#clark is low level in love with humanity in general

[potionsprefect]

His Pride

Pairings: Ethan Ramsey x Victoria Clarke

Word Count: 1.1k

Summary: Pregnant Victoria has a heart to heart with Ethan

Rating: General Audiences

Category: fluff

Victoria had been tossing and turning all night, unable to find a comfortable position. Plus she was sweating and constantly kicking off the duvet, much to her husbands irritation.

But at seven months pregnant, she could be forgiven for being a tad annoying because she was carrying two humans who were sticking their feet in her ribs and dancing on her bladder every bloody hour.

She had been awake for the last hour and glanced at the bedside clock. For the last few months she had a more relaxed schedule, Ethan deciding that she didn’t have to do early shifts so she was free to go in later and still leave on time. 5am wasn’t an ideal time to wake up but she was just going to have to deal with it.

She quietly got out of bed and walked to the bathroom. Victoria shed her clothes, deciding that being completely naked was the best way to accurately get a correct weight reading. She pulled the scales out with her foot. Holding onto the wall for support she carefully stepped onto the scales and grabbed a mirror, her large belly obstructing the view of how much she weighed.

As she steadied her hand so she could calculate her weight, she let out a loud sigh when the numbers flashed with the weight.

An extra three pounds since yesterday.

Victoria hung her head, closing her eyes trying to steady her heartbeat. She knew her body was doing an amazing thing and she was so excited to become a mother but it did sting a little seeing her weight climb everyday when she hadn’t experienced anything like that before.

Victoria felt a small tear roll down her cheek, followed by a couple more. She wiped them away, feeling silly for crying. She guessed it was her hormones but deep down it was more.

Victoria must’ve been stood on the scales for around 10 minutes, just staring at the weight that flashed on the screen before she was pulled out of her thoughts by someone entering the bathroom and walking up to her, wrapping their strong arms around her bump.

“How much more?” Ethan softly asked pressing a kiss to Victoria’s cheek. He knew what she was doing, he has caught her weighing herself before early in the morning.

“Three more since yesterday.” Victoria replied keeping her head low.

“You’re doing an amazing thing Vic. You’re growing our two beautiful children. And you yourself are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen.” Ethan nuzzled her shoulder, gently stroking her bump.

“You’re obliged to say that as my husband.” Victoria chuckled.

“As your husband, I’m obliged to compliment you as often as I can. Because it’s nothing less than you deserve.” Ethan said gently helping Victoria off the scales and turning her to face him.

“I guess so.” Victoria said. “Why are you naked?”

“I might as well match with my gorgeous wife.” Ethan pressed a kiss to her forehead.

“Well I’ve always said you should walk around with nothing on. I’m glad you’re finally listening to me.” Victoria laughed.

“You do make some very good points. Now let’s get you back to bed.” Ethan gently put a hand on her back and guided her back into their bedroom, helping her get into a comfortable position.

“I think I need another pregnancy pillow. That way when I turn over in the night I’ll have something to grab onto.” Victoria said snuggling up to the pillow.

“I’ll pick you up one from work when I come home.” Ethan sidled in next to her, resting a hand on her belly.

“Ethan Ramsey stealing equipment from the maternity ward? You would never.” Victoria laughed.

“No one dares question my intentions. Especially if they’re smart and they realise who it’s for.” Ethan replied stroking Victoria’s hair away from her face.

“You old romantic.”

The couple laid in silence as Victoria felt movements in her belly.

“Wow I felt that.” Ethan chuckled resting a hand on her belly.

“Both of them won’t settle.” Victoria groaned shifting so she was laying on her back.

Ethan moved further down the bed and laid his head on Victoria’s stomach. He gently stroked her stomach, pressing little kisses to her skin.

“Can you ease up a bit little ones? Give your mother a break? She’s been working very hard lately.” Ethan looked at Victoria’s stomach, a dopey smile on his face. “I love you.” He pressed a small kiss to her stomach. “And you.” He pressed another kiss to another part of her belly.

Victoria ran her hand through Ethan’s hair as he continued to talk to their twins. Each word was followed by a little kick.

“Seems like they like you talking to them.” Victoria chuckled.

“As do I. Although it will be much better when I’m holding them.” Ethan replied moving up so he was eye level with Victoria.

“Ditto. One in your arms, the other in mine.” Victoria smiled.

“Exactly. Just our perfect little family.” Ethan leant forward to press a quick kiss to Victoria’s lips. “You know I’ll always look out for the three of you.”

“Yes I do. You’re going to be the best dad ever.”

“I was thinking as well. Remember the garage that we weren’t sure what to do with? Why don’t we turn it into a small gym?”

“Seriously? You’re up for that?” Victoria said.

“Yeah, we can buy some gym equipment. Plus it means not having to use the hospital one.” Ethan shrugged.

“Is that so you can train on your own and not with Bryce and Rafael?” Victoria laughed.

“Although I enjoy Lahela and Aveiro’s company, sometimes all you need is silence when you work out.” Ethan chuckled.

“Okay then. Let’s do it.” Victoria smiled. “I can’t wait to get back to the gym and get fit.”

“I don’t want to pressure you by suggesting that idea though. Just remember you’re beautiful no matter what.” Ethan said pressing a kiss to Victoria’s forehead.

“I know that. I’ve always got you to remind me. I want to get fitter, I won’t push myself and the reality is, I know my body won’t be the same after the twins are born. As long as I don’t push myself too far too quickly.” Victoria replied.

“I’m proud of you. And I always will be.” Ethan smiled.

“I’m proud of you too. Not long now until our lives change forever.” Victoria nuzzled her nose against Ethan’s.

“I can’t wait.” Ethan wrapped an arm around Victoria smiling.

“Me neither.” Victoria smiled content and happy.

— — — — —

Domestic Ethan is my favourite 🥰

Hope you enjoy this!

Tag list:

@ohchoices @openheartfan @queencarb @genevievemd @iemcpbchoices @choicesaddict5 @schnitzelbutterfingers @alina-yol-ramsey @stygianflood @malakemads-blog @gryffindordaughterofathena @magicalshepherdtreeprofessor @openheartfanfics @rookie-ramsey @sophxwithers @caseyvalentineramsey @romewritingshop @ethansramsey @codykosuckmytoe @mrsethanfreakingramsey @coffeeheartaddict @mm2305 @nikki-2406 @maurine07 @nishas-paradise @replayfootsteps @mainstreetreader

@choicesficwriterscreations

[archaeopter-ace]

Fic Writer Tag Gam

Tagged by @eurazba​ and @im-the-king-of-the-ocean​, thanks!

Fandoms: (I’m going to name all the ones that were ever Major Fandoms to me, past and present. As in, have I sought out at least one 40k+ fanfic for it? Usually these sorts of tag games will ask for my top ten or something, and I never get to lay them all out. Or at least as many as I can remember. Bolded my current interests)

Danny Phantom, Detective Conan, Doctor Who, Smallville, BBC Merlin, Bleach, Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood, Lois & Clark: the New Adventures of Superman, Buffy the Vampire Slayer*, Good Omens, White Collar, The Dresden Files, Stargate SG-1, Rurouni Kenshin, Spider-Man, MCU, Marvel 616, Loki: Agent of Asgard, Supernatural, Young Justice, Blue Exorcist, Star Wars, Avatar the Last Airbender, Rise of the Guardians, The Flash, Welcome to Night Vale, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, Gravity Falls, Lucifer, Detroit: Become Human, Sherlock, Tales of Arcadia

* Once upon a time I read a lot of Buffy crossovers, and then moved on to straight Buffy fics, without ever having seen any of the show. I did eventually see some episodes, but the vast bulk of my knowledge comes purely from fanfic

Where you post: Sometimes here on tumblr, though I don’t think I have it all unified under one tag, since my-writing is also used for meta talking about my writing...

AO3 is the best place to find the most up-to-date versions of my stuff. It’s a pain to correct typos on ffnet so I generally don’t, though there’s a couple of older fics there that I haven’t crossposted because they are incomplete.

Most popular multi-chapter fic: Internal Affairs with 7593 hits. It is the most-bookmarked Barry Allen & David Singh fic on AO3, whoot! It’s niche, but it’s a good niche

Favorite story you’ve written so far: Hard to say between Autoeponym and Metamorphosis. They’re both part of the same AU, and I’m just really excited about it :D

Fic you were nervous to post: Relative Truth. It was the first work I ever posted that was meant to be taken seriously (as opposed to cracky 100 word crossover drabbles), and it was my first plotty, multichaptered fic. Who knows, some day I might even finish it! ;P It’s only been eight years...

How you choose your titles: If the show has a particular pattern of naming, I try to match that if I can. So since White Collar has double-meaning titles, I went with Relative Truth, playing on the fact that truths are revealed about Neal’s family tree. 

Otherwise, I gravitate towards one-word titles (perhaps a result of the fact that I first started really paying attention to episode titles with Smallville). I further have a fondness for somewhat obscure and/or sciency terms, so Keraunopathy, Inertia, Philae, Autoeponym, Metamorphosis - but in the case of chapter titles in a one-shot collection, it might just be the topic or central thing that inspired it (Ice Cream, Chickenpox, Awake, Slumber, Cockroaches). 

More rarely, I’ll use a longer phrase or pull from an idiom - Cisco Answers the Phone, Henry Allen Has Never Been Rick-Rolled, The Girl in the Mirror, Where There’s a Will.

Do you outline: Yes, to varying degrees. Sometimes I treat it like writing an essay and just lay out my ‘topic sentences’ in order, so I know what happens in each paragraph, and then I have a place to ‘file’ whatever bits of writing I do. Sometimes for something more plotty I’ll have it organized more like a typical outline with different levels, although what usually ends up happening is I’ll start and stop several different outline attempts, and then stitch together what bits I can into a Frankenstein outline that may or may not actually be followed.

Right now, for Don’t Listen to Kafka, I’m attempting my most ambitious, color-coded storyboard to date

Complete: Inertia, my Flash one-shot collection, has finally been marked complete since the odds are quite low that I’ll ever return to that fandom, but the whims of my attentions have surprised me before, so who’s to say. Internal Affairs, the Singh spin-off of that one, has likewise been marked completed. The Haunting of Harrison Wells was successfully written on a deadline, for an event.

More recently, The Girl in the Mirror, Autoeponym, Metamorphosis, Mohs Scale, and I Was a Teenage Troll are call complete, though all but the first are part of in-progress series, so...

In progress: The aforementioned Relative Truth, though at some point I should probably just admit it’s a dead!fic. It’s just really hard to let go completely. 

As-yet-untitled next work in Don’t Listen to Kafka. While Claire might know about trolls, there’s still a gaping baby-brother-shaped hole in her knowledge. Somebody should do something about that...

The bit-after-the-next-bit-which-might-be-its-own-bit-or-might-be-a-separate-fic: Jim’s transformation continues! Barbara knows krav maga! Plans are made! Haemerythrin, the oxygen-binding pigment of marine worms, becomes a relevant analogy!

Some more one-shots in I Was A Teenage Troll AU, because I have a lot of backstory that I haven’t used yet. 

Coming soon/not yet started:

As long was we understand ‘soon’ to be highly subjective and subject to change:

A Gravity Falls x Trollhunters crossover. Man, I love reading crossovers but I haven’t written that many...

The Garage. Told from a Changeling’s POV, who was able to keep working as a mechanic at his garage even after he lost his human form when the Familiars were rescued (because he’d already been outed as a troll years before). The story begins when Jim shows up at the garage with a message for Craig Dunlin.

Hey Brother. What I call the Vermont Half-Brother AU. Written entirely in epistolary form, because I’ve never used a groupchatting app in my life and I don’t think I could write a chatfic between two people convincingly. On the other hand, it’s hard to justify writing letters back and forth when both of them have cell phones...

Do you accept prompts: I like the idea of prompts but I know for a fact that I would not be able to fill them. I’m not a very prolific writer at the best of times, imagining I could fill a prompt in any sort of timely manner is sheer fantasy.

Upcoming story you are most excited to write: Don’t Listen to Kafka. My outline is almost solid enough that I feel like I have enough of a framework to start working on details, and I love working on details.

I tag:

 @rockymountainvixen​ @luvtheheaven​ @kalajorn​

[southeastasianists]

All across Asia, and around the world, people have been urged to keep a safe distance and maintain good personal hygiene amid the coronavirus pandemic. But if your “home” is a prison dormitory that holds five times the 100 inmates it was designed to, doing either is almost impossible.Overcrowding is the norm in the prison systems of many developing nations, but the Philippines has long held the dubious distinction of having one of the most jam-packed in the world.

In Manila City Jail, one of an estimated 933 correctional facilities in the country, sweaty bodies lie in cells, toilets, stairways and other poorly ventilated areas, as inmates try to grab some sleep wherever they can. Some even have to take turns.

Poor living conditions – such as the subdivided units or caged homes that impoverished Hongkongers live in, packed migrant workers’ quarters in cities across Southeast Asia and slums with no running water – are traditionally fertile ground for disease transmission.

But with Asia’s largest prison systems plagued by low health care standards and a limited ability to test inmates, experts say any outbreak is likely to be deadlier than in the general population. Already, the suspension of prison visits to prevent the virus from spreading has taken a toll on the mental well-being of inmates.

Field workers and researchers interviewed by This Week in Asia say now is as good a time as ever for the authorities to reduce prison populations and consider initiatives to reform justice systems, while channelling more funds into rehabilitation and health programmes for inmates.

“I actually think things are in dire straits,” said Clarke Jones, criminologist and senior research fellow at the Australian National University. “Prisons and jails [in Southeast Asia] have become so neglected and overcrowded that it will be near impossible to manage if Covid-19 takes a real hold.”

Jones said official records were not transparent and publicly available information on jails was limited.

“There have been many deaths but they are kept secret, not recorded, and [the bodies are] cremated soon after death,” he said. “I don’t think we will ever know the true infection and fatality rates … due to corruption, lack of reporting, and lack of any health care.”

The problem of overcrowding is compounded by chronic underfunding and a general lack of resources. Across Metro Manila’s 47 jails, for instance, “one single doctor is responsible … for a staggering 45,000 inmates”, according to Tobias Brandner, a prison chaplain and professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong who wrote a research paper on the subject last year.

“Around HK$550 (US$71) per inmate per year is budgeted for medical needs,” he wrote, adding that for food “less than HK$10 (US$1.29) is available per inmate per day”.

“Not surprisingly, most of the visitors in the entrance area of the [Manila City Jail] wait with large food containers for their relatives behind bars,” Brandner said.

A lack of food further increases the prison population’s vulnerability to a coronavirus outbreak, as malnutrition compromises the immune system.

The fact that “most people who are incarcerated in Asia are young, between 15 and 30 years old … is a good thing” when it comes to Covid-19, said Ziad Tohme, a former doctor who works with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

Amid rising concerns about the psychological health of prison inmates cut off from the outside world is the well-being of one group – pregnant prisoners and the 19,000 or so children who live with their mothers behind bars around the world.

“The anxiety and stress created by not being able to communicate with family members or seek mental health support are of significant concern for vulnerable women who have often experienced traumatic violence,” Rope said.

She added that ongoing assessments of the pandemic’s impact on women prisoners showed that those in some areas had it better than others.

“For example, in Kenya where women rely on charities and family members for sanitary pads, they have had a shortage of these vital supplies because such visits are now banned,” she said. “We also know that women are greatly impacted by separation from their children and, at a time like this, it is of huge concern.”

Fear of the pandemic among prisoners has led in recent weeks to several violent riots in detention facilities, such as in Indonesia.

“Inmates are under huge pressure,” said Brandner, the professor, noting that violence could erupt in other prisons. “They are as fearful as everyone else, but they are cramped together, they don’t have anywhere else to go and now they can’t receive regular visits.”

Brandner said that in places like the Philippines, the pandemic was creating “an imbalance in the ecosystems of some prisons”.

Religious groups would often go in and offer food, personal hygiene items and free medical consultations, as well as spiritual and practical advice to mitigate prison hardships – but most of this has stopped.

“It has a great impact on the psychological, material and spiritual well-being of the inmates,” Brandner said. “This isolation is a high price to pay.”

But inmates have not been left completely in the lurch. The ICRC has donated dozens of tablet devices for prisoners in the Philippines to use to call their relatives.

In the Manila City Jail – on the country’s largest island of Luzon where a lockdown has been imposed – visits have stopped but personnel have remained inside the jail, as part of a “carefully worked out and documented strategy to prevent the entry of Covid-19”, said Jones, the criminologist, who recently spoke with the warden there. The facility had not recorded any infections as of end-April.

“Morale is high due to the psychosocial programme they are running for personnel and inmates alike,” he said, adding that a Skype room was set up for inmates to stay in contact with loved ones.

“There are no security issues or unrest as the inmates are kept well informed and consulted on most management issues.”

Official data shows that the Philippines’ prison system is running at about 500 per cent over capacity. As of March, there were 134,748 detainees in the country – a number that has ballooned in recent years largely due to the government’s bloody anti-drugs crackdown.

More than 300 of the country’s prisoners have been diagnosed with Covid-19 – most of whom are housed in detention facilities on the island of Cebu. At least four have died.

But detainees are reporting higher death rates, according to Human Rights Watch, whose deputy Asia director Phil Robertson said “unreported deaths of inmates show the urgent need for the Duterte government to be transparent about the spread of Covid-19 inside the country’s overcrowded prisons”.

In response to the pandemic, Filipino authorities recently released about 10,000 inmates, including some who were serving sentences of six months or less, those being held ahead of trial who could not afford bail, and certain sick and elderly prisoners.

Harry Tubangi, health-in-detention programme manager for the ICRC who is based in the Philippines, noted that the crisis presented uncharted territory for the authorities.

He said his organisation had helped set up five Covid-19 isolation centres for prisoners with more than 500 beds in total, but the length of time waiting for test results – sometimes “more than a week or two weeks” – had made things challenging.

“First thing is to identify suspected cases and isolate them, and then be able to test them and determine the level of severity,” he said. “You also have to sort out patients who have Covid-19 from those who have other infectious diseases, such as tuberculosis.”

Thousands of inmates in Philippine prisons are thought to die of infectious diseases every year.

In total, the country has officially recorded more than 10,000 coronavirus cases and upwards of 650 deaths – numbers that are only expected to rise as it struggles to bring the outbreak under control.

The country is not alone in having prisons that are poised to become a flashpoint for the virus.

In Pakistan, where more than 22,000 infections have been confirmed, about 100 prisoners had tested positive as of April 21 – but the authorities there are only testing inmates who show symptoms, according to Ali Haider Habib of advocacy group Justice Project Pakistan.

Even though prison visits have been suspended, Habib said there had still been a large influx of inmates – about 500 new prisoners a day in some facilities.

“With such a massive churn rate and with prison staff going in and out, Pakistan’s prisons could be on the verge of a serious outbreak if a preventive strategy and contingency plans are not implemented effectively,” he said.

There were many vulnerable detainees in Pakistan, Habib said, with some of the most at risk being the elderly and those with pre-existing medical conditions.

About 2,400 inmates were already infected with other diseases and viruses such as HIV, while 600 or so had a mental illness – putting them “at particular risk because they are not always able to understand and follow instructions or maintain personal hygiene”, Habib said, citing the Covid-19 deaths that were reported after an outbreak in two psychiatric wards in South Korea.

As well as reducing Pakistan’s prison population, Habib called on the authorities to take other “emergency measures”, such as ramping up testing capacity for both prisoners and staff “and ensuring adequate medical facilities along with the presence of doctors and health care professionals”.

In neighbouring India, prisons were placed under lockdown and thousands of pretrial detainees released on parole after the authorities discovered the virus had begun to spread through the country’s correctional facilities.

It is unclear how many Indian inmates have caught Covid-19, but 19 detainees of Madhya Pradesh state’s Indore Central Jail and 77 inmates at Arthur Road jail in Mumbai tested positive last week.

Madhurima Dhanuka, lawyer and head of the Prison Reforms Programme for the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, told the Associated Press measures needed to be taken soon in India or things would “become extremely difficult”.

“It is a terrifying situation,” she said.

Last month, Indonesia announced that about 30,000 inmates were expected to be released to curb the spread of infection inside correctional facilities. Myanmar also said that about 25,000 people would be freed unconditionally, while Iran granted more than 85,000 people a temporary release and told them to await further instructions.In Thailand, where a group of inmates escaped after rumours of a coronavirus outbreak, jail sentences for 8,000 inmates have been suspended.

Kittipong Kittiyarak, executive director of the Thailand Institute of Justice, said the authorities should consider implementing alternatives to imprisonment as well as ordering a temporary or early release for vulnerable groups and those with non-violent, minor offences.

But even this would not be enough to avoid “catastrophic consequences” in the midst of this pandemic and any similar future crises, he said.

“The virus has brought to the foreground systemic problems that have existed in criminal justice policies for decades, and that is the overutilisation of incarceration as the primary form of sentencing,” he said.

“Especially in this part of the world, punitive drug policies have led to a sharp rise in the number of prisoners.”

In Australia, a group of more than 370 lawyers, academics and advocates signed an open letter urging the authorities to release prisoners, or at least consider the possibility of doing so.

The country’s most populous state of New South Wales had taken steps to pass emergency legislation allowing the government to release selected prisoners early, said Lorana Bartels, a criminology professor at Australian National University who co-authored the open letter.

But no releases have yet happened and “overall, the response has been to focus on measures such as increased hygiene, isolation and distancing, rather than using this as an opportunity to review the operation of the criminal justice system more broadly”, she said.

The pressure on Australia’s prisons was only likely to increase, Bartels warned, given legislation that may not allow those accused of transgressions considered particularly offensive in a pandemic to be released on bail.

While Australia had been relatively successful at minimising community spread of the coronavirus, which had helped prevent major prison outbreaks like the ones seen in the United States and elsewhere, Bartels said she was disappointed at limited moves made to address the penal system’s underlying issues.

Among these are the “over-representation of indigenous people [and] people with poor physical and mental health”.

She said she was among those calling for “justice reinvestment” – or diverting the significant amounts of funding allocated to prisons in Australia to “evidence-based community projects that address the underlying causes of crime”.

According to the latest Penal Reform International report, the majority of people in prison around the world come from disadvantaged backgrounds and are likely to have a history of abuse and neglect.

Brandner, the prison chaplain and professor who also advocates for reducing global prisoner numbers, said that the Philippines’ judicial system needed to be reformed.

“People spend a very long time in detention without being sentenced,” he said.

“Also, more people could serve their sentences in the community instead of being incarcerated.”

Jones, the criminologist, agreed, saying it was difficult to reform a country’s correctional system without a wider change in its judicial system.

“Corruption plagues most systems in developing countries, so most of the money going into rehabilitation or health care gets siphoned off to correctional personnel,” he said.

“Many facilities don’t want to reduce congestion levels as they will lose out on the food budgets, and therefore won’t get money in their back pockets.”

In some cases, Jones said, it was prison gangs – rather than the authorities – who provide inmates with health care and rehabilitation using their own resources.

Tohme, the ICRC expert, said that countries tended to see prisoners as a financial burden, with many among the general populace disconnected from life inside detention facilities.

“But everyone is at risk of being detained. You can drive your car and run over someone,” he said. “Health care in detention is a human right and a public health issue.”

[ashdaviss]

-- “ a little daring do ”

(zendaya, 23, cisfemale, bisexual, human) Oh, look, (ashton davis) finally showed up in Shadowfalls. (she) has lived here (two weeks) and works as an (investigative journalist). Everyone says they are (dedicated & empathetic), but if you cross them they can be (critical & impulsive). When you think of (ashton), you think of (the first sip of coffee after pulling an all-nighter, scuffed converse thundering down the pavement, and a rugged journal filled with messy handwriting only one person could possibly understand).

( hi everyone it’s birb with my first brain child! here is my my scrappy little journalist! if you would like to plot, please feel free to hit me up here through tumblr or on discord )

☆ Basics

Name: Ashton “Ash” Davis (Ashton rarely goes by her full first name and prefers to go by the abbreviated nickname Ash)

Age: 23

DOB: August 7th (Leo)

Gender: Cis Female

Sexuality: Bisexual 

Species: Human

Nationality: American 

Hometown: Brooklyn, New York

Current Residence: Shadowfalls 

Occupation: Investigative Journalist

Personality: (+) dedicated, dauntlessness, empathetic, intelligent, persuasive (-) critical, insecure, impulsive, stubborn, snarky  

Pet Peeves: arrogance, liars, rudeness, being bossed around, debbie-downers, secrets 

Theme: Woman by Kesha 

☆ Biography

Ashton was born in Brooklyn to Clarke and Jasmine Davis – a leading homicide detective of the NYPD and a kick ass prosecuting attorney, both of whom had amassed a collection of solved cases for the state of New York. Clark and Jasmine were sure to instill a strong moral compass and sense of will into their only child. As a kid, Ashton was taught the importance of truth and justice. She grew up incredibly close to her parents, inspired by their sense of duty and dedication. When the existence of the supernatural word came to light, Jasmine and Clarke wasted no time in teaching their daughter the importance of acceptance and equality while the world around them proclaimed messages of hate and discrimination.

Ashton was a diligent student, excelling in all of her classes. Though she excelled academically, Ash had a hard time making many friends. She was a spunky and feisty thing who was prone to getting into fights with the other kids at her school, especially when it came to kids who came from bigoted families who though the supernatural community were abominations.

After graduating high school, Ashton was faced with the dilemma of her future. She desperately wanted to continue her family’s legacy and make them proud, but police work and politics were fields she did not have any intention of pursuing. That is when journalism called to the young woman, a field wholly dedicated to the truth and justice. Impartiality. Ash wasted no time in attending university and getting a degree in journalism. Just months after obtaining her degree she was hired as a low level field reporter. Through her determination and sheer will, Ashton climbed the ranks and made a name for herself, notoriously taking stories involving the supernatural world. 

Her latest story has lead her to Shadowfalls, a city created solely for supernaturals. At her core, Ashton believes that every species should have basic rights and the ability to live their lives as their own. It deeply saddens her to see so many beings denied so much at the hands of humans. Ashton is hungry to prove herself and change the mortal public's perspective on the supernatural world. Her skilled reporting on the facts, her determination, and thirst for knowledge make her an unstoppable force. Hopefully all of these things will help survive within a city of beings who loathe her very existence.

☆ Wanted Connections

(here is a general list of some connections i would love to see for Ash! i should have a more detailed connections page up soon as well! again if you have any ideas, please feel free to shoot me a message here or on discord!)

roommates

neighbors

her boss

people and organizations she is investigating/interviewing 

supernaturals who are willing to talk about their experiences

supernaturals who are not so willing 

rivals, friends, other humans trying to survive within the city walls

bring me all of the things !!

[janephillipsblog]

My Diary of One Yellow Rabbit’s 34th Annual High Performance Rodeo - January 8 - 26, 2020

Last year I had the opportunity to volunteer for One Yellow Rabbit’s High Performance Rodeo and had such a fantastic time that I decided to do it again this year. The High Performance Rodeo Volunteer Program is proudly sponsored by East Village. There were some differences this year as due to my own theatrical commitments I was not able to attend the volunteer orientation session in November and was also not able to attend as many shows as I would have liked. Even so, I still managed to take in 11 shows and kept a diary a follows:

January 10, 2020

My first show was “bliss (the birthday party play)”, presented by Verb Theatre in The Studio at The Grand, was directed by Karen Hines and performed by Jamie Dunsdon. This was a raw and intimate investigation of ignorance, bliss, self and all the things that we wish we could un-know. The space was set up like a birthday party and the audience were all guests which was very different. I found that Jamie’s performance was thought-provoking and powerful as she took us on a winding road of a journey as she turned back the clock on her life. I very much enjoyed the journey I was taken on, particularly as I had no idea of the destination. I am very much a fan of one-person shows in general and this one did not disappoint.    

January 11, 2020

“It’s The End of the World as We Know It (and I Feel Fucked)” was written and performed by The Rude Pundit, a.k.a, Lee Papa, in Motel Theatre, Arts Commons. It was directed by Mike Creter. This was a journey, through the eyes of the Rude Pundit, through Trump’s America. It was exactly what I expected and I enjoyed his diatribe and anger and a Canadian audience can relate when comparing it to what Jason Kenney and people like him want to do.

January 16, 2020

“The Land, The Animals”, took place in the Big Secret Theatre, Arts Commons and was presented by the One Yellow Rabbit ensemble. Written and directed by Blake Brooker, this piece was performed by Denise Clarke, Christopher Hunt and Andy Curtis. This show was first presented in 1991, however it was new to me. I liked that it was based on a true event experienced by Blake and Denise in 1989, which changed the direction the play was going as Blake was writing it at the time. I felt that it was very timeless. It took me to the downtown working world of Calgary, a world which I had been a part of for many years as an employee, especially as I was a lunchtime runner, as was one of the characters in the play. I also enjoyed the original score written and performed by David Rhymer.

January 17, 2020

“Revolution or Slumber”, presented at and by Western Canada High School, was a special show as it was the first time that a high school production has been in the Rodeo. An original piece, it was written and created by students, directed by Caitlin Gallichan-Lowe. I enjoyed it and thought it was well done. The show was set during a slumber party, where the teens presented their anger, worry and despair at the state of the world, whilst in the world of the usual teenage dramas, love, smoking pot, drinking and eating chips (which set off my craving for chips!) It took me back to when I was the same age and I found I related to it in that regard. Perhaps the generations are not so far apart after all. I also really liked that they had screen printed the play’s logo onto second-hand t-shirts and were selling them.  

January 18, 2020

“Footnote Number 12” was presented in The Studio at The Grand by Spreafico Eckly & Theatre Replacement. It was directed by Andrea Spreafico and performed by James Long and Nancy Tam. This was a bizarre, challenging, but interesting piece set around a 2006 magazine article, that questioned what that writer had to say through today’s social context. Interesting use of sound and the modulation of the voice.

January 23, 2020

“Queer Blind Date”, was presented by Spontaneous Theatre at The Studio, Vertigo Theatre. Through improvisation and clowning, the play explores human romance, and in this version, queer courtship. As it is a re-imagined version of Rebecca’s Northan’s “Blind Date”, I could easily see how this would work for every kind of human relationship, whether straight, same sex, trans or gender-queer. The performance I saw featured the saucy but adorable female clown, “Mimi”, played by Julie Orton (there were also performances with the clown “Mathieu” played by David Benjamin Tomlinson which I will unfortunately did not get to see). The performance starts with the actors mingling in the lobby to pick Mimi’s blind date and on this particular evening she picked a young woman, with her consent of course and she was such a good sport! The play starts with their first blind date and progresses through their relationship from there and is often quite naughty, particularly with the use of puppets. I loved it, I felt it was really refreshing and well done and a show you could enjoy several times due to it being different every time.

January 24, 2020

“How To Fail As A Popstar”, A Canadian Stage Production, was presented at the Engineered Air Theatre at Arts Commons. Directed by Brendan Healy, in this piece Vivek Shraya (writer and composer) shares her journey and quest to become a popstar. I found Vivek’s performance to be raw and authentic and incredibly relatable due to the world we live in which often focuses on the destination of complete success, rather than for a person to enjoy and appreciate the journey regardless of where they end up. This was one of my top three shows this year.  

“Premium Content”, by David Gagnon Walker, directed by Geoffrey Simon Brown, was presented by The Major Matt Mason Collective in The Studio at The Grand. This is the story of five friends, one of whom makes videos. It explores the relationships between these friends and issues of consent in our internet-fueled voyeuristic world. I loved the use of multi-media and though I only got to see one performance, I also loved the idea that each performance was different and would have different relationship dynamics because the actors rotated roles (each actor learnt three roles).

January 25, 2020

“Tomatoes Tried to Kill Me But Banjos Saved My Life”, was presented by Quivering Dendrites, at Lunchbox Theatre. In this piece, creator and performer Keith Alessi, under the direction of Erika Conway, shares his inspirational true story from a rocky childhood, through corporate success to a battle with cancer, during which his passion for the banjo becomes an integral part of saving his life. This was a very authentic piece and I related to it on many levels. I suspect many other people also do, as for many of us, arts unfortunately sometimes end up on the back-burner as we focus on making a living. Keith bought his first banjo as a teenager and collected many throughout the years winding up with 52 of them in a closet! The cancer diagnosis forced him to finally start to really learn to play the banjo and he started jamming with other musicians. The cancer was cured and this piece created which ultimately led to a Broadway debut. I spoke to him after the show as I have guitars and a violin in my closet – well they were until just before Christmas as I have started playing them again! The advice: get out and play regardless of your expertise. The takeaway from this show for anyone is don’t delay your passion, whatever it may be. This was my favourite show this year.

“Gemini”, presented by Defiance Theatre, took place at The Legion. The play was written by Louise Casemore and directed by Mitchell Cushman. Performed by Louise Casemore and Vern Thiessen, the play is set in a bar and was made more real in this presentation by being performed in the Legion’s second floor pub. It explores the relationship between a young, female bartender and a middle-aged, male regular, who ultimately, perhaps in part due to male entitlement, crosses the line by reading more into the relationship than he should have. This was one of my top three shows at this year’s Rodeo as I found I related to it as I was once that bartender. Both characters had a sadness to them, stuck in their situations. It also raised questions about the treatment of workers in the hospitality industry. Bartenders have so much responsibility due to the liability that they take on from serving alcohol and yet the profession is not respected, with workers making most of their income from tips, a practice, that if you think about it, is rather questionable, because it has trickled down from the class system.

“Certified” by Squid Thinks was presented in the Motel Theatre at Arts Commons. In this show, creator and performer JD Derbyshire takes us on a roller coaster of a ride as we accompany her on her journey through the mental health system. This piece was fast-paced and humourous, though with moment of heart-ache, leaving the audience with questions about the definition of insanity.

For the volunteers, the Rodeo wrapped up with a volunteer party a week later, hosted by the Village Brewery Taproom. This year we were treated to a private talk back with artists Blake Brooker, Denise Clarke and Kris Demeanor. I unfortunately did not get to see Kris’ show “Russell: Straight Up” but he gave us a quick taste and I will definitely see it when it is presented again.

The 34th Annual High Performance Rodeo was fantastic and I wish I could have seen more shows, however the ones that I did attend were enjoyable and intriguing, with many that I would happily see again. As a performer and writer I also garnered a lot of inspiration from the work I experienced. Art is truly limitless! 

[wtfzodiacsigns]

Things That Give The Zodiac Signs Anxiety…

Aries gets anxiety when they bite off more than they can chew.

Believe it or not Aries do get anxious from time to time – as they plot world domination and juggle a thousand and one schemes – they secretly fear being outed as human. Taking on too much at once (as they often do) can result in cracks appearing. When they overload themselves to the point where they can no longer keep up they can get anxious about owning up to mistakes and asking for a helping hand. Sometimes it’s hard to swap Superman for Clark Kent!

Taurus gets anxiety when life becomes uncertain and unpredictable.

Taurus knows what they want out of life but sometimes they find it hard to be fluid and flexible. When their plans go out the window they can be suddenly hit by anxiety as they struggle to desperately come up with a change of course. Too much change too quickly can leave them with heavy feelings of uncertainty and apprehensiveness. They need to practice being nimble to prevent being overcome by an ever increasingly chaotic universe.

Gemini gets anxiety when they feel trapped and confused.

A panic room makes Gemini panic – as does anything else they can’t escape from. Queues, crowds, restrictive relationships and dead-end jobs can have this sign climbing up the proverbial wall. Being trapped by routine is a sure-fire way to make the Gemini anxious as their boredom threshold is so low that it’s ground level.

Cancer gets anxiety from feelings of abandonment.

Cancer will do anything to protect their tribe and the places the tribe inhabits. Home is their castle and family are their heart – which is why fears of abandonment can cause them great anxiety. They can become so worried about losing those around them that they go to massive lengths to ensure it doesn’t happen – whether that be by installing state-of-the-art security systems or checking up on loved ones repeatedly. Sure, they can be a little overprotective and even smothering at times – but it’s only because they can’t bare the idea of losing you.

Leo gets anxiety when rejected or humiliated.

Leos self-esteem is usually pretty stellar but cracks can start appearing when faced with rejection or humiliation. They dread finding themselves out of step – being the only ones at an event wearing last years fashion or thanking the wrong person at a speaking event. The idea of being made to look the fool – particularly in public – will elevate Leo’s anxiety Sky high. Accept that everyone has an “off day” and don’t let the haters get to you!

Virgo gets anxiety from overthinking and obsessing over details.

That mole on Virgos back, it’s probably not cancerous and a mild rash is not the next great pandemic – but this sign can leap to the worst case scenario. By all means they should get things checked out but not over and over again – it’s costly and pointless. Virgos are intuitive about health but it can become obsessive and all consuming. A word of advice – avoid using Google to self-diagnose – sometimes a cold really is just a plain old cold.

Libra gets anxiety when someone repeatedly crosses the line.

Libra tries to forgive and forget when people do them wrong. But when someone rejects their peacemaking offers by continuously crossing the line – a life long grudge can be born. This in turn can cause them great anxiety and put everything completely out of balance. When they lose sight of harmony and focus on that one point of agitation they’ll need to be rescued with love and tenderness before that anxiety leads to revenge.

Scorpio gets anxiety just generally from human beings.

Scorpio can sometimes find people, well, a bit hard to deal with. Having to deal with banal small talk and the stupidity of fools can really push their anxiety buttons. Pushy know-it-alls and less that average drivers can also cause Scorpio to go into an meltdown. Their anxiety can make them appear self-righteous and condescending – they need to remember that not everyone thinks and reacts so deeply and precisely.

Sagittarius gets anxiety when naysayers try to bring them down.

With energy to burn and a quick sense of humor Sagittarius loves being surrounded by optimism and laughter. It will take a long time for anxiety to kick in but when events or people seem to offer nothing but gloom and doom, they can eventually succumb to lethargy and stress. It may be necessary to get rid of “glass half empty” friends to regain that winning smile and effervescent energy.

Capricorn gets anxiety from incompetence and stupidity.

Capricorn has high standards and they try to surround themselves with competent people. Poor service, lateness and bad planning will all get under their normally professional skin. Polite and reasonable to a point this sign will become increasing anxious when people and organisations overlook simple solutions. They can’t stand pointless bureaucracy or Government red tape either – so don’t even get them started.

Aquarius gets anxiety when people lay unreasonable demands on them.

There are many voices living inside the head of an Aquarian there to console, give advice and – in general – keep the anxiety levels down. Consequently, Aquarians need to be left alone – a lot! They are not good at being asked to make snap decisions or having orders barked at them constantly. They need to internalize and retreat or risk a massive meltdown.

Pisces gets anxiety about the idea of getting anxiety.

Pisces can be such worrywarts that simply the idea of anxiety can in turn bring it on. It can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy that ends with them worrying about everything and anything. This can be triggered by any number of things whether it be an upcoming exam or simply that the lawns haven’t been mowed in a while. Sometimes they just need to escape to a yoga retreat for a weekend or two just to lower their levels of angst.

Source:aeneasx

[aeneasx]

Things That Give The Zodiac Signs Anxiety…

Aries gets anxiety when they bite off more than they can chew.

Believe it or not Aries do get anxious from time to time – as they plot world domination and juggle a thousand and one schemes – they secretly fear being outed as human. Taking on too much at once (as they often do) can result in cracks appearing. When they overload themselves to the point where they can no longer keep up they can get anxious about owning up to mistakes and asking for a helping hand. Sometimes it’s hard to swap Superman for Clark Kent!

Taurus gets anxiety when life becomes uncertain and unpredictable.

Taurus knows what they want out of life but sometimes they find it hard to be fluid and flexible. When their plans go out the window they can be suddenly hit by anxiety as they struggle to desperately come up with a change of course. Too much change too quickly can leave them with heavy feelings of uncertainty and apprehensiveness. They need to practice being nimble to prevent being overcome by an ever increasingly chaotic universe.

Gemini gets anxiety when they feel trapped and confused.

A panic room makes Gemini panic – as does anything else they can’t escape from. Queues, crowds, restrictive relationships and dead-end jobs can have this sign climbing up the proverbial wall. Being trapped by routine is a sure-fire way to make the Gemini anxious as their boredom threshold is so low that it’s ground level.

Cancer gets anxiety from feelings of abandonment.

Cancer will do anything to protect their tribe and the places the tribe inhabits. Home is their castle and family are their heart – which is why fears of abandonment can cause them great anxiety. They can become so worried about losing those around them that they go to massive lengths to ensure it doesn’t happen – whether that be by installing state-of-the-art security systems or checking up on loved ones repeatedly. Sure, they can be a little overprotective and even smothering at times – but it’s only because they can’t bare the idea of losing you.

Leo gets anxiety when rejected or humiliated.

Leos self-esteem is usually pretty stellar but cracks can start appearing when faced with rejection or humiliation. They dread finding themselves out of step – being the only ones at an event wearing last years fashion or thanking the wrong person at a speaking event. The idea of being made to look the fool – particularly in public – will elevate Leo’s anxiety Sky high. Accept that everyone has an “off day” and don’t let the haters get to you!

Virgo gets anxiety from overthinking and obsessing over details.

That mole on Virgos back, it’s probably not cancerous and a mild rash is not the next great pandemic – but this sign can leap to the worst case scenario. By all means they should get things checked out but not over and over again – it’s costly and pointless. Virgos are intuitive about health but it can become obsessive and all consuming. A word of advice – avoid using Google to self-diagnose – sometimes a cold really is just a plain old cold.

Libra gets anxiety when someone repeatedly crosses the line.

Libra tries to forgive and forget when people do them wrong. But when someone rejects their peacemaking offers by continuously crossing the line – a life long grudge can be born. This in turn can cause them great anxiety and put everything completely out of balance. When they lose sight of harmony and focus on that one point of agitation they’ll need to be rescued with love and tenderness before that anxiety leads to revenge.

Scorpio gets anxiety just generally from human beings.

Scorpio can sometimes find people, well, a bit hard to deal with. Having to deal with banal small talk and the stupidity of fools can really push their anxiety buttons. Pushy know-it-alls and less that average drivers can also cause Scorpio to go into an meltdown. Their anxiety can make them appear self-righteous and condescending – they need to remember that not everyone thinks and reacts so deeply and precisely.

Sagittarius gets anxiety when naysayers try to bring them down.

With energy to burn and a quick sense of humor Sagittarius loves being surrounded by optimism and laughter. It will take a long time for anxiety to kick in but when events or people seem to offer nothing but gloom and doom, they can eventually succumb to lethargy and stress. It may be necessary to get rid of “glass half empty” friends to regain that winning smile and effervescent energy.

Capricorn gets anxiety from incompetence and stupidity.

Capricorn has high standards and they try to surround themselves with competent people. Poor service, lateness and bad planning will all get under their normally professional skin. Polite and reasonable to a point this sign will become increasing anxious when people and organisations overlook simple solutions. They can’t stand pointless bureaucracy or Government red tape either – so don’t even get them started.

Aquarius gets anxiety when people lay unreasonable demands on them.

There are many voices living inside the head of an Aquarian there to console, give advice and – in general – keep the anxiety levels down. Consequently, Aquarians need to be left alone – a lot! They are not good at being asked to make snap decisions or having orders barked at them constantly. They need to internalize and retreat or risk a massive meltdown.

Pisces gets anxiety about the idea of getting anxiety.

Pisces can be such worrywarts that simply the idea of anxiety can in turn bring it on. It can turn into a self-fulfilling prophecy that ends with them worrying about everything and anything. This can be triggered by any number of things whether it be an upcoming exam or simply that the lawns haven’t been mowed in a while. Sometimes they just need to escape to a yoga retreat for a weekend or two just to lower their levels of angst.

[doomedandstoned]

The Curious Case of Dr. Sludgelove and His Awesome Cosmic Adventures

~By Billy Goate~

There's something to be said for the enduring power of a Stanley Kubrick film. There's no denying his potent storytelling, especially when it's inspiring a new generation of bands to write music about 2001: A Space Odyssey. I mean, wasn't that movie released in the late-60s? It's tech is dated, as are much of the effects, yet here we have young musicians writing minor epics about Dave's star-tripping Jupiter run, raging apes, and that gosh-darned monolith. Hmmm, well if you look at your typical Sunn Amp, it's no wonder. Thing is a picture of solitary grandeur, to say nothing of its omnipotent, knee-bending sonority.

In our last globe-hopping journey, we landed in Mexico City where we met a band called MOONWATCHER, known to project scenes from the film while playing open amphitheaters at the dead of night. Our travels next take us to Hungary, a scene I've sorely neglected over the years. More specifically, we're going right into the heart of the action: Budapest. It's the birthplace of the great pianist-composer Franz Liszt, who is arguably the first rock star for taking his solo piano performances on the road, which ignited the swooning throngs.

Some of you may have been exposed to the Hungarian doom-stoner sound already and not even realized it. Bands like Apey and the Pea, for example, have demonstrated that Hungarians like their music spicy, served up with verve and gusto. I decided it would be a good time to open up the window and take give you all a peek at this world through the eyes of a band I stumbled upon at random a few weeks back, who endeared themselves to me almost from the start with their name: Dr. Sludgelove. C'mon, how can you not love it?

Another thing I admire about the band is their dedication to concept. The presser they sent out was helpfully annotated with scene-by-scene narration of each track, which I've decided to share with you as I walk you through them. Finally, we're going to meet the band and find out what they can tell us about what it's like to be Doomed & Stoned on their side of the planet. Buckle up, boys. We're about to take a ride with a pair of wild men out into the final frontier.

Dr. Sludgelove is:

János Papp

Attila Temesvári

János Paronai

This is the story of their excursion into the universe of Stanley Kubrick, relayed in their own words.

My Space Odyssey

I. Dawn of Man

This is the first song off of Dr. Sludgelove's debut album, inspired by the Stanley Kubrick movie 2001: A Space Odyssey. In this song, humanity has just been born. Apes are living their everyday lives, which is just about struggling, fighting for food, and finding a place to sleep. They gather into groups -- the groups are fighting with each other, as well. The Earth during these times is very unfriendly place, with big and wrathful storms. Green can be found barely in this region and the vegetation is not very rich.

At some time, in the morning a big black prism is just appearing in front of our group at the ape cave. The shape, color, and smell is just something that has never ever been seen on this planet before. It is a monolith. An ape shows interest at once, as he caught sight of it. He moves closer, wants to touch it, but at the same time he is afraid of the unknown. He starts to dance around it. Others are appearing, as well, but they have bigger fears and choose to watch him from a decent distance. After a while, our hero just decides to tap on it. Then after some quick taps, he constantly touches the Monolith, but nothing visible seems to happen.

My Space Odyssey by Dr. Sludgelove

After some days, the ape finds some bones of a guinea pig, which are just lying in front of him. He starts to play with a piece, but he realizes after a while what he can do with it. He holds it high, then smites it with all his power. At this moment, he realizes how to use something to achieve bigger force than he is able to provide with his bare hands. He has just started to use a tool! This is also the start of the intellect, which drives humanity to reach bigger and bigger improvements. The Monolith gives the possibility of having a better, more developed life than the miserable life of apes. This moment starts everything, a pathway to the modern person's future.

II. Discovery One

In this second song, humanity is in space, travelling between planets in the Solar System. There is a base at the Moon, which can be visited by the average person, as well. Traveling in space is not such a big thing any more.

My Space Odyssey by Dr. Sludgelove

After discovering the Monolith in the surface of the Moon, a group of elite astronauts and scientists start their travel to the planet Jupiter to discover an anomaly, marked by the Monolith on the Moon. Most of the scientists are in hibernation, though two astronauts are awake during the long journey to supervise. An artificial intelligence, called HAL9000 is supporting them, dealing with all the low level controls of the spaceship.

III. HAL-9000

In this song, HAL-9000 reveals his true colors, as he tries to kill all astronauts on the spaceship. Dave Bowman, the last astronaut, decides to switch off HAL's intelligence to stop its influence controlling the whole ship's whole ecosystem. During the switching off operation, Dave needs to wear a spacesuit, as maybe HAL will try to kill him by providing no oxygen. Because of the spacesuit, we can hear Dave breathe during the entire track. This gives a sense of great tension to the whole song and originally for the movie scene, as well. We can hear as HAL tries to convince Dave that everything is alright and it will have no problems continuing the mission successfully.

My Space Odyssey by Dr Sludgelove

In the meantime, Dave pulls out computer cards from HAL's central unit, so HAL gets more and more simple-minded. At a certain point, HAL tries to convince Dave by appealing to his emotions as it states it is AFRAID! During Dave's actions, the music is heavy, a really metallic riff suggests that Dave is doing some harmful thing to HAL. When Dave finishes with the shutting down process, HAL goes into standby mode. Then he starts to "sing." This is the first thing that was taught to HAL back in the day, when it was created by its instructor, Mr. Langley.

IV. Alone Into The Void

After Dave Bowman successfully switches down HAL9000's high-level functionality, he continues the mission and heads towards the direction of Jupiter to investigate the enormously big copy of the Monolith found in the Moon. This is the focus of the fourth song. His colleague Frank Pool and all of the scientists held in deep hibernation were killed by HAL 9000 and the connection to Earth is also cut.

My Space Odyssey by Dr Sludgelove

During the long journey, therefore, he is really alone. The way to Jupiter lasts for long months. He tries to focus on the mission, but because he is lacking communication partner, Dave thinks a lot about his future, what he will find next to Jupiter, how the Monolith will behave, what will happen when he encounters it. A lot of questions and a lot of pressure on him and the prospect of the unknown drives him to depression, as he prepares to meet his doom.

V. My God, It Is Full of Stars!

For the fifth song, astronaut Dave Bowman encounters the Monolith. He says the following phrase just before losing contact with Mission Control: “The thing’s hollow -- it goes on forever -- and -- oh my God! -- it’s full of stars!”

My Space Odyssey by Dr Sludgelove

During the journey, he sees these stars as flashes, as the known three dimensional world falls apart. Time, direction, and all the usual physics does not make sense here anymore. Bowman is transported via the Monolith to an unknown star system, through a large interstellar switching station, and sees other species' spaceships going on other routes. Bowman is given a wide variety of sights, from the wreckage of ancient civilizations to what appear to be life-forms living on the surfaces of a binary star system planet.

VI. Death of Man, Born of The Starchild

After a journey through the wormhole, Dave Bowman finally arrives during the last song. The Monolith creates an environment for Dave to exist in that would not harm him in any way, making it look like a hotel room filled with familiar items to assuage any fear and appear welcoming.

Dave can't believe what he sees, but leaves the pod and explores the room in his suit. He sees the telephone and telephone book, but the phone doesn't work and the telephone book is blank.

He explores more and finds the refrigerator, where there is a variety of packaged food, but it is all "blue substance, about the weight and texture of bread pudding. Apart from its odd color, it looked quite appetizing." There are clothes in the closet, which are a bit out of date for Dave's time.

My Space Odyssey by Dr Sludgelove

Dave decides to trust the environment. "But this is ridiculous," Bowman tells himself in the novelization by Arthur C. Clarke. "I am almost certainly being watched, and I must look an idiot wearing this suit. If this is some kind of intelligence test, I've probably failed already. Without further hesitation, he walked back into the bedroom and began to undo the clamp of his helmet. When it was loose, he lifted the helmet a fraction of an inch, cracked the seal and took a cautious sniff. As far as he could tell, he was breathing perfectly normal air." He eats the blue food and drinks the water, showers, dresses, and he turns on the television.

Refreshed and exhausted, Dave lies down on the bed, turns off the light and "...for the last time, David Bowman slept." The Power behind the Monolith then transforms Dave into the Starchild, the next evolution of man.

Encounter With Dr. Sludgelove

I'm afraid 'My Space Odyssey' has only whet our appetite for more from Dr. Sludgelove. Where does the band go from here?

We are just starting to dive into the Hungarian stoner/doom/sludge scene. Our first release is more than a year old, but the needed band members have just been recruited. We started to rehearse and were able to find rehearsal room, so a lot of technical problems were solved in the last few months. Now we are planning gigs more gigs, after performing for the first time in this configuration during the spring. We are mostly close to Baby Gorilla Records and bands like Third Planet and Lanterni. We are planning gigs together first in Budapest, after that probably in some bigger cities around the country. Our one year goal is to be a band in Hungary that's invited to support a bigger foreign name, when such an act comes to play here. Our second album also will come out around the summertime, with the help of the sound engineer of the well-known band Red Swamp. Also merchandise, CD, and cassette releases are planned.

You mentioned a couple bands from the Hungarian scene. What are some others that doomers and stoners might check out?

Maybe the biggest name nowadays is Apey and the Pea. They usually play to sold out parties in Budapest, tour the whole country, and perform in foreign countries and festivals more and more. Their first releases were more grunge and stoner, then they delved into doom and sludge. Their most recent release is sludgier and contains thrash elements, as well. They are the best in Hungary right now.

Some other names worth checking out are Red Swamp, Lemurian Folk Songs, Űrhajó, Grizzly, Lanterni, Entrópia Architektúra, Alone in the Moon, Mighty Manlifter, and Third Planet, just to name a few top of mind.

For outside bands looking to tour through Hungary, what are some good booking agencies?

There is Baby Gorilla Records -- overall, really nice guys. They are managing and representing around 8-10 bands in the stoner, sludge, doom, noise, and prog rock subgenres. Also dealing with record releasing, of course, in addition to artwork, and organizing label nights, where their bands are usually supporting bigger names from foreign lands. While we're not on their label roster, we played one of their label nights in May, supporting the British band Famyne.

Thulsa Doom Booking is another one. They organize gigs for smaller foreign bands. Also they have their own group of bands, which they manage. They organize the underground festival called Thulsa Doom Fest, which you might have heard of.

Cudi Purci Booking is a bigger fish in this pond. They organize gigs with big foreign bands in the genre, like Elder, High on Fire, that kind of thing. They also organize the so-called Desszert Fest in Hungary.

What are some places that people like to hang there?

So, I'm listing some places where metalheads usually go out. Durerkert hosts a lot of live gigs in all rock and metal genres. This is a really cool place, we like it very much.

BARhole Music is the place where today's "rock stars" go to hang out in Budapest. If you want to meet with members from bands like Apey and the Pea, you will likely bump into them there.

Három Holló is a coffee house and restaurant at daytime, a cultural gathering at night -- including host to a lot of heavy music gigs and festivals.

Gólya is a cozy little place, which has lots of possibilities for smaller bands in our genre to perform live.

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[lifeofnickripley]

Game of Thrones: Fav characters and characters I dislike

(Long post) Kay so, today is the premiere of the final season, guess I'll do my top Ten favorite characters(it is pretty much my favorite show of all time). Show only since I have yet to read the books. If you wonder my opinion on any character not mentioned I either forgot to mention them or I didn't think they really earned a spot on the lists. Yes I do censor things in this a bit buuut I want my web comic to have a wider audience so yea, deal with it. (SPOILER WARNING, at this point, if ur not caught up tho, you have only yourself to blame) Liked Honorable mentions: - Melisandre - before I found out bout the necklace, I had the HUGEST crush on her. She's evil, yes, but she adds a sense of wonder and magic to the show, so I still like her character (other than that necklace scene obviously). Plus Jon wouldn't be back if it weren't for her so haters gonna hate. - Bronn- if he doesn't get his damn castle...lol I doubt I need to say why this wise cracking sword for hire is a favorite, I think most people love him. - Yara Greyjoy - Badass pirate/Viking chick on the high seas? Hell yeah! Plus I love Greyjoy armor, I don't doubt Euron will probably kill her though. - Oberyn Martell - Awesome character, the Red Viper was fierce with a spear and even moreso with his attitude. Unfortunately his pride wound up being his undoing in the end, arguably one of the most effective deaths in the series. - Tormund Giantsbane - How can you not love this absolute bro? I don't even like Brienne and I ship them. Geniune badass. - Jorah Mormont - Lord of the Friend zone, his loyalty makes him one of my favs, not top ten tier though - Petyr Baelish: The events of Game of Thrones wouldn't have happened without this slimy bastard. He was smart and cunning (which made him fun to watch) and though his death was cool, the build up was kind of weak (weird Sansa/Arya storyline) Favorite characters: 10.) Ned Stark - Everyone's original favorite character, his death cemented that GOT wasn't f*ckin around. I mean, damn, still a brutal death scene to watch to this day. Props to Sean Bean for making his so awesome. He was honorable to a fault in a dishonorable world. 9.) Ramsey Bolton - Kay, so I might get some flack for this one, but he was a great bad guy. I mean he was legit terrifying and despicable! Made the Battle of the Bastards have an entirely different level of intensity than most of the battle scenes. Dude was an absolute monster, but unlike another widely disliked villain, this psycho got his own hands dirty instead of beckoning others to. His death scene was poetic but I kinda wanted it to be gorier. (I'm an edgelord though) 8.)Jon Snow - Awesome character, obviously I dig him, so why so low on the list? Honestly, there's characters I like more. But he's still really cool, definitely has the best fight scenes of any of the characters. WE BETTER SEE GHOST THIS SEASON THOUGH!! Lol things are gonna be hella awkward when he finds out Dany is his aunt, yet we still root for them as a couple...that's wincest for you hurr hurr hurr hurr (sorry) I could see him living in the end cus tbh killing him again would be repetitive BS. 7.)Tywin Lannister - Kay...so he died on the sh*tter (imo probably the worst place to die) AND he was an absolute d*ck to Tyrion...but dude, he was awesome. He literally has a song about him in the world of GOT that is used as a warning to others to not f*ck with him!! He took a house that was laughed at and turned it into one of the most feared houses in all of Westeros. That is pretty frickin cool. 6.) Cersei Lannister - Another one I'll get flack for but whatever lol She's cool! So what she shags her brother and is an awful human being? She's a badass! Did you SEE how she blew up all of her enemies in the court and solidified her queen status in one fell swoop? That was dope!! She's vile but very entertaining to watch. RIP the Tyrells. Probably gonna get choked out though by her brother like Maggie the frog predicted. (By my second favorite character no less) 5.) Daenerys Targaryen - Dany! One of my cats is named after her! I love this character. The dragons are amazing, she's cute, she's powerful, maybe a little insane cus of Targaryen madness, and she's overcome some amazing odds. Her storylines could be a little meh in the grand scheme of things but Emilia Clarke's portrayal has made a character that we really root for. I suspect she'll die personally by the Night King buuuuut we'll see. 4.)Tyrion Lannister -Tyrion's writing has gone down a bit in recent seasons but still, most people's favorite Lannister. His quick wit and resilience make him a solidified favorite. Still seems like the person you'd most wanna drink with. I'd be pretty damn surprised if he bit the dust. 3.) Arya Stark - My other cat is named after her and there's a good reason why, SHE'S BASICALLY BECOME A FREAKING FACE STEALING NINJA!!! She was always likeable and I think I've enjoyed almost every storyline she's been a part of (excluding her main one last season) Maisie Williams is a great actress and I hope to see more of her in the future. I doubt Arya will die, but based on that one trailer, things do seem rather bleak for her. Who knows...maybe GRRM wants a divorce... 2.) Jaime Lannister - Yes. This dude is my favorite Lannister. In case you couldn't tell, Lannister is my favorite house. He's really had the best redemption arc in the series. He went from a character I disliked to my second favorite. I predict he will be the one to kill his sister, what happens to him after that, idk. It'll be awkward when he meets Bran again though... 1.) The Hound (Sandor Clegane) - CLEGANEBOWL BETTER HAPPEN!! Kay so... admittedly I screamed like a little freaking girl when this character came back. He... HE'S JUST SO FREAKING COOL!! Admittedly being a 6 footer and a rather grumpy individual, I probably relate to him more than I'd like to admit. Probably will die, but as long as he fights his brother, I'll be a very happy edgelord. Characters I dislike: 10.) Sansa Stark - Kay so I just...I dislike her, I never liked her. I feel sorry for her, sure. She's gotten better over time, sure. I still see her as very entitled and kinda whiny/bratty. She'll probably die. If not I won't be disappointed, still though, not a fan of Sansa. It was cool how she killed Ramsey, tho again, do wish the scene was gorier. 9.) Robb Stark - Ned Stark 2.0 but way less cool. Nuff said. I was okay with his death in the Red Wedding. Shouldn't have made a promise you weren't gonna commit to. Even if Walder Frey is a d*ck. 8.) Catelyn Stark - She was just such a jerk to Jon Snow and Tyrion, seriously. Even moreso in the books from what I have read of them. She got on my nerves. Honestly, I don't feel like Lady Stoneheart would've added much in terms of storyline. 7.) Brienne of Tarth: I find her annoying. Sure, her fight with the hound was FREAKING COOL, but she's kinda too self righteous for her own good. Duty is her thing and all but she is really not good at holding up to her vows. Still ship her and Tormund though. 6.) Theon Greyjoy - hated this dude, then felt sorry for him, now I roll my eyes at him. Honestly, Greyjoys other than Yara are pretty meh characters. Good for him finally regaining figurative cajones. Doubt he'll save his sister though, or survive the White Walkers for that matter. 5.) Euron Greyjoy - this one is a shame cus I hear the book character is amazing. Feels like a pretty generic bad guy of the week type for a show with outstanding villains. Funny like here or there, but kinda a weak character overall. Theon will probably kill him, though I'd love to see a twist where he kills Theon. 4.) Walder Frey - Old dude that got what was coming to him, props to the guy who plays Filch, portrayed two characters who were absolutely despicable. I doubt I really have to list the ways this cowardly character was despicable. Awesome death scene though. Winter came for House Frey. 3.) Shae - Grrrr. The actual actress I feel very sorry for cus I've heard her story, but man this character. Dumb but smart enough to screw over Tyrion. For personal reasons, I really hate this character, reminds me of people I've known. 2.) Tommen and Myrcella Baratheon - Most. Useless. Lannisters. Ever. I'm a Lannister fan so you could see why I roll my eyes so hard with these two. Tommen rolled over so hard you might as well have called him a wheel. And Myrcella was just kinda there, admittedly sad to watch her death scene though (pretty much moreso because it was the only time Jaime was really able to connect with his daughter) 1.) Joffrey Baratheon - Everyone probably saw this coming. Joffrey is that kid on the playground that'd hit you, you'd hit back, they'd start crying and get you in trouble. Everybody knew that kid, I think that's why everyone hates this character so. But man, his death scene was soooo satisfying. Props to the Jack Gleason for making him so horrible. There ya have it. My opinions on GOT characters. Freaking excited for tonight's premiere!! WINTER IS HERE!!

[comfortwear]

Best Comfortable Teacher Shoes

Instructors have an occupation where they are on their feet the entire day for some extended periods of time, once in a while on hard floor surfaces, which can likewise get tricky.

Therefore, every educator needs steady and agreeable shoes that oblige these circumstances and conditions, and that will likewise last with ordinary wear.

Alegria Women's Debra Slip-On Shoes for Teachers

Allegria offers an agreeable, and ornamental Venus shoe ideal for ordinary wear and that will supplement your closet and give phenomenal solace and strength to long days' wear.

Veritable cowhide uppers that will give solace, with enriching catches along the edges of the shoe. Easy slip-on style with an open toe for further developed breathability and ideal for those warm late spring days.

The side lashes have a three-point snare and circle that you can adapt to a superior fit. Three-point snare and-circle movability at side lashes for a superior fit. Delicate and breathable cowhide linings that give great solace.

It is very much padded, giving the entire day backing and solace.

The Outsole has a gentle rocker that underscores the regular impact point to-toe movement of your feet during strolling, bringing about feet and a less drained and torment free body by the day's end.

A human-made, finished outsole that is steady and sturdy. Half-inch stage for shock permeableness and greater soundness.

Steve Madden Women's Feather Educator's Loafer Flat Shoes

The Steve Madden Feather is an impeccably padded and organized artful dance level.

Expressive dance pads are a smart and female decision yet will in general be delicate now and again. Steve Madden pads have demonstrated to be all around padded, solid, adaptable, and incredibly tough, making them ideal for the long days in an instructor's life.

There is additional padding under the bottoms of the feet to retain shock.The shoe's lower leg has been intended for a superior fit and greater security.A more ladylike and popular pointed toe. Manufactured covering that is delicate and tough.

An agreeable and supportable engineered footbed. The outsole is from a manufactured material that is sturdy for a shoe that will last. Lovely accessibility of shadings and plans that are both stylish and female.

Dr. Comfort Women's Loafers

Comfortable Slip On educators Shoes

These are essentially astounding. They have a delicate padded insole, steady heel, delicate and agreeable uppers, along a stunning loafer plan that is not difficult to slip on and off.

A removable footbed with the goal that you can utilize your own insoles and additions for help and solace. An inflexible curve knife offers astounding help and solidness.

Diminishes crease lines for less aggravation with a miniature softened cowhide covering that wicks away dampness. The firm heel counter offers cushioned help and security alongside a cushioned tongue for less disturbance.

Simple slip-on and off plan with shocking enlivening point of interest. A thick shock-engrossing and high foothold elastic outsole. Accessible in both brown and dark calfskin, just as more extensive widths and broadened sizes.

Clarks Women's Ayla Instructor's Flat Shoe

From Clarks, we have the Ayla Low Ballet Flat, which is a tasteful and agreeable shoe for educators.

Accessible in numerous unbiased lights and dull shading varieties to browse as you like. Lightweight and agreeable material uppers. Clarks Cloudsteppers solace innovation.

A removable padded Ortholite footbed that likewise oversees dampness. Super lightweight and adaptable plan. A thick and slip-safe elastic outsole.

Skechers Women's Performance Go Walk Lite Level Shoe for Teachers

The Skechers Go Walk Lite Ballet Flat is one of my supreme top picks for instructors' ideal shoes. Tasteful style and allure with breathable and lightweight manufactured uppers.

The thick elastic outsole offers astounding shock receptiveness and slips obstruction. Exceptionally lightweight and responsive 5Gen padding framework.

An Air Cooled Goga Mat padded insole.Sew Knit plan uppers that are exceptionally breathable

Clarks Women's Step Glow Educator's Loafers

An agreeable slip n Loafer from Clarks for educators.Delicate and super lightweight material uppers accessible in splendid and impartial shading choices.

Highlights a padded and dampness overseeing Ortholite footbed. Pad delicate innovation and smooth material linings.A shock-engrossing EVA padded sole and a solid elastic outsole.

Simple on and off with the stretch gote plan.The footbed is likewise removable with the goal that you can utilize your own orthotics.

Skechers Women's Seager Instructor's Shoes

The delicate Mary Jane Style shoe from Skechers is the most agreeable and exquisite instructor's shoe that you will discover. Accessible clearly or delicate pastel shading alternatives.

It Will suit any instructor's outfit flawlessly. Delicate and breathable woven level weave uppers and air-cooled adaptive padding, a full-length insole that is likewise removable.

A thick and marginally obeyed sole and adaptable padded sole, and a strong elastic outsole.

Hot chocloate Design Women's Chocolaticas Fun Teacher's Shoe

One of my top choices and a fun and agreeable shoe with a contort for instructors is the Chocolaticas Mary Jane, which comes in numerous pleasant prints. I have picked the Map Print, which is ideal for topography instructors.

Delicate texture uppers are accessible in a lot of fun and bright prints for instructors. The elastic outsole offers astounding grasp and is non-stamping.

Inside is a padded insole for solace and shock sponginess. Planned and made to be veggie lover and eco-accommodating.

New Balance® Women's 680V6 Athletic Shoe for Teachers

In the event that you are permitted to wear athletic-style shoes for instructing, I strongly suggest the New Balance 680V6 for solace and the entire day support on your feet.

The uppers are agreeable and adaptable with manufactured and network materials. There is a NB delicate padded insole that is likewise removable for your solace.

The padded sole offers magnificent shock sponginess and backing.

An elastic outsole guarantees that you have a firm and secure hold and surprisingly more shock permeableness. You can likewise pick your number one tone from numerous alternatives.

Skechers Women's Breathe Easy Summer Shoe for Teachers

The Skechers Sport Breathe Easy Fortune is a popular shoe style level shoe that is ideal for instructors. The uppers are an entirely breathable delicate lattice weave plan ideal for sweltering late spring months.

Inside is a removable padded insole for solace, and there is additionally a strong padded sole. The tough elastic sole offers astounding slip obstruction. In addition, there are a lot of shadings from which to pick.

Clarks Women's Ashland Shoes for Teachers

From Clarks, the Ashland Spin is a slip-on solace instructors' shoe. The uppers are real calfskin, and barely any unbiased shading alternatives are accessible.

The insole is padded with an Ortholite Footbed. The elastic sole likewise guarantees enduring solace and solidness. Besides, there is only a slight heel.

[newstfionline]

Sunday, April 11, 2021

Group to study more justices, term limits for Supreme Court (AP) President Joe Biden has ordered a study on overhauling the Supreme Court, creating a bipartisan commission Friday that will spend the next six months examining the politically incendiary issues of expanding the court and instituting term limits for justices, among other issues. In launching the review, Biden fulfilled a campaign promise made amid pressure from activists and Democrats to realign the Supreme Court after its composition tilted sharply to the right during President Donald Trump’s term. Trump nominated three justices to the high court, giving conservatives a 6-3 split with liberals on the court. Some progressives have viewed adding seats to the court or setting term limits as a way to offset the influence of any one president on its makeup. Conservatives, in turn, have denounced such ideas as “court-packing” similar to the failed effort by President Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s.

Ramsey Clark, attorney general who became a critic of U.S. policies, dies at 93 (Washington Post) Ramsey Clark, who was U.S. attorney general under President Lyndon B. Johnson and then, after leaving government service, redefined himself as a relentless critic of American foreign policy died April 9 at his home in New York City. He was 93. The son of conservative Supreme Court Justice Tom C. Clark, Mr. Clark grew up in the lap of the political establishment and was the last surviving member of Johnson’s cabinet. As a young man, he showed few signs of his firebrand future, but in the half-century that followed his 22-month term as the nation’s top prosecutor, he underwent a remarkable political transformation and became a persistent voice of dissent against the government. He attacked what he called the United States’ “sham” democracy, ruled not by the people but by the wealthy few, and he decried the nation’s “genocidal” foreign policy and “certifiably insane” military spending. “If you really love your country, you work very hard to make it right,” Mr. Clark told the Los Angeles Times. “Anything else is an extreme act of disloyalty and an extreme failure of courage.”

Pandemic pushing thousands into sex work in Mexico (AP) Hardships caused by the coronavirus pandemic have forced former sex workers in Mexico back into the trade years after they left, made it more dangerous and reduced some to having sex in cars or on sidewalks for lack of available hotels. Claudia, who like most of the sex workers interviewed asked to be identified only by her first name, had stopped working the streets a decade ago after she married one of her former clients. But when her husband lost his job early in the pandemic, the couple fell four months behind on rent for their apartment. The only solution Claudia saw was to go back to working the streets. “It was an income in order to eat, to pay the rent we owe,” said Claudia, who now owes only one month back rent. “It is hard to come back and see so many of my fellow workers from the old days, my era, going back to do the same thing … to see all the problems out there.” Thousands of new sex workers have pushed onto the streets as the pandemic forced closure of restaurants and shops. Elvira Madrid, who leads the activist group Street Brigade in Support of Women said her group found 15,200 sex workers on Mexico City’s streets in August, about twice the number before the pandemic.

St. Vincent awaits new volcanic explosions as help arrives (AP) Cots, tents, and respirator masks poured into the eastern Caribbean island of St. Vincent as officials expected to start distributing them on Saturday, a day after a powerful explosion at La Soufriere volcano uprooted the lives of thousands of people who evacuated their homes under government orders. Nations ranging from Antigua to Guyana offered help by either shipping emergency supplies to their neighbor or agreeing to temporarily open their borders to the roughly 16,000 evacuees fleeing ash-covered communities with as many personal belongings as they could stuff into suitcases and backpacks. The volcano, which last erupted in 1979, kept rumbling as experts warned that explosive eruptions could continue for days or possibly weeks. A previous eruption in 1902 killed some 1,600 people.

Peruvians head to polls with masks, pens and little excitement (AP) Peruvians were preparing to head to the polls on Sunday in a presidential election marked by uncertainty due to widespread public apathy following decades of graft and mismanagement and a possible low turnout because of the COVID-19 pandemic. With none of the 18 presidential candidates polling more than 11% and a “no vote” still the most popular choice for disgruntled respondents in the first round of voting, two contenders from opposite poles of the political spectrum could face off in the second round in June. Keiko Fujimori, a right-winger and the daughter of former President Alberto Fujimori, who was jailed for human rights abuses, and radical leftist professor Pedro Castillo have slim leads over the rest of the field, according to the latest polls.

Britain pays tribute to Prince Philip (Reuters) Gun salutes will be fired across Britain on Saturday to mark the death of Prince Philip as tributes flooded in for a man who was a pillar of strength for Queen Elizabeth during her 69-year reign. Members of the public laid flowers outside royal residences, paying their respects to the 99-year-old prince. “We’re all weeping with you, Ma’am,” read the front page of the Sun tabloid, while its rival the Daily Mail ran a 144-page tribute to Philip, who died on Friday at Windsor Castle. The armed forces will mark Philip’s death at noon (1100 GMT) with a Death Gun Salute. Artillery units in London, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Belfast and Gibraltar, and some navy warships, will fire their guns. The death of “her beloved husband”, announced by the queen, robs the 94-year-old monarch of her closest confidante, the one person she could trust and who was free to speak his mind to her. They had been married for 73 years and he would have turned 100 in June.

Kremlin says it fears full-scale fighting in Ukraine’s east (AP) The Kremlin said Friday it fears a resumption of full-scale fighting in eastern Ukraine and could take steps to protect Russian civilians there, a stark warning that comes amid a Russian troop build-up along the border. The statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, reflected the Kremlin’s determination to prevent Ukraine from using force to try to retake control over separatist-controlled territory in eastern Ukraine. Ukraine’s military chief dismissed the Russian claims that the country’s armed forces are preparing for an attack on the rebel east. Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists have been fighting in eastern Ukraine since shortly after Moscow’s 2014 annexation of Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula. More than 14,000 people have died in the conflict, and efforts to negotiate a political settlement have stalled.

India’s daily COVID-19 cases rise to record for fifth time this week (Reuters) India’s daily coronavirus cases on Saturday rose by a record for the fifth time this week and deaths surged to the highest in more than five months, with hospitals and crematoriums overflowing in parts of the country. New cases in the world’s second-most populous country have totalled the most of anywhere in the world over the last two weeks. India’s overall tally of 13.21 million is the third-highest globally, just shy of Brazil and below the worst affected country, the United States. The second surge in infections, which has spread much more rapidly than the first one that peaked in September, has forced many states to impose fresh curbs but Prime Minister Narendra Modi has refused to impose a national lockdown given the high economic costs.

Reports: Myanmar forces kill 82 in single day in city (AP) At least 82 people were killed in one day in a crackdown by Myanmar security forces on pro-democracy protesters, according to reports Saturday from independent local media and an organization that keeps track of casualties since the military’s February seizure of power. Friday’s death toll in Bago was the biggest one-day total for a single city since March 14, when just over 100 people were killed in Yangon, the country’s biggest city. Bago is about 100 kilometers (60 miles) northeast of Yangon. The Associated Press is unable to independently verify the number of deaths. At least 701 protesters and bystanders have been killed by security forces since the army’s takeover, according to the Assistance Association for Political Prisoners.

Syria after 10 years of war (The Week) The Syrian civil war is now a decade old, said Elizaveta Naumova at Lenta (Russia), and there is still no end in sight. More than 500,000 people—most of them civilians—have been killed in 10 years of fighting, and at least 2 million have been wounded. Of the 22 million people who lived in Syria before the war, more than half have fled their homes. Some 5.6 million of those left the country, seeking shelter in Turkey, Lebanon, and the European Union and sparking anti-migrant backlashes. “Little is left of old Syria, not only demographically, but also culturally.” The commercial capital of Aleppo lies in ruins. The U.S., for its part, leveled the city of Raqqa while pursuing ISIS. Many of the ancient archaeological treasures of Palmyra have been blown up or looted.      Syrians desperately need our help, said Aude Lasjaunias at Le Monde (France). Many hospitals and schools have been destroyed or damaged, and electricity and running water are spotty or absent in much of the country. Nearly 90 percent of Syrians have slipped below the poverty line, and 60 percent lack enough food. The U.S., EU, and dozens of other nations pledged $6.4 billion in aid last month to help address Syria’s mounting humanitarian crises. But that was far short of the $10 billion sought by the United Nations, and a mere drop compared with the estimated $400 billion it will actually take to rebuild the country. Where will that money come from? “Assad’s allies, Russia and Iran, do not have the means to bail out Damascus,” and the West is conditioning large-scale aid on “a real political transition” that is vanishingly unlikely.      Even if Syria manages to somehow come back to life, said Hoda Al-Helaissi at Arab News (Saudi Arabia), the youngest generation will always bear the scars. Those who were children when the war began, or who have been born since, “have no memories or history” of the cosmopolitan country Syria once was. They have seen only “death, blood, or rubble,” and they are growing up “malnourished, uneducated, deprived, and poor.”

[gibbzy]

Battle Royale

The time is soon upon us ladies and gents. Former Minister Gline Clarke has vacated his St. George North constituency seat and it is there for the taking. There will be a by-election and since this was announced it has been pandemonium! I will admit I forgot how entertaining elections can be. From the constant digs and cheap shots being taken by opposing party members, to the speakers who in many cases say embarrassing things and have to make retractions and apologies later. This by-election has been a riot so far and I am not disappointed one bit! When Toni Moore was chosen as the BLP representative to vie for the St. George North seat it caused an uproar. A large part of the issue with her selection was because she was the General Secretary of the Barbados Workers Union and also a Barbados senator. Clearly, we can see how a conflict of interest exists in this situation and the opposition did not hesitate to loudly voice their disgust. Now let me say this, I love Auntie Mia and after our last Prime Minister she is a breath of fresh air because our last leader didn’t have much to say. Really imagine if he was our leader during this Pandemic. Anyways, I digress. Our Prime Minister has been boisterous and bombastic in her endorsement of Toni Moore and took to the stage last month to shell all of the naysayers from the opposition by asking a series of questions beginning with “You mean to tell me…” I love it!! Auntie Mia is a bully pun de mic! Sometimes politics reminds me of WWE wrestling from back in the day when it was WWF and much better than it is now.  One wrestler would come out and talk in the middle of the ring about another wrestler and get the crowd hype. In most cases the other wrestler would come out and respond, hyping up the crowd even more and it would culminate in a big match. Barbadian politics ain’t much different. It would be remiss of me to not bring this up. Do you remember what DLP Minister Dennis Lowe said on a political stage leading up to the 2018 wash off? Let me remind those of you who forgot. Mr. Lowe pretty much called all the male members of the BLP eunuchs or men who were castrated because their party leader was a woman. Next, he addressed our now Prime Minister as a material you can make furniture and craft from. Cause I am not saying it on this blog. It is one of the few times in life I was truly speechless. Dennis had reached a new Lowe. Now when you say ‘A’ you got to say ‘B’. Well, in this case when you say ‘B’ you got to say ‘D’. Toni Moore is the candidate for the BLP, and West Indies cricketer Floyd Reifer is the candidate for the DLP. I could not ask for a better match up. Floyd Reifer is a resident of St. George and a man who seems to be well adored and respected by the residents of that parish. He clearly is no politician and may not wield the sword of articulation with the same ferocity as more seasoned speakers, but he has nothing to lose either.

Floyd Reifer is being presented as a man who cares about his community and its people and would like the chance to represent them with some political power to his name. He is not trying to be something he is not and I think that is a plus. Some voters need to see some level of humanness to a candidate and best believe he will have tremendous support from St. George.  Now detractors from either side are expected. Trade Unionist and Opposition Senator Caswell Franklyn has been one of Toni Moore’s biggest detractors calling her essentially a traitor. It only makes sense The BLP would have their own weapons to deploy towards Mr. Reifer knowing he is not versed in the art of war that is politics. Former Parliamentarian Delisle Bradshaw has made the most controversial remark so far throughout this lead up to the November 11th showdown. In an attempt to disparage or pretty much humiliate Reifer, Bradshaw said “any idiot can play cricket” inferring that Reifer was out of his depth and should stay where he belongs to put it nicely. Within two days or less Reifer had a response in the form of a video that went viral asking Bradshaw if he understands how insulting and disrespectful his comments were to ALL of our cricket legends INCLUDING our only living national hero. BRILLIANT!!! If this was chess, it would be checkmate. Bradshaw was forced to give a half-assed attempt at an apology and tried to clarify what he meant at the time. Too late Delisle, your daughter, Minister of Education, Santia Bradshaw had to be shame. All I can say is that November 11th will be very interesting and remember, all the seats are up for grabs in a by-election. I can’t promise all the BLP seats will be safe this time around. I also can’t assure anyone that Toni Moore will beat Floyd Reifer, but I have my popcorn and my large drink and I am enjoying the show!

[asfeedin]

What it’s like being hired, fired or unemployed as a top manager

Sacking a football manager takes minutes. Months of stress and grind are reduced to a brief conversation and lawyers looking at a handful of termination provisions. Then comes the uncertainty.

There is no rulebook for how you deal with being fired by a club or when the time is right to get back into football’s rat race. There are sleepless nights and the occasional slump into depression and frustration. Then comes introspection, then the itch to prove doubters wrong, and before the manager knows it, he is back in the hot seat, defending himself.

The manager market is now on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic. The betting markets on which manager will be fired next — the so-called sack race — are paused, and those in the hot seats are spending their days using video conferencing tools and trying to plan for the future. All the while, the out-of-work coaches are sitting at home waiting for the managerial merry-go-round to start spinning again.

“Nine times out of 10, after leaving a job you need a break,” Alan Pardew told ESPN.

Pardew has managed six teams in the Premier League — Newcastle United, Crystal Palace, West Ham, Charlton Athletic, West Bromwich Albion and Southampton — and is now in charge at Dutch Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag, a job he took 20 months after leaving West Brom in April 2018.

“We are constantly under pressure. It’s difficult to have a nice time, you know, if results are bad or you’re feeling the heat,” Pardew said. “So yeah, that’s the first phase after a job.

“The first sort of five weeks [after being sacked], you really take very little interest in football. The second phase is you start analysing what you did that either went well or went wrong and trying to make sense of what happened, if you want to call it that.

“The third phase is OK, rebuild. Let’s start thinking about how we’re going to go back in and, you know, what we’d change, staff and ideas and stuff like that. And then you get your motivation. You get approached, and you think, you know what?  Let’s have a go at this.”

“We’re human beings. If you stick a knife in us, we bleed. You know that, right?” Sam Allardyce said, reflecting on the pain of losing a job you love. “People think we’re superhuman, and we don’t feel or we don’t bleed or we don’t react … Of course we do.”

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Allardyce is one of the most experienced and well respected managers in England, having taken charge at West Ham, Newcastle, Crystal Palace, Everton and Bolton Wanderers. He garnered a reputation for helping troubled teams escape relegation from the Premier League. He left his last managerial role with Everton in May 2018. That left a bitter taste, and he hasn’t managed anywhere since, despite fielding numerous offers both abroad and in England, including from Newcastle United and Watford.

“If you think you deserve to get sacked, then you accept it’s your responsibility, but when you don’t — and obviously, I truly believe I did not deserve to [get] sacked at Everton — then you’ve got a bitter disappointment to get over,” Allardyce told ESPN. “In the early days of my career, after getting sacked you’re wondering how you’re going to carry on in life — or I did, anyway. How am I gonna cope? What am I going to do? 

“You have to get over it because there’s one thing in football you can’t do: You can’t linger over the past.”

Since the Premier League began in 1992, Newcastle United is the club with the highest turnover of managers. Current boss Steve Bruce is their 23rd in 28 years. The 2008-09 and 2017-18 campaigns were the most turbulent for managers, with Premier League clubs changing their top dogs 15 times in two seasons. Sackings have become more frequent since the advent of the big-money, high-pressure environment of the Premier League. In the inaugural 1992-93 season, there were six manager changes. But with the league now halted after 29 games due to COVID-19, this is, to date, the least cutthroat season since 2005-06, with only six managerial changes.

From 1998 to 2018, a head coach was hired every 2.4 seasons in the NBA, every 2.6 in the NHL and every 3.4 in the NFL. At present in the Premier League, seven of the 20 teams have managers who have been at the club for more than two years.

Pardew’s emotions after leaving a team were dependent on his exit.

“The first focus is being realistic about the decision,” he said. “You have to face that first. Family and friends are very important at that stage. You need that support and confidence they have in you to rebuild.”

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There have been departures after which Pardew felt “the board were hasty and should have been more patient, and other times where it was the right decision for all involved.” Looking back, talking from Surrey after his return to his family during the coronavirus lockdown, he feels his Newcastle departure came at the right time. “I think the owner felt it was probably right, and we went, ‘OK, it was a good run, we’re done, let’s move on.’ That was the best-case scenario.

“There is no departure that is exactly the same, I found,” he said. “But certainly, I still carry no bitterness toward anybody in terms of the decisions that were made. They’re made, and you have to get on with it. I think that’s where some managers fall down. They carry it, and you can’t do that. It’s a bit like a bad defeat: You have to bury it pretty quickly and move on to the next game.”

There is a general acceptance by football managers at the top end of the game that when they lose a job, they do not, usually, face financial uncertainty — Antonio Conte was paid a reported £26.2m when he left Chelsea in 2018, and Fabio Capello was said to have collected £10.5m when he parted from Russia in 2015 — but that comes as scant consolation in the early stages. More often than not, the next time we see a sacked Premier League manager is in photographs of him sunning himself on a beach, hiding under a hat in the stands at a game or popping up as a pundit, like Jose Mourinho did after leaving Manchester United.

The pressures for unemployed managers are different at the other end of the football pyramid. Allardyce, Pulis and Pardew have all managed at different levels in the game, and Darrell Clarke is at the start of his journey in League 2.

Clarke was sacked by Bristol Rovers in December 2018 and was appointed manager at League 2 Walsall six months later. “As soon as you leave as manager, and you’re clearing your office, the lads are training as normal,” Clarke told ESPN. “That’s the reality of it. They’re getting on. They’re professionals, and football goes on.”

He says the mental shutdown after leaving a club is massive, as you go from living off pressure to having a huge drop in intensity. He spent the first couple of days talking to his former players, but that became more infrequent as weeks passed. “You’re worried where the next job is going to come along … because as a lower league manager, you definitely have bills and mortgages to pay … so you certainly can’t be out of the game for too long,” Clarke said.

“But you do feel the lack of routine, waking up with no decisions to make. I’ve tried to programme my mind to enjoy pressure because that’s how it is as a football manager. So then to come away from that, the intensity of that, I found it very difficult.

“I’ve never been able to handle losing football games. That’s always felt like a loss in the family. That’s probably a bit of an exaggeration, but I think when you leave your job, certainly you feel very, very low, and you need to try as quickly as you can to pick yourself back up, to reflect, to let yourself get over that disappointment, and it takes a bit of time.”

Tony Pulis and Sam Allardyce are all too familiar with football’s managerial merry-go-round. Clive Mason/Getty Images

Tony Pulis turned to Napoleon Bonaparte for distraction when he left his most recent post with Championship side Middlesbrough in May 2019. After 30 years of management, including spells at Premier League clubs Stoke City, Crystal Palace and WBA, he wanted to see more of his six grandchildren — the seventh is on the way — and develop interests away from football.

“I wanted to give myself the opportunity to open up my mind to everything else that’s going on around my life, do things I’ve wanted to do but never had the time,” he said. “I’ve been a great reader of history and of different leaders, and I wanted to be able to go and see different things. I know I’m very fortunate to be able to afford it and do it.”

He travelled to Corsica in September 2019 to be at a celebration of Napoleon’s 250th birthday.

“I was absolutely fascinated about how he had come from this small island, actually how he was like a foreigner in France and how he picked his way through to being one of the greatest generals really that ever lived,” he said. “You can see that on a positive side or a negative side. I don’t just read the good stuff about him. I read all the bad stuff about him as well. I’ll make my own mind up then.”

Pulis also spent time in South Africa and visited Rorke’s Drift, where he learned about the Anglo-Zulu War. He’s now researching explorer Ernest Shackleton. “He was described as a purposeful leader,” Pulis said. “He wasn’t necessarily an attractive leader but just got the job done.”

Time and age taught Pulis the value of parking disappointment when between jobs and immersing himself in a new footballing project or one of his hobbies. “As you get older, I think you’ve seen most of the stresses and strains,” he said. “You gain experience from it. No one forces you to be a manager. There’s not a gun at your head saying you have to do it. You have to be strong enough and determined enough and understand your own structure as a person and your own strengths and your own weaknesses.”

Allardyce always took a holiday after leaving a club. During the time away, he’d pick through the breakup and come back revitalised — but only after making a series of notes.

Dan Thomas is joined by Craig Burley, Shaka Hislop and a host of other guests every day as football plots a path through the coronavirus crisis. Stream on ESPN+ (U.S. only).

“You learn from experience. It’s done. It’s dusted. Learn from it. What did I do wrong? What could I have done better? Just dot it down somewhere for the future. I’ve done many notes over the many years on all the jobs that I’ve had, and then you can have a little look at that when you go into a new job and just refresh yourself on what you’re going to do and how you’re going to do it.”

Allardyce used to spend the time between jobs visiting football clubs, but he sees little benefit to that now. “When I go to other football clubs abroad, generally they show you very little, or they don’t really show you the stuff that really matters,” he said. “I think there’s always a fear factor in football, that we should keep more things close to our chest than we actually should.”

Now, he turns to other sports, such as NFL, rugby, Australian rules football and even the Royal Airforce’s aerobatic team, the Red Arrows, to continue his learning.

Pardew spent time between jobs in rugby with Saracens and Eddie Jones, the England manager, while taking advantage of the League Managers Association’s courses. “You don’t want to be left behind, and you want to stay at the forefront of it all,” he said.

For Clarke, after his two-week break post-Bristol Rovers, he spent time with Portsmouth’s Kenny Jackett, who told him to use the time to work on his recruitment for the next job, looking at players and potential backroom staff. “The fact is, there are not really that many managers reinventing the wheel,” Clarke said. “It’s about just refocusing yourself and doing what you do and doing it your own way.”

In the pre-COVID-19 world, when a manager is ready to return, there is an “itchy-feet stage,” according to Allardyce. Then, hopefully, come the approaches and job interviews.

Pardew says there are usually nerves when heading in to meet the board at a prospective new club, but he falls back on his experience and homework.

“It’s your right to represent who you are: This is who I am, what I can offer. This is my history,” he said. “I don’t think I’ve ever talked any board or owner into taking me. I’ve always been quite frank about how I think the club is and where I think they’re at and what possibly I could bring, and then if, when they make that decision, they think, ‘OK, we’re going to go with you.’ Then the reality sets in for a manager. Then you start getting into the finer details of the contract and what’s the budget gonna be before you actually, you know, say yes or you both say yes.”

Pardew remembers turning down job offers before his head was turned by Eredivisie side ADO Den Haag.

“It was a very, very difficult job, a foreign job, bottom of the league,” he said. “And I’ve enjoyed it, you know, as much as it’s been difficult. I’ve enjoyed it.”

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Quique Setien explains why he won’t be satisfied if Barcelona win the La Liga title by default.

Clarke was “chomping at the bit after six/seven weeks” after leaving Bristol Rovers, and he ended up finding the ideal fit at Walsall. “I’d pulled out of a couple [of other potential jobs]. The Walsall one was very interesting for myself. I knew it was a club run right.” He has been there 11 months, and when football paused, his team were 14th in League 2.

Allardyce and Pulis are in no rush to return.

Allardyce’s disappointment at his exit from Everton encouraged him to take a break. “Several opportunities have come over the last two years that haven’t been right for me, so it’s been turned down,” he said. “As time goes on, those opportunities become less and less, of course. … You soon get forgotten, but that’s not too much of a problem because the longer it goes on the more and more, I seem to be enjoying life, you know, without football.

“You commit your whole soul and your body when you do this job. But because you love it, you do it.

“It’s more and more difficult to take a job because I have to tick so many boxes now to make sure it’s right for me. I might never get them all ticked.”

Allardyce does a radio show for a popular channel. He is still immersed in football — but not in the cutthroat management industry.

Pulis’ perspective is similar. If there’s a game of football being played in the park, he’ll stop and watch, loving every overhit pass and overcooked tackle. But he is enjoying his life away from management.

“My wife will kill me if I say I’m looking for a job again,” he said.

“But now this break has given me a chance to take a breath again and actually smell the roses, instead of walking past and not noticing them. I can now smell them.”

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[aprilmillerphd-archive]

This is a Bias List. Because I am Biased, and also a Follow Forever. For reasons. Mostly that April hit a milestone and that’s friggin’ amazing in my book.

So I have to start with @darcywho who has been my main and exclusive Darcy since... well actually since I took April from the private rpc into the independent rpc something like four or five years ago. I know Mariah IRL (and will soon be living within easy driving distance of her)-- and basically. Mariah is bombtastic. She’s hella smart and funny, and when I’m having a crappy day (or given how the beginning of this year went, a crappy year) -- she texts me incessantly to talk about what Darcy is doing, and what April and Darcy should be doing, and I have so much character history, and Important Events, and developmental experiences just from talking and writing with Mariah, that I honestly don’t think April would be the character she is, without having had Darcy’s mitigating influence. We’ve just done so much that we’ve reached a point in our friendship and writing relationship where I literally feel as if Mariah could write April, and do her justice and vice versa. If y’all don’t follow her already, you should get on that because seriously, she is the absolute best take on Darcy Lewis that I have ever encountered in the Marvel RPC, and I know the PC rp com is going to jump down my throat for ‘making comparisons’-- but again. THis boo is my main and exclusive Darcy Lewis, also I do whut I want. @scarsearned MANGOOOOO. Okay so funfact; this brat used to have a diff url and we chat on dis/cord and it STILL took me like three days to realize on tumblr they were the same person. I FOLLOW YOU ON FOUR BLOGS MANGO. THis is what you signed up for all those years ago. I’m sorry. SO TO THE POINT! Mango has a bevy of blogs she runs, I met her when she wrote almost exclusively on Rummers here, and what I say ‘met her’ I mean I started sending her asks talking about Brock Rumlow, reread her rules and realized she had a password, at which point we were already talking over Skype, and then I sent in her password and she teased me relentlessly for it. (I deserved it, I’m a total goob)-- Mango is right up there with Mariah in terms of IMPORTANT character development shit. Mango writes a CANON DIVERGENT Brock Rumlow, and has put so much time into developing him, I think Marvel should give her a fuckin’ job. She’s also like... insanely smart. I say this as someone who likes to play at being really intelligent. Mango talks and I feel like I’m back in grade school and I want to hide myself away in shame. So obviously it’s no wonder we ended up shipping. (Actually no, I still have literally no idea how or why THAT happened tbqh I’m a fuckin’ potato) -- but Mango and Mariah go hand in hand because I introduced them and now their Brock and Darcy are inextricably linked forevermore as siblings and it’s fuckin’ A Plus. @russkiyuragan YET ANOTHER PERSON I MET BECAUSE OF MANGO. But also hella quality child of canon OC. Like, legit we started talking because Mango dragged us into a group rp and it turned into us mutuall talking about character development and now basically Seamus is one of April’s smols. Even though he really ISN’T one of hers. She’s basically claimed him as a child who needs mothering and dammit she is going to give him all the mothering ever. Even if he doesn’t need or want it. AND BASICALLY THEY ARE A FUCKING SWEETHEART WHO NEEDS ALL THE FUCKING LOVE because they’re really insanely smart and super sweet and friendly and I heart them. @phxtxn PHIL!!! OKAY SO I MET PHIL IN A CLOSED RPC FOR-FUCKING-EVER AGO. And immediately Genis and April butted heads. (He destroyed like half her office, ruined a couple PRICELESS books and then offered to buy her lunch in apology. Suffice to say April was less than impressed) -- except over the years, they’ve gotten really close. Occasionally Phil and I delve into the divergent canon where April and Genis actually end up romantically involved but it always ends in heartache because April is bad at being happy and Genis is bad at... well.. mitigating April’s more extreme bouts of self-loathing. BUT they are exceptional friends and Phil has a fantastic knack for finding the fun and funny in every situation and driving April absolutely UP A WALL. Phil’s also another rp partner I dragged into the collective with Mariah, because I like it when my writing partners all write together because I’m a spoiled princess. Phil’s a total sweetheart though and his Genis Vell is motherfucking spot on. He’s spent a lot of time with the character and it shows, but he also understands pragmatic, human interactions from a writing sense so it’s always a joy when we write together or chat. @askprofessorx NAAAAYYAA -- Naya’s another of those rpers I sort of. Grew on. Like a fungus. I wooed her with poetry first and then introduced her Charl to April and what I consider to be one of my more beautifully painful plot ideas. It involved time travel and the overhanging possibility of April dying. And because April was from the modern era trying desperately to get back, it was that much more painful when she started developing connections. And basically Naya and I plotted everything out over IMs and asks and now we have the most ridiculous tiny person ship in the history of ridiculous ships and Naya’s Charles is like... the cornerstone of my favorite Charles’s. She’s got this beautiful grasp of our fave telepath’s charming flirtatiousness and paired with the very Serious way he views morality and the world, which combined with April’s general cynicism (and it should be noted, our mutant verse involves April being a touch-telepath who can’t actually touch people without destroying their brains because control? what is that)-- and you have an April experiencing her worst fear. Which is not being in-control of herself. It’s beautiful and Naya is beautiful bean. @iremembereveryonethatleaves AHAHAHA Lilo was the first  ‘child’ April ever like. Accidentally adopted. And it happened entirely because of my age of aquarius verse, wherein instead of April seeking out Charles Xavier, she looked for Magneto instead. She found him. And his kid. And I literally have no idea WHY OR HOW April ended up becoming surrogate mom to Lilo since there’s no rational reason for Magneto getting along with April who is a cynical, borderline nihilist with Serious Rage Issues. But-- April and Lilo. Mommy and daughter and just. LITERALLY ALL MY HEART AND LOVE FOR THIS PERSON WHO MADE WRITING MUTANT APRIL FUN AND NOT PAINFUL. Until you (you asshole) made it painful. I still go through our tags to read all th angst, and I didn’t do it half so well as you and Tori did so.. @actually-i-prefer-magneto frick me so apparently I did my mutant crew in a triumvirate.  The flipside of the age of aquarius verse, where April found Magneto instead and became part of his Brotherhood. Because who wouldn’t have a need for a hyperpolyglot, with genius level intelligence and touch-telepathy? Magneto knew what he was getting out of the bargain, I just don’t think he expected April Miller. TBQH. Nobody ever expects her which is great, and this basically started as an incredibly painful, probably tragic plot that I had (sort of) intended to result in April’s death and it didn’t go that route. Like. At all. probably because these two babes understand that good angst is hard to come by and with the persistent low-hanging threat of April’s head getting blown off, or even worse, her returning to her own time, it meant that every interaction was always charged with a lowkey kind of desperation and tension.  Even when Erik and April got that ‘happy’ ending. It took an actual fucking lifetime to get there. And the best thing about Kristy is that she’s smart as fuck, I seem to surround myself with people who make writing look easy, and whose ability to thread together a long arching plot is so absolutely bafflingly amazing I am often struck stupid. @captain-outoftime AaBbbbYyyyYyy. So like- I met Abby through Mariah. Abby is the Steeb to Mariah’s Darcy. They’re hitched. It’s great. April helped Steve propose to Darcy even though April seems to have a PERPETUAL ISSUE with Steve Rogers that defies all explanation. IDK-- it’s probably something to do with the fact that April is a giant pain the ass and a tiny, fight-y blonde? WTF knows. Steve tolerates April. Abby tolerates me. Abby is a goddess. Beautiful, smart, funny as fuck, and like. Constantly busy. How she manages to balance RL shit with rp is beyond the scope of my ability to grasp yo but she’s the bomb-diggity. @americanasitgets MOTHERFUCKIN’ GABBY! My DC babe. Light of my liiife, fire in my loins, (not really but I was on a roll yo) -- I also met Gabby because of Mariah. And Gabby’s Clark. Gabby’s Clark is made of fucking sunshine okay, and the best part is, is that we’ve had like a sustained rp universe where April harasses Clark and doesnt know he’s superman, WHILE TASH-TRALKING SUPERMAN TO CLARK’S FACE. It’s comedy gold. Poor April. But I love Gabby, because she’s smart as shit and fuckin’ hysterical, and will literally snowball crack scenarios over IM into the wee hours of the morning. Even better, I’ve found someone whose as bad at keeping track of threads as me. (I say, as I eyeball our New Krypton thread that’s been in my drafts folder for like. Six months. Oops). @talonscourt D I KNOW THROUGH MY TIM BLOG-- but who I first met on April and then promptly FORGOT ABOUT because I’m a total dipshit. D writes Jason Todd, April surrogate son. This is a recent development. Tim loves Jason, April loves Jason. D is amazing as Jason. D is like... my platonic lover from Narnia. They’re smart as hell, and incredibly sweet even when I’m shit at keeping in contact because my real life is a hot-fuckin-mess and I’m always sick and on the verge of nuclear collapse. I would be TOTALLY LOST WITHOUT YOU. @galaeus Echo. As written by the ever talented Amy who I’ve known since April’s very first incarnation. Which... is a long ass time, Amy’s seen April through several character developments and rewrites, and has legit known April as a character since like. Legit. Post Tim. When April was a baby.  Echo is April’s other southern, raised by a pageant queen biffle. They shoot the shit together, Echo is also legit the only person in existence whose allowed to give April nicknames, or turn April into a diminutive. Amy’s basically like... hands down the reason why i never gave up on writing an Indie female OC, and that’s because Amy’s a boss and she also happens to be a spectacular writer, both in the RPC and in real life. @agentharrisonofshield and last but not least, this girl. Right here. April has like... a bevy of Awesome Girl Squad frands. All of whom are infinitely more talented and bad ass than she is, like. Legit. April’s smart. but in a fight? She’s basically cannon fodder by comparison. She just isn’t built for the field. April and Viv became friends because they got locked in a closet together. I’m not sure HOW that happened, but now they get together and chat in other languages and April feeds her, and basically this s the woman April goes to when she wants someone shot. I literally love all the headcanons we’ve put together and that Agent Harrison is invariably the first ‘shield agent’ April casually mentions outside of Echo, in threads of mine. That’s how you know you’ve found an awesome rp partner and friend. When their own characters start casually infiltrating your threads in the form of namedrops.

[davidmann95]

Hey, talk somewhat on Superman's B-list villains? Livewire, Atomic Skull, Silver Banshee, Terra Man, Prankster, and any other low-level but recurring ones. Any ones have potential or cool powers there?

With minor Superman villains, I’ve already touched on Silver Banshee, Prankster, Riot, the Galactic Golem, and J. Wilbur Wolfingham. Delving into some others who maybe don’t have that much name recognition, both B-listers of some degree of note and not-quites who I have some fondness for:

Livewire has always felt like she should be a bigger deal among the Superman villains, but at the same time I get to a certain extent why she hasn’t been. She’s got a great design, and Lori Petty’s voice did as much to define her as Arleen Sorkin did for Harley Quinn, but the more I think about her, the more she runs into problems. She’s not especially meant to be taken seriously - her ‘criticisms’ of Superman are deliberately framed as petty and shallow, to an extent that changing them would essentially rewrite her already pretty well-defined personality. So what you’ve got is a villain who won’t really hurt Superman (given one of his most iconic covers is taking a lightning bolt to the chest with a reply of “It tickles!”, electricity isn’t much of a plausible threat to him) who can still avoid him while causing a ruckus throughout Metropolis, mocking him all the while…and, well, that’s Mxyzptlk. Plus, while Mxy while might bring a vague air of sleaze with him in a way that can leave Superman a touch out of his depth, he’s still deliberately ridiculous, while Leslie Willis is typically much more straightforward and pointed in how she tries to take him down a peg or two in a way that can too easily slide into showing him as stodgy and boring by comparison.

The solution then I think is to bend her away from being a character who has direct confrontations with him all that often. One of her big shticks is that she can manipulate media broadcasts, usually just to make fun of Superman before they throw down. But what if that got pushed further? Make her instead a ghost in the machine riling up idiots on message boards who find the idea of tearing down Superman simply for the sake of it a riot; she could be a one-woman Anonymous, the Bad Media to the Daily Planet’s Good Media, drawing a line under how much of Metropolis hasn’t been hearing Superman’s message at all, needing both to be stopped, and to themselves be saved from far more than a meteor or robot (which would also do a lot to counter the image of Metropolis as a generically perfect city). Ironic, detached cynicism vs. unapologetic sincerity. In short, 4chan vs. Superman, winner take all.

Atomic Skull is, what, an actor with amnesia who thinks he’s a movie villain or something? Meh. I guess there’s something to play with in the idea of his powers as inherently dangerous, evoking Superman’s own fears of losing control, but that seems kinda shallow. I know Superwoman has shown him as somewhat reforming, which seems like a good hook (some of his villains really should), but that’s a whole other angle that hasn’t really been developed yet. The one time I have really liked him was in a set of stories immediately after Electric Superman where each of the four Superman titles briefly told stories set in different eras, with a version of the Skull in the first Golden Age story. A movie star who parlayed his fame as an American Nazi propagandist, he tried to attach himself to Superman’s own increasing public recognition - given he too wore a caped uniform in the serial Curse of the Atomic Skull - claiming they were both examples of the emergence of ubermenschen to reclaim the world. Mesh that with his traditional powerset and contemporary context, and I have an idea of him as some kind of hyper-reactionary, ‘realpolitk’-espousing nihilistic superman of skinheads, alt-righters, and crazed survivalists, who see him as the firey atomic nu-human of an apocalyptic tomorrow. He could even hook up with the Supremacists from Greg Pak and Aaron Kuder’s time on Action Comics for some easy recruits and henchmen.

Subjekt-17; now here’s a guy who I wish had popped up again. Largely forgotten as a consequence of Kurt Busiek’s time on Superman being criminally overlooked, Subjekt-17 was a worst-case scenario: not able to pass for human in the same way as Kal-El, he was taken in by the Soviets as an infant and experimented on his entire life, only to be confronted by Superman when freed and trying to cut a swathe of blood through humanity as payment for his suffering. There was an interesting, painful dynamic in play there - he saw Superman as something like a brother, but in spite of his telepathy couldn’t understand why he would protect the humans who coldly tormented Subjekt his entire life, ultimately seeing Superman as so desperate to assimilate that he would fight an innocent to protect the guilty. I feel like there’s a lot more stories in him, and when it comes to the perennial question of “Are you sure you’re really doing the right thing, Superman?”, I feel like he as a victim of the establishment would have a much more consistent batting average for good stories than yet another edgy new antihero lecturing Superman about the Real Issues.

Magog doesn’t even feel like he should break C-list in the natural order of things, but he was in probably the most widely-read Superman-centric comic ever other than I suppose Death of Superman, so yeah, he counts as notable. The idea presented later on in The Kingdom with Gog as a worshiper of Superman whose shattered faith drove him to madness feels like it has almost a kernel of something interesting at the heart of it, but it feels much more so like a vehicle for semi-talented creators to write dumb comics with him that think of themselves as much more important than they are. A friend did have a decent take on what to do with him narratively though in a way that works with how he’s existed up until now: he’s not a threat himself, he’s not even a consistent or on his own necessarily important figure, but he’s a multiversal constant in that his arrival is always the prelude to a cosmic upheaval or an end of an age of heroes, and specifically catastrophe for Superman. His appearances even back it up: his time in Chuck Austen’s Action Comics was shortly before Infinite Crisis, he came on the scene in the New 52 shortly before Truth and the resulting death of that version of Superman, and now another seemingly new version of him is in Supergirl in the build-up to Doomsday Clock. There’s a lot you can play with there: he doesn’t even have to be the same character twice, but he always emerges to try and take Superman to task on some profound level as a harbinger to a greater doom for the DCU. Maybe over time he could have the same kind of narrative “him showing up means something” cache as Doomsday, but in the sense that seeing him means Superman’s going to have to ask some big questions about himself and what he does as preparation for a larger reckoning for him and his kind, rather than meaning Superman’s gonna have to punch a bone monster again.

I wanna love Terra-Man. He’s a cowboy who was abducted by aliens and got a winged horse to fly around the universe, who calls himself Terra-Man because he a spaceman from Earth! That’s great! But I can’t say the execution has ever much interested me; he’s so over-the-top without ever especially being played as a gag that I just can’t get into it. Luckily though, the solution has already been reached with him: Tom Strong’s Coleman Grey, the Weird Rider, is straight-up Terra-Man, played with the melancholy, cold competency and swagger of a killer out of time, and some fantastic stone-cold badass moments that sell the hell out of him. Just apply that personality to this guy - fearsome but not unreasonable in the right circumstances, out of time but comfortable with his new life even if it means sometimes running up against the Man of Tomorrow - and we have an instant winner; maybe not one of the greats, but not every Superman opponent needs to bring major thematic concerns to the table so long as they can pull their weight in entertaining storytelling opportunities.

And now for a few rapid-fire takes:

Kryptonite Man was one of those characters who just had to exist sooner or later, but there’s really nothing about him that Metallo doesn’t make redundant.

To my knowledge Blackrock has never particularly worked, but I like the idea of him as a reality show hero who gets in Superman’s way sometimes. It doesn’t even need to be that specifically if those trappings are passe at this point; so long as he’s another vigilante opposed to Superman, you can probably pull something out of Blackrock.

Mindlessones convinced me that Nick O’Teen has a place in the background of Superman’s world.

Paragon is a comically awful human being with the powers to back up his inane egotism and cruelty in a way that actually quite worked for me under Kurt Busiek; I think he hits on the same “oh god dammit, this guy” response from Superman that Mxyzptlk elicits, but of a different enough flavor to make him worth keeping around as a separate figure.

And finally, while Tempus would probably lose a lot of his charm if up against a more straight-laced version of Superman, in the context of how silly Lois and Clark got he was my favorite part of that show, and I think he’d work fantastically in any other tongue-in-cheek Silver Age revival treatment of Superman’s world as a way to poke fun at the foundations, hilariously enough so it doesn’t grate but so over-the-top villainously we know we’re not supposed to agree with him.

[mgkaizen]

Depression v/s Sadness

People think depression is sadness. People think depression is crying. People are wrong. Depression is the constant feeling of being numb.

-Mitch Clark

Sadness is often confused with depression. Many people still have the notion that both depression and sadness are two sides of the same coin. Thinking in this way is absolutely natural but it’s wrong. Sadness and depression are totally different states of emotions which have to be dealt with differently. The first and the foremost difference between these is the seriousness of both states. Depression is way more complicated than sadness. In addition, sadness can be temporary and one can get relieved quickly from it. On the other hand, depression can be long-lasting and a person may require time to recover from depression. These two differences are the prominent ones. Want to know more about the differences? Read on.

Before delving deeper into the differences, let’s understand the concepts of depression as well as sadness. Depression affects several areas of life and a person experiencing it can show a blend of symptoms for the most of the day at least for 2 weeks. It causes general distress and can have long-lasting effects. On the other hand, sadness is something that might last only for a few hours. It passes away  by itself over time.

Depression is Illness. Sadness is Emotion.

Depression is an illness that exhibits various symptoms such as fatigue, constant feeling of hopelessness, etc. In this state, a person may experience only fleeting moments of happiness       and feels lost. Whereas, sadness is just a basic emotion and is a part of what makes us human. We all feel sad when we face rejections, go through a breakup or disappointment. But if the low mood persists for prolonged periods of time, we might be facing the possibility of depression.

Depression is Abnormal. Sadness is Specific.

Sadness is a reaction to a specific circumstance or situation. Nonetheless, it is an unpleasant reaction but it does not majorly affect any other area of life. On the flip side, depression is feeling unpleasant in every situation, be it happy or sad. You might get negative thoughts and feelings about every aspect of life while going through depression. Concentration levels decrease and one feels guilty without any reason for miniscule reasons.

Loss of a loved one can generate severe grief, which goes beyond sadness. It is difficult to differentiate grief from depression because it also shows symptoms such as appetite loss and sleeping problems. However, grieving individuals often accept support or help while people with depression tend to isolate themselves and refuse to accept help. In addition, people with depression may experience decline in self-esteem while grieving or sad individuals generally don’t have any major fluctuations in their self-esteem

Depression, if diagnosed at an early stage, can be cured in a relatively short period of time. Remember one thing; depression is not an issue to be ashamed of. If one opens up early about depression, it can help in treating the symptoms at a rapid rate. If you are feeling that what you are experiencing is depression, not sadness, it’s better to consult a psychologist. Tending Minds, one of the best psychological centers in Pune, is here to help you to examine your symptoms of depression! It has the best psychologists who can guide you to diagnose and take proper steps to cure depression.