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writernada · 3 years ago

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10 Times Yuzuru Hanyu Was Inspiring

Yuzuru Hanyu (26 years old) is a Japanese figure skater. He is a two-time Olympic champion, two- time World champion, Four Continent champion, four times Grand Prix Final champion and five times national champion. He is the only male skater that has achieved a grand slam (won all major competitions in both junior and senior circus). In 2018, he won the People's Honor Award given by the Japanese Prime Minister and became the youngest recipient of this award. He also won the award of the most valuable skater at the International Skating Union Awards for the season 2019-2020. Since his debut in the senior circus in 2011-2012 and until now, Yuzuru's performances have always made a great impact on the audience; allowing him to have the biggest fan base ever in the history of figure skating. His fans are not only from Japan but from all around the world; including other skaters and coaches. The reason behind all of this love is that Yuzuru touches the hearts by performing like an artist, hitting every note, being super passionate about what he does and combining a competitive spirit with a sport soul. On top of all of that, he has an ability to inspire people. His road has never been easy. It is full of injuries, surgeries, illnesses, strong competitors, mistakes and losses. However, he always perserves, pushes through his limits, overcomes adversity and rises in an inspiring way.

Here are the ten times Yuzuru Hanyu was an icon of inspiration:

1- Winning his first medal in the World Championship in 2012 despite having an injury and low stamina.

In his debut in the World championship (senior circus) in 2012, Yuzuru (17) sprained his right ankle during the official practice the day before the short program. His foot swelled up but he decided not to withdraw, taking into account all the effort he has made for this competition and all the people who came here for him (coach, mom and officials). He went ahead and competed. He was ranked seventh in the short program, third in the free program and third overall, winning the bronze medal.

Yuzuru commented on that competition in his autobiography book "Aoi Hono ll":

"Because I was injured the day before the short, I felt that even in that kind of situation 'I landed my quad, I did well’. I felt that I had worked really hard by myself. However, my mother told me, "That is wrong.” Getting injured was my own fault, but there were many people who helped and supported me. That is the reason why I could come to this point. Until about 9 o'clock that night, we were talking about this while having dinner, and in the end, I realized that my thinking was wrong."

Yuzuru was about to get full of himself and let arrogance take over him. However, his mother helped him stay grounded. Thus, he was able to face the free program with a humble attitude. He put out a passionate performance that many people still remember until this day and consider as one of their favorites. During that performance, he tried not to put a lot of pressure on the injured foot so he shifted all the pressure on the other one until it got exhausted and gave up on him. As a result, he fell all of a sudden in the middle of the performance, but he managed to get up right away and perform a great jump right after.

In his autobiography book that was mentioned earlier, Yuzuru talked about this fall and said: "Later, when I watched the videos, I saw that the fall did not take up much time. I was standing up again quickly. But to me, it felt like a long time. When I fell, the feeling was like flying mid-air. Like this (he re-enacts the fall in slow motion), 'ahh, I am stumbling~~’ (laughs). After the fall, I was thinking 'what should I do from here’, many thoughts circled around. Thinking that I won’t make it in time for the next axel jump, I shortened the path by going straight instead of curved. I can jump even a 3A+3A (in practice), so I thought I will be alright. (laughs)”.

One of the most exciting moments during the performance is when Yuzuru shouted out aloud before the choreographic sequence. The shout seemed like a great expression of the emotions of his character (Romeo). It made him look like he was totally into character. However, he clarified that it was unintentional. He said: "I felt like I couldn’t breathe, so I thought, for now just let the breath out. (laughs)"

Yuzuru is known to be suffering from asthma and because of it he had a low stamina at the time. However, even after finding out that the shout wasn't done to express the character's emotions, viewers still find it impactful because it is a genuine expression of Yuzuru's fight against his limits.

That night, Yuzuru made a name for himself internationally. He shed tears of happiness after getting his scores and so did his coach. He also got praised by the winner that night who said: "the one shining the most is Yuzuru".

2- Breaking a World Record and winning gold in his first participation in the winter Olympic Games.

At the age of 19, Yuzuru participated for the first time in the Olympic Games. Young male skaters like him who participate for the first time usually don't dare to dream about winning. The big scale of the competition gets athletes nervous and shaken, even the great and experienced ones of them. Therefore, the young newcomers usually consider their first participation as an experience to have under their belt while preparing for the next Olympic. However, Yuzuru was determind to win. His choreographer at the time, David Wilson, talked about his intense determination in an interview: "he wrote me an email letter that was so touching. He was like please help me do this because I'm ready. I'll do anything. I will die. I'll do anything to be the Olympic Champion. I don't want to wait until 2018. I want it now and I'll do anything. I'm willing to die for it. Anything you tell me, I'll do it but help me."

David Wilson talking about Yuzuru's determination to win the 2014 Olympics

Yuzuru performed a marvelous short program and came out of the rink saying: "I did it!" to which his coach replied: "you certainly did". He broke the world record in his first participation at the Olympics despite his young age. He did get nervous and made mistakes at the free program. However, what he did in the short program was enough to bring him the gold medal and make him achieve his childhood dream.

Yuzuru (11) saying that his dream is to win the Olympics

Yuzuru performing his short program at the 2014 Olympics:

Other Skaters reacting to Yuzuru's World Record at the Olympics:

The moment when Yuzuru finds out he won the 2014 Olympics:

3- Continuing to compete after a pretty bad collusion with another skater during Cup of China 2014:

In 2014, Yuzuru took part in Cup of China, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series. Yuzuru was in second place after the short program and during the 6 minuets warm up before the long program he had an accident. He collided with the Chinese skater Han Yan. They were looking at opposite sides and couldn't see each other until it was too late.

Yuzuru talked about the incident in his autobiography book and said: "My stomach hit the ice (when I fell) and so it felt like I received a body blow. My stomach was hurting so much; I could not breathe nor get up. Then, when I tried standing up, my chin was hurting and bleeding. My head was panicking and I didn’t know exactly where all the pain was coming from."

After a few minutes, Yuzuru stood up on his own despite the arrival of medical helpers. He preferred to exit the rink on his own instead of being carried. Backstage, he was examined and given first aid by American doctors.

The Collusion incident at CoC 2014:

In his biography book, Yuzuru gave some details about what happened backstage after the incident:

"I really gave a lot of trouble to the people around me. They told me ‘Don’t compete’. The doctors also said, 'It is not a concussion, so it is possible to skate but we do not recommend it.’Coach Orser also said, 'Now you don’t need to be a hero. You still have more after this, you still can do a lot as a skater.’But 'it has nothing to do with that. I will skate because I want to go to GP Final.’ I think I might have said that to him in Japanese. I wanted to go to the Final somehow. Here, 5th or 4th place is good enough, I can get 1st place in the next competition, so for now I just want to remain connected. If I compete at GPF, I definitely want to have a second consecutive victory. I also want to win the triple crown again (Worlds, GPF, Nationals). I had those kind of thoughts. Now when I look back I think, 'ah I skated well’."

Yuzuru decided to skate his free program and the people around him respected his decision and allowed him to go. He made sure to meet Han Yan before competing again and they exchanged apologies. After that, Yuzuru showed up in the rink with a bandage on his head and a small band on his chin. He skated his free program bravely after making some changes on the layout to adjust to his condition. He fell on five jumps but did full rotations and got grades for that. He also was able to land some jumps in the latter half of the program, which got him extra points. After the performance, his coach Orser was worried about his feelings if he gets a bad score for falling five times so he was preparing him mentally by saying stuff like: "scores don't matter. What matter is what you did out there" but it turned out Orser had nothing to worry about as Yuzuru received a high score. Yuzuru was so surprised and relieved when he saw his score and he burst into tears after holding on for a long time. He won the silver medal in that event.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at CoC 2014:

After the competition, American doctors prepared the massage room to do stitches for Yuzuru. He received 7 stitches on his chin with anesthetics and 3 staples on his head without any anesthetics, which was really painful to him! The next day, he traveled to Japan for a medical examination in a trip that he described as hell. The result of the examination was "head contusion (or bruise), chin contusion, abdominal contusion, left thigh contusion and right ankle sprain’.

For ten days, Yuzuru was unable to walk and the recovery took more time than expected. Every time he finds himself able to walk, he would go to the rink, but once he steps his foot into the rink the pain comes back. He thought that he would never be able to skate again, felt so depressed and wanted to quit skating all together. However, his mother told him "how about just giving it a try anyway? If you skate just a little on the ice every day with the intention of rehabilitation, the situation may change for the better" her response surprised him because she never tried to stop him from quitting in the past whenever he said he wanted to quit. With that new attitude of his mother, Yuzuru became optimistic about being able to skate again, and found the willpower to try and even aim to win at the next competition of the Grand Prix Series, which was NHK.

At NHK, Unfortunately, Yuzuru wasn't able to present great performances and once he finished his free program he thought to himself: "ah, the final is gone!" he thought that all his efforts in Cup of China were for nothing, but luckily, the total of his points combined from the two competitions made him the last qualified skater for the final. Thus, he was able to take part in the final, presented great performnces and won the gold medal after all the struggles he went through.

4- Winning at Nationals 2014 despite bleeding and needing a surgery:

After the short program at the Grand Prix Final, Yuzuru felt some kind of pain in his stomach whenever he stretched or pressed on it. He thought that it must be a damage in the muscle tissue but after the free program, he found something that looks like a Ping Pong ball sticking out beneath his navel. It was so painful to the extent that he couldn't sleep on his flight back to Japan. When he landed, he went to the hospital right away and was told that he might have Urachal Remnant Disorder. He was given some antibiotic and sent home because his condition wasn't bad. However, once he returned home, and got into the shower, his navel burst and started bleeding. He went back to the hospital and it was confirmed that he has Urachal Remnant. He needed to undergo a surgery but he couldn't afford to have it any time soon because the Japanese national competition (All Japan) was a few weeks away. He was determined to attend it so he decided to bear with the pain and delay the surgery. Without telling anybody about his problem, he attended his trainings after wrapping himself with gauze to prevent blood from staining his clothes. That didn't work out well and blood still got to his clothes so when it was time for the competition, he was worried that his costume might get stained. To prevent that from happening, he put a strong tape on top of the gauze, which was painful, but did the job. In this condition, Yuzuru took part in the Japanese national competition, and despite a few mistakes in both of his programs, his endurance of pain didn't go in vain, and he actually won.

Yuzuru commented about this situation in his book by saying: "It was painful to bend forward and backward, but I tried to do whatever I could in that situation. I even did the Ina bauer, but I could not arch back at all. In fact, I also intended to do the biellmann spin! However, when I started the spin, I changed it into an A-line"

Yuzuru performing his free program and putting his hand on his stomach while leaving the ice during All Japan 2014:

5- Rising from fifth place to first in the World Championships 2017:

At the World Championship in 2017, Yuzuru made some mistakes in the short program that left him sitting in fifth place behind his rivals. The gap between him and the first place was around 11 points. He was so disappointed in himself but didn't give up. He wanted to go practice harder. However, his coaches stopped him from overworking himself and made sure that he takes a good rest and goes through a normal practice. After that, he collected himself, focused, stayed calm and presented one of the greatest performances ever. It was flawless and magnificent. His coach Brian Orser said that he felt privileged to have witnessed this performance. Yuzuru got a very high score that made him scream and left him on the verge of shedding happy tears. His coach Brian Orser was speechless while his other coach Tracy Wilson had her mouth wide open in astonishment. With that, Yuzuru was able to rise from fifth place to first and win the championship.

Yuzuru performing his free program and receiving his score at the WC 2017:

6- Winning the second Olympic title right after being away from the ice for 3 months due to a severe injury:

Before the beginning of the Olympic season, Yuzuru was done with his preparation very early and was all ready to compete. His coach Brian Orser couldn't believe how smoothly things were going and felt a little uneasy about the fact that Yuzuru was ready very early. His worry wasn't pointless because soon enough Yuzuru sustained a severe injury. It happened during the official practice before NHK. Yuzuru was practicing (4Lutz) which was a new jump he has been practicing that season. He landed the jump in a wrong way causing ligament damage to his right ankle. The injury forced him out of competition for the rest of the season.

Yuzuru's fall and injury at NHK 2017:

Yuzuru disappeared and was away from the ice for three months. During that time, he didn't make any T.V appearances or interviews. Thus, nobody knew anything about him and his condition. His participation in the Olympics and the mere ability to perform again became uncertain. A lot of people doubted he would be able to comeback. However, he showed up at Incheon Airport in South Korea surrounded by guards and declared that he was ready to compete and that he believes he has the potential to win more than any other skater. After that, he avoided talking to the press until the end of the competition.

Yuzuru's arrival at Incheon Airport to participate at the 2018 Olympics:

According to his coach, Brian Orser, Yuzuru returned to the ice only six weeks before the Olympics and had to relearn everything and take baby steps to be able to perform again. He was practicing strokes, single and double jumps while watching his training mate and rival, Javier Fernandez, do a full run through of his programs with triples and quads. Yuzuru was able to land triples only three weeks before the Olympics and started landing quads just two weeks before the Olympics.

During the official open practice before the competition, Yuzuru made sure not to reveal his abilities and current condition nor his planned layout. He simply did some strokes and single jumps then left the rink. He chose his layout after studying his rivals and calculating how many points he would potentially need to win. He did his calculations on an app that he developed as part of his studies at the university.

In the short program segment, Yuzuru put out a great performance that was so close to the world record (which he holds). He won first place at this segment. Seeing the results, he felt relieved and assured so he allowed himself to reduce the difficulty of his free program. He was one-step away from winning the Olympics again. He needed to put out another great performance during the free program, and fortunately, that's exactly what he did. He performed a memorable free program filled with emotions, and once he finished, he screamed: "I won. I won!" which was true! He became the first skater to win the Olympics consecutively in 66 years.

Yuzuru's free program at the 2018 Olympics:

The moment that Yuzuru is announced as the winner of the 2018 Olympics:

7- Receiving the gold medal on crutches during Rostelecom Cup 2018:

After winning the Olympics, Yuzuru decided to pay tribute to his role models in figure skating; the Russian legend Evgeny Plushenko and the American Johnny Weir. He chose one of Plushenko's programs as his free program and one of Weir's as his short. He adapted the programs to his own style but still kept some touches from the original ones. Since it was a tribute, he decided to perform his free program in the hometown of his Russian idol and in front of his people. That is why he chose to participate in Rostelecom Cup, which is one of the events of the Grand Prix Series, and is held in Russia. He performed a great short program and everything was going well until he injured his right foot again during the practice before the free program. He was advised to withdraw. However, he absolutely wanted to perform his tribute to the Russian legend, Plushenko, in Russia. He has prepared a lot for this performance and came all the way to Russia to do it so he didn't want all of that to be pointless. He decided to take strong painkillers and perform his free program. He lowered the difficulty of the program and then presented a great performance in front of the Russian crowd that brought him the gold medal. After the performance, he started moving on crutches and admitted that without the painkillers, he wouldn't have been able to skate. He received the gold medal that night on crutches with fans cheering for him and holding up signs that says: "Yuzu we love you from all over the world".

Yuzuru receiving the gold medal on crutches at Rostelecom 2018:

8- Conquering his fears during the season of 2019-2020:

Yuzuru has suffered from a lot of injuries throughout his career. More than once, he thought that he is facing the end of his career because of an injury. Therefore, his main goal during the season of 2019-2020 was to finish the season without injuries. He finished his first two competitions safely and arrived at Japan to participate in NHK, which was his second Grand Prix assignment. Many of his injuries happened in his second GP event and he was conscious about this fact. He was afraid of getting hurt again and was visibly shaking before the beginning of his free program. As a result of his nervousness he missed a combination. However, he pulled himself together and improvised a new combination to recover the points he missed. He thought of the new combination, calculated its points and made sure that it's not repeated all while performing amazingly. Once he came out of the rink, his coach Ghislain gave him a hug and said: "You know what? You conquered your fear!".

Yuzuru shaking before performing his free program at NHK 2019 + full performance:

Yuzuru continued to overcome his fears in the final of the Grand Prix. He was setting in second place after the short program and the gap of points between him and his rival was big. He felt that winning may not be possible this time; nonetheless, he still wanted to do his best and give a respectable performance. He decided to raise the number of quad jumps in his program to five for the first time ever in his career. In addition, he declared that he will bring back the quad Lutz, which is the jump that caused his injury before the 2018 Olympics. It's a jump that he never dared to perform again in competitions since that incident. However, he overcame his fear and performed a flawless quad Lutz during the free program with four other quad jumps in the GPF, challenging not only his fear, but also his stamina that has always been an obstacle for him. He did not win the gold medal, but won his own fight against his fears and limits as well as the hearts and respect of the audience.

Yuzuru performing quad Lutz+ full performance of the free program at GPF2019:

9- Winning the bronze medal in the World Championship 2021 despite an asthma attack and many other hurdles.

During the 2020-2021 season, the whole world was going through struggles because of Corona Virus and Yuzuru was no exception. He had to train on his own in Japan all year long away from his coaches and physical therapist in Canada. He prepared new programs for the season with his choreographers by receiving videos and training accordingly without any supervision. During the season, his hometown was struck by an earthquake twice. The last struck happened right before he traveled to Stockholm to participate in the WC. According to him, the inside of his home was a mess and he couldn't use the train to go to Tokyo and board the plane as planned. As a result, he arrived to Stockholm one day later than planned, thus, he had to change his training plans as well. However, his coach Brian Oreser said that Yuzuru is not the type of athlete who gets phased by such problems and he was right. Yuzuru did perfect run through of his programs during his official practices. He also performed his lively short program very well and won the small gold medal of the segment.

Yuzuru performing his short program at WC 2021:

Yuzuru was all set to win the World Championship for the third time, but something unexpected happened before the free program. He was supposed to start warming up one hour prior the turn of his group (the last group), but he was nowhere to be seen at the venue until it was almost time for the last group to compete. His coach Brian Orser said that he was worried and didn't know where Yuzuru was. He asked the head of the Japanese team but they simply told him: "He is somewhere else". Brian kept on going back and forth between the rink where two of his students were competing and the warm up area where Yuzuru was supposed to be, but Yuzuru did not show up. After Brian's students finished their turn, it was almost time for Yuzuru's group so Brian went to the locker room to see if Yuzuru was there. Usually, Yuzuru would put his skating boots in the locker room before the six-minuets warm up of his group and Brian would come to carry his tissue box, and then they would head to the rink together. However, Brian didn't find Yuzuru in the locker room. Yuzuru was caught on camera sitting on a chair at the warm up area, resting his head on the wall and looking exhausted while taking off his mask impatiently. At that time, the announcement of Keegan Messing's score from the group before the last one, could be heard in the background.

Yuzuru at the warm up area before skating his free program at the WC 2021:

When Brian finally found Yuzuru at the warm up area, he said that he knew something must have happened to him but he didn't ask him about it. Instead, he tried to encourage him by saying energetically: "Let's go!"

Yuzuru showed up at the rink without styling his hair unlike the norm. He made a lot of mistakes in the first part of his free program as if he was not the same person who did a perfect run through one day ago. He said that he suddenly couldn't find his balance but he did try his best. He explained that with every mistake, he tried to at least not fall. Later on, the Russian media reported that the Russian doctor who was accompanying their team at the competition said that Yuzuru has had an asthma attack right before coming to the venue and has asked for his help. Yuzuru never talked to the media about what happened before the free program and why he was late. When he was asked about his asthma he only admitted to feeling a little asthmatic after the free program. Despite all of that, Yuzuru managed to win the bronze medal and contribute in securing three spots to team Japan at the Olympics.

The mystery of what happened to Yuzuru before the free program would have stayed unsolved if it wasn't for the Russian doctor. The reason is that Yuzuru doesn't like to make excuses for himself. He once said in an old interview that he used to make a lot of excuses for himself when he was young but then he realized that real strong skaters don't do that and that he wouldn't learn anything if he keeps on making excuses. He took the renowned Japanese skater Mao Asada as an example when she competed with a bone fracture without uttering a word about it. That must be the reason why he never takes his asthma as an excuse or talks about it.

10- Achieving his childhood dreams one by one:

Since ever Yuzuru was young he declared that he wants to be the Olympic champion and he wants to land a quad Axel. He went on to achieve his Olympic dream in 2014; making history by being the first Japanese male skater to win an Olympic gold medal ever. However, he said that it’s not over yet because the plan in his head is to win the Olympics twice. He kept on improving himself and walking towards his dream while making a lot of sacrifices and overcoming injuries. At the end, he achieved his dream and made history once again by being the first skater in 66 years to win the gold medal at the Olympics consecutively. He then made a statement saying that he feels happy and that this happiness is what he gets in return to the sacrifices he made. After that, he said that he feels freed from the pressure of having to produce results. Thus, he announced that he is going to skate for himself from then on. It was time for him to start focusing on the other dream of his childhood which was the quad Axel. He made it clear that landing it in a competition is his next goal and didn’t allow himself to get swayed by what others are doing or what competitions he is losing. He stayed focused on his goal and is reported to be getting closer to achieving it.

Yuzuru's path has never been covered with flowers. It was hard and painful most of the time but yuzuru always turns the pain into success and fulfillment with his perseverance, becoming an icon of inspiration to many people. We wish him a lot of happiness and success in the future.

Translation of Yuzuru's book is from:

https://bit.ly/3vSGgBz

#yuzuru hanyu #brian orser #javier fernandez

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sunnydaleherald · 3 years ago

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The Sunnydale Herald Newsletter, Wednesday, June 1 – Thursday, June 2

Tara: I am, you know. Willow: What? [Tara turns and looks up at Willow.] Tara: Yours.

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goodblacknews · 3 years ago

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Spike Lee to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award at 2022 Directors Guild Awards

Academy Award-winning filmmaker Spike Lee will be honored with the lifetime achievement award for his contributions to motion picture direction from the Directors Guild of America (DGA), according to Variety.com. The award is the organization’s top hono\. “Icon. Trailblazer. Visionary. Spike Lee has changed the face of cinema, and there is no single word that encapsulates his significance to the…

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#"BlacKkKlansman"#"Do The Right Thing"#"She&039;s Gotta Have It"#"When the Levees Broke"#DGA #Directors Guild of America #Lesli Linka Glatter #Library of Congress #Netflix #new york university #Spike Lee #United States National Film Registry

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shefightslikeagirl · 4 years ago

Text

Emilie is selling NFTs now.

As an hono(u)red subscriber to this newsletter, you are the VERY FIRST on the planet to know about the birth of The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls as a new virtual world being made available as minted collectible NFTs!

Below is a tiny preview of the actual first ever Asylum Inmate Number minted as a unique NFT, but what you see here is nothing...click the image to be taken directly to the OpenSea listing where you can watch the entire multimedia NFT containing the never-before-assigned Inmate Number. *Hint: The number is one of only a few that will share my very own cell;)!

While I am well aware than many NFTs are selling for literal millions, I am not imposing any monetary value to the ownership of an Inmate Number within the Asylum virtual world, but have listed this NFT at the starting price of 0.001 Ethereum, which is equivalent to $1.81. You decide the value from there.

Now, if you don't know anything about NFTs and are curious what I'm on about, Google can explain this far better than I ever could. If you are in on the NFT explosion already, then do read on to see what I've got in store for you.

About the Asylum Virtual World:

Powered by the Ethereum blockchain, each element in the Asylum world will be offered as an NFT representing a unique digital item that may be bought, sold, traded, but never duplicated, proving the exclusive ownership by the individual buyer for all time (or until it is traded or sold--I won't be offended). A detailed map of the entire Asylum and its surrounding land will be available online very soon;).

The entire Asylum and its denizens will gradually be made available as NFTs in the form of individual inmate numbers, cells, wards, iconic areas from Dr. Stockill’s Laboratory and Dr. Lymer’s Bloodletting Ward to the Operating Theatre and the Bathing Court, and even the infamous characters themselves, including the rats!

Why Sell Ownership In The Asylum Virtual World Anyway?

Here's why: A portion of proceeds from this and other sales will be donated to NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness). The remainder of proceeds will fund the production of the Broadway-bound musical, The Asylum for Wayward Victorian Girls. Thus, when you purchase an Asylum Inmate Number, you are directly helping to fund the theatre arts, as well as contributing to potentially life-saving mental health services.

Shall I rewind? Yes, I made the generally unwise and entirely unheard-of decision to attempt the funding of the entire creation and production of the Asylum musical myself with proceeds from my own art, be it musical, literary, or visual.

This means that the total investment in a form of theatre that costs more than most movies, and is a risky investment at best, is my own. This also means full control and no compromises, just as I have achieved with all of my endeavors thus far, from albums to concert tours--there has never been any outside funding, and that is why I could create unique work that has been allowed to prove its popularity, rather than being cut off at the knees by demands to change it into something "safer" (there were many such unheeded demands) before it had the chance to do so. I may not have a manager, an outside record label, or a powerful publisher (had them, fired them) but what you see, read, and hear is truly me.

I also know that, post-pandemic, when theatre does finally return to the world, productions are likely to be smaller, cheaper, and less lavish (or such is the opinion of numerous experts). But the Asylum is not a small show. It can't be. Because it's not a small world. It is epic. The music is epic. And, on another equally important note to me personally, I want to employ as many actors, musicians, and crew members as I can, because they have suffered greatly due to the shut down. They aren't helped by new productions that will (wisely and rightfully) play it safe (i.e. smart) by hiring as few people as they can get away with. These productions aren't wrong. Not at all.

But I'm crazy.

And so I'm going to act crazy by doing something crazy.

I'm going to sell actual exclusive ownership of the virtual Asylum and all its precious parts in order to fund a physical version of the Asylum, on stage, where it can truly come to life. It's a trade well worth the risk, in my opinion. So let's do this, dear friend, one Inmate at a time, one foot in front of the other.

— from the Asylum Newsletter, 3/19/2021

#weird news #emilie autumn #news #nft #asylum nft #ok goodbye again

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wearepaladin · 6 years ago

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(This might be the wrong blog to ask, but...) What would happen if a demon drew a balance card (alignment swap) from a deck of many things?

Well. Let’s take a look. Inspired by the question of the Cult of the Redeemer Queen and their patron, the Demon Lord Nocticula that I received earlier.

In another place, Honos Kel, a Paladin and Emissary of several greater gods of the Light, might be tempted to explore this archipelago. He’d always been fond of islands and the cultures they grew. But the Midnight Islands were not formed of time and the birth of new land over stretches of blue water. The Ocean surrounding them was black and viscous, the islands rising from those depths spurred into being thanks to the perverse pride of the ruler of this place. Only the light of an alien moon framed this place, saved perhaps for strange strands in the sky, looking more like blood draining from the darkness than any star.

Kel doubted even a single ounce of starlight could ever breach that darkness naturally. The Abyss by its nature, twisted all that crossed it unaware. Screams intermixed with the laughter of the damned as he made his way forward.

Each island was born of murder, each piece of the archipelago framed on a conquest of the mistress of this place, honoring their assassination and murder of many victims across the worlds. Each island reflected as much, illustrating both the enraptured demise of the victim and the sensuous hunger of the killer in turn. With each island he walked across, his private doubt about this mission succeeding dropped. The demons who dared force his hand as he made his way to the heart of this place sensed not an ounce of this doubt, flinching away from the righteous aura that brought the rare presence of true light in this place.

Finally, gates of a great citadel barred him entry, prompting the paladin to ring a bell. He did not wait long before being surrounded, as all variety of demon appeared, chiefly among them all manner of concubi, incubi, and succubi. He passively noted multiple enchantments bounce off his awareness, the demons natural talent to influence and dominate the mind of would be victims finding no purchase. Even so, it took effort to find the gaze of the lead concubi, their androgynous beauty likely to divert any mortal eye.

“I come representing the Cult of the Redeemer Queen. I have a gift for their mistress, who rules this place.”

An undercurrent of beautiful if mocking laughter surrounded him. The concubi’s canines glinted as they flashed a carnivorous grin. The door’s opened, and the paladin entered the ultimate domain of Nocticula, the Lady of Shadows.

Naturally, for a place devoted to darkness, much of what could be seen was obscured, granting the paladin only the briefest glances as was guided further into the heart of this place. Some of what he saw made his heart race with want, while others chilled his blood. For all the shadows around him, it wasn’t hard to imagine the dreams and nightmares that ruled this place reaching out and pulling souls close with the twisted desire this place represented. But, like any shadow, these wants were fleeting in the face of light. And if he could teach the one who ruled this place that lesson, then perhaps there was hope to be found even here.

Finally, he was led to what could only be the profana sanctorum, the unholy heart of this abyssal plane. It rose towards the false moon like a grasping set of talons, sensuous sculptures of intertwining acts of lust, murder, each escalating to the point where he could no longer tell where the division lay. But he knew when the true master of this place revealed herself, as the center sculpture became alive.

He’d felt her presence long before he’d met her gaze, for the first of all succubi was only like her kindred like an ant’s shadow was like the darkness between the stars. To be called a demon lord is no mere title, but evidence of a dark puissance that only a true god of darkness and evil could be above. And here, in the heart of her domain, the difference between goddess and demon lord was very thin indeed.

“Well, well, well. What have we here?”

Nocticua, Lady of Shadows, towered over the Paladin, even seated on her throne. The form she took currently was one he recognized from rumored description and obscure text, a shapely woman with near translucent skin that suffered no hint of any exposure to sunlight, her thick raven hair designed into a crown of horns that framed a face that somehow matched every notion of beauty and desire he’d ever known, her demonic nature unveiled by her height, dark talons, hooves clad in red iron, great wings clad in unholy runes, and three barbed tails. If she wore clothing, it seemed to fit her like shadow, less to obscure and more to entice.

She grinned with a perfect smile, pale white eyes looking the paladin up and down hungrily, and it took all his effort to meet that gaze without wandering.

Where the lesser demons he’d encountered thus far found their enchantments utterly ineffective against his divine immunity to such charms, he could feel Nocticula’s power and allure to the point that where an infinite army of her children would find no purchase, she could will all his protections away with a practice of will. He could even feel her considering it, shivering as the sensation of warm talons brushed across his neck, riding that thin line between pleasure and harm with expert ease.

“A paladin of not one but six gods marches into my realm uninvited, leading no army or crusade, declaring that he speaks for one my cults, and further, that he bares a gift for me. Truly, I wish I could say I orchestrated such a thing. Though, it wouldn’t be the first time a holy man graced my islands.”

She snapped a finger, and shadows parted as six spectral forms were unveiled. Paladin Kell studied each with a grimace, recognizing the divine icons of his six patrons rotting against the spectral bodies of what he recognized as the souls of fallen paladins. Their souls were being corroded into demonic forms of some kind, the fate of many a mortal soul that found their way to the abyssal plane.

With a smile, Nocticula shooed the fragmented souls away, looking at Honos Kel as though deciding whether an animal was worth more as food or as a pet.

“So you have my curiosity, Paladin. Or shall I call you Kel? Your original culture puts the family name first, doesn’t it?”

He blinked, feeling small pieces of his memory pulled to the surface of his mind, and even more stirring. With a will, he forced the tendrils of her influence our of his mind. He met her gaze squarely, recognizing what she was doing. The demon was exercising that she was capable of not only chilling levels of power, but great subtly as well. He hadn’t even known she was probing his mind until she’d said something.

Her expression remained unchanged during that brief practice of influence, and he had to concede that if it came to a fight, she would have the upper hand. His best hope lay in the pouch he’d brought alongside him.

“Kel is fine. I bring a gift on behalf of your worshipers on the world of Golarion.”

He said, working to keep his tone even. A raven brow rose on Nocticula’s head.

“Why you and not one of my acolytes? I feel the marks of Milani, Iomedae, Sarenrae, and the Triad of Celestia upon you. Why would you be their emissary?”

She asked, her expression finally shifting from something other than hungry amusement to small curiosity.

“Because I alone could find and deliver these.”

Kell reached into the pouch and pulled out two ivory decks, and within each a single card lay. Magic of the greatest arcane might thrummed in each, and even Nocticula blinked at their appearance, her expression wary with recognition.

“Each of these decks contain one card of the whole set. The Balance card. The Cult of the Redeemer queen wishes to help you leave your demonic nature behind as their doctrine, written by you, claims you desire.”

He watched her carefully as he explained. It had been a long quest to achieve two decks that only had these cards remaining in them, but the boon the cult had asked of him required nothing less.

As for Nocticula, the revelation of the nature of the cards had made her expression close, and she leaned back into her obsidian throne. “...I see. That same doctrine says that I must become a god to thus be unburdened. They would defy my will to enforce the shackles of benevolence and order upon me, before I even claim my divinity.”

Her voice, once hot with amusement and want, was no cold with the true shape of hate. The darkness around her grew jagged, and her face now terrifying in its perfection.

“Why should I not have their souls rendered into dust for such an affront towards their chosen god?”

Ice and shadow was pooling in the air, and Kel knew this would be the deciding moment. He pointed at once of the feminine scupltures that decorated the sanctum.

“Because you love her.”

For a moment, all was still, and the “sculpture” remained still, before flame ignited around it. He’d felt the presence of her demonic nature even alongside the greater presence of Nocticula, and was unsurprised to see the nascent demon lord Shamira, another ascended succubi. But where Nocticula was darkness, Shamira was fire, clad in great burning wings over vision of beauty that rivaled even the Lady of Shadows.

“Perceptive insect.”

Shamira condescended to Kel, though her luminous emerald eyes were locked on Nocticula. Kel likewise kept matching his gaze with the greater demon lord.

“Your love of Shamira, the one demon lord with your closest counsel, is known to the cult. If there was one thing to prompt you to change your very nature, it might be your love for and her love in turn for you. Otherwise, the pair of you would forever be trapped, your love corroded in twisted games of ambition. You could love her without fear of betrayal, or of your own fear turned into harming her first. You could both be free of that self destructive malevolence. If you each take a card.”

He held both decks out, a single card in each, waiting to be pulled. To his eyes, both Shamira and Nocticula began to look truly human, as they looked upon each other and the cards, possibilities roaring in their minds at the notion of choosing their love for each other over the ever present demonic hunger and cruelty that was bred into their bones.

It could have been moments. It could have been a thousand years. Kel wasn’t sure, enraptured as he was witnessing the silent communication between the two immortals. He’d seen the power of both as he’d walked in, but only now did he see vulnerability. Finally, each approached him, their movements mirrored as they watched each other, torn half way between the expectation of betrayal and the hope that their love could surpass their demonic blood.

Love is not the solution to every challenge. But it can be the motivator to become more than we are for what he hold dearest in our hearts.

Two pairs of clawed hands pulled the Balance Card. The false moon in the sky exploded moments after, as Dawn finally arrived on the Midnight Islands.

---------------

In the years to come, the Cult of Redeemer Queen would become known as the the Temple of the Burning Shadow. Its two patrons, fire and shadow intertwined, called to those who sought warm in the dark, and the promise that love could reach anywhere, heal and guide the most twisted of hearts.

As for the Paladin Honos Kel, his debt fulfilled, he continued on his way. But that’s another story.

#finished #asks #paladin #nocticula #shamira #deck of many things #balance card

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ashsilla · 5 years ago

Text

Losses (Part Two)

Book: Platinum

Ship: Raleigh Carrera (M) x MC (Suiko Hono) with hints of Avery Wilshere (M) x MC

Rating: T

A/N: Suiko doesn’t know who to believe about recent events. Avery attempts to get back in her good graces despite Raleigh’s radio silence. The media is having a great day at her expense. But any press is good press...right?

Tag List: @lunalixo @furiouscloddonutpeanut @lovedrakewalker @topsyturvy-dream @padfoot0415 @omgjasminesimone @parkerattano @cordoniasmost @poor-bi-choices @msjpuddleduck @mallorycortez @coffeebeandragon @lizeboredom @perriewinklenerdie @greek-elsa

Other Parts: PART ONE

Suiko sat glumly in her apartment, scrolling through the top stories on EE! News.

Most of them mentioned her name.

Raleigh Carrera and Suiko Hono remain suspiciously separate after club debacle.

Avery Wilshere seen leaving Suiko Hono’s apartment — does this smell of rebound?

Avery Wilshere pictured with a black eye and bruised jaw, Raleigh Carrera pictured with bruised knuckles. Has Suiko Hono turned them from friends to foes?

All of the evidence that Avery Wilshere and Suiko Hono could have been in love this whole time.

And then of course, the worst one.

“Raleigh and I are in love”: the R&B superstar’s mystery girl speaks out in an exclusive interview with EE! News!

Suiko sighed and took another sip of her coffee. She’d been drinking way too much lately; already today she’d had three cups, and it was only 11 AM. The caffeine had given her hands a slight tremor. She pressed her shaking fingers to one of the articles and began to read.

We’re sure you’ve seen the pictures — pop icon Avery Wilshere, bruised and quiet after being seen leaving Suiko Hono’s apartment! And don’t forget the second half of the puzzle...the bruised and split knuckles on Raleigh Carrera’s hands as seen in his newest post on Pictagram.

They’ve left us dying to know what happened! Here are two of our favorite theories, as sent in by our readers.

“It’s obvious that Avery made a move on Suiko after Raleigh cheated on her! And Raleigh probably beat him up after. I just wonder if Avery fought back! Also, I kind of ship #Wilshono now.” - @youliftmeup476

“Raleigh and Avery definitely got into a fight over Suiko Hono. I bet Avery told Raleigh he wasn’t treating her right (though if you date someone like Raleigh, you’re kind of asking to be cheated on!!) and then they got into a fight over it. I personally think Avery is better for her but I guess we’ll see what happens! Oh, and if Suiko and Raleigh do break up — hi Raleigh! I’m single!” - @sun.set_skateparkk

One thing is clear: fans seem to have reached the consensus that their new favorite celebrity ship is Avery Wilshere and Suiko Hono. #Wilshono trended in the US on Twitter for almost two days after these pictures surfaced!

As always, check back for the newest updates from this story, only on EE! News. Are you team #Raluiko or team #Wilshono? Tell us in the comments!

The sinking feeling in Suiko’s chest worsened. She was about to click on another article -- that last one, the worst one -- when a sharp and efficient knock sounded at the door.

A knock like that could only be Fiona.

Suiko slouched off of the couch, pulling her fluffy robe tighter around her shoulders as she opened the door. Her manager walked in without invitation, dressed in a pressed gray pantsuit. Her heels clacked on the wooden floor.

“It’s almost noon,” Fiona said briskly, and surveyed Suiko with a scientific gaze. “You should take a shower.”

“Thanks,” Suiko replied, her voice dry.

Fiona smiled a tight-lipped smile. A business smile. “I’m assuming you’ve seen the recent headlines, and seen the response on social media. You’ve gained 100,000 new followers in the last day alone. All of this unresolved love triangle drama is great for your brand. So I need you to play it up.”

The words echoed around the room before Suiko really heard them. “Wait, what? What love triangle?”

“I need you to be seen with both of them. Don’t make anything official. Just make it seem like you can’t make up your mind between them.”

Suiko frowned. “But I --”

“I’ve already called Avery. He’s ready to see you today. Take that shower, please.” Fiona adjusted her jacket and set a folder down on Suiko’s coffee table. “Here are some date ideas, and ideas on what to post on your social media.”

There was no use arguing with Fiona. She was a force of nature.

“Okay,” Suiko said, dread already pooling in her gut.

Another tight-lipped business smile. “I’ll call you after your date,” she said, and left the apartment.

Oh, God.

She hadn’t seen Avery or Raleigh since they had gotten into the fight in her apartment. Avery had sent her a bouquet of peonies with a note attached the day after -- they sat, still blooming, in a vase on her table. The note had been short and sweet, classic Avery.

Suiko, I’m so sorry for what has happened. Please let me know if you need anything. - Avery

It was a nice gesture. The kind of gesture she’d expected of Avery.

And from Raleigh?

Crickets.

Not a single text. Not a single call.

Some part of her hoped for it. Every morning, she would check her phone, waiting to see something, anything. But he hadn’t texted her since the day that the photos surfaced.

Suiko sighed, brushing her fingers over the tops of the peonies. If Fiona wanted her to see Avery today, then she would. It was probably time for one of these bandages to be ripped off.

Two hours later she found herself opening the door for Avery.

He looked somewhat nervous. His fingers worried at the sleeves of his soft gray sweater, and his blue eyes clung to hers. “Hello,” he said, stiffly and formally, and Suiko found herself laughing. Relief flashed in his eyes.

“Ready to go?” she asked.

He nodded and offered her his arm. They strolled down to the street like that, ignoring the cameras peeking out from behind cars and planters. Fiona must have tipped off the paparazzi on where to get some good shots. “How’s your face?”

Avery grinned. The shadow of his black eye still purpled his skin, and his jaw was patchy blue-green. “Getting better each day.”

“I have to tell you,” Suiko said, “I never would have hung up posters of you in my bedroom if you’d looked like this in them.”

He let out a surprised bark of laughter. “This sounds like quite an interesting bedroom.”

“Oh, yeah. I had all the best decorations. My Avery posters, pink fairy lights, old Sunset Skatepark albums...”

Avery snorted. “Sunset Skatepark? Really? I didn’t have you down as a boy band kind of girl.”

“The more you know,” Suiko replied airily, flashing a smile.

They turned the corner to find a pair of preteen girls holding cell phones up in front of them. “Oh my God,” one of them gasped.

Suiko turned to look at Avery, pretending not to notice as the girls filmed them as they walked by. She might never get used to that part of the industry. Paparazzi pictures were one thing. Being videotaped by random people was another.

“You read the ‘news’ recently?” she asked.

“I’ve glanced over it.”

“Well, we’re the new hot thing, so I’ve learned.” Suiko frowned. “Sorry Fiona dragged you into all of this.”

Avery smiled gently, and lifted a hand to brush away a few stray hairs that had drifted into her face. Somewhere nearby, a camera clicked madly. “I’m happy to do it, love.”

Suiko glanced down at the sidewalk, hoping that the cameras wouldn’t pick up her blush. It’s not like she was in love with Avery, despite what the tabloids had to say. Still, though. She’d loved him as a fan for so long it was impossible to make all of those old feelings disappear.

They enjoyed a nice lunch at a little Italian restaurant, and then a walk through a museum. It actually was a nice outing, excluding the paparazzi. Avery was a gentleman all around. He held doors and pulled out chairs for her, and at the end of the day, he walked her to her door.

“Thanks for today,” Suiko said.

Avery lifted her hand and pressed a lingering kiss to the back of it. “Any time,” he murmured against her skin.

Her head spun as she entered the apartment. In her mind, there were two very conflicting emotions: wanting to cave and call Raleigh, and wanting to fling the door back open and invite Avery inside.

But both were bad ideas, so instead she grabbed a bottle of wine and collapsed onto her couch, uncorking the drink and taking a swig straight from the bottle.

Avery had been so nice to her today.

He was just a nice person. Always sweet, always kind, always good. Except for when he was brawling in her living room.

When had everything gotten so confusing?

She was halfway done with the wine and halfway through a movie when she heard shattering glass on her stoop.

Suiko froze, pausing the film. Someone was pacing out there. Judging by their steps, they were staggering. On tiptoe, she silently crept to the door and peered through the peephole.

Raleigh leaned against the wall just outside of her apartment, staring at the shards of a bottle at his feet. He looked terrible. His knuckles were gleaming with fresh blood -- what had he just punched? -- and his clothes were wrinkled and looked as if they had not been changed in days. The dark curls she loved to run her fingers through were greasy and disorderly.

She sucked in a tight breath.

Then he swung around and slumped away from her door, swaying on his feet. God, he was really, really drunk.

Suiko stood there a moment more, and then her heart made the decision that her brain had been trying to postpone. Not even bothering to throw on shoes, she shoved the door open and ran outside onto the street.

“Raleigh!” she called, head swiveling to try to catch sight of him.

But he was nowhere on her street. No one stood outside except for her.

Suiko sank down onto her stoop, careful to avoid the broken glass. Her hand reached into her pocket, producing her phone. At last she allowed herself to open the article that had been worrying at the back of her mind all day.

“Raleigh and I are in love”: the R&B superstar’s mystery girl speaks out in an exclusive interview with EE! News!

You’ve seen the pictures. You’ve made your theories. But now, be prepared for the whole truth on what happened between R&B bad boy Raleigh Carrera, innocent starlet Suiko Hono, and the mystery woman seen with Carrera at the Theory nightclub last week.

Here we sit down with Leona Lastrum, who reached out to EE! News for comment on the debacle. Read the whole interview below!

Nancy Chapri with EE! News: So, Leona. How did you meet Raleigh Carrera?

“We met just over a year ago at one of his performances. I’ve always been a huge fan of his, so I bought meet and greet tickets to his concert. Somehow, when we got talking, we just clicked!”

NC: Did you see him after that performance?

“I ended up at a lot of his public appearances after that. Obviously I was attracted to him, and it seemed like he might be interested too. But it was hard to get close to him for long periods of time because of his tour and his schedule.”

NC: How did you feel when you found out about his relationship with Suiko Hono?

“Well, at first, I didn’t even know who she was. I looked her up when I saw the headlines. She’s so new to the industry, I wasn’t sure if what they had was a real relationship or more of a mentoring kind of thing. But then I saw some of the pictures of them on dates and at events, and I felt kind of cheated. Raleigh and I had been slowly building our relationship for the past year and then suddenly he was dating this other girl.”

NC: How do you feel about Suiko and Raleigh’s relationship?

“I’m sad about it of course. Also, it’s kind of strange to picture them together. The Raleigh I know wouldn’t want to settle down with, and I say this out of kindness, an innocent and sweet girl like Suiko Hono. He needs someone who can keep up with him, not someone who will hold him back!”

NC: What exactly happened that night that the pictures were taken at Theory?

“I heard that Raleigh was going to be there, and I went to give him a piece of my mind -- ask why he’d started a new relationship when I’d thought we had something pretty special. But when I got there, it was like both of us forgot about all the time that had passed since we saw each other last, and forgot about everything that had happened in that time. It was like we were meeting for the first time again. That kind of chemistry.”

NC: If you could say anything to Suiko Hono, what would that be?

“I’d tell her to stay away from my man! Just joking, but really. Raleigh and I have been seeing each other since before she even landed in the spotlight. I just wonder how she was able to ever date him without thinking about the fact that he was already kind of in a relationship. Anyways, I think Suiko and I could honestly be good friends once this is all worked out. I have some sweet guys I could set her up with that are more her speed, if you catch my drift!”

NC: Finally, how do you really feel about Raleigh?

“I feel the same way I’ve felt about him since the day we met. I mean, you’ve seen him! What I will tell you is that Raleigh and I are in love.”

#playchoices #choices #pixelberry #pb #platinum #pb platinum #platinum choices #raleigh carrera #raleigh #raleigh x mc #raleigh carrera x mc #fanfic #fic #fanfiction #losses

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