal Docks Enterprise Zone:The Royal Docks Enterprise Zone is a joint project between the Mayor of London, the London Borough of Newham, led by Mayor Rokhsana Fiaz, and the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). It has the potential to deliver 35,000 jobs, 4,000 new homes and more than £5 billion of inward investment by 2037/38. As London’s only Enterprise Zone, the Royal Docks has a special government designation that means new business rates in the Zone are reserved and reinvested into the area. This has enabled plans for £314 million of investment into the area over the next 5 years to revive the area as a distinctive location for business and culture.

www.royaldocks.london @YourRoyalDocks

Royal Docks London Design Competition information received 171220

Previously on e-architect:

Royal Docks London Design Competition News

Transforming London’s Royal Docks with water sensitive urban design – new open ideas design competition is announced.

Royal Docks London Contest Design: Heatherwick Studio image from London Development Agency Royal Docks London Design Competition – proposal by UK designers Heatherwick Studio

Albert Island, Royal Docks London Development – 2018

Silver Building in the Royal Docks, London – 2017

Royal Docks London Regeneration Proposals – 2016

Royal Docks Cable Car – 2013

Another Royal Docks London design on e-architect:

Royal Docks Business Park Design: KCAP with Maccreanor Lavington Architects image from architect Royal Docks Business Park

Location: Royal Albert Way, London, England, UK

London Buildings

Contemporary London Architecture Designs

London Building Designs – chronological list

London Architecture Tours by e-architect

London Architects Offices

London Architecture

Royal Docks London Regeneration Proposals

London Olympic Stadium HOK Sport – Peter Cook

London designs by Thomas Heatherwick – Selection:

Paperhouse, Kensington & Chelsea, west London Paperhouse : Newspaper Kiosk design

Rolling Bridge, west London Rolling Bridge

Key design by Thomas Heatherwick:

Shanghai Expo – UK Pavilion, China Shanghai Expo UK Pavilion

Another Royal Docks building on e-architect:

Silvertown Quays Farrells Silvertown Quays Royal Docks

The Shard Design: Renzo Piano Building Workshop (RPBW)

Royal Academy of Arts London

Royal Courts of Justice London

Royal Danish Embassy

Comments / photos for the Royal Docks Redevelopment London page welcome

London

The post Royal Docks London Bench Designs appeared first on e-architect.

[jancisstuff]

De’Bayle Debacle - The Illness

*As the family had departed from the apartment, Denz called upon Jancis, stating it was a family emergency she should bear witness to. He explained her sickness and their plan to speak their Uncle. Claire was picked up somewhere along the way. As they arrived in the cold Highlands, Denz led the party towards the eastern valleys. The path would be familiar for everyone save Claire, a small covered path peeking down into the valley being their journey, until they arrived in a small alcove,  cliffs visible in the distance as they walked across the open plains of the De'bayle estate. A stone-walled manor would welcome the two as they approached, and fortunately for everyone, there were no encroaching dragons to deal with or a dragon to greet them at the door, the party able to arrive to the door safely and swiftly.*

(Carina De'bayle) held her daughter in her hands, bundle up in a blanket just as she had once more. The sight made her sentimental, though perhaps not in ways she'd have preferred. Limp within her grasp as the girl was weak, her breathing somewhat of a wheeze. Dressed in her winter clothing, Carina rocked her daughter with a somewhat disillusioned stare. Claire looked around, her arms folded tightly against her chest. The things she gave up to be fashionable and partially warm. At least the fur was helping. This had been the first time she was in the area, her eyes caught by everything as she looked around. Approaching the manor, Claire kept as quiet as she had been, mind stuck on what they were there for. (Armont De'bayle) Looked to the door and then to the walls. No dragons were slithering down it, so this was good so far. Stepping forward to place a plated hand on the door knob, Armont would turn to look at the others, moreso Denz. "Are we ready?" Jancis closed her eyes for some time before regarding the others, recalling another time they had come this way for the same concern. She hovers close, trying to keep an eye on expressions and if there was any smaller unimportant burdens she could take on. "Is poor to not come more often with happier tidings to this quiet home. When this is passed, we will make such amends." Astrelle seems quiet and distant, cerulean hues drinking in the familiar home. Her mouth is screwed, the lines on her face deepening with thought. *Denz nodded as they approached the door.* "Aye, 'tis worse than asking for gil with each visit..." "Has that happened before?" *Denz shakes his head.* "I don't... think so?" <C> (Hestia De'bayle) peeled her eyes open some, looking up toward Carina, "Mommy..." her eyes wandered about some, "it's cold... we're in the snowy place, Papa's home?" (Carina De'bayle) "Yes, that's right Hestia. We're where Papa is from..." she whispers down to the girl, "you're such a smart girl, Hestia..." *Before anyone could get in front of the door, the hinges swung open quickly, loudly, age and rust screeching as an elder elezen stare at the large party, eyes slightly widened. His grey hair was long, giving Claire a run for her money in length, his beard no less impressive as it was now down to his collarbone as well. The De'bayle features were his to a tee, his tattoo faded upon his wrinkled forehead. His dark blue eyes quickly snapped to Hestia, waving his arm inward.* "She is not  well, I could sense that much as you all approached. I have Jadea heating up the master bedroom. She will need that bed." *Before anyone could even respond to him, he moved swiftly back inside, much faster and active than he had been on previous visits, disappearing down a hallway.*

(Carina De'bayle) steps inside with her daughter in hands, whispering down to her as they walked in. (Armont De'bayle) somewhat flinched, though it was quickly dampened as he could feel the man suddenly approaching the door. Soon opening it wide for the rest, he'd hold it still while waiting for the others to enter in before closing it tightly behind him. *Denz raised his eyebrows, looking over to Claire and Astrelle.* "Welcome to the Hermit's palace." *The furniture was dusty and nearly unfamiliar for the wayward sister, the windows were off-color and tinted, and the building had several claw marks in various parts of the walls and floor.* "Mm..." Claire let out a soft breath, following the others in quietly. Unsure what to do, she decided to stay quiet until spoken to. Astrelle meanders in slowly, her eyes bouncing from furniture to wall in hidden awe. She stays nearest to Claire, feeling somewhat out-of-place herself, despite her blood relation. "He is quite nice. Bonking is good here. And his little drake is just as friendly. Protective as friendly, truly. One comes before the other." Guillemont's attention seems to mostly be focused on Astrelle. His expression is blank and tired as ever, but one cannot help but notice he seems a bit off.

*As the elder elezen rushed past the once-grand rooms, the only one that was notable was an anti-chamber whose floor was filled with loose pages and pages, with a pile of animal bones in one corner, and a bedroll in the other, a hole in the ceiling. It appeared to be the most occupied room, but it was passed quickly as they went down a door-filled hallway. Nuarmac opened the door at the end of the hall, entering the master bedroom Denz and Jancis had stayed in previously. The four children would also sleep on the floor on rugs and blankets with their parents during their visits, and contrasting the decrepid house, was rather well maintained. It was crowded by a single creature, however. A green wyvern, blowing dragonfire fiercely into the hearth. When the beast caught sight of their Uncle, it's head perked up like an obedient companion, Nuarmac gesturing towards the window. The wyvern slithered out, giving the visitors the space to file into the room, Nuarmac hands resting  atop his fabled cane as he began analyzing each person that walked in silently. Recognition on his face for all but Claire, shock for Astrelle, and a slight mouth twitch at Carina and Jancis.*

Claire would take a moment to slightly bow her head to Nuarmac as she passed him, wanting to be polite. Astrelle wasted little time in wandering over to the window the wyvern had exited from, her gauntlet-ed hands flattened to the frame of the window. She peers out in wonder before turning back to face her uncle, folding her arms back beneath her modest bosom. "Uncle," she states out with a subtle dip of her head. Jancis' smile was sorrowful to Nuarmac, returning the gaze as much  as she could before trotting forward to not slow everyone down. Her eyes lingered at the master bedroom as she caught up to Denz's side. (Armont De'bayle) stood very still next to his brother, fearing for what was likely to come from their uncle. It had been far too long since the two had been here, let alone Guillemont and Astrelle. Pray he show mercy... "It is good to see you once more Uncle, and in good health too." He chuckled... nervously. (Hestia De'bayle) "Hello, Nuarmac," Carina says out, some gloom to her voice. She wasn't exactly fearful of the mans response as much as she was concerned over her child. Guillemont remains silent, aside from a quiet sigh. His knees are slightly bent, and his arms tensed. There is an air of anticipation around him. *The elder held up a swift finger to the Head of House, a harsh "Sh!" coming from his lips. He stared intensely at Hestia, before bowing his head and eyeing Carina.* "Lay her on the bed, child. I must needs be a gracious host, and she is far from death's door." *With that, he moved to stand before Astrelle, raising his chin to look over the twin, eyes holding a deep amount of emotion. His gaze caught upon her forehead for several seconds, before looking into her eyes once more.* "... I can't find the words... to express my joy at seeing you, Astrelle." *He gently placed a hand on her shoulder, but little else.* "You look so much like your mother... but you've changed so much into your own woman. They would be proud of you, your parents." *His eyes look up once more to her forehead momentarily.*

The words ushered out a twitch of her lips, the corners of her mouth tugging downward for a moment. "Ah.. thank you," she mutters in her low voice, forcing her lips back into a gentle smile. "It is a pleasure to see you once more. Pray forgive my prolonged absence; life afforded me an opportunity to travel and I seized upon it." (Carina De'bayle) moving to set Hestia down on the bed, Carina sat beside her, rubbing the girls forehead. *Nuarmac let out a suddenly loud laugh, age adding to the crazed noise behind it before squeezing her cheek with his hand.* "The opportunity was freedom, child. Do not apologize." *He turns to Guillemont, and moreso looked upon Claire with interest, bowing low.* "My lady, welcome to my humble... 'Hermit Palace', as my nephew so aptly put it." *Denz's eye twitched at his uncle's words, but remained quiet.* Claire bows slightly toward the man, "I wish we could meet on better circumstances, but it's an honor to meet another of the De'bayle family. My name is Claire Nyhmidu." *Nuarmac looked to Guillemont.* "She lingers close to you, lad. Your father's charm instilled in you has brought a jewel into this jaded family we have become. I will pray for your continued happiness... something we are in short supply of, right now." *He pats Guillemont's shoulder peacefully.*

Guillemont flinches slightly as Nuarmac pats his shoulder, then smiles slightly as he realizes he is not being struck. "Thank you, uncle." The woman ends up blushing faintly at the compliment, adjusting her glasses in order to hide that; as she felt it not the time to be acting as such. *The nodded, moving past Denz and Armont to look at Jancis.* "My lady Janice, it is always heartening to see you. For what rough edges this family has become, I can see your presence smoothing them over." *He would take her hand and press it into both of his.*

(Armont De'bayle) Armont De'bayle took in a deep breath as he was spared, a spared man in the face of his uncle. Soon stepping forward to break rank, he'd move to stand next to his daughter who rested on the bed. "Warming up my lady?" He asked her while his hands moved to strip the plate from them to take his daughters hand into his softly. Jancis gazed up, "Lord Nuarmac," Her voice was fond and respectful, squeezing his hands from hers within. "Forgive me, you give them little merit for all they. They smoothe themselves. It is good to see you once more, regardless of reason why." Looking from the hand, she looks over towards the bed. (Carina De'bayle) Sighing out, Carina shook her head, "I fear there is a cold within me that will never be warmed... not until I see her smiling like her usual self..." *Jancis saw those eyes, the eyes of the vindictive Uncle whose cane swung with the prejudice of garlean at war. They glared at Denz, then even moreso towards Armont as he walked away from the line people he spoke to. Looking to Denz, he pointed a finger at him.* "Your hair looks less ridiculously since last we met, boy. Do take better care of it. You're not of the Brume." *He would lightly smack his head with a cane, but dropped his horrid gaze for a moment.* "Thank you... for finding her." *Denz sucked in a breath as that gaze came upon him, shrinking back before the hit inevitably came. As he rubbed his head, surprised by the lack of strength behind it, he blinked in surprise to his uncle, nodding slowly.* "J-just call me the De'bayle shepherd, unc-" (Armont De'bayle) moved to wrap an arm around Carina, pulling the small Hyur into his side as he held her tightly to him. "In due time. Perhaps she will be smiling tonight. Our Uncle is a man who could erase these worries." *Before Denz could finish, Nuarmac was already marching towards Armont, hooking his cane into his shoulder-pad and spinning the man to face him.* "And you, Armont. Stop looking like your father when you had to get your tattoo. Your mood reflects upon everyone else, whether you like it or not." *Smack! Cane to the right side of Armont's face.* "And if you knew how to control your urges, from this eye to this woman, we would be freezing in our breeches over small talk instead of over a child's teetering life." *His cane punched into his chestplate, shaking the metal to its core before he turned away from eldest brother to stand beside Carina over Hestia's bed.* "Right... now lets have a look."

Claire watched the spectacle with thinned lips and a bit of a worried and surprised expression. Glancing to the siblings to her right, all she could do was stay dead silent. Note to self. Don't make the uncle angry. (Carina De'bayle) "I am unsure of that... and if not, then there are many other worries that plague my mind..." she whispers out, pressing her cheek to the mans armoured arm. "She is weak... it has worsened over the moon." (Carina De'bayle) Furrowing her brow, Carina thinned her lips as she reached a hand to adjust the girls favourite hat. "Be strong Hestia, you are my miracle. I would be lost without you." "Little Hestia is surely the happiest accident over such urges." Jancis said encouragingly to Armont after the words of reproach. Though her tone was guilty, seeing snippets of the girl's decline before now. (Armont De'bayle) stood still as he was struck. He deserved it, deserved more than just being struck at this point. Choosing not to speak against his uncle, Armont would give him a nod. "Aye... Apologies are no enough dear uncle, all I ask is that you aid us once more if able..." *Nuarmac leaned over, eyes looking at indiscernible details, while speaking with a strained voice, calculated and slow.* "Truly, I should berate you worst of all, Caren, for not coming to me sooner with these worries. I do not, however, strike expecting mothers..." *His cane comes up to lightly tap Carina's head, before the weapon made its way to the ground, leaning against the mattress as he hovered his hands over Hestia's body, eyes shut harshly in concentration.*

(Carina De'bayle) "The same will not happen with Hestia's brother or sister, we have taken precautions to prevent such," she spoke out with some assurance. "She was... so excited to be an older sister," Carina's face seems to drop, her emotions seemingly beginning to get the better of her as she sniffled, "I know... I should have done more, how could I be such... so reckless of a mother..." she leans down, pressing her forehead to her daughters chest.

Glancing to her left, Claire looked to Guillemont and spoke in a very hushed voice, "When was it you were last here?" While she knew it wasn't the best time to make idle conversation, the question had been nagging her some. Astrelle, overhearing Claire's inquiry, slowly shifts her gaze from the group at the bed towards her twin. She seemed half-interested in knowing the answer herself. "A few moons ago. I think the last time was uh... Just after Hestia was born? When uh... When she and Carina were given their sigils." *Nuarmac chuckled darkly through his working.* "You've a long way to go to becoming reckless, child. I have seen far worse." *He dipped his head.* "Now, I need space to work. Speak with your family, while I make sense of all that is happening within." *Nuarmac's tattoo began to glow with a dull light, and he brought a finger upon Hestia's own forehead, beginning to delve as only a De'bayle can into another conscious.* Nodding at the answer, she looked back to the other group a moment. She wasn't sure exactly what was going on, but she looked on in worry and curiosity since nothing about the tattoos had yet to be explained to her. (Armont De'bayle) shifted to sit on the edge of the bed, his hand not leaving his childs once as he watched his wife lean in over her. "You were not reckless my lady... We were simply not-." His words ended as he was called to stand back. Releasing the child's hand painfully, Armont would soon bring Carina to stand back some with him, allowing space to be made. *Denz placed a supportive hand on Jancis' shoulder, before looking in concern to Claire.* "You... Do you know what he is doing?" (Carina De'bayle) Being tugged away reluctantly, Carina watched from a distance with a pain-filled expression. Exhaling some, her face contorted with some inner conflict. Looking to Denz, she shook her head. "I know absolutely nothing of... anything related to the tattoo on your forehead, I'm afraid. Other than you all have it." Jancis reaches up and squeezes Denz's hand, trying to be supportive in kind.

(Hestia De'bayle) Opening her eyes, Hestia look toward Nuarmac, "eh... hello..." she mumbles out in a somewhat raspy tone. "Guillemont does not have dreams? Or glows in the morn?" "Well he does often have nightmares... I seem to be getting nightmares myself time to time..." She said with a sigh, "And I think I perhaps have seen it glow, but I had yet to actually ask why. I wasn't sure if I should be prying." "Strange to have such concerns without voicing them." Jancis looks quietly confused, repeating 'Prying' as if she hadn't considered it before. *Denz holds up a finger to answer, before Jancis asked her questions. Initially he thought they were poorly worded, but he shook his head as Claire answered in kind.* "Aye, those who served under us, and more importantly those closest to us are open to asking such queries." "It's more complicated than a simple coat of arms emblazoned on our heads."

Glancing to Astrelle, Claire adjusted her glasses. She's not sure what to say, as she's kind of the center of attention now. She almost looks ashamed to be clueless about all of this. Astrelle turns away from the group. "Far too complicated," she grunts in an almost disapproving way. "Any man who has seen and done what I have would uh... Would have such dreams. And considering, what Claire has been through..." He trails off. "It is nothing to be concerned about." (Carina De'bayle) Stepping toward the group, as to avoid watching the scene unfold before her, Carina stepped beside Jancis. *Nuarmac smiles, his free hand taking Hestia's softly.* "Hello child. Can you pretend to fall asleep for me? I would like to see your dreams, so we can use them to help you get better." "I see... perhaps an explanation another time. I'm unsure if this is the time or place." *Denz nods.* "'Tis a long winded explanation, at that." "I'm sure I put Jancis to sleep the last time I explained it to her." Jancis couldn't help but look at Guillemont, soaking up his words. "You are worth being con-" "I'm quite surprised you don't put her to sleep more often, Denzel," comes the tease from Astrelle, turning her eyes back to the youngest. "Certainly not! I recall it all. Ah, forgive me," Her voice quiets from the initial, color spurring as that grin shone down on her. Taunted once more. *Denz holds up a finger towards Astrelle.* "Tha- I don't...." *He tilts his head, unable to counter properly, hanging his head in defeat.* Regardless, Claire still seems to look a bit ashamed at the fact that she'd become so close to the family and had yet to 'pry' about something they all had in common. Frowning, a few of her fingers went to find Guillemont's hand, but settled for even the cloth of his outfit as she closed her eyes to sort the situation in her head. A low, full chuckle escapes the sister before she turns again to face absently towards the wall. "You. You are still worth being concerned about." (Carina De'bayle) Glancing around the group, Carina laid her eyes onto Jancis, "ah... mmm..." she murmurs out some, leaning against Armont as her fingers toyed with one another. Guillemont turns his gaze to Jancis. "I appreciate the sentiment, Lady Jancis. But uh... But I assure you, it is a trivial matter." Looking torn between concern and believing it, Jancis glances at the others looking at her. *The silence would be permeated by a soft aetherial noise, as the silhouette of light could be seen illuminating from the pair for several minutes. After the time had passed, Nuarmac would sniff a few times, collecting himself as he approached the party once more.* "Things are... very much so not right with this child." *He letss out a breath, trying to figure out how to begin.* "Her aether is tainted, as you know. Not so different from how Denz bears a taint. However, the differences lies in its source. Whereas Denz's source of taint is separate from him, and thus able to be stored elsewhere, the source of the child's taint is within herself, is a part of herself. To remove such would be to remove one's own life aether, which more often than not results in death." *Blunt and to the point.* "Now, I have several... theories on actions we can take, but all are severe, as the situation is. I saw your... "mage" siphon such tainted aether from her body, except he was trying to fill a cup with a geyser of energy. Whatever location this tainted aether would be put into must needs be replenish-able, deep in it's reserves, if not deeper as she grows older, and ever close by." *He shakes his head.* "We would practically need an entirely new child for that purpose." *He sets his mouth, eyeing Carina with slight interest.* "However, we have not eight moons to spare for such an option to become available." (Armont De'bayle) brought his arm around the woman to grasp at her hands tightly, offering the woman some form of peace of mind in the moment. (Carina De'bayle) Opening her mouth to tell the woman something, she was cut short as the uncle began to speak. "Huh..." she turned her head sharply, giving him her attention.

(Armont De'bayle) looked to Jancis, giving her a very forced smile as the situation pained him as much as Lawson's pain with his apartments deck. His attention was swiftly caught once more by his uncles words, listening well to them. (Carina De'bayle) "I see..." she replies to the man, "then it seems, all we have available to us are extremes..." Claire opens her eyes and looks over to the bed at Hestia, frowning. Her hand holds the cloth it had taken a bit tighter, her hand shaking some. *Nuarmac nods.* "The first extreme, which may not even work, is that your husband is the actual source of the taint still, and killing him solves the disease." *He says this rather calmly.* (Carina De'bayle) "I have a feeling that will not fix this... Hestia and Armont may share blood, but they are not... connected? Not like that, I'd think with our sigils, we'd be able to tell that." *Nuarmac pulls on his beard in thought.* "Nay, it would not be so easy..." Jancis set her lips together at such a deep thrumming pained expression from Armont burning into her being to about the size of a basketball. "The second extreme?" She urged the uncle on hopefully. "Please, do not kill Armont. I do not trust Denz to uh... To be the head of the House." He pauses. "Or would that go to Carina?" He scratches his sideburns, his expression thoughtful. (Armont De'bayle) "Y-Yes... I do not think my death will end this... though if it comes to it, I will ask that one of my brothers puts me in my grave." He looked up to the brothers. "Guillemont. If such a thing is needed, I ask that you give me one last fight." (Carina De'bayle) "It would go to me," she remarks out flatly to the middle brother with an unamused stare, looking back toward Nuarmac. "Of course, brother. I uh... I have yet to best you, and uh... If you die, I cannot very well do that." *Denz looked over at Guillemont.* "What?! My decrees would be of the utmost intelligence! You would never have want for bread!" "..pray let us hear the second extreme, Uncle. I do not wish to humor /any/ of these possibilities." "I agree, the second option. Thaliak's Grace such deep thoughts on the non-option. Bread or not." Jancis murmurs a quick apology, "Be not distracted now by leavened dough." *Nuarmac looked toward Jancis, lip twitching in humour.* "The second extreme is to have one of you anchor yourself to this child and take the taint upon yourself. Armont could not do this without his own taint killing him swiftly(another death for him), and it is more of a temporary solution as we all begin to be overcome by taint and die. However, it potentially buys us time to endanger Caren's second child with this burden, and pray they could survive the taint themselves until they are immunized to the taint. Just as Denz is immunized to his own.... taint." "I uh... I am sure of that. But I think you uh... You have some maturing to do, before you are ready for the uh... The full responsibility." He shrugs. "Not that I would ever be. I uh... I am a soldier. I take orders, not give them."

(Carina De'bayle) Growing obviously frustrated, Carina shook her head, "there are all far too risky for no good reason!" Carina glares up to her husband, "Armont... none of these extremes will do. You will have to accept this fate." (Armont De'bayle) "D-Death? If it comes to it, aye I will." He looked to Guillemont, nodding in confirmation as if to prepare himself. "What?! You can't possibly be considering killing off Armont, Carina!" (Carina De'bayle) "No!" she cried out, snapping a finger to him, "you will have to let Hestia go..." (Armont De'bayle) Yeah he's my character!" Lawson shouted. (Carina De'bayle) "With Serick, you know..." she mumbles off some. "Wait... So, does that mean I uh... I need to be the one to kill him should I win our bout or uh...." "You don't have to worry about killing your brother, Guillemont." "..Guillemont, we are not placing Carina within the head of this House."

"What must be done? Denz knows much of how to deal with something similar and could counsel me in-" She stops immediately at Carina's commanding cry. "Let her go?" *Nuarmac smacks his cane against Armont's breastplate loudly to garner everyone's attention again.* "That's enough! I have one last 'extreme'!" *He puts his cane tip on the ground, huffing in annoyance.* "I uh... I guess." He says, responding to both Claire and Astrelle at once, apparently. "You'll find out momentarily, I'm sure." She said with a nod, sighing tiredly as she looked back to the conversation.

(Armont De'bayle) grunted as his chest was struck once more. Looking to him, he'd wait for the last to be said. "Pray it does not involve mine death, dear uncle. I am running out of options here..." His voice sounded hesitant, though he would not waste a breath if it called for it. *Nuarmac shook his head.* "No, it endangers no one, but it is no guarantee that Hestia lives either." *He took in a deep breath, collecting himself.* "I cannot tell how many generations ago such a tactic had been used... But there is a way to bring her to the ancestors in body and spirit, and there she may be able to recover from her sickness. However, time, space, perception, how are all of these perceived in the Lifestream? Among the dead? How changed would she be, not only physically, but  mentally. I can put her in there, and I can bring her back, but there are an infinite amount of variables that lead to her death, or worse should she return incorrectly. The closest I have come is when my own son neared death, and his spirit began drifting form his own body. Fortunately, his body recovered, and I could usher back into the living world, but even he has admitted he is changed from it..."

Listening on still, Claire is rather confused by all the talk, but... education comes from odd situations? She's still very concerned though, her eyes not having left Hestia at all since she was left at the bed alone. (Carina De'bayle) "This sounds far too risky..." Carina remarked out, scorn lacing her words, "Armont, do you hate the idea of Serick guiding our daughter so much, that you would put her or yourself through any of these three extremes?" "I would much rather offer myself to remove such 'taint' from Hestia," she offers with a glance towards Carina, then to Armont, finally resting back on their uncle. "If only to buy ourselves more time for another option." (Carina De'bayle) "Astrelle..." Carina murmurs out softly, her eyes closing painfully. "No matter what the decision is... we will be losing something." She rolls a shoulder. "My family lived eight turns without me. If I am to die, it will not be a great loss." Guillemont looks to Astrelle with quiet concern. He feels as though he should be the one making such an offer, but... Another party implores him not to. (Carina De'bayle) "That is not true!" (Armont De'bayle) "The Aether that corrupts me and my daughter, it could consume you Astrelle, and as you have said, you have been gone for eight turns, I do not wish to see you leave so soon, and because of your eldest brothers actions. I would not be able to live with myself." (Carina De'bayle) "How could you even think such a thing... any loss is one that injures deeply. Especially those, who think they will not. Those always hurt the most..." *Nuarmac shook his head at Astrelle.* "I fear you are sadly the most inept to assist, my girl. Your time away, away from Eorzea and it's aetherial embrace leaves you in a state unfit to take up such aether. You did not garner any curse as a child, grew with it to temper yourself against such forces." The sister purses her lips. Even in suggesting things, she hated losing. She gave a soft grunt before averting her gaze. "Very well, Uncle." (Armont De'bayle) "C-Contact the Miqo'te... It pains me more than ever having to rely on that man, but it seems we have little choice." *Nuarmac raised an eyebrow at Armont.* "Miqo'te?" "What of myself?" Jancis offers, "I am familiar to Little Hestia. We have a bond. I am intended." *Denz placed his hands on Jancis' shoulders, as if backing her away from some edge everyone was staring over.* "Ah dah dah dah. Intended for something -other- than curses and taints, Jancis..." (Carina De'bayle) "At least no one has to die Armont!" she replies out anger, snapping her head toward Jancis, "I wish to not see anyone have to fall from this! We-there is another way, we just... we hoped perhaps there would be an inkling of a change, Nuarmac could do something..." "And I can. But they are extremes, akin to the situation, Caren." *He pipes in.* (Armont De'bayle) looked back to Nuarmac. "I would rather not speak of those whom we need to rely on dear uncle... I would almost rather chose death than enlist his aid..."

(Carina De'bayle) Swiftly marching around her husband, the woman's heeled boots clicked to the stone beneath her as she approached the older Elezen. Once in front of him, she motioned him closer so that she may whisper to him. *Nuarmac closes his eyes at Armont's words, failing to open them as he listened to Carina speak.* (Carina De'bayle) Stopping in her tracks, Carina looked back to Armont, "you are a cruel man Armont, and I thought you to not be so heartless," she spit out in some fury, turning backing Nuarmac to quickly explain to him her plan. Jancis watches Carina as she turns, still naive, before looking up at Denz. "Would I fall?" Her voice didn't really believe it, blindly hopeful in seeing a solution. "It is our family." Sighing quietly, Claire glanced to her right a moment before looking back to Hestia. (Armont De'bayle) "I only bare teeth to those who showed fang first Carina. I am not as docile as you may think when it narrows down to our family." (Carina De'bayle) "And you'd believe I of all people, would not feel the same. Your mistrust in him only shows your mistrust in me. And that, is a knife onto my heart all on its own."

*Denz blinked in shock at Carina's words, staring at Armont and his response, before finding his gaze down at Jancis.* "I-I... This isn't a fight we can win with faith and hope. All we would be doing is throwing bodies at an unstoppable beast. Soldiers in a hopeless war." Astrelle glances to the bickering couple, then towards Jancis and Denz, finally landing upon Guillemont and Claire. Her lips purse in contemplation. (Armont De'bayle) "I show mistrust in him for good reason. I can take your word for him, but I am not able to see through with that when he has done nothing but spit in my direction. Nonetheless, it would appear we are all testing him with this newfound task." (Armont De'bayle) nodded towards his brother. "Respect is earned, not given." *The elder elezen's eyebrows raise from Carina's words, whispering in response, his voice having a surprising amount of control to it.* (Carina De'bayle) "I understand your anger Armont, and your frustration with him. For his attitude, for what he... did to me in the past. I just ask that you give him this chance, and not throw your own life away over such." she steps away from Nuarmac, after having finished what she said.

(Armont De'bayle) does not respond and falls silent in thought. Claire feels the eyes looking at her, looking to Astrelle after, "I don't think Guillemont has had the plan mentioned to him... with them occupied, perhaps you can fill him in. If Carina would take no issue." *The old man sniffs.* "But, all of that pales in comparison to her life." "..it is simply by my faith in Carina that I am agreeing to such terms. I think it would be best if she spoke it - lest I taint my brother's opinion." *The old man looks to the eldest brother.* "Armont, stand before me." *The elder looks between the two intensely.* "Do -not- let this troubling time put you at each other's throats. Now more than ever, you need one another's support, instead of finding alternatives, shortcuts, and compromises. You must be clear, truthful in intention, or you will find the person you married changed by hardship and lacking support." *He bows his head.* "It makes living all the worse when -everyone- you loved is taken from you. Turned from you. Do not make my mistakes... Your brother has seen the result of that."

*Nuarmac's eyes looked sidelong towards Guillemont in the corner of the room, before sucking in his breath and looking to the parents.* "There is nothing left for you here. If you have your passage set before you, then I shall advocate this method to keep Hestia living, that mayhaps one day she may return to us." *He turns, placing a hand on Hestia's cheek, before letting her go.* Letting Denz's words sink in, the hyur let her shoulders sag, feeling useless. Still trying to be useful, Jancis leans about to watch the conversation, quietly repeating "my mistakes" to herself. (Armont De'bayle) Armont nodded towards him, heeding his words well. "There has not been a day passed that I have looked back Uncle, and as always, I thank you for helping our family move forward..." He said, his head remaining held high somewhat as he forced away any doubts he had about Hestia's coming. (Carina De'bayle) Looking up to Armont with a somewhat sympathetic stare, the woman glanced toward their daughter. It was true, that now more than ever, they needed one anothers comfort. Moving to the girl, she reached to take her weakened body into her arms, "we will put this plan into motion as soon as we can then... thank you, Nuarmac," Carina says out softly as she begins walking toward the group, wrapping Hestia up. Looking toward Jancis, Carina could see the disheartened look on the woman's expression. Glancing back to the other conversation, Claire frowned and tucked away a bit of loose hair behind an ear. It seems there's an awful lot she doesn't know about this family and the ones in particular she chooses to be closest to. Glancing to her right, she sighs out her nose and then looks to Hestia; still with much conern. (Carina De'bayle) "Jancis..."

Jancis lifts her gaze to Carina's, guilt still there. "It does not seems even acting faster would have different recourse, does it?" Her voice was tight in her throat as she looks at the pale child. "It will turn out as best as it can. Whatever must be done. Fury's will is too strong for anything less." "Then pray do not let us continue to stand around, sobbing." Astrelle straightens up some and looks to Armont, then Carina. "We shall put the plan into motion posthaste, shall we not?"

*Nuarmac moved towards the door of the bedroom.* "If any of you require my aid, pray, come here swiftly. Or if you simply wish to visit." *He bows his head to everyone.*

(Armont De'bayle) "Aye, we must..." Looking to Nuarmac, she nodded, "I may take you up on the visit offer... if you'd accept someone not in the family other than as a humble servant of sorts." *Denz squeezes Jancis' shoulders, agreeing with his sister.* "Indeed. Best we put this matter into motion." (Carina De'bayle) "The path to saving Hestia... there will be something taken from us, something we will never get back. And there is nothing, we can do to change that..." her words fail to offer any sort of assurance, "but, she will be alive... and despite this not all is loss in the world," she offers the Hyur a weak smile, "Hestia will be able to healthy enjoy being an older sister. My choices... are not always right, but I wanted to bring some joy... where I knew there would be none." *Nuarmac smiles politely.* "Of course, my lady. I can see, even without the sigil, the questions plauging your mind and the confusion written on your face. Almost as clearly written as the tattoos I give everyone." *He smiles to himself.* A hand lifted to idly play with one of her earrings a moment, then nodding at the aged Elezen. "You are most certainly not wrong about that..." She muttered. (Armont De'bayle) glanced down to Carina before his eyes stuck to his daughters. "We should leave and prepare... My lady." He muttered out to her, his hand still wrapped around her side. *Denz takes his hands from Jancis shoulders, taking point in leaving the room.* "Come, we still have to walk back to Falcon's Nest." *He mutters under his breath.* "... Despite having more than enough beds here..." "Right choices are hard to find. We pick the best one we can. There will be more time for this after Little Hestia is safe." She made to follow Denz, but only behind the trio. (Carina De'bayle) "Mmm... right..." she nods, allowing her husband to tug her along.

Astrelle pauses, allowing the others to begin filing out. "I shall be staying with you tonight, Uncle. If that is alright." She tips her head forward. "I've business in Ishgard come the morn and wish to speak with you, if you'd have me." Looking to Guillemont, Claire glances to the floor after, "Once we make it out of Ishgard, I'm going to have to leave you to go home on your own..." She said with a guilty frown, "I really need to go visit someone." "Hm? Oh uh... Alright." "Sorry." She mutters, "I'll bring something to eat back with me. I won't be long." *The old man's eyes light up, looking down at himself in a hurry.* "I-I was not expecting company, but.... of course!" *He gestures back into the room.* "You mayu sleep here, it is the only decent room anymore." *His face shows vivid excitement at having someone to speak to, and Astrelle of all De'bayles!* The edges of her mouth curl into a light smile. "Thank you." She looks to the others as they depart and offers them a final tip of her head in silent farewell. "It's fine. Just uh... Just stay out of trouble. Call if you need anything." "I'll ah... be going home. So don't worry. I'll be safe." She said with a faint smile. "Home...er. Ul'dah. Home..." "Ah, alright." "I'll tell my mother hello for you. And I will bring something home." She said with a smile, "Look forward to it."

"I will!"

Denz De'bayle @darkknightsbread​ Carina De'bayle @carina-debayle​ Claire Nyhmidu @claire-nyhmidu-ffxiv​ Armont De'bayle @halone-from-the-otherside​ Astrelle De'bayle Hestia De'bayle Guillemont De'bayle @ishgardianknightblogging​ Nuarmac De'bayle Jancis Milburga

May 25 2017

[phgq]

Rizal gated communities in lockdown mode to keep virus out

#PHnews: Rizal gated communities in lockdown mode to keep virus out

ANTIPOLO, Rizal -- Subdivision residents around the Valley Golf and Country Club area here are now hunkered down within the relative safety of their gated communities hoping to ride out the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, which has infected over two thousand people nationwide.

The various homeowners' associations in these upper-middle-class villages located between Antipolo and Cainta cities have readily cooperated with local authorities in implementing the enhanced community lockdown now in effect in Luzon.

However, they are seeking to do government one better by instituting measures to further isolate their neighborhoods from the contagion outside its walls.

The gates of Victoria Valley Subdivision, home to about 150 families, have been shut since March 18, and the entry and exit of residents are closely monitored although not completely hindered.

Victoria Valley Association, Inc. (VVAI) operations manager Angelo Punzalan said the imposition by the homeowners' board of stricter quarantine measures enjoy the full support of the greater majority of residents.

"The residents are really understanding with regards to the community quarantine imposed by the LGUs but even more understanding and compliant with our own community quarantine inside the village," he said.

Construction projects, as well as the entry of construction workers and other laborers, have also been put on temporary hold until further notice, Punzalan said.

Only those delivering basic necessities such as food and LPG are allowed through the gates, subject to some decontamination protocols.

Volunteers from the community have been tapped to help security guards by reporting the entry of vagrants and other uninvited outsiders, he added.

"Our village has gained the reputation of being strict when it comes to security, but nobody contests the issue because they understand it's for the good of everyone," he said.

Punzalan added that the village association has recently sought the help of the local fire department to hose down the neighborhood with disinfectant in order to get rid of whatever microbes are already present in their immediate surroundings.

Punzalan admitted that their draconian initiatives are partially the result of unconfirmed reports that a resident nearby had tested positive for the dreaded virus.

"We have to boost the morale of our residents especially since its easy for paranoia to set in nowadays," he said.

In nearby Valley Golf Hills Subdivision, with its 50 households, residents have hardly left their homes since the government-imposed lockdown began.

Subdivision president Dino Dionisio said they are also implementing their own lockdown within their small enclave by keeping non-residents out until the epidemic subsides.

"Our own residents have been very compliant but our challenge here is controlling the movements of squatters," he said.

Dionisio said that there are a few informal settlers residing in the fringes of the subdivision and they have been hard to contain. He added that these people have been sneaking past village security guards as they seek income outside the village walls.

"We understand that they are desperate to earn money, but they may expose everyone to infection. I hope the government helps them somehow," he said.

Dionisio said that while their residents have been very supportive of the government's enhanced community quarantine, they are also hoping that it will be lifted earlier as scheduled on April 12.

He expressed optimism that the contagion will peak and decline within the two remaining weeks of the quarantine period. He said that current conditions have already taken a huge toll on the livelihood of many residents, some of whom have business enterprises to manage.

"The economic impact of what is going on is tremendous, the next two weeks will be very crucial," he added.

Meantime, officers of the Valley Residents Association, Inc. (VIRAI), the umbrella organization covering the four subdivisions here, admitted that its member communities have certain unique vulnerabilities prompting them to take extra precautions against communicable diseases.

VIRAI president Fernando Gil explained that a high percentage of those living in the area are senior citizens and retirees who moved here to escape the hustle and bustle of Metro Manila. Many Westerners and East Asians have also settled here, he added.

"The extra measures that we have taken to protect our community on top of government's community quarantine is necessary because of the advanced age of many of our residents and the fact that many of them frequently travel abroad," he said.

He added that even during normal times, residents usually do not encroach in the personal space of one another. Now, under the threat of Covid-19, social distancing is being taken very seriously.

"However, despite being physically apart we have never been so full of community spirit because we know that we are in this thing together," Gil said.

"There have been some chaffing among some of us, to be sure, but members of the community realize lockdowns and social distancing are bitter pills we must swallow for the common good," he said. (PNA)

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References:

* Philippine News Agency. "Rizal gated communities in lockdown mode to keep virus out." Philippine News Agency. https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1098546 (accessed April 02, 2020 at 04:59PM UTC+14).

* Philippine News Agency. "Rizal gated communities in lockdown mode to keep virus out." Archive Today. https://archive.ph/?run=1&url=https://www.pna.gov.ph/articles/1098546 (archived).