#VASOR

[hitchell-mope]

Vasor is a little bitch

[bmwiid]

It's freezing, and your not sure if anyone who sent you all out here to this white, bright hell, know that the sun reflects off the snow. You've been here for a couple of years now and it still hurts your eyes.

The new officer showed up, floating over the snow like he was too good to touch the ground - typical flashy city wizard. You've heard the whispers that he's the Shadowhand, so someone up here fucked up big time for them to send him, and you aren't sure if you'll get sucked into the vortex of blame.

But he's been here a couple of weeks when a shipment arrives, and it's got shaded visors and shawls and glasses. They go faster than the rations of sweet treats and fresh food.

And another week passes and he's still floating around, looking stressed, but he nods at you when he passes and you don't remember the last time a commanding officer made eye contact with you, and maybe he's not so bad.

Another week goes by and your troop is attacked by some fucking snow worm that ripped Vasor in half, and the fight is almost over - you're bleeding out and no one else seems much better - and then he shows up. His spell crushes the worm into a cube about the same size as a footlocker and then it's all over.

Later, he shows up in the infirmary and gives the healers some of his own components.

You all get some extra rations that week, and no one says anything but you know your unit better than you know your own Den and no one rolls their eyes when he floats by anymore.

Then they show up - the Heroes of the Dynasty and they've all got the Bright Queen seals and you've never seen one in person but it certainly gets them to your new commander and -

The blue one hugs him so tightly you're sure he'll feel that the next day.

Okay. Okay.

You get extra training from the dwarf in the snow chair and he's a jerk and you all hate him but his methods work and might actually help you survive whatever the hell is about to go down, because your commander is looking even more stressed and maybe the higher ups do know something, to send him here and get them extra training and it's not like they'd tell you, out here, if something big was about to go down.

So you and your unit, and the rest of the base become sharper and more aware and keep a keener eye on the horizon because something big is coming, and you all know it now.

Which is why you notice when the Heroes arrive again they look tired and worried and although they bring hot chocolate, which you've personally never tried before but it's nice and sweet and warm and for a moment you think, hey, this place isn't so bad. His friends are nice and loud and he always seems happy to see them. But it's not good news they bring him, you know it from the way he looks shaken as they walk and talk, and he sends his guard out of the room and they catch your eye as they drink their warm drink and you know it's about to go down.

He goes with them, to stop whatever is going on, and he's going into Aeor and you've never been but you've heard some shit and you're worried for him. Everyone is worried for him.

So when the letter arrives, from the Capitol, and a report is expected and he's not there to write it...

It takes three of you, practicing for hours, to fake his signature. So you write the report and Farin forges the signature and one of the guards uses the seal and... You all know you'd be executed for this, if anyone ever found out, and none of you are consecuted so there would be no coming back from this, but you do it anyway.

The report isn't glowing, because you don't think he'd write a glowing report, so you keep it brief and pray to the Luxon that whoever reads the reports he sends doesn't notice the difference.

He comes back, days later, and he's hurting, and they all look like hell, but they don't stop to rest. He must be hurting real bad, because his feet are on the ground and your not sure why but that drives it home for everyone - whatever they've done it's taken a lot out of them. They've got a new friend, with a fresh scar that looks like he was cut in half longways and you glance at Urda who works in the infirmary and you can see her eyes are wide under her shaded veil.

You write another report while he's gone.

He comes back the day after you finish writing the report, and you aren't sure what the guard tells him, but that night in the eating hall, he shows up with a fancy looking chalice encrusted with gems and the next thing the tables are groaning with the best looking food you've ever seen in your life. It's good home cooked meals and exotic fish and every kind of dessert.

He sits down at the table and motions you all to eat. "I'm not in the mood for rations," he says, offhand, like it's nothing. But you've spent months with him now and you know him better, and it only takes a few moments before the table is swamped with hungry soldiers and laughter.

It takes another couple of months before he goes 'missing' and another month for you to report it. He left with the red headed wizard and took most of his things, but you kept writing the reports.

Might as well give him some time to get a good head start.

[oerendhard]

Graffiti Overschie by oerendhard1

[mdnoyonkhan41]

Md. Noyon Khan O Tar Sister Mst. Sharmin Khonom & Vasore Maya Mst. Mareua Chodore

[alaffy]

Classic Doctor Who, Season 2 -The Crusade Pt.2 (…the bad, and the ugly)

Picking up where I left off, episode 4 is a train wreck!  It’s like somehow they didn’t realize this was only four parts and had to rush to wrap it all up.  The Doctor and Vicki decide it’s time to head back to the Tardis because they were accused of betraying Richard.  Richard knows better, but he feels like the actual betrayer might go after the Doctor so he suggests they go.  Barbara manages to escape El Akir again and hides in his Harem.  There she meets Haroun’s older daughter who promises to keep her safe.  Meanwhile, Ian is captured by a stereotype bandit, tricks him to escape, and his the bandit take him to El Akir (and befriends the bandit along the way).  Back in the Harem, one of the girls betrays Barbara’s location.  However, before El Akir can do anything about it, lo and behold Haroun pops out of nowhere and kills El Akir.  The guards come in but Surprise! Ian arrives just in time to help defeat them (Seriously, is there someone at the front door giving directions?)  Oh, an Ian’s friend has stolen some horses and Ian is paying him with stolen money.  (But remember kids, stealing’s ok if you’re taking it from the bad guys).  The Doctor and Vicki arrive at the Tardis, but are ambushed by the bad guys.  But look! Ian has just arrived and saves the day (okay, assuming the Ian and Barbara bit took place before the Doctor left Richard, that still doesn’t explain why they went to the Tardis!) And it’s off to a new adventure.  

So, several posts ago, I was talking about how there was this running plot point where evil men had displayed untoward behaviors toward Barbara.  I mentioned, at the time, that a man called Vasor was the worst.  Allow me to correct myself; El Akir is the worst.  The man is a sadist.   There are parts in the episodes that are extremely uncomfortable to watch because of some of the implications in those scenes. And there’s literally not a single character that likes El Akir.  In fact, Ian is able to convince a bandit to work with him partly due to the fact that he’s going after El Akir.    

Still, he isn’t the only villain in the story as we have Leicester, an English knight who is convinced the Doctor is a spy for Saladin. He also is appalled that Richard is willing to come up with a plan to end the war with peaceful means instead of more bloodshed. He tries to get Richard to turn on the Doctor by trying to convince Richard the Doctor told Joanna of Richard’s plans to marry her off.  When that didn’t work, he decides he’s just going to kill the Doctor.  In fact, Leicester and El Akir have something in common in that both are powerful men who their rulers don’t particularly have affection for, but are needed to fight the war.  Again, showing similarities on both sides.  

Now, with what I’ve stated so far, it might sound like this episode took care in making sure that those of Middle Eastern decent were shown in an equal light to their English counterparts. If only that where the case.  The reality is the show is quite contradictive in its production.  Again, neither side is shown as purely good or purely evil.  They also do things like making sure The Doctor pronounces names like Saladin correctly.  I would even argue that, judging by the script alone, Saladin was the more regal of the two leaders. And, from an early 1960’s standpoint, things like this usually didn’t happen in tv shows.  So, clearly, there is some sort of thought being put into this.  However, it can’t be ignored that the majority of the actors are white actors in brownface. And while the main characters might be portrayed in less of a stereotypical manner (not that that makes it any better), some of the portrayals of more minor characters…Good. God.  This is an issue with early Doctor Who.  While the show might portray a message of not being judgmental of people/cultures/etc. that are different than yours, it’s done through the lens of the 1960’s and 1970’s.  So, in hindsight, there are stories where the show could have taken a lesson from themselves and considered what they put out there.  This is one of those stories.  And while I won’t say that maybe these episodes should have remained lost, as I feel that’s just pushing it under the rug, I will say this is an episode that viewers may want to acknowledge, but skip.

[lissy-strata]

Oh the things you can do on a shoestring budget.

[Picture: Ian, Barbara, and a very unhappy Vasor. Infotext: “The ice was simulated by covering the scenery walls with cellophane.”]

[murumokirby360]

TRX-01+TRX-VSR Xenu Vasor by murumokirby360

#Onthisday My #Drawing #MyMobileSuit - Aug. 22,2011

[islam4christes-blog]

La lucha contra el Covid-19 - Vista por los musulmanes

https://es.islamforchristians.com/la-lucha-contra-el-covid-19-vista-por-los-musulmanes/

La lucha contra el Covid-19 - Vista por los musulmanes

En el nombre de Allah, el Misericordioso, el Compasivo

“Dijo: arrojad vosotros, y al hacerlo hechizaron los ojos de la gente y los llenaron de miedo y produjeron una magia prodigiosa”. (Surat Al Furqan, Ayat 115)

Y así es como metieron el miedo en la gente a través de un excremento celular que nadie puede ver, oír ni tocar. Y al igual que en una película de ciencia ficción en la que la tierra es atacada por in

Los musulmanes están llamados a mirar las pruebas y dificultades con ojos de aceptación del decreto de Allah y de agradecimiento.

vasores alienígenas; de igual forma, todos los países han declarado el estado de alarma mundial de forma conjunta. El seguimiento mediático y la inclusión social al problema no tiene precedentes. Esto es solo comparable a un estado de guerra. Contra el enemigo perfecto, omnipresente e inapreciable.

Y este enemigo no podía ser más afín a los intereses de las élites financiero-­‐mediáticas. A la maquinaria corporativa armamentística de USA le hubiese gustado más una guerra militar de toda la vida, pero parece que después de la guerra contra el terror y las cazas a ciegas de armas de destrucción masiva se han quedado sin excusas baratas para seguir inventando guerras. Pero no nos equivoquemos, el objetivo de esta guerra no es la de conquistar o, mejor dicho, desestabilizar ningún país o gobierno. Sino el de inyectar el miedo en la gente para mantener viva la ilusión. La ilusión entre otras cosas de que el dinero tiene valor alguno o que la clase política tiene algo que gobernar.

Y el truco no es otro que la usada y abusada técnica: Problema, reacción, solución, que vienen usando los estados para darse a sí mismos una razón de ser y existir. Básicamente se crea un problema: independentismo, terrorismo, machismo, Ébola, Covid19, etc. Se define cuál debe ser la reacción a través de los medios de comunicación: alarma, tolerancia, reivindicación, miedo y confinamiento, etc. y el Estado procederá a dar sentido a su existencia, buscando una solución que inevitablemente conllevará a la subyugación de las masas aún más. Y por supuesto, sin atajar nunca el origen o causa del problema. Que, en muchas ocasiones, ni siquiera existe, existía o existirá para la mayoría de los ciudadanos.

En el nombre de Allah, el Misericordioso, el Compasivo

“Pero inspiramos a Musa: ¡Arroja tu vara Y se tragó lo que habían falseado! Así prevaleció la verdad y se desvaneció lo que habían hecho”.

(Surat Al Furqan, 116-117)

Así pues, que no nos engañen, y sabed que ¨no hay poder sino por Allah¨. No os permitáis caer en esta ilusión creada para los no creyentes. Ya que esta no es la realidad de los creyentes. De hecho, en los países musulmanes no solo apenas están siendo afectados, sino que, además, la actitud ante los acontecimientos está siendo muy diferente a la pandemia del miedo que estamos experimentando en Occidente. Y su reflexión desde el punto de vista de la fitra, está siendo reconocimiento de lo dice Allah en Su libro majestuoso:

En el nombre de Allah, el Misericordioso, el Compasivo

“Donde quiera que estéis incluso si estáis en torres fortificadas os alcanzará la muerte. Si les ocurre algo bueno dicen: Esto viene de Allah, pero si les ocurre algo malo, dicen: Esto viene de ti (Muhammad). Di: todo viene de Allah. ¿qué le ocurre a esta gente que apenas comprende lo que se les dice? Lo bueno que te ocurre viene de Allah y lo malo de ti mismo. Te hemos enviado a los hombres como Mensajero y Allah basta como testigo”.

(Surat an Nisaa. Ayat 77 y 78)

Por tanto, estemos agradecidos a Allah de todo lo bueno que nos ha dado y hagamos buen uso del conocimiento recibido por Su gracia y misericordia. Aprovechemos estos días de confinamiento para reflexionar y reconocer todo lo bueno que nos rodea. Desde lo más profundo de nuestro interior, espíritu, cuerpo, familia, comunidad, riqueza etc. y hacia fuera. Y seamos pacientes y benevolentes con los que y lo que nos rodea. Demos gracias a Allah por la inmensurable misericordia con la que hemos sido bendecidos por el regalo del Din del islam. Así como lo afortunados que somos por tener la guía del Corán y Sunna de nuestro Profeta, que la paz y las bendiciones sean con él. Y todo esto sin que nosotros tuviésemos que dar nada a cambio. Allhamdu lillah.

¨Una hora de reflexión vale más que setenta años de adoración¨ y como es de sobra sabido en el lenguaje de los sabios, la reflexión, fikr, siempre viene acompañada o mejor dicho precedida del recuerdo, dhikr, y su resultado es el aumento en el anhelo, himma. Oh Allah, auméntanos en dhikr, fikr y himma.

Aprovechemos el tiempo en estos días que nos vemos apartados de la vida mundanal por fuerza mayor y aumentemos nuestro dhikr, fikr y que Allah nos recompense con una gran himma. Pues lo necesitaremos en tiempos venideros.

En el nombre de Allah, el Misericordioso, el Compasivo

“¡Hombres ¡Os ha llegado una exhortación de vuestro señor, una cura para lo que hay en los pechos y una guía y una misericordia para los creyentes. Di: Que con el favor de Allah y con Su misericordia se regocijen, ello es mejor que cuanto acumulan”.

(Surat Yunus. Ayat 57 y 58)

[alaffy]

Classic Doctor Who, season 1 – The Filler, The Lost, and the Fetch Quest

Continuing my thoughts on the first season, I will be focusing on three stories in this post.  I don’t have much to say on these stories, each for the own reason, so it made more sense to combine them.  

Story 3-The Edge of Darkness.  

It’s quite literally a filler story, as they suddenly found that they needed to have two more episodes. It is also one of the rare two-parters from the 1960’s.  However, for something that was quickly cobbled together, it’s also quite good. The whole episode takes place in the Tardis, which has broken down.  As events continue, the reason for the breakdown affects the crew mentally until you have Ian and Barbara against the Doctor and Susan.  And pretty much the tensions that have been there between the Doctor and Ian and Barbara finally come to a head.  And I can imagine, back when the episodes where first shown, people really didn’t know what to expect as the show was so new.  It also shows how talented the four main actors were. Especially Carol Ann Ford.  This is most evident in the scene where Susan is holding Barbara at bay with a pair of scissors.  In this scene, the normally vibrant Susan starts off with a completely dead-eyed stare and, as the scene continues, her expression becomes more and more malevolent as her speech becomes more paranoid.  And the tension just keeps rising.  It’s one of the more chilling moments in Doctor Who history.

The only negative aspect of the story is the fact that, because it’s only two episodes, the solution to what’s going on does seem somewhat rushed.  It’s a moment where suddenly someone realizes what’s the problem is, they quickly fix it, and everything’s fine again.  It’s jarring as nobody really discusses the fact of just why the Tardis’s warning was literally causing them to have mental breakdowns (you think there’d be a few questions, at least).

Story 4-Marco Polo

Marco Polo was a seven-part series that currently only exists in audio form.  For those who aren’t aware, a number of Doctor Who episodes (and other tv shows) were wiped by the BBC because the BBC (and this is a very simplistic explanation) simply felt there was no need to hold on to older broadcasts as they probably wouldn’t be shown again (if only the BBC had a time machine).   Of course, as television got older and more reruns were shown and home media became a thing, the BBC realized their mistake.  Now, the BBC has been able to track down a number of episodes that they had destroyed (for instance, they may have sold a copy overseas and that copy wasn’t destroyed). However, there are some stories where nothing but a few photos and an audio recording exists, like the story of Marco Polo.  So, it’s kind of hard to comment on a story where I’m only get part of the experience. The story is available to listen to and it does sound like that it would have been interesting to watch.  Also, the few photos that exist show some elaborate set designs.   And it would have been interesting to see how they handled the  scene where Susan and her friend Ping-Cho are stuck in the middle of a sandstorm, especially as this would have been filmed in a studio (at this time, they hadn’t done anything on location).  Now, the BBC has been remaking the missing episodes in animated form but, uh, let’s just say the animation probably has a strict budget.  The best people can hope for is that maybe one or two of the parts exist somewhere.  The odds of this story ever being completely found are slim.

Story 5-The Keys of Marinus

This episode is a six-part fetch quest.  Seriously. The Tardis crew land on an island where the evil Voords (which are literally men dressed in scuba gear with a fancy helmet) are trying to take control of the Conscious of Marinus, a computer that basically controls law and order on Marinus.  The computer’s keeper can stop the Voord, but he needs the six keys for the computer to do it.  And wouldn’t you know they’re in various places throughout the planet?  The Tardis crew is kinda like, “Well that sucks. Bye.”  But they can’t leave because the keeper has put a forcefield around the Tardis and won’t release it until they get the keys.  And the rest of the episodes are basically these mini stories, complete with their own villains (the Voord literally do not show up for half the series).  It’s funny how two stories ago we had an actual filler story and yet it’s this one you’d think was the filler.  With the exception of the keys and two characters there really isn’t anything that connects one area to another.  

Oh, and there is a scene in which it is strongly suggested that a character named Vasor intends to rape Barbara.  Yes, in a children’s show.  And, unfortunately, there seems to be a pattern in the first two seasons where a male side character (usually a villain) takes an interest in Barbara that is, well, uncomfortable at beast and the Vasor scene at worst.  I can’t say that this didn’t happen to any other companion (I can think of at least one), but it seemed like it happened frequently to Barbara and it’s something I wish had been left on the cutting room floor.  Or they needed to equip Barbara with a mace, like an actual metal mace.  

Anyway, this story is not one of my favorites.  It’s not horribly written, just not really interesting.

[lissy-strata]

I wouldn’t do that, man. I’ve seen what she can do with scissors.

[Picture: Vasor, trying to take Susan hostage. Infotext: “In the script, Vasor holds a knife to Susan’s throat.”]

[askianchesterton]

Ha! I finally found you. You thought I was dead after you left me to those ice knights on Marinus? Wrong!

ahhhhh, where are you all coming from!!!!

I thought you died Vasor, I saw the sword go right through you! So are you immortal? anyway you thought you were so strong and you were terrified of a few ice demons and you tried to attack Barbara, you're the lowest of the low!

Hope you get eaten by Wolves.

[lissy-strata]

Honestly, it’s pretty seamless. You don’t really notice it until you read the infotext.

[Picture: Ian, who is awesome, and Vasor, who can go take a running jump at himself. Infotext: “The next shot is missing from the master negative. It has been reconstructed from off-air audio and footage from elsewhere in the episode.”]

[lissy-strata]

The ring that got away.

Picture: Barbara being uncomfortably menaced by Vasor. Infotext: “The script details the contents of the drawer: three wrist dials, Doctor Who’s ring, the micro-circuits on Sabetha’s chain. We’ve just seen four wrist dials, presumably those belonging to Ian, Altos, Sabetha, and Susan. The two micro-circuits on the chain are the one from Morphoton and the fake key from the idol. But what about the Doctor’s ring? It was a remnant from an earlier draft of the script, in which the Doctor hadn’t yet been written out to accommodate WIlliam Hartnell’s holiday. That rewrite entailed replacing the Doctor with Altos. It was done by David Whitaker on Tuesday 17 March , just under three weeks before rehearsals began. But the Doctor’s ring in the drawer was the stage direction that got away!”