#the ensuing fight nearly destroys the entire island

[yuesya]

I was reading Madness Snippet again. In Ace Au, Sanji must really be in awkward place. For one, the main reason the charolette siblings are keeping him was not because of Germa. Its a small part but the main reason for them keeping him there was because of Luffy. More specifically, Ace. The sheer pettiness of "Your brother took our Sister. So we're taking your cook". The reson for taking him just increase after tasting his cooking, because its just that good. They are not exactly trying to kill them because they're Ace's brother's crew. But they're also not letting them go scott free either because of the same reason. The Whole Cake arc just become a comedic arc.

The Charlotte siblings absolutely would be that petty haha. Whole Cake Island arc would indeed become a comedy featuring the Straw Hats trying to come up with increasingly creative ways to get Sanji back, and the Charlotte siblings responding with various forms of "No," "No," and "HELL NO."

In the end, Pudding would eventually be moved by Sanji and the rest of the Straw Hats, and help them leave the island. Luffy extends an invitation to her to join his crew, and... well... suffice to say, Pudding pulls a Madeleine haha.

(A side note that has nothing to do with anything whatsoever: Sabo is very, very confused when all his encounters with the Big Mom Pirates involve the Charlottes glaring suspiciously or just outright attacking him on sight/trying to kidnap him. What did he ever do to offend the Big Mom Pirates, aren't his siblings on good terms with them??)

[nama-ri]

Deeper Than Rivers (ch2)

Next chapter! I promise the story isn’t all angst :’)

Summary: Namaari and Raya, two opposing forces who are more similar than they know. Together they’ll face the Drunn, find Sisu, and perhaps find themselves again too. A deeper look into Rayaari and the emotional turmoil they go through alone and together. Pre, during, and Post movie. 

No one batted an eye to the traveller in the red cloak, a large hat tilted over her face, casting a shadow over her features. Not to say she was unnoticed among the white clothes the natives wore. It was simply that it wasn’t odd to them in the market. Trade, though heavily inhibited by the Drunns, still happened. In Fact many Talon merchants and even a few Spine were also in the busy market place by the docks. Tail had stopped communication awhile ago, and it was rumored that they succumbed to the Drunn given their desert land.

Raya can’t say she missed the Tail Cheif. She was brash and selfish when they met before. A distinct memory of the tanned skin women shoving her aside in her greed to grab the Dragon Gem during the chaos that ensued after everyone poured into the temple. It seemed from the stories she heard that the chief's paranoia only grew when she got a piece of the gem shard. Though Raya thought she got what she deserved for her hand in breaking the world, an old buried part of her Heart panged at the thought of innocent Tail citizens perishing along with her.

Quickly she shoved that soft part of her back down. Through her experience as basically a rogue she had learned that there was no room to be soft. It pained her to kill her own innocence but the many experiences of betrayal over her travels made it clear it was a necessity. 

Speaking of betrayal. Raya pondered how she’d make it into the Fang palace where she was sure the scroll was. Her plan to pass as a random trader worked just as she thought. Of Course no one heard anything about the Heart princess after the night the Drunn had been released back into the world, so it was easy for her from the start to pretend to be someone else. Just another refugee from many of the destroyed villages of the land.

Passing by a few stalls set up, she considered her options. Her disguise would not pass in the well guarded palace. She would stick out like a sore thumb. She’d have to sneak in at night Raya realized as she glanced at the large stone buildings on the other side of the Fang island. “Oh toi” She mumbled under her breath taking in the smooth white walls. She was confident in her ability, confident in her years of hard living and her original training as a Gem guardian, but this was still gonna be a hard task to tackle. 

As she studied the palace, leaning in the shade of an alleyway something caught her eye. A familiar undercut. 

“No way” Raya was dumbstruck for a second. No way it was that easy to find Namaari. Furthermore, she had kept the same hair style for 4 years?! The thought of the Fang princess cutting her hair to match her Mother was amusing as a child but it was even more funny now. Raya couldn’t help but smile at that thought. “What a mommy’s girl” she snorted, following the figure discreetly. Of course she knew she was just as much of a daddy’s girl herself but that was before, Raya thought bitterly. Her mind quickly growing sour again.

Yep that was definitely Namaari. Wow. 

When Raya finally caught up to the other princess, though still far enough to not be noticed in the crowd, she had to physically stop her jaw from dropping open. What the hell?? She was taller than her! 

That was not the thought she should be having but her child-like pettiness flared. Namaari wasn’t the same thin girl she met and beat in the Dragon Temple 4 years ago. No, that Binturi was now taller and, Raya noticed reluctantly, buffer. 

Raya’s eyes followed the girl, no warrior, before her. Taking in her broad shoulders bared for the world to see in her sleeveless top. The strength in her smooth steps and air of power as she moved forward nearly parting the crowd as she went. Raya was gawking really, a slight blush on her face before she could stop herself. 

As if sensing the eyes on her, Namaari looked back over her shoulder and Raya barely ducked behind a barrel in time. Seeing Namaari’s body was one thing, her face was another. Peeking from behind her hiding spot she just caught the Fang’s sharp jaw and intimidating eyes set in an impassive face. Gone was the bright eyes or cute face she remembered. Something struck her heart at that, it was a mirror of her own loss.

‘Okay so she grew up, no biggie’. Raya tried to convince herself moving from the barrel as Namaari turned back and continued her walk. ‘She grew up hot’, a small voice echoed her previous thought in her head.

Wait a second hot?

Well sure attractive, anyone in their right mind would be able to see but that was besides the point, Raya had seen plenty of attractive people. She was attractive too if she did say so herself. Unlucky for her Namaari just so happened to be hot. Whatever, didn’t change a thing. But the muscles, that might make a fight harder if it came to it. Yes, it was perfectly natural to be staring at the Fang like this, she was just sizing the other up. Nothing else. Raya continued to trail Namaari, though from a far greater distance now as she revised her plan. Maybe she can ambush the Fang princess? Get her to take her to the scroll. That was far easier than scaling the high walls of the palace and searching randomly in a dangerous place.

As she was lost in thought on how to get Namaari alone she spotted another Fang warrior, she guessed by their dress, walking up rather quickly to the princess. 

“Shouldn’t be- market. -ought to get back” Were the only words she caught over the chatter of the market. Oh no, she’ll lose Namaari if she decides to head back right now. Lucky for her, Namaari looked just as annoyed to be told to leave. Raya moved closer to catch what they were saying.

“I won’t be long Atitaya, it will be fine” Namaari assured in a commanding tone, though it was undercut as she rolled her eyes like a child. The other warrior, Atitaya apparently, just huffed.

“Whatever you say princess” Atitaya bowed, making the younger girl frown, ears getting red. 

“Stop, oh dragons, I told you that wasn’t necessary” Namaari whispered to the warrior in front of her hushed and hurriedly. 

“I know, I know” The formality broken, Atitaya slung an arm over Namaari’s shoulder laughing quietly. Well that was a little shocking, Raya’s eyebrows shot up as she watched the interaction. From what she knew about Fang, they were militaristic and strict in their formalities to a fault. Cold, she remembered hearing from the villagers of Heart back when they were still alive. She had actually seen it herself throughout the day as she watched guards in the marketplace. This outward show of affection was weird. Especially weird as it included Namaari who Raya had chalked up to being the representation of every bad Fang stereotype. 

“You always tease me” Namaari grumbled. As the pair continued on the way. “I told you it’s embarrassing and unneeded out of formal settings” That just made the older woman smirk. 

“Well you never know who could be watching” a mischievous smile on her face “like maybe your mother” Namaari stiffened noticeably at that. Noticing the sudden rigid posture the general slowed her pace removing her arm from the clearly uncomfortable girl's shoulders “Hey hey, it’s okay she’s busy in a council meeting right now” Atitaya back tracked. 

Atitaya, though not actually family, may as well be. Orphaned by the famine that plagued Fang when she was 17 she was taken into the royal palace and given a second chance. She will always be grateful to Chief Virana for that, but she couldn’t say she entirely agreed with how she treated Namaari. Forcing her to grow up faster then maybe need be.

After the death of her husband, the Chief in her grief had shuttered away all her emotions, throwing herself into her work and people. No one could say she didn’t love anything, she loved her people. She was of course admired greatly by all of Fang for her steadiness in the face of starvation and all other forms of destruction. No she was an amazing Chief.

But Namaari.

She loved Namaari, but since the loss she could never really allow herself to fully show it. Now her tenderness only showed through a strong squeeze on the shoulder or a compliment given in an emotionless voice. It was sad, Atitaya thought.

She remembered the day she found the Fang princess, still only 10 at the time, in the serlots pen weeping silently among the large cats. She had felt odd at the time, not knowing what to do as a young soldier finding her princess in such a state. But she still sat with the child, not being able to just leave her, letting her cry it out. When she finally asked what was wrong, Namaari had only replied in a soft whimper that she felt she was all alone. 

The General, then a soldier, knew Namaari loved her dad and was hurting since he died. But as the young Fang continued to speak. It dawned on Atitaya that Namaari has been cut deeper than anyone thought previously of the often quite child. With the other children either too scared or resentful to hang out with her, and her own mother to preoccupied in work she was left to deal with her heavy emotions alone.

Years passed, and Atitaya rose through the ranks. As she did she also  became sort of an older sister figure to Namaari. Someone to lean on, though they didn’t show their friendship too much publicly. She watched with a sad heart as the princess took on more than she should have, striving and surpassing the high standards of even her mother. But in the process hiding her pain away to battle alone in order to not seem weak. 

They didn’t speak about Namaari problems as much as she grew older, but Atitaya still knew the other was struggling with a host of emotions despite her strong facade. Just like back in that serlot pen, except Namaari wouldn’t let her in this time. Atitaya was there since the beginning and so she knew why the younger Fang tensed at just the mention of her mother. 

“Hey lets just find those flowers, then we can head back before the Chief even notices” she quickly said trying to cheer up the Fang princess, who took a second to relax again. 

“Yeah” Namaari finally replied and began walking again, this time with Atitaya following a little behind. An invisible rift between them that only grew it seemed. 

‘Flowers? What the dragons?’ Raya thought, witnessing the short interaction but having no clue of the undertext. What exactly was all this about?

[thedcdunce]

Catman

“Ah, the thrill of the hunt, there's no feeling in the world like it!” - Catman

Real Name: Thomas Blake

Gender: Male

Height: 6′ 0″

Weight: 179 lbs (81 kg)

Eyes: Blue

Hair: Blonde

Abilities:

Genius Level Intellect

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Tracking

Weaponry

Equipment:

Catmobile

Catarang

Universe: 

Earth-One

New Earth

Base of Operations:

Africa

Gotham City

Citizenship: American

Parents:

Reese Blake; father

Sienna Blake; mother

Marital Status: Single

First Appearance: Detective Comics #311 (January, 1963)

Abilities

Genius Level Intellect

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Tracking

Weaponry

Equipment

Catmobile

Catarang: Thomas Blake used the equivalent of a Batarang. Painted in red, it had several spikes to represent a cat's claws.

History

Thomas Blake is Cat-Man, a former super-criminal and enemy of Batman, who had somewhat reformed and turned his efforts for good instead of evil. Despite still upholding poor regard for the law, Cat-Man has become an anti-hero for his intermittent code of honor.

Earth-One

Thomas Blake was a former wealthy socialite from Gotham City who trained himself to become a professional jungle cats hunter. His dedication to this hobby caused him to squander his fortune and without any resources, he decided to turn to crime. At first, he considered becoming a vigilante, but since Batman was already working in Gotham, Blake decided to adopt the identity of the costumed criminal, Cat-Man. Blake was partially inspired by the animals he had devoted his life to capture and the notorious former criminal, Catwoman, who had retired from crime. As Cat-Man, Blake started a criminal spree and often stole cat-themed items, like valuable cat statues. Batman and Robin eventually deduced Blake's secret identity thanks to Batwoman, who had confronted Cat-Man moments later. Cat-Man tried to fight the Dynamic Duo using a giant cat robot, but the heroes destroyed the machine and just as Cat-Man tried to escape, he was carried away by a nearby river, after which he was presumed dead.

Cat-Man soon returned to Gotham with a new criminal plan. During this time, he managed to recruit Batwoman and Blake provided her with a Cat-Woman costume, which resembled his own Cat-Man outfit. However, this was a mistake on Blake's part, as Batwoman led Batman and Robin to his hideout and he was forced to retreat on a boat, which crashed on the sea, apparently killing him.

It was later revealed that the reason why Cat-Man managed to survive those deadly accidents was because part of his Cat-suit was made of a magical cloth that granted the wearer nine lives, just like a cat. When Cat-Man learned of this, he used it to his advantage, escaping from Batman and Robin by exposing his life. However, it was Batwoman who deduced Cat-Man's plan and she used her own Cat-Woman costume in order to stop the Cat-Man. Blake was finally arrested and taken to prison.

Several years later, Catman returned to Gotham and initially, Catwoman was blamed for his crimes. The truth was eventually discovered by Catwoman and Batman, who tracked down Catman to his lair. Catman used a deadly trap to eliminate them while he traveled to Greece to sell the stolen goods in return for his own private island, which he planned to turn into a criminal haven/retreat. His plans were foiled by Batman and Catwoman, who tracked him down and caused his apparent demise in the ensuing confrontation. Although, because of the magical properties of his suit, Catman survived. Seeking revenge against Batman and Catwoman, Catman returned to Gotham and tried to retrieve the missing part of his costume to restore his scarred face. Although he managed to capture Catwoman and retrieved his costume, he was defeated by Batman and Blake learned that his magical costume didn't work anymore.

New Earth

Thomas Blake's origin remained unchanged after the Crisis on Infinite Earths altered reality and continuity. Although Catman began his criminal career as just a cat-themed version of Batman, his gimmicks were mostly considered laughable by the general community and he was never taken seriously.

Later on after an long absence, Catman resurfaced when his pet tiger escaped and started killing people in Gotham. Although Catman tried to take the tiger back, he took the chance to confront Batman, forcing him to fight the animal. Batman managed to capture the tiger and Catman was attacked by Catwoman, who sought to clear her name after she was blamed for Catman's crimes. Despite his utter defeat, Catman was not captured.

He would usually spent time in Blackgate Penitentiary. Eventually Blake left the villain game and became a couch potato. After several particularly humiliating run-ins with Green Arrow, however; he decided to shape up again. Recently, he has decided to return to his old community after many years of training in Africa. He is also no longer exclusively a villain, working with both heroes and villains as an on-and-off member of the Secret Six.

Outcast

In 1993, Catman as a member of the short-lived team "The Misfits", led by Killer Moth. The Misfits were a group of third-rate villains trying to prove themselves by working as a collective, but were naturally defeated by Batman and Robin. Catman would later come into contact with Catwoman again, when it was revealed the cloth his suit was made from actually belonged to a South Sea cat cult. Catwoman was hired by the cult to return the cloth, but ended up giving them a fake.

Catman remained in limbo until around 2003, when he resurfaced as a minor foe of Green Arrow. It was shown that Catman had become a pathetic, overweight loser, looked down upon by other villains and defeated by Green Arrow without any real effort. His hair had been dyed black, which he thought "made [him] look tougher," and not only was he still hitting his girlfriends, but he apparently wore his old costume under his regular clothes. At one point, over an old grudge, Monsieur Mallah sent Warp to abduct Blake, the implication being that he had met a rather grisly end as Mallah's dinner. Blake alluded to this during the events of Villains United: "You know you've hit rock bottom when a monkey and a Frenchman don't consider you worth killing." Later, when he met Monsieur Mallah again, he commented that he had no desire to see the gorilla's stomach again.

The Secret Six

During the events of "Villains United," Catman resurfaced it was revealed that actually Catman had gone back to his roots in an attempt to remake himself as a man. After a failed attempt at suicide, he returned to Africa and began living with a pride of lions. He lost weight, and regained his sense of self-worth and fighting skills, becoming even more than the warrior he had previously been. This "perfect existence" however, would be shattered by the arrival of recruiters from the Secret Society of Super-Villains, who were attempting to unite all of Earth's super-villains under their control. Catman was one of very few villains who refused, and as it was embarrassing to have a "nobody" like Catman refuse them, they slaughtered his entire family of lions. It was later revealed that although Catman had thought Deathstroke the Terminator had done the job, it had actually been Deadshot under orders from Mockingbird to coerce Catman into joining his team.

Catman vowed revenge against The Society, and was subsequently recruited into the Secret Six. Together, the Secret Six waged war against The Society under the direction of "Mockingbird". When he found out it had been Deadshot who had performed the hit on his pride, he was furious. But Deadshot would later apologize, and Catman forgave him. Although the two were reluctant allies at first, they soon bonded and became what one could loosely call friends. He would also undergo a carnal relationship with fellow Secret Six member Cheshire. She would later betray him and the rest of the Six to the Secret Society though, and it was revealed she had tricked Blake into helping her conceive a child; Mockingbird was holding hers hostage, and she believed Blake to be a nearly perfect specimen of man. During the Battle of Metropolis, after leaving Mockingbird's control, the Secret Six decided to strike out on their own as neither villains nor heroes, but rather mercenaries.

During the events of "Birds of Prey: Dead of Winter," the Secret Six ran into the Birds of Prey. Blake and the Huntress - out of costume, danced together while incognito, with hints of an attraction. The two teams battled, six on six, and Catman paired against Huntress, who hinted that she might have been interested in a relationship if he drew the line between villain and hero a little bit more carefully. The fray ended with the resurrection of former JLI member Ice. The Secret Six broke up at the end of this adventure.

Catman was next seen on the Hell Planet with the rest of the villains deported during the events of "Salvation Run," along with fellow Secret Six members Deadshot, Rag Doll and Scandal.

After returning to Earth, Catman rejoined the Secret Six. Catman joined Bane and Ragdoll on a mission to stop criminals in Gotham City after Batman's death. Catman and Bane had a discussion about their suitable positions to take place as Gotham's vigilantes. Their hopes however, were crushed when Nightwing banished them from Gotham and they decided to move on as the Secret Six.

[awwishfulthinking]

A Look at Galaxy Angel II/3rd Manga Vol. 5

(tumblr why is your image upload function so weird, you either upload things as a tiny image or blow it up so big that it ruins the quality)

If you want to see more of my posts on this manga series, I’ve tagged them with “galaxy angel 2 manga” on my blog.

DISCLAIMER 1: I do not know Japanese at all so a lot of these “summaries” will be based on info I’ve gathered from the translated volumes that were officially released; as well as the Galaxy Angel fan wikia. I don’t claim any sort of plot accuracy in these posts, I merely wanted to give a brief run-down (as best as I can) of what happens in these volumes.

DISCLAIMER 2: I do not want to scan these volumes for fear of damaging the binding, so I’ve only taken photos. I’m not a professional photographer and don’t have a nice fancy camera so these photos are not so great. Due to my work schedule and life stuff that I need to take care of, I don’t have the time to touch these up beyond resizing and cropping them. Sorry.

~Chapter 21~

Volume 5 opens immediately with yet another video transmission sent out by Forte.

In the video transmission, Forte seems to make a reference to a network of satellites called “crust breaker.” They have enough power to completely destroy whole planets; and was the weapon used to take the planet Seldor hostage.

Nano Nano notices something strange about these video transmissions. If the manga is following the game’s storyline on this particular plot point, Nano realizes that Forte has been changing her words in every transmission. Takuto seems to pick up on this too.

The manga then suddenly switches scenes and the entire Luxiole crew is apparently given a short break to visit some hot springs located within the Luxiole. (Yeah, IDEK)

Tequila decides to make things more interesting and uses her magic to cover the entire area in a magical mist that (I assume) allows the people at the hot springs to see the person or thing they desire most. So Apricot and Kazuya end up seeing each other.

Takuto, predictably, gets to see Milfeulle. I have no idea if these are just illusions, or if Tequila was somehow magically able to teleport people temporarily to this place. Chalk it up to *magic* or something.

(anyway, Takuto’s and Milfeulle’s little reunion scene is the cutest thing and they are my OTP so I am biased)

So Lilly gets to meet with Forte (her mentor), Nano gets to meet Vanilla (who she considers a mom), Anise just gets a whole load of gold and treasure, and Tequila/Kahlua...

Get to meet each other.

The magic eventually fades, but everyone is refreshed afterwards and ready for the battle ahead.

~Chapter 22~

We get a brief flashback at the beginning of this chapter, to a time four years in the past. Milfeulle seems to be telling Apricot about the Absolute and the Central Globe.

There is... a lot of text here so I am not 100% sure about what’s happening. But I think Milfeulle is telling Apricot about how the Absolute and Gates to other galaxies work. Milfeulle so far is the only “Gatekeeper” that has been found, which means she’ll have to reside inside the Central Globe (the structure within the Absolute) for an unspecified amount of time in order to keep the Gate between Eden and Neue open.

Apricot is saddened by this, but Milfeulle accepts her fate with a smile.

Back in the present, the Luxiole has neared the planet Seldor. Kazuya and the other Angels set out in their ships and brace themselves in the battle against Forte’s fleet.

Suddenly, a transmission from Forte herself!

She and Takuto converse for a bit, and then it begins:

A full-on battle of might and wits between Takuto and Forte.

Magiic’s forces are also there to help out in the battle. They are led by Ranpha.

I didn’t explain this very well before (as it was already detailed in the officially translated volume 3), but Forte is only playing the villain here because she has her hands tied (figuratively) by some evil higher-up. This higher-up is threatening both her life and the entire existence of planet Seldor, forcing Forte to lead a coup as successfully as possible (under the higher-up’s orders). Forte’s only aiming for such high success because she doesn’t want there to be any possibility of an uprising or rebellion, which would increase casualties.

So anyway, there’s a big space battle against Forte’s own ships, and the Angel-tai are unusually absent from the fighting. But suddenly, they reappear to take out the crust breaker satellites encircling planet Seldor. Forte’s transmissions from before held hidden hints about the locations of these satellites. While Magiic’s fleet was holding off Forte’s forces, the Angel-tai members were working in the background to get close enough to take out the crust breakers.

One of the subordinates of the villain (behind this entire ploy) threatens Forte with a gun once he realizes that Forte was planning for these series of events to happen from the start.

but she’s just like “whatever”

Forte, however, appears to have something else up her sleeve (including a possible escape route).

Anyway, I love Forte, she’s a BAMF

~Chapter 23~

With the crust breakers destroyed, and Forte no longer playing along with his “game,” the main villain reveals his ship and himself to the Luxiole crew.

((I consult the GA fanwikia quite a bit for these next few sections))

Main villain dude is named Verel and he is an alien (he has some sort of wings on his back).

He shows the Luxiole crew a video transmission of himself and Milfeulle, who has apparently been put to sleep. Verel then embarks on a long, villainous monologue where he explains how he’s the last of his kind; and his kind were the original administrators of the Central Core; thus the Central Core and the Absolute belong to him. His desire to stage a coup on all of Neue was really just a part of his bigger plan to acquire the Absolute and become it’s sole ruler.

Takuto calmly asks about Milfeulle and Verel reassures everyone that Milfeulle is still alive and healthy (just asleep for the time being). He then rips a piece of her clothing I guess as a taunt or a threat.

Takuto gets MAD.

Verel then promptly flees, but not without causing some more ship carnage on his way out.

In the meantime, Forte has managed to escape her flagship by using a smaller vessel and is picked up by the Luxiole. There’s a happy reunion with every member of the Angel-tai. (...Except Anise, who has never officially met Forte until now.)

Takuto also personally arrives at the hangar to greet Forte, and there’s a really cute reunion scene.

Afterwards, Takuto calls a big meeting with the Angel-tai, so that he can explain some things.

Before the next big (and potentially final) battle, Takuto allows everyone to take a vacation on a nearby resort planet to rest up. And beach shenanigans ensue.

~Chapter 24~

These next few chapters basically play out like some sort of extended Beach Episode that shows up in a lot of anime, and I am pretty disappointed that this entire segment takes up so much of volume 5 (nearly half the book). These “beach chapters” do attempt to develop the main cast somewhat... but I can’t help but feel that it’s mostly an excuse to have the main girls be in bikinis and for there to be a lot of fanservicey moments.

Anyway...

Chapter 24 opens up with Apricot being suddenly afraid of Kazuya--most likely due to her developing romantic feelings towards him, as well as his swimwear making it more obvious that he’s male.

Some really dumb stuff happens that I don’t want to detail here, but it ends with Kazuya being punched into the sky by Apricot. We then get to see Forte and Ranpha having a convo about... something. (Probably catching up on things since they’ve been separated due to their work)

The other Angel-tai members eventually find out that Apricot’s suddenly real scared of Kazuya. Tequila tries to “help” again using her magic... to turn everyone into mermaids. Except Kazuya, who gets turned into some kind of pufferfish instead.

While in pufferfish form, Kazuya no longer scares Apricot and she’s really happy about this.

BUT SUDDENLY sharks appear and start chasing/attacking the Angel-tai. Apricot and Kazuya get separated from everyone else.

~Chapter 25~

While Apricot and Kazuya are lost at sea (still in their mermaid and fish forms), they’re discovered by a pod of dolphins and are led to some underwater ruins. Unfortunately, the ruins lie on top of a giant whale, which promptly swallows Apricot and Kazuya.

Apricot and (a human) Kazuya reawaken to find themselves on a little island inside of the whale’s stomach. And Tequila is also there... somehow.

The trio quickly find a way to escape, but Tequila notices that Apricot is still utterly afraid of Kazuya and can’t even bear to touch him. So Tequila gets the bright idea to turn Kazuya into a girl (temporarily).

Apricot takes this turn of events... uh. Badly.

Apricot and the now female Kazuya reunite with the rest of the Angel-tai... and they all marvel over/envy Kazuya’s new body.

I have no idea what happens in the next few pages, but Apricot seems to sort of get over her fear of (male) Kazuya by realizing that... there are other men way manlier than Kazuya is, and they scare her far more than Kazuya (with his boyish looks) does.

Uh. Yeah. *shoulder shrug*

~Chapter 26~

We then have a scene change to a later point in time, where Kazuya and Lily are having a secret training session.

All the other Angels are trying the enjoy the rest of their vacation in a relaxed manner.

(I mainly just took this photo because I love Tequila’s and Anise’s outfits and hairstyles.)

No one knows exactly what this “training session” entails. Apricot tries to play it cool and claims that she’s not bothered by it, but she seems spacier than usual...

The Angel-tai’s vacation finally ends. The Luxiole begins heading for the Gate to the Absolute. Some of Verel’s forces are stationed near this area.

Before another big battle, it’s revealed that Kazuya still has dreams about Mimoza. The two have become linked in some way--possibly through Kazuya’s ship, the Braveheart.

The battle against Verel’s fleet begins, and the Angel-tai fly out in their respective ships.

Lily asks Kazuya to merge the Braveheart with her Emblem Frame, the Eagle Gazer. Unexpectedly, Lily then completely blindfolds herself, to the shock of her teammates. She reveals that the “training” she underwent with Kazuya was basically to increase their trust in each other. By smashing watermelons (whilst blindfolded) with a stick, with only Kazuya to guide her; Lily and Kazuya are now able to work in perfect sync.

Or something like that.

Anyway this “training montage” panel is hilarious.

Lily’s completely insane strategy somehow works, and Lily and Kazuya quickly decimate Verel’s forces; clearing a path to the Gate.

Unfortunately, Kazuya and co. can’t celebrate yet; as more of Verel’s forces suddenly emerge from the Gate itself. Verel also apparently seals off the Gate itself, closing the entrance to the Absolute, where the Central Core and Milfeulle reside...

Volume 5 ends here.

Bonus pictures:

At the very end of the manga, we get a rare drawing from Kanan featuring Lester! (He almost looks like a completely different person without his signature eyepatch...)

There’s also a similar drawing featuring Takuto, but my photo of it was bad. So have a photo I found of it somewhere on tumblr instead.

My book also came with a mini postcard thingie. I think it was a bonus for people who bought the volume on release day? It features Lily, Apricot, and Mimolette (drawn by Kanan) and it’s pretty cute.

See y’all next time in the FINAL VOLUME!

[bottlepiecemuses]

GERMA

History- In the early years of Civilization, before the World Government was founded, a team of geologists embarked on an expedition to one of the most remote regions of Zyger, an island chain in the North Blue. A tremendous explosion was reputed to have taken place roughly a decade earlier, one that had flattened entire forests for hundreds of miles. Upon reaching the Zyger province, the expedition’s guides would go no further, fearing what they called the “ Machine Men” and speaking of superstitious tales of vengeful gods who slaughtered the surrounding wildlife. Only a scant few traces of the expedition were ever recovered after they mysteriously disappeared, but even as the Zyger Kingdom retreated into isolationism and ties with the outside world were severed, strange tales started emanating from the reclusive nation. Several kingdoms began sending scouts and spies, who began reporting hundreds of ghost towns, entire cities abandoned, strange weather patterns and mysterious lights seen in the night skies in Zyger. A month after they came back, broadcasts and messages were spread around the Zyger Kingdom with a single looping phrase; “Brotherhood, strength, and fortitude…in the face of the Furious Night”. - Theories were rampant as to the cause of the Zyger situation, and included a biological or chemical disaster, some new type of weapon, or even Zyger experiments. But when the true nature of this threat was revealed, and broke through the Zyger border fortifications and spread across the world, it was far worse than anyone could have imagined. They are known by many names, in Zyger as the “Furious Night”, in the archipilago of Talmusio as the “Deathless Plague”, yet one other above all truly gained infamy: “Germa”. Across the course of history, great conflicts have been fought that promised to be the war to end all wars. Yet every victory brought only humiliation, hardship, and bitter resentment to the defeated. So it was 1,000 year ago, when the shattered remnants of the Germa Kingdom, forced off their former territories in the aftermath of the first World War, were exiled to the brutal and barren island.

-

From the ashes however, there arose dreams of a new order and the Germa people rallied around the charismatic scholar Kroelen, whose vision of a new unbreakable nation captivated millions. Through his leadership the last vestiges of the old regime leadership were swept away and in its place the Germa marched united in purpose under the banners of the New Germa Empire. At the center of this new nation was an old idea that the Germa people had been robbed of the opportunity to prosper from their own labor and greatest successes. While exaggerated and simplified for the benefit of state misinformation campaigns, the rhetoric did have a basis in history.

-

One that stretched back to the earliest days of human colonization of the various islands around the world. The journey to finding new islands was increasingly difficult and hundreds died along the way. Within the years of searching, however two islands were found capable of supporting human life. The first, named Germa, while abundant in raw resources was nearly inhospitable. A murky environment shrouded its surface and the island was tormented by frequent rainstorms and mud, making mining nearly impossible. The second island on the other hand was a verdant paradise, covered in fertile land flowing lakes and great forests. It was named Remus in honor of the one the Kings of old, who colonized the island personally. - With the mined resources of Germa and the prosperity of Remus, over time, several kingdoms transformed into the principal hubs civilization. As new colonies were established by several nations across Germa and increasing progress in engineering brought with them enormous wealth and opportunities. Now functioning as a quasi nation state itself, Germa began transitioning into a civil administration reorganizing itself first into the Germa Protectorate. Finally, The island of Germa purchased the entire system outright from the still economically fragile UCN. As humanity’s central engineering capital, the growing power of the Germa Protectorate raised concerns with several kingdoms, of which Germa itself was still technically not a member. Tensions slowly grew as the kings of old rescinded certain rights it had accorded Germa, while simultaneously creating a fleet of warships, should a military solution become unavoidable. With its future prosperity strangled under the weight of the demands of the kings, Germa officially declared independence in after ceasing its supply of raw materials to the kings. This forced the kings to attack Germa outright in order to claim its riches. Despite their immense numerical advantage, The World Government forces were at best an armed customs service, while in navy battles their picket ships were no match for the Germa’s purpose-built warships. The heaviest fighting was over within a few years, book-ended by acts of terrorism and small skirmishes. In an attempt to quell the lingering fighting and prevent a costly occupation, the Germa Protectorate, now branded as the Germa Kingdom, assumed governance over Remus by slaying the former kind.

  The people of Germa were seen as less than human by the Kings and are treated as slaves. Subjected to blockades and restrictions until diplomatic relations could be normalized, thousands of Germa loyalists made a great exodus to Germa itself in the ensuing years, faced with a bleak existence rife with illness, starvation, and hardship. Helped along by basic genetic conditioning and a variety of treatments and implants, the Germa population grew more resilient to the hostile environment with a privileged few even capable of surviving without the use of oxygen masks while outdoors. While the situation slowly improved, the long-term outlook of the nation remained grim. Stifled under the strict conditions imposed by Kings, the singular and remarkable figure of Scholar Kroelen rose to prominence. A master orator, Kroelen was the first to give voice to what later became the principal keystone of the Germa philosophy: that the people of Germa had been strengthened by their environment and transformed into a superior extra human race - the Ubersoldat. After an apparent attempt on his life, Kroelen leveraged his public support and with the help of the military took part in a successful coup against the old Germa leadership, rebranded as the self-proclaimed Kaiser of Germa. Kroelen consolidated his position as supreme authority and enacted a series of transformative political, social, and economic policies. The Germa government was predominantly authoritarian with political power residing firmly in the office of Kaiser. The Kaiser’s Cabinet of Advisors, with military and engineering interests disproportionately represented, yet completely subservient to the interests of the Kaiser. These fascist elements permeated every aspect of society, with ultra-nationalism, militarism, and total commitment to the nation intertwined with Germa culture until they had become one in the same. Particular attention was given to the filtration masks and other breathing apparatus is used by Germa citizens, transforming them from symbols of shame or weakness to those of pride evidence of having overcome extreme struggle and hardship. Even the old languages of the Kings, proclaimed outmoded by Kroelen himself, were replaced with a new written language designed to dissuade alternative thinking by eliminating certain words and concepts such as negotiation, compromise, and mercy. The government’s military first policy had inflicted substantial adversity upon the people of Helghan. But the massive rearmament programs had achieved a stunning level of success

The eventual victory in of the World Government proved to be the beginning of the end of the Germa Kingdom and all across the world, resistance fighters began reclaiming the ruined cities of old. This terrible enemy remains as much a mystery as ever and their defeat leaves behind only unanswered questions. Perhaps the most lingering mystery is if the Germa have any true goal when they successfully rule the world. Whether the so called “End Game” are still in motion today is the subject of much debate, but the most haunting evidence for their existence can be found in the final words of the man responsible for their eventual defeat. “Can you hear them? They are coming again. This is just the beginning" Weaponry- The Germa’s unique ability to combine artificial machines and biological systems makes it difficult to distinguish any life from their highly advanced technology. They make use of a number of machines ranging from mobile siege platforms to enormous battleships and support vessels. While these craft are known to include lower ranking members that serve as crew, it is entirely possible that some of these machines themselves might possess an advanced intelligence and in a sense, be alive. The ships they command are known as Eisenseites, ships decked out in metal plating, have 2 mast. They have 4 distinctive quadruple-barreled guns on their fore and aft segment, which are powerful enough to completely destroy smaller vessels. In addition to these guns, battleships possess two sets of 18 heavy cannons on both sides of their hulls.   Germa technology also strives in the robotics, engineering, computing, and “artificial intelligence”, with cyborgs and automatons in common use across the Reich, in both civilian and military capacities. These range from mundane protocol, cleaning, and cooking cyborgs to horrific weapons of war, ranging from the nimble Ubermensch units to even larger mechanized monstrosities, such as the Ubersoldat, the fast Ironstrider units, the iconic Panzerhund robots, and outright weapons of terror like the Vordenker and the prototype Zerstörer robots.

Original post by @empireofvalencia

[biblicalmusings]

Hiroshima’s Castigation of Humanity’s Best Attempts at Peace

Early one August morning, Tsutomu Yamaguchi was preparing to return home from the town where he had spent the last three months on business. He worked for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan as a draftsman, and was working over the summer on a shipbuilding project. He was on the bus heading to the station with two of his colleagues when he realized he left his ticket behind. His friends continued on while he returned to the company dormitory to retrieve it. Once he did, he began walking back toward the shipyard. Mr. Yamaguchi remembered the day well: “It was a flat, open spot with potato fields on either side. It was very clear, a really fine day, nothing unusual about it at all. I was in good spirits.”

But that would change in an instant for him and the approximately 300,000 others in Hiroshima that day, Aug. 6, 1945. “As I was walking along I heard the sound of a plane, just one. I looked up into the sky and saw the B-29, and it dropped two parachutes. I was looking up into the sky at them, and suddenly... it was like a flash of magnesium, a great flash in the sky, and I was blown over,” he explained. (Richard Lloyd Parry, The Times, “The Luckiest or Unluckiest Man in the World?”, March 29, 2005).

The plane he saw was the Enola Gay. It had just completed its mission of dropping the first atomic bomb (called “Little Boy”) ever used in a military operation. He continued, “When the noise and the blast had subsided I saw a huge mushroom-shaped pillar of fire rising up high into the sky. It was like a tornado, although it didn’t move, but it rose and spread out horizontally at the top. There was prismatic light, which was changing in a complicated rhythm, like the patterns of a kaleidoscope. The first thing I did was to check that I still had my legs and whether I could move them. I thought, ‘If I stay here, I’ll die.’

“Two hundred yards ahead, there was a dugout bomb shelter, and when I climbed in there were two young students already sitting there. They said, ‘You’ve been badly cut, you’re seriously injured.’ And it was then I realized I had a bad burn on half my face, and that my arms were burned.”

Mr. Yamaguchi’s story is one of thousands of first-hand accounts of the horrifying devastation that single bomb created. One patient of Michihiko Hachiya, who was the director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital, recounted this story, which Hachiya kept in a diary along with dozens of other stories he heard from patients at that time:

“The sight of the soldiers . . . was more dreadful than the dead people floating down the river. I came onto I don’t know how many, burned from the hips up; and where the skin had peeled, their flesh was wet and mushy . . . And they had no faces! Their eyes, noses and mouths had been burned away, and it looked like their ears had melted off. It was hard to tell front from back” (Richard Rhodes, The Making of the Atomic Bomb, 1986, p. 726).

With one bomb, approximately 140,000 people were killed. Every person who survived had his or her own account of the suffering they witnessed, and those accounts numbered in the tens of thousands. “People exposed within half a mile of the Little Boy fireball . . . were seared to bundles of smoking black char in a fraction of a second as their internal organs boiled away. ‘Doctor,’ a patient commented to [Dr.] Hachiya a few days later, ‘a human being who has been roasted becomes quite small, doesn’t he?’ The small black bundles now stuck to the streets and bridges and sidewalks of Hiroshima numbered in the thousands” [Rhodes, pg. 714-715]. The magnitude of the destruction is beyond comprehension. No words can adequately describe it.

How Could We Do This?

The capacity of people to kill each other entered an entirely new and never before imagined age that day. For the first time in history, the dreadful prophecy that mankind would completely destroy itself if it weren’t for the return of Christ was actually conceivable (Matthew 24:22). Yet instead of being chilled by such destructive power, over the next several decades, ever more powerful atomic weapons were developed across the globe in an arms race between the U.S. and Soviet Union during the Cold War. The most powerful weapon ever tested was the Russian Tsar Bomba, with an explosive power nearly 3,000 times that of the Little Boy bomb dropped on Hiroshima. Today, the nuclear arsenal of just the United States and Russia (to say nothing of India, Pakistan, the United Kingdom, France, China and other countries known to possess nuclear weapons) is sufficient that the inhabited portions of the earth could be destroyed multiple times over.

Why did the United States drop the bomb in Japan that day? To end the war faster. Japan was all but defeated, yet their national pride kept them from surrendering. The American military was gearing up for a massive land invasion of Japan, so they reason that if the bomb could be used and proved effective in forcing Japan to an unconditional surrender first, then the lives of perhaps tens of thousands of American servicemen could be spared. In his history of the Second World War, Winston Churchill summarized the thinking behind the decision: “To avert a vast, indefinite butchery, to bring the war to an end, to give peace to the world, to lay healing hands upon its tortured peoples by a manifestation of overwhelming power at the cost of a few explosions, seemed, after all our toils and perils, a miracle of deliverance.” [Rhodes, p. 697].

A miracle for whom? The men and families of the men who would have been sent to the shores of Japan to fight the enemy in conventional warfare if it weren’t for the bomb, yes. But certainly not those who lived in the cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Nor for the billions born since who have lived in the shadow of the Bomb.

This is the peace that mankind produces.

Apocalyptic Forerunner

When trying to picture the events Jesus talked about that will happen before He comes back, I don’t think it’s entirely off-base to imagine the desolation in Hiroshima, and multiply it the whole world over. In that coming tribulation, every citizen of every country of the world will be at risk.

I recommend looking up the book The Making of the Atomic Bomb by Richard Rhodes (which I have been quoting from in this article), and reading its final chapter, “Tongues of Fire.” As I read its account of Hiroshima’s devastation—beginning months in advance with the American military preparing an island from which to launch this and other attacks on Japan, and concluding with page after page of firsthand survivors’ recollections of the misery they witnessed that day—my heart began to pound. Rhodes makes a chilling statement:

“‘There was a fearful silence which made one feel that all people and all trees and vegetation were dead,’ remembers Yoko Ota, a Hiroshima writer who survived. The silence was the only sound the dead could make . . . They were nearer the center of the event; they died because they were members of a different polity and their killing did not therefore count officially as murder; their experience most accurately models the worst case of our common future. They numbered in the majority in Hiroshima that day.” [Rhodes, p. 715, emphasis added).

There is only one thing that can give us hope in the face of such unspeakable evil and the fear that ensues from living in an age where to be utterly destroyed remains a possibility: God’s promise of salvation.

“Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared . . . I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, ‘Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever’” (Revelation 21:1-4, New Living Translation).

There is a day coming when no one will ever have to worry about destruction from bombs, guns, chemicals, tanks, landmines; a day when there will no longer be a feeling of unease that somebody in a different country might come hurt you and your family simply because you are a different skin color, religion, culture or have something they want. God will enforce His law of love, which mankind has so blatantly torn to shreds.

At that time, He will take the earth—destroyed, tattered and burned as it will have been by mankind—and remake it. All the death, the sorrow, the evil, the hatred, the legacy of humankind’s aggression against God and each other will be destroyed and forgotten. He will raise all those killed in Hiroshima and Nagasaki—and all those who have died in every war or accident or by natural causes through all of history—and they will be given a new life. A life free of hatred, sorrow and suffering; instead full of love, service and joy (Revelation 20:5, 12).

Whatever happened to Mr. Yamaguchi? After getting his bearings and finding cover at an air raid shelter that terrible day, his wounds were bandaged, and he spent the night. The next day he and his companions managed to return to their hometown—Nagasaki. Despite his wounds, he reported for work two days later, Aug. 9, 1945. At work, he and his boss were having a conversation when the second atomic bomb detonated above the city, killing tens of thousands more as the first had done in Hiroshima. Mr. Yamaguchi was not injured in the second blast, and he and his wife both went on to live into their 90s. They both died in 2010, and are survived by three children. He is the only person officially recognized by Japan for having survived both atomic blasts, though there were many others.

“The reason that I hate the atomic bomb is because of what it does to the dignity of human beings,” he said in an interview. “I can't understand why the world cannot understand the agony of the nuclear bombs. How can they keep developing these weapons?” (Michael W. Robbins, Military History, “Japanese Engineer Survived Atomic Strike on Hiroshima and Nagasaki,” July/August 2009).

There will be a day Mr. Yamaguchi will have his wish fulfilled. God speed that day.

(A version of this article was originally published at ucg.org here)

[iamthegaysmurf]

Most Randow Fic titles I can think of (they're the best bullshit I can come up with): "The Shipwreck Wars" OR "4 Times They Tried To Get To Narnia, And 1 Time They Got Somewhere else"

The Shipwreck Wars:

The Shipwreck Wars is a reality show in the same vein as Survivor.  Two crews are “shipwrecked” on opposite sides of an island, and then the game begins.  They fight to control the areas with the best resources -- food, water, shelter, etc -- they sabotage the other crew’s camps, they search for “buried treasure” (which is actually crates of supplies -- tools, first aid kits, etc -- that have been hidden around the island), and so on, and so forth.

The Red Team -- the crew of the Peacemaker -- is made up of Doc, a con man; Rosita, a biochemist; and a trio of bounty hunter sisters:  Willa (the muscle), Wynonna (the tracker), and Waverly (the brains).

The Blue Team -- the crew of the Black Badge -- is made up of a father/daughter team: Nedley, a lawyer; and Chrissy, his paralegal; Dolls, an ex-Army Ranger; Jeremy, a CSU lab tech; and Nicole, a police officer.

Everything is going fine until an unexpected tropical storm rips through the area, destroying the generators and knocking out all of the electrical equipment -- including the cameras and the communications tower that was linked to the producers of the show.

Tempers flare between the two rival teams, unaccustomed to playing nice, and a power struggle ensues for who should be in charge in the wake of being cut off from the rest of the world.  But with the majority of their supplies destroyed in the storm, and the dangers of the island pressing in on them, will they finally learn how to work together (and might there be something between a certain bounty hunter and police officer??) in order to survive until someone is able to come and rescue them?

4 Times They Tried to Get to Narnia & 1 Time They Got Somewhere Else:

There’s a pocket dimension known as The Athenaeum, where the stories of the entire multiverse are kept.  A strange being known as Juan Carlo watches over The Athenaeum, protecting the stories and their realms.

In order to learn all there is to know about these magical tales, Juan Carlo has assembled a team of adventurers from across the many dimensions of the multiverse, each with their own specialties, and named them the Black Badge Division.  It is their duty to enter the realms of the stories and gather information about characters and worlds and lessons to be learned.

They have visited lands filled with kings and dragons.  They have visited the vast emptiness of space.  They have visited words full of wizards and magic. They have visited lush jungles teeming with a variety of creatures.  You name it, they have seen it.

Browsing the archives one day, Waverly comes across a collection of stories that takes place in the realm of Narnia, and she’s determined for it to be their next mission.

The first time they try and enter the portal to Narnia, the plasma field misfires and throws them all backward across the archive and into a wall.  Nicole complains that she’s having a strange feeling of déjà vu. It takes them three weeks to repair it before they can try again.

The second time they try and enter the portal Narnia, it closes when they’re halfway through, leaving Jeremy suspended between worlds.  He mumbles something about a rock the entire time they work on pulling him back through to their side.

The third time they try and enter the portal to Narnia, they all end up crammed into some kind of wardrobe...  Wynonna makes a joke about Waverly being in a closet again while Dolls curses the malfunction and they return to The Athenaeum to try and sort out the problem.

The fourth time they try and enter the portal to Narnia, all it manages to do is swap them all with each other’s bodies.  Doc whines that he much prefers looking at Rosita’s “bustillos” through his own eyes rather than through hers.  It takes them nearly a week to recalibrate it properly so that they can all get switched back.

The last time they try and enter the portal to Narnia, they end up standing in front of a sign that says “Welcome to Purgatory.”  They know they’re not in the right realm, but this place feels somehow...  familiar.  Like it’s calling to them.

They decide maybe they’ll stick around and check this place out after all. 

Thank you for the titles, @quidblr!

[puclpodcast]

S01E59 Pokemon Catch-Up: “Volcanic Panic”

Welcome to Pokemon Catch-Up! The one and only article series based on the Pokemon Fast Track Viewing List, a terse list of only the most relevant Pokemon episodes.

Today we’re continuing Ash’s journey and by the episode count and the story progression, we’re slowly approaching the end of Indigo League. Ash has 6 badges, on his way to a 7th badge and all that’s left afterward will be Victory Road and all that jazz afterward.

From my point of view, the show has so far held up really well and is totally watchable. I keep contrasting this first season against where I’m currently at with my personal watch-through (season 6) and the show did gradually get worse but only because it became a Saturday morning cartoon rather than an anime. In season 1, we’re still getting that anime feel so let’s enjoy it while it lasts!

Today’s Episode: Season 1 (Indigo League), Episode 59: “Volcanic Panic”

Synopsis

Today’s episode definitely irks me and that’s because it’s the second part of a two-part episode. This means that a lot of exposition came about there that we only get to see in a flashback. Basically, Ash went down into a volcano in search of Cinnabar Island’s gym which was suspended above a pool of lava. Blaine, the gym leader, sent out his Ninetails against Ash’s Squirtle but Ninetails overpowered the water Pokemon. In the second round, Ash’s Charizard decided to take a nap instead of fighting against Rhydon.

Ash used his Pikachu to defeat Rhydon. Blaine called forward his Magmar which stood up from the pool of lava.

Magmar pushed Pikachu to the edge of the field, inches away from death. And that’s when our episode finally picks up.

Magmar sends forward his fire attacks and all Pikachu can do is attempt to dodge whilst nearly falling off the platform into the fiery hell below. Ash runs over and forfeits. Blaine commends Ash but tells him that had Ash continued the match, he would have been disqualified as a Pokemon trainer. Then, he puts on a wig and turns away.

Note: Because we didn’t see the previous episode, some of this might seem out of place. I vaguely remember that Blaine presented himself to the group under a disguise.

Blaine suggests Ash gets Pikachu healed up in the springs. Ash vows to beat Magmar and get that badge.

Ash scrubs Pikachu down at the hot springs and remarks that he’ll go back to beat Magmar. Misty comments on that saying that with all her water Pokemon, she couldn’t beat Blaine while Brock (with a new voice actor it seems) tells Ash that there are plenty of other gyms to beat (errr… only 1 more, Brock!). Ash laments the fact that his Charizard doesn’t listen to him and if he did, Ash would have beaten Blaine.

The screen pans over to another section of the hot spring where two hollow branches stick out from the water. It’s Jessie and James and can’t stand being in the hot spring. They jump out because it got too hot. Meowth introduces their plan to retrieve Magmar. They’re going to scam it! The plan is to let Magmar know that it won a prize at some contest and then when Magmar’s guard is down, they’ll use their freeze blaster! Jessie throws a pun at us in that they’ll have their own “pokesickle” while James is excited about his “Magmarita”. Very funny stuff right here.

The trio descends with weapons hoisted over their shoulders. They break into the gym and call out Magmar’s name. And Magmar makes its spectacular appearance from the lava below. Jessie and James attack the Pokemon and the weapons freeze Marmar into a solid chunk of ice. Unfortunately, Magmar’s skin melts the ice pretty quickly afterward. Freaking out, the duo freeze blast the entire volcano causing mild earthquakes.

The group, instead of running away, run straight to the Gym and so does Blaine who gets frozen. Blaine points out that the now-frozen gym will set off a chain reaction inside the volcano. The walls start to crack and the rocks fall into the lava. Blaine warns that this could set off an eruption.

The gym platform walls straight in. Magmar jumps off. Team Rocket, meanwhile, blast off when a jet of steam forces the ground under them into the air.

Our group of heroes hangs on while streams of lava burst through the crack. The volcano will blow in a matter of minutes. Blaine commands his Magmar to seal the fissures with rocks and stops Pikachu from helping. Only a fire type Pokemon can withstand that kind of heat. Magmar throws the rocks into the lava flows and Ash calls out his Charizard. The boy commands his Pokemon but Charizard lays down to sleep behind him.

The rumbling intensifies and Magmar keeps up the rock throwing into the lava pit. But the lava overwhelms the dam he tries to build. Charizard watches the Pokemon, deliberating. Magmar resumes its effort but each time, the wall of rocks it creates is overwhelmed by the lava.

Charizard walks up with a smirk and throws rocks down into the lava. This is when Brock finally realizes he can send his own Pokemon out and sends out Onix as well as Geodude, citing that his rock Pokemon can withstand that heat. Misty sends out her Staryu to keep everyone cool. Ash sends out his Squirtle. Some hilarity ensues as Misty runs after her Psyduck and Ash runs after Jigglypuff. Wait, Jigglypuff?

Miraculously, even Pikachu is suddenly able to throw rocks down into the fissures oozing with lava.

Geodude and Pikachu get a quick shower and they’re off to throw more rocks. The trainers commend them for the teamwork whilst standing on the sidelines in relative safety. Even Togepi tries to carry a small rock. Wait, Togepi?

Note: This is where the viewing list really breaks down for me. The Fast Track Viewing List accounts only for events pertinent to Ash, but never to the whole group or any of the group members. Just one episode prior, Ash found the egg and now, there’s Togepi and we’re missing any and all context as to who this Pokemon is and why it’s important. Or how it hatches. Or what they’re planning to do with it. While I understand the need to cut down on “cruft”, season I has much less of that than any other season and I feel like Togepi has a pretty important place in the Pokemon anime. I can’t be certain but it’s definitely one of the first Gen II Pokemon we meet, and it’s also the first Pokemon that we get to see hatched from an egg. But, back to the show!

Togepi nearly falls into the lava before Misty grabs it. Magmar, Onix, Charizard, Pikachu, and Geodude keep throwing the rocks in and successfully seal the main lava flow that fed into the pit of the volcano.

The team of Pokemon stand proud. Charizard and Magmar exchange fiery looks. Ash asks Blaine for his badge because, well, this is how he got a bunch of his previous ones. Blaine tells Ash, however, that he’ll give him another chance to fight.

Since the original Gym was destroyed, Ash and Blaine face off at the top of the volcano rather than inside it. There is a lava pit there with stone columns sticking out of it. Blaine asks for a one-on-one match and Charizard steps up to the challenge and wants to test its strength.

Charizard faces Magmar above the lava pit and the fight starts. They both use Flamethrower and that sets off an explosion mid-air as the two columns of fire meet. Blaine commands Magmar to use Fireblast but Charizard catches the blast with its bare hands and redirects it into the air.

Magmar uses Skullbash and makes solid contact. The Pokemon falls toward the lava pit but Charizard flies up into the air and dives heads head first against Magmar. The two Pokemon lock arms on top of one of the volcano pillars. Magmar makes it behind Charizard and Ash commands Charizard to fly up. Unfortunately, Magmar pushes both of them into the lava.

Ash accuses Magmar of cheating because it used the lava pit; however, Blaine tells Ash that it’s fair game. The boy starts to tear up at the thought of losing Charizard but the Pokemon bursts from the lava pit, Magmar still hanging onto its back.

Charizard flies far above the lava pit and uses Aerial Submission which rotates Charizard in a circle. It then uses Seismic Toss throwing Magmar down into the lava pit with enormous force.

Magmar jumps out of the lava pit apparently unscathed until it passes out on one of the pillars.

Charizard lets out a mighty roar. Blaine congratulates Ash and later gives him a Volcano Badge.

The trio are back on the road and trying to decide where to go. Brock tells Ash they can go back to Viridian City which has the Earth Badge. And that’s it! There are a few minor details here like Misty remembering that Ash still hasn’t paid her for her bike but nothing else really important.

Today’s episode felt a little disjointed because, again, we didn’t get to see the “setup” episode but it wasn’t too terribly bad. Until next time then!

Trivia

Charizard uses Seismic Toss, its signature move, for the first time

despite being weak to water, Brock’s Geodude and Onix get heavily sprayed by Staryu and Squirtle to cool off

Team Rocket doesn’t recite its motto this episode

The shape of Magmar’s Fireblast is a Japanese character which means “big” or “great”

from S01E59 Pokemon Catch-Up: “Volcanic Panic”

[itsiotrecords-blog]

http://ift.tt/2wgIxvn

Aviation is a relative newcomer to the field of battle. Though balloons would begin seeing significant use as aerial recon platforms in the 1860s, the first use of air power as we think of it would not begin until World War I, a mere 100 years ago. Since then a number of battles have taken place that would shake the heavens, alter the course of wars, and change how we viewed the sky.

#1 Black Friday On the morning of February 9, 1945, British Royal Air Force aircraft spotted a number of ships in and around Førde Fjord, Norway. Most of the ships were German cargo ships, filled with raw materials vital for the struggling German war industry. One, however, was a German destroyer, the Z33. In accordance with Costal Command orders, a force of approximately 45 British Beaufighters and Mustangs swooped down on the Z 33, ignoring the cargo ships. In the air over the fjord, 12 Fw 190s came to the defense of the Z33. By the end of the day the Germans had lost four planes, while the British had lost 10 — almost a quarter of their force. Their target was damaged, but would survive. After the loss of so many aircraft and pilots for little gain, Coastal Command changed its standing orders. Cargo vessels were prioritized over warships for the remainder of the war.

#2 Black Tuesday Russia maintains to this day that it never sent any of its aircraft into Korea during the Korean War. In spite of this, the air over “MiG Alley” was full of MiG-15s being flown by Russians. One, First Lieutenant Semyon Jominich, is credited as having scored history’s first jet-on-jet shoot down. Black Tuesday was a particularly bloody day for American pilots in Korea. On that day the United States put 106 aging B-29s in the air on a daylight mission to bomb targets in North Korea. Escorting them were 30 F-84 Thunderjets. In response, the Russians launched 30 MiGs. The Soviets outperformed their American opponents, shooting down 10 B-29s and four Thunderjets. Six more aircraft returned to base too badly damaged to be repaired. Only two Russian planes were damaged, and only one pilot was injured. Both Soviet planes and the pilot would all return to combat quickly. In the wake of this disaster, American bombing raids were halted for three months.

#3 El Mansoura Israel’s military is often viewed as a scrappy underdog winning battles it should lose. The air battle over El Mansoura would damage that reputation. In October 1973, a coalition of Arab states led by Egypt and Syria launched a surprise attack on Israel. On October 14, the Israeli Air Force launched 160 aircraft in an attempt to cripple the Egyptian Air Force. Their targets were the Egyptian airbases of Tanta and El Mansoura. Their goal was to bomb the runways, rendering the Egyptians incapable of taking off. Egyptian radar detected Israel’s F-4 and A-4 aircraft, and 62 Egyptian MiG-21s scrambled to counterattack. Led by future president Hosni Mubarak, the MiGs darted toward the formation of Israeli fighters. Israel’s heavy bombs proved to be a significant liability in the ensuing dogfight. To regain the maneuverability and speed needed to compete with the MiGs, the Israeli pilots were forced to jettison their bombs. 17 Israeli fighters were shot down during the 53 minute dogfight. Egypt only had three of their own aircraft shot down, although another three ran out of fuel and crashed after the battle. Not one of Israel’s objectives were achieved.

#4 The Bekaa Valley Turkey Shoot On June 6, 1982, Israel invaded Lebanon to establish a defense zone against the Lebanon based Palestine Liberation Organization. Their advance stalled on the 7th, blocked by a Lebanese division in Ein Zahalta. To regain momentum Israel needed to launch air strikes, but they risked high casualties due to the presence of Syrian surface-to-air (SAM) missiles in the Bekaa Valley. To counter the SAM batteries, Israel tricked the Syrians into revealing their positions by using drones as decoy targets. With the batteries located, F-15 and F-16 fighters began swooping in to pick them off. In response, Syrian commanders scrambled over 100 Mig-23s and Su-20s to stop the attack. Though outnumbered, Israel successfully jammed Syrian radio communication while maintaining its own radio network. This let Israel successfully coordinate their response to the Syrian fighters. By the end of the two and a half hour operation, 29 Syrian fighters had been shot down and only two SAM batteries were still in operation. Israel had not lost a single plane. With Bekaa Valley neutralized, the Israeli Air Force savaged Lebanese forces in Ein Zahalta. Lebanon and Syria would agree to a ceasefire by 6:00 AM on June 10. Israel would retain its buffer zone until 2000.

#5 The Battle of Saint-Mihiel The United States wasn’t ready for war when it joined World War I in April, 1917. By 1918, however, America was more than prepared. U.S. General John Pershing insisted that America be given command over a portion of the front line. What he got was the Saint-Mihiel salient, a triangle of German held territory driven deep into Allied lines. Four previous attempts to eliminate the salient had failed, with terrible loss of life. Pershing immediately rose to the challenge. As part of his planning, he gave command of the entire American Army Air Force in Europe to a young Signal Corp Colonel named Billy Mitchell. When the Americans began their offensive against the salient on September 12, Mitchell flung almost 1,500 aircraft into action. His targets had been specifically selected through coordinated planning with the infantry and tank divisions. This “combined arms” approach overwhelmed the German defenders in the air and on the ground. A salient that had stood for four years fell in two days, and the war ended in two months. Combined arms tactics are used to this day.

#6 The Dieppe Raid On August 19, 1942, 6,000 mostly Canadian troops landed at the French port of Dieppe. Their objective was to seize the port, destroy the coastal defenses, gather intelligence on the Germans and render the port inoperable. The British Royal Air Force put over 1,000 aircraft in the air. While some of the force were bombers intended to soften the defenses for the landings, most were fighters. They were there specifically to destroy Germany’s air force, the Luftwaffe. Germany responded with only 200 Fw 190 fighters and Dornier Do 217 bombers. Despite facing five to one odds, the Luftwaffe downed nearly 10 percent of the British aircraft while losing only 23 fighters. 25 Luftwaffe bombers were also lost. The attacking Canadians would lose nearly 68% of their troops, the British Navy lost a destroyer, and the mission was considered an utter failure.

#7 The Great Marianas Turkey Shoot The Battle of the Philippine Sea is the largest carrier battle in history, eclipsing even the Battle of Midway. Hoping to halt American advances in the Pacific by crippling the American carrier fleet, Japan assembled 11 carriers with around 450 aircraft to supplement approximately 300 land-based aircraft in the Mariana Islands. Facing off against them would be 15 American carriers with more than 950 aircraft. Those carriers were there to provide air support for American efforts to capture Saipan from the Japanese. Though slightly outnumbered, in theory the Japanese should have had a significant advantage. The American carriers were tied down defending the beachheads at Saipan, while the Japanese could strike when and where they wished. Unfortunately for Japanese ambitions, significant losses among their experienced pilots at Midway and the Coral Sea had robbed them of critical skills. When the two sides met on the 19th, American pilots were able to score five kills for every one the Japanese accomplished. The Japanese fleet was forced to withdraw with the loss of three carriers and 85% of its air strength, and they would never recover from the defeat.

#8 The Battle of Kursk The Battle of Kursk is often called the greatest battle in history. Around 3,000,000 people were involved. In a battle built on such a prodigious scale, one would rightly expect the associated air battle to be similarly grandiose. Nearly 5,000 aircraft took to the skies. In 1943, Germany launched an attack on the Soviet city of Kursk with two to one odds against them in terms of sheer power. However, they had supreme confidence in the ability of their equipment and tactics as a force multiplier. Germany’s Bf 109 was capable of flying circles around the much less maneuverable Soviet Yak-1, and had significantly more firepower. The Russians lost almost 2,500 planes, while the Germans lost fewer than 800. However, the Russians could easily afford to replace both aircraft and pilots, while the Germans were hard put to make up their losses. Russian air superiority allowed the Soviets to take the offensive and keep it for the remainder of the war. While a relatively unknown battle in the West, Kursk was one of World War II’s most significant turning points, as Germany never again seriously threatened to advance on the Eastern Front.

#9 The Battle of Britain Technically a series of battles and skirmishes, the aerial fighting over the United Kingdom and the English Channel is traditionally viewed as one long, extended battle. Germany wanted to bomb England into submission or gain air superiority in advance of a German invasion. To this end, they hurled over 2,500 aircraft at the embattled island, in the first major battle in history to be fought exclusively by aircraft and anti-air forces. England had fewer than 2,000 aircraft. The Germans were able to attack when and where they liked, while British pilots remained at constant alert for three and a half months. These conditions would break most fighting forces, and by October 31, 1940, Britain had lost nearly 80% of its available aircraft. But the Germans were unable to capitalize on this unprecedented destruction — Luftwaffe losses had come out to nearly 75%. The remaining number of aircraft were insufficient to provide cover for an invasion, the British people remained defiant, and the Nazi war machine had been struck its first significant defeat.

#10 The Air Battle Over Nis In spite of Korea, Vietnam or any other number of incidents during the Cold War, there’s only one time in history that both the United States and the Soviet Union admit to having fought one another in the skies. Horribly, it was a case of friendly fire. Curiously, we know almost nothing about it. On  November 7, 1944, an unknown number of U.S. P-38 Lightnings took off on a mission to attack German ground troops near Kosovo. Upon spotting a column of vehicles and marching troops, the Lightnings attacked. Unfortunately, the troops on the ground were Russian. The Lightnings were 250 miles off course in Serbia. Soviet commanders rushed Yak-3 fighters from Nis into the air to protect their soldiers. The two sides collided, aircraft were downed and both sides turned back to base with diminished numbers. Everyone was sworn to secrecy after the incident. The United States apologized. Investigations were buried, leaving many unanswered questions. How did American fighters end up attacking Russian troops? How many planes were involved? How many were lost? It remains a mystery to this day, and we may never know.

Source: TopTenz