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ladywhaiyvern · 4 years ago

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Musings of An Otaku #7- Of Machine Animals and Relics of Old Ones

Ever since life took its course a few years ago, I stepped away from the video game scene to spend time with family. Back and forth hospital trips and long days of surgery among the other stressors of just being in a busy hospital environment would have been a great excuse to lose myself in a game. But for some reason, I just could not for the life of me sit down long enough to get into any games. Mobile games hardly counted in my book. If that was the case then the only “game” I played during that time frame was “Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp.” Hell, that’s the only mobile game I still play now. Religiously. Every day. Do dailies on Pocket Camp and then switch over to New Horizons and do my dailies there. Shit, I wish some of the items they offer in PC were available in NH! I digress. At this point, I had not sat down with say one of the next generation consoles at the time and played a newly released game.

I guess I am trying to make up for lost playing time now as we are in the middle of pandemic. Limiting the time out in public to essential trips only. No eating out as much as I used to. What better way to pass the time, then catch up on games that I wanted to play but never got around to. Lord knows I have all of them purchased. Just haven’t played a single one yet. Then again, this goes for anything. I still have a very large pile of Anime blu-rays and dvds sitting around that I haven’t touched. Manga on shelves yet to be cracked into. I am working on getting through my Dragonlance books though! Just started book 2 of the Elven Exiles. Things are not looking good for the elves at all. ANYWHO!

Horizon: Zero Dawn. A game I remember seeing trailers and game footage for when it was in development back in the day. I was interested in it then, but then things had happened in life (as I have said). Started picking my way through it early last year. It was different, interesting. Your typical open-world action RPG. Beautiful graphics and landscapes. Didn’t think too much about it as I set it aside for a little while and then came back to it full force. Aloy did not draw me into the world, as much as the lore did. I wanted to find out what the hell happened to the world and why these animal shaped machines were so hell bent on killing everyone. I liked the look of these animal machines. Come on, I absolutely love Power Rangers and the seasons that used animal motifs (or mystical creatures). So, mechanical beasts were nothing new to me. They just were not sentient and hellbent on destruction. I mean, one can argue for a few seasons about it but I’m not here to discuss and argue Power Rangers. This is about Horizon: Zero Dawn.

I do not recall how many hours I spent going through the main scenario of the game (as I did spend A LOT of that time hiding and planning ambushes on machines). And, well I am the type to go through the entire friggen map and get every single item and complete every quest. Okay, maybe not EVERY quest. I still have the hunting ground trials to do but I’m not really concerned with those as I am getting all the metal flowers, and ancient vessels. What can I say?! I laughed at the recommended level you had to be for the final showdown. I was way over that….and I mean…..wwwwwwwwwwwwwwaaaaaaayyyyy over that. I had the nice ancient amour as well. The one where you had to go around and get the power cells to open up the bunker. The one that has the nice shield factor. Yeah, I liked that. I liked many of the outfits with the added bits and bobs of machines and wiring. It was different and yet still very tribal looking. I also enjoyed the tribal aesthetic. We, as humans went back to the typical hunter/gathering tribal lifestyle after Zero Dawn. Nice to see the different kinships emerge. All the old memories of my cultural anthropology and archeology classes came flooding back which was not bad at all!

I completed the main scenario the other day and WOW! Overall, that was a damn good game. While I did not connect with Aloy at the start of the game, I did become interested in her side of the story. I mean, seriously she was one of the only people that could unlock things with her genetic connection. The basis of how the world came to be destroyed and basically overthrown by these animal machines is a little on the scary side. We are becoming more and more reliant on technology. And that technology is slowly becoming more and more self aware and sentient. Everything is going that way. Look at our security systems, look at the smart houses, our cars, our smartphones, our smart watches. Machines that help us with cleaning and cooking are completely different then what I grew up with. Machines implanted into the body to help extend someone's life! I saw this first hand with my father and his LVAD (left ventricle assist device). Technology is both amazing and scary at the same time. It can be used for both the good and the bad. Dark and light. Shadow and sun.

Shit, I read an article the other day that both China and France are looking to create their own mobile military with biologically engineered supersoldiers. Taken from the New York Post’s article: “The French seek to improve “physical, cognitive, perceptive and psychological capacities,” and could allow for location tracking or connectivity with weapons systems and other soldiers.” https://nypost.com/2020/12/19/france-china-developing-biologically-engineered-super-soldiers/

And that, my friends, is how the basis of Horizon: Zero Dawn started. No joke, machines built for warfare that went rogue and self-replicated by the use of absorbing plantlife, animal life and human life. Drained the Earth of its resources and caused “Zero Dawn” to be implemented. The basis for these “super soldiers” and “machine warfare” is nothing new to the Sci-fi genre. I mean, it’s been used in many many movie plots, video games, television, anime, manga, comic books and novels. It’s just scary to think that something like this could actually happen. It is not as far fetched as we think. Yes, many of these forms of entertainment have one more aspect going for them that we currently do not. Space travel. Another living planet humans live on. But the overall thought of some rogue machines being capable of self-replication and eradicating human life is still scary. And with any technological form- you know there will be some people who will be dead set on hacking these machines. I mean, even Aloy is hacking the machines to get them onto her side. Which, if you have not overridden one of the bigger machines in the game- it is so worth it! Love just sitting back and watching the machines fight each other! We are not that far from a Cyberpunk dystopian future. Hack the planet!

I am moving into the DLC of the Frozen Wilds and am pretty close to being done with that as well. As I am enjoying it as I get to play more in this world and explore areas that are new, I am also a little on the disappointed side. I was hoping to learn more about the previous world and it’s demise. Granted, I am not done with the Frozen Wilds. I am in the process of traveling to the Thunderdrum- so I am hoping that will shed some light on these “demonic” machines and maybe expand the lore some more. I am done with the majority of the side quests and gathering the pigments, animal figures, and blue gleam.

I am really glad that I finally decided to sit down and give this game a try since it’s been on my “to play” list for a few years now. I enjoyed the overall story and despite me not being one to enjoy a whole lot of stealth play- I did enjoy this one. I can definitely see how they set the series up for a sequel. I’m excited to learn exactly where we shall be going in the second game.

#random musing #musings #video game #video games #otaku #ps4 #ps4 games #horizon #horizon zero dawn #zero dawn frozen wilds #zero dawn

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redrobin-detective · 6 years ago

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Family Man

I got talking in the discord last night and I got inspired on the idea of Inko not only knowing about AFO but being something of an equal partner in his business. It was fun to write and I figured since my writing has been very sporadic as of late, it would serve as my entry for @thefruitloop-chan‘s DFO fic contest. I hope you all enjoy Villain Dad and his Lovely Villainous wife with their Hero loving son.

All For One, currently Midoriya Hisashi along with a hundred other useless, abandoned names, has never been a conventional man. He was born in a period of upheaval with a power that beyond comprehension and saw that things could be different, better. His whole life was dedicated to improving the lives of people with quirks and fighting back at the government’s idiotic kneejerk reaction to controlling the super-powered populace. When his only brother died on the opposite end of the battle field, he had given up on trusting people and contented himself with a life of solitude. Until he met her that is.

“Hmm good morning, Hisashi,” Inko purred, leaning down to sleepily nuzzle his neck while he reviewed the latest dealings with his underlings. He doesn’t the close the tab when Inko began to skim the report and instead angled the screen her way. “Looks like the Kuronaga Genetics Corporation is misusing their funds again; just look at all those unexplained expenses,” she pointed out. “I think we need to remind them whose money they’re embezzling.”

“Yes, I noticed that as well, I could probably spare a few low levels thugs to encourage them to be more mindful of their spending,” Hisashi nodded while Inko just tutted.

“Fear is an excellent motivator in some cases but this will be the third time you’ve called them out on their practices. I would recommend you make them cooperate of their own accord; we have six other quirk labs on our payroll. Pad their budgets a little more, start pulling people from Kuronaga onto other projects as if you plan to shut them down. Nothing is as motivating as self-preservation; they’ll straighten themselves out to avoid being liquidated with no brute force needed.”

“Brilliant,” Hisashi blurted out suddenly, turning to his wife and kissing her cheek. “I would be nothing more than a two-bit villain without your insight.”

“You’ll always be a two-bit villain, my love,” she whispered in his ear. “Do you have time for breakfast?”

“I’ll make time,” he smiled back, watching her hips sway as she walked in the kitchen.

He met her under completely ordinary circumstances, at the station watching the news while waiting for the train. He’d been muttering about the government’s negligence regarding the increasing amount of unrest surrounding quirk advocacy groups. The unassuming green haired woman next to him intrigued him by agreeing and suggesting several ways for the state to address the issue. And so they continued to debate for the rest of the wait over the busy din of the train. By the time she stepped off her train for work, he was several blocks past his stop, late for his meeting and more than a little smitten as he carefully tucked away her phone number. The intelligent gleam in her eyes as she tore into the inadequacies of quirk law stayed with him long after she’d left and he called her later that night. Their courtship had been brief and intense, by the end of the third month, she had a ring on her finger and a positive pregnancy test. He took her surname and they moved into a cozy little house together and All For One was reminded, for a moment, what it was like to be happy.

“What time are you going in today? I’d like your opinions on several of the open contracts we have, you’re so much better at picking up loopholes and inconsistencies than me,” he asked as he sat down at the table and was greeted with a bowl of rice and eggs.

“In a couple of hours, I have a meeting with Izuku’s principal and the Bakugou family regarding Katsuki’s reckless and dangerous use of his quirk,” Inko said, setting herself down.

“I still say I should relieve the boy of his quirk since clearly he’s not being taught to use it correctly,” Hisashi growled, his anger still boiling from when his precious son came home the other day with burns on his arms. Inko had barely been able to restrain him from burning their whole house down.

“Don’t go causing trouble, I’m not eager to move again,” Inko chastised, pointing at him with her chopsticks. “I’ll make sure to impress on them just how unhappy we are with the situation, I’m pretty sure they’re more afraid of us suing them into poverty than anything else. Maybe then Mitsuki will learn to control her son.”

“She never learned to control herself,” Hisashi mused into her coffee.

“Well then I guess we’ll just strongly encourage them to relocate their feral child far away from Izuku,” Inko stated and Hisashi couldn’t help but sigh and stare at her with open love and admiration. He’d tried to keep his less than savory dealings away from his growing family but Inko never lost her sharpness and picked up on all his lies and half-truths rather quickly. He can still see her standing there, incredibly pregnant, after he’d guiltily laid out his whole past and current operations.

‘I don’t care that you’re a villain, Hisashi, I care that you lied to me about your job and your quirk,’ Inko raged. ‘Not to mention that your manner of trying to reform the system is completely childish. You want to create an underground villain league to fight the heroes? It’s a waste of resources and just reinforces the public’s trust in the self-serving hero system. If we’re going to be villains, we’re going to do it right.’

“What?” Inko asks dryly when she catches him staring.

“Just wondering how a bitter old man like me managed to win over someone as charming and wonderful as you,” he sighed.

“Because I want to take over your criminal empire in order to enforce my will on Japan,” she teased.

“It’s yours, my love; for you and Izuku, I would level this country and burn the world to ash,” Hisashi professed, meaning every word. For his family, he set the whole world aflame.

“And if you did that, we would be living in a burned, decrepit dystopia only slightly worse than the one we’re living in now,” she sighed, rubbing at her forehead. “Not everything needs fire and brimstone, darling. We don’t need to break the whole system to reform it; we’re already turning the tide. By the time Izuku is in high school, the hero system will be on the outs.”

“Hopefully,” Hisashi grumbled, looking at Izuku’s All Might themed place setting that had been purchased with his hard earned money. There was nothing he hated more than monetarily supporting All Might’s brand, except, of course, his small son’s disappointed face.

“All the kids are into heroes now, he’ll grow out of it, don’t worry,” Inko smiled, reading his thoughts. As if being summoned, there were several loud thumps reverberating through the apartment before Izuku suddenly appeared in the entryway, his hair a tangled whirlwind. He waddled forward as fast as his little legs could carry him before crashing into Hisashi’s knees.

“Hey there, where’s the fire?” Hisashi asks, lifting his boy up into his arms.

“Papa always goes into work early and I didn’t want you to leave before I could say goodbye,” Izuku wobbled, clinging into Hisashi’s dress shirt. He looked up Inko who gave him a small shrug as she gathered up their dishes, before turning back to Izuku. His wild curls with Inko’s rich green color, her sweet rounded face and the freckles he and his brother had as children, Izuku really was the perfect blend of the two of them. He’d never planned on becoming a father but having Izuku is something he would never regret, his boy’s curiousity and joy were infectious, it reminded Hisashi why he and Inko were fighting so hard to create a better world.

“I would never leave without saying goodbye, son,” he soothed, bouncing Izuku lightly on his knee. “I do have to go to work but you know that Papa will always come home to you and Mama. I love you both more than all the quirks in the world.”

“All the quirks?” Izuku said with a puzzled little expression, “more than Kacchan’s Explosion? Or Mama’s Attraction? What about All Might’s quirk? Do you love me more than All Might’s Superpower?”

“Yes, Izuku,” Hisashi said, shaking his head with amused affection. “I love you more than All Might’s quirk.” Once upon a time, he might have been more interested in recovering One For All. It was, after all, the last vestiges he had left of his brother. But he’s spent too much time fussing over the past; he needs to look now towards the future, to Izuku’s future.

“Wow that’s an awful lot,” Izuku muttered with an adorably serious face. Hisashi ran his fingers through his son’s hair and set him gently back to the ground.

“More than you know, now go get dressed; you and Mama have an appointment at school and then she needs to join me at work. We have some important things to do today and you have exciting things to learn in school,” propaganda most of it but Inko refused to let him homeschool Izuku, something about ‘lack of time’ and ‘he needs to play with other kids not debate politics with immortal cryptids.’ Oh well, Izuku was only four, he had plenty of time to convince her.

“Okay,” Izuku squealed, tearing back off towards his room with all the enthusiasm a four year old can have. Hisashi watched him go with a fond smile.

“You better keep your promise,” Inko said quietly over the sound of water spilling into the sink. “I know your work is important but I want you to always come home to Izuku and I.”

“Inko, everything is going to be fine,” he soothed.

“It will be when you stop taking so many risks,” he could hear the frustration in her voice. “I know you hate All Might but will you stop goading him so much. He has all that power built-up, if you slip up for even a moment, you might-.” She stopped and brought her hand up to her mouth, unable to continue.

“Inko,” he said again, walking over to her and placing his hands onto his shoulders. She brought one of her wet hands up to hold his own.

“You need to make a choice Midoriya Hisashi, you need to decide which is more important, your need for closure on your brother’s quirk or your family. I’m telling you, if you keep chasing after All Might then you will lose us, one way or another.” The house fell quiet after that, even the sound of Izuku stomping in his room seemed to fade at her heavy proclamation.

“You, always you,” he answered after a few tense moments trying to find his voice. “You and Izuku are the best things that have ever happened to me, tell me, what do you want.”

“Let the past be the past,” she said turning to him. “Focus on our goals, dismantling the establishment from the inside out. Stop it with these petty fights and this obsession with stopping All Might. They say the best revenge is living well, so do that. Live well, love your son and change the world.”

“Okay,” he sighed, leaning down and kissing her forehead before setting his cheek on her hair. “No more All Might, no more fighting, it will be strictly business from now.”

“Don’t sound so sad, my love,” she hummed, pulling out of his hold to pat his cheek before returning to the soapy dishes. “I just saved your life.”

“Well don’t sound so proud about it, now you’re stuck with me for life,” he teased, already calculating how to circumnavigate her decree. Part of being All For One meant he had to be in the field occasionally but as for All Might… well maybe it is finally time to let his brother’s ghost stop haunting him. Inko’s probably right that the big oaf would punch his face off one of the these days and he can’t let that happen, not when he has so much to lose.

“I am here!” Izuku announced, jumping back into the room with a broad grin. Hisashi moaned, on the other hand, he might need to murder All Might anyone for making his son into a fanboy, complete with grinning t-shirt and light up shoes.

“That you are,” he nodded, scooping his son up into his arms. “How about a deal, you go change your shirt and Papa will pick you up from school today and take you to the park for some quirk spotting.”

“Quirk spotting yeah!” Izuku wriggled leaping out of his arms to go change into what was probably going to be another All Might shirt but he’d take what he could get.

“You better not be trying to drag Izuku into our work,” Inko warned from the sink.

“I’m just encouraging his natural interest and skill with quirk analysis,” and subtly probing for any signs that he’d inherited Hisashi’s quirk, “but we’ll be good and be back in time for dinner.”

“You’re never good, you villain,” she said with a toss of her hair.

“Oh my dear villainess,” he grinned, wrapping his arms around her from behind. “You only like me ‘cause I’m bad.” He had not been born Midoriya Hisashi but that didn’t matter much. It was the only name he had truly cherished and the only name he wanted to have. His life was unconventional, running an underground conspiracy alongside his wife while managing a hero obsessed four year old. But he had found in his many, many years of life that it’s better to live an abnormal life. He’s just lucky he found such strange people to share it with.

#boku no hero academia #bnha fics #i wrote this #dad for one #all for one #I probably could make this better #maybe edit it a few more times but its probably as good as it will get #@Nobody and Bone Break Jack: thanks for the ideas last night #I dont actually know your tumblrs so there you s/o

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pelikinesis · 5 years ago

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just rewatched Trigun for the first time in probably 10 years or so?

Trigun is often extremely compelling, except when its writing becomes very bad, and by bad I mean dissatisfying in terms of internal logic.

production-wise, i get the sense that they blew the majority of the animation budget on the first two or so episodes, because they’re absolutely gorgeous, but in many of the later episodes they take a lot of shortcuts to the point where some scenes are basically slideshows.

writing-wise, there’s a number of really key moments that are intended to be emotional, but they’re so intent on discussing THEMES and making ON-BRAND CALLBACKS that characters start spouting dialogue in moments that are absolutely unfitting for the situations that were set-up, and a lot of the social issues in the later episodes is due to the fact that absolutely none of the main characters ever explain to anyone else, “Okay so there’s this guy named Knives, and he’s totally the reason why bad things happen around Vash”

and i’m not saying everything would be resolved because they’d be automatically believed, but everything Meryl and Vash say in lieu of that rightfully serve only to infuriate all the scared, misguided people precisely because they’re desperately asking for an explanation and instead they’re told some sanctimonious bullshit about how killing is bad, or so it sounds because it has not been explained to them that Vash is not who they think he is.

in hindsight, i mostly stuck around with this rewatch because of how good the first two episodes were, and the richness of the premise they promised. the idea of a pacifistic but extremely skilled gunman with a legendary reputation who is actually a dork IS interesting, especially when combined with the supporting cast.

If someone pitched to me an RPG campaign idea set in some sci-fi wild west world where we’d be playing as insurance claims agents sent to make contact with an outlaw so fearsome he’s on the verge of being classified as a natural disaster or act of God, i’d tell them to sign me the fuck up. out of all the backgrounds for a supporting cast in this type of setting, that’s a very fresh one.

the way that all the drama in Vash’s backstory which took place aboard giant spaceships intended to colonize other planets effectively turns his past into that planet’s own Creation story in a way, and how this somewhat subtly casts himself and Knives as angels or demigods is actually way cooler to me now than i ever registered the first time I watched Trigun.

but i just don’t find that the whole Vash-Jesus-Job analogue exactly resonates. There’s no tension because Knives and the Gung-ho Guns are effectively all-powerful, and if they’d been even slightly more competent they’d have succeeded in their goals. But it’s also left completely unexplained why the most loyal of the Gung-ho Guns are loyal to the point of death to Knives, and at this point I’m actually just talking about Legato because the rest of them barely exist. but Legato, wow, what a hot mess of a plot device masquerading as a character.

early on a question is raised: does Vash manage to get out of life-or-death scrapes with zero fatalities (though lots of property damage) due to dumb luck, or because he’s just that good? But the thing is, it’s never truly answered. Legato, in particular, is central to the least satisfying parts of the story. His powers are the most overtly supernatural and staggering in scope. It’s never explained why he has so little regard not only for the lives of other humans, but for his own life, allowing himself to be a total pawn to Knives despite probably being the most powerful character in the setting. Legato’s arc could have been used to help definitively answer the prior question, but it’s resolved in a different way that i’d call a swerve, but ultimately not a good swerve.

there are certain things i don’t mind not being explained, so long as the lack of information doesn’t turn into plot holes. So for example, i don’t really need to know what the Plants are. They’re humanoid and seemingly-sentient, and somehow provide all the resources humans need to survive on a desert planet. That’s fine. Not knowing how they work is fine. That mystery does not distract from the narrative’s comprehensibility.

But the show is very blatantly one wherein the fate of all humanity always falls on Vash’s shoulders, which is a bit too egoistic a story for my tastes--yet this wouldn’t be a problem if it were done well. i don’t think it is, though, not in its totality anyways.

Legato isn’t the only problem, he just happens to be the biggest problem. Legato isn’t so much a character as he is a plot device, a deus ex machina--not one that *resolves* the problems caused by the plot, but rather *creates* the problem that the plot requires so that the story arrives at the resolution the author wants.

Legato was the *facade* of an interesting character--an immensely powerful psychic with no regard for human life who also enjoyed eating sweets in his spare time. He can mind control hundreds if not thousands of people at once. Cool. Why can he do that, and what does he want? The answers to those two questions respectively are, (1) because shut up, that’s why, and (2) because he wants everything Knives wants because of reasons.

and that second part is infuriating, because in failing to address this, the writers miss an opportunity for exposition that would enrich not only Legato but also Knives as characters, at the same time. *how* did Knives convince Legato and also the saxophone guy to do his bidding loyally until death? Why is it that Legato is absolutely devoted to Knives, whereas Saxophone Guy shows some bitterness as they meet their ends to fulfill Knives’ plan? How has Knives secured their loyalty despite hating humans so much? See, those would have made for interesting moments, if they weren’t absolutely shunted off to the side in favor of varied scenes of Vash coughing up blood as he spouts his beliefs in a way that’s usually out-of-context for his audience.

Now, in other fighting superpower anime, i would normally expect a character such as Legato to be defeated once the protagonist figures out a weakness or limitation in his psychic powers and adopts a strategy to target that vulnerability. In a good fighting superpower anime, i might expect that a powerful psychic might have some vulnerability based on a psychological issue or two. that’s intuitive, and would not only be satisfying for the protagonist’s development to figure all that out, it would simultaneously provide an opportunity for deeper characterization of said psychic villain.

the swerve that instead Vash wins by losing, that is, by finally being forced into a situation where he has to (temporarily) violate his own moral code and shooting Legato dead was somewhat dramatic but only because of the buildup. Actually, one thing I unreservedly applaud Trigun about is the restraint they demonstrated in having Vash not even fire a gun for like the first five or six episodes which, in a 26~ episode show is quite an investment. It also spent even more time building up like 24-25 episodes of Vash not killing anyone, and then suddenly he did. But that’s the only reason it was remotely dramatic. Legato was an enigma and and obstacle but ended up being an empty contrivance, which was disappointing.

in many early episodes, it was very clearly laid out what the villain and guest protagonists’ motives were and why they had them. the writer(s) clearly knew how to do that even within the span of a single mostly self-contained episode. and that makes the bundles of unanswered questions that Legato’s role in the story and also his existence altogether raise that much more grating on my suspension of disbelief.

As soon as Legato’s whole dilemma was resolved, i couldn’t really engage with the story anymore, save to watch the last few episodes for the sake of doing so, and also out of curiosity for where the writers were going with everything. but i was no longer invested in the characters, because at some point they started saying and doing things in a manner meant to tie a bow on the themes the writers had been harping on the whole series, but not in a way that demonstrated any internal consistency or believability as far as the characters themselves.

Vash and Meryl never tell anyone who Knives is because the writers need Vash to forever be a falsely-accused and persecuted Christ analogue. it’s so freaking transparent, and that’s one of a number of similarly unsatisfying elements to Trigun, and it’s a darned shame. because so much of the show is interesting and promising, but it doesn’t really have the follow-through. idk maybe the manga explains everything.

Finally, there’s no good reason why Knives didn’t just kill Meryl and Milly after Legato died. I’m not saying this because I wanted their characters dead or anything. I’m saying it because if Knives’ whole motivation is to hurt Vash, and if Knives thinks of humans like cockroaches, then why wouldn’t he kill Meryl and Milly not long after Vash breaks his own code against killing just to save them? Why not drive that final nail in the coffin just to spite Vash?

All we know about Knives is that he’s Vash, but evil, he wants to wipe out humanity because he thinks they are inferior to them, and he wants to break Vash emotionally. Everything he does is motivated by spite towards Vash, and misanthropy, so killing Meryl and Milly while Vash is sulking over the abstract notion of taking a human life due to killing Legato would be the final insult to injury and would be 100% consistent with everything we know about Knives.

And this is why I couldn’t stay engaged with Trigun. Vash only adheres to his beliefs because the villains don’t do everything that’s within their power to break him. I’m not saying I wanted a grimdark downer ending. I’m saying that the only reason Trigun doesn’t have one is because the writers wanted a good ending, which clashed with everything they set up. Vash’s reaffirmation of his beliefs simply isn’t earned, not in my book, because the only reason they remain intact is because of either laziness or neglect on the part of Knives or the writers.

#Trigun

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ghostmartyr · 6 years ago

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Pokémon White Randomized Nuzlocke Run [Part 3]

It’s time for hunting for thieves with Burgh! Long may no one else die in the process!

Team headcount:

Boeing (Latios)

Frogger (Seismitoad)

Ptera (Archeops)

Palm (Shroomish)

I’ll also throw the Miracle Seed on Palm, since I forgot to do that last time.

Hm. This is technically part of the same route Palm came from, but it’s a different area. I think if the randomizer considers it part of a different area, I will too. So if it has something from the outside part, I won’t catch it. If it turns out they both happen to have some things in common, and the first one was one of those, oh well. It was the first one in the area.

Stepping forward to find out if we get a new one or not.

I don’t want it.

This might be a bad idea, but I think I’m going to let Palm just murder it. I do not want an Octillery, and then I’ll still only have one thing from Pinwheel Forest. It might be something I end up regretting, because as of right now, if my team wipes, I have nothing eligible to start over with, but.

Exp gotten, Grape avenged one more time.

So far there is nothing in this forest except for Octillery. What is this hell.

I do not like the Patrat line. I might never like it again. Appropriate that Team Plasma currently seems to do almost nothing else.

Okay, so for future reference, the insides of Pinwheel Forest are counted as a different area by the Randomizer. That future might not be so far off, depending on how this goes. The important thing is that something besides an Octillery can exist in these woods.

I have photo evidence.

Without it, even I wouldn’t believe at this point.

Awesome, recovered the skull. Considering the size, I am not sure how a boy my age manages to do anything with it but not be crushed by it, but thankfully the plot is uninterested in such complications. Skull get.

I have no memory of what that means. I assume it means that if I live long enough, I’m gonna beat you up.

Oh good, we give the skull to Lenora. She’s someone I have faith in to be able to lift it. She is very mighty, and when I don’t think about the consequences of our battle I still am highly appreciative of her.

I basically don’t do anything for the next twenty minutes but run around and let Ptera kill stuff. I am overusing Ptera because Ptera can one-shot everything into oblivion, and that’s a comfort.

But.

There is good news after I remember I have other pokemon.

Boeing

no longer has Psywave.

I’d never really bothered looking up the accuracy, I just was sad when the damn thing never hit. It turns out, in addition to having variable damage, Psywave has 80% accuracy.

I have never hated a move so much.

It’s gone now.

Boeing can murder things.

Together, friend. We will make it to the end of this.

Oh, the bridge! This is the one with the bridge! Bridges, even!

Best part of this generation for sure.

Now we’re in sections I think I remember a little more about. Mostly in relation to how often I ended up lost in this place. It’s not really that difficult, but for many, many years all of the towns and other locations were nice and neat 2D things. You might not know where to go next in some spots, but having trouble figuring out where you were wasn’t really a thing.

Along comes Castelia City, and it’s all “hold my drink,” and I, a mere ten-year-old, trip down back alleys trying to find out what in the heck I’m meant to be doing.

Now I, a mere ten-year-old, will probably do much the same. With an active interest in seeking out any grass.

The real question here is which evolution stone I want. I can’t use Panpour. So I guess... hm. I might as well go with the Fire option? I think I mussed with the evolution settings, so I’m not sure if I need them or not (I shouldn’t need to trade anything to get it to evolve, but past that, it’s one giant shrug). I also don’t have anything in my party that needs a stone yet, and there is no way to guess at what I might find in the future.

What I do know is I have a Grass and a Water pokemon, so let’s just round that out. That’s what the chimp options are there for, after all.

Fire Stone get.

I have zero memory of what’s up with the ship, but boats usually mean trainers to fight. Whatever the case, it is presently plot-locked.

We’re going through the city to try to gather all the Dancer trainers for a squad, which basically means beating up more of the Pan-squad, and a guy in the alley jumps out and gives us Flash.

Pokemon games are the best.

Dance squad assembled. Now that I think about it, I think this might be the version where rotating battles are introduced. I also think that might not be the right name, but the important bit is that three pokemon are participating at once and you can rotate through. I bring this up now because I’m wondering if talking to these guys again will set one off.

...Nope. I do get an Amulet Coin, though. Those are always good to have.

A building full of trainers I didn’t remember! That’s much better than running back to Pinwheel Forest or going ahead for grinding. Too bad this resource doesn’t renew itself.

Oh, nice. The guy to our right gave us Quick Balls and Timer Balls. Those are some of my favorites.

I’m not touching the Gym until everyone’s 30. I already regret that decision, but you know something else I regret? No longer having a Fire type. So yeah, this is the program and we’re sticking to it.

A Hyper Potion and Revive are also in this building. One of those has no use to us, so yay free money. Here’s hoping that we don’t use up the other one right away. I’m already imagining the horror that is the Elite Four.

Also, since I never play these games with the volume on (ancient suspicions about battery life from the era of AAs), can I just say how wonderfully spooky the Scientist theme is?

Heeeeeey. That is a good thing to have.

Time to check if I’m able to go forward, or if my grinding has to be stuck at Pinwheel Forest. As much as I like the bridge, let me tell you my preference.

Forward enough, anyway.

I think there will be some sort of roadblock ahead, but I should be able to come across my next teammate first. And some Fishermen.

Palm enjoyed meeting the Fishermen.

First encounter spotted.

Huh. I don’t think I’ve ever used one of these in a game before. The evolution is never worth bothering with unless you’re shooting for the pokedex entry, and I think by the time you run into its first form, you’ve already got most of your team arranged already.

The real question is if I have something that won’t kill it...

I think Cut might be the answer.

...I am the worst trainer ever, fml.

So. Uh.

The Escavalier is caught.

Apparently it knew something besides Fury Attack and Leer. Funny story, that.

Boeing is dead.

Ahahaha. Wow. I do not want you. You murdered my best friend. You are also now more necessary than you were. So. You need a name.

You’re a dark knight.

First girl on the team is named Batman.

Batman does not kill.

The real challenge of this game is going to be whether or not I can ever have six usable pokemon at a time. Dang. This is much rougher than anticipated. Boeing was one of those beasts I thought would be with me until the very end.

Of course, the same can be said for all that now lie here. I was definitely arrogant enough to assume that I could go through the game with none of you dying.

Serves me right, I suppose.

I really hope I don’t need to teach something else Cut now.

Goodbye, Boeing. We had four levels of being useful together. You taught me to hate Psywave, and your sacrifice brought Batman to the team. In time she will learn to honor that.

Batman is Adamant and loves to eat. That is about the best Nature I could ask for. She isn’t going to be very useful at the moment, but she has the Exp. Share now, so. We’re going to change that.

This run just got much harder. Again.

Apparently Bug is the theme of this desert.

That is one definite disadvantage to starting with a Psychic pokemon. Bug hurts. It doesn’t help that I almost constantly forgot what Boeing’s typing was.

Huh. Geodude also frequent this area.

It’s funny. Out of what’s available, so far I’ve been pretty darn happy with what I’ve ended up with. I mean, I would prefer Batman being a little weaker so I still had Boeing, but Escavalier is not awful. And I’ve never used one before. All praise the randomness.

You know what else is funny?

All the wild Escavalier here need multiple hits even with moves that are effective. All those turns I spent Cutting Batman down to size, allowing room for Boeing’s death, were unnecessary.

Haaaaa. Live and learn.

Unless you’re Boeing.

Frogger’s just going to murder everything in this route while the meager party slowly grows to level 30. Once more I feel my boredom setting in, but at this point I don’t think being less cautious is really a good idea. Getting six pokemon in my party has become something to strive for instead of the expectation.

-checks in an hour later-

Someone save me from this hell.

I think when the time comes, I’m going to take Ptera and Palm back to Pinwheel. The level differences aren’t that great, and ALL the Blaziken kills would probably do them both some good. Ptera can probably take the things in the desert, but his Defense is terrible if something goes wrong (which it easily might) and I’m not so sure about Palm. Either way Palm’s getting the Exp. Share for it, and that’s probably still twenty minutes away, because grinding.

I really wish I hadn’t accidentally killed Timon and Boeing.

You never realize what a useful tool letting pokemon faint is until you can’t. Sigh.

I am going to giggle like a small child every time that question pops up. My only good decisions in this run are their names.

Fun fact: Grinding is boring.

Batman and Frogger are all set, so I did make my way back to Pinwheel Forest in the hopes of helping Palm’s unfortunate Nature out with some better EVs and just generally having him and Ptera fight against things they could kill in one hit.

That’s working out.

This is taking forever.

I refuse to do this for the next gym. Isn’t failure the spice of any challenge?

I don’t even know what the next Gym is... Wait. Is it the electric model one? I think it might be. I remember liking her. I like her pokemon less. Flying electric squirrels are hardish to kill.

Ptera learned Acrobatics. So that’s neat.

Two. More. Levels. Come on. Bring on the massive surge of wild Blaziken.

Have I already pointed out that this is one of the generations where exp is calculated in part by level differential? The more I need the less I get.

At long last. It is done.

In your memory, Timon.

Dude, c’mon. It was going to be touching. I was going to murder all your Bugs and be like, “this is for all the things I accidentally got killed on my way here!” and now you’ve gone and ruined it with your plot interruptions. Sigh.

I’m supposed to go to one of the piers. If I’d been reading the text instead of mashing buttons I probably would know which one, but walking down each option and trying them all in order is fun, right? Right.

It’s always the last one you check.

I remember just enough of the story to say that was one heck of a mistake they done made.

Oh wait, Bianca’s pokemon? Oh. That’s much sadder.

Team Plasma grunt shows up, and it’s time to run after it. After all, I am ten. I am the most reliable aid anyone could ask for in a situation such as this.

I say, brilliant deduction, Burgh!

There is probably art of Burgh and Looker somewhere on the internet. They solve crimes.

Guess who has thirteen levels on Team Plasma like a boss. It is all four of my remaining pokemon. Yay.

They keep bringing up the Seven Sages, and I keep not remembering any of them except for one. My memory was that there was the one guy. And even that guy was pretty blurry. Now there are seven?

I just wanna catch stuff and pick fights hurry up plot.

The plot hears my requests and punishes me with an infodump about pokemon mythology of the region. Why this.

For my current purposes, I don’t care, but I actually like Black and White’s background for Unova. I like stories about heroes and dragons, and having the cover legendaries being relevant in things that aren’t just glamorized sidequests. It’s a fun game.

The monsters are just so much funner.

Let us try this again!

I love all the gyms in this generation.

Our first victim starts with a level 20 Sewaddle and a level 20 Venipede.

Ptera covers his claws in their blood.

...Okay, that one’s a little too dark. The opponents’ monsters aren’t actually dying, just fainting. My guys are the only ones who can die, adding new weight to Batman’s name. She will go into battle for justice, never inflicting lethal damage, yet she might one day fall.

Burgh’s pokemon are probably mid-20s. It’s fair to say I didn’t need to grind as much as I did, and it’s also fair to say I’d do it all over again because the last Gym was traumatic.

I wonder if part of how they decide Gym Leaders is asking them what they’ll do if they get their own building and carte blanche to design it. That should be the new Sorting question: What Type would your Gym be, and what are your thoughts on its interior design?

I think one of them this gen has you being shot through the air with cannons.

We look so serious.

Burgh does not.

First up is a level 21 Whirlipede. I feel fairly confident in saying that Ptera is up to the challenge.

Following that is a level 21 Dwebble. It does not have Sturdy.

Last is a level 23 Leavanny, and if you think these short sentences are a really uninspired way of describing such an epic fight, you’d be right, but they did not have much to work with. Ptera took everything that didn’t have an Ability preventing such acts down in one hit.

His prize.

He has the option of learning DragonBreath, and I normally wouldn’t bother with it, but considering how worried I am about whether or not I’ll manage to have six pokemon in a party at once, AncientPower with its 5 PP taking up a move slot is... maybe not what I want to go with.

On the other hand, Ptera’s a physical attacker and DragonBreath only does 60 with no STAB.

We are abandoning the way of the dragon, Ptera.

That was Boeing’s realm.

Badge get! Now, are we going to be able to leave the Gym without the plot calling?

No. The answer is no.

Look, it’s free exp! I mean one of my best friends!

With that invitation received, our time in Castelia comes to a close. This segment saw our most painful loss yet. Hopefully that has taught me a thing or two about being careful, but those lessons tend to be really temporary with me and video games.

Until next time.

#Pokemon #Nuzlocke Challenge

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ladynonsense · 7 years ago

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One Night in the City (TRR AU) Part 6: Restless

Liam x Olivia, Drake x MC (Riley)

OK, so, originally this series was truly just going to be about a single night, but y’all are asking me what happens next and these characters just have to go the fuck to sleep already 😂 so this chapter is kind of a transition from that one night to the story back in Cordonia. My apologies if this is moving too slow...feel free to send me constructive criticism people, I’m new to this!

I’m just gonna post this before I continue overthinking it...

Parts 1-5: One Two Three Four Five

This is an AU series where Maxwell never took Riley back to Cordonia (also Constantine died because I hate him so there was no fuckery with threats and blackmail towards poor Olivia). Liam and Liv are getting married, Riley and Drake are drawn to each other, and now Drake wants to (finally!) bring her back to court with him...

Tags:@theroyalweisme @pbchoicesobsessed @smritysriv@thatcatlady0716@jayjay879 @hellospunkiebrewster@mfackenthal @madaraism @hopefulmoonobject @boneandfur @pens-girl-87 @butindeed @bobasheebaby @jamielea81

Drake paced the hallway outside his shared hotel room, unable to sleep. Conversations he didn't want to have were running through his mind, over and over, never going the way he wanted them to...

He wished he'd stayed by Riley's side, instead of sending her back to her apartment one last time while he headed to the hotel. When he was with her it was all giddy excitement and heat, all their fears temporarily canceled out by anticipation and longing. The longer he was alone with his thoughts, and, if he was being honest, the less alcohol was coursing through his veins, the more apprehensive he felt, until he felt a heavy knot of anxiety in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Lost in thought, he was startled when a firm hand grasped his shoulder. "Should I be concerned about your agitated pacing outside His Royal Highness's suite?" It was Bastien, his face calm and sympathetic, his hand lingering on his shoulder, as if to offer comfort.

Drake's face went hot with shame, and then relaxed a little, glad that it was an old friend to notice his bizarre behavior and not another, more hot-headed member of the king's guard. "Good morning, Bastien. Didn't realize I'd wandered so close to Liam's room. Sorry if I caused any alarm."

"None at all," he replied, patting his shoulder again before releasing his grip, "but I wouldn't recommend making a habit of it. You look like you're looking for a fight. And like you haven't slept in days."

He clenched his jaw in frustration. "I'm looking specifically not to fight with Liam, but I'm a little concerned that he might hit me, if I'm being honest." He laughed nervously.

"Well, in my personal and professional opinion, you've got nothing to worry about. Even at his most hot-headed, I've never known the king to be the violent or impulsive sort."

"Yeah, yeah, you're right. I'm getting all worked up about nothing. I do need to speak with him, though. Is he around?"

Bastien quickly assessed his surroundings to ensure none of the other members of the King's Guard were in earshot. "No, he's not here. But he's not far, and I think you can guess where to find him. Although if you're worried about getting in a fight, you may want to be more concerned about his companion."

Drake nodded. "Thank you. I'm going to go pay a visit and get this over with." He pulled out his phone and texted Liam, warning him that he was about to drop in on them at this early hour. He worried he might actually vomit if he walked in on Liam and Olivia naked in bed together. His phone dinged with Liam's response just as he reached Olivia's room and knocked softly.

The door opened immediately on Liam, already dressed in one of his "casual" suits, looking like he just stepped out of a magazine. "There he is! Come on in, Drake. You look like shit!"

"Uh...thanks?" Liam smiled and opened the door enough for him to walk through. The room was in disarray: wine bottles and glasses tipped over on the table, sheets and blankets strewn about the floor, like the night before had been utter chaos. He winced at the thought of his two friends having been wild and reckless with each other the night before, passing out atop a bare bed, nude and sweating. Stop picturing it, idiot.

Olivia, on the other hand, looked flawless and put-together, in a simple but elegant sheath dress with a matching deep red blazer. Standing there with the picture-perfect couple of the hour, he felt badly out of place. "Your shirt is ripped," Liam noted, looking him over. "Rough night?"

"Actually...great night. But not a lot of sleep. Damn, I like this shirt."

"You shouldn't," Olivia interjected, never one to miss an opportunity to be insulting. He shot her an angry look but didn't bother to respond.

"Well? What did you get up to?" Liam prodded, trying to assess why Drake had shown up here in the first place.

"Well, I...went on a date, you could say." Olivia let out a sharp laugh. Liam looked slightly nervous, but forced a smile.

"A date! Who's the lucky lady?" He really did look stressed; Drake realized this may be a conversation that Liam wouldn't want to have in front of Olivia, but there was no going back now. He chose his words carefully to avoid giving too much away.

"I know this sounds silly, but I ended up hanging out with the waitress that was serving us last night. It turned out we had a lot in common. In fact..." Liam looked stunned, but also somewhat relieved that his own connection to the waitress hadn't been revealed, "...I'd like her to be my date to the royal wedding."

Olivia completely lost composure, letting out a long, loud cackle that left tears in her eyes. "You want to bring a waitress, an American waitress, that you met eight hours ago, all the way to Cordonia to attend the royal wedding? Are things truly this bleak on the dating scene for Drake Walker?" she produced a handkerchief and gently dabbed the tears from her eyes, still chuckling. Drake took a deep breath, trying not to let her get under his skin.

"I think it's romantic," Liam said, a sad smile on his face. "Love at first sight." He looked at the floor and frowned as the three of them settled into an awkward silence.

"So, um, she's on her way here, and she'll need to fly back with us. And she'll need somewhere to stay for the next couple of weeks until the wedding. And possibly...longer."

"Wow, so you've got a really solid plan here, clearly." Olivia's sarcasm was unwelcome and annoyingly on-point...he truly did not know what the hell he was doing, but it felt important. He wasn't going to let Olivia shame him into giving up. Not this time.

Liam scratched his head, his brow furrowed in thought. "That shouldn't be a problem. I'll call ahead and let the flight crew know there will be one more joining us. But Drake -- are you sure about this? Is she sure about this? Surely she can't just up and leave her life here to run off to Cordonia?" The pain was showing in his face, and Drake felt a deep pit form in his stomach as he realized Liam's reason for turning his back so completely on Riley wasn't that he didn't want her - it was because he didn't think she would want to leave. And he had been wrong.

He hesitated a moment, but decided there was no good option other than being truthful. "She asked me, Liam. She begged me to take her to Cordonia." Liam just nodded in response, clearly wounded. For all his time spent running through this conversation in his head, Drake had somehow missed this. He figured Liam would be angry and jealous but unable to act on it, but hadn't realized just how unfair this must feel to him. Had he really entertained the idea, for even a moment, that he would marry someone other than his arranged suitors?

Another thought formed at the edges of his thoughts, slowly clouding his mind. Had she asked him, too? Had he refused her? He couldn't find the answer in Liam's face, his expression now neutral and tightly controlled. Drake watched as the king transformed back into the perfect diplomat, the corners of his mouth turning up into a polite smile, his voice deep and steady and strong when he replied. "Well, I look forward to getting to know the woman who has stolen Drake Walker's heart. We will extend her every hospitality as a guest of my treasured friend."

Olivia scoffed. "Are you kidding me? Do you have any idea how many people will be travelling to attend our wedding, and you're going to waste resources on hosting Drake's plaything?"

"I wouldn't describe a person as a plaything, my love, and yes, this is the least I can do after a lifetime of support and loyalty from my closest friend." He moved across the room to Olivia and lifted her hand to his lips, placing a chaste kiss against her skin. Her scowl softened into a half-smile, and to Drake's surprise, she let the issue drop. Liam gently stroked her cheek with the back of his hand, then turned back to Drake. "Let's head out, shall we? I'll need to head back to my own suite briefly before we head to the airport. See you again shortly, Lady Olivia."

The two of them walked back to Liam's suite in silence, neither of them attempting to meet the other's gaze. It wasn't until they were back in his hotel room - which Drake noted was at least four times the size of the one he was sharing with Maxwell - that Liam spun around to look Drake in the eye. "What the hell are you doing? Are you insane? Of all the women you could go after..."

Drake frowned and grabbed a chair, suddenly feeling the weight of his sleeplessness in his entire body. "I can't defend myself, Liam. I certainly didn't plan this. I went to talk to her last night, because she was upset - because of you - and before I knew it she was in my arms, asking me to take her back to Cordonia with me." He winced at his own honesty, feeling guilty as the words came out. "I know you liked her, Liam, but goddammit...you knew how I felt about Olivia, and it didn't stop you from proposing."

Liam's face fell. "My options were so limited, Drake, I wasn't only choosing for myself..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm not angry, not really. But just let me have this one, Liam. You know she's not just any woman. For once I feel like I can just be myself around somebody."

"I already said yes. I meant it. But I have to know that you're being genuine here. Especially since it may cause some scandal if she ends up jilted and talking to the press."

"I understand. Believe me, I am more concerned about treating her respectfully than anyone."

Liam smiled and pulled Drake into a warm embrace. "I'm glad to hear that. Good luck, my friend. I mean it."

"Thank you. I'm actually...excited." He got a glimpse of himself in a mirror over the fireplace. "Oh, hell, I have to go clean myself up before she arrives. I'll see you at the airport."

------

Riley woke up at 6am in full panic mode. She'd made it home only 3 hours earlier, walking on air after Drake had walked her to her door and left her with an enticing, lingering kiss before leaving her to return to his hotel. She'd convinced herself she could just pack when she woke up, and drifted off into a deep sleep. Now it was go time and she realized she couldn't possibly get herself ready in time.

She frantically pulled every item of clothing out of the antique trunk that doubled as her storage and her only chair, searching for something that looked expensive without looking overly dressy. There was nothing; it all looked cheap and tacky when she tried to see it through the eyes of Lady Hana, or the critical Duke Ramsford or, god help her, the Duchess Olivia. She picked up her simple green dress, her absolute favourite, remembering the goofy reactions of the men at Liam's bachelor party when she'd changed into it. She smiled, remembering the look on Drake's face that night. At least he'll think I look good, she thought, slipping it on and smoothing out the wrinkles as best she could.

The rest of the items were tucked back into the trunk, the only thing she owned that could be considered "luggage." She scribbled out a letter giving notice to her landlord and tucked it into an envelope along with some cash for one more month's rent, tossing it on the kitchen counter as she walked out. Dragging the small trunk behind her, she walked out on her own life for good.

------

Drake moved his agitated pacing to the front lobby of the hotel, circling his own small pile of luggage like a shark. Each time a taxi pulled up in front of the building he paused and watched intently, his heart racing. Finally, it happened: Riley emerged from the backseat of a taxi and his heart leapt, realizing she was actually going to follow through with this. Her long dark hair was still damp and piled into a loose bun on top of her head, as if she'd just woken up and rushed out in a hurry. He had the sudden strange urge to touch it, to feel the dampness against his face as he held her, to let her hair down and tangle his fingers in it.

As she walked around to the side of the car closest to him, he saw what she was wearing. The simple and sexy emerald green dress that had floored him on the first night he met her; it looked just as great now as it had then. She glanced in his direction and caught him staring, rewarding him with a beaming smile that snapped him out of his own thoughts. He rushed outside to help her unload her luggage and paid the cab driver for her.

"You didn't have to do that," she said, frowning.

"Don't sweat it. I need to blow the rest of my American cash before we fly out, anyway." He caught himself staring again, and looked at the floor. "So uh...we're really doing this? You're really here?"

"I'm here," she answered with a smile, but sounding a little nervous herself. "We're still good? You arranged everything?"

"That I did. Actually, we need to be heading to the airport right now. Got your passport?"

She looked in her purse and pulled out her passport. "That I do! Glad this is finally getting some use."

"Ever been on a private jet before?"

She laughed. "Uh, no. Dear lord. I can't believe you tried to tell me you're not rich."

"I'm not rich, I just have my every need and luxury catered to by the King of Cordonia. Get it straight, woman." He winked and offered his arm to her, smiling as she took it and leaned into him affectionately.

Within minutes, Hana, Maxwell and Bertrand stepped out of the main elevator into the lobby. "Riley!" Maxwell exclaimed, running up to wrap her in a hug. "I'm so glad you're coming back with us! You're going to love Cordonia, it's beautiful this time of year."

"I'm so excited! You guys are going to have to show me all the sights."

"I'm sure we'll all be very busy with preparations for the royal wedding, Miss Riley," Bertrand answered with a scowl.

"Don't mind him," Hana interjected. "We'll have plenty of opportunities to show you around. If Bertrand and Maxwell are too busy back at Ramsford, I'd be happy to keep you company."

"Thank you Hana," Riley beamed, "that sounds wonderful."

"Well, that's all of us," Drake said, grabbing his bags to wheel out to the curb. "Limo's waiting, we should get going before Olivia convinces the plane to leave without us."

#trr #the royal romance #trr liam #trr drake #drake x mc #liam x olivia #liam is a beautiful angel too pure for this world #olivia is a goddess and the queen we deserve

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shogetsus · 6 years ago

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Stripes of Auburn, Eye of Sapphire

Prologue Pt. IV

Read on Ao3 | Read on FFN | Masterlist

Summary: Her annoyance tones down several levels at the sound of genuine laughter, coming from the second man accompanying Hideyoshi. It’s musical and warm but just so, exactly like… spring, too tempting to join in the mirth. That, and as well as turning it impossible for Mai not to turn her eyes to the source, briefly abandoning her desperate search for Sasuke.

And for some reason, her heart seems to do a dramatic double flip when she finds it.

“So… you’re Mai? A stalwart lass, indeed,” The first detail she notices in him are some incredible eyes—or best to say, eye in singular, an eyepatch sadly covering the other—gleaming in hues of sapphire blue, almost taking her breath away with its enrapturing beauty.

If he hasn’t already with that heartwarming laughter, that is.

Mai

The ninja before her tilts his head, a brief but hopeful smile crossing his face. “You recognize me now?” He wonders tentatively.

Mai’s eyes almost bulge out of its sockets.

The man’s glasses glint as a thunder breaks through, giving her a somewhat worried once-over. “Are you alright? You have an umbrella?” His serious expression doesn’t waver, yet he seems as polite as for asking.

Her knees feel like giving up once again, “You’re the med school student at the Honno-ji monument!” Mai cries, shocked to the core, an avalanche of questions rising before she can stop them.

That sheepish smile widens, though, sighing softly. “Um, post-graduate in physics, not medicine. But I’m so glad you remember me,” The relief in his face seems like the most genuine she’s seen so far, while trapped in that too livid nightmare, “That makes things much easier.”

Slowly yet surely, her face brightens. “So you ended up in the past too!” But if that guy was truly relieved, oh boy, he definitely has no idea how much weight he’d just pulled off her shoulders, suddenly feeling like hugging him for dear life.

I’m not really alone in here, thank the heavens!

The sight of his clothes and overall getup are a mystery, though. “Um, I’ll say it’s weird seeing you as a ninja,”

He snorts softly, understanding her confusion. “It’s better if I start from the beginning. My name is Sasuke,” He begins to explain what truly happened ever since they encountered in the future—or their present time, as he insists in remarking—while walking together through the woods, the whole recount making Mai’s head spin.

Sitting down on a tree stump, she just hears him out. According to him, the sudden thunderstorm and that lightning bolt that’d shattered the Honno-ji stone monument was product of an unnatural event, which caused a warp between space and time and sent the two of them to the timeline they’re currently living on.

“Or well, that’s a very simplified and condensed version of my theory,” Sasuke excuses himself for the possible vague summary, adjusting his glasses once in a while, “Given we both encountered the same wormhole, we appear to be in the same timeline. But despite having entered at the same time, I ended up arriving four years prior to you,” A brief wince crosses his face.

Mai gapes at him, “Four years!?” She quickly closes her mouth, thoughts running wild, “Now that you say that, it explains a several lot,” She points out, gesturing vaguely at his figure.

Sasuke nods, “However, in these years, I’ve learned that this period, the Sengoku, and Japan’s civil war is quite different than the one we’re familiar with.” That addition makes her quirk a brow.

More different than how it is now? Is that for other reason than me saving Nobunaga? This is becoming a weird science fiction drama and I don’t like it one bit!

She swallows her questions for a moment, allowing him to keep explaining. According to Sasuke and just like how it’d happened to Nobunaga and her, he has arrived at the date of Kenshin Uesugi’s historical death instead. However, Sasuke’s quick thinking and knowledge of modern medicine had ensured Kenshin’s survival—leaving him, as well as Nobunaga in the current moment, also alive. But they weren’t the only ones.

The marvelous creature crafted by the very gods, Shingen Takeda, was supposed to have died by the current time as well. But for some reason—in which Sasuke insisted he hasn’t been involved with—he was still around when he shouldn’t be.

“I can’t believe it,” Mai holds her chest, trying to process everything as best as she can. “The one single time I act up out of my interests at heart and just thinking in another person’s survival, I screw that up. And now we… we changed the past?”

“Well, to a degree, yeah.” At least Sasuke doesn’t feel like lying to her face, regardless of how awful it must be for him to say it. “What I can assume from this is that we’re in an alternate Sengoku period, not the one we know from school.” She can tell by the look of his face that news can be either hopeful or absolutely devastating, but turns out, there’s not really a way to know for the current moment. “Because of these fluctuations in space-time we’re in one of most possibly many divergent timelines, one in which history will take a different course.”

She feels her head spinning—time travel, alternate history, divergent timelines. It actually sounds like science fiction.

“As a matter of fact, I major in theoretical astrophysics at Kyoto University, specializing in wormholes and their potential for time travel.” Sasuke goes on, a different glint on his eyes. This probably must be his ultimate dream, to some degree, then. “I’d conceived a method for predicting the conditions for patterns by which traversable wormholes manifest. That’s why I was at the stone monument that day.” He frowns a little, “To verify my method.”

Well, if she’d previously thought the people in this time were definitely something out of this world, Mai truly has to reconsider that—she’s having a conversation with a guy who can predict wormholes, and from her present time. Things just keep going crazier and crazier, it seems like.

“I’ve been looking for you here, though. Given how it happened, I expected you must have traveled back in time as I did.” There’s when he gets somewhat grim, “But… I hadn’t conceived the possibility you’d arrive four years later.”

Oh, dear. The passing comment makes her feel guilty—the guy has already spent four years completely alone in that crazy timeline, and she was already losing her mind for being around just some mere hours. “So… all things considered, this certainly doesn’t look out to be a dream. Wow.”

“I suppose you could say it’s a dream for me,” A sheepish smile clings to his face, confirming her past assumptions, “I get to see the famous people of the Sengoku era with my own eyes.”

“Yeah, you’re strangely chipper about this,” Mai feels inclined to admit out in the open, sharing his smile regardless.

“Well, my parents were history buffs. I actually got my name from the legendary ninja who served Yukimura Sanada,” There’s a proud gleam in his eyes as he comments on it, as well as some obvious homesickness. “I’ve figured out to take his ‘place’ in this world as Sasuke Sarutobi. That would help to keep my historical impact low to some degree.”

Mai nods in admission, “And were your parents well versed in martial arts, too?” She wouldn’t be surprised if they were—that is still a skill worth learning about in their present time, after all, and even she’s somewhat skilled in some. “Or is this ninja getup you’ve got something you picked up while you were here?”

“Oh, no, I studied that here. It seemed useful to pick up a marketable vocation.” He shrugs it off, not giving it much importance. However, considering the guy went from astrophysicist to ninja, Mai can’t help but blink at his frighteningly quick skills for adaptation.

Although she isn’t really scared of her one closest thing of an ally in that world, so Mai shakes off her shock as fast as it comes. Besides, putting aside her natural surprise over that fact, she won’t lie and not admit the guy is pretty much a handicap and quite resourceful, all things considered.

He outstretches a hand to help her haul to her feet, “Right now, I’m employed with that man you saw earlier…” His glasses glint once again just slightly, his face brightening with an idea, “You should come with me! I can assure you I’ll find a way to return us both to the present time.”

Despite being an odd one, Mai has no doubts he’s her best shot for getting back home. And truth is, sticking with a guy who truly knows the situation she’s in may increase her chances for survival to several degrees up. Yup, definitely my best card to play.

“Why, you bet I’m going—“ Her reassurance dies fast on her lips as another voice rushes on through the woods, startling them both.

“Mai, where are you?”

She freezes in her spot. That one belongs to one of Nobunaga’s men, that’s for sure, but recognizing it doesn’t stop her blood from running cold. Could it be Hideyoshi?

“Mai! Come out already!”

At the sound of approaching horses, Sasuke grows grim. But before Mai can come up with another word, in the blink of an eye he’s gone and out of her sight, slipping into the shadows of the forest. No, Sasuke! Don’t leave me alone now that I found you! What about our plan?

However, before she has any chance to follow him, two men on horseback are quicker to arrive and get to her. Indeed, one of them is Hideyoshi.

“I searched the whole forest for you,” He deadpans, although putting up his best neutral smile, so Mai can’t tell if he’s upset or not.

Mai frowns, deep down not wishing to put up a fight, but it’s not like she’s in the mood to be sympathetic. “Well, I didn’t ask you to, have I?” And to make it worse, he’d just driven off her only ticket home.

Hideyoshi gapes for a brief moment, “How insolent you can get?” He frowns back, staring at her as if not possibly believing her defiant manners, his horse quick to block the one possible way for her to run away, “Hiding from Lord Nobunaga for no reason whatsoever and—“

“Why, ‘no reason’?” Mai can’t really tell if Sasuke’s still around, but best she can make of is buy herself some time. Besides, the guy already got on her nerves, “He asked me to conquer the world with him and clearly didn’t look like he was going to take a no for an answer!”

“That is no way to—!”

However, her annoyance tones down several levels at the sound of genuine laughter, coming from the second man accompanying Hideyoshi. It’s musical and warm but just so, exactly like… spring, too tempting to join in the mirth. That, and as well as turning it impossible for Mai not to turn her eyes to the source, briefly abandoning her desperate search for Sasuke.

And for some reason, her heart seems to do a dramatic double flip when she finds it.

If he hasn’t already with that heartwarming laughter, that is.

“I’ve no doubts you’re the woman who defied Lord Nobunaga.” Her face grows hot as she feels the way the man’s single eye roams over her, heartbeat pounding on her ears. Regardless, Mai does her best to keep her composure.

“And you are? Someone else I’m supposed to recognize?” Her voice unconsciously shifts into flirty levels and she slaps herself inwardly.

Where did that come from? Oh well, at least I haven’t put up on a pathetic show as I did with… what was his name, now?

But she can’t keep going with that train of thought as the second most incredibly handsome man she’s ever met reaches down for her. “I’d be terribly pleased if you did, but now’s not the best time to talk...”

And just like that, he effortlessly—and so much as literally—sweeps her up her feet, placing her on his horse. Tucked snugly against his chest, Mai has the ultimate blessing of the first view of that charming, bossy smile plastered all over his face. For all intents and purposes, she can’t possibly bring herself to move an inch or even breathe when he leans closer and into her personal space, bangs brushing her forehead and hot breath gracing her ear.

“Masamune Date,” He whispers so seductively Mai feels about to pass out. “Remember it… Mai.”

The way her name rolls on his lips, oh isn’t he a gift from the very gods. She genuinely has no idea how she manages to stay up that horse but most definitely her brain goes into short-circuiting at the mere sound of it.

Right, he’s the One-Eyed Dragon, then. She recalls the name from the magazine, but really, if she’d been swooning over the pictures of him, as a matter of fact, those didn’t make justice in the slightest in comparison to the real deal.

Hideyoshi is, of course, the one to break her from that rapturing spell made by Masamune’s smug smile. “Masamune is head of the noble Date clan of Oshu. He’s also allied with Lord Nobunaga, so show some respect.”

Why, if Hideyoshi is actually trying to impress me with those unnecessary bits of trivia, I’ve got news for him.

But with him as an odd third wheel, Mai doesn’t feel like staying up on that horse anymore, suddenly finding the situation uncomfortable enough for her liking. “Well, thank you both for the introduction, but I find these manhandling manners quite a bit rude. Could I be put down now?”

“Settle down. You’ll spook the horse.” He brushes off her complaint, an arm snaking its way around her waist. She can’t really blame Masamune for not sounding convincing enough, chuckling low a moment later; his mirth rumbling down her back and doing very funny things to her insides.

She has to clear her throat to regain her voice. “A-and don’t I matter? I’m, uh, pretty spooked too.” As a matter of fact, she’s very much the opposite of it, but hell will rain upon them before she shows that to the already insufferable Hideyoshi.

His smirk widens, amused to the core, and there’s a certain glint in that alluring eye of his that seems to catch up with something she doesn’t. “Hmm, come to think of it, you do look a little spooked…” Whatever his odd reasoning is, it doesn’t seem to stop him from urging his horse forward with a snap on the reins, startling Mai.

“Masamune…” Hideyoshi growls in warning, but doesn’t seem to be following them right away. And thank the gods for that! “Just… don’t lose her.”

“Hah, as if!” The horse quickly breaks into a run after a second snap of the reins, “Hold on tight, Mai.” She knows she should be protesting or insisting to some form to be put down, but with the mention of her name coming from Masamune, her brain just ends up lost for any words whatsoever.

The truth is, nothing in the world could have possibly prepared her for Masamune’s insanely wild horse riding, prompting Mai to cling tightly to his armor for dear life. Her first choked cries only seem to make him spur his horse faster, his laughter resonating all around them, almost inviting her to join in the gleeful moment.

“That’s okay, you won’t fall off,” As amusing as he may find the situation—judging by the mirth in his voice—Mai can hardly share his excitement as of then, too stressed for her own good and barely able to pry her fingers off his shoulder out of mere politeness. Luckily he doesn’t complain about how she’s been practically clutching him. “I think we’ve lost Hideyoshi as well. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

That comment prompts her curiosity, sheepishly glancing past Masamune’s shoulder, but barely peeking out. “Oh, thank heavens, he is…” She sighs in sheer relief, a lot of her tension thankfully slipping away, if unconsciously.

So he noticed that, huh. That realization makes Mai grow several degrees more comfortable around him, at least for the further moment. Besides, Masamune Date may at first seem quite cocky and a massive flirt—not to mention more than aware of his ravishingly handsome looks, but she wouldn’t blame him for using that to his advantage. Either way, and for all intents and purposes, he definitely he doesn’t strike her as mean or wicked like some other warlords she’s met so far.

Predicting it’s so far looking up to being a long ride, Mai opts out for giving him a vote of confidence, relaxing some more in his arms and tiredly resting her head in the crook of his neck, where he’s not as heavily armored. For reasons beyond her, Masamune keeps chuckling low, apparently pleased with himself.

“So, let me guess,” His constant amusement slowly gets into her, and Mai can’t bring herself to complain about it, “Are you just hired to steal away damsels in distress for Nobunaga or is it you didn’t have anything better to do?”

There’s no doubt of it right then—he’s definitely pleased with himself. “I’d say it’s one of the best perks of the job, yeah,” He says cockily, his air of self-assurance nearly dripping out of him, the warmth of his voice all the more helpful for her to relax. “However, that purring doesn’t really sound like one from someone in distress…”

Mai snorts, “Don’t tease me. I’m just tired, alright,” She’s willing to admit, giving up for any possible ideas of escaping his grasp and wiggling a little for better accommodation. If it’s going to be as long of a ride as it looks like, then she may as well get somewhat comfortable. “I’m just coming along from certainly the worst night of my life, and considering where you’re taking me, seems this nightmare isn’t looking forward to ending anytime soon…”

“Well, if you ask me, I think it’s going to be really fun instead,” His snickering briefly tickles her ear, the arm snaked around her waist pulling her closer to his chest. Mai just relishes in his warmth, too exhausted to put up a fight. “But get some sleep now if you’re truly tired. It is a long ride, after all…”

“And risk myself falling off your horse? Thanks, but no thanks,” Although even when she says that, Mai can also hear her own voice growing heavy and groggy.

“Aaw, how could I possibly let that happen? You wound me, kitten,” Brushing some locks of hair away from her face, Masamune leans down and closer, hot breath fanning her ear, “Luckily for you, I don’t mind some scratches…”

Mai giggles and squirms a little, both for the tickling sensation and the ever so alluring tone of his voice. She can’t really tell, but if Masamune’s main goal was to get her all putty in his arms, then she hopes he’d consider that a success already.

And so, she finally complies, drawing a long sigh before dropping her eyes closed as they ride on full speed ahead through the night, with only the wind catching up with them.

#Cassie writes #Stripes fic #Ikesen #Ikemen Sengoku #Ikesen Masamune x MC #Ikesen Shingen x MC #Ikesen fanfiction #Ikesennw reblog

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thelifedocumentor · 7 years ago

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Kenny Jules Morifi-Winslow - The Third Citizen

Culture. Fashion. Design. Art. These are the realms of expression that peppered our chat over coffee in Johannesburg’s upwardly trendy Rosebank. Kenny Jules Morifi-Winslow is a South African creative who has dedicated her career to the study of culture, fashion and art. A fashion anthropologist and Master’s graduate from Parsons School Of Design, Kenny writes The IIIRD Citizen. Her lifestyle blog integrates academic essays, creative writings and poems that contribute towards opening critical discussions. On The IIIRD Citizen, Kenny expresses her passion for culture and fashion through literary works .She inspires her readers to look at the concept of fashion beyond the visual appeal while ensuring she stays current by publishing the latest reviews from the fashion, design and food industry.

In the following interview, Kenny shares what exploring different countries was like throughout her childhood and the reason why being educated about culture and society is so important to her. Most significantly, she discusses the factors that played a role in shaping who Kenny Morifi Winslow is as we know her today.

I KNOW THAT YOU’RE PASSIONATE ABOUT CULTURE AND FASHION BUT EXACTLY WHO IS KENNY AND WHAT DRIVES HER? That is like asking how long a piece of string is, it depends. I think as people we are in the same way as culture – ever changing and ever evolving .The person I was is not the same person I am today based on the experiences of yesterday and the experiences of today. I am a passionate person, I think I’m a little bit volatile because of it, a bit intense, I think I’m grounded , I like plans and organization. But I’m also a dreamer in a sense that I don’t confine myself to the limits of possibility, of thinking. And I’ve proven that to myself in achieving all of those typesets so I have no reason to doubt that. So yeah: grounded, dreamer, believer, passionate, intense, and curious.

HOW HAS PHILOSOPHY AND ANTHROPOLOGY INFLUENCED THE WAY YOU SEE LIFE?

I always wanted to study Fashion Design but my parents weren’t keen on it. My dad wanted me to study law. So first degree I was accepted for a straight LLB at UCT, I arrived at registration day and I was like I actually can’t do this. This is not who I am, I’m going to be miserable and I switched to Anthropology, Artistry and Media. Anthropology at its core is a way of thinking, it’s a way of looking at the world, and it’s an interrogation essentially. Anthropology teaches you how to ask questions .And I think that had a very strong influence in how I approached fashion in general because it was so important to me. I wanted to do so much more than just make it, I wanted to understand it and I wanted other people to understand it, and to recognize that it is not as simple as putting on a t-shirt and glasses. There are so many questions you can interrogate about a single product that I have taken upon myself to ask about the fashion industry as a whole. It’s a cultural statement. It’s identity, its politics, it is everything.

YOU HAVE A VERY UNIQUE SENSE OF STYLE. WAS IT FORMED AS YOU DISCOVERED YOUR IDENTITY OR IT’S ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF YOU?

In my youth I was a lot more playful when it came to my clothing, more colour, I took more risks. I still wanted to look cool without thinking too hard. That was reflective of the stage I was in my life. It’s very easy to be carefree when you’re a student. Going to Parsons and moving to New York City by myself was an emotional rollercoaster. I had to grow up very quickly with that experience. By attending one of the top fashion schools in the world you’re exposed to so many more influences. The older I get, the simpler my style becomes because I start to understand things like quality, what luxury actually means and what style actually means. Trends mean absolutely nothing to me. I still have things in my closet from when I was 16 and things that my mom wore when she was 21 because they are timeless classic pieces. If you focus on shape, fabrication and the way things are made, then the time period you’re wearing it in or even what color it is doesn’t matter. You can always work it into your wardrobe. My style is at its core influenced by the things I studied. Art History teaches you how to think about proportion, shape and color. Anthropology influenced the way I think about how my clothes are made, where my clothes are made and what my clothes are made out of. And then my Master’s Degree was the mix of both. It taught me about sustainability, ethical production and cultural significance. It taught me how the choices I’m making impact my identity, what they say about my identity and how the rest of the world interacts with that.

YOU HAVE LIVED IN CAPE TOWN, LONDON, JOHANNESBURG AND NEW YORK. WHAT WAS THE EXPERIENCE OF NAVIGATING ALL THESE CITIES LIKE?

Wow, I could write a book about it. London is where I grew up. That is where I spent the majority of my life. From London it was Johannesburg then Cape Town for 4 years and then it was New York. Navigating those spaces was wild from a racial perspective most prominently. In London I went to an international school. It was a small diverse group with people from all over the world so we were exposed to a lot of cultures and I wasn’t weird. Then I moved to Johannesburg. Being mixed race had never been an issue until I came back to South Africa as a teenager. People started calling me coloured and they couldn’t understand why I don’t speak Afrikaans and I’m trying to explain that I’m not colored. That was kind of tricky. And then Cape Town of course – the majority of my friends and my social circle are black. Cape Town is a very white city so were always very conscious about the spaces where we were safe, welcome or unwelcome in. The racial divide in that city is unreal. And then I moved to New York where mixed race people are considered black. I was there at the time when Black Lives Matter movement was at its peak. I feel like I became a staunch defender of my blackness. Moving to New York and learning about these things made me feel like I am black because as much as I benefit from privileges such as Colorism because I’m light-skinned and I have good hair, I win in that way. But at the same time I am still prejudiced in the same way that a lot of black people actually are. So why not fight for those struggles instead of just defending my privileges? But you learn to adapt quickly. The move from South Africa to London which was the first big move really taught me how to navigate spaces and then moving every time after that became easy.

I LOVE IT WHEN YOU SPEAK ABOUT PARSONS SCHOOL OF DESIGN. YOU SPEAK OF IT WITH SO MUCH PASSION. HOW HAS PURSUING A MASTERS IN FASHION AT THIS INSTITUTION OPENED YOUR MIND?

My Masters programme was only 5 years old in the world and this particular course was called Fashion Studies. It had only existed for 5 years and they only accepted 30 people a year into this programme. What was really special about that particular programme is that you don’t have to have a background in Fashion. I was in class with people who had Politics degrees, economic degrees and people who came from Development backgrounds. Then we would all sit in class and have to apply our individual knowledge skillsets to this one topic. I think one of the most incredible experiences was the resources that people are. It completely changed the way I think about the work that I do. The resources I had at my disposal were unbelievable, absolutely incredible. New York City itself is a resource; the books, the museums and the galleries – incredible. So I think it completely changed the way that I think about what I do in the sense that people ask all the time, “what do you do” and they expect one job like I’m a banker or I’m an accountant. What Parsons taught me in particular is that there is no way to define the thing that I do now is because it has so many angles and facets.

WHY IS SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND DESIGN SUCH AN IMPORTANT COURSE TO YOU?

On a global scale, we have done a lot of damage to the environment. Capitalism has done a lot of damage to the environment and being conscious of it is a way to remedy some of that damage. I think it is especially important in developing economies like South Africa because it presents an opportunity for us not to make the same mistakes as developed countries. We can develop at the same rate without making the same mistakes. If we can build an economy that is already ethical and focused on sustainable production then by the time we become as big or as powerful or as rich as America, we don’t have issues like wage gaps, gender pay gaps or carbon emissions. To highlight those issues is to learn from the mistakes of the developed nations and prevent them in developing nations. It’s always a juggle between my world and my life in the first world where it’s about how do we reduce our emissions, how do we limit our impact on the environment. And then I come here and it’s about what are the ways moving forward we can achieve the same thing without making that mistake. How do we avoid genetically modified products? How do we avoid outsourcing our production systems to places like China and Taiwan? By building those production systems here, you circulate the money, wealth and the production to keep the entire supply chain local and we stimulate our own economy in the same way that China did. Then we run into whole new issues because China has issues with chemicals leaking into the environment and now there’s a chemical impact on the environment. There are so many plot points we need to identify and I think sustainability and ethical production in designing and food - particularly in South Africa - are the ways that we ensure a healthy growth process for the economy.

AFRICAN FEMINISM IS A TOPIC YOU HAVE HIGHLIGHTED IN YOUR PREVIOUS WORKS. WHAT DOES IT REPRESENT TO YOU?

It is important for us to have our own brand of feminism because feminism as we understand it is a very white concept. White women are very happy to fight for gender but never for race. They become two different issues for them. Whereas for black woman in particular it’s not one or the other, it’s both all the time. We need to start unpacking for ourselves what that means – what black feminism means what it means when we talk about each other’s hair textures and when we number them or when we tell girls who wear weaves that its synthetics and you’re not natural or why are braids and dreadlocks more highly respected than weaves and relaxed hair. Those are topics that are so unique to us and we sometimes overlook what that does to black womanhood. A lot of people aren’t honest about the thoughts that they have and if we don’t talk about them we can’t fix them. It’s really important for me to champion black feminism especially because it’s a fight our mothers didn’t get to fight and it has fallen on us now because we have the voice and we have the platforms to be able to talk about these things. I have a platform with an audience so why not talk about the real stuff?

WHY IS CULTURAL APPROPRIATION A DEBATE YOU FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT?

The problem with cultural appropriation is power. People think that it is about “creative integrity” and “this thing belongs to us and doesn’t belong to you” – no, it is about power. It’s also important to trace the history of things we think belong to us. Shweshwe print was given as a gift to King Shweshwe. It didn’t come from us; we just adopted these things and made them apart of our culture. The problem is when they take it back from us; make money off of what we have created now as our culture without referencing the process of how we got there. Cultural appropriation is such a tricky debate and there is so much grey area when it comes to cultural appropriation that we have to interrogate. That is the point of things like anthropology, the point of the work that I do. It is to go a little bit deeper and take it one step further. When we claim wax prints –who brought wax prints to Africa? Vasco da Gama is a Dutch company and they brought that stuff here. We didn’t make them we just claimed them so whose culture are we really appropriating? But the difference with that is it was never part of Dutch culture, it was part of the Dutch economy. And now we have the difference between culture and economy which we have to define and that filters into so many conversations about food and politics. Cultural appropriation is deep. People think fashion is frivolous-no, it’s a cultural history of a people or a person or a place.

HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE SOUTH AFRICAN OR AFRICAN CREATIVE INDUSTRY AT THE MOMENT?

I think we should separate South Africa from the rest of the continent because there’s a lot of amazing stuff happening in countries such as Nigeria and Kenya. And the thing that they have that we are lacking is patriotism in our designs. They believe in their own work, aesthetic and style. They produce it themselves and it has a very unique perspective. I love that. But I think South Africa is still struggling with replicating international designs or styles instead of creating our own. Especially when it comes to street wear labels; it’s just copy & paste of international street wear labels. But then if you think about things like furniture design, we’re really excelling in things like that because we are the home of those natural resources. Therefore our artisans have a much better access to those things and have a fresh perspective because we’re such a diverse country. There are so many cultures to pull from, take inspiration from and to diversify and make new. I think that’s really cool. But we still haven’t found a way to do that when it comes to fashion whole-heartedly. We have a long way to go when it comes to that.

IN THIS AGE OF SOCIAL MEDIA WITH SO MUCH HAPPENING IN OUR GENERATION, AND AROUND US, WHAT KEEPS YOU GROUNDED?

I’m a writer at the very core of what I do, however I do it. What keeps me grounded is that to be a writer – a good writer- you have to write about yourself. You are the subject that you know best so a lot of my work and most of the work that has garnered me the most praise is the personal stuff where I can take something that is personal to me and make it about something outside of myself. People get so concerned with being a brand that they even forget to be a person. I think that’s what people forget when it comes to social media and being an influencer. My brand is being a person. My whole brand is built on being human and sharing human stories and sharing my perspective on things we’re talking about, the things that aren’t sexy and are a little bit dark and a little bit ugly but that everyone can relate to. All of these different things that people don’t really talk about especially on a high profile and highly visible platform. My philosophy is to use that platform for exactly that. So I think the work itself keeps me grounded. There is no way I could float into the sky because the reason that I have any kind of popularity is because I’m so open and so honest about who I am as a person and how I became that way.

HOW DO YOU MANAGE ENDORSING BRANDS WHILE STILL STAYING TRUE TO WHO YOU ARE AS A PERSON?

It’s a really tough thing to do. Sometimes brands will approach you and here’s my thing- this thing called integrity. I don’t mind saying no to brands and I’ve said no to a lot of brands. Because on a superficial level it doesn’t fit who I am, how I dress, the things I do or how I consume things. But even with the brands that I do say yes to, it’s why am I saying yes, do I have enough creative control to be able to write my own story and slot this in. Or is it a straight up brand endorsement? Even with the brands that I’ve worked with - I’ve spent my own money in the past or I’m currently spending my own money and I can find an angle, a narrative to tell a story and that’s important to me. It is to be able to tell stories through brands; that’s advertising. Advertising is all about creating an emotional connection between a consumer and a product. I am the emotional connection between a consumer and a product.

WHO ARE THE PEOPLE THAT HAVE PLAYED A ROLE IN SHAPING WHO KENNY IS TODAY?

Wow, so many people, but obviously my parents at a foundational level. I know everyone says that but I think that with me it’s a little bit deeper than that because like I said I’m mixed race. My mom is black Sotho and my dad is white Italian American. So a lot of my interest in culture, language and history comes from them. A lot of my activism I learnt from home. And a lot of my curiosity, appreciation for knowledge and education I learnt at home -which I’m grateful for. My upbringing- moving around a lot has taught me adaptability in particular ways and particular situations. You have to be a chameleon. But outside of that, I think there are external influences like people that I’ve never met, icons that I admire, writers, poets, photographers, film directors but I’ve never met them so I can’t really say they have shaped me into who I am. The men that I have loved in my life have played very significant roles in how I became the person that I am. The kinds of men that I’ve loved have all represented a different lesson, a different learning. And I think as much as I’ve always been a creative writer in particular, certain loves have given me poetry and have given me a depth of feeling that is now very important to the quality of my work. It’s about who you are and who you become in and out of love that shapes how you move forward. There’s a reason that you were there. They taught me things and you’ve taught me things and I carry those lessons around with me every day in every form - In the way that I write and the things that I write about.

WHAT ARE SOME OF THE BIGGEST LESSONS YOU’VE LEARNT ON YOUR PATH?

1) The most recent one was the struggle between being an exceptional student to feeling like a mediocre adult. I was a straight A student my entire school career – from grade 1 to my Master’s degree. It’s very easy to grade schoolwork – you get a brief, produce work and get a mark back. I’m good at that. And then when I came into the world after that I was trying to navigate not having a rigid system to validate me. I don’t have professors that are praising my work. I don’t have a report card that says cumm laude – it’s just life. And in life, there are so many other people, who can do what you do, who do what you do and might do it better. Then you suddenly went from competing in this tiny little pool into this massive big world and that’s tough. That’s a really tough adjustment to make especially if you’re working freelance like I do. Going from being a student to being just a regular grown up person working was hard. It’s a game of pivots – just keep moving, switching and figuring it out.

2) Another lesson that I’ve learnt is that sometimes you’re the problem. We are very quick to point fingers and say they did this which is why I did that or well you did worse than I did. We’re quick to compare, we’re quick to pass judgments. When you take all of that away sometimes you are the problem – you need to fix some issues in yourself.

3) The third lesson that I’ve leant is that sometimes you have to ask for help when you need it. Don’t be precious about asking for help or sharing ideas. I leant this year what collaboration actually means. It’s not you do one thing and you do another and then we put them together. It’s about how do we marry our two schools of thought or our two ways of thinking or perspectives into this one product at the end. It’s very easy to say, but it’s much harder to do and execute.

OKAY, NOW THIS IS A FUN ONE. WHAT ARE YOUR TOP 3 LIFESTYLE TIPS?

1) Don’t force the issue: People have this thing about flamboyancy and doing too much. That for me is not style - that is fashion. Fashion comes and goes. At school we used to differentiate between fashion with a capital ‘F’ and fashion with a small letter ‘f’. Fashion with a capital ‘F’ is trends – what’s trendy right now. Fashion with a small ‘f’ is the way you make something, the way you fashion something – production or a thought process. When I say don’t do too much I mean don’t do fashion with a capital ‘F’. Forget about trends.

2) Identify what your style staples are and stick to them. And then you can deviate from that in small ways. I’ve got a uniform colour palette and set of shapes. I like neutral colors. The place where I have a lot of fun with my fashion and my wardrobe is shapes. So you can have a whole white wardrobe if you want but have interesting shapes, interesting cuts and interesting styles.

3) Rather save your money and buy less at better quality. I think this is the most important tip. I have blazers that were bought for me when I was a teenager. I still have a Michael Kors tuxedo blazer my mom bought for me when I was 16 in New York. It will forever be timeless because it is so well made, such great quality. Before I would buy a new outfit whenever I went out but now I’ll buy 2 pairs of really well-tailored trousers and then I’ll buy 4 really well-made shirts. That becomes a staple. From there you build and you add small things, small detail. But the core staple remains the same. Choose quality over quantity.

SO WHAT IS NEXT FOR KENNY MORIFI WINSLOW?

Ooooh! I’ve got a big project in the works. I don’t want to reveal too much but March of 2018 keep your eyes peeled. I started a company and we do something very unique. But it has its own name, its own look and its own brand identity independent of Kenny Jules Morifi-Winslow. It’s going to be cool.

WHAT MESSAGE WOULD YOU SEND TO PEOPLE WHO ASPIRE TO WORK IN THIS CREATIVE SPHERE?

I would say – and this is something I learnt from Anthony Bila (The Expressionist) - he studied something so far away from the thing he does now. He worked in advertising and after 10 years, he quit. He only started following his real passion at the age of 29. In the last two years he has excelled like out of this world - his work has been exhibited internationally, he consults on panels; he directs commercials that we see on television. He is behind so many things and we just see the photographs that he takes. Anthony has worked so long and so hard in the creative sphere to build enough respect and credibility to be able to do things that he didn’t study. I’d use that example to communicate to young people to do the work. You don’t have to study it. A lot of people can’t afford to study – the internet is your teacher. Consume things, look at different things, look at film, listen to music, go places you’ve never gone before. Do things outside of what you think is your style or your vibe, experience things and just create. The thing we do as creatives is we agonize over the idea. Is it going to be good enough? How am I going to do it? Essentially you’re doing it for you, if you’re not doing it for you then you’ve got this whole thing wrong. Creativity is problem solving and a lot of those problems are in us. Do whatever it takes to find your thing and just keep doing it.

By using her platform, Kenny continues to push forward the movement of African feminism, cultural appropriation and ethical food & design through eloquent literature. The knowledge that she has garnered from Anthropology and Masters in Fashion is reflected in her work as she inspires us to look at these topics with a much more critical approach. With an eye for aesthetic visuals, a timeless minimalistic style sense and a depth to her soul, Kenny Jules Morifi-Winslow is a young activist using her power to raise awareness for a sustainable future in the world of art, fashion and design.

Images source: www.instagram.com/kennyjmw/

The IIIRD Citizen: thethirdcitizen.com

#kennyjmw #thelifedocumentor #zesintu #thirdcitizen

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emilysn2019-blog · 5 years ago

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Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens is a 133-acre home to a range of animals, and is located in Griffith Park, one of our favorite places in all of California. In this LA Zoo review, we’ll share photos, cover the good and bad of the L.A. Zoo, how it compares to the San Diego Zoo, and more!

To be entirely honest, it took us a while to visit the LA Zoo. Even after living in California for several years and being members of the San Diego Zoo, we still hadn’t gone. This was despite living closer to the LA Zoo and visiting Griffith Park more times than I can count.

We just always had this perception of the LA Zoo–and I’m not even sure what it was based upon–that it was inferior and second rate as compared to the San Diego Zoo, so why bother? Well, we had that question answered for us when we finally visited the Los Angeles Zoo & Botanical Gardens and discovered that our preconceptions were pretty off-base…

Before we dig into the inevitable San Diego Zoo v. LA Zoo comparison, let’s begin with an overview and review of the Los Angeles Zoo…

Today, the Los Angeles Zoo is home to more than 1,400 mammals, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. These creatures represent more than 270 different species, including 58 that are endangered.

In addition, the LA Zoo’s botanical collection spans several planted gardens that contain over 800 different plant species and roughly 7,000 individual plants.

The City of Los Angeles owns and operates the LA Zoo, its land and facilities, and everything inside. The zoo opened in 1966, replacing the now-defunct Griffith Park Zoo, which is still in existence and home to more urban explorers than animals.

Current photos of the old Griffith Park Zoo circulate with regularity and wow what a difference a few decades makes it terms of zoological standards.

While there’s a stark contrast between today’s Los Angeles Zoo and the Griffith Park Zoo of 50+ years ago, the reality is that some areas of the current LA Zoo still feel like vestiges of the past.

While walking around, you can tell that some aspects of the zoo are a few decades old, but there have been plenty of modernization efforts to keep things looking–and feeling–fresh.

More importantly, the LA Zoo is clearly a modern zoo from the perspective of evolving beliefs about the humane treatment of animals.

The facilities appear, to us at least, to be humane and spacious for the creatures, and we saw nothing that raised any concerns about animal treatment.

Of course, we are hardly experts in this realm, but it’s worth noting that the Los Angeles Zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. I do know that the LA Zoo has done extensive work to aid in the recovery of California Condors.

In 1982, the zoo launched California Condor Recovery Program (CCRP), which then focused on building a captive breeding population. Now that the species has recovered, the LA Zoo assists with monitoring and maintaining the populations of wild condors that have been re-established in California.

One of the most engrossing exhibits is Campo Gorilla Reserve, which is home to six western lowland gorillas. Here you walk along a forested pathway for views of two separate troops of gorillas, a family and a bachelor group, living among waterfalls and lush plants.

The LA Zoo’s latest attraction is the Rainforest of the Americas. This exhibit features detailed sculptures, educational graphics, and architectural elements create an immersive experience for visitors, while animal highlights include piranhas, giant otters, harpy eagles, and cotton top tamarins.

Elephants of Asia is one of the LA Zoo’s main (and newer) draws. This exhibit is aimed at familiarizing visitors with the challenges Asian elephants face in the wild, including their shrinking natural habitat. This is an interesting and illuminating exhibit.

This Elephants of Asia tracks the history and culture of the animal through Cambodia, China, India, and Thailand. There are bathing pools, sandy hills, varied topography, and several different viewing areas offering varied perspectives into the exhibit.

Another favorite area of ours is Australia, which is home to the Zoo’s kangaroo and koalas. These marsupials are displayed in the Australia section of the L.A. Zoo.

This area is also home to the Australia Nocturnal House, which features a rare Southern hairy-nosed wombat, a species that can only be seen in four other Zoos in North America.

The koalas share two separate habitats with kangaroos, wallabies and echidnas. It’s cool to watch the baby koala and kangaroo joeys in this area.

Although tangential, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share one of my favorite stories about P-22, who is suspected in a “koala heist” at the LA Zoo a few years ago.

This was the area of the zoo where we spent most of our time, completely transfixed by those marsupials. With that said, we spent a lot of time at various areas throughout the zoo, finding a number of lower profile exhibits just as compelling as the big name ones we specifically list here.

Time flew by, and before we knew it, we had been at the LA Zoo for roughly 5 hours.

It’s tough to find much to criticize about the Los Angeles Zoo, especially for its relatively inexpensive admission fee. One thing we did notice was that none of the food looked even remotely worthwhile, but this is hardly unique to the LA Zoo.

We anticipated this, eating before arriving and again immediately after leaving. It’s Los Angeles–even with decent zoo food, you’re obviously going to do better dining at a real world restaurant.

The Los Angeles Zoo receives nearly 1.8 million visitors per year, making it one of the most popular attractions in Southern California. Thankfully, the sprawling complex and 100+ acre grounds make it good at absorbing crowds, but it still can get busy.

To avoid crowds, the best option is visiting right at opening on a weekday morning. Weekends are consistently the busiest time to visit, but weekdays can be bad if you choose poorly and visit on a day that multiple school groups have field trips to the LA Zoo. Visiting in the morning also offers the upside of seeing the most animal activity.

No matter when you visit, one of the big upsides to the Los Angeles Zoo is the lush grounds. Throughout the zoo, the pathways are frequently lined with mature trees that provide ample shade and a cool environment.

Likewise, many of the viewing areas offer shade and reprieves from the heat. This is a big deal on a hot day.

As for how the Los Angeles Zoo compares to the San Diego Zoo, the latter still reigns supreme. However, it’s a much closer call than you might expect, especially with the San Diego Zoo being world renowned and receiving all the accolades.

San Diego Zoo is superior thanks mostly to its “other stuff” like the aerial tramway, bus guided tours, and more. The wildlife lineup likewise gives it an edge, but not a pronounced one.

With that said, base 1-day tickets to San Diego Zoo cost nearly triple the price of those to Los Angeles Zoo. Quite simply, it’s not that much better than the LA Zoo. So, if money is an issue, we’d recommend the Los Angeles Zoo.

If money isn’t an issue, it probably comes down to whether you’re planning on visiting San Diego in addition to Los Angeles. (Arguably, the San Diego Zoo is not worth a special trip. The San Diego Safari Park, on the other hand…)

Overall, we were shocked by just how much we enjoyed our time at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens. It’s one of the best zoos we’ve visited, and while not quite on par with its formidable and far more famous counterpart in San Diego, it’s deserving of praise and tourist’s attention, too.

The Los Angeles Zoo is also conveniently located in Griffith Park, making it easy to spend the morning and midday at the zoo before heading Autry Museum of the American West for the afternoon, and then to Griffith Observatory for sunset and dusk (potentially even Hiking to the Hollywood Sign). That’s one great, jam-packed day in L.A., and all without having to fight any freeway traffic!

If you’re planning a trip, check out our Ultimate Guide to Los Angeles or our California category of posts. For even more things to do, The Best Things to Do in Los Angeles: 1001 Ideas is an exceptional resource, which is written by other locals. If you enjoyed this post, help spread the word by sharing it via social media. Thanks for reading!

Your Thoughts

Have you been to the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens? If so, what did you think of experience? If you’ve been to both the LA Zoo and San Diego Zoo, how do you think they stack up to one another? Any additional tips to add that we didn’t cover? Would you visit the LA Zoo again, or do you think it was a ‘one and done’? Was it worth your time and money? 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101 Things to Do in Southern California

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networkingdefinition · 5 years ago

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Maryland State Quotes

Official Website: Maryland State Quotes

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• At the University of Maryland, my first year I started off planning to major in art because I was interested in theatre design, stage design or television design. – Jim Henson

• Beaten biscuits: This is the most laborious of cakes, and also the most unwholesome, even when made in the best manner. We do not recommend it; but there is no accounting for tastes. Children would not eat these biscuits-nor grown persons either, if they can get any other sort of bread. When living in a town where there are bakers, there is no excuse for making Maryland biscuit. Believe nobody that says they are not unwholesome. . . . Better to live on Indian cakes. – Eliza Leslie • During the War of the Rebellion, a new and influential club was established in the city of Baltimore in the State of Maryland – Jules Verne • Every Maryland family wants financial security, schools that work, quality healthcare, safer neighborhoods, and ever-expanding economic opportunity. These are the building blocks of a superior quality of life. – Bob Ehrlich

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'Maryland', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '68', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_maryland').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_maryland img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); ); • Every year, once a year, in Maryland, I go for a week and overnight camp with about 50 to 60 kids with muscular dystrophy, all ages, seven to 21. And it is really fun. I have some great friends there and wonderful counselors. – Mattie Stepanek • From 1997 to 2003, there was a decline of 50 percent in the proportion of children nine to twelve who spent time in such outside activities as hiking, walking, fishing, beach play, and gardening, according to a study by Sandra Hofferth at the University of Maryland. – Richard Louv • I also point out that the Democrat senator from Maryland, called the Tea Party, teabaggers. – Eric Bolling • I come from a small town in Maryland. I came to California in 1972 to begin Maude. – Bea Arthur • I divide my time between Columbia, Maryland, and Lagos, Nigeria. – Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie • I grew up in Baltimore, Maryland, and my relationship with the piano has been going on for about 38 years. – Cyrus Chestnut • I moved to Seattle when I was two or three years old. Had my early education there, and would spend summers on the farm in Maryland. Then I went to boarding school in New Hampshire, to St. Paul’s School. From there, I moved to London. – Alexis Denisof • I think George Mitchell was good for Maryland in the sense that he helped me get elected. It doesn’t get any better than that from here on. – Barbara Mikulski • I was born in Boston, but then I went down to Virginia. We spent a little time in Maryland, and then were in Virginia by the time I was seven. What struck me the most was that my mother thought that she had gone to the middle of nowhere, and we would still drive four hours for her to get her hair cut in Washington, D.C. – Connie Britton • I was living in Maryland and my first week was dreadful. My first week I actually got into a fight at school – Christina Milian • I was raised in an Italian catholic family in Baltimore, Maryland. Our faith is very important to us, our patriotism, love of faith, love of family, love of country. I took pride in our Italian American heritage and to be the first woman speaker of the House and the first Italian American speaker of the House, it’s quite thrilling for me. – Nancy Pelosi • I went from a naive, regular girl in high school to trying to realize my dream. When my family moved from the East Coast to California, I thought in my little brain, “Wow, I’m going to Hollywood. I could actually make this happen.” It was easier for me to think it’s possible living in a place like Los Angeles than trying to do it in suburban Maryland. – Joan Jett • I went to Goucher College in Maryland for the best possible reasons – to learn – but then I dropped out at 19 for the best possible reasons – to become a writer. – Anne Lamott • I’m about to challenge for the Maryland Cup in the next couple of years, as an owner, a trainer, and a rider. – Davy Jones • I’m so proud of Maryland’s firefighters, risking their lives to protect others, but we need to protect our protectors with the best equipment training and resources – Barbara Mikulski • In 1966 the ACS formulated a State Model Cancer Act which was instrumental in the enactment of anti-quackery laws now enforced in 9 states…In California (it is a) felony…The use of unproven methods is also a criminal offense in Colorado, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland, Nevada, North Dakota, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. – Jane Brody • In my state [ Maryland] we’ve lost jobs to NAFTA, we did not gain jobs from NAFTA. But I think it’s very difficult when your state is right up against the northern border, you do see things differently. – Barbara Mikulski • In the sense of media saying this about themselves, I drive to my kids’ school in upstate New York through rural Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York; [Donald] Trump signs everywhere. – Mary Matalin • In times of adversity – for the country we love – Maryland always chooses to move forward. Progress is a choice. Job creation is a choice. Whether we move forward or back: this too is a choice. – Martin O’Malley • Industrial agriculture now accounts for over half of America’s water pollution. Two years ago, Pfiesteria outbreaks connected with wastes from industrial chicken factories forced the closure of two major tributaries of the Chesapeake and threatened Maryland’s vital shellfish industry. Tyson Foods has polluted half of all streams in northwestern Arkansas with so much fecal bacteria that swimming is prohibited. Drugs and hormones needed to keep confined animals alive and growing are mainly excreted with the wastes and saturate local waterways. – Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. • It is hard to imagine, but in a Maryland school, a 13- year old girl was arrested for refusing to say the pledge of allegiance. There is more at work than stupidity and a flight from responsibility on the part of educators, parents and politicians who maintain these laws, there is also the growing sentiment that young people constitute a threat to adults and that the only way to deal with them is to subject them to mind-crushing punishment. – Henry Giroux • Living in Maryland, I saw that the opportunities were far greater in California than back home. – Christina Milian • Many Saturday mornings, I take 495 from Fairfax to Maryland in the morning, and I’m astonished by the speed of many of the drivers. Even when I drive 70 mph, I’m being passed by people driving 80-90+ at times. – Robert James Thomson • My capital budget maintains my commitment to the education of children, health of the Chesapeake Bay, and safety of all Maryland citizens. We will continue to focus on the five pillars of my Administration as we build today and look forward to the projects of the future. – Bob Ehrlich • My father was a preacher in Maryland and we had crab feasts – with corn on the cob, but no beer, being Methodist – outside on the church lawn. – Tori Amos • My problem with Obama is that he’s not a new paradigm; he’s an old paradigm. A new paradigm would be somebody like Harold Ford [former Democratic Congressman from Tennessee] or Michael Steele [former Republican Lieutenant Governor of Maryland], no relation, both of whom present themselves as individuals, and don’t seem to wear a mask. They don’t ‘bargain;’ they don’t ‘challenge.’ So, I see them as fresh, and as evidence of what I hope will be a new trend. – Shelby Steele • Now, a recent study from cardiologists at the University of Maryland, has shown that laughter may have a beneficial effect on the heart. – Allen Klein • Once I took a bus from my home in Maryland to Philadelphia to live on the streets with some musicians for a few weeks, and then my parents sent me to boarding school at Andover to shape me up. – Olivia Wilde • The constitutions of Maryland and New York are founded in higher wisdom. – Ezra Stiles • The four most dangerous words in finance are ‘this time is different.’ Thanks to this masterpiece by Carmen Reinhart at the University of Maryland and Kenneth Rogoff of Harvard, no one can doubt this again. . . . The authors have put an immense amount of work into collecting the data financial institutions needed if they were to have any chance of making quantitative risk management work. – Martin Wolf • There were just moments of the punk scene and I realized that I had to capture it. There was also this photographer in our preschool – I went to a Montessori school in Baltimore, Maryland – and they had this photographer come and take all these incredible photographs. They looked like they were from Life magazine. – Jeff Vespa • This grant gave me more than memories; it gave me a crucial experience that is formative to all writers: the ability to perceive that we become writers in exile, where what we write is the only link across distance and time…I became a Maryland writer because the community of Juneau took me in. – Paula Vogel • Virginia and Maryland attorneys argued this is a national problem and needs a national solution. I’m hoping that with a federal court agreeing this is inequitable, Congress will now act and do the right thing for the District. – Walter Smith • We moved to Baltimore, Maryland, in 1979, when I was five. The funny thing is that, even though Baltimore had one of the top murder rates in the country in those days, I grew up hearing about how dangerous New York was. – Philipp Meyer • Well I am from Annapolis Maryland. I went to High school in Baltimore, but I grew up in Annapolis. It was a cute town. We lived on a waterfront community. It was good, even though I don’t really fit the preppy boater kind of style. – Christian Siriano • While I am in favor of the Government promptly enforcing the laws for the present, defending the forts and collecting the revenue,I am not in favor of a war policy with a view to the conquest of any of the slave States; except such as are needed to give us a good boundary. If Maryland attempts to go off, suppress her in order to save the Potomac and the District of Columbia. Cut a piece off of western Virginia and keep Missouri and all the Territories. – Rutherford B. Hayes • Yeah, I did some small parts in high school and the first year of college and then fairly soon thereafter I settled into the backstage scenery, and then at the University of Maryland I was doing posters for their productions. – Jim Henson [clickbank-storefront-bestselling]

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'a', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_a').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_a img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'e', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_e').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_e img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'i', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_i').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_i img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'o', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_o').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_o img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

jQuery(document).ready(function($) var data = action: 'polyxgo_products_search', type: 'Product', keywords: 'u', orderby: 'rand', order: 'DESC', template: '1', limit: '4', columns: '4', viewall:'Shop All', ; jQuery.post(spyr_params.ajaxurl,data, function(response) var obj = jQuery.parseJSON(response); jQuery('#thelovesof_u').html(obj); jQuery('#thelovesof_u img.swiper-lazy:not(.swiper-lazy-loaded)' ).each(function () var img = jQuery(this); img.attr("src",img.data('src')); img.addClass( 'swiper-lazy-loaded' ); img.removeAttr('data-src'); ); ); );

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equitiesstocks · 5 years ago

Text

Maryland State Quotes

Official Website: Maryland State Quotes

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• At the University of Maryland, my first year I started off planning to major in art because I was interested in theatre design, stage design or television design. – Jim Henson

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