#nolan volcan

[denimbex1986]

'...The SAG Awards’ pearl anniversary brought expected mentions for Oscar contenders such as the two summer smash hits “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer,” leading the tally for all movies with four nominations each...

SAG wasn’t the only group to change the shape of the Oscar race, with the Directors Guild of America naming five directing nominees: Greta Gerwig (“Barbie”), Yorgos Lanthimos (“Poor Things”), Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Alexander Payne (“The Holdovers”), and Martin Scorsese (“Killers of the Flower Moon”)...

Surprise: Penélope Cruz

Cruz often shows strength later in an awards season (see her runs for “Nine” and “Parallel Mothers”). This time she’s coming in hot down the stretch for her volcanic work as a grieving mother in Michael Mann’s “Ferrari.” The Neon drama has mostly flown under the radar. However, that’s now changed, proving Cruz could be one of the last entries in a supporting actress race where the only sure things seem to be Da’Vine Joy Randolph (“The Holdovers”) and Emily Blunt (“Oppenheimer”). Watch this race!...'

[morgansyorkie]

In too deep 🌊 // x

[ethan-bears]

Captain Scotty got nostalgic on Insta today ❤️

[trashlie]

For ILY, when you mentioned the potential time skips that’ll happen after the flashback and party chapters, I can’t help but wonder what we’ll se a-tip do. Is he just going to spend all night fatigued and burnt out trying to find Nolan? Will the time skips just show him on a repeating routine of his job in Japan (accommodated thanks to yui)? Will yui notice how close shin-ae and Nolan have gotten and try to kill her the same way she certainly did to Nessa? I don’t trust any therapist thrown to Nolan while he’s in jail.

And I have a feeling rand doesn’t know the whole picture of how much q-tip does to express his disdain for Nolan. He really thought the relationship would play out as a simple love-hate dynamic where the colder, older figure warms up the the younger, cheerful little one.

I wonder if one of q-tips breaking points is trying to get rand angry at him by revealing all the ways he treats Nolan like garbage, such as trashing the name rand and nessa meaningfully gave to Nolan. If Nolan just expresses his own, depressingly deflated self hatred to how he wished he raised his boys better, that might be a final nail in the coffin. We already saw how q-tip reacted when rand only expressed concern and comfort for q-tip rather than volcanic anger.

Oh man, this is a really good ask!

I'll be honest - I don't have the strongest grasp on what I think we're going to see from Kousuke in the future, yet. This is partly because despite everything, Kousuke is still rather unpredictable to me, but also because, something I think you're getting at, it kind of depends on what is going on with Kousuke, right?

We're finally getting to see a couple things with this arc.

A. Like you noted, Rand is only starting to really see his sons - not just in the way he wants to see them, but starting to realize the long-term effects he ignored for so long. Nol is far more messed up than Rand ever imagined, and I hope he's beginning to realize the role he played in that, how he left his son alone and isolated, and berated him at every turn. Ironically, I think Rand's intentions were much like Nol's to Shinae - that if he distanced himself, it would protect Nol, and Yui wouldn't mess with him as much. For a while, I think it was true! Nol seemed to be living, more or less, peacefully, coasting by with Nana. He didn't have to help at the family business yet and there probably weren't a lot of family dinners he was required at. I can't remember if this is so, but when Nol saw Yui at the arcade, he looked really surprised, and scared. I have to dig, but maybe Yui hadn't been around much until that point, or at least Nol didn't have to be around the family as much? At any rate, I think from the time of The Incident (aka whatever it is that happened between Kousuke and Nol that got Nol institutionalized) after Nol started to live with Nana until Shinae entered the picture, I think Nol WAS pretty "safe" and I'm sure Rand thought that keeping him at arm's length was doing it. But Yui clearly isn't content to let Nol be content, is she? The Kim formal kicked off the Chess Theory, and it can be presumed that from this night forward, Rand and Yui are playing for different teams, with Rand aware that Nol is in danger. Despite that, he had no idea how bad a state Nol was in. I'm guessing this whole time he's been blinded by the lies he's been telling himself - that all of this is for the best, that he's doing all he is able to for Nol - and when he learns of Nol's pool jump incident, he's finally being forced to reckon the truth: that he did not do everything he could to protect Nol.

B. To that same vein, yes, he's finally seeing that there is no room for a peaceful resolve between Kousuke and Nol on his own. I agree that he always thought in time Kousuke and Nol would be able to become brothers, that love would grow between them, and that the animosity would go away, but in the same way he was willfully ignorant of how bad a situation Nol was in, he was blinded to Kousuke's true feelings. I think he's always sensed that Yui was poisoning Kousuke's mind and tried to counterbalance it, but it never worked. I guess that's probably part of why he had Kousuke watch over Nol - hoping some affection would develop, never realizing the impact it had on Kousuke, never realizing what Nol represented to him. Idk, I REALLY love that episode a LOT - it confirmed so much of what I thought about Kousuke. It's not explicit, but Kousuke definitely thinks that Rand cares more about Nol, and that he, Kousuke, has to earn Rand's favor and affection by doing what he asks but also by playing nice with Nol, and I think Rand can finally see that, too. In his mind, he's only ever wanted Kousuke to be happy - he was not the one who placed so much pressure on his shoulders to be successful or follow in his footsteps, to become a workaholic with no life outside of his career.

C. Kousuke is definitely moving closer to a breaking point, but as always, I cannot predict what it will be, or when. I've had so, so many thoughts on this! Sometimes I think he's going to find himself overwhelmed with his job and will break, finally realizing that he doesn't actually know if he ever wanted this, find that he's in over his head, he's moved so fast in his career all in effort to impress his father and earn his affection. Sometimes I think his breaking point has to do with Yui and realizing how much of his life was orchestrated, how much she molded him into the person he is. The way she filled Kousuke's head with ideas, like how work is more important to Rand, that love must be earned like a prize, that the only way to reach his father was to emulate him so he could earn his trust. We, as readers, know it's not true, but Kousuke still hasn't figured it out. That's why he's so baffled and freaked out after the phone call. In his mind, disappointing Rand means earning his ire, it means he has failed, it means he has moved backwards. He doesn't realize that everything he's doing means nothing - that what Rand wanted for him wasn't to jump through hoops and grind his way to the top. He doesn't realize that Rand would love him regardless, because of how deeply ingrained it is, and I still think that will play into a breakdown for him one day. How do you deal with that? With realizing that you've spent so much effort, that you've blinded yourself to anything but what you were ingrained with? Yui told Kousuke, essentially, that Rand will not love or trust or respect him until he's earned it, so for Rand to tell him he loves him regardless, when Kousuke feels like he's failed..... how does he compute that?

I had wondered before if Kousuke and Hansuke would wind up at the party, but... I don't think so. The phone call with Rand rattled Kousuke and worked him up too much. He doesn't deal with his emotions well at all - he compartmentalizes them and anything that makes him feel small or vulnerable he tries to shove away, but he can't do that with this one. That's why he reacts so often with anger - irritability when he can't, or won't, let himself feel sadness or despair. He's confused and doesn't feel right, so I'm guessing they may wind up taking a taxi and leave? I imagine if Nol winds up joining the party, Yujing will text Kousuke or Hansuke to let them know, and.... maybe Kousuke would leave it at that? Ordinarily I think he'd go to the party to yank Nol out of there for what he did, but after the call with Rand I think he might not. I could be very wrong lol but I just can't see him joining the party when he feels so many kinds of upset, you know? Still, I think Hansuke will do his best to make him go lol

So as for Kousuke's FUTURE. I guess this is where we get into a couple potentials. Our first, small time jump is supposed to get us a few months ahead, to Shinae's graduation, Nol's release, and potentially Yujing's big story. Kousuke goes to Japan and takes up his new position. How does it go? Does he do well? Is it everything he was hoping it would be? Will he find nepotism once more sneaking in, making it an easier job than he wanted? Will Yujing's prediction come true and he find himself overwhelmed, not yet ready for this role he's moved too quickly into? If he's doing well, then nothing changes - this remains his trajectory. If it's nepotism making his job too easy, relieving him of his responsibility, he may feel agitated. Kousuke likes to feel like he's earned everything, that he's putting in the work, that he's capable of something. Would he be happy in a role where, by virtue of being a Hirahara, he is paid just to... exist? To be a figurehead? I can't imagine so. That could create some kind of fissure cracks for him, make him start wondering if this is what he truly wants. If he's not performing well, if he indeed has moved too fast, isn't yet ready, buckles under the immense responsibility and additional stress it brings to his, frankly, already overwhelming and stressful state lol, he's going to break. Image is vital to Kousuke, and if he's not doing well, he's going to believe it means everyone will know he's not ready maybe believe everyone is talking about him, and he'll return to that period of extreme stress and paranoia, until he snaps and breaks again, and then everything is all up in the air from that point lol.

That SAID, I think Yujing's story is a potential wrench here that is going to shake things up and set the stage for the rest of our story.

We know that Yujing is going after the Hiraharas and the target is Yui. I don't think Kousuke is so much a target of hers, but I think there's potential for him to be caught in the cross-fires, simply by relation and some of the things Yujing seems to be digging into. She's really digging into things: not just the incident with Nol and Kousuke when they were younger, but she tells Manli that she thinks she'll be satisfied with what she digs up - and we suspect Manli is the friend Yujing has mentioned who also had a daterape incident, which is theorized to be related to Yui. After all, why would Manli be satisfied with what Yujing is working if it wasn't something that might provide her some vindication, or at the very least, the satisfaction of seeing someone who had a role in something awful happening to her called out for her other evils. Yujing had told Manli this story might take several years, but with Nol pleading guilty, they now have 120 days. I'm still not sure why, but at any rate, whatever she's working on is going to land when we have our mini timeskip, and precede the much larger timeskip, hence why I think everything hinges on what Yujing reveals. The way this plot is shaping up, whatever story she is working on will absolutely shape the trajectory and main story of the second half, and obviously, it has to do with Yui.

Now, because we know there will be more story following our timeskip, we know Yujing will not be able to fully take down Yui. Or, rather, if she does manage to make a dent in the Hirahara reputation, it means we will meet an even more menacing Yui in the timeskip, I imagine. So I'm not sure what I think Yujing will manage to dig up, but it's going to be something big that will wind up affecting all of our major players, so I'm not sure where that will leave Kousuke. Will the family reputation be damaged and leave him having to improve it? Will there be a reveal that will finally push him to the breaking point that we've long been anticipating? I know the Yui involved with the Kims theory comes around a lot, and I still don't know if I actually buy into it or just enjoy the drama of it, but can you imagine if Kousuke was to learn that neither of his parents were faithful, that the entire "perfect" premise of his family never existed? GOD that would be so rough for him lol. I mean, obviously I do not know what else is in store for all of the characters at this time, but I can't help but think the period leading up to a big time skip would be one hell of a time to leave Kousuke rethinking his entire life and identity. But, alas, I have a sneaking feeling we will see Kousuke continuing on his current path, and that if he's ever to rethink everything he knows, it's going to happen in the future. Although, now that I've written that, I think something else that needs to be considered is not only what Yujing's story will reveal, but what it might mean for Nol. If it puts Nol in a favorable position, somehow, that would absolutely alter things for Kousuke. Hmmm. I'm so, SO eager to reach the graduation time skip and see EVERYTHING that's in store for us! I know fandom in general was desperately waiting for the balcony scene but I am DYING to see what Yujing is working on. The fact that she's got Meg involved now? I want to see what it is, I want to see how it's going to affect everyone!!!!!

Your question about Kousuke's breaking point is interesting, but I think it might need something else to build up to that to get there? I think he would definitely already have to be in a breaking point to do that, just because we know that pleasing and impressing Rand is so, so very ingrained in him, but yes, definitely if he had snapped and went off on an angry rant as he spiraled? Frankly that sounds.... really sad. Again, I think there would need to be some kind of circumstances for that, and now that Rand is starting to become aware of how he's affected Nol and Kousuke's relationship, how Kousuke really sees Nol, I think he wouldn't try to push that relationship on Kousuke anymore, so there might not be as much room for that kind of breakdown? But then again, I do think if/when Kousuke reaches his breaking point, it's going to be very bad, so maybe there's room for it, yet.

As for Yui taking notice of Nol and Shinae.... idk. I think Yui has some kind of plan for Shinae, though I still have no idea what I think it might be. I just can't get over that episode where Yui was talking about knowing someone who made the wrong choices. A Yui theory I believe in is that she just... hates men because they are afforded all the things she is not, because she has to play a certain role in order to get ahead, because they can hold positions she cannot. She absolutely seems to believe herself above all the men she knows. She also is cunning and manipulative as hell, believing that she knows what's best for everyone. She seems to see something in Shinae that she wants to, idk, mentor or something? Snap the kindness in her and use her strength and resilience to rise to the top? I HONESTLY do not know. But I don't think.... harming her is on the table. Maybe. I'm saying this real loosely lol cos look, Yui is THE character I cannot predict. Kousuke I may struggle with but I have NOTHING for Yui. What does she want? I DON'T KNOW lmao I know everyone believes that Yui's interest in Shinae is related to Nol and Kousuke, but I don't think that's so, and therefore Nol and Shinae's relationship probably wouldn't warrant trying to kill her? lol I think she'd sooner to try to kill Nol than Shinae, frankly.

(Sidebar, but a theory that keeps coming back to haunt me is that Yui had something to do with Shinae's mom, or if Shinhye = Aeri in Alyssa's group, Yui is aware of her sister, or something to do with her family history, but it's all still very vague yet for me, because even if Yui knew Shinae's mom, what could their relationship have been that Yui is interfering in her life? But it would establish more reason for Yui to meddle with Shinae than her involvement with Nol or Kousuke.)

I feel like a lot of this response is SO abstract lol and I apologize for that! There's only so much predicting I can do with what we know yet, and I just feel SO MUCH like Yujing's story is going to throw a big wrench into the plot, and everything we expected and anticipated is going to go out the window lol. There's definitely much to look forward to, yet, and I really, REALLY cannot wait! idk, I'm so excited to see where all the characters are going to be, if Kousuke will be in good standing and we'll have to wait for his breakdown later, or if after the timeskip maybe we could see EVERYONE vs Yui? That would be weirdly satisfying, wouldn't it? Kousuke and Nol begrudgingly working together (LEARNING TO HEAL!!!!!) in order to take down a common "enemy"? Obviously that only works if we see Kousuke finally realize who his mother really is, what she's truly like, and how much he was manipulated when he was a child, but gosh, I can dream can't I? lol Alas, I feel like Kousuke will be one of the last people to leave Yui's side.

[adventurepunks]

As we sail

@thedemonconstantine​

"There is nothing more powerful than love John, especially between one who has so much of it to give, and one so desperately in need of it" It was a sunny day in Key West, Florida where the pair had missed their ferry by half an hour and would now be stuck waiting for the next three and a half. Nick bought the youth one of those freakshakes, or Glam Shakes, or whatever name they conjured for the diabetes in a cup that was a whole dessert on top of fatty milkshake.

Some moments, some silly little moments John’s insecurities came out. How he felt unworthy of anything specially of the love and devotion of one Nick Nolan and how Nick had to remind him that it was not John’s choice who Nick chose to give his heart to. “Drink your milkshake and we might as well find something to do”

Heavy clouds loomed both over the sky and over the sell sword.

“In whatever manner it comes to be, there is no love greater that has touched me as yours has” Nicholas admitted as they handed off their horses, a handful of copper and their stash of spices to be able to afford passage across to South Haven, the great port city of the realm and three days ride away from the Riverlands. They were getting closer to the Capital and with every step they had to grow more cautious.

Specially on the ship. “I am not looking forward to being confined on a ship for five days unable to seek your embrace my bright moon and sparkling stars” he admitted almost afraid..as if not kissing John for five days would deprive him of Life and air itself.

Yeh sort yeh own provisions, food and wine are for me crew only. Water was the only thing the ship captain had promised them and Nick would miss his gorgeous mare. She was never meant to be his anyway. The ship was far from a beauty but most working ships weren’t meant to look pretty, they were made to haul and this one was transporting lumber back to South Haven, oak and olive wood for furnishings,a trader with 24 barrels of rum and wine for the taverns, and 11 boxes of dirt for a nobleman’s garden. The soil this side of the waters was more fertile some claimed due to the volcanic ash.

Five days. Just five days and yet John’s touch was already missed.

[voidsentprinces]

Emet-Selch: WHAT YOU MEAN THEY RAN AWAY!?

Lahabrea: I mean they ran away. After we summoned Zodiark and the other guys summoned Hydaelyn, Azem just fucked off.

Elidibus: It is unfortunate that they would turn against us.

Emet-Selch: Nah, fuck that shit I'm calling them.

Azem, pocket vibrates: Oh god, its my ex. I gotta take this

Midgardsormr: How did you even get in here?

Azem: Sup, whore?

Lahabrea: *sips drink*

Emet-Selch: Hey crusty ass bitch, where ya at? You were suppose to be here with the rest of the convocation?

Azem: Well, while you and the boys were out at the Hooker Joint, I went out into space and made friends with an alien.

Emet-Selch: What the fuck is an alien?

Azem: Sharp teeth, red eyes, and scalie.

Emet-Selch: Azem, you need to stop stealing Ifrit from Lahabrea.

Azem: Oh Lahabrea actually survived? Tell him, he owes me $50!

Emet-Selch: I am not going to tell him shit, you come over here and tell him yourself.

Azem: Nah, you tell him he owes me $50 and a Mountain Dew.

Emet-Selch: Oh by Zodiark...Lahabrea, Azem says you owe them $50 and Mountain Dew.

Lahabrea: This fuck is Mountain Dew?

Elidibus: Condensation on a mountain flora.

Emet-Selch: What the fuck is Mountain Dew?

Azem: Its a soda.

Emet-Selch: What the fuck is soda?

Azem: Its a fizzy drink.

Emet-Selch: Why didn't you just say pop?

Azem: Cause I am not a 50 eras harlot, Emet.

Emet-Selch: Soda sound stupid.

Elidibus: As Emisarry for the Convocation of the Fourteen. It is ever my duty to either be for or against my brethren. It is at this time, I shall take on such a task and say that is called "soda".

Emet-Selch: NOT FUCKING HELPING, ELIDIBUS

Azem: That's what you said about white hair streaks in your hair, but whose sporting the skunk life now, bitch?

Emet-Selch: That was completely different and you know it.

Azem: Know what I am gonna do until I get that $50 and Soda?

Elidibus: What are they going to do?

Emet-Selch: What are you going to do?

Azem: Set up a DMV in the afterlife.

Emet-Selch: Oh don't you fucking dare.

Azem: Oh you better call me milk, cause I'm darin'.

Emet-Selch: How you even going to get to the afterlife? You walked into a volcanic eruption. Nothing can kill you.

Azem: That just cause you can't choke me hard enough.

Lahabrea: WHOA!

Emet-Selch: Not in front of the convocation, Azem!

Azem: SORRY I CANT HEAR YOU OVER THE DEATH OF MILLIONS OUR PEOPLE, STAY MAD ABOUT IT DDDDDDYYYYEEEEE~

Elidibus: They hung up.

Emet-Selch: Yes, I could hear that Elidibus is there anything else you'd like to contribute to this Conversation?

Elidibus: This power over soda, Azem has intrigues me so. Lahabrea, fetch me a Mountain Dew as well.

Lahabrea: Fuck that shit. I am going to blow shit up.

Emet-Selch: Why?

Elidibus: It is the only thing that gets him off now.

Lahabrea: Die in a fire, Elidibus!

Emet-Selch: Great now what the fuck are we suppose to do?

Elidibus: Gather the Convocation.

Emet-Selch: We can't.

Elidibus: Why not?

Emet-Selch: We're the only ones left!

Elidibus: HOW!?

Emet-Selch: Azem is holding up the line in the aetheric stream, Lahabrea fucked off, I am here, you're here, Igeyorhm died in Azem's last firework accident, Pashtarot got eaten by a fish, Altima got killed by Hydaelyn, Mitron tripped on a banana and fell down a flight of stairs, Emmeroloth went off to add another O to his name, Loghrif stole Azem's lunch so she's dead, Nabriales was one shot by an elf from the future in a pair of nipple tassles, Halmarut and Deudalaphon were sacrificed to summoned Zodiark and Fandaniel said something about watching the extended version of the Dark Knight by Sire Nolan for the next ten thousand years while stuck in his Nietzsche library.

Elidibus: Oh...I got side tracked.

Emet-Selch: BY WHAT!?

Elidibus: That phantom train...

Emet-Selch: What the fuck is train doing in the Rift?

Elidibus: I do not know.

Emet-Selch: ...

Elidibus: ...

Emet-Selch: ...

Elidibus: $50 and a soda says, I can convince a mortal to suplex it.

Emet-Selch: YOU'RE FUCKING ON!

[crimsoncityhq]

                                                       PART II

The Crimson City has taken new shape as The Emerald City, and the booze pours like water. Of course, anyone with foresight will know even a Saint Patrick’s Day celebration can’t go untouched by at least one of the families. The drinks have made their rounds, whether that’s lounged at the bar or courtesy of the green and orange clad waiters delivering martinis on a tray. Everyone found their way to their favorite attraction—more like staggered to their favorite attraction—when the heat pooled at their toes, licked its way up their ankles. Before they knew it, their entire bodies were consumed in heat, reddening their cheeks like a sunburn in the middle of Chicago’s burning summer. 

It clicked just a little too late that they had been dosed, and the rage set in before common sense. Something erupted in the crowd, volcanic and angry, and the fights broke out like they were on a schedule. It was chaos; chaos that couldn’t be contained by the police guards eyeing the perimeter to prevent an event like last time. Civilians and family members alike, everyone present, began to lose their grip on reality. Attachments were lost in the wildfire of it all, and those who looked like friends morphed into something to be feared. 

The O’Shea creation, BUA, and its side effects come from equal parts LSD, methamphetamines, and cocaine, all without the floating euphoria of feeling high. It’s very capable of killing, even in small doses, and even with the likelihood that you’ll survive, the drug leaves its traces on your brain for weeks after ingestion. BUA comes in all forms, and it can be injected, snorted, and smoked, depending on the vehicle of delivery. BUA is incredibly addictive, and it’s hard enough to get a hold of that anyone who ingests the drug will deal with the aftermath of withdrawals. 

Your character, for the time being, is under the influence of BUA, meaning they may act out of character and violent toward their surroundings. That includes friends, enemies, and strangers. 

Part II will run from March 20th through March 23rd. For this event, we’ll be throwing characters into groups, so they may interact with whoever they’re teamed up with. You can find all of your assigned groups below. If your character is not included, please feel free to reach out to the admins, and we’ll find a place for your muse. Also please note that your character could have been drugged by drinking any drink or eating any food.  

SHORT-TERM SIDE EFFECTS (2-3 HOURS): 

Rapid breathing

Increased sweating (typically with accompanying chills)

Pin-sized pupils

Skin redness

Hallucinations 

Extreme agitation

Violent tendencies

Obsessive tendencies

Spiking energy and heart rate

Memory loss/lack of attachment

Death

LONG TERM SIDE EFFECTS (1-2 WEEKS)

Night terrors

Fever

Increased sweating (typically with accompanying chills)

Mood swings (ranging from violent outbursts to extreme depression)

Spiking heart rate

Lethargy

Muscle pain

Paranoia

Nausea

Mental confusion

Excessive hunger or craving

Death

O’SHEA ESTABLISHED GROUPS 

FAUST MANOR - Liam O’Shea (Leader), Aurora O’Shea, Chester O’Shea, Harley Kincaid, Holden Mercer, Ingrid Vasile, Levi Bohani, Ophelia O’Shea, Richie O’Shea, Sammy O’Shea, Ivy Ivashkov, Mateo Jiminez VASILE MANOR - Freyja O’Shea (Leader), Audrey Rousseau, Cecilia Cavendish, Charlie O’ Donoghue, Davut Demir, Dawn Montgomery, Frankie Underwood, Saoirse O’Shea, Seth Graves, Arielle Hernandez, Dylan Calluso

GROUPS AT NAVY PIER :

CENTENNIAL WHEEL - Axel Reyes, Calliope Lane, Dominique Capra, Esmerey Demir, Hana Faust, Jesse Valencia, Salvadore Leon, Titus Lei, Zane Washington, Lorenzo Cavalli, Leslie Galahad

DINNER CRUISE (Spirit of Chicago ship)- Autumn Dawson, Chaeyoung Moon, Clara Davila, Eli Vogel, Helena Maxey, Laurenne Auxier, Nathan Andersen, Raven Ward-Vasile, Val Price, Zyra Gilmore, Amelia O’Shea

MIRROR MAZE- Amara Ricci, Bas Meyers, Dante Pierce, Edgar Ortega, Juno Song, Luciana Marquez, Nikolai Zima, Safiye Demir, Vanessa Keer, Zoe Washington, Nolan Willougby, Fatima Morales

BILLY GOAT TAVERN- Asli Demir, Audric Noire, Constansia Fournier, Evan Montague, Joey O’Shea, Max Wolfe, Phillip Daphne, Thomas Artyomov, Zion Washington, Helle Mae

HARRY CARAY’S - Barnaby Eaton, Blue Daniels, Christian Yi, Edith Cohen, Griffin Dyer, Lawrence Dupree, Mikhail Morosov, Poppy Levenberg, Teddy Cohen, Percy De Luca, Milo Arrington

CRYSTAL GARDENS- Birdie Mendoza, Daniel Faust, Darcy Faust, Erin Cerci, Joel Maddison, Maeve O’Connell, Monika Adler, Rosalia Leon, Veronica Pierce, Xavier Harris, Jules Leon, Lennon Novak

FERRY RIDE- Alexander Washington, Caroline Shephard, Easton Diaz, Effie Faust, Jace Dubois, Lev Vasile, Oskar Alma, River O’Shea, Vasilisa Vorobyeva, Walter Vasile, Sebastian Lopez, Elena Caines

TALL SHIP WINDY- Andrew Whittmore, Alon McCarthy, Demetria Krovopuskov, Genevieve Bisset, Joseph Do, Letitia Valentine, Oliver Faust, Rosalie Halliday, Vitomir Kipriyanov, Ximena Vasile, Francis Belle

OFFSHORE ROOFTOP & BAR - Andrea Reed, Cassidy Faust, Dahlia Cavalli, Jackson Marston, Marcel Washington, Matthew Tyler, Micah Ransone, Rahi Kumar, Viktor Ivanov, Wynter Ellis, Gang Eun-Young, Stella Bianchi

MILLER LITE BEER GARDEN- Aria O’Shea, Blake Faust, David Sharpe, Eva Clarke, Isabel Faust, Mathias Attano, Nova Deveraux, Sloan Washington, Tristan Deering, Rafferty Donoghue, Gloria Garza

END OF THE PIER- Caleb Duval, Chance Hamilton, Giovanni Rossi, Irina Koshkin, Juliet Leon, Katarina Vasile, Peyton Bridges, Sasha Vasile, Violet Madden, Melissa Woods

WEST PARKING GARAGE-Atticus Mercer, Blair Faust, Dominic Murphy, Evvie Martin, Jamie Rowe, Natalia Baskin, Toby Hayes, Silas Belmont, Tatiana Blanter, Vivian Sinclair, Thiago Caines

[blackswaneuroparedux]

The Charge of the Light Brigade: Blunder and blame

‘The Charge of the Light Brigade’ took place on that fateful day on 25th October 1854 when around 600 men led by Lord Cardigan rode into carnage. The charge against Russian forces was part of the Battle of Balaclava, a conflict making up a much larger series of events known as the Crimean War. The order for the cavalry charge proved catastrophic for the British cavalrymen: a disastrous mistake riddled with misinformation and miscommunication. The calamitous charge was to be remembered for both its bravery and tragedy. However to this day the Charge of the Light Brigade is more remembered as one of the most notorious fiascos in British military history. But who should shoulder the blame for this blunderous suicidal assault on Russian guns?

A major conflict of the 19th century, the Crimean War claimed at least 750,000 lives, more than even the American Civil War, and had a profound impact on such renowned personalities as British nurse Florence Nightingale and Russian author Leo Tolstoy.

The seeds of the Crimean War were laid in and around Jerusalem, then part of the Ottoman Empire, where Orthodox Christian and Catholic monks had been engaging in fierce, sometimes deadly brawls for years over who would control various holy sites. Following one such violent squabble in 1852, Czar Nicholas I of Russia, a self-proclaimed defender of Orthodox Christianity, demanded the right to exercise protection over the Ottoman Empire’s millions of Christian subjects. Upon being rejected, he then sent his army, the largest in the world, to occupy two Ottoman principalities in present-day Romania. The czar also purportedly had his eyes on Constantinople, the Ottoman capital, which if taken would give his navy unfettered access to the Mediterranean Sea.

Unnerved by this expansionism, Britain and France sent their own warships to the area and vowed to defend Ottoman sovereignty.

During the following year the Battle of Balaklava took place, beginning in September when Allied troops arrived in Crimea. The focal point of this confrontation was the important strategic naval base of Sevastopol.

The Allied forces decided to lay siege to the port of Sevastapol. On 25th October 1854 the Russian army led by Prince Menshikov launched an assault on the British base at Balaklava. Initially it looked as if a Russian victory was imminent as they gained control of some of the ridges surrounding the port, therefore controlling the Allied guns. Nevertheless, the Allies managed to group together and held on to Balaklava.

Once the Russian forces had been held off, the Allies decided recover their guns. This decision led to one of the most crucial parts of the battle, now known as the Charge of the Light Brigade. The decision taken by Lord Fitzroy Somerset Raglan who was the British commander-in-chief at Crimea, was to look towards the Causeway Heights, where it was believed the Russians were seizing artillery guns.

The command given to the cavalry, made up of Heavy and Light Brigades, was to advance with the infantry. Lord Raglan had conveyed this message with the expectation of immediate action by the cavalry, with the idea that the infantry would follow. Unfortunately, due to lack of communication or some misunderstanding between Raglan and the commander of the Cavalry, George Bingham, Earl of Lucan, this was not carried out. Instead Bingham and his men held off for around forty five minutes, expecting the infantry to arrive later so they could proceed together.

Unfortunately with the breakdown in communication, Raglan frantically issued another command, this time to “advance rapidly to the front”. However, as far as Earl of Lucan and his men could see, there were no signs of any guns being seized by the Russians. This led to a moment of confusion, causing Bingham to ask Raglan’s aide-de-camp just where the cavalry were supposed to attack. The response from Captain Nolan was to gesticulate towards the North Valley instead of the Causeway which was the intended position for attack. After a little deliberation back and forth, it was decided that they must proceed in the aforementioned direction. A terrible blunder that would cost many lives, including that of Nolan himself.

Those in a position to take responsibility for the decisions included Bingham, the Earl of Lucan as well as his brother-in-law James Brudenell, the Earl of Cardigan who commanded the Light Brigade. Unfortunately for those serving under them, they loathed each other and were barely on speaking terms, a major issue considering the severity of the situation. It had also been said that neither character had earned much respect from their men, who were unfortunately obliged to obey their ill-fated commands on that day.

Lucan and Cardigan both decided to proceed with the ill-interpreted orders despite expressing some concern, therefore committing around six hundred and seventy members of the Light Brigade into battle. They drew their sabres and began the doomed mile-and-a-quarter-long charge, facing Russian troops who were firing on them from three different directions. The first to fall was Captain Nolan, Raglan’s aide-de-camp.

The horrors that followed would have shocked even the most experienced officer. Witnesses told of blood splattered bodies, missing limbs, brains blown to smithereens and smoke filling the air like a huge volcanic eruption. Those who did not die in the clash formed the long casualty list, with around one hundred and sixty treated for wounds and about one hundred and ten dead in the charge. The casualty rate amounted to a staggering forty percent. It was not just men who lost their lives that day, it was said that the troops lost approximately four hundred horses that day too. The price to pay for lack of military communication was steep.

Whilst the Light Brigade charged helplessly into the aim of Russian fire, Lucan led the Heavy Brigade forward with the French cavalry taking up the left of the position. Major Abdelal was able to lead an attack up to the Fedioukine Heights towards the flank of a Russian battery, forcing them to withdraw.

Slightly wounded and sensing that the Light Brigade were doomed, Lucan gave the order for the Heavy Brigade to halt and retreat, leaving Cardigan and his men without support. The decision taken by Lucan was said to be based on the desire to preserve his cavalry division, the ominous prospects of the Light Brigade being already unsalvageable as far as he could see. “Why add more casualties to the list?” Lucan is reported to have said to Lord Paulet.

Meanwhile as the Light Brigade charged into an endless smog of doom, those who did survive engaged in battle with the Russians, attempting to seize the guns as they did so. They regrouped into smaller numbers and prepared to charge the Russian cavalry. It is said that the Russians attempted to deal with any survivors swiftly but the Cossacks and other troops were unnerved to see the British horsemen charging towards them and panicked. The Russian cavalry pulled back.

By this point in the battle, all of the surviving members of the Light Brigade were behind the Russian guns, however lacking the support of Lucan and his men meant that the Russian officers quickly became aware that they outnumbered them. The retreat was therefore halted and an order was given to charge down into the valley behind the British and block their escape route. For those watching on, this looked to be a chillingly dire moment for the remaining Brigade fighters, however miraculously two groups of survivors quickly broke through the trap and made a break for it.

The battle was not over yet for these daring and courageous men, they were still coming under fire from guns on the Causeway Heights. The astounding bravery of the men was even acknowledged by the enemy who were said to have remarked that even when wounded and dismounted, the English would not surrender.

The mixture of emotions for both the survivors and onlookers meant that the Allies were incapable of continuing with any further action. The days, months and years that followed would lead to heated debates in order to apportion blame for such unnecessary misery that day. The Charge of the Light Brigade will be remembered as a battle steeped in bloodshed, mistakes, regret and trauma as well as valour, defiance and endurance.

Even after the fatal charge, Lord Raglan was keen to use his infantry to retake the captured redoubts. He was dissuaded by General Canrobert, his French counterpart, on the grounds that troops could not be spared from the siege lines for their garrisons. Thus the charge was the last action of the battle of Balaklava which, though far from conclusive, was a Russian victory of sorts – their first of a war that had begun the previous March when the Russian tsar refused British and French ultimatums to withdraw his troops from Ottoman territory. Determined to protect the Ottomans by neutralising Russian power in the Black Sea, the Allies had landed on the Crimean peninsula in early September 1854. Within a month they were besieging the great naval base of Sevastopol from the Chersonese Plateau to its south.

Though the Russian attack of 25 October had fallen short of its original objective – to capture the British-held port of Balaklava and sever the supply line to Raglan’s troops on the plateau – it still had severe consequences for Raglan’s army. By taking the Causeway Heights, the Russians denied the British the use of their main supply route from Balaklava to the plateau via the Woronzow Road. In fine weather this was not a problem as a shorter route known as the Col was just as good. But as winter set in, and the road up the Col disintegrated, it became impossible to get enough supplies to the troops in the trenches.

By the end of November, so overwhelmed was the Commissariat (the department in charge of resupply), and so poor the single road up to the plateau, that many of the goods that did reach Balaklava were left to rot on the quays. “The English,” wrote a French officer, “will actually exchange their boots for something to eat… It’s pitiful to see such superb men asking permission to gorge themselves on the dregs in our mess tins.”

With no fuel, inadequate shelter and insufficient food, the British troops fell easy prey to disease, particularly cholera and typhus. “The noblest army England ever sent from these shores,” wrote the editor of The Times, “has been sacrificed to the grossest mismanagement. Incompetence, lethargy, aristocratic hauteur, official indifference, favour, routine, perverseness, and stupidity reign, revel and riot in the camp before Sevastopol, in the harbour at Balaklava… and how much nearer to home we do not venture to say.”

By the time the war ended – following the fall of Sevastopol – with a qualified Allied victory in March 1856, 21,000 British soldiers had lost their lives, only a quarter from enemy action. Most died of disease and malnutrition during the terrible winter of 1854/55.

The immortal status of all who took part in the Charge of the Light Brigade was guaranteed when Alfred Lord Tennyson, poet laureate, wrote his eponymous verse of the famous action in late 1854, three weeks after reading a report of the battle in The Times. The second stanza begins: “Forward, the Light Brigade! Was there a man dismayed? Not though the soldiers knew Some one had blundered”

So who was resposible for the bloody blunder?

Writing three days after the battle, Lord Raglan blamed Lucan. “From some misconception of the order to advance,” he wrote in his official dispatch, “[Lucan] considered that he was bound to attack at all hazards.”

Lucan was duly recalled to London where he tried – and failed – to clear his name. Did he deserve to shoulder the blame? Lord Cardigan, his former brother-in-law, was not in any doubt. “[Lucan] ought,” wrote Cardigan, “to have had the moral courage to disobey the order till further instructions were issued.” In truth, all three principals – Raglan, Lucan and Nolan – bear some responsibility. Even if it had been interpreted accurately, Raglan’s final order to Lucan was probably unnecessary. After all, the naval guns had been spiked and could not be fired, the infantry had nearly arrived, and even a “demonstration” by cavalry along the Causeway Heights would have incurred casualties. He should, moreover, have taken into account the fact that Lucan’s view of the battlefield was much more limited than his and made the final order more precise (by mentioning the ‘Heights’, for example).

Lucan should have insisted on clarification from Nolan. But he allowed his pride to get the better of him. As for Nolan, so contemptuous was he of Lucan’s ability, so desperate for the cavalry to show its worth, that he failed in the one essential duty of a staff galloper: to provide the officer in receipt of the message with the necessary clarification. If the written order was imprecise, then how much more was Nolan’s insolent gesture: “There, my lord, is your enemy! There are your guns!”

It seems, moreover, that he used the word ‘attack’ when Raglan had intended a mere show of force. If so, Nolan bears the chief responsibility for what followed. Such was the opinion of most cavalrymen, according to Lieutenant Frederick Maxse RN who was serving on Raglan’s staff, and whose papers have only recently come to light. After the charge, Maxse inspected the ground and, “on looking to the left, saw poor Nolan lying dead who 10 minutes before I had seen eager & full of life, galloping down to Lord Lucan, anxious & determined to make him do something with the cavalry (of which he is a member, he was always very indignant  at the little they had done in this campaign & bitter against Lord L). All the cavalry lay this disastrous charge on his shoulders & say that he left no option to Lord L to whom they say his tone was almost taunting on delivering the message – if he was to blame he has paid the penalty.”

Nigel Kingscote, another staff officer, agreed. If Nolan had lived, he told Raglan’s son, he “would no doubt have been broke by court martial”.

The charge of the Light Brigade has always elicited ambivalent responses from eyewitnesses. Even though he was writing at a remove of time and distance from the action, Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s poem echoes the conflicted reactions of both British and Russian witnesses who characterised the charge both as heroic and an act of insanity.

Behind Tennyson’s iconic poem about the Charge holds in suspense both admiration and the suggestion that it was an insane act, which resonates with accounts by Russians on the receiving end of the charge. Russian cavalry officers were convinced that their British counterparts were brave but deranged “valiant lunatics” after witnessing the charge.

Both the British and Russians had difficulty in coming to terms with this incident, as they did with the Crimean War as a whole, because it was neither wholly a victory nor defeat for either side. As a result, even monuments to the Crimean War such as that in Waterloo Place or those in Sevastopol attest to loss as much as victory, and like the charge of the Light Brigade itself represent heroic failure.

[perfectlyfckingcivil]

😭😭😭 I don't have any other valid reaction to this news. Other than Seattle better be prepared for the next round. Also, possibly for half of Vegas to show up. They're just kids, but if it's a big enough thing.... God help them

I have pentalty box tix for the march 17th game against seattle. BUT. We took Vulcan out as well. I’m not sure what happened to him but he skated off minus his glove and stick and holding his hand halfway through the second period. He did not return. 

I’m beyond worried about Glass. I was on my feet in an instant when he went down the second time. The first time i wasn’t sure what happened and got wrapped up in De Jong’s fight, but Glass was okay. It was shortly after that, maybe a minute... De Jong was still sin binned that Cody got hurt. 

Knees are not meant to move the way his did.... 

[graphersdelight-blog]

Nolan Volcan

Autographed Upper Deck hockey card signed via TTM by Nolan Volcan of the Seattle Thunderbirds

Got this card signed by Seattle Thunderbird, Nolan Volcan where I reached out to him via Instagram. He was generous enough to respond back to me and give me an address to send this Upper Deck card to.

He’s done well during his junior career, earning the “A” with the team and amassing 174 points in 263…

[artistic-writer]

Fragments of Home :: CS AU :: E :: Chapter 10

Title: Fragments of Home by @artistic-writer

Summary: Emma Swan must return home to her childhood town of Storybrooke when her mother dies and stays in the house left to her and her brother, David Nolan. Emma must juggle a temporary job at the hospital with her loss, something that has made her feel smaller than she ever was. When a tall, dark, handsome stranger comes into her life in the most unexpected way, and she begins to fall in love, will she stay in Storybrooke, or return to her new life back in New York?

Rating: E

Previous: Ch 1 - Ch 2 - Ch 3 - Ch 4 - Ch 5 - Ch 6 - Ch 7 - Ch 8 - Ch 9

Also on: AO3 - FF

A/N: 2 for 1 on story updates! Woo!  This one is a bit shorter than the last, which was a monster compared to others, but I warn you, this chapter has lots of feels and a plot twist squeezed into its modest length.  My chatbox is awaiting your yelling. Many thanks to my lovely beta, @kmomof4 who persuaded me that this would work as a CS fic in the first place. 

I don’t think it would be a problem, but just in case, this chapter features graphic descriptions of extubation. Readers be advised.

Taglist: @kmomof4 @resident-of-storybrooke @thislassishooked @hollyethecurious @deathbycaptainswan @branlovesouat @delightfully-difficult-pirate @flipperbrain @wordsmith-storyweaver @jennjenn615 @doodlelolly0910 

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“Stop it,” Killian grumbled, peeling one eye open to look at Emma. She smiled sweetly and watched the particles of dust flutter in the sunlight spreading itself across Killian's face. He squinted and rolled over onto his side with a groan, his face pressing itself into the cool, crisp pillow. Emma was laying on her front, propped up on her elbows, her entire body glowing in the daybreak sunlight as she laid beside him naked.

“Stop what?” Emma whispered, shuffling herself forward so she was closer to him. Killian could smell her and inhaled deeply with a yawn, savouring the way she invaded his senses with her familiar post-coital scent. Finally opening both eyes, Killian's gaze flicked over her body with a smirk, the smoothness of her behind absorbing the heat of the sun. Instinct told Killian to reach out and his hands itched to feel her skin against his.

“You seem to have an obsession with watching me sleep,” he quipped huskily. Killian's hand snaked out of the crisp white sheets and brushed a lock of Emma's sun drenched hair behind her ear. It was soft and messy, but unmistakably that which he enjoyed so much.

Emma leaned into Killian touch, shivering as he trailed his long, skilled fingers down her neck. Emma's eyes fluttered closed and the familiar, welcome ache in her bones crept up her spine. “But I like-,” Emma gulped, her words cut off when Killian's lips made contact with her skin as he kissed her arm, humming with a smirk when he heard her gasp.

Killian rolled his weight forward, pushing gently against Emma’s shoulder, his hand drawing lazy circles on the delicate skin. The room was warm, even warmer in the sunlight that tumbled across the whiteness of the bedsheets, and Emma fell backwards onto the downy pillows with a silent laugh. Killian's fingers danced down her arm, jumping to the soft curve of the side of her breast where his hands paused against her skin.

“You like?” Killian teased, watching Emma's expression as she writhed beneath his touch. Emma's back arched off the bed, pressing the hardness of her blushed nipples into Killian's palms, his breath ghosting over the buds.

Emma gulped, squeezing her eyes tightly closed when she felt the longing between her thighs ignite. Her skin burned but she wasn't sure if it was because Killian set her ablaze with passion or the sun had crept to her side of the bed already. Killian smirked, rolling Emma's nipple under his thumb and leaning down to kiss at the sensitive skin of her collarbone. Emma's hair tickled at his face, catching in the week old growth that littered his jaw.

“Killian,” Emma whimpered, her voice barely audible through his kisses. “Don't stop,” she breathed, her hands reaching for his head and holding his lips to her skin with a firm grip in his sleep messed hair.

“I’ll never stop,” Killian panted against her, the words leaving a damp residue on her skin as he made his way down her throat.

“Don't leave me,” Emma whispered and Killian frowned against her sternum, her words confusing him as he tore his mouth from her skin, noticing the room had been dulled by the sunlight disappearing. Killian pulled back to look down at Emma, her skin turning ashen and grey under his touch and he pulled his fingers away as it changed, rolling away from her and panic filling his body.

“Don't let me go,” Emma pleaded, her eyes filling with the salty water of tears.

“I won't,” Killian stammered, shaking his head. His heart beat faster in his chest, thundering painfully in his ears and his eyes tried desperately to focus on Emma's as they crumbled from her face.

“Don't give up on me,” Emma's words echoed, almost distant despite her being so close to him. Killian flushed hot, jumping from the bedsheets as Emma's lithe figure began to twist and distort before him. Her already pale skin turned darker, cracks visibly appearing like dark chasms all over her body and when Emma reached out a precariously fragile hand, her fingers began to fall away, leaving a sprinkle of dark, black and white ash on the pristine bedsheets.

“Emma!” Killian shouted, the room falling dark around him. The perfect, white window frame fell away, falling from view with a cracking sound. The ceiling pulled away and Killian watched it fly off into a never ending sky, overcast with blackness and rumbling with thunder. Killian took a shaky step back, watching the previously inviting wooden flooring beneath his feet splinter and shard in all directions.

“Killian.” Emma's voice faded away, further and further on each pleading gasp. “Killian,” she cried, the sound barely leaving her mouth before her beautiful face dissolved into a volcanic heap on the pillow.

“Killian!” His name echoed loudly in the air, clashing with the roll of thunder and a flash of lightning. Killian flinched at the sound and he saw a flash of white behind his eyes as he pinched them closed and let the world swallow him whole.

Killian jumped in his seat, his head slipping from his hand and jolting him awake. It was a nightmare, so vivid and real to him that Killian's body had responded by sweating and sticking his shirt to his skin. After hours of waiting, worrying, the material had become as ragged and aged as Killian felt. He blinked rapidly, flashes of Emma's charred remains and shrieks of despair ingrained on his memory. Killian never wanted to feel the loss he did right now, and it had only been a dream that had made him feel this way. The reality of right now was far scarier.

The slow hum of machines and the rhythmic beep of Emma's monitored heartbeat filled the room, reminding Killian where he was. He glanced around and noticed the darkness outside of the window, the town lights of Storybrooke like amber candles along the streets. A few noises outside of the room caught his attention, and Killian snapped his head in the direction of two talking doctors, discussing a patient beyond the huge glass doors. The privacy curtains were pulled together, but he could make out their conversation through a tiny gap in the rough, white material.

Killian relaxed back into his seat, his hot skin cooling against the vinyl. “It was only a dream,” he told himself tiredly. Killian sighed, covering his face with his slightly sweaty hands and dragging them over his face with a yawn. His mind raced with the image of Emma fading to ash again and hot goosebumps prickled his skin. Killian cast a weary, sorrowful glance upon the real Emma before him and couldn't fight the pang in his heart.

Emma was still unconscious, her features unchanged and the machine still breathing for her with a forced rise and fall of her chest. Her skin was pale, slightly swollen around her eyes and cheeks, but she was there, real and palpable. So many of Killian's questions remained unanswered by her silence and with each huff of the ventilator, his heart wrenched in his chest. Killian grabbed the warm, wooden handles on the chair and shuffled it forward, bumping his knees against the plastic bed frame, ignoring the dull pain shooting through his legs. He laid his hand on Emma's arm, drawing deliberate lines across her forearm with his thumb. Even in slumber, Emma's body reacted to his touch, and her skin turning tiny bumps under his fingertips.

“Oh, Emma,” Killian breathed, lifting Emma's heavy hand from the sheets and kissing her knuckles. There was a small graze to the skin there, probably inflicted when she fell, and Killian wished he had been able to catch her. Killian would always catch her if she let him. The scuffed skin had started to heal already and Killian wondered how long he had been asleep. He tilted his wrist, and flashed a glance at his watch, the smeared glass face reflecting his tired features back at him. It was seven in the evening; nine hours since Emma had fainted.

“Come back to me,” he breathed faintly, giving her hand a tiny squeeze. “I need you to be alright.”

The door to Emma's room was suddenly pulled open and a doctor breezed in, his head tilted down and his eyes busily searching over Emma's electronic notes in front of him. His white coat whipped behind him and a short, blonde nurse that followed him slid the glass door closed behind them. He was probably nearing retirement, his balding head littered with only the smallest smattering of silvery grey fuzz. Killian reluctantly dropped Emma's hand and stood up from his chair awkwardly, pushing it back from the bed with a scraping noise. He barely had time to dry the clamminess from his hands on his pants before the Doctor offered him a hand.

“I'm Dr Mendez,” he chirped, not letting his gaze meet Killian's once.

“Killian.” Killian gave him his hand and they shook stiffly. “Killian Jones.”

“How is our patient doing?” Dr Mendez asked half to Killian and half to the nurse at his side. She was a rounded lady, her hips and shoulders the same width and her short, stubby arms fiddled with the flow of Emma's IV.

Killian watched Dr Mendez as he walked around the other side of the bed, flicking his eyes over the numbers and lines on Emma's monitors. “She hasn't moved, or said anything,” Killian said sadly, rubbing his hand together in front of him nervously. Any second now he was expecting to be ejected from the room when the staff found out he wasn't family.

“Well, she is in a medically induced coma, Mr Jones.” The doctor peered at him with a narrowed gaze, mentally noting the difference in surnames. “She won't wake up yet.” Dr Mendez nodded towards the nurse and she nodded back, a silent gesture they had obviously both practised many times before.

“Why? When will she?” Killian pried, concern rushing into his veins. “I need to-.” He paused, biting his tongue. He had so much to say to her, to prove to her, and he felt like it had all been ripped away from him so suddenly. “I just need her,” Killian sighed, rubbing a single finger over the skin behind his ear.

Dr. Mendez stopped and looked at Killian, halting his hurried questioning. He had lots of patients, too many if he was honest, but the tone of sadness in Killian's voice made him stop for a second. Delivering news was easier when it was good news. Finally, he turned his head to meet Killian's wide-eyed stare and offered him a soft smile.

“We are going to monitor her for the next few hours, but so far she has responded well to the antibiotics we have given her.” Dr Mendez folded his arms over his chest as he spoke, taking in the broken shell of a man in front of him. Killian didn't respond, waiting for more information that the doctor might have to give. “I know this seems extreme, but she has a rare complication from her pneumonia, and this is for the best. We caught the pneumonia early,” he offered with a tight-lipped smile.

“Can she hear me?” Killian asked and Dr Mendez nodded with a smile.

“Most patients that have been in a coma say they could hear the voices of their families,” he said, not committing to any answers that might give Killian any hope or take any away.

“When they woke up,” Killian confirmed to himself. Dr Mendez swallowed hard and fiddled with his name tag. It was plastic with a metal swivel that had become twisted, and he straightened it up against his pocket.

“Miss Swan is strong,” he said confidently. “It won’t be long and she'll be off the machines.”

“So, she'll be okay?” Killian's eyes fell back on Emma's tired frame, and he swore her hair had lost most of its colour. The colour was greyer, muted and her lips were dry and cracking underneath the tube. Killian stepped closer to her, gulping a lump down his throat as he reached out a tentative hand and stroked Emma's messy hair flat.

“This is all a precaution.” Dr Mendez motioned around, pointing the equipment out to Killian as he spoke. “We are breathing for her to reduce the risk of permanent damage to her lungs.” Whilst he spoke, the nurse busied herself with inputting data to Emma's chart held on the tablet in her hands.

“Or the baby's,” the nurse mumbled sweetly lifting her gaze from the bright screen of the tablet with a soft smile.

Killian nodded as they spoke but he didn't hear the words after what the nurse has just revealed. Killian's gaze was fixated on Emma's chest, the gentle rise and fall simulated in time with his ragged breathing. It hitched in his throat, the overwhelming urge to cry pricking in his eyes once more. Adrenaline coursed through his body, Killian's entire body tingling with fear and his heart changing its beat with love for a child he hadn't even met or even knew had existed until just now.

“Thank you,” Killian offered weakly not looking at the doctor or the nurse.

“We'll give you some privacy,” the doctor offered back, motioning the nurse to follow him from the room.

Killian ignored the sounds of the hospital when the door opened, and heaved a breath, blowing out a huge rattled sigh as the tears fell. The nurse's words bounced around Killian's brain and he stilled his hand in Emma's hair. Light, nimble fingers rubbed some of the soft curls between their tips, and a silly gasp escaped Killian's chest.

“Did you know?” Killian smiled sweetly towards Emma's unresponsive face. He turned over his warmed hand and brushed his knuckles down the side of her cheek. Emma's skin was cool to the touch and a little oily from her fever.

“I mean, you would have told me, right?” Killian quizzed, his brow knitting together in a frown. “Of course you would have,” Killian scolded himself instantly, shaking his head a little. There was no sound to reassure him of his words, only his own mutterings and the regular beep of the machines. His body tensed and his gut fell away from him, the uncertainty of his future suddenly very real. Their future.

“Do you even want kids?” Killian's questions came thick and fast, tumbling from his mouth like water over a fall. “We haven't talked about it.” And why would they? They had barely dated.

“How many? Do you want a boy or a girl? Will you go back to work afterwards? What will we tell other people? Have you thought of names?” Killian rambled, his voice jumping and hitching as he became a little irritated by the one-sided conversation. He ran a quick hand through his hair, scratching at the back of his ear harshly with his blunt fingernails.

“I can't believe you didn't tell me,” Killian exclaimed sadly, his hand languishing slow trails up and down Emma's arm. “Were you angry at me?” Killian waited but Emma returned no answer. Killian watched her, his eyes skimming over her face for any sign she was listening. Emma's eyes rolled under her eyelids, a remnant of the deepest induced sleep she was hidden in.

The whole misunderstanding with Shelley weighed heavy on Killian's mind and he swallowed his sadness down with a gulp. There had been hardly any time to explain, to ease Emma's worries and fears, and Killian felt a sudden distaste for himself in his mouth. He couldn't live with himself knowing that Emma had known she was pregnant and hadn't told him because she was angry. It was all his fault. If only he had worked things out earlier. Killian was one hundred percent sure Emma, however incensed with him, would never have held this sort of information from him. She was good, and pure and innocent.

“You didn't know, did you, love?” Killian's question fell on deaf ears and he got no response from Emma's lifeless body. Killian's lip quivered and he bit down on the flesh until it turned white. “You don't know,” he confirmed sadly.

Killian took a step back and dropped back into the chair behind him. The flimsy vinyl creaked under his weight as he shifted around uncomfortably. Killian reached out and gripped Emma's thin wrist in his nimble fingers, smoothing his thumb over the soft skin there and tracing the outline of the petal on her tattoo. Killian thought it felt warmer than it had before, but it was probably just Emma's fever.

“I promise you, anything you need, anything the baby needs,” Killian's words trailed off and his lips twitched into a thin, sideways smile. He was going to be a father and although woefully underprepared, his tension was laced with excitement. “We made a baby,” he giggled nervously, leaning forward and pressing his lips to her damp forehead.

“Emma,” Killian began, dropping his face to her ear and stretching out his palm over her flat stomach where life had yet to show. “I love you.”

Killian's head whipped up, the high-pitched whirr of an alarm sounding from Emma's heart monitor filling the room. There was a little red light flashing on top of the screen, and Killian watched the numbers in the corner start to increase. Killian pulled his hand from her body as she began to heave, her whole body going rigid and arching itself from the bed. Emma's eyes shot open, watery and bloodshot, and she fixed her gaze on Killian's petrified expression. “Emma,” he breathed, rushing closer to her so hard that he cracked his skull on an overhead swing arm lamp. He winced but ignored the pain when his forehead began to throb.

Emma struggled, her weak limbs swinging wildly by her face, grabbing for the offending tube down her throat. Her tingling fingers scratched numbly at the clear plastic, her eyes wide with panic. Emma was dazed, still heavily drugged and confused, and she didn't understand what was happening. She couldn't breathe, her throat was stretched by the medical equipment that had been breathing for her, and now her lungs were scorched by the red hot pain of the need to inhale.

Emma shook her head from side to side, her hair flicking wildly on the pillow where she lay. Adrenaline surged through her, prickling uninvited heat over her skin, and Emma wretched and heaved. She could barely focus through the tears in her eyes and the world went fuzzy around the edges of her vision. With what felt like her last ounce of energy, Emma lifted her arms and reached for Killian, eager to free her lungs from the searing pain, silently begging him to call her her doctor.

“Emma, no!” Killian soothed quickly, sure she would grab for her tube. He grabbed her wrists and pinned them to the bed. “It's alright,” he nodded quickly, his own breath quickening with the increase in Emma's heartbeat. “Can somebody help?!” He called out hysterically, shooting a quick glance to the doors, and no sooner had the words left his mouth, a gaggle of nurses and Dr Mendez rushed into the room.

Emma struggled against him, an unknown strength finding her suddenly, and Killian turned back to her, holding her gaze. He placed a quivering palm to her cheek, smoothing away her tears with the soft pad of his thumb, his heart thumping in his chest so fiercely he thought he might have a heart attack. “I'm here, love. It's alright, I promise.” Killian felt Emma relax, a single tear falling from her eyelids and rolling down her cheek as she nodded slowly in compliance.

“Step aside!” Dr Mendez snipped, shoving Killian aside with a gentle elbow. Killian staggered backwards, his rubber-soled shoes scuffing against the tiled floor. He fumbled blindly with his shirt sleeves, wrenching them up to expose his inked arms and bunching them over his elbow. Killian's sweaty palms found his face, clinging to the sides of his cheeks as he helplessly watched the swarm of medical staff around Emma.

“Emma. Emma, my name is Dr Mendez,” the doctor said softly, his words short and curt and his breath hot against the skin of her cheek. Leaning closer still, Dr Mendez pointed and instructed his staff in the right direction for what was to come. “You have a tube down your throat, so we need you to breathe out of your nose, okay?” He waited for Emma to nod at him, her eyes full of understanding but no less scared. “It's okay,” he soothed. “It will be out soon.”

One of the nurses, one Killian had not met before, ran over to the ventilator and switch it off. The machine powered down with a dizzy hum, its lights going out with a blink. The same nurse, dressed in different coloured scrubs to the others, quickly detached the tube connection with a click and let the rubbery pipes fall to the floor. It hit the ground silently and was crushed under her weight when the nurse stepped forward even closer to the bed.

“Now, honey,” she began, her thick, southern drawl tumbling from her mouth fast and messily. “I'm going to sit you up and when I tell you, I want you to cough for me, okay?” Her words were almost a blur and Emma barely made any out through the echo in her ears. Emma shot a quick wide-eyed glance at Killian, urging him silently to help her. She was gulping for breath, struggling to calm her breathing through her nose as it filled up mucus.

Two nurses sat Emma up, her bed creaking under the strain of its electric motor. Another nurse flicked on the lights, the whole room flooded with a sterile, white hue. Emma pinched her eyes closed, the light stinging behind her eyelids. Her hands found the bed rails and Emma held on, gripping the off-white plastic, her patience for the obstruction in her throat waning fast.

“Emma, honey, you’ve been in an induced coma and we are going to extubate you,” the lead nurse continued. “Do you know what that means, sweetie?” The nurse was kind, her words soothing and she brushed a tendril of hair from Emma's sticky forehead tenderly.

Emma calmed. Of course she did, she was a doctor after all. And this was a test, to see how well Emma could communicate and show cognitive function. It was one of the ways doctors knew if a patient was ready to breathe on their own. Emma could hear Killian, but she couldn't see him through the wall of nurses. Her mind was torn between thinking like a doctor and thinking like a patient, scared one minute and then feeling brave the next.

“Help her!” Killian snapped, his temper and frustration bursting into the room. He was done with standing on the sidelines. He was done pretending to be family just to see Emma. Technically now, he was family, and the urge to protect both Emma and the baby was uncontrollable. “She can't breathe, damn it!”

“Sir, I need you to calm down,” Dr Mendez took a step towards Killian, blocking his view of Emma. Another nurse stepped between them, crowding Emma's bed until she was completely hidden.

“Don't tell me to calm down!” Killian growled throwing his hands up into the air. “I'm done being calm!”

“Sir, you can't shout in here!” One of the nurses chimed in lifting a wall mounted telephone receiver. She kept an eye on Killian whilst dialling a few figures with a stiff, gloved finger. “Security,” she spoke into the handle, her one-word answer a statement.

Killian shook off a tall, thin male nurse who grabbed his shoulder. “Get off me!” he snapped, wrenching his shoulder forward and eyeing the sheepish nurse. “Touch me again-,” Killian gruffed low, but his words were cut off by the sound of Emma suddenly gulping a huge desperate breath.

Killian instantly softened, his cheeks flushing red with a mixture of nerves and adoration. His instant calm was noticed and Dr Mendez wove a dismissing hand towards the nurse on the phone. She uttered a few words, following orders but still suspicious of Killian's rage, and told security things were now fine.

Emma's body shook as she coughed, her eyes streaming with yet more tears. One of the nurses dabbed at her tears with a small piece of scratchy paper towel, but Emma welcomed the feel of it against her skin. It meant she was awake, but she could not remember how she had got here, and as the sea of staff parted in front of her, Emma finally focused on what she wanted to see the most.

“Killian,” she croaked, a tiny weak smile curling her lips. Killian's face spread into a sprightly grin and he heaved a sigh of relief at her words. Emma saying his name was everything. It meant so much and the wash of comfort that accompanied it was all Killian needed right now.

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[denimbex1986]

'To reach the spot where the nuclear age was born and human history swung, turn off of Route 380 at Stallion Gate on the northern edge of the US Army’s White Sands Missile Range, not far from the tiny desert town of Socorro, New Mexico. Drive through the flat, dry, empty scrub the Spanish called Jornada del Muerto, or the Journey of Death, ringed at the horizon by the Sierra Oscura, the Dark Mountains.

After 17 miles or so you’ll reach a vast parking lot that stands largely empty much of the year. Walk past a mangled 200-ton steel tube called Jumbo, and stand before a stone obelisk mined from nearby volcanic rock. The words on the plaque will tell you where you are: Trinity Site — where the world’s first nuclear device was exploded on July 16, 1945.

Trinity has largely faded from the public consciousness, overshadowed first by the horror of the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and later altogether as the fear of the bomb itself began to recede in the post-Cold War era. After World War II, the Interior Department tried to create a national monument at Trinity Site, but its efforts were continually frustrated by the military, which wanted to retain White Sands to test its growing inventory of missiles away from the public.

In truth, Americans have never known what to think about Trinity, simultaneously the greatest of technical and scientific achievements, the culmination of the Manhattan Project, and the birthplace of the first weapon of mass destruction, where the means to kill millions was tried and tested. It wasn’t until 1975 that Trinity Site was finally declared a National Historic Landmark — a few ranks down from a National Historical Park — and even now it remains largely closed to visitors, save for two Saturdays a year in April and October.

You can expect crowds to grow this fall, because the Trinity test is the hinge of Christopher Nolan’s hit biopic Oppenheimer, on the man behind the Manhattan Project. But what does it feel like to stand at the spot of Ground Zero, the site where, as Matt Damon’s General Leslie Groves says in the film: “the most important fucking thing to ever happen in the history of the world” actually happened?

The day the sun rose twice

I had a chance to visit Trinity Site myself in the spring of 2018, when I was researching my book End Times: A Brief Guide to the End of the World. I’m not sure what I expected as I broiled under the New Mexico sun. A moment of existential clarity? Some monument that represents the enormity of what happened here, the moment and the place where human beings demonstrated that they would now have the power to destroy themselves?

But save for a two-inch chunk of concrete left from the original tower, and the bits of glassy green called trinitite that were liquified in the blast before falling to the earth as hardened shards, there’s little indication at Trinity Site today of what occurred more than 70 years ago. And even the more immediate aftermath left some of the witnesses underwhelmed. A few weeks after the test, Gen. Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project and Oppenheimer’s boss, was driven out to the site on an observation trip. A Manhattan Project physicist remembered Groves looking at the crater left by the first atomic bomb and remarking: “Is that all?”

But no one who witnessed the day the sun rose twice ever forgot the experience, a fact ably captured in Nolan’s magisterial recreation of the event. The day of my visit to Trinity, frame-by-frame photos of the moments after the bomb’s detonation were arranged against the fence. Here’s how I described it in my book:

At 0.006 seconds there is a bubble of perfect light, as if the dawn itself had blossomed suddenly out of the desert ground. The heat of the blast is thousands of times hotter than the surface of the sun, and the light in that single moment was a dozen times brighter. At 0.025 seconds, the bubble head keeps rising, while a fringe of fire spreads across the ground…

At 0.053 seconds, that perfect bubble begins to lose its clarity, becoming diffused and unfocused, as if overwhelmed by its own energy, while the inferno at the surface expands, gouging out the earth below. At this point every living thing within a radius of a mile is dead, or will be soon.

At 0.10 seconds, the blast looks like nothing less than a halo on the head of some Renaissance painting of Christ, as the exposure itself begins to degrade. The atomic heat has made the air grow luminous, as the force of the shock wave expands outward, shredding the matter in its path. Everything is ravaged, everything is burned.

And at 15 seconds after detonation comes the familiar image of the mushroom cloud, what the art historian John O’Brian called “the logo of logos of the 20th century” ... That mushroom cloud — like nothing seen on Earth before — is the result of intense heat at the heart of the blast, causing the air to rise in a column, before it spreads out in a mushroom’s cap.

In their definitive biography American Prometheus, the source material for Nolan’s film, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin wrote that no one can know what flashed through the physicist’s mind as he beheld the thing that he, more than any other person, had willed into being. Oppenheimer’s brother Frank remembered that, “I think we just said, ‘It worked.’”

More than his words, it was Oppenheimer’s countenance in the aftermath that was telling, another moment Nolan captures perfectly. The Manhattan Project physicist Isidor Isaac Rabi recalled it this way: “I’ll never forget his walk. I’ll never forget the way he stepped out of the car…his walk was like High Noon…this kind of strut. He had done it.”

Yet the site of Trinity itself today contains nothing of this triumphalism, just as it has nothing to say about the tens of thousands of people who would be killed in a few short weeks by the descendants of that original bomb.

Was it a scientific victory? An unmitigated horror? All a visitor to Trinity has is their thoughts, a bare plaque, and the silent, endless desert that surrounds them.

Where the ending began

How should we remember Oppenheimer and Trinity? Far better than we do now. Despite Bird and Sherwin’s biography, which won the Pulitzer Prize in 2006, and Richard Rhodes’s equally great 1986 book The Making of the Atomic Bomb, which features Oppenheimer as a central character, both he and the test itself have received far less than their due. Oppenheimer wasn’t a president or a general, and while an excellent theoretical physicist, he was not among the 20-some scientists connected to the Manhattan Project who had already won or would go on to win a Nobel Prize.

And yet without Oppenheimer’s ability to motivate and corral fractious scientific egos, and the sheer drive that was a product of what Groves called his “overweening ambition,” the Manhattan Project would likely never have succeeded. And Trinity was the proof of that success. Nolan’s film goes a long way toward correcting that score.

But Oppenheimer’s success contained within it the seeds of its own destruction — something Oppenheimer himself, a lifelong student of Hindu thought, might have appreciated. At the end of the film, Oppenheimer is seen visiting Albert Einstein on the peaceful, leafy campus of the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, far removed from Trinity’s bare desert. Oppenheimer reminds the older scientist of an earlier conversation, when Manhattan Project physicists worried that a nuclear bomb might inadvertently ignite the atmosphere.

“When I came to you with those calculations, we thought we might start a chain reaction that might destroy the entire world,” Oppenheimer says.

“What of it?” Einstein replies.

“I believe we did,” Oppenheimer says.

What is Trinity Site? It is the place where those calculations were proven in nuclear fire, the Ground Zero where one possible end for us all began.'

[517goldknight]

Drużyna Discersów/Team Discers

Nowy zespół Hero Factory, oparty na Lego Slizer. Każdy członek grupy ma co najmniej jeden miotacz dysków. Imię nawiązuje - w mniejszym lub większym stopniu - do amerykańskiej nazwy Slizera (a raczej Throw Bota), zaś nazwisko - do europejskiej. Ich głównym wrogiem jest doktor Miller. Rekruci: - Tom Burner - czerwony wojownik i nieoficjalny lider nowicjuszy. Odważny, ale trochę impulsywny. Ma aparat oddechowy chroniący go przed gazami wulkanicznymi. Broń to miotacz dysków (prawa ręka) i podwójny miotacz ognia (lewa ręka). Głos polski: Tomasz Błasiak, głos angielski: Nolan Blazer - Skyler Ice - biały wojownik. Jest poważny i chłodny. Dzięki dwóm nartom potrafi bardzo szybko przemieszczać się po śniegu. Broń trzymana w prawej ręce to ostry kijek, która może być używana jako coś w rodzaju włóczni z miotaczem mrożącym. Gdy narty są niepotrzebne, można je połączyć z kijem i utworzyć obosieczny topór. Miotacz dysków jest trzymany w lewej ręce. Głos polski: Otar Saralidze, głos angielski: Grant George - Sam Dive - niebieska wojowniczka i jedyna kobieta w grupie. Czasami jest głosem rozsądku i moralnym kręgosłupem drużyny. Bronią są dwa miotacze (lewa ręka) i miotacz dysków (prawa ręka). Urządzenie tlenowe i śruba na plecach pomagają jej w pływaniu i nurkowaniu. Głos polski: Joanna Pach-Żbikowska, głos angielski: Melissa Fahn - Troy Tyre - turkusowy wojownik. Prawie zawsze wyluzowany. Koła na przedramionach i goleniach umożliwiają mu przyjęcie pozycji samochodu i osiągnięcie wysokiej szybkości. W formie humanoida mogą być używane jako tarcze lub piły. Miotacz dysków znajduje się na prawym ramieniu. Spoilery i dopalacze na plecach dodają mu szybkości. Głos polski: Piotr Bajtlik, głos angielski: Alan Marriott 

Pełnoprawni bohaterowie:

- Andrew Forest - zielony wojownik. Rodzaj luzaka, który kocha naturę. Bardzo szybki i zwinny. Antena na jego plecach umożliwia mu komunikację z innymi bohaterami. Maczeta z zadziorami pomaga mu w wycinaniu drzew i wspinaniu się na nie. Wyrzutnia dysków znajduje się w jego prawej ręce. Głos polski: Michał Podsiadło, głos angielski: Bumper Robinson - Gavin Stoner - brązowy wojownik. Silny, chociaż nie jakiś wyjątkowo bystry. Jego broń to dwa kilofy, które mogą stworzyć osłonę z zielonej energii. Miotacz dysków znajduje się na prawym ramieniu. Głos polski: Sławomir Orzechowski, głos angielski: Jim Cummings - Elliot Energe - fioletowy wojownik. Typ naukowca i mózg grupy. Skrzydła umożliwiają mu bardzo szybkie latanie. Broń to dwa elektryczne kastety z funkcją zarówno generowania, jak i pochłaniania czy przekierowywania energii elektrycznej i miotacz dysków na lewym ramieniu. Głos polski: Grzegorz Małecki, głos angielski: Phil LaMarr - Jeff Justice - żółty wojownik i lider grupy. Nieugięty, rzetelny, rozsądny, lojalny, rzeczowy, ale potrafi także okazać serce. Dzięki skrzydłom z dwiema turbinami (które mogą pracować zarówno jako wirniki - jak u śmigłowców - jak i silniki odrzutowe) może świetnie latać. Broń to dwa miotacze dysków z działami laserowymi. Głos polski: Zbigniew Dziduch (miał być Jerzy Dominik, ale niestety już nie żyje), głos angielski: Kevin Michael Richardson Translation: New Hero Factory team, based on the Lego Slizer. Every member of the group has at least one discs thrower. The first name is an allusion to the American name of Slizer (or - in this case - Throw Bot), and the surname to the European one. Their main enemy is doctor Miller. Rookies: - Tom Burner - the red warrior and the unofficial leader of rookies. Brave, but a bit impulsive. He has a breathing apparatus protecting him from the volcanic gases. The weapons are a disc thrower (right hand) and a twin flame thrower (left hand). Polish voice: Tomasz Błasiak, English voice: Nolan Blazer - Skyler Ice - the white warrior. He is serious and chill. Thanks two skis he can pace the snow very fast. The weapon held in his right hand is a sharp stick (which can be used as a some kind of the spear) with a freezing blaster. When the skis are unnecessary, they can be linked to the stick and create a two-edged axe. The disc thrower is kept in the left hand. Polish voice: Otar Saralidze, English voice: Grant George - Sam Dive - the blue warrior and the only woman in the group. Sometimes she is the team's voice of reason and a moral backbone. The weapons are twin harpoon thrower (left hand) and a disc thrower (right hand). The oxygen device and a screw on her back helps with swimming and diving. Polish voice: Joanna Pach-Żbikowska, English voice: Melissa Fahn - Troy Tyre - the teal warrior. Almost always cool. The wheels on his forearms and shins enables him taking car's position and reach a very high speed. In the humamoid's form they can be used as the some kind of shields or saws. The disc shooter is on his right shoulder. The spoilers and boosters on his back adds him speed. Polish voice: Piotr Bajtlik, English voice: Allan Marriott

Full-fledged heroes: - Andrew Forest - the green warrior. Type of the groom, who loves the nature. Very agile and nimble. The aerial on his back enables him comunication in other heroes. The machete with burrs helps him with cutting the trees and climbimg on them. The disc shooter is in his right hand. Polish voice: Michał Podsiadło, English voice: Bumper Robinson - Gavin Stoner - the brown warrior. Strong, but rather avarage smart. His weapons are two pickaxes, which can create a green energy shield. The disc shooter is on his right shoulder. Polish voice: Sławomir Orzechowski, English voice: Jim Cummings - Elliot Energe - the violet warrior. Type of the scientist and the brain of the group. The wings enables him very speed flying. Weapons are two electric knuckle-dusters and a disc thrower on his left shoulder. Polish Voice: Grzegorz Małecki, English voice: Phil LaMarr - Jeff Justice - the yellow warrior and the leader of the group. Unyielding, reliable, sensible, loyal, sober, but he can also turn the heart. By the wings with two turbines (which can work as helicopter-like rotors and jet engines as well) he can famously fly. The weapons are two disc throwers with laser shooters. Polish voice: Zbigniew Dziduch, English voice: Kevin Michael Richardson

[ethan-bears]

Captain Scotty got nostalgic on Insta today ❤️

[mitchbeck]

CANTLON: (12/13) UCONN HUSKY MAKES A WJC TEAM

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - UCONN’s Ryan Tverberg was selected to join the Canadian team and officially became the sixth UCONN player to represent a country on a World Junior Championship team. Tverberg heads off to Banff, Alberta, for the WJC camp. They’ll have three warmup exhibition games starting on December 19 against Switzerland, December 20 against Sweden. These WJC games will be played at the Peavey Mart Centaurium, the second site of the WJC. December 22 Canada’s entry in the WJC will play a pre-Christmas affair against Russia at Rogers Place in Edmonton that will air on the NHL Network. TOURNAMENT BEGINNING The tournament begins on December 26 (Canadian Boxing Day) with a Group A meeting against the Czech Republic in Edmonton. The puck drop of all WJC games is 7:00 PM. All games will air on the NHL Network who will pick up the TSN feed. Tverberg will be joined by several New York Rangers prospects, including returning goalie and ex-Hartford Wolf Pack, Dylan Garand of the Kamloops Blazers (WHL). Another ex-Pack from last year is center Will Cuylle of the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). There will also be Jack Finley, who was recently traded from the Spokane (WA) Chiefs (WHL) to the Winnipeg Ice (WHL). Finley is the son of ex-Pack, Ranger, and Springfield Indian Jeff Finley and is presently a scout with Winnipeg. Another son of an ex-Indian is Ridley Greig from the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), the son of former Hartford Whaler and Springfield Indian; Mark Greig also made the team. The Canadian WJC team was shut out 3-0 by a group of Canadian University All-Stars in their first of two exhibition games at Markin MacPhail Centre-WinSports Arena in Calgary on Saturday. MORE TEAM MEMBERS Two names of note from the Canadian University All-Star squad in two defensemen. Nolan Volcan of the University of Alberta Golden Bears (CWUAA) is the nephew of former Whaler Michael “Mickey” Volcan and ex-Wolf Pack Tysen Helgesen. He is a senior for the Mt Royal University Cougars (CWUAA). While not getting a point, Tverberg opened his coach’s eyes and solidified his chances of making the team while playing on a line with Elliot “Destroyer” Desnoyers of the Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) and Joshua Roy Sherbrooke Phoenix (QMJHL). “I liked his game,” Head Coach Dave Cameron said to the Canadian Press in the Toronto Star, “He’s tenacious on the puck. That’s his biggest asset. He’s around the puck. I thought he had a couple of offensive chances he whiffed on. High energy. Good reads around the puck. Good on the forecheck, good on battles.” On Sunday afternoon, the team won 7-2 with thirteen players registering points, including Tverberg, who recorded his with a third-period power play goal. Cuylle was patrolling the left side, with the center being the Washington Capitals’ number one pick, Hendrix Lapierre. Helgesen scored one of the two goals for the University All-Stars. BIG RECRUIT HEADING TO STORRS UCONN scored a significant recruit with a familiar last name in New England hockey. Forward Mason Kesselring of Cushing (MA) Academy is 6’3 and 180lbs. He made a verbal commitment to the Huskies for 2022-23. Casey Kesselring, Mason’s father, was a star in Hockey East in the mid-1990s with Merrimack. He also had a five-year ECHL career. The New Hampshire native is also the younger brother of former Northeastern star Michael Kesselring. He had a short-lived minor pro career with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL). Casey has been a prep school coach at Pinkerton (NH) Academy (2003-2009) and New Hampton (NH) School (2014-2019), where Michael is the school’s all-time leading point-getter. Mason spent a year there before going to Cushing. Casey was also an assistant for half a season of the CT Yankees in 2009 before taking the job with Pinkerton. Casey is presently the head coach of the Northern (MA) Cyclones 18-AAA team and a New England scout with Fargo (USHL). He has previously worked with the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms (USHL). UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT HOME Read the full article

[aion-rsa]

Invincible Ending Explained

https://ift.tt/3eKFAaH

This Invincible article contains spoilers.

Hit superhero animated series Invincible closes out its first season with a clash of global proportions between Mark Grayson (Steven Yeun) and his dad, Omni Man/Nolan Grayson (J.K. Simmons), who reveals that his home planet of Viltrum is actually a world-enslaving evil empire and he’s one of their conquerors, sent to Earth to overthrow and indoctrinate.

The world looks on as Nolan puts a one-sided whooping on his son when Mark refuses to join his cause, and Debbie (Sandra Oh) is forced to question everything about her marriage to who she thought was a loving husband but turned out to be a murdering warlord. It’s an action-packed finale with many implications for the upcoming second season and beyond.

Let’s break down everything that went down in Invincible’s season 1 finale and what it might all mean for the future of the show.

Why did Nolan beat the crap out of Mark?

Foolishly, Nolan believes that Mark will pledge blind allegiance to Viltrum and help his father overthrow Earth, despite the fact that Nolan’s lived his entire life on the planet and all the people he loves live there, too. Nolan tries to explain to Mark that, as a Viltrumite, he will outlive his human friends and family by hundreds of years, and that it’s not worth getting attached to inferior beings. Unsurprisingly, Mark refuses to help Nolan on his mission and instead fights to stop him, to no avail.

On one hand, Nolan pulverizes Mark because he’s resisting Viltrum and its grand plans. But on the other, he’s trying to beat sense into his son and show him the insignificance of the human race by murdering hundreds of people on a whim and soaking Mark in their blood. It’s a truly twisted form of tough love that he learned from his wickedly Darwinian upbringing on Viltrum, and it clearly isn’t swaying Mark in his valiant stand for the planet he calls home.

Why did Nolan stop beating the crap out of Mark?

In the middle of Nolan’s shocking, brutal beatdown of his son, he’s stricken by a memory of one of Mark’s childhood softball games. Nolan was perturbed that he had to watch his son play a trivial game when he could be out doing more “important” superhero things, but when Debbie opens his eyes to the value of their son’s wide-eyed perspective on the world, he’s awakened to the beauty of humanity.

In the flashback, he’s holding Mark up to the sky after he hit a home run, his missing front baby teeth making the moment all the more wholesome. Then we’re violently snapped back to the present, where Mark is lying in a pool of his own blood, missing his teeth for an entirely different reason. When he asks Mark what he will have left in 500 years when everyone he loves is dead and gone, he replies, “I’d have you, dad.”

Nolan ultimately shows Mark mercy and abandons his post on Earth, shedding a tear as he breaks through the planet’s upper atmosphere. Against all logic, it seems that Nolan does have real feelings for Earth and its people after all, fight as he may to suppress them.

What is Cecil up to in the labs?

After fully recovering from the severe injuries sustained at the hands of his father, Mark is approached by Cecil who asks him whether he “still wants to be a hero or not.” With Omni-Man gone, the planet will need a new primary protector, and Cecil thinks Mark would be a fine replacement.

But Mark, still reeling from his clash with his father,  declines the offer for the time being. Meanwhile, Cecil gives Mark a glimpse of https://ift.tt/3u3YQ9w secret Global Defense Agency lab running a host of scientifically advanced experiments, including an effort to resuscitate The Immortal after his seemingly fatal encounter with Omni-Man, which resulted in him being literally ripped in two.

Read more

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Why would Debbie want Nolan to return?

Following the horrific revelations about Nolan and his past–his plan to conquer and enslave earth for the Viltrumites, the fact that he murdered the original Guardians of the Globe, his evisceration of Mark, his confession that he views Debbie as nothing more than a “pet”–it’s natural to wonder why, later in the episode, in a conversation with Art, she admits that she wishes he’d “come back.”

While the show may seem to center on Mark and Nolan’s relationship and eventual falling out, Debbie plays just as pivotal a role. She’s a beacon of hope and, most importantly, unconditional love. She knows now that Nolan is a liar and a murderer, but she’s holding out hope that the years of blissful marriage they shared and the family they built together weren’t an illusion or an inconsequential blip in Nolan’s lifetime. If Nolan ever returns, she could be the key to unlocking the humanity in him.

Allen’s Return

After a brief encounter with Mark back in episode 2  “Here Goes Nothing,” Coalition of Planets representative Allen the Alien (Seth Rogen) returns to Earth to warn Mark, ironically, that there is a Viltrumite in their midst. They take a load off on a couple of moon rocks to catch up: Mark brings Allen up to speed on the insanity that’s just transpired on Earth; Allen warns Mark of an impending war with the Viltrumites.

Allen represents the full scope of what’s to come in future seasons of the show. The books make up an absolutely sprawling intergalactic epic that folds in so many memorable characters from so many different places that it’s hard to keep track of all of them. Allen is a major character in the books, and to see his story play out in future seasons would be incredible, especially considering how faithful the show has been to the source material thus far.

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Trouble Brewing

At the tail end of the episode we’re shown glimpses of the trouble that’s brewing in different corners of the galaxy that Mark and his allies will inevitably confront in adventures to come.

The pink, tentacled parasites we saw taking over Mars when Mark went on that botched space mission back in episode 4 are shown to have all but completely overthrown the planet, attaching to several hosts, including one of the astronauts that was left behind. The sequids are all part of a hive mind bent on chaos and destruction and will no doubt pose a threat to Earth as intergalactic tensions rise.

The Mauler twins are back in their holding cells where we first met them. They were able to escape quite easily last time around, and judging from the confident smile they wear as they’re ushered into their new digs (by the same soldiers they beat up the first time), it’ll just be a matter of time before they break out and wreak havoc once again.

The Flaxans—the alien race from another dimension who clashed with the Teen Team and Invincible, and were ultimately vanquished in their own dimension by Nolan—are shown plotting another attack on Earth, with a picture of Nolan and Earth displayed on a monitor that is subsequently stabbed by a Flaxan leader with a knife. The last time the Flaxans saw Nolan, he essentially pancaked their entire civilization, dropping a mountain on one of their major cities. It goes without saying that they’re out for revenge.

Doc Seismic was felled by Atom Eve and Invincible back in episode 3, but in the ending montage he’s shown to be raising an army of volcanic monstrosities beneath the Earth’s surface. In the comics, these creatures are known as Magmanites, and if the character’s trajectory is in line with the books, he should be in for some drastic changes to his biological makeup.

We also see a glimpse of Titan, who’s taken his former boss Machine Head’s seat as the city’s top crime lord. He’s confronted by a metal-mouthed old man seemingly in control of a dragon spirit. In the comics, he’s known as Mister Liu, and he’s anything but a throwaway villain cameo.

The almighty Battle Beast is shown kicking ass on an alien space station somewhere in the galaxy, and when he meets Mark again our hero will hopefully be better prepared for the fight.

Finally, we see Cecil overlooking an army of Reanimen—cybernetically resurrected fallen soldiers—concocted by smarmy scientist DA Sinclair, who’s been under Cecil’s employ since the debacle at Upstate University. Cecil makes no bones about doing anything it takes to protect the planet, crossing ethical lines when necessary, and the Reanimen army looks to fall under the same moral grey area.

Invincible is streaming on Amazon Prime Video now.

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