#also not sure if clear in first img but he arms too short for he gotdam sword. cannot unsheathe

[palarien]

Never quite good enough for his lil bro... (but Joshua handles The Burning Thorn well anyway, Clive just wasn't there to see him grow into it 😔)

[rebellect-writes]

[b]Name:[/b] Jess. [b]Age:[/b] Infinity! [b]How did you find us?:[/b] You know how.

[b]Name:[/b] Zandria Felicia Chance. [b]Nicknames:[/b] [LIST] [*] Alexandria Chance - On her fake ID. [*] Zan. [*] Zandy. [/LIST][b]Age:[/b] 29. [b]Date of Birth:[/b] 20th August, 1982. [b]Gender:[/b] Female. [b]Sexual Orientation:[/b] Straight. [b]Occupation:[/b] Server at a coffee shop at the moment. Moonlights as an “amateur” vocalist.

[b]Powers:[/b] Nope, she’s got no powers except good old female intuition when people are lying to her. Does that count?  

[b]Face Claim:[/b] Anna Paquin. [b]Description:[/b] [IMG]http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6211b3bre1qa7nf2o1_500.jpg[/IMG][LIST]Standing at 5’6” ½ tall; Zandria’s about average sized for a female her age. She’s quiet slim for her age, and while she has the right curves where they’re needed, more so as she weighs in a mere 132lbs. Most of which is toned muscle. Light green hazel eyes look out from behind long brown bangs. Her hair goes down past her shoulders, to rest between her shoulder blades and more times than enough she keeps it tied back. Normally it has a colour running through it. And thus, her fringe is white. It has been red, purple and blonde in the past. It just brings out her pale skin tone out more.

As to what she wears Zandria limits herself to a grungy styled wardrobe. She’s a punk, and it isn’t uncommon for her to go around in shredded jeans, flannel shirts or t-shirts and just complete the look with a pair of Doc Martin boots or sneakers. For short armed shirts and tops, she’ll most likely wear a pair of long gloves and a scarf. She’s not the type to think about what she actually wants to wear and throws on the first thing that comes to mind. The only thing that will make her pause is the prospect of a dress or a skirt. She doesn’t like showing off her legs, bless! While she may look like a hick, she does it with style.

While she may not be that big into fashion, it doesn’t mean that Zandria doesn’t have a few other surprises. These come in the form of scars, tattoos, piercings and birth marks and other assorted visible features that are all Zandria Chance. Ok, so the basics would be a small birth mark on the back of her left calf. Her ears a pierced, one set based at the lobe. She did have her ears pierced twice on her right ear, further up along the shell of her ear. She’s removed the last two small hops however and left them at that.

As far as tattoo’s go, she has two small butterfly tattoos on her right hip bone. Her other tattoo is a full back custom design she got when she was fourteen, [URL=http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_EjY286oGjWw/TCRl04-SaWI/AAAAAAAAALM/ZNM2ThLrKSQ/s1600/sexy_tattoo_girl_back_tattoo.jpg]Tattoo.[/URL]. The only jewellery she has on her often is a platinum pendant that Ollie gave her on their first anniversary, and a pair of stud earrings. [/LIST]

[b]Special Skills:[/b] N/A.

[b]Personality:[/b][LIST]Zandria is naturally patient, accepting and slightly curious about things when she should probably not be that curious at all. She’s also very accepting of things. Surprising isn’t it? That a serial killer’s steady girl friend could be so understanding of a world full of  other monsters such as lycanthropes and vampires.

While she may be accepting and kind, Zandi doesn’t trust right off the bat but once you do earn her trust, the girl is loyal to a tee and won’t ever let you down. She isn’t afraid to speak her mind, hell her stubborn streak is a mile long, but put her up against an obvious dominant and she’ll shut right up – though planning revenge in her head is just the same as speaking, no? More fun that way as well.

Of course that doesn’t stop her from getting out there and making a scene if she has to. She’s the type of person that will think things out after the fact for the simple thrill it gives her. Of course trouble making isn’t one of her stronger skills; she leaves that to others and manipulates the situation. There have been cases where she’s just started some chaos, bar fights and the like for fun, but that’s nothing to do with her anger issues.

For someone that manages to piss Zan off; is someone that’s either going to hurt or someone she’s going to ignore from then on in. It takes a lot for someone to provoke a reaction from her, but when it happens, and it has, everyone knows about it in the worst ways possible. If she can catch herself before she blows a gasket then she’ll back off and find somewhere to cool down, if she can’t, well, she’ll make the most of what she’s got. Normally though? Zandria Chance is a down to earth kind of girl that just muddles through life as best she can. [/LIST][b]Likes:[/b][LIST] [*] Fruit tea over coffee. [*] Action movies, where a female is the hero of the hour. [*] Warm weather but cold's alright.   [*] Swimming. It's a good stress reliever, honestly. [*] Singing. With or without a mike, she can spit lyrics. [*] Bar hoping with Oliver. [*] Music....Well, anything but classical. [*] Reading. The best cure for a headache she knows. [*] Exploring new things. She'll give anything a try once. [*] Dancing. Up close and personal. [*] Causing trouble when she's bored. It's more a bad habit than anything. [/LIST][b]Dislikes:[/b] [LIST] [*] Being woken up once she’s managed to get to sleep for anything short of the Apocalypse. [*] Arrogant bossy men that think women are weak willed toys to boss around. [*] Rainy stormy nights. [*] Dry toast. Ew. [*] Bad horror movies. I mean, really? [*] Idiots that don't know how to treat a woman right. [*] Vampires. [*] Being dragged into the centre of attention. She fights her own battles, not others. [*] Perverts trying to cop a feel in bars. [*] The idea she could be a mother. No thanks. [/LIST][b]Weaknesses:[/b][LIST] [*] Disorganized when she’s stressed out. [*] Oliver Frost. He’s defiantly a weakness. She can’t say no to him. [*] Her defiant streak. [*] She puts others before herself, even if she’s hurt. [*] She has a small OCD complex when it comes to music. [*] People she knows being used against her. [*] She can be spontaneous at times. Compliments of a short attention span. [/LIST][b]Strengths:[/b] [LIST] [*] She knows when to keep her mouth shut [*] Relying on herself. She’s done it all her life. [*] She can say no. Just. [*] Stubborn streak a mile long. [*] Knowing Ollie cares about her, gives her strength. [*] Naturally, she doesn’t take crap from jerks. [*] She’s remarkably accepting once you get to know her [/LIST][b]History:[/b] [LIST]Born in the late summer of 1982 in downtown New York, Zandria Chance was brought into the world screaming with a healthy set of lungs on her. Her mother, Raven, unfortunately didn’t want her, she made that clear every day from then on in, and so her father Michael and her brother older brother Ben raised her from day one. All the while Raven hissed and tried to ignore the fact she’d had a girl instead of another son like she’d wanted, this worried her husband but nothing was ever done about it. After a while the thought of another son was nice for Michael, a daughter was a new experience for the Chance’s and he tried to show his wife that everything was ok. Raven point blankly shut him down and Zandria was never left alone with her mother for that. Ben was the one that made sure mommy didn’t kill her and say it was an accident, because he had a secret that he was to scared too tell anyone else. Mommy didn’t take her pills like she was supposed to.

When Zan’s fifth birthday rolled around, Mike was working in a local club run by mafia cartel situated in Las Vegas. He didn’t even know that he was taking his children to work with him, in a club that was run by extended family that he’d tried to pull away from when he himself had been a teenager. He’d thought he’d managed to do that until the head of the Bradshaw family rolled into town, bringing with them Zandria and Benny’s little cousin, Zephan along with him. You could say that hell froze over to be honest as Mike was called out for his average Joe lifestyle and unwillingly dragged back into the family business. Thus this gave Grace and Raven a chance to meet, and wouldn’t you know it, the two became best friends.

Three weeks later after the Bradshaw’s had left the city and returned to Vegas and a lot of lying and ‘bonding time’ with her children, Raven slit her wrists in the tub of a cheap motel room leaving her husband a note saying how she’d never loved him and the brats could go to hell with him for all she cared. A medical examination uncovered details of Raven’s past that she’d never told anyone buried in her medical records. She’d suffered from a bi polar disorder seen her teen years and as well bouts of postnatal depression. Broken up, the single father returned back to the life he’d tried so desperately not to tangle his kids in, and the one that welcomed him into the fold was none other than Grace Bradshaw.

So Zandria and Benny grew up treading the line between being normal children and being in danger, as their father worked for Jake anything was bound to happen as the mafia boss was a drugs lord and yet wore the front of a respectable businessman in Las Vegas. By the time Benny was seventeen he was already pulling away further and further from that life just like his father had done. By the time Zandria was the same age, Benny was no longer in their lives. Zandria had some pretty big ideas herself and while she loved her Bradshaw cousins, she couldn’t stand it anymore. Her father was barely home for them anymore as it was, and so she took off to start a life on her after stealing enough cash to keep her steady for a few months and the only person she told was the younger Zephan. It broke her heart to leave him in that hell, but she’d had enough.

Why oh why are jocks such dicks? The answer’s simple really. Give them a pretty girl on stage and a beer, and most men become assholes. Having kept on the move for three years, Zandria found her way into a small back dive in San Francisco. Doing a set on stage, she drew in enough money to keep her room at the motel, but she also attracted the attention of a certain broody Frost that had been on the stage before her. Without even thinking about it, she slipped off stage after her set and bought him a beer out of the blue. They made it out to her truck and what came natural…well came natural. When they finally pulled themselves back into the real world a bar fight had broken out into the lot. Truckers mostly, but Ollie dived right in and so did she. The funniest thing was after the fight, they’d grabbed their gear and run from it before the cops had come along to sort everything out; she was oddly comfortable around him. She felt safe. Numbers were exchanged by the time dawn kicked their butts and demanded they crash and burn. When she woke up Oliver was gone. There was no note, no nothing and she passed it off as a one night stand and moved on.

So she got on with her life and found herself a job with a steady income at one of the bars that the local Kiss ran and after a few months made it to bar manager. Bought her apartment with the money too, and was happy for all of five minutes that she didn’t have to pay rent anymore. She was perhaps a little blind to the danger that was around her though, one of the local Master Vampires and her boss, Jacob, had taken a twisted shine to her. When she was working, he would come and threaten people that smiled at her away or give her an extra tip if she was working the bar. Of course she’d huff and puff, protest that he didn’t need to do things like that and all the while stare at his shoulder even though he swore blind that he would never roll her mind without her permission. After a few months of him spinning the same line, Zandria started to believe him. She shouldn’t have done. One evening when the club was particular busy, all hands on deck, Zandria had to get Jacob to sign for an overdue order. With the paperwork in hand, she went to find him, but when she didn’t get an answer after knocking on his office door for a good ten minutes, she brazenly walked in. To find the local fox queen bleeding to death on the couch, Jacob crouched over her in a daze, his face a bloody mask. It was only when Zandria screamed that Jacob turned on her, barrelling into her like a freight train. The next thing she knew she was sinking into what seemed like a sea of blue fire.

The next three weeks is a total blank in her mind and it’s probably just as well. Once she’d been rolled and already bitten, Jacob was content to mark her more and possibly even make her his full fledged human servant instead of a Renfield like he’d originally planned.  What Jacob didn’t foresee, was that the maverick vampire hunter that he had in his lair was connected to Zandria. Ollie had poured his all into trying to snap her out of it while he’d been laid up bleeding and bound down in some kind of underground family crypt. Eventually though, she did come back to herself and the first thing out of her mouth was a colourful curse about dresses of all things. She may not have been in her right might when she’d been wearing it, but Jacob had dressed her up as a slutty bitch with her boobs almost hanging out of the neckline. Oliver promised to kill Jacob, seemed almost as disgusted with the dress like she was, and with that they had a plan.

Of course, they had to bide their time, she was told as he explained that most of the Master vampires had thrown their lot in with Jacob when he’d taken over the city and the ones that hadn’t were either dead or waiting to die locked away in crossed wrapped coffins. They waited three nights, and she’d play her role as Little Miss Renfield and gather the things that Ollie had asked for out of the manor while Jacob would have his fun with him before moving onto someone or something a little less breakable. Somewhere along the line, Ollie had grabbed the key for his cuffs and she’d gotten him exactly what he wanted. A replacement DIY flame thrower and an order to get the hell out of there with anyone out of the coffin room that wanted to live.

That night the manor burnt down and there were four surviving Kiss members that had escaped their coffin, along with herself and Oliver to see the end of it all. The vamps went their way, and she went off with Oliver even though he warned her of what could happen. She’s been travelling with him ever since then and even came with him to the United Kingdom to check out things on this side of the pond. And that’s the story of how the mafia brat fell love with a hunter. Isn’t it sweet? [/LIST]

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “What Ever Happened To Donald Duck?!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Colleen Evanson

Storyboarded by: Sam King, Tory Harris, Sebastien Duclos, Jason Reicher

Directed by: Jason Zurek, Jason Reicher

Mysteries will be solved...in more ways than one!

After a long hiatus, we're back to the moon plotline. I kind of left out a few things that would be very important to know before going into this episode, and I have promised that I would clear those up. Here's at least part of what I left out, starting with the end of "The Golden Spear!".

While Della successfully managed to get back to her family, something had to go terribly wrong, and that something happened to our bastion of bad luck, Donald Duck. While he was preparing for his much-needed vacation on a boat filled with hammocks, Donald noticed a ship in the sky making a landing. He knew it had to be Della. While going into the ship to find his long-lost sister, who already left the ship before he arrived, he accidentally pressed that same emergency launch button, which caused the rocket to launch right back into space, with Donald screaming for help.

Just after we got the answer to what ever happened to Della Duck, we were wondering what ever happened to Donald Duck. We did get an answer to that in the next episode, "Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!", where we see him flying into space, ending up on the very same place that Della landed on years ago. Coincidence? I have a theory on that.

He ends up meeting the Moonlanders, who are preparing to invade the Earth because they believe he's a spy from the Earth that will thwart the upcoming Moonvasion. To make a long story short, Lunaris shot himself in the arm, told the Moonlanders that Della intentionally left the moon to tell the Earth people how weak they are, and declared war on the Earth. There is a major implied reason for all of this, in the episodes before it and in this one, but everything all boils down to "Lunaris is a jerk." That's putting it pretty lightly, actually.

This episode begins with General Lunaris, who, in the opening of this episode, is showing his troops that he has captured the brother of the traitorous Della Duck. Lunaris is lucky enough to capture the one Duck with a speech impediment, so a "what's the big idea" from him can be interpreted as "death to the Moon." With his cries that the Moon is mighty, and that they are the Moon, the general of this "mighty planet" brings together his troops in a call to arms. He certainly does not believe he's just on a satellite of that horrible blue orb, and he will make anyone who claims otherwise know this.

He forces a beak guard on Donald, has him taken away to a jail cell that proudly shows a "There Is No Way Out" poster with his mug on it, and promotes the lieutenant that supposedly discovered Della's evil plan to Captain. The newly promoted captain is not glad about this.

In her first appearance, the then Lieutenant Penumbra was seemingly trying to kill Della moreso than help her. She hated Della, they had what could be described as a life-changing adventure, and then, boom, while Penumbra won't admit it, she became kind-of sort-of Della's friend. At the very least, she is against this invasion. The now Captain Penumbra whispers to Lunaris that he's lying, but Lunaris shoots her down saying that the people do not know that. Besides...

General Lunaris: You’re a hero again. Isn’t that what you wanted?

While Penumbra does nod slightly at this, it is clear from her facial expression that this manipulation based on the crowd chanting her name is not working.

Unlike "What Ever Happened To Della Duck?", they decided to do a B plot back on Earth with this one. If anything, this episode is more like "The Golden Spear!", but they could not avoid the obvious way to title this episode.

After solving the Della mystery, Dewey and Webby are on the hunt for another adventure, and come up to Scrooge with various mysteries, distracting him from making a Money Bin in a Bottle. Dewey tries to pass off a mustard stain as the long lost Phooey Duck, an obscure reference to the comics, while Webby wants to find the Silver Sporran of Clan McDuck, which Scrooge already found years ago. Scrooge tells the nephew and honorary niece that an adventure has to call to them.

As Scrooge tells them that, Huey walks by, saying that his letters to his Uncle Donald keep getting returned. They take this as their Uncle Donald being missing, and take this as Scrooge's fated call to adventure. Uncle Donald being missing is technically true, but there is no way they would know about their Uncle's adventure on the moon.

Speaking of Uncle Donald, he's busy trying to headbutt the walls of his prison to disprove that smug poster. Unfortunately for him, Lunaris and Penumbra come in to talk about their opinions on how prepared those originally peaceful Moonlanders could be. It's funny to see Donald's attempts to hide the crack in the wall he made while this scene is happening.

Lunaris was not entirely ignorant at this, but is also ignorant of Captain Penumbra's "not-his-side"-turn and orders his Captain to take that vile Earth creature to the gold mines.

She's not going to take him to those gold mines, but it's not like she's completely friendly now. Introducing herself as Della's "ugh, friend", she tells Donald that she's against the invasion and wants to help him out. In her own way, of course. She asks Donald if he can find a weakness to the Spear of Selene if she can find the stolen blueprints for it, since his "stupid family" built the rocket.

Donald Duck: (shakes head)

Penumbra: I'll take that neck spasm as an Earth "yes." Let's go! (grabs Donald by the beak)

Penumbra was just nodding a few scenes ago; it's not like shaking and nodding are Earth-specific. I get the joke, but that's a bit inconsistent. That's a nitpick; I had to find at least one minor problem here.

Back on that Earth where "neck-spasms" mean "no", the other sibling that’s allowed to exist in this episode is invited to be a guest on the new spinoff of Dewey Dew-Night, Dew-Dective Dewey Dew-Night, with both Dewey and Webby playing the role as the bad cop. I was a little worried this was going to turn into Dewey and Webby essentially being the same character for this episode, but they find different roles eventually.

Huey does have his own explanation of the returned mail: he's on a boat. It would be difficult to get mail to a boat. "Mystery solved.", he says right after in a "" way. It is logically sound for Huey to come to this conclusion; even if Donald really is missing, as said before, there is no way anyone would know about their Uncle's adventure on the moon.

Huey’s explanation didn’t stop Dewey and Webby’s investigation, so they try a plan: infiltrate the mail by hiding in a box. While this doesn’t work because Dewey forgot to tape the bottom of the box, the mail carrier does tell them that Donald Duck didn't tell them to send his mail to the McDuck Manor, and drops off all of his mail. Dewey picks up one of the envelopes, and, by sheer chance, finds a clue!

Dewey: "Your life is a nonstop deluge of pain. If you want it to stop, pay up. Dash, Jones."

Webby: Is your Uncle getting blackmailed?!

They come to the conclusion that Donald Duck isn't missing, he's on the run! Also technically true, but not in the way they are thinking. They got to save Donald from a tight spot he can't get out of!

Cut to a scene where Donald is getting himself out of a tight vent. This is the only time they do this with a line of dialogue, and this makes this joke stand out more. I approve. Suddenly, a glowing moon scorpion shows up, and Donald scurries away into another tight vent.

You can guess what happens next.

...the scorpion crawls up his shirt and makes him do a "get this scorpion off of me" dance. What did you think was going to happen? This is Disney.

Eventually, he falls into the Moonlander's sleeping quarters, and ends up in a few hijinks. A highlight is this scene where that glowing scorpion shows up, and Donald desperately tries to rock-a-bye all of the soldiers it wakes up. I can just imagine this being one of those flash games that Disney used to have. This shot makes me imagine the mouse cursor and a score on the top. Eventually, Donald gets attacked by the scorpion, causing him to make as much noise as that beak guard could allow, waking everyone up.

Donald Duck: (The most he can say it with a beak cover) Aw, phooey.

After so many months, he finally got to say his own catchphrase.

The scorpion helps him out of this situation indirectly, as it turns out that "get this scorpion off of me" dance from earlier turns out to be a great method for defeating these soldiers. Penumbra was right, these soldiers who used to be peaceful for most of their lives really weren't prepared for this.

Captain Penumbra shows up to see this carnage, and she pays it no mind. Maybe she does see this as proof that the Moonlanders really aren't that good at fighting, but she does praise Donald's fighting ability nonetheless. The scorpion just kind of disappears after this, but that will be a good thing considering it would be a distraction from what they're going to run into next.

We cut back and forth between the Moon adventures and the Dewey and Webby plot of them and their mystery on why Donald Duck's mail keeps getting returned. They end up at an unmarked building where this Jones character's address is, and, while sneaking around, Dewey manages to find a folder with every misfortune his uncle Donald has ever faced. Could it be that Donald's bad luck comes from more than just his misfortune this whole time?

There's a lot of jokes I'm leaving out here. One joke is that Webby is constantly saying that Jones must be an evil land developer that wants to shut down a summer camp, and even when Dewey gives her a simpler plan of just selling Junior Woodchuck cookies, she still manages to shove in her idea of asking that evil man if he has the missing half of a locket. Dewey just shrugs his head at this, but he also thinks he has the "spy skills", using the best of his abilities by not-singing his own name while sneaking around. Oh no, not "not singing", but singing "not dew-dew-dew-dewey!" It's all in good fun, and a good way to do breaks from the more serious plot with Donald.

Definitely not in good fun, for the characters, that is, is Penumbra, who is telling Donald not to mess around in an observatory-esque area. While she's searching for those blueprints, Donald, with his bad luck, leans against a wall and ends up accidentally revealing a secret war room. Penumbra yells at him for his, only to realize she didn't even know about this.

It's revealed that he's been spying on the Earth for quite some time, and he was really taking some notes on people who could stop his invasion. Namely, anyone who is remotely related to, or interacted with, Scrooge McDuck. Captain Penumbra also makes this quip about what she's seeing.

Captain Penumbra: He's been doing this before Della even got here!

She doesn't elaborate on this; does she mean before Della met Lunaris and Penumbra, or before Della even crash landed on the Moon? I am going to assume the former, but I wouldn't be surprised if Lunaris was waiting for the opportunity to invade the Earth for a long time. Maybe they'll elaborate on this when we get back to this arc.

We also learn that he's been making experimental rockets by himself with a series of videos showing himself testing them out. With each one, Lunaris gets more and more bandages on him, until he decides to use a test crash dummy. The current version of this rocket is right in the middle of what looked like an observatory, which looks more like a cannon that will just shoot a bullet-shaped rocket right into the Earth. "Nobody could survive that", Captain Penumbra admits.

She also finds out he's been getting transmissions from the Earth, and Donald finds something that looks like a walkie talkie. Penumbra gives him a plan: send a message to the Earth warning them about the invasion, and...

...she doesn't get to finish that plan, as Penumbra falls over, that badge Lunaris gave her turning out to be some sort of electrocution device. Lunaris ends up being right behind them, and he decides to fill in for Donald's speech, as that beak guard isn't helping his speech impediment:

General Lunaris: I believe the words you’re looking for are "aw, phooey".

He even knows his catchphrase; he really was planning this for a while. Because he's a villain, he decides to describe his plan in more detail. He knew that Scrooge would be a major threat to his invasion, and he says that most people would just target him directly. Instead, he's going to target his next of kin instead, including Hubert, Dewey, and Louie. He even shows, right to Donald's face, their faces covered with Xs, telling him to say goodbye to them. Donald is not too thrilled about this, needless to say.

Going back to one of those nephews, the B plot ends with a satisfying conclusion. Jones, this reboot's version of Neighbor Jones from the comics, ends up getting an entirely different role from the role he had in the comics or the role they had in either Dewey or Webby's noggins. I'm not going to spoil it here, but considering the clue of him having a folder of every bad thing that's happened to him, I can not say it came out of nowhere.

I will say the B plot's ending does do something that ties in perfectly with Lunaris's consequence of threatening Donald's nephews right to his face from the A plot, where Donald breaks open that beak guard with rage and goes into his classic fighting pose. Sadly, him curb stomping this guy was not an option. After all, we have a "Moonvasion!" to get to, and fisticuffs solving the problem without much in the way of wit would go against the spirit of the Disney Ducks anyway.

I will spoil that he does manage to get into that experimental rocket and hit the launch button. General Lunaris just jumps to the conclusion that he cannot survive that, echoing Penumbra's statement from earlier. As for the message, watch the episode to find out what happens with that. I will say at least this much: it's fitting for Donald.

How does it stack up?

This is mostly build up to the upcoming Moonvasion, but it's really exciting build up nonetheless. A funny B plot, and an A plot with some twists and turns. This was a great episode overall.

Next, we get to find out what Goldie and Louie are up to. Oh, and Doofus shows up. Oh, boy.

← The Duck Knight Rises! 🦆 Happy Birthday, Doofus Drake! →

[italicwatches]

Megalobox - Episode 11

When was the last time things were stable? I’m really missing stability right now. But, okay. It’s Megalobox, episode 11. Here we GO!

-A shitty old parking lot somewhere. Nanbu’s parked, drinking and listening to the match on the radio. Everyone’s predicting a victory for Joe…And Nanbu finally turns it off, when Fujimaki calls. He’s got some of his men watching Nanbu just to make sure nothing happens, while he makes a very specific, high-stakes bet on Burroughs…

-And Nanbu throws that cross he’s had on his rearview mirror out the window, before starting to drive.

-Opening!

-Fancypants Shirato house. Sachio’s trying to pass the time and process his emotions with…

-Flower arrangement. He found a vase, found some flowers growing out by the trash, and got to work. As much to not have to owe Yukiko for room and board, as anything else. She can see he’s got a knack for it, for this gentle art…And he’s used a band-aid to stick one small flower to Joe’s ID card. A good luck charm for the man. And there’s so many complicated things.

-Lessons he learned from his mother.

-The feeling of being back on this side of the tracks.

-The question of Joe.

-And, perhaps the biggest…The question of tonight’s match. If he heads out now, he could make it to see it…But that’s…There’s a whole extra layer of complication to it. Fear? Doubt? Faith? Go in there and see Joe lose, the dream’s killed in front of him. Go in there and see Joe win, the dream lives, but he might not.

-The arena. The BLOODY LION himself, Glen Burroughs, steps up! And against this mighty lion, the bare hunter with only his fists, hailing from Team Nowhere, GEARLESS JOE!

-Back in his new bedroom, Sachio’s full of contemplation, remembering a talk with Joe…About what to do when you’re scared. When the fear gets you.

-Joe’s advice? Touch something. Anything. Just…Get your hands on something. It grounds you, puts you back to center and gets your head into the moment, instead of worrying about what-ifs.

-And of course, you’ll recall, Joe touches the wall every time he goes into the ring. As the conversation plays out in his head, Sachio reaches out and touches the finely wallpapered wall in front of him…

-While down at the arena, first, Joe’s staring at his earpiece. And second, Yukiko up in the fancy box comes to join Yuri. The room service guy passes by, and they’re not having anything, so it’s down to the next box…

-Where Nanbu and Fujimaki are sitting there. And getting a fresh explanation of how this is going to go. Joe’s going to lose in the tail end of the third round…Make sure he makes it look good until then.

-So what’s for dinner, you might ask? Fish. Whole fish, boiled in hard mineral water. With the empty eye still staring out, and scars up and down the body. The message is real, fuckin’, clear.

-Into the ring. Burroughs takes his position on the back of a mini pickup truck, and then Gearless “Naked Boy” Joe steps out…With a Gear frame? It’s his old kit from the pit days, and he’s running fully solo, no backup…

-Up in the box, Nanbu gets on the headset, and starts to talk. Joe’s got his earpiece in, and hears when they’re expecting the fix. Third round, a minute left. Hold out until then.

-Burroughs tries to get into Joe’s head, and then it’s ON right off the start of the bell!

-Everyone, of course, is pretty confused, especially as Joe starts on the defense…Out in the city, Sachio’s on his own, staring at the huge TVs, when his crew find him! What the hell’s going on?! What HAPPENED?!

-…Sachio’s…He’s done. With tears in his eyes and snot running from his nose, he flees, his dream fractured before his eyes and his drive shot through with holes.

-Back in the ring. Joe takes a rough blow, springing off the ropes to avoid another, but he’s hard on the backstep…Nanbu starts giving him the real advice. The way to hold out, to survive. Burroughs leans too hard on being a big man, letting himself loom and letting his upper body do the work. He never steps through, never puts his whole force into it, and that leaves openings! Use those legs, kid! Get in fast!

-In the city, Sachio tries to convince himself to stop caring…

-While in the ring, Joe and Burroughs start both stepping it up, until the first round bell goes off! The commentators are seeing a match that could go either way. Burroughs has power, but he’s letting himself get anxious and antsy. Joe’s a total glass cannon, but that cannon’s shot through a hell of a lot of people to get into this ring. If Burroughs can’t pin him down…

-Up in the box, the big men are starting to get concerned Joe might go off script…But Nanbu’s convinced Joe would’ve landed that uppercut if he was trying to win. He came up short on purpose. The kid knows how to sell a loss. You just don’t get it.

-Fujimaki, though, does. He can see the way young Joe is selling it, taking some rough hits just a little more than he needs to, keeping his punches just a little shorter than he could. But he’s also not taking Nanbu’s advice proper…

-Megalobox, Round 11. A DEADmarch

-Round two. Burroughs is getting cautious, too concerned about Joe’s rapid counterpunches…But Joe overextends, and gets punched himself! He starts leaving himself too open, taking some rough hits from Burroughs, until finally he’s got to take Nanbu’s advice. Block, let the frame do the work, and then weave out…Of course, that punch also takes the actuators off of Joe’s left arm…

-It’s at this moment that I realize Joe’s real gambit.

-He probably never had that Gear fixed.

-It’s a dead frame.

-The second round ends, and Joe’s exhausted in his corner…While Nanbu watches. And Fujimaki points out that Nanbu’s actually acting like a real trainer for once, not like back in the pits…

-In the thick of the city, Sachio’s just wandering, with no idea where to go, what to do…Realizing he was just using Joe for his own ends…But…But? Joe’s song comes to him, as he sees a lit-up platform in the area and clambers up onto it. He starts to move his body, trying to mimic Joe’s training. Trying to find that fire in himself.

-His own singing over the track follows in as Joe and Nanbu both await the third round. Sachio works himself ragged, but there’s something burning in him now…

-As the third round starts off. Nanbu tries to remind Joe that this is the last one, that he’ll finally be free…But Fujimaki clarifies. There’s no freedom for the kid. He’s going right back under Fujimaki’s thumb where he belongs. The scorpion and the stray dog. That’s how this is always going to play.

-Nanbu’s horrified, and for damn good reason…somewhere in there, it stopped being about keeping himself alive, and started being about getting Joe free.

-As the timer ticks down, Joe’s stuck on the defensive…When Sachio races in towards Joe’s corner, shouting out! DON’T LET IT END LIKE THIS, Joe! Everyone’s shocked…And Yuri rises from his box, as Joe takes a rough hit…

-But he doesn’t drop. He springs back like a whip, as the fall point comes…Men get sent to go retrieve Sachio…And Nanbu, what will you do?

-Joe takes a ferocious uppercut, and hits the mat…! Security starts to retrieve Sachio…When Yuri steps up. And Joe. Did you forget what you told him?!

-He will not allow you to disappoint him on his stage, Joe!

-Joe’s vision goes hazy, dark…But Nanbu’s voice cries out, having just put Fujimaki’s man on the ground. GET UP, JOE! This doesn’t end like this! Your tomorrow is YOURS! The muscle start going for Nanbu, but he starts fighting his way out…He’s not going down without making it hurt. And you, you’re not going down! RISE! Junk Dog the pit fighter is dead, but JOE LIVES ON!

-Joe rips the old Gear off his back, and finally free of its prison, he rises, forcing himself to his feet on the nine count! He’s exhausted, he’s woozy, he’s rough…But he throws that earpiece to the ground. It’s not ending like this.

-Nanbu smashes his headset, as the muscle come for him proper, Fujimaki just eating his fish…

-The match is on anew, and Joe’s moving like a new man, as he starts nailing those punches! Burroughs gets desperate, and goes in for a cross counter…A counter that Joe out-plays, being the only one to land it clean! He’s non responsive, and the match is called for GEARLESS JOE!

-Sachio races for him, the ID card slipping out of his hat, as he clings to Joe with joyous tears in his eyes…

-Back in the box, Nanbu’s managed to force the men to draw knives…And Fujimaki finishes his meal. He can respect stones…But it ends here, Nanbu. …Maybe it does. But Nanbu grabs his dinner knife, ready to make it hurt…

-Yukiko finally finds Yuri…And for the first time, Yuri feels envy. A wild, thrilling jealousy, of wanting to have been the man in the ring instead of Burroughs. Joe’s the real deal.

-After the match, Joe and Sachio race to the box…Where they find Nanbu, clutching his face…Did he…?

-…He did.

-He paid for it with his other eye. He drove that dinner knife into his other eye, the original debt that Fujimaki put in front of him, to save Joe’s freedom. And Fujimaki just has them take the old man away. Suffering that much for the kid…Not even he can keep pushing after that. Not after Nanbu gave up his only way to see Joe’s greatest moment.

-That night, back at his place, Yuri trains like a man possessed. Even his dog growls, the anger and ferocity like an aura around him…

-Credits.

…Fuck…

[raeliyah]

Exalted Secret Santa 2017 Character Journal

Three options this year! First, snippets, with full descriptions, reference pictures, and links under the cut. Anon-asks should be enabled so feel free to ask me anything if you need more info!

V’Neef Pyrrhus, called Lightbringer Zenith Caste Solar Exalt of the Blessed Isle; Lama of the Immaculate Order; Master of Path of the Arbiter Style; zen paladin of the Five Virtues; reluctant warrior; Oathbound; husband and father.  Caleb “Wraithshot” Raith Dawn Caste Solar Exalt of the South, longrider lawman, Righteous Devil, Badlands Gentleman, giant flirt Lysistrata Starborn, the Rising Cobra Chosen of Battles Sidereal Exalt, One of the Seven Scarlet Veils, bearer of the Tsunami of Leaping Stars and Monsoon Sunrise, shameless Chooser of the Slain who forges her own path.  ~Lys has no Art of her yet~

V’neef Pyrrhus, called Lightbringer

Zenith-Caste Solar Exalt, Martial Artist/Scholar

Gallery of Previous Art of Pyrrhus

Pinterest Inspiration Board

Physical Description:

Pyrrhus is taller, at 6′3″, broadly shouldered and well-muscled. He’s a superb martial artist and athlete; it shows in his build and posture. He can do stuff like This 

He’s in his late 40s/early 50s but looks about ten years younger, if not more, since he was Exalted in his late 30s.

He wears his white blond-to-gold-to-red hair in a mane-like style, shaved on both sides of his head but long in a wide stripe down the middle of his head from forehead to nape. It’s currently cut short, the longest strands just hitting the tops of his shoulders.

It’s either constrained in a Sokka-style ponytail at the back of his head or braided down to the nape of his neck. (If he’s having a really bad day it hangs loose and bedraggled). (See Pinterest Inspiration Board for more examples)

His eyes are medium-blue like bleached indigo.

Pyrrhus is from the Blessed Isle, and so has the olive-y southern Mediterranean complexion common there, with an undertone of ruddy bronze (it was expected he would exalt as a fire-aspect and they tend to very fiery complexions; he didn’t).

Here is a range of inspiration/examples from the Humanae project:

(7515-C) (71-4 C) (67-4 C) (64-5 C) (58-5 C)

I usually describe his face as a cross between Nikolaj Coster-Waldau (Jamie Lannister) and Collin Chou (the Seraph, Matrix series) - or Godfrey Gao.

Linked gallery, above, are the only drawings of him I’ve managed I’m partway happy with.

References for Godfrey Gao (img 1 - Google Image Search)

He’s got a Resting-Sad-Face, in that his neutral face looks pretty broody or sadly contemplative, mostly due to the natural curve of his eyelids and brows.

Pyrrhus has a set of orichalcum tattoos (actual metal embedded in his skin but is ‘living’ and moves with him) - a line of script in High Realm set between two enclosing lines (see here for script/lines reference) - looping from one shoulder, down his chest to the top of his sternum, up to the other shoulder, and across his back in the same fashion. It lays on him like a chain of office.

There’s an old burn scar/brand on his sternum just below the tattoo which looks like an eight rayed zierscheibe. His forearms and lower legs are covered in old, faded tiny white linear scars, nearly invisible. On his back, from knee to neck, are lash scars. They are criss-crossing wide white lines, faded but still visible, from old torture. The only reason any of the scars are even still visible is that they were inflicted with Necrotic-essence-fueled weapons 

Clothing:

Pyrrhus can usually be found wearing the layered undyed robes of an immaculate monk even though he’s on “Retreat”/sabbatical, with a red dragon-embroidered obi/sash knotted on one hip, and sturdy boots good for both walking and riding. When he is training, he goes barefoot and shirtless.

But really, have fun with clothing design! Make something up!  Anything that looks like it’s from Avatar:tLA (or LoK) or vaguely Jedi or Asian-themed is pretty good; he tends towards simpler styles and solid, muted colors. He does have to attend official and ceremonial functions however, so fancier clothing does exist in his wardrobe. His wife, Angeline, is much more fashion conscious than he is, and so also makes sure he has more elaborate garb as well.  

He can summon Arbiter armor made of Essence/hard light when he needs to; it is made following the pattern of scale maille, but looks closer to koi, snake, or dragon scales than true historical scale maille. It’s translucent and golden, and fits close to his skin and clothing. The plates of the armor are bigger where he doesn’t need as much flexibility, smaller on the joints. They’re sleek and clean-looking. Being magical, the armor doesn’t actually need to follow physical limitations or practicality concerns, but they’re made from Pyrrhus’ will and intentions, so they are as practical as he is. He can also summon a pair of Chinese-style slightly curved dao swords of the same translucent golden hard light.

Accessories:

He sometimes wears a dragon-headed torc of red & gold metal and/or a masculine-looking ear-cuff of orichalcum wire and fire agate. Both are magical artifacts.

The torc allows him to emulate a Fire-Aspect’s anima, both on demand and transmuting the lower overflows of his own anima. (Mechanically, anything up to 10-mote peripheral usage will transmute to a Fire-Aspect anima. Beyond that it’s regular Solar bonfires).

The ear-cuff was a gift from a fellow Solar, and allows subvocal communications with wearers of other linked ear-cuff artifacts within a short range (thirty miles). 

In non-magical accessories, he often has a set of stone mala prayer beads, usually looped around his wrist.

Anima:  

Pyrrhus’ anima banner is a charred, sooty, raggedy-plumaged phoenix, with fire showing underneath the black, like magma with a cooled broken crust. It shadows or echoes his movements, wing to arm, head to head, etc. Before he went into the Underworld the phoenix was brilliantly fire-colored and impeccably feathered. Both versions are translucent, ghostly gold-tinted.

Full Description Including Personality, History, Fanfic and Character Playlists Here.

Caleb “Wraithshot” Raith

Dawn Caste Solar Exalt

Caleb’s Pinterest Inspiration Board

Caleb’s easy. Think of every western trope and smash them all together. He’s a cowboy bounty hunter; a self-proclaimed lawman in a land where there is no law, riding circuit on a handful of towns in the South he considers his and protecting them from whatever evils lurk in the desert.

Physical Description:

Caleb stands at 5′11″ and is on the leaner side at ~185 lbs. He’s fit, like a brawler (been in significantly more than his fair share of bar fights) or a ranch hand - someone who works at hard physical labor most days.

Caleb looks like he’s in his early 30s

Being the son of Northern immigrants, Caleb’s complexion is mostly pale, a reddish-burned tan anywhere the sun would shine - arms to the elbows, back of the neck, face mostly.

He’s also freckly across his face, shoulders and upper back, mostly from sun.

His eyes are clear honey-colored brown, more gold towards the pupil from the influence of exaltation.

Hair is black at the roots, growing out into sun-streaked brownish blond. He usually keeps it cut pretty short but if it goes too long without a trim it gets curlier. He likes a clean-shaven face but given his lifestyle he’s pretty much always got a day or three of scruff.

Caleb… basically looks like Chris Pratt. 

He’s always got a smile of some stripe - warm, mischievous, leering, insincerely-wide - something.

He’s also very mouthy, and usually has something to chew on, whether it’s a piece of straw, a match, a toothpick, a cigarette (50% chance of it actually being lit), a twig - something. He’s never met a lollipop or chewing gum but he would love them.

Caleb dresses in layers - shirt sleeves, a vest/waistcoat, and either a faded blue or red serape tossed over his shoulders or a brown longcoat. Pants are either canvas or faded denim, and boots are less cowboy-style and more combat- or motorcycle style with a heel for riding. He does wear spurs, but they’re blunted. He’s usually covered in trail dust and sweat, sometimes blood, despite efforts at cleanliness. Feel free to embellish the standard Cowboy gear with arabesque/middle eastern ornamentation, because it is Exalted…

He always carries two modified flame pieces (six-shooters… he’s got six-shooters) on his hips, and the belt’s buckle is large and obnoxious, mostly because he keeps a couple extra rounds of ammunition within it. He also has an artifact rifle (based on a Winchester M1873; lever action, but otherwise unspecified) named Medicine Man that is either slung across his back or is in a sheath on his horse’s saddle. He makes his own ammo for all his weapons. He is a student of Righteous Devil Style, having mastered up to the form charms, but his sifu disappeared and he’s not found another, nor is he skilled enough to pick it up without tutelage.

He does own chaps but whether or not he wears them on any given day depends on how hot it is and how much hard riding he’s anticipating. He has a hat he’s rather fond of, but it’s not anything truly special. 

There may or may not be a bandana around his neck/on his person at any given moment, and he often wears a chip of blue crystal with an antelope petroglyph etched on it around his neck on a leather cord. It’s a token from his friend, a springs goddess named Rivela, and a reminder of a partner he lost.

He rides a buckskin warhorse named Dirt who he pretends not to be particularly attached to, but in fact he really really is. Dirt is his horse. Dirt adores him and is always trying to steal his hat. Dirt will also steal anyone else’s hat nearby, but he prefers Caleb’s.

Anima: Caleb’s anima banner is a hailstorm of bright burning metal, like large forge sparks, raining down on him and even appear to bounce off his skin and clothing. Golden smoke and flame rise from the ground at his feet wherever the sparks fall.

Full Description including Personality, History, Art, and links to Fic and Character Playlist Here.

Lysistrata Starborn, the Rising Cobra

Chosen of Battles, Sidereal Exalt

Lysistrata was one of the many Sidereals whose Exaltations slipped through the cracks, and began her career as a Chosen of Battles by engineering a successful slave revolt in a Firedust mine in the deep South. She subscribes to no factions, believing such nonsense to distract from the true job of Sidereals.

Lysistrata’s Pinterest Inspiration Board Lysistrata’s Character Playlist

Physical Description:

Lysistrata is slightly below average height and well-proportioned, at about 5'5" and 140lbs. She is an excellent martial artist (Dreaming Pearl Courtesan Stylist) and strong for her size. 

She is tanned but not dark, definitely lighter than most Southern natives, with shining black hair that reaches her ankles when left loose and arched brows. She could have walked straight from a bollywood film.

About that hair. She usually keeps it piled on her head in complicated braids and loops, secured by stiletto daggers and other small weapons that, coincidentally, look like beautiful hair sticks and ornaments. Her Fellowship jokes that one can tell how bad a fight was by how flat her hair is after, as she pulls more and more sharp things out of it.

Her eyes are a shade of red so dark they might as well be black, shining with scarlet highlights in bright light: like looking into a glass of merlot wine. She uses dramatic eyeshadow (see Pinterest board) and cosmetics.

Lysistrata is busty and curvy enough to attract any number of eyes, and uses her attractiveness as a weapon when it suits her. 

Lysistrata is known for wearing red silk gowns - always. Sometimes it’s in heavily brocaded Chinese style, sometimes in flowing saris, but always always scarlet. She loves jewelry and the finer things in life. 

She has a firesnake familiar - a cobra-like snake of clear living crystal- who helped her in the battle that granted her Exaltation. 

Lysistrata is, much like her Greek namesake, a calculating soul, using exalts and mortals alike as tools to further her (the Maidens���) goals. This is not to say that she is not passionless or devoid of emotion, merely that her priorities are a little skewed. She has her favored weapons in steel and Exalt alike (...like Caleb). 

She dons identities and emotions as easily as clothing and is an excellent actress. She is confident to the point of arrogance, shameless, and cares exactly nil for what other people think or expect of her, so long as the Maidens are pleased, and takes perverse pleasure in occasionally flustering people and flaunting societal expectations. 

She has two main “identities”. 

The first as the founder and one of the Scarlet Veils, a bower of very expensive, exclusive courtesans who cater to the military and other elite of the South. Lysistrata, along with six hand-picked mortal women who could be her twins (Nikostrata, Androstrata, Sophiastrata, Demostrata, Philostrata, and Xenostrata), use the group to influence the outcomes of battles and conflicts in the region by influencing the key players. Sometimes it’s by pampering and relaxing a general or soldier so they do their best, and sometimes it’s by seducing and bewitching a politician or warlord until they think of nothing but the Veils, bumbling their job and losing a conflict. 

The other Destiny, the Rising Cobra, is a mysterious figure who shows up as a harbinger of victory. Lysistrata used this Destiny the least, feeling it too conspicuous. As the Cobra, Lysistrata wears a set of red-enameled star metal Celestial Power Armor (Monsoon Sunrise) and wields a dual-bladed star metal artifact glaive (Tsunami of Leaping Stars), and fights directly in support of the side she wishes to win. Often just the sight of the armor is enough to turn the tide, as she’s turned the Cobra into something of a mythological figure in her domain.

Both these artifacts were made late in the Primordial War from the remains of forgotten gods who, hand in hand, sacrificed themselves in a bid to turn the tide of a battle. It worked, and the Sidereal who at the time bore Lysistrata’s exaltation, honored their memory by creating the artifacts to continue in their preservation of Creation. 

Image below is inspiration. 

[mel-animeland]

English Title: Sword Art Online II Genre: Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Aired Date: Jul 5, 2014 to Dec 20, 2014 Episode Count: 24

Synopsis

A year after escaping Sword Art Online, Kazuto Kirigaya has been settling back into the real world. However, his peace is short-lived as a new incident occurs in a game called Gun Gale Online, where a player by the name of Death Gun appears to be killing people in the real world by shooting them in-game. Approached by officials to assist in investigating the murders, Kazuto assumes his persona of Kirito once again and logs into Gun Gale Online, intent on stopping the killer.

Once inside, Kirito meets Sinon, a highly skilled sniper afflicted by a traumatic past. She is soon dragged in his chase after Death Gun, and together they enter the Bullet of Bullets, a tournament where their target is sure to appear. Uncertain of Death Gun’s real powers, Kirito and Sinon race to stop him before he has the chance to claim another life. Not everything goes smoothly, however, as scars from the past impede their progress. In a high-stakes game where the next victim could easily be one of them, Kirito puts his life on the line in the virtual world once more. My Anime List

Promotional Video

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So here a present you an other marvelous post on the amazing anime that is Sword Art Online. Don’t get me wrong, I really enjoy the series, however I also know some people are tired to see new post about it. Too bad got around watching it only now, you gonna have to deal with it or just close the page.

Again, I didn’t really looked at the premises before I started the season, I knew a little bit about it, like Kirito having a girl avatar during the first part, but not enough to tell me what will happening it the season. I also know the season bring mixed feeling (like the whole series it must be an SAO thing). I heard people saying the prefer the first season and the second wasn’t worth it and other who rather the second season. But I really wanted to get my own idea so I put every opinion aside I just watch it.

___________________

Episode 9 Death Gun

If the 1st SAO season have a fantasy setting from episode 1 to 25, the first part of the 2nd season have a post-apocalyptic/steampunk setting. While I much prefer the fantasy one, and I was really happy to see it back in the second part of the season, the Gun Gale Oline (GGO) setting was a nice change and allow the use of fire arms instead of sword. GGO ind of remind me a the online side of Call of Duty. A-1 Picture did once again a really neat job with the design of the game. The different area of the map was interesting, a big map with different landscape.

the fight were interesting, but since we are talking about firearms, they are less visual than sword fight, to tell the truth the only decent fight the first arc of the 2nd season have, it’s the last one Kirito vs Death Gun, since the latter also had a sword it made the fight more interesting to watch. And the parallel they did, between the black swordsman and girly Kirito, toward the end of the fight, when Death Gun try to disappear was quite nice to see. Even if Kirito didn’t have his dual-wielding skill he could pretty much do the same, but with his pistol.

As said above, in the second part of the series, we are back to the fantasy setting in New Aincrad, where Sword Art Online and Alfheim Online meet, like I previously said I much prefer that setting being a huge fan of the fantasy story.

Episode 13 Phantom Bullet

The story of the first part of the 2nd season is as dark as the 1st season, if the antagonist of the 1st season was a man with a virtual mind, the GGO antagonist is a…serial killer. Kayaba as little to no empathy and doesn’t really care about human life, but he didn’t create the game just for the sake of kill people.The late game developer had a dream, it just happened people died when he try to fulfill his dream. If he really wanted to kill people, Kayaba would have been a red player not the leader of the leading team to clear the game, he could have probably even be the leader of the Laughing Coffin. The Shinkawa brother did what they did cause they could, yes one was seeking revenge, but after that it was more for the trill of killing during a the game. Shoichi, the oldest, was part of the Laughing Coffin, he was a red player, he killed people cause he knew he could and he will not get caught in real life, only the game would have been blamed. The “Phantom Bullet” Arc is the darkest of the whole series.

Episode 24 Mother’s Rosario

The two arc that followed the “Phantom Bullet” arc, “Calibur” and “Mother’s Rosario” could have been turn into OVA instead of being include if the season, same goes for the “Fairy Dance”. But if I have to pick my favorite it would probably be “Mother’s Rosario”. VRMMORPG game, video game in general, doesn’t always have a good reputation. Some say it promote violence and type for entertainment shouldn’t exist. However, in the last arc of the 2nd season, it show us game can of its good side. Due to her illness, Yuuki couldn’t go anywhere, she couldn’t meet anyone, she had to stay in a clean room to be able to fight everyday. The Medicuboid project, gave her the possibilities and the other one who wasn’t able to go to outside, forget about her illness for a moment, to meet new people, make new friend, to have a life – even if it was a virtual one – she would never be able to have. When the last episode came, I cried for the most part of it. It doesn’t really help I tend to cry easily, but Yuuki really touch me and the reason why they wanted to beat that dungeon Boss mean a lot, they wanted to leave a little bit of themselves behind, to leave a trace of their passage in this world.

  Episode 21 The Monument of the Swordsmen

Obviously, if I’m talking about the last arc of the season, I have to give some thought about the one before. “Calibur”…is… I really wonder what they were thinking with this one. I don’t care if it’s because they wanted to adapted it, if they wanted t stay close to the original source. The guy is already considered overpowered, do go and give it the most powerful sword of all time it will really not help him. That’s really the only thing I have to say about this arc. I really feel like they adapted this arc only to give Kirito Excaliber the legendary sword we see in “Fairy Dance” arc.

Episode 17 Excalibur

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  Episode 11 What it Mean to be Strong

Of course, like in all series there is thing that will annoyed me, in this one what annoyed me the most it’s probably the interaction between Sinon and Kirito. I like Sinon, she is really cool and quite strong despite her PDST BUT I really feel like they try to make use see them as a couple. Sorry but that’t annoyed me. Asuna might be really clingy, but she didn’t annoy me and she did laid across Kirito like Sinon did, not that Sinon was annoying, it’s really just the way she was acting with Kirito that annoyed me. For someone who was ready to beat his sorry ass during the game she is really friendly now. And like if this wasn’t enough, when Kirito present Sinon to Asuna and Liz he talk about Asuna like if they were friend…dude she is your girlfriend!! she will always be there for you no matter what you did, no matter how stupid you become, but nope let’s just say she is a friend. However this didn’t annoyed me as much as the whole groping/close-to-rape scene from the first season. If the VRMMORPG games can make the life people in terminal phase a bit better, it also can also bring the worst of the human nature out.

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well, yes

seriously…

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I really enjoyed the whole Sword Art Online series, I prefer the 1st season, but the 2nd season have interesting element. Hater can continue to hate on it, it will not change the fact that I like it and I hope for a 3rd season soon. I just wish the movie will not be a requirement to see it, cause I haven’t seen it (of course if I just finish to watch the 2nd season). I know the dvd/blue-ray will be release at the end of September, hopefully it will include english sub-title.

This conclude my post about the 2nd season of the anime series Sword Art Online. Hope you enjoyed you reading.

Did you watched the series? Let me know what did you think of it in the comment section below.

See you next time

Sword Art Online II English Title: Sword Art Online II Genre: Action, Game, Adventure, Romance, Fantasy Aired Date: Jul 5, 2014 to Dec 20, 2014…

[snarktheater]

The Chemist — Chapter 31

So, the resident pretty boy is dead. Well, one of them, anyway, since…you know, they're twins. But the one that mattered to our protagonist is dead, and so we should feel sad.

Or we can follow Alex as she angsts that he was in the position with the least risk and OMG, why did it have to be him? Which…is a way to handle grief, I guess, but it's still phrased in a pretty flabby way. Like, the one time you could go high with emotions, you just…have Alex think back to a gangster she couldn't save after he was shot in the same way. Because when you want to make us sad about a character's death, making it all about another character's sense of failure is totally the way to go, right?

Wrong. Duh. That sense of failure can add to the tragedy of the moment, sure. In this case, it falls pretty flat since Alex has spent the past few chapters telling us she expected them to get shot at, and Alex was in no position to defend Daniel, so there's no failure beyond…"bringing him here", I guess. And the book doesn't even use that point of pathos—no Alex questioning whether Carston really did need someone to watch over him, for instance. Meanwhile, the thing that should make us care about Daniel dying, such as their relationship…barely mentioned.

It's such a perfectly imperfect way to handle grief it can only mean one thing.

He was breathing.

Yep, turns out the bullet missed Daniel's heart, in spite of being "perfectly placed". Remember how Daniel told us he was a "mirror-image" twin? No? Well, me neither, but I guess it was setup. And because Meyer doesn't understand that a setup needs a reminder if the payoff is going to be so long afterwards…this is what we get. I gave credit where credit wasn't due. I should be angry, but frankly, I'm strangely comforted by the thought that Meyer really is as predictable a writer as I expected her to be. It's like the universe makes sense again.

I mean, seriously. Even Alex doesn't remember about the mirror-image twin thing; she just goes "okay, bullet missed, I guess" and starts making planning to extract him so she can patch him up. Admittedly the right reaction, but it just goes to show how botched the setup is if the character doesn't even go "oh!" right after it happens.

Meanwhile, Carston is dying. I'm going to believe that he's dying because Alex spent the past few minutes angsting over Daniel's "dead" body while he was still alive. Because he is still alive, just enough for Alex to reveal the obvious.

“Lowell, it’s okay. I never poisoned Livvy. Of course not.”

Well, gee, I'm shocked to know that. But from there to say that it's okay…you know, he's still dying. But no, apparently this is good enough for Carston.

“Proud of you, Jules,” Lowell Carston wheezed quietly. “You managed to hold on to your soul. Impressive…”

She still tortures people, so…that's a very relative notion of morality you've got there, Carston.

Also, yes, that ellipsis is an indication of this being his last word, because the rule of drama dictates that people only ever die after giving a powerful final line. Or…"powerful". You get the idea.

They start making their way out, which means moving the unconscious Daniel without reopening his wounds, and only then does Alex remember about the mirror-twin thing, because…I don't know, the book remembered it had to explain things all of a sudden, I guess.

And the way out is…completely clear all the way to the elevator. Which…what? What's the point of setting your climax underground if your characters have no issue getting to the elevator and exit it on the ground floor? And where is everyone?

everyone must have rushed to the observation room when the shooting started.

…Really? Everyone?

Anyway. Kevin confuses the one remaining guard by yelling for help before taking him out, because…everyone is stupid in this book…and Alex heads straight for the car, with Kevin asking her to "let him finish up here". Whatever that means (and I assume we're about to find out), I should point out that Kevin doesn't know where the car is. How's he going to find them? Just look around and hope for the best?

But Alex cares more about her pretty boy, so she goes for the car and patches up Daniel. And…suddenly she starts fearing that she won't be able to keep Daniel alive? I don't know where this comes from, honestly.

Kevin kills any dramatic tension the book might have built up as he comes back with all the security footage from the facility (because…when you run a covert, somewhat treasonous torture operation, you totally want to record the whole thing, right?), and they drive off. And then they start talking about what to do about Daniel. Alex insists he needs a hospital, which would mean handing him over to "the bad guys".

“Didn’t we just kill the bad guys?” “Pace is still in charge, Ollie, till he slaps the right patch on, and given the current stress level, he might just start smoking again.”

So…yeah, I guess Deavers died off-screen. What a satisfying ending to that story, right?

Kevin comes up with an alternative plan: give Alex access to surgical equipment, so she can perform the surgery Daniel needs. Which…sure, whatever, she's a Mary Sue, she can totally handle this fatal wound knowing just "the basics" of surgery (her words).

And…we just skip it all. Both the search for equipment and a place to operate, and the surgery. We get a scene break to Alex post-operation, exhausted by the surgery we didn't get to see. It went well, surprise surprise, and they got the help of a Dr Volkstaff whom I don't think we've been introduced to, but hey, why not introduce a last-minute doctor, right? It's just a giant Deus Ex Machina, who cares!

She thought about what they had accomplished tonight, what she had almost traded Daniel’s life for. Deavers and Carston were dead. There might not be another person alive – besides Wade Pace – who knew she existed. And his hours were numbered. Hopefully.

"Not another person alive"…except for the brothers, Val—who, shall I remind you, Kevin stated he only trusted as long as he paid her—and now this Dr Volkstaff whom we know literally nothing about.

We also get some hand-waving of consequences, for good measure. Because this whole chapter was Mary Sue-esque enough yet. So Olivia's kidnapping? Alex wrote a note claiming that she was just a mother who confused Olivia with her own child. And apparently she expects this to mean the police won't look any further because Olivia's home now. Yes, really.

Daniel wakes up, and he…recaps how he got shot, because that was apparently a major mystery since last chapter. The answer is…Deavers realized he was being double-crossed and ordered Carston shot along with his "aide". Wow, I never would have guessed, thanks for that. It's not like you're once again wasting all the potential emotional payoff of their reunion by focusing first on a completely unnecessary infodump.

He also assures Alex that he doesn't regret anything that happened between them. Yes, I guess that includes her torturing him for no valid reason. Although I'm not entirely sure the book still remembers that even happening, because the way it's phrased, it sounds like he's just talking about all the times Deavers's men targeted hem.

They get to exchange their "I love you", which is meaningful because it's the first time Alex says it, they banter some more, until Alex hears someone outside. Cue short, tense moment, until Alex realizes it's just Val and Einstein, and everything's still fine. Gee, what a shock, the book will commit to its lack of conflict until the bitter end.

Val and Alex fuss over the boys, who are apparently too stupid to realize that cut toes and near death means you shouldn't stand for a while, everyone gets their respective reunions, complete with this bit.

[Alex] found herself half on [Kevin's] lap, her arms pinned under his, and there was nothing she could do when he decided to kiss her full on the lips with a wet, resounding smack. “Hey!” Daniel protested. “Get your face off my poison woman!”

Assault is fun and worthy of banter, right?

And then we heap more praise on Mary Sue, for good measure.

“What a performance! I can’t believe you just walked in there and busted me out! Never tell me you aren’t black ops – honey, you’re what black ops dreams about being!”

Yes, she's better than black ops. Really.

There's also a weird moment where Kevin won't let Alex go until Einstein and Daniel both threaten him. I…think it's just supposed to be playful, but it's still making me uncomfortable. Why did you include this?

Want more stupidity? "Dr Volkstaff" is the Beaches' family veterinarian! And ignoring the issues of how that works into his ability to perform surgery on a human, I have to point out that if you want to be incognito/leave no trace that you're alive, going to someone connected to your family is probably not a good idea. But hey, everyone's dumb in this book, so…whatever.

Volkstaff does show a small hint of practicality, at least, by forcing Alex and Kevin to get some rest while Val watches over them all. Alex, of course, only does so with Daniel's blessing. Because agency is not a thing for women in Meyer's world.

“Be a good girl and get some sleep like my old family vet ordered you to.”

Like…I realize this is meant to be teasing, probably, but was it really necessary? No. No it wasn't.

And with that, we close the penultimate chapter in this book. Just one more and the epilogue to go. Honestly, I'm not sure they'll be very eventful, but hey, at least it's almost over!

[torentialtribute]

Ashes 2019: Steve Smith’s blow is a reminder of the Phillip Hughes tragedy

Australia received a hair-raising reminder of their modern field tragedy when Steve Smith was knocked out by Jofra Archer's bouncer on the fourth afternoon of the Lord & # 39; s Ashes Test.

There were echoes of the horrific incident in November 2014 when, during a Sheffield Shield game between South Australia and New South Wales, Phillip Hughes was hit on the neck by a short ball delivered by Sean Abbott with fatal consequences.

Smith was also beaten on the neck by a bolt-neck delivery from Ashes debutant Archer.

Steve Smith from Australia retired after being hit by Jofra Archer delivery

Smith withdrew to 80 from 152 balle n, but came back to end his innings less than an hour later

Smith was also attacked by Archer for a longer period of time when he was hit on the arm

WHY NO NECK PROTECTORS ON SMITH & # 39; S HELMET?

He is a former teammate of the late Phillip Hughes, who was killed when he was hit by a frighteningly similar birth in 2014 – so why didn't Steve Smith wear a protector of the stem protector?

Smith has worn them before, but says he cannot work well with neck protectors because they make him feel uncomfortable.

Kumar Sangakkara, president of the MCC, says: & they must be mandatory. The research has been done. A helmet must protect both the neck and the head.

& # 39; Sometimes a tragedy is needed for people to change. Just make them mandatory.

& # 39; I was used to it – took me to a few games and a few net sessions. Children must wear them and international cricket players must lead by example. & # 39;

& # 39; You never like to see your players touch like that, & # 39; said Australian coach Justin Langer.

& # 39; There are clearly some pretty rough memories of such a stroke. It was an ugly incident, but luckily Steve got through it. Another 92, what an innings, what a player. & # 39;

Smith stopped with pain at 80 and was surprisingly released to return at the fall of the next wicket.

Asked if it was too early to make sure Smith was fit to resume, Langer replied: "These players are just like my sounds, so I don't want any harm with them.

" I asked him if he was OK and he said he was ready to go. He told me: "I can't get on the honors board unless I'm hitting." & # 39;

Social media trolls focused on Archer and Jos Buttler laugh together at the end of the bowler's mark during a long break for Smith to get attention.

But the England sentiment was clear from Chris Woakes, the bowler who eventually rejected him: & Ashes cricket is played hard and hard, but we don't wish anyone injured regardless. of the situation in the game. Jofra had to do a lot of bowling to get Smith out of his bubble. It was a serious pace. & # 39;

This was perhaps the most hostile spell Australia has undergone in an attack in England since the 2005 Ashes, whose opening day left Ricky Ponting with plastic surgery to take a deeply incised cheek to repair when Steve Harmison's bouncer crashed into his roster.

During a fierce eight-spell of fast bowling from the pavilion end by England rookie Archer, Smith was struck by three blows in 25 minutes.

The first, in the 71st over the innings, pounded in his forearm under the Smith sport wristband under his left elbow, triggering a first visit to the center for the Australian physio team David Beakley.

]

A compression bandage was applied to reduce swelling and he took a painkiller before continuing his innings.

Then, after beating the gloves by an Archer bouncer clocked at 96.1 miles per hour, the moving moment came when Smith was felled.

After crumbling to the grass, Smith was turned over by Buttler, his Rajasthan Royals teammate, who had advanced from short leg to check his well-being. Beakley was quickly back on the scene, while the doctors of England also ran into the field when Lord succumbed to a collective silence.

During a seven-minute delay, Richard Saw, the physician of Australia, gave a concussion test on the field, including a number of questions – subjects that are usually asked include where the game is played, who is the ball bowling, the name of the other batsman and where the last match was played.

Saw then convinced Smith who had insisted he wanted to continue beating, it was in his best interest to remove wounded as a precaution. Smith reluctantly agreed. Under new concussion guidelines introduced to coincide with the start of the World Test Championship on August 1, trained medical professionals such as Saw have the power to override batsmen who refuse to leave the field.

After being led from the playing field and through the Long Hall, Smith was taken to one of the medical rooms in the pavilion and received a cognitive test that measures response times to questions at a baseline of its speed in normal circumstances.

He also received a balance assessment – where you stand on one leg with your eyes closed – before you get back to work. He did this within half an hour. Smith returned to the fold, again without stem protectors, providing extra protection at the back of the head, directly under the helmet.

He is known to have experienced with them a few years ago in practice, she found it uncomfortable and rejected the possibility of using them permanently.

Smith was hit in the neck and asked why he did not wear a neck protector

The 30-year-old added a dozen runs with some unusually risky strokes – prompted by a lack of feeling in his left arm instead of any disorientation – before weirdly revised his leg before he was fired without breaking the step, walking back to the pavilion.

That he did not act for the innings of England was due to a trip to a hospital for an x-ray on the forearm. No break has come to light.

Regarding a possible delayed concussion, it continues to be assessed continuously for 36 hours.

With regard to a possible delayed concussion, he continues to be assessed continuously

From this series on, a player can be replaced by a like-for-like player, approved by a match referee, if symptoms of concussions are detected within this period and, as an extension of the protocols, a removed player cannot return to the within six days from that point, which would effectively exclude him from the third test in Headingley starting next Thursday.

Eighteen months ago, the MCC & # 39; s cricket committee recommended eighteen months ago that all helmets must meet a minimum specification and that studs should be made mandatory.

The ICC drafted helmet regulations in 2017 asking for all protective headgear was in accordance with the British standard. Those who do not comply with the guidelines are subject to sanctions. The protection clips of the stem are designed to release during collisions where the forces are sufficient to shape the grid incorrectly.

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[ncmagroup]

Jason Karaman

Customer service is a crucial element to sales and business that is often overlooked in many sales & marketing blogs. The reality is that in the digital age, customer service is more important now than ever before. Companies who have a high level of service are quickly disrupting many industries that previously did not focus on it.

For example, Amazon.com has a very high level of customer service, which increases the overall customer experience. For many people, the overall experience of using Amazon is far superior to going to the store, so they prefer to shop online.

Without a high level of customer service, sales become nearly impossible. At the end of the day, people buy for emotional reasons, not logical ones. You can have a superior product and lose out to someone who has better customer service. In the 21st century, service sells.

As salespeople, we are expected to have high customer service skills as well. If a prospect has a concern or if a customer has a problem, having the ability to overcome their issue is crucial to the retention process. A lot of people think that customer service is just being nice to the customer. Yes, that is important, but it goes a little above and beyond just being friendly.

Not too long ago, a young boy named Luka Apps wrote an email to Lego. The email stated that Luke bought a new Lego Ninjago kit with all of his Christmas money. He took one of the people (Jay ZX) with him to the store and lost it. He pleaded Lego if they would send him another one, adding “I promise I won’t take him to the shop again.”

Lego responded with a custom email stating that they had talked with Sensei Wu (a Ninjago character) and were told to send over a replacement Jay ZX, along with more characters from the series. That’s customer service – that kid will be a lifelong Lego customer now.

He told me to tell you, “Luka, your father seems like a very wise man. You must always protect your Ninjago minifigures like the dragons protect the Weapons of Spinjitzu!”

Sensei Wu also told me it was okay if I sent you a new Jay and told me it would be okay if I included 

something extra for you because anyone that saves their Christmas money to buy the Ultrasonic Raider must be a really big Ninjago fan.

So, I hope you enjoy your Jay minifigure with all his weapons. You will actually have the only Jay minifigure that combines 3 different Jays into one! I am also going to send you a bad guy for him to fight!

Just remember, what Sensei Wu said: keep your minifigures protected like the Weapons of Spinjitzu! And of course, always listen to your dad.

Good customer service means going above and beyond to take care of the customer or prospect. Lego could have just sent an automated message saying “Yes, we will send you one.” Instead, he got a custom email that made him feel special.

Another example: During an intense rainstorm, a Wendy’s employee walked outside, removed an umbrella from the outdoor seating area, and walked an elderly man to his car. That man, along with everyone who reads the story, will associate that Wendy’s with customer service and friendliness.

As salespeople, our job is to sell the product/service to the customer. Without a good reputation for customer service, that becomes difficult to do. If a customer or a prospect has a problem to overcome, go above and beyond to help them out. Service creates customer loyalty, which is the key to sustained business success.

  Go to our website:   www.ncmalliance.com

Service is More Than Just Being Nice to the Customer Jason Karaman Customer service is a crucial element to sales and business that is often overlooked in many sales & marketing blogs.

[brunettefromwallstreet]

I know, I did it again. I didn’t stick to my schedule and didn’t post the EDIT for last three weeks as promised. Nor stick to the one fashion trend and write all about it. Instead, I wrote about random things, a little bit of this and a little bit of that. But mostly about sand. And ironically ended with the wedding outfit. Anyway, now when I’m trying to wrap all of my recent posts together, I can see I was a chaotic mess since the last EDIT. What happened? Life and love.

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BUMPS ON THE STREET

Yes, love. I can’t believe I fall in the game of love right now when I had so many other things and ideas in my mind. And the minute I saw him, puff, they were all gone. He occupied my mind completely. And what is even worse it seems there was this summer chemistry in both of us. I wrote summer because it was just a summer fling for me. That ended up with sand in my sandals, short breath, and anxiety.

In short, he made me feel like in prison, trying to catch up with every minute of my life, and not letting me to concentrate on my work. And after he couldn’t pull off a legit romantic date on the beach, I simply had enough. I mean, I almost ruined my shoes because of him. And no, no guy who doesn’t make me feel free and myself is worthy of my shoes and even less my time.

So, now that I clear my mind up, it’s time to focus on fashion and all the things that I wrote about in the last two weeks.

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FASHION ON THE STREET

THE IT COLOUR OF THE SEASON YOU SHOULD WEAR NOW AND LATER

Starting with the colour of love, which happens to be the IT color of the season, too. The red, obviously. The rule is only one, wear it monochrome. From shoes to eye makeup, we are wearing all red.

LOVE COLOURS, LOVE RED

YOUR FIRST DATE WITH THE RED

The easiest way to start wearing red is undoubtedly by putting on a chic romper, red shoes and grab a red bag. I wrote more about this over here in the blog post The Colour You Should Start Wearing Today.

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GET TO KNOW THE RED BETTER

Once you know the basic, you can start mixing different red fabrics. Yes, I mean cotton, silk, and the most fashionable material, the leather, too. Be sure to check how I wore a red suede skirt with the red open back top over here.

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KISS RED

Finally, when you rock all the red outfits, you are ready to add some makeup. And no, the red lipstick will not do. Be sure to check all the makeup looks you can wear with the red outfits here.

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TRAFFIC SIGN: PAPER BAGS

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  Stop here and shop the most fashionable pants of the season. Pre-fall 2017 season is all about paper bag waist trousers. I just ordered mine. Fingers crossed I get them next week, so I can show you how to wear them like a fashionista before the new season actually starts.

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WHAT TO WEAR TO THE ROMANTIC DATE ON THE BEACH AT SUNSET

I told you he took me to the beach date. And how badly it ended. And no I didn’t enjoy being carried on his arms either. On top of it, I even got bruises! Anyway, unless you like being carried on the heels, you must read this blog post and find #3 outfits to wear to the romantic date on the beach. Well, another way around too, as I’m also sharing my tips on what not to wear to the beach date and revealing the whole story.

PICNIC ON THE BEACH

We could say this was another date failure, although this time it wasn’t actually a date. Anyway, you will want to read this if you are the one planning a picnic date on the beach for you two. Because there are so many things that can go wrong, you wouldn’t even think of. Not to say anything else, go to this blog post over here.

BLUE INVESTMENT

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  Apart from the white booties, which are by the way still rocking the scene, there are new shoes in the town. Yes, the blue shoes. How to wear them? With something red. You know, colour clashes are still in the fashion.

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  WEDDING GUEST OUTFIT IDEAS

Lastly, to wrap up all these summer love stories, I’m ending with the wedding on the beach. Although we are not the one getting married this time. Rather than that, we are just a guest. And what a guest? The most fashionable one, of course. Read what to wear (here) and what not to wear (here) to the wedding on the beach. Also, do have a look at these two blog posts in case you end up on the beach after party.

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VACATION GUIDE

Summer is not over yet, and what better way to spend the last summer weeks than on vacation. Keep my packing list close in case you go away this weekend.

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  Also be sure to find out what are the 2 dresses you need this summer over here.

Furthermore, say goodbye to the summer with an edge, wearing the boldest and buzziest summer makeup trend (find here). By the way, this makeup is more than perfect for summer festivals. You know, to wear with the chic boho outfit.

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STOP SIGN: INSTA STORY

I decided to start telling my everyday story in a completely new way. Actually in two ways. Be sure to follow me on Instagram, so you don’t miss anything.

GOSSIP ON THE STREET AND WHAT’S COMING NEXT

I was planning to write an entire novel about all the crazy things we bloggers do for a great shot. From climbing up on the ruff and fallen logs above the stream, sorry, hun borrowing your story, to ruining our skirts in the wind tunnel (I must do this, too). But at the end, I realised I didn’t really do so many crazy things in my last shootings.

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Although, you can’t say my behind the scenes photos from my picnic on the beach and this blog post aren’t hilarious. Just, don’t pin or share them!

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YOU SHOULD REALLY ASK ME ONLY FOR THE WAY

As this THE EDIT is more or less all about love situations, I decided to answer your 5 questions regarding my love life. Be sure to come back tomorrow to read my complete answers. And to find my selection of 5 ways to surprise your girlfriend this summer.

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  SaveSave

THE EDIT – Love, Life and Sand I know, I did it again. I didn't stick to my schedule and didn't post the EDIT for last three weeks as promised.

[exiledsol]

[center][img]http://imaginechat.com/memberpages/Audun/Avatars/zeroicon%20white.png[/img][/center]

[center][size=14pt][b]Zero[b][/size] Timothy Rayne[/center]

[center][img]http://orig06.deviantart.net/613e/f/2012/365/2/5/fantomex_by_shadzx2-d5psyo2.jpg[/img][/center]

[b]Origin Story:[/b] Tim Rayne was a high school history teacher and was what one could call a “normal” guy.  He spent a little too much time watching old episodes of Farscape and not enough time jogging. But this was indeed what normal people did; yes?

Even his wife getting diagnosed with cancer when she was thirty was unfortunately what one considered to be normal these days however upon receiving word on how advanced it was and that she only had six months to live; Tim took it upon himself to take a less normal approach.  Bills kept collecting and stayed unpaid due to him being denied loans from local financial institutions (Hey things are tough for everyone these days right?), and more conventional treatments were proving ineffective.  Advice offered by friends and other people from support groups wasn’t working.  He left countless messages on internet message boards that were focused on alternative forms of treatment; both legal and…not so much.

He and his wife were on month “four” of six and it seemed like the physician’s initial assessment was wrong.  Six months seemed generous now as his wife’s health was deteriorating rapidly and both Tim and his wife began making plans for the inevitable.  It was four in the morning when he received an email from an anonymous sender.

[font=times new roman][pre]“At 13:00 today go to the corner of Racine and Fifth. You will find a convenience store there. Buy the third Pay as You Go Metro! Phone from the back of the rack. Proceed one block west and enter the coffee shop there. Sit in the booth in the north-west corner. Wait for the call. It will save your wife.”[/pre][/font]

Suffice to say; after a great deal of researching and coming up with nothing in the short time he had to do so; he was waiting in booth as directed.

The call he received that day set him on an unexpected path.

A path that led to his recruitment by an “off the books” division of S.T.A.R. Labs in Salt Lake City that specialized in advanced physics.  He learned that CERN was not the only organization with an enormous hadron collider and there; so that his wife could receive the treatment she needed; he became Test Case Zero.  

Tim was experimented on repeatedly over a period of two years and when not being injected or exposed to all manner of energy and particle exposure he was being trained in hand to hand combat and firearms.

The health of Tim’s wife made an immediate improvement after one week of treatment.  S.T.A.R. Labs – Utah paid Tim’s outstanding bills and while he didn’t get to see his wife as much as he liked; he understood that this was the price to be paid for his wife’s life.

It was in his third year at S.T.A.R. Labs – Utah when his powers began to manifest.

In his fourth year he was learning just what he could do with his new found powers.

In his fifth year he was beginning to combine the physical training he had received since coming to the labs with his powers.

It was on his thirty-fourth birthday when S.T.A.R. Labs came to him with his first…what they called a mission of great importance.

He was brought into a room and told to “gear up accordingly” only to then have a monitor on the wall flicker on.  He could see a scene on the monitor that depicted a man and a woman asleep in bed.  The view was distorted some, as though he was viewing the scene through some manner of miniaturized camera but he could indeed make out that it was someone’s bedroom.

The ear bud he had inserted activated with a song tone…

[b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Zero.  Take the package from the table.  Then focus.  Relocate to the scene on the monitor.  When there...arm the package.  You will have two minutes to exfiltrate to a distance of one hundred meters.  Resistance should be expected if you are seen.  Do not engage.  Exfiltrate and relocate.  Remember your training.”[/font][/color][/b]

“Remote relocation” was something he had been working on for the last six months.  It was not easy.  Often it made his nose and ears bleed and that was pleasant compared to the headaches afterwards.

[b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Zero.  Remember your training.”[/font][/color][/b]

It took longer than he would have preferred but one moment he was in the room in S.T.A.R. Labs – Utah and the next he was in the bedroom he had been viewing in the monitor.  Things felt…wrong however.  There was the few moments of nausea as expected and the disorientation that came along with it but when he finally had cleared his head and stood over the bed he had been viewing earlier.  He understood why things felt wrong.  The couple he had been watching was the President of the United States and a woman that was certainly not the First Lady.

[b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Zero.  Remember your training.”[/font][/color][/b] , came the calm voice in his ear.  [b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Arm the package.  Exfiltrate and relocate.”[/font][/color][/b]

Tim shook his head slightly.

[b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Zero.  Remember your training.”[/font][/color][/b]

[b]“I didn’t train for this…”[/b] , he whispered out loud…more to himself than anyone in particular.  The President let out a growl in response; rolled to his side and turned his back on Tim.

[b][color=blue][font=trebuchet ms]“Zero.  Remember your training.  Remember the arrangement you have with us.”[/font][/color][/b]

He shook his head once more…trying to understand just what was going on when he heard another soft tone.  Looking down, he felt a chill wash through him as “the package” was now armed and rather than a two minute countdown, it looks as though it had started at ten seconds.

Because now it was at seven seconds!

Six seconds.

Tim was on the move.  Rushing out of the bedroom and into a hall where two armed and seemingly attentive men were utterly surprised to see him come charging out of the President’s bedroom.

[color=red]“Get on the fucking ground!”[/color] , shouted one of them.

Five seconds.

Tim blinked out of existence and appeared further down the hall only to kick open another door and run through it even as bullets snapped through the air where he was a moment before.

Four seconds.

Tim spotted something green…

[i]Outside…[/i]

…and a moment later he was outside too…except fifteen feet in the air and rapidly falling towards the ground.  He could hear alarms.  He could hear people shouting.

Three seconds.

Tim hit the ground hard and immediately scrambled to his feet.

[i]I’m at the fucking White House![/i]

Two seconds.

Everywhere he looked there were people.

Except up…

One second.

Tim pushed the maximum range of his power and appeared one hundred meters in the air above the front lawn of the White House only to then throw “the package” upwards and relocated just as the detonation occurred.

One day later; Tim’s wife passed away from advanced Stage Four cancer.  It was revealed that much of her body was riddled with cancer and it was decided that maybe her miraculous cure had just been a fortunate remission and nothing more.

One day later; it was revealed that an unregistered “meta” had taken part in a despicable act of terrorism but thankfully failed in their attempt to bomb the White House.

Tim wasn’t at his wife’s funeral and there was a good deal of speculation around why he wasn’t but in the end; it was decided that his grief was too great and he simply could not be present.

Tim Rayne disappeared after that.

One year later; yet another vigilante had appeared in Gotham City; referred to as “Zero” and seemingly taking steps to stop criminals there as well as being more inquisitive than normal about S.T.A.R. Labs.

(( While it was NOT S.T.A.R. Labs who actually experimented on Tim and tasked him with the assassination of the President; the "shadow corporation" that was responsible for this did a convincing job.  Tim is not sure if it was a division of S.T.A.R. Labs gone rogue; some manner of clandestine agenda of the over-arching  entity known as S.T.A.R. Labs or simply some manner of nefarious group that was masquerading as them.  Suffice to say; until Tim can be sure what the answer is; he's reluctant to get involved with anything remotely associated with S.T.A.R. Labs. ))

[b]Home City:[/b] Gotham City

[b]Civilian Appearance/Style Description:[/b]

[img]https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_GMAd6U0AEOiMR.jpg[/img]

Tim trains daily; alternating between cardiovascular conditioning, yoga and weight training.  He fully understands that the people he is generally dealing with or up against are significantly stronger and simply..."better" than he is.  The training allows him to feel more confident; or atleast least unsure about himself.  He also finds that being in top physical condition allows himself to better absorb the rigors of teleportation.

Age - 36 Height - 6'2" Weight - 171 lbs

[b]Costume Description:[/b]

[left][img]http://static.tumblr.com/gkorcp6/KkZm7687w/tumblr_l61uumanae1qc3ucmo1_1280.jpg[/img][/left]

[b]Personality:[/b] Tim isn’t afraid to make with the snappy patter when he’s nervous.  He’s focused and fully engaged with training and the mastering of his power but he is clearly not dealing with what he had gone through in the past and simply burying it within.  Tim doesn’t like talking about his past.  He feels as though he was naieve and the guilt over feeling responsible for his wife’s death makes him quick to deflect personal questions sent his way.  Tim also errs on the side of paranoia.  He is ever-vigilant for S.T.A.R. Labs or whatever "shadow corporation" it was that trained him and gave him his abilities.  While he does indeed want to avenge his wife he is also somewhat paralyzed by the fact that whoever it was that trained him is significantly more powerful and connected than he is.

[b]Powers:[/b]

[glow=green,2,300]Teleportation[/glow] – Tim can move himself and up to two hundred additional pounds up to 100 meters in any direction he has line of sight to.  He needs roughly 1 second between teleportation attempts to “recharge” but straining to greater distances beyond 100 meters or carrying more than just himself along with him can result in greater exhaustion and leave him drained for an extended period. Each instance of teleportation does tire him.  He can currently “rapid-fire” teleport fifteen times over a stretch of fifteen to twenty seconds and that will leaving him breathing heavily and in need of a rest for two to three minutes.  Newton’s First Law of Motion still governs Tim and his power.  If he is running and leaps into the air, only to the teleport; upon appearing again he will maintain that momentum.  If Tim is falling, he can indeed teleport out of that fall but depending on how far he has fallen; he will maintain that momentum and downward force upon reappearing elsewhere.  Psychologically Tim still relies from time to time on a physical stimulus for his teleportation.  Example:  At times; when under stress if Tim was on a rooftop of a building and needed to teleport to another rooftop; he would need to sprint towards the edge and jump…only to then reappear on the other rooftop.  This physical stimulus is NOT needed and is indeed something he must overcome.  After a teleport and upon reappearing there is a minor shockwave that accompanies this reappearance.  Not a shockwave of a physical nature but more; a wave of silence that radiates out from him; silencing all noise for a second as it moves outward from him until it dissipates at a 15 meter radius from Tim.

[glow=green,2,300]Remote Relocation[/glow] – With focus and under the right circumstances; Tim can use a remote video feed to act as guidance for his teleportation.  This can allow him to teleport far…far beyond what his normal range currently is.

[glow=green,2,300]Firearm Training[/glow] – Tim is proficient with side-arms and rifles of the automatic and semi-automatic variety.  To call himself a crack shot would be quite generous.  He is capable but still has a good deal of expertise to acquire.  He is growing more competent at combining his teleportation whilst firing his sidearms.

[glow=green,2,300]Hand to Hand Combat Training[/glow] – Tim has spent five years learning jiu jitsu as well as krav maga.  Much as his skill with firearms; he is a capable combatant but certainly not an expert and has a good deal to learn.  He is growing more competent at combining his teleportation whilst using hand to hand attacks.

[b]Weapons:[/b] Tim wields a pair of experimental .45 calibre ceramic pistols that will accept a number of modified rounds.  Upon fleeing S.T.A.R. Labs he has had to resort to simply regular ammunition but he is hoping to come up with a way to expand his arsenal.

[b]Equipment:[/b] Tim’s costume was developed by S.T.A.R. Labs and acts as a form of body armor and is effective against knifes and small calibre ammunition.

Tim has a pair of goggles that allow him to see in infrared and low light conditions.

[b]Weakness:[/b] As a result of the experimentation done on Tim he needs to consume double the normal human average of fluids everyday; lest he begin to dehydrate and grow ill.  Once every five days he needs to spend twelve hours breathing in nothing other than pure helium.  Failing to do this causes a painful deterioration in Tim over time and after having missed his treatment for three days; he will slip into a coma and experience complete system failure a day or so after.

[right][img]http://img11.deviantart.net/2981/i/2012/163/b/d/fantomex_by_leifleif-d53alrb.jpg[/img][/right]

[auburnfamilynews]

The Tigers saw two top targets commit elsewhere this past week, so where do they go from here?

It wasn't the greatest week for Auburn recruiting. Two of Auburn’s top targets announced their intentions to play somewhere not Auburn this past week. Neither commitment was that big of a surprise, though. First, there was 4* LB Quay Walker committing to Alabama. Walker had not been shy about the fact the Tide were his leader and when he left Big Cat Weekend early to attend a camp in Tuscaloosa, it seemed the writing was on the wall. As for the second commitment, I will have to admit it was a pretty big bummer to me. I have been hyping 3* RB Master Teague for a while now and was really hoping the Tigers would secure his commitment. However, after landing an Ohio State offer he decided to commit just two days later. It was rumored that Ohio State was always his dream offer and if he ever landed it then a commitment would not be too far behind.

So with those two targets off the board, what does Auburn do at those spots? Let's take a look.

Buck/Linebacker

To be honest, I still feel really good about this spot despite Walker's commitment to Bama. The Tigers have quite the list of targets but the big one is 4* Richard Jibunor. Jibunor is a fascinating prospect that I have written about before. He grew up in Nigeria before emigrating to the United State for high school. In fact, he grew up in the same village as Prince Tega Wanogho and the two are very close. Jibunor is still learning the game of football but it's become clear that this dude is an elite athlete. So far during camp season he has played every defensive position but defensive tackle. He won the DL MVP at The Opening Regional in Atlanta and then this past weekend won the LB MVP at the Rivals 5* Star Challenge. He's gone from an unrated athlete to a composite 4* with the chance of rising even higher before it's all said and done. While there's no doubt that Walker is probably a better overall football player than Jibunor right now, I don't think it's crazy to say that Jibunor has a much higher ceiling than Walker. That's not a shot at Quay Walker, who I think is going to have a great career at Alabama, it's a recognition of how good I think Jibunor could be. The Tigers are the current favorites to land the Nigerian native though Alabama, Tennessee and Florida are all still in the mix. The real threat though could be Georgia if they decide to get involved. However, Jibunor camped there last week and did not get an offer which has people thinking the Dawgs will pass.

After that, there's a mixture of players to consider. 3* Andres Fox and 4* Caleb Tannor are both guys that could play the Buck spot but would also play the other end position. Fox took a three day visit to Auburn this week. LSU is a very real threat but a lot of positive signs are pointing Auburn's way in that recruitment. 3* Azeez Ojulari is a pure pass rushing DE/OLB type of player who the Tigers are also courting. At this time though, I believe Auburn feels really good about landing Jibunor and Fox. If they do that then they will be just fine when it comes to pass rushers in the 2018 class.

Running Back

Losing out on Teague stinks and honestly I am not quite sure how the RB spot will shake out. If it was a 1A/1B type of situation for Master Teague and 4* Asa Martin then expect Auburn to put on the full court press for Martin. My personal opinion is Martin is Chip Lindsey's favorite RB in this class. Martin landed an offer not long after Lindsey arrived at Auburn and since then has become a top priority. The problem for Auburn is the usual one, Alabama wants him too. There was hope in the AU camp that the Tide might recruit him more as an "athlete" and look to switch him to defense. If that were the case, I think Auburn could more easily win this battle. But after impressing Bama coaches at a camp last week, he's become a top RB target for the Tide who plan on taking only one back this class. Though it should be noted they would absolutely take 2 if they could get Zamir White but that seems like a long shot. I have waffled a bunch on where I think Martin ultimately lands. I want to believe that system fit and earlier playing opportunity will help Auburn win out but it's just darn hard to beat Bama for kids they really want.

After Martin things get pretty open. There's former Tide commit 4* Dameon Pierce who visited this past week. I like Pierce. He's not a flashy back whose gonna put up jaw dropping highlights and I don't see him being rated higher than where he is right now but I do think he would be a good fit for Auburn's system. He gets north and south quickly and has a sick stiff arm. However, his recruitment is basically starting over now that he's decommitted and the Florida Gators are a team making him a priority as well. There's also the curious case of 3* Tae Provens. Auburn is the only team in his top 5 recruiting him as an "athlete" meaning they could play him at RB, slot WR or even DB. It's unclear if he's happy or not with that designation. If Auburn feels like they are going to miss on Martin, I would not be surprised if they committed Provens to RB. Him and Shivers are great all purpose backs that you can use in open space or in the passing game but there is still a question about whether or not they are 30 carries against an SEC defense type of player.

There's also 4* Harold Joiner. The Tigers, along with basically everyone not named LSU, are recruiting Joiner as an "athlete". Many think he's a bit too tall to be a RB but he seems dead set on the position unless he grows another inch. Auburn might decide that it's worth the risk and commit to recruiting him as a RB. I think if they did that things could get interesting real quick. But as of now LSU is the clear favorite.

Another name to watch is 3* Charles Strong. The Florida State commit visited for junior day earlier this year and had a great time. This dude is a bruising back. Some sites even have him listed as a fullback. With Pettway's success, I would not be surprised if Auburn decided to push for Strong if things go south with Martin, Joiner and Pierce. There's also local 3* La'damian Webb who has been putting up video game numbers at Beauregard. However, he's 5'9" and Auburn already has a short back in Shivers. The staff might not be comfortable taking two sub 5'10" backs though I would argue Webb could be a 30 carry guy in the SEC.

With all that said, I don't stress too much about RB recruiting. Tim Horton has shown he will find good fits and Auburn will get production from that spot. My personal perfect world would be Asa Martin and Harold Joiner. Joiner is a guy you could move around as a RB/H-Back/WR type of player and allow for the offense to go fast without substituting while Martin fits the mold of the type of back Lindsey likes in his system. However, life is not perfect and if I had to guess right now, Auburn will end up taking Pierce and Provens. That’s not a bad way to go either. Long way to National Signing Day so plenty of time for new names (5* James Cook?) to emerge and for things to change.

Justin Fields Visits Auburn

Auburn’s top target stopped by Tuesday before heading south to Tallahassee for a planned visit on the way to his 7v7 tourney at IMG Academy in Bradenton, FL. This is believed to be Fields’ first visit since last fall when he stopped by for a game. From everything I have read, it honestly seems like no side really knows what is going to happen. Auburn, Georgia, Florida and Florida State all seem to feel relatively confident in where they stand for the 5* stud. He supposedly wants to have a decision before the season so this could end up an all out sprint of a recruitment. As of right now, I still feel pretty good about Auburn’s chances and every visit helps.

War Eagle!

from College and Magnolia http://bit.ly/2rvMQ4g via IFTTT

[laurencetgayao]

Forgiveness Really Heals

Laurence T. Gayao, MD

Few days ago, I read an article written by Dr. Honesto Pascual Jr. which to me was so touching. He wrote about the emotional journey he had to take from losing his father at young age in the hands of the brutal Japanese Kempeitai (Imperial Secret Police). For years, he lived harboring hate for the Japanese people how circumstances lead to his change of heart. A testament to the fact that Yes Forgiveness Really Heals.

I was born after World War II, a year after my father was released as prisoner war from the Japanese who occupied the Philippines. He was a member of the US Armed Forces of the Far East. Through the GI bill he was then able to go to school at Philippine Union College (now Adventist University of the Philippines) and was employed by the college after his graduation in 1949 as a high school teacher. I lived as kid around the area till I was eight years old.

As a child I heard many stories first hand from victims of the atrocities of Japanese soldiers during the war. I also heard bits and pieces of the story of Honesto Pascual a faculty member of the college that did not survive such atrocity. In fact, I remember his wife Josefina Pascual and her three boys Deleo, Jomey and Honesto Jr. I later made short tribute video about Honesto Pascual, who happens to be the composer of the Philippine Union College school song, Shine On Forever.

Here is  his story.

“On soldiers, forgiveness, and friends”

FORGIVENESS

By: Honesto C. Pascual, MD

“And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors… For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matthew 6:12, 14-15 [NKJV]

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.” Thus started President F. D. Roosevelt’s speech to the joint session of Congress.

The United States was drawn into World War II. Ten hours after the Pearl Harbor attack, Japanese forces bombed Manila; and the Philippines was drawn into that war which lasted until 1945.

October 12, 1944 when I was almost two, was our family’s day of infamy. That was the day my father was taken by Japanese soldiers under pretense of just needing to ask him and the president of Philippine Union College [PUC] a few questions. The American missionaries who had been running the school were interned, and so that responsibility was assigned to two Filipinos who were in their early 30s. My father was the business manager

Honesto Pascual

The college president, my father, and three students were incarcerated at Fort Santiago in Manila, where they were repeatedly tortured and starved. And for what? For being pro-American, working under Americans at the missionary college. Miraculously, the president was released; but not my father nor the students. Japanese soldiers continued to torture and starve them until they were killed. They were murdered, really.

So, growing up, I always hated all Japanese people. I felt I was justified to hate them. They viciously robbed me of my right to grow up under the guidance and tutelage of my father. I was too young to remember him when they murdered him. So, I hated them all . As a boy playing soldiers with my older brother and our friends, I made sure I was among those who shot and killed the enemy, the Japanese.

An American missionary who spoke Japanese was the president of PUC when my mother was a student and started teaching there.

Dr. Andrew Nelson baptizing Japanese prisoners.

Japanese Baptized Prisoners

One of his personal missions in the Philippines was to give Bible studies to Japanese POWs who were incarcerated at the National Penitentiary.

Josephina C. Pascual

My mother was among those who assisted him on Sabbath afternoons. A dozen or so of those POWs were eventually baptized in the baptistry at PUC. I witnessed that event. I was about 8 years old. It was my first time to see Japanese men live and in person. They came in a prison bus escorted by Filipino soldiers. Not one of them was attacked by anyone from within and outside the college campus. But I still hated them.

In May 1954, Asian Games II were held in Manila. We watched the basketball game between the Philippines and Japan. Philippines won the gold. The team and their coaches had to be escorted to and from the court by Filipino soldiers. They were booed and pelted with soda bottles and other debris causing the game to be stopped briefly a few times for the maintenance crew to clear the floor. No athlete was injured, but I was elated they lost to “my team”. Oh, how I hated them!

After the war, my mother, widowed at age 25, with three boys to raise, returned to college. She became a teacher at PUC, so we resided in one of the houses in campus. In the 1950s, Adventist Japanese students were sent to study at PUC. She had those Japanese students in her history classes. I noticed how my mother treated them fairly and decently. At times, she would help them with their English. She even had them for Sabbath lunch. I never observed any hint of animosity from her towards them. Her kindness slowly began to mellow my hatred.

Also during that decade, the Seventh-day Adventist Seminary held a summer session at PUC. Pastors and Bible teachers from the Philippines and all over Asia convened in campus. Naturally, Japanese ministers were in the group. Among them was a pastor who was a student at PUC when the war broke out. He was drafted by the Japanese Imperial Army and was assigned to Fort Santiago.

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Fort Santiago

Memorial Plaque honoring Filipino victims who died in Forth Santiago under the Japanese.

Fort Santiago Dungeon

Fort Santiago Dungeon

Fort Santiago Dungeon

Fort Santiago Dungeon

Fort Santiago Dungeon

His duties there included English translator. It turns out that he was the one who wrote my mother the letter confirming my father’s torture, starvation, and death at Fort Santiago. He saw my father’s remains.

Until receiving that letter, my mother had hoped that my father survived, had amnesia, and was somewhere in the Philippines or even Japan as a POW. I can still remember being four or five years old and seeing my mother crying, holding that letter, which confirmed the unthinkable.

In 1959, one of the Japanese students who studied at PUC, was our tour guide in Tokyo

Yet here was my mother, inviting him and his fellow Japanese pastors to join us for Sabbath lunch. Again, I never observed any hint of animosity from her towards them.

In 1959, one of the Japanese students who studied at PUC, was our tour guide in Tokyo when my older brother and I stopped over en route by ship from Manila to San Francisco.

In 1962, one of my friends at Pacific Union College [the “other” PUC] was Japanese, the son of the very pastor who wrote the letter to my mother.

In 1964, I made friends with a Japanese student when I returned to PUC in the Philippines. We played softball together. He taught me a Japanese phrase: “Watashi wa anata o tomadachi,” I am your friend.

During my fellowship in 1975 to 1977, the chief of allergy and clinical immunology at the medical center I trained in was Japanese. Not only was he my mentor, he was my friend.

Over the last 35 years, every time I go back to the Philippines, I visit Fort Santiago. We visited there last month. There is a cross mounted on a pedestal. Engraved on marble are the words:

“THIS CROSS MARKS THE FINAL RESTING PLACE OF APPROXIMATELY 600 FILIPINOS AND AMERICANS WHO WERE VICTIMS OF ATROCITIES DURING THE LAST DAYS OF FEBRUARY 1945. THE APPEARANCE OF THEIR BODIES SUGGESTED STARVATION AND POSSIBLE SUFFOCATION. THEY WERE FOUND INSIDE A REAR DUNGEON WHICH HAD INNER DOORS OF MASSIVE IRON BARS AND OUTER DOORS OF IRON PLATE ON WOOD.”

#gallery-0-20 { margin: auto; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-item { float: left; margin-top: 10px; text-align: center; width: 33%; } #gallery-0-20 img { border: 2px solid #cfcfcf; } #gallery-0-20 .gallery-caption { margin-left: 0; } /* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes/media.php */

Dr. Pascual at the memorial cross marker

Cross Memorial Plaque

I learned forgiveness from my mother. She had more reason than I to hate the Japanese people. But she forgave them. I can do no less. I too, forgive them. Today, I can go to Fort Santiago with no feeling of animosity towards them. They are my tomadachis.

—Honesto C. Pascual, MD

Yes, Forgiveness Really Heals, yurushi ga hotoni iyasu.

Your Fitness Doc.

Forgiveness Really Heals Forgiveness Really Heals Laurence T. Gayao, MD Few days ago, I read an article written by Dr.

[torentialtribute]

Boy wonder Archer has the talent to transform this Ashes series for England against Australia

There is no longer any expectation and expectation for a test debut since Kevin Pietersen was thrown into the ashes in 2005. And we all know how that turned out.

It is no exaggeration to say that Jofra Archer could not only transform this Ashes series, but a test side of England still struggled to find his true identity.

He gets out in Lord & # 39; s on Wednesday in search of re-creating his World Cup magic in a second test, England cannot afford to lose.

Jofra Archer could not only Ashes series transform, but a test side of England was still struggling

And the good news for England is that Archer, with his smooth smile hiding an inner swatch, seems perfectly equipped for the biggest demands of the ultimate form of the game, just as he turned out to be the challenge of 50 overs . Simple, the man was born ready.

Joe Root knows it too. The captain of England knows that it makes little sense to reduce the potential impact of a special talent that, if the condition permits, already seems destined to make the same impact as Pietersen. Except, perhaps, without the unfortunate ending.

On Tuesday, Root was asked by Lord if he was as enthusiastic as everyone else about his debutant and simply said: & yes, especially after hearing his press conference yesterday!

& # 39; He is certainly very confident and that is great to see in a young guy, because he should be behind the back of a brilliant World Cup. He made it clear that the red ball is his favorite format. We are very excited to see him at the start of his journey. & # 39;

In a test that unfortunately is certainly disrupted by rain, England wants to use the pace of Archer in short, sharp outbursts. Hence the probable inclusion of Sam Curran as the sixth bowler, at the expense of specialized batsman Joe Denly.

And although that would give the England side a very unbalanced appearance, as warned by Nasser Hussain, it is certainly the best way to enter this competition simply because Curran has proven himself as a Test cricket player and Not Denly.

Certainly Root was just as happy with the 21-year-old Curran growing up on Tuesday as he was Archer – although England wanted to wait until Wednesday before completing his XI in the expectation of rain covering much of the first day.

& # 39; Sam is a brilliant talent & # 39 ;, said Root. He has the ability to change the game with both bat and ball, similar to Ben Stokes. And his record is fantastic. He has had a huge impact in most of the games he has played and I am sure he will play a lot of Test cricket. It is great to see him pushing his case very hard. & # 39;

England must get it here. They can't afford to go down two where Australia feels at home like no other in this country. It takes a lot to win the World Cup, but the Ashes in two tests would be virtually wasted.

The captain of England knows that it makes little sense to reduce potential impact of Archer

The good news for England is that Archer seems perfectly equipped for the greater demands

It is up to England and their new Archer spearhead to avoid that miserable scenario.

Carrot came over when he was told that defeat here would mean that England would have lost six of their last seven tests against Australia, arguing that the 4-0 road defeat was long ago. But he cannot allow the ashes from his side to spread home.

England wanted to point out this week that Root & # 39; s captain, who has reached his 30th test here, is statistically comparable to the best, but the surface of a win rate of 51 and there is also a high loss rate. The almost complete absence of a tie in the modern Test Cricket makes Root & # 39; s England a very up and down side.

If England is going to defend its proud unbeaten record in the home Ashes series that extends to 2001, they should hope Archer, who is likely to take the new ball with Stuart Broad, can find his way through the impenetrable Steve Smith.

Root admitted that England was too quick to change their plans during Smith & # 39; s twin-century domination of the first test at Edgbaston but said: & # 39; Steve should start again this week, just as everyone. He obviously played very well in Edgbaston, but we feel that we created quite a few near chances when the ball moved. We just have to stick to our plans for a little longer, trust that they will work and be patient. & # 39;

In a test that certainly seems disrupted, England wants to use the pace of Archer in short bursts

Tim Paine, back on the ground where he made his test debut against Pakistan nine years ago, looked much more satisfied on Tuesday than the agitated figure who was forced to defend his place on the Australian side in Edgbaston. Nor have I wrongly quoted David Icke's pearls of wisdom.

Very good too, when Australia is one and ashamed of fast bowling richness that will probably show them the leading World Cup wicket again – maker Mitchell Starc on the floor where he excelled with the white ball this summer .

Starc may have been mentioned in a 12-person team from Australia, but Josh Hazlewood is expected to be preferred over the left arm, with Australia resting James-plagued James Pattinson before a third test in Headingley who quickly follows.

Their batting is heavily dependent on Smith and England dominated the first three days of the first test, although they lost their best bowler Jimmy Anderson on the first morning. If the gap between nine days between games has touched the tonic for the English World Cup heroes, there is every chance that they can come back here – as long as there is enough playing time to force a result.

Then there is the introduction, albeit a late game, of Archer.

& # 39; If you ask him, he will tell you that he can win the Ashes for England, & # 39; Root smiled. He could do it too.

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[torentialtribute]

Sterling grew up in Wembley’s shadow… now he is City’s driving force

Just behind Wembley Stadium, off the Harrow Road, is a patch of grass by the side or Neeld Crescent. The huge stage overshadows it nowadays but it wasn't like that when Raheem Sterling was growing up. Wembley was a building site, the stage a more vision in the minds of architects.

It is here, among the 1930s semi-detached houses, so familiar to our suburbs, where Sterling would hang out as a child. The remembers eating apples on that green, which makes it sounds like the bucolic idyll that the town planners intended around a hundred years ago.

If it's not quite that, Wembley is a community that nurtured Sterling until the age of 14, when he left for Liverpool. Last week, when he collected his Footballer of the Year award, he talked movingly or his bond to this neighborhood, his vivacity, strength and friends he made here who still sustain him.

Raheem Sterling lifts the FA Cup at Wembley, a few hundred yards from where he grew up

Also he spoke of how, as a teenage boy, it made sense to get out at that time. Knife crime maybe not quite what it is now but you couldn't be hundred per cent sure of your safety.

Boys would walk in threes, he said. You didn't want to be picked off on your own. He spoke longingly or his father, who died violently, shot dead in Jamaica when his son was just two years old.

Yet he also touched upon how, even though football was his sport, or how you can feel quite detached from football's elite establishment venue when it's on your doorstep. He didn't go there much, but his school did give him a ticket for the 2007 FA Cup final, the first one at this new stage. He was 13. Sometimes the FA do get it right in their ticket distribution. They did that day.

He joked in a pre-match interview about how he supported Manchester United that day, much good it did in their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. It was also the day when it was ground to fall into place. That was when he realized this sport could be his life. Soon be leaving QPR's academy and joining Liverpool.

Sterling played in his first FA Cup final after being inspired by watching the 2007 game as a fan

Fast forward 12 years and Sterling was back in his backyard. Of course, it's a pretty frequent occurrence nowadays except that he's never been here for an FA Cup final since then.

Truth be told, he didn't play that well in the first half. There was a headed assist for David Silva, a product of his tenacity, but his most notable contribution was to try the second goal off Gabriel Jesus.

To be honest, at the time it seemed unimportant. As it turned out it was the difference between making history. Not since Stan Mortensen scored a hat trick in 1953 only to see Sir Stanley Matthews took all the plaudits, someone scored a hat trick in the FA Cup final.

He would go on to set up the third for Kevin de Bruyne and, once the match was well and truly won, he would score the fifth and the sixth. By the time that last goal got used to, Heurelho Gomes desperately pushing it away yet only succeeding in deflecting it onto the post for Sterling to tap in, you were desperate for Watford to catch a break.

Break came none of the light blue tide. That's what you get when injecting £ 1.3billion into the best coaches and players football can buy: overwhelming dominance.

Still, the abiding memory was at the end of the game, fireworks exploded and the famous old cup being paraded while Pep Guardiola agitated, his arm around Sterling had some addressing tactical points. They never rest.

Even after scoring twice in a 6-0 win, Sterling was given coaching by Pep Guardiola afterwards

"Raheem has made an incredible season," Guardiola said later. 'First his physical level, He's never injured. He's so strong. One reason why we are here is Raheem – but in the first half he didn't play good.

'I'm talking to him to improve that. He lost balls, he made actions too quick and didn't pass the ball when he should pass the ball. Always we can improve. We can do better. "

In that moment Sterling's season was encapsulated. When Guardiola arrived and in his first season under him, reaching double figures in goals was an achievement. In a good season, he would hit eleven or so.

Last season he scored 23 goals and made 17 assists but Guardiola challenged him to better that. Well, in Saturday's game he took his total to 25 goals and 18 assists. Add in a hat trick for England and a brace against Spain, it is clear that Sterling has developed into something special under Guardiola's tutelage.

That's just before you take into account the impact he has had off the pitch, taking a lead in speaking out against racism and challenging the media and authorities to think more deeply about the issue.

Sterling has a major driving force as City completed with an unprecedented domestic treble

Maybe, like any student, he bridles at times, such as when Guardiola scolded him for showboating against Manchester United. It can't be easy being mentored by this coach. But we are seeing the full potential of this remarkable player.

The season has not finished yet. He will travel with England to Portugal where England will attempt to win a trophy in the UEFA Nations League. He will win his 50th cap there, against Holland in the semi-finals.

Given that Harry Kane is unlikely to start, he probably will be the team's captain. Quietly-spoken and, for all the coverage he once received, unassuming, you couldn't really see him as a leader a couple of years ago. Now he seems a natural. That's the measure of what has been achieved this season.

Sometimes, even this absurd, moneyed and globalized game, in which nation states conduct their PR campaigns through chosen football clubs, there is something more straightforward: like a boy growing up outside Wembley and maturing into one of the stars of that venue. It's a short step from Neeld Crescent to the stadium's patch of grass. Yet that disguises the giants strides Sterling has been made in 12 years.

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