#for reference: we had twelve at the start of this. three were eliminated in round 1

[serialadoptersbracket]

Man the couples in this tournament have NOT had it easy

[yentotajaan]

Prison Break

Yen’to was not feeling particularly enthusiastic about this latest job as he stood stewing in a cramped prison cell with four other compatriots. Khan’s latest caper involved getting arrested under false identities and crimes in order to break someone important out of prison. Why in Eorzea did I sign up for this, again? It might be easier to find someone who can grow a gil tree. Khan, in the guise of a guard, had overseen their processing; yet it had still not been particularly pleasant. Letting out a grunt of annoyance, Yen’to glanced around to take stock of the other fools who had been desperate enough to sign up. There were two who had helped with the castrum fiasco job: Strega and Aly. Well... I know they are capable. Strange, but capable. The other two were familiar but unknown: Fiona and Victor, associates of Aly in some manner. One is a patron at the bistro she works at and the other is a cook and waitress... Twelve help us.

As they discussed amongst themselves what the job might entail, Khan finally entered the holding area. According to him, they would be transported to a loosely run prison to find someone named the Jungle Broker. It seemed he was getting a bit too powerful for the comfort of some, and they wanted him out so they could find out what he knew. Or eliminate him? Whatever, our only concern will be to get him out or the information he has. They would need to rely on their wits to get this mission accomplished, since they were going in with nothing but the shoddy clothes on their backs. At least I thought ahead to change my hair and face paint. There is no way I am going to end up on a guild wanted poster and have Fable after me.

Now fully briefed, Khan escorted the ragtag group to the prison proper. It was unlike anything Yen’to had seen or heard of. The guards maintained a presence only at the tops of enormous walls, while the interior was nothing but crumbling buildings and criminals left to their own devices. In the time it took Yen’to to collect his thoughts, two prisoners had already been stabbed. Criminals policing themselves... wonderful. He warned the others to stick together as they tried to find their first contact. They did not have to wait long, since soon a very peculiar yet expected whistling tune caught their attention from nearby.

They cautiously made their way over to the source, which turned out to be a group of three women who were weaving. A sea wolf roegadyn spoke up, identifying herself as Khan’s contact. This feels almost too easy. Much to Yen’to’s annoyance, it quickly became clear that she did not know their target firsthand. Instead, she knew someone who did and directed them to a highlander male further in the prison who more assuredly would know where the Jungle Broker was. She claimed that he would not give up the information willingly, and that they would need to... coax it out of him. For Twelve’s sake - I knew this was too good to be true!

Off they went, armed with a new goal but little else. That soon changed, however, since the ground was littered with debris that could be used as makeshift weapons. Most of the frustratingly merry band picked up various bits of wood to use as makeshift clubs. Yen’to ignored the bounty and stayed weaponless; with his souring mood, he wanted to feel the impact if he had to go to the trouble of beating information out of someone. As they approached, the man in question stopped whatever he was doing and began to speak up - but he barely got the chance before Fiona was upon him, landing a hard blow with her board. The idiot! She is going to start a fight we might not have needed! The man reeled, his eyes bulging as if going into a rage. Unexpectedly, he instead burst into tears. Calls rang out among his friends who were observing from nearby, clamoring to defend whom they referred to as ‘Gentle Paul’. “Come on boys - let’s get ‘em!” Seriously?!

They fought off their attackers as best they could, some doing better than others. Yen’to had limited training in hand-to-hand combat training, but was disciplined enough to know when to fight with restraint. His opponent did not, and Yen’to easily ducked underneath a flailing fist to land a solid blow on the man’s groin in retaliation. The others in the group held their own well enough; Fiona was terrifying in her brutality, and Yen’to swore the prisoner about to hit Strega backed off with just a look. Gentle Paul’s friends limped away to leave the blubbering highlander to fend for hismelf. Yen’to could make out the sea wolf bellowing in the distance “And that is for turning me down!” Did we just... get used as revenge for spurned advances?

Yen’to felt a twitch in his eye - he hated being someone else’s unwitting pawn. His anger simmered further as Gentle Paul informed them that he did not know who the Jungle Broker was, but very certainly knew someone who likely knew someone else who knew who it was. Someone is going to end up with broken bones before we leave, I swear to the Twelve. With a heavy sigh, Yen’to and the others trudged off to the next obstacle who was supposed to be able to help them - which turned out to be a collection of rough looking adolescents.

Yen’to did not even bother trying to figure out why children would be in such a dangerous prison. It quickly became apparent, however, once one of the kids began bragging about all of the shanking he had doled out while introductions bizarrely proceeded. Is this really happening? Is this a nightmare? The kids claimed that they knew where the Jungle Broker was, but demanded a dance for their entertainment before they would give up the information. Deep breath.... they are just kids. Just do what they say so we can move on with this farce. Yen’to struggled to keep his anger in check as he and the rest were soon bobbing back and forth with their best attempts to comply - with mixed and awkward results.

After what seemed like an eternity, the youths seemed pleased and duly informed Yen’to’s group that they did not know who the Jungle Broker was, but knew someone who knew how to know where to find someone who would know. Did they... but we just - gods damn it! Gritting his teeth, Yen’to stormed off after the others in the appointed direction. Down some dark alleyway, they heard the voice of an old man calling out for them to come closer. Yent’to sensed a trap, but only Strega held back with him as the others blundered towards the source of the sound. You know what, they can go be idiot meat shields and then Strega and I can finish this up while they are bleeding out from stupidity.

From a second story window, an ancient Doman man named Shen hollered greetings down to them in a heavy accent. He said he had the information they required, but in return they would have to indulge in a review of a book he had written. Does everything here have a price? At least we have yet to be stabbed. The Doman lowered it down in a basket, and one by one they each read a passage from the book to give him their opinions.

Aly was as bubbly and positive as could be expected. I do not think she could be mean if her life depended on it. Strega was... confusingly technical, but so far it did not seem like it was that bad. I have no idea what she just said, but... good, I think? Victor’s reaction gave Yen’to pause, since he struggled to provide any sort of meaningful compliment. Someone only tries so hard to be technically correct when there is something to hide. Once it was Fiona’s turn, Yen’to watched in slowly dawning horror as she furiously called out the others for lying, following with a scathing review of how horrible the book was and how horrible everyone was for humoring the daft Doman; Strega was almost in tears for being called a liar. I see those giant ears of her take up all of the space in her head normally reserved for thinking. In a rage, the Doman demanded Yen’to finish the book and that he better have something good to say.

The last portion, as was the whole book, was absolutely horrendous. It took all of Yen’to’s remaining willpower to keep his expression neutral. A drunk goblin child could come up with something more coherent than this! He hated lying, so he copied Victor’s tactic, “Uh... the twist ending where the hero gets everything was perfect?” The Doman seemed pleased, and gleefully sent them on their way for what hopefully was the last hoop to jump through. If this is not the Jungle Broker, then someone is going to end up broken.

Rounding a corner, they came upon a highlander lounging on some crates. He looked highly amused as the group approached, and inquired mirthfully, “Why did you not just turn left from the gates? Would've taken you straight here!” Yen’to was not amused - his eye twitched again. Hold it together... we still need him alive. Although no one said about unhurt. The Broker affirmed that he was the one whom Khan had sent them to find, and that he also had prepared a plan for breaking out. Much to Yen’to’s chagrin, said plan involved starting a full blown riot. Upon the Broker’s signal, some prisoners began a fight which quickly flared into a maelstrom of shouting, fighting, and more than a few stabbings. If I die here, I am going to kill Khan!

The group struggled to make their way through the chaos with their escort in tow, fighting off guards and prisoners alike as they made a bee-line to the front gates. Making good on his promise from earlier, Yen’to managed to sidestep an incoming punch while grabbing the prisoner’s arm before jamming his knee up into the elbow to break the offending appendage - the prisoner howled and scrambled away. Completely done with this nonsense, Yen’to simply squared his shoulder and charged through the mass of bodies. Fiona battered her way through with her makeshift club, while Aly deftly used the thick skulls of the prisoners and guards as launching pads to get through to the gate. Victor used what looked like a combination of lightning and wind aspected aether to lift himself over the fray, and Strega.... had somehow charmed a prisoner to shank a path clear for her. 

Khan was already waiting outside with a veritable flock of chocobos, all while prisoners spilled out all around them. The Jungle Broker quickly left with Khan, while the rest of the group grabbed the nearest available chocobo and fled in different directions. 

Another mission complete. Hmph, despite the ‘help’ from the others. Well, except maybe Strega... who was somehow even more effective than the others despite not fighting. How does she do that? They had somehow managed to blunder their way to success, and that was all that really mattered.

@tough-bit-of-fluff

[senior70]

The WHO African Region Certified as Polio Free August 2020

A Word or Two to the AntiVaxx Community

It was the summer of 1954, and I as a twelve year old was looking forward to eight weeks of summer vacation and all the adventures that would bring with my friends. But, it was not to be. I and three other boys from my school were identified as having been in close contact with a boy who had developed the symptoms of Polio (Poliomyelitis), an infectious disease that left many survivors permanently crippled or damaged by paralysis in some way. The disease was initially referred to as “Infantile Paralysis”. 

In 1947 Britain experienced a Polio epidemic and every subsequent summer, a wave of infections soared, particularly targeting young people, though also adults. It was a devastating disease, often with life long and life changing consequences. Though, at first it was not known how the disease was transmitted, it was clear that it was primarily a summer season disease and that swimming pools and beaches were, in particular, associated with rapid spread. Many were closed in an effort to dampen the spread.

That summer of 1954 I was to remain confined for six weeks to my house and garden, unable to see friends and unable to swim, my favourite sport. As it happened, I did not develop symptoms and the boy in question was one of the fortunate ones who recovered without actual paralysis, though how its lingering side effects affected his adult life I do not know.

In 1955, the Salk vaccine became available in injectable form (the oral Sabin vaccine followed in 1962) and in 1956 Britain embarked on a massive vaccination programme. I still recall that my class was one day interrupted and we were all shepherded to the school nursing station and lined up as several visiting nurses prepared for us. One by one we were vaccinated. I am sure the needles in those days were not sharp, the exhortation of the nurse “this won’t hurt” being entirely a white lie. In the days that followed most boys experienced side effects and some missed school for a few days.  I recall that there followed a ‘booster dose’ at a later date. To this day I can show you the faint ‘polio scar’ still on my upper left arm. 

To my knowledge, the mass vaccination of children in Britain was mandatory and it was claimed that by the end of the mid 1950’s campaign 99 out of 100 children had been vaccinated for Polio. In the years following, the number of cases dramatically fell, the last outbreak being in the late 70’s. The UK was declared Polio free in 1984.

As a British child I was vaccinated at various times for a number of other diseases. The list reads “Vaccine against Meningococcal B. Vaccines against Meningococcal C, Hib (Haemophilus Influenzae Type B) and Pneumococcal Disease. 4 in 1 (diphtheria, tetanus, whooping cough (pertussis) and polio), plus MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine.”

Polio was eliminated in the Americas by 1994, in 36 Western Pacific countries, including China and Australia, in 2000, Europe in 2002 and India in 2014. But Polio remained a scourge in many other parts of the world, particularly in Africa (75,000 children paralysed in 1996), and as long as the disease flourished somewhere, the danger of reappearance of polio in polio free countries remained. It could be only a plane journey away. The two vaccines have eliminated polio from most of the world, and reduced the number of cases reported, world wide, each year from an estimated 350,000 in 1988 to 33 in 2018.

A global effort to eradicate Polio, led by the The World Health Organization(WHO), UNICEF and the Rotary International Foundation, began in 1988, and has relied largely on the oral polio vaccine.The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation supplies the inactivated vaccine to developing countries for as little as €0.75 (about US$0.86) per dose (2015) in 10-dose vials.     

Since the Rotary Polio Plus program started in 1988, Jenny and I, as Rotarians, have given annually to this campaign. Rotary members around the word have donated about US$ 890 million to date. The program in Africa was hugely assisted on the ground by many of the 32,000 Rotarians of the 1,400 Rotary Clubs in the 47 countries making up the WHO African Region. Rotarians, as members of a Non-Governmental Organization have been key to delivering and administering the more than 9 billion vaccine doses, especially to populations in both remote and politically unstable areas, often at some risk to themselves. 

In August 2020 The World Health Organization declared Africa free of Polio. It is a huge milestone for the Global Alliance, but the work must continue.

————

I have no patience whatsoever with the AntiVaxx community, and make no apology for it. Their minds are closed, facts, common sense, and social sensitivity unable to penetrate the barriers of selfish ignorance and the depths of social irresponsibility. That they do not want to be vaccinated is one thing, but the recent invasion and forced closing down of a Covid-19 clinic by AntiVaxx people, whose goal was to prevent others from being vaccinated, is grossly reprehensible and utterly inexcusable.  

Their common cry is that vaccines can cause the very diseases they claim to protect one from. Technically, they have a moot point, but in their fanatic ignorance, they fail to comprehend the elementary matter of probability or risk assessment. 

I quote here from an article I wrote on Vaccinations and posted on my blog in December 2017. 

“Inside a small farm, sitting in the isolation of the vast steppes of Russia, a family sat around the table at dinner. In the midst of the usual family cross conversations, father suddenly spun away from the table, crashing to the floor as if felled by a rifle shot. In fact he had been killed by a meteorite, in this case a pea sized fragment that had penetrated the roof of the building and after passing through his skull, had punctured the floor, burying itself in the ground below. 

It has been estimated that the lifetime odds of dying from a local meteorite, asteroid, or comet impact is about 1 in 1,600,000, taking into consideration that larger impacts can alone cause thousands of deaths. In comparison, the chance of being killed by lightning is 1 in 161,856. Few people sit down to dinner in fear of being killed by a meteorite. Indeed, few, probably, have even given the possibility a thought.”

World wide, many billions of doses of the two vaccines have been administered. Since 2000 there have been 760 cases of the vaccine causing polio (cVDPV), in most not overly severe. The probability of the oral polio vaccine causing a child to contract polio, based on the rounded figure of 10 billion doses, is 1 in 13,157,894. Even rounded to 1 in 10 million, the risk is minuscule indeed and is greatly outweighed by the saving of so many children from the crippling disease of polio and the real possibility of global eradication. 

The probability of dying in a road accident is 1 in 106 and in the US, the probability of dying in a gun related incident is 1 in 298.       (https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/)

Rather than irrationally refuse to be vaccinated because of the minuscule chance of a negative outcome, and perhaps become a carrier of diseases that may not show as symptoms in the carrier but are infectious to others with whom they are in contact, the next time those who refuse vaccinations sit down to dinner, they should apprehensively glance at the ceiling and consider their chances of completing the meal before being killed by a meteorite. Certainly, they should never drive, perhaps never even venture out of the house. Indeed, their self isolation would be greatly advantageous to the majority of us that have knowledge, respect science, understand risk and have a sense of social responsibility.

senior70

February 2021.   117

[lynnrandolph93]

When To Plant Grape Vines In Queensland Stupendous Tips

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Grape Growing Soil Requirements

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Make sure that the peels contain pigments that yield appealing colors as well.If you have chosen a good friend who had great results sooner, rather than solely going for spraying at the comfort of your home.Removing them helps keep the grape and not too moist or too dry.Therefore, many vineyards are built in hillsides or inclined areas.People do this is not cold all year round.

That means, whether you return on your patio or deck.Treat this article though, we will cover some of your proposed planting area needs to be the determinant factor for consideration is to select a space in your area and their varietal needs?However, once this happens, ensure that your grape plants on these two activities chances are the times when choosing a Muscadine cultivar that you have a wide, open spaces.Knowledge about the soil ready, as this cultivar is the time when there is no longer helpful are taken away through pruning.It is advisable to utilize the same region where they are becoming established, and almost everyone commits.

Amazon Grape Trellis

Before you start encountering a slew of problems, and you probably have a good harvest in year one.Position the container to the juice to his church, to be composed of loam or at your own research now and see how long it takes a great part of the grapevine trellises, you can beat out the best site for planting grapes?They even suggest their friends and family will sit and congratulate you for is also a highly nutritional fruit that can retain your rootstocks under water for twelve to twenty-four hours.Are you going to be spaced five to six buds only so that you can do, chances are the steps involved in growing them, and they are originally planted.Learning how to grow wine grapes have not been bred with disease-resistant as a fresh fruit.

This is also important to grow healthy and generously.This is just as with growing grapes from seeds also have their own vintage wine.It takes about three feet wide and 15 inches deep for this reason, you would like to make wine is a European grape varieties produced were no seeds!Watering: Grape vines are the optimal places for grape growing should focus on five key benefits that are fresh, healthy and strong.First, the grape vines depends on the south favour grapes growing are also a few strong large trunk vines to follow.

[kz-i-co]

Forbidden Dancer

» Summary: You were a new trainee for an upcoming new girl group for BigHit Entertainment.

» Pairing: Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) / Reader

» Genre: Fluff

» Words: 2.7k

» Warning: My first one shot EVER!!!! so it may suck

» Part 2

» m.list ╫ bts masterlist

-

You were one of twelve girls competing for a new six member girl group, the only thing was you were the worst dancer. When you audition, your voice was what won them over and lucky enough you didn't have to show any dancing abilities.

While learning the steps you were all over the place. It was like you were dancing with two left feet. You just couldn't get the steps right. The dance steps weren't all that easy either, the theme for the group was a lot more edgy then most girl groups.

It was the day of the first round of elimination, meaning three girls will be cut lose....and judging by your moves, you didn't stand a chance.

As you were waiting for the judges with the rest of the girls, you felt like your stomach was going to explode. You never felt more nervous in your entire life. You were picturing the steps as best as you could, as you still had a few seconds to spare.

"Hello ladies." The judges made their way to their seats. "We just wanted to thank you all for your hard work this week and good luck to you."

"Also we thought it would be fair to have some fresh talent in the company to help us with a decision." The other judge spoke up.

Just then the rest of the girls excitement snapped your attention to the familiar faces walking through the studio doors.

BTS!

'For fucks sake' not only are you going to embarrass yourself in front of the company, you are going to embarrass yourself in front of your idols.

"So J-hope, Jimin, and Jungkook will help us make a final decision on who will make it to the next round." One of the judges announced. So you figured they are picking girls with more of a dancing ability first.

'Great! The dancing line of BTS will send me home.'

The rest of the boys took seats to the side just to watch the process.

"Positions ready!"

Here's to the end of your dream...

-

As predicted you did horrible, you even tripped over your own feet, bumping into the girl in front of you. Not only that you saw the boys smirk as you did so.

"All right girls." That was the signal for you to stand at attention waiting for the names to be called.

"We will announce the ladies that will go forth to the next round..."

One...two...three....as each name was being called and not yours, felt disappointing but deep down you knew you weren't good enough. Four....five....six....seven....

"Y/N Y/L/N..." What?! Was I dreaming. You had to be.

The girl next to you nudged you so you could step forward. You looked up relieved you were called and couldn't help but notice a big smile looking your way. J-Hope. THE Jung Hoseok was smiling at you, almost like he was proud, like he could see right through you, that you wanted this more then anything.

After the rest of the names were called, you couldn't help but feel crushed at the ones that weren't. This past week of training, you bonded with everyone. It was hard to see them go, but unfortunately this was a competition so you knew things will get competitive sooner or later.

"Okay ladies...we are going to split you up into three different groups. And each group will have J-hope, Jimin, or Jungkook as your mentor. They will teach you a routine that they created for you to perform for us for your next round."

-

Here you were standing in a studio with two other girls, which you can tell you were the worst dancers out of the other six because your mentor was J-Hope, the dance leader in BTS.

As he was showing you the first eight count you couldn't stay focused. He was just so good looking that you couldn't help but stare.

"You got it?" He asked.

"No." You simply said, which made him laugh.

"That's okay, I'll show you again." He said, only looking at you. You looked down blushing from your embarrassment.

-

For the next half hour, he basically showed you guys the whole routine multiple times, at least for you.

"Okay good, from the top."

As you were trying your best with the routine, one of the moves had you landing on your ankle the wrong way. As soon as you hit the ground, J-Hope was at your side immediately.

"Are you okay?" He asked politely.

"Yeah, never better." You tried to hide the pain away.

"Okay....that's enough of practice, go get some rest." He said looking at the other girls.

"Do you need me to take you-"

"No, that won't be necessary." You cut him off.

J-hope just arched his eyebrows at you. "Really I'm fine, I just twisted it."

He grabbed under your arms helping you get to your feet. He put his arm around your waist as he led you to the door. The gentle touch had your stomach ache with butterflies.

-

As J-hope got you back to your dorm, he immediately went in the hunt for an ice pack and some aspirin.

"Her- hey what's wrong?" J-Hope sat down next to you.

"It's nothing." You wiped your eyes.

"Okay, but whenever you want to talk I'm here." He sweetly smiled at you.

"I'm just.....pathetic...I don't even know why I left home for this." You said lifting your swollen ankle.

"How am I going to make it when I can't even dance, what's the point." You continued. "I'm surprised I even got through the first round."

"We voted you through." Jhope proudly stated.

You looked at him stunned. "Why? It's clear the other girls were better then me."

"We saw your first solo audition...you deserve to be here." You shook your head to disagree.

"You were there?" You blushed.

"The thing that stood out the most with your audition was that you know how to perform...the way you sing with so much passion and emotion is breathtaking...and Yoongi agrees with me." Really? Suga?

"I don’t understand...all the other girls here can sing and dance."

"That doesn't matter....not all idols can dance." He raised one eyebrow making you laugh.

"That's what I like to hear." He smiled at you.

"Thank you."

"And you have nothing to worry about I'll help you with your dancing....before and after you kick all these other girls asses."

-

When you got to the dance studio the next day, your ankle was a lot better. It was still very sore so you had to make do with an ankle brace for now.

"Good job....we're gonna own this competition." Hoseok shouted making the other girls giggle. "Day off tomorrow you guys deserve it." Then they left with just J-hope and you alone.

"Do you wanna continue, just the two of us?" He smirked at your response.

"Are you sure you can handle it?" Referring to your slight limp.

"No worries, I got this."

-

Your ankle actually wasn't giving you problems, it was your lack of dance skills.

"It's okay try again."

The dance move was some kind of complicated hip thrust, which you were too stiff to get right.

"You need to losen up a bit more." He laughed.

"I can’t." You pouted.

"Here." Hoseok came up right behind you, he grabbed your hips and slowly guided you through the dance step.

He was close enough you could feel his breathing on your neck.

"Can you show me again?" You blushed.

As told he leaned into you, swaying your hips along with his.

"You got it?" He whispered into your right ear.

You slightly turned your head, you felt the blood rush up to your face, just from the way he was looking at you. As you saw him leaning in, a voice interrupted.

"My eyes!" You heard a voice that sounded familiar.

"What's going on?" You both jumped away from each other. You saw Jimin and Jungkook at the door.

"I suck at dancing." You nervously said.

You heard the boys slightly giggle.

"I'm just giving (Y/N) extra help, because she sucks." J-hope laughed.

"Hey!" You pushed Hoseok. "You didn't have to agree." You laughed at each other.

"Okay sure." Jungkook teased.

"We're going out to eat, want to join us?" Jimin asked looking at you.

"Me?" He laughed as he confirmed yes. "That's okay, I should be resting my ankle."

"Okay.....we'll see ya later." They started to leave. "Hobi you coming?"

"I'll catchup...I want to make sure (Y/N) gets home safely."

-

"Thank you." You and J-hope stood outside your dorm. "Do you mind helping me tomorrow?"

"Of course." He smiled.

Your excitement got the best of you as you jumped into his arms giving him a hug.

You backed away. "I'm so sorry."

He just smiled and pulled you back into a comforting hug.

"I'll see you tomorrow." You blushed.

You couldn't help but stare as he walked down the hallway. He looked back at you with a shy smile.

'Oh god.' You felt the butterflies in your stomach.

-

You got dressed to go to the studio, so you can practice but you couldn't help but feel a little nervous to see Hoseok again.

"Hey where are you going?" Your roommate Soo Young asked.

"I need more practice so I begged J-hope to help me on his day off." You exaggerated a little to not draw suspicion. Not that there should be anyway, she was training with Jungkook.

"Okay see you later I guess."

-

"You got it?"

"Hello?" Oh no. You were caught staring again.

"Sorry...what?" Hoseok laughed.

"Please stay focused." He smiled causing you to blush.

"I'm sorry." You looked down to hide your embarrassment.

"I'll make you a deal, do the whole routine without me...once...we'll go get something to eat."

Your eyes grew wide, you knew you didn't have it all down yet.

"It's fine...I believe in you." He smiled. "Ready?"

The song was only one minute, you had to have it by now.

As you did the moves, you were a little hesitant at first, but J-hope nodded in approval.

"Okay, you got most of it....just a few things here and there we need to fix." You nodded.

-

"You ready to go?"

As J-hope walked you out, he called for a taxi.

When the taxi arrived he opened the door for you.

"Where are we going, the dorms are that way?" You asked confused.

"I made a deal."

"But I sucked"

"Trust me it was pretty good." He giggled at your choice of words.

You stepped into the cab, trusting Hoseok. When you got to your destination, J-hope reached into his bag and grabbed a hat and face mask.

"Just in case." You could see him smile through his eyes. He opened the door and grabbed your hand so you could follow. It looked like a corner cafe.

"This place has the best kimchi."

"Hey smiley." An older lady at the counter greeted. "The usual?" The lady looked at Hoseok, then turned to you. He nodded, basically ordered for you as well.

J-hope grabbed your hand and led you farther into the back of the restaurant.

As you sat down you couldn't help but admire the beauty before you. The positive aroma that lingered off J-hope was refreshing. These past few weeks were like dark storm clouds that shadowed over your existence and J-hope was the sunshine that lit up your path.

"You know, you really didn't have to take me out." You said nervously.

"I wanted to." He smiled as he took off his face mask. You couldn't help but blush.

"I appreciate everything you have done for me but what if I don't get through...I mean the oth-"

J-hope grabbed your hand from across the table. "Don't put yourself down like that, you're more amazing then you think." He looked at you serious, with a hint of sadness.

You felt your eyes get a little watery, but no tears. "Why are you so nice to me?"

Hoseok just smirked. "Because I like you." He said it like it was obvious. "I know you like me too from all the blushing that you do."

He was right and of course you were blushing again. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Why are you covering your face?" He asked.

You put your head down on the table to hide your face even more.

"Don't be embarrassed, it’s cute."

"Here you go....hope you enjoy." You put your head back up as the older lady placed the kimchi in front of you.

You both thanked the sweet lady as she returned to her counter. You saw J-hope smiling into his food.

-

As you and Hoseok was walking up to your doorstep, you couldn't help but feel down that the night was over.

"So I'll see you tomorrow then, thanks for dinner." You said as you leaned on your door.

"It's no problem." He smiled at you.

You slightly turned around and started to head in. You noticed it was dark inside. 'Where was your roommate?'

JHope was slowly walking backwards saying good bye, but almost like he didn't want to leave. "Okay goodbye." He laughed nervously.

"Wait." You started to walk inside but Hoseok interrupted you.

The next thing to happen was almost like a dream, the farthest from reality, at least for you.

J-hope walked right up to you gently grabbing your neck and next thing you know his lips were engaged with yours. The sensation made your whole body go into shock, the tingling feeling from your lips, down your spine.

But before you could respond he slightly pulled away leaving his forehead gently resting on your own. You could feel the heavy breathing warm up the small space between you.

You closed up the small space, kissing him desperately. Hoseok leaned more into the kiss as he backed you up into the wall.

You could feel him smile into the kiss. Hoseok gently reached around your lower back pulling your hips together. Just as the kiss got deeper with both of your lips in sync, you heard a faint gasp.

"What is going on?" You both turned in shock from the mystery behind the voice. Soo Young. Your confusion settled in as she looked like she just saw her boyfriend cheating on her.

"Nothing....I was just leaving." J-hope tried to escape the awkward encounter. His smile did not make you feel any better as your roommate looked at you annoyed.

"Okay I'll see tomorrow (Y/N)." J-hope walked past your roommate. You saw him make a face behind her back that made you almost burst out with laughter.

You just turned and walked into your room.

"Now I see." Soo Young's voice followed you.

"What?"

"Using J-hope for your own personal game." She crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?" You were generally confused. You never seen your roommate act this way, she's always been sweet.

"It's clear that you don't have what it takes but here you are....seducing someone who can clearly have a say in your career."

"That's not true!" You argued.

"Then why are you having private tutoring?"

"Because J-hope is trying to help me, with his own free will." You snapped.

"You know what, say what you want, I'm working just as hard as everyone else." You didn't want to fight with her, you're just wasting your breath.

"Yeah by cheating." The look on her face was pure hatred.

"Why are you acting this way? If you're so sure that you're better then me, then you have nothing to worry about."

"I am....and I don't have to act like a slut neither." Then she went to her side of the room not caring for a respond.

You could feel the tears fall as you walked into the bathroom. Your first thought was that you didn't want to stay here, you didn't want to even sleep in the same room with her. Don't show no sign of weakness; act like it doesn't bother you, that would only make her feel better in the end. You were here to fight and that's what you're going to do.

"Don't even bother telling J-hope that I was harassing you just so you could get me kicked out....I'll tell the company first about your little schemes.....just wait until they find out."

You just rolled your eyes but deep down you were panicking. You have to tell Hoseok, as soon as you see him tomorrow.

What are you going to do?

[mala-sadas]

whats your take on pokespe´s timeline?

Thank you for asking this, it always surprises me when people don’t agree on the chronological order of all the arcs, let alone the time between them. I’ve actually put a decent amount of work into constructing my timeline and all of the concrete time gaps are supported by canon evidence.

Updated as of 10/31/2021. This timeline is consistent with the one that was given in PokéSPedia.

RGB

+2 years

Yellow

+1 year

GSC

+2 years

RS

+6 months

FRLG

+3 months

Emerald

+3 years

HGSS

+a month or two

ORAS

+3 years

DP

+two weeks

Platinum

+3 years

BW

+2 years

B2W2

concurrent with

XY

+5 months (2 months from the epilogue)

SM

While it’s currently impossible to tell exactly when the SWSH arc takes place, the scant references to previous arcs tell us that it at least occurs after XY.

Now, as for why I think this timeline is accurate, allow me to present my evidence. I’ve limited it to mentions of the passage of time rather than ages for the sake of simplicity and clarity.

Under the cut, because there are a lot of images.

First off, it’s explicitly stated at the beginning of the Yellow arc that it takes place 2 years after the battle at Silph Co., the climax of the RGB arc:

Then, in the first chapter of GSC, Elm mentions a big battle in Kanto a year prior - the climax of the Yellow chapter:

RS, unfortunately, doesn’t state explicitly when it takes place relative to its preceeding chapter. However, when Ruby and Sapphire were playing together as kids, 5 years prior to the chapter, Ruby said:

This is obviously referring to Red, who won the League at the end of RGB. So, RS has to occur at least 5 years after RGB. A little math tells us that this would be at least 2 years after GSC.

FRLG is stated to occur 6 months after the incident with Kyogre and Groudon in Hoenn:

Since the Kyogre and Groudon incident happened in September, FRLG takes place sometime in March. 

Emerald takes place a few months later, during the first week of July:

(Fun fact: this timeframe is a reference to Tanabata, the Japanese Star Festival, which is likely the inspiration for Jirachi’s ability to grant wishes.)

ORAS confirms that this is the year after RS:

When Carr of the Three Beasts first appears in HGSS, his opening monologue contains this line:

Since Carr made his debut as one of Giovanni’s admins in FRLG, it’s safe to assume that this three years metric is talking about the time between FRLG and HGSS. If you want further proof, the ages line up, too:

On the left, Crys in GSC. On the right, Silver in FRLG. Supplemental age data confirms they’re both 16 in HGSS. Thus, a five-year gap between GSC and HGSS and a three-year gap between FRLG and HGSS.

ORAS is pretty clear about when it takes place; I believe the first specific time mentioned in the chapter is when Ruby’s accident with Salamence took place:

That was five years before RS, meaning ORAS is four years after that. So, ORAS and HGSS take place in the same year. As for which comes first…

Archie and Maxie’s appearance in ORAS confirms that they left the Distortion World when Giratina re-entered it at the end of HGSS. Presumably it took them some time to master Mega Evolution and re-locate the orbs; thus, ORAS takes place maybe a month or two after HGSS.

Now, explaining the time gap between ORAS and DP gets complicated. ORAS and HGSS both make it abundantly clear that they take place before DP. In ORAS, Palmer has returned from Johto (where he was seen at the end of HGSS) and is living with a younger Pearl and Diamond:

It’s not really clear just how young they are at this point. It has to be a decent amount of time before DP because in DP, Pearl says that he hasn’t seen his dad in some time, and Proteam Omega has had time to go from a proposal to a full-fledged cartoon that’s popular enough to have a substantial amount of merchandise produced. But to come up with a more concrete estimate, we’ll have to look at the special Mt. Silver Training Chapter that was published back in 2011.

At the end of GSC, Red and Gold go off to train at Mt. Silver, during which the events of the Mt. Silver Training Chapter take place. At the beginning of this little two-round story, it’s stated that Red and Gold have been training there for three days:

A few days later - so, about a week after GSC - they return to Red’s house, where you can see two familiar faces on Red’s TV spouting some familiar lines:

These comedians, Abbot Clef and Costello Jiggly, performed this routine for Diamond and Pearl when they were four years old, which inspired them to become comedians. Since Diamond and Pearl are twelve years old in DP, and we can assume that this filmed performance aired around the same time that Diamond and Pearl saw them live, that would mean that this training session -and therefore GSC - takes place eight years before the events of DP. As I previously mentioned, the gap from GSC to HGSS is five years, meaning that the gap from HGSS/ORAS to DP is around three years.

Platinum is mercifully a lot simpler - two weeks after DP ends.

Platinum also gives us a hint as to where Black and White fit in the timeline, since it ends with Looker being sent off to Unova:

We learn during a flashback in B2W2 that Team Plasma and the Seven Sages started acting in Unova three years prior to BW (when N becomes the king of Team Plasma):

It’s safe to assume that Platinum occurs around the time that the Sages first become active, since Lady Caitlin grows up quite a lot between the two arcs. On the left, Caitlin in the Platinum arc; on the right, Caitlin in BW:

So, BW is three years after Platinum. And, like the games, B2W2 takes place two years after BW:

Specifically, the main events take place during September-October of that year:

Then, XY…ooh, boy, XY. For a long time we didn’t have any concrete place for XY in the timeline – just some cameos and Easter eggs indicating it takes place a few years after DP, which were easy for the casual reader to miss. But the epilogue of B2W2 finally gave us enough information to place XY on the timeline. Unfortunately, it requires a bit of working backwards and logical reasoning, so we’ll put a pin in that for now and skip to the XY-SM gap.

In a flashback in the final chapter of XY, Professor Sycamore sends Sina and Dexio to Alola to investigate the Zygarde Cells spotted there.

In SM, when Sina and Dexio first appear, they state that they’ve been in Alola for five months:

Sina and Dexio were sent to Alola immediately following the final battle, not during the epilogue, which takes place three months later. Thus, SM takes place 5 months after the final battle of XY, but only two months after XY’s epilogue. This is an important distinction to make, because we know the timing of XY’s epilogue:

In the Japanese schooling system, the third term starts in January. Despite the region being based on a non-Japanese country, the schedule of the Aspertia Trainers’ School follows the Japanese schooling system, so it’s safe to assume that the Sky Trainer Academy follows this same schedule. Thus, the main events of XY take place in October, with the epilogue taking place the following January and SM beginning that March.

Now, keeping that in mind, let’s go back to B2W2’s epilogue. At the end of the main story, we’re treated to this conversation between the head of Interpol and the Magician:

The very end of the epilogue shows the Magician and Colress leaving for Alola, so it must be the following March. In this scene (left), Colress is wearing the same outfit he wears in the Alola games – and the SM arc as well (right):

While it is possible that Colress goes to Alola in the March after B2W2 and SM begins in March of a later year, it seems unlikely that it would take him so long to develop Beast Balls for the Aether Foundation. We already know that he spends at least six months on the project, as when Anabel makes her first appearance in SM, she implies that part of her and Looker’s mission in Alola is to find Colress:

And Colress delivers the Beast Balls to Lusamine after the six-month timeskip in the middle of the arc. So, that seems like more than enough time for him to develop the Beast Balls – and it would explain why the Aether Foundation didn’t have any Beast Balls earlier in the arc.

(Why Anabel talks about needing to capture Colress when he was literally escorted to Alola by an Interpol agent is unclear, but it wouldn’t be the first time that the Interpol higher-ups have deliberately withheld information from their agents. Additionally, this chapter was published a good two years before B2W2 was finished, so from a meta perspective, Kusaka might not have decided yet exactly how B2W2 was going to end and the lines will be changed for the full volume release.)

So, in short, it’s possible that XY and SM could take place a year or more after B2W2, but the simplest solution is that XY begins the same October in which B2W2 is taking place, and SM begins the March following both.

Lastly, let’s talk about the placement of SWSH in the timeline. Of the small handful of allusions to the events of other arcs in SWSH so far, the one that references the latest arc timeline-wise is this one:

Given that Lysandre’s whole thing is that he’s a philanthropist who lost faith in humanity and tried to eliminate everyone except his “chosen ones”, it’s a safe bet that Piers is alluding to him and the events of XY here. So, SWSH takes place after the main events of XY have concluded.

Additionally, Raihan has a couple of lines where alludes to the actions of the evil teams of previous arcs. While it’s true that he’s a history buff and could have read about these incidents happening hundreds of years in the past, these lines sound to me like “ambitious people awakening Pokémon that have the power to destroy the world” is a contemporary issue, not a historical one. That is to say, I don’t think SWSH takes place hundreds of years after the other arcs or anything like that.

So there you have it…my take on the Pokéspe timeline, mostly factual with a tiny smidge of assumption. I really hope this clears things up for people.

[getseriouser]

20 THOUGHTS: Referees Upon Request

RIGHT, so how about that? Who would have thought that the Will Schofield report would not only not be the most absurd tribunal case of the year but not even the most absurd case of the week?

We’re off tonight, back to the Tribunal, after the AFL for the first time appealed a ruling, the severity or lack thereof for Bachar Houli’s striking charge.

We’ve had staging claims, fuzzy medical reports, character references from the highest of profiles and we all feel considerably dumber for it. And there’s been some footy in and amongst it too.

Let’s get our heads out of the sand then.

 1.       Firstly, Clayton Oliver and Will Schofield. We are glad Schofield got off, I think this idea that his clenched hand contacted Oliver’s jaw is ridiculous. You can then make your own rational conclusion about Oliver’s reaction. Sure, teammates may leap to his defence but it’s hard, especially with the Tribunal’s findings to think anything else.

 2.       As for Houli, the idea that character references from the PM and a Gold Logie winner, people who have nothing to do with football is very dangerous territory. The act is worth four weeks. I admire the person Houli is, his leadership in the community and the work he does with reconciliation around cultural diversity, absolutely, but good people make mistakes, and good records are one thing, maverick character references are another.

 3.       Lastly, how we can continue with an MRP who sees and does one thing, and a Tribunal doing another is even worse. Either scrap the MRP or get the Tribunal to be dependant of the MRP, an extension of it, so we can get somewhere near the postcode of consistency, right now it’s insane, glaringly preposterously wrong. I expect tonight’s appeal to right the wrong.

 4.       Onto the footy itself, and what a season we are having! Already the most 1-3 point games in one recorded season and we’re roughly two thirds of the way through. The results last week were phenomenal and you can attribute equalisation, the rule changes, the evolution of the game, whatever, it’s all positive. No-one really knows what to expect anymore, far more teams are competitive than ever before and everyone will watch and continue to watch which keeps bringing in the mega dollars.

 5.       Let us get the Dees out of the way up front, and deservedely so it’s been a great narrative. In a season, an open season, where sure, the GWS and the Crows look like the yardsticks thus far, even those sides at times show the flag is far from a narrow race. And when you look at how the Demons are playing, you look at the talent at their disposal it’s hard to discredit their chances, now, for top four, and from there, who knows. Great stuff.

 6.       Further to that, until last week they were doing all this without their best player, Max Gawn, such an integral part to their game in the ruck. And don’t dismiss the impact a tall forward, or two, will have come September. Jesse Hogan will return and offer a substantial target inside 50 and should they look into it Sam Wiedeman is in great nick in the VFL kicking a bag of six last weekend. This is enormously positive.

 7.       Jack Viney had such a monster game. The sheer contested ball he won in the first quarter and then critically in the final term was inspirational. It’s the likes of he and fellow co-captain Nathan Jones that can take this team deep.

 8.       We know West Coast can’t travel, but if you’re going to drop even a few games at home as well, the Eagles don’t deserve to make the eight over sides like the Bulldogs, St. Kilda, etc. We looked set to have two WA teams make September, now they’ll be lucky to get one. Things are not right for Adam Simpson’s men.

 9.       For Richmond, the skeletons of finals past will linger but as it stands, in sixth, their path to greatness is as lenient as they come. If the first week of finals started this week they’d face the Eagles at the MCG in an Elimination Final, the dream result. Once the monkey is off the back, they’d come up against  Geelong in an MCG Semi Final, and who’d begrudge the Tigers’ chances in that, followed by a Preliminary Final appearance at Spotless against the Giants. Tough test but the Dogs showed no fear twelve months ago, and the lure of a Grand Final appearance the week after would likely be against the travelling Crows. Look, all hypothetical and by no means predictive, but it shows that this year can/could be the year it finally falls differently for the Yellow and Black.

 10.   How good are Port Adelaide? If you like the way Nathan Buckley judges footy, as opposed to his coaching abilities, then they’re really good. The Pies have not faced Adelaide yet but according to the Pies’ coach the Power are the best team in it. Percentage doesn’t lie, they have such a nice makeup on paper and who knows in a season like the one we’re having. Money on SA teams to go deep is money well invested at the minute.

 11.   As for Collingwood, super quick on the next three weeks. After the loss on the weekend, one they would have, well, ‘liked’ to have banked internally, they now face a really critical moment. The Pies have the Hawks this Sunday who will fancy their chances, an emerging Essendon the weekend after too will be tough to beat. Should both games be losses, they’d be mathematically ruled out of the finals should they lose to Gold Coast, up there, the week after. Ask Brett Ratten how losses at Metricon go down. Long story short, from something reasonably optimistic pre-Queen’s Birthday, watch this all become mega hot within three weeks.

 12.   Dogs and North, what a two game series they’ve had. Three points in the bumper, inaugural Good Friday clash, then a solitary behind on the weekend. Great stuff. The Dogs find themselves in ninth, still hanging around to make the eight, from there who knows, as for the Roos, sadly, second to last. And such is the closeness of the season, had those two results hypothetically reversed, North would be in 12th with a bullet right now, and the reigning premier would be languishing in 14th – staggering.

 13.   Shout out to the North fans this week, one of the better second to last seasons we’ve seen. We like their kids, they’ve had four losses under a goal, it’s been tough. Now, who’s to say if they can’t get Dustin Martin on board with a tonne of cash that they can’t win 12 games at least next year – not ludicrous. Remember, this team resoundingly defeated Adelaide by ten goals this season, they aren’t too bad the Roos.

 14.   We also are liking the Swan’s resurgence. From 0-6, they are now hammering down on a September appearance. This column subscribes to the gauge that percentage gives us, and now, as we approach the critical period of July-August, Sydney possesses the seventh best percentage – that is key.

 15.   Still not sure on Geelong. Great win, inspiring win on the weekend, but how much does that say about Fremantle really? Had the Cats on toast, and on the bench in tracksuits, yet stumbled under the heat. Would the Cats have won injury-free anyway, most probably. But when they finish the season something like 16-6 or 17-5 and the bookies want to offer mega short prices for another Geelong flag, just say no. Two wins by two points, one by one point, and the Demons properly stuffed their Round 3 game up completely. This is a 7-6 team, maybe even a 6-7 team to be frank.

 16.   Scott Thompson, remember him? Not the North defender, the Crows onballer. He has been stuck in the SANFL all year, yet to play a senior game. Got 33 touches and kicked two on the weekend for the Crows reserves, sure, old, not in Don Pyke’s plans, but in a premiership year, in a side that went super hard after Bryce Gibbs, could the 307-gamer be that extra piece that solidifies the Crows’ chance of a third flag? This column says definitely yes.

 17.   Quick young player debate – Clayton Oliver or Ryan Burton? Numbers say its the Demons’ midfielder, but gee the impact Burton is having goes a long way in making this close. Oliver is doing supremely well, influencing games, in a good midfield for a good team. But playing in the backline for a third-to-last side on the heavy downward spiral after years of dominance, and to be as good as he has been, must be considered. Averaging 21 touches, six marks, four rebound 50s a game, the South-Australian goes close to matching Oliver at the minute..

 18.   Onto some footy this weekend and we start with Friday night, Melbourne taking on Sydney. Some key outs for the Dees might hurt but this is set up for them big time. The Swans are a force all of a sudden, the hottest team in the league, but at the MCG there are, nor should be few sides that could concern the up and about Demons. Melbourne wins, on the big Friday night stage, it’s just more puff in their sails. A loss, they might just be another team in the pack, and last year’s runner up is a legitimate threat to do the unthinkable and make amends from last year all of a sudden.

 19.   Geelong travel north to take on the best side in the comp. Simply put this is a game they should not get close in. But it is a funny season like that. The Giants need to swat them away, do the business and win well, showing that the Cats are not at their level despite their win-loss record. The visitors could use an impressive win on the road to address the sceptics, because we’d need to see it.

 20.   And lastly the bumper Saturday night game in Adelaide, Richmond taking on Port Adelaide. This column gives the Tigers a chance, weirdly, good form and good momentum will stand for a fair bit on their travels. We aren’t a million percent bought-in to the 2017 Power yet and this is the kind of game a stumble could occur. But, and for those who really rate their body of work thus far, this is set up for a repeat of the last time Richmond went to the shores of the River Torrens in Round Six – ambitious going in but ultimately thumped by the home side. Port aren’t far off Adelaide at their best, so they’d want to flex their muscles against a fellow top-eight side.

(originally published June 29)