#and if hes now kind of our advisor sort of while we tackle the other elven gods im curious how he and rooks relationship may develop | Explore Tumblr posts and blogs

pan-fangirl-345 · 4 years ago

Text

Where’s the Manager?

Summary: You visit your boyfriend, but, as always, your captain is content to have the worst timing.

TW: Slight swearing (Kyouken and Iwa-chan have potty mouths)

A/N: There weren’t enough Kyoutani x Reader fics out there so I wrote my own.

As soon as you walked into Seijoh's gym, all eyes were on you.

"Oikawa, I think there's a fan here for you," a spiky haired man shouted, making a guy with a knee brace turn.

"My fans don't usually come to nightly practices," the man, Oikawa, said.

"Because you always stay so late, Shittykawa!"

"Who's Oikawa?" you asked, raising an eyebrow. "I'm here to see my boyfriend."

"And who might that be?" Oikawa asked, looking slightly offended. He must've been the guy with the fan club your boyfriend had told you about.

"(Y/F/N)? What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow!" Kyoutani said, rushing over to hug you, spinning you around a few times.

"Ken," you laughed. "Put me down!"

He set you down lightly, giving you a big smile.

"That's the school uniform for Fukurodani, isn't it?" someone else asked.

"My school cancelled classes today due to the fact that it's raining so hard you can't see an inch in front of you. I figured I'd come surprise you," you muttered, smiling back at him.

"How did you know we were ending practice?" Kyoutani asked.

"You told me silly," you teased. "Yesterday. I asked you when you got off practice."

"Woah, woah, woah. Let's recap for everyone whose brain just liquified and melted out of their noses," Oikawa muttered, making you wrinkle your nose at the description. "Our resident Mad Dog-chan, not only has a girlfriend, but he has a cute girlfriend from a different school."

"Not to mention she's hot," a pink-haired guy added.

"And goes to a pretty prestigious school," the other third year chimed in.

You flushed a little, but rolled your eyes.

"Ken, you didn't tell them about me?" you asked, pouting a little bit, then giving a small laugh. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised."

"Didn't think they needed to know," he grumbled. "I already have to share you with my sister."

You snorted, putting your hand over your mouth, smiling at him.

"You're cute when you're jealous," you teased, bopping him on the nose lightly. "I'm (Y/N), I'm Kyoutani's girlfriend. And for whoever asked, yes, this is the uniform for Fukurodani."

"How old are you?" someone asked.

He looked like a creampuff.

"I'm a second year, just like you Yahaba," you told him.

"You know who I am?" He looked surprised.

"Well, yeah. You slammed my boyfriend into a wall and shouted at him," you told him, deadpan. "I wanted to know who you were. And I already know about Iwaizumi-san because Ken talks about him all the time. And he complains about the fluffy haired dude, who I am assuming is Oikawa."

Iwaizumi laughed as Oikawa pouted, and you glanced at Kyoutani, who was too busy smiling at you to really notice.

Your phone ringing caught your attention and you dug through your bag looking for it.

"Ugh, it's Bokuto-san, give me a moment, would you?" you asked your boyfriend, scooting away so the others could bombard him with questions.

"(Y/L/N)! Why aren't you at practice?" he shouted and you winced, pulling the phone away from your ear.

"Why are you guys even having practice? It's practically a hurricane there! And I'm visiting my boyfriend, I told Akaashi that when I left," you told him. "Didn't he tell you?"

"Boyfriend!" he shouted. "That punk looking blond?"

"His name's Kyoutani, but yes, that's him."

"Your our manager (Y/L/N)! Your fattenizing with the enemy!" Bokuto whined.

"I think the word your looking for is ‘fraternizing’ Bokuto-san," you corrected. "And he's not the enemy. Do you realize how little we go against teams like Seijoh? They always tend to be in a different bracket," you pointed out.

"That's not the point!" he said, and you could practically see his hair deflating on the other end of the line. He was going to go into emo mode if you didn't do something.

"I promise to help you with your line shots when I get back. I'll stay after with Akaashi the next practice we have, alright? Please don't be sad Bokuto-san," you said, feeling slightly bad that you hadn't told him.

"All the guys miss you though!" Bokuto whined. He was definitely pouting. And he was definitely trying to trick you.

"And I miss you guys too, but I see you all everyday, I barely get to see my boyfriend. How would you feel if you only got to see Akaashi every few weeks?"

"That's not fair!" Bokuto shouted again.

"Put him on speaker!" Kyoutani mouthed and you rolled your eyes, but put him on speaker anyway.

"What if he tries to steal you away?" Bokuto asked, sounding extra whiny, the way he did when this sort of thing came up.

Which it did.

Often.

"I'm stealing her for a weekend Owl-san, you and your team will have her back on Monday," Kyoutani said, draping himself across your back, wrapping his arms around you waist so he could talk to your boyfriend.

"I feel like a glorified, underpaid babysitter," you muttered.

"You and me both," Akaashi said. "I apologize for this (Y/L/N), I told him where you were and he got all . . . deflated."

"It's alright," you assured him. "I'll just give Bokuto a heads up next time."

"Next time!?" Bokuto yelled from the background, making you stifle a laugh.

"Yes, next time Bokuto-san, did you think I was breaking up with Kyou this weekend?"

"You should! He's trying to steal you from us!"

"You say that every time a member of a different team talks to me! You did it with Kuroo-san, and Kenma, and Suga-san, and don't even get me started on the other Tokyo teams," you reminded him, watching your boyfriend's team laughed at your captain's antics. "You thought Hinata-kun was trying to smuggle me back to Karasuno when he was just walking me to our bus!"

"You're a good manager (Y/L/N)!" Bokuto retorted. "They want you all to themselves!"

"While I'm flattered that you think so Bokuto-san, the only people that even act somewhat like that are Tanaka and Nishinoya! And even then, Akaashi is usually right by me, or I'm with the other managers."

"But-"

"Look, Bokuto-san, I have to go," you interjected. "I can't spend all weekend arguing with you on this. I'll text you when I get home so you know where I am. I promise, I'll be back practice on Monday. I think you can handle a weekend without me."

You ended the call before he could respond, silencing your phone and slipping it back into your bag.

"How is he one of the top five aces in the country?" Kyoutani asked when you sighed. "He acts like an overgrown child.

"I have no fucking clue," you muttered, laying your head against his chest. "I love Bokuto-san, he's like an older brother to me, but sometimes I wish he had a little more fucking tact."

"That's the captain of Fukurodani?" Oikawa asked.

"Yeah."

"Is he always like that?" Iwaizumi inquired.

"Pretty much," you sighed. "He gets a little different during games, but he pretty acts like that all the time unless he's alone with Akaashi, our setter. Who also happens Bokuto's designated babysitter whenever we go to tournaments or practice games. And training camps, but Tsukishima from Karasuno and Kuroo from Nekoma tend to have him on a leash too."

"The salty glasses kid, and the cat with the fucked up hairdo?" Kyoutani asked.

"Yep, that's them. Hinata, the red-head spiker from Karasuno, tends to keep Bokuto busy when we have training camps with them because Bokuto is too busy trying to 'mentor' him. They make my job so much easier."

"You know a lot of people from other teams," Oikawa pointed out, squinting at you.

"As a manager, I run into a lot of different people. I'm friends with a lot of Nekoma, Karasuno, the other Tokyo teams, not to mention Shiritorizawa and Date Tech. And I know a few people from your team now. I tend to liaison between different teams to help set up practice matches and just to check up on them. It helps out our coach and advisor, plus, I get to meet a bunch of new people."

"That's actually kind of how we met," Kyoutani admitted. "She was the manager for my middle school team."

"I lived near here until the start of my first year. I would've gone here, but my mother got a job transfer to Tokyo, so I moved. Kyoutani and I knew each other from middle school and we helped each other out a few times."

"I never would've guessed that Kyoutani would have a girlfriend like you," Iwaizumi said.

"Why not?"

"Have you seen him?" Oikawa asked, quirking an eyebrow.

"Have you guys ever seen him with his sister, or his dogs?" you countered.

"No," they admitted. "He's a pretty private person."

"Kyou's a good person, but people don't get to know him before they decide he's a bad person and it's best to steer clear. Not to mention that most idiots believe the rumors that fly around. I can tell you that he's only ever been in one fight, and it was to protect me."

"I still have the scar," he mumbled.

"That's because you attacked a guy who had a knife!"

"I didn't know he had it when I tackled the son of bitch!" he retorted.

"I could've handled him. I take self-defense classes for a reason dipshit."

Kyoutani shrugged.

"Dumbass," you teased.

"Idiot," he replied, kissing the top of your head.

You rolled your eyes but smiled.

"I can't tell if you two are disgustingly sweet or slightly concerning," Makki muttered.

"Both," you answered.

"My sister is wondering where I am," Kyoutani said, pulling his phone out of his bag.

"Then let's go, I want to give her a big hug! I've missed her."

"And I've missed you," he told you, making you smile.

"Of course you did! I'm your girlfriend."

"I'll see you guys on Tuesday," Kyoutani called.

"It was nice to meet you guys!" you shouted as you raced Kyoutani to the doors.

"We didn't even introduce ourselves," Watari muttered.

"She probably knew anyway, Mad Dog-chan loves us," Oikawa said, gathering up his own things.

"I think he loves her more though," Yahaba pointed out.

"Definitely."

#kyoutani x reader #kyoutani #kyoutani fluff #kyoutani is a simp #fluff #haikyuu x reader

473 notes · View notes

generaldisdainn · 5 years ago

Text

Mandatory Relaxation

Happy Kristanna Christmas in July @somecallmejohn !! I’m your secret santa! :D Your suggestion was Kristoff being a goofball and Kristoff and Anna spending the day together in canonverse, so that’s what I tried to do!!! There isn’t too much plot- just a sweet snapshot of their day spent together. :-) I hope you like it!!! <3 <3 <3

Rating: K

Pairing: Kristanna

Word count: 2780

Kristoff hated watching Anna spread herself too thin. He could always see it coming- the frantic energy, the tired eyes- it all pointed to her over-expending herself.

He knew that assuming the role of queen meant more responsibilities and less free time for the two of them to spend together, but he felt that lately she hardly had any time at all. She was a brilliant queen, and Kristoff watched the way she ruled with reverence every day. He whispered how proud he was of her into her skin each night as they cuddled close. But lately she had seemed so tired. She was doing too much all out of the goodness of her heart. A neighboring kingdom had been dealing with a food shortage, and Anna was working diligently to figure out a way to allocate food and supplies to this struggling kingdom while still making sure that her people were taken care of. It was impossible to make everyone happy in situations like these, and he knew how much she hated disappointing people.

She had finally come to a consensus with her advisors and the officials of the struggling kingdom, but the whole ordeal had left her tired and spent. He could tell in the way she carried herself, in the soft shyness with which her usually bright smile now tugged at her lips. It was why Kristoff decided to take it upon himself to help her relax.

***

Anna awoke in the morning to heavy eyelids and a sore back. Despite the general aches and pains, she noticed that she felt surprisingly rested. Her mind was agile and ready for the day. It was refreshing. She opened her eyes and stretched against the morning sun, noting the way in which it crawled higher up the wall than what she was accustomed to seeing. She jolted at the sudden realization. There was way too much sun for it to be the time she usually awoke.

“Kristoff, what time is it?” She glanced around the room in frantic search of her fiance. The bed next to her was empty. “Kristoff?”

Kristoff emerged from the bathroom and made his way over to the bed, a soft smile splayed across his face. “Morning, beautiful.” He reached over to embrace her, lips pursed to place a gentle kiss on her temple, but Anna pulled away, tugging at the covers and moving to get out of bed.

“What time is it?”

“Sometime around noon,” he admitted sheepishly.

“What?! Kristoff, I had a meeting at 8 this morning! Kai was supposed to wake me up hours ago!”

Kristoff placed a hand on her arm to still her sudden movements. “Hey, easy feisty-pants. I called off your meetings today.”

“You what?”

Kristoff took a breath. “Anna, you’re exhausted. You haven’t had a break in weeks. You’ve been doing so much, and you know how proud I am of you, but you really need a break.”

Anna hummed thoughtfully. The anxious stutter of her breath calmed as she looked at the soft brown of her fiance’s eyes. She realized she suddenly had nowhere she needed to be. Relief washed over for a moment as she relaxed into his touch.

“Besides, I’ve missed spending time with you,” Kristoff added. He placed his lips to hers and she smiled against him. She loved the feel of him in the mornings- scratchy stubble and soft lips bringing her eagerly into her day.

“So everything’s cancelled for today?” she finally asked after they pulled apart.

Kristoff nodded.

“And no one’s upset?”

“No, Anna, not at all. Kai and Gerda thought that this was a great idea and were actually really excited. And they said everyone they talked to understood.”

Anna nodded slowly. “So we have a free day together then?”

Kristoff smiled and took her hand. “It’s all ours.”

***

They picked fruit from the garden for a late breakfast, letting the juice from nectarines run down their chins and kissing the remnants of the fruit off of each other’s lips.

“We should do a picnic for lunch,” Anna suggested.

Kristoff nodded in agreement.

“I can have the cooks make something for us,” she said.

“I have a better idea.”

Kristoff led Anna into the town after grabbing a picnic basket and money from the castle. He intended to walk through town with her and purchase food for their picnic from the townspeople. He held Anna’s hand as they walked down the castle steps. He guided her, holding her as she held up the flowing fabric of her skirts to walk into the square. She was stunning. Her hair glowed in the warm rays of the sun.

He brought her to stands and carts where people sold fresh foods and hand-crafted items. Kristoff bought food for their basket as they went. He tipped each person generously. One of his favorite things about being a part of the royal family now was having the means to tip so generously. When he was a young ice harvester, he never had enough to tip at all, let alone well. He always wished he could give more, and now he had the means to do so.

Anna stopped and spoke to people in the bustling square as they made their way through the crowds. People were excited to see the two of them. Anna was adored for her endless grace and kindness, and Kristoff had even become a town favorite with the kids as he let them take turns riding on Sven and often told them stories about adventures in the mountains and tales of large ice golems in far away ice palaces.

“It’s been so long since I’ve been out here. I forgot how much I love it,” she said to him as she swung her arm with his. They had made their way out of the main center and walked along the water at the pier, boats lining the shore with pride. Anna walked on a small ledge right next to the water and he held her as she balanced. “Look at how happy everyone is.” Anna sighed as she looked towards a group of kids who were playing some sort of made up game. They looked so happy, so carefree.

“You know, you play a big part in that.”

“In what?”

“In helping make everyone feel so happy here.”

Anna blushed. “So do you, you know. I don’t think I tell you enough, but I’m so proud of all that you’ve done. I know you don’t always like the whole royal thing,” Anna straightened his collar and ruffled his hair. “But you’ve brought so much to Arendelle.” He truly had. She meant every word of what she said. He was the driving force behind building Arendelle’s first orphanage. He lead ice harvesting trips and taught the kids how to care for the reindeer.

Kristoff rubbed a hand at the back of his neck and fumbled with something to say. He still found himself getting tongue-tied when he received such genuine compliments. He was always caught off guard by the way his heart would take flight at her kindness.

His fumbling was interrupted by the kids who were now barrelling towards the two of them.

“Kristoff! Queen Anna!” the youngest of the group cried.

“Hey, guys!” Kristoff smiled. He immediately recognized the group from hanging around the stables. He knew the youngest boy as Bjorn- the one who was always asking for a ride on Sven.

“Kristoff, I’ve been practicing the song you taught me!” Bjorn began humming a gentle tune.

Anna gave Kristoff’s hand a squeeze.

“I can never get that last part,” Bjorn grumbled as he faltered on the last section of the tune. “Can you sing it for me?” The other two boys lit up at the suggestion.

“Maybe some other time,” Kristoff offered. “I don’t have my lute on me.”

Bjorn gasped and scampered off suddenly.

“You’ve been singing to them?”

Kristoff shrugged. “Sometimes in the stables. They like to help me out in there.”

She had heard him sing many times, but she didn’t know he’d been singing to the kids in the town. Her heart swelled.

Bjorn returned with a lute in his small hands. “It’s my dad’s! Please Kristoff?” The other two boys clapped excitedly and gathered around Kristoff as Bjorn pushed the lute into his hands. Anna smiled and sat down next to the boys.

“Alright Kristoff, you heard the boys. You have to play. Queen’s orders.”

Bjorn giggled at that.

Kristoff smiled and shook his head at his fiance. She was sitting like an eager child, legs criss-crossed and hands propping her head as she gazed up at him with eager eyes.

He began strumming softly. Anna could tell he was a bit nervous. She knew he was more used to playing for their little family or in the stables, but not in the open like this. But it was just her and the boys on the pier. She could see him start to ease into the song.

Anna watched as he sang. He had a beautiful voice, something she always found herself learning all over again whenever he used it in song. He sang about a beautiful girl who rescued her sister and then saved a forest, a girl who was so deeply loved by a wandering man of the mountains.

***

They made it out to a secluded spot in the woods together. The trees dappled the ground with spots of sun and shade. It wasn’t too far off the beaten path. It was within walking distance of the town, but it was still off the trail just enough so that they were alone amidst the birds and the whispering of the wind through the trees. They shared breads and cheeses and stories and dreams. Anna watched Kristoff talk. She was in awe of the way his face glowed in the spotted sunlight, his hair shining in neat tresses.

“Here- tilt your head back like this, but make sure to keep your eye on my hand.” Kristoff instructed Anna as he posed to throw a grape into her mouth. He had offered to teach her after he had shown off his own ability in catching them. “Ready?”

“This is stupid,” Anna replied, although she stayed in formation.

Kristoff geared up and threw a handful of five, hitting her in multiple different places on her face. “You didn’t catch a single one!”

“You cheated!” Anna tackled Kristoff to the ground in mock anger. She collapsed on top of him with bubbling laughter and he held her close, breathing her in and feeling her warmth on top of him.

They laid like that for a moment, breathing and laughing together. Kristoff looked up at the tree-covered clearing and let out an easy breath. He felt so at home.

Anna clambered off of him and patted her lap. “Lay down- I want to play with your hair.”

“Hmmm you’re going to have to pay money for that. My hair doesn’t come for free you know.”

Anna rolled her eyes. “Just get over here, silly.”

Kristoff laughed and laid his head in Anna’s lap. She strung flowers in his hair. They were full of good food and laughter. He smiled contently as she ran her fingers through his locks, putting another flower carefully into place.

“Sing for me?”

“You sound just like those kids,” he teased.

“Can you blame me? You have a beautiful voice.”

Kristoff opened his eyes and looked up at her, her face softening into a smile. “I love you.”

“I love you too.” She placed a hand on his cheek and he leaned into it. It was soft and small and warm.

He hummed a gentle tune as she worked.

***

“You know, we’ve been so busy we’ve hardly gotten to talk about our wedding,” Kristoff mentioned as they walked back to the town from their picnic.

“I think we should have two weddings.”

“Two?”

“Well, a more traditional one of course for all of the stuffy dignitaries and ambassadors, but also a special one with your family.”

“You’d do that for me?”

“Kristoff, of course. And it wouldn’t be just for you. I want that too. And I know the Northuldra would come to that one.” Kristoff thought about Anna professing her love for him underneath a night sky, draped in a mossy cape. His heart swelled. “Do you remember when your family tried to marry us after we had just met?”

Kristoff laughed at the memory. It was the first time he really felt him start to fall for her, her radiant smile illuminated by the gems on her headdress and cape. “That was so embarrassing.”

“I thought you were cute. I know we hadn’t known each other for that long and that I was technically engaged to Hans at the time,” they both made a face at the mention of her ex-fiance, “but I think that was when I first started liking you.”

“You mean you like-like me?” Kristoff asked in mock surprise.

Anna stuck her tongue out at him. “Like you didn’t like-like me then too. You came back for me in the middle of a snow storm.”

Kristoff’s eyes got serious for a moment. He reached out to take her hands in his and held them there, stopping their walk to look at her with sincerity. “I would do that all over again for you. I never want to lose you.”

“I know, Kristoff. I’m right here. I love you.”

“I love you too.” They shared a look in mutual understanding. It wasn’t something they spoke about often, but they both still dealt with the fears of losing each other after enduring life-threatening adventures. Every once in a while they needed to remind each other that they were there- that they were okay.

“So two weddings, huh?” They began walking again. He looked down at her with a smirk.

“Yup! Is that too much pressure for you? Are you thinking about pulling out now?” she challenged, a playful gleam in her eyes.

He knew she was joking, but he couldn’t help but answer with sincerity. “Never.”

***

Anna read before bed that night for the first time in weeks. What used to be a nightly ritual had become something of a broken habit that she now hoped to get back into.

Kristoff came out of the bathroom and approached the bed much like he had that morning, arms outstretched and leaning towards his fiance, but this time, she didn’t pull away. She closed her book and nestled into his arms, leaning against the wide expanse of his chest. It was still early in the evening. Usually she would be coming in from a long day of work and head straight to bed, but tonight they felt as though they had all the time in the world. She felt relaxed and at peace as he ran his fingers through her hair. She had taken it out of its braids and it fell down her back in gentle waves.

“Thank you, Kristoff.”

“For what?”

“For everything. For today. I really needed this.” She felt his lips on the top of her head, felt him nestle into her hair and inhale deeply. “I’m going to do this more often.”

“Like take days off?”

Anna nodded. “I’ve missed you.”

“I’m right here. And whenever you need another day off just let me know. I’ll beat up anyone who tries to meet with you.”

Anna snorted in laughter. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too.”

“Imagine you punching a dignitary,” Anna said with a chortle after a moment of silence passed between them. Kristoff laughed alongside her at the thought.

They fell asleep that night in each other’s arms, sleeping peacefully not because their day was filled with meetings and large decisions, but because their day was spent with laughter and sunlight and music.

Anna awoke that next morning with no aches or pains, no groggy feeling in her head or weights on her eyelids. She awoke to Kai like usual, but for the first time in a while, she took an extra moment to snuggle up to her fiance, to plant a gentle kiss to his temple, and breath him in before going about her day.

#kacij2020 #kristanna #frozen #kristanna christmas in july

49 notes · View notes

bgn846 · 4 years ago

Text

Worthy Chapter 10: Guiding Heart FFXV A/B/O Promnis

<Previous Chapter 9

Waking up in a strange place should have been frightening, but it wasn’t. Prompto’s first conscious breath was filled with a calming scent, one that he now associated with Ignis. Opening his eyes revealed his mother sleeping beside him. She was curled up in a blanket and softly snoring. Looking to his other side, Prompto found Ignis. The alpha was asleep in a plush chair next to the bed.

His glasses were gone, and it made his face look impossibly young. Prompto had always thought of Ignis as being the old, wise advisor. Staring at the man before him, the omega reconsidered that thought. Noct had told him that Ignis was a year younger than Gladio, and Gladio didn’t look old at all.

Prompto still hadn’t figured out the odd pull he felt towards Ignis. Not wanting to sound like an idiot, he’d kept quiet about it for weeks. The alpha had the power to make him feel at ease, which Prompto didn’t think was even possible.

He wondered if Ignis had the same feelings towards him. Unsure if the man had come to rescue him at Noct’s bidding or due to his own volition, Prompto was afraid to ask. Without thinking, he reached out and touched Ignis’ knee.

Ignis stirred and blinked his eyes open. “Are you in pain?” he asked immediately.

Shaking his head no, Prompto rolled over to see the advisor better. “No, but I feel sorta icky.”

“Mmm – would a bath help?” Ignis questioned, “If you’re comfortable with me getting one started for you.”

A bath did sound very nice, but he didn’t want to leave his mum alone. “Where is it?”

Ignis leaned forward and stretched, cracking several joints in the process, “Behind that door there,” he finished with a yawn. “We can leave the door open so it doesn’t feel so closed off.”

“I’d like that. What should I do?”

“Try and sit up. I’ll go get the water started for you.” Ignis got up and quietly shuffled over to the bathroom. Prompto noted that he’d removed his shoes to be more comfortable.

Following the alpha’s instructions, Prompto sat up slowly and swung his legs out from under the covers. The sound of running water was coming from the bathroom along with a wonderful fragrance. Ignis must have put something in the bath.

For once, Prompto didn’t try to rush things, and he patiently waited for Ignis to come back. He looked more awake and had forgotten to replace his glasses. Unable to keep quiet, Prompto blurted out the first thing on his mind. “You look so different without glasses.”

“Ah, yes, I forget they change my appearance. I trust the look is a good one?”

Prompto nodded like a dork and then blushed hard when he realized he essentially told Ignis he looked good.

“Ready for that bath?” Ignis asked, holding out his hand. “I assume you don’t mind me helping you in there, correct?”

“I don’t think I’ll make it otherwise,” Prompto offered, still blushing furiously. He took Ignis’ hand and tried not to put his whole weight on the man, but his legs were rubber. Ignis pulled him along for two steps before he opted to sling Prompto’s arm over his shoulder. The calming scent came back stronger, and Prompto took a deep breath. “You smell really good,” he admitted before he could stop himself.

Ignis snickered and smiled brightly. “I’m glad to hear it, Prompto. I don’t ever really desire to smell bad.”

Prompto giggled and relaxed a little. The arm Ignis had around his waist was strong and comforting. He felt safe. Once inside the bathroom Prompto noted the full tub complete with bubble bath. Ignis deposited him on the edge of the tub and made sure he would stay upright before he backed away.

“Will you be able to handle the rest? I’ll be outside sitting on the floor if you need me.”

A strange new feeling tugged at Prompto’s brain. The old Prompto wanted to be left alone, but now as he sat waiting for Ignis to turn and leave the room, he wished he would stay with him. Prompto could see Ignis’ long legs stretch out next to the door when he sat on the floor. He was more than a little dumbstruck by the idea that an alpha would willingly sit on the floor simply to make him feel better.

Shaking himself back to reality, Prompto undressed and slid into the warm bath. It felt divine.

Ignis’ worried voice rang out a moment later. “Are you alright?”

“Mmmmnn, this feels so good,” he answered, unaware that he’d made a noise to begin with. Looking around the well-appointed space, Prompto noticed that Ignis had taken his jacket off when he’d made up the bath. It was resting over a towel bar nearby. Checking to make sure Ignis couldn’t see, he reached out and grabbed the item. Careful not to get it wet he buried his nose in the fabric. Ignis’ natural scent mixed with his cologne permeated the garment.

The scent made Prompto feel comforted. He had no desire to leave or do anything else. He merely wanted to be in Ignis’ company and exist.

“You’ve not fallen asleep in there, have you?” Ignis questioned after several minutes of silence.

Fearing he’d get caught with the coat, Prompto attempted to put it back on the towel bar. It sort of worked, but he knew he’d be found out the second Ignis came in later to tidy up, “Uh – I’m fine.”

Before Prompto could fret anymore about the coat, Ignis started up an easy conversation about pets. Prompto was able to enjoy the bath and carry on about his love of animals for the next twenty minutes.

When the water started to lose its heat, Prompto searched around for the drain release. Ignis understood what was happening even though he couldn’t see and offered instructions on the location of the towels he’d left out.

The alpha remained seated outside as Prompto dried off and dressed in a new set of sleepwear. Ignis truly had thought of everything. Balancing on the edge of the tub, Prompto debated about whether he needed help back to bed. He’d been tired before the bath, but the hot water had sapped what little energy he had left.

“Ignis, um – I.” Prompto stalled. He didn’t know how to ask for help without sounding needy.

The advisors kind voice replied, “Are you decent? Can I look now?”

“Yeah, for sure.”

Ignis leaned around the door frame and smiled. “Do you require assistance in getting back to the bed?”

Prompto nodded vigorously. “I still feel really tired.”

“Blood loss will have that effect, I’m afraid.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s right. That happened.” It wasn’t something Prompto had forgotten about, but he was trying to bury it in the back of his mind. Not thinking about Saeva helped him stay calm. He knew she wasn’t able to hurt him anymore, but that didn’t stop the fear from nearly strangling him.

Ignis was now standing and again held out his hand for Prompto to accept. Smiling up at the alpha, he grabbed hold and threw his arm over Ignis’ shoulder like before.

“Do you feel better?”

“Definitely. How long did I sleep for, do you know?” Prompto asked as they slowly walked back to the bed.

“A few hours at most. We arrived close to five a.m., and it’s nearly nine thirty now.”

When Ignis lowered Prompto to the bed, his mother stirred. She snapped her eyes open and sat up quickly. “Oh! Is everything alright? Where’s Saeva?”

“Mum, it’s okay. We’re in Lucis, remember?”

Soliamare took a deep breath, leaped across the bed, and tackled Prompto in a hug. “My sweet boy, are you alright?” she asked, still hugging him tightly.

Prompto wasn’t able to hold her up, and they both fell sideways onto the bed. “Mum! I’m okay; be gentle with me.” She kissed him on the forehead and struggled to right herself.

“Majesty, if you’d like to freshen up, I’ve had some clothes dropped off for you. They are on the dresser next to the restroom,” Ignis offered while bowing slightly.

“Oh that does sound lovely, thank you --” she paused, struggling to find her next words.

Ignis seemed to understand right away and smiled, “Allow me to introduce myself properly: Ignis Scientia, advisor to the crown prince of Lucis. Please do call me Ignis, though.”

“Thank you so much for your help, Ignis. I don’t know how we would have survived that episode on our own.”

“It wasn’t right to leave you both in such an inhospitable place. You deserve better,” Ignis replied, looking directly at Prompto.

Prompto could feel his face grow flush from the comment, and he turned his head a second later to try and hide.

Ignis cleared his throat to break the tension. “If you both would like, I can leave you alone to relax.”

“No!” Prompto blurted, causing his face to turn an even darker shade of red. “You can stay, please.”

Ignis chuckled and nodded. “Very well, but allow me to go and gather some food for you both. Prompto, you need to drink a lot of water and rest today.”

Prompto agreed and rolled over so he could crawl back under the covers. Ignis continued to smile as he bowed again and turned to leave. He promised he’d return soon.

The second the door had latched after Ignis exited his mother turned and stared at him wide eyed. “He’s perfect.”

“Do you think he likes me?” Prompto asked, hoping to hear his mother’s honest assessment.

“Oh yes, dear. The way he looks at you and takes care of you. He’s so tender and sweet. Your father wasn’t even like that.”

“But stepdad was nice to you!” Prompto exclaimed.

“Yes, he was, but in a different way. Ignis is gentle and caring; he clearly wants you to be comfortable.”

“I feel funny around him. I can’t explain it.”

Soliamare tilted her head in confusion and reached out a hand to squeeze his shoulder. “What do you mean funny?”

“Like – he’s an alpha, but I don’t feel scared of him anymore. I sorta get antsy if he’s not near me. Does that make sense?”

“Hmmm. I didn’t think it happened much anymore, but you may have imprinted on each other.”

Prompto forced himself to sit up and started wringing his hands. “Is that bad?”

“Oh no! Sweetheart, that’s good. It’s very rare is all. It’s nothing to worry about. It means you are both meant for each other.”

Prompto repeated his mother’s words in his head - ‘meant for each other.’ That would explain why he felt so drawn to Ignis. He wasn’t allowed to dwell on the subject for much longer as a knock on the door signaled Ignis’ return.

The food piled on the tray in Ignis’ arms made his mouth water instantly. He hadn’t realized how hungry he was. Ignis apologized several times for the lack of a proper place to eat, but his words were mostly ignored. His mother was happily eating and finally seemed to truly be relaxing.

Deciding to try and be bold for once, Prompto reached out and grabbed Ignis’ arm. “Why don’t you sit with us and enjoy the food? Aren’t you hungry, too?”

Ignis stared at his pale, freckled hand on his arm. After a minute, he nodded and sat on the bed with them. Prompto didn’t remember falling asleep again, but the next time he opened his eyes, the room was quiet. The light pouring in through the windows cast soft shadows down the walls.

Noting that his mother was missing, Prompto looked around and found Ignis asleep in the chair once more. His phone was abandoned on his chest; clearly he’d been trying to work. The alpha looked so peaceful. Prompto simply wanted to lay there and stare at him. Exhaustion soon beckoned and caused his eyelids to droop. Within minutes, they’d closed again as he passed into the land of dreams.

Ignis was gathering another blanket from the closet to cover Prompto when a soft knock at the door caught his attention. Peering over, he smiled when Soliamare poked her head into the room.

“I wanted to check on him,” she announced, walking quietly to the bed.

They both spread the blanket over Prompto as he slept. “I’d imagine he will still be tired for another day or two, but I believe the worst is behind him.”

“I had no idea things were going to end that way. If I’d known, I would have left with him ages ago.” She frowned. “He asked me to run away, and I said no.”

Ignis could see the path this conversation was going down. “Majesty, try not to focus on the ‘what ifs’. It’s not your fault this occurred.”

Soliamare nodded and continued to pat her son’s head gently. “He’s a good boy. I’m happy he’ll have a chance to do something with his life now.”

The blond stirred slightly and cracked his vibrant blue eyes open. “Mum,” he mumbled groggily. “Wha’s happening?”

“Nothing terrible, dear. I’m going out for a tour of the citadel, and I wanted to tell you.”

The seemingly benign statement elicited a surprising reaction from Prompto. He sucked in a harsh breath and propped himself up on his elbows. “You shouldn’t go alone, mum. Can you wait for me to go with you?”

“Oh, listen to me. I’m so silly. Dearheart, no, I’m not going alone. Ardyn has offered to take me around.”

“Who?” Prompto squawked. “We don’t know--”

Soliamare interrupted gently, “Noctis’ uncle. You referred to him earlier as Mr. Lucis Caelum, I believe.”

Prompto scrunched up his brow in confusion as he thought. “Oh – OH! That guy! Yeah, sorry, I didn’t remember his first name. He’s cool. He got snaky to leave us alone.”

“I’m not sure how long I’ll be gone. Will you be alright here without me?”

“Mmm hmm.” The omega hummed at first. “Uh -- Ignis you’re staying, right?” he added a second later with a worried look.

“Of course. If that would make you more comfortable, I’ll stay.”

Prompto nodded and smiled brightly at the statement as he flopped back down into the pillows. “Mum, do you know where Ardyn is taking you?”

“He mentioned viewing the empty guest suites to see which one you and I wanted to move into. I’ll let you know the one I like when I return, and then you can vote once you’ve seen them.”

Soliamare rose from her perch on the bed and kissed Prompto on the cheek. “Rest well, dear. I’ll be back soon.”

The room was once again quiet after the queen left. Ignis began to tidy up as he prepared to watch over Prompto while he slept. The younger man had other ideas and shot upright again gasping. “Ignis, uh – I’m keeping you from work or something right?” he asked with wide eyes. “You shouldn’t stay with me if you have stuff to do. I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean for you to hav--.”

Raising his hands, Ignis shushed the poor omega. “It’s quite alright, Prompto. I have cleared my calendar and am not missing anything of importance.”

“But you have a job to do, and you help Noct with stuff. I’m ruining that!”

“You are not ruining anything, Prompto. Believe me when I say that I desire being here with you,” Ignis offered sincerely.

“Okay, but please tell me if you need to go do anything. I don’t want to be the reason you get behind.”

“I won’t get behind, I swear.”

Prompto nodded and eased back into the bed a second time. “What’s gonna happen next? I mean with me and my mom.”

“We are working to secure a permanent home for you both, along with anything else you need to feel comfortable.”

“Are there any jobs I can do here? I don’t have training in much, but I can learn,” Prompto asked with a pout.

“It appears your situation hasn’t been explained very well.” Ignis paused as Prompto looked on with concern. “It’s nothing to worry about, Prompto,” he added while reaching out to gently squeeze his foot under the covers. “You are a prince and that affords you certain rights. At the moment, you and your mother are political refugees seeking asylum.”

“Being a refugee isn’t a job, though. How will I pay for things?”

“Ahh, I believe the paperwork your mother had to retrieve will help with that. From what I understand, your step-father left your mother money.”

“Really?” the blond questioned with awe. “ I didn’t know that. She never said anything to me.”

“I suppose she didn’t feel the need to. She thought things would stay the same.”

Prompto’s expression changed from curious to one full of fear. “Will my step brothers be mad we left? They can’t make me go back, right?”

“I can’t attest to their mental state, but I don’t believe they will be mad at you for leaving. As far as making you go back, that will never happen.”

“You can’t be sure. They are mean.”

Working to control his emotions so Prompto wouldn’t see his raw anger, Ignis replied as calmly as he could. “I won’t let them.” Seeing the omega open his mouth for a rebuttal, Ignis tried again, “You have the full support of the Lucian crown behind you, Prompto. That includes the entire crownsguard, myself, Gladio, Noctis, Marshal Leonis, Nyx, the ki--.”

“Ok!” Prompto interrupted loudly, “I believe you!” He then started giggling.

The advisor had continued to count out silent people out on his hands despite Prompto stopping him. It appeared his determined yet pensive gaze at the ceiling was funny to the blond.

“Um – Ignis, when I feel better, do you think you could show me around?”

Having finished up his antics, Ignis turned back to the bed and smiled. “Of course, I’d love to.” The look of joy on Prompto’s face was contagious. Ignis couldn’t help but grin back. This type of situation was new for him; actually, it was new for them both. That thought helped quell his fears about doing something wrong.

The next hour went by easily as they talked about life. Ignis filled the blond in on his childhood and growing up beside Noctis. Some stories would make Prompto laugh. Soon realizing Ignis craved this sound, he racked his brain for anything funny he could think to tell the omega. When Prompto started attempting to hide his yawns, Ignis knew it was time to let him sleep.

Promising to stay nearby, Ignis settled in his chair by the bed and began catching up with his emails. The thought of getting to spend more time Prompto kept invading his thoughts. He’d never felt this excited about something before.

>Next Chapter 11

#ffxv #fanfic #promnis #ignis #prompto

4 notes · View notes

thebipartisanpress-blog · 5 years ago

Text

October Democratic Presidential Debate in Review

Good News: I get a day off work while all of our high schoolers take the PSAT and can provide you with your Spark Notes updates of how the Democrats are doing. Bad news: There’s yet again too many candidates on the Democratic debate stage, with more yet to come. The moderators were our best yet in terms of persistently calling out question dodging, but with 12 candidates, even prominent figures at times faded into obscurity. While watching the debate, I’d hear, say, Bernie, speak and think “Oh, I forgot he was even here tonight! Where’s he been?” Is it too much to ask for a higher bar to entry? The debate environment was spicier this time, with Elizabeth Warren in the hot seat as candidates sought to eliminate her growing lead over Joe Biden and the others in the polls. Here are my continuing thoughts on each of the candidates latest debate performances, again ranked from best to worst for your convenience. 1) Pete Buttigieg This debate provided a perfect environment for Pete Buttigieg to shine. He isn’t a frontrunner, and the questions tonight didn’t highlight any of his weaknesses. This allowed him to emphasize his unique plans and criticizing other candidates, while insulating him from being attacked himself. Buttigieg this debate was the moderate who said whether to a sideshow like Beto or a top candidate like Elizabeth Warren, “how is this plan actually going to work?” and watched as they squirmed their way through. Now, normally I don’t like candidates who are all critique and no plan, but Pete Buttigieg managed to avoid that pitfall as well. He was critical of other candidates without being obnoxious or personal. He did propose some unique plans of his own, such as his 15-justice Supreme Court plan, and took a strong stand on foreign policy. He also took the ‘is this economically feasible” mantle from Biden by claiming it as a young person’s priority to see some change at least. Nothing but positive words for Pete Buttigieg. 2) Andrew Yang Well, I think I’m about to eat my hat. I never thought I’d say this, but I’ll give credit where credit is due: Andrew Yang had a great debate. Do I think he’s a serious candidate now? Well, no, but I can understand how it is that Andrew Yang in particular has stuck around in the race where all the other minor candidates and even a major candidate like Kirsten Gillibrand have dropped out. Andrew Yang only mentioned universal basic income (UBI) once tonight, and that was only when directly asked. This debate for him was about being forward thinking, and advancing a fundamentally different perspective than the other candidates. When other candidates want a wealth tax, Yang suggests a value-added tax (VAT). While other candidates debate about Facebook, Yang brings up screen time and its role on mental health. It’s like one of Andrew Yang’s advisors pulled him aside and was like “Hey Andy, people really like your ideas, but they think you can’t shut up about UBI. Can you give them the non-UBI Yang?” Andrew Yang took that advice, and it worked. While he’s still far from being close to any sort of top poller, I think he’ll stick around, and we may see him in a non-presidential political role sometime soon. 3) Cory Booker While I’m not sure exactly how to typecast Cory Booker as a candidate, he pleasantly surprised me this time. Of course, we got “I live in an impoverished neighborhood,” but in this debate Booker also stood up for other groups, such as the poor and women, a group he’s not even a representative for. Booker’s early willingness to discuss abortion both as a women’s rights issue and a poverty issue revealed a candidate with a fundamental civility and an ability to transcend identity politics. His comments against simply sniping at frontrunners served him well in a debate where Harris and Warren got into a legitimate argument about something as inconsequential as banning Trump from Twitter. I’m not sure why I would vote Booker over my favorite frontrunner du jour, but he put his crazier ideas on hold this time and allowed people to think of him as a mix of moderate and progressive. I won’t forget my past low scores of Booker (or of Andrew Yang) but in fairness ot both of them, they had good performances. 4) Amy Klobuchar Amy Klobuchar is not pleased. We know because she fell back on the meanest of midwestern insults, “Your idea is not the only right one,” and the well known “I’m SOAR-y.” Jokes aside, Amy Klobuchar is kind of the less popular, less progressive version of Pete Buttigieg, but also a person willing to step into a frontrunner role should Biden falter. Klobuchar realized she had a chance because of the Hunter Biden scandal, and so this debate she refused to apologize for her moderate views. The problem, though, is that so many times, Klobuchar would make a strong point and then immediately pivot in an obvious way, losing good ideas and failing to make the impression she could. The worst example was when she was asked about abortion, and was the first candidate to mention codifying Roe v. Wade. She was the first one on the stage to suggest that, and I was impressed….until she messed it up. Rather than emphasize that, she rushed on to criticize Trump, letting other candidates get credit for an idea she suggested first. I like Klobuchar, and I could honestly see myself voting for her, but she has no chance unless Biden falls, and if she wants to stay in, she needs to watch those flubs. 5) Elizabeth Warren I’ll say it straight up: This was not a good debate for Elizabeth Warren. Warren is an impressive debater, and she managed to convert a center-lefter like me for a while with her inspiring language and perpetual preparedness. This debate, she lost a lot of that luster. Instead of the perfectly composed Warren we’ve come to know and love, we got a Warren who dodged a question about raising taxes over and over again. One dodge might have been fine, but when moderators pressed, Warren wouldn’t commit to a straight answer. This was made worse by Sanders’ frank admission that taxes will go up in his plan. For me, Warren’s whole appeal was her record and her experience. To see her waffle this way was painful. Warren still had her good moments--calling big businesses the umpire as well as the team really resonated--but she took a hit this time. She’s still at Number 5 because outside of healthcare, she did fine, but I don’t have the sort of glowing praise of a Warren debate performance that has become usual in these recaps. 6) Bernie Sanders It’s always so hard for me to review Bernie Sanders. I don’t like his style or some of his views, but I still want to avoid bias seeping into my analysis. To me, Sanders was just average this time, a solid Number 6. There’s nothing new with Sanders, and his debate performances don’t inspire new voters to his side. Do I like that he was honest where Elizabeth Warren was evasive? Sure. Did he convince any voters at all who didn’t want a political revolution that we should have one? Not really. If Bernie’s going to win this cycle, it won’t be by his debating skills. It is a good thing he wasn’t on medical marijuana at the debate though (if there was ever going to be a debate inside joke, there it is). 7) Julian Castro I’m not really sure why Julian Castro is running for president. To be honest, I forgot he was even in the debate for most of the run time, and I was taking notes in order to write this article. Warren wants to tackle political corruption, Klobuchar and Buttigieg want to incrementally push liberal policy, Yang wants to bring us into the future, and Castro wants… what? There’s nothing bad to say about Castro mainly because there’s nothing at all to be said about Castro. I will give him credit where credit is due for being the only candidate to completely destroy the mandatory buyback argument (Mandatory gun buyback means door to door collecting, leaving the door wide open for racist and/or aggressive cops to abuse citizens), and I appreciate his efforts to bring up police brutality in a debate where it was ignored. That’s really all I can say this time, though. Castro was useful in this debate, because someone had to explain how mandatory buybacks would work. He wasn’t really useful for much else. 8) Joe Biden This debate should have been in the bag for Joe Biden. I mean, Trump clearly thought he was the best candidate enough that broke the law in order to get political dirt on the guy,. Biden could have played that to his advantage. Instead, he bungled his greatest advantage. When asked about the contradiction between his son’s position in Ukraine and his supposedly neutral vice presidency, he refused to admit any sort of fault. Instead of admitting his son may have acted with poor judgment (as Hunter Biden admitted) but that Trump’s fault dwarfed any action his son could have taken by orders of magnitude, Biden pretty much refused to talk about the scandal at all. This scandal could have cast him as the best candidate to beat Donald Trump. It makes zero sense why he would clam up on it. Worse, Biden continued to make his signature verbal flubs in a debate where his age and health were under intense scrutiny. Sorry, Joe, saying “We’re able to end Roe vs….oops, not that, I mean protect Roe” is not a good look. Let’s all take a small break here, before we get to the four worst candidates of the night. These candidates displayed far too many Trump-like similarities to be overlooked, so here we go…. 9) Kamala Harris Like Castro, I had such high hopes for Kamala Harris, and she squandered them. The last few debates, I criticized her for sniping at other candidates while refusing to respond to her own hypocrisy, and thus appearing petty. This debate, the issue she chose to go after Elizabeth Warren on was, weirdly, Trump’s Twitter account. Not to say this is a stupid issue, but, it’s a pretty dumb issue to pick a fight on. I legitimately don’t think a single voter changed their minds about voting for Kamala Harris because she took a strong, principled stand on banning Donald Trump from Twitter. Worse, she repeated her tactic of making strong use of executive orders. This, combined with her support for a mandatory gun buyback achieved through executive order is incredibly Trump-like in the sense that it erodes democratic norms and freedoms in a dangerous way. Using executive power to circumvent Congress, go into people’s houses, and take away their property opens the door for completely unchecked executive power. We are a nation where the president cannot make laws, and certainly should not plan on unilateral lawmaking without Congress. Harris’s willingness to prioritize her priorities over the public and to snipe personally at other candidates recalls Trump in a very unappealing way. 10) Tom Steyer Steyer somehow met the threshold for this debate and I’m really not sure how considering how low-profile he’s been in past debates and polls. Well, he’s here now, I guess. He’s not my favorite candidate for one big reason thus far. Tom Steyer loves to talk about how the government has failed, and that’s not what Democrats do. Describing the government as a failed experiment is a Republican talking point, and a pretty standard one at that. If the government has failed, how can one put in new programs or initiatives? Steyer is new on the scene, and I can’t see him getting support when his dominant message is one that basically endorses gutting the government. 11) Tulsi Gabbard While we’re on the subject of Republicans in Democrats’ clothing, let’s talk about Tulsi Gabbard. This debate really separated Tulsi from standard Democratic thought, and not in a flattering light. Donald Trump just abandoned the Kurds by supporting Turkey in Syria over Kurdish allies. All the candidates acknowledged this horrible decision, but only Gabbard argued that the United States should abandon the region altogether. Her Trump-style isolationism was thoroughly attacked by Buttigieg, himself a veteran, who reminded Gabbard that she was in effect encouraging ISIS. Unfortunately, foreign policy was not the only area where Gabbard presented herself as a conservative Democrat without the “get it done” appeal of someone like Klobuchar. On abortion, where every other candidate had fresh ideas and was infuriated at the conservative attacks on Roe v. Wade, Gabbard was much more restrained. Her attitude towards abortion seemed to be less focused on preserving the right and more focused on regulating it further, as evidenced by her proposal of banning third trimester abortions and keeping abortions “safe, legal, and rare.” Tulsi Gabbard’s debate last night identified her as far more socially conservative than I think is acceptable this election cycle, and in the current debate environment, it really stood out. 12) Beto O’Rourke Last but not least is Beto O’Rourke. Last debate, Beto branded himself as “the gun control guy.” I was excited to see him this time outline his policies for gun control and delve deeply into how he would reduce gun violence. Suffice it to say, we did not get that. When asked how mandatory buybacks would work in practice, Beto explained that people would turn in their AR-15s and AK-47s simply because “they follow the law.” Even when pressed that he had no idea who had the guns and no way to collect them other than door to door, Beto simply relied on good faith as a way to enforce a deeply unpopular policy. This sort of inability to discuss political logistics on what has become Beto’s signature policy was astoundingly bad debating, and I wasn’t the only one to see it. Immediately after Beto refused to discuss the logistics of the buyback, Pete Buttigieg criticized Beto for making empty promises. Beto’s response? Using emotional appeals about weapons of war in order to justify a policy he has no clue how to implement. Beto O’Rourke’s handling of his signature issue is a bit of a litmus test for the candidate himself: he’s all promises and emotional appeals with zero concrete policy. That’s why he’s on the bottom of this list. We’ll see how the candidates fare (and who’s still even on the stage) at the next debate in November! Content from The Bipartisan Press. All Rights Reserved. Agree or disagree with something in this article? Share it in the comment section and see what others think. Read the full article

#Democraticpresidentialdebate #ElizabethWarren #Ohio #PeteButtigieg

0 notes

itstimetowritecl · 8 years ago

Text

Character Arcs of ‘Clever Strategist’ Archetypes: Nara Shikamaru and Sokka

One of my favorite character archetypes is the ‘clever strategist’: the tactician who is poised during battle, and yet has a developed sense of humor that prevents them from taking life too seriously. It is no surprise then that Shikamaru Nara (Naruto) and Sokka (ATLA) are two of my favorite cartoon characters.

Though Shikamaru is naturally smarter given his 200 IQ and has a more aloof and relaxed personality, Sokka is more innately humorous and has a personality seeking out social avenues that draws attention. Shikamaru is strong side character, while Sokka is a main character.

However, there are several things these two have in common, even down to their similar appearance:

Sons of leaders who hold high expectations for them

Are talented with blade, think outside the box during conflict

A more realistic outlook on life, sarcastic and dry humor

The ‘warrior’s wolf tail’ like ponytail

Strongly influenced by women in their lives

Below, I will discuss how their character arcs both mirror foil each other in regards to development. In the end, they both become capable leaders because they are able to come full circle.

The Need For Growth- Mindsets Preventing Shikamaru and Sokka From Reaching Their Potential

Shikamaru, the boy who did not care enough.

“Lazy because I don’t care.”

Shikamaru right off the bat is an intelligent child that does not want to be burdened by responsibility and working hard- he would much rather look at the clouds and daydream than spend hours training. It is said in the Naruto manga during the Chunnin Exams that Shikamaru could become the next Hokage, only if he applied himself. Thus, Shikamaru needed to grow in regards of his work ethic and lazy streak, as shown by his ‘giving up’ against Temari (she is no slouch though!).

Where Shikamaru does well, and is something Sokka actually lacked at first, is a strong sense of self. When Choji as a youth was made fun of for his weight, Shikamaru defended him and cited that he was a friend. The advice he provided Choji, and inevitably many others, is that “..being yourself is important.” Shikamaru never cared what other people thought and always sought to instill this mantra in others. So while in this case ‘not caring’ is a good thing since many often worry about conforming, Shikamaru had to learn a lesson in caring enough to grow as a ninja.

Sokka, the boy who cared too much.

“Maybe its better to sometime call it quits before you fail.”

Sokka has the opposite start to his character arc- he cares too much about what others think of him, which may not always be evident, However, this is explicitly made known when he brings up wanting to be a warrior like his father, and being denied that opportunity early on. This stems into his joking about his waterbending sister Katara, compensating for his lack of bending skills. Sokka throughout the series would rather call it quits than fail miserably simply because he lacks complete confidence in himself.

“Meat and sarcasm that’s all I got,” is a mantra that Sokka humorously uses throughout the ATLA series. While on one hand, his humor provides the group great relief and leadership keeps them organized and ready, it also displays Sokka at first has more initiative and drive compared to Shikamaru. He may joke now and then about certain things, but Sokka was always very protective of Katara and this reflected in his need to be protective of others. Though Sokka needed to develop confidence, his care for others was beneficial.

Women, You Say? Having Their Worldview Changed Due to Headstrong, Female Characters

According to Shikamaru, women are troublesome. He is correct.

Shikamaru’s outlook regarding women begins when he watches his parents’ relationship, noting that his mother is nagging his father. In his usual detached manner, he states that ‘relationships are too burdensome,’ and that ‘women are troublesome.’ He grew up with a headstrong mother, and decided early on that relationships weren’t him. His stubbornness, however, was challenged when he met Temari.

Temari is a definitely a confident girl who has no problems speaking her mind. She is first introduced to Shikamaru during the Chunnin exams, to which she takes down a lazy Shikamaru who wasn’t giving his best efforts. He later comments on her scary, but beautiful smile, a similar message that his father once described as why he loved his mother despite being nagged at. She ends up saving him during a mission, and later goes to the hospital when he’s hurt to see if he’s okay.

In a way, Shikamaru is correct that women can be troublesome, but they will “show their softer sides to a man they love.” What Shikamaru really means is that he wanted to avoid being challenged to grow, which is what Temari pushed him to do, sometimes forcing. She showed kindness and care for him alongside her wit, allowing for Shikamaru to be emotionally vulnerable and let his guard down. He needs a motivator and sort of push sometimes to get going, which over time, Shikamaru secretly found enjoyable.

According to Sokka, women cannot be warriors. He is incorrect.

Sokka, similar to Shikamaru, held a false view of women, only for him it was a bit more sexist. He believed that women could not be warriors, which of course didn’t go over too well with Katara. Having Katara for a sister, he eventually came to realize, did so much for him in absence of his mother. Despite her waterbending prowess, it was not until meeting Suki and the Kyoshi warriors did his stance regarding female societal roles change.

Suki was the leader of the Kyoshi Warriors when Sokka met her, and boy did she kick his ass. After being humiliated by her in combat, Sokka swallowed his pride, admitting that she was the better warrior and asked for her assistance. Because of her presence, Sokka’s viewpoints were challenged and made him gain much respect for a female’s fighting capacity.

Sokka also came to be good friends with Toph, a rough around the edges girl of the upper Earth Kingdom society that didn’t fit into the traditional feminine norms. Having Toph on his team also reinforced the notion that not only are women just as capable as men at bending/fighting, but also that femininity and gender roles cannot be pigeonholed into one definition. Like Shikamaru, Sokka was incorrect about his viewpoint on women, but the difference here is that he had to allow himself to be mentally open and challenge his internalized belief system.

The Catalyst For Change- The Events That Invoked Shikamaru’s and Sokka’s Leadership Potential

External circumstances out of Shikamaru’s control drive him to change.

External circumstances drove Shikamaru’s character to develop further, and the main one being was the loss of his team leader, Asuma. Asuma died in battle against Hidan in order to save his team, and no one took the loss more than Shikamaru. In fact, he ended up smoking for a bit in honor of his fallen mentor and refused to stop smoking until he got revenge on Hidan. With Asuma’s death, he learned that what we care about can be taken away in an instant.

In a way, his battle against Hidan, a seemingly immortal being, proved Shikamaru’s prowess on the battle field, but really showed his potential as a leader. Being driven by Asuma’s death allowed for him to find a groove and realize that we cannot run away from our responsibilities. Responsibilities will always follow us, but they do not have to be burdensome. And working hard, he came to realize, would help him protect better those he cared about.

The pivotal moment after he defeated Hidan is when he visited Asuma’s pregnant wife Kurenai, a talented ninja in her own right. While meeting with Kurenai, Shikamaru points out in a touching scene that he would be there for her and Asuma’s child and offer support. The once distant and reluctant to lead Shikamaru stepped into his leadership role by understanding that lives will be at stake during conflict, and we cannot keep our head in the clouds forever when challenges arise.

Internal circumstances within Sokka’s control drive him to change.

A lot of Sokka’s strife is internal, relating to his concerns over not being a bender and what his role is in the group. Things come to a head while they are traveling in the Fire Nation, finding himself yet again the butt of jokes and feeling as though he’s the odd man out. After expressing his concerns to the group, Sokka decides to tackle his worries of becoming a warrior (namely caring too much about what others think), by trying to train with Master Piandao, a renowned swordman.

Though Sokka lucks his way into getting Piandao to agree, he still doubts his skills and even after training with Piandao a bit doubts that he could be a swordsman. But, through his clever thinking and patience, Sokka learns during his painting sessions and forging his meteor sword that he doesn’t have to be ‘what others want him to be’ but rather, who he would like to be. This gives Sokka the revelation that although he is not a bender, that does not make him less valuable than the rest of the team.

His new confidence allows for him to beat Master Piandao in a sword fight, finally admitting that he’s from the Water Tribe and just wanted help. Here is where Sokka learns what it means to be a true warrior- one that fully understands and accepts themselves. He did not have to gain any skills other than realizing that his unique skills make him valuable. By the time he rejoins the group, Sokka is much more confident and begins to lay the plans down to end the Fire Nation’s scheming.

Clever Strategists Who Come Full Circle and Make a Difference

The lazy but brilliant boy who became the seventh Hokage’s main advisor: Shikamaru.

During the start the Shinobi World War, Shikamaru is asked by a council to discuss potential war strategies, showing that his reputation as an intelligent leader had grown. He becomes the Fourth Division’s co-leader, which is something his former self would have complained and been reluctant to take on. Having to take on his former teacher proved daunting, but Shikamaru was the one ending a resurrected and possessed Asuma- he kept his word.

And of course, Asuma again imparts advice to him, proud of his leadership. Tragedy strikes when he finds out his father has passed during the war, but in a touching moment, he thanks his father for being a good example and takes on the duty of becoming the chief war strategist. Having to deal with a father’s death is tough enough, but when the Ten Tails emerges, Shikamaru is able to lay down a plan and make sure the Ten Tails is delayed to prevent it from killing countless shinobi.

In the end, Shikamaru becomes the seventh Hokage’s main advisor. With his analytics and organization, Shikamaru is able to keep Naruto more organized and often handles duties to lessen the Hokage’s load. Not bad for a guy who simply wanted to stare at the clouds and be lazy.

The goofy meat and sarcasm guy who became a warrior leading the SWT and a Republic City councilman: Sokka.

After forging his meteorite sword, Sokka is able to find some peace within and accepts himself as a competent leader that has his own quirks and ways about doing things. His true leadership potential is shown during the Day of Black Sun. Sokka’s investigative work and determination helped to prevent many from being captured by Azula’s trap. Though Sokka wasn’t able to free the prisoners, he resolved to do it in the future, which he helped do. Unlike previous times, he does not dwell as much on his failures, but convinces himself he can do it.

Being in charge of destroying the Fire Nation airfleet was Sokka’s big moment. When things got tense, he steered the airship they were on in a particular manner, then having the crew through the floor hatch. This clever move allowed for the abandoned airship to collide with others, while him Toph, and Suki escaped at the ship’s top. He is able to save Toph from a falling death with his sword, while having a broken leg. And despite that, he kept fighting outnumbered until Suki arrived with help.

Sokka, after the war, became the Southern Water Tribe’s leader and a Republic City councilman. And based on the Legend of Korra references, Sokka was able to remain influential in both his homeland and the outside world. Not bad for a guy who only had sarcasm, meat, and a boomerang.

#shikamaru #shikamaru nara #sokka #atla sokka #naruto shippuden #Avatar The Last Airbender #suki #temari #sukka #shikatema #character analysis #character development #clever strategists

66 notes · View notes

drtanstravels · 7 years ago

Text

In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia. Now it was time to make a move to Barcelona.

Tuesday, September 5 We packed all of our luggage into the back of our Mini and it was time to hit the road, down the freeway to where we’d be spending the night, Peñíscola. Yes, people have constantly reminded me that the place sounds like its name resembles that of a phallic-themed carbonated beverage, but this was an awesome place and not only because parts of season six of Game of Thrones were filmed there, not by a long shot. Here’s a bit about Peñíscola:

Peñíscola, anglicised as Peniscola, is a municipality in the province of Castellón, Valencian Community, Spain. The town is located on the Costa del Azahar, north of the Serra d’Irta along the Mediterranean coast. It is a popular tourist destination Peniscola, often called the “Gibraltar of Valencia,” and locally as “The City in the Sea”, is a fortified seaport, with a lighthouse, built on a rocky headland about 220 feet (67 m) high, and joined to the mainland by only a narrow strip of land.

The present castle was built by the Knights Templar between 1294 and 1307. In the fourteenth century it was garrisoned by the Knights of Montesa, and in 1420 it reverted to the Crown of Aragon. From 1415 to 1423 it was the home of the schismatic Avignon popeBenedict XIII (Pedro de Luna), whose name is commemorated in the Castell del Papa Luna, the name of the medieval castle, and Bufador del Papa Luna, a curious cavern with a landward entrance through which the seawater escapes in clouds of spray.

My arch-nemesis, Google Maps, led us to the location without a hassle, but then decided to cause problems once we were there. The road into the old-town seemed to get quite narrow once you passed the gate at the end of the beach so we parked the car and tried to find out hotel on foot, however, as we were getting out of the car someone walked up and told us we would probably get a fine if we parked there because the parking was only for residents after a certain time in the afternoon. Looks like Anna would have to try and get us around those tiny streets, initially built 700 years ago, long before the invention of the automobile and with the purpose of catering to foot-traffic, horses and carts at the most, in mind, in order to locate our hotel, the Dios Esta Bien. Back in the 1970s, my parents drove a Mini and that’s when they were legitimately tiny cars. Both of my parents are well over 6′ (182cm) tall and this was during a time of afros and platform shoes, them getting in and out of that thing would’ve looked like a clown car at the circus. Things are a little different now, new models of Mini are on the road, such as the one we had rented, and they aren’t that small anymore. If anything, they are probably slightly larger than most small car models these days. The screenshot of the map (right) was taken later in the night on the beach after dinner, the road we were more than likely on at this particular time was the Calle Saiz de Carlos and we had to make it to our hotel. Not an easy task, especially when you’re driving on the opposite side of the road to what you’re used to on streets so narrow that you can’t even open the doors in some parts. You know it’s a tight fit when the locals on the street are cringing and curling up their faces as you slowly meander through the lanes, so Anna eventually stopped in a tiny parking lot and we devised a new plan; Anna would wait in the car in case there was a problem with parking, I would set out on foot and try to find the hotel. Those tiny streets get a little difficult to navigate when your map isn’t working, however, I followed it as best as I could and decided to find a cafe so I could use their wifi, but accidentally stumbled upon our hotel in the process. The hotel manager was sitting out the front, having a smoke when I found him and burst into laughter when I told him our predicament, telling me it happens quite often. He walked down to the car with me and offered to Anna to drive it up to the Dios Esta Bien, to which Anna gave a resounding “Yes!” We had luggage on the back seat, meaning there was no room for anyone to sit so we just walked up to the hotel and met him there. We checked in, took our luggage three floors up the extremely narrow staircase to our room and then drove the car back down to where there was a carpark we could actually use. The stressful part was officially over, we could now walk out and get a taste of Peñíscola (pun absolutely intended):

If a truck can do it, then it can’t be that difficult

Walking down the street to our hotel

The view from our room

The stairs are a bit tight

For some of us, anyway

Walking down to the carpark

Anna navigating one of many tight turns

Looking at the castle from the beach

Panoramic shot of the beach

Looking back into town

Jamon again!

The face pedestrians made when they saw Anna trying to take the really tight turns

We walked around, checking out Peñíscola and stopping off at random places for the occasional latte, but before long it was time to eat again. We looked for a while, deciding between several really good looking restaurants, but then stumbled upon Taberna El Ánfora and the decision really just made itself. There is a kind of poorly translated description from the restaurant on Trip Advisor that says:

Our restaurant offers our guests a traditional Mediterranean seafood cuisine. We have our menu with a characteristic dishes of our establishment and others that vary from fresh fish, to offer our clients a different way to taste the Mediterranean fish and seafood. The chef Daniel Colom cooking style dishes “sailor fishing boat” will offer a unique experience and move you with its variety of typical dishes of sailors the world of “seafarers” We wait for you.

I guess what they were trying to say is that all of the food is freshly caught and that the chef/owner, Daniel Colom, goes diving daily for fresh shellfish so if something isn’t available, it’s because he couldn’t catch any that day. Once inside the restaurant, lobster traps act as lampshades and the walls and ceiling are adorned with treasures and artefacts the chef has discovered while diving, broken antique vases from the ocean’s floor, that type of thing, however, photographs aren’t allowed unless you are eating there. We pulled up a seat, ordered a variety of stuff, some we were familiar with and some we’d never even heard of, such as sea nettles, which tasted kind of like deep-fried oysters but a quick look at wikipedia and it tuns out that they are actually of the jellyfish family. Once we had ordered, Daniel took us inside to show us around, look at all the stuff he had salvaged and pose for photos in sailor hats similar to those worn by Donald Duck and Japanese schoolgirls.

The food was spectacular, we followed it up with some free shots of some local alcohol and then took a long walk around the beach before heading back home. Some scenes from the night:

I would eat here nightly if I could

My view while we were having dinner

Just Anna and myself looking stupid again

A cabinet with some of the stuff Daniel has salvaged while diving

Fortunately, we’re in the background of this one

Octopus and potato stew

Sea nettles

With Daniel Colom

The most bored person I think I’ve ever seen

Looking at the foreshore

The sea at night

Walking back to our hotel

Wednesday, September 6 Today Anna was going to have to navigate those crazy back alleys again in order for us to be able pack our luggage in the car, but that’s not something you can probably do on an empty stomach so we decided to wander around the castle and then go down to the pier area, have a coffee and get some lunch. After walking around, looking at the buildings and watching the fish swim in the water, we settled into another great little seafood restaurant called Puerto Mar. Yet again, we ate ridiculously well, feasting on a different variety of sea-snails to usual, as well as razor clams among other miscellaneous sea creatures. I’ve always loved Spanish food, but I could eat the seafood in Peñíscola every meal for the rest of my life and be completely content. In an effort to delay driving the car back up to the hotel, we walked around the beach for a while, just taking in the scenery, but it was inevitable; Anna would have to tackle those extremely compact laneways, but yet again she pulled it off superbly and before long we were packed and making our way to Barcelona. When we arrived we dropped off our car at the rental place near our hotel and it turned out there was a scratch in the paintwork, most likely from all of those sharp curves, but luckily she paid for full insurance to begin with. To quote the man who served us when we returned the car, “You could’ve just brought back the steering wheel and it would’ve been fine.” Once the car was sorted, we checked into our hotel, which was located near the conference centre where the 2017 Euretina Congress was being held and, although our hotel was nice and on the beach, there wasn’t a whole lot else around the general area where we were staying. We looked around a shopping mall, Diagonal Mar Centre, that was located behind our hotel, but that was just like the countless malls back home in Singapore. Once we were done wandering around there, we had dinner and a few drinks, then decided to cash in that night and make the most of the following day. Still, it was a day well-spent:

In the lobby of the Dios Esta Bien

This little guy decided to check out the view with us

It’s pretty relaxing here

Walking around the castle

Anna and some houses

Making our way along the pier to the restaurant

Puerto Mar

Where to begin?

Well, how about with these?

Taste so good

Some clams

Probably should de-stress again before trying to drive back up to our hotel

This was one of the wider streets!

It’s amazing that there was only one small scratch on the car in the end

Thursday, September 7 Anna had to present at the conference on Friday so it was best to make the most of one of our only full days together in Barcelona. The plan of attack? Get some coffee and go take a look at Sagrada Familia:

The Basílica i Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Família (English: Basilica and Expiatory Church of the Holy Family) is a large unfinished Roman Catholic church in Barcelona, designed by Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí (1852–1926). Gaudí’s work on the building is part of a UNESCOWorld Heritage Site, and in November 2010 Pope Benedict XVI consecrated and proclaimed it a minor basilica, as distinct from a cathedral, which must be the seat of a bishop.

In 1882 construction of Sagrada Família commenced under architect Francisco Paula de Villar until 1883, when Villar resigned. Gaudí took over as chief architect, transforming the project with his architectural and engineering style, combining Gothic and curvilinear Art Nouveau forms. Gaudí devoted the remainder of his life to the project, and at the time of his death at age 73 in 1926, less than a quarter of the project was complete.

Relying solely on private donations, Sagrada Familia’s construction progressed slowly and was interrupted by the Spanish Civil War, only to resume intermittent progress in the 1950s. Since commencing construction in 1882, advancements in technologies such as computer aided design and computerised numerical control (CNC) have enabled faster progress and construction passed the midpoint in 2010. However some of project’s greatest challenges remain including the construction of ten more spires, each symbolising an important Biblical figure in the New Testament. It is anticipated the building could be completed by 2026—the centenary of Gaudí’s death.

The basílica has a long history of dividing the citizens of Barcelona: over the initial possibility it might compete with Barcelona’s cathedral, over Gaudí’s design itself, over the possibility that work after Gaudí’s death disregarded his design, and the 2007 proposal to build an underground tunnel of Spain’s high-speed rail link to France which could disturb its stability. Describing Sagrada Família, art critic Rainer Zerbst said “it is probably impossible to find a church building anything like it in the entire history of art”, and Paul Goldberger describes it as “the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages”.

We arrived at Sagrada Familia and Anna had managed to score tickets online that allowed us to go 65m (213′) up the basilica’s Passion Towers, a process that is only possible by elevator, however, the descent back to ground-level involves walking a very narrow, winding staircase consisting of over 300 steps. Here’s how we saw our time both outside the basilica, as well as inside:

The main basilica

Looking from the side

Anna in front of the entrance

Inside

And the other end

Panoramic shot inside

Once we’d been up, we would have to walk down a staircase like that

The view from one window in the Passion Towers

Same view, but obscured by Anna

A small stairwell to the other tower

Still under construction

Apparently that’s the route we took

It’s a long way down

Some people are dicks

One of the numerous scale models inside

To exit the building, in typical style you must go through the gift shop, but en route to the store the walls are lined with many highly-detailed scale models of what the finished building will look like, hand crafted by designers and artists. One can’t help but think that they would be a lot more closer to completing the building if they put that effort into the actual basilica, as opposed to building so many models of it. These things aren’t small, either!

Following Sagrada Familia was to be the interesting part. We were about to spend the rest of the day shopping, making our way into the city and eventually ending up at La Rambla, the site of the Barcelona terrorist attack just three weeks earlier. If you haven’t read part one of this post or have just plain forgotten the details, here’s how it went down:

On the afternoon of 17 August 2017, 22-year-old Younes Abouyaaqoub drove a van into pedestrians on La Rambla in Barcelona, Spain, killing 13 people and injuring at least 130 others, one of whom died 10 days later on 27 August. Abouyaaqoub fled the attack on foot, then killed another person in order to steal the victim’s car to make his escape. Nine hours after the Barcelona attack, five men thought to be members of the same terrorist cell drove into pedestrians in nearby Cambrils, killing one woman and injuring six others. All five attackers were shot and killed by police. The night before the Barcelona attack, an explosion occurred in a house in the Spanish town of Alcanar, destroying the building and killing two members of the terrorist cell; including the 40-year-old imam thought to be the mastermind. The home had over 120 gas canisters inside, which police believe the cell was attempting to make into one large bomb or three smaller bombs to be placed in three vans which they had rented; but which they accidentally detonated.

We weren’t worried at all, if anything it would most likely be safer because everybody would be on their guard and there would be a lot more security around.

The two of us made our way through the city, admiring some of the bizarre architecture and happy in the fact that this was going to be our home for the next few days. Eventually we arrived at La Rambla and there were very few signs that anything had happened in recent times. La Rambla is a tree-lined pedestrian mall, closed to transport, that stretches for 1.2 kms (0.75 miles) with many shops, bars and cafes, however, there were no shrines or memorials, but a large police presence with police cars and armed officers blocking every possible entrance point. Besides that, it seemed like it was back to business as usual, people appeared relaxed and at ease. That was until a car backfired and everyone flinched in unison, that terror still present in their eyes as they mentally flashed back to what they were doing several weeks earlier when they first heard the news, but the fear subsided again soon enough.

The entire day I couldn’t work out why I was getting such dirty looks from some people, then it dawned on me — I looked like a Trump supporter. I was wearing the t-shirt I received when I bought the VIP package to see Ween on the President’s Day weekend in Broomfield, Colorado last year which has Dean and Gene Ween satirising Benjamin Franklin and Abraham Lincoln respectively, with a parody of the American flag behind them, the stars replaced with Boognish logos. To top off the look, I was also wearing a red cap advertising a pizza store that, in actuality, looked a lot like a ‘Make America Great Again’ hat on first glance. From now on I’ll actually look in the mirror before I walk out the door.

A lot of the stores around the area were similar to what we would find in Singapore, but there was still some pretty cool stuff around and Anna could’ve happily spent every cent she had. After we tired of looking at the shops, we had a couple of mid-afternoon libations in La Rambla, stopped off for some dinner and then found a shisha bar that had some pretty decent Palestinian beers, something I had never seen before. Here’s how it all looked from our perspective:

I bet elves live in this building

Maybe this one, too

La Rambla

They didn’t actually sell them

Yes, apparently this is an actual plant…

…as are these chilis

Enjoying a drink on La Rambla

A mural in the shisha bar

I really do look like a redneck

Anna going a little red

Almost time to go back to the trailer and brush my tooth

Don’t worry, our trailer’s in a nice part of Barcelona

Friday, September 8 Friday was to be Anna’s first full day at the Euretina Congress, she was also making a presentation, offering me the opportunity to explore the city by myself. I made the 45-minute beachside walk into town, stopping off for a coffee along the way, and spent most of the day in the same way as the previous afternoon, but just looking at record stores and stuff that I like to do when I’m alone in a new city, but particularly exploring the Gothic Quarter of Barcelona:

The Gothic Quarter is the centre of the old city of Barcelona. It stretches from La Rambla to Via Laietana, and from the Mediterranean seafront to the Ronda de Sant Pere. It is a part of Ciutat Vella district.

The quarter encompasses the oldest parts of the city of Barcelona, and includes the remains of the city’s Roman wall and several notable medieval landmarks. Much of the present-day fabric of the quarter, however, dates to the 19th and early 20th centuries. El Call, the medieval Jewish quarter, is located within this area, along with the former Sinagoga Major.

The Barri Gòtic retains a labyrinthine street plan, with many small streets opening out into squares. Most of the quarter is closed to regular traffic although open to service vehicles and taxis.

We had already seen a decent part of the Gothic Quarter the previous day, but because I walked into town this time, I got to approach it from a different angle and find new parts. See for yourself:

When the beach looks like this, it’s a perfect day for looking at the Gothic Quarter

Water tower in Barceloneta Park

I know nothing about soccer, but I thought this might have something to do with FC Barcelona. Turns out I was wrong.

Walking around the Gothic Quarter

More of the Gothic Quarter

Still more

Columbus Monument at the lower end of La Rambla

Barcelona Maritime Museum

Pretty saucy for Baghdad, but I guess the spelling isn’t much to go by

El Portal de Santa Madrona de Barcelona

Although I could physically do it, I couldn’t spend all day walking around town because I had to attend a ball with Anna for the conference that night in Casa Llotja de Mar, a 14th-century stock exchange. Finally, the people that Anna has conference calls with every Wednesday to discuss a journal article they are writing would be able to put a face to the torso of the man who keeps accidentally walking into the background of the screen of their calls in nothing but his underwear. Again, the food was outstanding and a great night was had by all, except until I realised I was wearing the exact same clothes as the last time I ate with Professor Holz, Anna’s boss in Germany. He didn’t notice, but he got a bit of a chuckle out of it when I showed him a photo. I think in the future I might make a point out of wearing that shirt and those pants every time I know he is going to be around.

Saturday, September 9 This was to be our last full day in Spain, so we intended to make it count. We both love flea markets so the first stop was to be the Encants Vells Flea Market:

Barcelona’s Encants Vells, also known as the Mercat de Bellcaire, is one of the oldest flea markets in Europe and dates back to the 14th Century.

In 2013 Els Encants relocated to a stunning new purpose built 3 story structure opposite the Agbar Tower.

The emblematic mirrored canopy houses 500 stalls; a mixture of junk shop, antiques fair, jumble sale and old school market all rolled into one.

In addition to second hand books, ornaments, cameras, furniture and clothes, there are also stalls selling new clothes, furniture, decorative items, toois, hardware and electronics. Not to mention 2 bar/cafés, several small antique shops and a shop that sells electric bikes.

The 33,306 m² canopy was designed by Fermin Väzquez and is without doubt one of the most impressive modern market buildings in Europe.

Okay, I’m struggling to believe those dimensions as well, 33,306 m² (358,503 feet²) seems somewhat unrealistic, but this place was still pretty damn huge! Needles to say, it had a bit of everything so we were rather content for an hour or two, just pawing through other people’s crap.

The reflective ceiling

I love stalls like this

The entrance

Reflecting on life choices

I said this place was enormous

Porn and paintbrushes in the one place. Convenient!

After we had finished, we had the chance for one last great meal and my hair was still done from the ball the previous night, so we went down and pulled up a seat in a Michelin star tapas restaurant called Tickets. Apparently you need to book weeks or months in advance and according to the Michelin Guide they supposedly only open for dinner, but we just got lucky; it was raining outside, they were just opening for lunch for some reason, maybe something they only do on Saturdays, and they must’ve had a cancellation or something, but they were able to fit us in. But even if we had to wait months on a booking, it definitely would have been worth it! Here’s how Time Out describes Tickets (it’s also one of the only descriptions I could find that didn’t consist of a review longer than this entire blog post!):

The Adrià brothers have triumphed again with this ambitious Barcelona-based round-up of their philosophy of tapas. With four different sections – seafood, the grill, sweet treats, and little inventive surprises – you’ll get ‘El Bulli’ versions of all tapas from all over Spain. Squid in its ink with almond paste or grilled watermelon are just a couple examples. Dining here implies a trip through Ferran and Albert Adrià’s culinary wisdom, emphasizing the playful nature of eating. A true dinner party, we would say.

Here’s a look inside Tickets, a portion of the tapas we tried and a few more scenes from around Barcelona on our last day in town:

Someone looks excited

Anna thought these chairs were pretty cool

A little under-dressed with our bloody marys

King crab leg

Don’t be fooled, that is actually creamed cauliflower next to the caviar

Octopus

Quail up next

Cooking it beside our table

And done

Now into the dessert room

Frozen cheese and berries

Tickets cheesecake

Down a lane

A bar at tapas time

Barcelona Cathedral

A lamppost

I probably would’ve named it something else

That night, a whole bunch of the doctors had dinner together and the younger ones amongst us went out to a bar for the night. Anna and myself still had to get up the next morning for a reasonably early for a flight, but we still managed to stay up and party on until the end, our dignity intact.

Rosa and Anna

The whole crew

Sunday, September 10 Our flight was at 11:00am so we needed to be at the airport at around 9:00am. We managed to do it, albeit exhausted, and due to the time differences, it was 7:00am on Monday by the time we got back to Singapore. We caught an Uber home from Changi Airport, Anna re-packed and went straight back to the airport again in order to fly out to Myanmar at midday to do volunteer surgery in a remote village for a week. That woman is a machine! I was left for the week with this thing, but it was too interested in the jamon bone we brought back for it to really pay attention to anyone else. Looks like I’d be spending some time at the pub

That does look tasty…

Our entire trip to Spain was a blast; Sitges was a fun night, Valencia was a nice, relaxing break, Peñíscola was breathtaking, and Barcelona was all that we expected. Thanks again to Rosa and Roberto for letting us stay at your house, we didn’t actually expect you to move out for us, and we’ll be back again for next year’s conference.

UPDATE: Just before I was about to publish the end of this story, more violence kicked off in Catalonia. From the video’s description:

Footage from the Catalonia Independence Referendum has shown what appears to be Spanish police brutality against peaceful demonstrators in Barcelona and elsewhere. Catalan officials say at least 337 people have been injured in clashes as police try to prevent voting in Catalonia’s independence referendum. The Spanish government has pledged to stop a poll that was declared illegal by the country’s constitutional court. Police officers are preventing people from voting, and seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations. In the regional capital Barcelona, police used batons and fired rubber bullets during pro-referendum protests. The toll of injured was confirmed by a spokesman for the Catalan regional government, as well as the region’s health department. Separately, the Spanish interior ministry said 11 police officers had been injured.

Looks like we got out just in time!

Traveling to Spain in the Wake of a Tragedy, pt. 2: Peñíscola and Barcelona In the first part of this trip we had spent an amusing night in Sitges, followed by few days seeing the sights, catching up with friends and eating in Valencia.

#attack #Bacilica #Barcelona #cathedral #Euretina #flea markets #food #Game of Thrones #Gothic #La Rambla #Peniscola #Seafood #terrorism

1 note · View note

usnewsaggregator-blog · 7 years ago

Text

A timeline of Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia, his ouster and guilty plea

New Post has been published on https://usnewsaggregator.com/u-s/a-timeline-of-michael-flynns-contacts-with-russia-his-ouster-and-guilty-plea/

A timeline of Michael Flynn's contacts with Russia, his ouster and guilty plea

By Arden Farhi, Margaret Brennan, Louise Dufresne, Josh Gross, Kathryn Watson and Jacqueline Alemany. This timeline was originally published on Feb. 14, 2017.

Dec. 10, 2015: Michael Flynn travels to Russia; meets with President Vladimir Putin

Nov. 9, 2016: Donald Trump wins presidential election

(The election, of course, was Nov. 8, but he wasn’t officially declared the victor until early Nov. 9.)

Nov. 17, 2016: President-elect Trump offers Flynn White House post as national security adviser

Nov. 18, 2016: Flynn accepts position

Dec. 4, 2016: Flynn’s son Michael Flynn Jr., a transition staffer, tweets on #Pizzagate

@MFlynnJr: Until #Pizzagate proven to be false, it’ll remain a story. The left seems to forget #PodestaEmails and the many “coincidences” tied to it.

#Pizzagate is a thoroughly debunked conspiracy theory involving Hillary Clinton and a Washington, D.C. pizzeria.

Dec. 6, 2016: Flynn’s son, Michael Flynn Jr. is forced to resign from Trump transition team over #pizzagate

Dec. 12, 2016: U.S. official confirms U.S. has “high confidence” Russian intelligence agency GRU hacked the DNC and DCCC

In October, the U.S. intelligence community concluded that Russia was behind the cyberattacks.

Dec. 22, 2016: Jared Kushner, CBS News confirmed at a later date, instructs Flynn to contact the Russian government on U.N. Security Council resolution on Israeli settlements. Flynn reaches out to Russian Ambassador to the U.S. Sergey Kislyak.

Dec. 25, 2016 (Christmas): Flynn texts Kislyak

Flynn reached out to wish the ambassador a merry Christmas and the ambassador returned those greetings. Flynn offered his condolences for the loss of 92 members of a Russian military choir killed in a plane crash.

Dec. 28, 2016: Obama signs executive order imposing new sanctions on Russia to take effect the next day

Dec. 28, 2016: Kislyak reaches out to Flynn

Kislyak reached out to Flynn to discuss logistics of setting up a phone call between Trump and Putin to take place after Inauguration Day, according to Spicer’s Jan. 13 briefing.

Dec. 29, 2016: K.T. McFarland, according to later CBS confirmation, while at Mar-a-Lago and with other top officials including Reince Priebus, Kellyanne Conway, Stephen Miller and Steve Bannon, tells Flynn to communicate to Kislyak about the U.S. sanctions. Flynn calls Kislyak.

Dec. 29. 2016: Russian sanctions announced

Obama administration announces sanctions on Russia for the cyber attack; 35 Russian diplomats expelled; two Russian diplomatic facilities in the U.S. shuttered.

President-elect Trump’s reaction: “It’s time for our country to move on to bigger and better things. Nevertheless, in the interest of our country and its great people, I will meet with leaders of the intelligence community next week in order to be updated on the facts of this situation.”

Dec. 30, 2016: Trump tweets about Putin’s “great move”

Great move on delay (by V. Putin) – I always knew he was very smart!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2016

Jan. 12, 2017: Washington Post’s David Ignatius first reports Flynn and Russian ambassador spoke by phone

Jan. 13, 2017: Reuters reports there were five phone calls between Flynn and the Russian ambassador on the day the U.S. announced retaliatory sanctions.

Jan. 15, 2017 Mike Pence appears on “Face the Nation” and defends Flynn

JOHN DICKERSON: Let me ask you about it was reported by David Ignatius that the incoming national security advisor Michael Flynn was in touch with the Russian ambassador on the day the United States government announced sanctions for Russian interference with the election. Did that contact help with that Russian kind of moderate response to it? That there was no counter-reaction from Russia. Did the Flynn conversation help pave the way for that sort of more temperate Russian response?

MIKE PENCE: I talked to General Flynn about that conversation and actually was initiated on Christmas Day he had sent a text to the Russian ambassador to express not only Christmas wishes but sympathy for the loss of life in the airplane crash that took place. It was strictly coincidental that they had a conversation. They did not discuss anything having to do with the United States’ decision to expel diplomats or impose censure against Russia.

JOHN DICKERSON: So did they ever have a conversation about sanctions ever on those days or any other day?

MIKE PENCE: They did not have a discussion contemporaneous with U.S. actions on–

JOHN DICKERSON: But what about after–

MIKE PENCE: –my conversation with General Flynn. Well, look. General Flynn has been in touch with diplomatic leaders, security leaders in some 30 countries. That’s exactly what the incoming national security advisor–

JOHN DICKERSON: Absolutely.

MIKE PENCE: –should do. But what I can confirm, having spoken to him about it, is that those conversations that happened to occur around the time that the United States took action to expel diplomats had nothing whatsoever to do with those sanctions.

JOHN DICKERSON: But that still leaves open the possibility that there might have been other conversations about the sanctions.

MIKE PENCE: I don’t believe there were more conversations.

JOHN DICKERSON: Okay. Okay. Okay. That’s all I want. Okay. Got it–

MIKE PENCE: –confirm that those elements were not part of that discussion.

Jan. 20, 2017 Inauguration Day: Trump sworn in as the 45th president

Jan. 22, 2017 Michael Flynn sworn in as national security adviser

Jan. 23, 2017 Sean Spicer on contacts between Flynn and Russian ambassador

White House confirms two calls between Flynn and Kislyak.

QUESTION: Were those conversations about anything else other than setting up that discussion? And why has that discussion not yet happened between the president and President Putin?

SPICER: So there’s been one call. I talked to General Flynn about this again last night. One call, talked about four subjects. One was the loss of life that occurred in the plane crash that took their military choir, two was Christmas and holiday greetings, three was to — to talk about a conference in Syria on ISIS and four was to set up a — to talk about after the inauguration setting up a call between President Putin and President Trump.

That — I don’t believe that that has been set up yet because the call was to say — they did follow up, I’m sorry, two days ago about how to facilitate that call once again. So there have been a total of two calls with the ambassador and General Flynn. And the second call came — I think it’s now three days ago — that was to say once he gets into office, can we set up that call? It hasn’t — to my knowledge, has not occurred yet.

Jan. 24, 2017 Flynn is interviewed by the FBI, and lies in the process

According to prosecutors in court documents released months later, Flynn lied to the FBI about his contacts with Kislyak.

Jan. 26, 2017 Department of Justice informs White House that Flynn may have misled administration officials

DOJ officials inform the White House Office of Legal Counsel that Flynn may have misled senior administration officials about the nature of his communications with Russian ambassador. Mr. Trump was briefed.

Jan. 27, 2017 Trump and Comey have dinner; Trump, according to Comey, demands loyalty pledge

Jan. 28, 2017 – Trump speaks with Putin

White House readout:

“President Donald J. Trump received a congratulatory call today from Russian President Vladimir Putin. The call lasted approximately one hour and ranged in topics from mutual cooperation in defeating ISIS to efforts in working together to achieve more peace throughout the world including Syria. The positive call was a significant start to improving the relationship between the United States and Russia that is in need of repair. Both President Trump and President Putin are hopeful that after today’s call the two sides can move quickly to tackle terrorism and other important issues of mutual concern.”

Feb. 1, 2017 Flynn says Iran is “on notice”

In an appearance in the White House briefing room, Flynn said, “As of today we are officially putting Iran on notice.”

Feb. 9, 2017 Pence learns that Flynn lied to him about conversations with Kislyak

Feb. 10, 2017 Flynn spokesman claims Flynn can’t be certain if sanctions were discussed

The Washington Post reports that Flynn doesn’t recall but cannot be 100 percent certain whether Russia sanctions came up during his phone conversation with the Russian ambassador to the U.S. The report cited a White House official who had spoken to him. Flynn said he doesn’t remember any part of the discussion involving sanctions. When asked about possible transcripts of phone conversations that would have been intercepted by U.S. intelligence agencies who may have been monitoring the calls, the official said he hadn’t seen them and had no comment.

Feb. 10, 2017 Aboard Air Force One, Trump denies knowledge of Flynn’s conversations with ambassador

QUESTION: Mr. President what do you make of reports that General Flynn had conversations with the Russians about sanctions before you were sworn in?

POTUS: I don’t know about it. I haven’t seen it. What report is that?

POTUS: I haven’t seen that. I’ll look at that.

When asked how the cable news-loving president was unaware of the Flynn matter, the White House told Margaret Brennan “he had a full day.”

Feb. 13, 2017: White House mixes messages, expressing full confidence in Flynn, then saying it is reviewing the situation

Flynn participates in calls with leaders from South Africa and Nigeria. He also appears in the front row of a press conference with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

Kellyanne Conway says Flynn “does enjoy the full confidence of the president.”

An hour later, the White House released a statement saying, “The President is evaluating the situation…”

Feb. 13, 2017: Flynn resigns; Keith Kellogg named interim national security adviser

Flynn submits resignation letter to the president, says “Unfortunately, because of the fast pace of events, I inadvertently briefed the Vice President Elect and others with incomplete information regarding my phone calls with the Russian Ambassador.”

Feb. 14, 2017: Kremlin calls Flynn’s ouster an “internal matter”

“This is the internal business of the Americans, it is the internal business of President Trump’s administration. This is not our business,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told journalists.

Feb. 15, 2017: Trump calls Flynn a “wonderful man” in joint presser with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

March 31, 2017: Trump tweets Flynn should ask for immunity

“Mike Flynn should ask for immunity in that this is a witch hunt (excuse for big election loss), by media & Dems, of historic proportion!” the president tweeted.

Dec. 1, 2017: Flynn pleads guilty to lying to the FBI

Flynn pleads guilty to one count of lying to the FBI and states he is cooperating with Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian meddling.

Dec. 2, 2017: Trump says he fired Flynn because he lied to Pence and the FBI

Mr. Trump takes to Twitter, saying he fired Flynn because he lied to Pence and the FBI, raising questions about whether Mr. Trump did indeed know Flynn lied to the FBI at the time Flynn was ousted. If he did know Flynn lied to the FBI at the time, then his reported request to Comey on Feb. 14, one day after Flynn’s firing, to drop the Flynn matter becomes increasingly interesting for Mueller.

“I had to fire General Flynn because he lied to the Vice President and the FBI. He has pled guilty to those lies. It is a shame because his actions during the transition were lawful. There was nothing to hide!” Mr. Trump tweeted.

Original Article:

Click here

#contacts #flynn #guilty #michael #ouster #russia #timeline

0 notes

timuntimes18-blog · 7 years ago

Photo

SG Interview

By Eda Leblebici

Can you tell us a bit about your position?

Hande Başak Oktay :We’re the Secretaries General; so what we do is basically helping all of the departments. We check on them to guarantee that everything is ready for TIMUN. Also, it’s our duty to make sure everything goes smoothly before and during the conference.

Simay Inci Ipek: To add, we are always in contact with the advisors of the schools’ so that their attendance is checked, and also we are in contact with the Stoff team as well. We’re basically in contact with every participant of TIMUN, making sure that they have everything they need.

What do you think about this conference?

SI: We’ve been a part of TIMUN for so long. We were admins four years ago, and this year is our fifth TIMUN. Throughout these five years we’ve grown a lot and I believe TIMUN also grew with us.

HO: We, as the EXEC team, always say that TIMUN is our baby, because it truly is. I think growing with TIMUN is the most important part of our connection. I think seeing TIMUN get over all of the difficulties makes us very proud, as mothers would be. My sister used to do MUN, and bring home many certificates. There was one from TIMUN on her wall and when I think about that and where we are now, it fills me with such joy that I can’t put in words.

SI:Also for five years we’ve seen four more Secretaries General beside us. From day one, TIMUN always had a quality that stands both nationally and internationally. We are proud to be known worldwide, and over the course of years we’ve never seen TIMUN depreciate that quality.

What inspired you to be a part of MUN?

SI: We both did JMUN in elementary school and I’ve heard about the club from my older brother. Listening to my brother’s stories about MUN made me realize that I wanted to continue doing MUN in high school as well.

HO: My sister, also, sort of forced me to be a part of MUN. Initially I wanted to attend the drama club; however, we could only choose one club. I was going to pick the Drama Club but my sister insisted on MUN. At the end, I realized that choosing MUN was actually the best thing that has ever happened to me.

What are some difficulties you’ve had while getting ready for the conference?

SI:We had our IB Exams in November and they take about three weeks. So it was very hard to manage everything while also studying for the upcoming exams. It was pretty challenging both working for those exams and to get prepared for TIMUN.

HO:We also had some challenges with the international participants, because of the current circumstances of Turkey. Aside from that, I would say we haven’t had any major difficulties, except the usual stuff.

SI:We didn’t have any major problems and hopefully we won’t have in the upcoming days. When you care about the job you are doing, you are willing to face those challenges, and thus tackle them.

HO: It’s not a task or difficult thing for us, it is what we like doing.

What is your funniest MUN memory?

HO:Simay and I were both in Haarlem MUN. I came to the conference with sneakers and I was going to change to high heels later. But because I ran out of time I quickly changed to my high heels under the desk. I wore my left shoe on my right foot and vice versa. I somehow didn’t realize the situation even though my feet hurt so bad. I had to walk like a penguin, trying to figure out what the problem was. I thought because I walked in high heels for a long time, I had blisters. It took 20 minutes before I realized I had worn my shoes incorrectly.

What is your favorite country from the ones that you’ve visited?

SI: I would have to say Morocco. I went there two years ago. I first visited Casablanca and stayed there for one day, before heading to Marrakech. I see Marrakech as a very poetic and artistic city. The culture there is very similar to ours. Some believe that Africa has an oriental culture. It’s true that it has traces of Islamic Culture, but the country is also very modern and European. The culture of Ottoman Empire harmonizes with the artistic features of the city itself. Altogether the city won my heart. I advise everyone to visit it.

HO: She travels to very weird places so my holiday’s aren’t as exciting as hers. The most exciting place I’ve ever been to is India. Places with very different cultures appeal to me. In India they speak over a hundred languages. That would mean that there are hundreds of cultures. I went to Southern India to do some volunteer work and even though they live in poverty and bad economic conditions, they really show us hospitality and I really loved the people there. I admired that even though they don’t have much, they always try to decorate stuff and make everything look presentable.

Do you have any guilty pleasures?

HO: I would say, young romance is my guilty pleasure. I know that they are sometimes very cheesy but I read it anyway. They’re always about the same things. Although the plots of young romance books are very cliche, I love them.

SI: I don’t feel that guilty about this, but sometimes I find it kind of embarrassing. I… I listen to Turkish Rap. There is a new rising star in Turkish Music Industry, who is called Ezhel. He is becoming more and more popular each day. I really enjoy his music.

Any other things you’d like to add? Any advice for the delegates?

HO: I would say don’t be shy to speak because no one is going to be mean to you. I think this is a very safe environment to voice your country's opinions and join the debates. MUN is way more fun, if you challenge yourself to participate.

SI: 2017 has been a really difficult year for everyone. Unfortunately there has been a lot of conflicts going on, in every aspect of life. We wanted to touch upon multiple problems that has recently occurred in the world. MUN is more than just watching the news that addresses international issues. MUN is delegates engaging themselves with serious world issues and producing solutions for those problems. We need to actually face the problems. I would advise them to learn as much as they can from the on going debates.

0 notes

the-kind-new-yorker-blog · 7 years ago

Text

Girls Beyond the Wasteland, Show That Will Ironically, End Up Into Obscurity Itself Give It A Couple of Months

Creating a Game is do not ever easy. Especially since that the sector for entertainment lately is so good sized, getting your name available on a Game and successful is rather challenging. So, what show tackle this wasteland on the market where just the strong might survive?! KOUYA! A show that can... ironically, end up inside obscurity itself give it two months...

Story: Buntarou has to be your average high higher education boy. Well, not necessarily average, but the user gets the idea. He loves to help people with the problems, works hard to your pint that you know him and contains a good impression with him, and loves to write for that drama club to help them in their own productions. However, one faithful day, a lovely but cold girl by way of the name of Kuroda asks Bunta for a date, assessing him in advance of finally declaring him to remain the writer on the new project with hers; making some sort of galge.

The principal premise of Kouya is usually supposedly to 'make some sort of visual novel Game'. I use the term supposedly because in all seriousness, this show would make no effort to attempt to make that that central focus. The general summary of any offered episode starts using something going mistaken with development and/or Kuroda having a concern with the individuals who are working and pleasing her dream 100 % FREE, the person your lady upsets and/or yells with subsequently leaves, Bunta and all of those other cast spend the vast majority of episode to attempt to get that people back, they get back, rinse and perform repeatedly. And this is kind of honestly the entire runtime in the show. Throw within a few forced dynamics developments, some required story elements (like bullshit romance), and you have precisely what is basically Kouya in short.

The story itself is incredibly stale because the complete series is based mostly around internal conflicts inside group that from time to time make me wonder why that they even bother banding together in the beginning, since many advisors say "I'm leaving but not coming back", before coming back again ready to succeed again, before departing again. It's repetitive not really all that will imaginative. It also holds mention that since show is stuck from this endless loop with arguments, anything else that show tries to undertake end up as well being very cliche, or are so underdeveloped that this doesn't even issue. Have a issue with voice coming across as? Well, with several words of support, she'll 'magically' complete better. Artist aren't able to draw? Well, games console her and she is going to 'magically' do far better. See the trouble here?

The attempt at comedy that show does additionally doesn't do that show really any favors additionally. Most of that comedy bounces from character retorts or higher exaggerated moments that typically aren't really the only thing that clever and/or innovative. Because the exhibit feels so required, they end in place feeling more cringeworthy as compared to anything and As i honestly couldn't even laugh quite often because of that they were presented.

Over-all, Kouya's story was filled with forced character progress, constant arguing, and a few downright laughable attempts to produce itself interesting. Although show piqued my interest in the beginning because it reminded me on the show with a comparable concept called Saekano, there was hardly ever in hell that I might like to compare this little bit of trash to that will show. Plus, the complete last episode is usually one big waste of your energy since they quite simply do nothing at the time of its entire runtime.

Examination: + Interesting account concept - Bad execution - Comprehensive runtime was some sort of boring and from time to time irritating rinse together with repeat setup - Several cliches and unndeeded story elements to advance the story down - Ending episode was a total waste of time period

Characters: Characters are also a giant issue in regards to the series as one since that really nobody stands out as their own personal character.

Rokushara, your little friend Game company this is started by Kuroda, comprises our main protagonist Buntarou, his friends Atomu together with Yuuka who hates normalfags and it is energetic as just about all hell respectively, some sort of fujoshi named Andou which CONSTANTLY fights using Kuroda, and Yuuki (Tori-chan) which despite her small to medium sized and meek dynamics, aspires to be described as a hentai artist. I grouped in the entire main cast from this series all in place into one since quite honestly, that's all they are really. Since all in the character development is usually forced and truly doesn't add much to your characters at just about all, this is essentially what we're departed with. All of them are merely generic Anime cliches ultimately don't have considerably substance to them as one. Tropes aren't poor, and can be achieved tastefully, but in such a case, Kouya focused excessively hard on looking to create proper drama that this forgot to make its very own characters interesting and meant it was even harder to root for your kids since they just about all have terrible people.

Side characters are actually nothing but block devices in Kouya since that the show spends most its time with its main people. Any character that isn't the main Rokuhara group is really only someone used to refill cast space.

Examination: - Generic, underdeveloped principal character - Block device side people

Art: The art work for Kouya is not really anything special. The animation is standard as to the we see regularly today in Anime, and there's truly nothing special in the regard.

Sound: Akin to art, the OST with regard to Kouya really isn't anything to jot down home about. The opening can be a rock song that will while yes, gives you some aspect of memorabilia for it, it's... rather unfitting for any show despite it's translation title being "Girls Beyond the Wasteland trailer", and the ED is quite bland and it can be just this thrilled ditzy song this is completely skippable.

Personalized Enjoyment: At primary, I really imagined that Kouya truly had something choosing it. It was some sort of show about producing visual novels and since a similar exhibit called Saekano has this can be the same premise, together with did rather properly, I thought that this is a reflection of that will, or would be similar in the regard. But week when week all I bought were the people just arguing amongst each other, with only a few snippets of advancement. Hell, they even stated themselves they will were on a good schedule, and the reality that they were having to pay more screentime battling and arguing as compared to actually making that goddamn Game. Top it off of with lackluster everything once we got closer and nearer to the end, and we now have ourselves an ironic fail.

Did I love this particular Anime?

No, virtually no I didn't. As being the weeks progressed, I honestly started out hating the show ever more because of precisely how poor the writing along with the progression actually has been.

What didn't I want about this Anime?

Really, while I could say I hate everything and become done with that will, I want to find yourself in specifics here. Sayuki Kuroda is usually hands down among the list of brutal and inhumane characters i have ever affecting a school linked Anime. She is a sole reason why everyone from this goddamn Anime actually leaves. She is a total tyrant to the individuals who are trying to allow her, and your lady put her blogger on house stop, prohibiting from allowing him you eat, sleep, go to your bathroom, or spend when on anything BUT writing since they were in back of schedule. (This was a genuine episode that occured. It was the smallest amount funny thing May possibly ever seen in Anime although they played it off being a joke. ) Enjoy actually, HOW in any respect are we designed to feel sorry and support a dynamics who does this?

Would I propose this Anime?

Girls Beyond The Wasteland Kouya can be an Anime that needs to be left in that wasteland. Any and all development out of this show is forced and it is only there to feign an awareness of of progress. That show is revolved available constant bickering, spends only a part of its time on any kind of actual Game producing, and to prime it off, has among the list of worst female leads i have ever affecting a school linked Anime. This can be a show that deserves to remain left out inside wasteland and end up forgotten.

0 notes

jbaquerot · 8 years ago

Link

When Giants linebacker Devon Kennard wakes up each morning, he checks his phone to see what the day might hold. He’ll have text messages and emails, of course, but what Kennard really cares about are his sleep stats: Did he hit his eight-hour target? How good is his recovery score? And, most importantly, how hard can he push his body today? If knowledge is power, NFL players may have just shifted the balance between them and the league over control of their own bodies. On April 24, the NFL Players Association announced a five-year partnership with WHOOP, a wearable device company that can track the health and performance data of the league’s athletes.

Players will be given a WHOOP Strap 2.0 device that can be worn on their wrist, forearm or bicep. It’s designed to monitor the strain they put on their bodies and how well they recover between games or workouts. For now, the league is unlikely to permit players to use it during games (more on that later). According to the NFLPA and WHOOP, the players—not the league—will control the data and have the opportunity to sell it to third parties. The theory behind using WHOOP is that the information should help players avoid overtraining, reduce injury, perform at their best, and even enjoy healthier lives after retirement.

“I’ve always had an avid interest when it comes to sports analytics,” says Chargers offensive tackle Russell Okung, who serves as an athlete advisor to the OneTeam Collective, the NFLPA’s startup accelerator (WHOOP is the first company in the Collective’s portfolio). Okung has suffered from multiple soft tissue injuries in his career, and has tried using different devices to understand why. “[WHOOP] was the next step for me,” he says.

GREG BISHOP: The NFL Optimism Season

But with power comes responsibility. “If applied judiciously, responsibly, and ethically, biometric data technologies in professional sport have the potential to reduce injuries, improve performance, and extend athletes’ careers,” bioethicists Katrina Karkazis and Jennifer Fishman wrote in an article published in the January issue of The American Journal of Bioethics. “However, these same biometric data come with the risk of compromising players’ privacy and autonomy, as well as the confidentiality of their data. Moreover, they also have the potential to disadvantage players in contract negotiations and to harm, and even cut short athletic careers.”

Outside of sports, more and more people are wearing some kind of fitness tracking device. Companies are issuing them as part of corporate wellness programs. Data from them is being used to help diagnose diseases and even solve crimes. “The forces of Big Data are reshaping all of the major institutions in our society,” say the authors of a 2016 report by the Center for Digital Democracy on wearable devices, “disrupting the structures and operations of government, commerce, health, financial markets, education, and the workplace.”

The NFLPA-WHOOP partnership might only be a sports case study with a small sample population of 1,700 football players, but its ethical, legal, and medical consequences may reach far beyond the field of play.

WHOOP is the cool kid in the world of wearable devices; even its name grabs attention. It is a discretely distinctive wristband, black on the outside and bright red, blue, or green on the inside. The band won a Red Dot Design Award in 2016. Unlike some bulky competitors, it has no screen or buttons, and it can be charged while you wear it—you never need to take it off. The heart rate, motion, skin conductivity, and ambient temperature data it records are transmitted via Bluetooth to a user’s mobile device, and from there to the cloud. Those metrics are condensed into three scores, assessing strain from exercise, recovery and sleep, that can monitored in an app.

The device first gained mainstream attraction for its use among NBA players. In spring 2016, then-Cavaliers point guard Matthew Dellavedova started wearing it in games. More than a dozen games later, once the NBA had worked out what the band was, the league banned its use in games. But Clippers center DeAndre Jordan reportedly skirted that ban this past season, wearing WHOOP on his wrist beneath a black sweatband in a February game against the Knicks.

WHOOP remains barred by the NBA during games, but the new collective bargaining agreement, which goes into effect on July 1, may open the door to both it and other technologies. Under the terms of the new CBA, the NBA and National Basketball Players Association will form a joint committee “to review and approve wearable devices for use by players.” The CBA, however, stresses that using any devices will be voluntary, and that the data cannot be used in contract negotiations.

Meanwhile, baseball has formally embraced WHOOP. Last season, 230 minor leaguers were tracked using the wearable from June through November. WHOOP found a correlation between recovery and fastball velocity for pitchers, and ball exit speed and recovery for hitters. In early March, MLB approved the use of WHOOP during big-league games this season. According to WHOOP, players such as Cardinals pitcher Adam Wainwright and Yankees centerfielder Jacoby Ellsbury are using the device.

In essence, the NFLPA partnership with WHOOP puts football at the forefront of the wearables debate. All players from the 2017 NFL draft have been set up with a WHOOP band, and the company is now in the process of getting all active players onboard before the season begins.

“This [deal] demystifies wearables as not necessarily a Big Brother approach, but as a way to really educate the players as well as show that there is really value in using wearables to optimize performance [and] minimize the risk of injury,” says Isaiah Kacyvenski, a former NFL linebacker and a co-founder of the Sports Innovation Lab, a market research firm. Kacyvenski serves on both the OneTeam Collective’s executive and athlete advisory boards.

However, the partnership between the NFLPA and WHOOP does not include the NFL league office or any of the 32 teams. Without NFL approval, WHOOP is not supposed to be used in games—and depending on team rules, players might not be able to use it in training either. But that might not stop some players. Last season, Chargers safety Darrell Stuckey wrapped thick white tape around his wrists and forearms. Under the tape on his right wrist was a rectangular bulge. Just like in the NBA, NFL players may be willing to flout uniform rules to wear WHOOP.

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy declined to comment about the NFLPA deal; team insiders were similarly reluctant to talk. The reason: the NFL has had a deal in place since 2014 with Zebra Technologies, which uses radio-frequency identification tags to track the players’ location, speed and acceleration during games. The NFL, not the NFLPA, controls these data sets. While the WHOOP and Zebra databases are not identical, there would be overlap between them that could lead to conflict between the NFL and NFLPA.

In October 2015, the NFLPA filed a grievance against the NFL over reports that teams had been using sensors to monitor players’ sleeping habits. In a memo to players written at the time, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith explained that “because the use of such technology occurs outside of games and practice, we believe such use violates the Collective Bargaining Agreement.” As a result, teams need to seek approval from the NFLPA before using sleep trackers. WHOOP’s founder and CEO, Will Ahmed sees that as a powerful opportunity for his company. Perhaps the simplest way for teams to access that type of data will be to go through the NFLPA’s Official Recovery Wearable: WHOOP.

The most intriguing part of the partnership between the NFLPA and WHOOP is the announcement that players will have the opportunity to sell their data. “We want to incentivize players to not only opt in, but to opt in and participate,” explains Ahmad Nassar, president of NFL Players, Inc., the licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFLPA. “Because that’s the only way it’s going to be valuable.” The NFLPA has become an investor in WHOOP, meaning that players have a stake in the company’s success, including the sale of each $500 band. According to Ahmed, the company will also share a percentage of revenue from the sale of player data.

Athletes may now face a conflict of self-interest. “The players are actually going to receive revenue from the value of their data,” Ahmed says. “So as the data gets more invasive, it also potentially gets more lucrative.” Sharing data publicly might generate immediate income, but once a team knows how well an athlete recovers, that might have consequences the next time his contract is up for negotiation.

“Analytics is sort of like an arms race,” Nassar says. “It’s certainly, in the wrong hands, capable of being misused, or being used against athletes. The beauty of the deal that we have with WHOOP is that it’s not in the wrong hands. It is in the athletes’ hands directly.”

JENNY VRENTAS: In their never-ending quest to find a winning edge, NFL teams are turning their players on to the most accessible and natural performance-enhancer: a good night’s sleep

However, legal and medical experts unaffiliated with the league, the players, or the company express concern. “Why would anybody in their right mind sell information to a third party about what they’re doing outside of their sports environment?” asks Art Caplan, director of NYU’s Division of Medical Ethics. “Selling my privacy is not a good deal.”

As a former player, Kacyvenski disagrees. “In the end, this is a job,” he says. “As a football player, I always thought as my body as a business. The ability to create more value for the job you do, that’s not crazy.”

Exactly how the data-selling process will work, and where that data might appear, is still being worked out. Sean Sansiveri, vice president of business and legal affairs at the NFLPA, says that for players it will be structured similar to the way merchandise is sold. Ahmed says he is currently negotiating with interested buyers, though he would not say who those parties might be. Likely candidates include media, video games, fantasy football and betting organizations, and even the NFL itself.

Okung is excited about incorporating player data into TV broadcasts. “We’re playing the Broncos in our first Monday night game,” he says. “Imagine having a key matchup and knowing what their recovery scores look like.”

The teams might be less enthusiastic. While they would, of course, want access to as much biometric information as they can get, they wouldn’t want other teams acquiring those same statistics. Although Zebra Technologies has been tracking NFL players since 2014, teams haven’t been given access to their opponents’ data. If, from WHOOP data, an opponent knew that one of your defensive players didn’t get enough sleep the night before a game, perhaps they might consider him a weak point worth targeting. Last year, Stuckey wore WHOOP when San Diego traveled to Houston on Nov. 27. According to the device, Stuckey got 5 hours and 16 minutes of sleep the night before. His WHOOP recovery score pre-game was 52%. The Chargers handed the Texans their only home defeat of the season that day. Houston quarterback Brock Osweiler threw three interceptions in his team’s 21-13 defeat, but had Houston coach Bill O’Brien been given inside information on San Diego’s defense, perhaps the Texans could have found a route to victory.

Digitizing data makes it a formidable resource, easily stored, shared, and analyzed. But Big Data is also much easier to steal in large quantity than paper records, and it can be mined and processed by powerful algorithms to discover unexpected, and often unwanted, insights.

“These are high-value individuals and privacy is and will be a concern,” Sansiveri says.

In April 2016, a laptop was stolen from the car of a Washington trainer. On its hard drive were 13 years of password protected, but unencrypted, healthcare records for thousands of NFL players. The league, which asserted that there was no evidence the data had been accessed by the thief, ultimately avoided sanction by the Department of Health and Human Services for the breach. Last summer, the Russian hacking group Fancy Bear broke into the World Anti-Doping Agency’s computers, stealing and then publishing confidential medical data on at least 29 athletes. WADA believes the attack was in retaliation for investigations into Russia’s state-sponsored doping program, and that employees were duped into handing over login information by phishing emails that appeared to come from friends or colleagues.

Russell credits the fact that WHOOP has 27 privacy levels that allow him to determine exactly who sees what data as a key reason he is comfortable using the device. Kennard, a NFLPA player representative, is unconcerned even if information does leak out. “This isn’t data that’s some huge secret to me,” he says. “I wouldn’t want anyone to get access that I didn’t approve, but at the same time it’s not some top secret data.”

JENNY VRENTAS: The Quest for a Better Football Helmet

But even adequately protected data raises ambiguous privacy concerns. > “My prediction is once the players start to understand some of the issues, they may drop the agreement and revisit it later,” Caplan says. Big Data allows powerful conclusions to be drawn from the most benign-seeming information.

In WHOOP’s privacy policy, the company stresses that data shared with third parties will be anonymized to protect the user. However, “due to its identifying qualities, [athlete biometric data] inherently identifies the athlete who contributed it,” lawyer Kristy Gale wrote last year in a two-part series published in Arizona State’s Sports & Entertainment Law Journal. Writing in the UCLA Law Review, law professor Paul Ohm stated, in 2010, that “data can be either useful or perfectly anonymous, but never both.” And like most of us, athletes leave all sorts of personal clues scattered around online that could be used to re-identify health or performance data. Private data can also be subpoenaed and dragged into the public setting of a courtroom. In April, computer network administrator Richard Dabate was charged with murdering his wife, Connie, in part because her Fitbit data appears to contradict his story. Dabate had told police that an intruder had broken into their home in Ellington, Conn., in December 2015, tied him up and shot his wife. Activity data from Connie’s Fitbit allegedly shows that she was walking around the house at the time Dabate claimed they were being held captive. (Dabate has been charged with murder, tampering physical evidence and making a false statement; he is currently free on $1 million bond awaiting trial.)

There were 26 arrests of NFL players reported last year; 17 so far in 2017. If NFL players extensively begin wearing WHOOP, the data collected may end up being a part of future criminal trials. For instance, it has accelerometers and heartbeat sensors. If a player said he was at home watching TV, but he was clearly running around, that would affect his alibi.

Then there is the question of what WHOOP’s data actually means. Is it medical in nature, or just health-related?

Accurately evaluating WHOOP’s medical relevance is not easy. The algorithms that WHOOP uses to determine strain, recovery, and sleep are proprietary and therefore not public. The company is currently working with a third party to validate the band’s function; WHOOP documents some of its own small case studies online, but there are no peer-reviewed scientific journal articles that perform research on its data and methodology.

Most wearable device companies stress that their products are not medical, allowing them to sidestep some of the protections that exist for medical technology. The distinction between medical technology and wellness products, however, is hazy. The former is used to treat illness (like a continuous glucose monitor for diabetics), the latter to promote health (a pedometer to track 10,000 steps)—effectively two sides of the same idea. A 2016 report by the Center for Digital Democracy warns that government regulation of health-related wearable devices is patchy. A guidance document issued by the FDA, in July, states it “does not intend to examine low risk general wellness products to determine whether they are devices.” Which means that while those products aren’t currently classified as medical devices, they could be re-classified at some point.

“WHOOP today is not entrusted at diagnosing medical conditions,” says the company’s chief technology officer, John Capodilupo, “[but] it’s not that the data can’t do that, it’s that we’re not doing that.” Eric Topol, director of the Scripps Translational Science Institute and one of the leading voices on digital medicine, is doubtful of the medical relevance of WHOOP. “All of the metrics,” he says, “just really scratch the surface—none of them would be considered medical. They’re very pseudo-health.”

There is, however, evidence that WHOOP-like devices are medically relevant. In 2016, health data from wearables alerted Stanford genetics professor Michael Snyder to the fact that he had contracted Lyme disease (he was using seven different devices). Snyder noticed changes to his heart rate and blood oxygen levels, and sought antibiotics even before tests confirmed the diagnosis. “Here’s what is clear,” says Travis McDonough, founder and CEO of Kinduct, “performance data and medical data are connected by an insoluble meshwork that’s impossible to de-tangle.” (Kinduct is an athlete data management platform used by a range of pro sports teams across the Big Four leagues including the Vikings, Warriors, Red Sox and Sharks.)

Okung has been using WHOOP for the past four months, Kennard for about two. Both use it to track sleep, which UCSF sleep specialist Cheri Mah has demonstrated can be linked to better athletic performance. According to the National Institutes of Health, sleep is important for both mental and physical health. Kennard and Okung say they have generally performed better in training when their sleep and recovery scores have been higher.

“In theory, assessing performance could detect the presence of an impairment,” write Roberts and her co-authors, “even if the technique being used it not considered medical. For example, having a player wear a monitor while sleeping could detect signs of previously undiagnosed sleep apnea.”

And what will happen when a player who regularly wears WHOOP suffers a concussion? Although the device can’t currently be used in games, and thus won’t detect the actual moment of the concussion, it may well track sleep disturbances that hint of the injury. If a player doesn’t report a concussion, and a team doesn’t detect it, do the NFLPA and WHOOP now have a legal responsibility if the data makes them suspect it? And if a player decides to intentionally hide a concussion, will he simply just take off the band to avoid leaving clues?

What is playing out right now in pro sports may well foreshadow the future for the rest of us. “What we’re doing in terms of the wearable space and empowering these players as patients, as people, as employees, will translate into other industries,” Sansiveri says. According to Sansiveri, WHOOP won’t be the only wearable device worn by NFL players or partnered with the NFLPA.

By 2012, half of all companies with at least 50 employees had workplace wellness programs, according to a RAND Corporation study, and half of those that didn’t planned to introduce one. Wearables are increasingly part of those programs. In September 2015, Target bought 335,000 Fitbit devices for its staff as a way to spur fitness initiatives and reduce healthcare costs. Barclays offered to subsidize Fitbits for 75,000 staff members a month later.

Perhaps the biggest concern about wearables is that in the absence of comprehensive regulation and conclusive science, consumers may be putting too much faith in the abilities of wearable device companies to handle and analyze their data. “Until that grey area is closed,” Sansiveri says, “I think the most important piece is that the individual . . . is the owner and controls this information.”

#big data #sports #nfl

0 notes