#anhe (fell‑court) 🜸

[fell-court]

As mentioned in my last post: the other four characters that I came up with today for flowering verse!

Given that Shadowbringers takes place in another world, the previous four wouldn't be able to accompany Clio, Brynblyss, Tsutsuji and Lorenza to the First. Therefore, I came up with four new characters to make up a full party for that expansion's trials, normal raids, and alliance raids! I have less actual lore for most of them, but I'm always happy to take questions if anyone has any~

The red-haired Mystel with the prosthetic right arm is Sasha-Bea, a strong and beautiful swordfighter whose fighting style would be comparable to the samurai of the Source. I've been envisioning her as a runaway noble of sorts, fleeing Eulmore in favour of the Crystarium and taking whatever wealth she could with her.

The strangely-still Viis is known only as Anhedonia (or Anhe for short), a taciturn fighter whose skill with a scythe is as uncanny as their affinity with sin eaters. Born around a hundred years ago somewhere to the east of Norvrandt, they and their mother were both irrevocably corrupted by Light before their birth - yet they seem to have been able to stave off turning somehow, and can even draw sin eaters to their side in combat. (So, like a reaper of the Source, but associated with sin eaters instead of voidsent.)

The silver-robed Ronso is Ilya, originally born in Slitherbough but who has since left the Rak'tika Greatwood in the hopes of finding a way to restoring sight of the night sky his astrologian techniques still try to connect with. He harbours some guilt for feeling like he has turned his back on his fellow Night's Blessed.

The shield-bearing Drahn man is currently named Vonric, an aspiring knight descended from the people of what was once the Kingdom of Voeburt. He is chronically unlucky, but the constant mishaps he runs into have forced him to learn a wide variety of crafting and gathering skills, which he almost favours more than his combat prowess.

That's all that I have for these four at the moment! However, I'm very happy to take questions on any of them if anyone wants to ask something, as it's a really good way of developing them!!

[el-moscorrofio-y-el-mercachifle]

What do you think would have happened to change the course of history as we know it in the show if the guy who accompanies his friend for the betty-aura maria double date was genuinely interested in getting to know her (at least being a friend to her)...maybe they had a common interest in say finance or books or music. Betty wrote in her diary that men seek for desirable women and she didn't feel like that. What if this guy made a decent attempt to connect to her and wanted to see her again. Your opinions are so interesting and I want to hear your thoughts. Thank you and have a good day.

Omgggg I looooove this question!! But also it's so complicated to answer because this supposes to alter a LOOOOT! On one hand we can go for the realistic route of "if Betty hadn't had her hope of love fully crushed and she had actually seen that another man could have had an interest in her, she wouldn't have beeb so utterly blind and devoted towards Armando" especially because the night of the doubke date is the night that Betty gives on on love. On the other hand, we can also take the also canon but less realistic view of "Armando and Betty were destined to be and once Betty fell for Armando there was no going back nor person that ever made her doubt it," given that they share a canonical psychic or soul bond. In other words, would Betty give it a chance with someone else, or would her love blind her to anh other possibility but Armando?

Although I DEFINITELY think that a love rival would have spiced things up and quickened Armando's realization of his own feelings, which I loooove and it's why I DESPERATELY wanna write about that lmao. After all, he did have the biggest jump in his own feelings for Betty when he learned about Nicolás, except that this would be an even bigger kick in the face because he doesn't yet have the embargo excuse! And also, he could actually get to see a real peak of Betty being courted. I've actually been trying to write a short story based on the idea of a rival!

Anyways, let's see!

Imagining that the guy, Rafael (canon name) actually liked Betty would imply that we need to re imagine his whole personality lmao that canon ratman is canonically too uncool for my girlie, but let's say that he is a now a cool guy. He's charming, fun, and actually not superficial. He's open to friendship

He doesn't immediately reject Betty at all, and is in an active conversation with Betty through the whole night. He doesn't leave early, and let's say they even dance a little. They're in a friendly convo but there's no romantic spark.

In any case, Aura Maria is still happy for Betty! She's enjoying her time with the other guy but she's happy to see that Betty and Rafael are getting along, even if she's a bit sad that there's obviously no attraction between them

Anyways, Betty gets a little later home, and when her mom asks about how it went, Betty is so happy to tell her she had an actual good time! She writes in her diary that she had a good time but can't help but feel a little disappointed, because she noticed the guy wasn't into her like that

At this point it's where the major change happens, because this is the night that Betty is fully convinced that she will never experience love, that men only like beautiful women, that the powerhouse of her life must be work, and that Armando is the only man who will ever want and need her, even if it's only because of her work

In this scenario, Betty isn't as pessimistic as she was in the novela. She is just a little sad, but she didn't give up on love fully, because she wasn't fully rejected and mistreated like in the novela. She actually has a bit of hope because the guy and her exchanged numbers.

This supposes a BIG change because it's due to the devoted mentality that Betty agrees to do everything Armando asks for

Given that the dude is from Medellin, this would imply that they cant see each other often, and their relationship, fully platonic at first, would be mainly through phone

So this means Armando doesn't really have to know about him for a while

Obviously Aura Maria would mention Rafael and their night out all together to the rest of the Cuartel, but Betty would shut all of that down arguing that they just ended up as friends

But this is definitely a source for the Cuartel to gossip and tease her! They would definitely ask her if she's now over Nicolás, and she'd say no

Betty and this dude's friendship would continue for a while, but at the same time, Betty spends most of her time with Armando, which also furthers her crush on him, because after all, I really don't think Betty would ever fully love another man

(This is mainly because it's heavily implied in the show thay Armando and Betty share a special psychic connection and that it's probably faithed to be, like when Armando yelled her name and she heard it all the way to Cartagena lmao I don't think either of them would have been happy with any other partner)

There would need to be a point in which Rafael comes back, and that would probably be when things really get going!

Him being away is the main reason why I don't think it would fully develop into a relationship. Betty just wouldn't be able to lower enough of her barriers like that

It'd be interesting to see when him comjng back happens, but for the fun of it, let's say this happens before the embargo. Just to change this up a little from the canon "Nicolás is Betty's bf" canon paranoia

Imagine this dude coming over to Ecomoda one day showing up with a bouquet for Betty. Aura Maria would be sooooo happy for her and would so quickly call her to her office to tell her he's there!!

Would Betty accept these flowers?? Probably she'd be a bit hesitant but get them at the end. She's kinda flattered with them but remember she still has so many barriers up because of the trauma she went through

What for Rafael and any other man may be a simple gentlemanly and romantic present for their lady love, for Betty it can be a painful reminder of what happened. It's not thay she doesn't want to give herself the opportunity to love, it's just that fear will always remain after such trauma

With Armando, after all, she was already fully devoted and trusting of him because he had demonstrated through actions, words, and even conversations with Mario that he appreciated and trusted her fully, and even when their relationship started Betty continued to be full of doubts but she loved him so much that she couldn't close herself to the experience. He made her feel safe enough to lower her barriers and push herself through her doubts. With Rafael it's hard to get to this level of trust and safety when they basically just communicated through phone for a while

Anyways, imagine Betty coming back to her office holding this big bouquet of roses. Imagine Armando's stunned face for a moment, before asking what is that and why she has it, before Betty laughingly and dismissingly saying a friend got it for her

Imagine his killer stare. Just imagine that lmao

His deadfaced, teeth gritted, muscle tensed, sarcastic and dry comment of "what a romantic 'friend', right?" Lmaoooo

He'd totally spiral. He'd be in a terrible mood the whole day!

Imagine he goes out of his office because he's so angry and the first thing he hears Bertha and Sofia talking about is Rafael lmao

He's definitely go as far as to ask Aura Maria about this dude once he finds out they're friends

He'd be so angry and mortified with no apparent reason as to why when learning those two had been on a date, dancing and chatting and having fun

Ohhhh, imagine that same day Armando actually gets to meet him!! Perhaps Rafael goes to Ecomoda yo invite Betty to lunch

Lmao imagine Armando witnessing that and making up something like a lunch meeting just so she doesn't go

To me this scenario is soooo hilarous, the idea of a rival kills me because it's so full of potential for funny jealous Armando and Mario teasing him about it lmao i want a full fanfiction of this😂😂

Anyways, I don't really think this would become a full relationship. There may be some interest between the parts but I don't think it'd be strong enough to become a relationship and they can always use the distance excuse

Maybe Rafael realizes that Betty's appearence is a deal breaker after all, after months of only talking through phone and basically forgetting how she looks. It wouldn't be such a stretch, after all, it's basically Armando's situation in the sense that they like Betty's personality very very much but they can't break past her appearence

Armandk was forced to see past that due to the embargo, but Rafael can just walk away. He has no real attachment, and ghe "situationship" can easily be broken up becauseof the "distance" between where they live

But the simple fact of knowing that Betty can actually be desirable for other men, see it first hand, and that she's interested in dating, will definitely make Armando be extra alert

It's also the realization that Betty is sweet, kind, and devoted to other people. It's basically the same realization Armando has when he first heard about Betty havin a bf, except that he is now seeing it with his own eyes!

Would this quicken things? Feeling wise, absolutely. Action wise? Hard to say. Armando still has so many prejudices and his own barriers up

Although it would definitely later be fuel for Calderón's tease and further of Armando's paranoia.

Something like "Well, maybe her crush on Nicolás is stronger than we thought, after all she also rejected that other dude. And an uggo of such magnitude giving up an opportunity like that? It has to be love!" Every time Betty rejects Armando or tries to break up

On the other hand, if this man turns out to be more Michel like, given that he is introduced so early in the story, he could change everything. It all depend on how his personality and goals are, but given that he's a canonical asshole and this scenario supposes re inventing him completely, it opens so many possibilities

Since he's a blanck slate, how do we want him to be according to what story we want? Is he carefree and laid back? Protective and serious? Fun and trusting?

Because if we go full Michel mode, he could have wanted to make Betty his gf and take her away from that toxic work environment to take her to work where he does, resulting in Ecomoda collapsing under Armando's bad decisions

Would they be happy? No, Betty and Armandk are faithed to be and they definitely wouldn't be happy without each other

This whole idea of Rafael offers soooo many scenarios, depending on when he shows up, what his intentions are or end up being, in what point of Betty's arch he appears, etc!

So much fanfic material omg

The question made me crack my brain open trying to put a single answer to a vlear scenario but since there are so many choices I put a bit of everything. I think it endedup being more scrambled than of usual lmao

Thank you for the question!

[quydanduong]

Tấm & Cám

Empress Kiều Anh (she/her) is Thiên Quang Bảo's first wife and also the official Empress. They get married when both are 20. She was a country pumpkin before she met him, when she was known of as Tấm. She died only 2 years after appointed the queen when she went back home for her late father's death anniversary, having tragically fell to her death when attempting to climb a coconut tree.

Under pressure from the imperial court, the Emperor take Tấm half sister, the one year younger Cám (she/her), as a concubine. She had since long envied Tấm deeply, even to the point where she wears make up to look older, and she makes it a point to appear "more" than Tấm when she was Empress as well. Many people address Cám as the new empress anyway, even though she does not have this official title.

[college-girl199328]

For days, prosecutors say, Anh Chiem, lay in wait for the Toronto litigation lawyer she blamed for all her legal and financial troubles. “This is a case about money … and murder,” Crown attorney Corrie Langdon told the jury.

Chiem, 64, is on trial for the hit-and-run death of Scott Rosen in an underground parking garage as he left work on Dec. 18, 2020. A white U-Haul pickup truck was captured on surveillance video accelerating quickly toward the 52-year-old father of two. After Rosen was struck and fell to the ground, the white pickup truck can be seen reversing and hitting him again before taking off.

Rosen died of catastrophic blunt force trauma at the scene. “The damaged white U-Haul pickup truck was located approximately 90 minutes later with Scott Rosen’s DNA on the front bumper,” Langdon said. “It had been rented by Anh Chiem.”

The Crown told the 13-member jury that they’ll hear Chiem rented the same truck Dec. 15, 16, and 17 from a U-Haul rental agency on Dundas St. W. with witnesses seeing her sitting in the vehicle for hours across the street from the underground lot.

The with grey has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder. She listened to the proceeding through a Vietnamese across the courtroom partner of his sons sat in the front row. For years, the court heard, Chiem and her mother Chau were embroiled in litigation with Chiem’s ex-son-in-law, Peter Voong, over a piece of property severed for development — 28 Elder Ave. in Etobicoke. Rosen represented Voong, who claimed she reneged on their oral agreement to sell the house he built on the land and share the proceeds.

In 2019, a judge refused a motion by the Chiems to dismiss the lawsuit and ruled that a certificate of pending litigation should remain on the property. They were ordered to pay $37,000 in Voong’s legal costs and were denied an appeal in June 2019 with a further $3,500 in pay. Chiem owed hundreds of thousands of dollars in other debts, the jury was told, and Rosen was also involved in representing a client trying to prevent her from declaring bankruptcy.

Chiem filed two unsuccessful complaints with the Law Society of Ontario against Rosen on Oct. 22, 2019, claiming the lawyer “slandered” her and interfered in her personal bankruptcy. She wanted sanctions, perhaps even his license to practice, taken away. After that investigation was closed without any disciplinary action, she filed another complaint on Oct. 31, 2020, accusing Rosen of “lawyer fraud and extortion.”

On Dec. 1, 2020, the LSO investigator advised Chiem that he’d closed this investigation as well. She responded, the jury heard, by telling him she was “totally disgusted” and “no wonder no one trusts the justice system.” Two weeks later, Langdon said, Chiem went to a U-Haul rental agency run out of Dignity Auto Repair and asked for a truck that would fit an underground garage.

Just before 5 p.m. on Dec. 15, 2020, Toronto Police Const. Pilar Johnson was responding to a vice-principals call about a suspicious white U-Haul pickup truck idling outside Eglinton Junior Public School at 223 Eglinton Ave. E. with its rear license plate covered. She told Crown attorney Bev Richards that she came up beside the rental truck partner and told the driver to pull over. The driver, Johnson said, was short, wearing a dark parka, toque, and face mask, and appeared “agitated” when asked about the white duct tape covering the Arizona plate. The name on her license? “Anh Chiem,” the officer replied.

In a video shown to the jury, Chiem could be heard arguing as she was issued a ticket, insisting she hadn’t concealed the plate and suggesting it might have been done by the person who complained to the police. “Do you see Ms. Chiem here today?” Richards asked.

“I do, right there,” Johnson said, pointing to the woman sitting between her two lawyers. The trial continues.

[ser-rex]

♥ Do they have a ‘type’? ♥ What was their first impression about their partner/person they are courting? ♥ How did their relationship start?

Rex's type is simple; women who can snap them in half through sheer confidence alone, or nerds of pretty much any gender who are passionate about Their Thing and are willing to infodump on them. They love that energy in people- they could listen to someone talk enthusiastically for bells and bells. So- to be brief, since there are three:: - Ceridwen, one of their first paramours; Rex wasn't sure quite what to make of her at first, uncertain if she was going to be another sheltered heiress of good breeding and wealth who might look at them like a silly novelty at best and at worst the Help- they were fresh in Ishgardian circles, had not yet developed good whiskers for picking out who is sincere and who is wearing a mask of sociability for their own gains- but once they had a chance to listen to her talk and see her interact with the folks at the Bellworks, hear her thoughts on the state of the country, her values, her aspirations- how genuinely sweet and kind she was, how feisty and adventurous and spirited- Rex was very glad to let their guard down. They had ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA that Dwen liked them AT ALL which meant they were stunned to get almost directly asked out on someone else's lawn- and to this day they are mighty happy she did! House Shadowstar has been nothing but good, for them, very much like a second family, and they wear their crest with pride as a Knight both in service and as a... not quite in-law, but very much a part of the clan. - Anhe; Rex's first brush with her was, I believe, of all places, at a pillowhouse that, the less is said of it, the better- not by virtue of wanting to spend their gil their, but that Anhe was working to make a living as a book keeper, and they got along rather well. Rex liked her turn of phrase, how clearly little bullshit she was interested in taking from anyone, how marvellously witty she was, how talented and dedicated. She also met ... other people through Anhe, and I think its fair to say that Rexs' motivation to stick with her was partly born out of a sense of protectiveness and.. shared trauma-bonding over some of the wild shit that happened in their social circles at the time. Rex and Anhe were friends for a while, If I remember rightly, before Rex admitted they were sweet on her. They did so with mighty care, given they knew Anhe was aromantic, and the last thing they wanted was to put a pressure or expectation on her- and they learned well the power of clear and open communication to just that end, the night they brought her a cosy, hand-tanned Mylodon pelt and some food, the old fashioned miqo'te way, to let her know they cared about her, loved her even, but didn't want anything to change so much as... to keep doing what they were doing. They've been partners in crime ever since, and Rex wants nothing more than to bring Anhe the same peace and comfort that she brings their trauma-riddled heart. - Rastirah; They met at a Crescent After Party, as I blurrily recall- Rex was already sweet on Anhe, they had already been mostly in a sexual but aromantic are-they-aren't-they situation with her for some time, and when a dare came up to motorboat someone, Rex helpfully suggested Anhe as a candidate because... well. I mean. They weren't wrong. There was mutual attraction- Rex was instantly taken by Ras's cool, devil-may-care charm, her gorgeous beaded locked hair, how she knew her shit about what she cared about, was clearly fiercely supportive of her friends and Crescent- and they all made each other laugh, fell into a tent by the end of the night with some questionable moko grass to smoke- and as often is the case with their most stable relationships, Rex's bond with Ras grew organically. They kept enjoying each others' company until they couldn't imagine not having each other around. Rex couldn't tell you where they stopped getting into bed for fun and started getting into bed for love- most importantly is that, as it went with Anhe, their friendship came first, and in some ways still does. ((With big thanks and love to @houseshadowstar, @lance-of-fury, and

@seacat-ffxiv for all the RP over the years - so long I think I may not even be remembering half this right!))

[sunlit-gully]

finally, my homeland on a folktale list :)) my day is made!

also here's some dark shit from the vietnamese version because uh that's my childhood :) there are lighter versions in vietnam but honestly this one's the most dramatic 💅. read at your own discretion, and please

After having worn her pair of hài (shoes but silky and Asian), Tấm was brought to the court. While the stepmother and Cám seemed happy for Tấm's luck, deep inside they were burning with envy - it should have been Cám on the golden palanquin. And thus, a new plot was cooked up...

It was the anniversary of Tấm's father's death, which meant that Queen Tấm had to go back to her old hometown. Traditionally, by this time all the offerings to the dead must have been prepared, yet the stepmother still ordered Tấm to take some areca nuts (her father's alleged fav food). Tấm obliged, and while she was up picking the areca, the stepmother began sawing the tree trunk on the pretense of 'driving off the ants'. Tấm fell to her death, and finally Cám could wear the royal robes.

But not for long. Tấm's spirit became an oriole, which flew all the way to the King's court. The bird's song was so enchanting that the King only cared to entertain it all day. One day, when the King was missing his wife, he asked the bird: 'Vàng ảnh vàng anh, có phải vợ anh, chui vào tay áo.' (Oriole, oriole, ye shall hear my call; if you indeed are my wife, to my sleeve you go!). The oriole sneaked into the King's sleeve, and from that day on he refused to do anything but entertaining the bird (ohmygod simp).

Cám was, of course, enraged and jealous. It certainly didn't help the oriole's case that it always perched on the fence and said things like 'Giặt áo chồng tao thì giặt cho sạch, giặt mà không sạch, tao rạch mặt cho' (When you wash my husband's clothes, wash so they're clean like roses; if you do not wash them clean, I will bleed your damn face green!) and 'Phơi áo chồng tao phơi lao phơi sào, chớ phơi bờ rào, rách áo chồng tao' (Hang my husband's clothes dry, hang them on rackets, whereby; hanging on the fences sharp, the clothes will be rip, oh my!). Finally, Cám killed the bird, and from its ash grew two upright chinaberry trees. The trees' branches spread out like a palanquin, so every day the King would relax under their shades. Again, Cám sawed them down.

The woods were then used to become a loom. Every time Cám used the loom, its creaks would seem to say 'Cót ca cót két, lấy tranh chồng chị, chị khoét mắt ra' (Creak-a-crackle, creak-a-crack; take my husband, your eyes I'll hack!' By this time, Cám had become mortified, and had the loom burnt down. The ashes were flung out in a road far, far away from the court. From the ashes there grew a gold-apple tree. An old vendor lady tended to the tree daily, and coincidentally every time she returned to her vendor, everything was neatly prepared. She found out that it was a woman who walked from the fruit and did everything, so the tree is burnt down and Tấm lived with the old lady. One day the King came across that vendor, and tada!

Now here's the darkest shit in this version: Cám was fucking horrified when she saw Tấm all hale and healthy in the Court. To avoid the awkwardness she asked how Tấm could become so beautiful. Tấm said nothing, had a hole dug, and ordered Cám to go down. When Cám was all set, Tấm had the servants pour fucking hot boiling water down the damn hole. What remained of Cám was made into fermented sauce and sent back to the stepmother, who died of stroke when she saw her daughter's fucking skull.

In conclusion, Vietnamese folklore is marvelous.

LINKS TO READ SOME INTERNATIONAL VARIATIONS OF THE CINDERELLA STORY

@grimoireoffolkloreandfairytales @angelixgutz @faintingheroine @princesssarisa @softlytowardthesun @the-blue-fairie @themousefromfantasyland @superkingofpriderock

The Crocodile's Blessing (Indonesia)

The Story of Tam and Cam (Vietnam):

Angkat (Cambodia)

Abadeha (Phillipines)

Yeh Shen (China)

Pigling (Korea)

Anklet for a Princess (India)

The Little Red Fish and the Clog of Gold (Iraq)

The Rough Face Girl (Algonquin American)

Little Gold Star (Spanish American)

The Turkey Girl (Zuni American)

Dona Labismina (Brazil)

Cendrillon (Martinique)

The Anklet (Iran)

Cinderlad (Ireland)

[thekillerblogofkillers]

Antoinette Frank (1971-?)

Antoinette Frank is a former police officer from New Orleans that was convicted of 3 murders. On March 14, 1995, Frank and Rogers Lacaze, her teenage accomplice, committed armed robbery at a restaurant which ended with the murder of 2 members of the family who owned the restaurant, and the murder of fellow officer Ronald A. Williams II.

It was early 1993 when Antoinette Frank applied to the New Orleans Police Department. However, several red flags popped up during the hiring process – she was caught lying on several sections of the application, and also failed 2 standard psychiatric evaluations. Philip Scurria, police psychiatrist, examined her and told the police force that under no circumstances should they hire her, calling her “shallow and superficial.” Despite this, Frank applied a second time when the NOPD was extremely short-handed. During this period, officers were being paid lower than other police departments in similarly-sized cities, and they were losing officers faster than they could replace them. Many potential applicants were not hired due to a police that all officers be residents of New Orleans, a requirement that was overturned in 2014. All this, paired with the fact that Frank was a black female, and police officials thought more black people on the force would ease the city’s racial tension, meant that Frank was hired on February 7, 1993, graduating from the Police Academy on 3 weeks later.

Despite the fact that Frank graduated near the top of her academy class, her time with the NOPD was largely unremarkable. Most of her colleagues believed her to be very shy and said that she had no idea what police work really involved, lacking the decisiveness to be a good officer. It was also noticed that her behaviour was sometimes irrational, and in August 1993, less than six months after graduating, her superiors wanted to send her back to the academy for further training and was ordered to go through frequent supervisory reviews. On a few occasions, however, she did distinguish herself, winning “Officer of the Month” awards more than once from the local Kiwanis Club for her work in the community.

In November 1994, Frank was called to an incident wherein Rogers Lacaze, a known drug dealer, had been shot. The Department of Public Safety and Corrections (DOC) investigator was under the impression that this was the first time they had met – Frank claimed to have met him eight months prior. Frank took a statement from Lacaze after he was shot and got closer to him, trying to turn his life around. However, Frank soon fell for Lacaze’s “bad boy” image and their relationship became sexual. She kept this relationship up despite the fact that sleeping with a known drug dealer was putting her career on the line. The relationship was discovered after other officers saw Lacaze driving Frank’s squad car and even saw him moving her police unit at the scene of a crime she was investigating. Once, Lacaze went with Frank on a complaint call where she introduced him as a “trainee”, and other times as her nephew. Before the murders, other people testified that Frank and Lacaze would pull over cars while in her squad car, and then rob them.

During the DOC investigation, Frank would not discuss her relationship with Lacaze other than to say that she was trying to help him. It was only later that the sexual relationship was discovered. When she was asked why she continued to associate with him, despite his drug dealing, Frank said that she would not abandon someone because of their past. The investigator also questioned Frank about trying to purchase 9mm ammo for Lacaze the day before the murders, but Frank replied that she was a police officer and that there was nothing wrong with her buying ammo. In her statement, Frank claimed that she and Lacaze were not dating and had not been intimate. Frank would not discuss the murders, instead telling the investigator to “look it up in the record,” or protesting her innocence. She did at one stage claim to have a boyfriend, but would not go into specifics as she said he worked in the police department.

Two men who claimed to have met Lacaze at a party on February 4, 1995, John Stevens and Anthony Wallace, testified in court, saying that as they were leaving the party, an altercation between Stevens and Lacaze began but Wallace suggested they leave. The two men got into their car and drove several blocks before being pulled over by a police car. Antoinette Frank, in full uniform, exited the squad car and told Wallace and Stevens to exit the vehicle and stand behind the car. The two men noticed Lacaze was with her, and he was holding a gun. Wallace rushed Lacaze and the two men began to fight – Stevens and Frank also became involved and the gun went off. Stevans began to run, but another man appeared and grabbed both Lacaze and Wallace. Frank told the man that “Lacaze was the good guy” and that Wallace was the criminal. Wallace was restrained until backup arrived. He was then arrested and charged with attempted murder and armed robbery. Irvin Bryant, who in 1995 was a civil sheriff, testified that on the evening in question, February 4, he saw a police vehicle stopped in the road with its lights flashing. Bryant thought the officer was making a traffic stop, but as he got closer he saw the officer and two black men fighting on the roadside. He saw Wallace break away, run and pick up a TEC-9 semi-automatic weapon off the grass. Bryant then ordered Wallace to drop the weapon, which he did, and he was then restrained. Lacaze then lunged at Wallace but was grabbed by Bryant. Frank informed Bryant that Lacaze was with her and ordered him to be released. Despite his involvement in this incident, Bryant was never questioned by police and never gave a statement.

After midnight on March 4, 1995, Frank and Lacaze visited Kim Anh, a Vietnamese restaurant run by the Vu family where Frank had often worked as a security-guard to earn extra money, due to the wages shortage in the NOPD at the time. As the employees were closing the restaurant and cleaning up, Chau Vu went to the kitchen to count the takings for the night and then went into the dining room to pay Ronald A. Williams II, a NOPD officer and colleague of Frank, who had been working security there that night. When Chau went to pay Williams, he noticed Frank approaching the restaurant.

Frank and Lacaze had already been to Kim Anh twice that night to get leftovers to eat. When Chau had let Antoinette out the last time, she couldn’t find the front door key, and now that Frank was coming back a third time, Chau realised that something might be very wrong. Chau ran to the kitchen and hid the takings in the microwave. Frank entered the restaurant using the key she had evidently stolen earlier in the night, and walked past Williams, pushing Chau, Chau’s brother Quoc, and another employee into the doorway of the kitchen. Williams began to follow to find out what was going on when the shots began. Lacaze had crept up behind Williams and shot him in the head, severing his spinal cord and instantly paralysing him. After Williams fell, Lacaze shot him a second time, killing him. As Frank turned back toward the dining room, Chau grabbed Quoc to try and hide somewhere. They hid in the rear of a large walk-in refrigerator in the kitchen, turning the light off as they entered. They did not where their other brother and sister, Ha and Cuong Vu, were – they had been sweeping the dining room floor when Frank entered the restaurant. From their position inside the walk-in, Chau and Quoc could partially see the kitchen and the front of the restaurant. Chau noticed Frank looking for something in the kitchen, before Frank moved out of their line of view and they heard gunshots. Frank was searching where the Vus normally kept their money, and Frank and Lacaze were shouting at Ha and Cuong to hand it over – they didn’t know, however, where Chau had hidden it. Frank hit 17-year-old Cuong with her gun when he hesitated in telling her where the money was. Frank found the money in the microwave, then shot Ha, 21, three times as she was knelt down, pleading for her life. She then shot Cuong six times. After Frank and Lacaze left the restaurant, Quoc emerged from the refrigerator and ran out of the back door to a nearby friend’s home to call 911 and report the murders while Chau tried to call 911 on her cell phone, but couldn’t get a signal in the refrigerator.

Frank dropped Lacaze at a nearby apartment complex, and Frank was concerned that there were living witnesses after hearing the 911 call about the murders on her police radio. She borrowed a patrol car and returned to the scene, posing as a responding officer. She intended to kill Chau and Quoc to eliminate all witnesses. She parked in the back and entered through the back door, through the kitchen, toward the dining room, where Chau was awaiting for help at the front door. As Chau ran through the door to the safety of arriving officers, Frank identified herself as a police officer. Chau told Frank that she knew what she had done and told the officers that Frank was the killer. Eddie Rantz, the detective who worked the case, believed that Frank planned the robbery in order to get revenge on Williams, who was working more hours and getting more pay than she was at the restaurant. Rantz later described Frank as the most cold-hearted person he’d ever come across in 30 years as an officer.

Chau and Frank were questioned in detail while sat at different tables in the restaurant. Frank was subsequently arrested and charged with 3 counts of first degree murder. Lacaze was arrested and charged later the same night. Frank was taken to the station for further interrogation – she later confessed, along with Lacaze. She is believed to be the first NOPD officer to have been charged with killing a fellow officer.

Antoinette Frank and Rogers Lacaze were indicted by an Orleans Parish grand jury on April 28, 1995. Their trials were conducted separately, and Lacaze was tried first between July 17-21. He was found guilty as charged and was sentenced to death. The main evidence against him was using Williams’ Chevron credit card at a gas station in Gretna just minutes after the robbery/murder. Frank’s trial began on September 5, before the same judge. Although Frank’s attorneys had subpoenaed 40 witnesses, none were called, believing that it was enough to argue that the prosecution hadn’t proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt. However, on 12 September, the jury needed just 22 minutes to return a guilty verdict on all counts. The next day, the same jury needed only 45 minutes to recommend the death penalty. She was sentenced to death on October 20, 1995, and sent to death row at the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women in St. Gabriel, near Baton Rouge.

[newstfionline]

One woman who’s easing the language barrier for immigrants

Anh Nguyet Tranh, CS Monitor, October 7, 2017

It’s amazing to consider the fact that today, in western Michigan, people speak more than 120 languages. And it’s even more amazing for me to be part of helping many of those immigrant families integrate into our society.

I know where they are coming from.

My story begins aboard a boat with 100 others in the spring of 1975, my family and I reeling as our beloved homeland of South Vietnam fell into Communist hands. We lived for months as refugees before finally finding solace in Grand Rapids, Mich. (thanks to the welcoming arms of a Christian Reformed Church in the Alger Heights neighborhood).

Early on, I was intrigued by the idea of becoming a schoolteacher, but language issues prevented me from doing well on tests. Most of the teachers were very kind, but one, responding to a low score I had made, sneered at me, “You should have done better; you’ve been here a year already.”

Undaunted, I enrolled in English as a second language classes while continuing my formal education, and I graduated in 1980 from Grand Valley State University as a licensed practical nurse. I worked a short stint in a hospital psychiatric ward, but couldn’t handle the challenges of that. I married, moved back to Asia--to Japan--where I secured a job with the United Nations helping to resettle refugees and, later, worked as an interpreter and translator. I served as a liaison between the UN and the governments of Japan and Korea and Indochinese refugees, many of whom required resettlement all over the world.

Eventually, I found myself back in Grand Rapids. Realizing there was a growing need here for my skill set, I started a business in my basement--Liaison Linguistics--to help non-English-speakers. That became my encore career and, now, my lifework. (And I no longer work from my basement!) I employ some 250 interpreters and translators, some of whom are fluent in as many as seven languages. Turkish? Check. Dinka? Check. Mam? Check. Swahili? Double-check.

We are involved in virtually any arena where words are spoken or written--the court system, schools, medical facilities, workplaces, and factories. We primarily provide interpretation and written translation services, with on-site interpreting available in the Grand Rapids metro area and across Michigan. Our expertise in rare languages and dialects sets us apart; we can also translate documents in 30 different languages.

Mercy Health is a partnership of hospitals, physicians, and health-care providers in western Michigan. It has praised our “efficient professionalism and prompt response” to requests for interpretation--and appreciates our “strong involvement with the culturally diverse Grand Rapids community.” We provide translation for languages often considered difficult to support--from Albanian and Assyrian to Zaghawa and Zulu. For good measure, we can field 16 languages spoken in Myanmar (Burma) and American Sign Language.

Especially satisfying is serving the nearby Kentwood Public Schools. Twice a year, we partner with mothers and fathers attending parent-teacher conferences. We deal with 450 such conferences in just two or three days.

Working as an interpreter offers three benefits: You are well compensated for your time and talent. You know you are helping another person as well as your community. And every time you are sent to work, you are learning something new.

[tuyenhuynhvan-blog]

Before Dong, outside the door of the Chief Justice of the West (i.e. the door West Three way call folk) under Gia Long had a large market entitled "Qui a fake". What name this market marked the event back home army officer Nguyen's Phu Xuan. Join Hue food tour to take a cyclos cruise. Quang Toan forecast chaos, people scattered, running to the Nguyen Thai Binh, the people back from all over the place. Outbound market is Fake who's back. Nearly a century later, in the summer of 1885, the capital fell, the market of fake French aggressors were Fiend clean burning. 

 Sees in 1887 King Dong Khanh for rebuilt and renamed the West Three. The markets provide food for the Palace, Garrison, the dormitory campus school, Dong Khanh Linh, Thien Binh Hựu. Sees in 1899, in the municipality of embellishment in the style of the West, King of The Crown to bring the market out of place now, the old market became French family Free West Three. Dong Ba forecast The Thai Consulate ranges consisted of 4: front, back, right, left. A sequence of 8 spaces, back a 12-time ranges, the right hand side 13 ... all tiles. Between Court square floor, has a flea market of three floors. The floor below has four walls, each wall has 2 doors. The floor on each side, 4 are clock face to the point now. In the market to build a stone well, have the system help for entry into the country. When retrieved water used crank air, natural water in wells, flush spill onto. Starter of the 20th century, Dong Ba is many times but still keep the essence of the old ways. Sees in 1967, the Saigon Government to dismantle the old market and the rebuilding of new markets. Unfinished works by American artillery bombs during operation Hue Spring 1968 respects bombardment. After that the Saigon Government for temporary repairs to traders. In 1987, the market sees the West Three major restoration. In addition to the Bell Centre floor, Dong Ba has 9 blocks new surround the same 4 new areas, such as the fish market, the portfolio itself, himself, the customer service ... with the total area of the premises built 15.597 m ². In addition the fair management also manages the United States zone Member Duong, the car parking, airport, where keeping the bike, motorcycles ... bringing the total area of the premises in the market up on 47.614 m ² with 2,543 households fixed lot 141, business contacts, 500-700 households trade rong. On average each day from 5,000 to 7,000 visitors to the fair. On the new year occasion, Dong, on the 1.2. Blend the physical culture of Thua Thien-Hue province also kept to date can be found in Dong Phu leaves Orange cones, such as Three, cutlery, jewellery design, Sage, Sesame xửng Hy Truồi, strawberry tea, Song Downloads, tangerines, tea stick Flavor With a dry shower, Tinh, votive paper flower villages Dyspepsia ... and both the traditional hue food budget, such as: steel trap, rice vermicelli beef, shrimp rolls, cake, cakes, bean tea ... Dong Ba became the Center provides naval trench paint for the restaurant, international hotel, Hue specialities sold to tourists from four continents to world heritage sights in hue. You can choose Hue food walking tour if you want to walk sightseeing Today the Dong Ba holds a key role in the market economy. In addition to the task of providing food and consumer goods to the city, Dong Ba also created jobs for thousands of unemployed and close on the State budget every year tens of billions in tax money. Dong, Truong Tien bridge along with the perfume River is the symbol of hue.Kết quả (Tiếng Anh) 2: